Should the minimum age for alcohol consumption in India be reduced?

Dear Honorable Prime Minister Australia call it 18, Canada call it 18, Argentina call it 18. Why not India? I am writing to you to express the views of many Indian citizens under the age of twenty-five as the new law implemented by your government declares that the public consumption of alcohol by anyone under the age of twenty-five is illegal. If young adults in India at the age of eighteen are entrusted with the right to take a bullet for the country; the right to vote for whom they believe should be a potential leader of a billion people; the right to choose their life partners, why shouldn’t they be allowed to buy and consume alcohol in their social environment? Your government claims that the new legislation has been implemented because young adults are not responsible enough, and that keeping them away from alcohol at this tender age will help them lead a better life. In the eyes of your government young men aged 18 must be kept aloof from the temptation of alcohol. But should not the statesmen of our country remember that the forbidden fruit looked sweeter and more luscious to our mother Eve only because it was forbidden? Your government should take a precept from what happened in America in 1919 when the 18th amendment to the U.S. constitution implemented such a ban. Quoting S. B. Duke and A. C. Gross (1993), â€Å"if consumption of alcohol was reduced, it wasn’t by much; the costs of enforcement, in money, corruption, crime, disrespect for the law, alcohol and related poisonings far exceeded, by virtually anyone’s measurements, the tiny gains in alcohol control.†1 in my opinion such a measure is only going to boost the sales of alcohol. What happened in Gujarat is evident. The state with a prohibition saw an upsurge of alcoholism, and the climax came when hundreds of people died after consuming poisoned liquor in 2009. Thus prohibition does not serve anything. Old dogs can indeed learn new tricks. Law experts like advocate Swapnil Kothari said that the age restriction is â€Å"ludicrous, arbitrary and suffers from a vague interpretation of wisdom of youth†. 2 And so far being responsible is concerned I believe that responsibility comes with experience, realization, and social maturity, not just age. Legend has it that force hardly succeeds in giving desired results. It would be foolish to deny that India with its vast population of 1.15 billion, accounting for 17.31% of the world’s population, has, unfortunately, been witness to an increasing alcohol-related death rate per year. However, enacting a law where young people of age 18 can be imprisoned for ‘chugging’ a glass of beer, or ‘downing’ a shot of vodka in a pub is hypocritical because at the same age, here in India people are allowed to start their own enterprises, which include permission to open a club or bar, and work in them. If young adults, as bartenders are allowed to twirl vodka and whiskey bottles in fancy clubs, serve people alcohol all night, but not allowed to take a small sip of what they are serving, is that not hypocritical? If denied permission to drink in public, young adults under the age of twenty-five will not only perceive alcohol to be a â€Å"forbidden fruit†, but also be eager to bite into this â€Å"forbidden fruit†, as they want to see what has been kept away from them. This eagerness may lead young adults into committing serious criminal offences, they may buy fake licenses, or bribe bartenders as well as police! Do we really want the youth of India to indulge in such criminal acts, just for alcohol? A wide consideration should be given to the impact of this restriction on the 18 year olds when they start drinking stealthily to escape the consequences of being caught. Won’t this sneaking out be detrimental to their behavior and morale? In a country where so many rapists are not convicted; killers are not sentenced; jails are jam-packed and murderers are left scot- free, do you really think putting them into jail for such a relatively mediocre crime is an appropriate judgment? It is important for young adults to be familiar with their limitations but by rising the age limit so high does nothing but trigger the curiosity, inquisitiveness and craving for this â€Å"forbidden fruit†. We know young adults drink alcohol anyway, but what is your government doing to help them out? How are you controlling young adults from turning up highly intoxicated to parties? If your government fears excessive drinking at the age of 18, why is no support being provided? What your government can do is install CCTVs in liquor stores, and make harsher punishments for alcohol vendors for serving alcohol to young adults of age 18. According to your government an 18 year old can get married, in that case would the marriage get raided as the couple picks up a glass of champagne to celebrate? Why are 18 year olds barely allowed to their right to freedom of choice and responsibility of their own body and mind? When an 18-year-old woman has the right to marry and beget a child, what stops her from taking a sip of liquor to enjoy the first birthday of her child? Does not the age restriction look absurd in such a case? It is time the politicians understood that prohibition, unless backed by strong and relevant data, does not serve any end; sometimes the reverse may just occur. 1. http://www.albany.edu/~wm731882/18th_amendment_final.html 2. articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com †º Collections †º Alcohol

Literature Review on Roles Played Essay

Dalton (2002) had focused on what managers do, which are behavioural roles, rather than the reason or method used by these managers. He recognized that variations in cultural beliefs, values and norms as well as variations in managerial style challenged the performance of global managers. On the other hand, Rifkin (2006) said that soft skills may be more important for global managers to be effective. He suggested three steps companies and managers can take to better prepare for the challenges of managing globally, which are:†¢ To develop a clearer understanding of the challenges of managing people across borders;†¢ To instill in new global managers an awareness of and an appreciation for the vast differences among cultures in which they do business; and†¢ To give global managers the tools and support they need to succeed. Writing on international management and cross-cultural perspectives, Adekola (2007) stated that like the domestic managers, international managers must also adhere to the four major roles of planning, organizing, directing and controlling. He said that planning assures that the business organization has some idea of its purpose, where it is heading and how it will achieve its objectives. International managers must consider not only local conditions but also overall international operations in their short or long-range preparations to achieve their goals. They must be aware of the extent to which employees, local customers, government officials and suppliers are likely to accept or resist changes. Adekola (2007) also stated that control for an international manager includes ensuring that what is happening is what was intended to happen. Control is used in different ways by the organization depending on the level and scope of its application. He quoted Miller (1987) who said that for an international manager, â€Å"control should provide managers with the information necessary to monitor the operations of the firm to help achieve its global strategy†. According to Adekola (2007), â€Å"international direction and leadership style is the way in which a manager chooses to fulfill leadership, delegation, communication and supervision responsibilities. These choices reflect both personal and cultural differences. †He believed that international managers’ roles can be very effective when a manager can learn and develop leadership functions such as completing organizational work through employee motivation, getting commitment, energizing employees’ behaviour and by creating personal interests and excitement in the organization’s goals.

Arthur Conan Doyle build Essay

Arthur Conan Doyle used the character named Sherlock Holmes to create a murder mystery genre short story. He uses the clever, sly and mysterious character to capture the readers. At the time the stories were written the Victorians were very frightened of crime because the police at the time weren’t stopping crime as they should, also at the time the fearsome â€Å"Jack the Ripper† was loose on the slums of London, so this new character brought some relief to the frightened citizens. At the time the police were failing to commit to there job and stop the crime that was taking place. This meant there was a lot of fear about crime around because the people of London had no force to protect themselves from the evil on the streets. At this time Arthur Conan Doyle tapped into this idea and created Holmes, this gave relief to the readers. Doyle had to use one of the main techniques in a murder mystery story to keep the story alive, keeping tension and suspense at a high throughout. Towards the start of the mystery Doyle builds up the idea of the story by showing the idea of fear in Helen Stoner. When Helen says â€Å"It is not cold which makes me shiver† and â€Å"It is terror†. This builds up the idea of the story as then she begins to tell Holmes about her problem. By noticing how she is terrified and telling Holmes about the mystery she is facing, we automatically find that we are dealing with a murder mystery genre. The way Holmes observes everything Miss Stoner does shows he is a very clever man and leads you to think she has come to him for him to solve her mystery, this gives us the idea he is a detective, further convincing us that there is a mystery to be solved. At the very begging Sherlock Holmes’s apprentice is talking to us, telling us about him studying Mr Holmes work. The way Doyle sets up the mystery shows us he is a clever writer as we can always be asking what is going to happen next. When Holmes starts asking questions it starts giving us ideas about the mystery we are dealing with, further setting up the story. We also see the idea of contrast between how we see things. We meet Helen Stoner, a woman who fears for her life, and is shaking with fear; she is in a terrible state. Then we see Sherlock Holmes. He is calm, easy going and already at work the moment he meets his client. Then we meet Dr Grimsby Roylott. He â€Å"seizes† things and â€Å"storms† about the place, he is a very large man and works with his anger and strength. We see Helen Stoner as a very fragile and afraid woman. We see that when she enters the room she is very shivery, but this isn’t because its cold, we know this because not only does the writing tell us but it also describes her to be sat next to a fire. We see that Helen stoner is very fragile because she fears for her life. We know this when she says â€Å"It is fear, Mr Holmes. It is terror†. This shows that something is frightening her. We then find out that she needs Holmes to help her. She looks like a â€Å"hunted animal† and this shows that she has been through a lot. We see that the way her character is shown to be a typical Victorian woman. Vulnerable, afraid, fragile and unable to defend herself. This shows that the story keeps on fitting into the genre of murder mystery. In the day it was written people reading the story would very easily be able to relate to her as a character and this give more effect to the story as a reader. We are also told about how she looks very old, but is very young, and how the fear she has because of Dr Roylott has made her look almost elderly. We can see that Sherlock Holmes is portrayed to be a very clever and calm gentleman. We can see he is a very observant man, and is very quick to think things through, this would make the readers feel relieved for Helen Stoner because they would know from this point that he is smart enough to crack the mystery. The way he talks to her as if he already knows the answers to his questions shows him to be a very smart man. We also see he is a very brave man. We know this because even when staring the large, and frightening Dr Roylott, he manages to stay calm and say things that further enrage the large man. Even when further angering the tyrant he still keeps calm, and keeps himself out of any state of worry, this would further enhance the feel of protection for the reader. The way he further angers the Dr also builds a large amount of tension. This would keep the reader reading ahead. Dr Roylott is presented as a large frightening man. We know this because of the way we see his first proper entrance into the story. We see this because the door to Holmes living space was â€Å"dashed† open by a â€Å"Huge man†. This further builds tension in the story as from this point it is obvious the man bursting into the door is Dr Roylott. He is shown to be a strong, aggressive character. We know because of a way he â€Å"seizes† a poker and bends it with his bare hands to show his raw strength. The word â€Å"seizes† shows he is a very aggressive man and this would give the reader a feeling of fear which would further build tension.  The fact that the entire story is set over one day and not spread out over time shows that the situation is urgent and it cannot be left more than 1 day. This further builds the idea of tension in the story line. The tension is built up over time because as the time goes on the story shows that the woman is in danger of death. At the time the Victorians would have found this story very frightening. This is because at the time the idea of gypsies living on someone’s’ land was something that wasn’t at all normal. This meant that the people who would read this would find it very peculiar and would find it frightening to hear about. Also the idea of foreign animals walking freely on his land would scare them because this is unusual and these creatures are not just any animals, dangerous animals like cheetahs. They also would be frightened that he had killed his butler in Africa. This would worry the public because at the time the police force weren’t doing there job very well and this made the public very worried about crime. In the final section the main contrast that is noticeable is the change between the light. The light is dark and all is silent. But when some light flashes in the room the tension automatically begins building up. As the tension builds further the light begins to come through the air shaft and this creates even further tension. When the Idea of time is linked with the idea of changing light, this build the tension because the time seems to slow down as the light builds in the final part of the story. In the entire story builds tension well, the way it all takes place in a short amount of time shows urgency in the situation and makes the reader feel tense. The language he uses is good for building the tension because he uses words that give a feel of urgency and danger. I think the story builds tension well because the way it was written to fit in with Victorian ideas makes people see how the story was meant to effect the reader.

