Research Methods in Clinical Sciences Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Research Methods in Clinical Sciences - Essay Example Depending on the requirements of the research, methodology can be given either qualitative or quantitative approach. Qualitative approach looks at why a certain trend is taking place (Minichiello, Aroni, Timewell, and Alexander, 1995). It explains reasons as to why a certain behavioural pattern is taking a certain shape, and the forces behind that particular trend. Quantitative research on the other hand looks at the magnitude of a specific phenomenon. It is a deductive process that estimates the quantities of the items involved in the study. It measures the extent to which the involved items in the research affect or are affected by other variables in the study. Most scientific research demands for both types of research methodologies as there may be the need to measure the extent to which the variables involved affect each other and the level of relevance for each (Mould, 1998). An investigation into decision making in health professional’s treating traumatically injured Jeh ovah’s Witnesses will demand for a qualitative approach to the investigation. This research involves explanation as to why a healthcare professional needs to take care of the patients’ interests in regard to their cultural and other beliefs. This may not be explained quantitatively as the data will be given a detailed explanation other than providing statistical overview. When a health professional is dealing with a patient, there are decisions that must be made, some of which may be against the beliefs of the patient. The main objective of this professional will be to ensure that the life of the patient is saved at all cost (Grbich, 1999). To have a full insight into the stages that are involved in this process of making decision during treatment, a qualitative method will be the most appropriate approach. French, Reynolds and Swain, (2001) assert that qualitative research into a topic provides a detailed knowledge into the subject matter, especially when it involves question of why a certain activity or action has taken place in a certain manner. 2.0 Annotated Bibliography Menezes MA., 2010. Life on the front line: exploring personal and professional Impacts on healthcare professionals working with fetal anomaly. Ph D Thesis, The University of Melbourne. Web. 9th January, 2012. In this article, the author explains that currently, health professionals are able to conduct both antenatal screening for pregnant women. This process may reveal certain anomalies in the foetus. In case such a professional detects such a case in a patient, then the professional must strive to rescue such a patient because such anomalies may be fatal if not treated in time. The concerned health professional must therefore make a quick decision on how to approach the issue in order to save the patients life. The main objective of the health expert is to save the life of the patient at all cost, irrespective of beliefs of either the health expert or the patient. Journal of Emergency Primary Healthcare: An International e-Journal of Prehospital Care Research, Education, Clinical Practice, Policy and Service Delivery. Web. 9th January, 2012. This article talks about the management of mass casualty events through adoption of grander scale. Most health experts are faced with very many cases of emergency that require urgent attention.

Background and justification of affecting customers loyalty

Background and justification of affecting customers loyalty In todays competitive markets services and service companies within the same industry are becoming increasingly similar. Differentiation through the delivery channel (i.e. delivery of services against payment) is difficult. A growing number of service companies have embarked on a journey of positioning through the communication channel (i.e. advertising and personal selling) (Andreassen, T.   1995), with the objective of building strong corporate images in order to create relative attractiveness. This development is in line with Lovelock (1984) who claims that  «(images).. . are likely to play only a secondary role in customer choice decisions unless competing services are perceived as virtually identical on performance, price, and availability ». Recent years have shown a growing interest in customer loyalty. The globalisation of competition, saturation of markets, and development of information technology have changed customer behavior and perception and created a situation where success is no longer achieved through product price and qualities. Instead, companies build their success on a long-term customer relationship. According to former studies, it can cost as much as 6 times more to win a new customer than it does to keep an existing one. (Rosenberg L. et al. 1984: 45) Depending on the particular industry, it is possible to increase profit by up to 60% after reducing potential migration by 5%. (Reichheld F. 1993) It follows then, that the increase and holding of loyal customers has become a key factor for long-term success of the companies. The main emphasis in marketing has changed from winning new customers to the keeping of existing ones. Traditionally there are two approaches to treat customer loyalty. Some researchers have investigated the nature of different levels of loyalty, others have explored the influence of individual factors on loyalty. In this article both treatments are combined. The starting point of the paper is to test whether the list of most important factors affecting customer loyalty is dependant on the levels of loyalty of costumers. The potential for establishing loyalty depends on the object (i.e. product or vendor), on the subject (customer) or on the environment (market, other suppliers etc.). This work might be rather helpful for both students, interested in developing this field of research and people, who are working in the sphere of marketing, because it may provide with interesting information worth dwelling upon. This topic interests me personally, because to my mind, customers are the turning point of the market. They decide whether to buy a product or to use a service or not, changing the whole picture of market. That is why, I suppose it is rather necessary for industries to pay much attention to the topic of customers loyalty and satisfaction in order to be a success. Chapter 2. Statement of Objectives and Hypothesis to be Examined. This paper aims to test if the importance of each factor affecting loyalty varies in different loyalty segments described in Figure 1, presenting segmentation of customers loyalty. One possibility to investigate it is to compare the customers of different loyalty levels and examine what kind of factors influence the probability of the customers to remain on that level or to move to another loyalty level. Customer loyalty expresses an intended behavior related to the service or the company. This includes the likelihood of future renewal of service contracts, how likely it is that the customer changes his preferences, how likely the customer is to provide positive word-of-mouth opinion. If real alternatives exist or switching barriers are low management discovers the organizations inability to satisfy its customers through two feedback mechanisms: exit and voice (Hirschman A. 1970). Exit implies that the customers stop buying the companys services while voice is customer complaints expressing the consumers dissatisfaction directly to the company. Customers exit or change of patronage will have an impact on the long-term revenue of the company. Customers may be loyal due to high switching barriers or lack of real alternatives. Customers may also be loyal because they are satisfied and thus want to continue the relationship. History has proven that most barriers to exit are limited with regard to durability; companies tend to consider customer satisfaction the only viable strategy in order to keep existing customers. Several authors have found a positive correlation between customer satisfaction and loyalty (Bearden and Teel   1980;Bolton and Drew 1991; Fornell 1992; Anderson and Sullivan 1993). Based on the future discussion, the following two hypotheses are proposed: Hypothesis 1: Factors such as satisfaction, trustworthiness, importance of relationship and image have a positive influence on loyalty. Objective 1: To indicate any relationship between loyalty and such pshycological factors as satisfaction, importance of relationship and others. Hypothesis 2: The relevance of factors affecting loyalty depends on the levels of loyalty of customers. Objective 2: Define and dwell upon the levels of loyalty of customers, examin them. The limitations of my hypothesis questions were shortage of time, because I had to provide results in a relatively short period of time, and money, because true and reliable information was hard and costly to get. Chapter 3. Details of Information/ Data Collection Methods. Research on customer loyalty has a long history and has been studied using a large variety of methods. Although the study of relationship between satisfaction and loyalty of customers is a newer field of research, various methods have been applied to study this   phenomenon as well. Some studies have also been purely conceptual (Stewart 1998; Hocutt 1998). Although qualitative methods seem to dominate in studies of relationship, quantitative methods have also been used. The data used for the analysis is a secondary source. A secondary source usually contains commentary on or discussion about a primary source. The most important feature of secondary sources is that they offer an interpretation of information gathered from primary sources.   I did not use the primary source as it is an original material. It is from the time period involved, was not filtered through interpretation and need much time and knowledge to process it. Demographically, the study had some limitations. Firstly, only urban customers were targeted in the study. This group was chosen due to the fact that urban customers have more available alternativetives and are therefore potentially more active in their telecommunication choices. Methodologically a certain limitation of the study was that some of the interviews were conducted on the telephone. Despite the fact that the interviews were considered to provide a deep and accurate enough picture of the relationships and the factors affecting customer loyalty, it is obvious that interviews face-to-face have the potential to reach greater depth. The data used in our analysis originates from PacoNet Customer Satisfaction Survey carried out in November 2003 by professional market research company. PacoNet is the one of the leading telecommunication provider in Ukraine and was providing telephone and internet services for private customers at that time. There were three kinds of competitors for PacoNet: firms providing telephone services on PacoNet network; cable-TV companies providing internet services on their own networks, and mobile telephone companies. The satisfaction survey contained information about 1000 private customers. Data was collected by phone interviews. During the survey the customers were asked how important various factors were for them. The importance was measured on a 5-point scale, where â€Å"1† is â€Å"not important at all† and â€Å"5† is â€Å"very important†. Every factor listed above was divided into 3 to 7 subcategories (e.g. accounting had subcategories like the accuracy and understandability of bills, dept management, availability of different payment methods). Satisfaction with the factors reveals from the satisfaction with those subcategories. Additionally customers answered about their general satisfaction with the firm PacoNet. The satisfaction was also measured on a 5-point scale, where â€Å"1† is â€Å"not satisfied at all† and â€Å"5† is â€Å"very satisfied†. Customer loyalty was measured by following questions: What operators are the customers using right now? What operators will the customers use in 2 years? Does the customer recommend or is the customer ready to recommend PacoNet to others? Chapter 4. Details of Data Analysis Methods In the current analysis only the raw data of mentioned survey was used. Software packages MS Excel 2000 and Stata 9.2 have been used by PacoNet for data processing, because Microsoft Excel is a deep program rich in features and functionality. One of the most powerful features of Excel is the ability to write programs that run behind the worksheets to turn Excel into a calculation-oriented development tool for creating special purpose spreadsheets which can function as applications in their own right. Chapter 5. Literature Review There are multiple approaches to customer loyalty. Theories of behavioral loyalty were dominating until 1970 considering loyalty as the function of the share of total purchases (Cunningham R. 1956; Farley J. 1964), function of buying frequency or buying pattern (Tucker 1964; Sheth 1968) or function of buying probability (Harary F. et al. 1962; McConnell D. 1968; Wernerfelt B. 1991). These approaches looked at brand loyalty in terms of outcomes   rather than reasons, until Day G. (1969) introduced the two-dimensional concept of brand loyalty, which stated that loyalty should be evaluated with both behavioral and attitudinal criteria. Contemporary researches consider and accent the psychological (mostly attitudinal and emotional) factor of loyalty (Jacoby J. et al. 1973; Oliver R. 1999; Chaudury A. 1995). These different approaches allow distinguishing customers as whether behaviorally or emotionally loyal. Behaviorally loyal customers act loyal but have no emotional bond with the brand or the supplier when emotionally loyal customers do. Jones T. and Sasser W. call these two kind of loyalty accordingly false or true long-term loyalty (Jones T. et al. 1995). Hofmeyr J. and Rice B. (2000) divide customers to loyal (behavioral) or committed (emotional). Emotional loyalty is much stronger and longer lasting than behavioral loyalty. Its a lasting desire to maintain a valued relationship. The relationship is so important for the customer that he or she makes maximum efforts to keep it (Reichheld F. 2003; Moorman C. et al. 1992). Highly bonded customers will buy repeatedly from a provider to which they are bonded, recommend that provider to others, and strongly defend these choices to others insisting that they have chosen the â€Å"best† product or service. (Butz H. et al. 1996) Behaviorally loyal customers could be divided to sub-segments by the reason of acting: forced to be loyal, loyal due to passivity or functionally loyal. Customers are forced to be loyal when they have to be clients even if they do not want to. Customers may be forced to consume certain products or products/services offered by certain vendor e.g. when the company acts as a monopoly or the poor financial status of the customer is limiting his selection of goods. Gronholdt L. has found that companies with low price strategy had a much higher loyalty than expected from their customer satisfaction. On the other hand, companies that had used a lot of energy on branding indeed had a high customer satisfaction but they did not have a correspondingly high loyalty (Gronholdt L. et al. 2000). Forced loyalty could be established through creating exit barriers as well. Loyal behaviour may also result from passivity customer does not move to another vendor due to comfort or relatively low importance of operation if the choice has low importance, there is no point to spend time and effort on searching for alternatives. Thus, based on his faith in the suitability of the current product, the customer continues to use it without checking alternatives. Hofmeyr J. and Rice B. (2000) say that one of the reasons that customers dont switch brands when they are dissatisfied is that they feel that the alternatives are just as bad as the brand they are using or even worse. Passivity may be caused also by lack of information about attractive characteristics of the brands (Wernerfelt B. 1991). Functionally loyal customers are loyal because they have an objective reason to be. Wernerfelt B. (1991) points out â€Å"cost-based brand loyalty† where brand utilities have a positive influence on brand choice. Functional loyalty can be created by functional values using price, quality, distribution, usage convenience of a product or through different loyalty programs (points, coupons, games, draws etc.) giving a concrete reason to prefer certain supplier. Unfortunately competitors can most easily copy functional values. Thus, creating functional value offers a fleeting competitive advantage: functional loyalty cant be very long lasting (Barnes J. 2003). Jones T. and Sasser W. (1995) propose three measures of loyalty that could be used in segmentation by loyalty: Customers primary behavior regency, frequency and amount of purchase; Customers secondary behavior customer referrals, approval and spreading the word; Customers intent to repurchase is the customer ready to repurchase in the future. Based on the theoretical literature presented above, the customers of a certain telecommunication provider could be segmented by their loyalty as follows: Committed or emotionally loyal customers active customers who use only the certain providers services and declare that they will use only this provider in the future and recommend this provider to others; Behaviorally loyal customers active customers who use only the certain providers services and declare that they will use only this provider in the future but do not agree to recommend this provider to others (inert or functionally loyal); Contradictory or dubious customers active customers who use only the certain providers services but dont know which provider they will use in the future; Disloyal reducers- customers who have reduced or will reduce the percentage of the providers services in their usage; Leavers customers who declare, that they will certainly leave this provider. The impact of satisfaction on loyalty has been the most popular subject of studies. Several studies have revealed that there exists a direct connection between satisfaction and loyalty: satisfied customers become loyal and dissatisfied customers move to another vendor (Heskett J. et al. 1993). The primary objective of creating ACSI (American Customer Satisfaction Index) in 1984 was to explain the development of customer loyalty. In ACSI model customer satisfaction has three antecedents: perceived quality, perceived value and customer expectations (Anderson E. et al. 2000). In the ECSI (European Customer Satisfaction Index) model perceived quality is divided into two elements: â€Å"hard ware†, which consists of the quality of the product or service attributes, and â€Å"human ware†, which represents the associated customer interactive elements in service, i.e. the personal behaviour and atmosphere of the service environment (Gronholdt L. et al. 2000). In both model increased satisfaction should increase customer loyalty. When the satisfaction is low customers have the option to exit (e.g. going to a competitor) or express their complaints. Researches have shown that 60-80% of customers who turned to a competitor said they were satisfied or very satisfied on t he survey just prior to their defection (Reichheld F. et al. 2000). So its clear that there must be also other factors beside satisfaction that have a certain impact on customer loyalty. Image of brand or supplier is one of the most complex factors. It affects loyalty at least in two ways. Firstly, customer may use his preferences to present his own image. That may occur both in conscious and subconscious level. According to the Belks theory of extended self, people define themselves by the possessions they have, manage or create (Belk R. 1988). Aaker J. has shown how consumers prefer brands with personality traits that are corresponding with the personality traits that constitute their selfschemas (Aaker J. 1999). Kim C., Han D. and Park S. have researched the link between brand personality and loyalty. They did get positive support to hypothesis that the attractiveness of the brand personality indirectly affects brand loyalty (Kim C. et al. 2001). Tidwell P. and Horgan D. (1993) have showed that people use products to enhance self-image. Secondly, according to social identity theory, people tend to classify themselves into different social categories. That leads to evaluation of objectives and values in various groups and organisations in comparison with the customers own values and objectives. They prefer partners who share similar objectives and values (Ashforth B. et al. 2001). Fournier S. (1998) states that consumer-brand relationships are more a matter of perceived goal compatibility. Brands cohere into systems that consumers create not only to aid living but also to give meanings to their lives. Oliver R. (1999) argues that for fully bonded loyalty the consumable must be part of the consumers self-identity and his or her social-identity. Trustworthiness of the partner is a factor that has certain impact on the establishment of loyalty nobody expects a long-term relation with a partner that cannot be trusted. Trustworthiness is one criterion for measuring the value of the partner (Doney P. et al. 1997). Spekman R. (1988) calls trust a cornerstone of the strategic partnership. Morgan R. and Hunt S. (1994) posit that trust is a major determinant of relationship commitment: brand trust leads to brand loyalty because trust creates exchange relationships that are highly valued. Chauduri A. and Holbrook M. (2001) have showed that brand trust is directly related to both purchase and attitudinal loyalty. Many authors have accented that trust is important in conditions of uncertainty (Moorman C. et al. 1992; Doney P. et al. 1997; Morgan R. et al. 1994). Uncertainty may be caused by dependence or large choice: people tend then to prefer popular or familiar brands or partners. Many definitions describe loyalty as a desire to retain a valuable or important relationship (Morgan R. et al 1994; Moorman C. et al. 1992). That way the establishment of loyalty is predetermined by the importance of relevant relationship or selection. Weiss A. (2001) points out three aspects that may increase the importance of the relationship: strategic importance of a product; high risks involved in the transaction or costs incurred by cancellation of contracts. Hofmeyr J. and Rice B. point out that the more important the relationship is to a person, the more willing that person is to tolerate dissatisfaction in favour of trying to fix it. By contrast, when a relationship doesnt matter, then even the perfectly satisfied consumer can switch on to another product (Hofmeyr J. et al. 2000). A relationship can also be made important by personal approach. Various authors have compared loyalty with marriage (Lewitt T. . 1983; Dwyer F. et al. 1987; Gummeson E. 1998; Hofmeyr J. et al. 2000). Marriage is one of the most personal and important relationships. That means that intimacy is one determinant for importance of relationship. Lewitt T. (1983) has considered a role of salesman in making relationship more personal. Summarising the discussion above following figure   is presenting the major groups of factors affecting customer loyalty. The present study focused purely on customer perception of the relationship and the factors that have affected it and their loyalty or disloyalty. A useful extension of the study would be to couple such a study of how the service provider perceives the relationship and factors affecting customer loyalty or disloyalty. This would add factors such as customer profitability to the study, making it possible to focus on factors affecting customers that are most attractive to the company. In such a study, the customers and providers views on the relationship would be combined. As a result, one would identify potential gaps in the companys knowledge of the customer and also be able to eliminate potential misconceptions. Chapter 6. Chapter Outline. Presented work is built up of 8 chapters, dwelling upon the customers loyalty. Each chapter gives clear information on subtopics, which are logically combined to provide the reader with sufficient facts to understand the flow of the research. The first chapter is dealing with the background and justification for selection of the topic. Since customer loyalty is something more of what an enterprise must get from the customer, it is a very productive research product for the companies. As opposed to what the name suggests, is not just something that the customer has to build towards the enterprise. It is not just the customer who is being loyal to the company in the progress but also the company that has to maintain its loyalty to the customer The second chapter presents the hypothesis questions, which are being examined through the whole work. I come out with two hypothesis, which are as follows: Hypothesis 1: Factors such as satisfaction, trustworthiness, importance of relationship and image have a positive influence on loyalty; and Hypothesis 2: The relevance of factors affecting loyalty depends on the levels of loyalty of customers. The third and forth chapters puts light on the research methodology I have used to process the data and come to conclusions. I took into consideration secondary data, which originates from PacoNet Customer Satisfaction Survey carried out in November 2003 by professional market research company. Two software packages MS Excel 2000 and Stata 9.2 have been used for data processing and presenting the results of the research. In this chapter I also dwell upon the limitations of the research, which consists of time limitation, budget limitation, as well as demographical and methodological. The fifth chapter gives perception of the theory used for the thesis. It informs us, that theories of behavioral loyalty were dominating until 1970 considering loyalty as the function of the share of total purchases (Cunningham R. 1956; Farley J. 1964), function of buying frequency or buying pattern (Tucker W. 1964) or function of buying probability (Harary F. et al. 1962;). Contemporary researches consider and accent the psychological (mostly attitudinal and emotional) factor of loyalty (Jacoby J. et al. 1973; Oliver R. 1999; Chaudury A. 1995). These and other researches were used as a base for my own research proposal. And the last, sixth chapter provides with a brief outline of the research proposal stages. Having developed the hypothesis questions, and done a literature review we come to the conclusion that the findings of the present study reveal that it is not accurate to treat all customers equally in terms of methods of increasing their loyalty. The research supports the research proposition that the list of most important factors affecting loyalty is dependant on the level of loyalty of consumers. The overall satisfaction and importance of products build the foundation of any kind of loyalty. It shows also that reliability of products or trustworthiness of the supplier is most critical for behavioral loyalists and the image creation is the main tool for getting loyal customers. Therefore many factors were derived indirectly and with certain limitations, and they may lack some qualities considered in the theoretical part. There are multiple ways for further development of the model, but first there is need to elaborate reliable questionnaires for collecting the source data. There are several factors for building a customers loyalty which I could recommend. It is very important to communicate. Whether it is an email newsletter, monthly flier, a reminder card for a tune up, or a holiday greeting card, it is nice to reach out to a steady customers.   Another pleasant way is to provide customer service, to go the extra distance and meet customer needs, because customers remember being treated well. It is also very important to provide with employee loyalty. Loyalty works from the top down. If a boss is loyal to his employees, they will feel positively about their jobs and pass that loyalty along to the customers. Employee training should also be used, training them in the manner that to interact with customers. It is also of great advice to give customers a reason to return to the industrys business. For example, because children outgrow shoes quickly, the owner of a childrens shoe store might offer a card that makes the tenth pair of shoes half price. Likewise, a dentist may give a free cleaning to anyone who has seen him regularly for five years. It is also important to have products awareness, knowing what a steady customer purchase and keep these items in stock. It is possible to add other products and/or services that accompany or compliment the products that regular customers buy regularly. The reliability of the vendor is highly appreciated. If they say a purchase will arrive on Wednesday, they should deliver it on Wednesday. If something goes wrong, they should let customers know immediately and compensate them for their inconvenience. Vendors should be flexible, trying to solve customers problems or complaints to the best of their ability.

