Judaism and the Jews in New York Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Judaism and the Jews in New York - Term Paper Example American Jews are American citizens having Jewish faith and Jewish ethnicity and whose origin also is from other countries. A wide range of Jewish cultural traditions and a full spectrum of Jewish religious observance are apparent in the Jewish community of America. The Jews of America live overwhelmingly in the suburbs of the largest American cities. The American Jews by every measure constitute to be one of the highest socio economic groups of the United states and they share almost all the characteristics of the upper middle class urban Americans. Depending on demographic studies and religious definitions, the United States is home to the world’s second largest Jewish community. This paper in particular intends to describe Jews in New York and their religion ‘Judaism’. Who is a Jew? The Jews represent a group of people having some unique characteristics rather than a distinct race or ethnic group. Although the Jews originally came from the Middle East, many a n umber of races and people have joined together in Jewish communities over the centuries, especially after Jews were forced out of Palestine in the second century A.D. In America, they engaged in marriages with Christians and formed a mixed community. It is evidently, a common Jewish heritage that passed down from generation to generation that binds the group together. And for the Jews in New York also, the binding element is their religion. Although most often, Judaism is used as a term referring to the Jewish religion, sometimes it is used to refer to all Jews. In other words, one does not have to be religious to be Jewish. In general, one is Jewish if one is born of a Jewish mother or converted to Judaism. Unlike Christians, they are still waiting for the arrival of a Savior who would integrate all the Jews who have been scattered and gone astray. Advent of Jews to America There is no unanimous opinion among the historians as to when the first Jews came to America. Although many b elieve that Jews reached America in the ancient period either when they were attacked by aliens or when they faced persecution from the Christians, no solid evidences are available to prove this argument. As Adler and Huhner point out, still it is believed that the first Jews came to North America in 1654 and settled in the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam which was later renamed as New York. Most of those who came were refugees from Recife, a Dutch colony in Brazil. It was when the Portuguese attacked the colony the Jews left Recife and headed to Holland. But as they ran out of money they were forced to settle at the Dutch colony of North America (Adler and Huhner). The newly came people were granted permission to inhabit in the American soil and to practice their religion and customs and this marked the beginning of a new community and religion in the land of America. The migrant Jews assimilated into the culture of Native Americans in all aspects of life. In other words, they had to imbibe the basic characteristics of the American community as forming distinctiveness was not possible challenging the customs of the natives. All together, the modern Jewish culture in America embodies an international culture of secular communities of Jewish people and the indigenous practices of the natives. Jews continued migrating to America on realizing it was a secure place for them. During the middle decades of the 19th century, there were considerable

Leonardo Da Vinci Biography And Artwork Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Leonardo Da Vinci Biography And Artwork - Essay Example c contributions of Davinci; and the image of the angel has evoked controversy with regard to its pose, complexion, and non conventional form (Scaramella). The Baptism of Christ One of the most famous paintings of Leonardo da Vinci Mona Lisa an oil painting painted on a poplar wood. This was created between 1503 and 1519, and is the most parodied piece of art till date. According to critics, Da Vinci kept a long held mystery that loomed over her eyebrows. The image in the painting is believed to be the portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo. Mona Lisa is painted in a realistic scale. It has a complete volume typically seen in sculpture in the round. The painting is believed to have been created between 1503 and 1506. Da Vinci's Mona Lisa is the earliest Italian portrait to focus so clearly on a passenger in a half-length portrait. Mona Lisa is highly realistic and that is attributed to the technique of sfmuto he used to blend and shade the contours from his light to dark work and to soften the image to make it more lifelike. As Botton points out, Christianity maintained the Aristotle’s concept that ‘miseries of works were an appropriate means of expiating the sins of Adam’; and it was since the advent of Leonardo and Michelangelo that ‘new notes began to be heard’ (106). Mona Lisa Evidently, monalisa as a wonderful work of art has been the topic for reseac over centuries. Although researchers are at odds regarding various aspects of the painting, they all converge at the point that Da Vinci’s art worth great appreciation for ever. Recent studies conducted on the painting have brought out amazing findings about the secrets the painter had employed in the creation of his masterpiece. According to Cotte, the founder of Lumiere Technology... Da Vinci’s relationship with the Roman Catholic Church itself is a topic for debate. Many believe that da Vinci was not a staunch believer of Catholic Church despite the fact that many of his paintings are based on biblical themes. For instance, as Rosci's notes, Leonardo "adopted an empirical approach to every thought, opinion, and action and accepted no truth unless verified or verifiable, whether related to natural phenomena, human behavior, or social activities."And hence, according to this observation, da Vinci did not believe in the Catholic dogma and was an insurgent seeking to over through the false beliefs of the society in which he lived. Evidently, as compared to Michelangelo, da Vinci got only a nominal support from the Catholic Church in his pursuit. In the same way, Leonardo’s relationship with his contemporary Michelangelo also was not very substantial, the reason for which is still not sure. However, he was an exceptional figure in the history that prove d his part in almost all branches of art and science. In total, Leonardo Da Vinci is considered to be an artist, an inventor and an eminent scientist whose ideas were centuries ahead than the time he lived. More than five hundred years Da Vinci’s reputation as a famous painter rested with a number of paintings which is considered to be the ultimate masterpieces in the world. Da Vinci’s exceptional draftsmanship is clear in his larger body of drawings which were later seen in a number of European art works and in art galleries.