Intelligence Community Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Intelligence Community - Essay Example Threats such as terrorism are not easy to tackle and it has forced intelligence agencies to invest heavily in new technology as well as create more sophisticated methods of spying on potential adversaries. The rise of al Qaeda and its affiliate organizations has created a situation where it has become essential for the intelligence community to utilize all the resources available to it to ensure that this threat is either neutralized or destroyed. The intelligence community after the Cold War has had to face adversaries who are more numerous than during the Soviet era and this has made it imperative for there to be changes in the way that the various agencies within it operate. For example, during the Soviet era, it was common practice for the various intelligence agencies not to share information with each other; each of them attempting to ensure that what they considered to be their jurisdiction was jealously guarded.1 The rise of the terrorist threat on the United States, especial ly after the 9/11 attacks, changed all that as it led to the realization of the need to be interagency cooperation to prevent such an event from ever taking place again. In recent years, there have developed fusion centers whose main purpose is to ensure that all the information, concerning potential threats, that has been collected by the various agencies is shared in a common database.2 This is a phenomenon which would have been considered strange during the Cold War as each agency in the period attempted to keep all the information that it gathered a closely guarded secret, not to be shared with rival agencies. During the Cold War, the main means of intelligence gathering was either through direct spying, the use of double agents, or through the use of sleeper agents. This form of spying was extremely risky for those individuals involved because it created a situation where, if caught, they were likely to either be killed, or put on display to the embarrassment of their home nati on. The modern form of intelligence gathering, however, aims at preventing such incidents as much as possible and this is based on the fact that there is the use of advanced technology to cover those areas which are highly sensitive. The use of the new forms of intelligence gathering technology has ensured that the need for field agents has become minimal; their being required only during the most crucial of missions. The use of evermore sophisticated intelligence gathering technology has created a situation where it has become much easier to gather intelligence on any target around the globe.3 All the potential threats to the nation are often on the radar of the intelligence agencies, and one way or the other; they are more often than not found out and eliminated. The use of the drone technology has enabled the swift identification, targeting, and elimination of threats to national security anywhere in the world, thus creating more efficiency when protecting the interests of the Un ited States. When compared to the Cold War era, it can be said that the status of the intelligence community has changed for the better since it has seen the development of better cooperation between the various intelligence agencies. There has developed the realization that the cooperation betwe

Is self-confidence necessary for effective leadership Essay

Is self-confidence necessary for effective leadership - Essay Example Learning to be lowly and learning to be small will make us great somedayThere is a great host of leaders recorded in the Bible. If we have to learn their ways, faith, principles, and beliefs, we will come to the inevitable conclusion that these great leaders like Moses, Noah, Peter, Paul, and many others, was found to be able and successful leaders because they have learned to accept that they are nothing; that the Creator is able to produce great things from nothing. Nothingness is the best place and idea to start a creation. When we do something out of something that already exists, we fashion it in a manner by which we always consider the kind of material that exist; but everything is possible, and every idea can be freely conceived if you create something out of nothing like what God have done (Soriano, E. F., 2004). Hollenbeck and Hall also mentioned in their article that "Leader's self-confidence causes followers to believe in the capabilities of the leader and the direction set." Contrary to that, Soriano said that "A leader, in the truest sense of the word, must be someone being followed intelligently by followers of understanding.

Personal and professional development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Personal and professional development - Essay Example The manufacturing engineer’s job encompasses planning, designing, setting up, modifying and monitoring of manufacturing processes according to Prospects (2011). They also engage in the maintenance of machines and equipment and scheduling of manufacturing operations in some cases. They normally liaises with other members of the organization such as those in the research and development department in ensuring that the company continues to operate as efficiently as possible in the process of producing quality products.. Levels of professional Qualifications for Manufacturing Engineer In order to become a manufacturing engineer in a company, one must get secondary and college or university education with a focus of related subjects such as physics, mathematics, technical drawing and statistics just to mention a few. At college and university levels, the manufacturing engineer will be trained on a wide range of subjects including design and analysis of processes that are applied in manufacturing, metrology, design for manufacturability, Computer-Integrated Manufacturing, and instrumentation and controls engineering among others (Worcester Polytechnic Institute nd). The Engineering Council and its Role The Engineering Council is the United Kingdom’s authority that is charged with the task of registering professional technicians and engineers. The council also performs secondary tasks such as advising students, trained engineers, academic organizations and employers on the procedures and standards for registration. The body also regulates the professions of the engineering technician, incorporated engineer as well as the chartered engineer. Considering that the title â€Å"Engineer’ is legally protected in the UK, it is important for the professional engineer to be awarded a title by the Engineering Council that is otherwise protected. As a professional manufacturing engineer therefore, it is advantageous to voluntarily register with the Engineer ing Council so as to demonstrate high competence - such competence that can only be acquired by training, education and proper experience. These indeed are the basic requirements for one to be registered by the Engineering Council. In order to be registered by the Engineering Council, one has to sit and pass the organization’s examinations at each stage. The manufacturing engineer can sit for the levels 5, 6 and 7 to be registered as an Engineering Technician (EngTech), Incorporated Engineer (IEng) and Chartered Engineer (CEng) respectively. Some of the advantages of being registered by the Engineering Council include higher earning potential, better career prospects international recognition, high self esteem, and recognition of expertise. Engineering Technician (EngTech) The engineering technologist is an engineer who specializes in implementing the existing technologies that exist in the engineering field. In other words, the technologist is more oriented toward the applic ation of engineering fundamentals as opposed to creating new knowledge in the field. They always work with other engineering professionals applying technical skills and engineering principles in their practice. The manufacturing engineering technologist can work in a wide range of industries, not limited to maintenance, manufacturing, processing and assembling companies. The technician is trained widely in

Business Plan for Sneaker Store Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7000 words

Business Plan for Sneaker Store - Thesis Example The business will have its headquarters in Boston with the aim of serving target market in the United States to find less costly and quality sneakers. All products offered by Nike, Adidas and some Chinese brands will be offered by KicksFly Corporation but a different platform will be utilized, i.e. the product will be offered to the customers via stores and online portal. For this reason, this business is developed which entails core activities of the business and certain proposed strategies that will help the business to grow its sales revenues. Kicksfly Corporation is a shoe business that ensures delivery of 100% authentic athletic and casual wear shoes. The business will have its headquarters in Boston with the aim of serving target market in the United States to find less costly and quality sneakers. All products offered by Nike, Adidas and some Chinese brands will be offered by KicksFly Corporation but a different platform will be utilized, i.e. the product will be offered to the customers via stores and online portal. KicksFly Corporation’s products came from top of the line suppliers across the globe, in order to serve a diverse customer base. Our target consumers are youngsters and health conscious adults with upper middle to the upper end incomes of United States of America. The competitive edge that KicksFly Corporation will be having in the target marketplace is that its products are made from authentic raw material that does not cause discomfort to the customers. In addition to this, the retailing method to be implemented by KicksFly Corporation will be a whole new experience for the target consumers. Stating these perceived advantages, KicksFly Corporation expects that the marketing and business level strategies of the business will help it to attract the targeted consumers who need comfortable sportswear and casual sneakers. Since the retailing method adopted by KicksFly

