Mercedes benz marketing plan Essay

Mercedes Benz is one of the most recognizable names in the world. If you mention car, luxury, dependable, performance and â€Å"The Best or Nothing†, the first name it comes on your mind is Mercedes Benz. History of Mercedes Benz is the greatest out there, but I am going to focus on the Mercedes Benz USA, also known as MBUSA. MBUSA is a division responsible for distribution and marketing of Mercedes Benz products in the U. S. The headquarters of MBUSA are in Montvale, New Jersey. There are two dealership locations of MBUSA in northeast Ohio, one in Willoughby and the other one in Bedford. Also included in their division are Maybach, Smart and Sprinter. Although founded in 1965, MBUSA started importing Mercedes Benz in 1952, and the iconic car that started it all was 300SL Gullwing. It was founded under Max Hoffman; the current CEO of MBUSA is Steve Cannon. Other key personnel at MBUSA are Harald Henn CFO and VP, Inigo Mazquiaran GM of Corporate Finance and Joachim Schmidt Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Mercedes-Benz. Over the following years, MBUSA grew into a nationwide organization, now employing over 1500 people. The company also has 356 associated dealerships that employ 21,500 people themselves. MBUSA operates in the Car Dealership industry, in the distribution and marketing division of car sales industry to be more specific. With 305,072 passenger vehicles sold in the U. S. in 2012. SWOT Analysis Strengths: 1. Mercedes Benz has a strong brand value and global leader in premium cars 2. Leader in innovation i. e. 1st to introduce diesel engines, fuel injection and anti-locking brakes Weaknesses: 1. High maintenance cost of Mercedes Benz car 2. High prices compared to competition Opportunities: 1. Developing hybrid cars and fuel efficient cars for the future 2. Fast growing luxury automobile market & increased income Threats: 1. Ever increasing fuel prices 2. Intense competition from global automobile brands The Competition: 1. BMW 1. Porsche 2. Audi 3. Volkswagen 4. Jaguar 5. Ferrari 6. Aston Martin 7. Volvo The Industry they compete in is Oligopoly. Their competitive goal is to be global top-of-the-mind premium automobile brand. By putting their slogan as â€Å"the best or nothing†, they are tending to put inside the people’s mind that there is not another competition for them. The main opportunity for MBUSA is that the economy should grow. And the economy is growing because they sold 15% more cars so far than last year. Their best strength is that they always have been innovators, and the leaders in this industry. The technology on these cars is highest ever possible. And they keep amazing people for what they offer; the good example is the all-new 2014 S-Class Mercedes Benz. All competitive advantages, or disadvantages, that Mercedes Benz as a car offers is reflected at their MBUSA sales division. The product they sell in my opinion is superior of what their competition offers.

Florence kelleys speech on child labor Essay

In Florence Kelley’s speech to the National American Woman Suffrage Association, she connects with her audience and encourages them to fight for the end of child labor by showing how horrifying it truly it is. Through bringing up the horrors of child labor, she implies that women need the right to vote, as they would abolish child labor. By appealing to pathos, using imagery, and applying repetition, Kelley successfully convinces the audience to agree that child labor is wrong. Through appealing to pathos, Kelley connects with the audience’s conscience by showing how barbaric child labor and pushes her audience to desire the end of child labor. By stating that children â€Å"in age from six and seven years and eight, nine, and ten years†, work to provide for their families and themselves, Kelley strikes a chord in the listeners’ hearts and shows how this system takes advantage of young kids. This shows the monstrosity that is child labor as they are so young. As she writes that â€Å"boys and girls, after their 14th birthday, enjoy the pitiful privilege of working all night long†, Kelley shows that working all night is like forcing children into slavery. With the oxymoron â€Å"pitiful privilege†, she shows ironic it is that when a child has an important birthday, they are jokingly rewarded with longer work hours. Kelley connects with the audiences’ emotions as she shows how unjust it is to make children work as har d and as long as adults do. By describing the children as â€Å"little beasts of burden, robbed of school life that they may work for us†, Kelley makes the audience feel guilty for allowing child labor to be a common occurrence within America. By utilizing pathos, Kelley connects with her audience through proving how horrendous child labor is and calls them to action to rid America of it. Kelley also uses imagery to convince the audience that child labor is horrendous and should come to an end by vividly describing the working conditions that the child laborers go through and how young these workers truly are. She describes the children as, â€Å"just tall enough to reach the bobbins†, which brings to the audience’s mind an image of an innocent girl forced into working at such a young age. As she describes the harsh factory working conditions the children face, she points out, â€Å"the deafening noise of spindles and the looms spinning†. By using such descriptive imagery, Kelley transports the audience to the rooms where little children are suffering and working. Through placing these unforgettable images in her audience’s mind, she causes them to realize the unfairness and horror of child labor which they will never be able to forget. Another rhetorical device Kelley uses to convince her audience that child labor is a monstrosity is a repetition of certain phrases. Through repetition, Kelley pushes her words and facts into her audience’s head leaving them no room to deny the unfairness of child labor. Throughout her speech, Kelley repeatedly starts paragraphs with, â€Å"in (certain state)†. By doing this, she is able to state facts on child labor laws in certain states; showing that though there are laws on child labor, they are still extremely unreasonable and unfair. This shows the audience that child labor is very real and though they do not witness it, these kids make their items of comfort. She also repeats the phrase â€Å"while we sleep†. This repetition highlights that children work through the night, but more importantly, it implies that this occurs while everyone else is relaxing and sleeping soundly in their beds. By showing that children are forced to work extremely hard, the audience is left horrified. By utilizing repetition, Kelley successfully imprints the facts of child labor and its’ unfairness in the listener’s mind. In Kelley’s speech, she appeals to the audience’s conscience and emotions, paints vivid imagery, and uses repetition to call others to fight to end child labor as it is a horrendous occurrence.

Math problems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Math problems - Essay Example ii) -1.89 lie in IR region. 1c)Because its closer to the nucleus and having some effect on the other electron present in the higher shell Q2 a) Power output of sun = 3.8 *1026W Radius = 1.4 * 108 Power density = ? V= 4/3 ?r3 V= 4/3 ? (1.4*108)3 =1.15*1025 Power density: Power/volume = 3.8*1026/1.15*1025 1ev= 1.6*10-19J Total energy released for He nucleus is 26.7 Mev 26.7*106*1.6*10-19 4.27*10-12 energy is released for 1 he atom =>3.8*1026 J produce 3.8*1026/4.27*10-12 *1/(4*?*(1.4*108)3/3) Helium atoms per second per cubic meter (here assume time =1sec therefore energy =3.8 *1026W *1sec 7.74*1012 Helium atoms per second per cubic meter 2b) In He both the nucleons are there means protons and neutron,2 protons and 1 neutron is there. In first equation there are less number of nucleons involve so there nuclear force will be less and thus it will be more reactive there fore they are less stable while on the other hand when the nucleons are more in number as it is in step 2 therefore the re will be strong nuclear force, will be less reactive and more stable. 2c) When the fusion reaction occurs so at that time two atoms combine and produce larger atom and release high energy in the form of binding energy of nucleons. As this process continues till the formation of iron Fe 56,so at that time binding energy of electron is minimum that is most negative and now if the more heavier atom is required to be formed so more energy will release Q3 a i) Data: Redshift = z = 0.13 Speed of light =c= 3 * 108 ms-1 Hubble constant = H0 = 70 kms-1Mpc-1 Distance to the galaxy = r=? Formula: 1. H0 = v / r Here v = apparent speed of galaxy 2. v = z * c Solution: v = z * c =0.13 * 3 * 108 v = 3.9 * 107 ms-1 v = 3.9*107*10-3kms-1 v = 3.9*104 kms-1 H0 = v / r r= v / H0 r = 3.9*104 /70 r = 5.57*102 Mpc Q3 a ii) Data Red shift =z = 0.13 ?0=589nm ?1=? Formula =?1-?0 z=/?0 Solution z= /?0 0.13= /589 =76.57nm ?1-?0 =76.57 ?1 =76.57+589 ?1=665.57nm ?1=6.65*102 nm Q3 b i) As the wavelength of hypo thetical object is different as compare to the wavelength of the objects which are already present in the cluster and this wavelength is very large which causes this hypothetical object to move out of the galaxy that’s why that this object is not part of this cluster, and is actually more distant. Q3 b ii) The answer is not in the book. Or no relative material is in the book kindly search yourself Q#4 General relativity and quantum gravity depart from Newton’s theory. The gravitational force of attraction is described by Newton’s law of gravity. Einstein’s theory of general relativity describes the interaction between space and the matter within it. When the masses become very large, this theory provides a more accurate description of gravity than does Newton’s law. General relativity also predicts the existence of gravitational radiation, which is emitted by massive objects that undergo an acceleration. There is good evidence that such radiation i s being generated by binary pulsars. A convincing theory of quantum gravity has yet to be formulated, but it will involve quanta referred to as gravitons which interact with everything. Einstein’s theory of general relativity reproduced all the old results of Newton, but without even using the idea of weight. The core of general relativity is the interaction between ‘space’

