A balanced approach Essay

It is our main concern to keep children safe from harm. Doing this can be very hard, as at the same time we need to encourage children and young people to experience risk and challenges. If we try to remove all risks from children’s lives we could be restricting their learning experiences. Some risks obviously need to be avoided, otherwise we wouldn’t be competent in our role of caring for children and young people. Obviously the risks we allow children and young people to take should be appropriate to age, needs and ability, and a balanced approach should apply. We should not be excessively risk adverse and encourage children to have more independence, therefore creating more confidence. By allowing children to use and access certain equipment such as a trim trail or climbing frame, and giving them rules and boundaries to follow whilst using the equipment allows them to take certain risks without taking excessive risks. See more: The Issues Concerning Identity Theft Essay The children that I work with understand that when they are allowed access to the trim trail, they must follow the rules. There have been instances when children have not followed the rules and then have ended up with minor injuries from falling. Children now know that if the rules are not followed they will be removed from the activity on that occasion. However, by allowing children and young people to take certain risks, we must also remember to avoid excessive risk taking, for example, we should encourage children not to swing on chairs, and always demonstrate to children and young people how to use equipment correctly, i.e. scissors. It is very important your children and young people to be given the opportunity to take risks and challenges in order for them to develop a sense of self awareness. They need to understand the importance of potential risks to themselves and others around them. Children need to be encouraged to think about what risks may arise and how they can be avoi ded, and how they may impact on others and themselves.

