Sunday, December 29, 2019

Essay on health drinks - 1622 Words

Importance and Effects of Health drinks and Soft drinks in 21st century Introduction: Here we are going to discuss about the relevance and effects of health drinks and soft drinks like coke. We have explained in our study the advantages and disadvantages of these drinks. What are the ingredients of these drinks? How are they affecting every age group in the 21st century? Should they be used or not and if used in what amounts. The importance of these drinks help us to peep into their world and the drinking habits developed by people. According to a study 33% of U.S. adults that are 20 years of age or older are estimated to be overweight. Furthermore, over 58 million Americans weigh at least 20% or more than their ideal body weight. With†¦show more content†¦It is the most healthy out of the five energy drinks, and contains the least amount of calories and sugars. Now the problems with the consumption of regular soda beverages like coca-cola and Pepsi. Americans drink more soda pop than ever before: †¢nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;These popular beverages account for more than a quarter of all drinks consumed in the United States. †¢nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;More than 15 billion gallons were sold in 2000. †¢nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;That works out to at least one 12-ounce can per day for every man, woman and child. Kids are heavy consumers of soft drinks, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and they are guzzling soda pop at unprecedented rates. Carbonated soda pop provides more added sugar in a typical 2-year-old toddlers diet than cookies, candies and ice cream combined. Fifty-six percent of 8-year-olds down soft drinks daily, and a third of teenage boys drink at least three cans of soda pop per day. Nearly everyone by now has heard the litany on the presumed health effects of soft drinks: †¢nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Obesity †¢nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Tooth decay †¢nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Caffeine dependence †¢nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Weakened bones Obesity: One very recent, independent, peer-reviewed study demonstrates a strong link between soda consumption and childhood obesity. OneShow MoreRelatedHealth Problems Of Energy Drinks958 Words   |  4 PagesWould you drink something that is associated with health problems and even death? Energy drinks are highly caffeinated beverages that many people have become depended on to make it through the day. They are used to give individuals a quick energy boost to help achieve things that need done. Today many people question how safe energy drinks really are, as for the quick energy they supply. They are known to cause multiple health issues such as: anxiety, restlessness, nervousness, stomach problems,Read MoreHow Energy Drinks Affect Health1135 Words   |  5 PagesHow Energy Drinks Affect Health Have you ever been drinking an energy drink and asked yourself, â€Å"is this good for me? Am I hurting my body by drinking this?† Well, I have done some research that shows the pros and cons of consuming energy drinks. Energy drinks are good for your health. Some studies show that they can improve memory,concentration, and athletic performance. Many energy drinks can contain B vitamins, water-soluble vitamins that aid in cell metabolism and support nervous and immune systemRead MoreSpeech : Energy Drinks, Health Benefits, And Risks1051 Words   |  5 PagesTitle: Energy drinks, health benefits, and risks. Introduction Attention Getting Device: How many of you all drink energy by a raise of hands So a lot people, today in going to tell you the health factors that in valve drinking energy drinks. Thesis/Central Purpose (i.e. The purpose of my speech is to____________) The purpose of my speech today is to inform you the health benefits and negatives of drinking energy drinks. I am also going to explain to you the more healthy energy drinks, that don’tRead MoreEssay about The Health Danger of Energy Drinks735 Words   |  3 PagesEnergy drinks are a kind of refreshments that are advertised as soft drinks that boost energy. The truth is these kinds of drinks are full of many harmful ingredients, such as sugar, stimulants, and other herbal supplements. Energy drinks are targeting high school and college students who may use this kind of drink to keep them awake for a midterm, or even give them a hallucination feeling any other alcoholic beverages will do. Many studies showed the disadvantageous of these drinks, yet this industryRead MoreHealth Drink1869 Words   |  8 PagesExecutive summary: 1.1 Background India, the world’s largest malt-based drinks market, accounts for 22% of the world’s retail volume sales. These drinks are traditionally consumed as milk substitutes and marketed as a nutritious drink, mainly consumed by the old, the young and the sick. The Health food drinks category consists of white drinks and brown drinks. South and East India are large markets for these drinks, accounting for the largest proportion of all India sales. The total market isRead MoreCaffeine, Caffeine And Health Benefits Between Coffee And Energy Drinks And How They Each Affect Brain Function1242 Words   |  5 PagesCaffeine Additives in Beverages Many people either enjoy to drink a cup of coffee, an energy drink, or sometimes both. People drink these without any knowledge of them other than the fact that they contain caffeine. How much caffeine do they contain though? Are these drinks even considered to be healthy for humans? There are various differences in the nutritional facts, caffeine absorption, and health benefits between coffee and energy drinks and how they each affect brain function. Black coffee isRead MoreThe Marketing Plan for the Health Pure Fruits Drinks2448 Words   |  10 Pagesor The Marketing Plan for the Health Pure Fruits Drinks Introduction Pepsi, as one of the most successful drinks brands, has more than 100 years’ history since it established. At the beginning of Pepsi, it was made by a pharmacist to treat stomach illness in 1898. Nowadays, PepsiCo is an international corporation within more than One hundred and forty thousand employees around two hundreds countries. During the evolution of Pepsi, it insisted consistently on its marketing position which concentratesRead MoreAddiction : Coffee And Energy Drinks990 Words   |  4 Pageselectronics, but as time progresses, coffee and energy drinks have become one of American’s top addictions. Both drinks are consumed on a daily basis by many to help with their workload and to boost their energy levels. Although, coffee and energy drinks share some health issues, alteration of moods, and provision of energy, they differ in the amount of sugar and caffeine they contain. Coffee is a brewed drink made from roasted coffee beans. This drink contains caffeine and is consumed by many aroundRead MoreDiet Pop And Its Effects On Human Health944 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction Many people have faced problems in deciding which pop to drink, regular or diet. People have different opinions on the reasons why they prefer one particular pop to another. Through various researches done all over the world, people have tried to figure out specific causes of ailments especially those thought to be associated with food. As an avid pop drinker, the need to know the best pop option has made me curious about how big of a difference there is. It is important to know theRead MorePreparing Your Argument Essay634 Words   |  3 Pagesfrom different organizations and people who have studied the subject. Source: electronic Web, www.thepolypost.com Provides not only opinions but facts as well. Chart, graph, infographic: Web, www.businessinsider.com It shows that high sugary drink consumption is associated with diabetes. Writing Your Claim 1. Complete the following sentence: I plan to prove that... - I plan to prove that putting the soda ban in effect can reduce obesity rates. 2. Cross out I plan to prove that. What

Saturday, December 21, 2019

Person Centred Therapy Offers the Therapist All That...

In the field of Counselling and Psychotherapy there are many differing theories which are used to help those who seek counselling including Person Centred Therapy. Person Centred Therapy has been described as one nation, many tribes by Pete Sanders. In many parts of the world Person-Centred Therapy (PCT) is seen as a family of therapies, including Experiential Psychotherapy and Focusing. Closely associated with PCT are Existential Therapy and various integrative approaches. Since Carl Rogers’ death, there has been much debate regarding what can and cannot rightly claim to be called ‘Person-Centred Therapy. ’Proponents of the differing Tribes argue for their schools of thought. (Warner 2006). At the heart of all the differing thoughts†¦show more content†¦Many critics of the theory have misunderstood Roger’s concepts and commented that this is outmoded today, and according to Bohart (2007) the critics were saying that it â€Å"glorifies the individual at the expense of others†. Wilkins (2003) argued that Roger’s concept of self-actualization is culturally biased, reflecting a Western cultural emphasis on the separate, autonomous individualistic self. However, Bohart states that Roger’s concept of self as culture-specific is compatible with cultures which view the self in relational rather than individualistic terms, and even cultures that have no concept of self. Self-actualizations means enhancing or actualizing the self as the self is defined for that person and culture. Roger’s did believe that the tendency of actualization of a person in therapy was to always go in a positive pro social direction, but critics state that it may lead to self centred narcissistic behaviour (Bozarth and Brodley, 1991). Roger’s recognized that environmental and social factors (introjected conditions of worth) could inhibit or distort the process of actualization so that a negative rather than positive outcome may occur, but also that the fully functioning person is ‘soundly and realistically social’ (Rogers 1961 c) Rogers postulated that therapeutic movement will only occur if, and only if, 6 conditions were in place between the therapist and client. The first condition of Person centred therapy is that therapist and client shouldShow MoreRelatedEvaluate the Claim That Person-Centred Therapy Offers the Therapist All That He/She Will Need to Treat Clients2368 Words   |  10 Pagesthis essay I have been asked to Evaluate the claim that Person-Centred therapy offers the therapist all that he/she will need to treat clients. In order to do this, I plan to firstly look at the theory of person-centred therapy, examining its roots and fundamental principles. Secondly, I will look at key criticisms of the model and evaluate the â€Å"weight† of such criticisms. Underlying Theory of Person-Centred Counselling The Person-Centred approach to counselling was pioneered by Carl Rogers inRead More‘Evaluate the Claim That Person-Centred Therapy Offers the Therapist All That He/She Will Need to Treat Clients.2461 Words   |  10 Pages‘Evaluate the claim that Person-Centred Therapy offers the therapist all that he/she will need to treat clients.’ The Person Centred approach is based upon the theory and philosophy of Carl Rogers. This approach in its set-up is familiar to the general public as it is depicted in the media and is often expected therefore that a counselling session would take place in this format. At first glance the counselling process which has derived from the theory of Rogers, in a real therapy situation appearsRead MoreEvaluate the Claim That Person-Centred Therapy Offers the Therapist All That He/She Will Need to Treat Clients2502 Words   |  11 Pagesthe claim that Person-Centred Therapy offers the therapist all that he/she will need to treat clients† The humanistic movement was established as a way to expand and improve upon the two other schools of thought; behaviourism and psychoanalysis, which had, up until the first half of the 20th century dominated psychology. An American theorist called Abraham Maslow began to research creativity in humans through art and science. He first introduced his concept of a hierarchy of needs in his 1943 paperRead More‘’Evaluate the Claim That Person-Centred Therapy Offers the Therapist All That He/She Will Need to Treat Clients‘’.2560 Words   |  11 PagesIndisputably, in recent years there has been an influx in people seeking therapy for a multitude of reasons relating to personal growth, marital or family conflict and work dissatisfaction to name a few. One of the recognized theories of counselling today was developed by the humanistic psychologist Carl Rogers in the 1940s and although this new approach to psychotherapy ran contrary to the theories dominant at the t ime, person-centred therapy is considered one of the major therapeutic approaches nowadaysRead MorePerson centred therapy2630 Words   |  11 Pages 5th November 2013 Essay 1: ‘Evaluate the claim that Person–Centred Therapy offers the therapist all that he/she will need to treat clients’. In this essay I will look at the benefits and the disadvantages of person-centred therapy and consider whether it provides sufficient tools for the therapist to be effective in the treatment of the client. Looking at the underlying theory (self-actualisation, organismic self, conditions of worth etc), andRead MoreEssay 1 Person Centred Therapy2836 Words   |  12 Pagesï » ¿Evaluate the claim that Person-Centred Therapy offers the therapist all that he/she will need to treat clients. Introduction In this essay I will look at the claim that Person-Centred Therapy offers the therapist all that he/she will need to treat clients. Firstly, I will outline what Person-Centred therapy is and look at what its originator, Carl Rogers’, theories behind this approach are. I will then discuss some of the criticisms that have been made about Person-Centred Therapy, and weigh them upRead MoreEvaluate the Claim That Person Centered Therapy Offers Tthe Therapist All That He/She Need to Treat Clients2987 Words   |  12 PagesModule one | Tutor | Jackie Smith | Essay Title / Work | â€Å"Evaluate the claim that Person-Centred Therapy offers the therapist all that he/she will need to treat clients† | Word Count | 2723 | INTRODUCTION My aim is to explore Carl Rogers theory that Person Centred Therapy was a complete system for therapists to offer help in a counselling way to clients presenting with a full variety of issues. I will do this by establishing my understanding of the basicRead More‘’Evaluate the Claim That Person-Centered Therapy Offers the Therapist All That He/She Will Need to Treat Clients’’2428 Words   |  10 Pageswords Course code: ‘’Evaluate the claim that Person-centered therapy offers the therapist all that he/she will need to treat clients’’ This essay is intended to explore the statement that Person-centered therapy offers therapists all they need to treat clients. In order to do this I intend to further explore the opinions of other individuals practicing and researching counseling therapies. My first thoughts are that if the Person centered approach was sufficient, there might not haveRead MoreA Long Term Care Home2736 Words   |  11 PagesBackground Lily lived in a long-term care home for almost two years. She and her husband Arthur have been married for 52 years and have had a very close relationship. They didn’t have any children. Lily’s husband would visit her in the care home twice a day. Over the course of a few months Lily’s condition began to deteriorate. She wouldn’t accept food and fluids and she died peacefully with her husband present. Arthur had a memorial service for Lily, but few friends came. Arthur had stopped visitingRead MoreModels of Counselling Within My Context2989 Words   |  12 Pagesways, and different forms of helping people. Helping others could make another person feel better either inside, or about them self. ‘Helping’ is one of those taken for granted words. It is a familiar part of our vocabulary. Traditionally, for example, social workers, youth workers and support workers, guidance counsellors and psychologist have been talked about as members of the help ing professions. The question, do you need some help? Should be part of our daily business as informal and formal educators