Patient engagement programs Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Patient engagement programs - Assignment Example The strategy design also focuses on forming a health information technology that will support the provision of quality health care for all the parties involved in the health care system including laboratory services. The strategy will also ensure that there is easy access to complete HIT that incorporates the long-term record of a patient electronically to EHR. The strategy designed will also be friendly with easy access to online materials. The need to engage patients is due to the existence of regulatory mandates that demand the need of engaging patients when designing strategies. The growing demand for the use of digital technology development and its innovation has also encouraged the need for patient engagement in the healthcare system. The existence of personal information technology has enabled people to be more responsible for their health and get support on healthy lifestyles. PHIT entails communications that are all about secure communication with the relevant health provid ers. Convenient self-service is another category of PHIT that entails being able to locate a facility and make appointments. PHIT also involves personal health information that ensures access to personal data. Financial and education support are also part of PHIT that enables the ability to pay bills and get support from the community respectively. There is also the general capabilities in PHIT that enable management of insurance and coverage and being able to manage profile and analyze data on health.

Present an argument for including 'intuition' as an important Essay

Present an argument for including 'intuition' as an important constituent of managerial competency - Essay Example d blueprints initiates the execution of decisions, usually very quickly, upon the source of an ‘unconscious reasoning’ mechanism which could have an emotional element, such as a ‘hunch’ (Mani, 1995, 365). On the other hand, management is becoming identified more and more as a way by which manager put into action and push in strategic change within organisations. Managing has been recognised as a fusion of creativity and intuition. In the context of strategic management intuition involves diverging from an arranged plan so as to speed up the execution of actions (Smith & Hitt, 2005). The objective of this study is to argue that intuition is important in modern management and effective strategies in training managers to become more intuitive. At present the different constructs that merge to elaborate on organisational management have been extended to comprise components of innovation, adaptation and firmness. Strategic management in the 1960s has been viewed by intellectuals as an organisational pathology, in the sense that it deviated from the conventional incremental course of action, and then put into practice (Thomas, 2007). Nonetheless, Weick was one of the pioneering supporters of strategic action, and the rising interest in and recognition of this facet of management has led to intuition being more broadly recognised as an ability that can help in corporate planning activities (Thomas, 2007). In the 1990s this progress has sped up in intensity, and given the necessity for more rapid cycle periods and more ground-breaking solutions and ideas to gain or maintain competitive leverage; these changes exhibit hardly any indications of subsiding (Nichols, 2006). The advancement toward managerially advocated intuitional activity seems to be influencing how organisations deal with both the manner in which work task is accomplished, and the manner in which it is controlled. Numerous organisations are encouraging employees to devote time and opportunity to

How does the democratic leadership style affect the work environment Thesis

How does the democratic leadership style affect the work environment in school - Thesis Example In a school, democratic leadership has a vital role to play and it is important that the people closest to the students, get the opportunity to make decisions on school curriculum and instructions. Coalition principles state that the school itself "should model democratic practices that involve all who are directly affected by the school" In a democratic setup, students, teachers and parents could have various insights, thoughts, ideas and talents which when shared would be so effective in creating a healthy school culture. It is vital to start democratic leadership while children are still in school, as schools play a crucial role in preparing citizens for democracy. According to Nancy Mohr -"You can do anything you want: you just can't do everything you want". The positive side of limited time is that it forces schools to make choices that correlate with the core values of the school resulting in teachers, students and parents-the decision-makers experience commitment that   surp asses their personal fortune. In a democratic set up, one does not think and act individually for ones self, but on the other hand think and work for the whole group. This vision is clearly reflected in the words of Anzar's Charlene Mckowen where she states "Once you've worked here, (democratic set up) you always think on behalf of the whole staff, the whole school. You think for the long term when you're a part of making a decision". Accomplishing a democratically run school can be very difficult. But once it is achieved, the needs of the whole community can be met and there is a good chance that the school will retain itself even with the loss of its key visionaries and founders. Democratic leadership  places key decision making in the hands of people who know the students best and which makes it a powerful tool to serve the common good. Educational leadership in the 21st century shows patterns of change, conflict and contradictions. The need for effective leadership is being cl amored for, by all quarters, be it the teacher, politician or the parent. The topic of democratic leadership has always been a highly debated one and has surfaced time and again in the arena of educational research. One of the foremost advocates of this system is John Dewey who opined that for students to become able citizens of a democratic society it was important that they lived and grew up in a democratic educational environment along with their teachers. Democratic leadership plays a very vital role in all the facets of our life, especially education. According to (Gastil, 1994) it is both crucial and essential to understand the meaning of democratic leadership, but currently not much attention has been paid to it. In (Minier, 2001) opinion, democratic movements have been responsible for the historical progress of democracy and there are many great leaders of the world who have contributed a great deal to democracy, freedom, liberty and human rights among the developing countri es. These dynamic leaders have fought against dictatorship, racial problems involving discrimination and segregation, and military regimes and were instrumental in promoting democracy and bringing about good social change. (Fox & Brown, 2000; Wiseman, 1996) According to (Bass,

Confidentiality in Relation to Nursing Practice Essay

Confidentiality in Relation to Nursing Practice - Essay Example One of the major ethical aspects that nurses should adopt is confidentiality. In relations to nursing practice, confidentiality depicts that any information about the health situation of the patient should be shared with other nurses and third parties only after the approval of the person under care. However, if the nurses perceive that the information is vital in preserving life and needs to be released to third parties, they are still allowed to release it without necessarily seeking the permission of the patients. This paper seeks to discuss the aspect of confidentiality in relation to nursing practice. Confidentiality in relation to nursing practice As indicated in the introduction part, the consent of a patient is vital as far as releasing of information that relates to his or her health is concerned. This means that nurses should take adequate precaution to ensure that information related to their patients is safeguarded. One of the key issues that nurses should not ignore is r espect of the right of each individual to the privacy of the information. This means that a person should be allowed to have a significant control over the use of the information. In the same way, patients should be allowed to disclose and access all the information that relates to their health. ... In this regard, nurses should adhere to such laws so at to propagate professional relationship that is vital in the provision of effective health care. Another fundamental aspect that is covered by the confidentiality is that if other individuals who are involved in the provision of health care do not maintain confidentiality during their duties, nurses especially those who directly deal with the patients should intervene (Armstrong, 2007). It is important to note that lack of team work among the providers of health care is a major factor that is detrimental to maintenance of confidentiality in the nursing profession. Thus, it is imperative for hospital nurses to train their colleagues on the importance of safeguarding the information that relates to individuals under care. Legislation relating to confidentiality in the nursing practice The section below discusses some of the major legislations that guides hospital nurses during the duties. Data Protection Act of 1998 Data Protection Act of 1998 regulates the processing of the information that relates to patients who are alive. The Act, that covers all types of media including the electronics forms and paper records, governs processing, recording, obtaining, and disclosing of the information by the nurses (Tuckett, 2004). Embryology and Human Fertilization Act of 1990 This legislation seeks to control the provision of reproductive services using the modern technology. For example, nurses are banned from disclosing the information relating to gamete donors to the third parties (McHale & Gallagher, 2003). According to International Council of Nurses (2000), nurses should not disclose the identity of the individuals who are using the technology reproductive services.