Relational Databases

CHAPTER 4 RELATIONAL DATABASES SUGGESTED ANSWERS TO DISCUSSION QUESTIONS4. 1 Contrast the logical and the physical view of data and discuss why separate views are necessary in database applications. Describe which perspective is most useful for each of the following employees: a programmer, a manager, and an internal auditor. How will understanding logical data structures assist you when designing and using database systems?4. 2 Databases are possible because of their database management system (DBMS). As shown in Figure 4. 2, the DBMS is a software program that sits between the actual data stored in the system and the application programs that use the data. As shown in Figure 4. 4, this allows users to separate the way they view the data (called the logical view) from the way the data is actually stored (the physical view). The DBMS interprets the users' requests and retrieves, manipulates, or stores the data as needed. The two distinct views separate the applications from the physi cal information, providing increased flexibility in applications, improved data security, and ease of use.In a database system, the manager will rarely need to understand or be familiar with the physical view of the data. Nor, in most instances, will the internal auditor and the programmer as most everything they do involves the logical view of the data. If accountants understand logical data structures and the logical view of the data, they are better able to manage, use, and audit a database and its data. 4. 2 The relational data model represents data as being stored in tables. Spreadsheets are another tool that accountants use to employ a tabular representation of data.What are some similarities and differences in the way these tools use tables? How might an accountant’s familiarity with the tabular representation of spreadsheets facilitate or hinder learning how to use a relational DBMS? A major difference between spreadsheets and databases is that spreadsheets are design ed primarily to handle numeric data, whereas databases can handle both text and numbers. Consequently, the query and sorting capabilities of spreadsheets are much more limited than what can be accomplished with a DBMS that has a good query language.Accountants’ familiarity with spreadsheets might hinder their ability to design and use relational DBMS because many links in spreadsheets are preprogrammed and designed in, whereas a well-designed relational database is designed to facilitate ad-hoc queries. Accountants’ familiarity with spreadsheets sometimes leads them to use a spreadsheet for a task that a database could handle much better. Over the years, the Journal of Accountancy has published a number of very good articles on how to use databases and when to use databases and when to use spreadsheets. These articles can be found on the Journal’s website: http://www. ournalofaccountancy. com/4. 3 Some people believe database technology may eliminate the need fo r double-entry accounting. This creates three possibilities: (1) the double-entry model will be abandoned; (2) the double-entry model will not be used directly, but an external-level schema based on the double-entry model will be defined for accountants’ use; or (3) the double-entry model will be retained in database systems. Which alternative do you think is most likely to occur? Why? There is no correct answer to this question because it is asking the student to express his opinion on what will happen in the future.Therefore, the quality of his answer depends on the justifications provided. Good answers should address the following:Database technology does permit abandonment of double entry, but there will likely be great resistance to such a radical change. Thus, students choosing this option need to present reasons why they think such a radical change would succeed.The use of a schema for accountants seems quite plausible. It does eliminate the redundancy of double entry from the database system, yet it still provides a framework familiar and useful to accountants and financial analysts.There is a good possibility that double entry will remain, even in databases, due to inertia. Indeed, many modern AIS, such as ERP systems, use databases but also retain the principles of double entry.4. 4 Relational DBMS query languages provide easy access to information about the organization’s activities. Does this mean that online, real-time processing should be used for all transactions? Does an organization need real-time financial reports? Why or why not? ;lt;/para;gt;;lt;/question;gt;;lt;/general-problem;gt;;lt;/problemset;gt; On-line real-time processing is not necessary for every business transaction.For example, batch processing is adequate for payroll: there is little need for the data to be current except on payday. Real-time financial statements are useful for planning and provide management with better ability to react to changes in the environm ent. Nevertheless, real-time financial statements may present distorted pictures of reality if accruals have been ignored or not properly recognized.4. 5 Why is it so important to have good data? Bad data costs businesses over $600 billion a year. Some people estimate that over 25% of business data is inaccurate or incomplete. In addition, incorrect database data can lead to bad decisions, embarrassment, and angry users. The text illustrated this with the following examples: For quite some time, a company sent half its catalogs to incorrect addresses. A manager finally investigated the large volume of returns and customer complaints and corrected the customer addresses in the database.He saved the company $12 million a year. Valparaiso, Indiana used the county database to develop its tax rates. After mailing the tax notices, it was discovered that a $121,900 home was valued at $400 million. Due to the $3. 1 million property tax revenue shortfall, the city, the school district, and g overnmental agencies had to make severe budget cuts.   Managing data is not going to get any easier as the quantity of data generated and stored doubles every 18 months.4.6 What is a data dictionary, what does it contain, and how is it used? contains information about the structure of the database. Table 4-1 shows that there is a record in the dictionary describing each data element. The DBMS maintains the data dictionary, whose inputs include new or deleted data elements and changes in data element names, descriptions, or uses.Outputs include reports for programmers, designers, and users. These reports are used for system documentation, database design and implementation, and as part of the audit trail.4. 7   Compare and contrast the file-oriented approach and the database approach. Explain the main advantages of database systems. Information about the attributes of a customer, such as name and address, are stored in fields. Fields contain data about one entity (e. g. , one cus tomer). Multiple fields form a record. A set of related records, such as all customer records, forms a file (e. g. , the customer file).A set of interrelated, centrally coordinated files forms a database. illustrates the differences between file-oriented and database systems. In the database approach, data is an organizational resource that is used by and managed for the entire organization, not just the originating department. A database management system (DBMS) is the interface between the database and the various application programs.The database, the DBMS, and the application programs that access the database through the DBMS are referred to as the Database systems were developed to address the proliferation of master files. This proliferation created problems such as the same data stored in two or more master files. This made it difficult to integrate and update data and to obtain an organization-wide view of data.LimitAccount Balance| 4. 2Most DBMS packages contain data defini tion, data manipulation, and data query languages. For each of the following, indicate which language would be used and why. 1. A database administrator defines the logical structure of the database The DDL – this is the language used to define the database. b. The controller requests a cost accounting report containing a list of all employees being paid for more than 10 hours overtime in a given week. The DQL – this is an example of a query. c. A programmer develops a program to update the fixed-assets records stored in the database.The DML – this is the language used to actually process transaction data and update the database. d. The human resources manager requests a report noting all employees who are retiring within five years. The DQL – another example of a task that involves querying the database. e. The inventory serial number field is extended in the inventory records to allow for recognition of additional inventory items with serial numbers con taining more than 10 digits. The DDL and the DML – the former to alter the structure, the latter to make the change. f. A user develops a program to print out all purchases made during the past two weeks.The DQL – this listing can be produced by a query. g. An additional field is added to the fixed-asset records to record the estimated salvage value of each asset. The DDL and the DML – the former to add the field, the latter to enter data in it. 4. 3Ashton wants to store the following data about S;amp;S’s purchases of inventory: item numberdate of purchase vendor numbervendor address vendor namepurchase price quantity purchasedemployee number employee namepurchase order number descriptionquantity on hand extended amounttotal amount of purchase a. Design a set of relational tables to store this data.Do all of the data items need to be stored in a table? If not, which ones do not need to be stored and why do they not need to be stored? b. Identify the prima ry key for each table. c. Identify the foreign keys needed in the tables to implement referential integrity. Table Name| Primary Key| Foreign Keys| Other Attributes| Inventory| Item Number| | DescriptionQuantity on Hand| Purchases| Purchase order number| Vendor numberPurchasing Agent (employee number)| Date of purchaseTotal amount of purchase| Purchases-Inventory| Item numberPurchase order number| |Quantity purchasedUnit cost (actual)Extended amount| Vendor| Vendor number| | Vendor nameVendor address| Employees | Employee number | | Employee name| Extended amount and Total amount of purchase do not have to be stored in the database as they can be calculated from other values. Extended amount is Quantity purchased x Unit cost. Total amount of purchase is the sum of all the extended amounts for all items on a particular purchase order, d. Implement your tables using any relational database product to which you have access.Test your specification by entering sample data in each table. f. Create a few queries to retrieve or analyze the data you stored. There is no solution to parts d through f as students will select different software packages and come up with different queries. 4. 4Retrieve the S;amp;S In-Chapter Database (in Microsoft Access format) from the text’s Web site (or create the tables in a relational DBMS product).NOTE: In order to get a list of lenders without duplicates the property sheet of the query needs to be modified by setting the value of the Unique Values property to Yes. This can be seen in the screenshot below. The property sheet is found under the Design tab of the ribbon. Setting Unique Values to Yes is the equivalent of entering the DISTINCT keyword in SQL select statements. Query Result f. Which borrower requested the largest mortgage? Query Notice that in the Design section on the ribbon, you must set the Return value to 1 (located in the Query Setup group).This indicates to Access to only return the top result. See the image below for a screenshot of this. Query Result g. Which borrower requested the smallest mortgage? Query Query Result As with problem 4-10-f, you must set the Return value to 1 in the Design section of the ribbon (located in the Query Setup group). This indicates to Access to only return the top result. See the image below for a screenshot of this. SUGGESTED ANSWERS TO THE CASES 4. 1As in all areas of information technology, DBMSs are constantly