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Of freindship Essay Example For Students

Of freindship Essay It had been hard for him that spake it to have put more truth and untruth together in few words, than in that speech, Whosoever is delighted in solitude, is either a wild beast or a god. For it is most true, that a natural and secret hatred, and aversation towards society, in any man, hath somewhat of the savage beast; but it is most untrue, that it should have any character at all, of the divine nature; except it proceed, not out of a pleasure in solitude, but out of a love and desire to sequester a mans self, for a higher conversation: such as is found to have been falsely and feignedly in some of the heathen; as Epimenides the Candian, Numa the Roman, Empedocles the Sicilian, and Apollonius of Tyana; and truly and really, in divers of the ancient hermits and holy fathers of the church. But little do men perceive what solitude is, and how far it extendeth. For a crowd is not company; and faces are but a gallery of pictures; and talk but a tinkling cymbal, where there is no love. The Latin adage meeteth with it a little: Magna civitas, magna solitudo; because in a great town friends are scattered; so that there is not that fellowship, for the most part, which is in less neighborhoods. But we may go further, and affirm most truly, that it is a mere and miserable solitude to want true friends; without which the world is but a wilderness; and even in this sense also of solitude, whosoever in the frame of his nature and affections, is unfit for friendship, he taketh it of the beast, and not from humanity. A principal fruit of friendship, is the ease and discharge of the fulness and swellings of the heart, which passions of all kinds do cause and induce. We know diseases of stoppings, and suffocations, are the most dangerous in the body; and it is not much otherwise in the mind; you may take sarza to open the liver, steel to open the spleen, flowers of sulphur for the lungs, castoreum for the brain; but no receipt openeth the heart, but a true friend; to whom you may impart griefs, joys, fears, hopes, suspicions, counsels, and whatsoever lieth upon the heart to oppress it, in a kind of civil shrift or confession. It is a strange thing to observe, how high a rate great kings and monarchs do set upon this fruit of friendship, whereof we speak: so great, as they purchase it, many times, at the hazard of their own safety and greatness. For princes, in regard of the distance of their fortune from that of their subjects and servants, cannot gather this fruit, except to make themselves capable thereof they raise some persons to be, as it were, companions and almost equals to themselves, which many times sorteth to inconvenience. The modern languages give unto such persons the name of favorites, or privadoes; as if it were matter of grace, or conversation. But the Roman name attaineth the true use and cause thereof, naming them participes curarum; for it is that which tieth the knot. And we see plainly that this hath been done, not by weak and passionate princes only, but by the wisest and most politic that ever reigned; who have oftentimes joined to themselves some of their servants; whom both themselves have called friends, and allowed other likewise to call them in the same manner; using the word which is received between private men. L. Sylla, when he commanded Rome, raised Pompey after surnamed the Great to that height, that Pompey vaunted himself for Syllas overmatch. For when he had carried the consulship for a friend of his, against the pursuit of Sylla, and that Sylla did a little resent thereat, and began to speak great, Pompey turned upon him again, and in effect bade him be quiet; for that more men adored the sun rising than the sun setting. With Julius CÃÆ'ƒÂ ¦sar, Decimus Brutus had obtained that interest, as he set him down, in his testament, for heir in remainder, after his nephew. And this was the man that had power with him, to draw him forth to his death. For when CÃÆ'ƒÂ ¦sar would have discharged the senate, in regard of some ill presages, and specially a dream of Calpurnia; this man lifted him gently by the arm out of his chair, telling him he hoped he would not dismiss the senate, till his wife had dreamt a better dream. And it seemeth his favor was so great, as Antonius, in a letter which is recited verbatim in one of Ciceros Philippics, calleth him venefica, witch; as if he had enchanted CÃÆ'ƒÂ ¦sar. Augustus raised Agrippa though of mean birth to that height, as when he consulted with MÃÆ'ƒÂ ¦cenas, about the marriage of his daughter Julia, MÃÆ'ƒÂ ¦cenas took the liberty to tell him, that he must either marry his daughter to Agrippa, or take away his life; there was no third way, he had made him so great. With Tiberius CÃÆ'ƒÂ ¦sar, Sejanus had ascended to that height, as they two were termed, and reckoned, as a pair of friends. Communism (2628 words) EssaySo as there is as much difference between the counsel, that a friend giveth, and that a man giveth himself, as there is between the counsel of a friend, and of a flatterer. For there is no such flatterer as is a mans self; and there is no such remedy against flattery of a mans self, as the liberty of a friend. Counsel is of two sorts: the one concerning manners, the other concerning business. For the first, the best preservative to keep the mind in health, is the faithful admonition of a friend. The calling of a mans self to a strict account, is a medicine, sometime too piercing and corrosive. Reading good books of morality, is a little flat and dead. Observing our faults in others, is sometimes improper for our case. But the best receipt best, I say, to work, and best to take is the admonition of a friend. It is a strange thing to behold, what gross errors and extreme absurdities many especially of the greater sort do commit, for want of a friend to tell them of them; to the great damage both of their fame and fortune: for, as St. James saith, they are as men, that look sometimes into a glass, and presently forget their own shape and favour. As for business, a man may think, if he will, that two eyes see no more than one; or that a gamester seeth always more than a looker-on; or that a man in anger, is as wise as he that hath said over the four and twenty letters; or that a musket may be shot off as well upon the arm, as upon a rest; and such other fond and high imaginations, to think himself all in all. But when all is done, the help of good counsel is that which setteth business straight. And if any man think that he will take counsel, but it shall be by pieces; asking counsel in one business, of one man, and in another business, of another man; it is well that is to say, better, perhaps, than if he asked none at all; but he runneth two dangers: one, that he shall not be faithfully counselled; for it is a rare thing, except it be from a perfect and entire friend, to have counsel given, but such as shall be bowed and crooked to some ends, which he hath, that giveth it. The other, that he shall have counsel given, hurtful and unsafe though with good meaning, and mixed partly of mischief and partly of remedy; even as if you would call a physician, that is thought good for the cure of the disease you complain of, but is unacquainted with your body; and therefore may put you in way for a present cure, but overthroweth your health in some other kind; and so cure the disease, and kill the patient. But a friend that is wholly acquainted with a mans estate, will beware, by furthering any present business, how he dasheth upon other inconvenience. And therefore rest not upon scattered counsels; they will rather distract and mislead, than settle and direct. After these two noble fruits of friendship peace in the affections, and support of the judgment, followeth the last fruit; which is like the pomegranate, full of many kernels; I mean aid, and bearing a part, in all actions and occasions. Here the best way to represent to life the manifold use of friendship, is to cast and see how many things there are, which a man cannot do himself; and then it will appear, that it was a sparing speech of the ancients, to say, that a friend is another himself; for that a friend is far more than himself. Men have their time, and die many times, in desire of some things which they principally take to heart; the bestowing of a child, the finishing of a work, or the like. If a man have a true friend, he may rest almost secure that the care of those things will continue after him. So that a man hath, as it were, two lives in his desires. A man hath a body, and that body is confined to a place; but where friendship is, all offices of life are as it were granted to him, and his deputy. For he may exercise them by his friend. How many things are there which a man cannot, with any face or comeliness, say or do himself? A man can scarce allege his own merits with modesty, much less extol them; a man cannot sometimes brook to supplicate or beg; and a number of the like. But all these things are graceful, in a friends mouth, which are blushing in a mans own. So again, a mans person hath many proper relations, which he cannot put off. A man cannot speak to his son but as a father; to his wife but as a husband; to his enemy but upon terms: whereas a friend may speak as the case requires, and not as it sorteth with the person. But to enumerate these things were endless; I have given the rule, where a man cannot fitly play his own part; if he have not a friend, he may quit the stage.

