MIS computer assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

MIS computer - Assignment Example On the other hand, the following hardwares were purchased: a computer desktop PC whose feature is described as precision T7910; input devices such as mouse inclusive of a mouse pad and keyboard; output devices such as monitor and external speakers; secondary hard devices such as hard disks and optical storage device; a sound card; and Ethernet network card. The above preferred operating system-OS (window 7 64 bit) is ideal since it does not experience issues related to compatibility that was a thorn in the flesh for the earlier versions such widow XP and Vista. Moreover, its drivers are readily available except the Ethernet drivers which are usually available through the internet platforms (Emdadekh, 2010). The other required softwares such as word processor, spreadsheets, publisher, PowerPoint can be easily installed into the above specified OS as a package inform of office software. The latest version of office (office 2013) is of preference due to the fact that it is not only easier to use but also facilitates easier input techniques and analysis especially when using the spreadsheets. On the other hand, the program for creating PDF files is also easily installed from the internet inclusive of the PDF converter that enables one to convert the PDF script into other forms contained in the office 2013 especially when editing is required. It is prudent to comprehend that the data base management program is part of the office package and once installed one can easily create a data base. For the e-mail program, the provisions such internet browsers such as the Mozilla Firefox, the Google Chrome, and the internet explorer among others enable one to manipulate the e-mailing components of th e program (Emdadekh, 2010). Furthermore, Window 7 readily accepts installation of the latest versions of these browsers. In addition, the computer security system can be enhanced by installing internet security softwares

Effects of Divorce Essay Example for Free

Effects of Divorce Essay Divorce can be defined as the termination of a marital union, the canceling of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and the dissolving of the bonds of matrimony between married couples (Wikipedia, 2013). Divorce affects the couple and children (if any). The divorce is the most serious social problem that affects almost the entire life of the children and the couple, it also makes troubles like: sadness, despair, and unforgettable moments (Williams, 2013). In this paper, I will be discussing the factors contributing to divorce in Canada and will also explain certain statistics used as well. The methodologies that I will be using are both the qualitative and quantitative approach. The reasons I am using both of them are because by using the quantitative research, I will develop mathematical hypotheses pertaining to the phenomena. Also to analyze this topic with the use of statistics to make it somewhat accurate, while for quantitative; because it will explain in word data about my information. I strongly believe that these two forms of methodology will properly explain the factors contributing to divorce. The history of the legalization of divorce in Canada predates that of its colonial overseer, England, where it was only in 1857 that divorce was legislated, mainly on grounds of adultery. Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island respectively enacted divorce laws in 1761, 1791, and 1837, generally on grounds of adultery (Wu Schimmele, 2009). It was not until 1968 that Canada enacted its first unified Federal Divorce Act, which was followed by the more liberal or no fault act of 1985 and it was mentioned that the sole reason for divorce is marriage breakdown, which is defined as either living apart for at least one year, or committing adultery, or treating the other spouse with physical or mental cruelty. Though divorce rates have not increased recently in Canada, the number of divorced persons is however increasing with population growth. In 2007, there were 972,183 divorced women and 712,531 divorced men in the population (Statistics Canada, 2007). The difference between the men and women is because divorced men re-partner faster and more than women and also because women live longer than men.

