How Does Tourism Affect Hong Kong?

In this piece of coursework, I will keep a diary of primary and secondary data and analyze them so that it can explain to me the circumstances which Hong Kong tourism is facing and how it can be improved in the future. It also explains the advantages and disadvantages which tourism brings to Hong Kong. How I did it? What information was needed? In my piece of coursework, I will use a mixture of primary data such as questionnaires for tourists which I have designed and secondary data such as cuttings from newspaper and magazines. The questionnaire which I designed was used at hot tourist attractions in Hong Kong such as the Peak, Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront, Stanley and the Star Ferry. My questionnaire was designed to get an impression of Hong Kong from a tourist's point of view. The secondary data such as newspaper and internet articles which I collected explains to me the current state of tourism in Hong Kong. How does tourism affect Hong Kong economically? Tourism is one of the biggest industries in Hong Kong. In fact from research, Hong Kong is one of the most popular single destinations for tourists in the world. Hong Kong relies very heavily on tourism. Without tourism there wouldn't be Hong Kong. Each year, Hong Kong brings in more than 10 million tourists. However, there are both advantages and disadvantages of the large tourism industry in Hong Kong. Social Costs and Benefits Firstly, tourism brings to Hong Kong both private costs benefits, as well as social costs benefits. Private costs are costs paid by economic decision makers. Private benefit is benefit received by economic decision makers. Social costs and social benefits are costs and benefits associated with the society. * Private Benefit + External Benefit = Social Benefit * Private Cost + External Cost = Social Cost You can read also Classifications of Restaurants This Social Cost and Benefit graph clearly shows the system of tourism. The private cost of tourism is the money spent by the government or private sectors to lure more tourists into Hong Kong. This could mean building more landmarks and tourist attractions or improving the surrounding environment. On the other hand, private benefit is when bringing in more tourists, a higher level of employment level could be achieved as the companies would be much more likely co hire more labour to improve the company's service and efficiency to make more money from the tourists. The external cost of tourism is resulted from the usage of Hong Kong's land to produce landmarks to attract coming tourists. External cost of tourism also includes environment damage or loss of greenery. The external benefits of tourism is when the local companies improves their services in order to attract tourists, there would be a higher standard of living for the local residents. The opportunity cost of the tourism industry is the next best alternative. If land is not used up to create build landmarks for tourists, the next best more might be to build better schools for improved education. For the society, the total benefit is the private benefit + external benefit, or in other words the social benefit. Only when the social benefit exceeds pass social cost will the tourism industry be beneficial to Hong Kong. Therefore, the role of both the government and private sectors is to decide to produce the right amount of services to make the tourism industry beneficial to Hong Kong. Circular Flow of Income A circular flow of income could be suited to the tourism industry. In a circular flow of income diagram, it shows the flow of money around the economy as it as passed between consumers and producers over time. The withdrawals from an economy is the money which is paid for goods and services what are produced within the economy such as tax and savings. Injections are the government expenditures, investments or exports. Sometimes in the short term, withdrawals might exceed injection, however if the injection in the long run is more than that of withdrawals, there will be economic growth. National Income The tourism industry plays a large role in contributing to the national income of Hong Kong. It is researched that a tourist is more likely to spend more money during their holiday weeks than any other week of the year. Therefore when tourists visit Hong Kong, they tend to spend a large proportion of their savings all in the particular visit to Hong Kong. The income from the tourism industry is mainly contributed by hotels, restaurants, amusement parks, shopping, and tourist attractions. From research, in the year 2001, each tourist visiting Hong Kong spent an average of $4532HKD. This extra spending from tourists leads to a total addition to the GDP of Hong Kong. It also leads to more income by both private and public sectors. As more income is made by private sectors, the government would therefore tend to collect more tax revenue. They can use this money to spend of schools and colleges, hospitals, roads and many other services which would benefit us all. When the National Income per capita exceeds the number from the previous year, we say there is economic growth. Economic Growth Hong Kong, like any other economies grows from booms and suffers from slumps. But in the long term the economy continues to grow. During a boom, the standards of living are high because the unemployment level is low meaning everyone has a job to earn money. More money means more spending to satisfy people's needs and wants. However during a boom, there is also a high inflation rate and a high deficit for the balance of payment. In a slump, or in other words a recession, the standards of living are low because of a high unemployment level. Less people are hired for services meaning less people have money to spend for satisfying their needs and wants. But on the other hand, the inflation level is low and there is also a low deficit for balance of payment. As you probably know, the impact of SARS on Hong Kong tourism industry has been greatly damaging. During the SARS period, Hong Kong headed into a slump, in other words a recession. When a recession occurs, there are many negative effects to the economy. For example, the standard of living might drop, demand for goods might decrease, high unemployment level, deflation and much more. From the graph below, it clearly shows that during April 2003 to July 2003, the average visitor arrival has dropped magnificently from a monthly average of 1,347,386 to 493,666. This was due to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. Because the tourists were tried their best to avoid nearing not only Hong Kong but the Asian region as well where SARS was most devastating, there was a huge decrease in the tourism industry in the South East Asian Region. A lot less income was received by the local firms from tourists coming into Hong Kong. Even if tourists were to visit Hong Kong, they stayed for much shorter periods. However, the tourism industry as shown from below has begun to bounce back earlier than many expected. Attractions offered to Overseas Visitors Hong Kong has known to be â€Å"The City of Life†. But has Hong Kong lived to its reputation? Are tourists who visit Hong Kong satisfied by the attractions which Hong Kong has to offer? According to the primary data which I collected from my surveys at different tourist points. I have found out that most tourists like to visit attractions such as The Peak, Stanley and the Big Buddha located on Lantau Island. These are the three most popular attractions in Hong Kong. However, the list goes on. Whether it's the museums, great restaurants or the exciting nightlife, the Hong Kong tourism association tries their best to guarantee to offer a tourist an unforgettable experience. Tourist Attractions – Hong Kong provides fun-filled experiences for tourists. The top tourist attractions include: * The Peak Tower- The peak tower is definitely the place for tourists to visit if they want to take an overview of the magnificent infrastructures of Hong Kong. The Peak Tower has a wide range of restaurants and food outlets plus novelty shops where visitors can get a souvenir to preserve their memories of their exciting experience. A good idea of reaching The Peak Tower could be taking a ride on the Peak Tram where on the way up, a good overview of Hong Kong could be captured. * Stanley Market – The Stanley Market is one of Hong Kong's most popular destinations for overseas visitors. It fulfills a tourist's day with both fun-filled shopping and relaxation. The Stanley Market is an open-aired market where souvenirs could be bought at a bargainable price. * The Big Buddha – The Big Buddha is located on one of the out lying islands in Lantau. The Big Buddha statue weighs more than 220 tonnes and sits 24.6 meters high opposite the Po Lin Monetary on the hillside of Ngong Ping in Lantau Island. * Ocean Park – Ocean Park is the one and only joint zoo and amusement park in Hong Kong. Located in the southern part of Hong Kong, the Park exceeds more than 200 acre of land. Ocean Park provides a mixed experience of education and fun. Built in 1977, it was primarily to promote animal preservation in Hong Kong. Very soon, it became very popular with both tourists and local residents developing into an amusement park. Overtime, the park has been renovated and updated with the top entertainment facilities. Shopping – Hong Kong has grown into the reputation for a shopping paradise. The shopping malls such as Times Square and Pacific Place provide tourists with famous designer labels at a reasonable price. On the other hand the open-air market places such as Stanley and Temple Street gives tourists a taste of the cultural life in Hong Kong as well as providing memorable souvenirs which could be bought at a low price. Cuisine – The international city of Hong Kong provides tourists with a rich variety of cuisines ranging from Asian dishes to Western buffets. You name it, Hong Kong has it. Restaurants are located everywhere in Hong Kong. * Lan Kwai Fong – Lan Kwai Fong is a very popular destination among incoming tourists as it provides many western style restaurants along with bars and nightclubs. * Jumbo Floating Restaurant – The Jumbo Restaurant is the world's largest floating restaurant. At anytime, the ship can hold up to 3200 customers and employed with more than 300 staff members. At the Jumbo Restaurant, tourists have a chance to try the sea-food of which local residents would normally eat. Neighboring Cities – The neighboring cities of Hong Kong, including Macau and Shenzhen adds to a tourist's to-do list during their visit to Hong Kong. Tourists can take advantage of the convenient transportation to and from these cities. What needs to be improved and how can this be done? What is being done already and how successful has it been? Although Hong Kong already has sufficient top tourist attractions, in order for them to lure tourists into come again, many things have to be done and improved. For example, improve the quality of the provided attractions or even to build new landmarks. In the past few years, the Hong Kong Government has planned to develop five major tourism clusters in the territory with a view to enhancing the attractiveness of Hong Kong as a premier tourist destination. The five tourism clusters cover a wide range of projects, which are at various stages of development. A number of enhancement projects are being carried out to give a facelift to the existing popular tourist areas including the Central and Western District, Sai Kung waterfront and Lei Yue Mun. Other improvement schemes coming on stream include those at the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade, Stanley waterfront and the Peak. Visitor signage is being installed in all 18 districts to make Hong Kong more tourists friendly. A number of major projects are also under way. Phase 1 of Hong Kong Disneyland, Tung Chung Cable Car and Hong Kong Wetland Park are all scheduled for completion in 2005. To enrich the heritage tourism products, the Government has awarded to the private sector the development right to restore and convert the former Marine Police Headquarters (MPHQ) compound into a tourism-themed development. Planning work is being conducted for the development of the south-east Kowloon tourism node, the integrated arts, cultural and entertainment district at West Kowloon Reclamation and the preservation and conservation of the Central Police Station, Victoria Prison and the former Central Magistracy compound into a heritage-themed development. The Hong Kong Government is also working with the Ocean Park in the strategic development plan of the park, which will form the basis for the development plan of the Aberdeen Harbour tourism node. Also taking forward a Harbour Lighting Plan to enhance the night vista of Victoria Harbour with the use of modern, energy efficient technology. The promotion of tourism is not simply about construction of new facilities. The Government has not lost sight of the fact that Hong Kong's traditions, offering visitors a fascinating insight into Hong Kong and Chinese history by providing museums and other The HKTB also offers a culture and lifestyle experience program called Cultural Kaleidoscope, enabling visitors to try out tai chi and kung fu, or appreciate the arts of Cantonese opera, Chinese tea preparation, Chinese antiques and feng shui. With the building of the World's third Disney theme park outside the United States, millions of people are sure to want to have a taste of the action. Tourists who have visited Hong Kong once already would probably come back again to visit this new theme park. This project would surely attract more overseas tourists to transit to Hong Kong. Mr. Donald Tsang, the financial secretary spoke of the many benefits to Hong Kong's economy from this Disneyland project. He describes the project as an infrastructure investment and he said it would cause returns not only for the government, â€Å"but for ordinary people who are operating restaurants in Hong Kong. Our hotels will benefit. Our tourist industry will benefit. Our airlines will benefit. And all the retail shops will benefit as a result of more tourists coming to Hong Kong†. The construction of the new Disney Land will definitely bring more tourists into Hong Kong by 2005. Although the Park is mainly aimed at mainland Chinese tourists rather than western tourists, mainland Chinese tourists already make up more than 85% of the total visiting tourist. The Hong Kong Government has also planned many campaigns recently after the SARS period to boost its economy. The campaigns included the Hong Kong Super Draw and the Harbour Fest. Through August and September, the Hong Kong government held a Super Draw campaign to encourage spending within both local residents and tourists. The draw allows a chance to prizes totaling up to $15 million. To enter the super draw, participants must spend at least $100 in three different areas; dining, shopping and transport. For each $100 they spend, they will be given a stamp. A collection of all three stamps will be eligible to enter the super draw. The second campaign which the government held after the SARS crisis was Harbour Fest. The Harbour Fest is music festival featuring both International and Local pop stars. The aim was to attract tourists to visit Hong Kong to watch this fantastic music festival. It also tries to prove to people that Hong Kong is now SARs free and would rise again to be one of the top international tourist destinations. On July 27th 2003, the Hong Kong Stadium hosted a football match between the top class English Premiere League team Liverpool and the Hong Kong National Football Team. Following this event, the less than 2 weeks later, it again hosted another football match against the even more famous Real Madrid as the Government-sponsored mega-events of the Relaunch Hong Kong campaign. The Hong Kong Government has raised all these campaigns to prove that Hong Kong is now SARs free and is capable of hosting international mega events. Conclusion In conclusion, the government has done a great job trying to boost its tourism industry especially after the SARS epidemics. In the meantime, it has raised many campaigns and promoted Hong Kong's tourism in various ways. As most Hong Kong's economist predicted, the tourism industry in Hong Kong will hopefully bounce back to its original state by the end of 2003.

