UNlQLO-Hong Kong Essay

Introduction: This essay sets out to strategically analyze UNIQLO which IS a new Japanese ca wear brand invest in Hong Kong. I will analysis UNIQLO internal factor and external factor. After that, I will recommendation some area of digital marketing to UNIQLO Company background: UNIQLO is the well-known casual clothing brand in Japan, and to Show footprints across four continents, 17 places. UNIQLO is mainly developing the† business market in Asia such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Korea and Japan. In a few years, UNIQLO upgrade to the world‘s fourth largest casual wear brand, just behind ZARA, H&M. and GAP. Also, Giordano is the main local competitor of UNIQLO in Hong Kong. In 2005, UNIQLO started to invest in Hong Kong. They open the first branch in Tsim Sha Tsui. Today, UNIQLO is one of the popular brands in Hong Kong where have 22 branches. Many teenagers or student will buy their clothes because. there have many types of clothes such as T-Shirt, coat, jacket, sweater and jeans. Internal analysis: Business Model UNIQLO is a business to customer (B2C) company, as their company philosophy is MADE FOR ALL’. They want everyone can wear the best quality casual wear. So their product lines divide to man, woman, kids and baby. Also, UNIQLO products have different series such as casual wear, formal suit, underwear and sportswear. They want customer can purchase their clothes more concentrate and convenience. Then main objectives of UNIQLO’s marketing program are enhancing its brand image, In the target market and maintaining relationships with customers  through digital communication. Digital marketing communication is very useful which can attract the potential customers. For example, we are developing the online shopping system to our customers. It can attract the potential customers who are looking our website. Also it can build our brand image, increase our market share. In addition, we are planning to cooperate with local university, Sponsor some clothing to their student. Establish long term relationship with media channels. Target Customer UNIQLO slogan is â€Å"MADE FOR ALL† their target market would be anyone and everyone, no matter what yours gender, ages. In UNIQLO, you can purchase what you need. However, they will not set their products prices too high as they want everybody can afford it. In Hong Kong, teenager and student are their main target customers because teenager and student are care more about their dressing than adult. Competitive Analysis (International competitors in Hong Kong) UNIQLO is the world’s fourth largest casual wear brands, their ,main competitors are H&M, GAP and ZARA. These three companies also sell inexpensive causal wear and thief style is very similar. (What about Giordano, Bossini) GAP & ZARA are UNIQLO big competitor because they want to develop their business in Asia too. They want to infuse the Europe style to Asian. However, UNIQLO is a Japanese company, their products maybe have some Japanese style. In Asia, Asian like Europe style more than Japanese style. 50 it will affect their sales in Asia. In digital marketing, I find online shopping system only GAP website have, UNIQLO, H&M and ZARA haven’t online shopping systems. Also, GAP have the after sell service, it can help customer to reduce the risk of shopping  online. Nowadays, customers like shopping online because they can know the news products and purchase them on the internet, it is more convenience than shopping in branches. ln Hong Kong, UNIQLO only have 22 branches, not everywhere can see UNIQLO stores, so online shopping system can really help UNIQLO to promote their products. However, UNIQLO has used other social application such as ‘LINE’ to interactive with. customers. For example, UNIQLO every week will send message in their fans page, they will ask some question, if follower answers their question correctly, they will give some discount to them. It seems more interesting because customers can interactive with UNIQLO. (Local Competitor) Recommendations Part B(Strategy) ESPN has become part of the American culture for more than forty years. This provision mummy Sports information is becoming integrative to the global phenomenon. In general. world-of-mouth marketing can be cleverly driven Into electronic marketing and social network marketing via the social media in the form of online communities and forums, blogs and social network. Such includes Facebook. Twitter and YouTube. Electronic marketing and social network marketing will be important for ESPN (Dijkmans. Kerhof & Beukeboom, 2014) to continue to keep their position in world culture and remain as one of the top choice of quality sports information provider among consumers. The social network marketing will continue to reach their target customers. ESPN must help her customers in engagement with ease to exchange her brand virally. The business branding of ESPN is to be extended onto Google+ aside Facebook and Twitter since this platform supports the best practice tactics in viral marketing. After all, these social media platforms are to be integrative with EXPN website via the Cell phone technology by the implementation of mobile apps with updates the call for action buttons site structure with search functions enhancement retrieve of comment posting on social platform in display on home site(and vice versa) Google analytic tools (Pan, 2014) in tracking the status of EXPN against her Competitors The implementation allows for provision of 1 visual content sharing of images and videos (for gasping of attention) 2 educational and insightful content to attract more serious people (parents and Young adults) 3 Provide frequent and consistent updates of content of new stories and sports- specific blog posts 4 Provide prominent sharing button of social media platforms for easing Customers in sharing the content ESPN needs to focus on her sport cultural customers especially in creating her evangelists by asking them to encourage their peers into using ESPN. In particular, the youth audiences would be highly influential to continue to appreciate the service of ESPN and help to pass that same appreciation down to their next generation as it has been a part of their culture. Her role as an advisory agency for her sports customers allows the advantages at two levels (Domegan, 2008). At commerce level, cross-selling is possible between ESPN and her other business partners and such saves the operation cost of her sports partners and the time cost of their Customers. At marketing level, her mission and vision in helping the SWOT Analysis SWOT Analysis is a useful technique for understanding the UNIQLO strengths and weaknesses, and for identifying the opportunities open and the threats of UNIQLO. Used in a business context, a SWOT Analysis helps UNIQLO carve a sustainable inche in its market 1. Strengths: -Products diversification -Great service attitude -Pricing First, UNIQLO’s products have many types such as formal suit, sportswear and casual wear, it can provide more choice for customers purchase in the same place. Second, shopping in UNlQLO can enjoy the best service. When the customers entered the stores, the staff will say ’Welcome to UNIQLO’ and show their smile face to customers to keep the impression better. Also they will solve all about products question to customers. I think this is better than other competitor. Third is UNIQLO products price, they offer discounted prices which increase footfall in store. Also, their price is cheaper than other casual wear shop, but their product quality will not decrease. 2. Weakness: -Employee flow too much -Can’t shopping online No membership (preferential) First, UNIQLO invest much money into training which increase the human resource cost. UNIQLO always have the employee outflow, it will waste their training and money. As UNIQLO hasn’t enough employees discount and welfare so they are difficulty to attract teenager join. Second. UNIQLO hasn’t online shop, they only have online website. Customer only In Hong Kong, the local competitor is Giordano which has 73 branches that more than UNIQLO 22 branches. So, Giordano‘s market share is more than UNIQLO so much. Also, Giordano has perfect online shopping system. it attract more customer purchase Giordano product. This is the main different  between UNIQLO and Giordano. As Giordano has these kinds of service, they can help customer purchase convenient. Giordano’s advertisements do very well and enough that make them to be a well-known brand in Hong Kong. Product Analysis As teenager and student are UNIQLO target customers, their products need to be younger and colorful. Also, UNIQLO is always crossover with some famous designer and other brands such as +J Collection, SPRZ NY, Jeffrey Fulvimari and Disney. It will make UNIQLO products more special and limited. UNIQLO products are very diversification which has four main series products such as women, man, kids and baby. UNIQLO products can fulfill yours need because they have different product lines such as sportswear and casual wear. Their goal is everyone has the chance to come in UNIQLO to purchase. Corporate Social Responsibility UNIQLO not only a business company, they also is a social responsibility company. They have the concept is through clothing to bring the social have the good way development. UNIQLO sponsor some famous sports athlete such as NOVAK DJOKOVIC, Adam Scott, KEl NISHIKORI and SHINGO KUNIEDA. UNIQLO hope they can promote their brand to the world and attend more charity function. The aim is through the star effect to attract more people to care the poor countries. UNIQLO also has the clothing recycling program, they will send the old clothes to the disaster affected countries such as 2013 Nov Philippine typhoon disaster. They donate many recycle clothes to victims. Situation Market Analysis: Situation Analysis ESPN is the leading American cable television network of sports entertainments, entering its first year of operation in cell phone venture in 2003. its premium products were well received and niche marketing has been the key to develop brand and product awareness as well as grow the customer base. ESPN offers sophisticated cell phone with highly specialized content at sports information, serving the growing web industry. The entrance to the Western European markets in 2009 demonstrated the business design and its distinctive capabilities of ESPN as being a leading multinational sports entertainment company. ESPN is shown successful at marketing, capabilities such as understanding customer value, creating customer value, delivering customer value, capturing customer value, and sustaining customer value. Market Summary and Target Customers ESPN possesses good information about the sports entertainment and knows the specifics about the characteristics of a particular sports entertainment follower. This knowledge and the accumulated customer base of customers can be leveraged to better the product and service provision in addressing the needs of the target customers. The common attributes of the target markets of ESPM are as follows: Entertainment Speed Sportsmanship Excitement Culture SWOT Analysis A SWOT analysis evaluates an organization to assess the internal and external factors, Which in turns impacts on the market organization of the organization. The assessment is Critical in the development of goals and the implementation of strategies (Kotler & Keller, 2009). The following SWOT analysis captures the key strengths and weaknesses within the company. and describes the opportunities and threats facing ESPN.

Benefit of information system for business Essay

After several years of turbulence of internet stocks and the resulting failure of many companies, it is easy to understand the impact of information system in daily life. Yet, everyday we read article about IT technology helping the growth of the business. They are many advantages that most people agreed: they create value largely or exclusively through the gathering, synthesizing and distribution of information, they formulate strategy in ways that make management of enterprise and they use technology-mediated channels which are subject to measurement and tracking in unprecedented and granular ways. With those advantages, the company can gain a better position in the furious competition. Among the main advantages of the information system been used in the business are its ability to facilitate business activities with huge amount of information and organized resource and the ease of transaction in terms of speed and cost. In this report which is presented to Mr. Oracle, the manager of Basket Company, I am going to exam the three vital roles that information system can benefit for the business: Support of its business processes and operation, Support of decision making by its employees and manager Support of its strategies for competitive advantage In the traditional business environment, business operating is a manual, time-consuming and labor-intensive process involving requests for quotation, purchase order submissions, order approval and confirmation, shipping, invoicing and payment. But with the help of information systems, business can gather information more quickly at a relatively low cost. For example, 1800-flower Company provides a broad range of give products. The company’s information system collects and stores data on birthday and invitations, as well as a record of gifts send to specific recipients. It maintains a customer information file holding all such data which alerts them of  forthcoming events. At the appropriate times the company sends customized message to the customers with suggestion for flowers and presents. The company gains a world-wide reputation. Therefore, good management information systems fast the business operation and use resource more effective. Basket Company also involves similar business actives we discussed above, by equipping the management information system, will greatly support business operation. Now the competition of basket market is very furious, it is not enough to improve only the product, we should impress the customers as a person who cares them more than their selves. To achieve the goal, we have to identify the trend of customer needs. Like large office goods supplier—Staples. The company system maintains lists of previously ordered items. Over time, Staples learned a great deal about its customers’ preferences and use that information to offer new items. We value our employees as they play an important role in company success, but only with the helps of those tools, our employees and managers can easily make the decision on buy from supplier and predicate the profits. Thus, the good management information system plays a more important role in the competition. One of the outcomes of information system is the strategies for competitive advantages. The three basic strategies for competitive advantages are cost leadership, differentiation and focus. Management information system can have a considerable part to play in a competitive strategy, cutting the labor and administration cost during business operation, the business can sell goods or provide services at a price that is lower than the competitors. Surveys and feedback sessions will be conducted from detailed transaction records and various data to access the ongoing project. To sum up, management information system is necessary to meet the extensive and diverse market competition. It supports business operation, support decision making and gain strategies for competitive advantage. If we use information system in our business, the company will have higher chances to success. Leppert, P. A., 1996. Doing Business with new technology. Fremont, California: Jain Publishing. David whiteley 2000 introduction to e-business McGraw-hill international UK

