Compare and Contrast the Characteristics of a Growing and a Mature Product Market Essay

‘Use extended examples to compare and contrast the characteristics of a growing and a mature product market. Regardless of the value of every product, they all progress through a product life cycle. The phase starts with the introduction of the product and gradually moves to growth, maturity and finally be replaced by new improved products or naturally decline. Each of these stages of product life cycle requires a different marketing mix and research. The life of a product is the period over which it appeals to customers. The sales performance of any product rises from nothing when the product is introduced to the market reaches a peak and then declines to nothing again. Examples of products that have had short lifespan in recent years are home computers. New models with new specifications are launched on the market rapidly to be replaced by newer models which is a similar story for mobile phones (ref: the times hundred business studies; Marketing Theory; online) Increase in the profit of the company is every businesses core goal. To reach the goal product life cycle management is vital. Some companies use strategic planning and others follow the basic rules of the different life cycle phase that are analysed later. The performance of the product has the main effect on the performance of every business from income to profit to cost recovery. Product life cycle helps business management decide which of its current products should receive more or less investment to ensure the business achieves its objectives. Let’s take an example of Apple iPhone: Introduction: Apple first introduces iPhone in Macworld San Francisco—January 9, 2007 (ref: Apple Press info; online). Growth: The apple iPhone sales for the year 2008 with 245% sales increase (ref: CNNMoney; iPhone sales grew 245% in 2008; online). Maturity: They introduced iPhone in other networks like 3G, 3Gs and Vodafone. Decline: iPhone 3G sold in cheaper price. Now they have moved from iPhone 3G to IPhone 4 and the latest iPhone 4 Siri. Apple first introduced iPhone in Macworld San Francisco—January 9, 2007. After its release iPhone made very good marketing sales in the stores. Many people lined up in front of the apple store to buy the newly released iPhone. Soon after its release apple had the sales of 6. 89 million (ref: CNNMoney; iPhone sales grew 245% in 2008; online). Apple used various promotional strategies to increase their market share. Their TV ads introduced people what their key features where and how they could be used. The first UK network to sell iPhone was O2 (ref; BBC news; O2 get iPhone contract in UK; online). After the partnership between the two business companies, O2 provided different monthly plan and tariffs for iPhone. More people where interested in buying iPhone in monthly plan and tariffs with O2. Apple also provided their customers with 1 Year free warranty for iPhone by which they managed to win trust and satisfaction from the customers. Because the iPhone was only supported by a single network 02, the company started to face decline in sale prices. They were at the maturity stage so; the iPhone brought different plan and ideas to boost up their sales again. In order to do so apple reduced price of iPhone. They made partnership with other networks like Vodafone (ref; BBC news; Vodafone enters UK iPhone market; online). Positive progress where then seen after they planned to join other networks and reduce the product price. In the time between 2009 and 2010 apple were able to sell 20, 731,000 iPhone. But they are rapidly doing there product development and now they have recently released iPhone 4s on 14th October 2011 (ref: techradar. com; apple iPhone 4S UK release date announced; online). Through the above different phases Apple has been able to establish itself a third position in the smartphone market share. This shows how different product phases can affect a company. As you can see iPhone had the popularity on the introduction and increased sales on the growing phase but it started to have fewer sales and went into maturity. At the maturity phase apple had to invest more on their product development and increase their sales and popularity. They had less income but more expenses as they had to implement development plans and strategies and increase advertisement. During the phases apple may not have been able to make profit but they gradually came up with new ideas and increased income. Summing up the product life cycle has a significant impact on the business strategy and performance including marketing and product development. It also helps the business determine when it’s reasonable to eliminate certain product, what are the consequences and also work on substituting it with new innovative product. But with the benefits there are also some limitations of product life cycle. As Products, companies and markets are different, so not all products or services go through every stage of the PLC. There have been many cases where products have gone straight from introduction to decline, usually because of bad marketing, misconceived features, lack of value to the consumer or simply a lack of need for such a product. However, even if products would go through every stage of the PLC, not all products/services spend the same length of time at each stage. This adds another level of complexity in determining which PLC stage the product is in and consequently, which strategy to apply (ref: marketing91. com; limitation PLC; online). Hence, there are both benefits and limitations of product life cycle and it has different effect on a company depending on which stage the product is and what strategy is to be implemented. The Product Life Cycle model is inefficient when dealing with Brands or Services. Brands are not products but do have a life cycle of their own, and products belonging to a certain brand will experience a very different life cycle than the brand itself. For example, Dell and Mercedes-Benz are very strong brands whose life cycle is marginally affected by the failure of any of the products, which they hold (ref: marketing91. com; limitation PLC; online).

Development of a Multinational Personnel Selection System

Mr Koch works as an expatriate in Hong Kong for ComInTec AG & Co. He was working for the company in the HR department for 17 years and since three years he is the HR director. One day he got the assignment to form a cross functional project team in the high profitable APAC States. The company strive to establish a new regional management level in Asia. A new personnel selection system had to be developed internally. In further consequence 25 middle management positions were expected to be filled the region. For the recruiting process the company hired own recruiters as well as head hunters.Furthermore, 90% of the new management positions were filled by individuals from the country they would be working. The process bases on three pillars: First, the application documents had to be analyzed. In a next step structured interviews were conducted by a HR specialist and a department representative. If both came to a positive conclusion, the candidate would come to an individual competence centre to point out his competences. The procedure was conducted by an external consulting company. Koch found some faults in the individual assessment centre for several years.To develop a new system, Koch formed a team of local and headquarters staff. Though the group was very heterogenic what implied some problems in the past. At the end of the process the situation escalated so that came under high time pressure, which was especially true for Koch. Recently he got a call from Koenig, the founder and owner of the company. Koenig is a little more accommodating person with precise expectations to his employees. He gave Koch an ultimatum to finalize the new recruiting system at the end of the week. So Koch had to relate the expectations of Koenig with the results and imaginations of his team in three days.Therefore Koch convened a meeting with the whole project team and a guest from the headquarter. In previous meetings there were some cultural misconceptions especially between the German and the Chinese. Especially Mueller had no sense for cultural differences in discussion situations. The meeting started 30 minutes later due to a long call of Koenig, so that Koch came to late and the pressure even became higher. He urged the group only to present results. At the beginning the Chinese colleagues introduced the topic of the diagnose dimensions and proposed their opinion to this. Mueller encountered in a very typical German behaviour.So the Chinese was intimidated by her German colleague. She signalled that she did not dare to say anything further. Mueller tried to question the approaches of the Chinese colleagues. So he disgruntles more and more the Chinese colleagues with the result that they back down more and more. The conference was getting more and more tense. Koch did not moderate the meeting very well. Sometimes he lost his patience and interrupted ongoing discussions and fixed a point very sudden. In other situations he gave no concrete feedback about the presented content especially referring the Chinese colleagues.He was obviously not very content with the Chinese approach to consider cultural differences in such a detailed way. In the further time of the meeting Mueller showed once more in a situation that he had no sense for a mutually respectful interaction. He referred to an objection by a German colleague as nonsense. He furthermore stressed that the professors from whom she learned that, had little idea of the reality. The German colleague left the meeting in tears. A Chinese colleague followed her with the intention of calming her down. This was when the meeting definitively failed.Koch interrupted the meeting and gave a final overview about the next working steps till Friday. He imposes the trainees to finalize the records very soon. Koch said that he will finalize any unresolved issue. Furthermore, he decided that he would make the decisions’ on resolved issues by himself and include them into the report. After Koch finalized the report and sent it to Koenig, he later received a short notice of Koenig. He informed him that important basic conditions and necessary adoptions had not been taken into considerations sufficiently in the new multinational personal selection system.Most of these conditions and adoptions were worked out very well by the group but not considered enough in his report due of the bad meeting climate, his lack of facilitation skills and his impatience. Koch neglected to create a positive climate and a sense for cultural differences in the further team meetings, when time was not getting so short. The result of all this was that Koenig had handed the case over to the global headquarters and that there would be staff related consequences for his department in Hong Kong. 2. What strengths and what shortcomings do you see in the newly developed multinational personnel selection system?Justify your answer. The new selection system contains less consideration of cultural back grounds. This leads to a better international comparability but not to a better job-fit. For instance, the unified procedure of analyzing the application documents can contain some problems. Each country has its own unique economic and education situations. Which would become problematic when creating an universal personnel selection system. Regarding to the following structured interviews unification should be considered. In my opinion there should be an international comparability.Furthermore, a good indicator is if the candidates meet basic requirements to work for an international company. A standardized system basically avoids high costs caused by special staff and infrastructure. But you have to be very carefully where you use standardized systems. For instance, if you use global standardized systems in a national competence centre you can fail. In the long run some other costs will rise because of not considering special cultural features (question 3). Therefore, especially i n the competence centres the cultural background should find enough consideration.I therefore support Dai Wei’s approach. He places an emphasis on the special cultural backgrounds of the candidates. Furthermore he wants to integrate translators into the assessment centres to entirely focus on the candidate’s profession. Summarized it is very important to consider the cultural differences also in the competence centres in the single country. But they have to focus on the professional and not on interpersonal competences in the competence centres. Regarding to this it is very important to deploy the right people in the competence centres.Referring to the feedback discussion I tend to the view of Mueller. While it is important to provide a good feedback to the candidates, but in view of the need of cost reduction I think the existing system suffice. Conclusion: A main weak point is the fact that most standardized personnel selection system ignore cultural differences and culture specific circumstances. 3. What long term implications do the weaknesses impose on the company? If the company don’t consider the cultural differences the company would have to challenge a high fluctuation in the APAC subsidiaries.Due that the recruiting costs will rise because of a worse job-fit rate. Furthermore, it would take a long time to run the APAC market well. This means high losses for short term and can lead to painful setbacks in the Asia-Pacific region. 4. If you were asked to consult with the project team, what would you recommend to them? Obvious team conflicts must be clear clarified by the team leader when they occur the first time. In the final meeting it is definitely too late. It makes sense to organize a workshop regarding to aspects of cultural differences in advance.At the beginning the team have to set common rules in dealing with each other, that are accepted by all participants, and to which the team leader can appeal for violations. Furtherm ore, the team leader should collect once a commitment by all in terms of the key points (and APAC headquarters). Subsequently he should try to find step by step a consensus on the future configuration of the modules and national priorities. So step by step, the new procedures are designed and prepared. In my opinion a professional project manager should accompany the process in case of such an important decision.This expert should also have special social skills and knowledge about the cultural features as well. Obviously Mr. Koch had a lack of such skills. CEO and CFO positions should be first fitted by expatriates of headquarter. Thus, they safeguard a good control over the subsidiary and a good communication with headquarter in the first years. All other positions should be fitted as good as possible with regional staff. If the subsidiary works well over some years and the regional staff meets all the requirements a regional occupation of CEO and CFO position could be conceivable .5. How would you describe Koch’s attitudes and behaviors? Koch had prejudices against Chinese colleagues and found it difficult to understand their culture. He was under immense pressure. It was very difficult for him to bring the necessary energy for the delicate situation. Although initially he tried to create a more open climate for discussion, but relatively soon he had to interrupt the discussion and had to try to fix the â€Å"hard facts†. He knew that he had to finalize the system until Friday. Finally, he acted similarly in the meeting as his boss.He also ignores cultural differences, with the result that the Chinese team members withdraw more and more. 6. What influences do Koch’s attitudes and behaviors have on the work atmosphere and coordination of his cross-cultural team? What would you recommend to improve the cross-cultural teamwork of this group? He lost the engagement of his Chinese colleagues because he did not show sensitivity to their cultur e. Furthermore, he ignored team conflicts and didn’t moderate the meeting well. He also allowed a relatively rough handling in the group.Subsequently this lead to the escalating (Goldmann leaves the room in tears). Without doing anything he continued in the agenda. As result he had not a team but some small coalitions they worked against each other. Furthermore he failed to gain control of Mueller. As outlined above, I would recommend organizing a workshop regarding to aspects of cultural differences in advance. It should be the first step in a team building process. Referring to the lack of social and cultural skills of Koch I would recommend to engage an extern expert for such a workshop.7. What influence does the relationship between Koch and Koenig and the organizational culture established by Koenig have over Koch’s behavior and the team’s collaboration? Koch knows so far very well how do deal with Koenig. He knows exactly what results he has to deliver and on which issues he has to stress on. But he is obviously overwhelmed with the cultural challenges in his group. So Koch passes the pressure of Koenig on the team. He fails to establish a productive atmosphere in the group and pressure the group to force a conclusion.Accordingly, it looks. He transfers the corporate culture without regard to losses on the team. 8. Would such a personnel selection system work in your organization? Why or why not? In my organization such a personnel selection system should work on a first view. But my organization is a public organization and solely active in Austria and in a broader context in the European Union and third every office recruits its own employees separately. Therefore, we have no international subsidiaries. But there are Regional Management Offices all over Europe.Every international regional management works independent from other countries and is under national control. The only common issue is that we have to cooperate transnational and have to comply with European specifications from Brussels. So we definitely do not have the same conditions like ComInTec AG & Co. Suppose that the entire personal selection will be done by an HR headquarter in Brussels a comparable system will not work at least. The employees in the national subsidiaries need to have a strong sense of the culture and a huge knowledge about special cultural norms and values.Furthermore, speaking countries’ specific language is much more important than even perfect English skills. For the first stations of the selection the system fits very well. Which consists primarily of viewing application documents. First problems may arise at telephone conferences if they will not be conducted in the candidates’ mother tongue. Latest in the competence centre the cultural background of the candidates must find maximum consideration. To cooperate and work with regional stakeholder best the managers must have a broad knowledge about the cultural features.