Company Delamere Pottery Limited Essay

Company Delamere Pottery Limited, which produces earthenware tableware, founded in 1997 after obtaining assets of T.G. Delamera & Co ltd. Company acquired a functional structure to better support the increase in turnover (Williamson et al., 2004, p. 53) in new markets areas that offer greater margins. To enhance the competitiveness, company launched a new strategies in business, marketing and finance mainly to increase gross margins by 10% and increase customer satisfaction together with a reduction of inventory (Williamson et al., 2004, p. 207). Business strategy is mainly based on the more efficient use of existing resources of the company. With implementation of the ERP system, the company promises to improve the planning, transparency and shortening process times and increasing the performance. ERP systems are often used by manufacturing companies to achieve a competitive advantage (Zhang et al, 2005, p. 69). ERP system helps companies create a strong information infrastructure, more accurate decision-making thanks to always actual data, enhance the overall quality and streamline the exchange of information between departments, suppliers and customers (Shatat & Udin, 2012, p. 577). Further costs reductions, the company tried to streamline production by reducing the overall waste. Basically to become  ´Ã‚ ´lean ´Ã‚ ´ and build an efficient, just-in-time manufacturing system to increase the overall quality. According to Lewis (2000, p. 962), company which is lean, is effective in transforming inputs resources into outputs, this reduces the costs and increase overall business financial performance. Becoming more  ´Ã‚ ´lean ´Ã‚ ´ (having lower costs) is one of the advantages over the competition (Lewis, 2000, p. 964). Source: Lewis (2000, p. 962) One of the main asset of the company are employers. To increase the overall success of the company can be achieved by: increase communications, increasing cooperation and following common goals, raising creativity and innovation, emphasizing on continuous development, empowering people (Kourdi, 2003, p. 84). Marketing strategy relies mainly on improving quality of products, service and so increase the overall brand reputation. Delamere Pottery Limited wanted to differentiate from competition through their products, supply chain and marketing (Williamson et al., 2004, p. 90) and so obtained higher saleability. The achievement of this strategic plan had five segments: Quality, Design, Service, Reliability, Brand awareness (Williamson et al., 2004, p. 210). Marketing strategy was closely linked to business strategy, with emphasis on the lean production. Improvement of manufacturing processes has a direct positive impact on the quality of the products and also thorough better controlling of the packaging, labeling and delivery of products can reduce costs. The company sought to be recognized as a progressive and innovative (Williamson et al., 2004, p. 210), therefore been given a lot of emphasis on design. Decisions in product design can have a large impact on cost, but also with design can be achieved the differentiation from the competition and getting higher profits (Desai et al, 2001, p. 37). Be credible among customers, the company tried to improve service, improve communication and improve the performance in the delivery of finished products to the customers on time. To support this plan has been introduced customer relationship management (CRM). Another tool how to increase turnover is to enhance the brand awareness. Greater brand awareness among customers increase the differentiation from competition and gives firm the possibility to increase the prices of products. Financial Strategies Delamere Pottery Limited was divided into two main parts: increasing gross margin and additional turnover (Williamson et al., 2004, p. 211). The results of gross margins depended on the success of the implementation of ERP system, lean manufacturing and improved distribution and getting the brand into public awareness. Additional turnover was possible made by sale of selected products for specially selected markets and the gradual-depth sales to particular markets. In company Delamere Pottery Limited the main emphasis has been taken on comprehensive manufacturing strategy. To support this strategy, in year 1999 was presented the system MPC (Manufacturing, Planning, Control). MPC should be associated with the other main functions such as finance, purchasing, sales and marketing (Williamson et al., 2004, p. 216). According to Williamson et al. (2004, 216-218), the implementation of MPC system, company received the following benefits: -With connection to ERP system is possible to have more efficiently planning and greater control of the production. -With connection to CRM system improve communication and service with customers. Significant improvement of delivering products on time. Increase of  £2M in turnover. -Better inventory management, increased stock turns. Reduction in working capital  £120.000. -Better recognition of loss-making and non-contribution products. Enhance in pre-tax profits of  £150.000.