Essay on how man is destroying the Environment Essay

Man is an integral part of the environment, yet he is the arch-enemy of it. For centuries man has been thriving on its generosity. But in his quest to make life very simpler and more luxurious,, he has turned a blind eye to the damage caused to the environment. Our greed to get the most out of everything has made us contemptuously neglect the environment, although we all know that our very existence depends on it. A careful analysis of why there are imbalances in the environment will highlight numerous mistakes and aberrations on our parts. After doing so, I reason that there are certain traits in us that have led to the present situation. The first is the innate tendency to discriminate. After divining the world into geographical entities by drawing imaginary lines called ‘borders’, man has divided societies on the basic of color, creed, religion etc. The immediate effect of such division is bias. Primarily our world has been divided into major categories based on the qualities of life- developed and developing. Although the word ‘developed’ seems to have comforting implications, the problematic aspect is that these countries have not attained this status without damaging the environment. In fact, they have tampered with it to a great extent. Every element of the environment, be it land or water, has been exploited. The other category, the developing nations, is like a teenager who has just turned adult. He wants to enjoy every bit of comfort and freedom that was till now the prerogative of the developed nations. Lately both the developed and the developing nations woken up to the ramifications of damaging the environment. Various conference and summits have been held to find solutions to the problem. But the outcome of all these has been the same; no consensus has been reached on how to preserve the environment. The prime reason of the discord is the question of responsibility. Both the parties present their own set of arguments to evade the issue. The developing nations allege that it is the developed which have misused natural resources and hence, the onus is on them to preserve the environment and undo their actions that have led  to the present scenario. At the end of the day, the victim of this blame game is the environment, which is languishing due to mankind’s apathetic nature. In order to progress, every country needs to set up industries for manufacturing essential commodities. Both the developed and the developing nations have extensive set-up of such industries that cause more pollution than any other thing on the planet. The amount carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted by these has already reached dangerous levels. Carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas, is the main cause of global warning. It has been reported that the average global surface temperature has risen by 0.56 degree C. One of the effects of this surge is that the Antarctic ice caps have stared melting thereby making the sea level rise. Based on their respective findings, concerted scientists fraternity has been trying to draw the attention of the policymakers to the grave situation that we have put ourselves in. Some lo-lying areas are already facing the threat of being submerged by rising sea levels. The increase in average temperature has also caused warming of sea waters. We all are well aware of EI Nino that occurs dues to warming of the Pacific. Countries, particularly those encircling the Pacific, are the worst affected by the weather disturbance that it brings along. Heat waves, one of such weather problems, kill a large number of people very year. The above paragraph present a global picture of discrimination and divided politics. Even within a country we find it very common. We do not have to rack our brains to find a suitable example. Our very own India has deeply entrenched caste lines. People of superior castes believe that certain activities should be carried out only by those from the lower strata of the society. Cleaning drains and toilets and picking rags from the streets are expected to be carried out by these people. If these workers go on leave, no individual from the upper echelons of the society would engage himself in such work. Young individuals from lower castes ni longer wants to continue with this petty work and want to pursue something that is socially more acceptable. It has widened the demand-and-supply gap resulting in squalid surroundings. If people understand their duties and change their outlook a  bit, the problem can be readily solved. As has been practiced in the developed countries for years now, home owners should themselves collect and dump the garbage at the local collection point. They should not look down upon this because keeping’s one’s surroundings clean is not dis-respectable. They should also not expect someone else to do this on their behalf just because that person stands lower on the social ladder. The second trait that has led to the damage of the environment is self-centeredness. The motto of people goes like â€Å"If it suits you, carry on and forget about everything else†. Unfortunately, the word â€Å"everything† is that seems to refer o the environment because it is that one thing which everyone tends to forget about. Again, no better example comes to mind other than India to substantiate this. Right from the festivals, to holiday trips to part celebrations, our actions disrupt the balance in nature. Starting with the festival many of them involve submerging sacred status in rivers or seas causing water pollution. Water bodies have self-cleaning ability, but if polluted beyond the saturation point they disturb the aquatic life . Many varieties of fish are known to have become endangered due to our negligence. Some festivals involve blasting crackers which causes air pollution. Not only this, stray animals suffer severe trauma because of the unbearable noise of crackers. Moving on to our overzealous vacation trips, we somehow damage the environment there also. Some of our hill stations have started getting warmer. The rise in temperature is partly due to the vehicles coming to these areas packed with visitors and emitting CO2 copiously. Such scenes have especially become common in places like Mussoorie, Shimla, Khandala, etc, which are close to major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, etc. People do not mind taking their high emission vehicles to these serene places, thus disturbing their ecology. And all this is due to inadequate government policies and the indifferent attitude of the people. It should not be surprising that after enduring so much, the environment also runs out of patience sometimes. And then its fury is unleashed. This is quite evident from the fact that the rise of sea level due to global warming is giving nightmares to scientists across the world. It is posing a serious hazard to the existence of a number of islands by threatening to wipe many  of them off the world map. Nature is hitting mankind back in some other spheres as well. In parts of Indian, climate changes due to heat wave render the crops useless and on occasions this happens right before the harvest. Being primarily an agrarian economy, it becomes very difficult for India to cope with such a challenge. This makes evident that the environment retorts whenever it is tampered. Another very compelling example is that of yaks, Yaks, that are suited to very cold climate and are confined only to upper regions of the mountains, are brought down to lowers areas where tourists throng because they are a major tourist attraction. Lately it has been found that these Yaks meet untimely death because their bodies are not able to adapt to the warmer conditions downhill. In turn there owners suffer heavy loss. Another area where meddling with environment can have dire consequences is land pollution. Whenever waste is not disposed of properly, the dump becomes the perfect breeding ground of pathogens resulting in epidermis such as plague and dengue. Other diseases such as asthma are one the rise in large cities where air pollution is more acute. The groundwater level has been plummeting in more of the cities due to improper use of the precious water resources. Whenever there us scarcity of water, people fight it out to get their share when the local water tankers arrives in their locality. These examples clearly, indicate that whenever man disturbs the environment balance, he is in fact digging his own grave. It is the time man undid the damage done to his surroundings. Both the developed and the developing nations should come together to protect the environment. Instead of questioning each other’s duties, they should collectively strive for a solution and step up their efforts to save the enviroement. In fact, every county should do its bit. Likewise we, in India, should cooperate with the government on its politics and also help formulate new ones to protect the environment. Closing the tap properly and switching off appliances when not in use are some of the basic appliances when not in use are some of the basic measures that require almost no effort on one’s part but still can make a huge difference. Other measures like using public transport, ensuring that surroundings are not polluted during festival celebrations can go al long way towards protecting environment. Effective advertising campaigns proper education imparted to poor people, involving  business hoses, etc, will also pave the way for a better environment. At the end of the day, we must understand that maintaining the balance would not only help us but more importantly, would ensure the very existence of life on Earth.

Alcoa Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Alcoa - Assignment Example The calculated ROE is consequently higher though the assets utilization ratios are worse in 2007 than 2006. e) In the third quarter of 2007, the sales figures are lower than in the previous two quarters. This is due to lower third party sales of all product segments. This has impacted the ROE. Sales in the fourth quarter are at about the same level as the third quarter. The reported net profit for the quarter is higher due to the restructuring adjustment from the agreement to sell the packaging and consumer business of the company. f) The Balance Sheet data shows that the increase in assets is due to major additions in Properties, Plant and Equipment which suggest a major increase in production capacity. Current assets and in particular receivables and inventories are lower in 2007 compared to 2006. Data on capacity utilization would therefore be relevant. Question 2 – Net income of 3 Q- 07 compared to 3Q – 06 Alcoa’s sales in the 3Q – 2007 were significantly lower at $ 7,379 million compared to the previous two quarters which were both around $ 8,000 million. Since Net Profit Margin from sale of products is the main driver for the company’s ROE, the stock market would take the reduced sales figure as the signal of lower ROE for the year. In the previous quarters Alcoa’s stock prices must have gone up on the higher sales numbers from the corresponding quarters of the previous year. a) Primary metals with 21.4% of third party sales in 2007 and flat rolled products with 29.9% of sales make up the bulk of Alcoa’s business. Primary metals contributed 45.5% of Alcoa’s after-tax operating income (ATOI) in 2007. This segment is therefore the most important for Alcoa. Flat-rolled products had an ATOI of only 6.3% in

Symbolic Use of Nature and Wildlife Imagery in Tortilla Curtain Essay

Symbolic Use of Nature and Wildlife Imagery in Tortilla Curtain - Essay Example Coyotes and Other Animals Dominant symbols of wildlife and the environment are inherent right through the book. The symbol of the coyote to be precise is high-flying as is connected to the immigrants of Mexico. Delaney portrays these extremes very notably in the "Pilgrim at Topanga Canyon" article featured in the book, but they are common figures in the entire narrative, such as in the manner that the coyotes level the Mossbacher’s hedge to hound the dogs. This can be attributes to the fact that the Mexican immigrants trounced the obstacles at the border in an endeavor of making both ends meet in the United States of America. Delaney has a thing for coyotes, something that is corresponding to other residents in his community, shows his attraction with wildlife, outgoing nature of the immigrants. On one hand, the hated immigrants pose a measure of fright to other residents; on the other hand they are interesting and are always talked about by other residents. They are even cont racted to do all forms of work. In the same context as residents in the area go to the extent of even putting out foodstuffs for the coyotes, they also attend the work exchange to take the services of these illegitimate immigrants that they hate dearly for exceptionally low salaries. This is reference to Jim Shirley’s action of employing America. He brought her to the house, touched her in an unceremonious manner, while on the contrary, he spreads tales of the unlawful, evil and terrific crimes that transpire at these immigrants hands. Different animals are mentioned and appeared in the book holding relevant and symbolic meanings just like the coyote. For instance, there are many instances that replies like horned lizards, animals that when threatened fire blood out of their eyes, are associated with people like Jack Jardine and Jack Cherrystone. A more stressing factor is the manner that Delaney and Kyra are so involved into these animals. Kyra is tempered when she sees a do g being caged in the blazing heat. It was Delaney’s task was writing about the animals he saw. This interest explains further, the attraction that the Mossbachers and other White Americans with the wilderness and other untamed animals. The making of factual walls is not an unknown subject in the novel. Just from the beginning, hullaballoo is raised concerning the construction of the first gate and the n Arroyo Blanco’s wall. The whole novel then revolves on the aspect of the immigrants getting over the â€Å"wall† of the border separating Mexico and the United States. The factual wall appears in a number of incidents in the story. The coyotes must jump over the Mossbachers’ fence for them to get hold of the dogs. They are able to accomplish this with technique and cunningness just like the manner in which the immigrants went over the wall at the border. The canyon wall is also an important one that segregates Candido and America from protection and well-b eing of the white Americans and their lifestyle. The wall is used to resist interaction between the two diverse cultures. In the novel, it is exceptionally rare to come by a conversation between the two asides. Just from childhood, Candido had been raised knowing to build a â€Å"wall† between other people and himself when things have hit the rocks. The walls have a number of tasks to serve:

Saudi ARAMCO Compensation Scheme Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Saudi ARAMCO Compensation Scheme - Assignment Example Given that the company operates in over 200 nations across the globe, it is faced with the need to make a choice of whether to globally standardize their products and thus benefit from economies of scale operation (Bell 12). It is also faced with the need to adapt their products to a specific market segment or adopt integrated approaches that simultaneously make use of both approaches. Much literature has been produce regarding the external and uncontrollable factors that may impact on the company’s strategic positioning. This study is meant to look at the internal variables and the externalities in order to derive the â€Å"best fit† tactical and strategic approach. The paper seeks to illustrate how the company’s tactics and international strategy harmoniously work after a deep consideration of the external forces existing in the global market. Organizational and strategic effectiveness are very vital for the success of any business organization, although they are very different. According to Bell (57-9), strategic positioning is unique in the sense that it seeks to integrate both organizational and strategic effectiveness in a manner that serves to differentiate a business organization in the market place and thus drive success. When looking at a product strategy, management in a borderless world does not necessarily mean managing by the ave rages. It does not also mean that to make a product appealing to the customers means removing the localization of the product. It rather means setting the stage for the management of the product to thrive locally and internationally. The company sells non-alcoholic beverages and it currently operates in more than 200 countries globally. The company is famous for its innovative soft drink, â€Å"Coca-Cola† although it can presently boast of over 230 brands. It employs almost 30,000 people across the world. It is noted that 80% of the company’s profit and 70% of its

Contract law assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Contract law assignment - Essay Example She intends to use the machine both for her restaurant and for family meals. One of the clauses in the sales contract, which is drafted in technical legal language, read as follows: â€Å"Electromart cannot be held responsible for any loss or injury whatsoever caused by any defects in the manufacture or design of any goods sold.† Melinda also enters into an on-site service contract for an extra  £45. In the service contract Electromart agrees to repair the dishwasher if it breaks down within one year of purchase. One of the clauses in the service contract provides: â€Å"The customer bears all the risk of all repairs and nether Electromart nor any of its employees whatsoever accept any liability for any injury, damage or consequential loss, howsoever caused, arising out of any work done or omitted to be done in respect of any insured product.† 1. May a seller (not the manufacturer) of a manufactured product avoid liability from defects of the product by including in its contract the following clause: â€Å"Electromart cannot be held responsible for any loss or injury whatsoever caused by any defects in the manufacture or design of any goods sold.† 2. May Electromart avoid liability as repairer of the product it sold to Melinda by providing in the contract the following clause: â€Å"The customer bears all the risk of all repairs and neither Electromart nor any of its employees whatsoever accept any liability for any injury, damage or consequential loss, howsoever caused, arising out of any work done or omitted to be done in respect of any insured product.† Under the given facts, two days after the machine is delivered the dishwasher floods, causing  £2,000 damage, and  £200 lost business in the restaurant. With only two days having passed when the machine was a delivered, it would be very correct to conclude that he machines was defective especially that facts

Health and Safety Manager for WoooW company Essay

Health and Safety Manager for WoooW company - Essay Example Since the employee wanted to resume his work, it is my duty to explain to him the dangers that will be faced and to safeguard the health so as not to strain at work. Bradycardia is a condition whereby the heart tends to have a slower beating rate than normal. In a normal adult heart at rest, the beats are usually between 60 and 100 times per minute. However, if an individual suffers from bradycardia, his /her heartbeat is lesser than 60 times in a minute. The condition can be considered a fatal problem in instances where the heart does not propel sufficient oxygen-rich blood throughout the body. However, some individuals do not display any symptoms or complication when suffering from the condition. The condition can be caused by many reasons such as changes in the heart that are the effect of growing old. Besides, illnesses that harm the heart’s electrical system including, heart attacks, infections such as myocarditis and endocarditis as well as coronary artery disease. Another cause includes situations that have a potential in slowing the electrical impulses of the heart such as a low thyroid level also known as hypothyroidism, an electrolyte imbalance ("Equality Act 2010" n.d.). Lastly, a various medication used while treating high blood pressure or heart conditions such as antiarrhythmic, digoxin and beta-blockers can lead to a slowed heartbeat rate. Although some individuals are suffering from the condition exhibit mild to no symptoms at all, a few symptoms are associated with it. The patients usually feel lightheaded or dizzy and have short of breath, which makes them find it difficult to be involved in exercising. Besides, they tend to feel exhausted and experience chest pains or a feeling that their heart is throbbing or flapping. The condition’s treatments include depending on the causes, being given a pacemaker, which assist in correcting a slow

Water. Characteristics of water Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Water. Characteristics of water - Essay Example According to Benjamin (32) water comprises of about 54-78% of the total human body. It is an important component of human nutrition and it is taken directly through drinking and as a constituent of food. This paper examines scientific and chemical properties of water, with special focus on its application in food and nutrition. Characteristics of water Water has a chemical formula, H2O and hence it is a compound made of one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms, bound by strong covalent bonds. Water naturally exists in three states, namely solid in form of ice, liquid and in gaseous form. In liquid state, chemically pure water is tasteless, odorless and colorless substance with a tinge of blue color. It has a density of 1g/cm3 at 40C . Water freezes at 0o C and reaches its boiling point of 100oC at standard pressure of 760mm Hg (Benjamin 53-56). Water demonstrates various chemical properties. It reacts with acidic and basic oxides forming inorganic acids and alkalis respectively. Water react s with metals and non-metals to form respective hydroxides (Armstrong and Kellee, 19). Some salts bonds with water to form hydrated compounds containing water of crystallization in the structure. These hydrated salts can loose the water of crystallization when subjected to high temperature forming anhydrous compounds. Water is a polar molecule and many substances dissolves in it (Benjamin76). The chemical and physical properties of water

Religion and Identity Essay Example for Free

Religion and Identity Essay The question often arrived what is religion? There are more than one answer to this depending on one’s culture, identity, ethics and beliefs. Religion can be found in different cultures and throughout the whole period of human history. There is evidence that shows signs of religion such as animal spirits in art and human burials that suggest the belief in life after death. There have been many different answers and definition to what religion is (Van Voorst, 2013). According to Robert E. Van Voorst (2013), religion is â€Å"Pattern of beliefs and practices that expresses and enacts what a community regards as sacred and/or ultimate about life (pg.5). In addition to that, there is the separation of church and state. In America, the right to freedom of religion is very central to the American democracy that it was preserved in the First Amendment to the Constitution along with other rights such as freedom of speech and freedom of press. The country’s founders restrict the separation of church and state. This is due to the prohibition against government regulation or endorsement of religion. According to American Civil Liberties Union of Florida (2012), the standard of separation has been regularly tested. In early America, even after church establishment ended, some state legislators sought to revive the compulsory taxation of citizens to support religious institutions. In this century, public schools were once required to teach the biblical version of the earths and humanitys creation, while the scientific theory of evolution was prohibited. Throughout our history, sectarian advocates have tried to inject religious exercises, such as daily prayer, into the public schools. At times, religious minorities, including members of cults, have been discriminated against because of their beliefs. And today, many citizens in many communities disagree about whether a model of the infant Jesus in the manger, which officially promotes certain religious beliefs over others, should be displayed on the steps of City Hall. The courts must frequently consider where to draw the line that separates church and state ( ¶5). Religion is one of our most critical tradition and constitutional rights and must stand against anything that would challenge the standard of separation, which protects that freedom. Reid Temple African Methodist Episcopal Church was the group that I visited. Though it is not my own religious practice, it qualifies as a religion. Driving up to the church there is a sign that has the name of the church boldly written in LED lights. The welcome message display in red across the board says â€Å"All Are Welcome†. Inside of Reid Temple church they have a Cross as their symbol posted high where all can see. The service was nice with the choir singing praises to God and special prayer request were taken. After the service, I spoke with the Senior Pastor about his church and what exactly do they believe in. I was informed that their slogan is â€Å"Aiming to Please through the 5 E’s. This came from II Corinthians 5:9 which states â€Å"So whether at home or away, we make our aim to please Him. (RSV). The 5 E’s were described to me as â€Å"Evangelism which is sowing the seed of God’s Word in the hearts of all people. Empowerment which is bestowing love and guidance on believers to disciple them in fulfilling their purpose. Education which is knowing the will of God through study and obedience of His Word. Economics which is flowing in financial prosperity according to God’s wealth principles and Expansion which is growing in all ministry areas to reach the growing harvest of souls† ( Washington, L. Personal interview January 13, 2013). The cross is a reminder of their pledge and it also reminds them that Jesus died for their sins and to Him all praise is given. Buddhism also has a symbol such as the Dharmachakra which is the wheel of the law. The eight spokes on the wheel represents the eightfold path. The wheel is one of the most important Buddhist symbols because it symbolizes the teachings of Buddha. According to Thames Hudson (2004), The wheels motion is a metaphor for the rapid spiritual change engendered by the teachings of the Buddha: the Buddhas first discourse at the Deer Park in Sarnath is known as the first turning of the wheel of dharma. His subsequent discourses at Rajgir and Shravasti are known as the second and third turnings of the wheel of dharma. The eight spokes of the wheel symbolize the Noble Eightfold Path set out by the Buddha in his teachings. The wheel also represents the endless cycle of samsara, or rebirth, which can only be escaped by means of the Buddhas teachings. And some Buddhists regard the the wheels three basic parts as symbols of the three trainings in Buddhist practice: The hub symbolizes moral discipline, which stabilizes the mind. The spokes (usually there are eight) represent wisdom which is applied to defeat ignorance. The rim represents training in concentration, which holds everything else together ( ¶ 2 3). In the early days, the Dharmachakra not only symbolizes the teaching of Buddha but also Buddha himself. Today, it appears in the art of every Buddhist culture (para 5). Practicing religion can shape an individual and group identity. Take Buddhism for example that is followed by many Indians. This religion practices the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. The Four Noble Truths teaches that: 1. All life is suffering- this suggests that all beings experience suffering and that it can be ranged from great physical and mental pain to mild emotional unhappiness. Suffering originates from anger and sadness but then happiness is also suffering because it comes and goes. 2. The cause of suffering is desire- This suggests that humans want what they do not have and should not have. Humans’ personal desire for happiness is the cause of the suffering. 3. To end desire is to end suffering -which suggests that putting all craving and personal desires to an end will therefore end the suffering. This breaks the negative karma which leads to the 4th Noble Truth 4. To end desire- one must follow the Noble Eightfold Path. The Eightfold Path is : 1. The right to understanding which ends the concept of what one think is reality and see reality as it is. 2. The right to intention is where people must want to change before they can actually be change. 3. The right to speech which is speaking the truth at all times. 4. The right to conduct which means no killing, stealing, drinking, intoxicants and being sexual. 5. The right to livelihood which is working and living a life that does not cause others harm. 6. The right to effort which is developing a conscious free from craving. 7. The right to mindfulness which is to be aware and mindful and 8. The right to contemplation which is the deepening of mindfulness that leads to concentration and insight may be obtained (Van Voorst,2013). Practicing the Four Noble Truths and The Eightfold Path teaches and shape the followers of Buddhism. It is a way of life for them which teach them to take time to find out who they are and what they are all about. It is a guideline to ethical and menta l development. Shinto culture is another example of how practicing religion and shape individuals or groups. The people of Japan practices Shinto and is rooted in the people there and their traditions. The Shinto gods that are called kami are sacred spirits. These spirits can take form in things such as wind, rain, mountains, trees, rivers and fertility. Shinto religion believes that when a human dies they become a kami and is given back to their families and ancestral kami. There not a right from wrong in Shinto and their faith is based on being optimistic. The Shinto faith is blended with other beliefs such as that of Buddhism and Daoism. It does not have a founder, written documents, formalized ethics, system of beliefs, scripture or an organized system of theology but with the blend of Buddhism and Daoism, the Japanese culture now have a system of beliefs, written documents, founder, ethics and all that it was lacked before. It is still a central religion of Japan (Carroll, 2012). Shinto grounds are very sacred and behavior must be proper at all times. There are no food or drink allowed and there must be silence or hushed voices. Purity is important in Shinto and there is a certain procedure in washing your hands on mouth. Purity is important in pleasing the kami which brings a happy life. Van Voorst wrote that â€Å"Cleanliness in particular signifies a good character and freedom from bad external influences. In Western societies one hears the proverb â€Å"Cleanliness is next to godliness.† In traditional Japanese society cleanliness—of body, mind, and spirit, both ritual and practical—is godliness. To be in harmony with the kami, one must keep one’s person, home, and business clean† (pg 198). Religion has always been connected with government and politics. The Western world has a history of influence from Catholicism and Protestant rift. It is very similar to the history of some parts of Southern Asia that have been influenced by Islam. The interconnection of both religion and government is to be expected because both are regulating social behavior. During the past century, religion has been less influential. Modern governments have been influenced by Democratic philosophy which put importance of the average man and a sharing of the world’s resources. These ideas continue to shape modern society in different ways. For example, technology has drastically changed the nature of life and work. Traditional religious systems are gradually becoming less important. The trend towards secularism continues but has not been nearly as pronounced in the United States and regular church attendance started to decrease in the 1960’s and early 1970’s. It increased again post World War II period. There is only a small majority of Americans who thinks religion is of any importance in their lives (Federal Funding of Faith-Based Services, 2011). Many people know what religion is until they are asked to define it. Religion is a worldly thing, across many boundaries in human experience and so that makes it a bit hard to define. There are a few different definition of religion and many have different religious experience and understanding of Ultimate Reality. At Reid Temple, I asked the lady sitting next to me if she could tell what Ultimate Reality means. She said to her Ultimate Reality meant a personal relationship with God. In a different culture Ultimate Reality could mean spiritual growth or spiritual path. Not everyone is all about religion though. There are some cultures who prefer that their beliefs not to be subject as a religion but as a faith or teaching. There are some who argue that they are not religious but they are spiritual. References American Civil Liberties Union of Florida. (2012). Church and state. Retrieved from http://www.aclufl.org/take_action/download_resources/info_papers/3.cfm Carroll,B.J. (2012). Shinto basics. Retrieved from http://www.world-religions-professor.com/shinto.html Federal Funding of Faith-Based Services. (2011). Religion and public policy. Retrieved from http://www.newsbatch.com/religion.htm Thames Hudson. (2004). Reading Buddhist Art: an illustrated guide to Buddhist signs and Symbols. Retrieved from http://www.religionfacts.com/buddhism/symbols/wheel.htm Van Voorst, R.E. (2013). World relg. Student edition. Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. USA Washington, L.P. (2013). Reid Temple Senior Pastor. Personal Interview January 13, 2013.