The Sandman

E. T. A. Hoffmann's â€Å"The Sandman† illuminates Freud's theory of the Uncanny. Freud’s understanding of Nathaniel in E. T. A. Hoffmann’s â€Å"The Sandman† is that the Nathaniel’s â€Å"madman† like actions are the result of the return of his suppressed juvenile material. Nathaniel is the protagonist and is convinced that a frightful destiny awaits him. His fear focuses on a threatening old man whom he has understood since infantile to be the â€Å"Sandman†, a monster who takes away the eyes of children who are awake at night. He connects the â€Å"sandman† with Coppelius, a colleague of his father and he incriminates Coppelius in his father's death.As an adult, Nathaniel madness is triggered after having a visitor from what he believes to be the â€Å"sandman† whom in reality is a salesman named Coppola. Freud uses E. T. A Hoffmans â€Å"The Sandman† to describe the idea of repression of childhood complexes. E. T. A. Hoffmann's â€Å"The Sandman† is believed to be â€Å"uncanny† by Freud. Nathaniel believes in the evil â€Å"sand-man† from his childhood. He is not completely mature and has trouble growing up throughout the story. His fiancee Clara tries to help and tell not to let his stories get to him but it only maddens him.Nathaniel wants people to feed into his stories but his stories drive him to be a mad man. He is sent away to recuperate at an asylum. He meets a man named Coppola who he believes to be the evil Coppelius/ sandman. Nathaniel ends up realizing that he is just a man who sells glasses and buys a pair off of him. While he is away he falls â€Å"in love† with an inanimate object named Olimpia and forgets about his fiancee Clara. â€Å" But then he had never had such a perfect listener. † He loves the way Olimpia just sit there and listens to his stories, he falls for her womanly shaped figure. Her beautifully molded features and her sha pely figure compelled general admirations. † Nathaniel ends up destroying Olimipa, which can serve as one of his alter egos, his narcissistic side. He remembers about his lovely Clara and gets â€Å"better† he goes back home to his family but Nathaniel is not better. Clara ends up bringing up a gray bush that she spots which reminds him of the sandman and drives him mad again. He attempts to kill Clara and then ends up jumping and killing himself as well as his alter ego Coppelius.As people began to climb the stairs in order to seixe the lunatic, Coppelius laughed and said: â€Å"Ha, ha- just wait, he’ll soon come down soon by himself† and looked up, like the others. Suddenly Nathanael paused and stood stock still, he went down. Suddenly Nathanael paused and stood stock still he went down perceived Coppelius, and, with a piercing shriek of Beautiful eyes-a! Beautiful eyes- a! ’ he jumped over the parapet. By the time Nathanael was lying on the pavem ent, his head shattered, Coppelius had vanished into the throng. 118) Coppelius can be read to be an alter-ego of Nathanael; the way Hoffman states that Coppelius just vanishes once Nathanael hits the ground makes it seems as if now that Nathanael is not alive neither is the story of the â€Å"sandman† Freud does not believe that the sandman or Olimpia are Nathaniel’s alter-egos. He has other interpretations about what is wrong with Nathaniel. Freud believes that Nathanael’s obsession with the sandman and Olimpia is what someone experiences in adulthood that was repressed from their earlier stages in life.Nathaniel was told the story of the sandman as a little child by his old nurse: don’t you know yet? He’s a wicked man who comes to children when they don’t want to go to bed and throws handfuls of sand into their eyes; that makes their eyes fill blood and jump out of their heads and he throws the eyes into his bag and takes them into the cr esent moon to feed his own children (87) Freud believes that this story triggered the instability of the psych while Nathaniel was young.In the Uncanny Freud states â€Å"everything that ought to have remained hidden and secret, and yet comes to light,† (7) Whenever something reminds Nathaniel of the sandman it triggers him to turn into a â€Å"madman† and he gets lost in his own world. There are different causes that trigger one to go mad. Freud believes that one of the main sources of â€Å"uncanny† has to do with the idea of one being robbed of their eyes. â€Å" Oedipus that mythical-lawbreaker was simply carrying out a mitigated for of punishment of castration. Freud believes Nathaniel was afraid of castration not just loosing his eyes since many cherish both. Oedipus links with Nathanael, both were afraid of loosing a part of them that they both treasure. Nathanael also treasures his mother. Nathaniel seems to only see his mother as â€Å"good†, sh e is the one who protects them and the one that does not want the sandman in the house. â€Å"my mother, kissing and cuddling her darling boy who was thus restored to life. † (91) Nathanael has an attachment to his mother.Nathaniel appears to not like his father and see him as the â€Å"bad† parent. â€Å"I was comforted by the realization that his alliance with the devilish Coppelius could not have plunged him into eternal perdition. † (92) It could be because the father continues to allow the sandman in their home. Freud believes that nothing is ever forgotten and it just stays suppressed in one’s mind until something triggers one to remember. Nathanael’s suppressed memories make his narcissist.The â€Å"double† is the primary source of narcissism in a child. Only in Olimpia’s love do I recognize myself† â€Å"Olimpia had voiced his own thoughts. † This is where Nathaniel’s narcissism returns; Olimipa is a reflec tion of himself. â€Å" The idea of the â€Å"double† does not necessarily disappear with the passing of the primary narcissism, for it can receive fresh meaning from the later sages of development of the ego† (10) Olimpia is the re-birth of Nathaniel’s narcissism ways in which he begins again to be self-absorbed.The Sandman by ETA Hoffman is one of the most well known short stories throughout history. It is very unusual to other short stories. Whether we all agree with Freuds interpretation of the story, Freud makes some good arguments on why the narrator is the way he is. Nathaniel is a troubled individual who ends up taking his own life. No matter which way you take the story he ends up still being a madman.

Marketing Plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Marketing Plan - Assignment Example mers across the nation to create their respective online profiles, search for games they are interested in and place a bid for purchasing games from other users. This transactional relationship could be based upon 1) paying the full price of the video game or 2) exchanging video games without the payment of additional costs. The premise of Game Change Inc.’s platform is based upon the notion of acting as an intermediary between two entities (the buyer and the seller) for assisting and facilitating the completion of the transaction and shipping the product to the respective buyer. Moreover, the product idea is also based upon reviving the concept of C2C online purchasing by designing a platform which exclusively serves the Canadian market that is recognized as being the third largest nation in terms of the development of video games (Entertainment Software Association of Canada, 2013). According to Kotler and Armstrong (1991), the tool of SWOT analysis can be applied with respect to the company for the purposes of conducting an effective assessment of the market in which it operates. The identification of the organization’s internal and external matters through the execution of this model can allow the company to have a better view of how it develop its strength to significantly benefit from opportunities while, eliminating the noted threats through the minimization of weaknesses. The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the company can therefore be recognized as follows: The strengths of Game Change Inc. are incorporated in the flexible pricing plans which are being offered by the service as unlike the organization’s competitors, the company is focusing upon offering full payment and exchange plans. Secondly, it must also be recognized that unlike its primary competitors Kijiji, eBay and Amazon, Game Change is an exclusive and dedicated gaming platform which strives to enhance the gamers’ overall purchase experience. Therefore, the company

