Lack of Responsibility Kills Essay

When it comes to the battle between obesity among Americans and fast food chain companies, fast food falls hard for the one to blame. For many years, big food companies have been constantly under attack from health advocates and consumers for the contribution of growing waistlines, chronic diseases and lack of exercise in the United States. Of course, it is easy to blame fast food corporations given the ubiquity, proximity convenience and low cost of food options available. But who really is the one to point the finger at? We, the consumers, are fully responsible for what enters our mouths. No individual should sue any restaurant company from getting fat from eating their food. A decline in physical activity and a rise in more sedentary lifestyles have made it more difficult to balance food intake with energy spending in the last generation, leading to overweight people. It wouldn’t be such a big deal if the problem were simply aesthetic. But excess weight takes a terrible toll on the human body, significantly increasing the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, gall-bladder disease, osteoarthritis and many forms of cancer. The total medical tab for illnesses related to obesity is $117 billion a year. According to the Surgeon General, and the Journal of the American Medical Association reported in March, poor diet and physical inactivity could soon overtake tobacco as the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. And again, Americans recognize the problem but do not seem to want to change. In the TIME/ABC poll they rated obesity alongside heart disease, cancer, AIDS and drug abuse as among the nation’s most pressing public health problems. Consumers’ attitude toward fast food has changed since there is a wide assortment of factors at work ranging from fewer sit-down meals, much more snacking, more latchkey kids who make their own food decisions without supervision. Consumers, as well as parents (kids are also falling victim to the obesity rates), need to engage in personal responsibility when it comes to consuming an abundant amount of fast food instead of putting the obesity blame on fast food franchises. Obesity and fast food chains were never an issue back in the day; Americans seem to have taken advantage of the easy availability and cheap prices of many unhealthy foods. The human lifestyle and diet 4,000 years ago seem to have changed dramatically over the years where our ancestors ate and drank in the healthiest way possible as nomadic hunter-gatherers. 50%-80% of food came from plants, and 20%-50% came from animals (The World is Fat 18). Chronic disease, diabetics, obesity, heart disease and even cancer were unknown. In the 1950s, less than 100 million Americans were overweight and obese individuals. People used to have to do daily activities that were extensive just to live their everyday lives like cooking food from scratch, walking most places and doing most things by hand rather than using technological machines to do it for them. Food wasn’t easy to get if you were poor. Walking somewhere was still common regardless of appliances such as dishwashers and ovens, and in 1960, only about 13.3 percent of people in America were obese, according to the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics. And things haven’t been moving in a promising direction. Just two decades ago, the incidence of overweight in adults was well under 50%, while the rate for kids was only a third what it is today. From 1996 to 2001, 2 million teenagers and young adults joined the ranks of the obese. People are clearly worried. A TIME/ABC News poll released June 2004 shows that 58% of Americans would like to lose weight, nearly twice the percentage that felt that way in 1951. But only 27% say they are trying to slim down and two-thirds of those aren’t following any specific plan to do so. Americans love and strive for flavor and bigger portioned sized foods that’s fast and easy to attain, that is where fast food corporations come in place. Americans now are taking adv antage of the bigger, cheaper and faster foods that it has become a national problem. So, where do we draw the line between self-control and responsible business practice? For the past 10 years, McDonald’s and other fast foods chains have been victimized with numerous lawsuits because they either â€Å"got consumers fat, hypnotized kids or bribed with deals and promos† (Fast Food 19). In 2003, the United States district court for the Southern District of New York responded to a complaint filed against McDonald’s by a class of obese costumers (Fast Food 18). In 2011, sixty-four year old Martin Kessman filed a lawsuit against the fast food company, White Castle and was seeking unspecified financial damages against the fast-food chain, claiming that his local White Castle is in violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act because the seating could not accommodate a customer of his size, keep in mind this man ate at White Castle on a regular basis. These frivolous and unnecessary lawsuits against corporations show the ignorance of many irresponsible Americans who cannot control their eating habits. It is not right to sue a fast food company based on the fact that consumers knowingly and voluntarily consumed the foods from McDonald’s knowing that the foods McDonald’s serves were in fact high in cholesterol, fat, salt and sugar. Consumers voluntarily spend over $100 billion annually on fast food per year. (Fast Food 8). The famous documentary, Supersize Me, shows Morgan Spurlock consuming McDonalds every day, 3 days a week. This of course led him to gain a significant amount of weight and develop some health complications. Spurlock makes his point by a way of exaggeration, he tells us something that we already know, fast food is bad. Of course it will be bad because he ONLY consumed fast food and nothing else, he did not eat anything healthy and did not exercise, all of this was done voluntarily. Should consumers eat fast food on a daily or even a weekly basis? The answer is simply no. Today Americans eat an extra 300 calories per day than in 1985 (Buzzle). When this trend occurs we get overweight Americans, and that is exactly what we are dealing with. 500 million Americans are now obese and an additional 6 or 7 million are â€Å"morbidly obese† (Chew on This 209). With this ridiculous amount of unhealthy people, you would think there would be a solution. And there is, lawsuits. Americans decide to turn to their lawyers for their ignorance and blame corporations for something that is obviously done by their own will. Consumers are too ignorant and blind to understand what it’s their mouth. We cannot deny that people are eating more and are getting fat, but that does not prove that fast food franchises are the culprit. Kids today are suffering severely and falling victim to obesity because of many unhealthy diets that are being practiced in their own home. Parents bring home the importance of food safety, quality and nutrition. When this habit continues to occur it leads to kids becoming teens who make poor choices who in turn leads to obese adults and a lifetime of health problems. Children in the United States are gaining more weight than ever before. They’re eating too much high-fat, high-sugar food and are spending less time be ing physically active. In 1989-1996 kids caloric intake became 80-230 extra calories per day (Food Inc. 225). The diets of American children don’t meet nutritional recommendations. In 1997, American children obtained about 50% of their calories from added fat and sugar while 1% of them resemble portions of food pyramid (Fast Food 29). At this early age kids can show early signs of health problems and of course obesity. A quarter of kids age 5-10 show premature warning signs for heart disease such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure with unhealthy eating habits, physical inactivity and obesity (Food Inc. 229). Weight problems that develop during childhood can lead to weight-related illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. So, is parent’s lack of responsibility for their children’s food habits the one to blame? Of course, one thing kids will unfortunately experience is variety. With all the fast food chains serving the same stuff no matter where in the US. Parents with obese kids are struggling with a horde of problems when it comes to their child’s weight. They range from a lack of education about nutritional food, not knowing how to cook and limited money to buy healthier food, to longer working hours and marketing campaigns for junk food aimed at kids. But the more sedentary and lazy lives children now have are also creating huge problems. Type 2 diabetics actually increased in children when a study conducted in Cincinnati should that type 2 diabetics went up tenfold from 1982 to 1994. 75% of junior school children preferred to stay at home than go to their nearby park (Child obesity: Why do parents let their kids get fat). Watching TV was one of the most popular activities, with 89% saying it was how they liked best to spend their time away from school, according to researchers Lightspeed. In July, scientists from University of Montreal claimed that by the age of ten, toddlers had added inches to their waistlines each week t hey spend an extra hour in front of the television. Parents need to, from the start, control the eating and overall lifestyle of their children. It is dangerous for the future of the children to get used to such a risky addiction. Not only are we and our children eating more, but we are also exercising less. Lack of exercise is another factor to lack of responsibility. Fewer American adults today work in jobs that require physical labor. People drive to work in cars, rather than walking or biking; they take elevators instead of stairs; they use vacuum cleaners rather than brooms; and they cut the lawn with riding rather than push mowers. All of these simple changes reduce the amount of energy used to perform the tasks of daily living. A typical office worker today walks only about 3000 to 5000 steps in their daily activities. In contrast, in the Amish community where driving automobiles and using electrical appliances and other modern conveniences are not allowed, a typical adult takes 14000 to 18000 steps a day. The overall incidence of obesity in the group is only 4%. With 46.9% of the population meeting Physical Guidelines for aerobic/cardio physical activity (Exercise and Physical Activity). The problem for individuals is that willpower is not enough. We live in an environment where there’s food every half mile. It’s tasty, cheap, convenient, and you can eat it with one hand. We, the consumers, need not only to cut back on calories and fast food, we need to get active in any possible way we can to increase our health. Although simpler sounding on words then it is to actually pursue, exercise is Americans biggest challenge. Imagine a 7-year-old boy named John who, his whole has been given to-go fast food meals as his daily dinner at home. John has always been overweight for his age. As John has entered his teen’s years, he has become a hectic straight A student who studies constantly but never has time to make his own meals at home. John drives to local fast food joints and spends about $70 per week on his in-between-studies meals. Although, he has never worried about the way he looked and no matter what it has never occurred to him to want to change his eating habits, he continues to eat fast food on a regular basis. He consumes about 1,200 calories more than he is suppose to. Now being a grown adult with a settled job and cozy suburban home, he continues to eat unhealthy. No exercise is ever incorporated into his daily routines. He enters a McDonalds and stares blankly at the menu and clearly sees the sign that McDonalds has introduced a new Premium Caesar Salad with Crispy Chicken Strips but John chooses to ignore it because he thinks going to McDonald’s for a salad is like asking a prostitute for a hug. It just doesn’t make sense. He orders a Big Mac meal that costs him around $9.25 and around 1,130 calories (including drink), this does not bother John because this simple meal tastes great and satisfies his hunger and appetite (keep in mind John ate this meal in-between lunch and dinner so he has eaten more calories with breakfast, lunch and dinner). Oh, and why not make it supersized for 2 dollars more, he won’t be hungry till 2 hours later. John continues this routine for about two more months; he feels extremely tired and out of breathe just walking down the stairs of his home. He also has major pains in his hips and knees only to think this is due to age. As the shortness of breath and joint pains begin to intensify, John finally decides to go to the doctor to get a check-up. His result, John is morbidly obese and has developed osteoarthritis, which is the reason for the joint pains. He also has a respiratory problem that causes his shortness of breath. John is outraged at how he could develop such a health problem. He blames McDonalds for giving him such a horrible and negative effect on his health. He plans to sue the fast food company. Does John win his case? No, he does not. With his irresponsible lack of a healthy diet or exercise, he does not have a fair case against McDonald’s. His overweight and health i ssues are due to his irresponsible lack of awareness to his body and his lifestyle. McDonald’s is not the one to blame; he had the choice to eat unhealthy. No one is forcing him to consume fattening foods. The real culprits in his obesity problems (as well as many other obese Americans) are lack of personal responsibility and its henchmen, gluttony and sloth. What really causes obesity besides the overconsumption of food? Genetics is one factor. Some common forms of obesity are probably the result of variations within a large number of heritable genes between families. Obesity risk is 2-3x higher for a person with a history of obesity as oppose to someone with no family history. Genetic studies have shown that the â€Å"particular set of weight-regulating genes that a person has is by far the most important factor in determining how much that person will weigh† (The Real Cause of Obesity). The heritability of obesity, which shows how, many genes is a factor to obesity versus other factors is the same as the heritability of height. Also, many psychological disorders can lead to obesity as well. The basis of eating disorders and obesity usually lies with mixtures of psychosocial and environmental attributes. Individuals who suffer from psychological disorders (e.g. depression, anxiety, and eating disorders) may have a tough time managing control of their consumption of food, exercising an adequate amount, and maintaining a healthy weight. Those with weight problems can use food as a relieving mechanism, particularly when they are sad, anxious, stressed, lonely, and frustrated. In many obese individuals there appears to be a random cycle of mood disturbance, overeating, and weight gain. When they feel distressed, they turn to food to help them feel better which in turn leads to obesity (Psychological Risk Factors of Obesity). The culprits responsible for America’s progressively expanding waistline have little to do with the usual suspects popularized by the media. Many Americans believe Fast Food is the main culprits for obesity because of the clever tactics and unknown ingredients they use to get costumers to buy and their food and make them wanting more later. Fast food companies outnumber actual restaurants because it is affordable, easy to attain, big portioned and delicious. With the United States being the most obese nation, it has also become the nation that craves flavor and variety. Many turn away from greens because of its unappealing taste and lack of flavor. Fast Food companies produce food with flavor and hunger satisfying taste. Many become angry because of the effective advertising done on TV, ads, giveaways and deals. But what really angers consumers most are the chemicals they put in their food that makes it so delicious and irresistible. Polyfluoroalkyl phosphate pesters, PAPs, are chemicals that line fast-food packaging to make it grease- and waterproof, this leads to a number of health problems including cancer and liver disease. Dimethylpolysiloxane, a type of silicone, is added as an anti-foaming agent to McDonald’s chicken nuggets. This is the same ingredient that is used in breast implants and silly putty. Sodium Phosphate, which acts like a foam agent to many types of meat, is constantly used in many fast food joints. Dyes (red and yellow) behavioral attributes. Along with the mystery chemicals that go into fast food for its flavor, companies also supersize or increase the portions of their meals. During 1970s, marketing director of McDonalds corporations, David Wallerstein, determined that consumers would by more of a food item if sold in larger sizes and costs weren’t high. Portions increased from since 1980s to about 5x larger, which includes the drinks and side orders (Buzzle). A supersized coke, big mac and fries takes about 7 hours to burn with walking, now imagine people actually eating this without any exercise. We’ve been supersizing what we eat and that’s what consumers can’t get enough of. Many blame fast food for numerous health problems as well; asthma, strokes, type 2 diabetics, cancer, and cardio vascular disease. I myself have fallen victim to fast food, for example when I go on road trips with the family, we have no time to sit down and have a proper breakfast since we have to get on the road right away. We stop by a McDonalds because their breakfast is cheap and quick since we can eat it in the car. Also, it is no coincidence that fast food chains are everywhere where there are colleges and schools as well. College educated people or not poorly educated Americans are the most rapid growth in BMI between 1970 and 1990 (Fast Food 20). Obesity in college students in 1970 increased to 163% with many students claiming that with so much hectic studying and no time to eat, fast food is close by and quick to eat. So, it is no joke as to why people would blame fast food for their health troubles, since it is easy to attain and delicious but with many deadly ingredients. Personal responsibility is all it takes to decrease obesity. We live in a supersized world but as they say bigger is not always better. Fast food companies should not be blamed for obesity and instead be blamed on the consumers for lack of self-control. Fast food may look delicious but if people are aware of the health problems that are in the food, why do some continue to consume it regularly. Many need to take responsibility for their actions instead of taking it out on the companies by filing ridiculous lawsuits. No one forces us to eat a burger. It is not fast food that kills it is lack of responsibility that kills.

