Personal Strengths and Weaknesses Essay

This paper concerns the personal strengths and weakness of my own life. The details I will be presenting are what I consider my best and worst strengths and weaknesses. The purpose of this paper is to clearly define each of these and figure out a way to learn how to solve my weaknesses and make my strengths even stronger. Identifying personal strengths and weaknesses are essential part of the overall learning processes. Just as we understand which methods and techniques help us to learn at an optimal level, understanding our strengths and weaknesses help us to become more self conscious and well-rounded individuals. I believe that life is our personal experiences and everyone has certain attributes with their personal strengths and weaknesses. . Being aware of what are my best strengths can help me overcome my worst weaknesses. In the past, I have had a hard time recognizing my weakness but as you get older, you become more aware of your weaknesses. I feel that recognizing your strengths and weaknesses is what makes you a successful person in any aspects of your life. I feel that one of my greatest strengths is that I love to learn. Life to me  is a never-ending learning experience. As we go through our life it is vital that we learn who we are and have the ability to grow from our own strengths and weaknesses. I feel by overcoming my weaknesses and reinforcing my strengths that I will become more successful in both my personal and professional life. My strengths, which include good analytical skills, and good computer skills, are offset by my weaknesses, which is procrastination and dreadful writing and grammar skills. I believe one of my greatest strengths is my analytical skills. I love working with numbers and figuring out complicated problems. This is why I chose Accounting for my profession. I love working with numbers and figuring things out. Very few people love working in accounting. Another of my strengths is my computer skill. I am a very fast learner when it comes to figuring out new computer software or hardware. This stems from my husband who I have learned a lot from over the past eight years. His profession is in the computer software business. Often the people I work with will turn to me for help with configuring their computers or formatting a Word document. I had a difficult time narrowing this list to just one or two faults that I would mention here. My one of my most weaknesses is that I am a major procrastinator. Over the past few years, I have tried to work on this fault by reading books and lectures. I feel the only way to stop procrastinating is through determination, commitment, and a desire to change. I believe I possess the determination and desire, and I commit today to apply myself to making this change in my personality. I feel that this next weakness can either be considered a fault or a strength and that is organization. I am a compulsive organizer and sometimes that tends to slow me down on projects. It also takes time away from my children because I am such a perfectionist and organizer. I do not think anyone is perfect but I do think we all strive to be our best. The first step is to improve our weaknesses by learning from them everyday. I think that by using are strengths to improve our weaknesses would be a very efficient process we all could learn. I think that taking this class will definitely improve my weaknesses and help me learn more about my strengths Both my personal and professional life.

Foreigners Essay Essay

Is Paia a better choice for Luba than Lachance? Luba Dominescu, the only girl of the Dominescu family, plays an important role in the novel â€Å"Foreigners†. After going through a hard time with her family in Canada, the country they have just immigrated to, Luba becomes more mature and her feminine charm gradually shows up. Paia Manescu and Lachance are two boys who fall in love with this young lady and they compete with each other to win her heart. Although the blue-eyed boy, Lachance, seems to be more attractive to Luba, Paia’s love for Luba has lasted for a long time and their families fully support their marriage. They also have more things in common to promote their relationship, such as language and culture. Furthermore, Paia can be both a nice husband and a wonderful son to help the Dominescu family out of difficulties. Therefore, Paia is a better choice for Luba than Lachance. First of all, Paia makes a better mate for Luba because Luba’s parents, Stefan Dominescu and Sofie Dominescu, have been really good friends with Paia’s parents since they were in their old country Romania. In these two families, â€Å"It had always seemed clear to everyone that Luba would marry Paia† (155). As soon as the second time Lachance visits the Domincescu to court Luba, Stefan along with Luba purposely visits Paia’s family to tell them that it is necessary now for Paia to propose to Luba if he wants to marry her. This example shows that Luba’s parents wish their daughter to choose Paia instead of Lachance and there is no doubt that a life of marriage with parents’ blessing and full support will be happier. In addition, for Luba herself, she has known Paia since they were little children and â€Å"he had cared her for such a long time† (158). However, Paia is just a boy she knows from school only a few months ago. Compared with Lachance’s unfamiliar and sudden affection, Paia’s love is obviously more reliable and sincere. Another advantage Paia has is that he comes from the same country as Luba, in other words, â€Å"he was one of her people, spoke the same language, played the same music† (158). As a mew immigrant, Luba apparently can not speak English exactly the correct way so that if she marries an English boy like Lachance, she may have difficulties communicating with her husband and it greatly increases the possibility of misunderstanding and arguments between the couple. Besides language, things such as traditions, eating habits, belief and music are also important factors that can influence a relationship. For instance, when Lachance plays music at Luba’s home, â€Å"the tunes sounded strangely to the Romanians’ ears† (155). However, since Paia grows up in the same culture as Luba, there are no cultural differences and communication barrier between he and Luba and it is a lot easier to maintain and improve their relationship. Not only can Paia be a better husband, but he also becomes a more helpful son of the Dominescu family. After Luba marries Paia, they will live in the same house with Sofie and Stefan and stay with Luba’s family rather than follow Lachance to join his father and have â€Å"a more unsettled life† (158). In this way, Luba is able to continue to take care of her little brother and â€Å"Paia would work with tata, helping with everything† (158), which means Paia can share the heavy burden of supporting the whole family that has placed on Stefan’s shoulder since they moved to Canada. These two aspects shows that Paia both brings more family happiness to Luba and helps the Dominescu family gradually get out of difficult circumstance. In conclusion, marrying Paia is obvious a better choice for Luba. He cares for Luba for a longer time than Lachance, has more support from their parents and he shares the same culture and speaks the same language as Luba. Also, he can take care of Luba, as well as her family. Although Luba has difficulties choosing her husband between two gentlemen who are both charming and attractive, it is still lucky for her to have the freedom to decide her own marriage.