UK retail sector during financial crisis Dissertation

UK retail sector during financial crisis - Dissertation Example The data are used in an extensive review of literature and as comprehensive resources that informed the analysis and the discussion of the study. While the findings are not definitive, this study's investigation was able to provide suggestive details supporting the positive relationship between the UK protectionist measures and the performance or the survival of the retail sector after the crisis struck British shores. The impact of the financial crisis especially on the future developments and trends in the UK retail sector was also identified. This was based on the expected response on the part of the policy networks and the industry decision makers. Several problems were also cited both on the part of the government and its policies; and, on the side of the retail industry. The study was able to propose possible solutions and modifications to existing policy attitudes towards the retail sector based on t he lessons learned from the financial crisis experience. INTRODUCTION The ret ail sector is an important component of the United Kingdom’s economy. A prominent part of the industry is the British Petroleum, ranked second in the European continent and the biggest industrial incorporation in the UK. The sector also include the vibrant mechanical engineering and manufacturing sectors, which are both important in the British export output (Hiles, 2010, p.39-46) Then, there is the financial institutions such as investment firms and the banking institutions, which serves one-tent of the global financial requirements. The aggregate turnover of the entire retail sector accounts for a significant portion of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). The sector ranks fourth in the global trade market. It is a leading player in the European Union and that it is one of the largest industries in the whole of Britain. It is not surprising, hence, when the British government provides it with special protective measures because any instability can result to a crippling effect to the entire economy (HM Treasury, 2009, p.23-25). This is particularly highlighted during the series of financial crises that hit the world in the past decade. For instance, when the 2008 financial crisis that originated in America spilled over across the globe, the British consumption experienced some disturbance. The retail sector was hit as the economy immediately contracted by 0.5 percent (UK Parliament, 2009, p.139). The consumer attitude and purchase behavior showed signs of dampening, which can affect the sector in the next few years or so. In a recent survey by Data Monitor, it was found that 90 percent of the British consumers believe that the country is in recession and that 47 percent reported a worsening of personal financial situation (Market Watch, 2009, p.73). The report found that majority of the consumers is in the process of making changes to their lives and purchasing behavior and that previous purchasing patterns can only be maintained

