Thursday, October 31, 2019

The Importance of Health Insurance Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Importance of Health Insurance - Assignment Example It is easy to apply as reimbursement provider.Conclusion. By implementing the required processing steps, the provider applicant can easily seek approval as the official medical nutrition therapy service provider. Proper coding helps ensure all medical nutrition therapy billings are reimbursed. Many health insurance providers offer 100 percent medical nutrition therapy reimbursements to diabetes mellitus patients. Evidently, Medicare and several insurance companies offer reimbursement of medical nutrition therapy. Reimbursement is information to dietetics professionals because they are confident their services can be paid quicker. By implementing the reimbursement steps, insurance companies or organizations can easily reimburse the patients and registered dietitian service providers. Further, the project objectives include learning whether diabetes patients can avail of reimbursements for medical nutrition therapy sessions. Another objective is to learn the importance of coding in the immediate release of reimbursements. A third objective is to learn the importance of health insurance in reducing the rehabilitation expenses of the diabetes mellitus patients. Furthermore, the MNT reimbursement requires the proper coding and billing to ensure quicker reimbursement processes. Each Code 97803 equates to 15 minutes follow up MNT visit. Each Code 97804 equates to 30 minutes Group MNT visit. Telehealth Codes are used for real-time interactive and video communication activities. The ICD Codes annually updated diagnosis. Code 250.00 represents diabetes. Moreover, the diabetes mellitus medical condition occurs when the patient is diagnosed with a chronic lifetime ailment. The ailment indicates the patient loses the normal capacity to maximize energy found in swallowed food. There are different types of the ailment.  

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Management information systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Management information systems - Essay Example Gissaral Electronic business is having main intentions regarding the customer management at (Reponen, 1993): 10 New Technology Scope: Gissaral Electronic business has the future intension of implementing the following key business services and systems. In this scenario there will be following scope for new technology implementation (Reponen, 1993): 11 Management Information system: The term information system can be defined theoretically as â€Å"a set of organized components that collect, process, store, and transfer information to carry decision making and control in an organization†. In addition, the information systems store and maintain information regarding important places, people, and things within the organization or in the set up surrounding it (Laudon & Laudon, 1999, p.7; Hoffer et al., 2007, p.429). However, a management information system is an application or function of information system that provides management oriented reporting. In addition, these reports are typically developed on a predetermined schedule and come out in a prearranged structure (Whitten et al., 2000, p.47). 12 Decision support systems/ DSS: For the Gissaral Electronic, decision support system (DSS) will be the first choice, because it provides the comprehensive information for making a decision, and develop information systems particularly designed to aid and formulate decisions. Furthermore, the decision support systems depend on models and methods to create brief tables or an amount that decides a decision (Oz, 2008). 13 Customer information system: The next main choice regarding the technology solution at Gissaral Electronic will be customer information system. We want to implement this system for the business management, data handling and transaction management. This system will be a business management (business information management) system (Computer Sciences Corporation, 2010;

Sunday, October 27, 2019

SWOT Analysis Of Nandos Restaurant

SWOT Analysis Of Nandos Restaurant Nandos city restaurant is situated in the heart of Aucklands CBD on Queen Street amongst many other food outlets. Nandos is a casual dining restaurant group originating from South Africa with a Portuguese/Mozambican theme. Founded in 1987, Nandos operates in 30 countries on 5 continents. Nandos specializes in chicken dishes with either lemon or herb, medium, hot or extra hot Peri-Peri marinades. In some countries, Nandos has other flavor options like mango and lime or Mediterranean. Nandos Restaurants is a brand image in the food industry in South Africa and now they have expanded to many parts of the world. The restaurant opened for the first time in Auckland New Zealand in 2001 and has expanded through franchising. Nandos has touched the lives of every South African living in New Zealand giving them a taste of home. They have improved the quality of their product every day and improved the quality of product and services over the years. So by doing this they deliver their customers an outstanding Quality, Service, Cleanliness and Value (QSCV). I choose this company because I have managed the Nandos in Tauranga for 6 months and I have been working at Nandos Queen Street for another 6 months. I have also working in Nandos South Africa for 3 years. The problems I faced while working for Nandos New Zealand was wastage, culture, high turnover of staff and hygiene problems etc. at the restaurant. I applied problem solving models like SWOT analysis. There were concerns with other employees of what type of problems is facing them and how to solve those problems. After researching I came to the result that because of the working environment, work stress, employees belonging to different countries, problems in communication and conflict with management. This all shows that staff needs a good training; management need training for setting rosters, lack of motivation, bad organization structure, less staff on busy shifts. Introduction All the problems which was identified in Assignment Part A will go through research process as we need to find out practical solutions for those problems. The setting for the whole project is described by few tasks or steps: Identified business problem. Need to do research for the reasons behind those problems. Need to find possible solutions. Problems that are facing Nandos are: Cultural Differences. High staff turnover. Lack of communication. Lack of motivation. Less staff in busy shifts. Hygiene problems. Research Questions: After all these problems were identified the next step is to do research and to find what the research questions are. What are the reasons behind these problems? Is there any weakness in the business behind these problems? What are the solutions behind these problems? Value of this research for the company: This research is of real benefit to the organization because they will get reasons for the problems. Our goal is to solve that problem and we will achieve our goal that the business will grow rapidly and the staff will also not get any type of problem. The management concept of principle which will explain this is: Henry Fayol in 1916 As he presented 14 principles and 5 elements which are necessary for management are: Purveyance To organize To command To co-ordinate To control This is the management principle and we can also see the value of research for the organization. Aim and purpose of the study This study has some aims and purpose which are listed below: First to find out the reasons behind those problems To find out the possible solutions for the problems. Purpose of the study: To get more knowledge about solving problems. How to use problem solving models to solve the problems for these types of companies. Methodology This part of the assignment is going to explain the methods to find the solution of these problems. We are suing a research process which includes the interview with restaurant manager, staff and customer feedback. It was carried out both formally and informally. In the end we used SWOT analysis we are going to solve these problems and to find the facts behind these problems and going to get primary data as well. This primary data involve surveys and interviews from different people as well. In the staff surveys we asked staffs what we need to do for improvement and responses we get is staff need more training, motivation and good communication. The same questions were asked to the restaurant manager as well in addition to controlling labor and improving hygiene at the restaurant. We had similar results which are more training, more working hours and motivations is needed. Customers want improvements in service and need more cleanliness in wastage and restrooms. This all comes in qualitative measures. I interviewed: My manager. Staff members. Took surveys from staff. Interview was conducted on 17th May 2011 at 15:00 because at this time they are no so busy. Literature review: This literature is about the research to figure out problems and the possible solutions behind those problems. I am going to do the SWOT analysis. This will help to find the problems and to find the possible solutions for those problems. STRENGTHS Second largest chicken restaurant. Lots of variety than others. Strong financial status. Customer feels flexible while giving orders. Friendly environment Big range of choices at very reasonable prices Big amount of investment has gone into supporting the franchise network. All food on the menu is healthy and nonfattening because it is flamed cooked on a open fire. WEAKNESS Not owned stores just expanded through franchising. Less organized staff. Customers cannot give order online. They do not announce the employee of the month. Nandos has a high turnover of staff and they need to spend more money on training and development Not many people like to eat healthy food all the time. Most of the time quality issues arise across franchising. Food takes too long to cook. Customers get impatient waiting for their food. Cast between the India people causes problems. OPPORTUNITIES New product developments like breakfast and not just a standard menu. Launching new burgers and promotions. Good learning experiences for staff. Increase market shares from their competitors. They can focus on CSR (corporate social responsibilities) THREATS Competition with KFC and other fast food stores. Attracting customers to eat junk instead of coming to Nandos to eat healthy. Customers do not want to wait a long time to place orders and receive orders. Recession and downturn in the economy may affect the retailers sales. Strengths and limitations of the study: This section will show some strength and few limitations which are listed below: As this study involves interviews this comes in qualitative measure. So qualitative measure always gives us deeper analysis of any study. This study creates some limitations as well: Limitations of study: These studies sometimes do not give accurate results. This research can be easily distracted from the purpose of research. I want to give more research keys and those are, episodic analysis and feedback. Now I am going to explain Porters five forces to explain the methodology and its relevance to the theory. THREATS OF NEW ENTRANTS KFC is the main threat for Nandos Queen Street and burgers and chicken offered by newly opened shops that are selling products at lower prices are the main threats.PORTERS FIVE FORCES OF NANDOS RIVALRY AMONG EXISTING FIRMS In downtown there are existing competitions for Nandos. Apart from fast food chains the company has to face a tough competition from other fast food chains like KFC and other new suppliers like world and local food shops DERTERMINAITON OF BUYER POWER Purchasing power of the customer is another force that affects the business. This is affected by the per capita income, income and saving of the customer in the particular ethnic group and region. THREAT OF SUBSTITUE PRODUCT As there are other fast food chains like KFC, Subway and Burger King there is a threat of substitute products offered by these chains and local food shops, restaurants and take away. These products are offered in a wide range at competitive prices. DETERMINANTS OF SUPPLIERS POWER The main factors affecting Nandos are suppliers concentration. The main internals supplier is Tegal Chicken and external supplier is COKE that process the threat forward integration.Results and Discussions As I interviewed restaurant manager and staff members I got some information about Nandos and some primary results as well. There are certain problems that are faced by Nandos Queen Street, these problems are both external and internal. These problems are identified as under: Cultural differences: Everyone belongs to different countries/cast and they do not know how to communicate with each other and how to respect each other. So there is no good work ethics. Lack of motivation: The managers are not acknowledging staff if they have done a good job. Reasons for high turnover Poor training Working environment Work stress Poor management Conflicts with management Poor training: The main reason of the employees high turnover is the lack of skills and knowledge and the partiality by the management. As everyone belongs to different countries and they lose confidence while taking new staff by the existing staff which should not be done in good organizations. Working environment: The working environment is not good for the staff because the staff like to work in a company where they are rewarded for their work or management should motivate them. So because of all this there is lack of motivation as well. Work Stress: Management does not set the roster properly and this leads to less staff in busy shifts and because of this their staff feels work stress. So they cannot manage stress. Poor management: The managers leadership style is wrong they are autocratic they do not listen to what staff is telling them. Conflict with management: Due to lack of understanding in organization staff conflict with management. Analysis of data: I think that the reason behind the cultural differences is staff is very stereotyped. As they belong to different countries they do not give importance to people of other culture. There is a lack of motivation in the company because staff are not awarded or motivated by the management if they have done a good job. Less staff in busy shifts because managers do not set the roster properly like they dont know when the restaurant is going to be busy so there is too much stress on staff on busy shifts. There is no understanding between the management and staff. Managers sometimes do partiality with their staff so there is no understanding between them and the business cannot grow. So those are the reason behind all these problems and now second thing is to give the possible solutions of these problems. On the basis of interviews these are the possible solutions which are given below: Solutions of the culture difference problem: There is only one solution to this problem that is the staff and the management has to change their stereotype nature and have to have good communication with each other. They need to understand other culture so they cannot lose confidence while communication with each other. There should be some activities, they should organize a party one in every two months so they can understand other staff members culture so they can manage everything well while working. Solution to lack of motivation: The solution to this problem is that they should have an employee of the month competition because this will increase the level of staffs performance and reward them for a job well done. Solution to the problem high staff turnover: As there is a problem of poor management because managers do not know how to set rosters for a busy shift so they should get training from head office so that the mangers and company gets well organized. Managers should also get a weekly report from head office so they have an idea of how they are performing. Appropriate training is very important for every organization so the restaurant manager should also give training according to the job description requirements so there is not a high turnover of employees. Work rotation is key in any business to increase interest in other aspects of the restaurant by allowing staff to multitask. They should recruit accurate staff who is energetic and lively. During interviews managers must set down the rules and procedures and job description. They should be fair with employees and if they want improvement in the company they have to give sufficient training to employees. Solution to wastage: Staff needs to use their mentality and to organize and know when they will be busy and at what time and what kind of menu items will be ordered. When I worked at Nandos the busiest time was between 11am to 1pm. The main menu items being ordered consistently for months as Rice, Pitas, Wraps and burgers. So my common sense told me to make more chicken tenders and chicken fillet patties cooked and kept ready and to keep less full chickens. All left over food from the night should be given to feeding charities and not to staff because staff used to cook extra chicken so it can get wasted and they can take it home. Management Theory: Four principles of management theory are: Planning, Organizing, Leading and Controlling. Planning For motivation we have to make a plan and have to reward them for good work. Organizing It is very necessary to seat a roster properly and should be organized for a good balance in life. Leading Managers should lead staff in a proper way. Controlling As restaurant manager has full control on labor we need to take the feedback from all staff and the manager. I have given the SWOT problem solving model earlier. So all this is an appropriate management theory to explain the meaning of my finding of the result and their relevance. Conclusions and recommendations Conclusion This research comes to an end and lastly I want to say that Nandos Queen Street is facing high problems in culture differences, wastage, high staff turnover because of poor training and poor management. The discussions from all the staff and managers we came to the result that training is necessary with work rotation at work with accurate recruitment system. This solution will help the restaurant to minimize high staff turnover and if employees get proper training they would know what to do at a particular time. They will know about the rules and duties so their work output would be good. Job rotation will help staff to undertake all the transfers as they can do multitasking by handling any task like making burgers, grilling chicken, taking orders and give customers a better service. All these things will make staff more confident and the business will grow rapidly. I have discussed and analyzed each solution for every problem so that shows that both aim and purpose of research activity has been solved. Recommendations: I want to recommend that the restaurant manager should study the details of surveys. They need to organize everything according to the plans. They should arrange a meeting once every month and concentrate on the issues like job rotation for staff and to hire suitable staff. The managers should understand their staff and the need to look after the aspects of the restaurant. They should give them more hours of training. The manager should talk to staff face to face to hear their problems and he should come up with a strong solution to build a good relationship with them. They should not hesitate when talking to the manager. They should implement four principles of management to try out the things that causes problems in the restaurant. References: Class notes Information from Assignment Part A Google