Information Technology Advantages and Disadvantages

Information Technology Advantages and Disadvantages The importance of Information Technology The importance of technology comes from that Technology has an important impact on innovation and the development of societies and economies. This impact can be observed in three steps. The first step is substitution, new technology substitutes for the old. For example, consumers start substituting their fixed telephone lines with mobile telephones. The second step is the diffusion, when adopting the new technology is widely across society because it is law cost or better or more effective than the previous technology. The final step is transformation when the new technology ways start working and emerging because the new technology is diffused so widely in society. For example, the widespread adoption of the networking has led to interesting innovations in the communication patterns of individuals such as executives conducting business while waiting in airport lounges or traveling in trains.( DUTTA MIA , 2001)World Economic Forum. ICT offers more opportunities for economic development and plays very important role in international competitiveness, rapid economic change, and productive capacity of improvements for developing countries. ICTs offer the developing countries many opportunities, as it has done in the developed world, when it created unprecedented possibilities for them. Studies have emphasized that there is evidence of a strong linkage between GDP growth and ICT investment showing the importance of ICT investment for development. According to an OECD research project, which was conducted in the year 2002, there is an impact of ICT on the economy. In addition, in the GDP growth per capita, ICT investment accounted for between 0.5% and 1.3% (Nodu, 2004). Also, Organizations have increased their investment in information technology IT for planning in order to increase the efficiency of their business processes. Support management decision making and improve productivity. So IT become important tool to attaining competitive advantage for the organization and improves employees productivity and efficiency (Kim Lee Law, 2007) Besides, Many researches investigate the relation between IT investment and increase the productivity and the performance in the companies one of these studies (sircar et al, 2000) which found several organization success with the spending on the IT but others were failed. (Agarwal karahanna, 2000) argue in this result that IT investment will be successful when IT utilized by the organization intended user in the way contribute to the strategy and the goals of the firms. Thus user acceptance is the key for the successes of the IT investment (Darsono, 2005). Also, for more than two decades information technology has been the focus for researcher in information system this is because IT considers as the key to lead the organization for the good performance so many researches focus in the initial usage for IT or continuous usage foe IT (Premkumar Bhattacherjee, 2005). The advantages and disadvantages from adopting information technology (brien maracas, 2008, management information system, edition 8, chapter 1, p55) the advantages (for strategy advantage). Information technology uses to support the competitive strategy in helping the companies to reduce the costs of the company to give special offer for its products and services and give better care about customers and suppliers and to develop unions among the company and the company with the environment around the company and increase the virtue of its investment in IT resources. By using the information technology the organization or the companies will be able to develop the value of its business through out making the customer value the focus of its strategy which is to keep track of its customers preferences to supply its products and services anytime anywhere by using the internet or intranet and extranet(e-commerce websites). A lot of organizations/companies use information technology and internet to reengineering its business process because information technology can make integration for the organization to work for the same goal of the organization and this improves the design of the work flows or the requirements of the job even the organization structures even improve the efficiency and the effectiveness. Information technology provides the communication and the information required for the managers in order to manage the different activities within the organization and the resources from the partners to get the advantage from the changes in the market environment. Information technology can support the organization competitive strategy by making the organization as the knowledge creating to make innovation by creating its process style or product and service for its work or learning organization by doing similar in what the another companies created by using the internet to get the knowledge that it needs. The disadvantages Some disadvantages of information technology include: Unemployment While information technology may have streamlined the business process it has also crated job redundancies, downsizing and outsourcing. This means that a lot of lower and middle level jobs have been done away with causing more people to become unemployed. Privacy Though information technology may have made communication quicker, easier and more convenient, it has also bought along privacy issues. From cell phone signal interceptions to email hacking, people are now worried about their once private information becoming public knowledge. Lack of job security Industry experts believe that the internet has made job security a big issue as since technology keeps on changing with each day. This means that one has to be in a constant learning mode, if he or she wishes for their job to be secure. Dominant culture While information technology may have made the world a global village, it has also contributed to one culture dominating another weaker one. For example it is now argued that US influences how most young teenagers all over the world now act, dress and behave. Languages too have become overshadowed, with English becoming the primary mode of communication for business and everything else (http://www.smallbusinessbible.org/advan_disadvan_informationtechnology.html# 3/4/2009 5:10am). Lecture review Behavior intention According to (Davis , 1989: Kiraz Ozdemir, 2006: Hwang Y. Yi, 2002: Phau Gan, 2000)The technology acceptance model TAM consists of four main factors as major determinants of technology acceptance these factors are perceived ease of use, Perceived usefulness, the attitudes toward the usage and the frequency of use of technology. That means if people want to accept or reject any specific technology they should increase users believes that this technology will help them do their work better and this refer to perceived usefulness and extend their believes in that the system is ease of use and the benefit is more than the effort from the use for this technology. In another wards, If the users perceive easy of use from that technology and perceive usefulness from the technology for their work purposes .that means, there are Positive attitudes toward the technology usage n have a positive relation with the behavior intention to use the technology. Therefore, (Chang, 2004) was conducted The study which purposed to explore the validity of the extension of Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) based on social and facilitating as main factors to predict intranet/portal usage because those factors are most dominant in the educational environment. The study found that there was strong positive relation among Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and users attitudes towards the intranet. And the Attitude has strong relation with the user intention to use. And the intention to behave had a strong relation with the actual usage this conform the positive significant relation in TAM and its constructs are to predicting the user acceptance of the intranet/portal. Even there are relation between experience and perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. Even experience is a stronger predictor for perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness than age does. So, Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) which created by (Davis Bagozzi Warshaw, 1989; Davis et al., 1989) Studied some important factors affecting in the use of the information technology. the TAM explained how the behavior intention to use the technology effected by one basic factor to cause the actual use for the new system, therefore the behavior intention to use the technology is the merely or only determined related to actual use for the system, beside that the latest studies confirmed that the behavior intention to use the technology is the merely mediated factor. In another words, the TAM explains attitude factors affecting the behavior intention to use with putting the focus on the attitudes as a factor to use the technology (Kiraz Ozdemir, 2006). And in contrast that, the attitude not the only the factor who is affecting on the behavior intention to use but there are another factors can affect the behavior intention to use as in the study was conducted by (Gong Xu Yu, 2004) which aimed to identify additional determinants factors for the technology acceptance in the education sector. The study found that there are direct and indirect significant effect for perceived usefulness on the behavior intention to use the system and this effect is strong on the behavior intention to use more than the effect on the attitudes and the attitude was formed by perceived usefulness. Beside, that perceived ease of use has effect on perceived usefulness and the attitudes of the users but the effect on the attitudes was not significant this due to the combination of the factors like organization, subjects and the technology or due to the users have one month experience and they need to use the system easier and free of effort .and self-efficacy has strong direct effect on intention to use and perceived ease of use but on ease of use more effect than intention to behavior. Another study was conducted to confirm that intention to behavior is determined the actual behavior by (Aversano, 2005) which purposed to explore why some people refuse to use the mobile telephone in USA. The study used the theory of Ajzen to give exploration of human behavior to understanding a persons actions in behavior like social attitude and personality trait it considered as important to explain human behavior. And the study used TPB to confirm that intention to behavior is determined the actual behavior. And there are three factors predicting the Intention to behavior are attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavior control as same as TRA with focus in the important of the intention to behavior with the adoption for the technology. Even the study used the TAM2 which explains perceived usefulness in terms of cognitive and social influence processes. (Aversano, 2005) was conducted the study which purposed to explore why some people refuse to use the mobile telephone in USA. The study used the theory of Ajzen to give exploration of human behavior to understanding a persons actions in behavior like social attitude and personality trait it considered as important to explain human behavior. And the study used TPB to confirm that intention to behavior is determined the actual behavior. And there are three factors predicting the Intention to behavior are attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavior control as same as TRA with focus in the important of the intention to behavior with the adoption for the technology. Even the study used the TAM2 which explains perceived usefulness in terms of cognitive and social influence processes. Moreover, in the latest studies, like the study was conducted by (Hwang Yi, 2002) in the intrinsic motivation and computer self-efficacy research to Technology Acceptance Model in order to predict the use of web-based information systems. The study found that behavioral intention and self-efficacy have a significant effect on actual use. Even perceived enjoyment and self-efficacy were significant determinants of ease of use. Even was found that self-efficacy was a strong determinant for ease of use and actual use. The study supported all the relations were purposed in the technology acceptance model. Even the studies (Klloppiing McKiinneyy, 2004: Jones S. Hubona, 2005) support that relation. Also, the study was conducted by (Jones Hubona, 2005) which aimed to determine the effect of staff seniority, age, and education level on usage behavior. The study supported all TAM construction. Even Education level would directly affect actual usage behavior besides effect on perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness. But in contrast, the study was conducted by (Al Mutairi, 2007) which goaled to examine TAM applicability in Kuwait ministries. The study finding did not support the relationship between the variables as were in TAM. In another ward, the study didnt find relation between ease of use and usefulness this in one hand and in the other hand there is no relation between ease of use and usefulness with actual usage. And the study mention that maybe because the differences in the national cultural, public organization context, dependent variables nature. Also, in the study was conducted by (Chismar Patton, 2002) which made among the physicians to examines their intention to adopt Internet-based health applications by using the applicability of the (TAM2). The study found that the strong determinant for intention to use was perceived usefulness. Intention to use by physicians was explained by the effects of usefulness and output quality. And the relation between perceived usefulness and intention to use was significant, whereas image, subjective norm and perceived ease of use were not significant. And that due to that physicians have high level of adaptability, cognitive capacity and intellectual, they comprehend faster than the normal people for new technologies. And they are willing to adopt information technology that has beneficial applications even if it not easy to use. Attitudes and Believes According to (Davis , 1989: Kiraz Ozdemir, 2006: Hwang Y. Yi, 2002: Phau Gan, 2000)The technology acceptance model TAM consists of four main factors as major determinants of technology acceptance these factors are perceived ease of use, Perceived usefulness, the attitudes toward the usage and the frequency of use of technology. That means if people want to accept or reject any specific technology they should set up their attitudes by increase users believes that this technology will help them do their work better and this refer to perceived usefulness and extend their believes in that the system is ease of use and the benefit is more than the effort from the use for this technology. In another wards, If the users perceive easy of use from that technology and perceive usefulness from the technology for their work purposes .that means, there are Positive attitudes toward the technology usage n have a positive relation with the behavior intention to use the technology. Therefore, in order to put spotlight in the important of mediating the attitudes for the relation between the beliefs and the actual usage for the technology (Chang, 2004) conducted The study which purposed to explore the validity of the extension of Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) based on social and facilitating as main factors to predict intranet/portal usage because those factors are most dominant in the educational environment. The found were that there was strong positive relation among Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and users attitudes towards the intranet. And the Attitude has strong relation with the user intention to use. And the intention to behave had a strong relation with the actual usage this conform the positive significant relation in TAM and its constructs are to predicting the user acceptance of the intranet/portal. Even there are relation between experience and perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. Even experience is a stronger predictor f or perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness than age does. Also, the study was conducted by (algahtani, 2004) which aimed for more understanding of the acceptance for the technology in different cultures. The study found that there is strong support for the effect of the attitude in the behavior to use the computer and satisfaction. Even though this was supported in the study was conducted In Malaysia by (Mohd Syed-Mohamad Zaini, 2005) to identify the relation between information quality and the acceptance of doctors for Electronic Medical Record System (EMR) in one of Malaysian hospital. The study found that the information quality has significant relationship with perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use .even the perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use have significant relationship with attitude of using EMR system. Moreover, the user acceptance factor Information Quality has significant relationship with attitude of using EMR system through out easy of use and usefulness. The study conducted by (Gong Xu Yu, 2004) which aimed to identify additional determinants for the technology acceptance in the education sector. The study found that there are direct and indirect significant effect for perceived usefulness on the behavior intention to use the system and this effect is strong on the behavior intention to use more than the effect on the attitudes and the attitude was formed by perceived usefulness. Beside, that perceived ease of use has effect on perceived usefulness and the attitudes of the users but the effect on the attitudes was not significant this due to the combination of the factors like organization, subjects and the technology or due to the users have one month experience and they need to use the system easier and free of effort .and self-efficacy has strong direct effect on intention to use and perceived ease of use but on ease of use more effect than intention to behavior. In contrast to The study conducted by (Gong Xu Yu, 2004), The study was conducted by (Yang, 2007) which Focus on the time in the affect of perceived usefulness and ease of use on the attitudes, which aimed to study the usage of the technology acceptance model for doing another examination of the relationships between students attitude toward the use of WebCT and the determinants of the actual usage in light of social presence and sociability. the study found that The perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use was supported by self-efficacy, but more strong to the ease of use and both perceived usefulness and ease of use support the attitude toward the actual usage this was in the first test for the relation and in the second test was found that the subjective norms was negative value to the social presence and the actual use but lower support for the actual use. The study focuses on the time which makes the effects of the variable in the attitude. Which means perceived usefulness directly changed by times after use the system. And the study was conducted by (Yalcinkaya B.A M.S, 2007) to investigate the acceptance for the police officer for the POLNET system in Turkish. The study found that Perceived ease of use has a positive effect on attitude and intentions to use the system. And the study considers that the variable ease of use considered the main factor effecting in the attitude toward behavior attention to actual usage. This Result supported the result for the last study by (Venkatesh Davis, 2000) which conformed that perceived ease of use is strongly related to the system usage. Beside that the study found that there is positive affect for Perceived ease of use on perceived usefulness of police Officers using the system. In another ward, those police officers preferred to use the system because its easy to use. And the same for Perceived usefulness has a positive effect on the attitude and has a strongly effect on Attitude and Intention to Use the information technology, the study mentioned that T urkish police officers using the system because they perceive the system is useful. Hence, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use are very strong predictive factors on attitude and intention to use the system. From the pervious two studies, both studies (Yang, 2007: Yalcinkaya B.A M.S, 2007) confirm that perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness affect on the attitude which in the same time attitude affect on the behavior intention to use toward the actual use for the technology. Regardless the stronger affect on the attitude. The study conducted by(Ahn Ryu Han, 2007)which its goal to investigated the playfulness effect ion on user acceptance of online retailing , tested factors of Web quality and the relationship between those factors and user acceptance behavior. The study found that there are significant between playfulness and attitude and behavior intention to use. Even there is significant and influences for service quality, perceived strengths of system and information on playfulness, usefulness, and perceived ease of use. Even there are significant for System quality influence on usefulness, ease of use and playfulness. Even Information quality had significant influenced on usefulness, ease of use and playfulness. Service quality had significant influence on playfulness, ease of use and usefulness. Besides that Playfulness considered an important factor affecting the attitude and intention to use online retailing users. In contrast, to the study conducted by (Kiraz Ozdemir , 2006) which target the utilization of technology integration in the classroom focused on educational ideology, a factor not related to technology that also affects decisions in terms of educational applications. The study found that there is a direct effect of perceived usefulness on the actual use, and there is also a direct affect of perceived ease of use on attitudes. Besides, this study showed that attitudes towards the usage effected by perceived usefulness, and there is no significant effect of attitude towards usage and the actual use, this contrast the result in (TAM).Also, the study shows that there is no significant relationship between perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness. In another wards, there is a strong positive relationship between pre-service teachers perceived ease of use of educational technology and their attitudes toward use. The study mentioned that all of the ideologies were mentioned have effe cts on attitudes toward use. Moreover, educational anarchism, educational libertinism, and educational intellectualism have an effect on the perceived usefulness of technology. Both studies show that there is affect for perceived ease of use and usefulness on the attitude towards the behavior intention to use toward the use of the technology. Perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness It is important to understand that the perceived usefulness and the perceived ease of use of the technology are not formed solely by the usefulness and ease of use of the technology. According to the study was conducted by (Park Brien Caine Rogers Fisk Ittersum Capar Parsons, 2006) which aimed to identify variables that can provide more understanding for technology acceptance. The study mentioned that there are many variables affecting the technology acceptance like technology characteristics, organization characteristics, subjective norm, User characteristics all interacted with the acceptance through out a positive effect on perceived usefulness. Beside that, the study was conducted by (Kishore Lee McLean, 2001) which used social cognitive theory (SCT), computer self-efficacy (CSE), technology acceptance model (TAM), the risk management, personal general innovativeness and specific computer self-efficacy to extend TAM. The study was mentioned that perceived usefulness and ease of use were granted as the main factors effecting in the actual usage. Also, the study was conducted by (goeke, 2006) which aimed to examine the effects of experience and expertise on the actual use for the data warehouse by using TAM. The study found that perceived usefulness and ease of use had significant effect on the usage for the technology and the usefulness stronger in the effect then ease of use. Even there is direct effect for the usefulness in the actual usage for the system. Also found there is direct effect for ease of use on perceived usefulness. And there is positive effect for the external variable on both perceived usefulness and ease of use. The result from (goeke, 2006) was supported in the study was conducted by (Brown, 2002) which aimed to examine perceived ease of use for the technology web-based in learning environment in developing country not developed country. And the finding was that the study confirms TAM relations that ease of use predicts the usefulness and the actual usage but usefulness doesnt predict the actual usage. besides, there are significant influences for self-efficacy and ease of finding and ease of understanding on perceived ease of use and ease of understanding more influences than ease of finding on perceived ease of use and the self-efficacy is the strongest influences on the ease of use but computer anxiety was the fewer influences. Inconsistent with prior research (Bani-Ali Money, 2005) the effect of ease of use is lower than other proposed factors. A possible explanation is that users level of experience with new software may influence the relative importance of system ease of use. Despite, the study which contacted by (Hasan Ali, 2006) to distinguished between general, system-specific CSE and examines the effects of both levels of CSE on two key training outcomes: reactions and learning performance. Reactions were examined with respect to perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness. The findings were that general CSE had significant effects on perceived ease of use and far-transfer learning. Even the study found that GCSE demonstrated a non-significant positive effect on perceived usefulness. On the other hand, SCSE exhibited a non-significant negative effect on perceived usefulness this because study were measured two weeks after training. Also, The Study was conducted by (Saeed Helm, 2008) which proposes that perceived usefulness affected by information quality and system integration which will then drive post adoption usage of the IS. The study findings support that system integration and information quality are significant predictors for usefulness, even usefulness positively and significantly relates to extended usage and exploratory usage. The Study mentioned that perceived usefulness affects the initial acceptance of IS, that means, there is a stronger relation between exploratory usage and usefulness. More over, the study was conducted by (Gyampah Salam, 2003) which aimed to examine ERP training and ERP project communication, will affect the TAM variables only through the psychological variable-shared beliefs in the perceived benefits of the ERP system. The study found that perceived usefulness is the important factor affecting in the beliefs to make positive attitudes towards the system. Even that the study supports that perceived ease of use not affect attitude towards using particular system. This supports others studies that show that perceived ease of use does not have a significant on attitude in the usage for the system. Even was found that training has important and significant positive influences on the shared beliefs in the benefits of the system and shared beliefs influence both the perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of the system through out affect attitude, which in turn affects intention to behavior. Study confirms that communication with effective train ing affect the core TAM variables. And the training on the system has significant affect on perceived ease of use. Besides that, the study was conducted by (Yi Hwang, 2003) in the intrinsic motivation and computer self-efficacy research to Technology Acceptance Model in order to predict the use of web-based information systems. It found that behavioral intention and self-efficacy have a significant effect on actual use. Even perceived enjoyment and self-efficacy were significant determinants of ease of use. Even was found that self-efficacy was a strong determinant for ease of use and actual use. The study supported all the relations were purposed in the technology acceptance model. Even the studies (Klloppiing McKiinneyy, 2004: Jones S. Hubona, 2005) support that too. Perceived usefulness and playfulness considered as importance from the inexperienced e-commerce shoppers prospective. That means sites playfulness is essential to perceptions of usefulness, while for more experienced e-commerce shoppers, the perceived usefulness of the site can be evident independent of its playfulness, that was proved in the study was conducted by (Klopping McKinney, 2006) which conducted to examines the role of experience on consumers intentions to shop online. The study found that experience has direct and indirect effects on intention to use e-commerce, and there are moderating effects on perceived usefulness, playfulness, and self efficacy to intention to use e-commerce. Besides, there is a significant difference in the relationship of playfulness on perceived usefulness between inexperienced e-commerce shoppers and experienced e-commerce shoppers. Even, in the study was conducted by(T-Pikkarainen K-Pikkarainen Karjaluoto Pahnila ,2004) which aimed to increase the understanding of the factors that influence online banking acceptance from the technology acceptance model (TAM) prospective and to study consumer acceptance of online banking in Finland . it found that Perceived usefulness, Perceived ease of use, perceived enjoyment, information on online banking, and security and privacy have an impact on the acceptance of online banking and Perceived usefulness and the amount of information on online banking the most factors influence the use of online banking services. And found that Perceived usefulness was more than Perceived ease of use effective in explaining technology acceptance. There is significant in the relation between perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use for accepting the technology, that was supported by (Almutairi, 2007) which aim to test the applicability of the technology acceptance model (TAM) in Kuwaiti ministries in order to understand the information technology in the government utilities, that also was supported in The study conducted by (Singletary Akbulut Houston, 2002) which purposed to identify factors that effect the acceptance of high school students for software application when the initial use of the application is mandatory. The finding was that there are positive relationships between perceived usefulness, ease of use and innovative usage behavior and there is a positive relationship between perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. The study was conducted by (Venkatesh Morris, 2000) which aimed to investigated gender differences in the context of individual adoption and the study conformed technology usage in the workplace by using technology acceptance model. The study found that There is a difference between women and men in that men perceived usefulness to a greater longitudinal than women in using a new technology. And perceived ease of use was more important to women compared with men after basic training and by the time with more experience in using the system that make not significant and not affect on the intention to use the system. But for women ease of use consider the important to affect the intention to use the system. Individual differences Individual acceptance for IT becomes an issue for resea