Marketing and consumer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marketing and consumer - Essay Example The marketers, through segmentation, aim towards precisely recognising the customers’ needs and thus considering the process as to how the customers decide to choose one alternative product or service from among several alternatives. On the other side, the customers are acquainted with segmenting themselves and generally do not observe the marketers’ segmentation of the market (Wedel & Kamakura, 2000). Aimed Market Segment of La! Radio The market segment aimed by La! Radio is that of male market segment. The Chairwoman at La! Radio claims that her company’s brand is ‘men friendly’ and mentioned that her radio station wants the men to listen to their on-air programs. Through the market survey that each marketer conducts before targeting a market segment, it has been found out by the chairwoman at ‘La! Radio’ that ‘men’ hold an urge to know more and more about ‘women’. This fact is evident from the huge number of male readership to famous women magazines such as that of the ‘Cosmopolitan’ and many others. For La! Radio, in the entertainment industry, this fact with regard to the male has instigated the prospect of the male market. Answer to Question No. 2 Definition of Stakeholder A stakeholder is an entity or a person of the organisation that has a concern or stake in the actions of the organisations. ... Possible Stakeholders of La! Radio with Justification There can be five probable forms of stakeholders for La! Radio: suppliers, customers, internal entities, external entities and other stakeholders. Suppliers are the providers of equipments required for a radio station and services related to the provision of the equipments. They would hold the stake in La! Radio because it is at its initial stage and would have purchased the equipments on credit for certain time period. The suppliers would keep a close watch at the radio station’s performance so that they can receive their term amount on time. Customers would consist of the listeners who love music and holds the habit of listening to radio programs and could not leave the habit even for a single day. The internal stakeholders would be the volunteers and paid staffs who are working for their respective purposes which can be earning needs or as a passion. The external stakeholders are the competitors, universities and schools . Competitors would always keep a close watch at La! Radio’s each step to avoid intensity in the rivalry and the universities and schools would be anxious so that the entertainment programs do not hamper the students’ educational activities. The other stakeholders consist of all those who presume themselves to be stakeholders even if the radio station does not think so. Answer to Question No. 3 With the help of PRESTCOM analysis of the environmental factors that can have an impact on the establishment of La! Radio, the following factors have been evaluated: As far as the political factors are concerned, the applicant or the La! Radio would have to be eligible for holding the license under the terms and conditions of Broadcasting Acts 1990 and 1996. La! Radio should

Equality, diversity and rights at workplace in Westminster City Essay

Equality, diversity and rights at workplace in Westminster City Council - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that equality and right to equal opportunities are still evident and persistent in most of the places, be it at school, workplace, or society in whole. The exploitation of equal rights is more prevalent in places with diversified culture. Gender equality and women’s rights have gained growing attention over the past decades as a result of which international labor standards and national legislation have been adopted on a wide range of related issues. According to Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development global inequality continued to grow over the 20th century and is still increasing in countries and between countries. OECD estimates that the quantum of inequality will be even larger by the year 2020 between OECD countries and poor countries. The gap inequality on global front is large, but the same gap persists within the nation on the basis of gender, class, ethnicity, age, disability, health, income, employment, etc. Witcher states that mainstreaming equality is done through incorporating equal opportunities issues into all actions, programmes, and policies from the outset. Various legislations have been enacted in the United Kingdom to eradicate the unequal treatment in the society. The first and foremost legislation, Equal Pay Act 1970, was passed to dismantle the roots of inequality in pay rates which were biased towards men as women were paid less comparatively while working in the same capacity as of their male counterpart. Later on various legislations like Sex Discrimination Act 1975, Sex Discrimination (Gender Reassignment) Regulations 1999, Gender Recognition Act 2004, Gender Equality Duty of 2007, Disability Discrimination Acts, Race regulations, employment equality (religion or belief) regulations 2003, employment equality (age) regulations 2006, were enacted and passed so as to provide equal opportunities and protect their rights to equality of vulnerable groups. The recent legislati on, Equality Act 2010 lays the cross-cutting legislative framework to protect the rights of individuals and promote equal opportunities to all and to eradicate discriminatory practices in the society. The act strengthens the previous equal rights acts of disability and employment by preventing the employers from screening the disabled applicant from the recruitment process. The Equality Act 2010 addresses all the problems regarding equal rights and equal opportunities in the society including the workplace. Westminster borough is situated towards the west of London City and home of the UK government at the Palace of Westminster also known as ‘Theatreland’ which is home to numerous landmarks. It is the official residence of Queen with Buckingham place in the boundaries. The borough is an employer of choice, promotes culture, and provides a working environment free from all forms of discrimination and inequality like bullying, harassment, and victimization. Consultation d raft on Single Equality Scheme 2010-13 prepared by Westminster City Council mentioned that it is extremely diverse city attracting new migrants and most of the residents in the council are born outside the United Kingdom. The draft further mentions that more than half of its residents are non-white British, the high proportion of residents are of working age, different religious beliefs, and nearly 15% of them have the disability.

Research, Communication, and MLA Formats Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Research, Communication, and MLA Formats - Thesis Example Leaders should uphold humility at all costs at work. This is because workers look up to them and are more likely to be inspired by their actions. If a leader acts humbly- not timidly, in front of his/her subjects, he/she elicits a positive response from the subjects. Take for instance a scenario I witnessed at work. It involved a woman who was publicly scorned and belittled by her boss for coming to work late for a week. He even threatened to sack her if she did forego some of her leave days to compensate for the time she lost. His haughtiness did not allow him to find out what was the cause of her lateness. The woman’s son was involved in an accident and was recuperating in hospital. She therefore had to juggle between her work, home and the hospital. Her boss was consequently resented by all workers. If I were her boss, I would have organized a private meeting with her. Scorning her in public will demoralize her. The next step would be to ask for an explanation. After knowing the problem, I would offer both moral and financial support and then give her a short leave. Putting ourselves into other people’s shoes gives us an insight of how people feel. This ultimately builds humility in

The place that we grow up in shapes our personality and our life Essay

The place that we grow up in shapes our personality and our life forever. Did you grow up in a rural town, in a crowded city, in - Essay Example I attended elementary school in this town, went for my first nature trail here, learned how to ride a bicycle and most importantly learned how to live with other people by interacting with the people of Flagstaff town. All my childhood memories are based on this beautiful town. The beautiful sceneries of Flagstaff and its caring community have influenced my persona and shaped my personality. The people of Flagstaff are warm and very friendly even to strangers. As I was growing up in Flagstaff, many of the people I interacted with believed that one should treat others the same way he or she would want to be treated. Their actions are filled with kindness and they conduct themselves with humility. The people of Flagstaff imparted these qualities on me when I was a child and I have lived to practice deeds that emulate them even when other people try to take advantage of my nature. My parents, who are Flagstaff natives, have treated other people respectfully and they have instilled the s ame on me by being a great example, thus demonstrating the manner in which I should conduct myself when interacting with other people. Flagstaff is considered one of the safest towns in Arizona as the criminal activities are isolated. The people of Flagstaff are very close and this aspect has helped them foster peace with one another. Every individual enjoys a close relationship with the people from the surrounding area, therefore, making perpetration of a crime, a difficult task. Some people from our neighborhood often joked that the little criminal activities present, were perpetrated by non-Flagstaff residents as they believed that the community did not host any criminals. Growing up in this community, one was taught to ask but never to obtain anything without the owner’s consent. My neighbor, an elderly woman, usually left her backdoor open so that the cool breeze could cool her house during the summer and no one took a piece her delicious pies without asking her for it. This is a tradition of the people of Flagstaff and assimilating it has led me to become an honest person who loves to interact with the people that I live with. Other people are able to trust me because I am able to foster honesty with them. Flagstaff is well-known for its scenic beauty, the mountainous outdoors, the nature trails and the ponderosa pine forests that make it an amenable place to camp. I fell in love with nature when I was still a kid and my father used to take my siblings and me for camping, mountaineering and mountain biking in the adjacent parks. Flagstaff is surrounded by various parks like Buffalo Park, Thorne Park and Wheeler Park, which provide great camping sites for the camping enthusiasts (Tripadvisor). It always turned out to be a great experience whenever my father took us camping as we were able to watch the different kinds of birds and animals during the day, and watch the constellations of stars at night. Camping in these areas of Flagstaff revealed tha t I had a passion for nature. Whether it was the beautiful green scenery filled with cold fresh air or it was the sandy, dry desert climate, it brought a feeling of calmness as I strolled peacefully across the environs of Flagstaff. The beautiful scenery of Flagstaff that is characterized by a pollution free environment inspired me to appreciate the environment for the many advantages associated with it. The natural beauty surrounding Flagstaff is phenomenal and the amazing places a person can

Human resource development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Human resource development - Essay Example ACC, a Danish company, experimented with a new type of training that was designed to create adult learning associated with the production of a learning organization Initially, the attitudes about the project were quite favourable, however upon launch, participants chosen for the activity found it to be without much merit. This was due to poor communication about the nature of the project, less autonomy and shared decision-making, and the fact that the organisation remained static and would not be changing. This project recommends that there be a new system of training for creating a positive attitude for a learning organisation that include better preliminary communications and also with margin for organisational flexibility. Article overview The article selected for review, â€Å"The learning organization: an undelivered promise†, highlights the activities associated with a year-long training seminar targeting professional employees at a Danish organisation known as Administr ative Case Consideration (ACC). The purpose of the study was to identify the different training methods used to foster a new collaborative learning organisation in which managers could develop new skills as knowledge managers dedicated to promoting learning across the entire staff. The goal was to change employees whilst the organisation, itself, as well as its internal policies and processes, remained static and unchanging. The study’s methodology consisted of professionals being grouped into four work teams, with each portion of training for each team carried out over a three month period. Teams rotated throughout the entire year until the entire organisation had been through the programme. Direct observation by the researcher occurred, therefore validating results significantly as the researcher was able to both participate and interview those involved in the training sessions. Pre- and post-interviews were delivered to the training members to identify whether their attitu des about the training has changed after their three month session was completed. There were four models used in the training, including quality, communications, and generic principles associated with total quality management. The article informs the reader by identifying that such structures are oftentimes socially driven with frustrations caused by limited new skills development. It shows that adult learning is sometimes complex with radical social structures guiding its development and effectiveness, even when social dimensions are not the goal of creating a learning organisation. The advantages of this training were closer interpersonal relationships with colleagues, more so than embracing of the learning organisation concepts. Andragogic approach This study was andragogic in design as it facilitated learning with adult participants. In many ways, it was self-directing, oriented to provide meaningful insight surrounding current problems and tasks associated with ACC, and based o n trust and collaboration. These are necessary to facilitate andragogic learning effectively (Guldem 2009). Since the study did not involve youths, it was not pedagogic in nature and the basis of learning was geared around the elements of adult management and leadership necessary to achieve the goal of promoting a learning organisation. The learning was supposed to be intrinsically motivated, as the preliminary interviews had identified that the majority of participants were initially excited and interested about joining the training structure. However, considerable frustrations occurred in this andragogic effort that will be identified. The model of training used The model used was unique to the environment and activities associated with ACC, however were loosely based on John Dewey’s theory of learning. In this theory, the professionals â€Å"require a preparation to enable them to sense uncertain situations and act upon them by way of inquiry†