Friday, October 25, 2019

Economic Systems Of Different Countries :: essays research papers

Economic Systems of Different Countries Canada: The Government of Canada is a Federal Parliamentary Democracy and a member of the Common Wealth. The Prime Minister of Canada is the Honorable Jean Chretien. The Deputy Prime Minister is Sheila Copps and the Governor General is Romeo LeBlanc. There are five major political parties in Canada they are; the Progressive Conservatives, the Liberal Party, New Democratic Party, the Reform Party, and the Bloc Quebecois. The GNP per capita (1991) was $19,934 (in millions). The annual GNP growth was 3.4%. The amount of GNP for defence was 2.2%. The majority of workers in Canada are in the Service field (73%), Industry has 23% of the workers, and Agriculture has the remaining 4% of the labour workforce. Canada has an unemployment rate of 9.5% and an inflation rate of 2.3%. Canada's top three natural resources are Nickel, Zinc and Copper. Canada's top three agricultural products include Wheat, Barley, and Corn. The three major Canadian industries are automobile manufacturing, lumber industry, and petroleum products. Canada has a healthy trading market with major partners such as the United States, Mexico, and Japan. The top three imported products are vehicles, foodstuffs, and animal feed, while the three major exports include vehicles, petroleum products and natural gas. Canada's exports vastly outweigh their imports. The balance of trade is $9,823,000,000 (more exports than imports).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Canada's economy is a market economy based on free enterprise and the ideology of capitalism. As a Canadian citizen you are free to buy and sell as you please on the open market, so long as you are within the law. Since Canada is a democratic state we are guaranteed these rights and freedoms. Canada has a very efficient economy. We have an unemployment rate of only 9.5% and a reasonably small inflation rate. Canada has been rated as one of the best countries in the world – Coincidence? Niger:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Government in Niger is a republic in which there is a President and a Prime Minister. The President of the Republic of Niger is Mahamane Ousmane. The Prime Minister is Hama Amadou. There are five major political parties. They are; The National Movement for the Developing Society, The Democratic and Social Convention, Nigerian Party for Democracy and Socialism, The Nigerian Alliance for Democracy and Progress, and The Union of Progressive Patriots and Democrats.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Niger has a Gross National Product per capita of $550 (in millions). There is an annual GNP growth of 1.4%, 0.1% more then the allotted funds for defence. The majority of the labour force works in agriculture (45%), the service field represents 39% of the workers, and the remaining 16% are employed

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Fahrenheit 451 Essay

Fahrenheit 451 was written by Ray Bradbury and in this book I will be talking about on how this book is related to the theme censorship. I will be proving why censorship is related to the book. So why is the theme censorship important in the novel? Point I  Censorship was a very important theme in Fahrenheit 451 in a lot of different ways one of them is since people are not allowed to read books, so that is the most extreme form of censorship that exists. So according to Montag he said â€Å"I just want someone to hear what I have to say. And maybe if I talk long enough, it’ll make sense.† This means that nobody understands him the way Clarisse does. Here is another one, so in this statement Captain Beatty says â€Å"Its real beauty is that it destroys responsibility and consequences.† So he is saying that books don’t open people’s minds they destroy them it doesn’t show how they learn, but we know that it’s not true, since some books do help us in life. And one very interesting fact about the book is when Ray Bradbury wrote about the book it was in the McCarthy era, and he as concerned about the censorship in the United States. So he got an idea about it and thought about it, and so Fahrenheit 451 was born. Point II In the paperback edition released in 1979, Ray Bradbury wrote a new coda for the book containing multiple comments on censorship and its relation to the novel. The coda is also present in the mass market paperback, which is still in print. At other times, Ray Bradbury explained the theme of the book differently. Bradbury observed that the novel touches on the alienation of people by media. Another thing is that this book and theme does have a message for all of us, it’s that the anticensorship message has often been cited by opponents of book banning in the United States. This means people also have to look out on what they are reading. ` Point III Another thing that I would like to point out is that the book explains on how Firemen also burn books, that there is censorship since they are using their materials not for job purposes but for just burning books. And that Captain Beatty there leader just cares about how his firemen finish the job, that another censorship since Beatty only cares about the money. Also how in one of the quotes a pointed out was when Montag wishes that he could be heard, he wishes that people can understand him better. That is another sign of censorship, you also can’t even touch a book, well you can but people say that they are scared of books, and even owning a book is illegal so this book does have a lot of censorship on it. Here is one very good statement in the book that I thought was good it was said by Captain Beatty according to him he said â€Å"What traitors books can be! You think they’re backing you up, and they turn on you. Others can use them too, and there you are, lost in the middle of the moor, in a great welter of nouns and verbs and adjectives.† Which is significant because he is saying that when you read books you keep on learning which is good but for Beatty it’s just nonsense and these books can turn you into something good, but for Beatty he thinks that you’ll turn into a bad influence for children. Conclusion: So all in all this is why the books main theme is censorship lots or burning books, no one can even own or touch a book and how people don’t even know if books are bad or good.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

How Can Men and Woman Communicate More Effectively Through Technology

How can men and women communicate more effectively through technology? * Women are more expressive when they type or text, on the other hand men aren’t as expressive .EX: women may use more punctuation or emoticons * Men should try to be expressive so that it doesn’t like they don’t care or to let the woman know they are listening and caring about what they have to say * Or, women should try to tone it down a bit with the seriousness of everything when everything doesn’t have to be so critical or over exciting for no reason * When communicating through texts or email, since women tend to be more expressive they tend to max out the the160 character message limit (news wise) * Men would probably listen more if they didn’t have to read such lengthy texts.Women should probably try to fit what they have to say in few words that still get their point across. * The best ways of communication would obviously be face to face but next to that, technology like chat rooms and instant messaging and social networking sites make it easier for opposite sex to talk to each other. (eCommunications) * Takes away the stress and pressure of talking in person. If these are the ways men and woman communicate, they need to make sure that they think about the misinterpretations that could happen. To avoid the misinterpretation, men and woman should both understand that technology isn’t a real serious way of communicating just in case the whole misinterpretation gets in the middle of things and starts drama. * Sources: * â€Å"When Texting, Eligible Women Express Themselves Better.   Newswise: News for Journalists, Press Release Distribution for Public Relations. Indiana University. Web. 10 Nov. 2011. <http://www. newswise. com/articles/when-texting-eligible-women-express-themselves-better>. * â€Å"Best Ways to Communicate Through Technology. †Ã‚  ECommunications. ECommunications. Web. 10 Nov. 2011. <http://efunsoft. com/best -ways-to-communicate-through-technology. htm>.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Free Essays on Us And UK Constitution Compared