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Capital Structure and Wacc Calculation free essay sample

In 2008, the company continued to set the pace for industry growth. Revenues as well as per-share earnings increased during this period. The company strengthened its position in key consumer segments and returned value to stockholders through two means – stock buybacks and strong dividends. Highlights of the company’s 2008 financial performance include consolidated revenues that were up more than 4% over the previous year, reported EPS growth at 11. % to $2. 16 per share, return of $15. 6 to shareholders through share buybacks and strong dividends. About 43. 8% of the total capital of the company comes from debt and the remaining comes from equity. The cost of the different components of its capital structure are – debt: 2. 92% (after-tax cost), and equity: 9. 49%. The WACC is 6. 61%, based on the capital structure outlined. The effective tax rate is 35. 4%. ATT has had dividend growth for the last 25 years. The dividend growth this year was 2. % and the last yea r was 12. 7%. Dividends declared totalled . 61 per share in 2008, $1. 465 per share in 2007 and $1. 35 per share in 2006. The dividend policy considers both the expectations and requirements of stockholders, internal requirements of ATT and long-term growth opportunities. Introduction ATT is the largest communications holding company in the world by revenue. It is also one of the largest companies on the Fortune 500 and Fortune Global 500 lists. In 2008, the company had reported consolidated revenue of $124 billion. Randall L. Stephenson is the chairman and chief executive officer of ATT, whose global headquarters are in Dallas, Texas, USA and the company employs a workforce of over 294,000 worldwide. ATT is America’s fastest 3G network serving 81. 6 million customers. The company’s offerings include voice coverage in more than 215 countries, data roaming in more than 185 and 3G in more than 100 countries. ATT is the U. S. ireless carrier for the new iPhone 3GS, which launched in June 2009 and revolutionized the industry. It is also the only U. S. national service provider to offer a 100 percent IP-based television service with U-verse TV and the USAs largest provider of broadband — more than 17. 1 million high speed Internet subscribers (as of 3Q09). Apart from broadband, ATT is also the largest Wi-Fi provider, offering customers access at more than 125,000 hot spots spanning countries around the world. ATT is one of the worlds largest providers of IP-based communications services for businesses, with an extensive portfolio of Virtual Private Network (VPN), Voice over IP (VoIP) and other offerings, as well as the USAs largest directory publisher, delivering print directories to 173 million. The company is also the leading U. S. provider of local and long distance voice services and a world leader in the transport and termination of wholesale traffic — widely recognized for its industry-leading wholesale services portfolio. In 2008, the company continued to set the pace for industry growth. Revenues as well as per-share earnings increased during this period. The company strengthened its position in key consumer segments and returned value to stockholders through two means – stock buybacks and strong dividends. Highlights of the company’s 2008 financial performance include consolidated revenues that were up more than 4% over the previous year, reported EPS growth at 11. 3% to $2. 16 per share, return of $15. 6 to shareholders through share buybacks and strong dividends. Financial statements We have reproduced below, the financial statements of the company from its 2008 annual report. Debt consists of the borrowings of the company, in the form of notes, bonds, bank loans and other loans taken on by the company. A company must pay interest on its loans, which is the cost of borrowing the funds. The rate of interest paid represents the cost of this borrowing to the company and hence the cost of this component of the company’s capital structure. Equity consists of the capital invested by owners of the company’s stock; equity includes common share capital, retained earnings and additional paid-in capital. The sum of these three forms the shareholders’ equity portion of a company’s balance sheet. The returns to equity for an investor come from two sources – capital appreciation and dividends. Capital appreciation is the increase in the value of the ownership position in the company. Dividends are the periodic earnings distribution done by the company. The cost of equity is the required rate of return on the stock. Preferred stock is a special kind of stock which pays fixed dividends to its owners. A preferred stock does not include any voting rights, and preferred stock holders have a superior claim to company earnings than common stock holders, i. e. preferred stock holders must be paid off before earnings can be distributed to the common stock holders. The amount of debt present in a company’s capital structure is referred to as financial leverage. There is a trade-off involved here – the higher the amount of debt, the higher the financial risk, i. e. the risk of bankruptcy as there is a higher chance that the company may not be in a position to fulfil its financial obligations; however, a higher debt component in a company’s capital structure also means possibility of higher returns as the returns required on debt are lower than those required on equity. Calculating the capital structure of ATT All figures are in millions of $ Calculate the total debt: Debt maturing within one year 14119 Long-term debt 60872 Total Debt 74991 Total shareholders’ equity from balance sheet: Shareholders equity 96347 Total capital calculated as the sum of individual capital components: Total Debt 74991 Shareholders equity 96347 Total Capital 171338 Proportion of each component in the capital structure is calculated as follows: Total Debt 74991 74991 / 171338 0. 438 Shareholders equity 96347 96347 / 171338 0. 562 Total Capital 171338 1. 000 Capital structure of ATT: Capital Component Proportion in capital structure Debt 0. 438 Equity 0. 562 Cost of capital WACC or weighted average cost of capital is the average cost of the company’s capital weighted for the amounts of each type of capital in the capital structure. WACC = (Required Return on equity * proportion of equity) + (Required Return on preferred * proportion of preferred) + Required Return on debt * proportion of debt * (1-tax rate)) The required return on equity is given by solving the DDM (Dividend Discount Model) equation for k: Cost of equity = (D1 / P0) + g Similarly, the cost of preferred stock is given by the yearly dividend d ivided by the market price of the stock. Cost of preferred stock = Dp / P0 The cost of debt is the after-tax interest rate paid by the company on its debt. Cost of debt = Interest rate paid on debt * (1 – tax rate) We multiply the interest rate (required return) on debt by (1-tax rate) because the interest paid on debt is deducted while calculating taxable income. Calculating the cost of capital of ATT Effective tax rate = 35. 4% [available in annual report] Dividend growth rate = 2. % [available in annual report] Current value of ATT stock (NYSE:T) = $27. 32 [available online] Interest expense = 3390 [from income statement] Dividend per share = $1. 61 [from financial statements] Earnings per share = $2. 17 [from financial statements] Net income = 12867 [from income statement] Interest rate on company’s debt = (Interest expense / Total debt) = (3390/74991) = 4. 52% After-tax cost of debt = (1-tax rate) * pre-tax cost of debt = (1 – 0. 354) * 4. 52% = 2. 92% Sust ainable growth rate (g) = Return on Equity * Retention Ratio = (Net income / shareholders’ equity) * (1 (DPS/EPS) ) = (12867 / 96347) * (1- (1. 61/2. 17) ) = 3. 4% Cost of equity = (D1 / P0) + g = (Expected dividend for next year / Share price) + growth rate = (D0 * (1+g) / P0) + g = ((1. 61* 1. 034) / 27. 32) + 0. 034 = 9. 49% WACC = (2. 92% * 0. 438) + (9. 49% * 0. 562) = 6. 61% Component Cost Debt 2. 92% Equity 9. 49% WACC = 6. 61% Dividend policy ATT has had dividend growth for the last 25 years. The dividend growth this year was 2. 5% and the last year was 12. 7%. Dividends declared totalled $1. 61 per share in 2008, $1. 465 per share in 2007 and $1. 35 per share in 2006. The dividend policy considers both the expectations and requirements of stockholders, internal requirements of ATT and long-term growth opportunities. ATT intends to provide the financial flexibility to allow their Board of Directors to consider dividend growth and to recommend an increase in dividends to be paid in future periods. All dividends are subject to approval by the Board of Directors. The dividends paid by the company in the last three years are given below: Year Payment Date Record Date Amount 2009 11-02-09 10-09-09 $0. 41 08-03-09 07-10-09 $0. 41 05-01-09 04-09-09 $0. 41 02-02-09 01-09-09 $0. 41 2008 11-03-08 10-10-08 $0. 40 08-01-08 07-10-08 $0. 40 05-01-08 04-10-08 $0. 40 02-01-08 01-10-08 $0. 40 2007 11-01-07 10-10-07 $0. 355 08-01-07 07-10-07 $0. 355 05-01-07 04-10-07 $0. 355 02-01-07 01-10-07 $0. 355 As seen clearly, the dividends are paid in equal quarterly instalments. The dividend policy of ATT is well-defined and well-balanced for optimal growth as well as investor satisfaction. Analysis ATT is one of the biggest companies in the world and a pioneer in the world of communications technology and services. The company has paid dividends which have been growing year-on-year for the past 25 years. ATT as a company is an attractive choice for an investor. The company’s capital structure has 43. 8% of debt and the rest is equity. The company enjoys a low-rate on its debt, thanks to its high credit rating and promptness in paying off liabilities. The cost of the different components of its capital structure are – debt: 2. 92% (after-tax cost), and equity: 9. 49%. The WACC is 6. 61%, based on the capital structure outlined above. The amount of leverage represented by the company’s debt ratio is quite adequate to successfully make use of the low cost of debt, while at the same time not high enough to require investors to undertake significant financial risk. The return on equity was 13. 35% and the retention ratio was 25. 8%. The sustainable growth rate of the company, calculated as the product of return on equity and retention ratio of earnings is a healthy 3. 4% The company’s finances are well-managed and so are the operations. Conclusion ATT has a debt ratio of 43. 8%, a suitable level of financial leverage just shy of the halfway mark. This level of leverage allows the company to take advantage of the lower interest needed on its debt, thus increasing its returns on capital, while at the same time avoiding the problems of financial risk associated with over-leveraging. The company’s weighted average cost of capital is 6. 61%. The dividend policy places a high degree of importance on both long-term growth as well as investor satisfaction, as witnessed by the 25 years of continuous dividend growth that the company has exhibited. The company has a decent growth rate of 3. % and a healthy retention ratio suggests that the company’s management team sees good scope for long-term growth. The dividend policy reflects this stress on both investor satisfaction as well as long-term growth. A balance of both these objectives decides the dividend payout on a yearly basis. There have been significant fluc tuations in the rate of increase of dividends. This could be due to changing outlook in the industry as well as external economic conditions such as business cycles. Overall, ATT is a company with a rich history and very high brand equity. The company has been displaying profitable performance for the past several years.