Mice & Men Essay

In chapter 3, the setting, the bunkhouse can be seen to symbolise that people only see what is obvious to them. Steinbeck shows this through symbolism in the bunkhouse. ‘Although there was evening brightness showing through the windows of the bunkhouse, inside it was dusk†¦ Instantly the table was brilliant with light, and the cone of the shade threw its brightness straight downward, leaving the corners of the bunkhouse still in dusk. The brightness down the centre of the bunkhouse shows our assumptions about something, as we judge things solely for what we see and know. This happens at least once during the text and can be seen through the immediate judgement of Curley’s wife as comes alone to the bunkhouse. George seems to know exactly where the trouble is going to originate, and this is shown when George cautions Lennie not to talk to Curley’s wife. George immediately judges Curley’s wife from previous gossip from Candy, her appearance and her behaviour before he has a chance to get to know her. His assumption led the audience to believe that she is simply just a tart, and nothing more. The dark and gloomy corners on the other hand are a representation of the secrets and not so obvious things in life. This can be seen at the end of the text when we find out the real reasoning as to why Curley’s wife behaves the way she does, which is due to her lack of attention from Curley, not just because she is a floozy. The contrast of dark and light builds anticipation in the audience as the feeling of doubt seems to lurk permanently in the background. Others may interpret the bunkhouse to symbolise cruel world of reality. The dark corners of the bunkhouse suggest dreams and ambitions as in the dark, as we cannot see the problems in which lie ahead. It is only in the light which can be seen down the centre of the bunkhouse that we can see reality and all of the barriers in which will prevent us from achieving these ambitions. Steinbeck shows this when all ambitions of the ranch workers never go to plan. In the light down the centre of the Bunkhouse It appears to be a world in which fate often plays a hand, and the characters are frequently defenceless and watch their dreams turn to dust. Lennie’s puppy symbolises dreams, joy and the relationship between George and Lennie. A puppy is so fun to play with. You can spend time with it; a puppy can listen to all of your problems, is a great friend and you could never stay mad when you see one; however they are reliant on its owner for its wellbeing. This is like the relationship between George and Lennie. Lennie is reliant on George to keep him well and healthy and out of trouble just like the puppy would be reliant on Lennie when it grows older. George and Lennie are also have a close relationship, where they share their problems and although they George may get frustrated with George at times he is always quick to forgive him. The puppy brings joy to Lennie and George because ‘George said if Lennie didn’t hurt the puppy then he could tend the rabbits, when they get their own farm. The dream farm symbolises the tie between them and keeps them working, even when times are hard it is, and is ultimately, their version of heaven. So when Lennie kills a kills the puppy later on in the Chapter 5, it is obvious to the audience that their chances of going there are forever ruined. In contrast to this it may lead some to believe that the puppy is therefore a symbolism of the fate of the weak in the strong and foreshadows doom, shown particularly when Lennie brings the puppy in to the house and away from the it’s nest. ‘’He reached down and picked the tiny puppy from where Lennie had been concealing it against him’’. Concealing means to prevent something from being seen or known about. Many things are concealed during the story such as the petting and death of the mice, the incident in weed, the death of the puppy and briefly the death of Curley’s wife. We learn about the incident in weed in chapter 3 so it automatically foreshadows a doomed future of the puppy, given our knowledge about the mice. Our suspicions are confirmed During Chapter 5 when Lennie kills the puppy accidentally due to the fact that he still does not recognize his own strength. Although no other character can match Lennie’s physical strength, Lennie finds himself in a similar situation as the innocent animal, as Lennie is unaware of the vicious, predatory powers that surround him. This doom was foreshadowed by the puppy. The sequence of events of the puppy gives a cast contrast of scenes full of hope (when the puppy is first given to Lennie), in comparison to scenes of disappointment (when the puppy dies) increases the reader’s apprehension as they are continuously on the edge wondering what he will do next.

Marketing Mix of Amazon Essay

One of the most difficult tasks for an organization is creating an all-around environment that allows a group of customers to feel comfortable purchasing a specific product or service from them. This strategy requires the organization to determine the ideal product or service at the right price, getting sold in the correct location, within the proper time frame. This paper intends to describe how Amazon. com uses the marketing mix to ensure an ideal environment for consumers, and displays how each of these sections are implemented. Amazon was founded in 1994 and is considered the largest e-commerce retailer in America. In 20 years this organization has become a fortune 500 company that has dominated the e-commerce market and displayed unique growth and understanding of the market and client needs. Although Amazon is a very successful organization, they experience many threats from competitors, market fluctuations, and basic uncertainties within the market. However, the firm intends to handle these issues by looking toward their future and addressing the initiatives and long-term goals of the organization. Understanding and controlling the variables in the marketing mix allows this organization to overcome many of these objectives so they may be successful in their future. The marketing mix has four basic areas also known as the four P’s that consist of the; product, place, promotion, and price. These four areas can be researched, evaluated, and controlled to the point of creating that ideal environment for the consumer because this effort is done to target the customer. The Product Variable The product section of the marketing mix helps the organization determine what customers want out of the product or service being offered and what specific needs of these customers will be satisfied. Other areas will be addressed such as, how this product is different from competitors, how the customers will use the product, the price rang customers would be willing to spend on the product, the color size or specific features offered, and what the product looks like. Amazon is unique in the products they offer to the public because it is so broad of a category. They provide their customers with the ability to choice from a wide variety of products, brand names, and designs. Amazon can be looked at as a one stop website because it allows the customer to compare all the statistics or features of a product with others that are offered. The Place Variable The place section of the marketing mix will help the organization determine how customers will access the products or services from the company, or understand where they initially will look. Knowing where customers will look gives the company the advantage of choosing the proper distribution channels, and staying ahead or on par with competitors with their advertising methods. The location to find the products and services Amazon offers is online, or at the convenience and comfort of the consumers home, office, coffee shop, library or any other location you can access the Internet from. All of the information on Amazons website is categorized by group, brand, features, color, and other selections, depending on the category that is being searched. Merchandise is ordered online and then shipped to the customers chosen location, normally their home or business. Many of Amazons customers are small business owners so this set up is ideal for these individuals because there is less shopping around to do, and the merchandise can be sent to them directly. However, a disadvantage of developing just an online e-store is that customers cannot view items or products in person that may be necessary for specific things such as clothes, makeup or furniture. Also consumers may not want to wait for an item to be shipped to them, they may need to get a product immediately and at that point customers will have to go to Amazon’s competitors.