American Comfort Food & Culture

Comfort food, in common parlance, refers not just to the sustenance obtained from edibles, but also to the sense of well-being obtained from eating. In this case, it may be psychological or emotional satisfaction. As defined by YourDictionary. com, comfort food is â€Å"any food eaten not only for its pleasing taste but also for a sense of contentment, nostalgia, etc. that it provides. † The sad reality is, the pleasing taste in most cases does not equate with healthy food. Comfort food, while it provides feelings of soothing warmth and gratification, may have ill effects on the body, and the persons concerned may or may not even realize it.Yet one wonders why people, though aware that certain foodstuffs (like the nicest tasting fries) are unhealthy, still partake of it. Upon closer analysis, one sees that food and diet are inextricably linked to, if not embedded in, evolving society and culture. Take the case of America, where one can witness comfort food in two distinct and interesting dimensions: fastfood that is usually devoid of nutritional quality; and traditional gastronomy handed down by one generation to another, as exemplified by authentic South American cuisine, painstakingly prepared by the matriarch of the household as younger family members look on and assist.Fastfood has become a highly profitable industry and global phenomenon, while home cuisine preparation is becoming a vanishing art. As families become immersed in the vicious cycle or struggle to survive, attain work success or recognition, traditional meal preparations are being replaced by cheap instant meals. â€Å"Saturated fats and meats are displacing grains and fresh vegetables. Mealtimes are shrinking. McDonalds is everywhere. † (Walsh 36). Regular fastfood fare like burgers and fries continually entice young and old alike, in America and other parts of the world.â€Å"The flavors of childhood foods seem to leave an indelible mark, and adults often return to them, witho ut always knowing why. These comfort foods `become a source of pleasure and reassurance, a fact the fast food chains work hard to promote† (Schlosser 123). Huge marketing budgets have been allocated to convince consumers to head for fastfood restaurants with kids and other family members in tow. What people easily take for granted is that as they opt for fastfood meals, â€Å"they consume more calories, less fiber, and more fat† (Schlosser 241).Fats may be categorized as good or bad, and among the most undesirable kind is trans fat found in fastfood staples like french fries. Trans fats contained in hydrogenated cooking oil pose a big risk to heart health, as studies have revealed. â€Å"It serves to justify current efforts to get trans fats out of the American diet† (Boyles, parag. 5). Obesity, fatty liver and heart problems are but some of the dangers of regular fastfood consumption in big servings.Fortunately, helping curb the health decline among America†™s population are medically backed reports and a growing health consciousness that have spawned concerted efforts by consumer groups to ban â€Å"the use of trans freats in restaurant food in major cities like New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago† (Boyles, parag. 5). This had also generated â€Å"pledges from a growing number of fast-food restaurant chains to make their products trans-fat free† (Boyles, parag. 5). Showing an earnest gesture of support in such initiative or clamor to give consumers healthier food options are fastfood companies like Wendy’s and KFC, to name some.Home-produced food may be the norm in certain societies, and â€Å"it shouldn’t be surprising that the societies that have been most successful at retaining food cultures are the ones that have also resisted the pull of Westernization† (Walsh 39). This is not to say, though, that traditional fare like Southern American cuisine is not laden with calories, sugar and fat. South ern American food with multicultural influences includes deep-fried foods and rich gravy made with pan drippings and leftover coffee (Brant parag. 3).If not taken in moderation, they may pose some undesirable health effects, Economics likewise lays a big role in people’s food options. â€Å"Most Southerners were subsistence farmers who relied upon their on harvests to feed their families† (Brant, parag. 3). Delectable dishes, notably â€Å"big country breakfasts of eggs, biscuits and gravy, sausage and grits, and supper plates of chicken-fried steak, corn bread and collard greens provided farmers with the fuel to work from sun up to sun down in the scorching heat and humidity of the south† (Boyles, parag. 5).While certain recipes and ingredients of south American cuisine stand out, the myriad, longed-for flavors reflect â€Å"a combination of culinary heritages from around the world† (Brant, parag. 1). In many parts of America and major cities around the world, contributing to the decline of traditional mealtimes are the trappings and offshoots of the modern technology era. There is media, with its powerful influence; and migration from slow-paced rural communities to cities marked by fast-paced lifestyles. â€Å"Not only do these changes add stress for families, but nutritional quality declines as well† (Walsh 38).Cornell University Professor of Nutritional Science Jeffrey Sobal, was quoted by TIME as saying that †parents complain that they make [traditional] dishes, but the kids won’t eat them. They want the things that they see on television† (Walsh 38) and consenting adults acquiesce. Indeed, various interweaving factors shape today’s American food culture and while â€Å"we might – indeed must – clean up the worst of the fastfood excesses, trying to preserve the diets that keep us both culturally and physically healthier, no one pretends we’re ever going to turn back the cl ock entirely† (Walsh 39). It is, after all, the age of convenience products.Further boosting the popularity of fastfood restaurants is the business strategy of focusing not just on product innovations but also in providing a complete customer experience. Hence, McDonalds has its Playland to appeal to tots. Other fastfood restaurants strategically focus on a theme, slogan or attitude to further lure customers, wittingly or unwittingly. All told, fastfood has both an upside and downside, While most present-day comfort foods meld flavor and texture for utterly enticing eating options, consumers will do well to take a moment to determine if these foods are worth the momentary pleasures they provide.As for restaurants who have made a giant step towards offering consumers the healthier route through food alternatives that limit dangerous ingredients, it is high time they sustain their initiatives that will put a country’s burgeoning population down the healthier path. Househ olds that find it difficult to reshape their dietary paths are usually hindered by budgetary limitations. It can be gleaned that inexpensive, time-saving fastfood has fueled the rapid growth of fastfood outlets on a global scale, Individuals with high standards of living, on the other hand, are better able to experiment and widen their food choices.Indeed, given today’s societal trends and the fastfood phenomenon, only time will tell if healthier and tastier alternatives to trans-fat-laden `comfort food’ will see the day. In the meantime, America is seen grappling with diet-related illnesses even as health empowering news updates are gradually holding sway Works Cited Boyles, Salynn. â€Å"Researchers Say Findings Justify Move to Reduce Trans Fat in U. S. Diet. † Emedicinehealth. com. 26 March 2007. 13 August 2008 . Brant, Kelly. â€Å"Southern Comfort. † Allrecipes. com. 13 August 2008 n. â€Å"Comfort food definition. † YourDictionary. com. 13 Au gust 2008 . Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. New York: HarperCollins, 2001. Walsh, Bryan. â€Å"How the World Eats. † TIME June 2-July 2, 2007: 36.