What is specific about digital image and how can digital aesthetics be Essay

What is specific about digital image and how can digital aesthetics be described through a reference to glitch Give examples - Essay Example term is usually identified as jargon, used in electronic industries and services, circuit-bending practitioners, gamers, media artists, and designers. In electrical systems, a glitch is a short-lived error in a system or machine. A glitch appears as a defect..." (Goriunova & Shulgin, 2008) It is the breakdown and error of systems that produces the opportunity for genuine individuality or subjectivity of the post-modern digital artist. The individual self-expression is reduced to an ironic defect within the greater matrix of social programming and control, but is experienced heroically as overcoming by the person through creative self-identity. The glitch is the spontaneous ecstasy and spark of life referenced by the mythology and fairy tales of Artificial Intelligence in science fiction: the ghost-soul in the machine vs. man as god. The artist is seeking the reflection of singularity through artistic expression, yet to go beyond limits, the software imposed tautology must be transcen ded by the chaos of the glitch. The glitch is the software expression of the human in software through the most fundamental characteristic of modern humanity, human error. This is experienced as the irrationality of the unforseen manifesting in the face of the programmer and engineer’s vision of total control through system design. Yet, as both a symbol and in artistic practice, the glitch represents the synchronicity of a moment irreproducible and inconceivable other than how it appears, randomly, unexpected, captured as a nano-second flash and still-life photograph of quantum mind with all its uncertainty in post-modern awareness. Goriunova & Shulgin chart the meme of the modern Prometheus from Shelley’s Frankenstein as an example of Victorian conceptions of disfunctionality vs. utilitarianism: people, objects, and ideas "sooner or later becoming evil as they stop functioning correctly." (Ibid., p.115) If Frankenstein is the early modernist â€Å"glitch-as-hero,† then the

Social and historical aspects of Latin American crime Essay

Social and historical aspects of Latin American crime - Essay Example Nevertheless countries that are the main suppliers of cocaine are also the poorest when their GDP compared to Brazil or Argentina. Yet exactly these countries have most shaky economic conditions and because of their political immaturity remain a good prey for manipulations and corruption. It is also difficult for them to exist after the violent and traumatic age of political repressions, totalitarian oppression and colonial tyranny before it. Latin America is really a gallery full to the edge with colorful and bright portraits of different dictators: Augusto Pinochet, Rosas, Chaves are among world most famous tyrants. Such position creates a bright contrast between the highly liberal and democratic system of the USA or even Canada colonized mostly by British and French on one side and Hispanic Latino Americans from the South part of the Continent. Like Spain and Portugal were in past more influenced by the African and Middle Eastern influences of Arab culture it can be said that Sout hern America felt deeply Eastern violence characterized by terrible dictatorships unknown to European Monarchies. People like Castro, Jimenez or other generals who like Stalin, Mao, Saddam or Kim Jong-il happened to take all the power in their hands because of war and total poverty of people. The poorer country is the easier it is to blackmail it with most simple products of high importance like food, water, simple safety in your own house and peaceful sky. Wars happen when people are so despaired that they can’t take it anymore.