It's Business Ethics term paper. Company report in particular Assignment

It's Business Ethics term paper. Company report in particular - Assignment Example These do not necessarily have to be the areas that the company enjoys high revenues. There is no limit as to the scope of a business’ corporate social responsibility and investment. What is of great debate is the involvement of the business in the corporate social responsibility. Shaw (2011) defines corporate social responsibility as an inbuilt, self-regulation mechanism that allows a business to monitor and ensure and it actively complies with the laws of the country, ethical standards, and the international norms. It stresses the importance of the company taking responsibility for its actions, encouraging the need for positive impact through involvement in the environment, consumers, employees of the business, communities surrounding the business, stakeholders of the company, and the public in general (Schwartz, 2011). Business ethics indicates how businesses examine the ethical problems that arise in the business environment, applying in the aspects of business conduct. Cor porate social investment is allocation of a part of a business’ budget into corporate social responsibility activities, which are not necessarily supposed to bring any revenue to the company (Arnold 2002). 2. Wal-mart Stores Company was founded in 1962 by Sam Walton. As of 2012, it is the world’s third largest public corporation, operating chains of department stores and warehouses across the globe. The company owns 8500 stores around the globe in 15 countries that are registered under 15 different names. It has over two million employees, making it the world’s biggest private employer, and it is the world’s most valuable company (Halepete et al., 2006). Although Wal-Mart has been severally accuse of paying its employees’ salaries below the wage rate, taking customers from neighbourhood stores and hurting its neighbouring communities, and its predatory pricing, in the recent past, it has undergone a major transformation and focused to commit itself on progressive policies aimed towards corporate social responsibility. Recently, as a way of showing its corporate responsibility and concern to its customers, decided to reduce unhealthy salt levels, fats and sugars in most of its packaged food. To encourage healthy living through eating and feeding, the company lowered prices on healthy products such as fruits and vegetables (Halepete et al., 2006). Concern for community does not have to take the form of capital investment or resource allocation, it can do this by the product and services it offers to the masses. Secure products that are of high quality and of correct amount indicates a company’s dedication to corporate social responsibility through care and concern for the people (Werther & Chandler, 2011). The company does not only focus on promoting healthy living among its customers, but also has concern for the environment, a plan evident from its energy minimization plan. Its environmental concern measures include ef ficient use of energy by reducing greenhouse gas emission. This, the company is not shy of spending $500 million a year to increase its fuel efficiency. The pledge by the company’s management is to decrease greenhouse gasses emission by 20% in a period of seven years. It also pledged to reduce its energy use in the stores, by 30% in the same period, cutting its solid waste emission by 25% from the U.S. stores and clubs in a span of three years. It does not only gain good

Information Technology Buisness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Information Technology Buisness - Essay Example The store, however, lacked computer applications for supporting the business functions. In the following section, a discussion will be made on some recommendations for e-business systems and Enterprise Business Systems for supporting the growth of the online business. The management of the business should understand that today’s business strategizing calls for more flexibility than in the past. They also require to note that strategy development process needs to be much more dynamic. There is the promotion of new value propositions by new companies, and new technologies are being used to give companies a competitive advantage. The company will also need to take very informal and dynamic approaches which tend to degenerate from strategy into tactics. For instance, the company may create a website, so as to advertise its existing and new products. The website will reach a lot of potential customers from a wide area. This is because the e-business enables the market to become global. The general purpose of search engines like Google enables the potential customer to find all the products on sale. Through the website, the clients can also make enquiries about the products, relating to price and durability. The company may also decide to sell its current and new products via a portal without rethinking the nature of its products (Harmon, Guttman & Rosen, 2001). In connection to making use of the internet for the sale of products, the business needs to consider using mobile systems. The mobile systems make e-commerce time independent and user location. However, regulatory issues are to be developed, especially regarding the international e-commerce and guarantee questions. Of concern also are the legal issues on e-cross border transactions and e-contracting. In the development of e-business applications, it will need to create a plan linking the business applications with the steps it wants to take to get to the future state.

Victims' Assistance Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Victims' Assistance - Assignment Example Generally, navigation through the City of Fountain Website has been made straightforward to victims. At the homepage, a victim can simply click on the word ‘Departments’ which will provide a list of departments. At the page of Police Department, a victim can easily access any department they wish to contact. The department has listed certain options on the right side of the page. These options provide contacts to anyone who is in need of police services. Some few some options include the Investigations Division, the Chief’s Office, Operations Division, Watch Programs etc (City of Fountain, Colorado, 2015b). All of which have links for their contacts. For victims who cannot speak English, there are no services apart from the contacts only that they can use to reach the police; this proves to be a barrier in the department. Despite that, all the information posted on the City of Fountain Website is victim friendly since the format in which the website options are or ganized can be easily navigated. This department offers excellent services to victims by ensuring a commitment to the community policing principles and creating partnerships with the citizens. It also offers procedures to all its residents and outsiders who are traveling on what they can do in case of an accident. In addition, this department displays the police officer badge probably to help residents be familiar with the badge since the department is still new. Further, the department displays its contacts to any victim who may require police service: its non-emergency dispatch, phone number, permanent address etc. Also, it displays its working hours during the week days: from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm (City of Lone Tree, 2015). Navigation through the police department page is easy since there are no much navigation options in this page. At the page’s top left different options have been

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

Fronters - Essay Example Company has an opportunity to make acquisitions (Ringbeck and Roska). Due world financial crisis business, industry has faced huge losses so as an airline industry, but it also present an opportunity to expand business through alliances and mergers. Company can raise money from different financial institutions that offer lower interest rates and can borrow at fixed interest rate. Fixed rate borrowing will prevent the company from bankruptcy, and Frontier can invest more in its expansion rather give as interest. Inflation is impacting the business increasingly day by day. There is great fluctuation in prices of each company that is a big threat for the company. However, managing prices in uncertain conditions is not a piece of cake. Airline industry is covered with unexpected problems and to deal with these problems is difficult. Therefore, it is a big threat for Frontier. For example, in the condition of storm strikes company needs fast communication channels that are a big challenge for Frontier. Because of poor communication system, company has to face negative sentiments of customers that are base for Frontier airlines. Due to economic and financial crisis, the cost of raw material is increasing which cause to increase the cost of services. Therefore, end price which will slowdown the competitive advantage of Frontier airlines. Increased cost is a threat for Frontier. Exchange rate fluctuation is also a threat for the company. In the case of strong Currency, Company will lose its competitive advantage because customers from countries that have lower currency rate will not pay higher prices and company will have to face a price war. Frontier airline was found in 1950 by the merger of three airlines; Arizona Airways, Monarch and Challenger airways. In 1985, the airline was acquired by people express and due to some financial difficulties, the airline faced bankruptcy (Carson, 74). The new Frontier airline was

Managing Workplace Diversity Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Managing Workplace Diversity - Assignment Example Although there is no explicit rule applicable in the above scenario, critical thinking is expedient. Most of the indicators direct towards a deserved promotion. The worker has doubled his production and is willing to take up the position they are requesting for. It would not be justifiable to deny promotion on the basis of the condition. However, it is important to out-rightly discuss the stress that comes with the position and implications to his health. No. the worker’s health information is and should remain confidential. The worker should be the only one who chooses to disclose their medical information to whom they wish. Disclosing such information to the team violates the worker’s confidentiality. Prudence would advise on educating on all contagious disease. Training that would focus on HIV alone would obviously make the worker feel like it was directed to them. It is wise to consider the worker and their emotions when handling such training. However, it should not serve as a hindrance of providing useful information such as how to prevent oneself from contracting HIV and other contagious infections. Since HIV can only be managed, it is important to consider their appointment days with the physician. There are a few days he may be down due to the condition, but he has shown increased productivity. In effect, people with HIV, especially in the early stages of the disease, will perform in the same way as healthy people do, except occasionally when the condition pulls them down. In this situation, color and standardized test scores have been given preference followed by alumni relationships. High school grades, high school quality, geography, and leadership have followed with curriculum choices receiving the least preference. An affirmative actioned aimed at correcting a situation should also remain fair, reasonable and rational. Underrepresentation of the minorities should not be corrected by