Australian Legal System

There is a quotation mentioned in the essay which is quoted by Allan Amanyire.   This quote reveals that, there are lack of legal rules and democracy in the society which is an issue for all the people in the society.   The people of the society may be rich-poor, educated- uneducated, employed-unemployed but everyone faces same problem if the proper legal rules and democracy is not maintained in the society.   In this assignment the negative sides of the society is portrayed because in Australia there are lack of constitutional laws followed and because of that the economic stability of people is not maintained (Collins, 2014).There are some plans made to describe the assignment. They are description about equality law, description about Australian legal system, the inequality and scarcity of the society and the solutions which can be applied to solve the problems of the society by legal methods. With the help of English mon law tradition Australian legal system started progressing. Federal regulations of governments state that every country is democratic and the citizen of the countries have right to choose the government of the country through voting system under Human rights act. Under section 41 of constitution of Australia of mon Wealth the people of the country has legal right to choose president and ministers of the country, who can work for the sake of the county. As per Human Rights of Australia (1949), the people of the country have to live their life in a democratic nation where monopolistic views are not followed. There is certain rights of mon man of the country. That freedom does not restrict people to convey their speech; to live a proper life with equality without discrimination; to vote; to get employment and to get all the facilities and enjoy rights of the country. The quotation in the question states that, Australian government is not following the democratic rules and making the country corrupted by indulging lots of discrimination between rich and poor, man and women and etc. For that reason, the rules of Equality act of 2010 are needed to be followed by the government and the citizen of the government. This act should be equal for rich or poor, employed or unemployed and educated or uneducated. Everyone should be same in the eye of the law (Collins, 2014). The mon man suffers a lot because they b e the victim of inequality. If democracy is not maintained in the society, then the citizen of the country loses their freedom and they are deprived by equality and political facilities (Humphreys, 2010). According to equality act, there should be no discrimination in terms of race, gender, age, sex, caste, creed, religion, class etc. These legal rules are not followed in Australia and that is the reason that people are in problem. They are victim of discrimination which is harming them. Even employment is also not available in the country because of lack of regulations. All these loopholes in the system is creating main problem to all the people in the society whether they are rich or poor. As the legal system of the country is improper, so the economic system and the corporation system are also lacking various resources. In this quote this things are tried to be mentioned. Several critics have criticized the legal and political system of Australia. It is said that, if there is lack of democracy in a country then people cannot lead a free life. If it is followed by the business perspectives that people cannot set up their corporate world and business because the rules of the business will not be followed properly in this type of country where proper rules and regulations are not followed.   If any methods of business are not followed properly then the corporation system would not follow properly (Gleeson, 2000). So it is plicated to form vital business in a country where there is lack of following the rules and regulations. On the perspective of the quotes mention in the question many authors said several lines such as: John Maynard Keynes said, â€Å"The market can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent†. Allan Amanyrire said, â€Å"The rule of law bakes no bread, it is unable to distribute loaves or fishes, and it cannot protect itself against external assault, but it remains the most civilized and least burdensome conception of a state yet to be devised† Both the quotations reveal the negative part of the rules of the law and democracy which is affecting the society in adverse way. People are in burden under uneconomic condition. There is lack of employment in the country because of less democracy. Business also cannot be flourished properly because the legal rules of business is not followed which is adversely affecting the merchants or business man in the country. According to Razz (2002) in a book â€Å"A Basic Themes in Rule of Law Theory†, there are some rules made by government, which should be followed by the citizen of the country. There are some general principles. Those principles are certainty, and according to this principle stable, open and clear autonomy should be given to individual in democratic way (Gustafson, 2001). There is another principle that is generality, and according to it control of conduct of several citizen of various classes and in this case the legal rules should be followed where non-particularised and impersonal law is necessary to be implied. The final principle is equality, according to this principle, the law should be subjected equally and it should be followed by all class peoples in the munity. According to rule of law the democracy and freedom from interference should be given where human rights are not interfered (Raz, 2007). The liberties of the citizen should be saved and they should be treated with dignity by giving respect and rights to the citizens by the government of Australia (Ohnesorge, 2007). There is the journal, â€Å"Rule-book and Rights based Theories of Rule of Law†, (2003). There are various rules and regulations described in the journal and particular formulation of rule of law is stated by Lon Fuller. The morality and law is discussed in the contradiction of law. Argument is done by HLA Hart and Joseph Razz that the concept of equality in sexual inequality, racial segregation and religious intolerance is i patible which does not match which the concept of democracy following the legal rules. The standard of statues of law has failed here. Ronald Dworkin said there are some rights which are based on the rule of law which are demand of the citizens, where rights based theories are followed (Criddle, 2012). There is an integrity model made by Dworkin which is based on right based theory. According to the journal, the â€Å"The Current Debate: mon Law Constitutionalism†, (2009) argument was made on Anglo Australian legal tradition following the doctrine of parliamentary supremacy and Dicey’s constitutional theory gives vast description about the mercial law of the country which should be followed under legal rules and the theory but Allan argued that those theories are not conceptualised and human rights and democracies are not incorporated in the theories but only the legal rules of business and merce is mentioned without any link to the federal system of the society. The rule of law is criticized because the main points and motives are clearly not mentioned in the principles (Shaw, 2003). According to Farrell and McAllister (2003), if the democracy is needed to be maintained in the constitution of Australia, then it is very necessary that modern and organized way is needed to be applied in the parliamentary system of the constitution where electronic voting system is needed to be followed and secret ballot system is also needed to be arranged. Democracy is very important in a society because if there is monopoly in a rule for a long time, then the single power will be enhanced and addressed and the loopholes of the other parts of the constitutional system create trouble, barriers and boundary for the ordinary people of the country. The democratic system changed on 2004, when various new parliamentary systems are organized and voting board of supervision started thorough which new rules are organized following the federal system of the mon law of Australia. After the development of new applications in parliamentary system, various things are changed (Shaw, 2003). Posit ive changes are noticed; unemployment in the country is less now; poverty is also reduced and as per the quotation mentioned in the question, the tension and the issues of business formation and arrangement of mercial system in the country is also developed where different rules are stated and the needs of the citizens are heard and acts and rules of Australian legal system is motivated through the federal system.   Ã‚   This essay gives the ideas about the requirement of democracy in modern world because if the country follows the rules and regulations properly and democracy is maintained then the citizens can express their needs and their rights are also protected with the rule of law in Australian legislation system (Barber, 2006). There are various acts which are stated in terms of the quotation mentioned in the question. Various arguments, critical analysis and debates are also settled in the assignment which enriched the essence of the project with legal considerations followed properly.   Collins, R. (2014). The Rule of Law and the Quest for Constitutional Substitutes in International Law. Nordic Journal of International Law, 83(2), pp.87-127. Criddle, E. and Fox-Decent, E. (2012). Human Rights, Emergencies, and the Rule of Law. Human Rights Quarterly, 34(1) Gleeson, M. (2000). The rule of law and the constitution. Sydney, NSW: ABC Books. Gustafson, B. (2001). Book Review: Colin James (ed.), Building the Constitution (Wellington: Institute of Policy Studies, Victoria University of Wellington, 2000), pp. 448, $45. Political Science, 53(1) Humphreys, S. (2010). The Equality Act, 2010. Research Ethics, 6(3) Levine, S. (2004). Parliamentary Democracy in New Zealand. Parliamentary Affairs, 57(3), pp.646-665. Barber, N. W. (2006). ‘Sovereignty Re-examined; the Courts, Parliament, and Statutes’, Ronald Dworkin, Law’s Empire Ohnesorge, J. (2007). The Rule of Law. Annual Review of Law and Social Science, 3(1), pp.99-114. Raz, J. (2007). The Identity of Legal Systems. California Law Review, 59(3), pp.795.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Shaw, J. (2003). The Rule of Law — And a Bill of Rights. AQ: Australian Quarterly, 75(5), p.10.

Three question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Three question - Essay Example Thus, I participated in this sales internship program in order to improve and perfect my communication and strategic thinking skills. As a sales intern, i had the responsibility of elaborating the various products to customers. Additionally, I had to convince them to purchase the insurance products. This challenge motivated me to adapt and try to transform my personality. A good salesman listens to what his or her customers say. Therefore, I tried to develop good listening skills. A lot of people do not comprehend what the other individual is saying. This can be as a result of minute concentration. I learned to concentrate fully when my clients were speaking. As such, I got to know about their needs better. A better understanding of their needs gave me an upper hand in convincing them to purchase my products. It’s not just listening to the client’s voice that enabled me to excel in my sales, but also watching their body language. I learnt to recognize when a client seemed disinterested or when I lost him/her. For example, a client is disinterested if he or she constantly interrupts my conversation. In addition, constantly looking at his/her phone is a clear indication that the client is not i interested in the company products. To convince them and gain their trust, I learnt how to speak slowly, concisely, and have all the information at my fingertips. Having polite catchy exit phrases is another way to endear yourself to a client. For example, â€Å"maybe I ought to come back at a later time sir/; madam† is a sure way of dismissing a client politely. This polite way will enable them to come back to you at another time. Therefore, good communication skills are a vital and critical aspect in a sales environment. Prior to undertaking this exercise, my introvert personality had a massive impact on my expressions. I seldom shared what I was thinking. However,

International management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

International management - Assignment Example Global strategy and entry modes have thus been number one priority for these large firms in emerging economies trying to make it in the global scene. This has been due to success in the global scene hence acquisition of competitive advantages. It has also been important for these firms to handle international market entry modes as the initial step in attaining their global mission. The decision and the mode of how a firm from emerging economy enters foreign market has had a significant effect on its overall productivity (John & Allen, 1998). This is because; the business environment that these new multinationals operate in is very competitive and dynamic. As such expansion into these new foreign markets is achievable through various strategies. The focus of this report is to give an account of the market entry strategy used by Bharti Airtel (formerly â€Å"Bharti Tele-Ventures Limited - BTVL†) while penetrating the foreign market. The report uses relevant theories and internat ional business literature concepts to evaluate and discuss the Bharti Airtel choice of entry mode(s) into the foreign market. Bharti Airtel(formerly â€Å"Bharti Tele-Ventures Limited - BTVL†is a multinational company founded in 1995. It is an Indian multinational in telecommunication industry. The company is primarily headquartered in New Delhi. Bharti Airtel got into the foreign market operations years ago and to date the company is actively operational in more than 20 countries cross Africa, South Asia and the Channel Islands among other global markets. The company is known for pioneering foreign business strategy of outsourcing most of its company’s operations apart from sales, marketing and finance and developing the minutes factory system of high cost and low volumes. The Bharti Airtel owes much of its accomplishment to its obliged to offering cutting-edge mobile services, while keeping low pricing strategies, an significant component in India. The

Historical accuracies and inaccuracies of the William Wallace From the Essay

Historical accuracies and inaccuracies of the William Wallace From the movie Braveheart - Essay Example The movie portrays the life of William Wallace. The film premiered in July 1995 and became a spontaneous Box office success. As a film, the developers of the film employed specific film production techniques in order to earn it the reception it acquired soon after its release (Brown, 2007). The film portrayed the Scottish warrior in different perspectives often omitting some fundamental features of his life in an attempt of earning the film an appropriate adaptation. As a brave Scottish warrior, William Wallace led the scots against their first war of independence against the oppressive King Edward the first. The producers set the film in an early Scottish society, it is 1920 and King Edward the first invades Scotland soon after the death of Alexandra the third of Scotland. In the invasion, Wallace witnesses the Longshanks commit atrocities in the inversion. He survives the murder to his mother father and brothers and therefore travels to Rome with the help of his uncle Argyle. After several years, Wallace returns to Scotland as a young man and immediately falls in love with his childhood friend, Murron MacClannough. However, the society is different following the application of King Edward’s selfish legislations (McArthur, 2003). Among the most controversial of the legislations is that granting the English Lord the authority to have sexual relations with all the women in the kingdom on the eve of their wedding night. In oorder to avoid the king sleeping with his fiancee, Wallace and Murron marry in secrecy. Later, Wallace rescues Murron from eminent rape by English soldiers. The soldiers arrest and execute Murron in public. In a revenge attack, Wallace attacks and kills English soldiers. The following is a series of conflicts between Wallace and the English authorities as Edward orders his son Edward the second to use every means possible to stop Wallace. Even in death, Wallace maintains a bold personality and refuses to beg for mercy from the English a uthorities. While facing a public execution, the magistrate pleads with Wallace to beg for mercy from the government and therefore have a quick and painless life. Instead of begging for his life, Wallace shouts freedom to the jubilation of the Scottish people who view him as a hero. As the film ends, a setting in the 1934 Scotland, Robert who is now the king of Scotland leads his army into a fight against the English in the memory of Wallace. The war finds the English unprepared and the scots earn their first freedom from the English rule. The developers of the film employ various film production features including both the setting and the plot in order to earn the story relevance from its contemporary audience. In doing this, the developers either omitted or added specific details to both the characters and the actions. In doing so, the producers foster some accuracies and inaccuracies about Wallace’s life and the society in which he lived. Key among the lacking details in t he film is his background. The producers of the film provide a brief recap of his childhood. The film begins with the English inversion of Scotland with the young Wallace witnessing the murder of his parents and the atrocities the English lord commits. Such are scanty details that do not help build an effective understanding of the legendary Sir William Wallace. However, the scanty details are in line with the information known about his family, Wallace came from a less noble family. Historians do not provide a detailed information about his family. Blind Harry in his poem posits that Wallace’s father was known as Sir Malcom of Elderslie. The discovery of a letter written by Wallace himself and contained his seal provides Wallace’