International corporate governance Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

International corporate governance - Coursework Example he corporate sector of Australia has previously been regarded to hold the same core features as those of the United States and the United Kingdom.7 These issues will be discussed thoroughly in the later sections. The goal of corporate governance, which offers guidelines to direct the decisions and responses of the board and management, has been widely agreed to be concentrated on ‘enhancing corporate profit and shareholder gain.’8 Quite frequently this is understood as ‘maximising shareholder value,’9 and quite frequently as well can be understood as allowing profit and advantage today to the detriment of profit and advantage in the future. Indeed, temporary shareholder profit and corporate advantage is simpler to determine and easier to integrate in corporate decision making and could even be reasonable to quick fix or temporary shareholders.10 However, an exclusively short-range focus may result in inadequate ventures in training and innovation, for instan ce, so that potential competitive advantage is risked, to the absolute loss of the shareholders.11 Due to these grounds, defining the corporate objective only in relation to ‘maximising shareholder value’ is not enough. A more adequate way to define the corporate objective is ‘maximising wealth creating potential.’12 This is tantamount to sustaining the company for the gain of every shareholder by pursuing actual long-term economic growth. Theorising Corporate Governance Two major features of present-day companies are the distribution of equity among shareholders, and the separation of control and ownership.13 The concept of agency cost is defined by Jensen and Meckling (1976) as the ‘sum of (1) the monitoring expenditures of the principal, (2) the bonding expenditures by the agent, and (3) the residual loss.’14 Agency costs, more particularly, may comprise the direct losses of advantages or assets and/or expropriation because of managerial ine ptitude or lenience.15 Management, as argued by Shleifer and Vishny (1997), can carry out asset expropriation in a variety of ways, such as directly pilfering wealth from the accounts of the company, transferring the assets of the company through ‘subjective’ pricing to their own companies, or trading valuable company resources to their own companies at low prices.16 However, management lenience could be the more unfavourable kind of agency cost. Management may boost their purchase of luxuries at the expense of the company, or raise their position by enlarging the company’s size even though the expansion is not justified on competence bases.17 The direct expropriation of a company’

Interpersonal Communication Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Interpersonal Communication - Research Paper Example The communication process differs from person to person. Each person, group or organization has a different approach and technique of communicating ideas, views and messages. The communication process in use depends on the availability of resources, skills and understanding of the members. This paper aims to analyze the fundamental elements of communication, the effect of self-concept, perceptions, listening habits, language differences and non-verbal elements on communication. Furthermore this paper ends up creating a discussion on personal methods to resolve the communication barriers and strategies to promote healthy interpersonal communication and relationships. II. Main Points A. Elements of Communication Process and their Importance 1. A brief intro to the elements and their relevant importance in the communication process 2. Factors affecting Communication Process B. Role of Self-Concept and Perception in Communication 1. Self-Concept and Perception with definition 2. The posi tive and negative impacts on communication C. Non-Verbal elements 1. The effects of non-verbal elements on Communication 2. The evaluation of environment, noise and other distractions on Communication D. Language Differences & Listening Skills 1. The effects of language differences and listening skills on communication patterns 2. Impacts of these elements on communication effectiveness E. Resolving Communication Barriers 1. Personal Methods to resolve barriers 2. Strategies to promote Healthy interpersonal communication III. Summary 1. The main points covered in the paper and the strategies proposed IV. Conclusion 1. An insight on the effects of factors which influence the communication barriers 2. A list of recommendations to avoid those barriers 3. Strategies to adopt in order to promote effective interpersonal communication Student Name Ramona L. Mata CA104 Interpersonal Communication 20 July 2007 Interpersonal Communication Report Introduction Communication is the tool to trans fer and share thoughts, ideas and views. It helps in expressing the emotions, sentiments and feelings of a person. There are many factors that affect the communication process between people and groups. These factors involve the attentiveness of people, cultural diversity among them, age differences, gender distribution, personal skills including listening and comprehension skills, personal feelings and point of views etc. The communication process differs from person to person. Each person, group or organization has a different approach and technique of communicating ideas, views and messages. The communication process in use depends on the availability of resources, skills and understanding of the members. This paper aims to analyze the fundamental elements of communication, the effect of self-concept, perceptions, listening habits, language differences and non-verbal elements on communication. Furthermore this paper ends up creating a discussion on personal methods to resolve the communication barriers and strategies to promote healthy interpersonal communication and relationships. Elements and Factors Affecting Communication Process Communication is an important part of our daily life. All dealings of our life varying from the smaller ones to the larger ones involve different aspects of communication pro

President Bill Clinton Essay Example for Free

President Bill Clinton Essay The Map Room Speech delivered by President Bill Clinton by way of apology and explanation regarding his conduct with Monica Lewinsky appeals to the listener as an American and as an individual, that is, makes its appeal to personal and presumably universal feelings and emotions regarding the state and the family. This speech must be reviewed with the idea in mind that this is not the first time that Clinton is speaking on the subject. His initial statement regarding Lewinsky involved the memorable line â€Å"I did not have sexual relations with that woman. † In the early stages of a scandal, it is possible to strategize along the lines of the Chinese saying that â€Å"less talk, less mistake. † That is, by delivering a direct and unequivocal statement, it is possible to brazen everything out and avoid further discussion regarding degrees of involvement or moral culpability. However, in view of later developments, it became necessary to take a different tack. The strategy employed by this speech involves admitting a mistake – admitting a â€Å"wrong† relationship with Ms Lewinsky and deceiving his wife in the process – but it is a mistake that had to be framed as a mistake that any other man would have made. But at the same time that it presents the President as having a lot in common with the man on the street, it also intends to reinforce the image of great-heartedness expected in a gentleman, where he says â€Å"I must take complete responsibility for all my actions, public and private. † Here we are presented with a fusion of Everyman and Hero. The first paragraph of this speech makes the point that he has, in the course of the investigation, answered questions that â€Å"no American citizen would ever want to answer. † The juxtaposition of â€Å"American citizen† with the concept of doing something unwillingly while at the mercy of a probing authorities is meant to create tension between the idea of the American as the â€Å"freest citizen on Earth† and a version of reality where he actually is not quite â€Å"free†. On some level it would evoke the historical â€Å"white man’s burden† that the US was supposed to have taken up when it acquired colonies in Asia – that the American has a great responsibility to truth because to those whom much is given, much is expected. The ordinary man on the street might feel this, that he submits to Big Brother on occasion, because he must keep his country great and intact. In the next paragraphs he owns up to his mistakes while emphasizing the mitigating factors. He has been truthful and never lied, since all his answers were â€Å"legally accurate. † This would dispose of the famous episode where â€Å"oral sex† as â€Å"real sex† was called into question during the investigation. He also stresses that he never asked anyone to practice deception for his sake, which statement seems to be intended to call attention to the fact that he is not a heartless cheating bastard or a predatory boss. He did not ask the women in his life – his wife and his mistress – to cover up for him, or to risk their integrity for him as he could have done so easily, as some unscrupulous men would have done quite easily, were they situated in a position as powerful as his. Clinton then proceeds to attribute his silence to a lapse in judgment. The earlier tactic of brazening out a tricky situation seems to have backfired, and thus must be transformed into, or presented as, keeping quiet out of the desire to protect the innocent – those who cannot protect themselves. Of course, one keeps silent or withholds information from the media, and this portion contrasts the family man’s desire to protect honor or the finer sensibilities of his wife and daughter with that of the media as a relentless institution that will say all, that must have its ratings and viewers, at the expense of reputations or feelings or whatever it is that is insulted in the course of getting the story. He also reminds the public that there was a politically motivated lawsuit – one which was subsequently dismissed – that was ongoing at the time the scandal erupted. Now the image includes political enemies, whose popular image would be, like the media, that of predators: Power-hungry individuals out to destroy a man who is only trying to do his best. In touching on this investigation he says: â€Å"The independent counsel investigation moved on to my staff and friends, then into my private life, and now the investigation itself is under investigation. This has gone on too long, cost too much, and hurt too many innocent people. † Here it is worthwhile to note the emphasis on cost, the toll which the investigation, where he and his wife have been cleared anyway, has taken not just in terms of time or money, but again in terms of the mental or moral anguish that it has caused â€Å"innocent people. † He then brings the situation home; the public issue is also a private one, and indeed, now that the public aspect of it has been disposed of, the process of dealing with it as a personal, a family issue, commences. The unspoken truth here is that this process will be more difficult than the public one. He says that the people he loves most are his wife and daughter. Such statements are rather like a Hallmark greeting card – bland enough to slide off without anyone taking umbrage or questioning the validity of the statement. At the same time, the cliche carries with it great power. While love is a complex thing that is constantly in flux, with family relations being a barometer of the same, the ordinary individual does not question its nature but only sticks to his guns and says â€Å"I love my family. † To say, â€Å"Now this matter is between me, the two people I love most: my wife and our daughter, and our God. I must put it right, and I am prepared to do whatever it takes to do so. Nothing is more important to me personally,† is to say exactly what the ordinary American thinks he would feel in such a situation, and moreover, it uses much the same language that he would. The father of the family also puts his foot down when he says, â€Å"†¦I intend to reclaim my family life for my family. It’s nobody’s business but ours. † Of course, one of the more striking lines in this speech is â€Å"Even Presidents have private lives. † The audience here is asked to have mercy, or perhaps, more accurately, to step up and do their part as members of a community. If America is a great democracy, then the rules that apply to you and your neighbors down the hall or across the street apply to the president too – and not just rules, but privileges. The turn of phrase is made even more pleasing by the suggestion that this time, it is the nation – the man with his beer on the couch, watching tv, the mother preparing dinner, that has the power. Spare the President, because he’s only human. And this way, the passive viewer gets to feel that he or she actually gets to do something that matters. Then Clinton, in the last three paragraphs, draws matters to a close. He says that â€Å"It is time to stop the pursuit of personal destruction and the prying into private lives, and get on with our national life. † This is calculated to appeal to loftier feelings. It says â€Å"You’re better than that. † Or better yet â€Å"We’re better than that. † With these words, he aligns himself with the people. It is at this point that he ceases to be – at least within the framework of this speech – the beleaguered and erring politician, or the earnest, hardworking father and husband who has made the mistake of an office dalliance. At this point, he is gathering up the reins and resuming the role of President, Leader of the Nation. In its sweep, it even disposes of the notion that the presidency he holds is actually at the mercy of the people’s preference. But there is nothing wrong with this, not really. After all, anyone who has been a leader, whether coach of a basketball team, head of a clique or a mother of small children, knows that there is a time when one has to act decisively, to think for the followers and act rather than to pay obsessive attention to their every squeak and whimper. He refers to the country as having been â€Å"distracted for too long. † Indeed, the business of nation-building, or at least the one of getting along from one day to another as a nation, would appear to benefit from being presented once more as something lofty. For once everything is in place – when the people have enough to eat, for instance, and homes and televisions and cable tv – it is easy to become lost in inane distractions like a media circus. Or at least, that it is a media circus and detrimental to the work begun by the Founding Fathers and continued by the Pioneers, is the desired effect. He calls then for people to the â€Å"important work to do real opportunities to seize, real problems to solve, real security matters to face. † This effectively writes off the scandal in which he has been recently embroiled as â€Å"not real. † Security issues are real, the opportunity for economic growth is real, but the doings of a man and his intern are less â€Å"real. † And this makes sense in a practical way – set against the greater scale of things, it seems to say, does it really matter that Bill Clinton had sex with Monica Lewinsky? This speech acknowledges its importance to the nation in a â€Å"if it’s important to you, then it’s important to me† kind of way; â€Å"I care about how you feel,† he says to America. But as it ends, he presents the events of the preceding months as a small matter, after all, set against the backdrop of the greatness that is America in the century that (at that time) was just about to begin. In conclusion, in the alliances and associations created by this speech is a powerful message to the listeners that they mustn’t care too much about one man’s mistake – what they (and that erring man) have at hand is a much greater task: upholding the great American nation.