‘Because the US constitution is written and codified it is superior to the UK constitution’ Do you agree? The American people made the conscious decision that they didn’t want an evolved constitution held together by traditions and statute law, like they had witnessed in England. They sought something better and came up with a codified constitution. One question remains; is the US constitution the improvement that they sought? One clear difference between the two constitutions is the fact that one is codified and the other isn’t. There are implications regarding the flexibility of the constitutions according to whether or not they are codified. The English constitution is flexible in the sense that there are no special majorities or arrangements needed to change the constitution, it can be done via the normal legislative process. In direct contrast to this the American constitution is rigid, it is entrenched against the whims of subsequent government who may want to change it, as it requires a substantial majority to make any amendments. With theses varying degrees of flexibility come both strengths and weaknesses. The strengths of the US constitution being entrenched are that it is clearly outlined and it cannot be subject to abuse. The strength of the UK constitution is in its flexibility the fact that it is evolved and has been able to change with the circumstances, for example the recent devolution in both Scotland and Wales. However such an crucial strength comes an equally important weakness, the fact that the constitution is not entrench and can be changed so easily leaves it vulnerable to abuse. Having said that though realistically no government is going to make constitutional changes without the backing of the political nation in the knowledge that they have to face re-election within five years. The government also have to get majority support in the house of commons which may not be as fourth coming from MPï ¿ ½... Free Essays on Us And UK Constitution Compared Free Essays on Us And UK Constitution Compared ‘Because the US constitution is written and codified it is superior to the UK constitution’ Do you agree? The American people made the conscious decision that they didn’t want an evolved constitution held together by traditions and statute law, like they had witnessed in England. They sought something better and came up with a codified constitution. One question remains; is the US constitution the improvement that they sought? One clear difference between the two constitutions is the fact that one is codified and the other isn’t. There are implications regarding the flexibility of the constitutions according to whether or not they are codified. The English constitution is flexible in the sense that there are no special majorities or arrangements needed to change the constitution, it can be done via the normal legislative process. In direct contrast to this the American constitution is rigid, it is entrenched against the whims of subsequent government who may want to change it, as it requires a substantial majority to make any amendments. With theses varying degrees of flexibility come both strengths and weaknesses. The strengths of the US constitution being entrenched are that it is clearly outlined and it cannot be subject to abuse. The strength of the UK constitution is in its flexibility the fact that it is evolved and has been able to change with the circumstances, for example the recent devolution in both Scotland and Wales. However such an crucial strength comes an equally important weakness, the fact that the constitution is not entrench and can be changed so easily leaves it vulnerable to abuse. Having said that though realistically no government is going to make constitutional changes without the backing of the political nation in the knowledge that they have to face re-election within five years. The government also have to get majority support in the house of commons which may not be as fourth coming from MPï ¿ ½...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Hurrah for the Lowly BUG

Hurrah for the Lowly BUG Hurrah for the Lowly BUG Hurrah for the Lowly BUG By Maeve Maddox When I lived in England, my colleagues quickly taught me that I must say insect (not bug) unless I specifically meant bed-bug. In the U.S., bug applies to every conceivable type of insect. Bug also does duty as both noun and verb in many contextsand not only in the U.S. NOTE: When I pick up quotations from the web, I dont edit them. Police bugged a safe house where Rosemary West stayed before she was charged with murder but she said nothing that incriminated herself, Winchester Crown Court was told yesterday. Will Bennett in The Independent (UK) I dont think surround sound headphones is a gimmick or only for the hardcore gaming i recenlty brought a pair so i can watch a full hd movvie with surround wuthout bugging the neighbours when a car blows up at 3 in the morning. Australian Forum user A bug tracking system is a software application that is designed to help quality assurance and programmers keep track of reported software bugs in their work. It may be regarded as a sort of issue tracking system. Wikipedia The most important part of reporting a bug is giving the programmer the ability to duplicate the bug on his machine. If we cannot find a bug, we cannot fix it. tech advice site Someone needs to put a bug in Coach Gs ear about this guy comment on sports blog They say the spell that he gets under From double-barrelled thunder makes his Eyes bug out like hes insane song lyrics The word bug as applied to scary insects probably derives from M.E. bugge something frightening, scarecrow, a meaning obsolete except in bugbear. The bogey-man [boogy-man in my family] is related. The words application to insects may have been influenced by an Old English word meaning beetle. Bug as a Noun bug defect in a machine may have been coined by Thomas Edison. jitterbug a swing dance of the 1930s. Also used as a verb. humbug - trick, joke, hoax. Dates from 18th century student slang and no one says it anymore. However, if youve read or seen A Christmas Carol by Dickens, you know the word. Bug as a Verb The verb to bug, equip with a concealed recording device entered the language as long ago as 1919. debug remove defects from a machine or software to bug meaning to annoy dates from 1949. to bug meaning to bulge dates from 1870s and may derive from a variant pronunciation of the word bulge. bug off go away! 1950s; derived from British slang bugger off, Bug as a Suffix The suffix -bug added to a word can create a noun meaning a person obsessed with Firebug, a fire-setter dates from 1841. Shutterbug, picture-taking enthusiast, 1940. litterbug irresponsible person who drops trash anywhere first recorded 1947, but the verb littering came later, in 1960. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 Classes and Types of PhrasesDisappointed + PrepositionWhat the heck are "learnings"?

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Blooming Trinity Essay Research Paper English 1302018October

Blooming Trinity Essay, Research Paper English 1302.018 October 11, 2000 Blooming Three In the verse form? When Lilacs Last In The Dooryard Bloom? vitamin D? , by Walt Whitman, three of import symbols are introduced. These symbols of a star, the lilac, and a bird exhibit Whitman? s transcendental philosophy and service as an allusion to Abraham Lincoln? s life and decease. Whitman? s poesy, through these symbols, opens a window to the predominating societal attitudes, moral beliefs, and cultural temperament of his clip through his allusions to President Lincoln. To understand Whitman? s poesy one must foremost cognize something about the poet himself. Walt Whitman was born on May 31, 1819 in Long Island New York. Whitman disliked the thought of going a carpenter like his male parent and opted to seek his ain luck. The publication of Leafs of Grass, Whitman? s major literary work, was a major turning point in Whitman? s life. ? Before, he was a instructor, pressman, journalist, carpenter, and more. After, no affair what else he did, he was a poet? ( Wiener 14 ) . Whitman? s strong resistance to slavery gave him jobs subsequently on as in life. Langston Hughes relates when he says? [ Whitman ] had been an editor of the Brooklyn Eagle, but was fired at that place in 1948, because he refused to back up Governor Cass of Michigan who advocated the continuance of bondage? ( Wiener 196 ) . Whitman greatly influenced many people of his clip period but besides was influenced by other authors. Russell Blankenship, a professor at the University of Washington, relates this fact when he says that Whitman was? influenced by the august American author and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson? ( Wiener 106 ) . Emerson is normally known as a transcendentalist. A transcendentalist is a individual who is? idealistic and optimistic. They believed they could happen replies to whatever they were seeking. All they had to make was larn to read, through their intuition, the external symbols of nature and in terpret them into religious facts? ( Brulatour ) . Whitman? s transcendental philosophy is important in? When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom? vitamin D? because of the usage of three symbols that serve as an allusion to Abraham Lincoln? s life and decease. President Abraham Lincoln was one of our state? s greatest presidents. Lincoln? s low beginnings and rise to go arguably the most powerful individual in the United States are a great representation of the American thought that anyone can go anything he aspires to be. One of Lincoln? s major parts was his engagement in the Civil War. As commanding officer and head of the Union ground forces, Lincoln had the duty of working with the generals of the brotherhood ground forcess to get the better of the Confederate ground forcess. Lincoln, like Whitman, besides felt that bondage was an abomination and? on January 1, 1863, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation that declared everlastingly free those slaves within the Confederacy. ? ( White House. ) After the Union ground forces won the war, President Lincoln was assassinated while watching a drama in Ford? s Theatre, Washington. The state? s bereavement was displayed as? a crowd of grievers gathered at each railroad station as the funeral train rolled westward toward the Illinois prairie, to Springfield, where Abraham Lincoln was buried. ? ( Groiler ) . Whitman? s verse form, ? When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom? vitamin D, ? efforts to demo the bereavement of a state every bit good as Whitman? s personal unhappiness. In the verse form? Where Lilacs Last In The Dooryard Bloom? vitamin D? the lilac has generated diverse readings. When I foremost read? Where Lilacs Last In The Dooryard Bloom? vitamin D? I thought of the lilacs as stand foring beauty and love, presumptively for the late president. Yet, with farther reading, I found that there are several other readings. Edwin Miller, a professor of English at New York University and recognized Whitman bookman, interprets the? branchlet as the season O f metempsychosis, the sense of odor ( The? get the hanging olfactory property? ) , twenty-four hours and physical life, love as the recollection of decease ( the lilac as a flowered testimonial on the casket ) ? ( Miller 187 ) . Another reading, by Kenneth Burke, writer of? Policy Made Personal: Whitman? s Verse and Prose? Salient Traits? , provinces? . . . the broken? branchlet? of lilac as the star? dropt in the dark? ; the? aroma strong? of the lilacs? in the dooryard looking an old farm-house, ? the olfactory property of the? corsages? placed upon the coffin, ? ( Miller 188 ) . Both readings by Burke and by Miller indicate that the lilac is most likely representative of the flowers placed on the coffin at Lincoln? s decease. Through the usage of the lilac in the verse form we come to understand that it is a realistic symbol with deeper significance. Whitman? s transcendental philosophy shows itself in the verse form by the usage of the lilac as a representation to Lincoln? s dece ase. Another symbol in? Where Lilacs Last In The Dooryard Bloom? vitamin D? is a bird described as a? lone? , ? grey-brown? thrush. When I foremost read? Where Lilacs Last In The Dooryard Bloom? vitamin D, ? my readings of the bird included the possibility of Lincoln? s spirit, freedom, or even his idiosyncrasy. I thought of the thrush and Lincoln? s idiosyncrasy because Lincoln appeared as a lone person in the bulk of the images I have seen him in. I went back to my readings and found that in Miller? s reading? the bird has been associated with love, insight as cognition of decease, the? idea of mortality? and the poetic procedure itself ( the bird as the? brother? of the supporter ) ? ( Miller 187 ) . Burke takes another point of position when he relates that? the thrush besides has a complex symbolic intent: it is decease, love, poetic procedure, but more. Traditionally the bird is associated with the flight of the psyche after the decease of the organic structure? ( Miller 189 ) . I p articularly admired Burke? s input with the flight of the psyche. I concluded that the thrush in this verse form could be seen as a symbol of President Lincoln? s spirit or psyche and the? warbling vocal? of the thrush as either a bereavement vocal or possibly a vocal observing a great spirit. The last of the three symbols in? Where Lilacs Last In The Dooryard Bloom? vitamin D? is the star. The symbol of the? Western Star? is evidently a direct relation to President Lincoln since Lincoln was from Illinois, which was a western province at that clip. I besides thought of the star as something that was lighting, olympian, or possibly a mention to the American flag. Miller? s reading was that the star? has elicited greater understanding because of its obvious association with the President? s decease, although the symbol has been extended to included decease itself or the Western construct of decease? ( Miller 187 ) . After reading this reading, I besides thought that the star could be a representation of the rhythm of life. The forenoon: relating to birth and childhood ; the twenty-four hours: relating to maturity and old age ; and the starry dark: decease and liquors. Burke states that? the? drooping? star, the broken? branchlet? of lilac, and the supporter? s psyche before the blackwash which? sank? as the star? dropt in the dark? ( Miller 189 ) . The psyche of President Lincoln was non the lone thing that? sank? , both the state? s and Whitman? s lesson were besides unfavourably affected by decease of the President. In? When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom? vitamin D? Whitman speaks of a? three? . The three is normally recognized as a symbol of the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost but in? When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom? vitamin D? the three is one symbol stand foring three more. The symbols of the lilac, the thrush, and the star come together into one three to demo Whitman? s transcendental philosophy and service as an allusion to Abraham Lincoln? s life and decease. 370 Brulatour, Meg. What is American Transcendentalism? 1 Oct. 2000