Types of Societies :: essays research papers

Types of Societies   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  HUNTING AND GATHERING SOCIETIES are the simplest types of societies in which people rely on readily available vegetation and hunted game for subsistence. Only a few people can be supported in any given area in such subsistence societies. Hence they usually have no more than 40 members or so, must be nomadic, and have little or no division of labor. All societies began as hunting and gathering societies. These societies were still common until a few hundred years ago. Today only a few remain, including pygmies in central Africa and aborigines in Australia. Most of the rest have had their territory overrun by other forms of society. Hunter-gatherer societies also tend to have non-hierarchical social structures. There is rarely surplus food, and since they are nomadic little ability to store any surplus. Thus full-time leaders, bureaucrats, or artisans are rarely supported by hunter-gathering societies. Hunting and gathering society consumes a great deal of time, ene rgy, and thought, collecting and hunting for food. Most of these societies today generally live in marginal areas where resources are scarce, so life for the hunter and gatherer seems more oriented toward mere survival. Life expectancy is also very low compared to the post industrial society. Technology is minimal in the hunting and gathering society, which again relates back to the need for expending time and energy finding food. Technology in medicine is also primitive for hunters and gatherers. Equality is great and social stratification is low, opposed to the post-industrial society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  PASTORAL SOCIETIES are societies in which animals are domesticated and raised for food in pastures. Care of animals in the pastoral society still consumes a large portion of time for most of its members. Pastoral societies are also at risk of animal diseases or droughts. These societies do not have the technologies that post-industrial societies have to guard against food shortage. Pastoral society does not afford as much time for leisure as does the post-industrial society. This society does not have the technologies that post-industrial societies have to guard against food shortage. The pastorals are nomadic, and sometimes endure harsh and even dangerous environments in their journeys. Medical technology is also low, so physical pain and death are more common than in post-industrial society. Pastoral societies tended to develop in arid regions where there was insufficient rainfall to raise crops on the land. Pastoral societies were usually nomadic, moving on to a new area after the animals had exhausted the food supply in each pasture.