Impact of the Chronic Illness in Patients Lives

Impact of the Chronic Illness in Patients Lives Client Focused Study This assignment will focus on the patients journey and the impact of the chronic illness in their lives. Firstly a rationale for the chosen client and the health deviation will be explained. Secondly, how the deviation has an impact on the patients journey throughout the health care will be highlighted and potential influences of on long term well being of the patient and their family will be explored. Finally, the knowledge gained from the assignment and how it can be helpful in the future practice will be addressed. In accordance with the NMC Code of Professional conduct (2010), the patient chosen for this essay will be named Miss X, to protect her identity and maintain confidentiality. Informed consent will be attached as appendix I. Miss X is a 58 year old patient who had been diagnosed 3 years ago with COPD related to Emphysema. She had been smoking for 40 years and gave up smoking 3 months after her initial diagnosis. She has currently been admitted care to specialised Respiratory ward in a local London hospital, following an exacerbation of COPD. Her current symptoms are chest pain and shortness of breath. The rationale for choosing Miss X for this assignment is because during my placement in the respiratory ward, I found the patient having difficulties to perform physical activities due to the breathlessness. As a result, I developed an interest in learning how breathlessness occurs and its affect on the patients daily life. Further rationale of The Nice guidelines for COPD (2010) reported that COPD is the 5th biggest killer in the U.K. and also Worldwide. In addition, evidence reports that the main cause of developing COPD is due to smoking. The national statistics General Lifestyle Survey (2008) reported that at least 21% of the U.Ks population smoke which means COPD will remain to be endemic in this Country. The annual cost of COPD to the NHS is estimated at more than  £980 million and the figures are rising every year. Beraden (2011) reported that incidence of breathlessness in patients with diagnosed COPD is approximately 65% and 90%. These statistics highlights that it is impo rtant to be aware of the health deviation of COPD such as breathlessness in order to ensure the patient receives a quality of life. Evidently, the pathophyisology of breathlessness caused by emphysema is noted to be a physical development of airflow obstruction and impaired gas exchange. Blackler (2007) explains emphysema as a progressive chronic lung disease where the airways are inflamed and the tissue of the lungs and the alveoli are destroyed. The inflammation in the airway obstructs the flow of air in to the alveoli. In addition, the alveoli lose their elasticity and during breathing this loss can lead to the alveoli collapsing and causing breathlessness. The main factor causing these characteristics of Emphysema is Smoking. Mc Cance, (2010) informs that smoking cigarette activates the neutrophils which subsequently release the enzymes protease and anti protease. As a result of the toxins from cigarette smoking, the chemical activity of the protease and anti protease is imbalanced. The author further explains that a balance is required in order to maintain normal lung function and the derangements of this balance may result in increased destruction and inappropriate repair of the lungs. Inappropriate repair of the lungs can lead to the alveoli being eliminated of the pulmonary capillary bed, causing mismatching in ventilation and perfusion. As a result there is less surface area for the gases to exchange causing decrease of the oxygen levels in the blood (Mc Cance, 2010). Thus any mild form of exercise can raise oxygen requirement leaving the patient breathless. This is evident in Miss X whenever she performs any type of physical acti vity. In addition, Damjanov (2006) explains that the destruction in the alveoli and the bronchiole wall also contribute in the reduction of elastic recoil of the airway. This leads to difficulty in expiration as the loss of elastic recoil reduces the volume of air that can be expired . As the air is not effectively exhaled, air trapping occurs causing the chest to expand. Long term air trapping in the lungs causes the chest to have a barrel like appearance. This is because the lungs are over inflated with air and the ribcage mostly remains expanded which gives the chest its barrel shape (Damjanov, 2006). Barrel chest is very noticeable in Miss X. People who smoke do not necessarily develop Emphysema therefore inherited genetics disorders are believed to contribute to the development of this disease. McCance, (2010) explains that emphysema mainly occurs with patients who have Alpha 1- antitrypsin deficiency (A1AD). In A1AD enzymes such as elastase destroys the elastin and the tissue of the airway which again leads to mismatching of perfusion of gas exchange and ventilation. Furthermore, Pryor and Prasad (2009) describes the sensation of breathlessness originates when the sensory system activates within the lungs, chest wall and the respiratory muscles raise awareness of breathing discomfort. However, psychological factors can also be associated with breathlessness. It is regarded as a subjective experience in COPD anxiety act as an trigger when the patient sense discomfort in breathing. Some studies show the following sequence of events; aggravation by anxiety and panic attacks leads to breathlessness and so forth a continuous cycle is created (Robert and Stockley, 2007) The patients journey starts when the patient says so or from diagnosis to the end of life. Three years ago before her diagnosis, Miss X went to see her GP when she started noticing breathlessness whilst performing physical activities. The GP diagnosed Miss X based on her clinical features and other tests; Chest Ct Scan, her Blood test and her spirometry reading which was FEV1/FVC The GP also referred her to Smoking Cessation Clinic along with a prescription of nicotine patches which helped her quit smoking after 5 months of her first screening date. The NICE COPD Guidelines (2010) highlights that Smoking Cessation should be recommended to newly diagnosed patients. As stated by the Department Of Health the government targets to reduce the smoking population further than its current 26%, which was achieved successfully by 2010 (DOH, 2010). Despite the governments efforts, literature reviews shows that not all of the patients fully recover from smoking addiction. The study conducted by Zhou et al (2009) found that out of 2431 patients who managed to quit smoking after Smoking cessation, 80% were reported to relapse after 3 to 18 months. The data may not be reliable enough to completely prove this high number of relapse because not all the subjects observed carried on for the whole duration of the study. Despite the slight drawbacks of the studies, it has helped the government back up for the funding of smoking cessation clinics. Along with the Smoking cessation clinic miss X was also referred to have annual Influenza vaccination, Pneumococcal vaccination and was encouraged to regular exercise. Miss X is also seen by the community Respiratory Nurse specialist and community nurse on a regular basis for medical checkups. Miss X has had few hospital admissions since her diagnosis due to her exacerbation of COPD. On her recent admission she was brought in by an ambulance as she was not able to breathe due to her breathlessness and chest pain. She was immediately admitted to AE where they diagnosed her with exacerbation of COPD. Miss X was assessed and was stabilised by oxygen therapy and nebulisers in AE. She was then transferred to the Respiratory ward for further investigation and treatment. The ward respiratory doctor requested her for chest X-ray, ECG, Arterial Blood Gases test, blood test, urine dipstick test and sputum culture. The investigation confirmed that she had chest infection. Her oxygen saturation was also maintained by oxygen therapy. Miss X was then started on nebulisers, I.V. antibiotics and for a 7 day course she was on oral prednisolone (Steroids). Jong et al (2007) suggest that oral prednisolone is recommended than I.V prednisolone because there was no difference on treatment and helps reduce patient to be prone to infection. During the stay in the ward Miss X was noticed to be underweight and was referred to the dietician who prescribed her to nutritional drinks and given advice on healthy eating. She was also seen by the Physiotherapist for breathing techniques and mobilising with the breathlessness. As Miss X has had few admissions due to her exacerbation she was also referred to pulmonary rehabilitation after her discharge. The NICE (2010) highlighted that pulmonary rehab illation improves the patients quality of life and therefore, any COPD patient of grade 3 on the MRC scale (Medical Research Council) should be referred to the programme after being discharged. Currently the government suggests that the standard population for rehabilitation up take of the programme should be 230 patients per 100,000 of a normal population in a trust per year. This is a very small number of uptakes in relation to the COPD population; such limitation can create restrictions to access the rehabilitation programme. The deviation can have an impact on the long term well being of Miss X and her Family. COPD is a disease that progress over a long time along with severity of its symptoms. ( 20) confirms that COPD over time results in fatigue, depression, anxiety, reduced exercise tolerance and poor nourishment. Firstly, the effort to maintain normal ventilation, all the energy of the patient is consumed causing tiredness and fatigue restricting the patients ability to perform everyday activities. Miss X interprets her breathlessness has restricted her to perform physical activities and therefore retired from her waitress job at the age of 56. This has led to her being financially dependent on her 22 year old son and government disability financial support. She also relies on her son to help her with household chores as she is not able to perform certain activities by herself such as shopping, cleaning, washing, cooking, paying bills etc. Furthermore, Lahaije et al (2010) proved that COPD patients do eliminate their daily activities due to physiological limitation caused by breathlessness. The study was conducted on 21 COPD patients and ten healthy subjects living in Netherlands. The study measured the performance time for daily living activities; where COPD patients were involved less whereas healthy subjects were higher. The study consisted of only 21 COPD patients and 10 healthy subjects which is a very small sample therefore cannot be generalised. However, the study conducted by Szarm (2010) on a survey of 20693 patients residing in England who were aged between 51- 60 year old were reported to also have an impaired work performance due to breathlessness mostly caused by COPD. The finding from Szram (2010) is more reputable than Lahaije et al (2010) with regards to generalising COPD patients limiting breathlessness as the sample size was much larger Miss x also suffered from urinary incontinence. Literature reveals that patients with COPD do suffer from stress incontinence of urine due to increased abdominal pressure whilst coughing (Tozun et al, 2009). However, some authors forget that inability to reach the toilet in time due to breathlessness could be the factor influencing urinary incontinence in COPD patients. Secondly, the disability caused by Miss Xs breathlessness has also had an impact on her psychological state. Numerous studies have proved that the symptoms of COPD can cause patients to be depressed and affect the quality of life. Stage et al (2009) literature review highlights that depression is common in COPD patients and about 40% of the COPD diagnosed suffer from either severe or clinical depression. The literature review also noted that mortality rate was lower in non depressed COPD patient than the depressed. In addition, she feels that she is a burden to her son and feels embarrassed on having sudden panic attacks in public whilst she is out shopping or socialising. Miss X reported that she felt devalued as she experienced being treated differently by others and also feel socially isolated. The qualitative study conducted by Berger et al (2010) confirms that COPD patients do experience stigmatisations which are triggered by self blame related to smoking, being a burden, embarrassment. Stuenkel and Wong (2009) highlight the Goffmans theory of support groups in which the patients shares similar stigma. The support group evidently has helped to feel accepted, gain moral support. The Breathe Easy support group programme Miss X attends every fortnight has helped her to reduce her stigmisation. In light of all this, Miss X does have a positive attitude to cope with her condition. She is aware that her condition is not curable but can be managed if she complies with the treatment. She is adherent to her medication and her treatment plan. Naidoo and Wills (2010) explain that the Health locus of control (HCOL) is divided into two controls; internal where people are in control of their condition and external where people are beyond control of their condition. Miss X falls under the internal HCOL as she controls her condition very well. Lastly, Miss Xs son is very worried about his mother going to have an emergency admission to the hospital again. The patients son is psychologically stressed and fells socially isolated due to financial and household commitments. However, he has been accessing support and advice from the doctors, nurses and special support groups. Moreover, the review of qualitative studies conducted by Spence et al (2008) explored the specific care needed of care givers of patients with COPD. The review confirmed that restricted activities of daily living and emotional distress were identified by the 7 subjects studied. This assignment has helped me to understand the impact COPD has on the patient, family and health care system. The skills and knowledge gained to care for the COPD patient will ensure an evidence based care will be delivered to the patient and the family. In future, whilst nursing a patient with breathlessness I will follow the guidelines as directed by the NICE guidelines as care required. I will also consider the psychological and social state of the patient on planning the care as these are the main aspects of the disease which impact the patients quality of life. To overcome any issues if countered, social issues will be referred to the social services and any psychological issues should be referred to the clinical psychologist. Finally, I have learned that educating patient and the family of services available and the disease itself is the key to aid them cope and comply with the treatment. In conclusion, the assignment overviews a journey of a patient diagnosed with emphysema with the health deviation of breathlessness. The NHS has been providing treatment and therapies to reduce the risk of patients developing emphysema. Literature reviews indicate that breathlessness can contribute to several psychosocial issues in the patients life. Word Count 2499 References List Beraden,K. (2011). Recent advances in the management of breathlessness. Indian Journal Of Palliative Care. 17 (4), 29-32. Szram et al. (2010). Breathlessness and work performance in older adults in Kent. Thorax. 65 (4), 78-79. Stuenkel, D and Wong, V. (2009). Stigma. In: Larsen,P and Lubkin,I Chronic illness: impact and intervention . 7th ed. USA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. 57. Jong et al . (2007). Oral or IV Prednisolone in the Treatment of COPD Exacerbations* A Randomized, Controlled, Double-blind Study. American College of Chest Physicians. 132 (1), 1741-1747. Tozun et al. (2009). Prevalence of Urinary Incontinence among Women and Its Impact on Quality of Life in a Semirural Area of Western Turkey. Gynecoloicand Obstetric Investigation . 67 (1), 241-249. Berger et al. (2010). The Experience of Stigma in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Western Journal of Nursing Research. X, 1-17. Spence et al. (2008). Active carers: living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. International Journal of Pallative Nursing. 14 (8), Stage et al. (2006). Depression in COPD- Management and quality of life considerations. International Journal of COPD. 1 (3), 315-320. Department of Health. Consultation on a Strategy for Services for COPD in England. London: Department of Health, 2010. British Thoracic Society. Burden of Lung Disease 2006. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (update). (Clinical guideline 101.) 2010. http://guidance.nice.org.uk/CG101. Last Accessed 20/02/2011 Office for National Statistics. (2010). 12. General Lifestyle Survey 2008: Smoking and drinking among adults,. Available: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_compendia/GLF08/GLFSmokingDrinkingAmongAdults2008.pdf. Last accessed 20th Feb National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. (2006). Pulmonary Rehabilitation service for patients with COPD. Available: http://www.nice.org.uk/usingguidance/commissioningguides/pulmonaryrehabilitationserviceforpatientswithcopd/pulmonaryrehabilitationservicecopd.jsp. Last accessed 20th Feb 2011. McCance et al (2010). Pathophysiology, The Biologic Basis for Disease in Adults and Children. 6th ed. Missouri: ELSEVIER. 1286-1289. Nursing Midwifery Council (2008) The Code: Standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives NMC, London Blackler et al (2007). Managing Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. England: John Wiley and Sons LTD. 1-12. Damanjov Pryor,J and Prasad,S (2008). Physiotherapy for respiratory and cardiac problems:. 4th ed. UK: Elsevier. 227- 228. Mahler,D. (2007). The Physiology of breathelessness. In: Robert,A and Stockley,I Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Oxford: Blackwell Zhou et al . (2009). Attempts to quit smoking and relapse: Factors associated with success or failure from the ATTEMPT cohort study . Addictive Behaviors. 34 (4), 365-373. Naidoo and Wills

Managing the Fire Service Essay example -- Fire Chief, Fire Department

"By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail." - Benjamin Franklin Various organizations fail to plan and which in most cases causes unnecessary stress on the entire organization. In order to be successful an organizations must set organizational controls. Organizational controls assist managers in their daily operations. Furthermore, Fire Chiefs must understand the essentials of organizational control. Jones & George (2011) suggested, â€Å"It helps managers obtain superior efficiency, quality, responsiveness to customers, and innovation-the four building blocks of competitive advantage.† (p. 261) In regards to superior efficiency, the Fire Chief and management staff must evaluate the organization as a whole. In other words, ensuring that the department is equipped with the best resources i.e. equipment, protective clothing, and fire stations. Secondly, the quality of service provided to the community. In essence, the fire department is look upon to respond wh en a crisis happens. However, with operating budgets being reduced this concept is affecting the overall responsiveness to customers. For instance, many fire departments are struggling to maintain there quality service. Another example, city mangers are instructing the Fire Chief to continue to operate with less money. However, city managers do not realize that restricting the budget they are reducing the standard that the community is use. Every year in October fire departments nation wide are required to conduct a Fire Prevention Month. During this time, the Firefighters promote fire safety education. Consequently, fire departments are being forces to limit education efforts. In fact, various departments are reducing the month to a week because of budget ... ... differentiating that employees have different motivations. On the other hand, I have learned different concepts such as SWOT to name a few. My leadership style has evolved through out my career. Every year I have grown in my leadership ability. For instance, communication even when it is not popular has served me well personally and professionally. Through the years, I have learned from supervisors good and bad traits that have molded me into the Fire Chief I am. Works Cited Beck, Klaus, (n.d.) Organizational Learning, Retrieved February 06, 2011 from http://www.sfb504.uni-mannheim.de/glossary/orglearn.htm Jones, G. R., & George, J. M. (2011). Essentials of contemporary management (4th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill Smith, M. K. (2001) 'The learning organization', the encyclopedia of informal education, http://www.infed.org/biblio/learning-organization.htm. Managing the Fire Service Essay example -- Fire Chief, Fire Department "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail." - Benjamin Franklin Various organizations fail to plan and which in most cases causes unnecessary stress on the entire organization. In order to be successful an organizations must set organizational controls. Organizational controls assist managers in their daily operations. Furthermore, Fire Chiefs must understand the essentials of organizational control. Jones & George (2011) suggested, â€Å"It helps managers obtain superior efficiency, quality, responsiveness to customers, and innovation-the four building blocks of competitive advantage.† (p. 261) In regards to superior efficiency, the Fire Chief and management staff must evaluate the organization as a whole. In other words, ensuring that the department is equipped with the best resources i.e. equipment, protective clothing, and fire stations. Secondly, the quality of service provided to the community. In essence, the fire department is look upon to respond wh en a crisis happens. However, with operating budgets being reduced this concept is affecting the overall responsiveness to customers. For instance, many fire departments are struggling to maintain there quality service. Another example, city mangers are instructing the Fire Chief to continue to operate with less money. However, city managers do not realize that restricting the budget they are reducing the standard that the community is use. Every year in October fire departments nation wide are required to conduct a Fire Prevention Month. During this time, the Firefighters promote fire safety education. Consequently, fire departments are being forces to limit education efforts. In fact, various departments are reducing the month to a week because of budget ... ... differentiating that employees have different motivations. On the other hand, I have learned different concepts such as SWOT to name a few. My leadership style has evolved through out my career. Every year I have grown in my leadership ability. For instance, communication even when it is not popular has served me well personally and professionally. Through the years, I have learned from supervisors good and bad traits that have molded me into the Fire Chief I am. Works Cited Beck, Klaus, (n.d.) Organizational Learning, Retrieved February 06, 2011 from http://www.sfb504.uni-mannheim.de/glossary/orglearn.htm Jones, G. R., & George, J. M. (2011). Essentials of contemporary management (4th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill Smith, M. K. (2001) 'The learning organization', the encyclopedia of informal education, http://www.infed.org/biblio/learning-organization.htm.