Friday, October 18, 2019

Research Methods Exercise Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Research Methods Exercise - Assignment Example ter a lecture where some teachers purposefully used phrases like â€Å"this concept is difficult† and other teachers taught the lecture without this phrase, students completed a survey indicating their perceived level of difficulty of the content. Directions: Read the scenarios below and identify the following about each research study. One to two words or phrases are fine for answers. This exercise will prepare us for what is to come next week when we evaluate research studies! 1. Researchers wish to examine the behaviors of college students at local bars. They hire young graduate students and train them to go to local college bars every Thursday, Friday, & Saturday night for one month and record their observations of students. To be accurate, the graduate research assistants engage in conversations with the patrons and ask if they are college students. If so, they observe & record the number of drinks consumed and flirtatious behavior over the course of the night. At the end of the month, the graduate students turn in their observations which are synthesized into a descriptive summary of college student behavior at local bars. 2. Research out of the University of Washington examines what happens when students expect to be given alcohol but are actually given a placebo drink (non-alcoholic beverage that looks and tastes like alcohol but has no alcohol in it!). Students are invited to participate in the research study. Researchers then randomly assign students to one of four conditions: 1. expect alcohol/given alcohol; 2. expect alcohol/not given alcohol; 3. not expect alcohol/given alcohol; 4. not expect alcohol/not given alcohol (see the image below for clarification). Students are then instructed to come to the â€Å"Bar Lab† (a laboratory on campus designed to look like a bar; see image below) on their assigned day. Students in the expectation conditions are told that they will be given alcohol that day and then are either given the alcohol in group 1 or given

New Public Management in the UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

New Public Management in the UK - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the traditional model ÃŽ ¿f public administration is based on the bureaucracy theory. It is characterized as "an administration under the formal control ÃŽ ¿f the political leadership, based on a strictly hierarchical model ÃŽ ¿f bureaucracy, staffed by permanent, neutral and anonymous officials, motivated only by the public interest, serving any governing party equally, and not contributing to policy but merely administrating those policies decided by the politicians." The traditional model ÃŽ ¿f administration was an improvement compared to the earlier one, which was regarded as the replacement ÃŽ ¿f personal administration with an impersonal system based on rules. Indeed these were central concerns ÃŽ ¿f philosophers such as Aristotle in ancient Greece, Confucius in ancient China, and Machiavelli in medieval Italy. But the conception ÃŽ ¿f the activist, bureaucratic state, despite its earlier parallels, is in practice an essentially twentieth century phenomenon. The characteristics ÃŽ ¿f this bureaucratic state were set out most clearly by the German sociologist Max Weber in 1920, with strong echoes ÃŽ ¿f earlier writings by the American Woodrow Wilson: "There should be a clear separation between politics and administration, and therefore distinct roles for political leaders (normally elected) and state officials (normally appointed)."Administration should be continuous and predictable, operating on the basis ÃŽ ¿f written, unambiguous rules.... These principles were easily adapted to bureaucratic structures. A final addition to the traditional model was the application f the insights f social psychology, in a 'human relations' approach which is often contrasted with the scientific management approach, but in practice sought to achieve greater efficiency f performance too, though by paying attention to the need to motivate workers rather than merely control and direct them (Hughes, 1998, 35-6). Unfortunately, the ideal bureaucracy model had never happened in the real life. The critique f the traditional model is based in a comparison f the 'ideal' model f bureaucracy with what happens in real systems f public administration. Due to the limitations, the practice f traditional model resulted in the overlarge government constitution and inefficient political operation in the late 1970's in most developed countries such as UK and USA. Associated with the new development f economic and organizational theories, the idea f New Public Management" (NPM) became more and more popular. Those theories are coherent challenging with the problem f traditional model. The first challenge comes from the market economic aspect, which is concerned with the public choice. The public choice theory argues who is able to make the best choice, the government or the individual Public choice advocates the maximisation f choice by individuals for both individual freedom and efficiency reasons. Dunleavy (1986) describes people are "rational actors" because they always seek the biggest possible benefits and the least costs in their decisions. Meanwhile the bureaucrats in the traditional model will attempt to

Canadian Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Canadian Studies - Essay Example It, therefore, means that Asians of the Muslim faith, for example, are encouraged to live like they would in their country of origin and so are other ethnicities (Richter, 2011). On the basis of Multiculturalism, the Canadian Society is today a mosaic of cultures where most immigrants live in homogenous communities around people of their ethnic affiliation, prompting critics to term the policy as a recipe for building ghettos. The mayoral election in Calgary where two of the three leading candidates fit the usual politician stereotype and the third was totally off the mark on ethnic and religious grounds, opened doors to deeper thought on the success or failure of multiculturalism as a Canadian policy. Even though campaigns for this seat were issue-based, especially on the part of Mr. Nenshi, there were underlying discussions on his faith and whether a person who confesses Islam was suitable for a mayoral seat in a Canadian city.In an interview with The Globe and Mail, a Canadian news outlet, Nenshi said, â€Å"It would have been so easy to have an article, just a fun human-interest article in August, about what its like fasting through Ramadan while youre campaigning. What its like at a debate, not drinking water. I didnt do that. I didnt do that because I didnt think it was a relevant question (theglobeandmail.com, 2010)." These sentiments underscored the fact that one is free to practice their faith in Canada without much public scrutiny. If the Nenshi scenario were in the United States, more articles would have been written about his faith and the entire election would have been about religion with less focus on the candidate’s capabilities. Having come from behind in opinion polls and rallied the whole city behind him, received support from across ethnic and cultural divide, there is evidence that Multiculturalism policy is yielding results in Canada. According to Day (2000),

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Thomas Jefferson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Thomas Jefferson - Essay Example In fact, the same historical figure who penned the words â€Å"all men were created equal† owned 200 slaves and more importantly violated his republican political philosophy during his presidency. There have been varied views on the question of the contradictions seen in the greatest of the American Fathers. However, one most justified position to hold would be to see Jefferson taking a part in the American trait of being in conflict rather than perceiving him as a marked contradicting figure. Such a position is partly on the basis of the contradictory views and conclusions on the contradiction of Jefferson, the one time political giant of our Nation and partly on the awareness of American trait of conflicts. Thus, it is of pertinent value to comprehend the interpretations of the historians who consider Jefferson as a person of contradictions. According to Christopher Hitchens who writes of how historians view Jefferson, â€Å"it would be lazy or obvious to say that he contained contradictions or paradoxes. This is true of everybody, and of everything. It would be infinitely more surprising to strike upon a historic figure, or indeed a nation, that was not subject to this law. Jefferson did not embody contradiction. Jefferson was a contradiction, and this will be found at every step of the narrative that goes to make up his life. (Hitchens, 2008). It has ever been remarked that Jefferson was in two minds about slavery throughout his career which can be seen as evidence for his conflicts. On the one hand, as a young politician, he held his views for the prohibition of slavery in new American territories and, on the other, he never freed his own slaves which made him a contradiction in hi mself. The significant question ever have been â€Å"How could a man responsible for writing the sacred words "We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal" have been a slave owner? He never resolved his internal

Ethnorelativism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethnorelativism - Essay Example By taking a step outside of this situation one has to place their culture and region in the same context as other cultures and religions. Ethnocentrism’s goal is to separate the world into two opposing factions for the different religions; that is, us against them. The practice of ethnocentrism in a country such as the United States, individual groups are either friend or foes to the cause; superiority of an individual group. In short, ethnocentrism expounds on social differences and scholars describe it as prejudice broadly conceived. A practical example is the â€Å"handling of international relations, creating conflicts and inhibiting resolution of conflicts†. When two groups are in conflict, each group will view the conflict from a subjective standpoint and view the opposing group as threatening. America being the melting point of cultures should be a neutral place where everyone is able to express their individual cultures. However, this is not usually the case, as some cultures are naturally perceived to be superior to others. As with individuals, every culture has its own unique characteristics that differentiate them from the rest. These differences, nevertheless, are the reason for cultural conflicts that exist in society. Despite ethnocentrism being a negative trait, each individual has the capability to propagate ethnocentrism. Booth states that self-pride, and to a large extent cultural pride, increases the tendency of individuals to assume that their cultures are superior to others (49).

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

The Egyptian War of 1882 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Egyptian War of 1882 - Essay Example According to the essay "The Egyptian War of 1882" findings, on January 8th, 1882, the French and the British signed a treaty known as the "Joint Anglo-French note" that initiated dual control of both France and England that was sent to the Egyptian government, declaring their recognition of Khedive Twefik’s authority. However, the nationalist opposition to Khedive (Lord) Twefik who was the current Ottoman ruler of Egypt was greatly increased when the European diplomats supported the agreement. Khedive Twefik, due to the opposition, was forced to appoint the nationalists as the prime minister and war minister on February 25th, 1882 (Cromer 359). Urbi Pasha organized a militia in protest against the wage difference between the Egyptian and the European army, which was exposed on April 12th, 1882, consequently on April 12th, and May 20th, 1882, France and Britain deployed small naval squadrons to the Egyptian coast, which resulted in the arrest of some of the militia members. Urb i Pasha, however, had not given up and he marched a troop of his militia to Alexandria on Sunday, June 11th, 1882 where they caused a riot against the Christian and the Muslim in the town resulting to the death of approximately 50 Europeans (Cromer 715). The British reacted to the attack and bombarded Alexandria, which resulted in the evacuation of the port. By this time, Urbi had begun taking control of the government and the British military initiated and intervention backed by Tewfik’s approval.