The Effects of Employment on Academic Performance Essay Example for Free

The Effects of Employment on Academic Performance Essay ABSTRACT This study examines factors that impact students engaged in paid employment while studying in a tertiary accounting program in a regional Australian university. It examines the differences in experience of domestic and international students. No direct significant relationship was found between paid employment and academic performance for the overall study sample. There was a positive relationship found between paid employment and academic performance with respect to domestic students. However, in the case of international students a negative relationship between paid employment and academic performance was observed. A significant positive relationship between a shift work pattern of paid employment and academic performance was found. The Effects of Employment on Academic Performance of Australian Accounting Students 1. Introduction This study makes a contribution to the literature identifying and examining the factors that impact student performance in tertiary accounting programs. Much of this existing literature is located within the United Kingdom and North American institutions. Documented factors in these studies include the impact of gender, prior knowledge of accounting, academic aptitude, mathematical background, previous working experience, age, class size and class attendance. However, more recently, observations of accounting academics suggest a new factor to be examined in the Australian context, the socio-economic circumstances as represented by their need for paid employment of accounting students. Anecdotal evidence suggests that in recent times more students are now working while studying, reducing the time available and quality of their efforts towards their accounting studies, for example many students miss or do not prepare for classes. University administrators have noted concern about student work patterns and student availability to spend time on their studies and participate in the university community life (Rudkin and De Zoysa 2007). The contribution of this paper is to examine the impact of paid employment while studying on the academic performance of students in an accounting program in Australia. The impact is examined differentiating between domestic and international accounting students. This dichotomy is significant because there is currently a large international student enrolment in accounting programs in Australian universities driven by government immigration policy to address a skills shortage (Birrell and Rapson 2005). There is also a shortage in meeting the demand for accounting graduates in the domestic industry coinciding with a shift in the funding mechanisms for Australian domestic university students in recent years. The impact of the market demand for a skilled workforce and the effects of existing student funding on work participation requires analysis. This paper investigates two aspects; first whether there is a relationship between paid employment and student performance, and secondly if there is a difference between the experiences of domestic and international students in paid employment and academic performance. Survey data of 170 enrolled students enrolled in a third year 12 credit point financial accounting subject at the University of Wollongong in the autumn session of 2006 was collected for this study. 2. Prior Research There have been few studies identified that examine the relationship between student participation in paid employment and their academic performance in a tertiary accounting program. There have been no studies identified by the authors that examine the difference in employment on tertiary academic performance between domestic and international accounting students in Australia. Gul and Fong (1993) conducted a Hong Kong study on first year accounting students, and found predictors of academic achievement to be personality type, grades achieved at the school certificate in mathematics and accounting, and previous knowledge of accounting. A study by Wooten in 1998 examined 271 students taking introductory accounting at a major south-eastern American university of which there were 74 students identified as non-traditional defined as aged 25 years or older, and 127 traditional students aged under 25 years. Wooten found that for the traditional cohort grade history, motivations and family responsibilities all influenced the amount of effort these students made. However, neither extracurricular activities nor work responsibilities influenced their effort. However for the non-traditional students, motivation was the only variable that significantly influenced effort. Neither grade history nor extracurricular activities, nor work responsibilities, nor family responsibilities had an effect on motivations. Family activities had a significant negative impact on effort for the traditional students, but not for the nontraditional students. It is conjectured by the authors of this paper that these differences in ages may also capture different socio-economic circumstances. Gose (1998) found an increase in the number of students employed over time, with 39% of students working 16 or more hours per week in 1998 compared with 35% working in 1993. Naser and Peel (1998) and Koh and Koh (1999) documented much research done on common predictive factors of academic performance in accounting courses, including gender, prior knowledge of accounting, academic aptitude, mathematical background, previous working experience, age, class size, lecturer attributes and student effort. However, they note the findings are not definitive. An Australian study done by Dobson and Sharma (1999) examined the relationship between student performance and the cost of failure, noting both the public and the private dimensions to the cost of failure. Similarly the Australian study by Booth et al. (1999) examined factors that impact upon accounting student academic performance, but failed to incorporate a socio-economic dimension. Booth et al. (1999) used the Approaches to Learning paradigm from the education literature to investigate the learning approaches of accounting students from two Australian universities, as compared to previously reported data for Australian arts, education and science students. This study provided evidence that Australian accounting students tend to take a superficial approach to learning typified surface learning such as rote memorization, while using lower deep learning approaches than their counterparts in Australian arts, education and science studies. Whether this is due to work factors has not b een investigated. Wijewardena and Rudkin (1999) undertook a study of students enrolled in a first year accounting program at a regional Australian university. They identified that students’ attendance at tutorial classes, the commitment of a major in accounting and a demonstrated interest in accounting correlate positively and significantly with academic performance. They also find that local students perform better than their overseas counterparts and that part-time students (who work full time) outperform full time students. Cheung and Kan (2002) contributed to the limited studies done outside the Western context. They examined factors related to student performance in a distance learning business communications course in Hong Kong. Their results based on studying 168 students showed females outperformed males, and a positive correlation between previous academic achievement and related academic background and student performance (p261). A positive correlation was found between tutorial attendance and student performance and between previous learning experience and student performance. No relationship was found between semester course loads and student performance. The results are consistent with prior Western studies. A Welsh study by Gracia and Jenkins (2003) undertaken in the second and final year levels of an accounting degree considered gender, prior year performance and students’ application to study and their relationship to student performance. Gracia and Jenkins argue that academic failure creates both emotional and financial costs for students, and that significant cultural differences may be attributed to academic success. This study found that if students are actively committed to self-responsibility for their studies, they tend to do well in formal assessment. They also found females outperform males in the second year and that there is a negative correlation between age and grades. Students who have work experience perform significantly better than students who go straight from the second to the final year. They argue that the work experience allows students to get their finances in order thereby reducing the need for them to earn money while studying in the final year, thereby reducing financial and time management pressures. Vickers et al. (2003) while not specific to students that study accounting, examined the effects of part-time employment of students on their participation and attrition in tertiary study in Australian universities. They report that the proportion of full-time students undertaking work has increased between 1990 and 2000 from 46% to 56%. They find that an inverse relationship between the number of face to face course hours and the drop out rate of tertiary students, with the more hours of classes the less the drop out rate. They also found that students working 20 or more hours per week are more likely to drop out of tertiary study by 160 – 200% than those who work less than 20 hours. Vickers et al. also find that students receiving Youth Allowance are more likely to drop out of tertiary study than those who do not receive Youth Allowance, despite the fact that the majority of this group do not work part time. They also observe that the odds of dropping out of university decrease by 31-32% if a student is from the highest socio-economic quartile as opposed to the lowest. Those who work between one and 20 hours per week are just as likely to continue in study as those who do not work at all during their studies. The Vickers et al. study is important because it signifies a change in the university experience not only for students but also for academic staff who teach working students. Strong and Watts (2005) investigated factors affecting accounting student satisfaction at a small public university in New South Wales. They found improvements in the effective allocation of casual and full time staff and the introduction and of common subject outlines lead to improvements in student performance indicators of satisfaction. Consistent with this theme, Hutcheson and Tse (2006) explained student non-attendance in class as student satisfaction with the teaching performance and course delivery. Nonis and Hudson (2006) note that the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA’s Graduate School of Education has found that since 1987 the time students spend studying outside of class has declined each year, with only 47% spending six or more hours per week studying outside of class compared with 34% in 2003. Nonis and Hudson (2006) identify a need for empirical research to determine the impact of student work on academic performance, and its impact on the design of academic programs. Their study found a lack of evidence for a direct relationship between times spent working and academic performance. Sullaiman and Mohezar conducted a study at the University of Malaya in their MBA program. They found conflicting evidence of the impact of work experience on student academic performance. They note studies by McClure, Wells and Bowerman (1986), Schellhardt (1988) and Dreher and Ryan (2000) finding a positive relationship between work experience and academic performance, but studies by Dreher and Ryan (2000, 2002 and 2004) Dugan et al. (2006) and Graham (2001) and Peiperl and Trevelyan (1997) found no relationship between students working and their grade point average. Sullaiman and Mohezar’s study found that work experience is not related to MBA performance. Hutcheson and Tse (2006) at the University of Technology Sydney found that on average students who attended more than half of the tutorials obtained a higher final mark than students who did not, and that this was particularly so for international students. This begs further research as to why, when students pay high fees for classes, they do not attend. This paper identifies the need to investigate whether the need to work is one possible reason for this finding. De Zoysa and Rudkin (2007) undertook a pilot study examining the relationship between academic performance and student socio-economic circumstances, which did not find a direct significant relationship between the number of hours of paid employment and student academic performance in accounting. However, a significant positive relationship between shift workers and academic performance was found. James et al. (2007) undertook a non-discipline specific study encompassing a survey of 18,954 Australian public university undergraduate and postgraduate students. They found 70.6 per cent of full-time undergraduates reported working during semester two, 2006, working on average 14.8 hours per week, with one in every six full time undergraduate student working more than 20 hours per week. For students enrolled in a part-time pattern, 41.8 per cent were working at least 38 hours per week, which effectively means full time employment. The study found many students worked significant hours merely to afford basic living necessities such as transport, books and study materials, with 39.9 per cent of full-time students and 54.1 per cent of part-time students believing their work adversely impacted upon their studies. The study of this paper contributes to the literature in that it uniquely examines differences between domestic and international accounting students in the Australian context of the impact of undertaking paid employment on their academic performance in a subject of an undergraduate accounting degree. This study makes two contributions to the accounting education literature. First, rather than a predominant focus on first year students, this study examines second and final year accounting students in a regional Australian context. It uniquely examines differences between domestic and international accounting student experiences. 3. Method Subjects of this study were drawn from School of Accounting and Finance at the University of Wollongong, a regional Australian university. The accounting program is professionally accredited with both requisite professional accounting bodies, CPA Australia and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia. The degree is a full time three year program, with admission based on the standard University Admissions Index (UAI), or equivalent. Specific to these entry requirements, mathematics is not a compulsory entry requirement, though is recommended. There are no domestic undergraduate full fee paying students admitted to this degree. A prescribed program of study is required, with both compulsory accounting subjects using a prerequisite system, with opportunity for more liberal electives. This study undertook a survey of 170 third year students in their final compulsory financial accounting subject in 2006. The students were questions about their academic experiences and socio-economic circumstances in the prior session, the Australian Spring Session 2005. To obtain a complete sample, students who failed their prerequisite subject in the prior session Spring 2005 were also surveyed to obtain a representative population. Academic performance for the purpose of this study is determined as the final grade in the second year financial accounting subject, ACCY201, studied in spring session 2005. The research was conducted by paper surveys handed out in compulsory tutorial classes in the last week of session. Participation in the survey was optional. Both day time and evening tutorial classes were surveyed, to ensure a representative mix of both part time and full time patterns of study and work commitments. Of the 170 students surveyed, 101 (59%) of students are domestic students while 69 (41%) are international students. Those enrolled part time in the sample of 170 students are 34 (20%) while those enrolled full time are 136 (80%) of the sample. Of the domestic students, 45 (45%) are male and 56 (55%) are female. More domestic students are enrolled full time than part time, with 69 (68%) being enrolled full time compared with 32 (32%) being enrolled part time. More males are enrolled part time than females, with 18 (56%) of males enrolled in a part time pattern compared with 14 (44%) of females in part time study. There are 27 (39%) of domestic males compared with 42 (61%) of domestic females enrolled in a full time study program. Australian government regulations require that international students be enrolled in a full time study pattern. The survey sample reflects this, with all but two of the 69 international students being enrolled full time. It is surmised that the two males enrolled in a part time pattern are completing remaining subjects needed to satisfy graduation requirements which would arise if subjects must be repeated. The pattern of male and female international students is similar to that of domestic students in the sample, with there being 30 (43%) international male students compared with 39 (56%) international female students. These demographic enrolment patterns are illustrated in Table 1 Enrolment Pattern below, which describes the relationships of male and female, full time and part time, and domestic and international students. [INSERT TABLE 1 ABOUT HERE] 4. Results and Discussion Five aspects pertaining to the relationship between student employment patterns and their academic performance will be discussed. First section 4.1 will discuss the relationship between the hours worked in paid employment by students and their academic performance. Secondly, section 4.2 examines the type of employment mode students undertake and its impact on academic performance. Thirdly the impact of the nature of the paid work done by students and its impact on academic performance is considered in section 4.3. Section 4.4 explores the impact of travel time between students’ places of employment, the university and their residences on academic performance. Section 4.5 documents student perceptions on the impact of their paid employment on their academic performance. The research in these aspects seeks to discover the employment commitments of both full time and part time accounting students, whether the nature of this is different between international and domestic students, and whether these factors impact positively or negatively on the academic performance of accounting students. For the purpose of the survey, those working 20 hours or less a week are regarded as part time workers, consistent with the Australian government working regulations of student visas for full time international students. This is also consistent with a survey undertaken by Vickers et al. (2003) which while not unique to accounting students, found that 20 hours per work of paid employment was a significant indicator with respect to student performance because students who worked above this amount were most likely to withdraw from university study. 4.1 The relationship between hours worked and academic performance. The survey gathered data on the employment patterns of the sample. Of the 170 respondents to the survey, 165 answered the question of whether or not they were working in paid employment. Of this 165 sample size, 38 (23%) indicated that they were not in paid employment during the survey study period, while 127 (77%) indicated that they were in paid employment, either working full time or part time. The study seeks to compare the work patterns of students with their academic performance in accounting. Of the 165 students that answered in the affirmative to working while studying, subject results relevant to the period of their work was available for only 144 students. Therefore the sample size was reduced to 144 surveys. Academic performance was classified into three bands. The first band captured students achieving below 44 marks in a subject, indicating poor performance and a fail grade. The second band captured students achieving between 45- 64 marks indicating a satisfactory performance in terms of achieving a pass conceded or pass grade only. The third band captured students achieving a final subject grade of 65 or better, indicating a good performance of a credit grade or better in a subject. The research reveals no significant relationship between the hours worked by a student and their academic performance in an accounting subject. 44 (31%) out of 144 students achieved poor academic performance. 