Business Assignment :: essays research papers

Business Name Business Address Line 1 Business Address Line 2 Dear Business Name: Over the past 50 years, your company has been a loyal supporter of the Morris County Senior Center. The contributions that we have received from your company have helped this center grow in many ways. Because of your support, we have been able to help Morris County’s Senior Citizens feel like they were young again. Recently, our non-profit organization has run into some financial concerns. The vans that we use to transport our guests are old and run down. Because of this, certain measures have occurred to the disappointment of our guests. Here at the Center, we serve the needs of Morris County’s 1,000 Senior Citizens. It is the only place where they can meet their peers, use a special library, avoid extreme weather and get a well-balanced meal. Most individuals come here by way of our bus system. These buses are used for various day trips to museums, plays, and similar functions. Occasionally they are used to transport the temporarily disabled to the doctors or pharmacists. As I’m sure you have heard, recent state and federal cutbacks have dug into our organizations budget. Also, two of our largest supporters have taken their companies else where which has also taken a cut out of our budget. Here at the center we have under taken this special fundraiser to raise the costs of purchasing three new buses. We figure total costs to be $84,000. This figure includes estimates on ho much the center could gain from selling the old vans. According to our estimates, the purchase of these new vans will be a much better investment than continually fix our existing vans which right now is costing us $300 a week.

Mobile phones Essay

Consumers have when choosing between different mobile phone brands. The study was built upon six key attributes (telephone features, connection fee, access cost, mobile-to-mobile phone rates, call rates and free calls) related to mobile phone purchasing respondents had to importance rate. The research showed that consumers with prior experience about a product can predict their choices relatively well, although respondents tended to overestimate the importance of features, call rates and free calls and underestimate the importance of a monthly access fee, mobile-to-mobile phones rates and the connection fee. 1.Demographic factors have an influence on the evaluations of different attributes related to mobile phone choice. Specifically, gender and social class will impact on the evaluations of the attributes as men belonging to higher social class seem to be more technology savvy. 2.Consumers value personal time planning properties in the choice of new mobile phones. Consumers value in smart phones features that enhance their personal time planning (e.g., Jones, 2002). These high-rated features include calendar and e-mail services .However, while synchronization of calendar and e-mail services to PCs has become easy and fast, the importance of time planning in mobile phones becomes more and more important. 3.New technical properties increase consumer willingness to acquire new phone models. Another important aspect that has risen from different studies is that consumers purchase new phones due to the fact that their existing one’s capacity is not appropriate referring to the idea that new technology features such as built-in cameras, better memory, radio, more developed messaging services, and color displays are influencing consumer decisions to acquire new models. Thus it can be expected that new features will influence the intention to acquire new mobile phones. 4.When choosing between different mobile phone models, consumers value larger screen size but the whole phone should be small enough and light to carry in pocket. 5.When choosing between different mobile phone models, consumers value familiar brands. Price of the phone has been identified as a critical factor in the choice of the mobile phone model, especially among younger people. besides new technological advances price is the most influential factor affecting the choice of a new mobile phone model. In addition, it seems that size and brand play to some extent an important role in decision making. Liu (2002) for instance surveyed Asian mobile phone users and found that size of the phone had no impact on mobile phone choice, but this finding might be due to the fact that all competing brands have quite similar sized phones that are small enough. Liu continues that the trend will actually be not towards smaller phones but towards phones with better capability and larger screens. While companies are advertising new models and services that do not yet exist, it according to the paper signals to the market that the company is at the cutting edge of technology and shows what will be available in the very near future. The sales of new phones will then be driven by replacement rather than adoption.