Ethnorelativism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethnorelativism - Essay Example By taking a step outside of this situation one has to place their culture and region in the same context as other cultures and religions. Ethnocentrism’s goal is to separate the world into two opposing factions for the different religions; that is, us against them. The practice of ethnocentrism in a country such as the United States, individual groups are either friend or foes to the cause; superiority of an individual group. In short, ethnocentrism expounds on social differences and scholars describe it as prejudice broadly conceived. A practical example is the â€Å"handling of international relations, creating conflicts and inhibiting resolution of conflicts†. When two groups are in conflict, each group will view the conflict from a subjective standpoint and view the opposing group as threatening. America being the melting point of cultures should be a neutral place where everyone is able to express their individual cultures. However, this is not usually the case, as some cultures are naturally perceived to be superior to others. As with individuals, every culture has its own unique characteristics that differentiate them from the rest. These differences, nevertheless, are the reason for cultural conflicts that exist in society. Despite ethnocentrism being a negative trait, each individual has the capability to propagate ethnocentrism. Booth states that self-pride, and to a large extent cultural pride, increases the tendency of individuals to assume that their cultures are superior to others (49).

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Should Wealthy Nations Be Required to Share Their Wealth with Poorer Nations by Providing Essay Example for Free

Should Wealthy Nations Be Required to Share Their Wealth with Poorer Nations by Providing Essay In recent years, there is a controversial issue is that the rich countries should share their assets among the poorer countries or not. Most of the public agreed that it is a necessary activity to help the poor improve their lives. On the other hand, some tax payers resolutely keep their opinions when they supposed that the governments of poorer nations are liability to take care of their inhabitants by themselves. As a supporter of sharing with the poor, I think that we have many reasons to establish philanthropic organizations to support the wretch in other countries and territories. Several main reasons will be analyzed in this essay. Beginning with lack of natural resources, poor nations cannot take advantages of fertile soil to cultivate or minerals to exploit. Moreover, weak education causes many consequences, one of them is a large number of residents are illiterate so they cannot approach modern life by knowledge. Because of that, they always live with the shortage of food, clothes and other articles of daily necessities. They do not have enough money and technology to improve the environment so it brings them to need the help of other countries for surviving. Besides, economic crises occur after several years, as a stage of the economic cycle. Given their capabilities and power, rich nations often recover more quickly than their poor counterparts. This means that the poor is not only more prone to negative impacts of economic crises but also in more difficult circumstances. In these cases, if we do not join our hands to offer them financial assistance, then the gap between the rich and the poor is become wider, lead to the loss of economic balance. When the living standard has been improved, they can afford to quality good and the trade all over the world will be more prosperous. Last but not least, sharing wealth with the poor is a humanitarian activity, and anyone can do it. This is the best lesson for children about the important of sharing in hard times. From that, the love of human races will be larger. However, the government of poorer countries should not only rely on others. They also have to improve their own situation by carrying out the reform in education, changing some unsound customs and opening to obtain the knowledge of the world. In conclusion, if the richer can give their wealth and the poorer can improve by themselves, we will soon have a thriving future.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Effect of EU Employment Policy on Management

Effect of EU Employment Policy on Management EU Legal Regulations in the Areas of Employment and Social Policy and How These Have Impacted Managers/Organisations Introduction/Background The influence of the European Union has been pervasive, and this is particularly true of developments in the areas of employment law and associated social policies. These policies have been aimed at augmenting the employment rights of workers within organisations, as well as improving their working conditions. Intersection points between social policy and employment regulations are a nuanced and complex subject area and this topic is an ideal focal point for the researcher interested in how European policies have impacted the roles and responsibilities of managers in the United Kingdom. The areas of employment policy regulations and social policy regulations are often symbiotic in nature. Therefore if one decides to embark upon a research initiative investigating the situation of workers within organisations within the European Union, it is difficult to conduct credible research without considering the areas of employment and social policy simultaneously. The writer proposes to examine how managers and other actors in similar roles have responded to this arguably more onerous and paternalistic conception of their duties[1]. A particular focus will be taken in the research and this will be health and safety legislation. This is a concept which has been influenced by both legal regulatory efforts within the European Union. Health and safety legislation also reflects the wider social policy goals of the European Union. Indeed as Randall ((2000) p34) has noted: ‘Promoting safety at work and protecting and improving the health of workers appear among the fundamental objectives for which the EC†¦.[2]’. Therefore, the theoretical research objectives of this project are twofold. Firstly, the role of the European Union in terms of social policy and employment regulation will be looked at, and at a more micro level the area of health and safety at work will be looked at in terms of the role played my managers at operationalisi ng European policies in the area of health and safety within organisations. The Research Question Therefore to recap the main thrust of the proposal for research; the writer feels that a good focal point for this project will be where social policy and employment regulation intersect. Therefore, the question of health and safety at work in the European Union will be the specific focus of the project, but this research focus will be contextualised with a wider examination of the role of the European Union in terms of social and employment policy. The literature review will focus on these two levels of analysis, and this will be used as a platform to introduce an original primary research orientated study on the impact of EU health and safety regulatory initiatives on managers within organisations. The research question will build upon this analysis by surveying the views of mangers in British corporate organisations in an effort to gauge how successful the EU have been in operationalising their social policy objectives in the area of health and safety employment policy. Other acto rs with expertise in this area will also be consulted. A key question here will be what effect the operation of the doctrine of supremacy has had upon the effectiveness of EU oversight of health and safety at work. Therefore one of the central research questions will be aimed at finding out whether the centralisation of control of health and safety policy (with the European Commission) has impacted upon the effectiveness of its implementation within member states such as the United Kingdom. This will enable the writer to principally gauge the opinions of those charged with the day to day implementation of health and safety employment policies, and to in doing so to identify any systemic or policy failures that may serve to reduce the overall effectiveness of health and safety employment policy. This will allow the writer to formulate a model of recommendations which may be able to address any specific failures in the implementation of health and safety employment policy and make suggestions as to how the system may be improved. Literature Review The literatures which will be used are those which will provide instruction on the development of the EU’s role in the implementation of social and employment policy, with a particular emphasis on the development of health and safety employment policy. These texts have been chosen as they will provide a comprehensive background to the study, adding depth and structure. Roberts and Springer ((2001) p152) have made the following comment upon the role of the European Union in terms of social policy and the regulation of workers in the workplace: ‘As the European Union prepares for the twenty-first century, it has a social policy adapted to the prevailing conditions and expectations of its citizens†¦..social policy no longer has an important advocate in Brussels or an ambitious agenda†¦.It is an interactive policy in which diverse actors participate in all aspects of it. The EU operates as a regulatory state and shares its roles in policymaking and policy implementation with numerous actors in a process best described as multilevel governance. Traditional European social values blended with the market values†¦.[3]’. Therefore, it is clear that the European Union recognises the importance of formulating an approach to social policy which is co-operative and aims not to thwart business and corporate actors in the European Union setting. This is a rationale which is clear also, at a micro level in terms of the implementation and regulation of health and safety employment policy at European Union level. A more in depth analysis of this topic and how it has evolved historically will follow below, in order to explain this rationale more fully. Article 3e (Title 1) of the ECSC Treaty contained the first indications that the health and safety of European Union workers was to be a concern dealt with at European Union level. These measures were incorporated into the Treaty of Rome and this incorporation invested the European Commission with specific competencies in the determination of the European Union’s approach to health and safety policy. The EURATOM Treaty, which was ratified in 1957 created the first initiative which was aimed at protecting the health and safety of workers uniformly at European Union level. Article 118 of the Treaty of Rome advocated co-operation between member states on the subject of health and safety legislation, and the role of the European Union was to facilitate partnerships between various actors responsible for health and safety policy. These actors included trade unions, governments, employers and international organisations. Randall ((2000) p34) has explained the rationale of the European Union in this consultative process: ‘The architects of the European Community (EC), not just contemporary Commission historians, had concluded that one of the principal requirements for developing a multinational agreement on health and safety†¦.was the presentation of proposals strongly endorsed by expert opinion. While the ECSC had sought, for some time, to draw experts into its work to reduce accidents in the mineral-extracting industries the High Authority (forerunner to the European Commission) had also learnt how important it was to work with the grain of member state opinion†¦.†¦.[4]’. In a more contemporary setting, the European Union continues to regulate the health and safety of workers at European Union level, however this regulation is now directed in a more centralised setting, as the European Commission grows in power and influence. Arguably, therefore the emphasis on consultation which (as we have seen explained above) was historically such a central tenet of heath and safety policy at European level, has become a less popular method of building consensus among member states and corporate actors. The area of health and safety at work is also governed by legislation at domestic level, within each member state. In Britain the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 mainly requires employers to carry out risk assessments and to appoint qualified and competent individuals to oversee health and safety in the workplace. Emergency procedures must be implemented at individual organisation level and these must be communicated to staff in a clear manner. Staff must also receive health and safety training[5]. The next section will look at how a research design may be implemented to evaluate both the effectiveness of the EU’s role in terms of formulating social policy and to evaluate how those whose responsibility it is to implement these policies at grassroots level (i.e. within organisations) have responded to increased EU regulation in this area. A Research Design The research design will involve a methodologically pluralistic design. This essentially means that both qualitative and quantitative methods will be used to facilitate the gathering of information[6]. A semi structured interview usually involves the trading of information on a two way basis, and this method will be relied upon as the main method of research. The main reason for this particular choice of method is that this subject is one that lends itself to qualitative discussion. This method will be complemented by the use of a survey which will add depth and a degree of perspective to the methodology. The writer decided to rely on the semi structured interview as the main method of qualitative enquiry as opposed to the focus group for example, for practical reasons. Within corporate organisations such as the targeted publics of this research proposal, confidentiality is a primary concern. The success of the writer’s project will be contingent upon the ability of particular individuals to be frank and open about their views, and this is not always possible in a focus group setting. Also, there is the practical consideration of where the focus groups might have been carried out, given the fact that the writer’s proposed research will involve a consultation of a diverse range of actors within differing locations within the UK. Therefore, semi structured interviews and surveys are the best way for an individual to solicit the viewpoints of those managers or other actors who are responsible for the implementation health and safety policies within corporate organisations. The writer will also approach organisations, such as trade unions and employers organisations such as the Confederation of British Industry to gather information which may be used to formulate a detailed chronology or EU interventions in terms of health and safety policy, and this can be used to compliment the literature which will form the theoretical basis of the study. A survey of mangers within organisations will be used to firstly gauge the views of managers and other actors responsible for the implementation of health and safety employment policy as to how successful European Interventions have been in the area of heath and safety employment policy and secondly, to gather a body of opinion on how health and safety legislation may be improved. These results will enable the writer to form views, for example on whether the role of the European Commission in the oversight of health and safety legislation has been an effective one. The next section will detail a breakdown of the implementation of this research design. A GANNT chart for Project Management and Discussion of Implementation Outline of Chapter Headings Introduction: EU Employment and Social Policy: The Role of the Commission Literature Review: Case Study: Health and Safety at Work; The Impact of EU Measures on British Corporate Organisations Methods Conclusion and Recommendations Evaluation: Possible Problems and Barriers to Completion Limited resources will possibly be a barrier to completion; however the writer intends to address this by adherence to a strictly organised and pre-planned research plan. The writer anticipates that this will also allow for cost minimising strategies to be implemented (for example letters will be sent out inviting respondents to interview, rather than reliance on telephone communication which is more expensive). Another possible problem and barrier to completion is that the respondents interviewed may not be necessarily representative of the entire body of corporate actors who implement health and safety employment policy. This problem will be addressed by the writer in two ways. Firstly, it is anticipated that appropriate planning will allow for the body of respondents to be selected in such a way as to allow an equal number of men and women, and an appropriate distribution of respondents in terms of race and age to be included in the study. Also, the writer feels that it may be necessary to travel to more than one location for the purposes of conducting interviews. The writer is also aware that health and safety legislation is implemented by a number of actors, not just corporate actors. However, these limitations will be justified throughout the research and as long as the writer does not attempt to make unjustified generalisations, and as long as the writer acknowledges the limitations that the research encountered, problems and barriers to research should not negate the importance and relevance of the proposed project. In conclusion this project intends to evaluate the effectiveness of the European Union as an overseer of health and safety employment legislation. It will be targeted at gathering the views of actors who implement health and safety employment policy, and it will also be aimed at gathering the viewpoints of those individuals such as trade associations and employers who have first hand experience of implementing the social policy objectives of the EU. This will enable the writer to critically examine how the system of health and safety employment policy operates and to suggest possible improvements. Bibliography Books Buse. K., Fustukian, S. and Lee, K. (2002) Health Policy in a Globalising World. Publisher: Cambridge University Press. Place of Publication: Cambridge, England. Frankfort-Nachmias, C. and Nachmias, D. (1996) Research Methods in the Social Sciences. Publisher: Arnold Publishers. Place of Publication; London. Randall, E. (2000) The European Union and Health Policy. Publisher: St. Martins Press. Place of Publication: New York. Roberts, I. and Springer, B. (2001) Social Policy in the European Union: Between Harmonization and National Autonomy. Publisher: Lynne Rienner. Place of Publication: Boulder, CO. Article Health and Safety Executive (2003) Health and Safety Regulation. Available at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/hsc13.pdf >>. 1 Footnotes [1] P3. Buse. K., Fustukian, S. and Lee, K. (2002) Health Policy in a Globalising World. Publisher: Cambridge University Press. Place of Publication: Cambridge, England. [2] P34. Randall, E. (2000) The European Union and Health Policy. Publisher: St. Martins Press. Place of Publication: New York. [3] P151. Roberts, I. and Springer, B. (2001) Social Policy in the European Union: Between Harmonization and National Autonomy. Publisher: Lynne Rienner. Place of Publication: Boulder, CO. [4] P34. Randall, E. (2000) The European Union and Health Policy. Publisher: St. Martins Press. Place of Publication: New York. [5] P1. Health and Safety Executive (2003) Health and Safety Regulation. Available at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/hsc13.pdf >>. [6] See Chapters One and Two of: Frankfort-Nachmias, C. and Nachmias, D. (1996) Research Methods in the Social Sciences. Publisher: Arnold Publishers. Place of Publication; London.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Hair Artists :: Hair Stylists Dressers Personal Narrative Papers