Nursing Facilitator Model

Nursing Facilitator Model Evaluation of the Practical Implication of Implementing this Model: I can utilise this nursing facilitator model in my own workplace which is a medical ward but share multiple care setting at times. I am an active nursing member of the ward which gives me an opportunity to share my beliefs and model with other members in the ward for the improvement of the care. This model specifically focuses on four corners of nursing which can be easily accepted in general cares and help eliminate various confusion during the practice.It is constructed in a simple way. I also work as a diabetic representative of the ward. Hence, I get chances to interact with nurses of various wards during the meetings and this inflates my chances to explore the education to them. The easy method to expose this model among my colleagues at work is via ward meeting. Support from the leaders and opportunity to use them in real life settings is essential too. Not only this I can consult with the senior nurses of the hospital about their beliefs in the model and consume my model of care through their support.From my experience of working in a busy emergency to a quiet palliative setting, I am confident that this model will equally benefit to develop the proficiency of nursing and help boost patient care. They are quite excited to know my model and voiced that they are inspired by this model to use it in routine nursing cares. This will be implemented in various settings to be considered successful after being accepted by the members of my workplace who are willing to accept change in their daily life.This model help nurses to foresee their duty of care remaining within the scope of practice and accept the accountability of their action. This model is based on evidence-based practice and is completely based on the patient and health care needs. It consists of the concepts of real life practice without providing major effort to use in an individual practice. My experience of nine years of nursing in various sectors in different countries has explored the basic need of nursing as experience and education equally, valuing critical thinking skills, technical skills and knowledge on legal circumstances.This model will also assist to reduce the gap between the patient and nurse relationship. The long term influences will be to enhance the healing process of the patient, giving them satisfaction during their short hospital stay and nurses without being burnt down. My model suggests holding the legal and ethical boundary in the meantime. One of the crucial parts of nurses is accepting the responsibility and being accountable to the responsibility remaining within their scope of practice. This model is designed to be adapted by all the nursing members of my workplace.This model identify nurses need to learn through evidence based practice and reflection from the colleagues past experience. It should make individual difference in the caring attitude and care pattern to the patient in the small ward like ours. This model will be put in the notice board after discussed and informed to the colleagues and senior staffs of the ward. Therefore it will provide me the chance to receive advice or alter any changes if needed from the other members of the team. Once the effectiveness has been achieved, it will be published in a newsletter after gaining further interests from other wards too.This model is economically feasible in the private health care system due to managerial support of further education and quality improvement of the care. The other factors such as cultural background, religion, spirituality, individual level of understanding, family and peer support, community help and communication affects the nursing facilitator model. What is missing in my model? I have not considered artistic and interpretive reflection in this model but I have included experiential reflectivity. The neutral interpretative reflection guides nurses with div ersity of decision making skills and enhance their experience.Self reflection is an effective method of gaining knowledge. I think interpretive reflection is equally important to consider learning pathway in nursing. However, I think it might be the cause of misinterpretation of things at times. Sometimes it gets out of context and leads to negativity. There are further needs of developing the tools for this model. Is this model financially feasible? All the residents and citizens of Australia have current Medicare to cover their medical bills. I currently work in a private hospital of Australia and most of patients here are covered with private health cover.This model is designed for the adult health care system and different circumstances will be needed in other settings such as child birth and paediatric care. Consent will be taken first before the implementation of the facilitator model. The hospital where I work is considered as one of the biggest private hospital of the area. Therefore, it is financially feasible model. There will be a questionnaire developed to conduct the follow up result of the tests. It will include the quality of care; time consumed and further advises to improve the care design.The follow up can be attended though mails, emails or even telephone according to the desire of the patient and family. I found that the most stimulating area of this model is geriatric care setting; hence my main focus will be elderly patients. Not only that the majority of age group admitted in the medical ward are geriatric patients. In most of the public hospital there is a combined funding from community health, Government of health and ageing Australia and specific funding such as palliative care funding.This ward had private health care funding as well as government supported funding. Actions seem to be taken place in the case of elderly abuse at times but most of the times it is missed due to the cognitive issues such as dementia in majority of them. The trial will be commenced from the geriatric ward before formulating on any other wards such as surgical or paediatric ward. This model will require second weekly follow up to gain the feedback of the model and review the response from the other support services. Can the Nursing Facilitator Model improve nursing care in my area of work?This is a simple model that represents the central beliefs of nursing in a general ward setting. I look forward to present this nursing facilitator model in my area of work after developing the testing tools. I will enhance interests towards this model in the workplace by involving everyone’s ideas. It considers the relationship between different values in nursing for the provision of safe and qualitative care. It directs the nurses to deliver holistic care, respecting their culture and beliefs. It is about comprehending the leadership, individual decision making skills and education. References:Brown, D & Edwards, H 2008 (eds), Lewi’ s Medical-surgical nursing: Assessment and Management of Clinical Problems, 2nd edn, Elsevier, Australia. Bu, X & Jezewski, MA 2007, ‘Developing a Mid-range Theory of Patient Advocacy through Concept Analysis’, Journal of Advanced Nursing, vol. 57, no. 1, pp. 101–10. Canam, CJ 2008, ‘The Link between Nursing Discourses and Nurses’ Silence: Implications for a Knowledge-based Discourse for Nursing for Nursing Practice’, Advances in Nursing Science, vol. 31, no. 4, pp. 296-307. Croke, EM 2006, ‘Nursing Malpractice Determining Liability Elements for Negligent Acts’, Journal of Legal Nurse Consulting, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 3-7. Hunter, LA 2008, ‘Stories as Integrated Patterns of Knowing in Nursing Education’, International Journal of Nursing Education, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 1-13. McMurray, A & Clendon, J 2011, Community Health and Wellness: Primary Health Care in Practice, Elsevier, Australia. Lundqvist, A & Nilstun, T 2009, â⠂¬ËœNoddings’s caring ethics theory applied in a pediatric setting’, Blackwell publishing, Nursing Philosophy, vol. 10, pp. 113-23. Negarandeh, R, Oskouie, F, Ahmadi, F & Nikravesh, M 2008 ‘The Meaning Of Patient Advocacy For Iranian Nurses’, Nursing Ethics, vol 15, no. , pp. 457-466. Sheldon, LK & Ellington, L 2008, ‘Application of a model of Social information processing to nursing theory: how nurses respond to patients’, Journal of Advanced Nursing, vol. 64, no. 4, pp. 388-398. Sitzman, KL 2007, ‘Teaching-Learning Professional Caring based on Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring’, International Journal of Human Caring, vol. 11, no. 4, pp. 8-16. Vacek, JE 2009, ‘Using a Conceptual Approach with concept mapping to Promote Critical Thinking’, Journal of Nursing Education, vol. 48, no. 1, pp. 45-8.

Wensha vs Yung Case Digest

G. R. No. 185122 August 16, 2010 WENSHA SPA CENTER, INC. and/or XU ZHI JIE, Petitioners, vs. LORETA T. YUNG, Respondent. A petition for review on certiorari under Rule 45 of the Rules of Court filed by an employer who was charged before the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) for dismissing an employee upon the advice of a Feng Shui master. Facts: Wensha Spa Center, Inc. (Wensha) in Quezon City is in the business of sauna bath and massage services. Xu Zhi Jie a. k. a. Pobby Co (Xu) is its president,3 respondent Loreta T. Yung (Loreta) was its administrative manager at the time of her termination from employment.Loreta recounted that on August 10, 2004, she was asked to leave her office because Xu and a Feng Shui master were exploring the premises. Later that day, Xu asked Loreta to go on leave with pay for one month. She did so and returned on September 10, 2004. Upon her return, Xu and his wife asked her to resign from Wensha because, according to the Feng Shui master, her au ra did not match that of Xu. Loreta refused but was informed that she could no longer continue working at Wensha. That same afternoon, Loreta went to the NLRC and filed a case for illegal dismissal against Xu and Wensha.Labor Arbiter (LA) Francisco Robles dismissed Loreta’s complaint for lack of merit. He found it more probable that Loreta was dismissed from her employment due to Wensha’s loss of trust and confidence in her. NLRC affirmed in its Resolution,9 citing its observation that Wensha was still considering the proper action to take on the day Loreta left Wensha and filed her complaint. CA reversed the ruling of the NLRC on the ground that it gravely abused its discretion in appreciating the factual bases that led to Loreta’s dismissal. The CA noted that there were irregularities and inconsistencies in Wensha’s position.Issue: Whether or not petitioner Xu Zhi Jie is solidarily liable with Wensha. Ruling: Loreta’s security of tenure is guaran teed by the Constitution and the Labor Code. Under the security of tenure guarantee, a worker can only be terminated from his employment for cause and after due process. The records are bereft of evidence that Loreta was duly informed of the charges against her and that she was given the opportunity to respond to those charges prior to her dismissal. If there were indeed charges against Loreta that Wensha had to investigate, then it should have informed her of those charges and required her to explain her side.Wensha should also have kept records of the investigation conducted while Loreta was on leave. The law requires that two notices be given to an employee prior to a valid termination: the first notice is to inform the employee of the charges against her with a warning that she may be terminated from her employment and giving her reasonable opportunity within which to explain her side, and the second notice is the notice to the employee that upon due consideration of all the cir cumstances, she is being terminated from her employment. This is a requirement of due process and clearly, Loreta did not receive any of those required notices.Nevertheless, the Court finds merit in the argument of petitioner Xu that the CA erred in ruling that he is solidarily liable with Wensha. Elementary is the rule that a corporation is invested by law with a personality separate and distinct from those of the persons composing it and from that of any other legal entity to which it may be related. â€Å"Mere ownership by a single stockholder or by another corporation of all or nearly all of the capital stock of a corporation is not of itself sufficient ground for disregarding the separate corporate personality. In labor cases, corporate directors and officers may be held solidarily liable with the corporation for the termination of employment only if done with malice or in bad faith. Bad faith does not connote bad judgment or negligence; it imports a dishonest purpose or some moral obliquity and conscious doing of wrong; it means breach of a known duty through some motive or interest or ill will; it partakes of the nature of fraud. In the subject decision, the CA concluded that petitioner Xu and Wensha are jointly and severally liable to Loreta.We have read the decision in its entirety but simply failed to come across any finding of bad faith or malice on the part of Xu. There is, therefore, no justification for such a ruling. To sustain such a finding, there should be an evidence on record that an officer or director acted maliciously or in bad faith in terminating the services of an employee. Moreover, the finding or indication that the dismissal was effected with malice or bad faith should be stated in the decision itself.