English II paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

English II paper - Essay Example The story introduces the central character, Victor who had just lost his job and broke but needed to go to Phoenix to collect the remains of his cremated father who had apparently died of a heart attack. He also wanted to collect a pick-up truck and a few hundred dollars left by his late father. He was disappointed when the tribal council could only raise a hundred dollars as cash for this trip. Here, Alexie depicts Victor as a poor, sheltered Native American living on the reservation. He seems to have lost faith in his culture and traditions. He is affected negatively by his surrounding and struggles to find his identity. As he walked off to cash his check, he bumped into his childhood friend, Thomas Build the Fire. Thomas offered to lend Victor the money he needed to go to Phoenix, Arizona. In childhood, all the native American boys in the reservation including Victor kept ignoring Thomas for years because of â€Å"the same damn stories he was always telling over and over againâ⠂¬  (Sherman, 288). Thomas’ action was a sign of true friendship having offered and given his friend Victor money without expecting anything in return. The only condition Thomas gave was to accompany Victor to Phoenix in order to â€Å"watch out† for Victor, a promise he had given Victor’s father as revealed in the text (Sherman, 292). Thomas remained loyal to the promise he gave Victor’s father since the time they were kids, he always looked after Victor. The story brings out the importance of friendship and values such as loyalty and optimism. This interesting character in Thomas presents a person who is hardly affected negatively by the hardship and struggle a contrast of Victor’s character. Thomas also represents a funny, traditional person in the manner he greets Victor at the tribal trading post and expresses condolences for Victor’s loss. When Victor asked Thomas how he learned of the passing of Victor’s father, Thomas answere d, â€Å"I heard it on the wind. I heard it from the birds. I felt it in the sunlight. Also, your mother was just here crying† (Sherman, 292). When they came back from Phoenix, Victor promised that he would pay everything back. He thanked Thomas for help, but Thomas only replied; â€Å"do not worry about the money. It does not make any difference anyhow† (Sherman, 288). Notice that Thomas holds no personal attachment to money, possessions or wealth unlike his friend Victor who is modern, proud and possessive. In conclusion, I think their friendship was rekindled because Victor felt gratitude towards Thomas and even offered some of the father’s ashes to Thomas. When they arrived in his father’s trailer in Arizona, Victor apologized to Thomas. He even added, â€Å"I never told you I was sorry for beating you up that time†, and accepts him for whom he was (Sherman, 285). In an attempt to rekindle the alliance and relinquish any grudge, Victor agreed t o listen to just one more story as the trip came to a close. With some inheritance money, the story uses everyday life and conflicts inside an Indian reservation to present a parallel between the two characters in the story. Alexis explores life including typical conflicts such as the events that Victor encountered, reflections on his experiences with Thomas in childhood and later their rare

Strategic Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strategic Planning - Essay Example Hence, strategic planning incorporates devising a strategy according to the future or present strategies of your competitors and customers and strategically placing yourself in a desirable position (Plesk, 1997). Strategic management is somewhat similar to strategic planning yet it is more present focused rather than only future oriented. It involves the proper allocation of resources and their utilization, setting of objectives and aims for the firm, and incorporating the firm’s vision, mission, and future goals. However, strategic management is not only based upon devising policies and objectives, but involves the implementation of these policies and objectives according to the needs of the external environment (Goldstein, 1993). Discussion While it is very important for any business to plan, strategize, and implement its goals, policies, and objectives, it is just as important for institutions such as schools. Education is a highly competitive business sector in current tim es and in order to succeed and survive in this sector, strategic management and planning is just as essential as any other market (Whittington, 2007). The educational sector also has to focus upon competitors’ strategies, efficiency of resources, maintaining costs, and providing a high quality service. One of the most important parts of strategic management for schools is maintaining personnel and qualified teaching staff as well as maintaining an appropriate curriculum according to the standards expected by their consumers and the standard maintained by their competitors (Rosenhead, 1998). Moreover, there are several other decisions to take such as appropriate and easily accessible location, safety standards, keeping costs to a minimum while providing a fully equipped infrastructure, proper curriculum, and fair/proper examination standards. While improving a defective product and maintaining quality standards may be difficult in tangible products, however they are even more difficult to maintain in intangible services such as education. Customer satisfaction is difficult to measure and change of policies or strategies relative to competition is not as quick as in other regular businesses (Kalpic, 2002). There are various approaches or theories to strategic management which include the structured approach in which a manager who is usually operating a large global organization takes into account the opinions and needs of its stakeholders. The second approach is the entrepreneurial approach which involves the business setting its own standards and objectives and following them throughout their operations instead of focusing upon the views of their stakeholders (Plesk, 1997). The structured approach is usually followed by large organizations which exist all over the world and are international entities. The entrepreneurial approach is followed by smaller organizations which exist in limited places and have access to limited or restricted means. Hence, they are not able to easily follow the needs of their stakeholders and constantly innovate to cater to their requirements. These firms simply set their own objectives by analyzing the competition and developing a fair view of what the consumers need or prefer. They then focus on strategy formation and implementation rather than constant survey and analysis of market needs (Raduan, 2009).

Report on Feasibility Study to Start a Restaurant Essay Example for Free

Report on Feasibility Study to Start a Restaurant Essay Hotel industry is one of the essential industries. This industry serves the different customer in different aspects like taste, preference, price, quality etc. In Chennai, many varieties and range of hotels are available. As Chennai is the manufacturing hub of India, different class of people make business meetings and dealings in different hotels which provides these facilities. Wide range of people travel to Chennai to earn their living and the thriving population has mostly increased in the past few years. Apart from hotels, restaurants are the highly targeted places in Chennai. In this fast moving world, people do not have time to cook their own food and take it to their work place and even get ready with their breakfast. So, restaurants with different traditions of the south as well as north are started in and around Chennai. Considering this aspect, an idea to do research on the feasibility of starting a restaurant in Tambaram was taken up. Near Tambaram many manufacturing industries have rose up and the places in and around Tambaram have become residential areas but the number of restaurants is limited. So there is a niche market to be captured by opening a restaurant in that area. Thus the aim of this study is to know the customer preferences about the varieties of food and other aspects which will bring up the restaurant as a successful one. Chapter The focus group is a qualitative research method designed to ascertain the opinions, attitudes, and behavior of target audiences. Typically, 8-10 persons meet to discuss topics selected and presented by a moderator, who afterwards prepares an analysis. For the feasibility study of starting a restaurant in Chennai, two focus group interviews were conducted with 10 participants who were native of Chennai and participants who were related to the hotel industry. In a controlled environment for duration of 90 minutes, the focus group interview was conducted in the presence of a moderator. Different ideas related to the customer involvement and expectations in the different food recipes and the external and internal environment of the hotel were discussed.