Hair Artists Without them we'd all be bald. You either need, know one or perhaps are one. What am I talking about you ask? Hair artists. Only a few of us can envision a design on the head of someone and successfully accomplish it. Only a few of us could possibly do it on our own heads. It's a talent no matter what, a talent that is sometimes ignored and at times not thought too highly of. I call hairstylists hair artists because they share their art of creation and imitation for many people on a daily-basis. Ever since I can remember my father, Jack, had been cutting men and women's hair. He was a locally known barber/stylist and artist. My father had paintings all on the walls of different buildings around town and had three hanging up in a hallway of my elementary school. Just like him, I could draw and sketch. I can remember being in first grade, telling my whole class I was going to be an artist like my daddy when I grew up (like my father I gained notoriety also, at my elementary school for having won poster contests, designed doors for teachers and sketches at the requests of classmates). With his lifestyle being my goal as a youngster, I'd never considered the work he performed on his customer's heads as art. He would sculpt, through cutting and styling, and design people's hair (some asked for etchings and other images in their head), but I never had a second thought that it would be something I wanted to do in the future. I didn't think this form of sculpture was an art form. Th at is to say, until my study on hairstylists. Some called me talented when they found out I'd designed the different hairstyles on my. An exact statement was, "You are just multi-talented." This was from a co-worker who only saw the different styles I wore on my hair. I'd just walked in with a different hairstyle than I'd had the previous week. I just brushed it off saying, "Its easy anybody can do it." When my boyfriend watched me braid a few people's hair he bragged about it to his family members, saying I was very "talented." I later came to the realization that styling hair was an art form that required talent. This notion came about through my study and a series of interviews I had with a few hair artists.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Mind over Matter: The Unique Components of Womanhood & Depressive Disor

Abstract: As I sat down to begin this re-write, I made sure to do one thing before diving back into the stack of compiled research I had gathered, I took one good deep breath. As I came towards the end of my exhale, I was hit with a realization; there is unwavering power in positive cognitive embrace. And that one statement sums up pretty what this paper is about. Along with conceptualizing the realities of depression and the many frameworks surrounding its existence, the primary goal of this paper is to discover the unique ways in which women can stand up to the symptoms of depressive disorders. The Basics The National Institute of Mental Health (2012) describes depression as a serious illness which also happens to be very prevalent within all populations. Depression doesn’t discriminate in regard to age, race, gender, or socioeconomic status. However through research, a clear distinction has been made, depression is being seen more and more in women as opposed to in men (2012). A number of factors have been accredited with this trend; among them include hormonal, biological, and affective differences (NIMH) in which are exclusive to women, and are not often seen in men. Indicating that there is a difference in how men and women experience depressive disorders is important but is only half the battle when it comes to developing effective and efficient treatments for this sometimes plagiarizing disorder. Current Psychological Research & Statistics Depressive disorders, projected by the World Health Organization to be amongst the leading sources of illness-prompted disabilities in women by the year 2020 (as cited by Tanti & Belzung, 2011); Furthermore it is believed that more than 16% of the American population will experience ... ...033-295X.115.2.291 Kelly, M. M., Tyrka, A. R., Price, L. H., & Carpenter, L. L. (2008). Sex differences in the use of coping strategies: predictors of anxiety and depressive symptoms. Depression & Anxiety (1091-4269), 25(10), 839-846. doi:10.1002/da.20341 National Institute of Mental Health.(nd.) Depression [Brochure]. Retrieved from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression-easy-to-read/depression-trifold.pdf Tanti, A., & Belzung, C. (2010). Open questions in current models of antidepressant action. British Journal Of Pharmacology, 159(6), 1187-1200. doi:10.1111/j.1476-5381.2009.00585.x Mind over Matter 10 Weinberger, A. H., McKee, S. A., & Mazure, C. M. (2010). Inclusion of Women and Gender-Specific Analyses in Randomized Clinical Trials of Treatments for Depression. Journal Of Women's Health (15409996), 19(9), 1727-1732. doi:10.1089/jwh.2009.1784