A Case Study on Branding Bangladesh

[pic] DEPARTMENT of MARKETING COURSE NAME: Product and Brand Management. An assignment on- Country Branding: A Case Study on Branding Bangladesh. Submitted To: Shaikh Rafiqul Islam Associate Professor, Department of Marketing. Submitted By: Revolution 8th Semester, Session: 2008-09. Date of Submission: 10/12/2012. [pic] REVOLUTION 3rd Batch Session: 2008-09 |Serial: |Name of Students : |Roll No: | |01. |Farjana Nur Purabi |091648 | |02. Anik Kumar Devnath |091654 | |03. |Sheikh Sazzadur Rahman |091664 | |04. |Md. Ashiqur Rahman Rana Biswas |091695 | |05. |Rumana Jahan |091743 | |06. |Md. Masudur Rahman |091750 | |07. |Md. Rabiul Islam |091758 | |08. Md. Mushfiqur Rahman |091759 | |09. |Mohammad Ullah |07882876 | December 10, 2012. Shaikh Rafiqul Islam. Associate Professor. Department of Marketing . Jagannath University. Dhaka-1100. Dear Sir, Here is the assignment you allocated us to prepare on â€Å"Branding Bangladesh†. After researching and studying the current situation of the country based on collected data we have been able to prepare the assignment.All of the major points and insights information associated with the given issue are included here. Besides, we have attempted to include some of our personal assumption, practical experience and idea to make the assignment more fruitful. Thanking you for giving the break accomplishing such an interesting educative task. Hope to hear from you soon. Sincerely, Group :- Revolution. 8th Semester. 3rd Batch. Session :- 2008-2009 Title Page Country Branding: A Case Study on Branding Bangladesh Tourism Export Brands Culture and Heritage pic][pic] People Investment Foreign and domestic policies [pic] [pic] [pic] Country branding is different in branding from a product. In developing the strategy, it would involve many intricacies and can be a long drawn out process. Branding Bangladesh is all about positioning Bangladesh in the minds of people. Branding Bangladesh is an important concept because it will help t he country to understand how publics perceive her across the nations.Those people are consumers, potential tourists, and, most importantly potential investors. In the growth process of Bangladesh they all are participating actively. An effective nation branding campaign accelerates the economic growth of Bangladesh and the citizens feel dignified. It must be remembered that there are around 195 nations in the world; all are aggressively competing for the attention of investors, tourists, and citizens. Therefore, a well-planned nation branding campaign is crucial for the branding of Bangladesh. Table of Contents TOPIC |PAGE | |PART: A (Introductory Part) | | |Preamble |7 | |Objectives |7 | |Methodology |8 | |Limitations |8 | |PART: B (Theoretical Framework/Literature Review) | | |Literature Review |9 | |PART: C | | |Brand Dimensions of Bangladesh |10 | |Strategies for Branding Bangladesh |12 | |Country and Corporate Brands Co-positioning |16 | |Findings at a glance |16 | |PART: D | | |Recommendations |17 | |Conclusion |17 | |References |18 | Creating a branding program for Bangladesh demands an integration policy that most countries do not possess. To boost our commercial success it is very important to take action regarding branding Bangladesh.Branding Bangladesh the government should always observe their global image in countries they aim to target and the stakeholder should collaborate together and agree on a national stratagem. If the stakeholders could unite as one, pin down the purpose and objectives, and fulfill the process, it would reflect the will of one nation. Maintaining continuously the reputation in every sector (Tourism, exports, culture, people, brands and policy) is important to accelerate the task of branding. This assignment aims at clarifying the concepts of branding Bangladesh and argues that for a developing country like Bangladesh, branding is a prerequisite for national development. The specific objectives of this paper are: Review the conceptual and theoretical foundation of nation branding by leading authors in the marketing field; ? Examining and defining Branding Bangladesh and discussing its challenges. ? Attaining insights into branding Bangladesh ? Being familiar on the subject matter for later investigation for branding Bangladesh. DATA COLLECTION: Considering the objectives of the assignment, time, types of respondents, we collected both Primary and Secondary data to find out the necessary information regarding the strategies of branding Bangladesh. The sources are mentioned here- PRIMARY DATA: ? Taking personal interview of concerning people of tourism board; ? Discussing with the concerning people of Brand Forum of Bangladesh.SECONDARY DATA: ? Studying different articles and advertisements published in daily newspapers; ? Visiting different websites and journals. While preparing the assignment we faced some problems that were unavoidable and these limitations are mentioned below: ? This assignment was t otally an unfamiliar type of assignment to us; ? People of the authority were unwilling to provide full information about our given topic; ? The permitted survey time we have got was very limited; ? We did not get enough concern person to collect necessary information; ? Our communication was confined only to the Dhaka city. Bangladesh has always held great promise.It enjoyed widespread international public support during the war of liberation, not only because its struggle was identifiable, but also due to the fact that it aimed to establish a socio-economic equilibrium and an equitable society where each citizen would have the opportunity to flourish. Another interesting problem the nation faces is that when it is compared to other countries it is invariably compared to nations with drug, mafia, and terrorist problems. While it is true that Bangladesh a huge population, with high unemployment rates, and increasing price inflation, often comparing it to failed or a semi-failed stat es does not do it justice. The weak status continued till the nineties. Then even Transparency International started ranking us as one of the most corrupt countries in the world. However, the nation's image started improving post-2000 as did its performance indicators.The major indicators for socio-economic growth include: improvement in health status, increasing literacy, progress in gender balance, enhancement of employment opportunities, building transport and communications facilities, huge increases in media reach amongst rural and urban people, booming ITC businesses, a rise in remittance and agricultural, industrial, and ready-made garments (RMG) booms. In 2006, our global image increased exponentially with Prof. Yunus and Grameen Bank winning the Nobel Peace Prize. That put Bangladesh in a strong position, globally and we cannot let that slip. Therefore, it has become imperative to develop a nation branding campaign to keep us in the global limelight for the right reasons.Wh ile branding Bangladesh, the brand strategists must consider two key basic objectives: Firstly, it is crucial to instill pride in Bangladeshis and to persuade our people to be positive and feel dignified about themselves and for their country. The success of the nation branding program strongly depends on their active participation, ownership, and support. They should be proud of their country, culture, and heritage. Secondly, the government should come up with an aggressive but distinct nation branding campaign immediately, it is essential for our progress. Countries like India, Thailand, China, Malaysia, etc started similar branding journeys more than a decade ago and should not lag too far behind.We need a forceful branding campaign for our country so that we can emerge as an Asian Tiger by 2021; which will also mark the 50th year of our independence. Dr. Khalid Hasan  is Managing Director, Nielsen Bangladesh and Treasurer AmCham Bangladesh. Acknowledgement: AmCham Bangladesh. Brand Dimensions of Bangladesh Anholt is recognized for Anholt-GfK Nation Brand Index (NBI), and it is based on the same six categories to measure the global perception of a country. The brand of a country is judged based of the six dimensions. In case of branding Bangladesh we might focus on these dimensions and create brand image for Bangladesh. Fig: The Six Dimensions of a national branding Dimension 1: TourismTourism is one of the most visible aspects of a country brand because it receives considerable financial support from governments, and is therefore the main marketing tool at the national level. It is a major economic driver through employment, international visitor expenditures, investments, and regional development. Bangladesh Tourism Board has adopted different policies and strategies to promote and champion Bangladesh. It includes brand taglines like â€Å"Beautiful Bangladesh. † Dimension 2: Export brands There is a constant struggle to increase share of exports within the global market. In order to attain this purpose, the quality of exported products or services has to be superior to that of competitors. Export brands represent an important mark for Bangladesh.An increase in exports can raise the self-esteem of a country, which in turn boosts self-confidence and further success. Ten years ago, as a country Bangladesh was little known across the Globe. Today, most of the countries label as the country of high quality garments product and this is mainly due to the performance of our garments industry. Dimension 3: Investments All countries, be they developing or developed, are now striving for an investment-friendly image. Country brand, and everything that it stands for, has a lot to say when it comes to attracting foreign direct investments. In case of Bangladesh it is very good for us that a large number of investors are coming in different sectors.Dimension 4: Foreign and domestic policies. Nations are also judged in accordance with th e foreign and domestic policies that their leaders initiate. Foreign and domestic policies must be coordinated so that they would invigorate the national brand. As a country we have to increase the ability to meet the residents’ needs for health, education, human rights, political participation more effectively. Dimension 5: People It is worth mentioning that the branding of a country must start from inside because a country’s brand is most frequently promoted by its people. In 2006, our global image increased exponentially with Prof. Yunus and Grameen Bank winning the Nobel Peace Prize.That put Bangladesh in a strong position, globally and we cannot let that slip. Beside, Sakib-al-hasan, a Bangladeshi cricketer also increases the brand image of our country holding number one position in ICC Cricket ranking. Joining the mission of UN, Bangladesh Army has created a new dimension for Bangladesh and it is obviously a good sign for our country Dimension 6: Culture and Heri tage Last but not least, one should not overlook the cultural dimension of a country brand. Culture penetrates all areas of life, including all scientific endeavors. For this reason, culture has turned into the ultimate reference point, a conventionally accepted solution to all problematic questions.Strategies for branding Bangladesh We should take on a more conscious effort in branding country because country images draw out identifications, affect evaluations and purchase decisions. Additionally, countries compete for tourists, foreign investments and talented people. Let us look at this figure- Setting objectives: Branding Bangladesh we have to set clear and distinctive objectives that will help us to accomplish the different task most effectively. Different objectives might be: ? To be a Middle Income Country (MIC) ? 30th largest economy ? Per capita us dollar 6000 ? Economic goal †¢ Agro and labor intensive industry †¢ GDP growth to 10% †¢ Environmental protectio n Transportation and ship building hub. Performing SWOT analysis: Performing a SWOT analysis for nations is an idea that has been promoted by many others. In his book The Marketing of Nations, Philip Kotler (1997) confirmed the idea that each nation must assess its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) periodically in its five areas of capability: †¢ Government leadership; †¢ Factor endowments; †¢ Industrial organization; †¢ Social cohesion; †¢ Culture, attitudes and values. Based on the guidelines we might perform an effective SWOT analysis that will help to figure out our own most effectively and define the country’s objectives. S- Strength |W- Weakness | | | | |Potential Growth economics, |Lack of Coordination among different groups, | |Successfully meeting the millennium development goal. |Lack of coordination between corporate and country co branding, | | |Insufficient budget. | | | | | | |O- Opportunity |T- Threat | | | | |Posi tive sovereign credit achieved, |Corruption, | |Making agreement with different countries. |Political instability. | | | | Choosing a Specific direction for distinctive branding For distinctive branding we might choose a specific direction from industries, personalities, natural landmarks or historical events.This process will help create brand image more effectively. Expanding upon an Umbrella concept: Expanding upon an umbrella concept will help to cover separate branding activities with consistency. Different branding activities will be coordinated through an umbrella concept. Consulting with opinion leaders to look at national strengths and weaknesses and compare those with the research we might do create this concept. Allocating adequate funds to finance each branding activities: To create a successful brand image and create a greater impact regarding brand adequate fund is necessary and concerning people should handle the matter with kin interest Creating Export Control:Creati ng export controls to ensure exported products are trustworthy and meeting the affirmed performance is necessary for branding Bangladesh. We have good will in foreign market in case of exporting garments products but sometimes it has been seen that due to some reasons our country is branded negatively and to avoid this we need to control export market. Maintaining balance between promise and performance: We will have to be very careful to maintain balance between the promise and performance. Sometimes it has been seen that we can’t afford quality service for the promising things e. g sometimes foreigners come to our country to enjoy heritage sides but due to transportation facility and accommodation facility they don’t get expected performance.This point is the main thing to create a positive brand image for Bangladesh. Performing Activities on a regular basis: Creating positive brand image different campaigns are needed. But we have to keep in mind that these campaign s should be taken consistently and thinking the vision and long run interest of the country. Creating strategy and Working out program to make the strategy tangible through improvement programs, campaigns are important to reinforce the past campaign. Making all the members interactive: Ensuring the cooperation and involvement of representatives of government, business, the arts, education and importantly the media we can make a fruitful effect for Bangladesh.In recent years the growth of Media sectors has constantly drawn our attention and the media might play a crucial role to brand Bangladesh. It is necessary to mobilize all those available forces of politicians, business people, artists, sportsmen and scientists to create a strategy for enhancing the image and reputation of Bangladesh on the international markets, i. e. for creating the national branding strategy. Country and Corporate Brands Co-positioning The concept of countries as brands has been increasingly recognized in th e post-modern global world. A strong country brand can provide corporate brands with a unique set of values, which supports their positioning on the international market.Simultaneously, once corporate brands achieve worldwide success, they contribute actively to developing new features of the country brand. A nation’s image can provide competitive advantage to its company/product/service brands. Until and unless Bangladesh has some international brands it will be very difficult to create good brand image for Bangladesh. Consider Finland, a country which was outside the global arena ten years ago, and therefore little known. Today, we label it as the country of high-tech mobile phone technology, and this is mainly due to Nokia’s performance. In Bangladeshi context there are some brands (Square, Walton etc) so the overnment should coordinate to development of the company and in the mean time these companies should take initiatives for the country branding Besides that we might consider the task of Prothom Alo and Airtel Company, who jointly arrange the design of the largest â€Å"Alpona† at Manik Mia Avenue and thus made a new dimension for themselves as well as create a good image for Bangladesh in the world. Findings at a glance: ? It is now more critical than ever to create a unique identity for destination because it is now more competitive for survival in the global market. ? Limited budget and little management control create obstacles on the way of creating good brand image for Bangladesh. Political pressures, External environment factors such as economic downturn, natural disasters and pandemics can affect the process of branding Bangladesh. ? A major challenge for Bangladesh is that when the tourists’ visit the destination and found the reality does not match the projected image from the pre-trip information gathered prior to trip, the gap will lead to disappointment and they will become brand terrorists. This would lead to l ow repeat visitation and damage the brand image indirectly. ? Local governors and mayors have different objectives to promote their own region and cities rather than the nation. ? Failure of government to control the flow of information through the Internet that shapes the national image. We need to conduct research among the people of Bangladesh, covering different segments, to understand their views and expectations. This will help in understanding the pulse of the nation and giving ownership to everyone, thus, satisfying different target audiences, different needs, and different institutions. The research should be conducted both internally (to understand the country's socio-economic situation) and externally (global research among the investors and tourists). The findings will help develop a strategic plan on the nation-branding campaign; ? Concerned groups should make regular promotional activities to brand this country; The tourism sector of should be taken under focus to incr ease international brand value of Bangladesh by capturing large number of tourists; ? Both the government firms and Multinational Firms need to make attention to increase the international brand value of Bangladesh; ? The key focus should be on the six dimensions which are mentioned earlier in the assignment to make our country value stronger. Country branding is not about constructing slogans. Country branding involves planned communication management and purposeful social engineering. Branding is no longer a choice but a necessity, and the branding is not a function to be performed solely by the state or individual corporations, but an integrative and concerted effort by all concerned stakeholders.If a country is effectively branded â€Å"soft power† can be engendered giving that country vast competitive advantage. However, only few developing countries have articulated and implemented a country branding strategy. The notion of an umbrella country brand inspiring, guiding a nd feeding commercial brands is a compelling one. Branding of developing countries could unleash a sustainable wealth creation behavior which will greatly help these poor countries break out of their poverty cycle. There is now an opportunity for developing countries to close this gap by turning their attention to employ professionalism in country branding. Books:- ? Kevin Lane Keller (2012-2013), Strategic Brand Management,3rd edition. Philip Kotler, Nation Branding 1997. Publications:- ? Mathias Akotia, CEO – Brand Ghana Office Accra, Ghana,† Country Branding: Promoting Investment, Tourism and Exports through Country Communication Management and Social Engineering†. ? Dr. Khalid Hasan, Managing Director, Nielsen Bangladesh and Treasurer AmCham Bangladesh. Acknowledgement: AmCham Bangladesh, â€Å"Nation Branding†. Websites:- ? http://www. bangladeshbrandforum. com ? http://www. thedailystar. net ? http://www. tourismboard. gov. bd ? http://www. interbrand . com ———THE END——— ———————– Letter of Transmittal :- Executive Summary PART: A Preamble ObjectivesMethodology Limitations PART: B Literature Review PART: C Findings Export Brands Tourism Country Brand Investment People Foreign and Domestic polices Culture and Heritage Setting Objectives Step-1 Performing SWOT Analysis Step-2 Expanding upon an Umbrella concept Step-4 Choosing a Specific direction for distinctive branding Step-3 Strategies of Branding Bangladesh Creating Export Control Step-5 Making all the members interactive Step-9 Allocating adequate funds to finance each branding activities Step-6 Maintaining balance between promise and performance Step-7 Performing Activities on a regular basis Step-8 PART: D Recommendation Conclusion References Read also: Padma Bridge