Harold and Maude A Meditation on Life and Death Essay

Harold and Maude A Meditation on Life and Death - Essay Example It is also a well known fact that Carpenter Square Theatre opened its twenty-first season with Harold and Maude, the stage version of the 1970s cult classic film by the same name from 03-25 Sept. 2005. The main thesis of such a popular comedy is depiction of two scenarios of human life. One is an introvert, Harold, twenty year old, who has evolved as a dramatic recluse as a result of receiving consistent neglect from his mother. Secondly, it is Maude, a septuagenarian who is an extrovert and freely living woman having no hassles. Both are representing two extremes. The movie's real concern is that "there is a time to live and time to die" (Canby, 1971). All that occurs is on the road to life and As such, Harold (Bud Cort) loves feigning suicide attempts. He does them in front of his mother, Mrs. Chasen (Vivian Pickles). She is then infuriated instead of being frightened by such repeated attempts. Harold pretends to drown, shoot, hang, slit his wrists, chop off his hand and immolate himself. Nothing of this sort affects his mother. Yes, his mother arranges computer dates for Harold which he promptly scares away. Harold enjoys driving a hearse and frequents funerals of people he doesn't know. He is also fond of spending time at junk yards. Then there emerges his match in Maude (Ruth Gordon). ... Then there emerges his match in Maude (Ruth Gordon). She is an expert at stealing cars and so many other things. She is still full of life. Her friendship with Harold starts at a funeral where she is having a solo picnic of her own. Harold learns to love life, to embrace it and nurture it only from Maude. There is so much of happening on the highway to life and death in this film that Harold - representing death, and Maude - depicting life, have numerous 'meditations' to share mutually. This ultimately brings them, first, to the altar of marriage and, then, separation in the suicide of Maude. This is the communion of Death in Life and Life in Death. Author's last name HYPOTHESES 1. There are varied streams of consciousness in this film. These diverse levels of consciousness show "cinematic representation of mental processes occurring in the minds of fictional characters simultaneously with the external action, granting a penetration into their inner life" (Callev, 1997). This is reflected in Uncle Victor, Mrs. Chasen, Sunshine, Edith and other girls from Dating Service, Police Cops, Nurses and Priest etc. in the film Harold and Maude. 2. One of the most interesting aspect in this movie is its emphasis on 'self'. What 'this over-concern with self can bring about' is shown in diversity of character and their behavior. Different roles and dispositions are shown in the film. That is why it is also branded as a black comedy. For instance, Nurses do not listen to Harold when he is asking them to immediately treat Maude to save her life. Another similar example is there in the acts of Harold presenting Maude with an 'I Love You' memento and, Maude, on the other hand, throwing it into ocean depths instantly! 3. All these characters and

Assignment 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Assignment 1 - Essay Example The SECI provides a theoretical guide to knowledge generation and conversion as well as suggests that the processes take place simultaneously within an organization. In contrast, the CVF emphasizes the importance of coping with complex and competing demands. The integration of both models may assist organizational members to appreciate the complexity of knowledge management systems where multiple functions are undertaken simultaneously†( Densten and Gray). â€Å"The result of this study is the development of an integrated model, â€Å"The Organizational Knowledge Management Model† which if put into operation, should become a basis for managerial leadership development. In conclusion, by proposing the integration of organizational culture and knowledge management theory, this would stimulate development of theory and encourage further empirical research into these vital aspects of organizational behavior†(Densten and Gray). Densten, IL  and  Gray, JH  (2005)à ‚  Towards an integrative model of organizational culture and knowledge management.International Journal of Organisational Behaviour, 9 (2). pp. 594-603. [PDF File] ISSN 1440-5377 Accessed: http://www.usq.edu.au/extrafiles/business/journals/HRMJournal/InternationalArticles/Volume%209%20Knowledge%20Mgt/Volume9No2Gray.pdf [PDF FILE] CROSS-CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN THE KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT CONCEPTS OF 20-21st CENTURIES WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF INTERNATIONAL DIALOGUE FOR CREATION OF A NEW MODEL OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT By Tatiana Khvatova, Irina Ignatieva A SUMMARY The study focuses on the dimensions of Knowledge Management. Knowledge Management (KM) is one of the emerging multi- and interdisciplinary fields of science found to have study gaps that need further pursuit of research undertakings. â€Å"Tatiana Khvatova and Tatiana Ignatieva are few of those who attempted â€Å"to create a new model of Knowledge Management within the perspective of Cross-Cultural Diversity in the Knowledge Man agement Concepts of 20-21st Centuries within the Framework of International Dialogue†(Khvatova and Ignatieva). The target respondents are the practitioners in the said field and members of organizations. The methodology was not indicated although results of their study â€Å"presented tabulated cross-cultural similarities and differences on selected nationalities between American, Japanese, European, Chinese and Russian. KM approaches were presented with distinctive features such as: mission, mentality, ideal type and embodiment of knowledge, mechanism, objective, strategy, process, means and metaphor of KM† (Khvatova and Ignatieva). The study envisions that the â€Å"interconnections presented between all these approaches will provide better understanding on the versatility of KM science development. In addition, the study was purposely undertaken to help Russia create its own KM model

GM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

GM - Essay Example Through this structure the car design process speed up as the decision making of the global engineering and design groups was recentralized. GM had employed a 'Localization Strategy' in the beginning. With this strategy, although there was local responsiveness and the products were designed according to the demands of the various global divisions but due to this decentralized control in each country it operated, there was a duplication of the various activities like the design, component parts, manufacturing and sales functions in the various divisions which resulted in an increase in the costs of GM and therefore effected GM's revenues and profits. The company later implemented a 'Global Standardization Strategy'. This strategy was based on the product-group structure and aimed at coordinating the activities of home and overseas operations. Through this strategy by sharing expertise, the various divisions work together to design cars which can be sold anywhere across the globe. GM has been changing its global structure to allow it to coordinate the production and sale of its products most effectively around the world by the implementation of a "Global Standardization Strategy". GM has firstly centralized the car design and production decisions.