Friday, October 11, 2019

Consumer Attitudes and Purchase Intentions in Relation to Organic Foods Essay

Abstract The aim of this study is to find out the three (3) significant variables forming the positive attitude towards the buying the organic food in Peninsula Malaysia, which eventually lead to the ultimate intention in buying the organically-produced food. The different variables are focused on demographic characteristics on household income, product attributes and lastly the perceived value to the customers. This study shows that the household income is seemingly appeared to be an important predictor among the targeted segmentation in consuming organic food. Organic food attributes such as pricing, availability and environmentally friendliness of such organic food may influence consumer buying decision. Lastly, the perceived value from the customers towards organic food on its health effects, sensory appeal, nutrition-worth and belief of perceived benefits, often play an important role in cultivating the intention towards buying organic food. Introduction and Background of the Study Over the last two decades, there has been a remarkable increase in demand for organic-produced food or products. Organic food is often seen and marketed as health-conscious food which contains fewer contaminants, more nutrients and most importantly having a positive effect on the environment. It is known that some of these attributes are difficult to quantify, with the contrary that some of researcher has proved that they may cause such potential harm during the organic production. The organic market back in 80’s, while remaining a niche sector, has grown to be able to grab a share from the total spending on food in some countries in the recent years. Organic fruit and vegetables are amongst the products which have been expanding in the rapid production. The demand for organically-produced meat and dairy products has undergone the same rapid progress, with a corresponding increase in the need for organically grown forage and feed crops. This has led to a fast growth in consumer demand whereby the organic food sales have managed to gain a significant market share in the conventional food industry. The market for organically produced crops and commodities has become more structured, looking at the increased number of countries which have adopted uniform standards for organic food production. The standardization has also applied in the organic certification and labelling. While both the production and the marketing of the organic cultivation of temperate crops have developed, there is a trend to be seen whereby the developing country’s farmers are actively involved in the organic farming. Problem Statement and Importance of the Research Organic agriculture industry, no doubt, has offers most of the developing countries a wide range of economic, environment, social and cultural benefits. Certifies organic products have now been growing fast and in the mist of entering the global market. Malaysia, on the other hand, is still in the starting spark-point in adapting the organic-food consumption while the developed countries such as North America and Europe have already gained the biggest market share in this newest industry. Due to expanding markets and attractive price premiums, Malaysia should invent and invest in organically-produced food, taking into consideration of various significant variables which may form the consumer behaviour towards organic food. We would like to highlight that the ultimate goal of this study is to understand consumer’s motivations behind organic food products purchases in order to enable organic producers to develop a more effective strategic marketing plan. The results could be used for the marketing planning of organic food products to enable proper marketing strategies, a proper sales channel and promotion to be targeted to these groups of consumers. Research Questions The present study aims to answer the following questions: †¢ What are demographic characteristics of organic food buyers? †¢ How do demographic characteristics affect consumer attitudes towards organic foods? †¢ How product attributes effect consumer attitudes towards organic foods? †¢ How consumer perceived values influence consumer attitudes towards organic foods? †¢ What is the relationship between consumers’ attitudes towards organic foods and their intentions to purchase? †¢ How can results of the study be applied by managers and marketers? Research Objectives. Regarding to the significance of the growing market of organic foods in the world, and to the previous studies on consumer attitudes towards organic foods and its effects on purchase intentions in several countries (e. g. Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States and Denmark) we intend to carry out such similar studies in Peninsula Malaysia with objectives as the following: †¢ To report the descriptive analysis on the organic buyers’ demographic characteristics †¢ To identify the effects of demographic characteristics (specifically level of households income) on consumer attitudes towards organic foods. †¢ To determine effects of product attributes on consumer attitudes towards organic foods †¢ To investigate the relation of consumer perceived values to consumer attitudes towards organic foods †¢ To determine the relationship between consumers’ attitudes towards organic foods and their intentions to purchase †¢ To clarify implications for managers and marketers Literature Review Demographics Based on findings from previous research, demographic characteristics were evaluated as one of the major predictors in gaining intention to purchase the organic food in Peninsula Malaysia. According to Robinson R. and Smith C. (2002), the demographic of consumers consist of various characteristics namely the gender, age, household income and education level. Each element has been contributed in forming the valued attitudes towards buying the organic products. Hence, the demographic characteristics, especially on household income is seemingly significant and being the focus in this research. This will eventually lead to the desired intention in buying such products for daily consumption. Level of Household Income. Whilst referring to the studies done in the US, it is seemingly apparent that the demographic variables which herby refer as the income distribution, is significant predictors (Bartels & Reinders, 2009). The research on this particular subject has proven that income positively influenced buying behaviour which in turn may cause the perceived buying behaviour towards the organic food. A same result has shown in Germany as well (Bartels & Reinders, 2009). In Germany, demographic variables such as household income distribution have played an important role in developing significant effect on organic buying behaviour. However, the overall inevitability of the demographic characteristics was relatively different, taking into consideration of research carried in various Western countries. These findings verify the results of earlier studies by Clark & Goldsmith (2006) and Im et al. (2003) proven that the intellectual practice on using the demographic characteristics such as household income distribution and domain specific innovativeness will be seen as strategic tools for market segmentation. In the Western countries, research has identified that the demand and willingness in expenditure on organic goods often affiliated closely with various socioeconomic and demographic variables (Wier et al. , 2008). In addition, Menghi (1997) found that the majority households with middle and higher income levels showed a greater tendency in purchase and consuming organic foods. However, it is shown that almost all of these studies are based upon hypothesized future behaviour rather than observed behaviour in both Denmark and UK. Hence, studies have been carried out by researchers to further invent on the influences of demographic characteristics especially in household income in guiding the intention of buying the organic goods. Through the research it is revealed that higher disposable household income (approximated by total food expenditure) will lead to higher positive intention in purchasing the organic food. Consumers with a lower household income alongside with lower level of education are found to be least likely to have heard of organic agriculture (Roitner-Schobesberger et al. , 2008). On a contrary, those who have a higher income and hold an academic degree are more likely to be the target segmentation in purchasing organic products (Roitner-Schobesberger et al. , 2008). It is also mentioned that the correlation between the household income level is very much linked to the level of education as well. As mentioned by Robinson R. and Smith C. (2002), intended purchases of sustainably produced foods did not differ for demographic characteristics such as household annual income educational attainment. Through the research carried out by Ross NJ.et al. (2000), they have suggested that consumers with a higher earning incomes were more likely to have purchased locally produced food, mainly focus on the organic consumption by various segmentations. Their research and findings were supported earlier by Govindasamy R. and Italia J. (1998) whereby the same results applied. Groups with a higher household income tend to have purchased foods produced with reduced pesticides. In UK particularly, social group is employed as an indicator of income brackets (Wier et al. , 2008). Research has revealed that the tendency in purchase the organic goods seem to increase in accordance to the given social status. However, the highest organic budget shares are observed for middle class households whilst shares in the upper middle class being in fact lower. Quite captivatingly, a similar phenomenon is observed to be happened in Denmark as well. Organic Food Attributes Organic food attributes influence consumer buying decision. Several empirical studies have been performed on customer perceptions of organic food attributes and how they formed the consumer attitudes towards food. In the present research, among different product attributes, we have selected: price of organic food, environmentally friendliness of organic food and organic food availability. Price of Organic Food Organic foods are often of a price premium above conventional products. According to Roitner-Schobesberger et. al (2008) in Thailand the price difference between organic and non-labeled conventional vegetables in Bangkok varied between 50 percent and 170 percent and in some cases even 400 percent. However, in some countries such as Finland there were not significant premium prices for organic foods (Tarkiainen and Sundqvist, 2005). As Roitner-Schobesberger et. al (2008) pointed out that despite the price difference of organic and non-organic food, nearly 60% of the ‘organic buyers’ said that the price of organic products was not a problem. In addition, ‘non-organic buyers’ ranked some other items as a reason of not purchasing organic food rather than higher prices. Chryssohoidis & Krystallis (2005) claimed that while 100 percent of people would prefer organic to conventional products with the assumption of similar price, this percentages dropped by only 20 percent when the same question was posed regardless the higher price of organic food. In other words, higher price is an important obstacle for a limited percentage of consumers. Roitner-Schobesberger et. al (2008) found out that in Bangkok men were more likely to purchase organic foods than women and concluded that it might be due to the reason of men being willing to pay a higher price premium for organic products than women. Similarly, a study in Klang Valey, Malaysia showed that women werre more likely than men to agree that they would purchase more organic foods if they were less expensive (Ahmed, 2010). Additionally, heavy users were on average stage whereby they are willing to pay higher price premiums than medium and light users (Wier et. al, 2008). Environmentally friendliness of organic food Consumers are getting more conscious and concerned with the consumption of chemical substance used in farming and preserving environment is becoming a strong attitude among consumers. According to Tarkiainen and Sundqvist (2005), subjective norms’ effect on attitudes has been mainly found in behaviors, that involved some kind of ethical decision, and also buying organic food can be seen as ethical decision reflecting environmental concern. In addition, perceived quality is associated with environmentally friendly practices (Ness et. al, 2009). The perception of organic food products as environmentally friendly was a common intuition and has been examined in several studies (Ahmed, 2010; Honkanen et. al, 2006). It is believed that when the consumers have more concern about their health and environmental protection, they will be more likely to have a positive attitude to organic foods (Ness et. al, 2010). Honkanen et. al (2006) found that ecologically oriented consumers were more likely to form intentions to purchase and consume organic food. In other words, the more people are concerned about environment, the more positive attitude they have towards organic food. Organic Food Availability Lack of organic food availability and variety in store is considered as one of the barriers to consumer purchase. Fresh vegetables (which include fresh herbs) were considered the most widely available organic product group rather than other organic foods (Roitner-Schobesberger et. al, 2008). Chryssohoidis & Krystallis (2005) stated that limited availability was the main factor that hinders organic purchasing. Although according to Roitner-Schobesberger et. al (2008), in Thailand, majority of organic buyers were satisfied with availability of organic products. Most of them reported that they would like to buy more organic products, especially a wider range of vegetables. Value to the Customer. In every product that consumer purchased and used, they in turn are expecting value from it. Value can be defined as a benefit that consumer is receiving by using a product. Benefits here mean sensory appeal of the product, taste, fun, freshness, quality and healthiness of the products. These are some main reasons that encouraged consumer to purchase the organic food. The value may vary from one consumer to another; however there will definitely be one value that effect the buying attitude which motivate the buying intention of consumers. Health Effect of Organic Food Several perceptions contributed to health attribute include the reason of being good for health, good for children, not containing pesticides, high in fiber, natural and nutritious and safer to eat (Roitner-Schobesberger, et. al, 2008; Saher et. al 2006; Lockie et. al, 2002; Ness et. al, 2009). The perceived potential hazards of modern agricultural practices such as the use of pesticides and their residues in food were perceived to be associated with long term and unknown effects on health (Miles and Frewer, 2001;Wilkins & Hillers, 1994; Williams & Hammit, 2001). Saher et. al (2006) revealed that there is very little scientific support for the common beliefs that organic food would be more healthy or nutritious than regular foods, but the belief that they have these properties remains quite strong in consumer’s mindset. The claim is debatable whether marketers can use the health claim for marketing purposes because most of the research concluded that there was no evidence that organic food was healthier or more nutritious than conventional food (Honkanen et. al, 2006). However, most studies in this area suggested that consumer’s perception of organic food as a healthy nutrition is one the most significant motives for buyers. Lockie et al. (2002) pointed out that health was the one aspect consumers are least willing to compromise. Roitner-Schobesberger et. al (2008) in Bangkok, Thailand, examined the motives behind organic food purchase and pointed out that the most important motive was the expected positive health effects. Similarly in Malaysia, organic buyers believed that organic food was healthier compared to conventional grown