Six Philosophy Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Six Philosophy Questions - Essay Example Empiricists argue that empiricism is simpler compared to rationalism. It is supported by a simple scenario; that a blind person cannot tell what a given color looks like. However, an experience with one’s senses can solve the case therein. Answer for Question 2 Metaphysics - This is a branch of philosophy that is mainly concerned with describing and providing information about how nature came into being in the context of the world. Immanuel Kant is a renowned metaphysics philosopher, whose contribution to this branch entailed pure reason critiquing. Here Kant presents knowledge under aspects of constraining factors, such that what we know based on our knowledge is limited and constrained by identifiable factors. Ontology – This is the study of categories that are likely to be assigned to existing things or those things that are said to exist in/on some identified domain. A philosopher by the name Parmenides is rated among the initial proposers of ontology, fundamentally in the aspects of reality and its nature. Epistemology – This is a branch of philosophy primarily concerned with the definition and description of knowledge. It defines knowledge and outlines the process through which knowledge is acquired. In this regard, the idea is to assess the process through which people come to know what they know. This branch was introduced by a philosopher called James Frederick Ferrier. Ethics – This branch of philosophy addresses issues of morality. This branch of philosophy is also called moral philosophy. Socrates is a great figure in this branch. He successfully influenced scholars and citizens to diversify their attention and integrate humankind conditions in their subjects. Logic – This refers to a formal and a systematic exploration of principles. The principles herein include but not limited to validate inferences, correct and right reasoning. The discipline of logic in philosophy was introduced by Aristotle. Aristotle made em phasis on the fundamental roles of logic not only in philosophy but also in other fields of study. Aesthetics – This is a fundamental philosophy branch that addresses aspects and concepts of taste and preference, art and beauty. It focuses on how beauty is created and further outlines how to appreciate tastes, art and beauty. Political Philosophy – This is the study of specific topics that directly influence coherence of people in a given social setting. These topics include but not related to law, justice, rights and freedoms, as well the formulation and implementation of governing codes by an authoritative body. Cicero is among the greatest influencers of political philosophy. The philosopher’s work was to mobilize and influence the establishment, growth and development of organized societies. Answer for Question 3 Rene Descartes, born in France in the year 1956 is remembered for his contribution to the field of philosophy. Regarded as the modern science found er, Descartes is a man who offered philosophy and other fields of study a whole new way of thinking. His thinking disregarded assumptions and emotional-based ideas and beliefs. His doubt elicited the conclusion that he only believed and accepted ideas that could be proved or those that constituted a direct observation through systematic deductions. His starting point

BA interior design thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6250 words

BA interior design - Thesis Example for traffic signals we have light as the signal, in our cars, we have lights for every signal, if there’s something wrong with the engine then a certain light starts blinking to make us aware of the fault. Today, our world is relying on lights, if we see cities & suburbs both are dependent on lights & their effects. Lights are used to show an airplane where the landing strip is, lights are used in light houses to show ships where land is. We see uses of lights wherever we see. With the pros of lights we are definitely facing some cons as well, the biggest of them is wastage of useful energy, so Scientists today are working hard to come up with ways to reduce energy & at the same time get proper lighting effects, how we can do that is a different science in itself. Now we see that usage of Energy Saver bulbs is spreading everywhere because they consume less energy but at the same time give equal amount of light which is required. We also need to designs rooms in a way that light goes to all places of room at the same time we also need to make sure that areas where we don’t want the light to go are the ones where light doesn’t fall. Where we place the light bulb or source of light is also very important in this regard. If the lighting is done properly then it will give pleasant effect to anyone entering the room and if its not done properly then it’ll be stressful for eyes. This thesis will focus on the trend of lighting design as how lights should be placed, what can be some alternatives of energy; The influence or impact to our environment; And light sustainability. At the same time we also need to achieve the right balance between visual comfort, energy saving, function and aesthetic into the design. A building which stores collection of objects for inspection, study or enjoyment is called a museum. The origin of museums, however, dates back to almost two thousand years when the agile goddesses watched over the welfare of the epic, music, romantic

Mindfulness, Professionalism and Healing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Mindfulness, Professionalism and Healing - Essay Example In addition to my experience with the films and the readings, witnessing my aunt visiting a nurse for help was just evidence on the power of the nursing. Despite having three kids, the size of the building she had was a hindrance to giving adequate care for the younger ones. Taking her time to visit the nurses was a life changing moment since she was given every kind of empathy, mindfulness and healing that she required. Intuitively, in order to realize the importance of nursing system to families I had to relate my aunt’s experiences with the nurses on the basis of the three aspects: of empathy, mindfulness and healing . Rationally, my aunt was a low income earner who could not acquire enough resources to secure his family. As if the scarcity is not enough punishment, my aunt gave birth to three kids of which all of them required care from her. For instance the children were a subject to food consumption, shelter and clothes to wear which my aunt could not adequately offer. Just the same to my aunt situation, David Bornstein in â€Å"The Power of Nursing† introduces his article with an intriguing question to depict the state of some individuals in the society† The following is a statement and question put forward by Bornstein: â€Å"In 2010, 5.9 million children were reported as abused or neglected in the United States. If you were a policy maker and you knew of a program that could cut this figure in half, what would you do?† (Bornstein, 2012) The above quote depicts children who are abused and neglected in the same way as my aunt who is going through a crisis of taking care of her three children in her small hut. The act of mindfulness comes in when Bornstein talks about Nurse-Family partnership as the best way to save this group of people. Nurse-Family partnership comes in handy as it is the only right way of harmonizing the gap between the poor and the rich. No matter what background an individual comes from, the program arranges for registered

Multifibre Agreement Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Multifibre Agreement - Case Study Example 1966: June The United Kingdom implements a global quota scheme in violation of the LTA. (The LTA provides only for product-specific restraints.) 1967: April Agreement is reached to extend the LTA for three years. 1969-71 The United States negotiates VERs with Asian suppliers on wool and man-made fibres. 1970: October Agreement is reached to extend the LTA for three years. (It was later extended an additional three months to fill the gap until the MFA came into effect.) 1973: December It is agreed that the MFA will begin on January 1, 1974, and last for four years. 1977: July-December The European Economic Community and the United States negotiate bilateral agreements with developing countries prior to agreeing to extension of the MFA. 1977: December The MFA is extended for four years. 1981: December The MFA is renewed for five years. The United States, under pressure from increased imports resulting from dollar appreciation, negotiates tough quotas. 1986: July The MFA is extended for five years, to conclude with Uruguay Round. 1991: July The MFA is extended pending the outcome of the Uruguay Round negotiations. 1993: December The Uruguay Round (UR) draft final act provides for a 10-year phase-out of all MFA and other quotas on textiles in ATC. MFA extended until UR comes into force. 1995: January 1 1st ATC tranche liberalised by importing countries - 16% of 1990 import volume. 1998: January 1 2nd ATC tranche liberalized by importing countries - 17% of 1990 import volume. 2002: January 1 3rd ATC tranche liberalised by importing countries - 18% of 1990 import volume. 2005: January 1 4th ATC tranche liberalised by importing countries - 49% of... The nineteenth century saw the beginning of the formation of unions, for the purpose of protecting the rights of the citizens. From then on, as each country gained freedom from colonial rule, it started to go in for organized employment and trade activities. There are unions and associations for employment, for domestic trade activities and international trade activities. To protect the rights of its people, some countries have agreed and signed pacts on the quantity of each commodity that can be imported or exported into a country. Before we embark on a detailed analysis of the Multifibre agreement and its impact on international trade, let us have a look into the actions and agreements that were made before the Multifibre agreement came into force. Source: Based on D. Spinanger, "Faking Liberalization and Finagling Protectionism: The ATC at Its Best", Background Paper for the WTO 2000 Negotiations: Mediterranean Interests and Perspectives, Cairo. The textile and clothing industry is one which has constantly increasing trade flows all over the world. Globalization and liberalization had exposed the European Union industry to increased competition from a large number of low-labor cost countries (especially from Asia).This sector constitutes one of the most important sources of income and employment for various countries in Asia, esp.

Marketing principles and practices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Marketing principles and practices - Essay Example These products or services can be reached to the consumer only through optimal marketing strategy. Although the consumer may buy the products through their hands, the crucial factor is only if the mind of the consumer is enticed by the product or services, the buying process will be initiated. The mind of the consumer only leads to particular behaviours from the consumer. As mentioned above, the key for successful marketing strategies is to first find out and corner in on the behaviours that will be exhibited by the prospective consumers before he/she makes the buying decision. Consumers’ behaviour during their buying decision process will be influenced by varied factors. That is, he/she make the buying decision based on factors like necessity for a particular product or service, next comfort or even as part of their living, etc. While coming up with that decision, particular thoughts about the products or services will percolate in the consumer’s mind, pushing them to make that buying decision. This supposed ‘seeding’ and percolation of thoughts in the consumer’s mind has to be guessed, analyzed and understood by the marketers to come up with apt marketing strategies. So, this paper will discuss why it is important for marketers to understand the consumer decision making process including influences on consumer behaviour and their marketing implications. According to consumer behaviour theory, a consumer, while carrying out the decision making process, will be mainly influenced by his/her choice of product and then by budget constraints, which can be further classified into 4 factors - Rational behaviour, Preferences, Budget constraints and Prices. A consumer is will exhibit rational behaviour when he/she use their money to get heightened state of satisfaction, and/or utility from that purchasing decision. â€Å"Consumers want to get "the most for their money" or, to maximize their total utility.† (welkerswikinomics.wetpaint.com). Thus, it