(Outline)Ban Driving of Gasoline Powered Vechicles in United States Essay

(Outline)Ban Driving of Gasoline Powered Vechicles in United States - Essay Example gasoline powered vehicles in the unites sates because it has many environmental hazards, high cost burden middle class citizens, and hinders the advancement of alternative fuel research. Today, more than ever before, terms such as global warming, environmental friendly and climate change have become common in conversations. For many years, gasoline powered cars have had negative impacts on the environment and health (Hunderson, 2008). Convectional gasoline powered cars have internal combustion engines that release carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is responsible for the increased rate of climate change and global warming. Nitrogenous oxides, when released into the atmosphere travel to long distances and smog on the Ozone layer, is created, in turn (Hunderson, 2008). Because of the high gasoline prices, many middle class motorists are struggling to make ends meet and fuel their cars, at the same time. Some have even given up the cars for scooters and bicycles. In the United States, the average price for a gallon of gas costs $3.59, this is very high compared to $3.19 at the same time last year (McKinney, 2011). The prices of gasoline are rising and will continue rising until people seek alternative powering systems for their vehicles. The United States accounts for more than 40 percent of the consumption of gas in the world. Americans are said to own more cars in a given household and drive longer distances this leads to increased dependency on the fossil fuels and requires additional financial resources to finance the mining, purchase and refining of the fuels (McKinney, 2011). The dependency of the United States on fossil fuels hinders research on other alternative methods of powering cars. Most of the American citizens have not felt the tremendous effects of using fossil powered cars (Motavalli, 2012). They continue using the fuel and are not interested to research on other methods that may rid the country

Discuss the value of Homers Iliad for the historian Essay - 1

Discuss the value of Homers Iliad for the historian - Essay Example For instance, in book five of the lliad, Pylaimenes who happened to be the king of the Paphlagonians is killed. However, in book thirteen, he reappears mourning the death of his son. This is controversial to historians. Lastly, there exist different and varying interpretations given to particular passages of the lliad resulting into several theories about how the poem was written (Bryant, 21). The poem teaches that, in Greek traditional culture, god and goddesses are literary figures that are involved in man’s life, predicting his future and regularly impeding any endeavor for man to entirely forge his own life. Finally, characteristics of warriors as being courageous and fearless, is brought out. As to conclusion, Homer lived during the Greek Iron Age. However, throughout the lliad, he has made many remarks about weapons being made out of bronze. This clearly shows that the lliad took place during the Bronze Age, which was approximately in 13th century

Coronary Heart Disease Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Coronary Heart Disease - Research Paper Example This research will begin with the statement that coronary heart disease is caused by a waxy substance named plaque forms up inside the coronary arteries. The arteries which carry oxygenated blood to the heart muscle. If the plate breaks, a blood clot will be formed on its surface, which will block the flow of blood into the coronary artery causing heart failure. The research will emphasis on the possible causes of the coronary disease as well as its prevention mechanisms. In line with the research carried out by the national institute of health in Merced country California, coronary heart disease is one of the diseases that cause most deaths in the city. In relation to the quantitative data, Merced is rated to be the 46th in the number of death used b coronary heart disease basing on the age, the mortality rate in the year 2006-210, 25 deaths per 110,000 of the population caused by coronary heart disease. Moreover, 16,000 people in Merced County alone diagnosed with coronary heart di sease which 9% of the total population of Merced County. In addition, obesity being one of the causes of coronary heart disease is also ranked top have affected 29% of the total population of Merced County, showing that greater possibility of an increase in death rates caused by coronary heart disease. Most of the research conducted has got a positive impact on the people of Merced County at large. Because the facts gathered apparently shows the causes of coronary heart disease, and how it can be avoided and prevented at the same time.

Goodness of the Service Level and Current Structure Assignment - 22

Goodness of the Service Level and Current Structure - Assignment Example However, equation 2 and 4 only hold if y= 0, for non-negative values of x andy. Consequently, x= 4300 is the optimal number of vaccine doses that the facility can purchase for optimality. From the confidence interval formula for normal distribution, Z=(mean-Â µ)/(standard error) And mean-Â µ = zero and this means that Z is not defined. As Z approaches infinity, however, the probability of failure approaches zero. Therefore, at 4300 doses, the facility has a zero percent probability of failure. The optimal number of vaccines and chance of running out of vaccines Optimal profitability occurs when total cost equals total expenditure for generating the cost. Assuming that an organization purchases z doses of the vaccine and sells x doses and returns y doses to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the following are computations for the optimal number of vaccine doses and the chance of scarcity. Cost of vaccine= 4z= 4(x+y) Revenue= 15x+ y, based on $ 15 sales price and $ 1 buy back price. Reduction to lower levels such as $ 7 per dose would motivate people into and increase a total number of used vaccines. A reasonable profit level would, therefore, be possible, and even higher levels attained due to a higher number of unit sales. Such a reduction in price would also promote quality of health by preventing flue (Thompson 1). A hold on the buy-back policy is likely to reduce facilities’ stock level and therefore limit the availability of vaccines. In addition, unused vaccines would lead to greater losses and prompt facilities to charge higher prices on sales. Consequently, holding the buy-back is likely to reduce demand for vaccines and increase the burden of the flue.