Love at First Sight- Personal Narrative

A moment in time where two people feel a powerful connection towards one another is classified as â€Å"Love at First Sight. † To most, love at first sight is true and can happen to anybody, however, to others, it is just a myth and can be simplified as a problem that can be solved through science or a belief they have. I myself did believe in this theory, but with time I began to understand that it could have easily just have been a sham. But then again, it also could have just been â€Å"Teen Love. † As I grew up, I would spend a great amount of time watching television.Normally, you’d expect a child to grow up watching cartoons and progressing from that point, but I had preferred to watch a teenage or adult program. Within these programs, I had noticed that there were many cases in which two people, whether it’d be boy to boy, girl to boy, or girl to girl, caught eyes for the very first moment in time and they went through a series of twist and turns un til the end where they finally end up happily together with a strong and powerful bond. Just about a year ago, I met the love of my teenage life.His name was Alec and he was a very handsome and interesting young man. The first time I met him was an unforgettable moment. I was with my friends at the movies and we were just standing there ordering our tickets to The Uninvited, when I feel a smack from behind me. â€Å"Sorry,† he said. I looked at him and had a sudden moment of silence. He spoke again, â€Å"Can I buy your ticket? † â€Å"No, that’s okay. † I told him. â€Å"Well can I at least get you some popcorn or something? † I laughed, â€Å"I really don’t like popcorn, but you can get me a slushy? He laughed, â€Å"Okay, just as long as you let me join you and your friends,† he paused for a minute, â€Å"if you don’t mind of course. † â€Å"We would not mind at all,† I said as I tried to hold back the biggest smile ready to come out. We stood there for a while, just looking at each other and smiling. â€Å"Well after you †¦ What was your name again? † he said with a smile. By the end of the movie, I was able to truthfully say that that was the greatest event of my life. â€Å"So, can I have you number? † he continued, â€Å"You know, to call you later tonight. † I gave him a big smile and said, â€Å"Yeah, totally! After I gave him my number get gave me a hug and said, â€Å"It was really great meeting you here. I’m glad I smacked you. † We both laughed as we said our goodbyes. It had been six months that we’ve gone out and I couldn’t help but think we might end up having the relationship just like the program’s I’ve seen on the television. Then I noticed a sudden change of affection. It wasn’t a bad affection as to where he ignored me and tried to avoid talking to me, but it was the affection in where he wouldn ’t leave me out of his sight as if he were hiding something and the guilt was caving in.After my birthday, he invited me to spend the night at his house because his parents wanted to have a special birthday dinner just for me. I was really excited, I didn’t know that him, or his parents would go through the trouble of doing this for me. As soon as dinner was over, Alec took me to his room and sat me on his bed. He gave me the plan on what we were going to do for the rest of the night. I was very excited on what he had planned. â€Å"But there’s one thing I need tell you,† there was a long pause. â€Å"What is it? † I replied. â€Å"I just wanted to let you know that I really do love you.And I hope our relationship is strong enough to withhold anything. † he said with a shaky voice. Many things were popping in and out of my head after he had said that. â€Å"I did cheat on you, this one time and it was never meant it to happen. † When he finished his sentence, I was in complete shock. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to stay there and let out all my feelings at him. So I went with his sister and told her everything. I practically dumped out all my feelings and confusion into our conversation. It was the most horrible day I had ever experienced.On the very first day I was with Alec, I did think it was love at first sight. No matter how much I would like to experience that moment again, I know that I will never trust that feeling again. I now know that â€Å"Love at First Sight,† is just a belief system to where people want something to fall back on or some romantic story they want to tell their children. Whether it was â€Å"Teen Love† or â€Å"Love at First Sight,† that one little spark, that determines your affection towards one another, will never return due to the experience that I went through.

The effect of temperature on respiration

Every living thing respires in some way. There are two forms of respiration, aerobic and anaerobic. Areobic respiration only takes place in the presence of oxygen and is a far more efficient way for complexed organisms to convert carbohydrates into energy. There are four stages in aerobic respiration, Glycolysis, the link reaction, Krebs cycle and oxidative phosphorylation. Anaerobic respiration is far less efficient than aerobic, but can produce low yields of energy quickly. T6he overall equation for respiration is; C6H12O6 + 6O2 6CO2 + 6H2O + energy A respiratory quotient (RQ) is used to show what substrate is being used in respiration, it can also show if anaerobic respiration is occurring. The following equations can be used to calculate RQ: RQ = Volume of carbon dioxide given out in unit of time Volume of oxygen taken in unit of time Or RQ = moles or molecules of carbon dioxide given out Moles or molecules of oxygen taken in Prediction I predict that an increase in temperature will increase the respiration rate. The increase will only take place until a certain temperature is reached, the respiration rate will then start to decrease after that temperature. I think that the respiration rate will start to decrease after 50 C. This is because as the temperature increases, the enzymes and substrate molecules involved in respiration will gain more activation energy. This means that the enzymes and substrate are more likely to collide, and a reaction to take place. I think that respiration will reach its optimum rate at about 40 C, this is because enzymes work best at about this temperature, that is only providing that another factor, such as oxygen available, does not become a limiting factor. Preliminary work To test the effects of temperature on respiration a respirometer wil be used. A respirometer consists of two test tubes, an experimental test tube and a control tube, and a capillary U-tube. The experimental tube contains soda-lime solution with a wire gauze platform over it, with non-vertebrates in it. The control tube also contains soda-lime, with a wire gauze above it, with glass beads in it. Both tubes are sealed and attached to the u-tubing containing manometer fluid. A respirometer is suitable for measuring the rate of oxygen consumption of small terrestrial invertebrates. The Carbon dioxide produced in respiration is absorbed by a suitable chemical such as soda-lime or Potassium Hydroxide solution. The amount of oxygen used can be measured by reading the level of manometer fluid against the scale. Using a water bath alters the temperature. We did a test run using this equipment; germinating peas were used instead of small invertebrates. Only one test was completed, this was at room temperature no repeats were made. This was due to time restrictions. This test run taught us how to set up the equipment. We compared our results gained to reference book values and decided that they were reasonably reliable. Variables: * The surrounding atmospheric temperature of the water bath must remain constant to prevent anomalous results being obtained. * The atmospheric pressure must remain constant; this is ok because the experiment will take place in the same room all of the time. * A control tube is used to compensate in small changes in atmospheric pressure. * The same volume and concentration of NaOH must be used in every experiment; this is to prevent more or less CO2 being absorbed. * The mass of the invertebrates and the number of invertebrates must remain constant to prevent differences in respiration rates occurring. Five different temperature inputs will be used, these temperatures will be 10 C, 20 C, 30 C, 40 C and 50 C. These temperatures provide a good range for which varying respiration rates can occur. The enzymes involved in respiration will be working very slowly at both 10 C and 50 C. The optimal temperature for respiration can also be found using these temperatures. These changes in temperature will not do any harm to the invertebrates, by over heating them. Each test will be repeated three times to gain an average result and to remove any anomalous results as far as possible. Apparatus * Two large test tubes * Sodium Hydroxide solution * Two test tube bungs, with two holes in each * 4 capillary tubes * 1 capillary u-tube containing manometer fluid * 1Cm syringe * 8 maggots * Glass beads * 2 small pieces of wire gauze * 1 screw clip * 1 three way tap * Stopwatch Method 1. Set up the equipment as shown in the diagram above 2. Using the syringe, adjust the level of manometer fluid in the u-tubing to ensure that it is the same level at both sides 3. Seal the screw clip and record the level of manometer fluid every two minutes, over a period of 10 minutes. 4. repeat step 3 for the temperatures of 10 C, 20 C(room temperature), 30 C, 40 C and 50 C. These temperatures can be reached by using either a water bath or crushed ice 5. Each test must be repeated 3 times. 6. Record each result in a table and work out the average. Use the results to calculate the RQ values. Risk Assessment * The NaOH is corrosive, so it must be kept away from the invertebrates. Saftey goggles and a lab coat must be worn to protect eyes and clothes from NaOH. * Living creatures must be treated with respect * Any spillages must be mopped up immediately to prevent accidents occurring.