The essay is about the game of baseball

The essay is about the game of baseball. It covers basic rules and terms applied in baseball. Each paragraph of the paper describes a particular issue of a game such a field structure, the process of the game itself, the role of each team-player, and the general goal of the game.The essay is structured in such a way that gives a comprehensive and consequent picture of what is baseball about.This work is a definition essay on a team game baseball. Americans had played bat-and-ball games for decades when, in 1845, Alexander Cartwright of New York devised the rules that created modern baseball. Cartwright’s game quickly became popular with young clerks and urban craftsmen. By 1860, baseball had spread throughout the Northeast, and by 1870 to the rest of the nation. Now, baseball is a game made up of two teams of nine players each on a baseball field.There are four bases – points which must be touched by a runner in order to score a run. Numbered counter-clockwise, first, s econd and third bases are cushions, sometimes informally referred to as bags, shaped as 15  in (38  cm) squares which are raised a short distance above the ground; together with home plate, the fourth â€Å"base†, they form a square with sides of 90  ft (27.4  m) called the diamond. Home base (plate) is a pentagonal rubber slab known as simply home. The playing field is divided into three main sections:(a)  Ã‚  Ã‚   The infield, containing the four bases, is for general defensive purposes bounded by the foul lines and within the grass line.(b)  Ã‚   The outfield is the grassed area beyond the infield grass line between the foul lines, and bounded by a wall or fence.(c)  Ã‚  Ã‚   Foul territory is the entire area outside the foul lines.The game is played in nine innings in which each team gets one turn to bat and try to score runs while the other pitches and defends in the field. An inning is broken up into two halves in which the away team bats in the top (first ) half, and the home team bats in the bottom (second) half.In baseball, the defense always has the ball — a fact that differentiates it from most other team sports. The teams switch every time the defending team gets three players of the batting team out.The winner is the team with the most runs after nine innings. If the home team is ahead after the top of the ninth, play does not continue into the bottom half. In the case of a tie, additional innings are played until one team comes out ahead at the end of an inning. If the home team takes the lead anytime during the bottom of the ninth or of any inning thereafter, play stops and the home team is declared the winner.The basic contest is always between the pitcher for the fielding team, and a batter. The pitcher throws — pitches —the ball towards home plate, where the catcher for the fielding team waits (in a crouched stance) to receive it. Behind the catcher stands the home plate umpire.The batter stands in one of the batter’s boxes and tries to hit the ball with a bat. The pitcher must keep one foot in contact with the top or front of the pitcher’s rubber — a 24†³ x 6†³ (~ 61 cm x 15 cm) plate located atop the pitcher’s mound — during the entire pitch, so he can only take one step backward and one forward in delivering the ball.The catcher’s job is to receive any pitches that the batter does not hit and to ‘call’ the game by a series of hand movements that signal to the pitcher what pitch to throw and where. If the pitcher disagrees with the call, he will ‘shake off’ the catcher by shaking his head; he accepts the sign by nodding. Each team has a different set of signals, though the number 1 is almost universal as a fast ball.The catcher’s role becomes more crucial depending on how the game is going, and how the pitcher responds to a given situation. Each pitch begins a new play, which might consist of n othing more than the pitch itself.Each half-inning, the goal of the defending team is to get three members of the other team out. A player who is out must leave the field and wait for his next turn at bat. There are many ways to get batters and baserunners out; some of the most common are catching a batted ball in the air, tag outs, force outs, and strikeouts.After the fielding team has put out three players from the opposing team, that half of the inning is over and the team in the field and the team at bat switch places; there is no upper limit to the number that may bat in rotation before three outs are recorded. Going through the entire order in an inning is referred to as â€Å"batting around†. It is indicative of a high scoring inning. A complete inning consists of each opposing side having a turn (three outs) on offense.The goal of the team at bat is to score more runs than the opposition; a player may do so only by batting, then becoming a base runner, touching all th e bases in order (via one or more plays), and finally touching home plate. To that end, the goal of each batter is to enable baserunners to score or to become a baserunner himself.The batter attempts to hit the ball into fair territory — between the baselines — in such a way that the defending players cannot get them or the baserunners out. In general, the pitcher attempts to prevent this by pitching the ball in such a way that the batter cannot hit it cleanly or, ideally, at all.A baserunner who successfully touches home plate after touching all previous bases in order scores a run. In an enclosed field, a fair ball hit over the fence on the fly is normally an automatic home run, which entitles the batter and all runners to touch all the bases and score. A home run hit with all bases occupied (‘bases loaded’) is called a grand slam.Referencesâ€Å"Baseball† Available from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball Accessed 25 April 2007.â€Å"Baseball rulles† Available from www.ncaa.org/library/rules/2003/baseball_rules.pdf Accessed 25 April 2007.

Whether cognitive dissonance plays a role in the elections and the voting process

Whether cognitive dissonance plays a role in the elections and the voting process The question of the article is whether cognitive dissonance plays a role in the elections and the voting process. Cognitive dissonance supposes that people who have chosen a specific behavior will align their attitudes according to such behavior. In case the behavior is realized to be unwanted or negative later, the individual will be even more inclined to repeat the behavior and support it by changing their attitude to fit that behavior.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Whether cognitive dissonance plays a role in the elections and the voting process? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This is an important issue because it greatly affects the results of the election and the way people view themselves and the government. If people chose leaders only due to a misplaced feeling of self worth or importance of their own comfort and self respect, than the leaders chosen do not really reflect the qualities of morality and ju stice. This means that people select leaders out of lowered feelings of own opinions and thus, the whole system becomes pointless. The framework that is used to study the problem is the statistical method that will compare people who are eligible to vote, versus those who are not yet of age, thus do not vote. The outcome of the future elections and preferences are predicted to be affected by the previous selection of the candidate. Specific aspects of individuals are examined, more particularly age, previous knowledge of the candidate and general political education, as well as interest in government and economical state of the country. Preferential views of the members of the same party are also taken into account. This sort of research model is advantageous, as it addresses issues that were given little attention in the past. Also, the age of voting has been changed and this added a large amount of population to the voting process. The authors also address the voting by other raci al groups and this issue has become a significant determinant. Placebo technique was used in the study to determine the effecting variables and biases of the study. Data that used was taken from the statistics of previous voting processes. Voting numbers from 1978 until year 2000 are being analyzed, to determine any patterns or irregularities. The National Election Study or NES is being used to determine people’s political attitudes, behaviors and general views towards politicians, governmental institutions and elections in general. There were also interviews conducted that included personal questions. As the opinions of individuals greatly vary, NES allows for a more specific determination of opinions towards certain politicians. The dependent variable was the amount of individual feeling people had towards the president. A number of personal characteristics of the leader that people expect to see were also included, to give a better picture of what the public views as impor tant qualities of a politician.Advertising Looking for report on political culture? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The tables used in the study show the relationship between different social classes and races. Marital status, education, place of residence, age, race and preference to a specific political party were considered to show the statistical difference between people’s beliefs and behaviors. Also, variables were compared according to presidential elections and senatorial ones. The results have shown that there is a positive correlation between previous voting and future selection of the candidate. Even though there are limitations and variables that cannot be fully controlled, there is dependency which leads to polarization. Further studies and testing are needed to increase the reliability of such studies.

Castle Life Essays - Knight, Feudalism, Castle, Tournament, Nobility

Castle Life Essays - Knight, Feudalism, Castle, Tournament, Nobility Castle Life Supported by the brawn and taxes of the peasants, the feudal baron and his wife would seem to have had a comfortable life. In many ways they did, despite the lack of creature comforts and refinements. Around the 12th century, fortified manor dwellings began to give way to stone castles. Some of these, with their great outer walls and courtyard buildings, covered around 15 acres and were built for defensive warfare. Even during the hot summer months, dampness clung to the stone rooms, and the lord and his entourage spent as much time as possible outdoors. At dawn, a watchman on top of the lookout tower blasted out a note on his bugle to awaken everyone in the castle. After a small breakfast of bread and wine or beer, the nobles attended mass in the chapel at the castle. The lord then went about his business. He first may have heard the report of an estate manager (a manager of plot of land). If a discontented or badly treated serf had fled, without a doubt, the lord would order special people called retainers to bring him back. This is because serfs were bound to the lord unless they could evade him for a year and a day. The lord would also hear the petty offenses of the peasants and fine the culprits, or, he might even sentence them to a day in the pillory. Serious deeds, like poaching or murder, were legal matters for the local court or royal "circuit" court. The lady of the castle had many duties of her own. She inspected the work of her large staff of servants, and saw that her spinners, weavers, and embroiderers furnished clothes for the castle and rich robes for the clergy. She and her ladies also helped to train the pages, who were well-born boys that came to live in the castle at the age of seven years. For seven years pages were taught in religion, music, dancing, riding, hunting, and some reading, writing, and arithmetic. When they turned 14, they became squires. The lord directed the training of the squires. They spent seven years learning the practices of chivalry and, above all this, of warfare. At the age of 21, if they were worthy enough, they received the distinction of knighthood. Sometime between 9 AM and noon, a trumpet called the lord's household to the great hall for dinner. Their, they wolfed down great quantities of soup, game, birds, mutton, pork, some beef, and often venison or boar slain in the hunt. In winter, the ill-preserved meat tasted fiercely of East Indian spices, bought at enormous cost to hide the rank taste. Great, flat pieces of bread called trenchers served as plates and, after the meal, were tossed to the dogs around the table or given to the poor. Huge pies, or pasties, filled with several kinds of fowl or fish, were greatly loved. Metal, or wood cups, or leather "jacks" held cider, beer, or wine. Coffee and tea were not used in Europe until after the Middle Ages. Minstrels or jokers entertained at dinner. Hunting, games, and tournaments delighted nobles. Even the ladies and their pages rode into the field to loose falcons at game birds. Indoors, in front of the great open fire, there was chess, checkers, and backgammon. Poet-musicians, called troubadours, would often chant and sing storied accomplishments of Charlemagne, Count Roland, or Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Dearest to the warrior heart of the feudal lord was the tournament, an extravagant contest of arms. Visiting knights and nobles set up their pavilions near the lists, or field of contest. Over each tent, a banner fluttered to show the rank of a contestanthere a count, there a marquis or a baron. The shield of each armor-ridden warrior was emblazoned, or decorated, to identify the bearer. The first day of the tournament, or tourney, was usually devoted to single combats, in which pairs of knights rode full speed at each other with 10-foot (3-meter) lances. The tournament's climax was the melee, when companies of knights battled in adventurous mimic warfare. A tournament cost the lord a fortune for hospitality and rich prizes given to the victors by the "queen of the tournament". Tournaments had a cold and forbidding valueas practice for feudal warfare. Some battle or raid erupted almost daily, since medieval nobles settled their quarrels simply by attacking. If a lord coveted land, his couriers called his vassals to make a foray, or raid, of it. The peasants, in quilted battle coats,