The Case Analy sis of Google Inc. Essays - Alphabet Inc., Google

The Case Analy sis of Google Inc. Essays - Alphabet Inc., Google The Case Analysis of Google Inc. Attractiveness of Internet Search Industry The introduction of Google Inc., in 2009 has led to a new development of Internet Search Industry. Through paid-advertising and invention of new products, Google Inc., has reached a level where it is becoming difficult for other companies to compete. To further analyze this case, it is important to use Michael Porters Five Forces tool that will determine whether this is an attractive industry. Threat of New Entrants According to Michael Porter, Threat of New Entrants refers to level of threat that new competitors poses to current competitors in the industry. For the Internet Search Industry, the barriers to entry is low. These are factors that makes it difficult for new competitors to enter in the market. The barriers to entry are low in the Internet Search Industry because high capital are not required to start and run a business like Google Inc. Most of the times, companies are depended on the advertisements for revenue. Ordering paid listings according to cost-per-click (CPC) auctions yielded substantial revenues, while meeting users needs (p. 2). Also switching to a different search engines is very costly for the Advertisers making it difficult to switch. Since, the threat of new entrants is high, it can be said that the industry is unattractive. Bargaining Power of Suppliers There are very few suppliers in the industry. As a result, the bargaining power of suppliers is high. Since there are few suppliers in the industry, the switching cost to a different supplier is extremely high. However, there are also many substitutes available in the market, which would cause the bargaining power of suppliers to be low. Bargaining Power of Buyers Like Suppliers, there are very few buyers in this industry. Therefore, the bargaining power of buyers is low. The buyers in this industries are advertisers, or even individual consumers. There is also very less price sensitivity which would result in the buyer to have less power over the products. Threat of Substitutes In the Internet Search Industry, the threat of substitutes is also high. This means that the chances of consumers switching to a different product/technology is high. Some of the substitutes to this industry are: books, magazines, newspapers, and social networking sites such as Facebook and twitter) (p. 9). The availability of so many substitutes products indicates that risk of consumers switching to a different industry (other than Internet Search Industry) are extremely high. This increases the competition and resulting in decrease in the profitability of the firms in this industry. For Advertisers, it makes more sense to advertise on the social networking sites rather than through paid advertisements on the search engines as the cost would be comparatively low and chances that more people will follow the ads on Facebook are higher. As the threat of substitutes are high, it can be said that the Internet Search Industry is not very attractive and the potential for firms to earn prof its are very low. Rivalry among existing competitors Some of the competing firms in the Internet Search Industry are: Microsoft and Yahoo. According to the case, in this industry, companies are competing to generate high revenues through paid-advertising and through different contents that attracts individual buyers. As the Internet Search Industry is growing at a slower speed, since many new competitors are entering in the market and are competing against similar technology and innovations. For example Yahoo competed head-to-head with Google in search and paid listings and offered direct rivals to Googles local search, Home Page, Froogle, Gmail, Maps, and Picasa applications (p.8). In conclusion, because threat of entrant is high, and threat of substitutes products are high, this industry is unattractive. Generic Competitive Strategy Broad Differentiation The competitive strategy that Google pursues is Broad differentiation. This is a strategy that requires to be unique in ways that are valuable to wide range of customers. Google differentiates creating a competitive position amongst other companies such as Microsoft and Yahoo. The launch of Google products such as Google Checkout that allowed users to pay participating merchants through a system similar to PayPal (p.7). Every product or content Google introduces, not only attracts young teenagers but also influences older generation and working adults. Google has been

The eNotes Blog Scholarship Spotlight January2016

Scholarship Spotlight January2016 Every month, we select some of the best scholarships around and post them here on our blog. When you are ready to apply, check out our tips on How to Write a Scholarship Essay. Visit   Essay Lab if you’re looking for a writing expert  to review and provide feedback your scholarship or college application essays! EditRevise $10,000 Scholarship Essay Contest Amount: Up to $10,000 Eligibility:  You must be applying for an undergraduate degree for enrollment at an accredited institution within the United States or Canada in 2016 (or 2017 if taking a gap year).  Your application must be received by 11:59PM ET on January 15th, 2016 to be eligible.  Recommendations can be from anyone. They will read the 500 essays with the most recommendations. Requirements:  Submit ANY essay you used for a college application. Due Date: January 15, 2016 at 11:59PM ET Learn more and apply Northwest Perspectives Essay Contest Amount: $750 stipend Eligibility:  Oregon Quarterly Northwest Perspectives Essay Contest welcomes nonfiction, personal essays of up to 1,500 words on any topic related to the Pacific Northwest. The contest is open to all nonfiction writers, except: (1) first-place winners from previous years’ contests; (2) authors who have written a feature forOregon Quarterly in the past calendar year; and (3) staff of Oregon Quarterly, the UO’s University Communications division, and their family members. Requirements: They strongly prefer that essays be submitted via our online form.  Hardcopy entries can be mailed to: Oregon Quarterly, 5228 University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon   97403-5228.  Authors name and contact information (email address, phone number, and mailing address) should be listed on the first page, but not on other pages of the document. Judges are not given the authors’ names when reading the essays.  One entry per person.  Maximum length is 1,500  words.  Entries will not be returned. Those that do not meet these submission guidelines are automatically disqualified. Due Date: January 20, 2016  (online submission and postmark date). Learn more and apply Microsoft Scholarship Program Amount:  Up to full tuition. Recipient will be required to apply for a summer internship and if offered, must complete the internship at Microsoft Corporation in Redmond, Washington. Eligibility:  Applicant must be enrolled full time in a Bachelor’s degree program at a four-year college or university in the United States, Canada, or Mexico. Applicant must be working towards an undergraduate degree in computer science, computer engineering, or a related technical discipline such as electrical engineering, math, or physics. Requirements: Submit your application  here! Due Date: January 31, 2016 Learn more and apply Technology Addiction Awareness Scholarship Amount: $1,000 Eligibility:  You must be a high school freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior or a current or entering college or graduate school student of any level. Home schooled students are also eligible. There is no age limit. You must also be a U.S. citizen or legal resident. Requirements:  Complete the application form below including a 140-character message about technology addiction. The top 10 applications will be selected as finalists. The finalists will be asked to write a full length 500- to 1,000-word essay about technology addiction. Due Date: January 30, 2016 Learn more and apply

TV Paper Topics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

TV Paper Topics - Essay Example It is generally considered to be the supremacy of one society on that of inferior society. In this context it has been viewed that the show â€Å"Friend† promoted certain activities that are not acceptable by other society. For instance the show promotes practice like living relation which is considered to be an uncommon process in many parts of the world. According to John Tomlinson, cultural imperialism is basically the process of spreading western-modern life style. With reference to the stated statement it can be stated that the sitcom â€Å"Friends† certain activities that promoted western life style which could be stated as cultural imperialism (Tomlinson 2-5). How does show approach that issue: The different approach that have been adapted by the Show â€Å"Friends† are explained here under: Americanization Friends a well-known TV sitcom globally is considered to be amongst one of the best show in the American television history/. The show relives around t he life of six friends who helps each other’s in solving their individual problems. It has been stated by many critics that the show helped in promoting American culture to a great extent. However, globally many critics stated that the show mainly focused on influencing people to adapt American culture. For instance, the show promoted many American brands like Buitoni pasta, Nestle Toll House cookies, Oreo cookies among others which is considered to be an indirect way of promoting Americanization. It was also viewed that the sitcom was banned from China as it promoted too much sex which is considered to be a normal affair in the American context (Shi, â€Å"Product Placement and Digital Piracy: How Young... This paper approves that globally many critics stated that the show mainly focused on influencing people to adapt American culture. For instance, the show promoted many American brands like Buitoni pasta, Nestle Toll House cookies, Oreo cookies among others which is considered to be an indirect way of promoting Americanization. It was also viewed that the sitcom was banned from China as it promoted too much sex which is considered to be a normal affair in the American context. This report makes a conclusion that the contribution of television shop in bringing new changes in the society can be witnessed from the past. There exist many television shows that are made considering the normal living habits of their civilians. However, it has been viewed that the shows conflicts with certain living habits when telecasted in the international level. With reference to the above mentioned discussion it can be viewed that the show ‘Friends’ considered to be amongst one of the renowned television sitcom in the American TV history has been criticized my many individuals in the international level. The main reason that resulted in such criticism was resulted from promoting American brand and showing activities that are considered to be uncommon on the global platform. Thus, it can be concluded that a show must be made considering all the factors that would not promote discrimination amid the different people present in the society.

2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami - Essay Example TOver the years the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and the Tsunami has been named in different ways. Due to the Tsunami South Asian countries were deeply affected and that is why it is also known as South Asian tsunami. It is very important to know the reasons behind this mammoth natural calamity. The earthquake and the Tsunami took place because two Tectonic Plates sub ducted with each other. In more precise way, India Plate sub ducted with Burma Plate. This subduction caused a cascading effect of destructive Tsunami. Those Tsunamis shattered the countries bordering with the Indian Ocean. Lives of the coastal communities were significantly hampered by the gigantic tides. Tides were as high as 30mtrs and inundated different coastal belts of several South Asian countries. Indonesia was the worst hit country because epicentre was nearby the Sumatra only. According to the seismographic readings, it was the 3rd largest earthquake. The severity of the earthquake was backed up by the duratio n of its tremor. The quake continued for almost 10 minutes. The hypocenter of the quake was located almost 160 KM far from the western part of the Sumatra. The magnitude of the earthquake was so severe that the tremor was felt simultaneously in different countries like India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Singapore and Thailand. According to the findings of different researches, collision of Tectonic Plates removed enormous amount of water and created significantly powerful shock waves in the various direction which caused this catastrophic disaster.  