Regina Company Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Regina Company - Case Study Example d went on unidentified for a long period of time and it made the company create a good image of its success but this was not to go on since the company started experiencing losses when it could not keep up with the fraud. The auditors should have checked the financial records and also identify the source documents for every activity of Regina so as to determine if the figures were the same in all the receipts and the records maintained by Regina. 4. Since the auditors detected one ship-in-place transaction they ought to have acted independently and carry out a thorough investigation on the matter even after being told that there was no additional ship-in-place transaction as this is the duty of the auditor to ensure that dig deeper on the issue without trusting the people on the ground as they tend to conceal the truth. 5. The auditor is supposed to place little or no reliance on the client inquiries. The client is only supposed to answer questions when called upon to do so by the auditor and no opinion or suggestion should be taken from the client whatsoever. 6. The statement â€Å"why don’t you write something to get the stock up?† made by Sheelen to his financial analyst is inappropriate in the sense that it amounts to a fraud on the part of the company and also it is a way of conceal the true value of the company’s stocks from the innocent

Delta Airlines Employee Motivation and Performance Research Paper

Delta Airlines Employee Motivation and Performance - Research Paper Example However, an employee can only be eligible for such privileges after working for an initial minimum of thirty days. The travel privileges can be used across all the destinations that are covered by Delta Airlines. Through this program, employees in the airline have been able to travel to different global destinations and they reciprocate in appreciation of their employer’s effort make their work experience enjoyable. The reciprocation is seen through improved employee performance and proper relations with the Airline management (Nelson, & Quick, 2013). In addition, the employees’ relatives can also enjoy the travel privileges. Spouses, minors mainly students and parents are entitled to the provision of free travel services. Employees’ children that are nondependent travel companions and friends can also enjoy reduced travel charges. It is notable that the employees’ families are an integral part of their lives and may play a big role in compelling them to keep working at the airline. If the families and friends receive such privileges, they may impact positively on the employees’ attitude towards their role at the airline. Consequently, the employees are compelled to keep working for the airline and develop a positive assertiveness towards the execution of their duties (Grodal, Nelson & Siino, 2015). The employees and their family members eligible for the travel privileges are expected to be on board after other commercial passengers have boarded the flights. Therefore, they occupy the spaces that are still available after all the revenue travellers are on board. Before the travel privileges are activated, the employees are expected to pay an activation fee amounting to fifty dollars. The travel privileges are applicable after the proper guidelines are adhered to and relate to all the employees. In order to maintain its well-established status in the airline industry, Delta Airlines offers a number of rewarding benefits to

The Us Federal Reserve VS European Central Bank Essay Example for Free

The Us Federal Reserve VS European Central Bank Essay INTRODUCTION This paper will analyze the difference between U.S. Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank.   Provide assumption on which central banking system is able to provide stability on its respective country based on their approved mandates and what are the degrees of independence does Central Bank benefit from both in theory and reality and determine which central bank is able show better results in keeping the overall economy of its respective countries stable. COMPARISON BETWEEN THE US FEDERAL RESERVE AND EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK The comparison of the Eurosytem and the Federal Reserve System is based on the following: institutional structure, the monetary policy strategy, the monetary policy instruments and the operating procedures of the two central banks as the focal point.    In the study conducted by Karlheinz Ruckriegel and Franz Seitz they concluded that the structure of both institutions has similarities but the main tasks and the legal status are by far different.   The main task of the Eurosytem is price stability while Federal Reserve objective is price stability and full employment achieving both all at the same time. Ruckriegel and Seitz believe in the importance of the independent status of the Eurosytem by international law (EU Treaty) gives an edge of the Federal Reserve System since the status of the Federal Reserve depends on Congress.   The Constitution gives Congress the power to set its value. Therefore, the Federal Reserve’s power is limited to views of the Congress.    They also noted the similarities in the operating procedures of monetary policy of both institutions, similarities in the design of the minimum reserves and the operating target. In both cases the overnight interest rate is the operating target of monetary policy. Apart from required reserves, the instruments of monetary policy are different. The differences can be traced back to historical factors, legal problems of the change of existing arrangements and a different understanding of monetary policy. In this context the Eurosytem has the advantage of introducing all arrangements according to the knowledge of monetary policy and theory. Therefore both writers classified the Eurosytem as the superior system under efficiency viewpoint. Especially, the obvious absence of strategy on the side of the Fed for several years. INFLATION AND UNEMPLOYMENT The difference between the US Federal Reserve and European Central Bank is that the first has a dual mandate which has an objective of prioritizing full employment and price stability at the same time whereas ECB is under the hierarchical mandates which the principal objective is stability other objectives is pursued once the inflation objective is met. The dual mandate of the Federal Reserve helps stabilize the inflation and unemployment situation of the country.   The dual mandate simply states to promote price stability and maximize employment meaning full-employment without pressure on inflation.   The key to dual mandate is to implement both objectives at the same time whereas European Central Bank has hierarchical mandates that prioritize price stability before pursuing other objectives.   ECB will only pursue other objective one’s price stability has been achieved.   Hierarchical mandates set inflation objectives in terms of forecast or as mid-term objectives this allows them to gradually return to their inflation objectives if there are changes in inflation. United States have the largest economy in the world their monetary policy has economic and financial effect on other countries.   The U.S. monetary policy involves influencing short-term interest rates and the supply of money and credit to promote basic goals established by the Congress.   According to Congress price stability normally implies that inflation should be low enough not to play a significant factor in economic decision making while â€Å"Maximum sustainable economic output and employment† goes well together with economic output and employment, it steadily grows consistent with the economy’s long-run ability to develop while strengthening price stability. In Euro the simultaneous decline in inflation and the labor share of income over the past two decades have motivated significant interest in how these phenomena might be connected.   In the summary of Katharine Neiss and Edward Neslon â€Å"Inflation dynamics, marginal cost and output gap:   Evidence from the three countries monetary policy analysis, suggests a different path from what is currently emphasized. They found little support that wage markup movements are an important source of inflation dynamics for a given output gap, and therefore concluded that more detailed modeling of labor market rigidities is not a high priority in analyzing inflation. On the other hand, they find that modeling the dynamic effects of real shocks not only productivity shocks but also preference shocks on potential GDP is crucial for understanding inflation behavior. They explicitly relate potential output dynamics to underlying shocks, hence the importance of optimizing models in monetary policy analysis. CENTRAL BANK’S DEGREE OF INDEPENDENCE For many years many countries has made progress in towards adopting legislative proposals removing their central banks from government control thus making them independent. Based on the empirical and theoretical studies it showed that there is no clear answer was shown that there can be an economic benefit to be gained in having an independent central bank.   In summary, empirical studies provide evidence of a negative correlation between central bank independents and inflation and central bank independence and fiscal deficits. Theoretical studies indicate that independent central bank can increase policy conflicts with the government whenever preferences of the two differ and in so doing worsen the economic performance of the country.   Both studies however do not provide support for the idea that countries should place monetary policy in the hands of the executive or legislative branches of government. Therefore empirical studies put emphasis on price stability and freedom to pursue these goals are primary determinants of independence whereas, theoretical studies equates independence with non-cooperation between the fiscal and monetary authorities in policy implementation. Each central bank representative on the panel brings with them instrument of independence this is used to isolate central bank from political interference.   This interference can be politically motivated.   The purpose of this insulation is not to allow the central bank to pursue policy preference.   The governments are consistent in defining broad goals for central banks, commitment from the government through central bank is to achieve different goals but their main objective is price stability. The Congress structured the Federal Reserve to be independent within the government therefore it is accountable to the Congress and its goals for economic performance are set by law. According to Governor Laurence H. Meyer on his speech At the National Association for Business Economics Seminar on Monetary Policy and the Markets, Washington, D.C. on May 21, 2001 in his speech he said: â€Å"Central bank independence is in part the result of formal institutional arrangements typically incorporated in the legislation defining and creating the central bank. The most important requirement is that the central bank is the final authority on monetary policy decisions. That is, monetary policy decisions should not be subject to the veto of the executive or legislative branches of government. This is further protected if other institutions of the governmenttypically the Treasury Department or the Ministry of Financeare not represented on the monetary policy committee. A lesser protection would be to allow such representation, but only in a non-voting capacity, as is the practice at the Bank of England and the Bank of Japan†. Instrument independence is facilitated by long overlapping membership terms, by limited opportunities for reappointment, and by protecting committee members from removal. Therefore the degree of independence that central bank enjoys is based on imposed mandates.   Though independent it is clear that it has its limitations there is generally an attempt to balance independence and accountability. CONCLUSION In conclusion it is believed that both European Central Bank and Federal Reserve has advantages.   It is predominant that it is the people, culture and society dictates which form is more advantageous.   Therefore applicability is based on culture and racial orientation. REFERENCES Bruha, Jan and Podpiera, Jiri, Inquirers on Dynamics of Transitions Economy Convergence in two Country Model working paper series No. 791August 2007 De Grawe, Paul Is the ECB Handicapped in Stabilizing Output Because of Rigidities? University of Leuven, 3/27/2007 Eurointelligence Some Notes on theReturn of Inflation ECB watch, 3/6/2007 Lawless, Martina and Whelan, Karl Understanding the Dynamics of Labor Shares and Inflation Working paper series No. 784, July 2007 Neiss, Katharine and Nelson, Edward Inflation Dynamics, Marginal Cost and Output Gap: Evidence from Three Countries February 2002 Pollard, Patricia, Central Bank Independence and Economic Performance Ruckriegel, Karlheinz and Seitz, Franz The Eurosystem and the Federal Reserve System Compared Facts and Challenges February 2002 Wyplosz, Charles Wake Up Call For The ECB, Institute of International Studies, 2/7/2007