49 (34%) achieved a satisfactory academic performance, while 51 (35%) achieved good academic performance. Of these students 31 (22%) did not work in paid employment, 71 (49%) worked between 1 and 20 hours per week, and 42 (29%) worked in paid employment 21 hours or more per week. This is illustrated in Table 2 Hours Worked and Student Performance, shown below. [INSERT TABLE 2 ABOUT HERE] The survey results were then tested to determine if there was a different relationship between the number of hours per week spent in paid employment and academic performance between domestic as compared to international students in an accounting subject. The results show the impact is different for each group. Acknowledging the limitation of the small sample size of only four domestic students not working, the results show that domestic students who are working perform better academically than those who are not working. However, the finding for international students is the reverse. International students who are working perform less well academically than international students who do not work in paid employment. While possible reasons can be conjectured such they are working longer hours for lower rates, the determination of such factors is outside the scope of this paper. This is illustrated in Table 2.1 Hours Worked and Student Performance: Domestic Students vs International Students as shown below. [INSERT TABLE 2.1 ABOUT HERE] In the table above, it is shown international students in the poor student performance band demonstrate that as the number of hours of work increase, the does the percentage of poor performing students. When considering student paid employment in the range between one and twenty hours per week, there are different relationships evident between employment and academic performance for international and domestic students. There were 43 domestic students and 28 international students who indicated they worked between one and 20 hours per week. Of the international students who work between one and twenty hours of paid employment per week, 12 (43%) were in the poor performance band, 10 (36%) were in the satisfactory performance band and 6 (21%) were in the good performance band. This is compared with the domestic student trends for paid employment between one and twenty hours per week which showed only 9 (21%) of domestic students in the poor performance band, 8 or 19% fell into the satisfactory performance band, and 26 or 60% met the good performance category criteria. This demonstrates that while part time employment between one and twenty hours a week is more consistent with better academic performance than not, the reverse is evident for international students. Those international accounting students who worked between one and twenty hours were more likely than not to demonstrate poor academic performance. This trend is more apparent in the band of hours worked per week being 21 hours and above. There were a total of 36 domestic students falling into this category, compared to only 6 international students. It is noted that under international student visa requirements, a maximum allowed paid employment is 20 hours per week. There were 6 international students who indicated they worked 21 hours and above, outside this legal requirement. Of these 6, 4 (67%) fell into the poor performance category of a fail grade between 0 and 44%. There was one international student in each of the other two categories. This again is a different trend to the domestic student experience. Generally domestic students working more than 21 hours per week in paid employment performed less well than similar students working only between 1 -20 hours. 10 (28%) of domestic students working 21 hours and above achieved a poor performance grade, while 18 (50%) achieved a satisfactory grade and 8 (22%) achieved a good academic grade. These results show that domestic accounting students who are working perform better than those who are not working. However, for international accounting students the opposite trend is evident. Specific explorations to the reasons for these opposing trends are outside the scope of this initial survey. However, further analysis of this finding is offered from research done by Rudkin and De Zoysa (2007) who undertook a study of the socio-economic conditions of accounting students at a regional university in Australia in a comparable period. They undertook a survey of student hourly pay rates. Their findings are given in Table 3 below. [INSERT TABLE 3 ABOUT HERE] Rudkin and De Zoysa (2007) undertook a pilot social account from 162 questionnaires from students in their second session in the second year of an undergraduate accounting degree at a regional Australian university. In this survey students were asked to indicate their average gross pay rate. Hourly rates varied from under $10 an hour to $21 per hour and above. This data was then further analyzed for the purposes of this paper, finding differences between the pay rates achieved between domestic and international accounting students, as shown in Table 3.1 below. [INSERT TABLE 3.1 ABOUT HERE] Of the students who are paid less than $10 per hour, 90% of these are international students. Rudkin and De Zoysa (2007, p.95) found that 18% of students in their study found were illegally underpaid while 20.7% indicated they felt exploited in their employment. It is conjectured by the authors that international students are more vulnerable to illegal and exploitative work practices with lower pay rates, and so must work longer hours to achieve the income necessary to support their study. This is identified as an area for further research. 4.2 Type of employment pattern and academic performance. This section examines the relationship between the type of employment mode the students are employed under and their academic achievement in an accounting subject. Three categories of employment of students were identified, permanent work, casual work or contract work. Although conditions and entitlements vary across industry of employment, the three categories are reflective of patterns of work conditions, and entitlements with respect to vacation, sickness and family leave, regular hours, guaranteed income and hourly paid rates. The authors assumed that students employed in permanent positions have access to paid leave, more economic certainty compared to students employed on a casual or contract basis, but they would also have less flexibility in their employment. Of the sample surveyed, 112 students gave valid responses to the question of the nature of their employment to the three options of permanent, casual or contract. 18 students (16) indicated they were in permanent employment. There were no international students employed in a permanent position. Overall 87 students (78%) stated they were employed under casual conditions. Of these 87 students 57 (66%) were domestic students and 30 (34%) were international students. A casual employment pattern is most predominant in the international student grouping, with only 57 out of a total of 79 (72%) domestic students who responded to the question indicating casual employment. This is in contrast with the international student cohort, where 30 out of 33 (91%) were employed on a casual basis. The number of students employed on the basis of a contract were minimal, with only 7 (6%) of students working in this form of employment. These results and their relationship to student academic performance are summarized in Table 4 below. [INSERT TABLE 4 ABOUT HERE] The chi-square test found no significant relationship between the mode of employment and student academic performance in an undergraduate accounting subject. However, it can be observed that students employed as a permanent worker performed better (22% poor performance compared to a combined 78% for satisfactory and good performance) compared to students employed as a casual worker (31% achieving a poor performance band) and as a contract worker (57% achieved a poor performance band). However, any comparison between domestic and international students of this data is not meaningful due to the small numbers in each category. 4.3 Nature of work patterns and performance The authors investigated whether regardless of the mode of employment, the nature of the work patterns that student employment required may impact on their academic performance. It was assumed that students who worked shift work did not have a stable work and study pattern preventing or hindering their participation in classes and class preparations. That is, students working irregular shift work times and hours would experience different attendance and study patterns and opportunities compared with those students who worked set hours at regular times. Students were asked to nominate whether their typical work pattern was changing shift work to a roster, or regular hours. 87 valid responses were received to this question. 58 students (67%) indicated that they worked changing shift work compared with 29 (33%) who indicated they worked regular hours. The results of this question are shown below in Table 5. [INSERT TABLE 5 ABOUT HERE] An unexpected significant positive relationship was found between students who work changing shift work academic performance. Only 12 (21%) of student working changing shift work compared to 21 (72%) of those working regular hours were classified in the poor student performance band. 80% of students in the changing shift category achieved satisfactory or good academic results while only 27% of students with regular working hours achieved similar results. There were similar results observed between domestic and international students in this respect, with 69% of domestic students and 61% of international students working changing shift work hours. Only 14% of domestic students doing shift work achieved poor results, while 60% of students working regular hours achieved poor results. All of the 9 international students doing regular hours failed the subject. These relationships are described in tables 5.1 and 5.2 below. Table 5.1 gives a comparison between domestic and international students’ work patterns, and Table 5.2 below shows the relationship between both domestic students’ and international students’ work patterns and their academic performance. [INSERT TABLE 5.1 ABOUT HERE] [INSERT TABLE 5.2 ABOUT HERE] Reasons for the favourable relationship between shift work and academic performance have not been sought in this study, but are identified as an area for further research. Conjecture as to the reasons include greater flexibility for students working shift work to arrange their rosters around their university class and assignment commitments, and the possibility that jobs requiring night shift work such as garage attendants require a presence but only ad hoc activity and so allow time on the job to be spent studying and completing class work. 4.4 Travelling time and performance. The location of the university of this study is an Australian university located approximately 80 kilometres south of Sydney in the state of New South Wales. It is a regional university that includes the Southern parts of Sydney in its catchment area. Many students travel by public transport being rail from Sydney and a limited local bus service. The travel time from Sydney to Wollongong is approximately 1  ½ hours journey one way. Students residing or working in Sydney face a daily three hour transport commitment. Such a journey is not uncommon as the regional area has a high local unemployment rate and many students seek paid employment outside the region in Sydney. It is the assumption of the authors that time spent by students travelling detracts from their academic performance both because of the fatigue factor of travelling distances, and because travelling time is time not available for academic pursuits. Students were asked to indicate on average how long did a typical journey take you to travel to the university. A summary of the results to this question is given in Table 6 below. [INSERT TABLE 6 ABOUT HERE] It is observed that 46% of students surveyed are spending more than one hour travelling each way when they attend the university. It was assumed by the authors that time spent travelling has a cost to the students both in time available at the University for study and financially in terms of the cost of how many days they attend the university. It was assumed that if students are working, the time spent travelling in addition to the hours they spend in paid employment has a combined impact on their availability to participate in academic tasks. The relationship between time spent travelling and student performance was measured. No significant relationship was found between travelling time and academic performance of students who are not working. However, there is a significant relationship between academic performance and travelling time with students who are working. It was found that students who spend less time travelling perform better academically than students who spend more time travelling to university. This results are described in Table 6.1 below. [INSERT TABLE 6.1 ABOUT HERE] Student perception on the impact of work on studies. The authors were interested in observing the perceptions of students of the impact of their paid employment on their academic studies. Students were asked whether â€Å"my exam and / or assessment marks would have been better if I had not been working†. Out of 124 valid responses from students who are working to this question, 51 (41.1%) answered in the affirmative, while 73 (58.9%) answered in the negative. That is, 41% of the students surveyed thought that their work interfered with their studies. Students who indicated they were in paid employment were also asked the question whether or not they missed classes because of their work. 110 valid responses were received to this question. 42% indicated that they always missed classes because of their work commitments, while 11% indicated that most of the time classes were missed because of work commitments. While the findings suggest that there is no significant relationship between the amount of paid employment per week that students undertake and their academic performance, it does suggest that these students are deprived of a full academic experience in terms of full engagement with the campus community, networking opportunities and similar. The responses of students who admitted missing classes because of paid employment are shown below in Table 7. [INSERT TABLE 7 ABOUT HERE] Other reasons for missing classes given for students were that they were not prepared for class, because they lacked motivation, because they did not find the classes useful, because they had other illness or family or personal reasons, and because they had work commitments to complete in other subjects. The rankings of these reasons are given in table 7.1 below. [INSERT TABLE 7.1 ABOUT HERE] 5. Summary and Conclusions This study examines the relationship between employment and the study of accounting students in Australia. Given the high incidence of paid employment in the accounting student population and its impacts on academic performance, this study has ramifications for the nature of accounting program delivery in the Australian context in terms of times classes are offered and flexibility in delivery modes, and the quality of the university education experience with which students can engage. Limitations of this study include use of self reporting by students, a small sample size. In addition, findings pertain to a regional university in the Australian context. While many tertiary institutions in Australia are regional in nature given the geographic and demographic characteristics of the country, this experience may be different and not generalisable to metropolitan institutions in Australia and outside the Australian context. Further testing at other institutions would contribute to the knowledge of the relationship between paid employment and academic performance for accounting students. This study makes four findings. First, this investigation did not find a direct significant relationship between the hours students worked in paid employment and their academic performance in an accounting subject. However, contradictory results did emerge with respect to differences between domestic students and international students in a cohort. Secondly, while there was a positive relationship between paid employment and academic performance in relation to domestic students, there was a negative relationship between paid employment and academic performance for international students. Thirdly, with respect to international students, although a statistically significant relationship was not found, it seems that the academic performance of international students not working is better than that of working international students. Fourthly, a significant positive relationship between shift workers and academic performance was revealed that offers no obvious explanation and is identified as an area needing further research. With respect to the quality of university education experience of accounting students, there are indicators that accounting students may not be optimally engaging in a full university experience because of work pressures. There were 9% of students are found to be working fulltime and studying full time simultaneously. The fact that many choose to miss classes for work commitments does not afford them the opportunities associated with campus life including generic skill development of a social nature, networking with their future professional peers, and engagement with the benefits of cultural exchange with an international student body. Given that Vickers et al. (2003) found if students work more than 20 hours per week they are 160%-200% more likely to drop out of university, this has implications for attrition rates in accounting courses also. The authors contest that there is a need to explore further to understand the positive and negative impacts of paid employment on academic performance, and why differences exist between domestic and international students. This will aid in meeting the demand for good Australian accounting graduates. References Australian Government Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (2006) Skilled Occupation List, Sydney and Selected Areas Skill Shortage List, and Employer Nomination Scheme Occupation List, Commonwealth Government Printer. Birrell, B., and Rapson, V. (2005) Migration and the Accounting Profession in Australia, Report prepared for APZ Australia, Centre for Population and Urban Research , Monash University, Victoria. Booth, P., Luckett, P. and Mladenovic, R. (1999) â€Å"The quality of learning in accounting education: the impact of approaches to learning on academic performance†, Accounting Educational, Vol. 8, No. 4, pp277-300. Cheung, L. and Kan, A. (2002) â€Å"Evaluation of Factors Related to Student Performance in a Distance-Learning Business Communication Course†, Journal of Education for Business, Vol. 77, No. 5, pp.257-263. De Zoysa, A., and Rudkin, K. (2007) â€Å"Australian Employment Patterns and Course Participation Preferences of Accounting Stude nts† International Review of Business Research Papers, Vol.3, No.1, March 2007, pp.23-36. Dobson, I. and Sharma, S. (1999) â€Å"Student performance and the cost of failure† Tertiary Education and Management, Vol. 5, No. 2, pp141-157. Gracia, L. and Jenkins, E. (2003) â€Å"A quantitative exploration of student performance on an undergraduate accounting programme of study†, Accounting Education, Vol. 12, No. 1, pp15-32. Gull, F. and Fong, S. (1993) â€Å"Predicting success for introductory accounting students; some further Hong Kong evidence† Accounting Education: an international journal, Vol. 2, No. 1, pp33-42. Hutcheson, T. and Tse, H. (2006) â€Å"Tutorial attendance and Grade Achievement† Working Paper No. 145, University of Technology, Sydney, March. Koh, M. Y. and Koh H.C. (1999) â€Å"The determinants of performance in an accountancy degree programme† Accounting Education, Vol. 8, No. 1, pp13-29. James, R., Cexley, E., Devlin, M. and Marginson, S. (2007) â€Å"Australian University Student Finances 2006: A summary of findings from a national survey of students in public universities†, Centre for the Study of Higher Education, The University of Melbourne, Australian Vice Chancellors’ Committee. Nonis, S. and Hudson, G. (2006), â€Å"Academic performance of college students; influence of time sp ent studying and working† Journal of Education for Business, Vol. 81, No. 3, Jan-Feb, pp151-160. Robert Half International â€Å"The Global War for Talent and its Effect on the Finance and Accounting Teams in Australia† White Paper, 6 April 2005. Rudkin, K. and De Zoysa, A. (2007) â€Å"Educating with Social Justice: Public Interest vs Private Benefit† International Review of Business Research Papers, Vol. 3, No. 2, March 2007, pp.87-99. Strong, T. and Watts, T. (2005) â€Å"Improving Teaching Performance Outcomes by Improving Student Satisfaction: A case study of a small accounting program† School of Accounting and Finance Seminar Series, University of Wollongong. Sullaiman, A. and Mohezar, S. (2006) â€Å"Student Success Factors: Identifying Key Predictors†, Journal of Education for Business, Vol. 81 July/August, pp328-333. Vickers, M., Lamb, S. and Hinkley, J. (2003) Student workers in high school and beyond: the effects of part-time employment o n participation in education, training and work. Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth: a research program by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and the Commonwealth Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST). Camberwell Victoria, Australia. Wijewardena, H. and Rudkin, K. (1999) â€Å"An Empirical Investigation of Some Factors Affecting Student Performance in Introductory Accounting† The International Journal of Accounting and Business Society, Vol. 7, No. 1, pp39-53. Wooten, T. (1998) â€Å"Factors Influencing Student Learning in Introductory Accounting Classes: A Comparison of Traditional and Nontraditional Students† Issues in Accounting Education, Vol. 13, No. 2 May, pp357-373.