Problems in defining and measuring crime

Problems in defining and measuring crime Today we will be looking at the difference between crime and deviance, the way of measuring crime and deviance and the problems involved. Defining crime is complex, dependant on social, political and economic factors. Crime is an act punishable by law. If somebody breaks the law, whether it is a serious or minor crime, s/he will be punished. Some argues that no matter how immoral, reprehensible, damaging or dangerous an act is, it is not a crime unless it is made such by the authorities of the State, the legislature. Some sociologists argue that only those are criminals who have been adjudicated as such by the courts, and no act can be considered criminal before and unless a court has meted out some penalty. Not all of those who break criminal laws are caught and convicted and many acts that could be considered criminal are rarely prosecuted. The forms of punishment are varied, depending of seriousness of crime, for example, imprisonment etc. Deviance is a type of behaviour that is not accepted by the majority of the society. It is behaviour that differs from the norm and terms weird, evil, sick, immoral are often connected with this form of behaviour. This could be something as minor as wearing the wrong kind of clothes to a party or as major as a murder. Many deviant acts that are not accepted by society are not necessarily criminal acts. Certain type of behaviour may be accepted by one society, but devalued and discredited by another. For example, drinking alcohol in British society is considered acceptable, even if it has negative impact on our society. However, there are many cultures (particularly those influenced by religious beliefs) that disapprove of this behaviour. In some countries like Libya, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Morocco, Bangladesh, the Maldives, Tunisia and Sudan, the consumption of alcoholic beverages is forbidden. There are some exceptions where alcohol can be available to foreign tourists but only in ce rtain areas. Criminal and deviant behaviour changes from place to place and time to time. Strong public opinion and changing moral values have a huge impact on these interpretations and it becomes difficult to say what acts are deviant/criminal and what can be considered normal. For example, abortion used to be illegal in the UK, but in 1967 it become legal up to 24 weeks with no time limit when there is a risk to the womans life. However, there are still anti-abortion groups in UK that believe that abortion is wrong, but because majority of society agree on this outcome it is not seen as criminal act anymore. There are still many countries that place value on human life and abortion is illegal there, for example in Northern Ireland, Brazil, Malta, the Philippines, Egypt, Nigeria and many more. It is very difficult to draw a line between crime and deviance. They go hand in hand. Any crime that is committed is a result of someone being deviant. A great deal of deviant behaviour is not punishable by law, but can come to the attention of a community which implements various informal controls, such as isolating those who deviate from the norm rejected by family, friends, colleagues, whole community. Who has the power and right to say what is normal and what is deviant behaviour? Cultures, traditions, religion, morals and beliefs, greatly influence society about what we see as acceptable/unacceptable behaviour. People are born into different societies with different cultures, values and morals. Individuals are influenced by these from birth and continue to learn and adapt new values and morals. If people migrate and become members of a different society, they may have to learn new values and morals. If somebody undertakes a religious conversion, their morals and values will change to meet their chosen religions behavioural code. Crime and deviance have always played a big part in our society. Crime statistics are an important source of information, which provide an insight into the amount and type of crime committed within particular areas (both national and local). In England, crimes recorded by the police have been published since 1876. However, official crime statistics (as recorded by the police) only contains information regarding the crimes that are reported and recorded by the police, courts and prisons. Previously the police had a certain amount of control over which crimes were recorded but since 2002 all crime has to be recorded. All those crimes which go unreported are known as a dark figure of crime. Hidden, unnoticed and ignored crimes belong to this category and all these are excluded from official statistics. Crimes occurring within a family or involving children are the most common types of unreported crimes. People may not report crime for different reasons, for example, lack of trust in the police or choosing to deal with the situation personally. It has been suggested that only about fifteen percent of crime is reported to the police. For this reason it is clear that statistics do not measure and provide a clear figure of total crime, therefore they are not reliable. There are other problems in comparing statistics over time including: changing legislation; changing interpretation of the law by the judiciary; and the changing morals and greater sensitivity of the general public. To conclude, crime refers to behaviours that are a violation of the criminal law, but the law is under constantly under review. Changes in police practices, priorities, politics, law and what our definition of what constitutes a crime, have a dramatic impact on statistics. Although the accuracy of collected crime statistics are often questioned, they still provide us with insight, keeping the public, the media and other groups informed about the problem of crime. Even if they do not represent our experience of crime, they allow us to investigate the ever changing nature of crime and deviance. Bibliography M. Haralambos M. Holborn (2008) Sociology Themes and Perspectives J. Muncie and E. McLaughlin (2001) The Problem of Crime David W. Jones (2008) Understanding Criminal Behaviour.