Mobile television Essay Example for Free

Mobile television Essay Mobile television is television watched on a small handheld or mobile device. It includes pay TV service delivered via mobile phone networks or received free-to-air via terrestrial television stations. Regular broadcast standards or special mobile TV transmission formats can be used. Additional features include downloading TV programs and podcasts from the internet and the ability to store programming for later viewing. According to the Harvard Business Review, the growing adoption of smartphones allowed users to watch as much mobile video in just three days of the 2010 Winter Olympics as they watched throughout the entire 2008 Summer Olympics – an increase of 564%. [1] DMB in South Korea History The first pocket-sized mobile television was sold to the public by Clive Sinclair in January 1977. It was called the Microvision or the MTV-1. It had a 2-inch CRT screen and was also the first television which could pick up signals in multiple countries. It measured 102Ãâ€"159Ãâ€"41mm and was sold for less than  £100 in the UK and for around $400 in the US. The project took over ten years to develop and was funded by around  £1.6 million in British Government grants.[2][3] Mobile TV is one of the features provided by many 3G phones. In 2002, South Korea became the first country in the world to have a commercial mobile TV CDMA IS95-C network, and mobile TV over 3G (CDMA2000 1X EVDO) also became available that same year. In 2005, South Korea also became the first country in the world to have mobile TV when it started satellite DMB (S-DMB) and terrestrial DMB (T-DMB) services on May 1 and December 1, respectively. Today, South Korea and Japan are at the forefront of this developing sector.[4] Mobile TV services were launched by the operator CSL in Hong Kong, March 2006, on the 3G network.[5] BT in the United Kingdom was the among the first companies outside South Korea to launch Mobile TV in September 2006, although the service was abandoned less than a year later.[6] The same happened to MFD Mobiles Fernsehen Deutschland, who launched their DMB-based service June 2006 in Germany, and stopped it in April 2008.[7] Also in June 2006, mobile operator 3 in Italy (part of Hutchison Whampoa) launched their mobile TV service, but opposed to their counterpart in Germany this was based on DVB-H.[8] Sprint started offering the service in February 2006 and was the first US carrier to offer the service. In the US Verizon Wireless and more recently ATT are offering the service. In South Korea, mobile TV is largely divided into satellite DMB (S-DMB) and terrestrial DMB (T-DMB). Although S-DMB initially had more content, T-DMB has gained much wider popularity because it is free and included as a feature in most mobile handsets sold in the country today. Challenges Mobile TV usage can be divided into three classes: †¢ Fixed – Watched while not moving, possibly moved when not being watched †¢ Nomadic – Watched while moving slowly (e.g. walking) †¢ Mobile – Watched when moving quickly (e.g. in a car) Each of these pose different challenges. Device Manufacturers challenges †¢ Power consumption – Continuous receipt, decoding, and display of video requires continuous power, and cannot benefit from all of the types of optimizations that are used to reduce power consumption for data and voice services. †¢ Memory – To support the large buffer requirements of mobile TV. Currently available memory capabilities will not be suited for long hours of mobile TV viewing. Furthermore, potential future applications like peer-to-peer video sharing in mobile phones and consumer broadcasting would definitely add to the increasing memory requirements. The existing P2P algorithms wont be enough for mobile devices, necessitating the advent of mobile P2P algorithms. There is one start-up technology that claims patentability on its mobile P2P, but has not drawn attention from device manufacturers yet. †¢ Display – Larger and higher-resolution displays are necessary for a good viewing experience. †¢ Processing power – Significan tly more processor performance is required for mobile TV than that used for UI and simple applications, like browsers and messaging. Content Providers challenges †¢ Mobile TV specific content – Mobisodes: mobile episodes of popular shows which are relatively shorter (3 to 5 minutes), to suit the likely viewing habits of the mobile TV user. Digital TV North America As of January 2012, there are 120 stations in the United States broadcasting using the ATSC-M/H Mobile DTV standard – a mobile and handheld enhancement to the HDTV standard that improves handling of multipath interference while mobile.[9] The defunct MediaFLO used COFDM broadcast on UHF TV channel 55. Like satellite TV, it was encrypted and controlled by conditional access (provided via the cellular network). It required a subscription for each mobile device, and was limited to the ATT Mobility or Verizon Wireless networks. Broadcast mobile DTV development While MediaFLO uses the TV spectrum and MobiTV used cell phone networks,[10] mobile DTV (ATSC-M/H) uses the digital TV spectrum. At the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show in April 2007 in Las Vegas, the ATSC and 8VSB methods for delivering mobile DTV were shown. A-VSB (Advanced VSB), from Samsung and Rohde Schwarz, was shown at the previous years show. In 2007, LG, whose Zenith Electronics came up with 8VSB, introduced (with Harris Group) its Mobile-Pedestrian-Handheld (MPH) system. As the broadcast networks began making their content available online, mobile DTV meant stations would have another way to compete. Sinclair Broadcast Group tested A-VSB in fall 2006, and its KVCW and KVMY were participating in the mobile DTV product demonstrations at the NAB show. A-VSB had worked in buses at the 2007 Consumer Electronics Mobile television Show. ION Media Networks started a test station on channel 38, which was to be used for digital LPTV, to use for a single-frequency network (SFN). In some areas, more than one TV transmitter would be needed to cover all areas. Mobile DTV could have been used at that time because it would not affect HDTV reception. A single standard, however, had to be developed.[11] At the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2009, the first prototype devices from LG and other manufacturers were demonstrated, including receivers for cars from Kenwood, Visteon and Delphi. It was announced that 63 stations in 22 markets would debut the service in 2009. Gannett Broadcasting president David Lougee pointed out that many of those attending the inauguration of Barack Obama would likely hear him but not see him; had the new technology been in place, this would not have been a problem.[12] In April 2009, the Open Mobile Video Coalition, made up of over 800 broadcast stations, selected four test stations: Gannetts WATL and IONs WPXA-TV in Atlanta, and Fisher Communications KOMO-TV and Belos KONG-TV in Seattle. WPXA had begun mobile DTV broadcasting on April 1. The others would start in May.[13] Later in 2009, ION said it was making available HDTV, standard definition and Mobile DTV streams using its affiliates in New York City and Washington, D.C. The triple-play concept was part of an effort to create a Mobile DTV standard. At the time, only those with prototype receivers could pick up the streams. ION Chairman and CEO Brandon Burgess said mobile DTV lets stations think beyond the living room and bring live television and real time information to consumers wherever they may be.[14] The Advanced Television Systems Committee started work on mobile DTV standards in May 2007, and manufacturers and sellers worked quickly to make the new technology a reality. The OMVC persuaded LG and Samsung to work together starting in May 2008 so that differing systems (possibly a self-destructing format war) would not delay or kill the technology. Early in July 2009, the ATSC Technology and Standards Group approved the ATSC-M/H standard for mobile DTV which all members green-lighted October 15. The public could be using the new devices by 2010, though watching TV on cell phones seemed unlikely in the near future since telephone manufacturers did not yet include that capability. The technology was expected to be used for polls and even voting.[15][16] By the end of the year, the ATSC and the Consumer Electronics Association began identifying products meeting the standard with MDTV.[17] Paul Karpowicz, NAB Television Board chairman and president of Meredith Broadcast Group, said This milestone ushers in the new era of digital television broadcasting, giving local TV stations and networks new opportunities to reach viewers on the go. This will introduce the power of local broadcasting to a new generation of viewers and provide all-important emergency alert, local news and other programming to consumers across the nation.[16] Later in July, the first multi-station tests began in Washington, D.C., while single stations in New York City and Raleigh, North Carolina already offered mobile DTV. The OMVC chose Atlantas WATL and Seattles KONG as model stations where product testing could take place. 70 stations in 28 media markets planned streams by the end of 2009. The Washington test would involve WPXW-TV, WUSA, WDCA, WRC-TV, WHUT-TV, WNUV in Baltimore, and WNVT, a part of MHz Networks, a multicasting service. All of the stations would have two of more channels each, with electronic service guide and alert data among the services. 20 sellers of equipment would use these stations to test using the existing standard, but testing the final standard would come later, and tests by the public would happen in 2010, when many more devices would be ready. Obviously, manufacturing large numbers of the devices could not take place without the final standard. LG, however, began mass-producing chips in June. ION technology vice president Brett Jenkins said, Were really at a stage like the initial launch of DTV back in 1998. There are almost going to be more transmitters transmitting mobile than receive devices on the market, and thats probably what youll see for the next six to nine months. Devices would eventually include USB dongles, netbooks, portable DVD players and in-car displays.[18] White House officials and members of Congress saw the triple-play concept in an ION demonstration on July 28, 2009 in conjunction with the OMVC.[19][20] Another demonstration took place October 16, 2009 with journalists, industry executives and broadcasters riding around Washington, D.C. in a bus with prototype devices. Included were those who would be testing the devices in the Washington and Baltimore markets in January 2010.