Stitch in Time Save Nine Essay Example for Free

Stitch in Time Save Nine Essay The history of copyright law starts with early privileges and monopolies granted to printers of books. The British Statute of Anne 1710, full title An Act for the Encouragement of Learning, by vesting the Copies of Printed Books in the Authors or purchasers of such Copies, during the Times therein mentioned, was the first copyright statute. Initially copyright law only applied to the copying of books. Over time other uses such as translations and derivative works were made subject to copyright and copyright now covers a wide range of works, including maps, performances, paintings, photographs, sound recordings, motion pictures and computer programs. Today national copyright laws have been standardized to some extent through international and regional agreements such as the Berne Convention and the European copyright directives. Although there are consistencies among nations copyright laws, each jurisdiction has separate and distinct laws and regulations about copyright. Some jurisdictions also recognize moral rights of creators, such as the right to be credited for the work. Copyright are exclusive rights granted to the author or creator of an original work, including the right to copy, distribute and adapt the work. Copyright does not protect ideas, only their expression or fixation. In most jurisdictions copyright arises upon fixation and does not need to be registered. Copyright owners have the exclusive statutory right to exercise control over copying and other exploitation of the works for a specific period of time, after which the work is said to enter the public domain. Uses which are covered under limitations and exceptions to copyright, such as fair use, do not require permission from the copyright owner. All other uses require permission and copyright owners can license or permanently transfer or assign their exclusive rights to othEarly developments The earliest recorded historical case-law on the right to copy comes from ancient Ireland. The Cathach is the oldest extant Irish manuscript of the Psalter and the earliest example of Irish writing. It contains a Vulgate version of Psalms XXX (10) to CV (13) with an interpretative rubric or heading before each psalm. It is traditionally ascribed to Saint Columba as the copy, made at night in haste by a miraculous light, of a Psalter lent to Columba by St. Finnian. A dispute arose about the ownership of the copy and King Diarmait Mac Cerbhaill gave the judgement To every cow belongs her calf, therefore to every book belongs its copy. [1] [This story comes from an author much more interested in a good story than an accurate one and so one can question whether this was the actual decision, or even whether there was a case at all. However the story is quite old and so at least gives us some idea of opinion in the days before the printing press. Modern copyright law has been influenced by an array of older legal rights that have been recognized throughout history, including the moral rights of the author who created a work, the economic rights of a benefactor who paid to have a copy made, the property rights of the individual owner of a copy, and a sovereigns right to censor and to regulate the printing industry. The origins of some of these rights can be traced back to ancient Greek culture, ancient Jewish law, and ancient Roman law. [2] In Greek society, during the sixth century B. C. E. there emerged the notion of the individual self, including personal ideals, ambition, and creativity. [3] The individual self is important in copyright because it distinguishes the creativity produced by an individual from the rest of society. In ancient Jewish Talmudic law there can be found recognition of the moral rights of the author and the economic or property rights of an author. [4] Prior to the invention of movable type in the West in the mid-15th century, texts were copied by hand and the small number of texts generated few occasions for these rights to be tested. During the Roman Empire, a period of prosperous book trade, no copyright or similar regulations existed, copying by those other than professional booksellers was rare. This is because books were, typically, copied by literate slaves, who were expensive to buy and maintain. Thus, any copier would have had to pay much the same expense as a professional publisher. Roman book sellers would sometimes pay a well regarded author for first access to a text for copying, but they had no exclusive rights to a work and authors were not normally paid anything for their work. [5]