food (Ahmed, 2010). In Thailand, the health aspect was closely associated with the residues from synthetic chemicals used in agriculture (Roitner-Schobesberger et. al, 2008). In fact, organic products often have a lower level of pesticide residues (Baker et al. , 2002). Lockie et. al (2002) revealed that although price was an important factor, organic consumers consider health has appeared as a more significant factor for purchasing organic food in Australia. These organic food consumers also believed that industrial methods of food processing constitute a threat to customer’s health. Another research by Schifferstein & Oude Ophuis (1997) illustrated that well-being was rated among all other motives by organic food buyers. On the other hand, Tarkiainen and Sundqvist (2005) by examining specific organic products (bread and flour) claimed that health consciousness did not explained the general attitudes towards organic food, although they believed this results might be different by examining different organic products. Sensory Appeals Sensory appeals of organic food are part of the factors that provides value to customer. Sensory appeals include the taste, odor and also the texture of the organic product (Prescott et. al, 2002). Sometimes sensory appeals of the organic food need to be combined with the non-sensory factors such as organic food related expectations to create a value to customer which will affect their attitude towards buying organic food (Prescott et. al, 2002). Sensory factors are also influenced by cultures and background of consumers. For example, consumers from Western countries eat less spicy food compared to those from Asia. Spicy organic food might produce high value to consumers in Asian countries compared to Western. Intrinsic cues or sensory appeal that are associated with physical characteristics of the product such as taste, size, color, appearance, smell, feel and flavor were commonly used as indicators of quality on the organic food (Schifferstein et. al,1997). Quality is also value that consumers experiencing by consuming an organic food. Better sensory appeal of organic food will portray a better quality which will influence the attitude of purchasing an organic food and later increase the intention of buying the organic food. One of the most prominent sensory appeals that yield more value to consumer is taste. According to Roitner-Schobesbergeris et. al (2008), taste was the third important motives that consumers purchase organic food (Roitner-Schobesbergeris et. al, 2008). Others studies also emphasized that many organic food buyers believed that organic food products taste better than conventional food even if sensory evaluations have yielded inconsistent results (Fillion and Arazi,2002; McEachern and McClean,2002; Zhao et al. ,2007). Perceived Value. One of the studies conducted in eight countries concluded that individual attitudes towards buying organic food are primarily based on the belief about the benefits (Thogersen, 2000). Benefits or value to consumers such as healthy, taste better and environment friendly supersede all the other factors such as belief about the cost. The same proven in one of the study conducted in Klang Valley. Most of the respondents reported that they choose to buy organic food products because they perceived organic food as very healthy, fresher and natural (Bayaah Ahmad et.all, 2010). As such, value of organic food towards customers’ effect their attitudes towards buying which will motivates their intention of purchasing the organic product. Consumers also value organic food as nutritional food since it is produced using traditional method whereby the original nutrition from the food is preserved. Nutrition belief was one of the reasons that made people appeared to have different food styles and often express themselves as having food adventurousness or pickiness (Chen, 2007). Organic food adds value to consumers who has such belief and it will influence their intention of consuming it by affecting the buying behavior. Besides, Chen (2007) points out that an individual’s personal interests or traits act a part in establishing personal food choice criteria through the values held by the individual. These values comprise nutrition beliefs, weight control concerns, and so on. For instance, people seem to have different food-styles and often express themselves as having food adventurousness or pickiness. Another important motive to purchase organic food as reported by Roitner-Schobesbergeris et. al (2008) is the consumer’s search for new, trendy and attractive food products. Attitudes towards Organic food and Intention to purchase Basically, consumer attitudes are found to be the most important predictor of intention to buy (Honkanen et. al, 2006). Several studies have found that higher perceived product quality leads to more positive re-purchase intentions (Bou-Llusar et. al, 2001; Hult, & Kandemir 2004; Tarkiainen & Sundqvist, 2005). Chen (7007) highlighted that if the consumer’s attitude towards organic foods is positive, the consumer’s attitude to purchase organic food will be more likely to be positive. This is also consistent with another study performed by Honkanen et. al (2006) indicating that relation between attitude and intention is positive and quite strong, indicating that consumers with positive attitudes towards consumption of organic food are more likely to form intentions to consume such food, therefore converting positive attitudes to intentions. Methodology Theoretical Research Framework [pic] Figure1. Theoretical Research Framework Hypothesis Development: Hypothesis 1: There is a relationship between demographic characteristics of consumers and their attitudes towards organic foods. Hypothesis 2: There is a relationship between organic food attributes and consumer’s attitudes towards the organic food. Hypothesis 3: There is a positive relationship between values of organic food to customer with attitudes towards buying organic foods. Hypothesis 4: When the consumer’s attitude towards organic foods is positive, the consumer’s intentions to purchase organic foods will be more likely to be positive. Research Design. The questionnaires are only designed in English; since the respondents are assumed to be relatively high educated they will be able to answer the questions without any difficulties. Furthermore it will help to keep the original meaning and understanding that respondents perceived to have towards the questions. Types of questions in questionnaires are mostly closed ended question and only two open ended question. This will only consume little time for the respondent to complete the questionnaire which will encourage them to participate in this study. There are three main categories in the prepared questionnaires. The questions in the first category are more towards understanding demographic details of the respondent such as on the age, income level, ethnicity, religion and educational level. This is useful to confirm the background of the organic food consumers. There are also questions on the product attributes which the respondents are asked to identify what are the main attributes that attract the purchase and also to determine whether this factor have a positive effect towards consumer attitude on organic food. Last part in the questionnaires is designed to understand the value of organic food to customers. All these questions are to test four hypotheses of this study. Data Collection The target population consists of organic food buyers in Peninsula Malaysia. In order to carry out the sampling Peninsula Malaysia is divided in to 3 major regions namely Northern, Central and Southern region. Northern region will be represented by Penang, Central region will be Klang Valley and Southern region of Peninsula Malaysia is represented by Johor Bahru. These three areas are chosen based on the economic development and availability of the organic products. From each region shopping complexes and supermarkets that provide organic products are identified. By using random sampling, three shopping complexes and supermarkets in urban areas are selected. Since target respondent with higher educational level and purchasing power are scattered around these urban areas, these will be perfect places to conduct this research. Those three supermarkets and shopping complexes are ensured to be far from each other so that the collected samples will be more accurate in representing the population in each region. Total sample size comprises of 540 individual respondents is collected using convenience sampling and respondents will be approached randomly. Since this study is conducted in large scale, convenient sampling will be more cost effective compared to other types of sampling. Furthermore conducting other types of sampling will be time consuming and the accuracy of the collected samples to represent the actual population will be questionable. In order to collect the data, 60 self-administered consumer questionnaire surveys are distributed in each shopping complexes which will result in 180 questionnaires from each region. Considering the validity of the data, we are expecting a total of about 500 questionnaires to be usable in the later part of data analysis. Although there is no way of knowing if those included are representative of the overall population, the survey is still expected to give a first overview of relevant issues and to allow to derive insights into the perception of organic food buyers in Peninsula Malaysia. Data Analysis After data is collected, data will be edited and coded. Editing data is very essential part of data analysis especially when researches involve open ended questions. Editing is done immediately after data is collected so that the respondent can be contacted if any clarification needed. The edited data are identified through usage of different fond and colors. Coding is done before data processing is conducted. Since most of the data collected involve ordinal scale, coding becomes prudent. By doing this data accurately keyed in and avoid wrong interpretation of data. Base on the three sections in the questionnaire, data is also coded in three main groups. Data processing is done using a software program called SPSS version 17. First of all the edited and coded data is checked and scanned through. Wrongly entered and coded data will be identified using the software through methods like identification of the maximum value. Values like variance, standard deviation, mean and range are used to understand the effectiveness of the questions asked in the questionnaire and how respondents reacted to the questions. The reliability and validity test is done to check the credibility of the data. The reliability test also conducted to test the relationship of the variables through the reliability coefficient. Validity test is done to assess all three factorial validity, convergent validity and also discriminant validity. References Ahmed, S. N. B. , 2010, Organic Food: A Study on Demographic Characteristics and Factors Influencing Purchase Intentions among Consumers in Klang Valley, Malaysia, International Journal of Business and Management 5, No. 2, Baker, B. , Benbrook, C. , Groth, E. , Benbrook, K. , 2002, Pesticide residues in conventional, integrated pest management (IPM)-grown and organic foods: insights from three US data sets. Food Additives and Contaminants 19, 427–446. Bartels J. and Reinders M. J. (2009). Social identification, social representations, and consumer innovativeness in an organic food context: A cross-national comparison, Food and Quality Preferences,1-6, Elsevier Ltd. Bou-Llusar, J. C. , Camison-Zornoza, C. , Escrig-Tena, A. B. , 2001, Measuring the relationship between firm perceived quality and customer satisfaction and its influence on purchase intentions, Total Quality Management, 12, 719–734. Chen, M. F, 2007, Consumer attitudes and purchase intentions in relation to organic foods in Taiwan: Moderating effects of food-related personality traits, Food Quality and Preference 18, 1008–1021. Chryssohoidis, G. M. , Krystallis, A. , 2005, Organic consumers_ personal values research: Testing and validating the list of values (LOV) scale and implementing a value-based segmentation task, Food Quality and Preference 16, 585–599. Clark, R. A. , & Goldsmith, R. E. (2006). Interpersonal influence and consumer innovativeness. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 30(1), 34–43. Govindasamy R, Italia J. (1998). A willingness to purchase comparison of integrated pest management and conventional produce. Agribusiness. 14:403-414. Honkanen, P. , Verplanken, B. & Olsen, S. O., 2006, Ethical values and motives driving organic food choice, Journal of Consumer Behaviour 5, 420–430. Fillion,L. ,Arazi,S. ,2002. Does organic food taste better? A claim substantiation approach. Nutrition and Food Science 32, 153-157. Im, S. , Bayus, B. L. , & Mason, C. H. (2003). An empirical study of innate consumer innovativeness, personal characteristics, and new-product adoption behavior. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 31(1), 61–73. Keillor, B. D. , Hult, G. T. M. , & Kandemir, D. (2004). A study of the service encounter in eight countries. Journal of International Marketing, 12, 9–35. Lockie, S., Lyons, K. , Lawrence, G. , Mummery, K. , 2002. Eating ‘green’: Motivations behind organic food consumption in Australia. Sociologia Ruralis 42, 23–40. McEachern,M. ,McClean,P. ,2002. Organic purchasing motivations and attitudes: are they ethical? International Journal of consumer studies 26, 85-92. Menghi, A. (1997). Consumer Response to Ecological Milk in Sweden. Swedish Agricultural University, Uppsala. Miles,S. , & Frewer, L. J,2001. Investigating specific concerns about different food hazards. Food Quality & Preference, 12, 47-61. Ness, M. R. , Ness, M. , Brennan, M. , Oughton, E. , Ritson, C. , Ruto, E., 2009, Modeling consumer behavioral intentions towards food with implications for marketing quality low-input and organic food, Food Quality and Preference 21, 100–111. Prescott, J. , Young, O. , O’Neill, L. , Yau, N. J. N. , 2002, Motives for food choice: a comparison of consumers from Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia and New Zealand. Food Quality and Preference 13, 489 – 495. Robinson R. and Smith C. (2002). Psychosocial and Demographic Variables Associated with Consumer Intention to Purchase Sustainably Produced Foods as Defined by the Midwest Food Alliance, Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior Volume 34 (6), 316-325. Roitner-Schobesberger ,B. , Darnhofer, I. , Somsook, S. , Vogl, C. R. , 2008, Consumer perceptions of organic foods in Bangkok, Thailand, Food Policy 33, 112–121. Ross NJ, Anderson MD, Goldberg JP, Rogers BL. (2000). Increasing purchases of locally grown produce through worksite sales: an ecological model. J Nutr Educ. 32:304-313. Saher, M. , Lindeman, M. , Koivisto Hursti, U. , 2006, Attitudes towards genetically modified and organic foods, Appetite 46, 324–331. Schifferstein, H. N. J & Oude Ophuist, P. M.A, 1997, Health-Relatede Determinants of organic food Consumption in the Netherlands, Food Quality and Preference 9, 119-133. Tarkiainen, A. & Sundqvist, S. , 2005, Subjective norms, attitudes and intentions of Finnish consumers in buying organic food, British Food Journal 107, No. 11, 808-822 Thogersan. J, 2000, predicting consumer choices of organic food: Results from the CONDOR Project, Wier, M. , Jensen, K. , Andersen, L. M. , Millock, K. , 2008, The character of demand in mature organic food markets: Great Britain and Denmark compared, Food Policy 33, 406–421. Wilkins, J. L. , & Hillers, V. N, 1994. Influences of pesticide residue and environmental concerns on organic foods preference among food cooperative members and non-members in Washington State. Journal of Nutrition Education, 26, 26-33. Williams, P. RD. , & Hammit, J. K, 2001. Perceived risks of conventional and organic produce: Pesticides, pathogens, and natural toxins. Risk Analysis, 21, 319-330. Zhao,X. ,Chambers,E. ,Matta,Z. ,Loughin,T. ,Carey,E. ,2007, Consumer sensory analysis of organically and conventionally grown vegetables, Journal of Food Science 72, 87-91.