[21] On August 7, 2009, BlackBerry service began on six TV stationsWISH-TV in Indianapolis; WAVY-TV in Hampton Roads, Virginia; KRQE in Albuquerque, New Mexico; WANE-TV in Fort Wayne, Indiana; WALA-TV in Mobile, Alabama; and KXAN-TV in Austin, Texas. 27 other stations will eventually offer the service, and LIN TV, which developed the BlackBerry service, has an iPhone application planned.[20] By October, 30 stations were airing mobile DTV signals, and that number was expected to be 50 by year-end. Also in the same month, FCC chair Julius Genachowski announced efforts to increase the amount of spectrum available to wireless services.[16] Also in August, WTVE and Axcera began testing a single-frequency network (SFN) with multiple transmitters using the new mobile standard. The RNN affiliate in Reading, Pennsylvania had used this concept since 2007.[22] Richard Mertz of Cavell, Mertz Associates says VHF wont work as well for mobile DTV because a 15-inch antenna or some other solution would be required, although he has heard from people who had no problems. An amplified antenna or higher power for the transmitting station would likely be needed, as well as repeater stations where terrain is a problem.[23] Lougee, whose company planned testing in its 19 markets in 2010, said the chip designs with the new devices made targeted advertising possible.[21] In December 2009, Concept Enterprises introduced the first Mobile DTV tuner for automobiles. Unlike earlier units, this one will provide a clear picture without pixilation in a fast-moving vehicle, using an LG M/H chip and a one-inch roof-mounted antenna. No subscription wil be required.[24] Also in December, the Consumer Electronics Association hosted a plugfest in Washington, D.C. to allow manufacturers to test various devices. More than 15 companies, and engineers from different countries, tested four transmission systems, 12 receiver systems, and four software types.[17][25] On December 1, News Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch said mobile DTV would be important to the future of all journalism, and he planned to offer TV and possibly newspaper content in this way.[26] At the January 2010 Consumer Electronics Show, NAB head Gordon H. Smith disputed the idea that broadcastings days were numbered, calling mobile DTV the proof over-the-air television would continue its popularity. He said people would use cell phones and other devices to watch, and broadcast technology would be the best way to do this. Wireless broadband, which some wanted to replace broadcasting, would not be able to handle the demand for video services.[27] IONs Burgess showed off one of the first iPhones capable of receiving mobile DTV, while IONs Jenkins showed an LG Maze and a Valups Tivit; the latter sends signals to the iPod Touch and will soon work with the Google Nexus.[28] Sinclair Broadcast Group director of advanced technology Mark Aitken said the mobile DTV concept of multiple transmitters would help free up spectrum for wireless broadband in rural areas but not large cities. He also explained to the FCC that mobile DTV was the best method for sending out live video to those using cell phones and similar devices.[29] The OMVCs Mobile DTV Consumer Showcase began May 3, 2010 and lasted all summer. Nine stations planned to distribute 20 programs, including local and network shows as well as cable programs, to Samsung Moment phones. Dell Netbooks and Valups Tivits also received programming.[30] On September 23, 2010, Media General began its first MDTV service at WCMH-TV in Columbus, Ohio and had plans to do the same a month later at WFLA-TV in the Tampa Bay, Florida area and five to seven more stations in its portfolio.[31] On November 19, 2010, a joint venture of 12 major broadcasters, known as the Mobile Content Venture, announced plans to upgrade TV stations in 20 markets representing 40 percent of the United States population to deliver live video to portable devices by the end of 2011.[32] Brian Lawlor, a Scripps TV senior vice president, said that, in September 2011, Scripps stations would offer an app allowing people with an iPhone or iPad to see emergency information (e.g. weather bulletins) in the event of a power outage.[33] In 2012, a number of stations plan to conduct tests of the Mobile Emergency Alert System (M-EAS), a system to deliver emergency information via mobile DTV.[34] In January, 2012, the MCV announced that MetroPCS would offer MCVs Dyle mobile DTV service. Samsung planned an Android phone capable of receiving this service late in 2012.[35] At the end of 2012, Dyle was in 35  markets and capable of reaching 55 percent of viewers.[36] At the NAB show in April 2012, MCV announced that 17 additional television stations will launch mobile DTV, bringing the total to 92, covering more than 55% of US homes. Included are stations in three new markets – Austin, Texas, Boston, Massachusetts, and Dayton, Ohio.[37] In September 2012, WRAL-TV announced rollout of a Mobile Emergency Alert System based around mobile digital television technology.[38] A process called Syncbak uses cell phones rather than TV spectrum.[39] References [1] [2] [3] [4] Looking for TV Genius? | Red Bee Media (http:/ / www. tvgenius. net/ blog/ 2011/ 01/ 31/ 4-ways-smartphones-save-tv/ ) Clives achievements (http:/ / www. sinclair-research. co. uk/ about-srl. php) Sinclair Research Video and TV gear (http:/ / www. retrothing. com/ video_tv/ index. html), Retrothing.com NYTimes.com via Yahoo! Finance: Mobile TV Spreading in Europe and to the U.S. (http:/ / biz. yahoo. com/ nytimes/ 080506/ 1194771946810. html?. v=18), May 6, 2008 [5] 3G UK: The service is based on the Golden Dynamic Enterprises Ltd. (http:/ / www. 3g. co. uk/ PR/ March2006/ 2732. htm)s VOIR Portal (http:/ / findarticles. com/ p/ articles/ mi_m0EIN/ is_2006_Dec_4/ ai_n16881105) and follows the 3GPP standard 3G-324 M. The same service is also deployed to Philippines in 2007. [6] ZDnet: BT ditches mobile TV service (http:/ / news. zdnet. co. uk/ communications/ 0,1000000085,39288247,00. htm), 26 July 2007 [7] Broadband TV news: MFD hands back German T-DMB licence (http:/ / www. broadbandtvnews. com/ ?p=4682), May 1, 2008 [8] The Register: DVB-H rockets ahead in Italy (http:/ / www. theregister. co. uk/ 2006/ 07/ 28/ dvbh_success_in_italy/ ), 28 July 2006 [9] OMVC announces sizable growth in number of MDTV stations at CES | RF content from Broadcast Engineering (http:/ / broadcastengineering. com/ RF/ OMVC-mobile-DTV-presence-announces-growth-CES-01192012/ index. html) [10] Thompson, Mark (2010-06-03). mobile tv cell phone networks: (http:/ / mobitv. com/ technology/ managed-service-platform). Broadcasting Cable. . Retrieved 2010-06-03. [11] Dickson, Glen (2007-04-14). NAB: Mobile DTV Hits the Strip (http:/ / www. broadcastingcable. com/ article/ 108538-NAB_Mobile_DTV_Hits_the_Strip. php). Broadcasting Cable. . Retrieved 2009-07-21. [12] Dickson, Glen (2009-01-11). CES: Broadcasters Mobile DTV Moment (http:/ / www. broadcastingcable. com/ article/ 161893-CES_Broadcasters_Mobile_DTV_Moment. php?rssid=20102 q=broadcasters+ mobile+ dtv+ moment). Broad casting Cable. . Retrieved 2009-12-03. [13] Dickson, Glen (2009-04-20). NAB 2009: Broadcasters Set Mobile DTV Test Markets (http:/ / www. broadcastingcable. com/ article/ 209447-NAB_2009_Broadcasters_Set_Mobile_DTV_Test_Markets. php?rssid=20068 q=broadcasters+ set+ mobile+ dtv+ test+ markets). Broadcasting Cable. . Retrieved 2009-12-17. [14] Dickson, Glen (2009-06-29). ION Broadcasts Mobile DTV in N.Y., D.C.: Hails Its Digital TV Triple Play (http:/ / www. broadcastingcable. com/ article/ 307120-ION_Broadcasts_Mobile_DTV_in_N_Y_D_C_. php?rssid=20068 q=digital+ tv). Broadcasting Cable. . Retrieved 2009-07-02. [15] Dickson, Glen (2009-07-06). ATSC-M/H voted to proposed standard status (http:/ / www. broadcastingcable. com/ article/ 307463-Mobile_DTV_is_Almost_Official. php?rssid=20065 q=digital+ tv). Broadcasting Cable. . Retrieved 2009-07-08. [16] Dickson, Glen (2009-10-16). Mobile DTV Standard Approved (http:/ / www. broadcastingcable. com/ article/ 358341-Mobile_DTV_Standard_Approved. php?rssid=20292 q=digital+ tv). Broadcasting Cable. . Retrieved 2009-10-16. [17] Dickson, Glen (2009-12-16). ATSC Launches Certification Program For Mobile DTV (http:/ / www. broadcastingcable. com/ article/ 440764-ATSC_Launches_Certifica tion_Program_For_Mobile_DTV. php?rssid=20102 q=digital+ tv). Broadcasting Cable. . Retrieved 2009-12-17. [18] Dickson, Glen (2009-07-13). Special Report: Mobile DTV Heats Up (http:/ / www. broadcastingcable. com/ article/ 314792-Special_Report_Mobile_DTV_Heats_Up. php). Broadcasting Cable. . Retrieved 2009-07-15. [19] Dickson, Glen (2009-07-22). ION, OMVC Organize DTV Showcase in D.C. (http:/ / www. broadcastingcable. com/ article/ 316065-ION_OMVC_Organize_DTV_Showcase_in_D_C_. php?rssid=20068 q=digital+ tv). Broadcasting Cable. . Retrieved 2009-07-22. [20] Eggerton, John (2009-08-07). LIN TV Develops Blackberry App For Mobile TV Service (http:/ / www. broadcastingcable. com/ article/ 326796-LIN_TV_Develops_Blackberry_App_For_Mobile_TV_Service. php?q=digital+ tv). Broadcasting Cable. . Retrieved 2009-08-11. [21] Eggerton, John (2009-10-16). OMVC Does Mobile DTV Tour (http:/ / www. broadcastingcable. com/ article/ 358415-OMVC_Does_Mobile_DTV_Tour. php?rssid=20103 q=digital+ tv). Broadcasting Cable. . Retrieved 2009-10-23. [22] Dickson, Glen (2009-12-18). WTVE Tests SFN For Mobile DTV (http:/ / www. broadcastingcable. com/ article/ 441031-WTVE_Tests_SFN_For_Mobile_DTV. php?rssid=20065 q=digital+ tv). Broadcasting Cable. . Retrieved 2010-01-13. [23] Jessell, Harry A. (2009-09-24). Digital VHF Needs A Power Boost (http:/ / www. tvnewscheck. com/ articles/ 2009/ 09/ 24/ daily. 2/ ). TVNewsCheck. . Retrieved 2009-10-15. [24] Gilroy, Amy (2009-11-09). First Mobile DTV Car Tuner At $499 (http:/ / www. twice. com/ article/ 388144-First_Mobile_DTV_Car_Tuner_At_499. php/ ). TWICE. . Retrieved 2009-11-10. [25] Dickson, Glen (2009-12-02). Mobile DTV Picks Up Speed (http:/ / www. broadcastingcable. com/ article/ 394993-Mobile_DTV_Picks_Up_Speed. php?rssid=20068 q=digital+ tv). Broadcasting Cable. . Retrieved 2009-12-03. [26] Eggerton, John (2009-12-01). Murdoch Says Mobile TV Is Key to Future (http:/ / www. broadcastingcable. com/ article/ 391233-Murdoch_Says_Mobile_TV_Is_Key_to_Future. php?rssid=20070 q=digital+ tv). Broadcasting Cable. . Retrieved 2009-12-03. [27] Dickson, Glen (2010-01-07). CES 2010: Broadcasters Tout Mobile DTV Progress (http:/ / www. broadcastingcable. com/ article/ 442953-CES_2010_Broadcasters_Tout_Mobile_DTV_Progress. php?rssid=20068 q=digital+ tv). Broadcasting Cable. . Retrieved 2010-01-13. [28] Dickson, Glen (2010-01-09). NAB Shows Off New Spectrum Applications (http:/ / www. broadcastingcable. com/ article/ 443352-NAB_Shows_Off_New_Spectrum_Applications. php?rssid=20068 q=digital+ tv). Broadcasting Cable. . Retrieved 2010-01-13.