Overview And Advantages Of E Books Information Technology Essay

Overview And Advantages Of E Books Information Technology Essay 2. Ebooks are good for the environment. Ebooks save trees. Ebooks eliminate the need for filling up landfills with old books. Ebooks save transportation costs and the pollution associated with shipping books across the country and the world. 3. Ebooks preserve books. (The library of Alexandria was burned and the collection ruined. Richard Burtons wife, after his death and against his wishes, destroyed a book he had been working on for ten years. The original manuscript of Carlyles The French Revolution was lost when a friends servant tossed it into the fire.) Ebooks are ageless: they do not burn, mildew, crumble, rot, or fall apart. Ebooks ensure that literature will endure. 4. Ebooks faster to produce than paper books, allow readers to read books about current issues and events. 5. Ebooks are easily updateable, for correcting errors and adding information. 6. Ebooks are searchable. Quickly you can find anything inside the book. Ebooks are globally searchable: you can find information in many ebooks. 7. Ebooks are portable. You can carry an entire library on one DVD. 8. Ebooks (in the form of digital audio books) free you to do other activities while you are listening. 9. Ebooks can be printable: and thereby give a reader most or all of the advantages of a paper-based book. 10. Ebooks defy time: they can be delivered almost instantly. Ebooks are transported to you faster than overnight shipping: in minutes or in seconds. 11. Ebooks defy space: ebooks online can be read simultaneously by thousands of people at once. 12. Ebooks are cheaper to produce. Thus, small presses can attempt to compete with media giants. 13. Ebooks are cheaper to buy. 14. Ebooks are free. The magnificent work of Project Gutenberg, and other online public libraries, allow readers to read the classics at no cost. 15. Ebooks can be annotated without harming the original work. 16. Ebooks make reading accessible to persons with disabilities. Text can be re-sized for the visually impaired. Screens can be lit for reading in the dark. 17. Ebooks can be hyper-linked, for easier access to additional information. 18. Ebooks with additional software and hardware can read aloud to you. 19. Ebooks let you tweak the style. Many ebooks allow readers to change the font style, font size, page size, margin size, colors, and more. 20. Ebooks may allow the option for the addition of multimedia: still images, moving images, and sound. 21. Ebooks, with their capacity for storage, encourage the publishing of books with many pages, books that might be too expensive to produce (and purchase) in paperback. 22. Ebooks without outrageous DRM schemes are made for sharing. Ebooks can be quickly duplicated, and then distributed to strangers or given to your friends. Worry no more about your loaned books that will never be returned. 23. Ebooks empower individuals to write and to publish, and in this way help to challenge the crushing power of big publishing, that excludes so many authors from the New York City publishing circus. Publishing can move from the impersonal and profitable, to the personal and pleasurable. 24. Ebooks thanks to the simplicity and speed of publication and feedback allow authors to experiment in many themes and styles. 25. Ebooks posted online encourage comments, corrections, and feedback which eliminates mistakes and improves accuracy especially important when dealing with scientific and technological issues. 26. Ebooks allow publishers to publish (and readers to read) works by a larger number of authors, and works on a wider variety of topics. Critics of traditional book publishing (such as Jason Epstein and Andre Schriffin) state that economic pressures have reduced and limited the number of authors and topics that traditional publishers will now produce. 27. Ebooks defeat attempts at censorship. All these works were banned:  Analects  by Confucius.  Lysistrata  by Aristophanes. Ars Amorata by Ovid. Pro Populo Anglicano Defensio by John Milton.  The Scarlet Letter  by Hawthorne.  Wonder Stories  by H.C. Andersen.  Leaves of Grass  by Walt Whitman.  The Kreutzer Sonata  by Leo Tolstoy.The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and  Huckleberry Finn  by Mark Twain.  Ulyssesby James Joyce. Many of these books were confiscated, burned, or denied availability in libraries, bookstores and schools. Ebooks guarantee that readers maintain their right to read. 28. Ebooks help paperbook publishers to sell paperbooks. Cory Doctorow has explained that the giving away of ebooks, for free, has helped to sell the paperback editions of his stories and novels. 29. Ebooks are evolving. As technology develops, ebooks may contain new features. For example, a book of recipes may contain a recipe calculator to figure how much maple syrup is needed to bake 200 cookies. An ebook that prepares you for the GRE could include an interactive test. An ebook about politics might allow you to click a link and register to vote, or send an email to a Congressman that tells him he is not a good environmental steward. 30. Ebooks are good for paperbook publishing. By setting an example for diversity and freedom of expression, ebooks may motivate the stagnant book publishing industry towards the renewal of small presses, the end of the blockbuster-bestseller publishing mentality, and a healthier balance between the needs of commerce and culture. http://www.successconsciousness.com/ebooks_benefits.htm An ebook is a book in electronic format. It is downloaded to a computer, PC, Mac, laptop, PDA or any other kind of computer, and is read on the screen. It can have numbered pages, table of contents, pictures and graphics, exactly like a printed book. It is very simple and easy to purchase and download ebooks through the Internet. It is exactly like purchasing any other product. The only difference is that after payment you will either be directed to a download page or receive the download link in an email. All you have to do is click on the link and the ebook will automatically download to your computer, to a folder of your own choice. After download you dont have to be connected to the Internet in order to read the ebook. You can stay offline. If you wish to have it printed, it is very easy. Just click on the print button in the ebook, to print it with your home printer. Ebooks are delivered almost instantaneously. You can purchase, download and start reading them within minutes, without leaving your chair. You dont have to go to a bookstore to buy them, neither wait for them for days, weeks and sometimes more to arrive in the mail. No trees are required to manufacture paper for the pages of ebooks. When you need certain information, you can get it immediately, by downloading an ebook. Many ebooks are sold nowadays with bonuses, which you usually do not get with a printed book. This adds value to your purchase. Ebooks take up less space. You practically dont need any space to store them. You dont need a library or a room for them. You can store hundreds and thousands of ebooks in your computer. Ebooks are portable. You can carry a whole library of hundreds of books with you, on CD, in a laptop, notebook or any ebook reader, without worrying about their weight. With today technology you can read ebooks anywhere, on the bus, train, airplane and while standing in line. Ebooks are more safely stored and carried from one place to another, than ordinary books. They also withstand time more than books. Ebooks can show links, for easy access to more information and related websites. Ebooks are searchable. You can easily search for any information in an ebook, instead of turning page after page. Ebooks can be interactive and contain audio, video and animations, which can enhance the message that the author is trying to convey. As ebooks are delivered through the Internet, there are no packing and shipping expenses. Ebooks can be printable, so that if you wish to read an ebook in the traditional way, you can very inexpensively print it with your home printer or at any printing shop. Fonts in ebooks can be resized, making it easier to read for people with disabilities. With an additional software it is possible to turn some of the ebooks into audio books. Ebooks are very easy to to sell and distribute. It is very simple and easy to purchase and download an ebook. People living in big modernized cities, in a remote village in a far away country or on a small island, can equally access an ebook. It takes them the same amount of time to purchase and download an ebook, provided they have an Internet connection. It is possible to purchase an ebook 24 hours a day, every day of the year, from the comfort of your own house or office. You can purchase and download an ebook, even if you are on a vacation, if you have a laptop and wireless Internet connection. People are already spending a lot of time in front of their computers, so why not read and ebook, instead of doing something else? Nowadays one can find ebooks about every possible subject, fiction and nonfiction, free and not free.Considering non-fiction ebooks, such ebooks disseminate knowledge not pages, which means that it is not correct to evaluate the price of an ebook according to the number of its pages. The price should be determined by the information it contains, its usefulness and relevancy, and on how much it gives you in terms of practical knowledge, inspiration, motivation, tips and advice, and also by the uniqueness of the information it contains. http://www.tka.co.uk/ebook-tools/why-ebooks.htm Once downloaded (from the Web, a CD ROM or a floppy disk), eBooks can be  viewed whilst offline  (although some external links will only work when you are online). Unlike websites, they can be  easily distributed  to other users Unlike standalone documents, such as a Word or Excel file, eBooks can contain a variety of documents and files, all conveniently packaged  in a single file. Unlike paper-based books, eBooks can be  easily updated. A eBook can even have a link to a website which contains the latest downloadable version of the book. The  production cost of eBooks is minimal, a big benefit of you are distributing them in any quantity, either free or for a price. If you need  security, eBooks can be compiled so as to disable printing, can be password protected and can prevent individual files from being copied (although no-one has found a way of preventing anything from being re-typed!) http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Benefits-of-Ebook-Publishingid=390438 1)An eBook can be your springboard. At the 2006 Romantic Times conference in Daytona Beach, Florida, I met a few editors with the top romance publishers, all of whom were seeking out romance eBook authors. As eBook sales and productions rises in the romance and erotic romance genres, these editors are aware of the great sales potential involved in bringing eBook authors with high readership into their catalogs. Go to your favorite bookstore and look up authors Sherrilyn Kenyon, Angela Knight, and Sylvia Day. What do they have in common aside from being bestselling authors? Their earliest titles were originally published in eBook format! Depending upon the genre you write and the following you develop, your eBook success can be a springboard to commercial publishing accomplishments. Make the sales and the big players will notice, regardless of whether or not your book is on paper. 2) Faster Turnaround Do you know how long it takes for a book to see print, from submission to release? Various factors play into a final answer. A small university press may not take as long as a well-known New York house. A book could take anywhere from several months to several years before it is made available for sale. With eBooks, that time frame might not be as long. This is not, mind you, because eBooks go through a sloppy editing process. While some eBooks may appear to have been rushed (more on that below), there are many eBook publishers that have professional editors on staff to ensure a quality end product. eBook production may be quicker than traditional print publication due to a number of factors. Formatting does not take long to do, for one, and cover art needs are drastically reduced. You can produce a great cover that sells and not have to worry about sizing or color bleeds for print. A good number of eBook romance publishers offer a turnaround from acceptance as quick as three months! While some authors wait for their books, an eBook author can have two or three out in the same amount of time. 3) Higher Percentage of Royalties I once read an article by the late Southern humorist Lewis Grizzard, who wrote for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and authored more than twenty books. He wrote that despite all the books and columns under his belt, he was not a rich man. Knowing how some publishers deal with author royalties, this statement no longer surprises me! Depending upon your status as author, and the budget of the publishing house, you could make as much as ten to twenty percent of the net sales of your book. Some houses will raise the percentage once you reach a certain benchmark, like a thousand or more copies. However, since the average book in the United States sells five hundred, it is safe to say thousands of authors may never get that raise. Unless you are the rare J.K Rowling or Stephen King (both of whom, to be fair, do profit on subsidiary sales), you may not be rolling immediately in the millions. eBook publication, however, offers the opportunity to make some decent money, more so if you gain a strong readership. Because of the low resources involved in eBook production, there is more opportunity to pay royalties on sales. Most eBook publishers offer as much as thirty to fifty percent of net sales. An author with a strong following can make several hundred dollars a month! 4) Same good book, less waste Next time you are at the bookstore, take a look at the bargain bin. Many hardcover books, some probably touted as bestsellers, are marked down significantly to clear away inventory. What is not sold is eventually recycled. I know of one author whose book was heavily remaindered, as it is called. What was not sold, he said wistfully, was turned into toilet paper! In this respect, eBook production is very environmentally sound. Because the books are produced digitally, no trees are harmed. An eBook may be read on a computer or handheld personal digital assistant, both of which can store several books for your enjoyment. With a PDA full of eBooks, there is less to carry when you go on vacation! 