Influences on Consumer Behavior for Mobile Phone Choice

Influences on Consumer Behavior for Mobile Phone Choice INTRODUCTION With the passage of time, advents in technology have given new meanings to almost everything around us. Every preconceived notion and idea has been forced to go through a metamorphosis to keep in line with the growing pace of change. This tidal wave of change has surely altered communication drastically. The new advances have led to addition of many new forms which came about as a revolution. The communicative revolution that concerns us is actually the third wave, according to which information can now be transmitted through electronic signals and controlled waves present in the air around us. A mobile phone is an electronic device which is used in two way communication. To make use of a mobile phone, connection to a cellular network is required which is an interconnection of base stations through which signals are transmitted, hence the mobile uses those signals to forge and maintain connection. A user using a mobile phone can make or receive telephone calls to and from other cellular networks and also fixed line phones worldwide. Each mobile phone holds a subscription with a cellular network which then connects it to a mobile network operator and thus lets communication to flow freely. Mobile phones are not used for calls only, especially modern mobile phones. They offer a wide variety of communicative services such as: text messaging sending and receiving emails voicemails accessible through voicemail inbox access to internet MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) interactive games connectivity through Bluetooth and/or USB, infrared music player camera GPS (Global Positioning System) With the influx of countless models of mobiles in the UK market, with minor or significant differences in features, generally they are categorized into two groups. We have feature phones, which are normally characterized as low end mobile phones having less functions, whereas at the other extreme we have Smartphone which are high end phones with sophisticated, computing capabilities. Hence the focus of this report is to discuss a Market Research Study with the aim of providing readers with a comprehensive insight into the factors that influence the consumer behavior when it comes to choosing mobile phones, particularly for UK market. Once the factors have been determined, this report will further shed light on the market research objectives as well as the main purpose and procedure for this proposed market research study. In addition to the aforementioned topics in this report you will also find ample information regarding how to conduct a qualitative and quantitative market research study explaining the finer points in detail. Also a proposed reporting research schedule and timing, fees and credentials will be a part of this report. The reports prime focus will be on the consumer influences because it is these factors that aid the consumer in making a rational choice when given several alternatives to choose from. The consumer would first have to have a need or a problem for the satisfaction of which a product would be required. In this case we have the purchase of a mobile phone. Hence factors influencing consumer behavior in choosing a mobile phone from the different brands will be considered. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES As the main research objective of this study is to identify the factors that influence consumer behavior at the time of choosing a mobile phone brand; hence, the primary research objectives are stated below which have been further subdivided into sub objectives to illustrate the point further. Primary objectives are: Demographic factors Psychographic factors Behavioral factors Following are the sub objectives providing explanation for each of the research studys objectives: Demographic factors: are those factors influencing consumer behavior which are the consumers factors comprising of age, gender, income, occupation, education, religion and nationality. Demographic factors are important as consumers belonging to similar demographics have alike buying patterns. Based on the research study result, researchers would know what brands are favored by the male or female consumers, also depending on the income and occupation which brands would be the choice for consumers. Psychographic factors: comprise of factors that are based on consumers social class, lifestyle and personality traits. A point to be noted is that same demographics may have very different preferences when it comes to psychographic structures. Some brands are chosen over others if they are better at portraying an image which truly reflects the consumers psychographics. Behavioral factors: are specifically related to the buyers habits and their attitudes towards different brands. Basically it comprises of components that tell about the consumers knowledge, attitudes and responses to a product. If the marketer has ample knowledge about these behavioral variables then it makes the research very informative. PURPOSE AND PROCEDURE OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH METHOD AND DESIGN The prime focus of this proposed marketing research method and design is to be able to identify the significant factors that play an important role in influencing consumer behaviour in respect to choosing between different mobile brands, specifically in the UK market. In order to be able to collect genuine and authentic data this research design will incorporate both primary and secondary research study. Elements of the said primary research study will be utilised in the form of both qualitative and quantitative research. The purpose being the determination of various factors that play a key role in influencing consumer behaviour in relation to choosing mobile phone brands. The factors under discussion will be from the broad categories of demographics, psychographics and behavioural. Furthermore, to complement the marketing research study results, a literature review relating to the importance of proper knowledge regarding different consumer influences, consumers preferences and choices, prices and availability of different features such as camera, games, Wi-Fi, and also the notion of brand loyalty. In addition to it, evaluation methods explaining how best to gauge consumer responses will also be augmented in the study. As told earlier, secondary research will be also be implemented, its aim would be to augment information about the patterns of consumer behaviour in the past and also the changes that have taken place recently. All of this information gained will then be considered and used in forming the main purpose and objectives of the proposed research study. For the designing of a questionnaire judging the quantitative and qualitative aspects of the research study, the following questions will be a part of it. The questions are: Which mobile phone brand are you currently using? Would you buy the same brand when buying a new phone in the future? Which mobile phone brand would have been your next choice? How much are you willing to pay for a mobile phone of your choice? What are your preferences in choosing a mobile phone? What features are the most important in a mobile phone? What features are the least important in a mobile phone? In your opinion, which brand is the UK market leader in mobile phones? RATIONALE BEHIND THE QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN Initially there is a need to recognize what is the kind of relationship shared between the variables and hypothesis. The two broad categories of such relationships are cause and effect relationship and non cause effect relationship. The one under consideration belongs to the former group as we have identified different factors as cause, bringing about effect in the form of consumer behaviour when opting for a certain mobile phone brand. It is widely believed that quantitative research methods which are based on scientific mode of study are the most effective in delivering a credible research hypothesis. Though there are other methods too, but they do have their shortcomings as well. If a pure statistical quantitative research method is implemented the results would not be comprehensive enough. They would only depict the general evaluation of the research and not the finer details that went into forming this conclusion. Another method for that matter is pure observational approach; again this mode is not favourable as it is primarily based on the researchers supposition of the hypothesis. Therefore this approach is greatly endangered by distortion of the final conclusion and lacks credibility as a result of it. Phenomenological method is another approach that can be taken as it asks the researchers to better understand the idea or hypothesis in relation to all its aspects and then form an evaluation based on the experiences felt by the person under its influence. In the end to sum up, its best suggested that statistical method be