Social And Cultural Aspects Of Thailand Cultural Studies Essay

Social And Cultural Aspects Of Thailand Cultural Studies Essay Historical background: Thailand has a wide variety of fauna and flora and boasts wide ethnic diversity as well. Thanks to its abundant resources and fertile land, it has attracted peoples of many countrys, who have settled and thrived here. The origin of the Thais is not agreed on amongst academics. Three decades ago it could be said with presumed certainty that the Thais originated in northwestern Szechuan in China about 4,500 years ago and later migrated south to their present homeland. However, this theory has been altered by the discovery of remarkable prehistoric artifacts in the village of Ban Chiang in the Nong Han District of Udon Thani Province in the Northeast of Thailand. These include evidence of bronze metallurgy dating back 3,500 years, as well as other indications of a culture far more sophisticated than previously believed by archaeologists. It now appears that Thais might have originated here in Thailand and later scattered to various parts of Asia, including some parts of China. Siam is the name by which the country was known to the world until 1939 and again between 1945 and 1949. On May 11, 1949, an official proclamation declared that the country would henceforth be known as Thailand. The word Thai means Free, and therefore Thailand means Land of the Free. The Monarchy: The words of the Thai Royal Anthem, performed at most official ceremonies and before the start of every movie, may strike a Western ear as somewhat archaic. After all, the system of absolute monarchy ended in 1932, following a revolution staged by a small group of disaffected civil servants and military men. Since then, Thai kings have ruled under a constitution; their powers theoretically no greater than those of European monarchs. Yet, since he was officially crowned in 1946, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej has assumed the role of constitutional monarch and has worked tirelessly on behalf of his people, gaining a measure of personal devotion that is probably more intense than that felt for any of his all-powerful ancestors. It has been said that Their Majesties King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit are the hardest working royal couple in the world with a work load once estimated to be equal to at least one function every day of the year. Of the several institutions that form the foun dation of modern Thai life, the one His Majesty represents is not only the most visible but also the most revered. His Majesty has devoted himself to public service and made enduring contributions to Thailands development, initiating vital royally-suggested projects such as crop rotation, fish breeding, irrigation, natural watershed programs, dairy farming, reforestation, road building, and the establishment of self-help villages. His Majesty has traveled countrywide by helicopter, jeep, train, boat and on foot, often to the remotest corners of his Kingdom, in pursuit of his projects. He is held in high esteem nationwide for his profound interest in his peoples welfare. Her Majesty Queen Sirikit frequently accompanies His Majesty and shares a close interest in the welfare of rural Thais. Her Majesty has wholeheartedly helped establish foundations such as SUPPORT which assists Thailands rural population to produce and sell traditional craft products for supplementary income. The Thai monarchy is revered and regarded as the central, unifying element in the pillars of the nation. King Bhumibol was born on December 5, 1927, ascended the throne on June 9, 1946, and married Her Majesty Queen Sirikit on April 28, 1950. Their Majesties have four children; Their Royal Highnesses Princess Ubol Ratana, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, and Princess Chulabhorn. The Royal Couple are conscientiously assisted by their children, who frequently accompany them and represent Their Majesties at official functions and ceremonies. The Flag: Thailands national flag, ceremoniously raised each morning at 08.00 and lowered at 18.00 in every town and village. The flag is composed of five horizontal bands of red, white, and blue. Outer bands of red representing the nation enclose equal inner bands of white evoking religion. The blue band, occupying the central one-third of the total area, symbolizes the monarchy. The harmony of design expresses the complementary nature of these three pillars of the Thai nation. The tri-colored flag, first introduced by King Vajiravudh (Rama VI) in 1917, replaced an earlier design which featured a white elephant on a red background. Public Hollidays: Most national holidays and festivals are of a religious nature and serve to evoke a sense of devotion to the monarchy, the religion, and the nation. Some are celebrated by the lunar calendar and thus vary in date from year to year, while others are celebrated according to the solar calendar. Bank Holidays for 2010 are: Thai culture and customs Informality and general friendliness in relationships of all age, economic and social groups characterize the Thai culture and people. Thai people are tolerant of almost all kinds of behaviour and never expect foreigners to understand the intricacies of Thai social customs. A Thai greeting In Thailand people do not normally say good morning, good afternoon, good evening or good night. They greet each other with the word Sawadee, and instead of shaking hands, they put their palms together in a prayer-like gesture and bow slightly. It is customary for the younger or lower in status to begin the greeting. When taking leave, the same word and procedure is repeated. This gesture is called a Wai. If you are greeted with a Wai you should reply with the same gesture, though it is not necessary to return a Wai to a child. Think of a Wai as you would a handshake. Initiate a Wai because of sincere pleasure at an introduction. You will not cause offence if you Wai inappropriately in Thailand, but you may create confusion. Dont return a Wai from waiting staff, drivers or other help. You might hope to strike a blow for equality, but will in fact cause embarrassment. A Wai to your teacher (any kind of teacher) is definately appropriate; any smiles you receive in return are of appreci ation. Sanuk means fun One of the first things you will notice when you visit Thailand is the Thai peoples inherent sense of playfulness and light heartedness. Sanuk is the Thai word for fun, and in Thailand anything worth doing, even work, should have some element of Sanuk. This doesnt mean Thai people dont want to work or strive. It is just that they live more in the moment, and do their best to enjoy it. The famous Thai smile stems partly from this desire to make Sanuk. The concept of saving face Thai people have a refined sense of public image and believe strongly in the concept of saving face. That is, they will go to great lengths to avoid confrontation and endeavour not to embarrass either themselves or other people (unless of course it is Sanuk to do so!). The ideal face saver does not bring up negative topics in conversation, or talk in an argumentative, judgemental or aggressive manner. Raising your voice or losing your temper will never be constructive in Thailand. It will result in loss of face for everyone involved, and you may be ignored as a result. You may notice Thai people smiling in the face of anothers misfortune. This is not a sign of callousness, but an attempt to save face for the person suffering misfortune. Saving face is the major source of the famous Thai smile. It is the best possible face to ease almost any situation. Social status in Thailand According to simple lines of social rank defined by age, wealth, and personal and political power all relationships in Thai society are governed by connections between Phu Yai (big people) and Phu Noi (little people). When meeting someone new a Thai person will automatically make an assessment regarding their Phu Yai or Phu Noi status. They may ask quite probing questions in order to place them. A set of mutual obligations requires Phu Noi to defer to Phu Yai through demonstrations of obedience and respect. In return Phu Yai are obligated to care for and offer assistance to Phu Noi they have regular contact with. Phu Noi may ask Phu Yai for favours such as financial help or assistance securing employment. It would cause Phu Yai some loss of face to refuse these favours. When eating out in restaurants, Phu Yai will normally settle the bill. Examples of automatic Phu Yai status include: adults over children, bosses over employees, elder classmates over younger classmates, elder sibling s over younger siblings, teachers over students, military over civilian, Thai over non-Thai. As a visitor to Thailand you may be assigned Phu Yai status as a sign of courtesy, stemming somewhat from assumptions regarding your wealth and education. Do not be offended by these assumptions. If you are lucky enough that Thai people hold you in high regard, take it as a compliment. Mai Pen Rai never mind Mai Pen Rai means never mind (or more literally its nothing). Symbolising Thailands unofficial national philosophy these three little words help to calm the heart of a nation. Mai Pen Rai enables the Thai people to retain their composure, keep smiling and be happy in everything they do. Thai people care little about trifling things. If they are frustrated, instead of getting angry they simply say Mai Pen Rai and solve the problem by some other means. Thai people believe strongly in avoiding confrontation, which is one of the reasons travel in Thailand is such a pleasure. To the Thais, foreigners over-worry, see trouble where there is none, and are constantly fretting over the future. When Thai people think about their future, they are optimistic. If they are not so happy now, they believe they are sure to be in their next life! Concept of time in Thailand The Mai Pen Rai philosophy is well demonstrated by the Thai concept of time. Estimates of time, in terms of the past or the future, can be vague or even wildly inaccurate in Thailand. Thais are often late for appointments, but nobody seems to mind waiting. Traffic jams are common, restaurant service, and hotel check-in procedures can seem slow and inefficient, but you wont see Thai people getting upset about it. In fact, most Thai people find it pathetic to see a person childishly expressing their irritation. Such behaviour will set you apart as someone less than properly evolved. The best thing to do is to relax and let things proceed at their natural pace. Trying to pin Thai people down about times will generally get you nowhere. If you must ask when will we be ready to leave? or when will this job be done? go ahead. But be prepared for an answer that proves wrong, not because of bad planning, but simply a different attitude towards time. Thai business customs In business circles some Thai people will have a reasonable command of English. However, most Thais do not feel comfortable speaking English. Address a Thai man or woman by their first name, not their surname, using the prefix Khun instead of Mr or Mrs. It is not considered informal or familiar to call Thais by their first name. Although Thai people appreciate punctuality when conducting business, there is a differentconceptHYPERLINK http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.horizonmuaythai.com/Thailand/culture.html#timesa=Dsntz=1usg=AFQjCNGM8gGK4onIOzD8qdDEh5sO7ma2LQ HYPERLINK http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.horizonmuaythai.com/Thailand/culture.html#timesa=Dsntz=1usg=AFQjCNGM8gGK4onIOzD8qdDEh5sO7ma2LQofHYPERLINK http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.horizonmuaythai.com/Thailand/culture.html#timesa=Dsntz=1usg=AFQjCNGM8gGK4onIOzD8qdDEh5sO7ma2LQ HYPERLINK http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.horizonmuaythai.com/Thailand/culture.html#timesa=Dsntz=1usg=AFQjCNGM8gGK4onIOzD8qdDEh5sO 7ma2LQtimeHYPERLINK http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.horizonmuaythai.com/Thailand/culture.html#timesa=Dsntz=1usg=AFQjCNGM8gGK4onIOzD8qdDEh5sO7ma2LQ HYPERLINK http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.horizonmuaythai.com/Thailand/culture.html#timesa=Dsntz=1usg=AFQjCNGM8gGK4onIOzD8qdDEh5sO7ma2LQinHYPERLINK http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.horizonmuaythai.com/Thailand/culture.html#timesa=Dsntz=1usg=AFQjCNGM8gGK4onIOzD8qdDEh5sO7ma2LQ HYPERLINK http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.horizonmuaythai.com/Thailand/culture.html#timesa=Dsntz=1usg=AFQjCNGM8gGK4onIOzD8qdDEh5sO7ma2LQThailand. Deadlines are often overlooked and it is necessary to allow for this when scheduling meetings. Dont contradict or criticise people in public. An essential tool for success in Thailand is patience. A person who lets inconveniences pass and forgives easily is respected. Dos and donts in Thailand Loud voices, calling attention to yourself, pointing at people or things, throwing or dropping things, and making big hand gestures all seem graceless to the Thai sensibility. Preferred modes of comportment are those that reflect the quiet, subtle and indirect as opposed to the loud, obvious and direct. Although the southernHYPERLINK http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.horizonmuaythai.com/Koh%20Phangan/people.htmlsa=Dsntz=1usg=AFQjCNFO_U149i3qhoxZw4kCnw5vfMHhwQ HYPERLINK http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.horizonmuaythai.com/Koh%20Phangan/people.htmlsa=Dsntz=1usg=AFQjCNFO_U149i3qhoxZw4kCnw5vfMHhwQThais can at times be alarmingly direct in their interactions with others. The monarchy remains highly respected throughout Thailand and visitors to the country must be respectful also. Avoid disparaging remarks or jokes about the royal family; they will not be appreciated. All Thai people love their king, HYPERLINK http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.horizonmuaythai.com/Thailand/monarchy.htmlsa=Dsntz=1usg=AFQjCNGHxdr0A9teNyRnx41X2lBm06yLSwHMHYPERLINK http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.horizonmuaythai.com/Thailand/monarchy.htmlsa=Dsntz=1usg=AFQjCNGHxdr0A9teNyRnx41X2lBm06yLSw HYPERLINK http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.horizonmuaythai.com/Thailand/monarchy.htmlsa=Dsntz=1usg=AFQjCNGHxdr0A9teNyRnx41X2lBm06yLSwKingHYPERLINK http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.horizonmuaythai.com/Thailand/monarchy.htmlsa=Dsntz=1usg=AFQjCNGHxdr0A9teNyRnx41X2lBm06yLSw HYPERLINK http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.horizonmuaythai.com/Thailand/monarchy.htmlsa=Dsntz=1usg=AFQjCNGHxdr0A9teNyRnx41X2lBm06yLSwBhumibol; if you want to know why, ask them politely. Public displays of sexual affection are not acceptable in Thailand, although this may be changing with the younger generation in some areas. Thai people are extremely offended by public nudity, along with just about everyone else in the world. Thai people are modest in this respect and it should not be the visitors intention to reform them. A polite man in Thailand will not touch a woman. The feet in Thailand are considered spiritually as well as physically the lowest part of the body. Dont step over peoples legs, even in a crowded place such as on a train; wait politely for them to move out of the way. Do not point things out or pick things up with your feet. And do not wave your feet around peoples heads! If you accidentally touch someone with your foot, apologise. Food in Thailand is often eaten on the floor. Stepping over food is really a bad thing in Thailand. Shoes are not worn inside peoples houses, or in some guest houses and shops. If you are not sure watch other people. A pile of shoes at the entrance is your clue to remove yours (socks are OK). To Thai people wearing shoes indoors is disgusting. Show respect for religious symbols and rituals, and avoid touching spirit houses and household alters. Thai people, particularly those in rural areas, can be highly superstitious and may feel the need for lengthy ritual should you contaminate their sacred areas. Do not stare at Thai people. They may be smiling, but still do not look into their eyes too long. Particularly in rural areas young and old may react violently to such a gesture, which is considered a rude insult. During normal conversation most Thai people do not look directly at one another, and will avoid anything but the briefest eye-to-eye contact. Phu Nawy (little people) often keep their head bowed when conversing with Phu Yai(big people) as a sign of respect. As a foreigner it can be hard to know if you have a persons attention. And it is difficult to hear what people are saying if they speak with their back to you. Laundry and bathing Modest dress and a clean, neat appearance will create a very good impression in Thailand. Keep up with your laundry and you will receive better treatment everywhere. Most Thai people bathe in cold water. This is not a problem, as it is almost always hot enough for you to feel the need to cool down. Most Thais shower and put on fresh clothes at least twice a day. You will be more comfortable and sleep more soundly in the hot and humid climate if you do likewise. Many washrooms in Thailand do not have showerheads fitted to the wall. There is a cement trough or other kind of water reservoir provided for use. A plastic or metal bowl is used to sluice water over the body. This water is meant for cleaning and should remain clean for other peoples use. Do not contaminate this water. And do not climb into the reservoir in order to bathe! In rural areas many Thai people still use rivers and streams, or will bathe from an outdoor reservoir at home. When bathing in view of others men wear underpants. Women should wear a Pha Sing (cotton wraparound). Nude bathing in public view is not acceptable. In Thailand the squat toilet is the norm except in hotels and guesthouses geared towards foreigners. If you have never used one before it may take a bit of getting used to. Contrary to what some people seem to think, these are flushing toilets. They are flushed in the same way as western toilets, i.e. by dropping water through the hole. The difference from Western-style toilets being, you must scoop water with a bowl from a nearby reservoir and drop water through yourself, rather than release water from a tank using a lever. You can chuck water all over the place in a Thai toilet, so when you are finished it is a good idea to rinse the floor of any sand or mud you may have brought in on your feet. Thai people do not normally use toilet paper, prefering to rinse themselves thoroughly with soap and water. If you absolutely must use paper dont drop it down the toilet. Place it in the bin provided. If there is no bin provided, find another facility. Plumbing in Thailand simply isnt desig ned to handle paper, and in most places you will cause a great deal of inconvenience if you drop anything other than your natural waste through the toilet.