Cassius Dio

Cassius Dio Cassius Dio, also sometimes known as Lucius, was a Greek historian from a leading family of Nicaea in Bithynia. He is perhaps best known for publishing a through history of Rome in 80 separate volumes. Cassius Dio was born in Bithynia around 165 AD. Dio’s exact birth name is unknown, although it is probable that his full birth name was Claudius Cassius Dio, or potentially Cassius Cio Cocceianus, although that translation is less likely. His father, M. Cassius Apronianus, was proconsul of Lycia and Pamphylia, and legate of Cilicia and Dalmatia. Dio was in the Roman consul twice, perhaps in A.D. 205/6 or 222, and then again in 229. Dio was a friend of the emperors Septimius Severus and Macrinus. He served his second consulship with Emperor Severus Alexander. After his second consulship, Dio decided to retire from political office, and he went home to Bithynia. Dio was named praetor by Emperor Pertinax, and is thought to have served in this office in 195. In addition to his work on the history of Rome from its foundation to the death of Severus Alexander (in 80 separate books), Dio also wrote a history of the Civil Wars of 193-197. Dios history was written in Greek. Only a few of the original 80 books of this history of Rome have survived to this day. Much of what we know about the various writings of Cassius Dio comes from Byzantine scholars. The Suda credits him with a Getica (actually written by Dio Chrysostom) and a Persica (actually written by Dinon of Colophon, according to Alain M. Gowing, in Dios Name, (Classical Philology, Vol. 85, No. 1. (Jan., 1990), pp. 49-54). Also Known As: Dio Cassius, Lucius History of Rome Cassius Dio’s most well-known work is a thorough history of Rome that spans 80 separate volumes. Dio published his work on the history of Rome after twenty-two years of intensive research on the topic. The volumes span approximately 1,400 years, beginning with the arrival of Aeneas in Italy. From The Encyclopedia Britannica: â€Å"His history of Rome consisted of 80 books, beginning with the landing of Aeneas in Italy and ending with his own consulship. Books 36–60 survive in large part. They relate events from 69 bc to ad 46, but there is a large gap after 6 bc. Much of the work is preserved in later histories by John VIII Xiphilinus (to 146 bc and then from 44 bc to ad 96) and Johannes Zonaras (from 69 bc to the end). Dio’s industry was great, and the various offices he held gave him opportunities for historical investigation. His narratives show the hand of the practiced soldier and politician; the language is correct and free from affectation. His work is far more than a mere compilation, though: it tells the story of Rome from the perspective of a senator who has accepted the imperial system of the 2nd and 3rd centuries. His account of the late republic and the age of the Triumvirs is especially full and is interpreted in light of the battles over supreme rule in his own day. In Book 52 there is a long speech by Maecenas, whose advice to Augustus reveals Dio’s own vision of the empire.†

International Business Practices - cultural differences Essay

International Business Practices - cultural differences - Essay Example The best method is to wait until Australian partner brings these subjects and not to be afraid to express the opinion even if it completely different. Similar to Australians, South African partners might discuss social issues as well, including race policies. The concept of political correctness is very important - it is acceptable to talk about race without imposing the personal views. Interestingly, South African business partners tend to talk about anything except for business. For example, the common interest in sports can solidify the personal side of the business relations (South Africa Business Etiquette, 2003). If the sales manager expresses the desire to see a cricket match or any other national sport, the further business communication will much improve and be beneficial for both sides. Knowledge of this business ethics can help the PM company to do business more effectively in South Africa. The culture in Britain is very unlike to Australia and South Africa. British partner will never discuss social issues or common sports interests with the stranger. British are more reserved and value personal distance in business relations (United Kingdom Business Etiquette, 2003).

Essay assignment on theme Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Assignment on theme - Essay Example Cather’s major massage in â€Å"Paul’s Case† is a boy’s great and unreasonable desire of splendid lives and its consequences. The author depicts several occasions that reveal Paul’s emotional fulfillment when he is engaged in the theatre setting. Cather shows the conflict between two places. Paul’s house is a place where he remains devastated, and the theater is a place where he gets satisfaction in life. Cather mentions, â€Å"After a concert was over Paul was always irritable and wretched until he got to sleep,† and reflects on the â€Å"ugliness and commonness that he had always had when he came home.† Home is not a cozy, comfortable and safe place to Paul. He does not even relate to his neighbors. However the author points out the happiness of Paul while working at the theatre "as though it were his greatest pleasure in life." Cather adds: â€Å"This was Paul’s fairy tale, and it had for him all the allurement of a secret love.† Paul is very excited, energetic and alive when he is working in the theater. He is more than happy with guiding dressed people and see ing musicians. Paul visualizes real life at the theatre which is furnished with garish satins, diamonds and rhinestones. Paul views the setting of the theatre and the setting of his home and school to be at different extremes of the pleasant and unpleasant. Cather depicts Paul as being obsessive of living in the style and manner which he dreamt of, rather than working hard to pursue the career of an artist and then enjoy life in accordance with his dreams. Paul actually finds a shortcut to fulfill his dreams by stealing money from his employer. When he reaches New York, he starts buying things, such as a street coat, hat, shoes, silver brushes, dress shirts and a scarf pin. He also rides in carriage, drinks champagne and dines to the background of a string orchestra. Cather states, â€Å"Everything was quite perfect; he was exactly the kind of boy he had always wanted to be.† The boy has

Changes in the Banking Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Changes in the Banking Industry - Essay Example The capital ratio stands at 11.39% in 2010 when compared to 8% in 2006. The number of institutions reporting to the FDIC has decreased from 8833 institutions in the year 2005 to 7760 institutions in 2010. The number of problem institutions has increased drastically on a year on year basis from 552 in 2009 to 860 in 2010. The number of failed institutions has also increased to 127 institutions in 2010 from just 3 institutions in the year 2007. Bank’s return on assets which refers to net income as a percentage of total assets, increased which suggests that the banking industry is able to garner more interest income with the rising in demand for loans with reducing the cost of funds, therefore sustaining revenues and improving asset quality. In relation to the core capital ratio, Tier 1 capital can absorb losses without a bank being required to cease its functioning. Therefore increase in core capital ratio indicates the health of the banking industry is improving considerably. T he banking industry is giving prime importance to strengthening the Tier 1 level of capital. Credit growth has been strong due to which the net interest margin is indicating an upward trend with a 291.33% increase in net operating income of banks. Despite this relatively good news, the number of problem institutions has increased primarily because of financial, operational or managerial weaknesses that might lead to increased number of failed institutions in the last quarter of 2010. The trend of the number of institutions reporting to FDIC reducing is largely explained by the acquisition of smaller institutions by bigger institutions to prevent banks from failing and also because of increasing number of failed institutions. The number of problem institutions continues to increase but the aggregate assets of these problem institutions continued to decline suggests that this are smaller institutions in nature.  

Mischeif and miscarriage in the criminal justice process Assignment

Mischeif and miscarriage in the criminal justice process - Assignment Example 397). Nevertheless, the advancement in the legal practice and in the administration of public affairs makes it possible to have criminals released from confinement allowed the freedom to participate in their social and economic lives without much deterrence. Such a process is sustainable on the basis that such persons are given corrective services while in their homes or with the society (Cohen 2002; p. 41)1. Prisons have served as a useful institution of isolation of criminals. It is however useful to have criminals effectively observed because they are in a different state of social cognition characterized by many altered feelings about social order, governance and public life. Prisons have ceased to deliver their corrective capacity as a result of the challenges in the economy today and therefore better methods should be gradually tested and ratified that will ensure more of the criminals are free in the society and are engaged into more meaningful work. Supervision in the community will offer the best option for correction due to the fact that there are technologies to monitor or aid the monitoring of criminals and that may assist in their correction. The community approach will also create an environment for the other civilian to be familiar with the restrictions that are attached to criminal activity and hence facilitate psychological adjustment and abhorrence for crime. The condition that crime must be established beyond and reasonable doubt in a litigation process is a very high bar to attain in many litigation processes. Due to these high standards, it is meaningful that the program is obtained that will manage the loopholes for which many criminal have evaded justice through the criminal justice system (Ramsey, Latessa, & Travis 2003; p. 3). Suffice it to mention therefore, governments should seek to collaborate widely with many institutions in the process of administering justice. In the United States, the Megan’s law was

Starbucks related to Pacific North West Research Paper

Starbucks related to Pacific North West - Research Paper Example To succeed in the Pacific Northwest market therefore, Starbucks must position itself strategically through knowing and understanding the needs of the customers in the region, particularly during hard economic times. This report therefore will be attempting to determine the most appropriate strategy for Starbucks to apply in this area, between the pricing and quality strategy, in efforts to retain its huge customer base during hard economic times (Kotelnikov 1). Considering the modern challenging economy plus the competitive business world, retention of the customer base is crucial for any business success, including Starbucks. If Starbucks fails in satisfying their customers fully, to encourage them to stay, competitors will take the opportunity to meet those needs, thus leading to increased customer turnover rates (Kotelnikov 1). This is a great risk to the company because customer satisfaction and retention drive profits. Managing the existing customer base moreover will cost less, while increasing sales, as compared to seeking new customers. Starbucks business relies heavily on repeat customer purchases and customer loyalty. The company must therefore devote in developing its customer experiences and loyalty. Starbuck thus has to be increasingly strategic in succeeding in different regions, and in this case, the Pacific Northwest market. Identifying the needs of this market will help the company in positioning itself strategically to win customer loyalty, thus retaining its huge customer base. Lowering the prices or continuing to develop the quality of its brand could be the two strategic options Starbuck can choose to succeed in this market (Auch-Roy 17). The Pricing Strategy: Starbucks needs to adjust its prices downwards as trends have shown that the company’s coffee is more price-elastic as compared to coffee demand,

The role of IT in generating competitive advantage for a business Assignment

The role of IT in generating competitive advantage for a business organisation of your own choice - Assignment Example he term information and communication technology (ICT) as people use and communicate to other people through a network connection (Laudon, & Laudon, 2010). Most organizations use ICT to interact with clients and become competitive in the market. The computer is made up of the hardware, which is the visible and physical part of a computer and the software that includes a set of commands that are understandable to the computer as well as the provision of instructions expected to be done by the computer. The basic principle of the computer is that information or data enters through the computer through an input device that is then processed and transmitted through an output device. Some of the output devices include interfaces like the screen or other electronic device like a storage device or computer network. For businesses to be successful and be effective, it is important for organizations to install information technology. Some of the business applications include databases, transactional systems like the real time order entry, web servers for example, the Apache. In addition, there are systems that manage customers and enterprise resource planning systems. Moreover, computer servers run business applications by interacting with client users and other servers across different networks (Kangas, 2003). In an organization, the IT department is tasked with the management of the organizations IT infrastructure and assets. The IT team relies on the specialized IT knowledge and skills to support the equipment and organizational activities. This paper will look at how Pfizer pharmaceutical company located in New York and spread across the globe is using IT to have a competitive edge over other pharmaceutical companies. Two cousins, Charles Pfizer and Charles Erhart, incorporated Pfizer pharmaceutical in Brooklyn New York in 1849. The company is dedicated on improving the lives of human beings. Moreover, it is dedicated to do research and revolutionary processes and

Starbucks related to Pacific North West Research Paper

Starbucks related to Pacific North West - Research Paper Example To succeed in the Pacific Northwest market therefore, Starbucks must position itself strategically through knowing and understanding the needs of the customers in the region, particularly during hard economic times. This report therefore will be attempting to determine the most appropriate strategy for Starbucks to apply in this area, between the pricing and quality strategy, in efforts to retain its huge customer base during hard economic times (Kotelnikov 1). Considering the modern challenging economy plus the competitive business world, retention of the customer base is crucial for any business success, including Starbucks. If Starbucks fails in satisfying their customers fully, to encourage them to stay, competitors will take the opportunity to meet those needs, thus leading to increased customer turnover rates (Kotelnikov 1). This is a great risk to the company because customer satisfaction and retention drive profits. Managing the existing customer base moreover will cost less, while increasing sales, as compared to seeking new customers. Starbucks business relies heavily on repeat customer purchases and customer loyalty. The company must therefore devote in developing its customer experiences and loyalty. Starbuck thus has to be increasingly strategic in succeeding in different regions, and in this case, the Pacific Northwest market. Identifying the needs of this market will help the company in positioning itself strategically to win customer loyalty, thus retaining its huge customer base. Lowering the prices or continuing to develop the quality of its brand could be the two strategic options Starbuck can choose to succeed in this market (Auch-Roy 17). The Pricing Strategy: Starbucks needs to adjust its prices downwards as trends have shown that the company’s coffee is more price-elastic as compared to coffee demand,