How Perception Affects Tourism In Thailand Tourism Essay

How Perception Affects Tourism In Thailand Tourism Essay This chapter is aiming to give an overview of related theories and perceptions those affect to tourism industry. The review also includes the concept of beneficial image, the image of Thailand and heritage tourism and also provide concept which previously has been developed by different researchers who undertaking the research study in similar approach. How Perception Affect Tourism The term perception of the tourism industry is, generally, can be viewed in two aspects. The first one is the mental image created by marketing and media. Another aspect of image can be developed by the consumers. In general, the destination will market itself as much as possible in order to persuade the traveller to buy a trip there (Tuohino, 2002 cited from Henkel et al, 2006). Travellers go to the destination in order to consume the products, services and experiencing to those offering at the destination. Travellers will form their perceptions related to their expectation which are based on their former experience, friends, the internet, marketing and travel agent information (Kotkew, Bowen Markens, 2006). Thus, if products or services in particular destination exceed traveller expectation, which means they are satisfied. On the other hand, travellers are dissatisfied when their expectations are not met (Mcdowall, 2010). According to Crompton (1979), people travel for four different reasons: personal business travel; corporate business travel; visiting relatives and friends; and for pleasure vacation. Therefore, tourists have stereotypical image of different perception and travel locations, so it is important for tourism marketers to promote the destination image to increase the number of tourists (Sirgy Su, 2000). Moreover, the individuals cultural belonging and heritage does not only affect the way people experience and interpret the products and services supplied to them, but it also influence their decision making in regard to choices of vacations and destinations. Furthermore, customers have different perception and individual needs, which hold different values to a destination. The collection of customer information is a way to discover the customer needs and their values. Thus, customers benefit the destination in the way of customers tastes and preferences which can directly contribute to ma rketing new product and services in tourism industry (Reportforu, 2010). Fakeye and Crompton (1991), has outlined the tourists image formation process (see Figure 1). It can be explained from this Figure that the consumers organic images and the induced image of tourist destination can be obtained from elsewhere, i.e. literature, friends or relatives. These messages play a significant role and influence the evaluation of alternative travel destinations and finally in making a decision about the destination they will visit (cited from Henkel et al, 2006). Hu Ritchi (1993) stated that the more tourists think that the destination will satisfy their vacation desires, the more likely the visitors will choose the destinations. Figure 1: Faye and Cromptons Tourists Image Formation Process (Tuohino,2002). Conceptualisation of beneficial image It was described by the previous study on destination image that a destinations image could contribute to the destination-making process. During this process, travelers build a destination image based on the informative and persuasive information such as friends, news and travel agency (Rittichainuwat, 2001). Thus, an effective destination image strategy will be very important in order to make the particular destination differentiation from other countries. Cromton (1979) states that not all images can be influenced to traveler decision making process. The research examines the relationships between the attribute of a destination and decision-making process of tourists. Therefore, understanding the evaluative of destination characteristic image related to destination choice is needed in tourism marketing. Moreover, Kotler and Barich (1991) states that consumer will form an image based on benefit or value that they expect to get from those products or services. Sheth, Newman, and Gross (1991) suggested that marketing choice behavior is a multidimensional phenomenon involving multiple values: functional, social, emotional, epistemic, and conditional (see Appendix 1). The study also states that these seven important factors are influencing market choice behaviour. Based on the theory and marketing image concept, the beneficial image model was developed by Tappachai and Waryszak is shown as below. Figure 2: Beneficial image model (Tapachai Waryszak, 2000) Figure 2 shows traveller consumption values which are in the beneficial image model. These five consumption values including functional characteristic of the destinations, Social perception about the destination, emotional of traveller through the destination, epistemic of the destination which traveller can gain new experience from the destination and conditional such as accessibility to other countries that will help visitor to decide about their destinations. (Tapachai Waryzak, 2000, cited from Henkel et al, 2006). By using Thailand as an example to describe the model above, Thailands functional values are fascinating bargain shopping, variety of food and beautiful scenery site. The social consumption will be a destination that suitable for all ages of people. The emotional value is about a place of to relax and calm. An epistemic value is a beautiful culture in Thailand and finally the conditional value is mainly about the location which traveller can easily access to other coun tries. According to Echtner Ritchie (1993), the destination image refers to attributes base or holistic (imagery), with each component containing functional (tangible) or psychological (intangible or abstract) characteristic ( Echtner Ritchie, 1993). The attributes perspectives are including tourists perceptions through the characteristics of the vacation destination such as beautiful architecture and buildings, numerous cultural, historical attractions and psychological characteristic like safe place to visit and also friendly people. Moreover, the holistic perspective of the destination relates to destination image in terms of physical characteristic such as beaches, mountain, likewise the psychological are the destinations atmosphere or mood (Echtner Ritchie, 1993 cited from Henkel et al). Rod Davies (2003) explained that every destination have its own brand image. Also, the factors like cost and convenience play an important role in decision-making of the destination. However, the strongest influence and motivator is the image of the tourism destination (Davies, 2003). Therefore, images are the brand identity which tourist can be perceived. In addition, images can be both increase and decrease the selection of the destination by traveller (Henkel et al). However, Bigne et al. (2001) argued that image is not only influences the destination choice, but also has an influence on the evaluation of the destination after the vacation. It can be explained that whether or not traveller will return to the destination (Bigne et al, 2001 cited from Henkel et al). Moreover, a high positive image of particular destination is more likely to be chosen by tourist in the process of decision-making (Echtner Ritchie, 1993). In conclusion, image play an important role for tourist satisfa ction and the preconceive image of destination will influence tourist decision on their vacation destination. The image of Thailand Destination image can be both positive and negative image, if two destinations have almost offering the same characteristics for traveller perception. Therefore, the more positive image of a destination place, the more likely that traveler will go there (Rittichainuwat, 2001). Thailand is not only positioning as a land of smile as a result of friendly people and a safe place destination, but also considerable as cultural, natural and historical attractions. Due to the study of Yau and Chan on the image of Southeast Asian, Thailand has been perceived as a reasonable price, beautiful beaches and various attractions (Rittichainuwat, 2001). In addition, Tapachai Waryszak conduct a study about benefit image characteristic of Thailand and grouped the results of research showed that the functional attributes of cheap shopping, variety of food, friendly people and historical sites as well as the epistemic attribute of experiencing rich culture in Thailand (Henkel et al, 2006). Furthermore, the research between Tourism Authority in Thailand (TAT) and Siam University showed the result that there was a positive image as a natural and historical travel destination (Henkel et al., 2006). This positive image can be reflected by the award winning destination from differ ent countries, for example, International Tourisms Bourse Berlin (ITB), awarded the four go Asia Awards honouring best service provides for travel to Asia in 2010, the Swedish grand travel award has ranked Thailand as the World Best Tourist Country However, Thailand has also suffered from a negative image because of prostitution, pollution which led to the decline of tourist attractions (Rittichainuwat et al., 2001). Prideaux et al. (2004) has also stated that the image of Thailand is an erotic destination. In addition, the image of Thailand also related to international news coverage by saying that Thailand is a place of prostitution. These negative images can, obviously, affect visitors and might make them do not want to visit Thailand. This also leads to the cause of some health and moral issues in Thailand (Henkel et al., 2001). However, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) never promotes Thailand as a sex tourism destination (Prideaux et al., 2004). Suwanmolis study about international media coverage of prostitution in Thailand, the result found that foreign reporters usually report the negative side such AIDS and prostitution because this kind of news very easily get attention from publics. Moreover, Suwanmoli explaine d that there are a high number of as many as 2.8 million prostitutes working in Thailand (Rittichainuwat, 2001). Therefore, the government should be concerned of this issue in order to minimize the pandemic deceases and prostitution. Alternatively, Thai government must actively seek to reduce the images of negative such as sex tourism through positive image marketing of other tourism products and trying to decrease the illegal activities such as prostitution within the country (Henkel et al, 2006). Finally, Thailands image has suffered from a declination of tourist attractions, pollution, traffic jam, lack of new tourist attractions and the image of sex tourism. Additionally, Ahmed states that once a negative image is established in the minds of potential travelers, even a full range of marketing activities cannot entirely reverse it. Thus, Marketers only able to do little to eliminate the negative image. In contrast, marketer can offset the negative perception by creating positive images through promotional strategies, including advertising, arranging the events, and hosting international conventions and exhibitions (Rittichainuwat, 2001). Heritage Tourism The vast majority of literature on heritage, apart from the philosophical and intellectual, has concerned itself with heritage tourism, a sector that has grown globally and also created the revenue and employment for undeveloped countries (Misiura, 2006). According to The World Tourism Organisation (1992) defines heritage tourism as an immersion in the natural history, human heritage, arts, philosophy and intuitions of another region or country (Laws Pan, 2004). Moreover, Rowan and Baram (2004) describe heritage tourism as a consumerist phenomenon and hence marketing of this phenomenon is bound to be driven by capitalist tendencies. (cited from Chabra, 2009). Thus, the core of heritage marketing is to find out what the customer want and deliver it. Particularly, in relation to built environment, i.e., the marketing activity should be design to stimulate demand and satisfy the customer but not to the detriment of that which needs to preserves for future generation (Misiura, 2006, p.2 ). Yale (1991), explains that the heritage tourism is a centred on what we inherited from historic buildings, to art works, to beautiful scenery. Ashworths (2000) defined the comodification and the past in heritage tourism which is based on the commoditized, building, memories and experiences of the past (cited from Grace Yan et al). From the demand aspect, the heritage tourism is about finding something which is linking between the present and the past and traveller emotional experiences (Richards 1997 and Prentice 1993). However, Poria et al. (2001) argued that the relationship of heritage tourism should be based on the individual and the heritage presented rather than on specific site attributes. In addition, they described heritage tourism as a subgroup of tourism, in which the main motivation for visiting a site is based on the places heritage characteristics according to tourists perception of their own heritage (Poria et al., 2001, p. 1048). Also, in order to combined both supply and demand by explaining that heritage tourism relies on the strength of both the push and pull factors of the resources located in area in order to appeal to the potential tourists (Apostolakis (2003, p. 800) Cited from Grace Yan et al). Heritage visitor, try to find the different benefits from trips.. Poria et al. (2004) pointed out that the reasons for visiting heritage sites for travellers can be grouped places in to three categories which are under the headings of heritage experience, learning. These explain that there are people with a strong interest in emotionally involved with a sense of belonging to the site. In contrast, for some tourists, heritage tourism is more than an educational or recreational experience. This further suggested by Martin et al. (2004, p.131), determining the potential of heritage tourism and the possible impact and the marketing direction needed to attract these visitors will be less speculative if the nature of the tourist is better understood World Heritage is the programme administered by the UNESCO, the programme aims to catalogue, name, and conserve sites of outstanding cultural or natural importance to the common heritage of humanity and to raise awareness of how to maintain the sites to last for future generations of humanity (Thaiwh, 2010). In Thailand, there are World Heritage sites of Ayutthaya, Sukhothai, Si Satchanalai and Kamphaengphet provinces. There are rich heritage and magnificent architecture that make them as The World Heritage sites which are listed in 1991 by UNESCO (UNESCO, 1992). Therefore, the marketing of heritage, especially heritage tourism will contribute the benefit in order to serve the products and services to customers relate to those World heritage sites in Thailand. It can be seen that strategic planning has been used within many organizations. The successful travel and tourism must not only understand who the customers are but also know how to market them in order to satisfy the needs of their customers. In addition, tourism organisations should identify group of customers with homogeneous characteristics and behaviors and try to adapt their offer to the unique needs and desires of the segment members. Heritage marketing, therefore, is both management philosophy and as set of business techniques. It is very important to recognise that the management of tourism will be ineffective without an understanding of the way tourists consumers make decisions and act in relation to the consumption of tourism products. This research not only provides an oppor tunity for people to fulfill their individual needs, but exceeding their expectations and ensuring that it benefits greatly toward the World Heritage sites in Thailand (Reportforu, 2010). Conclusion The literature reviewed has provided general information about the perception of the tourists through the image of Thailand and Thailands image dimensions. However, the review has also identified both positive and negative image which affected to tourists destination choice. It is worth noting that the concepts described in previous articles, journals and text book, are pertaining and believed to have a direct effect on to the research model which is proposed in the current investigation. Therefore, the proposed research model and hypotheses formulation will be discussed in following chapter.