Thursday, November 28, 2019

Amanda Shahin Essays - Marketing, Food And Drink, Fast Food

Amanda Shahin Prof. R. Mako Citarella ENG-111-92V 11/05/15 How Fast Food Companies Draw You In As life is speeding us by, people do not have the time to enjoy home-cooked meals anymore with their families on a regular basis. Everyone is rushing from point A to point B trying to be on schedule with all the work and different activities with which they fill their days. People need a quick and easy way to get a cheap and satisfying meal so no time is wasted preparing and making foods on their own. Fast food companies see this need for easy, to go meals and jump at the opportunity to satisfy it. Advertisements from signs, to commercials, to billboards of new great deals and foods from fast food restaurants seem to pop up everywhere we go nowadays, and Michael Moss knows this is no accident. In his essay, "The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food", Moss discusses how the fast food companies purposely display and create their advertisements and foods in a way to draw people into wanting to buy their products and keep them coming back for more. In McDonald's: What it is. Quar ter Pounder with Cheese commercial, every aspect of it from the words used, how the food is displayed, and how lustful the people are for the product being shown proves to Moss' argument that the advertisements of fast food restaurants are all intentionally designed for people to want to buy their products. In Moss' essay, he discusses how fast food companies are designing their foods to draw people into buying them. What Moss discovers from "over four years of research and reporting, [is] a conscious effort- taking place in labs and marketing meetings and grocery- store aisle- to hook people on foods that are convenient and inexpensive" (477). For example, food engineers go to the full distance to create the perfect taste and texture for a product. They do this by having "ordinary consumers spend hours sitting in rooms where they touch, feel, sip, smell, swirl and taste whatever product is in question" (479). By doing this consumers are able to decide what variation of a product is the best fit for being put out on the market

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Obama clearly portrayed his sense of exasperation Essays

Obama clearly portrayed his sense of exasperation Essays Obama clearly portrayed his sense of exasperation , at the lack of change in laws to prevent any future calamities in America. The use of the noun carnage' which associates to bloodshed and killing ,was used perhaps to imply on the shooting that had occurred. The phrases I said..'a few months ago' and before' along with the repetition of its not enough' adds on more fury to Obama s opinion of sentiments being inadequate, it also makes the audience to feel the strong feelings of Obama towards this issue. Furthermore, Obama also insures that more than provoking for the ones who are going through misfortune and being resentful about the lack of gun laws , he encourages a sense of cooperation between his audience. To draw the attention of his audience he uses inclusive pronouns like we' and our' , whereby he s trying to evoke a sense of unity among the people of America. In addition , the speaker brings on contrast and connection to his speech to gain support for the much needed change, in the beginning he compares America s feedback towards the mass shootings to that of the feedbacks from the other nations, then brings on the contrast as of how America is inadequate in their responses. He responds to how the all allies of America is well ruled when it comes to the elimination of deaths caused by shooting, which clearly indicates the obvious change in the US gun laws. (B) there's been a huge flow of migrants to America - this time, from Syria. That means more syrian families among us Americans - kids,parents,orphans - whose lives have taken a whole new turn. This shows how another country is bewildered with the loss of their land and people, and are forced to comfort their own misery, and there are kids away from their parents - just lost. I have never been to Syria. But my heart breaks by knowing the torture they have to go through - a punishment - for no reason what so ever. I would like to thank all the citizens who have received these migrants with open arms - for aiding them with necessities . our country has offered to help and take in as many refugees as possible.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Macroeconomics Theory Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Macroeconomics Theory - Term Paper Example Foreign exchange rate is the price of one currency in terms of another currency. BOP has direct relation with the foreign exchange market as the spending of the consumer depends on the value of currency in other countries. Under the free-floating currency regime (McGregor) the balance of payment depends highly on the forces of supply and demand. In this free-floating regime, the price of the currency automatically adjusts according to the requirement which equals the supply and demand of the currency. This shows that in this market conditions, price automatically is in equilibrium in the balance of payment. There is no intervention by the government due to which the outcomes are automatically achieved by counteracting between both the current account and the capital account. This market is also termed as â€Å"self-correcting market† which fluctuates continuously based on the changing market conditions. Under the fixed-rate currency regime (Bized), intervention by the governme nt is mostly seen to regulate the exchange rate. The price in this exchange rate is not automatically adjustable as compared to the floating exchange rate. The government has to intervene to adjust the value of foreign currency to the country’s currency. ... It is an essential tool to analyze the macro-economic policy. The relation between the unemployment and income is that falling unemployment might give rise to inflation and on the other hand rising unemployment would lead to fall in the inflation. To reduce the unemployment rate, average demand must be increased which would increase the employment for short-period (Baumol and Blinder). Supposing that the economy is stable at Y. Increase in the government spending will shift the AD curve from AD to AD1 which would lead to the increase in income and reduction in the unemployment in the short term. The outward shift of the AD curve to AD1 takes the equilibrium to Y1 which creates a positive gap which is thought as the cause of rise in inflation. Due to such shift the price changes from P to P1 but due to the inward shift of the AS curve the price again shifts from P1 to P2 which shows increase of the P but the shift brought back the equilibrium at Y at P2. The major reason for the rejec tion of Keynesian theory was the weakness regarding the stagflation in 1970’s. Keynesian theory was focused on increasing the government spending when the unemployment was high and when the inflation becomes a problem the government should reduce its spending. This shows that Keynesian theory was addressed to stabilize the economy through government creating cash flows (Dornbusch, Fischer, and Startz). After the rejection of Keynesian theory regarding stagflation, New classical became the new standard. The reason behind the selection of New Classical theory as a standard was the price system which efficiently adjusted the supply and demand in all market. This theory was focused on simple basis that the equilibrium point is achieved when the quantity supplied

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

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

Constructivism - Essay Example Constructivism is based on how learning takes place. It offers an account on how learners acquire knowledge and not how to acquire it. It can be traced to the periods of the 18th century to philosophers like Giambattista Vico and John Dewey. They argue that ideas came from the social context that manipulates their thinking and coming up with new ideas. It has its roots in philosophy, sociology, education, and psychology. It only helps give solid basics why and how knowledge was passed to individuals. It is characterized by sharing of knowledge between individuals, the environment influences the learners understanding, and social collaborations enable learners to build new concepts. It disagrees with the concept of standardized curriculum, system. It bases its argument on the difference of individual capacities different people are influenced differently by their environments and therefore their knowledge becomes incomparable. Basing a curriculum in the learning system, it results to limiting the reasoning of learners rather than promoting their open minds and encouraging them to interpret, predict and analyze situations. Students should be encouraged to [practice extensive dialogue among them and thereby this enhances their abilities. This develops their courage and motivating them to feel capable of solving challenging problems, and therefore given time, in the future they can be able to handle more competent and complex problems. An instructor in learning is only supposed to give guidelines. and not to give complete details of the subject studied. It is therefore more efficient having instructors rather than teachers in the learning centre’s. According to Dewey learning is an everyday’s thing and one their senses to cultivate meaning from an idea. With times in learning, it gives one the experience to cultivate more knowledge and ideas from existing environs. He also adds that language is of considerable influence to the learning process. Langua ge enhances communication even within oneself and even passing of ideas from one person to another. After learning when one reflects on it, the idea becomes parts of us, inseparable from our lives (Rideout 176). Previous knowledge acquired is also of immense use on that it builds the foundation for further learning activity. The constructivists encourage interactive and collaborative environment for learners since it enables learners to acquire new experience and be able to manipulate objects, ask questions, and experiment on a new thing and even be able to aim at achieving a set goal Collaboration in constructivist learning classrooms encourage learners to get new ideas from their peers. It enhances problem solving and investigations on issues on efforts to come up with a solution. Technology can be used in assisting learners since it offers a variety of information based from different angles. This can be the best module to be used for learning because it encourages application of knowledge, critical thinking, and active involvement in the learning process. They criticize learning process where the teacher acts as a trainer (Poikela and Anna

Monday, November 18, 2019

Retail Market Environment in the Republic of Ireland Assignment

Retail Market Environment in the Republic of Ireland - Assignment Example The political and economic stability provided by Irish government policies brought inflation and budget deficits under control after two years of overheating, resulting in increased labour force skills, employment, and foreign investments. Ireland's population of 4.1 million, growing at 1.2% yearly, is the youngest in the EU with more than 53% below the age of 35. Literacy is high, poverty is low, and government forecasts private consumption to grow at 5.6% and GDP ($222 bn in 2005) to grow steadily at 4.7% in 2006. The economic boom triggered substantial changes in the Irish retail landscape and transformed what was once a collection of small shops offering specialised services, small general stores offering various dry goods and fresh foods, and department stores selling clothes and household items. Rapid growth increased mobility, improving the access to information and altering the tastes and shopping habits of consumers, who are more discriminating in getting the highest possible quality at the lowest possible price. The retail sector is adapting to these changes through continuous entrepreneurial innovation and business consolidation. There are currently eleven categories of retail marketing channels in Ireland, ranging from small boutiques to large hypermarkets (Forfs, 2006). The average consumer in Ireland is young, affluent, well educated, employed, and with a high disposable income. The second part of the paper will be devoted to an analysis of Ireland's consumer profile. Environmental Assessment of Ireland's Retail Sector Probably the most important development in Ireland has been the lifting in January 2006, according to plan, of the Groceries Order, a 20-year old law designed to minimise cutthroat price competition among retailers by prohibiting below invoice selling (CSG, 2005). We made a LoNGPEST analysis to assess the political, economic, social, and technological effects of the recent lifting of the Groceries Order that may have widespread local, national, and global consequences. Overview of the Retail Market Sector Table 1 contains an overview of the top competitors in Ireland's retail market