Information systems Essay Example for Free

Information systems Essay None -Course objectives Information is perhaps the most important of all business resources, and the ability to manage it effectively on a global level is a essential organizational capability. Information systems are the tools that firms use to manage information, and it is critical for managers to understand how to use them. This course introduces you to key information systems concepts, issues and questions that will help you to accomplish this. The focus of the course is managerial little prior knowledge of  information systems is required, and you certainly won’t be doing any programming! It is assumed that you already possess the basic computer skills needed to use various office suite products (word processing, spreadsheet, e-mail, etc. ), or will acquire these skills independently of this course. The objective of the course is to provide a basic knowledge set that will allow you to understand the most common information systems issues that exist in today’s organizations, to ask critical questions, and participate in IT decision making. P a g e | 2 Organization of the Course Pedagogy  This course relies on a diversity of teaching media, including lectures, readings, and case discussions. Inclass discussions are important and quality class participation is expected from each student. It is your responsibility to read the appropriate material before class. Unless prior arrangements have been made with the instructor, no late assignments will be accepted. Assigned Reading There is a readings package for this course that contains required articles and cases. As well we have an open source text: John Gallaugher, â€Å"Information Systems: A Manager’s Guide to Harnessing Technology†, Flat World,Version1. 1, 2011. Go to this website to access the text: http://www. flatworldstudents. com/course? cid=453963bid=38086. You can read it online for free. If you pay $29 or thereabouts you can download an e-reader version or a pdf. A printed text is $40 and a color text is $60. We cover a large volume of material in this course. When preparing for class, you should review the overheads, carefully read the assigned articles and cases and try to identify what you believe are key points or issues. Always ask yourself the following question â€Å"As a manager, what issues does this raise for me? † Evaluation of Student Performance. The course grading scheme for Master’s level courses at Schulich uses a 9-value grade-point system. The possible course letter grades for a course (and the corresponding grade points awarded for each grade are: A+ 9 grade points A 8 A7 B+ 6 B 5 B4 C+ 3 C 2 C1 F 0 (Students are reminded that they must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 4. 2 to remain in good standing and continue in the program, and a minimum of 4. 4 to qualify for their degree. Schulich grading guidelines mandate a section grade point average [‘GPA’] of between 4. 7 and 6. 1 for core courses and a section GPA of between 5. 2 and 6. 2 for electives. ) Where instructors use numerical or percentage grades, Schulich grading policy does not require a preset translation of percentages into specific letter grades P a g e | 3 Participation 20 % Individual Assignment 30 % Group Assignment 50% In class Five pages maximum, handed in at the beginning of session 4 Presentation 20%, session 6 Peer evaluation 5%, session 6 Final report 25%, No later than 1 day after final session Participation (20%) Good class participation by all class members is necessary in order to get the most out of the cases and readings. You are encouraged to take advantage of this gathering of your peers to improve your communication skills and obtain feedback on your views in a relatively low-risk environment. Attendance is not participation. Your attendance is expected for the full duration of the class. If you miss more than two classes, you have failed the course. If you feel that you have to miss a class or any part of a class please inform the instructor before the class so that you will not be called upon in class and so that the instructor can advise you on how to keep up with the rest of the class. I expect that you will: a) Be prepared for class. b) Be on time for class. c) Keep me informed. Do not suffer in silence. Let the instructor know if you are having problems. Let it be known if you cannot attend class. With only six sessions, you do not want to miss anything. d) Come to class with a readable name card. This is important for monitoring your participation. Identify all your work completely with student number and name. Both of these actions will help the instructor to get to know you as an individual. In-class participation will be graded on quality not quantity. Timely and regular attendance, comments and questions that demonstrate knowledge of the topic and intellectual acuity can enhance your participation grade. Be respectful of other’s desire to participate, so be brief and relevant. Individual assignment (30%) The course includes an individual assignment, worth 30%. The total length of the individual assignment is 5 pages maximum, including all materials, except an optional cover page, and a reference list (if required). I will provide details on this assignment in the first class. Group Assignment (50%) You will be placed into groups. Each group will be required to perform an analysis of a business problem that deals with IT issues. Details of the group assignment will be provided in session 1. The group assignment includes three deliverables: 1. Final Report Final report (25%) – each group will submit a final report due no later than 1 day following the final class session. The report will be no longer than 20 pages, including all components, except for a title page and references. The following sections are required: Executive Summary (1page only), Introduction, Summary, and Conclusions. Other sections are up to you P a g e | 4 2. Management presentation Management presentation (20%) – each group will deliver a 10 minute presentation during the final class session. No extra time will be allowed. Maximum 10 slides. Please provide me with a copy of the presentation slides the evening before the final class session by 6 p. m. at the latest. 3. Peer evaluation Peer evaluation (5%) – you will be asked to evaluate the performance of your fellow group members. I will hand out a form for this in week 6. Academic Honesty Academic honesty is fundamental to the integrity of university education and degree programs. The Schulich School will investigate and will act to enforce academic honesty policies where apparent violations occur. Students should familiarize themselves with York University’s policy on academic honesty. It is printed in full in your student handbook and can also viewed on-line on the Schulich website, clicking through as indicated: MBA/IMBA. Schulich website ‘Programs’ ‘Master’s Degree’ ‘Learn More’ ‘Academic Policy’ While academic dishonesty can take many forms, there are several forms of which students should be highly aware because they are the ones that are most likely to occur in the context of a specific course. [1] Plagiarism. Plagiarism is the presentation of information, ideas, or analysis generated by other people as being your own. It includes direct quotations as well a substantive paraphrases where the course of that information or idea is not clearly identified to the reader. Students should be careful to present their written work in a way that makes it completely clear in each and every cases where a quotation, a paraphrase, or an analysis is based on the work of other people. (This includes information from all sources, including websites. ) [2] Cheating. Cheating is an attempt to gain an unfair advantage in an evaluation. Examples of such violations include (but are not limited to) consulting prohibited materials during an examination or copying from another student. [3] Failure to follow limitations on collaborative work with other students in preparing academic assignments. Each class differs in the mix of assignments and group-versus-individual preparation that is allowed. The instructor will make clear the extent of collaboration among students that is acceptable among students on various pieces of assigned work. Students should abide by those limitations and, if they are unsure about whether a certain level or form of collaboration would be acceptable, to clarify that question with the instructor in advance. [4] Aiding and abetting. A student is guilty of violating academic honesty expectations if he/she acts in a way that enables another student to engage in academic dishonesty. If a student knows (or should reasonably expect) that an action would enable another student to cheat or plagiarize, that student’s action constitutes an academic honesty violation. Illustrative examples include making your exam paper easily visible to others in the same exam or providing your own working or finished documents for an ‘individual assignment’ to another student (even if that other student said that he/she just wanted to ‘get an idea of how to approach the assignment’ or ‘to check whether they had done theirs correctly’). [5] Use of academic work in more than one course. Generally, academic work done for every course is ‘new’ work, done for that course only. If a student wishes to use some or all of the academic work done for an assigned task in one course in another course, the student must get explicit, prior permission from both instructors so that they agree that the scope and nature of the overlapping use of that work is such that it can fairly be counted toward both courses. P a g e | 5 Schedule of Topics and Readings The following list of lecture topics and readings indicate the material to be read, reviewed and/or prepared for the various class sessions. If any changes in this schedule become necessary, notifications will be posted in the course CMD, and where such changes need to be announced between class sessions, an email will be sent to students’ Lotus Notes email accounts, notifying them of the change. Date Topic(s) Session 1 Key question: What is an information system and why is it Feb 27 important? IS Ch 1, Lecture: Introduction to management information systems and enterprise Ch 5 Ch technology management 10 Lecture: Technology fundamentals Reading: A conversation about information technology 1. In your experience, does this conversation ring true? 2. Why are many business managers frustrated with organizational IT? 3. Why are many IT managers frustrated with ‘the business side’? 4. What can be done to improve relations between the two sides? Activity: A group discussion of Open versus Closed systems models. Session 2 Key question: How can you use information systems to get the Mar 5 most out of organizations? IS Ch 11 Lecture: Organizational information systems Enterprise systems Case: Business Intelligence Software at SYSCO Activity: Information structures organizational effectiveness Session 3 How can you manage the balance between security and privacy, Mar 12 openness and access? IS Ch 6, Ch 12, Ch 13 Lecture: IS ethics, privacy, computer crime, and security Case: ChoicePoint (A) 1. What is your appraisal of ChoicePoint’s business model? 2. How legitimate are the concerns voiced by the industry critics? 3. In Derek Smith’s position, what internal changes, if any, would you make to address the issues discussed in the case? 4. In Derek Smith’s position, what would you recommend to the U. S. Congress regarding regulation of the personal data industry? Discussion: Information security vs privacy P a g e | 6 Session 4 Key question: How can you use information systems for a Mar 19 sustainable competitive advantage? IS Ch 2, Lecture: IS for competitive advantage IS Planning and project Ch 7 Ch management 8 Reading: Investing in the IT That Makes a Competitive Difference Case: MDCM Inc. 1. Could MDCM fulfill Horizon 2000 without a strong focus on transforming IT? Why or why not? 2. Define MDCM’s overall corporate strategy and business goals, and match these with the company’s high-level IT objectives. Present your findings in a report to the senior management team. *Individual assignment due Session 5 Mar 26 IS Ch 9 Ch 14 Key question: How to effectively manage information systems in a changing global environment? Lecture: IS development and Global IT outsourcing Reading: Outsourcing: From Cost Management to Innovation and Business Value Case: Future Vision Digital Services 1. As Blake Randolph, what would you do to deal with the immediate problem? 2. Does the blame reside with Gregoire for being difficult to manage, or with Randolph, for not being able to manage Gregoire? 3. Would you use Gregoire on another project? Why or why not? 4. If you answered yes to Q3, would you change the way you manage Gregoire? How? Session 6 Apr 2 Apr 3 Group presentations Final reports due.