Business Excellence Model Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business Excellence Model - Essay Example Quality is the key because any process completed without the expected quality will be abhorred by the intended customers, leading to problems for the organization. So, Total Quality Management (TQM) is the management function, which should be incorporated in all the processes that will happen in an organization. Furthermore, if Excellence is inbuilt into that TQM, then there will be optimal quality in all the processes, making organization’s every initiative a successful endeavour. So, this paper by focusing on the term â€Å"Excellence† from the perspective of TQM, will discuss how excellence can be managed optimally in an organization. According to princeton.edu, Excellence can be defined as the â€Å"quality of excelling and also possessing good qualities of highest degree†. The term gives the same meaning when analyzed from the organizational perspective as well. That is, when the organization produces products or offers services, they have to incorporate quality in it. Only if there is quality, it can succeed, otherwise it will be disliked by the customers. While trying to maintain that quality, the organization will also or should also try to achieve excellence. This state of excellence could be some thing that is set by the organization themselves or by certain external agencies. So, only if organizations achieve excellence in quality, it can reach the ‘minds’ of the customers, then entice them and eventually ‘push’ them to buy the organization’s products or use their services. â€Å"Quality is ensuring everything we do has the customer in mind... Quality is about buil ding reputation, performance and an attitude of winning in everything we do.† (Zafirovski) The leader or the management team should always put a lot of emphasis on the concept of TQM, to provide a quality end product or service to the customer. TQM is â€Å"an organizational undertaking to improve the quality of manufacturing and service. It focuses on obtaining continuous

Constraints on Developing Countries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Constraints on Developing Countries - Essay Example This essay declares that the future for a level playing field and the transition of developing countries appears to already be underway since the majority of the World Trade Organisation is composed of developing countries which are striving to take part in the international industrial trade setup. These countries are following the guidelines given by the United Nations to increase their ability to produce as well as the quality of their production. In the industrial world, much like the business world, the wishes of the client reign supreme. Since the clients of these nations are industrialised countries, the developing nations will have to bring up their standards of production to remain competitive. The future of economic liberalisation does not move as much towards opening of markets and free trade. In reality, it is moving towards a trade of technology and industrial know-how which will allow industrial production to take place at the same level in a developing country as it doe s in developed countries. This paper makes a conclusion that constraints do exist and developing countries are at a significant disadvantage when compared to industrialised nations but the author also thinks that the world is becoming more equal. Just a few decades ago the American Empire reigned supreme in all aspects of advancement and culture but the future leadership of the world could belong to the European Union. It is clear to me that industrial relationships and the volume of industrial trade will form a significant portion of the equation in determining which country leads the world into the 22nd century.

Jack Welch Essay Example for Free

Jack Welch Essay Jack Welch joined General Electric (GE) in 1960 and became vice president (1972) and then vice chairman (1979). In 1981 he became chairman and CEO of GE; at 45, he was the youngest person ever to have held that position. Having taken GE with a market capitalization of about $12 billion, Jack Welch turned it into one of the largest and most admired companies in the world, with a market value of about $500 billion, when he stepped down as its CEO 20 years later, in 2000. (Reference for Columbia Encyclopedia) Welch took bold actions to improve GEs ability to compete globally before it ran into serious difficulty. Welch leads two different revolutions in his tenure as CEO. The first revolution had to do with hardware: what businesses GE should be in and what businesses it should divest. Welch quickly changed GEs approach to strategic planning. The matrix approach developed under Reginald Jones was replaced with Welchs Number One Number Two strategy. If a GE business wasnt first or second in its markets worldwide, or couldnt be made so, it would be sold. At the start of Welchs tenure GE administration was built around three hundred separate businesses, a recipe for inefficiency. Welch tore into the ossified corporate structure with a vengeance and by the mid-1980s had overseen nearly 120,000 layoffs and earned the nickname Neutron Jack. The name was derived from the neutron bomb, a weapon designed to minimize heat and blast effect but maximize dispersal of lethal neutron radiation—in effect, eliminating people but leaving buildings and equipment intact. (Reference for The New GE) By 1985, billions of dollars had been made or saved through sales and layoffs. Welch sought opportunities for growth by reinvesting those billions and considered possible takeover targets. Indeed, there were more than 200 acquisitions in his first five years as CEO, the largest being the $6.3 billion acquisition of RCA in 1985. RCAs assets included not only its electronics and defense businesses, but also the NBC television network. This resulted in its becoming the worlds largest manufacturing, technology, and service company, with 1999 revenues of over $110 billion. (Reference for Jack Welch The G.E.Way) The second revolution has to do with software: how to run GEs existing businesses better. Jack Welch firmly believed that top performers deserved to be handsomely rewarded. He established a performance-review program to identify the top 20 percent of employees, who were accorded bonuses, as well as the bottom 10 percent, the lemons, who were typically fired and replaced. (Reference for The New GE) Welch instituted the Six Sigma program at GE. Initially implemented at Motorola and Allied-Signal, the program was developed to maximize the efficiency of manufacturing processes through the minimization of production of defective units. When applied at General Electric it became the largest quality-control measure ever adopted in corporate America. The program required a huge investment in training and tracking but ultimately led to great gains in profit and productivity. (Reference for Jack Welch The G.E.Way) Welch is seeking productivity gains by involving GE’s workers as well as its managers. In September 1988, Welch said to Jim Baughman, the former Harvard Business School professor in charge of Crotonville, Jim, we have got to capture what happens here at Crotonville and push it across the whole company. We have to create an atmosphere where people can speak up to somebody who can do something about their problems. The result was the development of an ongoing series of what GE calls Work-Out sessions, a sort of town meeting for workers and managers to work out problems at the plant or facility level. The key idea is that for employees to become more productive, they must be empowered to make the changes themselves, not to refer problems endlessly upward in the bureaucracy. (Reference for The New GE) By the end of the 20th century GE had developed an electronic-business program; another of Welchs initiatives, the system electronically tied the company directly to suppliers and customers. The e-business was just one aspect of what Welch dubbed the boundaryless company, a company without administrative walls between separate business units and where knowledge applied to one area could be applied companywide. At the time of his retirement Welch had only begun to see his vision of a boundaryless company come to fruition. (Reference for Jack Welch The G.E.Way) Lessons learned * Education-The essential element of organizational success is having educated and well trained individuals that make up the organization. * Change is good.-See Change as an Opportunity. * Get good ideas from everywhere.-New ideas are the lifeblood of business. * Eliminate Boundaries-In order to make sure that people are free to reach for the impossible, you must remove anything that gets in their way. References: Robert Slater. 1993. The New GE: How Jack Welch Revived an American Institution. Mountain View, CA: Business One Irwin Robert Slater. 1998. Jack Welch The G.E.Way. New York: McGraw-Hill Reference for the Columbia Encyclopedia. 2008. Jack Welch. http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Welch-JF.html (Retrieved as of October 12, 2011)

The Reasons We Drink Beer Essay Example for Free

The Reasons We Drink Beer Essay There are most likely hundreds of reasons, good and bad, why people drink beer. Everyone who drinks beer has their own personal reasons. Beer is a worldwide commonly known and used beverage that has become a part of our society. It’s been brewed and consumed for over several thousand years. Why is this drink so popular? Today we’ll explore a handful of reasons why people drink beer. Taste – Beer is an acquired taste. I doubt there are many people who admit that the very first beer they ever tried in life tasted very good. But those who kept trying beer grew accustomed to how it smelled, felt in the mouth and tingled the tongue. Once your taste buds lose their training wheels a whole new world of flavors are opened up to you. Buzz – Let’s face it, alcohol is a big reason why many people drink beer. It provides mind altering capabilities that offer some people enjoyment, others a distraction, and still for others nothing more than problems. Getting a beer buzz is an attraction for many as well as a regrettable side affect. Everyone has different limits, so get to know just how much beer is enough to get your buzz on. Social – Sharing a beer with friends or acquaintances is one way of sparking conversation and just being, well, sociable. It becomes a common bond between partakers. Not only does it loosen the tongue a bit, but also causes some to open up a bit. Identity – It’s funny how some people find a beer they like and stick to it. For some, it becomes part of their identity. Brand loyalty is hard to break for some. The beers you started drinking when you were a young adult often become the beverage of choice later in life. Many beer drinkers will try other beers for a new experience and find a new brand to identify themselves with. The type of beer you drink may say something about you that you didn’t realize. Variety – Beer comes in over 100 different styles and in thousands of different brands. No one beer brand is identical to the next. You could spend your entire life trying to sample all of the beers that are available in the world and still not be able to try them all. Very few beverages can claim this kind of variety. Health – This could be an entire subject in of itself. There must be dozens of reasons why beer is healthy for you. Taken in moderation, beer: †¢ is good for your liver. It expands the blood vessels and helps speed up metabolism. †¢ can help lower your risk of heart attacks and stroke. †¢ prevents cholesterol from oxidizing. Some hop compounds prevent LDL from oxidizing and clogging arteries. †¢ boosts vitamin B5, B12, folate and other valuable mineral levels. Unfiltered beers have more of this benefit. †¢ may help in combating cancer. The compounds in some hops are showing promise for preventing certain types of cancer. (Bingham report 1998) †¢ helps ensure healthy bones. Bone improving nutrients are leached from the brewing process in a form that is readily accessible to the body. †¢ helps you relax and sleep more easily. Two vitamins, lactoflavin and nicotinic acid are present in many beers and helps to promote sleep. Beer is also a natural sedative. †¢ Contains antioxidants that can help slow the aging process. †¢ Contains fiber. A liter of beer can have up to 60% of your daily recommended fiber. †¢ Helps fend off gallstones and kidney stones. Peer Pressure – One of the sad reasons why many drink beer. The pressure to conform and fit in with others is a constant issue. Many people, especially teens, drink beer just because their friends are doing it. For others, drinking beer is a right of passage in life. Heritage – Breweries have been part of communities for generations and generations. Many communities in ancient and modern society rally around their local brewpubs and breweries throughout the world. Beer was one of the many bounties of a year long harvest. Locally made beers garner more loyalty. Colorado – we live in one of state’s that produces the most amount of beer in the nation. With nearly 100 different breweries and brewpubs, the availability of hundreds of quality craft beers simply can’t be ignored. Colorado is a travel destination for many of the world’s beer drinkers. Even one of the biggest beer festivals in the world, the Great American Beer Festival, is held here each year in October. Food – Beer makes the perfect compliment for lots of different kinds of food. Pairing food and beer is becoming quite popular, just as it has been for wine. There are beers that go well with just about every type of food, from meats, appetizers (cheeses, breads, snacks) and desserts.