History (Lindeberg, David C. 2007. The Beginnings of Western Science Essay

History (Lindeberg, David C. 2007. The Beginnings of Western Science. 2nd Ed. University of Chicago Press - Essay Example (Ancient Greek Medicine, 2002) Romans had a strong relationship with Greece and the Greek medicines, especially the Hippocratic, were popular among Romans as well Hippocrates, the ancient Greek physician is considered as the father of medicine and still all the medical students in the world take the Hippocratic Oath as a matter of respect to this greatest contributor to the medical field. Hippocrates is believed to be the first one who rejected the idea of the involvement of supernatural as the cause of diseases. He was the one who was able to separate the medicine from religion. As per the ancient beliefs, diseases were considered as the curses of God. Hippocrates has proved that diseases were happened due to reasons other than the one taught by the religion and he considered medicine as a science rather than religion. The Hippocratic writings introduced patient confidentiality, a practice which is still in use today. â€Å"Hippocrates recommended that physicians record their findings and their medicinal methods, so that these records may be passed down and employed by other physicians. Other Hippocratic writings associated personality traits with the relative abundance of the four humours in the body: phlegm, yellow bile, black bile, and blood, and was a major influence on Galen and later on medieval medicine†(Hippocrates) ANATOMY is the study, classification, and description of structures and organs of the body. PHYSIOLOGY is the study and process of the function of the human. It is the study of the physical and chemical processes involved in the functioning of the living organisms and their component parts. (Karin & David) In the Hellenistic era the foundation of the city of Alexandria implied from the very beginning an intensive and very productive interaction between the Egyptian cultural heritage and the Greek

Same Sex Marriage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Same Sex Marriage - Essay Example However, homosexual adults who have come to terms with their homosexuality, who do not regret their sexual orientation, and who can function effectively sexually and socially, are no more distressed psychologically that are heterosexual men and women (Duberman, et al., 1989). Being identified to be gay doesn't compose this person to be an alien because each and every one is a person within his or her own exclusive way. There is no trouble with gay people getting married since in the United States everybody is equal. Why then, is there a concern with gay citizens getting married, when a man along with a woman may get married with no difficulty. Gay couples will keep on living and giving out their lives together even though they don't get married. But if they do not get the opportunity to get married, there will still be gay partners. Gay marriages must be permitted everywhere for the natural facts that the gay society is growing day by day and gay people are individuals just like anybody else. Be it a gay partner or a straight pair, two people in love with each other should be together regardless of what anyone believes. There is no difference involving the love of two gay individuals and the affection of two heterosexuals. Gay marriage has become a controversial subject matter for some time now. There are more and more people that oppose to it, than there are supportive of it. The most important issue in this work is that gay marriage should have the same treatment under the law. It shows that the administration is concentrating more on the happiness of a particular person fairly than on whether or not this person is being treated equally. Who can tell, maybe the gay society have their personal religion which permits them to be wed. We could make God pleased if we loved the citizens who possess different manners of thinking. In God's eyes each and every one are all brothers and sisters, so why not make Him a proud God I just want all the people to recognize that there is nothing erroneous with two people who desire to be happy. Well, not each person trusts in the Bible or God, so why is the administration even declaring this The Free Exercise Clause states that the government is outlawed from meddling with the free exercise of religion inside the United States. Nowadays it seems as though the administration is promoting Christianity by stating that the Bible declares that God says that marriage was intended for one man together with one woman. If the government would try to please everyone within this nation, it may be a total catastrophe. I suppose that there has been way over concentration on gay marriages, and too l ittle on equal handling (Fisher, R. D., 1994). Gay marriages contradict the self-apparent truth of nature where male and female bodies are calculated for and match each other. Homosexual marriage may undervalue your marriage. An authorization to marry seems to be a lawful document, by which government may consider same sex marriage as if it were the same as the real thing, is a license which speaks for the administration and will tell the society that government states the marriages are equal. Any time a less important thing is made equal towards a greater where the greater is undervalued. If we were to ban same sex marriage we might be taking an enormous step backwards with regards to human rights.