5) More control Do you have an idea for typesetting over cover art for your book? Chances are if you sign with a major publisher, you may not have much creative input. With my first novel, I was allowed some input, but my ideas were ultimately not used for the cover art. The same might be said with the marketing of your book. Publishers have budgets to meet, and may not be able to satisfy every authors desires. eBook publishers in recent years, however, may be very author friendly. Closer contact with staff may allow an author to have more input in production and design. Some eBook publishers may allow authors to design their own covers. Whether or not this is a good thing remains to be seen, but the fact remains that the lines of communication between authors and staff are open wide. The author is permitted to be very active throughout editing and production, and it turn it may inspire the author to be more productive. More opportunity for money, more input, and more support are among the benefits of producing your manuscript through electronic means. As we further delve into a new age of publishing, eBooks lead the charge into a new dimension of entertainment for readers and productivity for writers. http://www.powerhomebiz.com/vol127/ebooks.htm 1. Theyre quicker to obtain. If you want specific information and its available in a book, you can purchase an eBook and download it immediately. Instead of waiting for a printed book to be delivered, you can assess this information now. 2. eBooks are more easily updated and upgraded. Information changes rapidly today. Books on many subjects can become dated very quickly. eBooks can be easily and quickly kept up to date. When you order an eBook, it can be the most up-to-the-minute information available. 3. You usually get far more than just the book. Most eBooks are sold with bonuses and related information that usually dont come with the purchase of a traditional book. You might pay the same or even a bit more for an eBook, but you usually get more, too. 4. eBooks take up less space.  Instead of a bulky library, you can fit literally thousands of books on your computer. It also makes it easier to share this information with family and coworkers. 5. eBooks dont use up trees. Except when you print one outsomething I usually do for booklets and special reportseBooks use very few natural resources. We save trees and help reduce pollution from pulp mills. 6. Theyre more portable. You can have quick and easy access to hundreds of books on your desktop computer, notebook or eBook reader. Theyre much easier to take with you than traditional tomes. 7. References can be hot-linked.  Easy links to Web sites and other references can be placed in an electronic book. While reading, you can click on hot links to other places to find out more. With the proliferation of wireless networks, this will become even more useful. 8. You can custom brand them. Other peoples eBooks can be branded with your name and you can allow others to brand YOUR eBooks with THEIR name. There are many viral eBooks and reports that the creators will often allow you to give away or sell, with your name or companys name shown on the cover or linked at the end. 9. You can do global searches and find information quickly. When youre looking for certain information within a book, you can easily find it using the find feature. It saves you time and aggravation looking for something in particular. 10. The technology will get better.  This is an emerging technology and people are often slow to change. But as the quality of monitors improve and become more compact and mobile, more and more well be reading electronic books. > AuthorRita A. Renner, Hoffman Marketing Communications, Inc. Contributors 7 Wendy Allen Shelburne, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, United States 7 John Ingram, University of Florida, United States 7 Antero Laiho, University Library of Turku, Finland 7 Ay-Ling Ong, Centre for Mathematics and Computer Science (CWI) Amsterdam, The Netherlands 7 Peter te Boekhorst Oliver Obst, University of Muenster, Germany, General and Medical Libraries 7 Jane Miller, Victoria University, Australia As electronic publishing matures, research and academic libraries are beginning to supplement their print holdings with electronic publications. This transition began with scientific journals, and is now advancing into academic and scholarly books, as well. In the past few years, corporate and government libraries have also begun acquiring eBooks along with print holdings. eBooks provide substantial advantages to libraries and their users. Both parties gain from 24/7 access, simultaneous user access, wider selection, and immediate updates, while libraries also benefit from back-end efficiencies, such as a lack of storage requirements, reduced maintenance costs, and reduced staffing time for physical handling and processing of print books. Many libraries recognize that eBooks offer an ideal opportunity to increase existing collections while enhancing users research experiences at the same time. Some libraries have adopted significant eBook acquisition programs However, the interviewed librarians agreed that is still early days and that the market for eBooks is just developing. Perceived benefits of eBooks to the users Participants agreed that the immediate, permanent, 24/7, simultaneous access to up-to date content represented the most important user benefit offered by eBooks. A 2007 study published by the University of London concurs, with eBook users citing availability, convenience, content freshness, and navigation and search capabilities as the formats most important advantages. As Jane Miller of Victoria University explains, The eBook is accessible from the catalogue, so there is no need to search physically for it. Once the title is located in the catalogue, a simple click on the link takes the user to the full-text book. Another benefit important to users was the increased functionality of eBooks, such as multimedia additions, hyperlinking, and searching within or among documents. As the University of Turkus Antero Laiho observed, reference-geared material is ideally suited to electronic formats, and often becomes the entry point into a larger eBook acquisition strategy. For reference works, the benefit is in updating the material, e.g. handbooks and encyclopaedias and so on, and thats where electronic is a very good idea. You can use the reference works from your home, from your office, and you dont have to come to the library any more. So we first started subscribing to some reference works and I found that we got good feedback what a wonderful idea that I can search for a concept or fact when Im working at home in the evening and so gradually I got more and more accustomed to the idea of buying eBooks as well. Rating of benefits of eBooks The participants rated 11 potential eBook benefits on a scale of one to seven. Enhanced user access, enhanced functionality, and access to greater amounts of content areas all scored highly as areas in which eBooks provided clear advantages over print publications to all participants. Speed of adoption Electronic journal collections have paved the way for other eBook holdings. eJournal users have become comfortable with electronic delivery in a very short period of time. According to University of Muensters Oliver Obst, We no longer have any journals that are only available in print. This means that the scientists are accustomed to getting everything from us electronically. The eBooks will fit into this very well. Heavier, more efficient use Search functionality reduces time spent on each title and increases the number of titles reviewed for a given project. Decline in the use of printed books In the longer term, the increase in eBook usage may be accompanied by a decline in the use of the printed versions, although in some cases online usage may stimulate usage of the print title, too, through a kind of promotional effect. Book type, discipline determines usage The librarians stressed that, in principle, researchers and students from all disciplines are ready to use eBooks. Adoption of the e-format may be fastest in rapidly-changing science disciplines, for example computer science and medicine, where books must be updated quickly and frequently. As the University of Illinois Wendy Shelburne explains, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ on some levels, all disciplines are ready to make the conversion from printed material to eBooks. eBook management Most libraries surveyed followed similar procedures for managing eBooks. For example, none of the respondents employ personnel dedicated to eBook holdings, but jointly manage eBooks and print collections. Surveyed libraries integrate eBooks through the OPAC, which flags content as electronic or print. As Turkus Antero Laiho explains, proper MARC information is critical for the OPAC importation process. It is essentialnfor us to get MARC records from the publisher because that is one of the big money savers, the fact that we dont have to do it manually. It is very slow and expensive work to do the cataloguing manually. Library policy towards eBooks eBook acquisition continues to increase, though most libraries agree that it will be many years, if ever, before their collections become electronic-only. Two of the six surveyed libraries have committed to a long-term electronic-only goal. Toward that end, they do not acquire print copies parallel to the electronic versions, except in cases where users explicitly demand print copies. Others are proceeding more conservatively. As CWI Amsterdam explains, The current Springer eBook package is a kind of test balloon. It I the librarys first experience with eBooks, and it will be used as the basis for assessing the future policy towards adoption of eBooks. The most significant area for cost savings of eBooks over print was in physical handling and processing binding, labeling, transport, and repair. According to the University of Muenster, This is an area that largely disappears with the transition from print to eBooks. What is not yet entirely clear, however, is whether it will entirely disappear or whether eBook management will continue to involve some form of physical handling, e.g. going online periodically to check that titles can still be accessed on the host platform, provision and maintenance of PC terminals, installation and updating of Acrobat Reader, provision of printing facilities. Storage and archiving always represents an issue as well as a cost factor for libraries. This is another area where librarians expect significant cost advantages from eBooks, assuming that publishers handle online archiving. Other processes where eBooks have significant cost advantages are circulation and shelf maintenance. According to CWI Amsterdam, [With eBooks] the whole loan process would no longer be required, involving chasing users for returns, etc. This aspect can be very time-consuming. Victoria University Melbourne recognized shelving and reshelving costs as an opportunity for savings, as well, estimating that shifting from print to entirely electronic holdings would save A$350,000 annually in salaries to reshelving personnel at its 12 libraries. Long term savings in space are also desirable at Victoria University Melbourne in order to create more student places to enhance the student learning experience While the following tasks may differ for eBooks and print books, librarians rated near-term costs as roughly equal, with potential long-term cost savings. Collections development A publishers packaging determines the degree of economic benefit libraries receive. If a package contains a large number of titles the library would have purchased individually, eBooks can provide substantial benefits. However, some librarians felt that the cost differences will be negligible, since expenses will be shifted to pricing and licensing negotiations. Order processing Some libraries, such as CWI Amsterdam, reported that eBook packaging made bulk ordering more efficient. Others cited inefficient and varied order processes on different publisher Web sites as reasons that ordering eBooks was more complicated and time-consuming than print. All participants agreed that eBook ordering would become more efficient over time. Receipt and check-in Every survey participant rated the cost of processing acquired print and electronic books roughly equal. According to the University of Muenster, With eBooks, I dont have to stick a label on it anymore Ive saved on that but stock-taking procedures are more or less the same, so that the book enters the librarys holding list. Reader instruction and helpdesk In the long term, librarians have high hopes that eBooks will reduce support costs. As Peter te Boekhorst of the University of Muenster notes, I dont need to spend a long time explaining to users how to use a PDF file, but I have to explain to 35 people every day where to find 3F or 3H, etc. This problem of finding your way around the library would disappear. In the short term, however, libraries must spend their time and budget acclimating users to new technology and advertising eBook availability, negating any substantial cost savings. Mr. Antero Laiho believes thisnphase is inevitable. The resources are very expensive so when we buy them we want them to be used as must as possible. So it is the librarys responsibility as well to promote these new acquisitions. Library infrastructure While eBooks save shelf space, surveyed librarians did not agree that this will provide any significant short term cost-savings. Future prospects for eBooks All of the librarians involved in the study see a future for eBooks in the academic realm and all believe that there will be a far-reaching transition to electronic books. However, numerous challenges remain, such as licensing agreements and access arrangements, Most of the interviewees agreed that the evolution of users away from print toward electronic books will take at least another 5-10 years, although researchers in some disciplines (e.g., STM) and younger users may make this transition more rapidly. The printed book will never cease to exist. According to the University of Illinois Ms. Shelburne, I cant see certain types of print going away for a very long time. Still, libraries of the future may well look different, with electronic resources accounting for a greater percentage of total holdings. While print resources will occupy shelves, library patrons will access eBooks and other electronic resources via computer terminals or from remote locations. http://www.articlesbase.com/gadgets-and-gizmos-articles/the-benefits-of-ebook-reader-comparison-in-the-internet-3557222.html There are many reasons why most people choose to go for Kindle these days. For one, it enables you to easily collect all the books that you desire to read. It has a huge storage capacity which can store over thousands of your favourite books, magazines, and others. That means that you no longer have to waste time finding these reading materials outside. Plus it makes you spare so much space at home for your other things. You can also take it with you wherever you go since its naturally made portable. Physically, this product is smaller and thinner than those paperback books at 8 x 5.3 x 0.36 inches. It allows you to download a bunch of eBooks at the very least price. If you think youre not technically-inclined, then theres no need to worry because this device is user-friendly. Fresh from the box, its already guaranteed to work right away. It requires no computer or set-up whatsoever anymore. As long as youre within the US, this unit enables you to connect wirelessly. It is also as mobile as your cellular phone is. This time,  searching  for some sites online, like Wikipedia, Google, and more, is now doable straight from this e-based book. Furthermore, it comes with accident-proof buttons, smooth controls, standard keyboard, and great overall design which, in return, improve the scrolling, selecting, and highlighting functions of the device. Are you tired and sick of searching for a hotspot whenever you wanted to connect to the Internet? If you were, then this devices feature on Whispernet should sound as a relief. Through this, the users can already go online anywhere, anytime they want