used for quantitative purpose and qualitative approach be taken to research the factors. As this combination of methods incorporates both the pros and cons of the respective approaches so it will, in most probability, helpful in delivering a credible and unbiased evaluation at the end of the research study. ABOUT THE PROPOSED RESEARCH QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN The questionnaire was formulated for the key purpose of identifying the different factors that influence consumer behaviour when choosing between different mobile phone brands in the UK market. Therefore each question was designed with the aim of extracting some information that would be insightful in understanding the complex buying behaviour of the consumers. Question 1 will find out which brand is most used by the consumers. If there are a major proportion of the participants choosing a particular brand that would mean that brand may be the market leader. Questions 2 and 3 will assess whether they wish to change the phone. If they do then what is the reason behind it, if a shortcoming in the current brand is recognized then the marketer can capitalize on it and add this feature in its own product if feasible. Question 4 will judge the brand loyalty in the participants as part of the behavioural factors influencing consumer behaviour. Whereas, question 5 will aim to find out what the customers next favoured option is in mobile phone brands. This would give an idea as to which brand has the potential of becoming the market leader. Question 6 will evaluate what is the technological literacy in the participants so that a need for introduction of complex technology can be considered. While question 7 will review what are the activities that the users mostly indulge in when using their phones. This will also be helpful in finding out what areas can be improved as are mostly used by the consumers. Question 8 will aim to discover the power friends have on consumer preferences as part of the psychographic factors. Generally it is believed that family, friends and peer pressure play a vital role in this area, this question will be finding out whether there is any truth to this notion or not. Question 9s purpose is to obtain information regarding how much consumers are willing to spend on the purchase of a mobile phone. Price is in relation to income which is a component of demographic factors. Also if a trend in low spending is observed then this would mean that there is a need for lowering the prices. Question 10 will ask the participants to make a choice between two of the most coveted mobile phone features. In addition to the usual ones features available, preference for camera and Wi-Fi will be asked for. Question 11 is in extension to the earlier asked question, asking what are the features that they most want in their mobile phones. It is expected that the answers will greatly depend on the age of the participants. Question 12, the last question, will actually provide additional information about the consumers assessment of the available brands. This will also show which brand the consumers think is the market leader, the response to this question will be interesting as it may be in contrast to what the marketers expectations are. IMPORTANCE OF STRATEGIC QUESTIONING, INTERVIEW TECHNIQUES AND EVALUATION In order to be certain that the questions prepared are honest and not misleading, it is necessary that the questions being asked as part of the research are credible. If not then the results may be deceptive. For this purpose it is also necessary that strategic questioning is such that asks questions that are actually informative and insightful, helping in forming strategies. Therefore it of the utmost importance that the questionnaire designed should be clear in stating what its purpose is. The understanding of the responses should be such which would be able to serve its purpose of finding out the factors most influencing consumer behaviour in choosing mobile phone brands, particularly for the UK market. The researcher should incorporate all such plausible and relevant questions that will be helpful in achieving this aim. While conducting an interview, researchers are at an advantage of extracting much more out of the respondent than from a questionnaire. It is because of the nature of the method that gives the freedom to the researcher to pay attention to the gestures and body language of the participant in addition to obtaining a response. When evaluating and getting ready to present the data, the researcher should not forget what the purpose has been all along. Also a general code of conduct and ethics should not be breached at any stage of the research as that would deem the study false. PROPOSED RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND REPORTING As the research has to kept bias free so it is important that the respondents are chosen at random from the targeted segment. The researcher should thus aim to distribute the questionnaires to people who can be counted on for providing the best possible response. For our study, prime focus would be UK residents. It will be this collected data which will be analysed and evaluated. Since our study encompasses the whole UK market, so the researcher will aim to get 100 survey questionnaires by the residents of four main countries of the UK (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland). Each participant will be at complete liberty to refuse to participate in this survey, only after their consent would they be given a questionnaire to fill. Correct purpose of the study will be explained to them. After all the data has been collected, it will then be analyzed and interpreted with the use of computing aids in order to be certain about the veracity of the study. These results will be compiled as a report in addition to study results, recommendations and conclusions. For the meeting this report will be presented along with a PowerPoint presentation. PROPOSED RESEARCH SCHEDULE AND TIMING This research will be conducted within an expected time duration of 7 weeks. In the initial weeks, the market research proposal will be composed. This step will involve the preliminary identification of factors influencing consumer behaviour namely, demographic, psychographic and behavioural factors, which will then be taken as the basis for the whole study. Literature review will be a key component for this area as this will evaluate what needs to be researched. It will be during this literature review that the factors will be further sub divided into smaller facets to cover every aspect of consumer behaviour. During the 3rd week, quantitative and qualitative research study questionnaire will be designed. For this purpose first the merits and demerits of each form of study will have to be taken into consideration. Then after the questionnaires are prepared, they will be distributed to the targeted segment of the population based on country wise division for UK market. It will be during the 4th and 5th week that the questionnaires will be filled and collected. Two week time is being allotted as the questionnaires will be divided over a large area so shipping to and forth will have to be accounted for. In the 6th week the researcher will have to get down to the task of the evaluating the results. For this a systematic procedure of first entering the data into computing software and then retrieving the end result will be initiated. Computers are being used of this purpose to guarantee no or very insignificant discrepancies. Once the results are obtained they will be included in the study for the experts review and analysis. As told earlier, informal interviews will also be conducted so that gain even better insight into the workings of consumer influences. These responses along with formal interview data collected will be also be added into the survey. At the completion of all these steps, final evaluation will be carried out. This evaluation will incorporate elements from all the parts of the whole research proposal study, the purpose for this detailed study will be to avoid all forms of prejudice that might have seeped into the study at any step of the process. In the final 7th week, after the study is completed, final review will take place. COST FEASIBILITY ANALYSIS AND BREAKDOWN As the participants selected belong to four different countries therefore questionnaire filling will in itself be a long process. Mostly it takes a couple of days for the questionnaires to be filled but as the participants are over an extended area so for that we have projected a longer time duration. During all this time various expenses will be incurred which have to be accounted from. Apart from the obvious transportation and telecommunications costs which are a part of every research schedule, other expenses are also to be considered. These other expenses can be listed under sundry expenses, comprising of paper and printing cost, food expenses. Also the volunteers will be given allowances for the services being offered.