A New Era for Newark Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A New Era for Newark - Essay Example Newark is a perfect example of a failed state but brought to life by an exemplary leader. Newark in New Jersey, fresh from riots in 1967, was transformed into a wonderful state by Mayor Booker. This article analyzes Mayor Booker, what made him a leader so extra ordinary that he managed to transform Newark into a successful state and how he managed to work with others with the main of transforming Newark. Newark was engulfed in violence and businesses were closed down. This effectively ensured that its economy was grounded as businesses are the main circulation of money in state. The social classes were dismantled which saw the middle class move away. Obviously, this would present quite a challenge for any leader mandated with reviving Newark. Even in the contemporary world today, it takes lots of effort from a lot of people to patch together a nation or sate that was torn apart by war. Fortunately, this was not the case for Newark for Brook was equal to the task. Lots of people were taken by surprise how the mayor managed to transform Newark. It takes a lot of leadership abilities to manage with Cory Booker managed. Four decades after the homicide, Newark is utterly different with a fresh economy. Brook admits that hard work is a key factor in making a prominent leader. It is his hard work that enabled him to effectively mobilize his team towards achieving better Newark. In essence, hard work is always necessary for one to make desire achievements, and just like anybody would do, Cory Brook was hard working, and his success is purely attributed to it. Brook s with his police officers till the wee hours of the morning. Besides this being a show of hard work, it also shows that he was a team leader. Leading by example is a character trait of any leader. In order to effectively mobilize a team, it is indispensable to first show an outstanding support for the specified agenda. By staying late with the police doing patrols, the police could easily be motivated even in the absence of the mayor. This show of solidarity with the patrolling police is among the qualities that are attributed to Cory Brook. Solidarity develops a feeling of togetherness within a particular group there fostering unity and motivation. In any case, Cory Brook is undoubtedly a transformational leader. This is in line with what he achieved with Newark. Indeed, it takes a transformational leader to accomplish what the mayor accomplished. Raising Newark from ashes is a true testimony to this fete. His lead by example philosophy alone speaks volume about his transformational abilities. However, some critics may argue that his decision to turn down President Barrack Obama’s appointment is a hint that Brook may be having a phobia for bigger duties. Naturally, a transformational leader should not be afraid of any tasks, however big they are, but he was still entitled to making his own independent decisions no matter what people though. Cory Brook would surely be a benefic iary of the development techniques. Development techniques are essential because they help leaders to become even better leader. Leadership is a development pattern in which people try to adopt their leadership style and abilities to suit the current dynamics of governance. As much as Brook was an exemplary mayor, it does not necessarily mean that he would properly fit in