Vocational Teacher Education Reform Essay -- Teaching Educate Essays

Vocational Teacher Education Reform The reform movements of the 1980s triggered numerous demands to reexamine and reform the way students and their teachers are educated. This Digest examines the implications for vocational teacher education emerging from general teacher education reform movements. It discusses how excellence in vocational education teaching can be achieved and proposes 21st century models for vocational teacher education. Impacts of Reform Movements on Vocational Teacher Education Several of the major reform initiatives of the 1980s and early 1990s argued that improving education requires improving teacher quality and, accordingly, teacher education. Numerous changes in teacher recruitment, preparation, and certification were proposed. (For a detailed list, see Hartley, Mantle-Bromley, and Cobb 1996.) In response to the calls for reform, general teacher education programs raised admission standards/exit requirements; revised curricula to reflect multiculturalism and new K-12 standards; paid more attention to pedagogy, teaching practice, and relevance; included clinical experiences in public schools and other learning environments; and proposed new model standards/principles for licensing beginning teachers (Lynch 1997). As of 1989, the only major impacts of national education reform movements on vocational teacher education at the macro (national) level were stiffer requirements for entry into teacher education programs and, to a lesser extent, more credit hours/time devoted to student teaching/clinical-type experiences with public schools (Lynch 1991). Until 1993, the discussion of reform of teacher education in the vocational education literature was limited to individual authors' suggestions f... ... R.E., and Venable, W. "Implications of Increasing Numbers of Nontraditional Students for Vocational Teacher Education Reform." In Beyond the Debate, pp. 95-102. University Council for Vocational Education, 1988. (ED 303 639) Rudolph, J.; Fry, B.; and Barr, L. "Factors Affecting the High School Curricula and Their Implications upon Vocational Teacher Education." In Beyond the Debate, pp. 82-94. University Council for Vocational Education, 1988. (ED 303 639) Sharp, G. "Post-Fordism, the Vocational Curriculum and the Challenge to Teacher Preparation." Journal of Vocational Education and Training48, no. 1 (1996): 25-39. Tozer, S., and Nelson, R.E. "Vocational Teacher Education: Emerging Patterns for General Studies, Academic Majors, and Professional Education." In Beyond the Debate, pp. 18-37. University Council for Vocational Education, 1988. (ED 303 639) Vocational Teacher Education Reform Essay -- Teaching Educate Essays Vocational Teacher Education Reform The reform movements of the 1980s triggered numerous demands to reexamine and reform the way students and their teachers are educated. This Digest examines the implications for vocational teacher education emerging from general teacher education reform movements. It discusses how excellence in vocational education teaching can be achieved and proposes 21st century models for vocational teacher education. Impacts of Reform Movements on Vocational Teacher Education Several of the major reform initiatives of the 1980s and early 1990s argued that improving education requires improving teacher quality and, accordingly, teacher education. Numerous changes in teacher recruitment, preparation, and certification were proposed. (For a detailed list, see Hartley, Mantle-Bromley, and Cobb 1996.) In response to the calls for reform, general teacher education programs raised admission standards/exit requirements; revised curricula to reflect multiculturalism and new K-12 standards; paid more attention to pedagogy, teaching practice, and relevance; included clinical experiences in public schools and other learning environments; and proposed new model standards/principles for licensing beginning teachers (Lynch 1997). As of 1989, the only major impacts of national education reform movements on vocational teacher education at the macro (national) level were stiffer requirements for entry into teacher education programs and, to a lesser extent, more credit hours/time devoted to student teaching/clinical-type experiences with public schools (Lynch 1991). Until 1993, the discussion of reform of teacher education in the vocational education literature was limited to individual authors' suggestions f... ... R.E., and Venable, W. "Implications of Increasing Numbers of Nontraditional Students for Vocational Teacher Education Reform." In Beyond the Debate, pp. 95-102. University Council for Vocational Education, 1988. (ED 303 639) Rudolph, J.; Fry, B.; and Barr, L. "Factors Affecting the High School Curricula and Their Implications upon Vocational Teacher Education." In Beyond the Debate, pp. 82-94. University Council for Vocational Education, 1988. (ED 303 639) Sharp, G. "Post-Fordism, the Vocational Curriculum and the Challenge to Teacher Preparation." Journal of Vocational Education and Training48, no. 1 (1996): 25-39. Tozer, S., and Nelson, R.E. "Vocational Teacher Education: Emerging Patterns for General Studies, Academic Majors, and Professional Education." In Beyond the Debate, pp. 18-37. University Council for Vocational Education, 1988. (ED 303 639)

Structure in Sophocles Antigone Essay -- Antigone essays S

Structure in Sophocles' Antigone  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚   Aristotle in his Poetics (chap. 7) says: ?[L]et us now discuss the proper structure of the plot, since this is the first and most important thing in tragedy? (1033). M. H. Abrams says that ?almost all literary theorists since Aristotle have emphasized the importance of structure, conceived in diverse ways, in analyzing a work of literature? (300). The matter of the structure of Sophocles? Antigone is a subject of varying interpretation among literary critics, as this essay will reveal. Gilbert Murray, professor at Oxford University in England, cites structure as one of the reasons why he chose Sophocles to translate. Then he elaborates on this structure: ?But Sophocles worked by blurring his structural outlines just as he blurs the ends of his verses. In him the traditional divisions are all made less distinct, all worked over the direction of greater naturalness. . . .This was a very great gain. . . .? (107). Murray here refers to Sophocles? modification of the classic structure for tragic drama. This is distinct from what Aristotle above refers to as the ?structure of the plot.? The classic structure for drama includes: Prologue ? everything up to the chorus; Parodos ? the chorus? sings; First Episode ? development of plot by main character(s); First Stasimon ? the chorus again; Repetition of Episodes and Stasimons until the climax is near; Exodos ? the climax, crisis, and catastrophe. As Murray notes, Sophocles does not adhere to the classical structure as rigid ly as other dramatists of the period. Aristotle?s ?structure of the plot? is what most literary critics mean when they refer to the ?structure? of Antigone. In Chapter 18 of the Poetics Aristotle states: ?Ever... ...s Hurt. NewYork: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1984.    Murray, Gilbert. ?A Great Translator?s Reflections on Oedipus the King.? In Readings on Sophocles, edited by Don Nardo. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1997.    Segal, Charles Paul. ?Sophocles? Praise of Man and the Conflicts of the Antigone.? In Sophocles: A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by Thomas Woodard. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966.    Sophocles. Antigone. Translated by R. C. Jebb. The Internet Classic Archive. no pag. http://classics.mit.edu/Sophocles/antigone.html    ?Sophocles? In Literature of the Western World, edited by Brian Wilkie and James Hurt. NewYork: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1984.    Woodard, Thomas. Introduction. In Sophocles: A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by Thomas Woodard. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966.

Compare and contrast at least three of Fanthorpe’s poems Essay

Four of Fanthorpe’s poems, Dear Mr. Lee, You’ll Be Hearing From Us Shortly, Half Past Two and Not My Best Side all have things in common yet on different subjects. In her poems, Fanthorpe challenges our views particularly on stereotypes and prejudices both traditional and modern. The serious point of Dear Mr. Lee is to get across that looking at writing, so intensely can ruin the original idea the writer had. Some pieces of writing should just be read and enjoyed. Fanthorpe as a teacher often has to take apart pieces of work and analyse them yet she seems in this poem to disagree with the over analysing of writing. Also similar in all four of these poems is the structure. All are written as prose, the most obvious prose like poem is Dear Mr. Lee. It seems to be written as a letter by a student who has read Mr. Lee’s book. Yet looking further into the poem the reader discovers that it is actually written as the thoughts of the student. The way the student talks about and criticises the teacher. â€Å"Mr. Smart is my least favourite person† and â€Å"Mr. Smart has to explain why they’re jokes†¦Ã¢â‚¬  are good examples of thoughts. Dear Mr. Lee’s lines end randomly, which is odd for a poem, rhythm and pattern are not present and generally the poem has no traditional poetry techniques such as alliteration, onomatopoeia and rhyme. Also not all the lines begin with capital letters, which is very strange for a poem. â€Å"I wanted to say Dear Laurie (sorry) your book’s the one that made up for the other,†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The poem seems to be unplanned and has no apparent structure, using random line lengths, and also it seems to be this way because of the line beginning without capitals, which makes it, look messy and unplanned. Dear Mr. Lee is trying to get across a point that criticises the studying of writing whereas Not My Best Side challenges the use of stereotypes both traditional and modern. St George is a critic reading the poem making his objections to it, complaining about the way the new characters differ from the traditional or stereotypes. â€Å"Don’t you want to carry out the roles that sociology and myth have designed for you?† Not My Best Side is more tongue and cheek than Dear Mr. Lee in the way it makes fun of the stereotypes. In many stories involving dragons, the dragon is often fierce and often the bad guy. Fanthorpe has made fun of this and made the dragon totally the opposite: vain, proud, patronising and feels he is superior. He is a prima donna. The woman is not beautiful, helpless and grateful to the hero. She is self-centred, and a gold-digger. Then there is St. George who is supposed to be brave, handsome and modest. Fanthorpe’s St. George is a modern day man with a huge ego. Not My Best Side also appears to be written as prose. Also it lacks traditional poetry techniques, as does Dear Mr. Lee. The lines seem to end randomly, and yet again there is also the use of brackets as afterthoughts, which are found, for the same reason in Dear Mr. Lee. Unlike Not My Best Side, Half Past Two may be written from a personal experience. From her experiences Fanthorpe tries to get across that there are different kinds of time. Fanthorpe uses the child to represent the first kind of time: Events that the child remembers or has picked up. The child does not know ‘adult’ time and so uses events in the day as time. For example: â€Å"Gettinguptime†, and â€Å"Timeyouwereofftime†. The second time portrayed is real time. This type of time is the day divided up by the clock in hours and minutes. The third of time is suspended time. This is the type of time the child is in when he ‘daydreams’ and drifts off into his own world. As he doesn’t understand the adult time he goes into his own suspended time to escape. In Not My Best Side, Fanthorpe introduces three voices that divide the poem and show the reader who is speaking. This also appears in Half Past Two. There is the narrator, the teacher and the child. These three voices appear randomly within the stanzas whereas the three voices in Not My Best Side are used to divide the poem into stanzas. Like Dear Mr. Lee and Not My Best Side, Half Past Two is also written as prose. The randomly ending lines and use of brackets, also used in both Dear Mr. Lee and Not My Best Side emphasise the writing as prose. The brackets in Half Past Two represent afterthoughts, similar to Dear Mr. Lee and Not My Best Side. All of Fanthorpe’s poems seem to involve thoughts of someone, concerned about all that occurs in their own head. Maybe this person is Fanthorpe herself. Therefore the poems would be written about self-experiences. For example, the views of the Dragon, Princess, Knight, the suspended time of the child and the thoughts of the interviewee could all be taken as Fanthorpe’s own thoughts. Fanthorpe’s poems are idiosyncratic, all have a lose structure, the line endings are odd and stanza lengths are also all different. Her poetry is written mainly as prose and is easy to tell why, the use of brackets mid line to represent after thoughts and different length structure makes the poems look like prose writing. This is typical of Fanthorpe’s writing and hence her poems being similar in all ways.