The entrepreneurial process that brought about the creation and growth Essay

The entrepreneurial process that brought about the creation and growth of the business venture, mySmoothie, by the innovative entrepreneur, Domeniqu - Essay Example Even though managers and staff may have their own roles, the role of the entrepreneur is most pivotal because the entrepreneur represents the vision and future if the business (McCarthy, 2001). This is to say that, the entrepreneur has vital roles to play in terms of process and behavior and it is only when these roles are played well that growth and expansion can come about. To this effect, the writer is putting mySmoothie on the periscope to critically analyze, using theories and concepts from entrepreneurship to explain how the business venture has operated and the positive outcomes that has resulted particularly from its entrepreneurial process. Entrepreneurial Processes adopted by mySmoothie As far as entrepreneurship processes are concerned, mySmoothie has adhered to three major and important concepts and theories of entrepreneurship. These are recognizing opportunities and generating ideas, decision making and planning, and marketing. Diagrammatically, the write-up shall be pr esented as below: Firstly, Domenique and for that matter mySmoothie has in place entrepreneurial processes that ensure that production and operations of the company meet the needs of consumers. According to the International Institute for Management Development, IMD (2007), mySmoothie was started out of the theory of recognizing opportunities and generating ideas in the sense that, Domenique Forsberg took advantage of the absence of winter in Sweden in 2004 to start a company that rightly matched the prevailing whether at the time. The opportunity was the absence of winter and the idea generated was to start a fruit drink company that would produce chilled drinks to cool the thirst of consumers. This indeed worked perfectly and was a step in the right direction. Indeed, in entrepreneurship, the process of meeting the needs of consumers is paramount in choosing what to deal in. This is because consumers are becoming more and insightful of the need to purchase products that match thei r needs rather than those that match their wants. It is no wonder therefore that after just two year of operation, mySmoothie was reported to have made â‚ ¬1 million in 2006 (IMD, 2007, p.1). Such operations of recognizing opportunities and generating ideas have continued to be one of the most adhered theories for mySmoothie in all its business processes. For instance the company has recognized the prevailing health concerns associated with the use of sugar, preservatives and other additive and come up with the idea of eliminating the use of these compounds from its products (BevNET, 2011). The process of decision making and planning at mySmoothie is also in conformity with entrepreneurial concepts and theory on leadership. Ashley (2010) opines that â€Å"leadership philosophy is a set of beliefs and principles that strongly influence how we perceive ourselves within an organization and those that we lead.† This explanation goes a long way to explain the importance of lead ership in any given organization or establishment, of which mySmoothie is not excluded. According to Ashley (2010), one important component of leadership is decision making. In entrepreneurial theories, there are three major types of entrepreneurs as far as decision making is concerned. These are authoritarian or autocratic leaders, participative or democratic leaders and delegative or free reign leadership (Clark, 2006). According to Clark (2006), â€Å"a good leader (entrepreneur) uses all three styles, depending on what forces are involved between the followers, the leader and the situation.† Relating this assertion to mySmoothie, it will be right to say that the process of decision making and planning is at its best in the organization. This is because at mySmoothie,

Leptospira Cultures Maintenance

Leptospira Cultures Maintenance RESULTS The Leptospira serovars maintained in the Department of Veterinary Microbiology were used in the present study. For maintenance, EMJH medium (Difco) with albumin supplement was employed and subcultured at seven day intervals and incubation was carried out at 28-30Â °C. In addition, the stock cultures were maintained in semi-solid medium with subculturing at one month interval. IDENTIFICATION OF LEPTOSPIRES Under dark field microscope, the live leptospiral organisms were found tightly coiled and actively motile. The motility observed was of both spinning and bending. In highly concentrated cultures, the organisms formed entangled masses. No contaminants were observed in most of the time when streaked on blood agar plates for purity checking of the cultures. In case of contamination they were purified by filtration. RECOMBINANT PROTEIN PRODUCTION Preparation of template DNA from Leptospira The genomic DNA isolated from Leptospira interrogans serovar Australis had a DNA concentration ranging from 40- 60Â µg/ml. The purity of the extracted DNA was checked by measuring the ratio of absorbance (O.D of DNA preparation at 260 and 280 nm). The value of the ratio obtained was found to be in the range of 1.8 to 1.93, indicating that the preparations were almost free of proteins.(in mat and methods). Amplification of lipl21 gene and lipl32 genes The amplification of lipl21and lipl32 genes were carried out and observed amplicons of 507 bp and 767 bp, respectively. (Fig 1) Cloning of the lipl21 and lipl32 gene The colonies of E.coli Dh5∞ cells transformed with lipl21 and lipl32 genes was picked up separately and tested for the presence of the two genes. It was observed that lipl21 clones yielded an amplicon size of 507 bp and lipl32 with 767 bp. These confirmed clones were preserved for further studies (Fig 2) Induction of recombinant protein The above clones were subcultured in LB broth containing Ampicillin (100Â µg/ml) and expression was optimized with 2 mM IPTG for LipL21 and 1mM IPTG for LipL32. The induced recombinant cells were harvested after six hours and five hours for LipL21 and LipL32, respectively. Uninduced controls were set for each. The cells were then pelleted and lysed. The expression of recombinant 21 kDa (rLipL21) and 32 kDa outer membrane proteins (rLipL32) were confirmed in comparison with that of the uninduced cells where there was no significant protein expression (Fig 3) Purification of recombinant lipl21 and lipl32 proteins The rLipL21 and rLipL32 proteins were purified by Nickel chelating affinity chromatography without any contamination. The protein concentrations were estimated to be 0.69 mg/ml and 2.07mg/ml for rLipL21 and rLipL32, respectively. Immunoreactivity of the proteins The immunogenicity of both rLipL21 and rLipL32 proteins were tested using MAT positive canine sera and observed that both the proteins were reacting. Further the protein did not react when blotted with hyper immune serum raised against the different bacteria namely E.coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Pasteurella multocida. DIAGNOSIS Microscopic Agglutination Test A total of 124 canine serum samples from Leptospira suspected dogs were tested using MAT and among this 22 (17.74 per cent) were found to be positive for leptospirosis. Serum samples having a titre of 1:400 and above were considered as positive. The infecting serovars identified with canine leptospirosis are depicted in Table 3 Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay Indirect ELISA was done in separate microtitre plates employing rLipL21 and rLipL32 as antigens and the results were compared with that of MAT. Checker board analysis Using checker board analysis the optimum concentration of antigen, antibody and conjugate were estimated. The optimum concentration of antigen was found to be 50 ng/well and 150 ng/well for rLipL21 and rLipL32, respectively. The rabbit anti-canine IgG HRP conjugate concentration estimated was 1:2500 and 1:2000 for rLipL21 and rLipL32, respectively. A 1:50 dilution of test serum was used as optimum working dilution in both ELISAs. Determination of cut off values In IgG ELISA, the mean OD and standard deviation for the negative sera samples (n=44) was 0.49 and 0.11 for rLipL21 and 0.59 and 0.09 for rLipL32, respectively. The cut off value obtained was 0.82 for rLipL21 and 0.86 for rLipL32. Test proper The results of rLipL21 and rLipL32 based IgG ELISA are given in Table 4. Among 47 positive samples obtained by rLipL21 ELISA, only 20 found positive with MAT. In case of rLipL32 ELISA, 40 samples were recorded positive out of which 18 found positive with MAT. Comparison of MAT and rLipL21IgG ELISA The results of rLipL21 IgG ELISA were compared with that of MAT. Among 124 canine sera examined, 47 (37.90 per cent) showed OD more than the cut off value i.e. 0.82 and were considered positive for leptospirosis by rLipL21 IgG ELISA. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of rLipL21 IgG ELISA as relative to MAT was calculated to be 90.90 per cent, 73.52 per cent and 76.61 per cent, respectively (Table 5). On statistical analysis, it was found that there exists a significant difference between the two tests, ie, rLipL21 ELISA and MAT even at 1 per cent level of significance. Comparison of MAT and rLipL32 IgG ELISA The results of the IgG ELISA using rLipL32 as the antigen were compared with that of MAT. Among 124 canine sera examined, 40 (32.25 per cent) showed OD more than the cut off value i.e. 0.86 and were considered positive for leptospirosis by IgG ELISA. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of rLipL32 IgG ELISA as relative to MAT was calculated to be 81.81per cent, 78.43 per cent and 79.03 per cent, respectively (Table 6). Statistical analysis revealed that there exists a significant difference between the two tests, ie, rLipL32 ELISA and MAT at 1per cent level of significance. Comparison of rLipL21 and rLipL32 IgG ELISA On statistical analysis using Cochran’s Q test, at 1 per cent level of significance it was observed that there exists no significant difference between rLipL21 and rLipL32 ELISA, as the P value was found to be greater than 0.01. Table 3 Infecting serovars identified with MAT Table 4 Results of MAT, rLipL21 ELISA and rLipL32 ELISA Table 5 Comparison between rLipL21 ELISA and MAT Sensitivity = a/a+c = 90.90% Specificity = d/b+d = 73.52% Accuracy =a+d/a+b+c+d = 76.61%

Canadian writing and the language of the colonizer :: Essays Papers

Canadian writing and the language of the colonizer During the latter part of the twentieth century, Canadian writers have looked at the effects of colonialism on the original native population. The culture of the indigenous peoples and the oral tradition used, was for a long time on the verge of being eradicated, as the enforced language of the colonizer became the accepted norm. As many contemporary authors believe that they have been marginalized, they argue that they are similar to the tribal inhabitants, becoming â€Å"...spectators, not elements in what goes on† (Weibe, Rudy. â€Å"Where Is the Voice Coming From?† Canadian Short Fiction, 274). As Canadians they are forced to use a language which is for the most part alien, employing words which have meaning for a metropolitan audience but have little relevance within a Canadian context. In their desire for recognition and in attempting to create an independent identity, authors such as Rudy Weibe and Dennis Lee detail the problems encountered by those who wish to record their experiences, but have been denied a voice. In Where Is the Voice Coming From? , Weibe explores the position of the Cree population, whose oral language was silenced by the sterile, yet powerful voice of the colonizer. Since colonization, the history of Canada has been conveyed from the point of view of the settlers, who ignore the vivid language of the Cree, placing greater emphasis on cold fact and uniformity. While the players in history, ranging from Queen Victoria to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, are given their full titles, their existences reinforced by recorded evidence, the lack of solid fact ensures that the Cree have been almost erased from Canadian history. For Weibe, English descriptions of Almighty Voice provide little evidence of his life, as he has been allocated the role of demonized and feminized scapegoat, in contrast to the white heroes whose masculinity is never questioned. Until recently, when the oral tradition began to be recorded by native writers, including Harry Robinson and Thomas King in All My Relations, the Cree and other tribal inhabitants were unable to provide any alternative to the already existing facts, their experiences resigned to a collective â€Å"...wordless cry† (Weibe, 380). While Weibe brings native concerns to public attention, his choice of subject matter illustrates the problems existing within Canadian literature in general. Driven by a collective sense of guilt, this white reaction ultimately denies the Cree the privilege of telling their own stories.

All Quiet On The Western Front :: essays research papers

All Quiet on the Western Front 1. In the movie “All Quiet on the Western Front';, the German soldiers were sent into the battlefield thinking that they were going to win. The inexperienced boys were persuaded in to fighting and dying for the victory of their country. This brought on a profound sense of disillusionment with the values of Western Civilization.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the German soldier’s view they were looking to win the war and take over territory. Such as in Napoleon’s time, in which his values was to imperialize weaker countries. The Germans and Napoleon both possessed selfish movies instead of looking through the victim’s perspectives but rather looking to satisfy and protect their own desires and needs. This disillusioned the soldiers into fighting proudly for their homeland but never turning back to consider the possible downfalls in going into the western front. By the time the battle of the Somme ended, the German death toll in defense was 164,055, which was a disaster for the country.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the Renaissance, European countries chose to break out of the Dark ages and reform and to modernize society. The values in reconstruction produced a sense of disillusionment with the actions that took place on the Western Front. The soldiers on the front were devastated during the first bombardment and all the mental and physical conditions of the soldiers deteriorated from that point on. The values of the Renaissance were the opposite of those that arose on the battlefield.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The fantasy of solving their own national problems disabled Germans in viewing other countries war aims. Over confidence destroyed the troops. 2.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the movie “All Quiet on the Western Front';, young inexperienced German soldiers eagerly enter World War I, but their enthusiasm “wears thin'; as they experience the horrors of the war. Slowly, they start to adapt to the cynicism of the veterans.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The innocent boys started turning into men when they broke into pieces under the first bombardment in the trenches. The soldiers start to be beaten down, both emotionally and physically. They experienced near starvation, attacks by rats in the trenches, long stretches of boredom, seeing death of friends, and separation from family and friends. War makes a man inhuman. War change people. It makes people numb to violence in society and slowly adapt to cynicism. After 3 years of mental and physical battle, the troops, like the veterans, who have lived under these situations even longer, become misanthropic.