Development of Online Auction Market

Development of Online Auction Market Abstract The world of online auction is a very competitive world, its also almost monopoly where companies such as e-bay take the biggest market share. Because the internet has no governing body and does not belong to any government there is no control over what users are selling or buying or whether there is ethical, moral or legal ramification on the act of the customers which use the services of these companies. Competing with companies such as e-bay, a well established brand with global dominance is not something I had in mind; Student Online Auction System is no exception in its need for these advantages and competitive edge to thrive in this highly competitive global market. This report will outline the stage in carrying out an investigation of a problem situation which is a real world and developing a new system. To be able to achieve tasks, various analytical and design methodologies were investigated. It is also important to consider the organizational structure and culture, this can play a vital role in information modeling because often a failure in an information system project may be more due to lack of recognition of or respect for the culture of the organization than because of the technology itself. Major organisations such as e-bay but lot of emphasizes on calling their customers Community members rather then customers. The original idea that help the birth of e-bay was to establish an online community were members meet in online forums were they engage in open discussions on how to improve the services provided, exchange ideas as well as selling and buying In this project an attempt will made to be more aware of the needs of the customer, and to make the system have the facility were customers, give a feedback on the systems functionality, usability and ease of navigation and then carrying out any relevant improvements suggested by these feedbacks at the maintenance stage. Chapter 1 Introduction The aim of this project is to design and set up an online business model where students at the university can buy and sell articles through effective bidding system. It also provides a guide for me to undertake the project successfully through gathering essential information and literature relating to the fundamental issues that can support and improve security. The projects objective is to create a tool that will reduce the operational risks related to do this type of business where fraudulent misuse of user accounts is very common. Information systems are fundamental part of organisations asset, its classed as an asset because information systems use data bases which are the building blocks of an information system. The information gathered and stored in these building blocks are then analysed and refined to help organisations decision making process. Although ordinary filing system will probably satisfy the definition of information system a Data Base Management System (DBMS) is a program design specifically to store and access data. It also has special features not present in cabinet filling system such as consistency, time saving, access control, reliability and recovery. This project is about developing a system which merges Database with website technology to produce an Online auction Business. http://www4.ncsu.edu/~wurman/Papers/Wurman-article.pdf 1.2 Description of Project Objectives. The main objective of this project is to make Students who want sell their unwanted items a computerized business by developing a database system together with a database driven site to give online services for their customers. In order to give a good service and stay competitive on the market, the business should be able to adopt this new system. The project will research on other Auction Businesses who already uses this technology and also investigate on how this business can give online services. In addition to that, the project will investigate the existing systems used by the existing online auction companies in day to day activity and identify the problem area of their system in order to come up with a better system. Starting from the research and analysis it will go to the implementation by having an appropriate report on the process undertaken including explanation of techniques and software used to develop the system. It will also analyse and identify the appropriate technology for SOAS Ltd to give an efficient service and to run the business more effectively. Finally there will be testing and evaluating the finished product to make sure that it meets the requirements in order to satisfy the client. Main points why set up Student Online Auction System. To provide fast and an efficient service to their customers. To get or attract more customers by giving online and fast services. To improve communication with customers. To protect data or information against unauthorised access. Online service will save journey (time) for any customers. Generate Revenue for both students and the company Stay competitive on the market. No interruption. Peace of mind. 1.3 Academic Objectives To design and implement a database management system for To gain an understanding of a database systems and the technology behind them. To research on other estate agents who currently have a database management system and online system. To discusses a range of methodologies, tools and techniques in order to select the most suitable approaches for the development of the project. To demonstrate all the practical and theoretical knowledge gained during my studies at the university. To meet deadlines following the software development principle including project management and documentation. To develop a website for London wide estates. 1.4 Personal Objectives To gain a valuable knowledge and experience in a variety of fields that should help build my future career. To gain confidence in my ability to make the right decision and cope with difficult situation during the development of the system with self-tuition and minimum supervision. To achieve an insight and hands-on practical experience of analyzing, designing, testing and documentation of a real world project. To prepare myself to face the real world in the computing industry with the experience I have gained in the past and will gain developing the system. By developing this system I hope to demonstrate my capability of mastering a real word project. 1.5 Project Proposal Although traditional auction houses still enjoy some popularity by restricting their trade on e few reserved items such as art effects and memorabilias. They have in some way or other adopted technology to conduct their business. This is because of the fast pace of technological revolution that is taken over the way that business is conducted all over world. These days everything seems to be done on a computer and paper work is becoming thing of the past. It is well known fact that Information technology is so important in making the life of many businesses much easier. It is also essential that businesses depend on a computerized database system to provide or record information for running their business on daily basis. Student Online Auction Systems Ltds purpose is to set up a database driven website were customers primarily students sell and buy items from each other. The project will make use of the web-driven database technology to implement and set up fully functioning online business. The purposed online system will allow customers to browse, search without registering and only allow to buy, sell or both after registration. In order to set up the system a variety of different softwares will be used HTML XML JAVASCRIPT ASP.net Visual studio SQL Express Chapter 2 2.1 Background The history of internet auctions started in mid 1990s, and quickly become one of the most successful applications of electronic commerce. Perhaps EBay, the premier consumer-to-consumer (C2C) internet auction site, is generally perceived as pioneer for the industry. As the business to business (B2B) auctions transaction volume increases the potential for the industry is greater then that of conventional auctions. With auction sites such as eBay and U-Bid being common household names, it seems hard to believe that the online auction phenomenon is actually very young. But young it is. In fact, the world of online auctions as we know it found its beginning in the year 1995 with a company dedicated to holding auctions for geeks wanting to buy, sell and trade computers and peripherals. Today, this site, fondly known as eBay, has become the worlds largest online marketplace hosting more than 100,000 auctions daily in 315 categories. With more than 40 million bids placed on eBay since its in ception, it is no wonder that other entrepreneurs hoping to claim a piece of the internet auction market quickly followed suit. Far from being a lonely beacon in the world of online trading, eBay is now competing with several other extremely successful online auctions sites. In fact, hundreds of auction sites can be found listed in various auction directories on the web. On these sites, consumers world wide buy, sell and trade items ranging from rare collectibles to daily essentials. Virtually everything imaginable can be found on internet auctions at a great price. http://www.unc.edu/~draughn/assignment1.html http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/columnist/2006-06-25-physics-of-ebay_x.htm 2.2 What is an online Auction? An online auction is an internet-based activity, which is used to negotiate prices for purchasing or sale of direct materials, capital or services. Online auctions can be used to sell: these are called Forward (or Seller) Auctions and closely resemble the activity on B2C auction websites. Companies have used forward auctions to sell off surplus assets or in times of shortages -highest bid wins. However, most companies are starting to use Reverse (or Buyer) Auctions, where purchasers seek market pricing, inviting suppliers to compete for business in an online event. Auctions can be either private/closed where there are typically few bidders who have no visibility of each others bids, or open, where a greater number of participants are invited. In this case participants have visibility of either their rank or the bidding itself. Bidding on an internet auction is as simple as surfing the web. All you need to do is register at an auction site and begin browsing for merchandise. Once you find exactly what you are looking for, you can place a bid and monitor the bidding action with just a few clicks of your mouse. Most auctions sites also allow you to transfer payments through PayPal, an online payment system. That means that your personal credit card information is not given to any buyer or auction site directly. So, no matter whether you are searching for a one-of-a-kind antique or looking for a bottle of discount designer perfume, you can bet that you will find what you seek at the online auctions. http://www.caslon.com.au/auctionsprofile.htm 2.3 How do Online Auctions Work? Internet auctions are giant flea markets. Sellers may offer one item at a time or multiple lots of the same item. In theory, online auctions run much like local auctions, but behind the scenes there is a collection of data going on continuously. Just like local auctions, there are sellers and bidders and winners and losers. Winners are expected to pay for what they bid on at the conclusion of the auction. But that is where the similarities between online and local auctions end. 2.3.1 Registration At online auctions you will be required to register before you can buy or sell an item (s). This is required to track items you bid on or sell, keep up with the bids, determine the winning bids and build a database on seller and bidder feedback. 2.3.2 Winning Bids The bidding for each auction closes at the scheduled time. In the case of sales of multiple lots, the participants with the highest bids at the close of the auction are obligated to buy the items. If no one bids at or above the reserve price, the auction closes without a winner. At the close of a successful auction, the buyer and seller communicate, usually by email, to arrange for payment and delivery of the goods. 2.3.3 Payment Options Buyers may have several payment options, including credit card, debit card, personal check, cashiers check, money order, cash on delivery and escrow services. However, all sellers do not accept all forms of payment. Credit cards offer buyers the most consumer protections, including the right to seek a credit from the credit card issuer if the product is not delivered or if the product received is not the product ordered. Typically, sellers using business-to-person auction sites accept payment by credit card. But many sellers in person-to-person auctions do not. Usually they require payment by cashiers check or money order before they send the item to the winning bidder 2.3.4 Types of auctions. There are two types of Internet auctions business-to-person or person-to-person. Sellers of business-to-person auction sites have physical control of the merchandise being offered and accept payment for the goods. In person-to-person auctions, individual sellers or small businesses offer their items for auction directly to consumers. Generally, the seller, not the site, has physical possession of the merchandise. After the auction closes, the seller is responsible for dealing directly with the highest bidder to arrange for payment and delivery. Chapter 3 3.0 Introduction Internet auctions can be characterised in two ways: third-party auction sellers such as e-Bay, Amazon.com and Yahoo! that auction goods for others (either individual sellers or corporate chains), and direct auction sellers which create their own auctions online via their company websites. A substantial number of retailers and catalogue firms are taking advantage of the boom in these online auctions to unload merchandise and increase sales, and growth in the online auction category is now well documented. Catalogue marketers as diverse as The Sharper Image, Ross-Simons, Cameraworld.com, and CompUSA are all successfully auctioning products online. A business model is the mechanism by which a business intends to specify a value proposition or a value cluster for targeted customers, a financial model and a market offering 3.1 ebays Business Model eBay has built an online person-to-person trading community on the Internet, using the World Wide Web. Buyers and sellers are brought together in a manner where sellers are permitted to list items for sale, buyers to bid on items of interest and all eBay users to browse through listed items in a fully automated way. The items are arranged by topics, where each type of auction has its own category. eBay has both streamlined and globalized traditional person-to-person trading, which has traditionally been conducted through such forms as garage sales, collectibles shows, flea markets and more, with their web interface. This facilitates easy exploration for buyers and enables the sellers to immediately list an item for sale within minutes of registering. Browsing and bidding on auctions is free of charge, but sellers are charged two kinds of charges: When an item is listed on eBay a non-refundable Insertion Fee is charged, which ranges between 30 cents and $3.30, depending on the sellers opening bid on the item. A fee is charged for additional listing options to promote the item, such as highlighted or bold listing. A Final Value (final sale price) fee is charged at the end of the sellers auction. This fee generally ranges from 1.25% to 5% of the final sale price. eBay notifies the buyer and seller via e-mail at the end of the auction if a bid exceeds the sellers minimum price, and the seller and buyer finish the transaction independently of eBay. The binding contract of the auction is between the winning bidder and the seller only. 3.2 Amazons Business Model Amazons business model is one in which Amazon depends on third party to deliver information goods or services to end customers. There are three operational strategies that have helped Amazon.com to enhance its competitive advantage, including cost-leadership, customer differentiation and focus strategies (Saunders, 2001, pp.122-123). The first strategy, cost-leadership is pursued by Amazon.com by differentiating itself primarily on the basis of price. Due to this strategy, Amazon.com always makes sure that it offers the same quality products as other companies for a considerably less price. Their second strategy is customer differentiation. Amazon.com provided current and prospective customers with differentiation though design, quality or convenience and Amazon.com always selects a differentiator that is different among the competitor. So, Amazon.com consumers can recognize and differentiate its product from competitors (Saunders, 2001, pp.122-123). The last strategy that it uses, i s a focus strategy. This strategy takes one of the two earlier strategies and applies it to a niche within the market (Saunders, 2001, pp.122-123). Amazon.com focuses on outstanding customer service as a niche but not the whole market because each niche has its own demand and requirement. 