Psychosocial Stage Essay Example for Free

Psychosocial Stage Essay Psychological development is generally accepted as product of the interaction among social and psychological forces which directly affect and shape the personality of every individual (Erikson, 2000). This may also encompass changes in self-control, and prosocial behavior. In relation to this, Erik Erikson established a unifying theory on the social and psychological aspects of human development throughout life span. In his eight developmental stages, each individual should, from infancy to senescence, accomplish psychological tasks in line with his or her social experiences. In addition, his theory, often called as â€Å"the stages of man,† is primarily grounded on the notion that every individual develops self-images through others perceptions and his or her own perceptions (Erikson, 2000). Erikson described the development of personality and the process by which an individual acquires societal role and shapes his or her identity. In contrary to Freuds psychosexual emphasis, Erickson accentuated the development of ones attitudes, skills, and the sense of responsibility. Further, Erikson argued that individuals undergo the different developmental stages, each with crisis or dilemma, and expected to resolve specific conflict in every stage. Unresolved conflicts in the previous stage will pass on the succeeding stages which impart negative traits in ones personality (Erikson, 2000). On the other hand, as an individual successfully confronted every developmental crisis, he or she achieves positive traits or psychological attributes. Generativity versus Stagnation Erikson viewed â€Å"development† as a continuous process of facing the complexities of life (Santrock, 2002). A young professional, for example, to ensure success and intimate relations, he or she must perceive and accomplish the task of creating and caring his or her life role or style. Ericksons 7th stage of psychosocial development, generativity versus stagnation, coincides with the middle adulthood period of humans. As defined by Erikson, generativity is the desire to take an active role in establishing the society and nurturing the youth to ensure the continuity of human generation (Lerner, 2002). In this stage, individuals should develop concern for the next generation in order to prevent personal stagnation (Santrock, 2002). While some individuals accomplish this through active community involvement and participation, some contribute for the welfare of the society through responsible parenthood. In any means, the dynamic that must be attained is the outward shifting from the well-being of one’s self to the consideration and care for the humanity. As such, the strength of care is achieved through creating, parenting, volunteering, and mentoring. For instance, by means of genuine care and concern, the generative religious teachers indoctrinate traditional religious view on development. Generative adults, on the other hand, may take responsibility on the cycle of life by leading and guiding their children in the first five stages of psychosocial development (Santrock, 2002). Meanwhile, a key element of â€Å"generativity versus stagnation† is the continuity of stages and cumulative implications of various experiences in life (Santrock, 2002). The adults sense of generativity is stimulated by encouraging and supporting the future of the next generation. However, individuals who fail to bestow the continuity to the next generation may possibly become engorge with his or her personal needs, disregard the needs of other individuals, and eventually become stagnated. Influences on my Personality The psychosocial development constructs of Erickson encompasses every experience of an individual that processes and shapes his or her personality, generativity, and perceptions. These processes are deemed universal; that is, although individuals experience family, social, and cultural life differently, the variations are minor. The minor variations account for other individual variables such as socioeconomic status, age, race, gender, ethnicity, religion, education, and culture (Lerner, 2002). Hence, the psychosocial processes in the middle adulthood show variations on themes but of similar dynamic of change. Erikson outlined these changes in every developmental stage through specific conflicts or tasks that one needs to attend to or resolve. As such in middle adulthood, generativity versus stagnation is the conflict that needs to be resolved. However, as the resolution of conflicts in the early adulthood influences this stage, the outcome in this stage will directly affect the late adulthood period (Lerner, 2002). As well, as individuals are expected to provide inspiration, care, and guidance for the youth, they are also challenged to acquire productive roles for the societal development and continuity. Generativity then should not only be confined in parenting but should stretch out to community involvements through projects, leadership, and commitment. It must be deemed with respect to the manner by which an individual handle his or her relations with his or her family, societal institutions, friends, relatives, and with other individuals. Whereas every social behavior is determined by myriad of factors, the commitment and concern for the welfare of the next generation must be the primary motivation in all those aforementioned social responsibilities and activities (Lerner, 2002). As I learned the middle adulthood psychosocial stage of Erikson, about 35-40 years of ages, I examined the present state of my personality in terms of generativity and stagnation. That is, I assessed my self if I am productive in my field of endeavor and geared towards inspiring and guiding my children and other youngsters and young adults. I became concern with the achievement of generativity for Erikson argued that it is crucial for a positive outlook during midlife. As such, I formulated my developmental goals of preparing my self for my senescence period and caring for and guiding the youngsters for adulthood. However, life experiences in this stage of life are not identical among individuals; some are still single adult while others are happily married or divorced during this period. Generally, the middle adulthood has developmental discontinuity and continuity. In particular, psychological attributes like cognitive functioning may rapidly change while the others such as intelligence and personality may attain stability during midlife (Lachman, 2001). I realized then that in defining life’s success, experiences in midlife have significant roles. During middle adulthood, every individual compensates for and copes with life’s losses which tend to be apparent as senescence life approaches. As revealed by psychological researches, life satisfaction is at its peak in midlife; this is the period of life where subjective happiness and well-being are rated best as compared to other stages of life (Lachman, 2001). Thus, midlife is known as the prime of one’s life, where most middle adults are at the summit of their family and professional careers, and income generation. In addition, middle adults experience a very satisfactory psychological well-being; they have positive outlook in life, autonomy, and aim for both personal and professional growth (Lachman, 2001). They perceived midlife as the period where one should function best. Thus, my consciousness on my work performance, multiple-role playing, and parenting styles were awakened. Nevertheless, at the other extreme of middle adulthood are the midlife crises. Based on psychological reports, middle adulthood is battered by worries in life such as the feelings of individuals of life losses and failures, non-achievement and underachievement, and trivial and non-essential goals (Lachman, 2001). Yet, amidst these crises and as compared to other stages of life, middle adulthood is the period of less depression and higher well-being. In this period, most individuals attained their professional and personal goals. Those who are susceptible to environmental factors, limited resources, and poverty, are at risk to psychological and physical distress (Lachman, 2001). It was then clarified in my mind that during midlife, individuals may either enjoy the fruition of their respective labors or suffer the cumulative deficits of their life due to unresolved conflicts in previous stages. Therefore, middle adulthood, as generativity versus stagnation implies, is not only a period of fulfillment and accomplishment but also a transition period for the past and present events of life basically influence the later life’s transition. Midlife is the stage of life when individuals, more frequently, have already decided for a lifestyle and other social context like vocation, routine, neighborhood, and support network. Thus, I postulated that personality molds the life of an individual, rather than life experiences shapes the personality of an individual. In particular, only specific aspect of personality is altered by dramatic life events during middle adulthood. For example, career or marriage failure, affliction due to mental or physical disorder, and death of a loved one may alter the behavioral trait of an individual which in turn only causes minor shifts in personality but do not reflect in the holistic personality structure. Moreover, the concept of midlife crisis, perceived as inevitable in middle adulthood, was found to be false (Lerner, 2002). Even though midlife is a stage of reflection, increased anxiety, midcourse correction, and unpredictable transformation, researches revealed that during middle adulthood, individuals still undertake the shifting of life perspective from birth until to their last years to live (Lerner, 2002). The nature of an individual’s response to midlife challenges is largely affected by personality attributes and less by the individual’s present developmental stage or chronological age. As proposed, the enduring nature of midlife crisis is possibly related to the capability of an individual to cope with the tragic life events and in the end still considers his or her self as fairly fortunate. In sum, Erikson suggested the importance of finding oneself in another during midlife developmental stage. By merely serving oneself or own family, an individual becomes engorge with his or her personal needs, disregard the needs of other individuals, and eventually ends as stagnated. Hence, I must not confine my self in looking at and working only for the welfare of my family. Bringing up my children into the best that they can be is inadequate contribution for the welfare of the society. I need to acquire the sense of altruism in order to contribute whatever resources I have, actively involve myself to community projects, and to extend whatever support I can give for the welfare of the next generation. In addition, since midlife crisis is inevitable in middle adulthood, I realized that in order to face every travail, empathy and support to others are crucial so as to establish a network support where I can lean on as I resolve any form of midlife crisis. References Erikson, E. H. (2000). The Erik Erikson Reader. Coles, R. Ed. New York: Norton. Santrock, J. W. (2002). Life-span development. New York: McGraw-Hill. Lachman, M. E. (2001). Handbook of Midlife Development. New York: John Wiley. Lerner, R. M. (2002). Concepts and Theories of Human Development, 3rd ed. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Faculty Of Hospitality Management Tourism Essay