Role and Performance of Government and Ngos in Relie F

ijcrb. webs. com INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH IN BUSINESS JUNE 2011 VOL 3, NO 2 Role and Performance of Government and NGOs in Relief Assistance: A Case Study of 2005 Earthquake61 Khalil Ahmad(Corresponding author) Assistant Professor of Economics University of the Punjab, Lahore Tanveer Ahmed Naveed Lecturer, Department of Economics University of Gujrat Sami Ullah Lecturer, Department of Economics University of Gujrat Tahir Rashid Ph. D.Scholar at Government College University, Lahore (Pakistan) Abstract This study investigates the role and performance of Pakistan government and humanitarian agencies during relief and emergency aid assistance to 2005 earthquake victims. This comparative study is based on empirical data collected from 30 most affected villages of NWFP (Pakistan) and AJK through a sample survey on 1st anniversary of 2005 earthquake. About 500 randomly selected heads of the families were interviewed in the sampled area.Mann-Whitney Wilcoxon test i s used to compare the relief assistance provision and satisfaction shown by sufferers toward government agencies and Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) during relief program. While Chi-Squire test is used only to investigate the relationship between affected areas and respondents’ demographic characteristics. Evidently, results show that the NGOs provided more relief items in a better way to victims of 2005 earthquake than did the Government of Pakistan. This study will be helpful in disaster management planning at government and non-governmental levels.Keywords: Performance; Earthquake; NGOs; Government; Relief Efforts BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION Pakistan experienced a destructive earthquake on October 8, 2005, at 8:50 PST, intensity of 7. 6 measuring on Richter scale. Arguably, this was the most devastating disaster in Pakistan’s history. The earthquake epicenter was located 100 kilometers north-northeast of Islamabad. Intensity of losses increased by a series of aftershocks, more than 1000 aftershocks ‘ranging from magnitude 5. 0 to 6. 0’ were recorded as of October 27th in IndiaPakistan Kashmir region. 61 Authors are very thankful to PATTAN Development Organization (National NGO) and Dr.S. M. Naseem for financial help and motivation in study conduction COPY RIGHT  © 2011 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research 1726 ijcrb. webs. com INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH IN BUSINESS JUNE 2011 VOL 3, NO 2 At least 73,000 people had died, another 70,000 had been severely injured or disabled and over 2. 8 million persons have been left without shelter. In addition, 600,000 houses, 6,298 schools and 796 health facilities were demolished. About 6,440 kilo meters roads were damaged and 50-70% of the water supply, sanitation, telecommunication and power infrastructure was rendered un-operational. Pakistan 2006) It is nearly impossible to figure out exact economic impact of earthquake 2005. In total, about US$5. 2 billion was estimated cost of earthquake; includes cost of relief provision to victims, restoration of livelihood support and short, medium and long term reconstruction (ADB and World Bank, 2005). The most immediate task was rescue of people trapped in collapsed buildings and to transport them at safer places along with provision of relief to survivors to save the lives and to secure the dignity of affected population (ERRA, Annual Review 2005 to 2006).The Government of Pakistan immediately realized the enormity of the task and appealed to the international community for emergency assistance. The Government of Pakistan and national & international agencies took immediate measures for rescue, relief and reconstruction for 3. 5 million affected people of NWFP and AJK. Generally, donor agencies and the external sources prefer to channelize emergency assistance to disaster victims through international and/or indigenous NGOs due to all pervasive corruption and misappropriation of reli ef funds on the part of the Governments.The government of Pakistan and participating slocal, national, and international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) with the help of domestic and external sources initiated massive rescue and relief activities in the area. (ERRA, Annual Review 2005 to 2006) Both, government of Pakistan and NGOs played important role in relief distribution and rehabilitation activities. Government of Pakistan established the central coordination office for rescue and relief started to work at Prime Minister (PM) Secretariat immediately after the earthquake.Federal Relief Commission was established on 10th October 2005 to mobilize all resources, to coordinate activities and to facilitate flow of relief goods (ERRA, Annual Review 2005 to 2006). The Federal Relief Commission (FRC) of Pakistan Government, Armed Forces, International donors, UN agencies and local NGOs joined hands to undertake the huge operation for delivering emergency relief against challenges s uch as mountainous terrain, distant and difficult to access communities, changing weather conditions, resource constraint, and overwhelming suffering of the people.On March 31st 2006, the Government of Pakistan officially ended the ‘Relief’ phase and the Federal Relief Commission (FRC) was subsumed into Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA). Government of Pakistan, NGOs and international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) performed different rescue, relief and rehabilitation activities during the first year of the 2005 disaster. Relief provided by FRC with assistance from foreign governments, INGOs, NGOs, individuals and corporate sponsors are summarized in Table 1.COPY RIGHT  © 2011 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research 1727 ijcrb. webs. com INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH IN BUSINESS Table 1: Joint Relief Delivered to the Affected Population Relief Goods and Services Temporary Shelters to Families Tents Blanke ts / Quilts Ration( in tons) Medicines (in tons) Field Hospitals Established Field /Mobile Medical Teams Sorties Flown Quantity 385,000 951,790 6,361,090 256,376 3053. 76 65 86 30,334 JUNE 2011 VOL 3, NO 2 Source: ERRA, Annual Review 2005 to 2006 (From October 2005 to March 2006)Empirical studies suggest that nations with greater resources, better awareness and preparedness are more able to restore and move to normality faster than poor and less prepared nations during disasters. According to the Mid-America Earthquake Center, ‘‘the biggest earthquakes in the region (Pakistan & India) are yet-to-come’’ (Boyd 2006, p. 1). â€Å"Theoretical studies indicate that the energy stored along the Himalayan arc suggests a high probability of several massive earthquakes of magnitude (greater than) 8. 0 in the future† (Shaheen 2007, p. ) â€Å"Theoretical studies indicate that the energy stored along the Himalayan arc suggests a high probability of several mass ive earthquakes of magnitude (greater than) 8. 0 in the future† (Shaheen 2007, p. 1). Research on disasters could be used as a tool for creating better preparedness to combat with future disasters. Further, it helps formulate a comprehensive strategy for disaster management. This research study based on Pakistan’s experience and response to disaster 2005 would be of greater importance for other countries facing similar disasters.Objectively, researchers have investigated various aspects of the 2005 earthquake. However, this study sheds light on role, responsibilities and performance of Governmental institutions and Non-governmental organizations during rescue and relief efforts. This study compares performance of the Pakistan government with NGOs with regard to management and distribution of emergency aid to 2005 earthquake victims during and immediately after the disaster.This comparison is based on data obtained from three most affected areas of NWFP (Pakistan) and AJ K through a sample survey conducted on earthquake victims in October 2006, on the 1st anniversary of 2005 earthquake. Literature Review Pakistan is prone to frequent disasters that inflicted severe losses to property and lives. More frequent disasters are floods, droughts and earthquakes. However, the history reveals that earthquakes were the worst disasters regarding losses to lives (ERRA, Annual Review 2005 to 2006).In 1950, Pakistan witnessed the first severe flood disaster that claimed 2910 lives and affected more than 10,000 villages. Since then, floods, droughts, cyclones, earthquakes and landslides have been striking with regular intervals but none of the successive governments could ever devise a comprehensive strategy for disaster management (A Review of DMP&S in Pakistan). There was a major earthquake in Quetta, Balochistan, in COPY RIGHT  © 2011 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research 1728 ijcrb. webs. comINTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH IN BU SINESS JUNE 2011 VOL 3, NO 2 1935 when the entire city was destroyed. From 1974 to 1990, approximately 5669 people were killed due to earthquakes in the Northern Areas (NA), NWFP and Balochistan (A Review of DMP&S in Pakistan). A brief history of earthquakes in Pakistan along with intensity and resulting human losses is given in Table 2. Table 2: Details of Earthquakes in Pakistan Date May 31, 1935 November 28, 1945 December 28, 1974 October 8, 2005 October 29, 2008 Magnitude 7. 7. 8 6. 2 7. 6 6. 4 Deaths 30,000 – 60,000 4,000 5,300 80,000 215 Injuries and Destruction Tsunami 17,000 injured 3. 5 million people homeless 120,000 homeless District/Province Ali Jaan, Balochistan Balochistan Hunza, Hazara and Swat Muzaffarabad (AJK) Ziarat District, Quetta Source: www. wikipedia. org. com As Pakistan is in a seismic belt, therefore, it suffers from frequent earthquakes of small magnitudes. Mountain ranges of Koh-e-Suleman, Hindu Kush and Karakorum are significantly vulnerable.The devastation can be immense because of the poor quality of buildings and housing (A Review of DMP&S in Pakistan). During the 2005 earthquake a large number of government buildings constructed by the contractors in AJK and Balakot area, collapsed in the first jerk of the quake. This is the overall impression of the people in the earthquake devastated areas that between 30 and 60 per cent of funds for government buildings, including schools, are spoiled by corrupt officials. Contractors habitual of such kickbacks spend less on quality materials resulting in poorly constructed buildings.Therefore, systemic corruption in government construction projects would be directly responsible for the devastating losses of next generation in northern areas of Pakistan (Shaheen, 2008). In addition, there was no adequate crisis management structure in Pakistan prior to the 2005 earthquake and none have any past experience to deal with such severe natural disasters. Although, the army and several NGO groups took the initiative in launching rescue and relief efforts, however, the onerous responsibility of reconstruction and rebuilding rested on the government (Prakash Ouis, 2001).Further, high dependence on natural resources makes communities vulnerable particularly to changes in resource condition (Pomeroy et al. , 2006). Mostly, all-pervasive corruption and abuse of relief aid by Government agencies and bureaucratic style of humanitarian organizations distracts them from the needs of the people they are supposed to assist, in favor of other values that their institutional frameworks dictate (Binini, 2006).This claim was tested by investigating the response to the Pakistan 2005 earthquake and a closer look at data suggests that there was not an optimal match between survivor needs and relief deliveries (Binini, 2006). A certain degree of coordination failure is, of course, inevitable in disasters of this scale. However, Pakistan’s domestic and external political situation made such co-ordination even more problematic and highlighted the need for a bottom up strategy to tap the resources at the local and grass-root levels.Literature represents different strategies adopted by the world by learning from experiences, how to combat with future disasters, how one can better prepare to face less socio-economic and COPY RIGHT  © 2011 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research 1729 ijcrb. webs. com INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH IN BUSINESS JUNE 2011 VOL 3, NO 2 human losses. Many countries like Italy adopted insurance policy measures to combat natural catastrophes (Amendola, 2000). This raises the question whether government agencies and NGOs played the required role during relief phase of 2005 earthquake?Did the government or NGOs performed better during provision of relief aid to victims. Whether the international donations and NGO development programs aimed at reducing vulnerability to earthquakes are an appropriate response t o the earthquake hazard or not (Shaheen, 2008). Are earthquake victims satisfied that relief provided by Government and NGOs was according to their need and secured dignity during relief disbursement? So did Pakistan learn any lesson? If yes, what policy planning Pakistan adopted for future Disaster Risk Mitigation?These all aspects are required to investigate for better preparedness, mitigation and for future disaster response. The purpose of this research is to investigate the role and performance of government of Pakistan and humanitarian agencies during relief and emergency aid assistance of 2005 earthquake victims. Further to evaluate, comparatively who performed better. This study will be helpful in disaster management planning at government and non-government levels. Typically, this study is unique in its nature and will be an imperative contribution to the body of research concerning disaster management in Pakistan.Methodology and Data collection The primary source of data f or this research was field survey conducted in October 2006, immediately after the Pakistan government earthquake emergency relief assistance programs ended. About 500 household heads in the most affected districts (areas) of Pakistan and Kashmir â€Å"Mansehra, Bagh and Muzaffarabad† were contacted to investigate the role and performance of Government agencies and NGOs in various rescue, relief and rehabilitation programs. While survey team couldn’t conduct interviews in fourth most affected district â€Å"Batagram† due to adverse circumstances (i. . cultural, religious and political reasons, at the particular moment). Individual household was the basic sampling unit. â€Å"A household is a group of people in a dwelling unit living together as a family and sharing the same kitchen† (PAUL 2003). In the first stage of the design of