OSIM International Ltd Analysis

OSIM International Ltd Analysis INTRODUCTION OSIM is a global leader in branded healthy lifestyle products such as massage chair, shoulder and neck massagers, foot massager and slim belt. The company is well-known in Malaysia. OSIM is a brand management and niche marketing company with a focus on the consumer. Today, OSIM Company operates a wide point-of-sales network with outlets is over 371 cities over 33 countries in Asia, Australia, Africa, the Middle East, United Kingdom and North America.â€Å"Inspiring Life† is the motto of the OSIM Company. OSIM (M) Sdn Bhd is engaged in marketing, distributing and franchising of healthy lifestyle products. The Company operates in two segments that are retail and distribution. The retail segment is engaged in outlets and counters operated by it in selected shopping centers and departmental stores where the products are sold directly to end user customers. The distribution segment is engaged in products distributed by the Company and franchisees in overseas markets. Its subsidiaries include OSIM International Trading (Shanghai) Co., Ltd, OSIM (M) Sdn Bhd, OSIM (HK) Company Limited, OSIM (Taiwan) Co., Ltd, Nutrition Focus (USA) Inc, Global Active Limited (GAL), OSIM (China) Co., Ltd, Nutri Active Pte Ltd, Victoria House Pte Ltd and VHE China Limited. OSIM (M) Sdn Bhd also the most trusted brand. They receive a title as International Safety Standards because harmony to worldwide health and safety regulations. The entire product designed with safety and appropriate to health and safety regulations. Furthermore, the company also good in quality performance because all their product has been approved from clinic research, medical certifications and scientific studies. Their health-care product also checked and studies scientifically by expertise and they awarded certification and recognition from independents bodies. In terms of innovation and technology, OSIM company are worldwide technology patents and have a design right and trademark rights. OSIM is always in the frontline of innovation and the development of the most exhaustive range of products to bring the good health benefit to customer. OSIM also receive Award-Winning Design. OSIM brand and product design awards garnered from Japan, Europe and Asia. OSIM product was awarded the Largest Health Check and Care Equipment Retail Chain by the Malaysian Book of Records and Asia Pacific Honesty Enterprise Keris Award 2002. OSIM has been recently awarded ASIA No 1 Brand in healthy lifestyle equipment by a prestigious International Survey, it is for international market research company to determine Asian most preferred brand of health-care products. Besides, OSIM has also been rated by AC Nielsen survey in 2005 as the Number One brand in seven attributes (High Quality Products, Advance Technology, Premium Brand, Innovative Design Features, Trustworthy Brand, Good Customer Service and Good Store Ambience). BACKGROUND AND HISTORY The origins of OSIM International Ltd business began in November 1980 when Dr Ron Sim Chye Hock commenced his sole proprietor business of retailing an array of household goods such as knives, knife-sharpeners and mobile drying rods under R. Sim Trading Co and it was originally established in Singapore. OSIM were subsequently incorporated in 1983 under the name ‘‘R.Sim Trading Co. Pte Ltd to take over the sole proprietorship. Operating from OSIM International Ltd company first premises is at a shop Peoples Park, OSIM were only selling 2 health-care related products, namely, hand-held massagers and foot reflexology rollers. By 1987, OSIM had created a distribution network of 10 outlets in Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan marketing household goods and health-care related products. Dr Ron Sim Chye Hock is a founder of OSIM then felt that there was market potential for specialty home health care products in an increasingly affluent Asia. Early 1987, OSIM saw that the home health care products sector was dominated by a disparate group of equipment manufacturers with little or no emphasis on marketing and as a result there was a lack of brand consciousness among consumers. Hence, in 1989 their decided to bring together different home health-care products from different equipment manufacturers and market their product using specialty branding. For this purpose, OSIM created the brand ‘‘Health Check Care to build and exploit a niche market in home health-care products. OSIM business start grew rapidly and by 1994 we had approximately 60 point-of-sales outlets in Asia. In business strategy, they believe that marketing and strengthening of their brand equity is of vital importance. As ‘‘Health Check Care was a generic name and was difficult to be registered as a trademark in many countries, in 1996 the company officially launched ‘‘OSIM brand name which had been using since the early 1990s. ‘‘OSIM is a combination of the founders surname and the letter ‘‘O which symbolizes for vision to become a globally recognized brand. As at 31 May 2000, the company have registered the name ‘‘OSIM as a trademark in 26 countries spanning Asia (including Australia), Europe, North and South America, South Africa and Israel. There are also made trademark applications for ‘‘OSIM in 10 other countries. A major tenet of OSIM marketing strategy is to have an extensive point-of-sales network and geographical coverage in their markets. Presently, they have point-of-sales outlets in Singapore located in all major departmental stores and suburban shopping malls. The company began developing their overseas distribution network in 1986 when they ventured into Hong Kong and in the following year, into Taiwan. To ride on the rapid development of the Asian economies in the early 1990s, OSIM expanded their operations to Thailand in 1990, Malaysia in 1992, Indonesia and Beijing in 1993, and Shanghai in 1994 by opening point-of-sales outlets in these countries either directly or through their franchisees and distributors. Furthermore, OSIM expanded their markets to the United States in 1997 and Dubai in 1999 through the appointment of franchisees/licensees to market and sell their products in these countries. At present, OSIM have 10 franchisees/licensees, 3 subsidiaries, 6 are affiliated compan ies controlled by their Controlling Shareholders and the remaining 1 is an unrelated company. The company point-of-sales outlets in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Malaysia are operated by Company and subsidiaries. The rest of their point-of-sales outlets are franchised outlets with the exception of outlets in the PRC for which we have trademark and licensing agreements with the owners. This is OSIM business strategy that future expansion of their point-of-sales network will be substantially undertaken by franchising. OSIM company begun to gradually move away from being a retailer to being a franchisor and, in furtherance of this strategy, they have also entered into franchise agreements with their subsidiaries, OSIM (HK), OSIM (Taiwan) and OSIM (Msia). Further, franchising help them to expand and multiply their point-of-sales outlets to more geographical markets at a faster pace with significantly less capital exposure. Franchising is also less taxing on their managements time than operating self-owned outlets in penetrating new markets. To diversify their sources of revenue, in 1998 OSIM ventured into wholesale distribution of health-check and health-care products such as blood pressure monitors, thermometers and pulse massagers, in Singapore to hospitals like Tan Tock Seng Hospital and Kandang Kerbau Womens and Childrens Hospital, pharmacies like the Apex Pharmacy and the Guardian Pharmacy chains, and Chinese medical halls. While wholesale distribution is currently only carried out in Singapore which contributes between 1 and 2 per cent. to their turnover in Singapore, and then the company intend to develop this business and carry out wholesale distribution in all their principal markets eventually. As part of its business strategy to extend the control over of their business process and to exercise greater involvement and participation in the source of supply for their products, in 1995 the company entered into a joint venture with Daito Electric Machine Industry Company Limited (‘‘Daito), a Japanese supplier  to OSIM Group, to take up a 30 per cent interest in Daito-OSIM (Suzhou) with Daito taking up the remaining 70 per cent.. Presently, Daito-OSIM (Suzhou) has a plant in the Singapore-Suzhou Industrial Park in Jiangsu, PRC that manufactures products like hand-held massagers and foot reflexology rollers mainly for re-export and distribution to the markets in Japan and USA. Under the joint venture agreement, Daito has the right to appoint 3 directors of Daito-OSIM (Suzhou) while OSIM only have the right to appoint 2 directors as they are the minority shareholder. However, Daito-OSIM (Suzhou) shall not change the scope of its business activities from that as descr ibed in the foregoing, without the consent of Daito and OSIM. Any material financial commitment which is above US$100,000 or material contract to be entered by Daito-OSIM (Suzhou) also requires the consent of Daito and OSIM. The joint venture agreement is of unlimited duration but may be terminated with the consent of Daito and OSIM. Neither Daito nor OSIM can transfer an interest in the shares in Daito-OSIM (Suzhou) without first making an offer to sell the interest to the other shareholder. On 28 March 2000, the founder Dr Ron Sim Chye Hock was conferred an honorary doctorate in business administration by the Wisconsin International University in recognition of his prominent achievements in business. In July 2000, pursuant to the Subscription Agreement, Investor, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Temasek Holdings (Private) Limited, subscribed for 11,600,000 new Shares, representing approximately 5 per cent. of the post-Investor Subscription and post-Invitation enlarged share capital of the Company, at the price of $0.47 per Share, representing a discount of approximately 10 per cent. to the Offer Price. The company believes that the investment by Investor is a milestone in their corporate development and an endorsement of their Group. Investor has given an undertaking not to dispose of or transfer any part of its  respective shareholding for a period of 6 months commencing from the date of their admission to the Official List of the SGX-ST. Mr Khor Peng Soon, a nominee of Investor, was appointed as OSIM non-executive Director in June 2000. Ethics Ethics are common believes on whats right or wrong and good or bad based on individuals values and morals, plus a behaviours social context. Business ethics definition is ‘a normative undertaking, seeks to provide ethical insight and guidance to individuals in business, businesses as organizations, and to society. Although there is an overlap between corporate social responsibility and business ethics, they still can be distinguishing. Corporate social responsibility is about responsibility to all stakeholders and not just shareholders where as ethics is about morally correct behaviour. Not many business organisations directors will deny the essentialness of good, trusting relationships with customers, employees, suppliers and the community. All these are actually the elements of success that a company should rely on. Ethics in business is a very prominent issue nowadays especially in this high competitive business world. Organizations usually have a set of ethical as well as o perational or business values which they wished to see in operating their business. These values guide ideas of acceptable, desirable and responsible behavior, above and beyond compliance with laws and regulations. Ethics is formulated to enhance the standard of corporate governance and corporate behaviour. One should be ethical for motivation, good behaviour usually bring a reward. Think about it, if it were always in ones interest to be good, there would be no need for ethics. One can simply act selfishly and forget about obligation. People invented ethics precisely because it does not always coincide with self interest. Owners, employees, suppliers and customers were expected to have a good behaviour in their work place giving that issues of ethics will affect the business. Starting from the individual ethics, it is important since everyone has their own responsibilities in their work place. The very least a person can do is to be honest about what they do each day. Bribery should not be tolerated. There is so much poverty, so much hunger across the world. Greed for revenue and profits can only transform our world into an animal kingdom. Top management level of the company should have first practice good ethics themselves in order to show a good example to the employees and lead them to become more productive and efficient. Behaviour toward the employees, top management level of the company should practice fair policies such as adequate amount of time given to the employee to be notified if the company intend to conduct layoff exercise within the company and affected parties should be compensated accordingly. Other than that, the company is responsible for providing conducive environment which is clean and save for its employee to work in too. Employee salaries should be paid according to agreed amount based on their working hours and job classification. Privacy of employees must be respected too. Based on the information we gathered through our interview with OSIM, their company do have ethics practices. One of the examples is, employees who were stationed out of town for training were provided with decent accommodation. Every single employee has equal chances of being promoted. Outlet supervisors must also possess high accountability and responsibility in performing duties, without abusing power and position for self-gain or other interested parties. Employees are expected to always endeavour to improve knowledge, creativity and innovation as well as team spirit. Those who are in the sales position are required to be self-motivated to achieve great sales like theres no limit to it. Proper basic personal grooming and dress in clean, smart and decent clothing at work is a must and its considered basic manners for especially for those in sales  position working at the outlets. Strict basic grooming is required to reflect the professionalism of the employee. Furthermore, OSIM emphasised a lot on professionalism among its employees. Employees must always carry out duties efficiently, effectively and productively in order to produce excellent service. The managers are very strict on the employee, they must always on good behaviour and punctuality. The company will always provide in-house training for their employees. In addition, the company sales force undergoes trainings like product training, salesmanship training and on-the-job training. Other than that, OSIM organise talks by health-care professionals in their corporate headquarters for their sales staff. Periodically, they will also send senior management staff overseas to attend seminars and exhibitions. Therefore, employees are expected to improve knowledge and skills to produce efficient, prompt and accurate service as well as to possess characteristics of creativity, innovation, motivation and competitiveness This show that the company practices good ethics as their provide and g ive chances for them equip themselves. The product of OSIM International Ltd complies with Safety and Quality Standards of International Certification Boards. The company does not compromise its products quality lightly, and this is a good business ethics practice. OSIM have the quality controls namely product quality assurance for its products and service quality assurance to ensure the staff deliver their best. Last but not least, the company take honesty into account very seriously. No