Poison Dart Frog Facts

Poison Dart Frog Facts Poison dart frogs are small tropical frogs in the family Dendrobatidae. These brightly colored frogs secrete mucous that packs a powerful poisonous punch, while other members of the family camouflage themselves against their surroundings and are nontoxic. Fast Facts: Poison Dart Frog Scientific Name: Family Dendrobatidae (e.g., Phyllobates terribilis)Common Names: Poison dart frog, poison arrow frog, poison frog, dendrobatidBasic Animal Group: AmphibianSize: 0.5-2.5 inchesWeight: 1 ounceLifespan: 1-3 yearsDiet: OmnivoreHabitat: Tropical forests of Central and South AmericaPopulation: Stable or decreasing, depending on speciesConservation Status: Least Concern to Critically Endangered Species There are over 170 species and 13 genera of poison dart frogs. Although collectively known as poison dart frogs, only four species in the genus Phyllobates were documented as used to poison blowdart tips. Some species are nonpoisonous. Description Most poison dart frogs are brightly colored to warn potential predators of their toxicity. However, nontoxic poison dart frogs are cryptically colored so that they can blend in with their surroundings. Adult frogs are small, ranging from half an inch to just under two and a half inches in length. On average, adults weigh one ounce. Habitat and Distribution Poison dart frogs live in the tropical and subtropical rainforests and wetlands of Central and South America. They are found in Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua, Suriname, French Guiana, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Brazil, Guyana, and Brazil. The frogs have been introduced into Hawaii. Diet and Behavior Tadpoles are omnivorous. They feed on debris, dead insects, insect larvae, and algae. Some species eat other tadpoles. Adults use their sticky tongues to capture, ants, termites, and other small invertebrates. Poison Dart Frog Toxicity The frogs poison comes from its diet. Specifically, alkaloids from arthropods accumulate and are secreted through the frogs skin. The toxins vary in potency. The most toxic poison dart frog is the golden poison frog (Phyllobates terribilis). Each frog contains about one milligram of the poison batrachotoxin, which is sufficient to kill between 10 and 20 people or 10,000 mice. Batrachotoxin prevents nerve impulses from transmitting the signal to relax muscles, causing heart failure. There are no antidotes for poison dart frog exposure. Theoretically, death would occur within three minutes, however, there are no published reports of human deaths from poison dart frog poisoning. The frog has special sodium channels, so it is immune to its own poison. Some predators have developed immunity to the toxin, including the snake Erythrolamprus epinephalus. The golden poison frog (Phyllobates terribilis) is the most poisonous poison dart frog. Paul Starosta, Getty Images Reproduction and Offspring If the climate is sufficiently wet and warm, poison dart frogs breed year-round. In other areas, breeding is triggered by rainfall. After courtship, the female lays between one and 40 eggs, which are fertilized by the male. Usually both the male and the female guard the eggs until they hatch. Hatching depends on species and temperature, but usually takes between 10 and 18 days. Then, the hatchlings climb onto their parents backs, where they are carried to a nursery. The nursery is a small pool of water between the leaves of bromeliads or other epiphytes. The mother supplements the nutrients of the water by laying unfertilized eggs into it. The tadpoles complete the metamorphosis into adult frogs after several months. In the wild, poison dart frogs live from 1 to 3 years. They may live 10 years in captivity, although the tri-colored poison frog may live 25 years. After the eggs hatch, poison dart frogs carry the tadpoles to a nursery formed by water in bromeliad leaves. kikkerdirk, Getty Images Conservation Status The poison dart frog conservation status varies widely, depending on the species. Some species, such as the dyeing poison frog (Dendobates tinctorius) are classified by the IUCN as least concern and enjoy a stable population. Others, such as Summers poison frog (Ranitomeya summersi), are endangered and decreasing in numbers. Still other species have gone extinct or have yet to be discovered. Threats The frogs face three major threats: habitat loss, collection for the pet trade, and death from the fungal disease chytridiomycosis. Zoos that keep poison dart frogs often treat them with an antifungal agent to control the disease. Poison Dart Frogs and Humans Poison dart frogs are popular pets. They require high humidity and controlled temperatures. Even when their diet is changed, wild-caught poisonous frogs retain their toxicity for some time (potentially years) and should be handled with care. Captive-bred frogs become poisonous if fed an alkaloid-containing diet. The toxic alkaloids from some species may have medicinal value. For example, the compound epibatidine from Epipedobates tricolor skin is a painkiller that is 200 times more powerful than morphine. Other alkaloids show promise as appetite suppressants, heart stimulants, and muscle relaxants. Sources Daszak, P.; Berger, L.; Cunningham, A.A.; Hyatt, A.D.; Green, D.E.; Speare, R. Emerging infectious diseases and amphibian population declines. Emerging Infectious Diseases. 5 (6): 735–48, 1999. doi:10.3201/eid0506.990601La Marca, Enrique and Claudia Azevedo-Ramos. Dendrobates leucomelas. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2004: e.T55191A11255828. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T55191A11255828.enSpeed, I; M. A. Brockhurst; G. D. Ruxton. The dual benefits of aposematism: Predator avoidance and enhanced resource collection. Evolution. 64 (6): 1622–1633, 2010. doi:10.1111/j.1558-5646.2009.00931.xStefan, LÃ ¶tters; Jungfer, Karl-Heinz; Henkel, Friedrich Wilhelm; Schmidt, Wolfgang. Poison Frogs: Biology, Species, Captive Husbandry. Serpents Tale. pp. 110–136, 2007. ISBN 978-3-930612-62-8.

The Freedom of a Christian †Informal Theology Essay

The Freedom of a Christian – Informal Theology Essay Free Online Research Papers The Freedom of a Christian Informal Theology Essay Of all the great schisms dividing those belonging to the Christian faith, few are so strong and create a greater rift than the issue of the way to salvation- the issue of faith vs. works. In the world of Martin Luther, the Catholic Church had for centuries built itself up as an institution providing the way of salvation through teaching and performing works- ceremonies, laws, ritual, etc. Although there is much ceremonial instruction in the scriptures, much of the traditions to that point were based not on scriptural support but long-standing custom and ritual. Luther, however, advocates not the focus on works such as these as a means of attaining salvation, but on faith in the Word of God. To demonstrate that there is a reason for the constant discussion of works in the scriptures, even though they are not a way to salvation, Luther explains that their purpose is twofold- to explain to us the standards and characteristics of God, and to show us that although we cannot achieve those standards, He has promised us that we may be saved through faith in Christ. The whole canon of scripture, Luther explains, â€Å"is divided into two parts: commandments and promises† (282). The Old Testament, the earliest record of the prophets and the word of God to His people, contains the commandments and thus is centrally concerned with works- the ceremonies and laws that God requires of us. These laws are absolute and definite; they do not give any leeway or room for excuse or pardon. When one has gone against these laws- and here we speak centrally of the Ten Commandments- one has sinned. Moreover, Luther elucidates, it is impossible to keep these standards all of the time. They define the perfect person- one with no sin or error, and no man save Christ has ever been perfect. He quotes Paul as teaching that all of us have sinned and we all fall short of the glory of God. Therefore, we all are imperfect and do not live up to the standards given in the Old Testament. For example, Luther gives the example of â€Å"Thou shalt not covet† (282 ). He teaches that none of us are free from that sin, and we cannot be, no matter how hard we try. Understanding the tenets of the Old Testament is a revelation of our identity as human- to know sin is to know our inability to live up to the standards of God. So we despair and sorrow that we are imperfect and cannot ever become perfect, and then the harsh Scripture of God fades into New Testament and we are introduced to the promises of the scriptures. Because no man will ever live so that he never betrays the standards introduced in the Old Testament, God has provided Jesus Christ to save us from our fallen state. The promise of God is outlined in the New Testament. It is this- that Christ has provided a way to salvation for us, and it is only through faith in him, and no other way, that we can be saved. Therefore, the works and ceremonial ritual in the scriptures are not the way to salvation- they are standards that demonstrate a God-like life- standards which we will never fully live up to until the life to come. So we are promised salvation, if we have faith in Christ- if we believe what He has said- if we believe in his power to save us. Good works, then, are a natural outpouring of a man with faith in Christ, but those good works a lone are not what saves that man. We are saved by the Word of God. Martin Luther teaches us that the meaning of Word of God is the fundamental gospel- the promise that through faith in Christ we can attain salvation. Salvation is a free gift; to accept it we must believe in the words of God and show that we place God in the position of highest trustworthiness. Although there are those that would take the words of Luther and the spirit of the â€Å"saved by faith† principle to a decadent extreme, Luther truly shows that he is a scholar of the scriptures and understands their true purpose in their application to our salvation. Research Papers on The Freedom of a Christian - Informal Theology EssayComparison: Letter from Birmingham and Crito19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraArguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)Moral and Ethical Issues in Hiring New EmployeesEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenHip-Hop is ArtThe Project Managment Office SystemPETSTEL analysis of IndiaAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementQuebec and Canada

Word Choice Farther vs. Further - Proofread My Paper

Word Choice Farther vs. Further - Proofread My Paper Word Choice: Farther vs. Further â€Å"Farther† and â€Å"further† mean the same thing, right? Well, sometimes. But in American English we distinguish between these terms in some contexts, so it’s worth knowing the difference. This is especially true in academic and other formal writing, where precision is vital. To find out how these terms should be used, learn the traditional distinction below. Farther (Physical Distance) Although these terms are increasingly used interchangeably, technically, â€Å"farther† is reserved for discussing physical distances. As such, we might say: The library is farther down the road from here than the post office. Here, â€Å"farther† simply means â€Å"at a greater distance,† since it’s the comparative form of â€Å"far.† The same rule applies to â€Å"farthest,† which means â€Å"at the greatest physical distance.† It might be worth distinguishing between farther and a father, while were at it. Further (Metaphorical Distance) So, how does â€Å"further† differ? When referring to physical distance, not at all. As such, it would be correct to say: The library is further down the road from here than the post office. This means exactly the same thing as using â€Å"farther† in the same sentence. However, â€Å"further† is also used for figurative or non-physical distances. For instance, if we were referring to something that happens at a later point in time, we’d have to use â€Å"further†: Proofreading happens further along in the publication process than editing. Likewise, â€Å"further† is used when referring to things such as how far prices rise and fall or the point we’ve reached in a book: Before you read any further, stop and reflect on the themes in this chapter. If referring to the greatest figurative distance, â€Å"furthest† is the correct term to use. This â€Å"metaphorical† sense of â€Å"further† is also reflected in its use to mean â€Å"additional,† such as when we say that something requires â€Å"further study.† In all of these cases, using â€Å"farther† would be incorrect according to the conventional distinction. Farther or Further? The good news is that â€Å"further† is usually correct regardless of context. Throw in the fact that â€Å"farther† is much less common these days, as shown in this n-gram chart, and you might be safer using â€Å"further† for all senses of the word. Farther or further? However, if you want to ensure in your work, it’s a good idea to maintain the traditional distinction between â€Å"farther† and â€Å"further.† Remember: Farther = At a greater physical distance Further = At a greater figurative or non-physical distance

Is Russia a Democratic State under Putin Research Proposal

Is Russia a Democratic State under Putin - Research Proposal Example In Russia however, since the end of the era of Stalin, which was clearly dictatorial and totalitarian, the succeeding governments through their rule have not demonstrated democracy in a clear manner. Putin has come under sharp criticism from the international fraternity regarding his governance approach in Russia. It thus becomes hard to tell whether or not Russia is a democratic state under Putin. Therefore, it is important to conduct a study in an attempt to address this uncertainty. This study will mainly focus on the situation of Russia under the leadership of Putin with regard to its adoption of democracy. Democracy is however a broad term thus will need to be broken down for effective analysis. In this regard therefore, it becomes important to adopt an analytical framework. In this case therefore, the analysis of level of democracy in Russia under Putin will be based on the 2004 UN General Assembly’s seven principles of democracy. The state of Russia will thus be analyse d based on its performance in (i) the separation and balance of power (ii) independence of the judiciary (iii) a pluralistic system of political parties and organizations (iv) the rule of law (v) accountability and transparency (vi) freedom of the media, and (vii) respect for political rights (Meyer-Resende 2011, 5). If the results show that the country performs well in all these seven areas, it will be indicative of its high level of democracy. On the other hand, if results show that the country performs poorly in these areas, it will indicate that the country is not democratic. The issue of democracy in Russia has been a major area of interest for many scholars of Political Science as well as different international organizations and the world at large. This is mainly because of the position of Russia and the contribution it makes to the world economy among other areas.