Henry Ford Speech or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Henry Ford - Speech or Presentation Example Still, Henry had been a courageous fellow with an ambition to improve his conditions and standard of life. From very early age, he joined a small workshop with an inclination to learn and change his lifestyle. Undoubtedly, he had innate interest towards machines, tools and equipments, which induced him to progress in the field of engineering and automobiles. With the passage of time, Henry gained experience and became an engineer of Edison Illuminating Company in Detroit. For instance, he continued his progress in life and promoted to the post of Chief Engineer in 1890s that helped him in maximise his savings due to relatively higher income at his respective key post (Wiley Report, n.d). Henry Ford, with innovative ideas always flowing into his mind, attributed his success to efforts of wife who made him belief about his potential, skills, knowledge and expertise. Henry also established his own firm in early 1890s in collaboration with some investors, which however failed due to some internal deficiencies. Nevertheless, Henry did not quit his job as he was well settled at that time. As mentioned earlier, Ford had natural desire towards machines so he made some experiments of gasoline combustion engines to check their viability, business scope and potential. Finally, the experiments resulted in invention of his first self-propelled four wheeler (of wires) vehicle named Quadricycle. The vehicle was not considered as a huge success as it did not have any gasoline engine unlike gasoline vehicles offered by other manufacturers in the marketplace at that time. Nonetheless, Henry had gained confidence and headed to formation of Ford Motors in 1903, which in later years produced low priced, safe and fuel - efficient automobiles that won the trust of consumers. Indeed, that was the beginning of phenomenal success. Then, the comprehensive launch of consumer – friendly, durable, secure and reliable T-model by Ford Motors triggered its massive growth, and within 15 years Ford Motors had received nationwide consumer acceptance and became a household name. The success of Ford could be easily measured by highlighting the fact that over 55% of total automobile sales across USA were of Ford’s T-model (HFMGV Report, 2003). Ford, then, introduced new quality standards, changed its mission, vision and values so that it could enhance its growth rate and could accomplish its goal of becoming a truly global organization. For instance, the automobile producer emphasized the adoption of modern production techniques, induction of assembly lines, specialized workers, mass production facilities (economies of scale), research and development, product / process innovation, advertising and branding. Indeed, the aforementioned enabled the producer in not only enhancing its sales and profitability in core US markets but also expanding in markets worldwide. Ford has changed the industry dynamics through introduction of safe, reliable, fuel – efficient , uniquely designed and premium quality vehicles for normal and commercial use. The consumers have inclination towards acquiring a Ford automobile as it maximizes their utility (due to need fulfillment) and ensures that they are being valued. In conclusion, the customers adore that the benefits they receive from purchase decision are stupendously greater than monetary costs incurred during

Service concept Service concept profiling The SERVQUAL model Essay

Service concept Service concept profiling The SERVQUAL model - Essay Example Global economic developments have transformed traditional relationship between the customer’s clients and suppliers. Emergence of new technologies and communication as well as the establishment of open trading global regimes has resulted in wide customer choice, and creation of alternative supply that is more transparent. Business Enterprises should tailor their products to suit the needs of the customers due to the fact that technology has evolved leading to low cost dissemination of information and customer solutions (Lee, Lee and Yoo, 2000, p.218). These transformations have forced business enterprises to carry out evaluation of the value they present to their clients. The new business environment has also emphasized the need to capture the value for provision of services and new products and in the process ensuring that the need of the customers are adequately met. A well developed business model will ensure the growth of the business enterprise and the absence of a busine ss model will result in the failure of the business, and failed innovation. This aspect is clearly evident in the internet market due to the fact that revenue creation is more perplexing due to customer expectations of free services (Lee, Lee and Yoo, 2000, p.228). Service concept is fundamental in business management. Service concept provides an opportunity for both the client and the supplier to identify their expectation as well as what not to expect from a product or a service. Services that are clearly defined provides the customer with a clear understanding of what the service offers with inclusion of what each service does not offer , for example, service limitations, eligibility, how to make a request for a service, cost and how to get assistance. An elaborate service defines internal procedures that are relevant in the provision and support of the service. So as to conceptualize a service, five key questions must be answered. These include questions on service description ( the type of service and where it can be found), questions that deals with self service and help (how to use the service being provided or how to get assistance), questions that touch on pricing and service cost (what is the price of the service), and finally questions that deals with service support and service delivery. The concept of service ensures that there is an overall accountability in the process of ensuring delivery of services is in accordance to the management life cycle and agreed enterprise requirements. Service profiling concept in business provides data and articulates logic and other proves that illustrates how a business delivers and creates value for its clients. It also describes revenue, profit and costs architecture that is associated with the enterprise that delivers the stated value. Factors related to a good service concept design are interrelated and is fundamental to business strategists questions (how does business enterprise create a sustainable competit ive merit and realize supernormal profits). In summary, service profiling concept in business entails creation and delivery of value and the process of converting value payments into profits. So as to realize innovational profits, business entrepreneurs need to ensure excellence in

Consultancy business report Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6250 words

Consultancy business report - Term Paper Example organization that has progressed or has a vision for a brighter future is can be gagged by an analysis of how it takes care or manages its human resources. The saddest fact in the recent trend has been to assume or overlook the roles human resources play in a particular organization. With the current age of automation, scores of managers looks upon the machines as vital components for executing their business strategies. They tend to shift their focus from the human aspect of their business operations and concentrate on the technological aspect. On the same note, the current business age calls for comprehensive strategies from business organizations that aim to remain in the market. With globalization as the target mark for many companies, every business organization will strive to achieve it. However, the only route for the achievement of the same lays in the careful planning and implementations of an all inclusive market related plans that are termed as corporate strategies. The fo rmulation and implementations of corporate strategies has been seen as a decisive tool in the growth of a company only if a proper correlation between the same and the human capital has been made. For a long time, human capital has been only valued in terms of their labor output per unit; with their roles in the implementation of corporate ignored in most cases. This paper looks into the links between corporate strategy and human resources with due considerations to Sedibeng breweries from South Africa. A strategy is simply a plan that is aimed at making a company or a business organization to market itself to attain a larger share of market from its competitors (Miller, 1989). Thus, the process is entirely a marketing plan that is aimed at making that particular business unit to have a relatively different and unique platform that will distinguish its activities from those of its competitors, to gain a competitive advantage. If the management’s plan of making the company to gain a

Research Paper on the BP Gulf Oil Spill Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

On the BP Gulf Oil Spill - Research Paper Example 2.1.4 Financial Implication of the Oil Spill 14 3 Chapter 3 15 3.1 Research Methodology 15 3.1.1 Research Framework 16 3.1.2 Data Collection 16 4 Chapter 4 17 4.1 Discussion and Findings 17 5 Chapter 5 18 5.1 Conclusion 18 5.2 Recommendation 19 5.3 Limitation 19 References 21 Appendices 23 1 Chapter 1 1.1 Introduction An oil spill is the accidental release of liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the marine areas due to human negligence and is one of the major causes of sea water pollution. Despite the improved technologies to prevent crude oil spills in the marine environment the accidents continue to occur. The recent case of a large oil spill is the 2010 Deepwater Horizon incident in the Gulf of Mexico for which several companies were responsible to varying degrees and BP was the most prominent party to the incident. The worst oil spill U.S. faced before this Gulf Oil Spill was Exxon Valdez in 1989 in Alaska (Ramseur & Ramseur, 2011, p.1). On April 20, 2010, the oil drilling rig at Deepwater Horizon of BP was near completion when the uncontained release of oil and natural gas caused explosion resulting in the largest oil spill in U.S. waters and killing 11 people and injuring 15. Nearly 200 million gallons of oil was released into the sea over approximately 84 days. However the oil leak was discove red four days after the explosion when BP sent a team of experts to cover the source of leakage. This incident has charged BP with the clean-up costs, economic and natural resources’ damage costs, Clean Water Act (CWA) penalties etc probably leading to approximately $41 billion (Ramseur & Ramseur, 2011, p.1). The initial estimate of the oil spill was 1000 barrels per day which was later revised at up to 60,000 barrels per day (Hiles, 2011, pp.13). By the first week of May BP began the drilling of deep water intercept well half a mile from the leaking oil well. The attempt was to intercept the existing wellbore at around 16000 feet below the sea surface. The process was estimated to take 90 days. The oil slick was discovered to be drifting towards the Florida and Alabama coasts. Not to burn the oil was a decision made between polluted air and endangered sea life. Various measures were taken by the US Government and BP to contain the damage. The case gained worldwide attention and criticism of the policies and measures regarding the prevention of oil spills and protection of marine ecosystem. 1.2 Nature of the Issue The demand for energy has constantly grown leading gigantic efforts and big investments by the energy companies to locate new oil supplies. The Deepwater Horizon was a $365m offshore drilling unit where massive amount of oil was spilled due to two subsequent explosions in the summer of 2010. The incident affected the ecological environment of the Mexican Gulf and has directly harmed the Gulf fishing industry. The demand of the Gulf seafood has probably decreased due to changes in consumers’ perception about the spill (Upton, 2011, p.3). Many of the factors which are believed to have contributed to the BP disaster are technological and regulatory failures. Evidence suggests that the spill was an outcome of lack of proper oversight during the transition of rig oil from exploration to production. In the wake of such disastrous and rare eve nt, federal law-makers have unsuccessfully tried to address the causes and enact policies to guide the economic and environmental recovery of the Gulf region. President Obama issued a moratorium on the planned offshore drilling at the time of the incident. The moratorium banned the deepwater drilling activities in the Gulf region allowing only the existing production to continue. Many have criticized the Federal Government for taking such step without analyzing the exact cause of incident. However this step has served neither to address the principal cause of the accident nor aided in economic rehabilitation of the Gulf economy. It has been estimated that the loss of economic activity in US and Gulf of Mexico region is likely to be total lost output of $2769m and 12046 lost jobs (Appendix 1) (Mason, 2010, p.1). In this paper an in-depth research has been done to find out how the domestic and