one in the company should leak out the companys private and confidential information such as internal finance reports, marketing strategies and etcetera. Disciplinary action will be taken against those who leak out the information might face dismissal from the company. In conclusion, every business organisation has strict ethics to follow. The field and practice of business ethics is now well established. Often times senior individuals were hired in large companies and other organisations with dedicated teams to monitor that ethical standard and corporate responsibility (CR) commitments are understood and advocated. These commitments will be driven both by a set of ethical and business values set by the organisation itself, and by relevant legal and regulatory requirements that determine what acceptable conduct is. It is important to establish a standard or ethics of competence for corporate accountability which includes standards of professionalism and trustworthiness in order to uphold good corporate integrity. The experience within the country like Malaysia has exposed a critical need for the formulation of corporate accountability standards in order to establish an ethical corporate environment. It also ensures Malaysia is on the right track in turning into a first world country. Companies who are truly committed to uphold ethical conduct were found to be consistently outperforming companies who do not display ethical conduct according to research done by Does Business Ethics Pay? by The Institute of Business Ethics (IBE). If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you dont have integrity, nothing else matters. Alan K. Simpson INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY USED â€Å"Information technology (IT) by definition is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications†. More recently it is the use of the computers and IT to improve the efficiency and competitiveness of businesses that has led to technological change. Due to technological changes is so rapid, there are important implications for businesses. A business can be affected by the following technological change in production, the provision of services and in the office IT act as an effective tool to aid businesses gain and make the best use of knowledge. Some of the systems can be very tedious to set up and time-consuming to maintain. About two decades ago, most businesses agreed that effective IT strategies needed to be embedded within the business strategy. Business executives needed to possess those IT strategies as well as the business strategie s in order to implement those business strategies successfully. Undeniably, IT has become an increasingly important business tool from small to big organisations, it is important for businesses to ensure that their business gets the most out of any system it introduces. In order to achieve this, you need to make sure that the IT system chosen supports the business and adds value to it. Databases organise information for easy access, managed and updated. For example, a business might have a database of customers storing their contact information, their orders and preferences. The database is one of the cornerstones of information technology, and its ability to organise, process and manage information in a structured and controlled manner is the key to many areas of modern business efficiency. As a business, the more we understand about our customers, suppliers and competitors, the better. Hence, the gathering, storing and processing of informationusing databases cangive businessesa distinct advantage. The advantages are such as cutting down the amount of time spent managing data. Allowing businesses personnel the ability to analyse data in a many of ways. It is also a way of promoting a disciplined approach to data management. In addition, databases technology turns different information into a valuable resource and improving the quality and consistency of informati on. Value of information in line with maintenance and production cost. Most companies produce information on demand to place a value to it. E-commerce is the ability of businesses to trade with the world via websites. With E-commerce, businesses are able to market and create awareness on their products a larger group of audience and business is now open 24 hours every day. This has created new opportunities for businesses that trade locally and may not trade internationally before to now expand the size of their market to worldwide. Amazon.com is one example of e-commerce as a worldwide book and CD sellers. Consumers can also make comparison on the products and search for best deals online. It allows entrepreneurs and or even individuals to sell directly to consumers. This is the opposite of conventional ways of selling at retail outlets. In other words, business transactions are now taking place online too. OSIM Directors believe that e-commerce is emerging as a very important marketing and distribution channel for businesses although the extent of the impact of e-commerce cannot be conclusively known today. OSIM have t he intention of tapping into the huge potential of e-commerce and other health-care retailers may also follow suit. Smartphone with internet access enabled and personal computers featured with office applications with office applications, save businesses time and travelling cost by enabling employees, customers, and suppliers to communicate from any location. This gives much convenience for the on-site and off-site employee to communication with each other. However, effective communication is very essential to most IT and e-commerce systems. Most of these technologies are invented to make communication between buyers and sellers faster and more reliable. On top of that, Computers can be used to process, analyse and store vast amounts of data to give the business more quality information. The Internet can also be useful for various purposes. One of it is to make business sales message to be send out to customers especially potential ones. To get sales message out to customers and potential customers, marketing by email and on the internet offers speed and cost benefits over traditional mail marketing. Company resources are put into better use as chances of reaching out potential customers are much greater. Other types of online marketing such as social media like Facebook also provide a cost-effective avenue for businesses in reaching customers. OSIM has registered their own website ‘‘www.osim.com to market themselves on the Internet to let more people know about the company and its products. It is important for a company to have a website especially for developing new products, offering new services and reaching new clients. Todays information age has leaded many people to use internet to search information and others. People can access to any website with just a few clicks. Although setting up a website might be costly, it is offset by reaching a large pool of potential customers and providing necessary information for existing customers too. OSIM is making use of the popular Facebook as a tool for them to promote their products and provide brief information and latest happenings in regard to their road shows. Job recruitment advertisement is also in their website, this will save the companys cost in advertising in other means such as the newspaper. Consumers can also sign up for the mailing list to receive spe cial offers, promotions and well-being tips from OSIM. Last but not least, OSIM made us of IT to provide its customers order tracking if they are not sure if their package has been delivered .The order tracking service will help you track it down. In conclusion, technological change can bring many benefits to a business. It reduces running costs, improve productivity, improved competitiveness, improved quality of service (e.g. speed of service) and reduce resources wastage. For companies who have yet to use IT to run their businesses should really consider it. Technology and business go hand in hand. Hence, technology is compulsory for business. 4P ANALYSIS DIAGRAM 1: The Marketing Mix Marketing mix is one of the most important aspects in marketing. The important of marketing mix are usually categories into four parts which are product, price, place, and promotion. The main purpose of this four Ps marketing is to help the company to achieving their target market. Customers are not the components of the marketing mix. However, the customer is the target of all the companys marketing. Product can be usually classified under two parts that is consumer product and producer products. Consumer product normally purchased for individuals used and these products are divided into three more categories that is convenience product, shopping product and specialty product. Secondly, the producer product, this product is purchased to use in running businesses. Beside that, physical of the product also become the main point to attract the customers for example the packaging and size of the product. Price is the price level that business wants to sell their product to consumer. There are many parts need to be consider first before the product were decides to be sell. The considerations such as objective of the business, the degree of competitor in the industry, channel of distribution and the business image. Furthermore, there are some strategies that can help a business in order to arrive at a selling of their product such as cost-plus pricing, mark-up pricing, predatory pricing, skimming pricing, penetration pricing, prestige pricing and demand-orientated pricing. Place is where the product put on the target market. This place refers to those points that are stores and the retail outlets where the product should be easily accessible by the customer. Next, is to the channel of distribution means the business uses to get their product from factory and make it available to consumers. Wholesaler, retailer and Distribution Company are example for channel of distribution. Promotion is the method of the company introducing and selling products and its one of the ways to attract consumers aware of their product. There are various ways of promotion such as advertising, personal selling, sales promotions, branding and packaging, direct email and loss leaders. Promotion is important of communication between the product and the customer in order to increase the sales. In conclusion, a marketing mix involves four Ps. In another word, the four Ps entire are related to each other in reaching target market. PRODUCT OSIM is a company that sells healthy lifestyle product. There are various type of health product that they sells such as massage chair, foot massagers, head massagers, back massagers, eye massagers, soothing gel pads, slim belts, pedometer, blood pressure monitor, personal hygiene and water purifiers. These products are help to maintain health and can give relaxing to the people. The latest product that OSIM launched is uDivine massage chair. The uDivine was designed by Japanese Master, Sato Tsuyoshi and he is expert of Japanese Chiropractic Massage. The uDivine is the world first Human-3D massage chair and this massage chair are combined with strategically position system airbags, realistic and human contour based, delivering the most humanized, pleasurable and effective full body massage. uDivine have multi-sensory pleasures from head to toe. The design of this massage chair are intelligent design with plenty to admire and it give more living space, seamless navigation, stereo sound build-in speakers, supreme comfort and family-friendly safety function. OSIM Company makes a consideration to the number of stage in development of new product. The first stage is the generation of ideas. The company thinks future whether the product that they create meet the objective of the business or not. Furthermore, they also make a question will the product contribute to the continued growth of their business and does the business have the spare capacity to produce the product. Secondly, is testing the new concept. OSIM want to know is there a sufficient market for the new product. This stage of the product development  process will involve carrying out extensive primary market research to test consumers reaction to the suggested product. Next, analyzing the cost or revenues. Based on cost of production, they will set the reasonable price of product to be selling. OSIM also caring of what will be the profitability of the new product and how many units of the product they want to produce. Furthermore, they make a considered of developing a prototype. The design, materials, quality and safety of the product will become paramount. A prototype of the product will be developed using the detail that the market research indicated that consumer wanted. It is essential to ensure that this stage of the development process is detailed ad extensive, since to make alterations and modification at a later date will be extremely expensive and time-consuming. Lastly, the goal of the company for their product is to make the customer easy to recognize its brand and provide customer satisfaction. If the product does not fit the customer needs or meet the standard, the company accepts the criticism and modifies their products until it is fulfilling the needs of their customer. PRICE OSIM (is one of the high-end brands that sells health-care product in the market. It stands by its own name, image, quality and safety. The good in pricing strategy of the company will affect the quantity of sell and the profit-margin received per unit. In order to achieve at selling price for its product, there are some method that can be use which is cost-plus pricing, mark-up pricing, predatory pricing, skimming pricing, penetration pricing, prestige pricing, demand-oriented pricing and competition-oriented pricing. The first procedure for setting price is to determine the objectives of pricing. Earning a profit is the main objective. OSIM Company has three strategies in setting the price of their product. OSIM used cost-plus pricing, where the total cost of producing each unit of product is calculated. After that, the percentage profit is added to this unit cost to arrive at the selling price. Next is skimming pricing, all of their products are innovative and high technology product. So the strategies for these products usually set at the high price because it required high cost to produce the product and it design to create an up-market. Nonetheless, another pricing strategy of OSIM Company is competition-oriented pricing. Competition-oriented pricing is the strategies to set a price for a product with comparison with the competitor. Some product of OSIM were pricing based on the price charge by the competitors. In conclusion, setting a price is not an easy job, it need certain method to set the product price. For the beginning, a listing price, varieties of discount and allowance should include when setting a price. PLACE MAP 1: MAP 2: OSIM has chosen the right place for selling their products. In Map 1 shown one of the places which OSIM outlet located, that is in Bintang Mega Mall, Miri, Sarawak. Our group got to visit this outlet to conduct interview about OSIM for this team project. Normally in business, without a good place to promote the company product will make harder to get successful in target market even the product have a reasonable price. In other words, to reach the target market, positioning is one of the important steps for placing. The location of the product should be easier for customer to purchases the product. If the customer hard to get the product, they might give advantage to other companies which they can get it easily. However, every customer has different needs with aspect of time and place. In order to attract more customers, the location of the product should fulfill the customers requirement. The company also can offer a delivery service in order to make