Learn About PC Virus :: Computer Virus

Learn About PC Virus A computer virus is a potentially damaging computer program designed to affect, or infect, your computer negatively by altering the way it works without your knowledge or permission. More specifically, a computer virus is a segment of program code that implants itself in a computer file and spreads systematically from one file to another. Viruses can spread to your computer if an infected floppy disk is in the disk drive when you boot the computer, if you run an infected program, or if you open an infected data file in a program. Computer viruses, however, do not generate by chance. Creators, or programmers, of computer virus programs write them for a specific purpose – usually to cause a certain type of symptom or damage. Some viruses are harmless pranks that simply freeze a computer temporarily or display sounds or messages. When the Music Bug virus is triggered, for example, it instructs the computer to play a few chords of music. Other viruses, by contrast, are designed to destroy or corrupt data stored on the infected computer. Thus, the symptom or damage caused by a virus can be harmless or cause significant damage, as planned by its creator. Viruses have become a serious problem in recent years. Currently, more than 45,000 known virus programs exist and an estimated six new virus programs are discovered each day. The increased use of networks, the Internet, and e-mail has accelerated the spread of computer viruses, by allowing individuals to share files – and any related viruses – more easily than ever. Types of Viruses Although numerous variations are known, four main types of viruses exist: boot sector viruses, file viruses, Trojan horse viruses, and macro viruses. A boot sector virus replaces the boot program used to start a computer with a modified, infected version of the boot program. When the computer runs the infected boot program, the computer loads the virus into its memory. Once the virus is in memory, it spreads to any disk inserted into the computer. A file virus attaches itself to or replaces program files; the virus then spreads to any file that accesses the infected program. A Trojan horse virus (named after the Greek myth) is a virus that hides within or is designed to look like a legitimate program. A macro virus uses the macro language of an application, such as word processing or spreadsheet, to hide virus code. When you open a document that contains an infected macro, the macro virus loads into memory. Certain actions, such as opening the document, activate the virus.

What Foreign Aid Is Essay -- Politics Political Government Relations E

What Foreign Aid Is There are two words that many politicians like to shy away from, and those two words are, "foreign aid." Taking a firm stand on either side of this topic is usually side stepped by decision makers. Their opinions are usually based on a case by case analysis. This extremely controversial topic involves whether or not to support the policy of foreign aid to needy or sometimes not so needy countries. What benefits does foreign aid have for the countries that receive it, and does it have any benefits for the countries who give? Some may say that instead of spending money on foreign aid, money should be spent on domestic aid. Those who argue in favor of foreign aid say that it is an investment in the future of both countries that will eventually pay off. There is also another factor to consider when discussing foreign aid: what kind of foreign aid is being offered. There are three different types of foreign aid: first, there is military foreign aid; second, there is foreign aid for the advancement of business; third, there is emergency foreign aid for food and medicine.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Foreign aid to countries can help in many ways. It can be used as a tool in bargaining. For instance a country that has just received foreign aid or is expecting to get their regular installment of foreign aid will be more likely to listen to new ideas. Because some countries are so dependent on their regular installments of foreign aid, they are willing to appease countries such as the U.S who are giving it. When looked at closely, foreign aid may be considered an elaborate system of legal bribery. This becomes evident when countries do what they would normally not consider doing in order to continue receiving foreign aid. The U.S supplies financial foreign aid to many different countries; sometimes this foreign aid is in a form of a loan. For example, recently the U.S. supplied Mexico with a loan in order to save the falling value of the Peso. This loan was denigrated by much of the U.S. population because many people don't understand why the U.S. should care about the falling value of the Mexican Peso. First of all, deflation of the Peso means a loss of jobs in Mexico which would in turn send an influx of illeagal immigrants from Mexico to the United States. In addition, Mexico is a large economy that imports American goods. If the P... ...the relief workers and to distribute the goods. Soon it seemed that the US was not wanted in Somalia, and it seemed as if they were biting the hand that feeds them. With such negative feelings about the US troops staying in Somalia, an ethical decision had to be made. Do we help these starving people, or do we leave to protect ourselves. Somalia was supposed to be a strictly humanitarian effort, but it turned out to be a military effort when the US had to fight against all sides.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When every aspect of foreign aid is looked at, a decision about who is right or wrong by each individual on their own. Foreign aid is most likely a necessary evil for a superpower such as the United States. The US, just because of the sheer size and strength of its economy and military might has to watch over the rest of the world in order to keep balance and peace around the world. When considered, it turns out to be that all the foreign aid combined is such a small percentage of the United States GDP that we really have little to complain about. I believe that foreign aid is blown out of proportion by the media. It is hot topic that generates controversy and kicks up the ratings.