Faculty Of Hospitality Management Tourism Essay Based on the problem statement and research questions, questionnaires will be distributed to respondents of 100 local tourists and 100 international tourists participating in the Kampung Santubong Homestay Programme using non probability, convenience sampling method. Results that will be obtained based on local and international tourists satisfaction participating on the marketing mix of the Kampung Santubong Homestay Programme will be determined. Homestay programme was first introduced back in 1970s in Kampung Cherating Lama, Pahang. The founder of such accommodation was famously known as Mak Long. Types of basic accommodation Mak Long has provided for the guests during those days consist both breakfast and dinner and served at home (Amran, 2008). It is believed that in the late 1980s, the homestay programme then has been transformed into Japanese youth stay where they learned the rural way of life of the locals (Ibrahim and Razzaq,n.d. ) . (Kalsom and Ashikin, 2006) homestay programme in Malaysia was introduced in 1988 by the formerly known as Ministy of Culture, Arts and Tourism Malaysia later known as Ministry Tourism of Malaysia. Today, homestay programme in Malaysian context is defined as the rural-cultural- community based tourism product (The Star, 2009) and is seen to have potential in providing income and employment for the rural community as a whole. Thus, as stated under the Ninth Malaysian Plan, an amount of RM 40 million allocated to the Ministry of Tourism to upgrade infrastructures needed in the rural areas (Ibrahim and Razzaq,n.d.). (Ninth Malaysian Plan, 2006-2010) the governments priority is on development of rural communities and two strategies undertaken include minimizing the obvious gap in income between the rural and urban areas. As stated by the Ministry of Tourism Malaysia (2010) Until May 2010, a total of 227 villages and 2984 participants registered under Ministry of Tourism Malaysia. 1 1.1) Background of study: Kampung Santubong Homestay Programme It was believed that Santubong was once famous for its trade and this information is backed up by the remnants of English, Hindu and Chinese influence here. Based on the claim made by the local community of Santubong, Santubong was originally known as Kampung Teluk Pasir Putih (White Sandy Bay Village) as given by the Chinese settlers trading at the time. The most unique feature of the legendary mount Santubong is the womanly figure lying on her side (Sarawak Museum). Santubong is considered as the largest archaeological site in Malaysia compared to Lembah Bujang in Peninsular Malaysia due to thousands of ceramic together with 40,000 tonnes of iron were found in 1947 by curator, Tom Harrison (1947-1966) . This place was believed to be important area for merchants and iron mining from eleventh to thirteen century. Santubong Village, a Malay fishing village strategically located at the river mouth of the Sarawak with the legendary mount Santubong as the backdrop makes this village a unique one. About 40 minutes drive from the Kuching city centre to reach Santubong Village, this Santubong village is rich with famous landmarks that can be found around the village. Popular list among tourists are the mysterious Sultan Tengah Tomb (First and the last Sarawak Sultan), the Legendary Mount Santubong surrounded by myths. Other historic landmarks that exist until today are the James Brooke Bungalow. The very famous history marked here as well where Wallace the famous scientist penned his theory on speciation and biography here, Batu Buaya (Curse crocodile stone), Teluk Sepang (Raden Merpati landed in Santubong), Bongkisam (An old iron mine), Batu Gambar (Pictorial Rock) and Pulau Kera (Monkey Island). (Source: Sarawak Museum,n.d.). 2 1.2) Problem statement There have been several researches done previously on the benefits and positive contribution through the homestay programme. However, this study will focus on determining the effectiveness of each components of marketing mix such as product, price, place and promotion by Kampung Santubong Homestay Programme against tourist satisfaction. 1.3) Research objectives The objective of the study is to determine the effectiveness of each components of marketing mix such as product, price, place and promotion against tourist satisfaction are as follows:- To determine tourist satisfaction against product in Kampung Santubong Homestay Programme. To determine tourist satisfaction against price offered by Kampung Santubong Homestay Programme. To determine tourist satisfaction against promotional strategy offered by Kampung Santubong Homestay Programme. To determine tourist satisfaction against the place in which Kampung Santubong Homestay Programme is located. 3 1.4) Research Questions How effective are the components of marketing mix used by Kampung Santubong homestay programme against tourist satisfaction. The traditional components of marketing mix in are as follows:- How to determine tourist satisfaction against product in Kampung Santubong Homestay Programme? How to determine tourist satisfaction against price offered against promotional strategy offered by Kampung Santubong Homestay Programme? How to determine tourist satisfaction against the promotional strategy offered by Kampung Santubong Homestay Programme? How to determine tourist satisfaction against the place in which Kampung Santubong Homestay Programme located? 1.5) Scope of Study This research is undertaken to determine the effectiveness of each components of marketing mix such as product, price, place and promotion by the Kampung Santubong Homestay Programme against tourist satisfaction. This research of study will mainly focus at the Kampung Santubong Homestay Programme located at Santubong, Kuching Sarawak. 4 1.6) Limitation of Research 1.6.1)Insufficient resources Insufficient resources due to lack of relevant previous researches done through online scholarly journals. Most online journals are on payment basis and only few free articles or journals available online. 1.6.2) Time constraint Limited time to conduct research since distribution of questionnaires in targeted area falls during the month of Ramadhan, the fasting month for the Muslims and also on the festive month, Hari Raya. Some of the local community participated in the Santubong Homestay Programme may not have time to entertain guests. 1.6.3) Tourist Tourists participation response to the questionnaires distributed may vary. Some tourists may be willing to participate in this research and some may not. 1.6.4) Seasonal factor Due to the nature of product of homestay programme, during low season, number of tourists participating in the homestay programme may be affected. 5 1.7) Significance of Study This study help in contributing valuable information to all homestay operators in Kuching on the influence of tourist satisfaction against the marketing mix adopted by homestay programmes in order to enhance homestay programmes in the future. In fact, using tourists satisfaction as a tool to determine on the elements of the marketing mix such as the product, price, promotion and place can benefit homestay operators on providing the best homestay product/ service by differentiating themselves from each other, hence, the sense of uniqueness to attract more tourists in participating in the homestay programme especially in throughout Kuching. 6 Chapter 2: Literature Review 2.1) Definition of terms 2.1.1) Homestay Programme The term homestay programmes are varied in different parts of the world thus, according to Barke (2004) In defining the term homestay programme, there is no single accepted definition in the International studies. Lane (1994) stated homestay as a rural community based tourism product, hence falls under rural tourism category. 2.1.2) Tourist satisfaction Tourist satisfaction is defined as (Klaus,1985,pg 21) the accumulated experience of a customers purchase and experiences 2.1.3) Marketing mix (Perreault, Jr.and McCarthy, 2004, pg38) marketing variables are separated into product, price, promotion and price leads to an easy formulation of marketing strategy. 7 2.2) Homestay Programme (Akbar, Bael, Hassan Baguley, 2003) homestay programme in Australia is the type of accommodation for international students to reside in and is believed to help them with culture adaptation. Homestay is comparable to bed and breakfasts and more affordable compared to rental type accommodation (Akbar, Bael, Hassan, Baguley, 2003). In Malaysia context of homestay programme natural setting, Both (Kalsom, 2009; and Tourism Government, 2008) mentioned homestay programme takes place in a kampung or village setting where guests have the opportunity to live together in the same house with their adopted families and learn the traditional way of lives of the host family. (Kalsom, 2009) added Malaysia homestay programme differed from other type of homestay programme where host-tourists participation is emphasized through involvement in local activities. (Tourism Government, 2008) homestay programme in Malaysia is owned by homestay operators that are granted with a license to participate in the homestay programme. Meaning to say, not all home owners have the privilege to take part in this homestay unless they abide to a list of criteria established by the Ministry of Tourism for all participating homestay operators. The list of criterions pertaining to hygiene, criminal record, clean toilet, adequate number of accommodation in terms of separate bedrooms, accessibility to main road and no communicable disease are highly regarded. Generally, homestay development policy in Malaysia is aimed to fully utilized natural resources at kampung level, conservation of the socio cultural and artistic customs of the village as well as its uniqueness. However, there are several evidence clearly shows that there are similarities in some elements of the homestay programme. For example, the homestay programmes in countries like Australia, Malaysia, and Kwam Emakana community in South Africa stated that the culture exchange between the host and the guests does exist through accommodation provided by the host family. 8 This cultural exchange is emphasizing through host-guest participation on local activities, local food and customs. Similar to the Malaysian context of homestay, the Kwam Emakana community also takes part in the community based tourism homestay where it takes place in a rural / village setting. However, not all homestay accommodation of the Kwam Emakana exists in the rural setting since they also provide township accommodation with private homes (Kwam Emakana Community Based Homestay Initiative in South Africa, 2010; pg 152). According to the World Tourism Organization projections cites in (African Business, 2010), homestay programme gains its popularity may drive by the need to find cheaper accommodation and involving holidays from the travellers part. In order to have a direct experience of the host culture, guests expected the homestay accommodation including the food and local activities as it is. (Solomon Mburu, African Business, 2010). 2.3) Tourist satisfaction In tourism, satisfaction is evaluated based on the characteristics of tourism offers and respondents are typically evaluated through satisfaction scale (Kozak, 2001). (Fuchs Weiermair (2003) destination attributes are correlated to a variable measuring total customer (tourists) satisfaction resulting in more valid managerial implications. According to (Zeithaml et al . . .) cited by (Pawitra and Tan, 2003) tourism in nature is different from other area of services, thus there is a need for tourism industry to used SERVQUAL to measure tourist satisfaction for a destination. 9 (Kozak and Rimmington, 2000) tourist satisfaction are greatly affected by the tourist motivation to purchasing, consumption and services related to tourism offers. In addition, tourist satisfaction considered as an effective tool in homestay tourism and helped marketers in tourism product positioning (Seubsamarn and Cho, 2009).There was research being done on the relationship between quality, satisfaction, previous experience and loyalty (Baker and Crompton, 2000; Bignee et al., 2001;Pritchard, 2003. Petrick, 2004b; Yoon and Uysal, 2005; Um et al., 2006). Perceived quality leads to consumer satisfaction, thus enhance promotion of the destination through word of mouth and repeat purchase (Brady and Robertson, 2001). This statement agreed also by (Bignee et al. (2001) destinations image is a major key related to quality, satisfaction, and tourists motivation repeat purchase. (Yoon and Uysal, 2005) shows the difference tourists motivation that needs to be applied in multiple dimensions via integrated approaches and the complex nature of satisfaction as well as the theories of measuring satisfaction. 2.4) Elements of the Marketing Mix (4Ps) The traditional definition of marketing mix which consists of 4Ps was proposed by E. Jerome McCarthy (1960). Its elements namely; the product, price, promotion and place have been used extensively by marketers all over the world (Wikipedia.org, 2012). Kannan and Srinivasan (2009) implied the marketing mix for any service industry usually comprises of 8ps, where four adopted from the traditional marketing mix and the later are process, physical evidence, people, and productivity. The first element of marketing mix is the product. In a homestay programme context, what drives tourists to flock to any destination as stated by Maimunah and Abdul Rahim (2009) cited in (Ibrahim and Razzaq,n.d. ) The motivation factor of the tourists to visit a particular destination is mainly for the product or attractions. 10 The products mentioned referred to the supplementary attractions such as the natural resources like nature and habitat of the village setting has to offer, vernacular architecture, traditional delicacies and beverages, arts and crafts, music and cultural activities, historical significance, agricultural activities and special phenomena. Hence, tourism product / service usually have direct impact on tourist satisfaction. In a service context, a need satisfying only emerged gradually for the customer throughout the consumption process. Meaning to say, a service is seen as a process that leads to an outcome during partly simultaneous production and consumption processes (Gronroos, 2001). In the context of tourism product which usually related with the service, Ferrell (2005) product is the core of the marketing mix strategy and thus, stockholders involved in the making and production of the tourism product can easily manipulate those products and come up with more unique features in the effort to distinguish themselves from competitors. Same goes to the homestay programme packages offered by stockholders involved such homestay operators of Kampung Santubong with the help of tour operators that bringing in the tourists to the village and active promotion and grants by the Malaysia Tourism Ministry (Ministry of Tourism Malaysia, 2011). In contrary, this has not always been the case. According to Seaton and Bennett (1996) and Butler and Hall (1998), one of the main issues that are faced by most tourism destinations is the difficulty to distinguish themselves from each other. Technically, most of the tourism product / services offered by these tourism destination operators are similar which by all means they might have lost their sense of uniqueness especially in the eyes of the tourists, their target market (Garrod,Wornell,Youell,Garrod et al. , 2006). 11 Referring back to the product, since tourism product / service are categorized as services marketing, there is a need to differentiate tourism marketing when compared to other services (Lovelock). In this sense, The differences between tourism marketing and other type of services include: the nature of the tourism product itself where it emphasizes on providing recreational experience and hospitality to tourists, tourists must travel in order to consume the tourism product/ service thus making the elements of time and money spent to travel affect tourists travel decisions (Kannan and Srinivasan, 2009). This similar approach also agreed by Seaton and Bennett (1996) whereby tourism product does not permitted the target market which is the tourist to try the tourism product / service before purchasing. In addition to the issue pertaining to the nature of tourism product / service, as implied by Parasuraman et al. (1985); and Schiffman and Kanuk (2000), the nature of tourism product als o may influence the perspective of the consumer,the tourists on the service quality. Promotion is defined as all the methods of communications used by the marketer in order to transfer information about certain product or a service. The methods are sales promotion, advertising, personal selling and public relations (Wikipedia.org, 2012). These methods of promotion are relatively different from each other. Advertising is different compared to public relations because an individual or an institution need to pay for their stories to be advertised is it in the internet, newspaper or television. Public relations are commonly used as a medium for promotional strategy. Such example of PR was the launching of Misompuru Homestay Packages with MASWings by the Federal Tourism Minister, Dato Eng Yen Yen (Daily Express, 2012). It is up to the stakeholders involved on how to promote the destination image in which the homestay programme setting lies. Tourism Malaysia (2010b) is continuously promoting the homestay programme various local activities happening in different homestay pr ogramme operators throughout Malaysia (Jamaludin, Othman and Awang, 2010). 12 According to Ministry of Tourism Malaysia (2011), Homestay Programme is an experience where tourists stay with selected families, interact and experience, the daily life of these families as well as experiencing Malaysian culture.Thus, potential tourists that are keen to participate in the Malaysian version of a homestay programme can easily browse through the official Malaysia Homestay Website: www.go2homestay.com . Information on sales promotion of homestay packages is available there as well (Ministry of Tourism Malaysia, 2011). Other example of the latest promotion effort by the Tourism Malaysia with is the Homestay Rail, as stated by the director of the agency from Singapore, Zalizam Zakaria (News Straight Times, 2012). This Homestay Rail will attract mainly students and senior citizens from Singapore to participate in the homestays located along the journey between Johor Bharu and the east coast (News Straight Times, 2012). When it comes to promoting the tourism product such as homestay programme, the destination image plays an important role in promoting the tourism product / services in this case, the homestay programme. The definition of destination image are agreed by both Buhalis (2000) ; Baloglu and McCleary (1999) in which perceptions of any destination held in the minds of tourists. According to Chon (1992) ; Baloglou and Bringmerg (1997) cited in Buhalis (2000) Before people go to a destination they develop the image and a set of expectations based on previous experience, word of mouth, press reports, advertising and common beliefs (JobTrust Incorporated, 2007-2012). However, this will not always seem to be the case, Weirmair and Fuchs (1999) mentioned Destinations could change their advertising strategies. Advertisement could either emphasise the service process characteristics of its tourism and related cultures by focussing on tourists experiences within the destination (Munar, n.d.). 13 Price refers to the amount a customer is willing to pay for the product or service in relation to tourism services context. The price offered for the product / service must complements other elements of marketing mix in order since it will determine whether the profits are favourable which is important for the business survival (Wikipedia.org, 2012). According to Ministry Tourism of Malaysia (2011), the basic cost of spending on homestay packages range from Ringgit Malaysia 150 250 inclusive of meals, accommodation, and activities, depending on the activities offered in various homestay programme operators throughout Malaysia. In addition, all cost related information to homestay packages offered from various homestay operators are accessible through the official Malaysian Homestay website, www.go2homestay.com. Place is where the product / service is provided by individual or institution to the customer and the place must be accessible and convenient to the customers. Place is also commonly referred to distribution (Wikipedia.org, 2012). According to Uysal, Chen and Williams (2000) to build a positive destination image in the minds of tourists was not an easy job and served as marketing challenges for stockholders involved. 14 2.5) Theoretical Framework Tourists Satisfaction Marketing mix (4Ps) Product Price Promotion Place 15 CHAPTER 3: Research Design and Methodology 3.1) Definition of research design (Micheal. S.Carriger, 2000) stated research design can be seen as as common sense and clear thinking for the management of research to come up with effective strategy in conducting a reaserch. 3.2) Sampling Research sample is a group of people chosen from the sampling frame by representing the whole population of study (goodresearch.eu, 2012). According to Uma Sekaran (2000), a sample size is a subset of a population being studied and only some elements of the population are treated as the sample. 3.2.1) Population According to Uma Sekaran (2000), Population is defined as the entire group of people, events, or things of interest that the researcher wishes to investigate. As also stated by Joan Joseph Castillo (2009) Research population is generally a large collection of individuals or objects that is the main focus of a scientific query. The target population for this research is local and international tourists visiting Kuching, Sarawak. 3.2.2) Sample frame A sample frame is referred to the list consisting of the units of the population (MBA Official, 2010). Also stated in (Wikipedia.org, 2012) sample frame may include the individuals, households or institutions which related the population. The sample frame of research is of local and international tourists who are participating in the Kampung Santubong Homestay Programme. 16 3.2.3) Sampling design Non probability, convenience sampling method will be used for this research. Convenience sampling involved collecting information from members of the population who are conveniently available provide to it (Sekaran, 2000). Thus, both the local and international tourists who are most available or most conveniently selected will be asked through questionnaires. 3.2.4) Sample size A sample size of 200 respondents of both local and international tourists from a convenience sampling method is to be selected on the basis of this research. 3.3) Instrument for the research These questionnaires are divided into three sections: Section A : List of personal data questions on demographic of tourist will be asked as closed ended questions with using ordinal scale. Section B: Pertaining to the marketing mix of Kampung Santubong Homestay Programme against tourist satisfaction. Using Likert scale closed ended questions consists of Strongly disagree, neutral (either agree or disagree), agree, strongly agree. Section C: Open-ended questions mainly on recommendations or improvements of the Kampung Santubong Homestay marketing mix will be asked. 17 3.4) Data Collection Method Questionnaire as referred to Wikipedia.org (2012) a research instrument represents by sets of questions for the purpose of gathering the data relevant to the study of research. Questionnaires are to be distributed in a form of survey form to local and international tourists who participating in the Kampung Santubong Homestay Programme, According to BusinessDictionary.com ( ) questionnaires are a list of a research or survey questions asked to respondents and designed to extract specific information. Questionnaires are to be distributed to the local and international tourists who are participating and had participated in the Kampung Santubong Homestay Programme and local community of Kampung Santubong Both primary and secondary data are used in conducting this study. Primary data as mentioned by Karuna (2012) are referred to raw and original materials collected by the investigator which relatively expensive and time consuming as compared to secondary data. Karuna (2012) stated secondary data on the other hand lacks of originality (Preserve articles.com, 2012). Primary data is data collected by the researcher to collect quantitative methods while secondary data referred to as data obtained from sources which are already available such as literature, industry surveys, compilations . . . (socialscience.stow.ac.uk, 2000). Analysis of Data 3.5.1) Spss The first version of SPSS (Statistical Package For Social Science) was released in 1968 and was developed by (Norman H, Nie and C. Hadlai Hull (Wikipedia.org, 2012). It is used by every organisation such as government, marketing establishements. 18 3.5.2) Pilot test Pilot study will be conducted earlier to test the reliability and validity of the questionnaires. According to Julie Stachowiak (2008) pilot study is defined as a smaller version of a large study that is conducted to prepare for that study. It is also used as a tool to test an idea or hypothesis. 3.5.3) Reliability test Reliability of a measure indicates the extent to which the measure is without bias and offers consistent measurement across time and other items related in the intruement.(Sekaran, 2001) 3.5.4) Hypothesis statement H1: Tourists are satisfied with the product of Kampung Santubong Homestay Programme. H2: Tourists are satisfied with the price of Kampung Santubong Homestay Programme. H3: Tourists are satisfied with the promotion of Kampung Santubong Homestay Programme. H4: Tourists are satisfied with the place of Kampung Santubong Homestay Programme. 19