Should we still talk about a digital divide Essay

Should we still talk about a digital divide - Essay Example The use of e-mails significantly enhanced information exchange in business, learning institutions as well as between individuals (Zittrain 2009). Initially the cost of internet connection, just like any innovative technology in the market cost a huge sum of money upon its commencement and availability in the market. According to research, by the year 2004, almost 50% of adults in America alone do not have access to internet technology, a situation that is attributed to financial constraints (Warschauer 2003). There after, the price of applying this technology has reduced tremendously allowing all economic classes to access information, other factors such as literacy and awareness held constant. With regards to the economic perspective, digital divide is a concept that is fading day by day especially in the developed countries. Mobile phones that have internet access are available in the market at reduced cost than they used to be, and people can communicate better using modern commun ication software such as Skype. According to Turban et al., (2011), Skype serves an average of 25 million clients during peak hours. It has been significant in the lifestyles of the modern society. The most important aspect has been lowering the cost of telephone services. Subscribers of Skype are able to communicate effectively through unlimited phone calls, which is not possible through the common telephone service providers. Moreover, Skype services are accessible globally and therefore every person who has access to the internet can use them (Booth, 2010). Owen et al. (2006) observes that in the developed economies, people have an opportunity of choosing what kind of communication to use rather than where... According to the research findings there are various theories that have been applied to explain the concept of digital divide. These lead to three categories of digital divides including; the economic divide, usability divide and empowerment divide. To begin with, the theory of economic divide is focused on the affordability of information systems and equipment such as computers and telephone. During the inception of Information Technology in the society, the acquisition of computers by individuals required large amounts of money. This limited information flow to a small group of wealthy people who could afford a personal computer. The digital divide was large on a global perspective. The rate of adoption of ICT was also different among global economies. The complexity of emerging technology has locked out many people from accessing and utilizing information. This limitation goes beyond economic aspects with regards to the existence of a digital divide. Most of the less developed cou ntries are still struggling to accomplish the objectives of primary education. Computer literacy is considered to be tertiary level and hence little or no resources are budgeted for it. Empowerment is the practice of augmenting the religious, political, societal, racial, gender and ethnic strength of individuals and groups of people to acquire the confidence needed to accomplish a particular goal. The empowered develop confidence in their competences.

Ice Hotels Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ice Hotels - Assignment Example The ice hotels belong to the category of destination hotels as they arrange many attractive features for travelers and other tourist who are interested in some unusual entertainments. The ice hotels are promoted by some sponsors with intent to offer special entertainment experiences to customers. The ice sculptures increase the attractiveness of hotel lobbies; and the nature of circumstances decides the type of foods and beverages supplied. The temperature inside an ice hotel is 17 to 23 degrees Fahrenheit (-5 to -8 degree Celsius) which offers an exceptional experience to the tourists. Since the ice melts in the sunlight, ice hotels require to be reconstructed every year. The most prominent feature of an ice hotel is that its walls, fixtures, and fittings are completely made up of ice. Colorful light settings make â€Å"the structures look more like magical snow castles than frigid artic dwellings† (Srinivasan, 2008). Generally, ice hotels are built beside rivers in order to maintain freeze. It would take five to six months for building an extensive, large capacity ice hotel. The emergence of ice hotel concept has surpassed the resort and other cottage trends. Moreover, transformation of a night into a day would create sheer exhilaration for the ice hotel visitors. The world’s first ice hotel was built in Sweden. c) Competitiveness of the ice hotel industry in China Since the ice hotels are built seasonally and disappear after a certain period, it gets world wide popularity. The increasing demand for ice hotels may persuade the sponsors to bring forth future modifications to this concept. The ice hotels can mitigate the intensity of the atmospheric condition like global warming (explorra). Moreover, since this concept does not hurt the environmental balance, it would not face legal or other political challenges. Before implementing the ice hotel project in China, it is necessary to conduct a detailed market study in order to get a clear view rega rding the potentiality of the project in the country. It would be better to choose SWOT analysis for this purpose as it covers all relevant aspects of market. Strengths The novelty and increased market demand for the ice hotel concept found to be the most potential strength with this project. Since the ice hotel concept filmed in James Bond’s Die Another Day movie, this innovative concept has been getting world wide popularity. Similarly, the location of the business is other strength to the project since China is world’s largest market. Since China is a highly- populated country, the Australian hotel chain can take business advantages of this feature. The rampant technological development in China would also contribute to this business concept. Weaknesses Since the ice hotel is a new concept, the parent firm would lack marketing expertise; and hence the management may fail to attract more visitors. A series of difficulties may arise during the implementation of the pr ocess if the project team is unaware of the technical aspects of the concept. Moreover, the management team may also face troubles with deploying experts in ice hotel construction. Opportunities Modern facilities like information technology rampantly grow in China. The internet would largely assist the project team to deal with various phases of the project. It has been identified that internet is the one of the best platforms to effectively market a new concept. The ice hotel concept in China may get numbers of potential strategic alliance offers from other big hotel operators in Chin. An integration process would greatly aid the Australian hotel management to successfully market its concept among Chinese people. Moreover the absence of a potential competitor in china would also largely contribute to this

Coca Cola Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Coca Cola - Research Paper Example Dr. John Pemberton developed the Coca-Cola ® syrup on May 8, 1886 and this the foundation day for Coca-Cola Company. Since its inception, the cola drink became one of the most famous and largest selling non-alcoholic beverages. The rapid popularity of cola drink of Coca-Cola Company had led to expand its market in international boundaries and in every international market its performance has been applaudable. With the passage of the company kept introducing many innovative beverages other than cola drinks. In the process, the Coca-Cola Company was led by a number of efficient decision makers like Roberto Goizueta and Warren E. Buffett who have contributed towards the value growth of the company. This paper mainly deals with case of Coca-Cola Company when it was led by the veteran Mary E. Minnick, the â€Å"Executive Vice President and President of Marketing, Strategy and Innovation† (Forbes, 2011). Based on the given case study, multiple aspects like innovations and product development strategy and in this process the role of Mary E. Minnick will be discussed. Question 1 Describe and evaluate Coke’s marketing and innovation strategy transformation designed to position the company on the cutting edge of consumer trends. During 1980s and '90s, the Coca-Cola Company was the global leader of non-alcoholic beverage company and had portrayed itself as one the best blue chips companies. This was the phase when the company was led by the team of Roberto Goizueta and Warren E. Buffett. However, after this immediate period of glory, it faced a threat from the key rival PepsiCo Inc. PepsiCo was founded in 195 by Donald M. Kendall with the similar concept of cola drink (PepsiCo, 2011). Within the next ten years of its inception, it gained significant amount of market share and as an effect, Coca-Cola Company lost higher percentage of market value. In such situation, it became very necessary to position the company on the cutting edge of consumer trends by i mplementing an effective set of marketing and innovation strategies. By the time Mary E. Minnick joined Coca-Cola, the competition took place on a global level and for success in global markets, and understanding of culture was one of the key factors for developing globalized marketing and innovative strategies. Minnick realized that the innovations like merely by repackaging and slightly changing the flavors would not be helpful. In the process of innovative marketing strategy, multiple innovative product developments were the key factor for the company. The innovation strategies were basically meant to counter against the products the two key non-carb rivals Snapple and Gatorade. Moreover, during 1990s, Coca-Cola focused to generate revenues by introducing innovative products other than cola drinks. Besides, the marketing strategy also involved of cultural aspects of each region. It offered different products for different markets and also the promotional and campaigning activitie s were also very specific as per the culture of markets. Question 2 Critically evaluate Coke’s product strategy of developing healthy beverages. During 1990s, the product strategy of Coca-Cola was the major activities to cope with intensifying competition. Product development strategy during the time of Minnick took a new attempt as there were significant product development took place in the existing production as well as in new products. During this period, more than 1000 new beverages were introduced and the main theme behind these new products was the ‘health’; for example, diet drinks like Coca-Cola Zero, coffee-flavored cola etc were launched for male market segment. However, such products were not capable of offer major benefits to the company for longer period of time. Perhaps, the true

Prduction Planning and Scheduling Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Prduction Planning and Scheduling - Case Study Example An organization takes the advantage of planning and scheduling in various instances such as in online campaigning. In this case, an organization narrows down their targeted customers in the market in order to avoid unnecessary cost incurred during marketing and advertising to people not interested in the respective products and services. Creation of a schedule of online ads gives the organization an opportunity to take advantage of price promotions, and also set a budget. According to the Balloons Aloha case study, there are six customer jobs that need to use the helium tank in filling balloons. Therefore, there must be an effective way to sequence the jobs in order to allow a proper sequence order. In the short-term, the six jobs at the company need to have a clear planning and scheduling that allows filling of balloons in a sequential order. The Aloha’s Balloon sequencing system ensures the set six jobs are carried out in an effective manner as per schedule. Jobs are categorized based on processing time, and due dates to prevent collision during the procedure. Therefore, the company must aim at accomplishing long-terms goals by embarking on planning and

Learning and Development in Organisations Essay

Learning and Development in Organisations - Essay Example 64-73). However, for reducing expenditures, first it is necessary to spend money so that people can learn how to reduce expenditures and expand opportunities. Most companies and organizations in the world are arranging trainings, seminars, and other such things through which they can learn how to expand their profits. This paper would focus on Young Men’s Christian Association London South West. It is a registered charity working in many diverse areas; Supported Housing; Health & Fitness (Y+ Fitness); Children's Work (Space); Youth Work (Room) and community cafes (Canteen at YMCA). Working in partnership with other like-minded organization is something they have found to be very effective and current  partners include the  NHS,  Kingston Churches against Homelessness  and  Age UK. It provides housing to the homeless in southwest. Along with this, it also provides emotional help to the people who are going through a tough time. They help people who are emotionally dis turbed or lack some skills, which are necessary to survive. For these services, they require individuals who are expert in human skills. These individuals are not very easy to find and once found they need constant training and guidance because human behavior is unpredictable. YMCA also provides Fitness Facilities. They call their fitness facilities Y+ Fitness because they provide some extras that one would not find at other fitness clubs. These extras include ‘Get Started’ program, IFI accreditation and certain supple membership alternative including the choice to ‘pay as you go’.  The major extra is that YMCA uses all profits from Y+ to help run other YMCA projects and helpless young people. YMCA has also been providing childcare for years. It does not provide this care just for the sake of providing it but it also makes sure that children are happy with the services they get. The team that is responsible for taking care of children should get continuou s trainings regarding the activities, moods and habits of children so that they can easily handle them. Moreover, team should also be aware of first aid because children enjoy experimenting and they are hit during their experiments especially in summer camps (Kraiger, Ford, & Salas, 1993, pp. 31-32). Therefore, teams should be ready to treat them so that the injury does not get worsen. Even small trainings are very costly these days so YMCA needs to be very wise in spending the money on these trainings. YMCA does not need to bring professionals for this however, the people who have been doing this for years at YMCA can also give this training and save the funds for other activities. YMCA is doing a phenomenal job by giving youth opportunity to learn interesting activities such as dance, sports, and music. They have qualified professionals who make young people learn different instruments; these young people also get chances to talk to their coaches regarding their problems. People a lso get chances to complete their education if they left it without completing it or expelled from their institutions. They also have floors on which people have healthy discussions about religion, faith and other such topics. They do not charge any fees for these activities, they are completely free, and YMCA gets funds to sponsor these activities from donations,

Prduction Planning and Scheduling Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Prduction Planning and Scheduling - Case Study Example An organization takes the advantage of planning and scheduling in various instances such as in online campaigning. In this case, an organization narrows down their targeted customers in the market in order to avoid unnecessary cost incurred during marketing and advertising to people not interested in the respective products and services. Creation of a schedule of online ads gives the organization an opportunity to take advantage of price promotions, and also set a budget. According to the Balloons Aloha case study, there are six customer jobs that need to use the helium tank in filling balloons. Therefore, there must be an effective way to sequence the jobs in order to allow a proper sequence order. In the short-term, the six jobs at the company need to have a clear planning and scheduling that allows filling of balloons in a sequential order. The Aloha’s Balloon sequencing system ensures the set six jobs are carried out in an effective manner as per schedule. Jobs are categorized based on processing time, and due dates to prevent collision during the procedure. Therefore, the company must aim at accomplishing long-terms goals by embarking on planning and