Motivations for Travel and Tourism

Motivations for Travel and Tourism Tourist motivations are the factors to make people wishing to go travel. They want to have personal fulfilment (Coltman, 1989). Crompton (cited in Van Harssel, 1994) discovered that most responders also thought that travel is like a rest and relaxation from routine. However, it did not represent changing their way of lives, people just continue to do the similar things but in a distinct surroundings and physical context. He also indicated that travel can provide for self-exploration, excitement or social interaction. They are the reasons why people travel around the world. Tourists would not learn all the things by their routines or from television and books. It is better for them to get experiences by themselves, because of unedited by anyone else. Afterwards travel can make a marked difference with routines, and it will provide exciting, uncommon or strange things to tourist. Furthermore, the high-tech world increases social lives. For example, people will go to the movies, shoppin g malls or concerts with friends and colleagues. Different gender, age, social class, retirement, unemployment, social relationships, characters and socialization can affect the decision-making of tourism (Argyle, 1996). Wahab (1975 cited in Burns, 1999) established several travel purposes, they include business tourism, health tourism, cultural tourism, sport tourism and recreational tourism. It can be easy to understand that what people generally travel for. The major reasons of travel are freedom and entertainment which can be defined as pleasure travel (Argyle, 1996). Tourists expect and believe that going on a vacation can partly or fully different needs and wants (Mill and Morrison, 2002). Ryan (1991 cited in Burns, 1999) stated some types of motivation and they are determinants of people who go travelling. Tourist motivations include escape, relaxation, strengthening family togetherness, wish and self-fulfilment, prestige, shopping, social interaction and sexual opportunity. In addition, tourists are also motivated to travel by other factors. For instant, television can attract people to travel in new destinations and experience different cultures (Van Harssel, 1994). Tourists hope to experience various cultures and meet new people over the world because of the curiosity. It is the primary motivation of all visitors (Hudman and Hawkins, 1989). Credit cards are getting common among the world, so it is convenient for tourists to travel around without cash or just with a little cash. Basically, they tend to pay for the accommodation and recreation by credit cards. Additionally, well-educated can increase and stimulate people to go on a vacations, because education excite the curiosity of people. They hope to widen and enrich knowledge as well (Van Harssel, 1994). The most famous theory to describe motivation is Maslows needs hierarchy. Maslow used hierarchy to illustrate human needs as stimulators. There are 5 level hierarchy, including self-actualization, esteem, belonging, security and physiological needs. Subsequently, he added cognitive and aesthetic needs. However, it is not very clear to show that how these two needs fit into the former hierarchy. Human will not be motivated if the lowest needs, which is physiological needs, are satisfied. Next, they will be motivated by following needs, the security needs. Different needs are satisfied such and such (Ross, 1994). However, Page, 2003 argued that Maslow hierarchy model is not faultless, because people do not satisfy their needs hierarchically. Besides, some needs probably emerge at the same time. Nevertheless, the hierarchy model really highlights individual development needs. It also describes that human exert themselves for personal growth. In order to explain the motivations further ( Nickerson, 1996), many scholars have developed Maslows work since 1950s. Thus, the needs of people to go travelling can be considered from push and pull factors as well (Lundberg, 1990). Epperson (1983, cited in Lundberg, 1990) indicated that push factors are much more about internal, the personal desires. They motivate people to seek and go on a vacation (Page 2003). They are intended to satisfy different psychological needs (Dann, 1977 cited in Mill and Morrison, 2002). Epperson listed six push motives, such as, escape, self-discovery, relaxation, prestige, challenge and adventure. The push factors of Mainland Chinese tourists are erudition, fame, and having good personal relationship. Therefore, they travel in Hong Kong because of friendly, modern and convenient place for shopping and vacation (Liu et al, 2008). In contrast, pull factors are external elements to the people. They act like stimulators attracting people to travel, such as, advertisement of resorts (Page 2003). It is about the advantages of the certain destinations. They are stunning views, historical places, cultural and sporting events (Liu et al, 2008). Participating or watching sports also motivated people to travel (Hudman and Hawkins, 1989). Accessibility, high-tech impression and consumption are the important pull factors of Mainland Chinese. For these reasons Hong Kong is very successful in fashion retail, so it attracts plenty of Mainland Chinese tourists (Liu et al, 2008). Finding out the importance of push and pull factors, it needs the five main market segments. They are lone tourists, families, couples, friends, and tour groups. For example, escape element is mutually related to lone tourists and couples, these tourists less prefer togetherness. By contrast, Prestige is very important for people who travelling with friends, families and tour groups (Jamrozy, 1992 cited in Mill and Morrison, 2002). Normally, some destinations have been successful in tourism industry, because they understand the tourist motivation very well. They know how to attract tourist visiting their places (Page, 2003). Certainly, overarching tourists are in the world (Burns, 1999). Stanley Plog announced a famous model of tourist type. It is for classify people into psychographic and allocentrics by visitor characteristic. Psychometrics tourists travel purpose is relaxation, so they prefer to do the general activities in familiar destinations. The journey is prearranged. Besides, they do not want any foreign environment or atmosphere. On the other hand, allocentrics people are extroverted, self-confident and willing to meet new people. They are also curious about new experiences, so they generally travel in undeveloped destinations. The schedule is expected to arrange by themselves rather than travel agencies. Thus, it will be more flexible and unrestrained (Nikerson, 1996). Nevertheless, there are some p eople who do not desire to go travelling, because they think that it is safer or more comfortable to stay in their hometowns. However, if people like travelling, the motivations can be divided into two determinants, they are related to destination and non-related to destination. Travel for business, education, health, religion and visiting friends and relatives provide a few or no choices of going other destinations for instead (Coltman, 1989). Many tourists from Taiwan, the United States and South and Southeast Asia travel in Hong Kong for business. It can show that Hong Kong is an evident and important business hub (Kwong, 1997). People travel abroad because of religion as well, such as pilgrimages, going to historical places, religious bases or religious activities. The most important motivation of travelling among this kind of tourists is visiting the bases. For example, Jews go to Israel. Additionally, visiting historical places and attending religious musical and dramas are pr opagating the certain faith. These activities can make the tourists adhering to a faith (Hudman and Hawkins, 1989). One of a good example is people travelling for visiting friends and relatives. It is often more important than visiting destinations (Coltman, 1989). In addition, tourists visit their hometown is one of the big motivator (Hudman and Hawkins, 1989). Travel is related to destinations, the motives can be full of curiosity about other culture, detonations, local people and politics (Coltman, 1989). Hall and Page, 2002 stated that all tourism researchers also have a consistent question, why tourists travel. It is a very important to know because everyone also has their own reason. Most people can select regions they like to travel to. For hosts, understanding travel motivations can target potential tourists, serve them and satisfy their needs and wants (Mill and Morrison, 2002). There are various tourism demands around the world. Some countries have always been a popular tr avel destination, and others are still in development. Every countries and regions also have their own charisma to attract tourists to travel there (Swarbrooke Horner, 2004). People probably have many reasons to travel in a destination, They even prefer to choose a holiday type (Burns, 1999). It is about motivation which is essential part of consumer behaviour in tourism industry, because motivation is strong related to psychological wishes and needs (Page and Connell, 2006). It is very useful to use motivations and behaviour to classify tourists (Nickerson, 1996). Tourists will choose a destination because of the friendly local people or relaxing environment. The place is always wanted to visit, or some friends suggest the place highly, or the weather is great all the time and the scenery is attractive. Other ordinary factors will be concerned before people plan to go on a trip, such as, recreation, level of interest in history and culture of the place, shopping places, beautiful landscape, hygiene of the destination, ideal weather and cost (Lundberg, 1990 and Holloway, 2002). For instance, the travel purpose of the visitors from Europe, the Middle East and Africa is recreation. The shopping facilities and special features attract them to travel in Hon g Kong (Kwong, 1997). Actually, motivation is also about different behaviour of everyone (Argyle, 1996). The people, who like to travel around, are also divided into two categories. Some of them prefer having quite journey (Lundberg, 1990). Those people want to get away from the workplace since they always have a stressful lifestyle. They prefer to go to a new place for relaxing and forgetting all pressures (Holloway, 2002). On the contrary, others wish to seek adventure (Lundberg, 1990), but it does not mean standing same pace of workday life. This kind of tourists motivation can be defined as getting away from instead of going towards somebody and something. Going away everyday environment is more important than the interest of visiting new people and regions. (Krippendorf, 2002). It is also important to look at surface factors for understanding the travel reasons of tourists (Nickerson, 1996). McIntosh and Goeldner (1990, cited in Nickerson, 1996) stated that there were 4 kinds of motivators for basic travel. They included status and prestige, physical, interpersonal and cultural motivators. Firstly, status and prestige motivators are about the need for fame. Besides, people think that travel can secure admiration and recognition among their peers and friends. Secondly, physical motivators concern with health. Tourists may participate in sports event and take some recreation, and these actions are the motivators of keeping ones health. Getting treatment, medical care and attending weight loss camp are related to remedial health motivators. Next, people want to make new friends, leave or visit friends and family, they are also defined as interpersonal motivators. Lastly, cultural motivators describe tourists have ardent curiosity and want to experience other cultures and lifestyle (Nickerson, 1996). Facilitators are also very important for tourists, such as, disposable income, low local currency rate, conveniently accessible places, friendly locals and easy entry requirement. They all can stimulate tourists to visit certain destinations (Holloway, 2002). However, some people are not able to choose their favourite travel destination due to the limited money and time (Argyle, 1996). They usually compare with different destinations which is the most reasonable price to travel. Then, they choose the most appealing places among those destinations. (Coltman, 1989). It is also important to understand the process about what tourists consume for travel experiences which is included costs of time and money (Page, 2003). Consumer behaviour is the process of the people to make decisions when facing various products. They concern about selecting, buying, using and estimating the products which can be invisible and visible (Reisinger, 2009). The main point to understand motivation is more about what products tourists buy. Customers buy the products and services which based on the capacity to satisfy their needs and wants (Page and Connell, 2006). Many authors also connect tourism with consumption together (Greenwood, 1989; Burns and Holden, 1995 and Ritzer, 1998 cited in Burns, 1999). MacCannell (1976 cited in Burns, 1999) indicated that spend not only on recreation and tangible goods, but also on the local cultures that the countries they travel to. There are various kinds of tourists in the world. They can be categorised by demographic, social, economic, cultural, geographic, psychographic and behavioural. Every kind of tourist also has various needs, behaviour and favourites (Reisinger, 2009). It is usually defined as overnight and same day visitors, such as excursionists. Obviously, excursionists will not seek any accommodation, but they still need to use other transportation and infrastructure (Burns, 1999). Two exactly the same people cannot be found. Additionally, different expectation and viewpoints also can affect decision-making of travel destinations (Page, 2003). Mill and Morrison, 2002 indicated that if children can have opportunity in holiday decision making process, it can further the possibility of the children who are satisfied the holiday choice. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation can figure tourist motives out (Pearce, 1993 cited in Page, 2003). Intrinsic motivation is about individual needs to encourage themse lves going travel. For example, tourists travel for self-improvement or self-realization. It can make them to have happiness, fulfilment and ego-enhancement. On the other hand, extrinsic motivation is about surrounding factors which affect tourists attitudes, perceptions and preferences. For example, the tourism in the former Soviet Union, people sent labourers going on a vacation. Then, they would be refreshed and put in more efforts to work (Page, 2003). Erik Cohen announced a very famous tourism typology. He indicated that each kind of tourists interact with different destinations. It also can describe tourists behaviours and extent motivations. He separated into four types of tourists, such as, organised mass tourist, individual mass tourist, explorer and drifter. Organised and individual mass tourists keep staying in the environmental bubble, because people avoid have any unhappy affairs. Thus, they are less in touch with locals. They will arrange their trips as earlier as poss ible. In contrast, explorer and drifter prefer to understand deeply local culture and interact with locals. They will not remain in the environmental bubble (Burns, 1999). Tourism is the only way that it can let people to get away from daily routine temporarily and spend some holidays in one or more travel destinations. A journey can be changed and planned according to ones preference (Leiper, 1990 cited in Page, 2003). Travel for shopping Why do people go shopping? Mowen, 1995 stated that shopping motivation is from wish, drive or urge. People will go and shop when they are in need of something. In addition, there are a lot of shopping motivations during trips, such as low currency rate and bargain prices. Tourists also buy gifts as souvenirs of travel destinations or for steadying the relationship with people (Tasci et al, 2010). However, some people like shopping because they enjoy the purchasing process, rather than the products (Vipul and Mahendra 2009). They probably just want to escape from workday and experience other cultures (Tasci et al, 2010). Nowadays, shopping becomes an important part in the tourism industry. It is even a main part of a journey (Holloway, 2002). Shopping in Hong Kong is the main activity for tourists (Kwong, 1997). For example, tourists shopping spending makes a powerful impact on Hong Kong local economy. It is still the main spending among all spending categories until 2009. The total expenditure of shopping on overnight and same-day in-town visitors were HK$82.12 billion, it was around US$10.5 (Census and Statistics Department, 2010). Moreover, Mainland Chinese tourists become the highest consumers within all markets in Hong Kong. They spend a good deal of their money on shopping (Wong et al, 2002). When certain of seasons, weeks or months are bargain sales in some countries, plenty of visitors will travel to those places (Holloway, 2002). For example, the beginning of January and July usually are the bargain sales period of most shops in Japan (Japan National Tourism Organization, 2011). In addition, innovative and well-designed shopping malls and department stores are becoming an attraction of leisure activity. These comfortable environments can attract massive tourists to spend in there and enjoy the facilities by themselves (Holloway, 2002). Travel for business Business Tourism is about people who go travelling for their work as the main purpose. Business travel is one of a most ancient tourism types. The famous one is silk road which was the main connecting route of trading silk from Asia to Europe. Today, businessmen have to travel around the world frequently due to many purposes. They have to present at the meeting, conferences, training courses, exhibitions and trade shows. The trip is significant for them because it concerns about the companies whether can be able to survive in the marketplace (Swarbrooke and Horner, 2004). The motivation of the business tourism is closely related to the companies. For this reason, they usually do not care about the cost of the trip, such as, air tickets prices. They prefer the best business deal to the negligible cost. Moreover, business tourists always consider the most convenient and fastest way to arrive the destinations, so the trustworthy and frequent transportation is very important for them. It is not only flights, but also boats and trains. Then, business tourists can finish missions on time (Holloway, 2002). Page and Connell, 2006 also states that the employees will be reward for good performance if they succeed during the trip. China business travel spent USD$140.9 billion in 2010, it was increase 16.3% in comparison with 2009. According to the current development in China, the figure was just what the country expected. More and more overseas companies also want to negotiate the business with China, because Chinese market is getting a big influence in the world. Therefore, business travel is an important activity (Global Business Travel Association, 2011). Holloway, 2002 indicated that business tourists need to plan their journeys on the weekdays, because they hope to spend much time with their families at the weekends. It is fair enough since they are always ready whenever for the trip, even at night. They probably have a trip at short notice. The time of staying at home is getting less. In addition, business tourists have to face a lot of unexpected events, such as, delayed flights or traffic jams. They may be lonely and worried. It can be quite stressful for them (Lundberg, 1990). Therefore, some businessmen like to take their partner to the journey. They can make good use of the extra time to have a short pleasure trip. In some cases assistant is needed too if the trip is included leisure time. Owing to travel frequently, some business tourists prefer particular airlines and take advantages of the frequent flyer programmes. Further, the trip cost is usually paid by the company. Thus, they do not select direct and the cheapest itine rary for making sure to be awarded as many miles as they can (Holloway, 2002). Travel for visiting friends and relatives Visiting friends and families also has a history. This type of tourism trend has been pandemic from sixteenth century (Girouard, 1978). There are plenty of people migrants around the world. This permanent immigration can develop a tourism trend, visiting friends and relatives. It can provide a demand of tourism in those countries (Page and Connell, 2006). It is a good example in Guangdong Province, plenty of this kind of tourists over there. According to the history, Hong Kong was once part of Guangdong district. Thus, most ancestral homes of the residents are Guangdong. Owing to this special origin, a lot of Guangdong residents mostly have relatives and friends in Hong Kong nowadays (Tsui, 2004). Besides, there were above tens of thousands Hong Kong people migrated to overseas during 1980s to 1990s. The hot countries were The United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. However, the relatives and friends of the migrants were still in Hong Kong. Both of them had to be separated for a long time and they would look forward to seeing each other. Therefore, friends and relatives would travel in those countries for visiting the migrants. (Buckley, 1997). In addition, nowadays people go and join the wedding party which is also defined as visiting friends and relatives, it is not just in an earlier stage. The transportations are becoming well developed, people can travel in other countries easily (Swarbrooke Horner, 2004). Travel for experiencing other cultures Every country also has their own local culture. There are 12 cultural elements mainly, they are handicrafts, language, traditions, gastronomy, art and music, history, local work, architecture, religion educational system, dress and leisure activities. All of them can enable tourists to experience more about the local culture of the travel destinations (Mathieson and Wall, 1982). It is usually the main reason of a visitor travelling in a country (McKercher duCriss, 2003). Tourists can have a good opportunity to deeply understand the local culture through the. For example, they can go to heritage attractions, try the local food and attend the local festival celebration during the journey (Swarbrooke Horner, 2004). There is a Mid-Autumn Festival in Hong Kong annually. This festival represents togetherness and harmony of each family and people eat moon-cakes with their families together (Yip, 2008). Even though it is also a Chinese Festival, Hong Kong has new ranges and varieties of mo on-cakes (Tse, 2007). On the other hand, some tourists prefer to visit in a place which has similar cultural background. Tourists can communicate with the hosts easily because the language is slightly different or no discrepancy. (Reisinger, 2009). For example, Mainland Chinese frequently go travelling in Hong Kong. The cultural distance between this kind of visitors and the hosts is little or even there is not (Law et al, 2008). Currency rate This is a significant part in tourism industry. It deeply concerns about the customers consumption. Tourists will be willing to travel in that place and they will spend more if the exchange rate is low (Tribe, 2005). People will choose foreign countries if the currency rate is optimal (Greenwood, 2007). Exchange rate is big influence to the tourism industry since the total cost of the trip. It is the main factor of tourist behaviour. Tourists will decide the travel destinations, length of stay, the amount of spending, the frequency of travel time and the travel style because of the exchange rate. For example, people will stay in hostel instead of hotel if the currency rate is high. Some tourists will even change to other travel destinations where are low currency rate (Crouch, 1994). It is a big impact of short haul tourists especially, because this kind of tourists has sudden whims to go travelling. As usual, they compare prices in host countries to their hometown (Greenwood, 2007). Moreover, tourists of group tour also will think that the cost of the trip increases when they are surcharged by the travel agency. When the currency rate is in an unfavourable situation, most tourists will also believe that all tourism products are expensive. They will keep reining on their spending (Swarbrooke Horner, 2004). However, it is relatively weak influence on business travellers because they prefer to strike bargains rather than the cost of the travel way. For example, Even though the air ticket and hotel cost are increase, they will still continue their journeys (Crouch, 1994). Greenwood, 2007 indicated that exchange rate also affect less in long haul tourists. Normally, the tourists plan their journeys beforehand. Thus, they usually less concern the currency rate and continue to visit selected travel destinations. Government involvement Governments contribute greatly to the tourism industry through financial support, they will initiate a lot of new projects which are planning and helping for the tourism. They need to manage and dominate the related component parts as all cost a very large amount to develop (Holloway, 2002). They act a main role in tourism industry. They can be a big help in tourism development (Lundberg, 1990). For example, Istanbul is developed to be a main shopping destination in comparison with neighbouring countries. The biggest and oldest shopping mall in the world is also located in this city. The government will hold a forty day long shopping festival from 18th March to 26th April this year. They also bring many benefits to the visitors. Tourists can enjoy tax free shopping and get discounts on various products. Moreover, a brand new car will be awarded as the big prize everyday within the event (BI-ME staff, 2011). Promoting the tourism at overseas and home is necessary, because a good adver tising of the vacation spot can attract many tourists to travel there (Holloway, 2002). For instance, the responsibility of Hong Kong Tourists Association is promoting tourism industry for booming the economy in Hong Kong. It advertises Hong Kong tourism is a fusion of the Orient and the Occident, or traditions and modernism. These themes have been mentioned in a lot of booklets and tour guides (Cheung, 1999). Choi et al, 2008 stated that Hong Kong also has other favourable conditions, such as, advantage in geography, safety, convenient to travel and live and special benefits to Mainland Chinese tourists. The countries, which target tourism revenue as their primary national income, always have tourism development scheme. It is included what new manmade attractions should be built, and attracting more tourists come and spend in the country. However, then they can hurt the industry at the same time. The national leadership can produce wide influence in tourism. They will agitate local to be discrimination or ardour in visitors (Lundberg, 1990). According to the above literature, there are various travel motivations which have reviewed. Satisfying psychological needs is the main reason. Shopping, business travel and cultural travel are the general travel types of Mainland Chinese tourists visiting Hong Kong. However, everyone also has different behaviour and two same people do not exist. Therefore, two research questions should be included: is it only pull factors to make more and more Mainland Chinese tourists visiting Hong Kong? Secondly, what profile of Mainland Chinese tourists travelling in Hong Kong mainly?