the survey, out of nine, three most affected districts were selected. In the second stage, 15 most affected union councils wer e selected (5 UCs in each district). In the third stage, 30 villages or Mohalahs (for urban) were randomly selected.As affected area is consisted of diversified topography, so to find impartial and faultless response urban and rural localities were also considered. Similarly, male and female respondents were selected proportionately to find statistically reliable and significant results. A comprehensive questionnaire containing demographic information of respondents followed by data relating to socio-economic impact of disaster along with opinion questions with regard to the distribution of inflict relief by the government and NGOs were asked to household heads. A household head is defined as the person who makes the major economic, social, and household decisions, irrespective of this individual's age and gender† (PAUL 2003). Key Questions 1. Comparatively, who performed better during rescue and relief phase of 2005 earthquake, the NGOs or Government of Pakistan? COPY RIGHT à ‚ © 2011 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research 1730 ijcrb. webs. com INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH IN BUSINESS JUNE 2011 VOL 3, NO 2 a. Who provided more relief to the 2005 earthquake victims in the emergency/relief phase? . To what extent 2005 earthquake victims are satisfied with the Government and NGOs’ performance Performance is measured by ‘both’ provision of relief items to affectees and satisfaction level shown by respondents toward Government agencies and NGOs. Relief includes following items; rescue, transportation, shelters, food, bedding, cooking utensils, information and awareness, education, training, money, health facilities that were essentially required soon after disaster to survivors to live with dignity.Whereas variable government includes; Army, ERRA, PERRA, DRU, Local Administration, Federal Government, and other governmental institutions that took part in rescue and relief phase. Moreover, Non-governmental Org anizations includes; indigenous NGOs, International NGOs, UN Agencies. Analysis Techniques To analyze the amount of external support provided to the afectees by the government and to test whether the amount of received support was in accordance with their socio-economic conditions, chi-square test of association and Mann-Whitney Test (nonparametric tests) are used.Chi-Squire test is used only to investigate the relationship between affected areas and respondents’ demographic characteristics (occupation, education, sex and locality). Mann-Whitney Test is used to determine if a difference exists between performances of two groups: Government and NGOs. Unlike t-test, Mann-Whitney Test does not require normal distribution of data (MacFarland, 1998). Subsequent analysis is performed by using the SPSS.The nature of the relationship between socio-economic indicators receipt of assistance will be helpful for evaluation of the equitability and performance of the government and NGOs re lief assistance efforts during earthquake 2005. In general, there is a positive relationship between the amount of emergency aid received by earthquake victims and their socio-economic conditions. Poor victims, owing to their weak political and economic power, receive much less assistance than rich victims. Results and Discussion Devastation of 2005 earthquake could be portrayed by housing destruction of affected regions.Data represents that 100% living was affected by disaster. In total, 75% people substantiated complete demolition of houses, while remaining 25% claimed partial damage. Table 3 explains the area wise house damage caused by earthquake. Remarkably, data regarding house damage shows approximately similar trends as shown in district profiles prepared by ERRA. Table 3: Destruction of housing by 2005 Earthquake House damage Completely Damaged Partially damaged Not damaged Total Bagh 80. 7% 18. 4% 0. 9% 100% Area wise breakdown Mansehra Muzaffarabad 77. 5% 69. % 22. 0% 30. 1% 0. 6% 0. 00% 100% 100% Total 75. 2% 24. 4% 0. 4% 100% COPY RIGHT  © 2011 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research 1731 ijcrb. webs. com INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH IN BUSINESS JUNE 2011 VOL 3, NO 2 Nearly, all the respondents reported that they had received the external aid ‘in any form’, either from governmental agencies, NGOs, INGOs, friends/relatives or from individual philanthropists. Collectively, about 85% respondents ranked NGOs and Government agencies topmost helping hands during relief phase.The remaining 15% reported that they seek assistance either from relatives, friends, neighbors, individual philanthropists and they ranked the same at top. The following analysis of the assistance received by victims is based on the response of 85% of respondents who availed some form of assistance. Table 4 shows selected characteristics of the respondents; mainly they were segregated into four occupational groups: farming, services, bus iness, and others. Mountainous geographic location of the area is the reason that only 6. % of the selected population is engaged in farming and 19. 7% in business profession. Moreover, majority of respondents (68%) were employed in services sector (including both public and private services). The analysis based on Chi-square test reveals that there was a significant difference in the occupational characteristics of respondents in all the three sites covered in the present Table 4: Percentage Distribution of Demographic characteristics of the respondents Characteristics Profession Farming Services Business Others Bagh 5. 4 69. 6 19. 6 5. 4 100 39. 13. 3 31. 9 15 100 25. 2 74. 8 100 55. 3 44. 7 100 Districts Mansehra Muzzaffarabad 11. 7 2. 6 59. 6 74. 7 20. 5 19. 1 8. 2 3. 6 100 100 47. 7 13. 8 23. 0 15. 5 100 22. 2 77. 8 100 52. 6 47. 4 100 46. 2 9. 7 25. 1 19. 0 100 38. 8 61. 2 100 48. 5 51. 5 100 Total 6. 5 68. 1 19. 7 5. 7 100 45. 2 12. 0 25. 9 16. 8 100 29. 7 70. 3 100 51. 6 48. 4 100 X2=18. 490 (df=6; p=0. 005) Education Illiterate 1-5 years 6-10 years Above 10 years X2=5. 531 (df=6; p=0. 478) Locality Urban Rural X2=13. 889 (df=2; p=0. 001) Sex Male Female Total X2=1. 451 (df=2; p=0. 484) study.Analysis indicates greater dependency of the affected area population on non-farming income generation sources. While in Mansehra (NWFP) 11% of respondents disclosed that their major source of income was agriculture which was highest engagement in farming throughout study area. The survey data revealed that sample consisted of 45% illiterate respondents. Further gender analysis shows that illiterate women ratio was significantly higher than male illiterate population i. e. 70% and 30% respectively of total 45%. Table 5 illustrates discriminating behavior of society regarding educational acilities to female population of the area. Chi-Squire test shows highly significant results, that is educational COPY RIGHT  © 2011 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Resea rch 1732 ijcrb. webs. com INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH IN BUSINESS JUNE 2011 VOL 3, NO 2 level is drastically different between male and female population of selected area. Interestingly, official data regarding gender wise literacy also have approximately similar trends. Table 5: Gender wise breakdown of educational level of respondents (in Percentage) Illiterate 1-5 years Male 30. 64. 9 Female 69. 7 35. 1 Total 100. 0 100. 0 X2=76. 827 (df=3; p=0. 000) Sex Educational Level 6-10 years Above 10 years 64. 8 79. 0 35. 2 21. 0 100. 0 100. 0 Total 51. 6 48. 4 100. 0 The null hypothesis that there is no difference in provision of relief assistance to 2005 earthquake victims by Government and NGOs was tested by using Mann-Whitney test. Significance can be verified by comparing the computed test statistic (e. g. , U) with its critical value. By interpretation of the p (probability) value, it is observed that p= 0. 005, which is smaller than the 0. 05.Comparison of te st statistics with its table value and the probability method both suggest the rejection of Null hypothesis which states that there is no significant difference between government-provided relief aid and that of NGOs. Further the higher mean rank for NGOs (518 vs. 467) supports the conclusion that the NGOs provided more relief items in better way to victims of 2005 earthquake than Government of Pakistan. Table 6: Comparison of Relief Support Groups N Mean Rank Government 492 467. 53 Relief Support NGOs 492 517. 47 Total 984 Test Statistics Test StatisticMann-Whitney U Wilcoxon W Z Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed) Sum of Ranks 230022. 50 254597. 50 Relief Support 108744. 500 230022. 500 -2. 824 0. 005 Evidently performance is directly associated with satisfaction. Satisfaction is persons feeling of pleasure as a result of comparing a product perceived outcome in relation to his/her expectations. Consequently, if the performance exceeds the expectation, the beneficiary is very satisfied. If out come equals the expectation, the receiver is satisfied. But if the performance falls below the expectation, then the recipient is dissatisfied.In this study Mann-Whitney Wilcoxon test is used to compare satisfaction shown by sufferers toward government and NGOs role during relief program. Test shows extremely significant results. Similar to 1st null hypothesis, 2nd null hypothesis is also significantly rejected, that is, there is no difference in satisfaction shown by victims towards NGOs and Government of Pakistan for relief provision. Further, it explains that NGOs (including both the indigenous and the international) prevailing in Pakistan have played an effective and impartial role in the distribution of relief assistance than did the government organizations.So results show that COPY RIGHT  © 2011 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research 1733 ijcrb. webs. com INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH IN BUSINESS JUNE 2011 VOL 3, NO 2 credibility of NGOs botto m-up approach is higher than that of the government based on topdown directives. In so for as performance is concerned, people are more satisfied with the role played by NGOs/INGOs as compared to Government Agencies during the relief phase. Table 7: Comparison of Satisfaction Groups/Satisfaction Government NGOs Total Statistic Mann-Whitney U Wilcoxon W Z Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed) N 492 492 984 Mean Rank 354. 310976 630. 3689024 Sum of Ranks 174478. 5 310141. 5 Test Statistics Satisfaction 53200. 5 174478. 5 -15. 242 0. 000 Conclusion In 2005, Pakistan experienced the most disturbing earthquake in its history. Pakistan government and humanitarian agencies initiated wide range of relief efforts for the survival of victims. This study is an effort to compare the relief disbursement efforts carried out by the NGOs and the government. Further, it looks at the possible association between socioeconomic characteristics of the disaster victims and the amount of assistance they received from th e government and/or from the NGOs.To probe these objectives, this study used a primary data in which 500 household heads of 30 villages of 15 union councils of three districts have been interviewed. The analysis of data indicates that though both, government of Pakistan and NGOs’ played significant role during rescue and relief assistance, the majority of respondents reported that they were more satisfied by the NGOs work compared to government efforts. Further majority of the respondents believed that NGOs performed much better in relief provision than the government of Pakistan.Recognition to NGOs efforts could be due to non-bureaucratic working style, proper need assessment, ensuring victim participation in decision making, acting as per sphere standards while helping the communities. Moreover, wide range of experience in working with effected communities and use of more participatory approach made them more efficient and successful. Respondents’ opinions regarding less efficient role of government could be due to unmet very high and irrational victims’ expectations. Further NGOs are supposed to work in specified area with having fewer responsibilities and more skills.Whereas governments’ working area and responsibilities are spread to all affected population regardless of degree of severity. Moreover, important policy implication of this study is that if government agencies would not handle relief efforts effectively and efficiently than donor agencies may rethink their procedure and channelize future emergency aid and development funding through NGOs or sub-offices. This mistrust has been experienced by government of Pakistan in current flood disaster on both, public and donors’ ends.But optimistically this might lead to COPY RIGHT  © 2011 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research 1734 ijcrb. webs. com INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH IN BUSINESS JUNE 2011 VOL 3, NO 2 expansion of NGOs in Pakis tan. So government need not only develop institutional and technical skills to cope with future disasters but also consider expansion to NGOs as alternative to mitigate the hazards and strive to strengthen them. COPY RIGHT  © 2011 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research 1735 ijcrb. webs. com INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH IN BUSINESS ReferencesJUNE 2011 VOL 3, NO 2 Action Aid International (2006), The Evolving UN Cluster Approach in the Aftermath of the Pakistan Earthquake: An NGO Perspective. Action Aid International, London. ADB-WB (2005), Preliminary damages and need assessment—Pakistan 2005 earthquake, prepared by Asian Development Bank and World Bank, Islamabad, Pakistan, November 12, 2005. Amendola, Aniello, 2000, ‘Earthquake Risk Management: A case study for an Italian Region†, International Institute for Applied Systems, A-2361 Laxenburg, Austria. Benini, A. 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Hall 2006, ‘Coping with disaster: Rehabilitating coastal livelihoods and communities’ Elsevier, Ma rine Policy 30, PP 786–793. Shaheen, M. A. (2007), Academic Institutions and Libraries of Pakistani Administered Kashmir: A Pre and Post Earthquake Analysis, A Paper read on 73rd IFLA General Conference and Council held on 19-23 August 2007 at Durban, South Africa. Shaheen, M.A. (2008), ‘Earthquake effects on educational institutions and libraries of Azad Kashmir An appraisal’, Emerald, Vol. 57, No. 6, 2008, pp. 449-456. COPY RIGHT  © 2011 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research 1736 Copyright of Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business is the property of Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.