The Causes and Impacts of Youth Smoking on Hong Kong

Title: The causes and impacts of youth smoking on Hong Kong smoking young people’s quality of life |Content |Page | |Chapter 1 : Introduction |P. 3-4 | |Chapter 2 : Literature Review and Methodology |p. 5-11 | |2. 1 Literature Review | | |2. Methodology | | |2. 3 Limitations | | |2. 4 Chapter summary | | |Chapter 3 : Findings |p. 12-19 | |3. 1 Reasons of smoking among Hong Kong young people | | |3. Non-smokers’ view towards smoking | | |3. 3 Effects of smoking on smokers’ quality of life in the economic and social aspects | | |3. 4 Suggestions to help smokers to quit smoking | | |3. 5 The effectiveness of government measures in encouraging and helping smokers to quit smoking | | |3. Chapter summary | | |Chapter 4 : Analysis and Discussion |p. 20-26 | |4. 1 The truth about youth smoking | | |4. 2 The effectiveness of government measures on encouraging and helping smokers to quit smoking | | |4. 3 Suggestions to help smokers to quit smoking | | |4. Limitation of the study | | |4. 5 Areas for further study | | |4. 6 After thoughts | | |Bibliography |p. 27 | |List of Appendices |p. 8-43 | |Table of contents: | | |Summary table of the results of questionnaires | | |Questionnaire samples ( in Chinese and English versions) | | Chapter 1 : Introduction Smoking is not good for health and it smells bad. I want to know why some young people still smoke. Hong Kong government has passed some laws about banning smoking in indoor areas and some public areas such as parks.The government also shot some advertisement about quitting smoking, such as the smoke-free Hong Kong advertisement. I want to know whether these measures are effective in helping smokers to quit smoking. My grandfather died because of tuberculosis. He was a heavy smoker. I want to know how smoking affect people’s health. My uncle also has a smoking habit. I want to know some ways to help smokers to quit smoking through this Independent Enquiry Studies. The focus questions of my Independent Enquiry Studies are â€Å" Why do some Hong Kong young people start smoking? , â€Å"What are the non-smokers and smokers’ views towards smoking? †, â€Å" How does smoking affect Hong Kong young people’s quality of life in economic and social aspect? † and â€Å"What can we do to help the smokers to quit smoking? † In this Independent Enquiry Studies, â€Å"smoking† refers to the smoking of all forms of tobacco, including cigarette, cigar, hand rolled cigarette and pipe-smoking. â€Å"Hong Kong smoking young people† refers to Hong Kong residents aged 10-25 who at the time of doing the survey have a smoking habit, no matter what type of tobacco they smoked and their smoking pattern. People who smoked before and have now quitted smoking† refers to people who previously had a smoking habit for at least 1 month continuously. â€Å"Quality of life† refers to the degree of satisfaction in the material and s piritual aspects of life. There are 4 chapters in the Independent Enquiry Studies. Chapter 1 is Introduction. It includes the background of the Independent Enquiry Studies. Chapter 2 is Methodology. It includes the method of doing research in the Independent Enquiry Studies. Chapter 3 is Findings. It includes the findings of the research. Chapter 4 is Analysis.After analyzing the findings, I will suggest some possible answers to the focus questions. In the appendix, samples of questionnaires and a summarizing table of the findings are attached. Through the Independent Enquiry Studies, we should be able to gain knowledge of non-smokers view towards smoking, assess the effectiveness of government’s measures on helping and encouraging smokers to quit smoking and know some effective methods in helping smokers to quit smoking. Chapter 2 : Literature Review and Methodology 2. 1 Literature Review 2. 1. 1 Youth smokersAccording to the survey on Pattern of Smoking conducted by the Cen sus and Statistical Department during December 2007 to March 2008, 10500 people in Hong Kong aging from 15 to 19 smoked. 2. 4% of them are daily smokers. 107800 people in Hong Kong aging from 20 to 29 smoked. 15. 9% of them are daily smokers. The percentage of daily smokers was on a gradually decreasing trend over the past 15 years from 1993 to 2008. Average daily consumption of cigarettes of 15-19 smokers was 11 cigarettes in the survey conducted during Dec 2007-Mar 2008, while the average consumption of cigarettes of 20-29 cigarettes smokers was 12 cigarettes. 1] 2. 1. 2 Causes of youth smoking According to the survey on Pattern of Smoking conducted by the Census and Statistical Department during December 2007 to March 2008, 59. 8% of daily cigarette smokers started smoking because of â€Å"influence of friends†, 36. 7% â€Å"out of curiosity†. Other reasons included â€Å"necessity in social functions† (8. 1%), â€Å"influence of family members† (7. 8% ) , â€Å"easing tension† (4. 2%), â€Å"refreshing one’s mind† (3. 7%) and â€Å"killing time† (3. 4%). [2] 2. 1. 3 Impacts of youth smoking Many sources suggest that smoking can cause various diseases and hence has a negative impact on smoker’s health.On the website of Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health, it suggests that cigarette smoking is hazardous to health. Smoking can cause different cancers, such as cancers of the mouth and throat, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer and stomach cancer. Smoking also causes cardiac diseases, pulmonary and respiratory diseases and genital diseases, such as impotence in male smokers. [3], The website of Tobacco Control Office Department of Health also suggests that smoking is a causative agent of many fatal diseases and cancers.Smoking can cause disorders and problems such as impotence, infertility, wrinkling and halitosis. Smoking would also bring about socio-economical consequences. [4] 2. 1. 4 Methods of q uitting smoking The website of Tobacco Control Office Department of Health includes some tips and methods that can help smokers to quit smoking. When you start to quit smoking, you will still have urges to smoke. The urge will last for just a few minutes and you will be able to get over it. The website provides some methods to help smokers get over this urge.For example, when smokers have urges to smoke, they can try to divert their attentions to smoke by washing face, listen to music, etc. [5] 2. 2 Methodology Questionnaire will be employed to collect the data for the IES. There are many good points. 1. Quantitative Research Orientation 1. Scientific approach Quantitative researchers work on simplifying complicated social phenomena into measurable figures. After calculation, the researcher can know the general situation of different social phenomena and their interrelationships. 2. Objective approachThe personal opinions of respondents may affect their answers to some questions. Fo r example, when the respondents are asked whether the government policy is effective in tackling smoking, it is difficult to define effective. However, the researcher can use a more objective approach, such as when using literature review, the researcher can compare the number of smokers before and after the government policies are implemented. Assume there are 10000 people quit smoking after the banning smoking in restaurants. Some people may think that it is effective while some people may think that it is not effective.From this figure, we can know the actual situation. 3. Require less time and resources Instead of arranging a time doing interview with the respondents face-to-face, we can send the questionnaire to target respondents through mails. We may also upload the questionnaire online and invite respondents to answer the questionnaire through online forums and social-networking software and websites. 4. Can reach more respondents As the time required for each respondent to give response is shorter, there is more time to invite more respondents to give responses.Some people may be scared or shy when doing a face-to-face interview, a questionnaire is more suitable to these respondents. Since Hong Kong people are busy, many of them cannot arrange time for doing the interview. Sending a questionnaire to them enables them to answer when they have time. 1. Research Procedures The mini pilot questionnaire Before actual questionnaires were distributed, the researcher discussed the questionnaire with his teacher and classmates to ascertain whether the questions are understandable and sensible to the respondents.This also gives rough ideas of the suitability of wording and the appropriateness of the sequence of questions and the questions being asked. The questionnaires The researcher used online questionnaire at first to save time and resources between 1 February 2011 and 20 March 2011. However, the number of respondents was not satisfactory (237), while the t arget sample size was 300 and the researcher decided to distribute questionnaires directly in Causeway Bay on 27 March 2011. In the research, the researcher divided the respondents into three target groups, including non-smokers, smokers and ex-smokers.Each target group had a unique set of questions in order to answer different focus questions in the research. The questions were provided with choices to make data analysis easier and save respondents’ time. Questionnaire questions Most of the questionnaire questions were provided with options and the option â€Å"others† for respondents to give answers that were not given in the options. There were a lot of options in the questions so as to cover most possible opinions of respondents. This surely saved respondent’s time in completing the questionnaire and the researcher can analyze the data easily.The questionnaire had both Chinese and English versions, so the respondents could understand the questions easily and give appropriate responses. Examples were also given after the some relatively difficult words to ensure the respondents understand the questions clearly. 1. Data Analysis Numerical expression of data In order to make the data comparable, all answers are arranged in different categories and both numbers of respondents choosing that option and the percentage of respondents choosing that option (only in questions that the respondents could only choose one option) were shown. . Limitations The questionnaires are distributed online and in the Causeway Bay, so people who do not live in Causeway Bay and cannot access to the internet cannot get the questionnaire. Therefore, the responses may be biased and confined. 3. Chapter Summary This chapter has given the theoretical framework for this research, including the literature review and methodology of this research. In this research, questionnaire was used mainly.To enhance readers’ understanding of the research, both the research p rocedure and data analysis with also its objective and scientific approach were included. Chapter 3: Findings In this chapter, the researcher is going to present the data collected through questionnaires. The research emphasizes on the causes and impacts of youth smoking on Hong Kong smoking young people’s quality of life. In 3. 1, there will be a discussion on the reasons why some Hong Kong young people start smoking. In 3. 2, the Hong Kong non-smoking young people’s view towards smoking will be investigated.In 3. 3, how smoking affects Hong Kong smoking young people’s quality of life in the economic and social aspects will be explored. In 3. 4, the researcher will attempt to give some suggestions to help Hong Kong smoking young people to quit smoking. In 3. 5, the researcher will give a discussion on the effectiveness of government measures on encouraging and helping smokers to quit smoking. 3. 1 Reasons of smoking among Hong Kong young people The researcher h as distributed 100 questionnaires to Hong Kong smoking young people.As shown in figure 1, the reasons why some Hong Kong young people smoke are influence of friends (60%), curiosity (36%), influence of family members (8%), releasing pressure (8%) killing time (4%) and refreshing one’s mind (4%) |Options |Number of respondents | |Influence of friends |60 | |Influence of family members |8 | |Curiosity |36 | |Release pressure |8 | |killing time |4 | |refreshing one’s mind |4 |Figure 1: Summary table showing the reasons why some Hong Kong young people smoke 3. 2 Non-smokers’ view towards smoking The researcher has also distributed 100 questionnaires to Hong Kong non-smoking young people. As shown in figure 2, among 100 Hong Kong non-smoking young people, 95 of them do not like people who smoke, only 5 of them like people who smoke. [pic] Figure 2: a pie chart showing the general opinions of Hong Kong non-smoking young people on Hong Kong smoking young people As show n in figure 3, among the 5 Hong Kong non-smoking young people who like smoking people, all of them like people who smoke because they think that smoking people are attractive. 4 of them also like the smell of cigarettes. Options |Number of respondents | |Smoking people are attractive |5 | |I like the smell of cigarettes |4 | |Secondhand smoke is good for my health |0 | Figure 3: Summary table showing the reasons why some Hong Kong non-smoking young people like people who smoke. (they can choose more than 1 option) As shown in figure 4, among the 95 Hong Kong non-smoking young people, 80 of them dilikes people who smoke because they think that smoking people are not attractive. 