The Wind in the Willows: Kenneth Grahame and Neopaganism Essay

The Wind in the Willows: Kenneth Grahame and Neopaganism  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   The beauty of the English countryside--cultivated or wild, pastoral or primeval, it was an endless source of inspiration for eighteenth-century Romantic poets. Such notables as Wordsworth, Keats, and Shelley envisioned ancient and exotic Hellenic gods in familiar, typically British settings. Douglas Bush says of Keats, "For him the common sights of Hampstead Heath could suggest how poets had first conceived of fauns and dryads, of Psyche and Pan and Narcissus and Endymion" ( Pagan Myth 46). Later writers, clearly influenced by the Romantic world view, would describe idealized pastoral scenes in terms of "the rich meadow-grass . . . of a freshness and a greenness unsurpassable . . . . the roses so vivid, the willow-herb so riotous . . ." (Grahame, Wind 911). This was the haunt of Nature personified: Then suddenly the Mole felt a great Awe fall upon him, an awe that turned his muscles to water, bowed his head, and rooted his feet to the ground. It was no panic terror-- indeed he felt wonderfully at peace and happy . . . he looked in the very eyes of the Friend and Helper; saw the backward sweep of the curved horns, gleaming in the growing daylight; saw the stern, hooked nose between the kindly eyes that were looking down on them humorously, while the bearded mouth broke into a half-smile at the corners; saw the rippling muscles on the arm that lay across the broad chest, the long supple hand still holding the pan-pipes only just fallen away from the parted lips; saw the splendid curves of the shaggy limbs disposed in majestic ease on the sward . . . . (912] Pan's appearance in "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" constitutes my most vivid impressio... ...dence in the Victorian Fin de Siecle . Princeton: Princeton UP, 1986. Grahame, Kenneth. Pagan Papers . 5th ed. 1898. London: Lane, 1914. ---. The Wind in the Willows . 1908. Classics of Children's Literature . Ed. John W. Griffith and Charles H. Frey. 4th ed. Upper Saddle River: Prentice, 1996. 865-957. "Grahame, Kenneth." Yesterday's Authors of Books for Children . Ed. Anne Commire. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 1977. 144-153. Green, Peter. Kenneth Grahame: A Biography . Cleveland: World, 1959. "Kenneth Grahame." Children's Literature Review . Ed. Gerard J. Senick. Vol. 5. Detroit: Gale, 1983. 109-136. Sale, Roger. "Kenneth Grahame." Fairy Tales and After . Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1978. 165-193. Wullschlager, Jackie. "Kenneth Grahame: Et in Arcadia Ego." Inventing Wonderland . New York: Free P, 1995. 143-174.   

SWOT: The Better Way Company Essay -- gardening, revenue, segmentatio

The Better Way Company started in 1988 in a 3 unit building with 10 employees. This was the brainchild of Dr. Amornthep Deerojanawong who wanted to bring quality products to Thailand consumers at an affordable price. The company started with 10,000,000Baht and its current sales for 2012 were 10,000 million Baht (â€Å"History†, 2014). In addition its current office is a luxurious building site on 30 acres located on Ramkhamhaeng Road in the suburbs of Bangkok boasting â€Å"Future Gardening† by French botanist Mr. Patrick Blanc (â€Å"History†, 2014). The company has quickly grown with its direct selling approach, fast deliver of products and increase branding. The company has combated several issues over the years to gain market share, loyal customer base and an increased sales force. In addition, the company experienced a major setback during the flooding but was able to regroup and reestablish its self very quickly. When the founder died, his son Danai Deerojanawong took over the operation of Better Way with a vision to grow the company into a national brand (â€Å"About Us†, 2014). The company has maintained a competitive edge with its technological warehouse and upgraded technological call center. This system tracks the production, orders and inventory to ensure available of product and accuracy of orders. The Better Way company has received several award and world certifications including GMP-Food and Drug Administration Ministry of public Health Bangkok, Thailand; TUV Cert-ISO 9001:200, GMPH, NOF, R&D, Thailand Best, Thailand Super brand 2004-Gold, Super brand Thailand 2003-2004, Super brand-England-Thailand Choice 2011 and its Fusion HD Powder Foundation on SPF25 received the Cosmetics & Toiletries R&D Award 2011. In addition the c... ...Cited Asean free trade area. (2014, January 8). Retrieved from http://www.asean.org/communities/asean-economic-community/category/asean-free-trade-area-afta-council History. (2014, February 6). Retrieved from http://www.mistine.co.th/en/company/history.php Mistine, (2014, February 7). Retrieved from http://www.mistine.co.th.php About us. (2014, February 6). Retrieved from http://www.mistine.co.th/en/company/about us.php Pongvutitham, A. (2012, January 30). Better way has a big plans for Mistine in asean market. The National. Retrieved from www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Better-way-has-big-plans-for-mistine-in-asean-mark-30174717.html Ferrell, O. C., & Hartline, M. (2011). Marketing strategy. (Fifth ed., pp. ). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning. Retrieved from https://www.betheluniversityonline.net/mba/SectionFramework.aspx?SectionID=783

Timeless Message of Equality in Oscar Wildes The Importance of Being E

Timeless Message of Equality in Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest    Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest satirizes Victorian society.   The witty epigrams of his characters provide light comedy masking the underlying theme of criticism of the Victorian way of life.   Wilde's effective use of humour diffuses the tense theme of his work.   In a Victorian society that emphasized progress, it was precarious for artists like Oscar Wilde to express an imperfect interpretation of life in nineteenth-century England.   Wilde's attack on the ethics of his era is an attempt to fulfill the author's prophecy that art has the power to dictate life, not merely imitate it (614-615).   At a time when the world measured progress in empirical research, Wilde chose to use the English language rather than the scientific method as his mean to transform society.   The Importance of Being Earnest satirizes two main social constructs:   social class and gender relations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde makes fun of characters from the upper class to bring about change in the social construct of the class system.   Wilde satirizes the upper class? pompous attitude, ideas of progress, and emphasis on earnestness.   Wilde identifies the pompous attitude of the upper class by creating characters with distorted perceptions of their self-importance in society.   When Lane the servant says there were no cucumbers at the market, ?[n]ot even for ready money? (8), Algernon seems surprised that his wealth has not given him a slighted chance to obtain cucumbers over the common man.   Algernon?s subordinate view of Lane also symbolizes his arrogance.   As the story opens, Algernon wants to talk to Lane about himself, but... ...e art impact life instead of simply imitating it.   Wilde stood at the forefront of a movement by artists who deflected the confines of the scientific method to reform society.   As The Importance of Being Earnest continues to flourish many years after it was written, Wilde?s message of equality between the social classes and the sexes transcends generations.   Oscar Wilde succeeded in transforming the landscape of art and society.   Ã‚  Works Cited Keach, William, John Richetti, Bruce Robbins, and Carol Moulton, eds.   Adventures in English Literature.   Toronto:   Holt, Rineheart and Wiston, 1996.   599-615. Kishlansky, Mark, Patrick Geary, and Particia O?Brien.   Civilization in the West.   New York:   Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers, 1998.   839-843. Wilde, Oscar.   The Importance of Being Earnest.   New York:   Dover Publications, 1990.   1-54.