Service concept Service concept profiling The SERVQUAL model Essay

Service concept Service concept profiling The SERVQUAL model - Essay Example Global economic developments have transformed traditional relationship between the customer’s clients and suppliers. Emergence of new technologies and communication as well as the establishment of open trading global regimes has resulted in wide customer choice, and creation of alternative supply that is more transparent. Business Enterprises should tailor their products to suit the needs of the customers due to the fact that technology has evolved leading to low cost dissemination of information and customer solutions (Lee, Lee and Yoo, 2000, p.218). These transformations have forced business enterprises to carry out evaluation of the value they present to their clients. The new business environment has also emphasized the need to capture the value for provision of services and new products and in the process ensuring that the need of the customers are adequately met. A well developed business model will ensure the growth of the business enterprise and the absence of a busine ss model will result in the failure of the business, and failed innovation. This aspect is clearly evident in the internet market due to the fact that revenue creation is more perplexing due to customer expectations of free services (Lee, Lee and Yoo, 2000, p.228). Service concept is fundamental in business management. Service concept provides an opportunity for both the client and the supplier to identify their expectation as well as what not to expect from a product or a service. Services that are clearly defined provides the customer with a clear understanding of what the service offers with inclusion of what each service does not offer , for example, service limitations, eligibility, how to make a request for a service, cost and how to get assistance. An elaborate service defines internal procedures that are relevant in the provision and support of the service. So as to conceptualize a service, five key questions must be answered. These include questions on service description ( the type of service and where it can be found), questions that deals with self service and help (how to use the service being provided or how to get assistance), questions that touch on pricing and service cost (what is the price of the service), and finally questions that deals with service support and service delivery. The concept of service ensures that there is an overall accountability in the process of ensuring delivery of services is in accordance to the management life cycle and agreed enterprise requirements. Service profiling concept in business provides data and articulates logic and other proves that illustrates how a business delivers and creates value for its clients. It also describes revenue, profit and costs architecture that is associated with the enterprise that delivers the stated value. Factors related to a good service concept design are interrelated and is fundamental to business strategists questions (how does business enterprise create a sustainable competit ive merit and realize supernormal profits). In summary, service profiling concept in business entails creation and delivery of value and the process of converting value payments into profits. So as to realize innovational profits, business entrepreneurs need to ensure excellence in

Research Paper on the BP Gulf Oil Spill Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

On the BP Gulf Oil Spill - Research Paper Example 2.1.4 Financial Implication of the Oil Spill 14 3 Chapter 3 15 3.1 Research Methodology 15 3.1.1 Research Framework 16 3.1.2 Data Collection 16 4 Chapter 4 17 4.1 Discussion and Findings 17 5 Chapter 5 18 5.1 Conclusion 18 5.2 Recommendation 19 5.3 Limitation 19 References 21 Appendices 23 1 Chapter 1 1.1 Introduction An oil spill is the accidental release of liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the marine areas due to human negligence and is one of the major causes of sea water pollution. Despite the improved technologies to prevent crude oil spills in the marine environment the accidents continue to occur. The recent case of a large oil spill is the 2010 Deepwater Horizon incident in the Gulf of Mexico for which several companies were responsible to varying degrees and BP was the most prominent party to the incident. The worst oil spill U.S. faced before this Gulf Oil Spill was Exxon Valdez in 1989 in Alaska (Ramseur & Ramseur, 2011, p.1). On April 20, 2010, the oil drilling rig at Deepwater Horizon of BP was near completion when the uncontained release of oil and natural gas caused explosion resulting in the largest oil spill in U.S. waters and killing 11 people and injuring 15. Nearly 200 million gallons of oil was released into the sea over approximately 84 days. However the oil leak was discove red four days after the explosion when BP sent a team of experts to cover the source of leakage. This incident has charged BP with the clean-up costs, economic and natural resources’ damage costs, Clean Water Act (CWA) penalties etc probably leading to approximately $41 billion (Ramseur & Ramseur, 2011, p.1). The initial estimate of the oil spill was 1000 barrels per day which was later revised at up to 60,000 barrels per day (Hiles, 2011, pp.13). By the first week of May BP began the drilling of deep water intercept well half a mile from the leaking oil well. The attempt was to intercept the existing wellbore at around 16000 feet below the sea surface. The process was estimated to take 90 days. The oil slick was discovered to be drifting towards the Florida and Alabama coasts. Not to burn the oil was a decision made between polluted air and endangered sea life. Various measures were taken by the US Government and BP to contain the damage. The case gained worldwide attention and criticism of the policies and measures regarding the prevention of oil spills and protection of marine ecosystem. 1.2 Nature of the Issue The demand for energy has constantly grown leading gigantic efforts and big investments by the energy companies to locate new oil supplies. The Deepwater Horizon was a $365m offshore drilling unit where massive amount of oil was spilled due to two subsequent explosions in the summer of 2010. The incident affected the ecological environment of the Mexican Gulf and has directly harmed the Gulf fishing industry. The demand of the Gulf seafood has probably decreased due to changes in consumers’ perception about the spill (Upton, 2011, p.3). Many of the factors which are believed to have contributed to the BP disaster are technological and regulatory failures. Evidence suggests that the spill was an outcome of lack of proper oversight during the transition of rig oil from exploration to production. In the wake of such disastrous and rare eve nt, federal law-makers have unsuccessfully tried to address the causes and enact policies to guide the economic and environmental recovery of the Gulf region. President Obama issued a moratorium on the planned offshore drilling at the time of the incident. The moratorium banned the deepwater drilling activities in the Gulf region allowing only the existing production to continue. Many have criticized the Federal Government for taking such step without analyzing the exact cause of incident. However this step has served neither to address the principal cause of the accident nor aided in economic rehabilitation of the Gulf economy. It has been estimated that the loss of economic activity in US and Gulf of Mexico region is likely to be total lost output of $2769m and 12046 lost jobs (Appendix 1) (Mason, 2010, p.1). In this paper an in-depth research has been done to find out how the domestic and

Globalization and Its Impact Essay Example for Free

Globalization and Its Impact Essay Globalization has a major impact on the management of human resources in developing countries like India. The roles and responsibilities of Human Resource Departments are transforming as the modern business faces pressures of globalization. With accelerating globalization, organizations have had to change and new trends have set in even in the management of human resources. Globalization has forced organizations and their human resources to redefine their strategies. It is necessary for the management to invest considerable time and amount, to learn the changing scenario of the Human Resource Department in the 21st century. Now organizations need to place greater emphasis on attracting human capital rather than financial capital. In order to survive the competition and be in the race, HR Department should continuously update itself with the transformation in HR. Suitable HR Policies that would lead to the achievement of the organization as well as the individuals goals should be formulated. The prime objective of the paper is to identify issues related with Globalization and its impact on Human Resource Development. The paper focuses on a number of outcomes of globalization, which promotes human resource development. It also states about several factors that inhibit the human resource development. Finally, the paper provides few strategy recommendations to develop human resources of developing countries in a changed situation of political economy of trade liberalization. Several articles of the renowned thinkers and practitioners are consulted to get a clear concept of the topic in respect to objectives mentioned above. Besides, different other publications were also consulted to make the paper informative and objective oriented. Keywords: Globalization, Human Resource Development, Management of Human Resources, HR Challenges, HR Policies ; Strategies. INTRODUCTION: Globalization is the closer integration of the countries and peoples of the world brought about by the enormous reduction of costs of transportation and communication, and the braking down of artificial barriers to the flows of goods, services, capital, knowledge, and human resource across borders. Globalization as an effective instrument of international exchange of goods and services has to have a human face, based on ethical consideration rather than on cut throat competition. It should play a positive role in reducing economic and social disparities within and among, the nations. It should be also effective tool for improving sustainable development. In the era of globalization, with the increasing competition, locally or globally, organizations must become more adaptable, resilient, agile, and customer-focused to succeed. And within this change in environment, the HR professional has to evolve to become a strategic partner, an employee sponsor or advocate, and a change mentor within the organization. In order to succeed, HR must be a business driven function with a thorough understanding of the organization dig picture and be able to influence key decision and policies. In general, the focus of todays HR mangers is on strategic personnel retention and talents development. In todays aggressive global market it has become necessary for organization to expand internationally to gain competitive advantage. Globalization has forced organization and their human resources functions to redefine their strategies. It is necessary for the management to invest considerable time and amount, to learn the changing scenario of the Human Resource Department in the 21st century. In order to survive the competition and be in the race, HR Department should continuously update itself with the transformation in HR. Suitable HR Policies that would lead to the achievement of the organization as well as the individuals goals should be formulated. HR Practitioners of every organization and also for those who have significant interest in the area of Human Resource Management should realize the growing importance of human resource and understand the need to build up effective HR strategies. Peoples are important assets. Placing this value on employees, requires the organization to emphasize on human resource practice, including reward for superior performance, measures of employee atisfaction, careful selection of employees, promotion from within, and investment in employee development. Just taking care of employees would not be enough; new HR initiatives should also focus on the quality needs, customer-orientation, productivity and stress, team work and leadership building. The researcher has thrown light on the emerging HR trends and discusses HR issues in various industries like Financial Services , IT, Power, Healthcare etc. It is valuable for practicing HR managers of every organization and also for those who have a significant interest in the area of Human Resource Management, to realize the growing importance of human resource and understand the need to build up effective HR strategies to combat HR issues arising in the 21st century. INCREASING IMPORTANCE OF HRM The human resources management approach which has been gaining the attention of management professionals during the last decade has become the need of the hour due to various reasons. Widespread industrial unrest, growing trade union influence on work force, strained worker management relationship, increasing gulf between management and their people, emergence of militancy in trade unionism, and the growing conflict in the industrial relations scene have resulted in the workers getting out of gear of the management in many organizations in India. This has made the managements to think in terms of carrying their workers with them. Convincing the workers of the managements concern for them may, perhaps, go a long way in getting along with them and ensuring their better performance. This has naturally resulted in the present human resources movement. Humanization of work environment in countries like Japan, quality of work life movement in countries like United States, and the quality circles approach in India itself have initiated action to attain better organizational commitment among the work force. The human resources approach is in consistency with these movements. Changes in business environment have substantially affected the approach to manpower. Technological changes are prominent among them, computer revo1ution, introduction of microprocessor, CNC machines in manufacturing operations, mechanization and automation of office operations, quick communication systems like satellite communication and facsimile introduction or robots, electronic revolution, and such other new developments have revolutionized the vital areas of business. Operational efficiency or manpower must cope with such a revolutionary change in the technology which necessitated a new approach to manpower. Globalization of business is another important aspect of change which takes place in the business environment of today necessitating a human resources approach to manpower. It is not only those Indian firms operate and compete abroad, but they have to compete with multinationals and foreign firms in India itself. Business philosophy, skills, expertise, efficiency and particularly global corporate citizenship philosophy fostered by internationally successful firms necessitate Indian firms to deliberately update their perspective to suit the internationally emerging trends. In conformity with the human resources approach emerging globally, Indian managers must also foster a human resources philosophy to guide their management practices. A widespread feeling now influences at least some management practitioners that the technological development has gone to the extent of machines taking over the human jobs. For example: highly skilled milling, grinding and lathe machines are replaced by CNC machine tools which can take over, not only manual functions but even the intelligent human functions and Robots can lake up human functions in place of real human beings. Increasing influence of illusions tend to reduce the importance of human role. In fact no machine can replace man. The more the technological development, the greater would be the dependence on man. One simple error a computer makes can lead to havoc, where skill and intelligence of man are indispensable. Greater the technological development, greater skill and technical capability are required of people who operate. Obviously greater human approach to people would be required. Moreover installation, monitoring of machines, production, operation, maintenance and controlling the operations need large number of trained and skillful people. Technicians, repairers and service people are also necessary. The more the technical development and automation, the more would be the dependence on human beings. There would, therefore, be greater need for humane approach to manpower. Similarly use of more capital intensive methods would result in greater productivity of men necessitating greater motivating and greater human resources approach of management. Large scale production, increasing effects of recession, technical and technological developments and so on have opened up new training needs for the people at work. Human resources development programmes have therefore; become the need of the hour. Government policy of importing technology has also necessitated introducing new facilities and avenues for training and development. Fresh initiatives and emphasis on research and development in the realm of industry also led to a new policy of human resources development to cope with the increasing demand for technically capable people. Resultantly a need arose for a new approach to human resources.