Friday, November 15, 2019

Impacts of World of Warcraft

Impacts of World of Warcraft With reference to -world of warcraft, analyze the popularity of massively multiplayer online role-playing games and the effects of this gaming phenomenon in the Asian region, and how Asian culture and identity has permeated into this gaming phenomenon. As video games become more complex, so too has the degree in which players have been able to use the internet to find competitors, teammates and communities for play. Of course, online gaming is not a new phenomenon; however it is an ever-present topic of discussion. Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (mmorpg) in particular connect thousands of players in real time interaction and communication. The asian region is among those enamored by the gaming phenomenon and as a result, virtual game platforms such as world of warcraft have allowed for the emergence of complex social structures, reputation systems and even economies. Massively multiplayer games provide a three-dimensional environment for thousands of players to connect, interact and explore. Massively multiplayer online role-playing games, commonly referred to as MMORPGs, provide a unique platform for developing social interactions on the Internet. MMORPGs allow for simultaneous text-based and graphical communication with others and provide well defined structures that encourage a variety of social interactions. While some forms of Internet use encourage two-way communication, MMORPGs often require high levels of social interaction and facilitate the adoption of new personas and styles of interaction. (reference) World of warcraft Since its release in 2004, the World of Warcraft has remained one of the most popular international videogames. As of December 2008, California-based gaming company Blizzard Entertainment Inc. announced that membership for its award-winning MMORPG World of Warcraft had reached 11.5 million worldwide and is continuing to climb (Blizzard Entertainment, 2008). In Europe it hosts more than 2 million subscribers, more than 2.5 million in North America and approximately 5.5 million in Asia (Reference). With such astonishing figures, it undoubtedly brings about questions of what makes World of Warcraft so attractive and in many cases, so addictive. People flock to these programs seeking refuge from the imperfect world around them. Multiplayer online role-playing games offer a social attribute that many games lack; the worlds provide unique opportunities to create an entire virtual life, control your destiny, command teams, gain power, status, and prestige all without risk. Gamers can be anything they want to be without worry about the potential permanent repercussions of their actions. Causes of its popularity http://www.journal.fibreculture.org/issue8/issue8_chan.html Effects of WoW in Asian region, addiction Being that World of Warcraft is one of the most popular massive multiplayer online role-playing games, it has drawn an especially notorious reputation for addiction. But, is this reputation really deserved? Teenagers are often typified as the mainstay of the gaming population. Yet, even in this environment it appears that MMORPGs are considered taboo. Are these negative reactions legitimately based on widespread issues that affect players or is this genre of game play grossly exaggerated through excessive media coverage and a lack of understanding? To completely understand the conclusions drawn from gameplay, it is important to realize the context surrounding the typical gaming experience. This environment revolves around the stereotypical -gamer. Although about 15% of the MMRPG audience is comprised of females, it is a role largely filled by males. What happens is that gamers are often forced into acting like addicts. Through excessive social pressure, gaming is often hidden from public view, family, and friends for fear of reprisal. Often people feel embarrassed when talking about gameplay with non-gamers or in a public environment. Playing becomes a guilty pleasure, only to be indulged to the extent that it might be acceptable by others and to hide played time that might be deemed otherwise. All of these emotions and external pressures combine to create the very connotation of addiction, even for players who are not obsessed with the game at all. Why, if so many people exhibit interested behavior in the game are they so afraid of it? I think the answer lies in the very answers to their interviews: addiction. They feel drawn into the game. This immersion is particularly noteworthy in World of Warcraft because, as Krzywinska has argued, the games worldness is so comprehensive. Her research has focused heavily on the complexity of virtually realistic worlds. People who do not play see the respite that gamers find in the virtual world and realize that, yes, it is fun. Then there is a withdrawal, some moment of reality hits them or they temporarily lose interest and become determined to refocus themselves on their previous activities. To complete their rejection they add in their negative opinions, which force the gamer to feel guilty for -chilling in the game world. This does not happen with TV or social video gaming Mario Kart for example because people are interacting with each other as opposed to virtual players. In June 2005, it was reported that a child had died due to neglect by her World of Warcraft-addicted parents in Korea (Gibson). Her parents had left her alone while going to an Internet cafà © to play. They were charged with her death and similar stories of extreme gaming appeared around the world. These cases of addiction, along with growing memberships, have prompted equally extreme reactions from organizations and even governments. In August of 2005, the government of the Peoples Republic of China proposed new rules to curb what they perceived to be social and financial costs brought on by the popularity of online games in general. The measure enforces a time limit on Chinas estimated total of 20 million gamers (BBC News). Citizens are allowed to play for five consecutive hours before their characters abilities become severely limited; only after a five hour break will the limitations be removed. Due to extreme cases such as murder, neglect, and sudden death, media coverage has c apitalized on the worlds newest addictive trend. It is true, computer games, massive multiplayer online role-playing games in particular, can cause certain levels of addiction. So can television, violent videogames, sex, drugs, sports, and work, but these are no longer new, hot topics in the market. Case study of WoW in Singapore/Malaysia/China, how has it permeated into Asian region, Players and Culture, Identity, Paradise Crashed: Rethinking of MMORGs and Other Virtual Worlds. An Introduction Robert Alan Brookey Critical Studies in Media Communication, Volume 26, Issue 2 June 2009 , pages 101 103 There is a strong tendency among many scholars of cyberspace to offer it up as a new utopia. Online communities have often been celebrated as spaces that allow for an unbound human experience, spaces in which individuals are able to form identities and express themselves without the constraints found in the -real world. With the emergence and growing popularity of massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), this celebration seems to have grown in intensity. We are here to crash the party. This special issue is a collection of articles that challenge the assumptions about the positive potential of cyberspace. In the first article, David Gunkel and Ann Hetzel Gunkel discuss the concept of the body in virtual space, and critically examine how this space is often offered as a -new frontier. They argue that the use of this metaphor to conceptualize cyberspace carries risks. More specifically, they warn if we do not remember the history associated with that term, we may repeat the mistakes that occurred when White Europeans settled the American frontier. After all, cyberspace is often regarded with the same optimism of opportunity that was once held for the New World. Yet, as we all know, this land of opportunity was not opened to everyone equalitibly. For example, while racial minorities provided labor to open up the American frontier, they did not always enjoy the full economic benefits of their labor. Lisa Nakamura proves this mistake has already been realized in the online game World of Warcraft (WoW). Nakamura investigates the practice of -gold farming in online games, a practice in which in-game resources are cultivated by certain players, and then sold to others for a profit using real world currencies. Unfortunately, some of the players cultivating these resources work for a nominal wage, and do not share in the profits of their labor. Some of these gold farmers are Chinese, consequently old racial prejudices have reemerged around the practice of gold farming. Indeed, players thought to be gold farmers are singled out for racial ridicule, and as nakamura shows this ridicule draws on Asian stereotypes.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

The Death Penalty Is Archaic and Immoral Essay -- Against Capital Punis

The death penalty is simply a modernized version of the Holy Bible’s â€Å"an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot†. Some argue that death is a necessary retribution for murderous cases - but is it effective morally? Revenge only glorifies violence, which is most definitely not the message the world strives to display. The death penalty is a negative form of punishment and insinuates a harsh reflection of society economically, politically, and socially. More than two thirds of the world’s countries formally oppose the death penalty, yet only fifteen out of the fifty United States also object against the decree. What does this say about America? The United States represents freedom yet braces an extremely unjust law that sharply curtails the lives of innocent people. From 1972 to 1976 the death penalty was deemed â€Å"cruel and unusual punishment† under the eighth Amendment. Though technology has allowed for a less painful death, what makes the action of killing someone today any different from killing someone in 1972? We simply do not have the ...

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Personal Development Plan for Pragmatist