4 Ways to Sustain Tourism Industry Essay Example for Free

4 Ways to Sustain Tourism Industry Essay Sustainable destinations have achieved balance. They have balanced the long-term economic needs of residents with the short and medium term needs of businesses. They have done this by creating a diverse and value-laden tourism product that attracts a mix of domestic and international guests, many of whom are repeat visitors and have made a personal financial commitment to the destination. Sustainable destinations are managed by well-trained and committed staff. They have an up-to-date tourism plan which focuses on sustainable tourism. They have the personnel, resources, and political commitment to implement and monitor the plan. Achievements are tracked and made public. Tourists are consulted and their opinions are considered in plans. Safety is taken seriously and plans and policies exist for crisis, security, fire, health and safety. See more: Defining research problem and setting objectives Essay Sustainable destinations reinvest the profits from their tourism activities in environmental conservation and historic restoration and preservation. They demonstrate a thriving culture, strong social networks and increasing biodiversity. They show effective planning, substantial land and marine protection, increased energy and water conservation, and a reduction in solid waste per guest over time. They have an effective recycling and wastewater sanitation program that is carefully managed. They have taken steps to reduce the carbon footprint of their activities. Sustainable destinations are internationally recognized, valued by tourists for their environmental quality, and receive increasing value from tourist stays. Assessment We start by working together to establish a long-term view of the destination landscape, identifying sustainability risks and strategic growth opportunities. We facilitate discussions with stakeholders, while utilizing our innovative tools and expertise to develop a clear plan of action. Planning As we design and implement initiatives, we’ll prioritize critical impacts, build local capacity and set achievable benchmarks. Over time, we’ll help you implement these programs, track their progress, and monitor your results. Standards and Monitoring Sustainable tourism standards are the genesis of quality tourism planning. Our place-based solutions focus on the needs of the destination, while assuring that local tourism businesses meet third-party verified levels of quality and sustainability.