85 of them hate the smell of cigarettes. All of them agrees that secondhand smoke is bad for their health,so they dislike people who smoke. Options |Number of respondents | |Smoking people are not attractive |80 | |I hate the smell of cigarettes |85 | |Secondhand smoke is bad for my health |95 | Figure 4: Summ ary table showing the reasons why some Hong Kong non-smoking young people dislike people who smoke (Respondents can choose more than 1 option) 3. 3 Effects of smoking on smokers’ quality of life in the economic and social aspects As shown in figure 5, among the 100 Hong Kong smoking young people, 9% of them spend $0-50 in buying cigarettes per week. 80% of them spend $51-100 in buying cigarettes per week. 11% of them spend $101-150 in buying cigarettes per week. So, smokers have a greater expense and thus smoking have a negative impact on smokers’ quality of life in the economic aspect. Options |Number of respondents |percentage | |$0-50 |9 |9% | |$51-100 |80 |80% | |$101-150 |11 |11% | |$151-200 |0 |0% | |$201-250 |0 |0% | |$251-300 |0 |0% | |$301-350 |0 |0% | |$350 or above |0 |0% | Figure 5: Summary table showing how much do Hong Kong smoking young people spend on buying cigarettes per weekAs shown in figure 2, 95% of Hong Kong non-smoking young people responded dis like people who smoke. This shows that smoking has adverse impacts on the relationship between smokers and non-smokers. Hence, smoking adversely affects smokers’ quality of life in social aspect. 3. 4 Suggestions to help smokers to quit smoking The researcher has conducted questionnaires with 100 ex-smokers in Hong Kong. As shown in figure 6, among 100 ex-smokers responded, all of them discarded all cigarettes and ashtrays to quit smoking. 80 of them used medications for quitting smoking. 90 of them tried to avoid staying in places where people smoke. 77 of them used smoking cessation services provided by smoking cessation clinics. Options |Number of respondents | |Discard all cigarettes and ashtrays |100 | |Using medications for quitting smoking (such as nicotine |80 | |patch and nicotine gum) | | |Avoid staying in places where people smoke |90 | |Using smoking cessation services provided by smoking |77 | |cessation clinics | | Figure 6: Summary table showing what measure s ex-smokers took to quit smoking (Respondents can choose more than 1 option) 3. The effectiveness of government measures in encouraging and helping smokers to quit smoking According to figure 7, 76 of the 100 ex-smokers responded decided to quit smoking because of the advice from health care professionals. 54 of them decided to quit smoking because of health reasons. 23 of them decided to quit smoking because of influence of friends. 59 of them decided to quit smoking due to influence of family members. 9 of them decided to quit smoking as requested by boss or teachers. 43 of them decided to quit smoking due to government policies. |Options |Number of respondents | |Health reasons (with advice from doctors/ other health care 76 | |professional) | | |Smoking is not good to my health |54 | |Influence of friends |23 | |Influence of family members |59 | |Requested by boss/ teachers |9 | |Government policies(such as expanding statutory no smoking |43 | |areas) | |Figure 7: Summary ta ble showing why ex-smokers decided to quit smoking ( Respondents can choose more than one option) 3. 6 Chapter summary With the aids of pie charts and tables, the chapter attempts to give a discussion on the reasons why some Hong Kong young people start smoking, the non-smokers’ views towards smoking, how smoking affect smokers’ quality of life in the economic and social aspects, the effectiveness of government measures in helping and encouraging the smokers to quit smoking and suggestions to help smokers to quit smoking. The main reasons why some Hong Kong young people start smoking are influence of friends and curiosity.Most Hong Kong non-smoking young people dislike people who smoke. Smoking has adverse impacts on smokers’ quality of life in both economic and social aspects. Government measures are effective in helping the smokers to quit smoking as 77 of the 100 ex-smokers responded used smoking cessation services provided by government smoking cessation cli nics. Government measures are not effective in encouraging the smokers to quit smoking since only 43 of the 100 ex-smokers responded quit smoking because of government policies such as expanding statutory no smoking areas. Further discussion and analysis are to be followed in chapter 4. Chapter 4: Analysis and DiscussionBased on the findings done in Chapter 3 and related studies, this chapter would discuss the causes of youth smoking, the impacts of youth smoking on Hong Kong smoking young people’s quality of life in the economic and social aspect, the effectiveness of government measures in encouraging and helping the smokers to quit smoking and further explore some methods to help smokers to quit smoking. 4. 1. The truth about youth smoking 4. 1. 1. The causes of youth smoking As said in chapter 3, the causes of youth smoking are influence of friends, curiosity, influence of family members, releasing pressure, killing time and refreshing one’s mind. To explain the ca uses of youth smoking, the following may serve as reference. †¢ Influence of friends In general, adolescents value the relationship with their friends.In order to have a good relationship with their peers, they will try their best to obtain their affirmation and acceptance. So, influence of friends is a main reason why some Hong Kong young people start smoking. †¢ Curiosity Nowadays, smoking scenes frequently appears on television and films. Hong Kong young people and children often see people smoking on the street. They may have a wrong concept that smoking people are cool. They begin to develop the curiosity to smoke. When there are some chances for them to start smoking, such as being invited by friends they are more likely to start smoking. †¢ Influence of family members In the childhood, parents are the idols of their children. Children tend to follow what their parents do.If children see their parents smoking, they will have a higher tendency to follow their par ents and start smoking. They will also have a higher curiosity towards smoking. Smoking parents is harder to stop their children from smoking because the parents themselves smoke, too. So, influence of family members is also one main cause of youth smoking. 4. 1. 2 The impacts of smoking on smokers’ quality of life As mentioned of chapter 3, smoking has adverse impacts on smokers’ quality of life in the economic and social aspect. The following will explain the impacts of smoking on smokers in details. †¢ In the economic aspect Smokers have to spend money on buying cigarettes.The government has recently increased the tobacco tax and worked hare to tackle contraband and counterfeit cigarettes problem. The prices of cigarettes therefore increases and smokers have to pay more on cigarettes. As shown in chapter 2, smoking is detrimental to health as it may lead to different cancers and other diseases such as infertility. So, smokers may be easier to get a disease and their medical expenses may increase. Therefore, smoking brings negative impacts on smokers’ quality of life in the economic aspect. †¢ In the social aspect As shown in chapter 3, most non-smokers dislike people who smoke. Therefore, smokers have a poor relationship with most non-smokers.Smokers have a poorer relationship with non-smokers and hence the social aspect of quality of life of smokers is negatively affected. On the other hand, smokers may have a better relationship with other smokers. For example, cigarettes are often used as gifts among businessmen in China. People can get recognition from other smokers by smoking. So, smokers have a better relationship with other smokers and hence smoking brings positive impacts on smokers’ quality of life in the social aspect. 4. 2. The effectiveness of government measures on encouraging and helping smokers to quit smoking 4. 2. 1 The effectiveness of government measures Smokers are often addicted to cigarettes.They e xperience many withdrawal symptoms when they try to quit smoking, such as dizziness, headache and poor concentration. Therefore, it is difficult for smokers to quit smoking. As mentioned in chapter 3, the effectiveness of government measures on encouraging smokers to quit smoking is low. 2. The effectiveness of government measures on helping smokers to quit smoking As stated in chapter 3, many ex-smokers used smoking cessation services provided by smoking cessation clinics to quit smoking. This shows that government measures are effective in helping smokers to quit smoking. 2. Suggestions to help smokers to quit smoking It is difficult to quit smoking.However, smokers can use some methods adopted by most ex-smokers to quit smoking. Here are some examples. †¢ Discard all cigarettes and ashtrays †¢ Avoid staying in places where people smoke †¢ Using medications for quitting smoking ( such as nicotine patch and nicotine gun) 3. Limitation of the study First and foremost, the study involving 300 respondents for sampling may not be able to represent the opinions of non-smokers, smokers and ex-smokers. The distribution of questionnaires are done online and in Causeway Bay, so people who do not have the access to the internet nor live in Causeway Bay may not get the questionnaire. Therefore, the responses may be biased and confined.Due to the limited resources, the researcher has already tried to work out the generalized pattern of people’s opinions towards smoking as much as possible. The researcher has also studied similar studies done by the government in a much larger scale. Hence, the reliability of the study can be increased. Time has always been a constraint to the researcher. So as to ensure the general trend of people’s opinions, the researcher has spent considerable time on analyzing the data and arranging them into summary tables and pie charts. 4. Areas for further study Despite the limitations, the study can hopefully uphold the complexity of the causes and impacts of youth smoking. This study has brought some insights to the policy makers in encouraging and helping Hong Kong smoking people to quit smoking.The following suggestions may also serve as good topics for further studies †¢ New methods to stop people from starting to smoke †¢ New methods of encouraging and helping smokers to quit smoking by other stakeholders (besides the government and individuals) The rationale behind these suggestions is highly understandable. â€Å"Prevention is better than curing. † It is easier to stop people from starting to smoke than helping smokers to quit smoking because smokers are addicted to cigarettes. Therefore, looking for methods to encourage people not to start smoking is a more useful method to reduce the smoking population in Hong Kong. As stated in 4. 2. , the current government measures are not effective in encouraging smokers to quit smoking. Also, development of new cheaper and more co mfortable methods to quit smoking may encourage smokers to quit smoking. Therefore, a research on new methods to encourage and help smokers to quit smoking is contributive to reduce smoking population in Hong Kong. 5. Afterthoughts To the researcher’s belief, this study helps readers to gain knowledge of people’s view towards smoking and know some effective methods in helping smokers to quit smoking. This study has also assessed the effectiveness of government’s measures in encouraging and helping smokers to quit smoking. Bibliography Books: Census and Statistical Department. Pattern of smoking†, Hong Kong Monthly Digest of Statistics (Hong Kong, June 2009) Websites: Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health. â€Å"Risks? Active Smoking† http://smokefree. hk/en/content/web. do? page=ActiveSmoking (Retrieved on 17 April 2011) Tobacco Control Office Department of Health. â€Å"Smoking and Health† http://www. tco. gov. hk/english/infostation_sh. h tml (Retrieved on 17 April 2011) Tobacco Control Office Department of Health. â€Å"Quitting Smoking† http://www. tco. gov. hk/english/quittting/quitting_vcqs. thml (Retrieved on 17 April 2011) Appendix I Summary table of the results of the questionnaires For non-smokers 1. How old are you? Choices |Number of respondents | |10-15 |23 | |16-20 |45 | |21-25 |32 | 2. What is your sex? |Choices |Number of respondents | |Male |79 | |Female |21 | 3. Can you suggest some methods that you think that are effective in helping smokers quit smoking? You may choose more than 1 option) |Choices |Number of respondents | |Discard all cigarettes and ashtrays |100 | |Using medications for quitting smoking (such as nicotine |90 | |patch and nicotine gum) | | |Avoid staying in places where people smoke |90 | |Using smoking cessation services provided by smoking |93 | |cessation clinics | | |Others(please state) |0 | 4. Do you like people who smoke? |Choices |Number of respondents | |Yes ( please go to question 5) |95 | |No (please go to question 6) |5 | 5. Why do you like people who smoke? You may choose more than 1 option) |Choices |Number of respondents | |Smoking people are attractive |5 | |I like the smell of cigarettes |4 | |Secondhand smoke is good for my health |0 | |Others(please state) |0 | 6. Why do you hate people who smoke? You may choose more than 1 option) |Choices |Number of respondents | |Smoking people are not attractive |80 | |I hate the smell of cigarettes |85 | |Secondhand smoke is