Introduction: This study report covering various aspects of personal and professional development of the professional student, who is going to practise all the skills and abilities in the real business world at very next step when student completes professional degree course. This report aims to fulfil the requirement the student to be professional in reality presenting the views of student on the basis of research using books, lecture notes understanding and online study material from various websites. It helps a student how to run the cycle of continuous personal and professional improvement and development to compete the globalisation. It suggest the personal development plan using time logs and carry out certain regular exercise to monitor the progress like filling questionnaire, maintain task diary and records, seeking feedback using 360 degree assessment. Professional and personal development support the body of a career and profession progression like a backbone, enabling the person to stand and touch and maintain the highest position in their working area. It can only ensured by continuous learning and observation process. Learning and observation process makes aware the person about his values, abilities, skills, attitude, learning style and hidden talents and how to use it for excellent performance. Professional and personal development and learning process starts with identifying the personality, position and learning style of the person. I would like to presents the views that how a student can be effective leader or manager acquiring professional skills namely time management, meeting, presentation and stress management. Leader/Manager: Successful professional should be effective leader and effective manager to lead positively to grow the profession and goodwill by competing with global challenges. In every organisation, each level of the hierarchical structure have leaders and managers. Managers and leaders are distinct personality with ultimate goal is to achieve organisational goals. A leader and A manager can be identified as per Waston (1983) and Hollingsworth (1999) suggestions with four distinct styles: A leader is a person who emphasis the right way of work focusing on people, sharing goals with them using their skills, inspire them to innovate and develop new style and skill which supports to achieve own as well as organisational objectives. A manager concentrating on the subordinates, system and composition, administer and manage them by controlling them to achieve the strategic objectives set by the management of the organisation. A manager stress on doing the appropriate task by result oriented strategies and systems. The Autocratic Leader/Manager: He does not value the subordinates’ skills and opinions. He has centralised power to ascertain dilemma, makes decisions and tells it to subordinate to execute task. The Semi-Autocratic Leader/Manger: He is partially autocratic, but seek some reflection from the subordinates who are going to practices it and try to convince to follow his decisions. The Democratic Leader/Manager: He just identifies the problems and seeks suggestions and recommendations from the group and then decide the solution. The Laissey-Faire Leader/Manager: He identifies the problems and set boundary within which decision must be fall and pass it to the performing group and make the correct suitable decision being with them. Democratic and Laissey faire leadership style is preferred in this globalisation and dynamic business world. Professional Skills: Time Management: Time is a money once you spent it you will never get back so right job at right time yields better fruits. Evaluation: Ask following questions to yourself: Have you followed your prioritised to-do list? Have you meet the deadlines? What effects on the final result due to incomplete task? Have you got the full participation colleagues and subordinates as per the job assigned? Do you have any spare time for contingency and further planning? If most of the answers is no, then start finding the gaps and lacking to use time effectively. Gap finds because of not exercising following activities. Acquisition: Habit to prepare and analyse the workload and prioritize it daily and weekly by preparing to-do list categorising the task as must do, should do and would like to do. Therefore, flitting will be less. (appendix 1) Set the deadlines and stick to it to complete the task, which helps him to allocate enough time to other task and be stress free as the task finish along with the spare time to plan further or allocate it to any unfinished task or contingency. Identify the best time and do hard and important task within best time. Divide the job into small discrete part and delegate it to the suitable person with all the necessary guidance and information specifying the rewards. It will motivate the subordinates by participation and decrease the workload and stress level of delegator which saves his time and energy. Conduct meetings for monitoring the progress of work as and when necessary. Avoid procrastination and time wasters which ensures needed attention to the work. Do not spent long time for perfection of the job on the cost of other activities. Maintain proper records by backup and filling, which can be used as vital tool while planning next time. Understanding about the assigned job and take responsibility as per the calibre to complete it within deadlines. It helps him to manage stress and utilize time productively. Running successful Meetings: Evaluation: Ask following questions to yourself: Have you met the goals set? Has meeting was enjoyed by the members and equally participated to express their views? Did all the mentioned agenda discussed and come to the solution? Did the meeting follows the time allocation and rules like quorum? Did the minutes recorded properly? Did you have announced the next meeting date and when members get the former meeting details? If most of the answers is no, then start finding the gaps and lacking to run meeting effectively. Gap finds because of not exercising following activities: Acquisition: Set the purpose, time, date, right place with proper infrastructural and refreshment arrangements with meeting start and end time. Prepare agenda mentioning required items with next meeting date. (appendix 2) Inform members about the purpose and agenda of the meeting well in advance. Allot sufficient time to each agenda including hidden agenda and stick to it. Specify the chair person and ensure the opportunity to express opinions. Be sure about the technology and tools used in meeting Arrange minute recording and procedure to sent to the members of the meeting. Set the disciplinary rules to be followed by members during meeting. Ensure the chair person being unbiased and objective having ability to control and negotiate. This way manager can conduct fruitful meeting which enables the organisation to achieve the objectives. The fruitful meeting will increase the morale and productivity of members saves time and efforts by proper attention to each item. Effective Presentation: Evaluation: Ask following questions to yourself: Have you met the goals set? Did your audience enjoyed and gained knowledge presentation? Did it organised in terms of matter, tools used and time bound? Did your body language and communication style attract the audience? Have you allowed audience to participate? If most of the answers is no, then start finding the gaps and lacking to present attractively. Gap finds because of not exercising following activities: Acquisition: Set the time, date, place, topic of presentation. Identify the audience and its expectations Be prepared and rehearse, support the matter with authentic data Be sure about the tools and facilities required Have confident and friendly body language with smiley face Stick to time and spare time for Q/A from audience For effective presentation, nerve control is vital because it fails the presentation no matter how strong paperwork or other skills you have. Stress Management: Evaluation: Ask following questions to yourself: Have you facing any physical or habitual disorder? Is there any financial or family problem which adversely affect your performance? Are you facing problem to deal with technology and people? Have you adjusted yourself in this working environment? Are you aware about your ability, skills, role and responsibilities? If answer of first 3 question is yes, then identify stressors and try to accept it and be free from it by following ways: Acquisition: Prime necessity is to accept the stress problem Identify the stressors and take steps to reduce it and remove it. Have some refreshment activity like change task, eat food, listen music Some concrete steps which may take long time like redesign the task/role/work environment, encourage subordinate involvement, set flexible employee friendly policy, provide social support and share reward Undergo some psychological exercise as per expert opinion like workshops, seminars Conclusion: Each above mentioned skills are interconnected with each other like, proper time management reduce the stress, increase productivity, Participation of employees in meeting and presentation encourage them to take initiatives with high moral. Personal Skill Audit The further step is how I can apply professional skills discussed in previous section to be very profitable and easy going personality. The application can be done in better and accurate way by findings positive and negative points of his personal qualities and skills. Hence, personal skill audit comes into the picture of personal development. Personal skill audit refers to the findings about the personal skills. It can be done by identifying strengths and weaknesses of the person. For that, which learning style the person have must be identified. To identify the learning style of the person, there is some tools like questionnaire and learning surveys by Peter Honey and Alan Mumford(ARPT), David Kolb(VAK), Carl Jugg and Mybers Briggs(type E/I,S/N,T/F,J/P). The student has followed Learning Style Questionnaire by Peter and Alan(appendix 3), on the basis of that the student identified his learning style ‘Pragmatist’: Strengths: Eager to try out ideas, concepts Realistic, and practical, Likes experiments Strive to meet preset goals Works autonomously Go through available options and assess it Weakness: Task oriented, does not value people Impatient ant centralize power work without any precaution tendency to take over others’ task independent working style do not involve the people Pragmatist can develop by exercising the work where person is: Problem and chances to progress is attached with the job Show the practical techniques to do right thing at a time Take chance to try out theories in practice supported by feedback from expert Showing the experts and models to follow them Equipped with techniques and knowledge useful for job Offer opportunity for progression and experiments Focus on practical matters by suggestions, tips Pragmatist find difficulties to improve his skills, where Job is not related to identified important requirement or not any practical gain Learning is far from real practical issues just theoretical concepts without clear guidance People not getting any point just going round and round Political diplomatic personal bias barriers to put thing into practice No proper reward for outstanding performance Some findings helps me to be effective and role demanding personality like using people by delegating task can manage the time and stress fruitfully. Giving values to the people in organisation can ensure high moral and motivation to work. Forecast the possible results of experiments before acting and use if it is beneficial to the organisation and people who practices it. Autocratic way to manage the people is discouraging, so its better to be a democratic or a member of the performing group. Team approach helps me to overcome from impatient and self centric personality by working in team and respecting human values and ability. Once finds out the lacking and gaps , he can use detective skills to find the ways to fill it. And come up with best suitable method by evaluating each available options to him, as very keen to use techniques, apply it to job to make it easy, speedy and accurate and recognise the use of the advance resources applicable in job. Strive to meet the specified goals and act accordingly is the great strength which differentiate his personality. He learn from the trail and error by experimenting various concepts in practice. To delegate the job to subordinates, he shows his skills of persuading presentation of idea and conduct meeting to convince the subordinate to work on it to meet the targets. Like this way, interconnecting his strengths to overcome his weaknesses he can be prove himself as effective personality at work place or anywhere. Thus, I would like to focus on the team work approach, learn to delegate the task and value others being diversified personality. At the end, knowledgeable, team friendly, stress free, happy, open and flexible, initiative and motivating work approach gives ripe fruits to individual and the organisation. Personal Development Plan: As per the discussion in previous sections, now I am going ahead to develop the own personality development plan. Where learning style identified is key to design personal development plan with the professional skills required to gain from the global challenges. In today’s ever-changing world, to be an effective manager core skills namely effective time management, running successful meetings, making effective presentation and managing stress tactfully is prime necessity. As per the previous discussion, now I am well aware about my strengths and weaknesses as a pragmatist regarding the achievement of organisational and personal objectives to ensure continuous growth. For deep understanding about my learning style and personal traits, i would like to do SWOT analysis of my personal traits. SMART objectives will help me to use the SWOT beneficially in practice. Using SWOT analysis, I analyse my strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to the personal skills and traits considering four core competent skills discussed in first section. At the end, I present a personal development plan to use, which suggest the practical way to utilize the personal attributes profitably and draw attractive picture of my personality and organisation as a whole. In section two, I have already identified my strengths and weaknesses to put the things into practice and achieve desired result. Strengths and weaknesses are the own internal favourable and unfavourable points which helps the person to rise up. It can only improved by self observation and improvement. The analysis introduce my following strengths and weaknesses: Strengths: Practical and realistic way to solve the problems by evaluating all the possible alternatives Like to experiment different theories and ideas ascertained using detective skills Set the goals and work autonomously to act upon Weaknesses: Being self centric and impatient under values other people and their ability to perform better Strive to do other’s work without taking into account the personal feelings Work independently without seeking participation of others Not arrive at the possible results and like to experiment proves wrong Being a task oriented does not take care of personal feelings Opportunity and Threat are external forces influencing the personality positively as well as negatively. This has connection with internal forces like strengths and weaknesses of the person to attain personal and organisational objectives as well. As a result of this analysis, now, I know my following would be opportunities and threats: Opportunity: Chance to get and test knowledge in business world. Learn by experiments and arrive at the best suitable practical solution to make easy business complexity Less chance of work error as work independently, evaluating PESTAL factor Chance to use advanced technology in practice Chance to undertake other projects and explore gaps to use it profitable as I have time bound working style Drive all the forces to attain preset goals and emerge with distinct personality Less chance to fail in planning due to practical and realistic work practice considering all the available alternatives Threats: Be frustrate and nervous if goals are not attain within time frame due to impatient attribute. As working autonomously sometimes decisions or analysis may prove wrong Diversified market needs and expectation of global business world Emerging business complexity and customer awareness Now, after performing self appraisal, I have a feasible knowledge of my positive and negative points to be an effective administrator or an effective manager to face the global challenges and create my own value in the organisation and business market as well. At this stage, SMART will help me as powerful tool to overcome my weaknesses and turn them into positive force to touch the sky of business world. S-Specific: On the basis of the weaknesses, i arrived at the solution that although I have practical and realistic work approach, sometimes decisions proves wrong and cannot complete the task within time limit set. This can be improved by adapting team working style emphasising on co-ordination and co-operation with and of colleagues and subordinates in the organisation. Therefore, focus on work delegation and team work is necessary to work within deadlines and try to get optimum using all the available resources. M-Measurable: to delegate the job, it is necessary to design proper job description and draw the skills required to perform it by using various techniques like feedback of the colleagues, looking at other company. Set the system and ways to measure the performance of people and the system laid down to achieve the objectives. So, it ensures active participation with clear understanding of job and achievements. A-Achievable: To do the task within time frame the right job should be assigned to a right person,. For that, I have to value the other person’s ability to perform specific job and assigned him that job with required guidelines and data to perform productively. The meeting and effective presentation of the delegated job to each subordinates and colleagues is necessary to achieve the goals. So here comes the presentation and meeting skills to convey the idea and communicate regarding the role they have to play to drive towards the achievements of objectives. So, here I have to concentrate on my interpersonal skills and getting co-operation and co-ordination with colleagues and subordinates to perform time bound duties. R-Relevant: It should be take care that subordinate have no ambiguity relating to his roles and targets to be met as a team member and organisational goals. Therefore, all the efforts must be towards the achievement of organisational objectives. The roles and targets can be communicate by way of successful meeting and effective presentation by the manager. As it saves time, efforts, money of people and organisation as well. T-Time Defined: If all the things are right doing in right way by the right person, it is also necessary that it should be complete within time defined. Because time is money, and to be successful it should be utilize effectively by allocating sufficient time to each an every activity as per its importance to do. Evidence of Monitoring and Feedback: As per the outcome of the SWOT and SMART, I have to follow the diary and records of the subordinates and colleagues achievements and skills to perform better. Other necessary thing is to is maintain and analyse time log until I follow the proper time schedule as prepared. Periodic performance review by 360 degree assessment which aware me about my improvements and necessity to improve. With all this, unbiased regular self assessment using SWOT helps me to ride the cycle of continuous development. Likewise, I can get measurable, achievable, relevant time bound active participation of the specific subordinates. I am following time log daily as well as weekly when i was explained in class lecture and now at the end of this 9th week I found that I am very much nearer to follow the time schedule set weekly. And I followed daily time log and I achieved time frame in working day not in weekends and I am trying to achieve it. I am taking feedback at workplace using 360 degree assessment when I finished one project and before starting new project and from my family members that how I am successful to meet their expectations. Without such monitoring and feedback one cannot have a clear idea about his improvement and progress. This is the vital axes of the progress chart of personal skill development. Review and Conclusion: At the end of the personal development process, I noticed that above discussed matter draw the conclusion that time management, stress management, running meetings and presentations are supportive pillars of the building effective personality and achieve personal and organisational goals. This is the basic necessity of today’s global dynamic business market and learned customers. This report reveals the successful professional career as an effective manger can be ensured by aligning personal objectives with organisation’s objectives. Reference: Pedler Mike, Burgoyne John and Boydell Tom,(2001), A Manger’s Guide to Self Development, 4th edition, McGraw-Hill,ISBN-0-07-709830-7 www. decs. sa. gov. au(Accessed on 27/10/2009) www. nwlink. com (Accessed on 27/10/2009) Appendix 1 Honey and Mumford Learning Styles Questionnaire This questionnaire is designed to find out your preferred learning style(s). Over the years you have probably developed learning â€Å"habits† that help you benefit more from some experiences than from others. Since you are probably unaware of this, this questionnaire will help you pinpoint your learning preferences so that you are in a better position to select learning experiences that suit your style and having a greater understanding of those that suit the style of others. There is no time limit to this questionnaire. It will probably take you 10-15 minutes. The accuracy of the results depends on how honest you can be. There are no right or wrong answers. If you agree more than you disagree with a statement put a tick by it. If you disagree more than you agree put a cross by it. Be sure to mark each item with either a tick or cross. Scoring And Interpreting The Learning Styles Questionnaire The Questionnaire is scored by awarding one point for each ticked item. There are no points for crossed items. Simply indicate on the lists below which items were ticked by circling the appropriate question number. TOTALS *Activist Reflector * Theorist Pragmatist Learning Styles Questionnaire Profile Based on General Norms for 1302 People Learning Styles – General Descriptions Activists Activists involve themselves fully and without bias in new experiences. They enjoy the here and now and are happy to be dominated by immediate experiences. They are open-minded, not skeptical, and this tends to make them enthusiastic about anything new. Their philosophy is: â€Å"I'll try anything once†. They tend to act first and consider the consequences afterwards. Their days are filled with activity. They tackle problems by brainstorming. As soon as the excitement from one activity has died down they are busy looking for the next. They tend to thrive on the challenge of new experiences but are bored with implementation and longer-term consolidation. They are gregarious people constantly involving themselves with others but in doing so; they seek to centre all activities on themselves. Reflectors 90997322447 Reflectors like to stand back to ponder experiences and observe them from many different perspectives. They collect data, both first hand and from others, and prefer to think about it thoroughly before coming to any conclusion. The thorough collection and analysis of data about experiences and events is what counts so they tend to postpone reaching definitive conclusions for as long as possible. Their philosophy is to be cautious. They are thoughtful people who like to consider all possible angles and implications before making a move. They prefer to take a back seat in meetings and discussions. They enjoy observing other people in action. They listen to others and get the drift of the discussion before making their own points. They tend to adopt a low profile and have a slightly distant, tolerant unruffled air about them. When they act it is part of a wide picture which includes the past as well as the present and others' observations as well as their own. Theorists Theorists adapt and integrate observations into complex but logically sound theories. They think problems through in a vertical, step-by-step logical way. They assimilate disparate facts into coherent theories. They tend to be perfectionists who won't rest easy until things are tidy and fit into a rational scheme. They like to analyse and synthesise. They are keen on basic assumptions, principles, theories models and systems thinking. Their philosophy prizes rationality and logic. â€Å"If it's logical it's good†. Questions they frequently ask are: â€Å"Does it make sense? â€Å"How does this fit with that? † â€Å"What are the basic assumptions? † They tend to be detached, analytical and dedicated to rational objectivity rather than anything subjective or ambiguous. Their approach to problems is consistently logical. This is their â€Å"mental set† and they rigidly reject anything that doesn't fit with it. They prefer to maximise certainty and feel uncomfortable with subjective judgments, lateral thinking and anything flippant. Pragmatists Pragmatists are keen on trying out ideas, theories and techniques to see if they work in practice. They positively search out new ideas and take the first opportunity to experiment with applications. They are the sorts of people who return from management courses brimming with new ideas that they want to try out in practice. They like to get on with things and act quickly and confidently on ideas that attract them. They tend to be impatient with ruminating and open-ended discussions. They are essentially practical, down to earth pile who like making practical decisions and solving problems. They respond to problems and opportunities â€Å"as a challenge†. Their philosophy is: â€Å"There is always a better way† and â€Å"if it works it's good†. In descending order of likelihood, the most common combinations are: 1st Reflector/Theorist 2†³d Theorist/ Pragmatist 3rd Reflector/Pragmatist 4th Activist/Pragmatist Appendix 2 Time Log {draw:frame} Activitists (Do) Immerse themselves fully in new experiences Enjoy here and now Open minded, enthusiastic, flexible Act first, consider consequences later Seek to centre activity around themselves http://www. archives. org. uk/careerdevelopment/continuingprofessionaldevelopment/professionaldevelopmentplan. html http://www. thegateway. org/browse/17801 http://www. excellencegateway. org. uk/page. aspx? o=152477