Television and Media - America Needs TV Advertising :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

America Needs TV Advertising Television would not be in the place it is today had it not been for commercials. Commercials not only provide a much needed break from the shows we watch, but also gives paying advertisers a chance to promote their products. With a large audience watching, businesses spend untold amounts of money to make sure their commercials are the best. The worst nightmare however for an company is for a couch potato to not look at their commercial, but instead change the channel. To remedy this advertisers strive to capture the attention of the audience as soon as possible. If the audience does not like what they see within the first ten to fifteen seconds then most likely they will change the channel. Miller Lite "Miller Time" commercials counteract this ingeniously. The distinctive opening music create a light and humorous mood and instills curiosity in the viewer about what will happen next. The offbeat and sometimes absurd characters give the audience a well deserved laugh. For example, a man obviously dressed up as a beaver gnaws a log cabin, and then everything wooden and goes after a man holding a Miller Lite beer can. One does not think too much about the ad (for if one did he would wonder why do these commercials sometimes have nothing to do with their product?) but instead gets caught up in the comedy. The humor in these ads immediately captures their audience immediately and leaves them with a smile on their faces. Feeling good is also what makes Burger King's commercials so attractive. The typical Burger King commercial features 60's or 70's dance music accompanied by various shots of burgers. The music, if the audience likes it, pulls them in, watching it sometimes simply for the music. That is most often the case with my brother who "shakes his groove thing" to the music while not fully realizing that the thing which motivates him is simply inanimate and unhealthy food. The implicit message the advertisers send it seems, is that if you are dancing in your seat at home, how more will you love them in person? Attraction comes in the form of nostalgia, a more subtle and hence less used part of advertising. Chili's commercials with singing tamales on an open frontier uses music like the Burger King ads but creates a mood of nostalgia rather than one of excitement.

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant :: Red Tent Anita Diamant Essays

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant The author and her times   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Anita Diamant, author of the historic fiction novel, The Red Tent, is a devout Jewish-American living in Newtonville, Massachusetts with her husband and daughter, Emilia. She has written five books about contemporary Jewish life, The Red Tent being her first novel.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Diamant may have been influenced by the recent resurgence of creating Midrashim, or stories that attempt to explain the Torah by examining its subtexts. Modern women have taken a keen interest in this practice, hoping to expand on the minute biblical mentions of women like Dinah.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Form, structure and plot   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Red Tent is organized in a seemingly complicated yet beautifully simple way. There are three main sections; Dinah's mothers' story, her childhood, and her life in Egypt. Each is further divided into chapters.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although the story is divided into sections, the plot progresses intact. The exposition consists of Jacob's arrival and subsequent marriages to Leah, Rachel, Zilpah and Bilhah. Twelve of thirteen children are born, including Dinah, narrator and only daughter. Dinah grows up helping her aunt/mother Rachel, who brings her to the city of Shechem. The initial incident occurs when Simon and Levi, two of Dinah's oldest brothers, enter the city of Shechem and murder all of the resident men, including Dinah's beloved husband, Shalem. Cursing her entire family, a pregnant Dinah is taken to Egypt by Shalem's mother, Re-nefer. In the rising action the child is born, a boy who Re-nefer names Re-mose and raises as her own. He becomes a superior Egyptian scribe, and is eventually assigned to the king's right-hand-man. In a climactic irony, Re-mose's employer turns out to be Joseph, Dinah's youngest brother. The truth about Shalem's murder is revealed to Re-mose, who in turn vows to avenge his father's death on Joseph's head. He is thwarted by Dinah, who convinces him to remove to the north. Joseph and Dinah attend the death of Jacob in the falling action, both forgiving the wrongs committed against them in their father's name. The story concludes with Dinah's death. Point of View   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Diamant has Dinah effectively tell her story from three different narrative perspectives. The bulk of the novel is related by Dinah in first person, providing a private look at growing up and personal tragedy: "It seemed that I was the last person alive in the world" (Diamant 203). Dinah tells the story that she says was mangled in the bible. Understandably, Dinah's relation of her mothers' stories is done in third person narrative, since she herself was not yet born.

Are Professional Athletes Overpaid? Essay

Professional athletes, specifically in the NFL, NBA, and MLB, often are rewarded extremely substantial contracts and lucrative endorsement deals and it has been argued that their salaries should be reduced to smaller wages but they are paid in the way that they are for good reason; they provide the world with constant entertainment, work hard at their jobs and are only able to work for a small amount of time. In 2011, both the NFL and the NBA locked out its players from team facilities and also completely shut down league operations because of disagreements on player salaries and reductions. In 2012 and 2013, the NHL was locked out, also for financial disputes. All three leagues’ lockouts were battles between the owners and the players, the billionaires versus the millionaires. The team owners wanted to reduce the salaries of their players and the players wanted to leave them be. Previously, the owners and players had a collective bargaining agreement, and until a new one was reached, the fans of each of these sports could not enjoy watching their teams play. In these particular arguments, the players were correct in that they do not deserve to have their contracts reduced. Athletes provide constant entertainment to the masses and everyone is interested in what they do. Each year, the television ratings for big games and contests such as the Super Bowl, the World Series or the NBA finals increase. The population is generally interested in the affairs of professional athletes and this is what makes them celebrities. The American society would not be the same without the likes of LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Peyton Manning, or Tom Brady. The United States is automatically associated with these names because national sports are an essential part of our culture. Therefore, it makes sense for the faces of these athletes to be seen on store windows and in cell phone advertisements for the sake of endorsement deals. Having a customer see LeBron James’ face on a Nike shopping bag or in a Samsung commercial is a great way to get the customer to buy the product because they associate it with James, a world-renowned basketball star. Giving large endorsement deals to big-name athletes helps support the economy because fans emulate the players they cheer for. Due to the physical toll of their professions, athletes are only able to enjoy  limited time playing their sports. Usually, they are drafted right out of college around the age of 22 and only the good ones are able to stay around long enough into their mid-late thirties. While some are able to maintain jobs as analysts or sideline reporters, others don’t have their future professions set in stone. For example, an NFL quarterback may retire at the age of 35 with a completely broken down body after sustaining all the hits during his career. At that point, he may no longer be able to get a job anywhere else, especially not in any other sport. Having a large contract that can cover several years for them would allow them to enjoy an easy retirement just like everyone else once they are finished with their work. Not only are athletes a staple in American culture, but they have worked harder than anyone else in the world to get to where they are today. Professional sports teams are solely comprised of the absolute best of the best and to become that, the amount of time and dedication needed seem s impossible. There are about 900 teams in college basketball and about 13 players per team. That multiplies to nearly 12,000 players across the country each year. The NBA has 30 teams and each team is only allowed 12 players. That multiplies to 360 NBA players each year, about 3% of the total number of college players. If college basketball is already hard enough to get into; the NBA is for the truly elite. Athletes as physically gifted as many are is also very rare. In order to be in the NBA, one needs to be above-average in height. In the NBA, anyone below 6’6 or 6’7 would look short in comparison to anyone else. The average height of a 22 year old male, which is the age of an NBA player straight out of college, is about 5’9 or 5’10, so 6’6 is extremely tall. Being this tall could result in a person being uncoordinated and clumsy. Clearly, NBA players are the exact opposite and that makes them even more impressive as athletes. Watching someone as gifted as a hulking beast like 6’8, 260 lb LeBron James play truly is a rarity and th e whole world would want to see him showcase his talents. Athletes are put under extreme pressure in each of their sports. The entire world expects them to come through in clutch moments and if they do not, they receive heavy criticism. The best athletes, especially, must have to experience unbelievable stress due to the expectations in intense moments when the games heat up. Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant, for example, is greatly known for coming through for his team in  tight moments towards the end of the match. In his 18 year career, he has earned a name for himself and is now known across the world. Currently, he earns over $30,000,000 per year but it is uncommon to see anyone complaining that Kobe Bryant’s contract is too large. It is often argued that athletes should not be rewarded enormous income wages because they waste the money on their lavish lifestyles and idiotic ventures. However, athletes often donate their money and open charity benefits to help the unfortunate. For example, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees’ The Brees Dream Foundation, started in 2007, is dedicated to helping the children of New Orleans and the cities’ educational facilities following Hurricane Katrina. Another example is New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, who founded the TURN 2 foundation in 1996. The TURN 2 foundation is an effort to turn kids and teens away from drugs and alcohol in order to sustain healthy, active lifestyles. If these athletes are to receive million dollar salaries, then we should expect them to give some of that money back to people who need it and plenty of athletes do so. Professional athletes are celebrities, one-percenters, and even divas. They enjoy luxuries that average, working class individuals do not get to enjoy. Some argue that they waste their money on said luxuries, but this is not the case. The few immature players who are unwise with their spending money make up a small percentage of all the professional athletes in major sports. Mature, hard-working athletes try their absolute best and push themselves physically harder than anyone else in the world and for this reason; they are great role models for children. As long as they put their money to good use, continue to provide constant entertainment, and remain good role models, athletes’ contracts should not be regarded as too high and any discussion of reducing them must be put to rest. Works Cited