Sex Tourism And Child Sex Tourism In Bangkok Sociology Essay

Sex Tourism And Child Sex Tourism In Bangkok Sociology Essay A Study about Negative Impacts and Positive Impacts of Sex Tourism and Child Sex Tourism in Bangkok, Thailand. Abstract: This proposal conducts a study about the negative and positive impacts of sex tourism and child sex tourism in Bangkok, Thailand. The study will mention the problems and benefits Bangkok, Thailand is experiencing through sex tourism and child sex tourism. There will be three chapters, in the first chapter, there will be a short introduction of sex tourism and the study in general, what are the problems the study will look at, the assumption obtained from the study and conceptual framework from various authors. Then the second chapter consist of literature review of the chosen topic and last but not least the last chapter, methodology, a research design will be carried out, which include questionnaires, sample frame, data collection and analysis procedure. Introduction Sex tourism and child sex tourism have been booming in the last past recently years. It has been one of the main sources of economic in Thailand, when people think of sex tourism and child sex tourism; Thailand would be one of the first countries that pop out into peoples mind. However, there is always a bad side to it. Sex tourism and child sex tourism could be bad to the society and morality. In this analysis, there will be a study about negative impacts and positive impacts of sex tourism in Bangkok, Thailand. What are the benefits it brings to the country and what are the damages it causes? Current situation of the sex industry in Thailand According to Far eastern Economic review (2009) due to the current economic slump, hundreds of factories and projects have shut down across Thailand, causing countless workers both Thai and foreign unemployed. The estimate number is approximately 100 000 workers a month and it might jump up to 1.5 million by the end of the year. Even though they built up more and more unskilled factory jobs, however the wage is ten to twenty times lower than the pay of the lowest sex worker employed at beer bars (Ashoka). Therefore most women would choose to be a sex worker instead of factory worker. Many of them are having double lives and keeping their employment hidden from their families. Even some of them get treated badly, they silently suffer and tolerate with it because they need money to support them and their family and they know there is always a ready group of poorer migrants that are available to replace them anytime. Sex tourism in Thailand is a colourful industry, where u could almost ask anything you are looking for pertaining sex. They have from prostitutes, escorts, transsexuals, show girls, lady boy show, go-go bars, clubs and massage parlors to ping pong show. More and more thrilling entertainments are going in the market to lust more tourists to Bangkok, Thailand, Asias Red District. Most of the girls working as a prostitute or hookers can be found easily in red district areas. Most of them are sexy, cheerful and fun and can speak English. They can spend all evening, all week with the customers if both parties agree on the price but they can be a bit bitchy too if the customer is stingy. Some girls they will name the price but some are shy, they depend on the generosity of the customers. The cost of Bangkok prostitutes can be ranged from 1000 baht (short time) to 6000 baht. However for the girls who work in the bar, the customer has to pay a bar fine before he can take her home with him, a fine should be around 200 to 500 baht depend on the place. An entertainment show like a lady boy show cost a customer around 550 baht. But, for child prostitute, a customer can get a child with 30 baht. Problem Statement Sex tourism and child sex tourism, it has become one of the most attractive type of tourism in this modern world. More and more people are going for sex tourism and they do not feel shy or embarrassing to admit they travel for sex experiences. Sex tourism and child sex tourism can bring a lot of money to the country and job opportunities to people directly or indirectly but however, due to the fast growing of the industry; sex tourism and child sex tourism have brought many misleading consequences and damages. Sex trafficking, sex trade and diseases. Once the victims are traded or trafficked, the traffickers will make sure they have complete control over the victims, leave them no rights or freedom over their own bodies thus enslaving them to the sex industry world. Furthermore, they will leave the victims so psychologically and physically abused that they do not dare to run away. They put dept bondage on them and force them to pay back before they could leave the sex trade. Accordin g to ECPAT, studies have shown that a child prostitute can serve between two to thirty clients per week, which can be estimated between 100 to 1500 clients per year and many of them are below 10 years old (Nair, no date). Most of them are still so young and they do not know what really is going on, all they know is listen to the orders else they would be beaten or left starve. The victims that are engaged in sex industry have both their mental and physical psychological affected. Their living condition is bad and their meals are irregular and not healthy and they rarely receive treatment when they are sick only until it gets too serious. Not to mention STD, HIV/AIS, according to a research, HIV positive rates are 42% to 54% among sex workers and the percentage will increase in the future. Apart from that, they suffer from exhaustion, infections and violence. If they do not work hard and earn enough money they would be punished. Most of them would feel scared, hopeless, depression an d low self-esteem since they do not know who to run to for help or protect. Few are brave enough to run away but most of them will choose drugs and suicide to forget and reduce the suffering. Every problem has reasons behind it, so do sex trafficking, sex trade and the diseases. The demand with lenient laws on prostitution has pushed Thailand sex industries grow faster and stronger. The more unique demands pour in the better the services and the greater surprises would be provided. So there will not be any stop for it. Go in hand with it; it is the poverty and cultural perception. Thai believes in working as sex worker is their only choice and what their ancestor did so they keep faith in it. In addition, there are too many poor families in Thailand and they have very little education and skills in them so they would not earn much if they work in factory or restaurant compare being as a sex worker. Research Questions Here are some research questions that I will look into for my proposal: Whether Thai government purposely promotes sex tourism to drive Thai national growth? What are the reasons for not legalizing sex tourism in Thailand? Why Thailand should not practice child sex tourism? What are the damages sex tourism and child sex tourism have caused to Thailand? What are the benefits sex industries bring to the country? Research Objectives The research objective of this study is to find out the answers for the questions mentioned above. To investigate whether Thai government purposely promotes sex tourism to drive Thai national growth. To investigate the reasons for not legalizing sex tourism in Thailand. To investigate the reasons why Thailand should not practice child sex tourism. To do a research on the damages sex tourism and child sex tourism have caused to Thailand. To find out the benefits sex industries bring to the country. Hypothesis Statement In this statement, a requirement to determine the significant relationship between the cause and effect of sex tourism is recommended. The hypothesis should be able to predict the relationship between the variables. Sex industry in Thailand increases the number of child prostitutes. The intercourse between sex worker and customer could cause STD and other diseases. The existence of sex tourism does increase the number of STD patients. Human trafficking will increase as the demand for sex tourism and child sex tourism increase. Theoretical/ Conceptual Framework Figure 1: The trafficking triangle. The conceptual framework above was designed by Phinney (no date), the author designed a relationship between supply, demand and impunity with human trafficking. The author shows a relationship between them which helps human trafficking activities develop and growth. When there is demand, there will be supply since there are purchasers who demand for it and due to demand, supply and lenient law; the traffickers take it as their advantage to traffic more and more women and children. In another hand, supply is the most visible factors among the three. The drives behind it contribute significant reasons for more trafficking to happen, poverty, unemployment, threaten and dream of a better life, etc. And then impunity, since sex tourism injects a lot of money to the country economy, so the government often close one eye unless a victim is caught and agree to report, else they would let the situation going on until it is getting out of control. Figure 2: Reasons/drivers for sexual activity along a continuum of volition. This conceptual framework was conducted by Weissman (2006). This research concentrates in the prevention of HIV among the youth, especially the girls and the reasons why young people engage in the sexuality activity. The framework above shows the drivers of 2 different points of view, one is by forced and the other is by volunteer. He believes there are reasons behind for young girls volunteer themselves in having relationship with older man or another boy her age. It might due to emotional security, material security like gift or money, or for the pleasure during the intercourse or it was due to the ambition for power, social status, and an escape for a better life. Whereas for the young girls who are forced, the main reason is because of money, most of them have financial problems or they have been threatened by other to turn themselves as prostitute. Even though, his point here is to educate them, either they are forced or offered themselves willingly they should protect themselve s to avoid HIV/AIDS or other STD infections. Scope and Limitations Scope: I choose Thailand for my topic is due to its booming now in the world and of its unique nature services. Everyone knows about Thailand as one of the hubs for sex tourism and also the range of services they provide, as long there is a demand for it, Thailand will not disappoint the customers. Limitation: Being students, we have a lot of limitations, we do not get a lot of help and support that we seek for. Most of the time, we can only get the information through journals and perhaps peoples opinion through internet and not directly from the source. For instance, one of my research questions I ask about Whether Thai government purposely promotes sex tourism to drive Thai national growth? Due to my limitation, it is almost impossible for me to get a chance to have an interview with the government people. I will not be able to get an audience with them. Besides that, there are money issues, time restraints and limited resources, for research experiment, I need to conduct surveys or questionnaires to the people that are concerned include sex workers, pimps, traffickers, victims, etc but I do not have time, resources and money to go to Thailand to do so. In addition, a GPD is needed to prove the importance of sex tourism in Thailand economic but most of the time the country do not give fully information about it, because there are so many illegal parties going on in Thailand sex industry. Apart from that, I need to identify the location of the commercial sex markets and the places where all the activities occurred. Significance of the study The main reason why I choose this topic to write about is to alert the world and tell them what sex tourism and child sex tourism is all about. Many people have very vague ideas of the industry and how it actually works. Most of them only look at how they want sex industry to be and they totally ignore the bad effects behind it. For instance, sex shows, do the tourists even think about the girls who are doing it, how they actually think or feel or whether they were forced to do it for something call money or threaten by the brothels or traffickers. Does human right even exist in this context? And human trafficking, many women and children have been trafficked, traded or sold but no one seems to try to stop it but they just close one eye. ECPAT estimates there are more than one million children worldwide that are engaged in sex trade each year. Poverty, cultural perception and demand are the main reasons that make the industry grow faster and stronger. Whenever there is a demand, ther e will be supply as many people are unemployed and most of them are in financial crisis. However, people are neglected what might hunt them afterwards, the diseases, the psychological effects and their unsure future. CHAPTER TWO 2.1 Introduction Sex tourism involves travel across national or international borders in order to take part in a non-reproductive sexual encounter. The sexual encounter may be with an adult or minor, man, women, transsexual or transvestite. It must involve an exchange of money or material goods for a sexual act (Ward, 2010). According to ECPAT (2008), child sex tourism (CTS) is defined as Sexual exploitation of children by a person or persons who travel from their home district, home geographical region, or home country in order to have sexual contact with children. Gregg (2003) stated that sex itself constitutes a social structure, emerging from desire, poverty, and gender inequalities that enable men to drink, be violent, and fornicate openly, but sanction women to suffer bodily and linguistically. Womens pursuit of security with at best quasi-monogamous primary partners heightens their exposure to bearings and STDs but also their honor in the eyes of the community. Pursuing liberdade (freedom) instead with multiple partners expands their options but risks social approbation, dampened marital prospects, and cancer. Sexism, racism, colonial exploitation, and academic research forged misconceptions of femaleness and sexuality that endanger their health. Cervical cancer is absurdly loaded with metaphoric potential. The origin of sex tourism as a global industry may be traced back to Asia during Vietnam War against America. In Thailand, sex tourism started to have its new path after Vietnam War in late 1950s. It has gained its popularity in every way. During the war, American used Thailand as their base and a place for recreation and rest for American soldiers, which the soldiers themselves called II, it stands for intercourse and intoxication. During their stay, many brothels, clubs, bars and massage parlors were formed and they boosted up Thai economic; it contributed around $16 million into Thai economy annually (Phoenix, 1991). From then, it has become one of the main sources of economic in Thailand. In order to satisfy and increase the demand, Thai government legitimated the Entertainment Act which allowed the operations of all forms of entertainment to serve the military. Then the government kept encouraging the development of sex industry openly to increase the revenues from the prostitut ion business. At the same time, many rumours were spreading about the cheap available sex in Southeast Asia that many curious men had to go and witness themselves. In another word, American soldiers transformed local prostitution markets into massive prostitution industries. Alongside with it, child sex tourism was developing. It was all due to the lack of child protection laws and regulation of child prostitution but above all, it was the cause of poverty. 