Tourism: An Attractive Industry For Economic Development

ABSTRACT Tourism is widely recognized as an important catalyst for economic growth. According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the tourism industry is amongst the biggest industries that make substantial contribution to the economy in terms of its contribution to the GDP, the revenue generated, increased employment and other benefits. The success of the tourism industry begs the question what are the characteristics that make it an attractive industry for economic growth. In order to respond to this question, this analysis will explore on the various tourist attraction sites including natural and cultural attractions, heritage sites, national and wildlife parks, theme parks, gardens and museums, beaches and coastal regions, and entertainment and events. This will include examining how these attractions contribute to economic development. UK will be used as the case study. INTRODUCTION Tourism is widely recognized as an important catalyst for economic growth. According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the tourism industry is amongst the biggest industries that make substantial contributions to the economy in terms of its contribution to the GDP, the revenue generated, increased employment and other benefits (Business tourism 2003). Take for example the UK, the 6th largest destination in the world attracting over 32 million overseas visitors yearly (Williams et al., 2010). UK’s tourism industry is the 5th largest industry and contributes to a large proportion of the GDP. In 2007, the industry was valued at ?114 billion representing 8.2% of GDP and employing over 2.65 million people (Williams et al., 2010). In 2009, the industry was valued at ?115.4 billion of the UK economy, hence representing 8.9% of UK GDP (Williams et al., 2010). The tourism industry is further anticipated to grow yearly at 2.6%, a growth rate similar to that of retail and construction industries (Williams et al., 2010). Indeed, tourism increasingly continues to become an attractive industry for economic growth with an increasing number of visitors. This begs the question what are the characteristics that make tourism an attractive industry for economic developmentThis analysis is thus intended on exploring on these characteristics with a focus on the factors that lead to economic development. Before giving an overview of the fundamental aspects of the economics of tourism, we will first define what we understand by the term â€Å"tourism† WHAT IS TOURISM? The term â€Å"tourism† was first defined by Hunziker and Krapf (1942), the main pioneers of tourism research. They defined tourism as a sum of relations and phenomena that resulted from travelling and staying of non-residents. In this context, a stay does not result into permanent residence of the individual and is not in any way connected to permanent or temporary earning activity. This conceptual definition was for a considerable time generally accepted but had certain flaws. For example, a visit to the hospital could be considered as a form of tourism. Furthermore, under this conceptual definition, non-residents were only identified with foreigners; hence domestic tourism had no place in it. In the later years, a more succinct definition of tourism was put forth by the British Tourism Society. Based on the work of Burkart & Medlik (1974), the British Tourism Society adopted the following definition. Tourism is deemed to be inclusive of any activity concerned with short-term movement of people to destinations other than their neither main continuous domiciles nor place of work (Burkart & Medlik 1974. Within this conceptual definition, activities involving a stay or a visit to the destination are included. It also allows for domestic and day visits as well. This definition still applies up to date. Another conceptual definition that deserves special attention is that put forth by Gilbert (1990). Gilbert (1990) posits that tourism is a part of recreation that involves travelling to other destinations for a short term-period with the aim of satisfying a consumer need. This definition places tourism in the overall context of recreation. Recreation according to Cooper et al. (1993) refers to the pursuits engaged in during leisure time. However, it should be noted that tourism is not only confined to activities carried out during leisure time. Part of the tourism (business tourism in particular) takes place during working time including conventions and business meetings. TOURIST SECTORS Tourism comprise of five main sectors: THE ATTRACTION SECTOR: – this sector comprise of the natural and cultural attractions, heritage sites, national and wildlife parks, theme parks, gardens and museums, beaches and coastal regions, and entertainment and events (Anon 2004). THE ACCOMMODATION SECTOR: – this sector comprise of the hotels, motels, apartments, villas and flats, guest houses, holiday villages, campsites, marinas, touring caravans and condominium timeshares (Anon 2004). THE TRANSPORT SECTOR: – Consists of the airlines, railways, shipping lines, car rental operators, and bus and coach operators (Anon 2004). THE TRAVEL ORGANIZER SECTOR: – the sector covers tour operators, travel agents and incentive travel organizers among others (Anon 2004). THE DESTINATION ORGANIZATION SECTOR: – this includes regional and national tourist offices, local tourist officers and tourism associations (Anon 2004). In order to answer the question: what are the characteristics that make tourism an attractive industry for economic development, we will explore on the attraction sites discussed above. This will also include exploring on business tourism and its contribution to economic development. CULTURAL AND HERITAGE ATTRACTIONS Cultural and heritage attractions play a significant role in the tourism industry. Most of the world heritage sites have a cultural significance that transcend national boundaries and of importance to the present and future generations. Currently, there are 890 world heritage sites reflecting a rich diversity of the world’s cultural heritage (Endresen 1999). In the United Kingdom, sites as diverse such as the Giant’s Causeway, City of Edinburgh, Blaenavon Industrial landscape, and Manchester City help make up the UK’s heritage (UNESCO 2009). In this context, Manchester city, one of the most vibrant cosmopolitan cities has a thriving art and cultural scene that attracts a large number of visitors. The city’s attraction centres include the sports stadiums, museums and galleries, and music venues (UNESCO 2009). The rich cultural heritage, vibrant arts scene and the multicultural population in UK makes it a very attractive tourist destination. Museums which showcase the best of Britain’s culture and history attract millions of international and domestic visitors. Britain’s culture and heritage is estimated to attracting ?4.5 billion worth of spending by inbound visitors annually (UNESCO 2009). NATURAL LANDSCAPE SITES Another popular attractive site in the tourism industry is the natural landscape. Natural landscapes such as Stonehenge, the most famous and mysterious landmark in the UK, attracts a vast number of tourists (Mieczkowski, 1990). Built over 650 years ago and consisting of a ring of monolithic stones, the landmark is a very popular attractive site. Scenic landscapes such as the Wye Valley, an internationally protected landscape straddling the border between Wales and England also attracts a large number of visitors (Mieczkowski, 1990). This area that covers parts of Hertfordshire, Gloucestershire and Monmouthshire is widely recognized for its gorgeous scenery and dense native woodlands as well as for its wildlife and archaeological remains (Mieczkowski, 1990). NATIONAL AND WILDLIFE PARKS National parks also play a huge role in the tourism industry. Britain’s finest national and wildlife parks, zoos and animal attractions such as the Animalarium attract a large number of visitors (Mathieson & Wall 1982). The national parks offer a variety of activities ranging from walking, exploring on the rich and cultural heritage to pursuing other activities such as cycling, rock climbing, and absailing among others (Mathieson & Wall 1982). An estimated 110 million people are estimated to visit national parks in England and Wales annually (UNESCO 2009). ENTERTAINMENT AND EVENTS Entertainment and events also play a major role in the tourism industry. Majority of the concerts and music festivals taking place in the UK attract more than 7.7 million visitors, domestic and overseas combined (ICTHR 2010). The significant amount of revenue generated from entertainment and events is used in boosting the UK’s economy. A great majority of these tourists are UK residents who travel outside of their regions to attend events and see their favourite artists perform live in another region within the UK (ICTHR 2010). London dominates as the destination for live music tourism in the UK. Music tourists at the capital outnumber the local music fans. Its dominance can be attributed to the high number of domestic music tourists attending concerts. With a population of more than 7 million people, the region is host to the O2 Arena, the most successful concert venue in the world (ICTHR 2010). London region is also a host to Wembley stadium and Royal Albert Hall as well (ICTHR 2010). Its parks, mainly Victoria Park, Hyde Park and Clapham are home to a growing number of music festivals (ICTHR 2010). BEACHES AND COASTAL AREAS Beaches and coastal areas are also a huge attraction site for tourists. Tourism in the south of Wales, for example, is primarily focused on the coastal areas in order to attract its visitors. The Welsh tourist industry which is worth ?3.5billion and makes a significant contribution to Wales’ GDP relies largely on its excellent coastal scenery in attracting tourists (Williams, et.al, 2010) BUSINESS TOURISM Another important, yet least acknowledged component of the tourism industry is business tourism. It is one of the most lucrative components of the tourism industry with various benefits that stimulate the growth of the economy. In the UK, business tourism is a wide sector encompassing Conferences and meetings – the British Conference Market Trends Survey 2001 estimates this to be worth around ?7.3 billion annually (Business report 2003). Exhibitions and trade fairs: – these are listed as the 5th largest marketing medium in the UK attracting 11% of the media expenditure and are estimated at ?2.04 billion annually (Business report 2003). Incentive travel: – the value of inbound incentive travel market is estimated to be around ?165 million annually (Business report 2003). Corporate events: – estimates for this segment are between ?700 million and ?1billion annually (Business report 2003). Outdoor events: – a rough estimate of the outdoor events is around ?1billion annually (Business report 2003). In the past few decades, business tourism has grown significantly exceeding the overall tourism growth rate. According to the International Passenger Survey 2001, business tourism accounted for 29.7% of all overseas visitors to the UK and 31.7% of the inbound earnings (Business report 2003). From what can be discerned, investment in business tourism can significantly stimulate the growth of the economy. It may lead to regeneration of urban and inner cities as evident with Birmingham, Glasgow, Cardiff, Belfast and Manchester (Business report 2003). Its resilience during the great recession makes it even more an attractive industry for investment. The business tourism proved resilient, being less affected by economic downturns and by disasters such as the Foot and Mouth Epidemic unlike leisure tourism (Business report 2003). With the above in mind, it is worthy examining some of the main elements that make attractions to be appealing to many. CHARACTERISTICS OF TOURIST ATTRACTIONS It is important to recognize that tourists’ attractions are not all equal. Some may have more potential to draw visitors than others. The main elements that set attractions apart include quality, uniqueness, authenticity, drawing power and activity options. QUALITY: – high quality is a key principle for tourism development. This means offering smooth customer oriented operations and procedures and ensuring that attractions have a pleasing appearance and that they are visitor friendly (Merchant 2005). This includes asking these questions Is the attraction visitor friendly .How does it rate in terms of the appearance, hospitality, operations and resource protection AUTHENTICITY: – authenticity refers to originality. For example, if it is a cultural heritage attraction, authenticity would imply letting the distinctive local flavour of the community to shine in ways that create a â€Å"sense of place†(Merchant 2005). We can consider: Whether the attraction reflects the natural and cultural heritage of the community UNIQUENESS: – this is the â€Å"edge† that sets attraction apart from competition. It involves asking the fundamental question: Is the attraction unique Take for example, The London Eye which is sitting on the South Bank of River Thames. Hanging like a gigantic wheel, this landmark is instantly recognizable. It is currently the biggest Ferris wheel in Europe standing 135 metres high and supported by a giant A-frame which juts the spindle (UNESCO 20090. This makes it unique from other Ferris wheels which use two A-frames and axle support method. DRAWING POWER: – this is a measurement on the power to attract a large number of visitors (Merchant 2005). ACTIVITY OPTIONS: – this is an important characteristic of attractions (Merchant 2005). It involves assessing whether the attraction site offer a varied and changing set of activities. CONCLUSION Indeed, tourism is an attractive industry for economic development. Major attraction sites including the scenic landscapes, cultural and heritage sites, national and wildlife parks, landmarks, theme parks, gardens and museums, beaches and coastal regions, and entertainment among others attract a large number of visitors. There is no doubt that the industry contributes to a large proportion of the GDP and is responsible for employing millions of people. This makes it an important industry for investment. (2,070 words) REFERENCES Anon, 2004. Economic characteristics of the tourism sector, http://v5.books.elsevier.com/bookscat/samples/9780750666374/9780750666374.PDF {Accessed 21st January 2012} Burkart, A.J. and S. Medlik, 1974. Tourism. Past, Present and Future. London: Heinemann. Cooper, C., J. Fletcher, D. Gilbert and S. Wanhill, 1993. Tourism. Principles & Practice. London: Pitman Publishing. Business tourism partnership report, 2003. Business tourism briefing: an overview of the UK’s business tourism industry. London http://www.businesstourismpartnership.com/pubs/briefing.pdf {Accessed 20th January 2012} Endresen, K., 1999. Sustainable tourism and cultural heritage: A review of development assistance and its potential to promote sustainability http://www.nwhf.no/files/File/culture_fulltext.pdf {Accessed 20th January 2012} Gilbert, D.C., 1990. â€Å"Conceptual issues in the meaning of tourism†. In: C.P. Cooper (ed.), Progress in Tourism, Recreation and Hospitality Management, Vol. 2. London: Pitman Publishing. Hunziker, W. & k. Krapf, 1942. Grundriss der Allgemeinen Fremdenverkehrslehre. Zurich: Polygraphischer Verlag International Centre for Tourism and Hospitality Research (ICTHR), 2010. The contribution of music festivals and major concerts to tourism in the UK. London: Bournemouth University. http://www.ukmusic.org/assets/media/UK%20Music%20-Music%20Tourism.pdf{Accessed 22nd January 2012} Mathieson, A. and G. Wall, 1982. Tourism: Economic, Physical and Social Impacts. London: Longman. Merchant, R., 2005. Tourism attraction characteristics. Community tourism handbook: Minnesota Extension. http://nercrd.psu.edu/entrepreneur_what_works_wksp/Handouts/MerchantCharacteristics23.pdf {Accessed 20th January 2012} Mieczkowski, Z., 1990. World Trends in Tourism and Recreation. New York. UNESCO, 2009. World heritage sites. http://www.unesco.org.uk/world_heritage_sites {Accessed 20th January 2012} Williams, et.al, 2010. An assessment of UK heritage coasts in South Wales: J A steers revisited. Journal of Coastal Research. http://www.griffith.edu.au/conference/ics2007/pdf/ICS087.pdf {Accessed 20th January 2012}