Impact of Festivals

Impact of Festivals Robyn Ormond Introduction: South Africans love festivals, it is a chance to ‘let loose’ and enjoy a time of fun, family and by the end, usually no funds. Festivals can be described in many ways, namely â€Å"events of limited duration developed primarily to enhance the awareness, appeal and profitability of a tourist destination† (Ritchie, 1984: 2). Festivals have become a vital component of tourism in small towns (Visser, 2005). The importance of annual festivals in two South African towns, being Sedgefield (the Sedgefield Slow-Festival) and Knysna ( Knysna Oyster Festival) as well as the economic importance of these festivals will be explored to show how festivals can prevent the decline of these iconic towns. Decline def The Importance of Festivals Festivals are more than just a way of making money, there is a deeper impact of festivals upon the communities who host them, these festivals can then rather be referred to as â€Å"a public, themed celebration† (Jackson et al, 2005). Festivals which occur in smaller town like the two that will be analysed normally have a strong sense of community and by holding a festival, ideals such as leadership and accountability of the locals are promoted, members of the community are encouraged to get involved and to take responsibility with regards to the planning and running of the festival (Visser, 2005). This act of holding a festival strengthens the community and allows for bonds of friendship to form between the town members as community goals are achieved through the management of the festival (Saayman A, Saayman, M, 2006). The festival also allows for the natural beauty of the towns to be appreciated and act as a platform for conservation and environmental protection (especially in Sedgefield and Knysna, both of which occur along South Africa’s prestigious Garden Route) (Visser, 2005). Festivals not only create links within the community but strengthens ties with that of the world around them (people from much larger cities- Cape Town and Johannesburg are willing to travel to come and participate in the festivals held in Knysna and Sedgefield.) (Saayman A, Saayman, M, 2006). The strong community bond a festival creates can help prevent the town from going into decline by becoming an attractive place to live and especially to retire to. The Economic Importance of Festivals: Not only are festivals important for growing a town’s identity but these celebrations are known to bring a healthy influx of money into the town. Festivals can boost a towns economy by either extending the current seasonal income (money made during peak tourism times in the town- usually correlating with holidays) or by creating an entirely new tourism season (Visser, 2005). The economic impact of a festival on a small town is simple; people come from outside the town and by participating in the festival, spend money which goes directly towards the local economy of the town (Saayman A, Saayman, M, 2006). Tourism is the driving force behind a festival and the more a town can offer in terms of tourism, the more attractive the festival will be. Festivals are a way of a town advertising itself to the outside world in the hopes of attracting people willing to settle there or foreign investors to take an interest in the town (Saayman A, Saayman, M, 2006). The money generated from a festival is used in a small town to help ensure sustainability of the town and to help the town regenerate (if it had previously gone through a period of decline) (Saayman A, Saayman, M, 2006). A tourist spending money in the town during a festival has an impact on a variety of sectors due to the interlinked nature of the tourism industry (a tourist will need to purchase food and drink during the festival, have access to accommodation as well as pay to participate in the events of the festival, this will benefit a large number of businesses in the town) (Saayman A, Saayman, M, 2006). For the two festivals bei ng explored, a large portion of the proceeding is donated to charity, as the community of Sedgefield and Knysna are more people-orientated and less money-driven. The Sedgefield Slow Festival: The Sedgefield slow festival is a celebration of life in a small town only 7.85 km ² in size with a population of 8286 (Firth, 2011) along the Eastern Cape of South Africa. The town advertises itself as South Africa’s self-proclaimed â€Å"Slow Town† (as nothing will happen at a speed faster than a tortoise’s walk- the icon of Sedgefield). The local residents volunteer to be part of a committee who are dedicated to creating a festival which promotes â€Å"Wholesome goodness, Family, Friends, Fun, the Outdoors and Great food† (Dixon, 2014). The festival is young in comparison to other South African festivals with its birth in 2010. The objective of the festival is to show off the natural beauty of the area in a way that will get the entire town involved while creating local economic opportunities at the same time (Dixon, 2014). The town hosts several events during the festival including the infamous â€Å"Anything-That-Floats Race† (a water race where participants must build crafts constructed entirely out of recycled materials). Other events include a Beer-Pong competition held at one of the local bars as well as the Town Hall Arts Exhibition. In total there are about twenty five events held over the three days surrounding the Easter weekend (18-20 April in 2014) (Dixon, 2014). In 2013 the proceeds from a variety of events, market sales (in the local farmers’ and craft market) and donations, the Slow-festival was able to support four different charities (Sedgefield Hospice, Sedge Mobile Meals, KAWS and Masithandane) with R12000 over the three day festival (Dixon, 2014). The Knysna Oyster Festival: Only 25km away from Sedgefield is the town of Knysna. Every year around the first week of July the Pick n Pay Knysna Oyster Festival is held over a ten day period (Knysna Oyster Festival, 2014). This festival is much older than the Sedgefield Slow-Festival with its debut in 1983. The purpose of the festival was originally to bring people to the area during the off-peak winter period; subsequently the festival has experienced a large amount of success and has grown significantly since its origin (Knysna Oyster Festival, 2014). The festival places a great emphasis on supporting charities, and due to the large nature of the festival, a sizeable amount of money can be donated. In 2013 the festival was able to generate R1 million which would benefit the community and have a significant impact on the local charities (Knysna Oyster Festival, 2014). Before an event can be registered as an official event of the Oyster Festival it must first state which charity or non-governmental organisation it will be supporting with a portion of its proceeds (Knysna Oyster Festival, 2014). Out of the many events held over the ten days, the three most iconic are the Momentum Weekend Argus Rotary Knysna Cycle Tour (which is one of the largest road and mountain bike races in South Africa), the Momentum Cape Times Knysna Forest Marathon and Half Marathon and of course the oysters which are eaten over the duration of the festival (which can reach up to 20000 oysters consumed) (Knysna Oyster Festival, 2014). Conclusion: Festivals in small towns (especially in South Africa) are events in which the entire community can be involved in the planning, managing and running of the festival. These festivals are able to boost the local economy and generate a flow of capital in times which would otherwise be regarded as off-peak quiet periods characterised by little tourism and lower income for the community members. These festivals such as the Sedgefield Slow-Festival and the Knysna Oyster Festival create an identity for the town whilst forming community bonds between the residents. The large charity component of both the Sedgefield Slow-Festival and the Knysna Oyster Festival allows for all in the community to benefit from the proceeds. Overall festivals are a time to celebrate life, family, food and of course to have some fun. Reference List: Dixon, A. (2014). Sedgefield’s Slow Festival. Available from: http://www.slowfestival.co.za/ Firth,A. (2011). Sedgefield Main Place 180007 from Census 2011. Available from: http://census2011.adrianfrith.com/place/180007 Knysna Oyster Festival. (2014). Pick n Pay Knysna Oyster Festival. Available from: http://www.oysterfestival.co.za Jackson, J., Houghton, M., Russel, R., Triandos,P. (2005). Innovations in Measuring Economic Impacts of Regional Festivals: A Do-It-Yourself Kit. Journal of Travel Research, 43:360-367. DOI: 10.1177/0047287505274649 Ritchie, J.R.(1984) Assessing the impact of hallmark events: conceptual and research issues. Journal of Travel Research, 23(1), 2-11. Saayman, A., Saayman, M. (2006). Does the location of arts festivals matter for the economic impact? Papers in Regional Science, 85 Visser, G. (2005). Lets Be Festive: Exploratory Notes on Festival Tourism in South Africa. Urban Forum, 16:2-3.