User Adoption Momentum of E Banking In Malaysia

User Adoption Momentum of E Banking In Malaysia In the era of globalization and with the increasing competition in all the fields around the world many companies have modified their strategies so they can reach their customers around the world easier and cheaper. However the rapid growth of systems that rely on electronic technology especially those relating to the Internet and personal computer- led to a significant change in the exchanging of products and services. Many  Service organizations have adopted modern technology to reduce costs and enhance customer service quality, delivery, and standardize core service offerings. In addition a lot of non-banking companies entered the banking industry by offering products and financial services, giving the customers a lot of options and alternatives to carry out their banking transactions, this difficulty of the business process in the financial sector forces the banks to develop an alternative technological channel to attract customers and improve their perception. The rapid technological diffusion makes the internet the best way to provide customers with banking services regardless of the limits of time and geography. And thats what makes banks  consider the  internet as an important part of their strategic plans. Internet technology has changed the design and the way of delivering the financial services and as a result the banking industry has made continuous innovations especially in the field of communications and information technology that ultimately led to the emergence of the idea of what is known as the online banking. Banking services through the internet is a way to keep the existing customers and attract others to the bank, In this paper we define online banking as an internet portal, through which customers can use different kinds of banking services ranging from bill payment to making investments (Pikkarainen et al., 2004). Compared to the traditional approach, online banking is an inexpensive straightforward way to conduct banking business, exchange of personalized information and buying and selling goods and services from any place at any time. Despite the many benefits provided by this service to the bank and its customers, it remains a double-edged sword and not used by every customer, because the increasing distance between the bank and customers may lead to lack of confidence and an increasing in security concerns. As a result, the quality of electronic banking services become an important area of attention among the researchers and banks managers due to its strong influence on the business performance, lower costs, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, and profitability (Seth et al., 2004). The main objective of this study is to focus on the importance of understanding the customers perception about internet banking by investigating and measuring the impact of selected factors such as perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEOU), security and privacy (PC) and how they can influence the customer acceptance to conduct banking transactions via the internet, Based on the empirical data collected from individual customers in Bahrain. In the next section we will give some background information about the internet banking sector and review the relevant literature in this area, the following section describes the research methodology, which is then followed by the data analysis and the results from the survey, The paper concludes with a discussion, outlining the implications of the findings and the limitations of the study. 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) External variables Perceived usefulness Perceived ease of use Behavioral intention Actual system use Figure 1: The original Technology Acceptance Model (Davis, 1989) The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) is a perfect model which show how users accept and use a technology. In (TAM) the main determinants of users acceptance of new technology are perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEOU) (Davis, 1989). Although (Chen and Barnes 2007; T.C. Edwin Cheng et al. 2006) found that perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and security and privacy affect customer adaptation intentions, Qureshi et al., (2008) claimed that Perceived usefulness, security and privacy are the main perusing factors to accept online banking system. Celik (2008) stated that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use are direct determinants of customers attitudes towards using internet Banking. Traditional service quality and website features (PU, PEOU and PC) that give customers confidence build trust in e-banking (Yap, K et al. 2010). Aderonke and Charles. (2010) found that Banks customers who are active users of e-Banking system use it because it is convenient, easy to use, time saving and appropriate for their transaction needs. Also the network security and the security of the system in terms of privacy are the major concerns of the users and constitute hindrance to intending users. Yap, K et al. (2010) claimed that Traditional service quality and website features that give customers confidence build trust in e-banking. Sadeghi and Hanzaee. (2010) found that According to the model of seven factors on the following dimensions: convenience, accessibility, accuracy, security, usefulness, bank image, and web site design. Some of these factors illustrate a significant statistical difference between males and females. Safeena et al. (2009) found that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, consumer awareness and perceived risk are the important determinants of online banking adoption. These factors have a strong and positive effect on customers to accept online banking system. Alda ´s-Manzano et al. (2009) found that TAM beliefs and perceived risks (security, privacy, performance and social) have a direct influence on e-banking adoption. Trust appears as a key variable that reduces perceived risk. Involvement plays an important role in increasing perceived ease of use. Riyadh et al. (2009) stated that Seven variables affecting e-banking adoption by SMEs are identified. They are: organizational capabilities, perceived benefits, perceived credibility, perceived regulatory support, ICT industries readiness, lack of financial institutions readiness and institutional influence. Al-Somali et al. (2009) found that the quality of the Internet connection, the awareness of online banking and its benefits, the social influence and computer self-efficacy have significant effects on the perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEOU) of online banking acceptance. Education, trust and resistance to change also have significant impact on the attitude towards the likelihood of adopting online banking. Jahangir N. and Begum N. (2008) noted that perceived usefulness, ease of use, security and privacy, and customer attitude are significantly and positively related to customer adaptation. Hanudin Amin. (2007) found that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and perceived credibility had a significant relationship with behavioral intention. Further, these measures are good determinant for undergraduate acceptance for internet banking. Results also suggest that PU and PEOU had a significant relationship with computer self-efficacy. Z Liao and WK Wong. (2008) found that perceived usefulness, ease of use, security, responsiveness and convenience significantly influence customer interactions with Internet e-banking. In particular, individuals would place a great emphasis on the security of Internet-based financial transactions. As a conventional practice, commercial banks and financial institutions must continuously review security policy and strengthen the security control of Internet e-banking Wai-Ching Poon. (2008) found that all elements for ten identified factors are significant with respect to the users adoption of e-banking services. Privacy and security are the major sources of dissatisfaction, which have momentously impacted users satisfaction. Meanwhile, accessibility, convenience, design and content are sources of satisfaction. Besides, the speed, product features availability, and reasonable service fees and charges, as well as the banks operations management factor are critical to the success of the e-banks. WAP, GPRS and 3G features from mobile devices are of no significance or influence in the adoption of e-banking services in this study. Results also reveal that privacy; security and convenience factors play an important role in determining the users acceptance of e-banking services with respect to different segmentation of age group, education level and income level. Padachi et al. (2007) found that the most significant factor is ease of use and that other important elements featured reluctance to change, trust and relationship in banker, cost of computers, internet accessibility, convenience of use, and security concerns. Chen, Y. H. and Barnes, S. (2007) pointed out that perceived usefulness, perceived security, perceived privacy, perceived good reputation, and willingness to customize are the important antecedents to online initial trust. It is also discovered that different levels of trust propensity moderate perceptions toward the web site and online with respect to online initial trust, including perceived usefulness, perceived security, perceived privacy, perceived good reputation, and willingness to customize. Both online initial trust and familiarity with online purchasing have a positive impact on purchase intention. T.C. Edwin Cheng et al. (2006) found that The results provide support of the extended TAM model and confirm its robustness in predicting customers intention of adoption of IB. This study contributes to the literature by formulating and validating TAM to predict IB adoption, and its findings provide useful information for bank management in formulating IB marketing strategies. We analyzed the data using Structured Equation Modeling (SEM) to evaluate the strength of the hypothesized relationships, if any, among the constructs, which include Perceived Ease of Use and Perceived Web Security as independent variables, Perceived Usefulness and Attitude as intervening variables, and Intention to Use as the dependent variable. The results provide support of the extended TAM model and confirm its robustness in predicting customers intention of adoption of IB Moutaz Abou-Robieh. (2005) found that there was a correlation between respondents attitudes towards e-banking and their comfort level and feeling of security with regard to their age, level of education, and annual salary. 2.1 Perceived ease of use (PEOU) Safeena et al. (2009), Jahangir N. and Begum N. (2008), Z Liao and WK Wong. (2008) and Amin. (2007) stated that perceived ease of use have a strong and positive influence on customers intention to adopt and use internet banking. 2.2 Perceived usefulness (PU) Several studies showed that perceived usefulness influence customer interactions with internet banking, which effect the adoption of e-banking services (Sadeghi and Hanzaee. 2010; Safeena et al. 2009; Al-Somali et al. 2009; Jahangir N. and Begum N. 2008; Hanudin Amin. 2007, Z Liao and WK Wong.2008 ). 2.3 Perceived credibility (PC) Previous research has shown that security and privacy are the most concern for consumer, which have a direct or indirect influence on e-banking adoption (Aderonke and Charles, 2010; Sadeghi and Hanzaee, 2010; Alda ´s-Manzano et al., 2009; Riyadh et al. 2009; Jahangir N. and Begum N., 2008; Z Liao and WK Wong., 2008). Privacy put barriers on using online services (Hernandez and Mazzon, 2007). Moreover, Wai-Ching Poon. (2008) and Moutaz Abou-Robieh. (2005) noted that privacy and security factors play an important role in determining the users acceptance of e-banking services with regard to age, education level and income level. 3.CHALLENGES 4.1 RESEARCH MODEL AND HYPOTHESES The model of the study is presented below: Perceived usefulness Perceived ease of use Perceived credibility Intention to use Electronic Banking The representation of the proposed framework depicted the pattern and structure of relationships between the set of the measured variables. The purpose of the study is to measure correlations among variables and then use it to identify whether any relationships exists between these measured variables or not. We will extended TAM and add PC into the framework to test the effect of these three factors on e-banking adaption. In the extended model of TAM study, like (Safeena et al. 2009; Alda ´s-Manzano et al. (2009); Hanudin Amin, 2007), the attitudes factor has been neglected to simplify the model. The present study investigated the relationship between perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived credibility and customer intention to use electronic banking in Bahrain. Here perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and perceived credibility, were being considered as independent variables and customer intention to use electronic banking was being considered as a dependent variable. Perceived usefulness According to the Davis (1989) and Davis et al. (1989), perceived usefulness is the degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would enhance his or her job performance. Perceived usefulness is defined as the individuals perception that using the new technology will enhance or improve her/his performance (Davis,1993). In Addition, Laforet and Li, (2005) and Eriksson et al., (2005) defined the term perceived usefulness as the subjective probability that using the technology would improve the way a user could complete. We hypothesize that People tend to use an application to the extent they believe it will aid their performance. H1: Perceived usefulness (PU) has a positive effect on customer Intention to use Electronic banking. Perceived ease of use According to Davis (1989) perceived ease of use refers to the degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would be free of effort. The most significant factor on adoption Internet Banking is ease of use. (Padachi et al., 2007). Hence an application perceived to be easier to use than another is more likely to be accepted by users. And By applying these to electronic banking context we can hypothesize that: H2: Perceived ease of use (PEOU) has a positive effect on customer Intention to use Electronic banking. Perceived Credibility Perceived credibility is defined as the degree to which a user feels the certainty and pleasant consequences of using an electronic application service, when there is no financial risk, physical risk, functional risk, social risk, time-loss risk, opportunity cost risk, and information risk Jacoby and Kaplan (1972). However, (Ganesan,1994) present another definition of PC stating it as the extent to which one partner believes that the other partner has the required expertise to perform the job effectively and reliably. PC is usually impersonal and relies on reputation, information and economic reasoning (Ba and Pavlou,2002). Wang et al. (2003) stated that perceived credibility is consists of two important elements namely privacy and security, which affect directly consumer adaptation of electronic banking systems. Security refers to the protection of information or systems from unauthorized intrusions (Egwali, 2008). For the purpose of this research, perceived credibility (PC) is defined as users perception of protection of their transaction details and personal data against unauthorized access. Therefore, for studying the effect of perceived credibility on users acceptance in Bahrain electronic banking services, we pose the following hypothesis to determine it effect on users intention H3: perceived credibility has positive effect on customer Intention to use Electronic banking. 4. Methodology To assess the factors influencing the intention to use internet banking in Bahrain, a survey was conducted during the last quarter of year 2010. A Questionnaire were designed and distributed to retail users of banking services of different age group and of different educational level attained across the island. Survey Instrument The questionnaire we prepared for this exercise was divided into 2 sections. The first section concentrates on the general profile of the respondent including his/her age group, education level and profession and income group. In the second section we were interested in finding the factors affecting the customer intention to use internet banking in Bahrain. The respondents were provided with a list of 10 questions; 4 questions on perceived usefulness, 2 questions on perceived ease of use, 3 questions on perceived credibility and finally 1 question on intention to use. The participants were asked to indicate their perception on a likert scales (1- 5) with response ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. The collected data were analyzed based on correlation and regression analyses using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 17computer program. Data collection The questionnaires were distributed directly among the customers through the researchers friends and relatives, a sample of 400 people was randomly chosen from the Bahraini community, all participants were bank customers selected randomly from universities, malls, Internet cafÃÆ' ©s and businessmen from private and public sectors. Also A digital online form was created using Google Documents in the same questionnaire style, Then the link was shared and publicized to Bahrainis through email as well as posting it on discussion forums. Once a subject would answer the questionnaire, the raw data will automatically be logged in a spreadsheet which can be only accessed and downloaded by the researcher. Since the questionnaire form was to be submitted online it guaranteed two things: First, it targeted people who really access the internet. Second, because all questions are need to be answered before submitting. The collection of data will be done automatically, efficiently and there wont be any loss of data The questionnaire we prepared and used had been pre-tested initially with a few number of people (5 users) working in different sectors to ensure consistency, clarity and relevance to the Bahraini case, Minor changes (related to the questions content, wording, sequence) were requested by those people, which we implemented before carrying out the final copy. A total of 200 useable responses were obtained yielding a response rate of 50% (200/400). Demographic profile of respondents: variable category Frequency Valid Percentage Age 18 25 25 35 35 45 45 yrs and above Gender Male Female Education Secondary and below Diploma Bachelor High studies Occupation Government sector Private Sector Self-employment Others Monthly Income in BD Less than 500 500-1000 1000 and above Assumptions or Limitations For this research, the following limitation existed in the collection of data, the survey assumed that the respondents have some familiarity with banks and banking transactions and have been exposed to or have knowledge of the existence of e-banking alternatives. For these responses in particular, it was difficult to ensure the true validity of the responses or the identity of the respondent. REFERENCES Aderonke and Charles. (2010). An Empirical Investigation of the Level of Users Acceptance of E-Banking in Nigeria. Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce, vol. 15 (1). Al-Somali, S.A., Gholami, R. and Clegg, B.(2009). An investigation into the acceptance of online banking in Saudi Arabia. Technovation, vol. 29, pp.130-141. Al Nahian Riyadh, Md. Shahriar Akter , Nayeema Islam. (2009). The adoption of e-banking in developing countries: A theoretical model for SMEs. International Review of Business Research Papers, vol. 5 (6), pp.212-230. Ba, S. and Pavlou, P.A (2002). Evidence of the effect of trust building technology in electronic market: price premiums and buyer behavior.MIS Quarterly, vol. 26 (3), pp. 243-68. Celik, H. (2008). What Determines Turkish customers acceptance of internet banking? International Journal of Bank Marketing. Vol. 26 (5): 353-370. Chen, Y. H. and Barnes, S. (2007), Initial Trust and Online Buyer Behaviour, Industrial Management Data Systems, 107(1): 21-36. Davis, F. D. (1989), Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, and User Acceptance of Information Technology, MIS Quarterly,13 (3): 319-339. Davis, F. D., Bagozzi, R. P. and Warshaw, P. R. (1989), User Acceptance of Computer Technology: A Comparison of Two Theoretical Models, Management Science, 35(8): 982-1003. Davis, F. D. (1993). User acceptance of information technology: system characteristics, user perceptions and behavioral impacts. International Journal of Man-Machine Studies,38, 475-487. Davis, F. D., Bagozzi, R. P., Warshaw, P. R. (1992). Extrinsic and intrinsic motivation to use computers in the workplace. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 22(14), 1109-1130. Egwali A. O., Customer Perception of Security Indicators in Online Banking Sites in Nigeria, Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce, December 2008, vol. 13, no.3. Eriksson K, Kerem K, Nilsson D (2005). Customer acceptance of internet banking in Estonia, International Journal of Bank Market, vol. 23 (2), pp. 200-216. Ganesan, S.(1994), Determinants of long-term orientation in buyer-seller relationships. Journal of Marketing, Vol.58 (2), pp.1-19 Hanudin Amin (2007). Internet Banking Adoption Among Young Intellectuals. Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce, December 2007, vol. 12 (3) Jacoby, J., Kaplan, L. B. (1972). The components of perceived risk. Paper presented at the Proceedings of the 3rd Annual Conference of the Association for Consumer Research, College Park, MD. Joaquin Alda ´s-Manzano, Carlos Lassala-Navarre, Carla Ruiz-Mafe and Silvia Sanz-Blas. (2009). Key drivers of internet banking services use , Online Information Review, Vol. 33 (4), pp. 672-695. Laforet S, Li X (2005). Consumers attitudes towards online and mobile banking in China. International Journal Bank Market vol. 23 (5), pp. 362-380. Moutaz Abou-Robieh. (2005). A Study of E-Banking Security Perceptions and Customer Satisfaction Issues. Nadim Jahangir and Noorjahan Begum. (2008). The role of perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, security and privacy, and customer attitude to engender customer adaptation in the context of electronic banking. African Journal of Business Management, vol.2 (1), pp. 032-040. Padachi, Rojid, Seetanah.(2007). Analyzing the Factors that Influence the Adoption of Internet Banking in Mauritius. Patrick, T. (2002). Corporate Privacy Credibility Crumbles. Computer world, March, 4(10). Pikkarainen, T., Pikkarainen, K., Karijaluoto, H. and Pahnila, S. (2004), Customer acceptance of on-line banking: an extension of the technology acceptance model, Internet Research, vol. 14(3), pp. 224-235 Qureshi, T.M., Zafar, M.K and Khan, M.B. (2008). Customer Acceptance of Online Banking in Developing Economies. Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce, Vol. 13 (1). Safeena, Abdullah and Hema. ( 2010). Customer Perspectives on E-business Value: Case Study on Internet Banking. Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce, vol. 15 (1). Seth, N., S.G. Deshmukh and P. Vrat, 2004. Service quality models: A review, International Journal Quality and Reliability Management, vol. 22(9), pp. 36-51. T.C. Edwin Cheng, David Y.C. Lam and Andy C.L. Yeung. (2006) Adoption of internet banking: An empirical study in Hong Kong. Decision Support Systems, vol. 42 (3), pp 1558-1572 Tooraj Sadeghi and Kambiz Heidarzadeh Hanzaee. (2010). Customer satisfaction factors (CSFs) with online banking services in an Islamic country I.R. Iran. Journal of Islamic Marketing, vol. 1 (3), pp. 249-267 Wai-Ching Poon . (2008). Users adoption of e-banking services. Journal of Business Industrial Marketing, vol. 23 (1), pp. 59-69 Wang, Y., Lin, H., Tang, T. (2003). Determinants of user acceptance of internet banking: an empirical study. International Journal of Service Industry Management, 14(5), 501-519 Yap, K., D. Wong, C. Loh, and R. Bak (2010). Offline and online banking where to draw the line when building trust in e-banking. International Journal of Bank Marketing, 28(1), p.27-46 Z Liao and WK Wong. ( 2008). The determinants of customer interactions with internet-enabled e-banking services. Journal of the Operational Research Society, vol. 59 (9). User Adoption Momentum of E Banking In Malaysia User Adoption Momentum of E Banking In Malaysia In the era of globalization and with the increasing competition in all the fields around the world many companies have modified their strategies so they can reach their customers around the world easier and cheaper. However the rapid growth of systems that rely on electronic technology especially those relating to the Internet and personal computer- led to a significant change in the exchanging of products and services. Many  Service organizations have adopted modern technology to reduce costs and enhance customer service quality, delivery, and standardize core service offerings. In addition a lot of non-banking companies entered the banking industry by offering products and financial services, giving the customers a lot of options and alternatives to carry out their banking transactions, this difficulty of the business process in the financial sector forces the banks to develop an alternative technological channel to attract customers and improve their perception. The rapid technological diffusion makes the internet the best way to provide customers with banking services regardless of the limits of time and geography. And thats what makes banks  consider the  internet as an important part of their strategic plans. Internet technology has changed the design and the way of delivering the financial services and as a result the banking industry has made continuous innovations especially in the field of communications and information technology that ultimately led to the emergence of the idea of what is known as the online banking. Banking services through the internet is a way to keep the existing customers and attract others to the bank, In this paper we define online banking as an internet portal, through which customers can use different kinds of banking services ranging from bill payment to making investments (Pikkarainen et al., 2004). Compared to the traditional approach, online banking is an inexpensive straightforward way to conduct banking business, exchange of personalized information and buying and selling goods and services from any place at any time. Despite the many benefits provided by this service to the bank and its customers, it remains a double-edged sword and not used by every customer, because the increasing distance between the bank and customers may lead to lack of confidence and an increasing in security concerns. As a result, the quality of electronic banking services become an important area of attention among the researchers and banks managers due to its strong influence on the business performance, lower costs, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, and profitability (Seth et al., 2004). The main objective of this study is to focus on the importance of understanding the customers perception about internet banking by investigating and measuring the impact of selected factors such as perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEOU), security and privacy (PC) and how they can influence the customer acceptance to conduct banking transactions via the internet, Based on the empirical data collected from individual customers in Bahrain. In the next section we will give some background information about the internet banking sector and review the relevant literature in this area, the following section describes the research methodology, which is then followed by the data analysis and the results from the survey, The paper concludes with a discussion, outlining the implications of the findings and the limitations of the study. 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) External variables Perceived usefulness Perceived ease of use Behavioral intention Actual system use Figure 1: The original Technology Acceptance Model (Davis, 1989) The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) is a perfect model which show how users accept and use a technology. In (TAM) the main determinants of users acceptance of new technology are perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEOU) (Davis, 1989). Although (Chen and Barnes 2007; T.C. Edwin Cheng et al. 2006) found that perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and security and privacy affect customer adaptation intentions, Qureshi et al., (2008) claimed that Perceived usefulness, security and privacy are the main perusing factors to accept online banking system. Celik (2008) stated that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use are direct determinants of customers attitudes towards using internet Banking. Traditional service quality and website features (PU, PEOU and PC) that give customers confidence build trust in e-banking (Yap, K et al. 2010). Aderonke and Charles. (2010) found that Banks customers who are active users of e-Banking system use it because it is convenient, easy to use, time saving and appropriate for their transaction needs. Also the network security and the security of the system in terms of privacy are the major concerns of the users and constitute hindrance to intending users. Yap, K et al. (2010) claimed that Traditional service quality and website features that give customers confidence build trust in e-banking. Sadeghi and Hanzaee. (2010) found that According to the model of seven factors on the following dimensions: convenience, accessibility, accuracy, security, usefulness, bank image, and web site design. Some of these factors illustrate a significant statistical difference between males and females. Safeena et al. (2009) found that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, consumer awareness and perceived risk are the important determinants of online banking adoption. These factors have a strong and positive effect on customers to accept online banking system. Alda ´s-Manzano et al. (2009) found that TAM beliefs and perceived risks (security, privacy, performance and social) have a direct influence on e-banking adoption. Trust appears as a key variable that reduces perceived risk. Involvement plays an important role in increasing perceived ease of use. Riyadh et al. (2009) stated that Seven variables affecting e-banking adoption by SMEs are identified. They are: organizational capabilities, perceived benefits, perceived credibility, perceived regulatory support, ICT industries readiness, lack of financial institutions readiness and institutional influence. Al-Somali et al. (2009) found that the quality of the Internet connection, the awareness of online banking and its benefits, the social influence and computer self-efficacy have significant effects on the perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEOU) of online banking acceptance. Education, trust and resistance to change also have significant impact on the attitude towards the likelihood of adopting online banking. Jahangir N. and Begum N. (2008) noted that perceived usefulness, ease of use, security and privacy, and customer attitude are significantly and positively related to customer adaptation. Hanudin Amin. (2007) found that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and perceived credibility had a significant relationship with behavioral intention. Further, these measures are good determinant for undergraduate acceptance for internet banking. Results also suggest that PU and PEOU had a significant relationship with computer self-efficacy. Z Liao and WK Wong. (2008) found that perceived usefulness, ease of use, security, responsiveness and convenience significantly influence customer interactions with Internet e-banking. In particular, individuals would place a great emphasis on the security of Internet-based financial transactions. As a conventional practice, commercial banks and financial institutions must continuously review security policy and strengthen the security control of Internet e-banking Wai-Ching Poon. (2008) found that all elements for ten identified factors are significant with respect to the users adoption of e-banking services. Privacy and security are the major sources of dissatisfaction, which have momentously impacted users satisfaction. Meanwhile, accessibility, convenience, design and content are sources of satisfaction. Besides, the speed, product features availability, and reasonable service fees and charges, as well as the banks operations management factor are critical to the success of the e-banks. WAP, GPRS and 3G features from mobile devices are of no significance or influence in the adoption of e-banking services in this study. Results also reveal that privacy; security and convenience factors play an important role in determining the users acceptance of e-banking services with respect to different segmentation of age group, education level and income level. Padachi et al. (2007) found that the most significant factor is ease of use and that other important elements featured reluctance to change, trust and relationship in banker, cost of computers, internet accessibility, convenience of use, and security concerns. Chen, Y. H. and Barnes, S. (2007) pointed out that perceived usefulness, perceived security, perceived privacy, perceived good reputation, and willingness to customize are the important antecedents to online initial trust. It is also discovered that different levels of trust propensity moderate perceptions toward the web site and online with respect to online initial trust, including perceived usefulness, perceived security, perceived privacy, perceived good reputation, and willingness to customize. Both online initial trust and familiarity with online purchasing have a positive impact on purchase intention. T.C. Edwin Cheng et al. (2006) found that The results provide support of the extended TAM model and confirm its robustness in predicting customers intention of adoption of IB. This study contributes to the literature by formulating and validating TAM to predict IB adoption, and its findings provide useful information for bank management in formulating IB marketing strategies. We analyzed the data using Structured Equation Modeling (SEM) to evaluate the strength of the hypothesized relationships, if any, among the constructs, which include Perceived Ease of Use and Perceived Web Security as independent variables, Perceived Usefulness and Attitude as intervening variables, and Intention to Use as the dependent variable. The results provide support of the extended TAM model and confirm its robustness in predicting customers intention of adoption of IB Moutaz Abou-Robieh. (2005) found that there was a correlation between respondents attitudes towards e-banking and their comfort level and feeling of security with regard to their age, level of education, and annual salary. 2.1 Perceived ease of use (PEOU) Safeena et al. (2009), Jahangir N. and Begum N. (2008), Z Liao and WK Wong. (2008) and Amin. (2007) stated that perceived ease of use have a strong and positive influence on customers intention to adopt and use internet banking. 2.2 Perceived usefulness (PU) Several studies showed that perceived usefulness influence customer interactions with internet banking, which effect the adoption of e-banking services (Sadeghi and Hanzaee. 2010; Safeena et al. 2009; Al-Somali et al. 2009; Jahangir N. and Begum N. 2008; Hanudin Amin. 2007, Z Liao and WK Wong.2008 ). 2.3 Perceived credibility (PC) Previous research has shown that security and privacy are the most concern for consumer, which have a direct or indirect influence on e-banking adoption (Aderonke and Charles, 2010; Sadeghi and Hanzaee, 2010; Alda ´s-Manzano et al., 2009; Riyadh et al. 2009; Jahangir N. and Begum N., 2008; Z Liao and WK Wong., 2008). Privacy put barriers on using online services (Hernandez and Mazzon, 2007). Moreover, Wai-Ching Poon. (2008) and Moutaz Abou-Robieh. (2005) noted that privacy and security factors play an important role in determining the users acceptance of e-banking services with regard to age, education level and income level. 3.CHALLENGES 4.1 RESEARCH MODEL AND HYPOTHESES The model of the study is presented below: Perceived usefulness Perceived ease of use Perceived credibility Intention to use Electronic Banking The representation of the proposed framework depicted the pattern and structure of relationships between the set of the measured variables. The purpose of the study is to measure correlations among variables and then use it to identify whether any relationships exists between these measured variables or not. We will extended TAM and add PC into the framework to test the effect of these three factors on e-banking adaption. In the extended model of TAM study, like (Safeena et al. 2009; Alda ´s-Manzano et al. (2009); Hanudin Amin, 2007), the attitudes factor has been neglected to simplify the model. The present study investigated the relationship between perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived credibility and customer intention to use electronic banking in Bahrain. Here perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and perceived credibility, were being considered as independent variables and customer intention to use electronic banking was being considered as a dependent variable. Perceived usefulness According to the Davis (1989) and Davis et al. (1989), perceived usefulness is the degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would enhance his or her job performance. Perceived usefulness is defined as the individuals perception that using the new technology will enhance or improve her/his performance (Davis,1993). In Addition, Laforet and Li, (2005) and Eriksson et al., (2005) defined the term perceived usefulness as the subjective probability that using the technology would improve the way a user could complete. We hypothesize that People tend to use an application to the extent they believe it will aid their performance. H1: Perceived usefulness (PU) has a positive effect on customer Intention to use Electronic banking. Perceived ease of use According to Davis (1989) perceived ease of use refers to the degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would be free of effort. The most significant factor on adoption Internet Banking is ease of use. (Padachi et al., 2007). Hence an application perceived to be easier to use than another is more likely to be accepted by users. And By applying these to electronic banking context we can hypothesize that: H2: Perceived ease of use (PEOU) has a positive effect on customer Intention to use Electronic banking. Perceived Credibility Perceived credibility is defined as the degree to which a user feels the certainty and pleasant consequences of using an electronic application service, when there is no financial risk, physical risk, functional risk, social risk, time-loss risk, opportunity cost risk, and information risk Jacoby and Kaplan (1972). However, (Ganesan,1994) present another definition of PC stating it as the extent to which one partner believes that the other partner has the required expertise to perform the job effectively and reliably. PC is usually impersonal and relies on reputation, information and economic reasoning (Ba and Pavlou,2002). Wang et al. (2003) stated that perceived credibility is consists of two important elements namely privacy and security, which affect directly consumer adaptation of electronic banking systems. Security refers to the protection of information or systems from unauthorized intrusions (Egwali, 2008). For the purpose of this research, perceived credibility (PC) is defined as users perception of protection of their transaction details and personal data against unauthorized access. Therefore, for studying the effect of perceived credibility on users acceptance in Bahrain electronic banking services, we pose the following hypothesis to determine it effect on users intention H3: perceived credibility has positive effect on customer Intention to use Electronic banking. 4. Methodology To assess the factors influencing the intention to use internet banking in Bahrain, a survey was conducted during the last quarter of year 2010. A Questionnaire were designed and distributed to retail users of banking services of different age group and of different educational level attained across the island. Survey Instrument The questionnaire we prepared for this exercise was divided into 2 sections. The first section concentrates on the general profile of the respondent including his/her age group, education level and profession and income group. In the second section we were interested in finding the factors affecting the customer intention to use internet banking in Bahrain. The respondents were provided with a list of 10 questions; 4 questions on perceived usefulness, 2 questions on perceived ease of use, 3 questions on perceived credibility and finally 1 question on intention to use. The participants were asked to indicate their perception on a likert scales (1- 5) with response ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. The collected data were analyzed based on correlation and regression analyses using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 17computer program. Data collection The questionnaires were distributed directly among the customers through the researchers friends and relatives, a sample of 400 people was randomly chosen from the Bahraini community, all participants were bank customers selected randomly from universities, malls, Internet cafÃÆ' ©s and businessmen from private and public sectors. Also A digital online form was created using Google Documents in the same questionnaire style, Then the link was shared and publicized to Bahrainis through email as well as posting it on discussion forums. Once a subject would answer the questionnaire, the raw data will automatically be logged in a spreadsheet which can be only accessed and downloaded by the researcher. Since the questionnaire form was to be submitted online it guaranteed two things: First, it targeted people who really access the internet. Second, because all questions are need to be answered before submitting. The collection of data will be done automatically, efficiently and there wont be any loss of data The questionnaire we prepared and used had been pre-tested initially with a few number of people (5 users) working in different sectors to ensure consistency, clarity and relevance to the Bahraini case, Minor changes (related to the questions content, wording, sequence) were requested by those people, which we implemented before carrying out the final copy. A total of 200 useable responses were obtained yielding a response rate of 50% (200/400). 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