Friday, November 8, 2019

Draft, Develop, and Organize a Descriptive Paragraph

Draft, Develop, and Organize a Descriptive Paragraph Once you have settled on a topic for your descriptive paragraph and collected some details, youre ready to put those details together in a rough draft. Lets look at one way of organizing a descriptive paragraph. A Three-Step Method for Organizing a Descriptive Paragraph Heres a common way of organizing a descriptive paragraph. Begin the paragraph with a topic sentence that identifies your prized belonging and briefly explains its significance to you.Next, describe the item in four or five sentences, using the details that you listed after probing your topic.Finally, conclude the paragraph with a sentence that emphasizes the personal value of the item. There are various ways to organize the details in a descriptive paragraph. You may move from the top of the item to the bottom, or from the bottom to the top. You may start at the left side of the item and move right, or go from right to left. You may start with the outside of the item and move in, or go from inside to out. Choose the one pattern that seems best suited to your topic, and then stick to that pattern throughout the paragraph. A Model Descriptive Paragraph: My Tiny Diamond Ring The following student paragraph, titled My Tiny Diamond Ring, follows the basic pattern of topic sentence, supporting sentences, and conclusion: On the third finger of my left hand is the pre-engagement ring given to me last year by my sister Doris. The 14-carat gold band, a bit tarnished by time and neglect, circles my finger and twists together at the top to encase a small white diamond. The four prongs that anchor the diamond are separated by pockets of dust. The diamond itself is tiny and dull, like a sliver of glass found on the kitchen floor after a dishwashing accident. Just below the diamond are small air holes, intended to let the diamond breathe, but now clogged with grime. The ring is neither very attractive nor valuable, but I treasure it as a gift from my older sister, a gift that I will pass along to my younger sister when I receive my own engagement ring this Christmas. An Analysis of the Model Description Notice that the topic sentence in this paragraph not only identifies the belonging (a pre-engagement ring) but also implies why the writer treasures it (. . . given to me last year by my sister Doris). This kind of topic sentence is more interesting and revealing than a bare announcement, such as, The belonging I am about to describe is my pre-engagement ring. Instead of announcing your topic in this way, focus your paragraph and gain the interest of your readers with a complete topic sentence: one that both identifies the object youre about to describe and also suggests how you feel about it. Once you have introduced a topic clearly, you should stick to it, developing this idea with details in the rest of the paragraph. The writer of My Tiny Diamond Ring has done just that, providing specific details that describe the ring: its parts, size, color, and condition. As a result, the paragraph is unifiedthat is, all of the supporting sentences relate directly to one another and to the topic introduced in the first sentence. You shouldnt be concerned if your first draft doesnt seem as clear or as well constructed as My Tiny Diamond Ring (the result of several revisions). Your aim now is to introduce your belonging in a topic sentence and then draft four or five supporting sentences that describe the item in detail. In later steps of the writing process, you can focus on sharpening and rearranging these sentences as you revise. NEXT STEPPractice in Organizing a Descriptive Paragraph REVIEWSupporting a Topic Sentence with Specific Details ADDITIONAL EXAMPLES OF WELL-ORGANIZED DESCRIPTIONS Model Descriptive ParagraphsModel Place Descriptions: Four Descriptive ParagraphsJoseph Mitchells Place Description: McSorleys SaloonWillie Morriss Descriptive Narrative RETURN TOHow to Write a Descriptive Paragraph

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

An Investigation Of Nigerian Consumer’s Online Shopping Behaviour The WritePass Journal