bad for my health |95 | |Others(please state) |0 | 7. Do you have relatives or friends who smoke? Choices |Number of respondents | |Yes (please go to question 8) |63 | |No (Thank you for completing the survey) |37 | 8. Have you tried to persuade your relatives or friends to quit smoking? |Choices |Number of respondents | |Yes (please go to question 9) |27 | |No (Thank you for completing the survey) |26 | 9. After your persuasion, did your relatives or friends try to q uit smoking? Choices |Number of respondents | |Yes |8 | |No |15 | |I do not know |4 | For smokers 1. How old are you? |Choices |Number of respondents | |10-15 |3 | |16-20 |45 | |21-25 |52 | 2.How long have you been smoking? |Choices |Number of respondents | |1-3 years |63 | |4-6 years |19 | |7-10 years |15 | |10 years or above |3 | 3. Do you agree that smoking is bad to your health? Choices |Number of respondents | |Agree |92 | |Disagree |8 | 4. Do you agree that you are addicted to cigarettes? |Choices |Number of respondents | |Agree |87 | |Disagree |13 | 5. How many cigarettes you smoke per day? Choices |Number of respondents | |1-3 |12 | |4-6 |34 | |7-9 |40 | |10-12 |13 | |13-15 |1 | |16-18 |0 | |18-21 |0 | | 22 or above |0 | 6. How much do you spend on buying cigarettes per week? (Hong Kong Dollars) Choices |Number of respondents | |$0-50 |9 | |$51-100 |11 | |$101-150 |80 | |$151-200 |0 | |$201-250 | 0 | |$251-300 |0 | |$301-350 | 0 | |$350 or above |0 | ? $3 01-350 ? $350 or above 7. Where do your money buying cigarettes come from? You may choose more than 1 option) |Choices |Number of respondents | |Work |44 | |Petty cash from family members |78 | |From illegal ways |0 | |Borrow from family members/friends |23 | |Others(please state) |0 | 8. Do you relatives or friends know that you smoke? Choices |Number of respondents | |Yes (please go to question 9) |67 | |No (please go to question 10) |33 | 9. Generally, do they support you to smoke? |Choices |Number of respondents | |Yes |13 | |No |33 | |I do not know |21 | 10. Why do you smoke? (You may choose more than 1 option) Choices |Number of respondents | |Influence of friends |60 | |Influence of family members |8 | |Curiosity |36 | |Release pressure |8 | |Killing time |4 | |refreshing one’s mind |4 | |Others(please state) |0 | 11. What are the bad effects of smoking on you? You may choose more than 1 option) |Choices |Number of respondents | |I am not welcomed |23 | |I am less healthy |92 | |Not enough money |30 | |Makes me ugly |43 | |Bad image |33 | |Poor relationship with relatives |37 | |Poor relationship with friends |29 | |Others(please state) |0 | 12. What are the good effects of smoking on you? You may choose more than 1 option) |Choices |Number of respondents | |I am welcomed |63 | |I am more healthy |8 | |I have more money |47 | |I am more handsome/beautiful |57 | |Good image |57 | |Better relationship with relatives |10 | |Better relationship with friends |70 | |Others(please state) |0 | 13. Have you tried to quit smoking? |Choices |Number of respondents | |Yes (please go to question 14) |20 | |No (Thank you for completing the survey) |80 | 14. Why did you quit smoking? You may choose more than 1 option) |Choices |Number of respondents | |Health reasons(with advice from doctors/ other health care |3 | |professional) | | |Smoking is not good to my health |5 | |Influence of friends |2 | |Influence of family members |13 | |Requested by boss/ teachers |15 | |Government policies(such as expanding statutory no smoking |3 | |areas) | | |Others(please state) |0 | 15. What methods did you use to quit smoking? You may choose more than 1 option) |Choices |Number of respondents | |Discard all cigarettes and ashtrays |20 | |Using medications for quitting smoking (such as nicotine |17 | |patch and nicotine gum) | | |Avoid staying in places where people smoke |18 | |Using smoking cessation services provided by smoking |18 | |cessation clinics | | |Others(please state) |0 | 16. Why did you fail to quit smoking? You may choose more than 1 option) |Choices |Number of respondents | |Not determined enough |20 | |Smoking has become a habit/favourite |20 | |Quitting smoking is suffering |20 | |Others(please state) |0 | For ex-smokers 1. How old are you? |Choices |Number of respondents | |10-15 |0 | |16-20 |15 | |21-25 |85 | 2. Why did you smoke? (You may choose more than 1 option) Choices |Number of respondents | |Influence of fr iends |83 | |Influence of family members |15 | |Curiosity |40 | |Release pressure |13 | |killing time |15 | |refreshing one’s mind |3 | |Others(please state) |0 | 3. Why do you quit smoking? You may choose more than 1 option) |Choices |Number of respondents | |Health reasons(with advice from doctors/ other health care |76 | |professional) | | |Smoking is not good to my health |54 | |Influence of friends |23 | |Influence of family members |59 | |Requested by boss/ teachers |9 | |Government policies(such as expanding statutory no smoking |43 | |areas) | | |Others(please state) |0 | 4. What methods did you use to quit smoking? You may choose more than 1 option) |Options |Number of respondents | |Discard all cigarettes and ashtrays |100 | |Using medications for quitting smoking (such as nicotine |80 | |patch and nicotine gum) | | |Avoid staying in places where people smoke |90 | |Using smoking cessation services provided by smoking |77 | |cessation clinics | | 5. What is the most important factor that help you to quit smoking successfully? Choices |Number of respondents | |Health reasons(with advice from doctors/ other health care |76 | |professional) | | |Determination to quit smoking |100 | |Support from family member and/or friends |67 | |Requested by boss/ teachers |13 | |Government policies(such as expanding statutory no smoking |43 | |areas) | | |Others(please state) |0 | Appendix II Samples of Questionnaires ( ) 2007 10500? 15 19 , , 10 25 1. ? 10-15? 16-20? 21-25 2. ? ? ? ? 3. ( ) ? ( ) ? ? ? ( ) 4. ( 5? ) ( 6? ) 5. ( ) ? ? ? ( ) 6. ( ) ? ? ? ? ( ) 7. ( 8? ) ( ) 8. ( 9? ) ( ) 9. ( ) , 2007 10500? 15 19 , , 10 25 1. ? 10-15? 16-20? 21-25 2. ? ? 3. ?1-3? ?4-6? ? 6-10? ? 10 4. 5. 6. ?1-3 ? 4-6 ? 7-9 ? 10-12 ? 13-15 ?16-18 ? 19-21 ? 22 7. ( ) ?$0-50 ? $51-100 ? $101-150 ? $151-200 ? $201-250 ? $251-300 ? $301-350 ? $350 8. ( ) ? ? ? ? ? ( ) 9. ( 10? ) 11? ) 10. , 11. ( ) ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ( ) 12. ( ) ? ? ? ? / ? ? ? ? ? ( ) 13. ( ) ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ( ) 14. ( 15? ) ( ) 15. ( ) ? ( ) ? ? ? ? ( ) ? ( ) 16. ( ) ? ( ) ? ? ? ( ) 17. ( ) ? ? / ? ? ( ) ( ) , 2007 10500? 15 19 , , 10 25 2. ? 10-15? 16-20? 21-25 2. ? ? ? ? 3. ( ) ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ( ) 4. ( ) ? ( ) ? ? / ? ? ? ( ) ? ( ) 5. ( ) ? ( ) ? ? ? ( ) 6. ? ( ) ? ? ? ( ) ? / ? ( ) Youth Smoking (non-smokers)Background Information In recent years, the number of youth smoking increases steadily. A survey in 2007 reveals that 10500 Hong Kong people aged 15-19 smoked. Through this survey, I want to identify the opinions of non-smokers and smokers towards smoking, the reasons why smokers smoke and how smoking affect smoker’s and non-smoker’s quality of life. This survey is only set for people aged 10-25 1. How old are you? ? 10-15? 16-20? 21-25 2. What is your sex? ? male ? female 3. Can you suggest some methods that you think that are effective in helping smokers quit smoking? (You may choose more than 1 option) ? Discard all cigarettes and ashtrays Using medications for quitting smoking (such as nicotine patch and nicotine gum) ? Avoid staying in places where people smoke ? Using smoking cessation services provided by smoking cessation clinics ? Others(please state) 4. Do you like people who smoke? ? Yes (please go to question 5) ? No (please go to question 6) 5. Why do you like people who smoke? (You may choose more than 1 option) ? Smoking people are attractive ? I like the smell of cigarettes ? Secondhand smoke is good for my health ? Others(please state) 6. Why do you hate people who smoke? (You may choose more than 1 option) ? Smoking people are not attractive ? I hate the smell of cigarettes ?Secondhand smoke is bad for my health ? Others(please state) 7. Do you have relatives or friends who smoke? ? Yes (please go to question 8) ? No (Thank you for completing the survey) 8. Have you tried to per suade your relatives or friends to quit smoking? ? Yes (please go to question 9) ? No (Thank you for completing the survey) 9. After your persuasion, did your relatives or friends try to quit smoking? ? Yes? No ? I do not know Thank you for completing the survey Youth Smoking (smokers) Background Information In recent years, the number of youth smoking increases steadily. A survey in 2007 reveals that 10500 Hong Kong people aged 15-19 smoked.Through this survey, I want to identify the opinions of non-smokers and smokers towards smoking, the reasons why smokers smoke and how smoking affect smoker’s and non-smoker’s quality of life. This survey is only set for people aged 10-25 1. How old are you? ? 10-15? 16-20? 21-25 2. How long have you been smoking? ? 1-3 years? 4-6 years? 7-10 years ? 10 years or above 3. Do you agree that smoking is bad to your health? ? Agree ? Disagree 4. Do you agree that you are addicted to cigarettes? ? Agree ? Disagree 5. How many cigarettes you smoke per day? ? 1-3 ? 4-6? 7-9? 10-12? 13-15? 16-18 ?18-21? 22 or above 6. How much do you spend on buying cigarettes per week? (Hong Kong Dollars) ? $0-50 ? $51-100 ? 101-150 ? $151-200 ? $201-250 ? $251-300 ? $301-350 ? $350 or above 7. Where do your money buying cigarettes come from? (You may choose more than 1 option) ? Work ? Petty cash from family members ? From illegal ways ? Borrow from family members/friends ? Others(Please state) 8. Do you relatives or friends know that you smoke? ? Yes (please go to question 9) ? No (please go to question 10) 9. Generally, do they support you to smoke? ? Yes? No ? I don’t know 10. Why do you smoke? (You may choose more than 1 option) ? Influence of friends ? Influence of family members ? Curiosity ? Release pressure ? killing time ? refreshing one’s mind ?Others(please state) 11. What are the bad effects of smoking on you? (You may choose more than 1 option) ? I am not welcomed ? I am less healthy ? Not enough money ? M akes me ugly ? Bad image ? Poor relationship with relatives ? Poor relationship with friends ? Others(please state) 12. What are the good effects of smoking on you? (You may choose more than 1 option) ? I am welcomed ? I am more healthy ? I have more money ? I have better relationship with relatives ? I am more handsome/beautiful ? good image ? I have better relationship with friends ? Others(please state) 13. Have you tried to quit smoking? ? Yes (please go to question 14) No (Thank you for completing the survey) 14. Why did you quit smoking? (You may choose more than 1 option) ? Health reasons(with advice from doctors/ other health care professional) ? Smoking is not good to my health ? Influence of friends ? Influence of family members ? Requested by boss/ teachers ? Government policies(such as expanding statutory no smoking areas) ? Others(Please state) 15. What methods did you use to quit smoking? (You may choose more than 1 option) ? Discard all cigarettes and ashtrays ? Using medications for quitting smoking (such as nicotine patch and nicotine gum) ? Avoid staying in places where people smoke Using smoking cessation services provided by smoking cessation clinics ? Others(please state) 16. Why did you fail to quit smoking? (You may choose more than 1 option) ? Not determined enough ? Smoking has become a habit/favourite ? Quitting smoking is suffering ? Others(please state) Thank you for completing the survey Youth Smoking (Ex-smokers) Background Information In recent years, the number of youth smoking increases steadily. A survey in 2007 reveals that 10500 Hong Kong people aged 15-19 smoked. Through this survey, I want to identify the opinions of non-smokers and smokers towards smoking, the reasons why smokers smoke and how smoking affect smoker’s and non-smoker’s quality of life.This survey is only set for people aged 10-25 1. How old are you? ? 10-15? 16-20? 21-25 2. Why did you smoke? (You may choose more than 1 option) ? Influence of friends ? Influence of family members ? Curiosity ? Release pressure ? killing time ? refreshing one’s mind ? Others(please state) 3. Why do you quit smoking? (You may choose more than 1 option) ? Health reasons(with advice from doctors/ other health care professional) ? Smoking is not good to my health ? Influence of friends ? Influence of family members ? Requested by boss/ teachers ? Government policies(such as expanding statutory no smoking areas) ? Others(Please state) 4.What methods did you use to quit smoking? (You may choose more than 1 option) ? Discard all cigarettes and ashtrays ? Using medications for quitting smoking (such as nicotine patch and nicotine gum) ? Avoid staying in places where people smoke ? Using smoking cessation services provided by smoking cessation clinics ? Others(please state) 5. What is the most important factor that help you to quit smoking successfully? ? Health reasons(with advice from doctors/ other health care professional) ? Determinati on to quit smoking ? Support from family member and/or friends ? Requested by boss/ teachers ? Government policies(such as expanding statutory no smoking areas) ?Others(Please state) Thank you for completing the survey ———————– [1] Census and Statistical Departmen