2.2 What drives sex tourism? So what drives sex tourism in Thailand? Many studies have been carried out to identify the reasons that drive sex tourism in Thailand. Many explanations have been pointed out like the poverty, the government policies, the demand from the tourists, the cultural perception, and in addition the low cost and the unique services that they can provide the customers. Firstly, the poverty, one of the major problems in Thailand, except for the big cities, many rural area and un-development districts are very poor. Added to it, they do not plan birth control, so many poor families have 4 to 5 children which just make their situation worse. Many are struggling to find a way to support their family. Alternatively, in another case, where the family is in debt and they are threatened to pay for it or they fail their agriculture or farm work and they need money to cover for it. Many parents have sold their children to pay for the debt. So when the agents tactfully approach the families, most of the family would trade their daughter for money and let them become sex workers. Not only that, many married women who then become widowed or left by their husbands and have their children to take care of, they do not have much options. It also includes many young girls that fed up of living in a life with no future; they are willing to trade everything for a bett er life. Many of them are exposed through television how a luxury easy life should be, the feeling of being rich, the ability to buy expensive beautiful things. And then they get influenced by their friends or follow the lead of the oldest among them, believing by becoming a prostitute they could change and become rich. Moreover, for them, foreigners equal to money, a gateway for a better life and a ticket to over-sea where they can experience what they deserve. Whether they are on business or leisure most of the time they could pay more than the average local clients or if the girl is lucky they could become their lover and have a better life. For the girls, becoming a prostitute for them is one of the easiest options to achieve what they want. In 2006, a study shows the annual turnover rate of sex industry in Thailand is around US$ 43 billion per year, which is equivalent to one third of Thai economy. Daily around 4.6 million Thai men demand for prostitutes and yearly number of foreign tourists is 500 000 and most of them come from wealthy countries like America or Europe. Corrupt government is another factor that encourages the growth of the industry, however the amount of money they receive from the industry is much more than the other industries which contribute the expansion of prostitutions. This is the main reason why sex tourism in Thailand expands; the government wants the money it contributes to the country. Even though the government does not advertise it openly but most of the time they close one eye on most of activities sex industries do. In addition, lack of employment opportunities and vast income gaps between developing world on the one hand combined with local and international demand for commercial sexual services on the other, continue to create the push and pull factors forcing women and children onto prostitution. Then, the cultural perception, from long ago, Thai convinced that in the family the oldest daughter supposes to support the family by earning money, the second help the family by doing the chores, taking care of the family and the younger one receives the education. So in most Thai families, the oldest one is often encourage going to bigger city to find job to support the family. For them it is a sense a duty or obligation to their parents, to share the familys burden. If they come from village or have little education or no work skills, they have only little choice but become a sex worker as it is the only job that helps them to earn fast money with good pay. Moreover, many Thai women believe prostitution will protect them from getting raped and working as a prostitute is less degrading than working in the factory or fast food restaurants. There is also Thai society placed on virginity, which is meant to be preserved for ones husband. However, the belief is backfired, for instance, among rape cases; after the girls lose their virginity they think they do not have any value anymore, so the only choice left for them is to become a sex worker. There are also cultural and sociological factors that affect children way of thinking. They are expected to listen to all the rules set by the adults, disobedient is an act that cannot be tolerated and they can be punished for it. Besides that, with a historical legacy of foreign imperialism and the societal hierarchy such a system had fostered, children become vulnerable to adult predators, precisely those who are foreign. Thirdly, the demand, mainly the demand for sex tourism and child sex tourism is from male customers, especially from wealthy, developed nations and the fact that commercial sex is considered a male right in a male dominant commodity culture; contribute a lot to this demand. Even though, the majority of sex tourists are male but there are still female who travel for sex and child sex tourism. Thailand is known for providing good services with reasonable price. In addition, Western men are often attracted to Asian womens characteristics, for instance, their hair, the features, the way they talk or their graceful movements. Besides that, the nature of services is different too, for example, for them, sexual services are usually bought the same way as normal commercial goods, both parties agree on the price for a specific task, and then the services will be delivered. After the service, they do not longer expect the prostitute to cuddle or act as their lover after sex but leave them after it. But compare to Asian women, some of them even cook, clean their room for the customers after the service and do not ask for extra money. They like the way they are treated by Asian women. Therefore, the demand from the tourists will keep increase and not decrease. Many people believe that sex tourism is not an exploitative practice and the children and female workers who are involved in the industry are willing and decide to choose this type of job for themselves. The idea of the workers being forced never cross their mind, because most of the time sex workers always look cheerful and smiling in front of sex tourists. Another common belief among sex tourists is that they think they are helping the victims financially. They believe by giving the victim money and gifts in exchange for sexual service they have helped the poor child and his or her family out of poverty. One of child sex tourists said On this trip, I had sex with a 14 year old girl [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] and a 15 year old [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] I am helping them financially. If they dont have sex with me, they may not have enough food. If someone has a problem with me doing this, let UNICEF feed them. Ive never paid more than $20 to these young women and that allows them to eat for a week. I t may be true what the child sex tourist said but where is the moral behind it. It then leads to another reason why third world countries have a high demand for sex tourism, racist. Many sex tourists hold a strong view about them being superior than other people compare to their own and have sexual activities with younger girls in those countries consider acceptable than it is in developed world (The Protection Project, 2007). When there is a demand there will be supply. As Pavena Hongsakula, a Minister in the Prime Ministers Office in 1999 wrote to The Bangkok Post, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦The Thai government does not and will not condone sex tourism. Although sex tours may bring in some foreign currencies, they are against all the moral principles we believe in. The sexual service business is an internal problem that we are trying to curb, but controlling the supply will not help much if the demand keeps pouring in. Furthermore, Thailand is known as the Land of Smile, they reassure they would provide whichever services that are asked from the customers and it would exceed what they expect from. For instance, Ping pong shows which refers as human zoo tourism, MacKinnon said, Pornography of Asian women sold in the West has been almost entirely pornography of torture, this is just presenting that in the flesh. In the show, women have to do ridiculous terrible things, from eels to snakes to catfish, it is hurt to watch but for western men it is a form of entertainment. One tourist commented on the Ping Pong show, said, Its like a form of art, these women are really talented. Theyre making money the same way any other athlete makes money. The tourists really do not care much about the value of the sex workers and they have no respects or sympathy towards them. 2.3 Child Sex Tourism There are two types of child sex tourists, one travel for a short period and they will come back to their home country, the later, they stay in the destination and travel around those neighbor countries too, most of the time they would apply for a job. However, most of them tend to travel independently to the chosen destination. They learn about the places through internet, forum chat or word of mouth. They also have specialized websites where they could post on the updates of information, advices and experiences of different destinations. In the websites they have chat room where they can discuss and suggest each other. Once they are in the destination, they could get more information through taxis drivers, advertisements, hotels or bars to gain the access to child prostitution. Otherwise, for instance, in Cambodia, they find their victim by working around the neighbourhood, beach area, riverside where the poor children are living on the street, begging or selling souvenirs. To make their first move, they will give the kids gifts, candies, meals or jewellery (The Protection Project, 2007). In many other places, the children will seek the paedophiles by themselves in the area where foreigners are known to congregate, or the pimps will approach the tourists for negotiating. Then those who stay for longer period of time and travel back and forth within the region of interest or take up residence with the purpose of abuse children. For instance, they travel to Thailand then move on to Cambodia or Philippines and shift back to Thailand for renew visa purpose or other circumstances. Reports from Southeast Asia, Central America and Africa all pointed out that most of them often look for employment as English teachers, helping workers or similar occupations to possess easy access to the children. For instance, they would come in close contacts with the victims even his or her family, so the family would somehow depends financial on them because while abusing they woul d provide the family money or gifts. Many other cases occurred where the foreigner adopts the child and claims he would take care of the child but in reality, he is using the child for abusing and sexuality purposes. In addition, there is also tour operators that organize sex tour to Thailand, most of them always promise the customer the finest girls they could find in Thailand but there is no guaranteed whether the girls are not underage (The Protection Project, 2007). In 2006, studies conduct by Thai government and NGOs of Thailand reported there is approximately 30 000 to 40 000 prostitutes are below the age of 18 that are exploited in the commercial sex industry in Thailand. (World vision 2007) 2.4 Human Trafficking According to the UN protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, human trafficking means the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability, or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labor or services, slavery or practices similar or slavery, servitude or the removal or organs. In 2003, 177 of 257 cases of suspected human trafficking reported by the DATJP were receiver through the Hotline. In 2005 the hotline received over 700 calls, which indicates the numbers of human trafficking is increasing and the authority cannot do much to stop them. Sex trafficking in another word is modern day form of slavery in which the victims are forced, fraud or coercion in sex act. Victims of sex trafficking can be anyone, women or men, girls or boys but mostly are women and young girls. Due to the lack of knowledge and hardship of finding employment from newly industrialized cities in Thailand, many of them rely on trafficking illegal immigrants to work as sex slaves. Many women and children are being sold by parents, lovers into sex trade or being kidnapped by traffickers. And many others naively agree to migrate with traffickers in hope of having better life in another country, financial opportunities that are promised or a false marriage proposal that turns into a bondage situation (ACF, 2008). Unfortunately, few of them aware of the life that they are going to live in, bad food and living condition, low wages, sexual abuse, as well as the physical force and psychological control by traffickers. For instance, a study of post trafficke d women in Europe reports 95% of victims interviewed experienced physical or sexual violence while they were in trafficking situation. Sex trafficking victims are forced to work for many different forms of commercial sexual exploitation such as prostitution, pornography, stripping, or live sex shows. To keep the victims under control, the traffickers put a lot of pressure and threat on them. The TVPA (2008) identifies that traffickers use psychological, physical pressure and bondage to keep the victims under control. Psychological and physical abuse include treats of serious harm to or physical restraint against the victims, added to it they use scheme and pattern intended to bring the victims to believe that if they do not listen or fail in performing a task, the consequences would be in serious pain. The victims would be lie about the debt bondage, the trafficker will tell the victims about them owning a certain amount of money from the travelling and living expenses where they ne ed to pay the dept in order to leave (ACF, 2008). The victims would be punished severely if they do not listen or try to escape. The traffickers will not care whether the victim is a lady or a child, whoever does not listen to them will be treated very badly, which includes beating, threats of violence, rape, starvation, forced drug use, isolation, intimidation and emotion manipulation. As the result, regardless of the symptoms experienced the victims will usually have psychological problems; they tend to have low self-esteem and they are afraid of many things which prevent them from develop and re-enter the society again once they escape or are rescued from the sex industry. For this reasons many shelters from both government and private have been built for the purpose of helping the victims to cope and start a new life. For instance, the main government shelter is Bahn Kredtrakarn, Bangkok; they can nurse up to 500 rescued victims (Arnold Bertone, 2008). The shelters provide them a place to stay, food, medical care and counselling to recent rescued victims (ECPAT 30). They have psychologists to talk to the victims to try to help them out. Because they all went through tough time during trafficking situation, individual counselling will be given to take care of victims wit