3.3 Customer interface To a certain extent, the Amazon.com customer interface can be customized to each users preferences. When a user logs in to Amazon.com after purchasing, the website reconfigures and presents content that pertains to individual users, depending upon the users responses or profile (2004, p.188). For Amazon.com, collaborative-filtering software is used to tailor the website to each user through comparing each users purchases with the purchases of other users with similar preferences (2004, p.188). A list is then compiled of additional purchase recommendations, with suggestions across product categories as well, such as similar areas of interest in CD or DVD format (2004, p.188). Additionally, the website promotes and fosters a community of customers through encouraging readers to submit book reviews and facilitating online discussions about previously read books (Spector, 2000, p.78). These activities provide users with an interactive component and give them an opportunity to contribute to the websites content as well as develop a group identity and sense of belonging which can lead to possible friendships (Spector, 2000, p.78).    3.4 Technology behind the Online Auctions Secure Internet system is safer then handing over your card details on the phone. The application used to secure the online monitory system is the Secure Socket layer SSL. This technology is a military strength encryption technology, which works in conjunction with secure servers. This technology scrambles and encrypts sensitive information such as credit card details with a code before passing by a merchant server from a PC and that of the company taking a customers money. One of the other applications is a system of digital certification. When a user visits the website, intending to purchase over the Internet online, the website will display a lock sign on the toolbar below and provide information that the website is secure to use, the SSL lock will identify if the website is certified or not? The certificate is to authorise secure online transaction processing, which acts like an Identity card for the site and for the company behind the site. Its confirmed that the site belong to a register trader. 3.4.2 Methodology The Structured Systems Analysis and Design Method (SSADM) is thorough method of system development and if not understood fully it can lead into confusion into the mass of details available on the different stages of this methodology. SSDAM looks at the system from three different, but highly interdependent perspectives. The first is that of functionality or processing. This looks at the way in which data is passed around the system and the processes or activities that transform it, i.e. it sets out the functions provided for users by the system. The second is that of data. An information system (IS) exists only to store and act upon organisations data. By understanding the true nature and structure of data we get to real heart of the system. Data structures are far more constant than processing or functions, which tend to change fairly frequently; therefore its the data view that forms the backbone of SSADM. The final view looks at the effects of time and real world events on the dat a held within the system. Whereas the function and data views are rather ‘snapshot in nature, the events view is dynamic; it is specifically designed to model system behaviour over time. 3.4.2.1Advantages of using SSADM Timelines: Theoretically, SSADM allows one to plan, manage and control a project well. These points are essential to deliver the product on time. Usability: Within SSADM special emphasis is put on the analysis of user needs. Simultaneously, the systems model is developed and a comprehensive demand analysis is carried out. Both are tried to see if they are well suited to each other.6 Respond to changes in the business environment: As in SSADM documentation of the project†²s progress is taken very seriously, issues like business objectives and business needs are considered while the project is being developed. This offers the possibility to tailor the planning of the project to the actual requirements of the business. Effective use of skills: SSADM does not require very special skills and can easily be taught to the staff. Normally, common modelling and diagramming tools are used. Commercial CASE tools are also offered in order to be able to set up SSADM easily. Better quality: SSADM reduces the error rate of IS by defining a certain quality level in the beginning and constantly checking the system. Improvement of productivity: By encouraging on-time delivery, meeting business requirements, ensuring better quality, using human resources effectively as well as trying to avoid bureaucracy, SSADM improves the overall productivity of the specific project and the company. Cuts costs: SSADM separates the logical and the physical systems design. So the system does not have to be implemented again with new hard -or software.7 3.4.2.2 Disadvantages of using SSADM SSADM puts special emphasis on the analysis of the system and its documentation. This causes the danger of over-analysing, which can be very time and cost consuming. Due to various types of description methods, checks of consistence cannot be carried out. Especially with large systems, the outline diagram can become very unclear, because all relevant data flows have to be included. However, large companies carrying out various projects, can profit from the fact that SSADM gives the possibility to reuse certain techniques and tools for other projects. This reduces cost and time spent enormously in the long run. So, the danger of spending too much money on analysis can be compensated by the reuse of the developed systems and experience gained. 3.4.3 UML The unified modelling language defines the industry standard notation and semantics for properly applying that notation for software built using object-oriented (OO) or component based technology. UML2.0 provides common and consistent notation with which to describe (OO) and component software systems. The UML potentially decreases the learning curve for developers because they only need to learn the one modelling language. 3.4.3.1 Advantages of using UML Wide industry acceptance Wide range of tool support Consistent modelling notation 3.4.3.2 Disadvantages of using UML Modelling tools do not fully support it and sometimes get the notation wrong when they do Not yet complete Many developers only understand UML notations, often because most books and modelling tools do not go beyond the UML to address user interface modelling, or even business rules The full notation is overkill for most projects, most efforts only need a small subset of the notation 3.4.5 Using SSADM with UML Complex information systems require a methodology for their development in a structured manner. Many different methodologies exist, each suitable for a particular type of application. In this report we develop a taxonomy covering two different classification features for methodologies targeted at the workflow area. Features identified include concerns, method structure, data gathering means, people involved, notations, adaptability, flexibility, exception, CASE tool. Unified Modelling Language (UML) and Unified Process are relatively strong on hard aspects and weak on soft aspects. Structured Systems Analysis and Design Method (SSADM) is perhaps the most comprehensive but some soft aspects are omitted. The combination of techniques such as UML and Workflow is identified as a way forward. Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) HTML is one of the next generations of Generalised Markup Languages (GMLs). HTML is very easy to use language for web designing. HTML allows web developers to format web page using set of markup tags provided by HTML. HTML can be used within asp.net codes. This can only be made possible by using a asp.net function called asp followed by â€Å"(HTML)†, e.g. â€Å" Hello Word †. HTML is used within asp.net to design the interface to make it easy to navigate through a site. HTML forms static Web sites, but with the use of ASP.net is can be dynamic. 3.4.5.1 ASP.NET ASP stands for Active Server Pages. This is one of Microsofts latest software product. ASP.NET is built upon the .NET Framework. The .NET Framework consists of two main components: the common language runtime (CLR) and the .NET Framework class library. The foundation of the .NET Framework is the CLR. It is like an agent that manages codes at execution time for both Windows and ASP.NET applications. The class library is an object-oriented collection of reusable components. It can be used to develop applications for both Windows and the Web. The .NET Framework is a free download, but the development tools can be expensive. ASP.NET is used by Web developers to create dynamic Web pages. It offers a set of reusable, predefined and ready to use controls. This control saves time as it minimises the amount of codes to be written. 3.4.5.2 Java Script JavaScript is a client side scripting language. It is highly efficient as many tasks are client-side processing. JavaScript is an interpreted programming language with object oriented capabilities. JavaScript can be embedded into the HTML to add functionality. JavaScript is very useful for setting validations on a page to minimize error entry. Microsoft SQL 2000 Microsoft SQL Server 2000 is a full-featured relational database management system (RDBMS) that offers a variety of administrative tools to ease the burdens of database development, maintenance and administration. It has features such as Enterprise Manager, Query Analyzer, SQL Profiler, Service Manager, Data Transformation Services and Books 3.5.0 Primary Research Primary research involves getting original data directly about the product and market. Primary research data is data that did not exist before. It is designed to answer specific questions of interest to the business. Here a questionnaire was chosen to be the method of conducting market research in to online auction website as the primary source. A questionnaire with composed of ten questions were distributed into ten students at different times and days to get maximum answer ratio. See Appendix A Chapter 4 4.0 Fact finding analysis All projects that involve system development must have thorough fact finding or investigation carried out before the specification, design and construction of the application. Its important for the project to be clear about what the system needs to do and this will require obtaining information about a potentially wide range of subjects. 4.0.1 Examining any existing documentation Although there was physical documentation available to examine for existing companies such as e-bay, it was relatively small amounts of electronic journals available at the research web resources such as Mental. 4.0.2 Interviewing Interviewing is the most and common techniques that is used almost in every computing or business project. This is because is an easy way of collecting information face-to-face with the people involved in the old or new system. This process has started from the first day of the project by meeting both my supervisor Mrs Patricia Robertson, for more updates. The process started by drawing some business activity model (for more information please look at the BAM (Business Activity Model). These activities had to be change few several times to meet the systems requirements. Through out the project it was important to interview regular users of the existing systems used by other companies such as e-bay and Amazon for feedbacks and updates. The project had faced some sit back at the beginning due to the fact that the original sole use of SSADM as methodology was not good idea, which made it hard getting the exact system requirement. With the help of some of the SSADM techniques such as the BAM and ER diagram coupled with UML CASE diagrams we managed to reach an over look of the system. Questionnaire As part of the investigation process, questionnaires were prepared and handed out to some randomly selected people from the Westminster harrow Campus ,as they could be the new potential customers , these were filled out on the while they were in the Hall ways and student union centre. Questionnaires generally tend to be an inexpensive method of getting people to provide information. The technique used will be closed questions. This will allow people to write their short answers on a fixed set of options, to avoid people getting bored by long open questions which they have no time for. 4.0.4. Analysis of the questionnaire The questionnaire started with asking potential customers how often they visit Online auction? The group of people questioned consisted 60% of (19-30) years olds, 20% of the age (18) and 20% of the age (31-45), 30% of the participants answered that they visit online auction websites at least once a week 1% answered everyday 40% said they visit once a month and 20% percent said they never visit online auction websites. But perhaps more surprisingly of all questions, participants were undecided 50% yes and 50 % No when asked whether online auctions offer a better deal. There was however good result when participants were asked whether they actually sold or bought from online auctions the result was 60% yes and 40% no. see graph below 4.1.0 Market Positioning Once a potential market segments have being identified and target audience selected, SOS Ltd would need to determine the positioning of its services amongst service industries in the market place. Effective management of marketing communication will enable the companys marketers to position their services in the mind of the customers, its therefore important for the company to position itself along side the Specialist online auction web site: such sites need to build a good reputation for