An Investigation Of Nigerian Consumer’s Online Shopping Behaviour Abstract An Investigation Of Nigerian Consumer’s Online Shopping Behaviour Abstract1. Introduction1.1. E-commerce development in Nigeria1.2. Problem statementResearch objectives1.3. Research structure2.   Literature review3.Methodology3.1.Research approach and strategy3.2.Data collection3.3.Data analysis3.4.  Ã‚  Ethical issues3.5.Research limitations4.ConclusionReferencesAppendix 1Related Abstract This research proposal deals with an investigation of the online shopping behaviour among Nigerians living abroad. It has been established from research that a few Nigerians embrace technology in doing business. The research paper starts with an introduction about the problem statement to be addressed in the research. The objective is to find out the factors that contribute to the unique online shopping behaviour among the Nigerians. The proposal highlights trends to be investigated that are online shopping in Nigeria. Data to be used in the research will be gathered through the use of a questionnaire given at random to 100 respondents. The obtained data will be analyzed based on the scaled factors given for each response by the participants. The representative sample gives the best results because it uses respondents of diverse fields who are in a position to use online shopping systems. The results can be used by any developing country because the online shopping trends for developing countries are the same. 1. Introduction The nature of how individuals do business has changed from time to time due to individual needs and the emerging business technologies. Electronic commerce is one of the recent forms of online shopping that has been adopted by many business individuals in the world. According to Ghosh (1997, p. 1),   â€Å"E-commerce provides consumers the ability to bank, invest, purchase, distribute, communicate, explore, and research from virtually anywhere an Internet connection can be obtained.† Therefore, electronic commerce can be defined as doing business through the internet. This trend of doing business has gained momentum in the global business world because of the increased web advertising (Jackson et al. 2003). This research proposal aims at determining the effect of web advertising on the Nigerian consumer’s online shopping behaviour. 1.1. E-commerce development in Nigeria The basis of electronic commerce depends on the level of technology in a country. Nigeria is a developing country that has experienced improvements in its technological aspect in the recent past with a total population of about 16 % embracing the use of the internet (Internet World Stats, 2009). However, most of the Nigerians have not exploited the full potential of using the internet fully. In addition, the recent advancement of technology has enabled many Nigerians to see the need to embrace technology in doing business. As such, internet usage has started gaining familiarity among the Nigerians. A research by Folorunso et al. (2006, p. 2226) shows that only 32% of Nigerians who had heard about electronic commerce had embraced the technology. This low number of Nigerians using the internet to do business may contribute to the Nigerian online shopping behaviour. 1.2. Problem statement The use of the internet in doing business in Nigeria is slower than other countries in the world. This is contrary to the vital importance provided by the use of the internet in advertising the product. Most of the Nigerians are ignorant about online shopping, but those who embrace the internet do not prefer to do online shopping because they assume products advertised in the internet are either expensive or strange to their traditional culture. This consumer behaviour has reduced efforts of globalization into the Nigerian markets. The question, then, is what should be done about this online consumer behaviour to promote globalization? Research objectives This research is carried out to find out the online shopping behaviour among the Nigerians. The objectives of the study will be: To Investigate the behaviour of online shopping among Nigerians Determine whether web advertising has an influence to the online shopping behaviour among Nigerians. To investigate the risks associated with online shopping. 1.3. Research structure This research will start by introducing the problem statement why it is an important study among the Nigerians. This will be followed by outlining the objectives of the study. The existing literature review sets to give the research the basis on which the factors being studied will be based. The methodology section will propose a how the factors can be investigated and why the chosen methods for study are preferred. Lastly the research will highlight the limitations that are likely to affect the results of the study and how they can be reduced to make the results more validated. The main chapters will be as follows; Introduction Literature Review Methodology Data Analysis and Findings Conclusions and Recommendations 2.   Literature review Folorunso et al. (2006, p.2224) suggested that the factors that affect online shopping behaviour are: â€Å"establishing cost, accessibility, privacy and confidentiality, data security, network reliability, credit card threat, authenticity, citizens’ income and education.† The shopping behaviour of Nigerians living abroad is unique as it can be identified as unique among the rest. Among the factors suggested by Folorunso income levels and data security was established as the major factors contributing to the unique behaviour of the Nigerians.   In another research by Ayo (2006, p.2), he argued that cyber-crime as the major factor behind the low rate of adopting the electronic commerce technology. Further, other important factors have been established as contributing to this unique behaviour among the Nigerians. These factors are inferior online payment methods, lack of trust in web retailers, poor technological infrastructures, and fear of insufficient security in onl ine environments (Adeshina Ayo, 2010). In contrast to the slow rate at which online shopping has been embraced by the Nigerians, they have increased use of electronic banking and payment systems as they regard these technology issues as more secure. The major use of electronic banking is to pay bills, money transfer activities and obtaining banking statements at any time they wish to have the statements for their daily activities. The major factors identified on the previous research do not point to the exact situation because even through the electronic banking services provided by this technology, users are also likely to be exposed cyber crimes (Egwali, 2009). Advertising is used as a marketing strategy to familiarise the consumers to the products in the market. In a global market, advertising through the internet gives the consumers an avenue to consider a varied field of products that will satisfy their specific demand. Although internet advertising comes with a lot of advantages to both the consumer and the advertising agency, it has not been fully embraced in the Nigerian market. This indicates that the consumers in the Nigerian market have varied perceptions about web advertising. According to Wohn and Korgaonkar (2003), â€Å"males exhibit more positive beliefs about web advertising and more positive attitudes toward web adverting than females. Additionally, male are more likely than females to purchase from the web and surf the web for functional and entertainment reasons, whereas females are more likely to surf the web for shopping reasons.† From these findings, it can be deduced that there are specific online shopping behav iour among Nigerians. The research will carry out a detailed review of the existing literature on the behaviour of online shopping among Nigerians.   The researcher will critically analyse the literature both that are in support of the research and those that are not. 3.Methodology This research will use qualitative approach to establish an in-depth description of the problem of the study. This method will be the most appropriate because it does not apply any mathematical judgment of the results (Higgs Cherry, 2009).   According to Miles and Huberman (1994), qualitative approach is the best because it is concerned with meaningful characteristics, stories, visual renders, observations and words. This study will be based on the individual behaviour on online shopping. Consequently, the research sample will be identified among them Nigerian Diaspora students, professionals and business people. The research sample will be conducted to 100 Nigerians. The research sample gives a good study population because of the sample size. In addition, the use of this type of respondents will give basis to the research because these are people who have the know-how of technological matters. Additionally, since online shopping is based on the use of technology this type of respondents is the best research population because they are quite aware of the online shopping activities using the internet. Thus, the results of the findings will give a true reflection of the real behaviour of the Nigerians online shopping. 3.1.Research approach and strategy The research will be conducted for 100 Nigerian. The respondents will be selected at random both that live in UK and those that are in Nigeria. The respondents will be supplied with questionnaires to investigate their online shopping behaviour. The data that will be used in this study will be sourced from both primary and secondary sources. The primary data will be collected by sending questionnaires to the respondents. The researcher will conceal the identity of all respondents for confidentiality purposes. All respondents will be given unique ID numbers like P1, P2, and P3 that will represent participant one, two and three respectively. Secondary data will be collected from existing literature that is in the public domain. This means that there will be no permission sought to access the materials or cost incurred to collect data. 3.2.Data collection The data for this research will be collected through the use of questionnaires. The questionnaires will be subdivided into three sub-groups as follows: online shopping, electronic commerce and internet usage. Each of the sub-categories will be aiming to investigate the behaviour of online shopping among Nigerians. (See appendix 1) 3.3.Data analysis Qualitative study does not involve numerical values, and thus, an analysis tool will be used that will give correct interpretation and description while at the same time avoiding biases (Sewell, 2008). Therefore, the data will be analysed using case descriptions of the phenomenon. A detailed report will then be developed based on the analysis of the data collected through questionnaires. After, conclusions will be drawn from the analysis of the study, and more so the researcher will give recommendations that for future studies. 3.4.  Ã‚  Ethical issues The ethical issue in this research study will be to keep the anonymity of the respondents. Each of the involved respondent’s information will be treated with great privacy based on individual data protection policy. 3.5.Research limitations The sample used to represent the Nigerians is comparably small.   A bigger representative sample should be used to determine the real factors. The random sampling method is good, but is faced with the challenge of some respondents failing to cooperate. The best approach would be to administer the questionnaire directly to the respondents to ensure that there is 100% response from the targeted representative sample. 4.Conclusion This research is an important finding that can be used to implement developmental changes in developing countries. Nigeria is one of the developing countries and the trends shown by its abroad citizens can be used as a model for other developing countries. Also, since technology implementation in the business environment is inevitable then it is important to identify these factors in order to make the required adjustments to make the developing countries able to embrace technology. The representative sample will give accurate results of the research study because it will use a study population that can embrace technology. References Adeshina, A Ayo, C .2010. An Empirical Investigation of the Level of Users.   Acceptance of E-Banking in Nigeria. Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce, 15 (1), 1-13. Egwali, A. 2009. Customers Perception of Security Indicators in Online Banking Sites in Nigeria. Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce, 14 (1), 1-15. Folorunso, O et al. 2006. Factors Affecting the Adoption of E-commerce: A Study in Nigeria. Journal of Applied Sciences, 6 (10), 2224-2230. Ghosh, A .1997. Securing E-Commerce: A Systematic Approach. Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce, 1-4. Internet World Stats, 2009. Nigeria Internet Usage and Telecommunications Reports. Retrieved from http:// www.internetworldstats.com/af/ng.htm. Jackson, P. et al. 2003. e-Business Fundamentals. London: Dorset House Publishing Company. Miles, M.B. Huberman, A.M. 1994. Qualitative Data Analysis: An Expanded Sourcebook, 2ndedn, Newbury Park, CA: Sage. Sewell, M., 2008. The Use of Qualitative Interviews in Evaluation, Tucson, AZ: The University of Arizona. Sewell, M., 2008. The Use of Qualitative Interviews in Evaluation, Tucson, AZ: The University of Arizona. Wohn, L Korgaonkar, P 2003, Web advertising: gender differences, gender differences in belief, attitude and behavior. Florida: MCB UP. Appendix 1 The questionnaire Online shopping Have you been using online shopping in Nigeria? Do you use online shopping in the UK? If yes how many times did you shop online while in Nigeria per week? How many sites do you visit per week while in the UK or Nigeria? What products do you shop for with this service in Nigeria or the UK? What are the risks associated with online shopping? 2.0 Electronic commerce Have you been using electronic commerce while in Nigeria? Do you still use electronic shopping in the UK? If not, what are the reasons? What functions do you use the service for in Nigeria or the UK? 3.0 Internet usage Do you use internet regularly? What do you use the internet for? Do you think there are risks associated with internet usage? How often do you use the internet for online shopping?