Irony and Social Commentary in Pride and Prejudice Essay -- Jane Auste

Irony and social commentary in â€Å"Pride and Prejudice† Like any other society, nineteenth-century England had its share of foppish fools and fawning leeches, hot-blooded lovers and garrulous, gossiping women. While few people exhibit these failings with abandonment, few escape their taint altogether. In the novel â€Å"Pride and Prejudice,† the author Jane Austen satirizes these instances of – not social evils– rather, unpleasant social peculiarities, via a most careful use of irony in the dialogues and thoughts of some of her most delightful characters. The main character indulging in this precious commodity is Mr. Bennet, whom Austen considers important enough that a razor-sharp wit forms a necessary part of his personality. The irony is chiefly exhibited in two ways: a general ambience that results from a frequent use of satirical language (as for instance, the incessant use of antithesis in the conversations) and brief but concentrated attacks by Mr. Bennet against all forms of foolishness – harmless or otherwise. All the formulaic mannerisms affected by the people in his society as well as the social obligations that create them become the target of Mr. Bennet’s criticism. However, it is clear that Mr. Bennet is very much a part of the society that he so readily despises. That he persists in making fun of it is what makes his ripostes so rife with incongruity. The novel contains a large array of conversations between different characters; these conversations are, in keeping with the style that prevailed in that period, quite elaborate, indeed sometimes to the point of tedium. Austen portrays an attitude of unflagging boredom in Mr. Bennet when confronted with such speeches, through his incessant ironic asides. T... ...eaning in these seemingly innocuous words, for the former implies prostitution and the latter – a dishonorable pregnancy with a bastard child. Given the venomous character of such fairly commonplace gossip – even among the presumably ‘respectable’ rural middle-class – ’tis no wonder that Austen rallies against such a harmful form of frivolity. Austen therefore uses the difficult tool of irony to great effect in portraying the foolishness – both harmful and harmless – which afflicts most people. In doing so, she effectively delivers social commentary presumably for the purpose of correcting these defects in character of her fellow Englishmen. Along the way, the reader is delightfully entertained by the fools inhabiting â€Å"Pride and Prejudice† as well as the personalities that persist in denouncing it, in a manner that is at times more farcical than satirical. 6

Divisive, but Effectual: Reinstating the Draft Essay -- U.S. Military

Ever since World War II, the last war that garnered full American support, the percentage of American citizens enrolling in the U.S. Army has diminished significantly. The U.S. is a major military power in the present world; American soldiers are engaged in many multi-theater positions, consequently dispersing troops over various regions worldwide. As only one in ten citizens has served in the US Army, American knowledge of military conditions is rapidly lessening along with the national harmony that complements such knowledge. Therefore, the comprehension that American security is closely associated with a formidable military never resonated within the greater part of modern American citizens. Although antiwar activists may decry compulsory conscription as unconstitutional, it needs to be reinstated in order to solidify the meaning of being an American citizen, boost the economy by providing jobs, and unify the American people with enhanced homeland security. Generally, reinstating the Constitutional draft would solidify the meaning of being an American citizen. Often, wealthier and more privileged people are able to ask for exemption from serving, so representation of soldiers in combat is composed of less-privileged citizens. With compulsory conscription, all American citizens, men or women, ages 18-26 are subject to be recruited for the armed forces. In fact, only 4 members of the 107th Congress who voted in favor of the Iraq war had children serving there. Politicians would know how it feels to have loved ones in a war, instead of freely speaking about wartime without experiencing it in any way. 1 (206) Americans feel that public support for war in foreign countries is not strong because the soldiers fighting are poorly rep... ..." CQ Researcher Outline, January 11, 1991. http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre1991011100 (accessed March 19, 2012). "Binding the Nation: National Service in America." U.S. Army War College, 2008. http://www.carlisle.army.mil/usawc/parameters/Articles/08winter/grigsby.pdf (accessed March 12, 2012). â€Å"Learn about National Service." Americans for a National Service Act, . nationalserviceact.org (accessed March 19, 2012). Greenblatt, Alan. "Upward Mobility." CQ Researcher, April 29, 2005. http://www.cqpress.com/product/Researcher-Upward-Mobility-v15-16.html (accessed March 14, 2012). Farrell, Brenda S. "Military Personnel: Evaluation Methods Linked to Anticipated Outcomes Needed to Inform Decisions on Army Recruitment Incentives." U.S. Government Accountability Office, September 19, 2008. http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-08-1037R (accessed March 19, 2012).