The programs that run on the hardware Essay Example for Free

The programs that run on the hardware Essay Presentation software The main use of this software is to animated visual presentations. Examples of use include:   presentations for meetings   computer-based help systems Graphics software There are two types of graphics packages. Bitmap graphics software stores images as lots of coloured dots, known as pixels. Vector based graphics software stores images as rules, covering the dimensions, direction, and colour of the drawn object. Function Explanation/description drawing tools pre-defined shapes ability to scale, stretch, and crop images ability to rotate images ability to flip images paint palettezoom/magnify ability to fill Computer aided design (CAD) software The main use of this software is to design three dimensional objects. HTML editing software The main use of this software is to create web-pages. Communications software There are two types of communications software. Electronic mail, used to send and receive messages. Web-browser software to view web pages on the Internet. Integrated software A software package that combines the functions of two or more distinct generic applications. Specific software Software designed to carry out a single task for users. System software Software that manages and controls the computer and all its peripherals. Operating system software A layer of software that enables a user to control the hardware, and application programs to run on the computer. Utility software Software used to carry out routine tasks often needed by the user to maintain the performance of the computer. Hardware Hardware is the name given to any part of the computer that you can actually touch. A device is an individual piece of hardware. Examples include:   keyboard   visual display unit (VDU) or monitor   floppy disk drive Describing hardware Technical specification. This is a list of its properties. It usually refers to the performance and/or capacity of the device. Performance This is a way of describing how well a device in a computer system does its job. This often refers to the speed at which it works. Capacity This is the amount of data that can be stored. Processor The central processing unit (CPU) is the part of the computer where the searching and sorting of data, calculating and decision-making goes on. Also known as the processor. Choosing a processor Processors are measured by their speed. The number of instructions it can perform in 1 second. This is measured in hertz (Hz). 1 hertz = 1 instruction per second 1 KHz = 1,000 instructions per sec 1 MHz = 1,000,000 instructions per sec 1 GHz = 1,000,000,000 instructions per sec Input devices Input devices are used to enter commands or information into a computer. Examples of input devices include:   keyboard   mouse   scanner   microphone   trackball   joystick/ joypad   graphics tablet digital camera/ web-camera Output devices Output devices are used by the computer to communicate information to human users or to affect a change in a physical environment. Examples of output devices include: VDU/monitor   printer   speakers Types of VDUs/monitors cathode ray tube (CRT) liquid crystal display (LCD) less expensive to buy more expensive to buy better quality image lower quality image can be easily viewed from an angle can only be properly viewed from one angle requires more power requires less power gives off lots of heat gives off less heat takes up a lot of space takes up less space more likely to cause eye strain less likely to cause eye strain Choosing VDUs/monitors Type cathode ray tube (CRT) or liquid crystal display (LCD) (thin-film transistor [TFT]) Colour. Monochrome, or grey-scale, or colour Resolution measured in pixels; 640 X 480 (VGA), 800 X 600 (SVGA), 1024 X 768 (XVGA or XGA) Size diagonal distance, from one corner to another (inches) Types of printers inkjet laser less expensive to buy more expensive to buy more expensive to run less expensive to run relatively slow speed printing relatively fast speed printing Choosing printers Speed characters per second (cps) or pages per minute (ppm) Quality dots per inch (dpi) Colour monochrome, or colour Data storage devices Storage devices are used to store the programs and data needed by the computer. The two main categories of storage devices are main memory and backing storage. Main memory RAM random access memory RAM is used by the computer to store the programs and data that are being used at a given time. RAM is volatile which means that when the computer is turned off all its contents are wiped clean. Choosing RAM RAM is measured by its capacity; the amount of data that it can store when the computer is switched on. All computers ultimately store data as 1s and 0s (this number system is known as binary). A single unit (either 1 or 0) is called a bit. 8 bits = 1 byte 1,000 bytes = 1 KB 1,000 KB = 1 MB 1,000 MB = 1 GB Backing storage Backing storage is used to store programs and data when they are not being used or when the computer is switched off. Backing storage is non-volatile which means that when the computer is turned off none of its contents are lost. backing storage device used to read and write data onto storage media. backing storage media the collective name given to the disks and tapes used to store data. Choosing backing storage The first decision is between fixed media or removable media. Backing storage media can be measured by its capacity; bytes, or kilobytes (KB), or megabytes (MB), or gigabytes (GB). Backing storage can also be judged by the data transfer speed of the backing storage device to the backing storage media. This is measured in; bytes per second (Bps), or kilobytes per second (KBps), megabytes per second (MBps). Audio CDs read at 150KBps 8X, 16X, 24X, 48X, 52X. The final way that backing storage can be differentiated is whether it is: * read only memory (ROM), or * recordable (R)/ write once read many (WORM), or * read and write (RW). Types of portable backing storage * floppy disk drive (FDD) * compact disk (CD) drive * Zip drive * digital versatile disk (DVD) drive * flash stick Computers and peripherals Desktop computer An entire computer that sits on a desk or a table. Laptop computer A personal computer that can be simply carried around by one person and used in transit from internal battery power. Peripherals Standard (expected) Additional (extra) hard disk drive (HDD) printer floppy disk drive (FDD) scanner VDU/monitor microphone keyboard web-cam mouse (pointing device) joystick CD drive (ROM/R/RW) DVD drive (ROM/R/RW) speakers Zip drive Social Impact In the home In business P:\ICT\KS4\Yr09\Yr09Revision. 0304. doc HBDugard Page 1 of 10 Last printed 28/05/2004 14:09

Gender Gap between Boys and Girls in Education

Gender Gap between Boys and Girls in Education There has been a lot of work done on boys and girls achievement in schools: narrowing down the gap. In 1960 young boys were 21 times more likely to attend university than girls. It can be suggested that the changing world is having an impact on boys achievement in terms of boys attainment in schools and that of girls success in schools. It was suggested that the equal pay act and that of the sex discrimination act (1970) changed the emphases of education policy and that can be noted as a key period of history that changed the objectives of girls in terms of careers and attainment. Girls had to achieve higher marks in their 11 plus examination than boys. Elwood J et al (1998, p.5) states that 11 plus examination à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ children used to be selected for secondary schooling, were deliberately skewed so that girls had t achieve better results than boys. The period 1950-1960 found the reasons behind this was because boys matured later than girls which would not have been fair to l eave out boys from attending grammar schools. But in 1990 their was concern over boys achievement in schools. It has been suggested that in societies such as the UK the socialisation process as it operated at least up to the 1970s meant that many parents socialised their daughters to show dependence, obedience, conformity and domesticity whereas boys were encouraged to be dominant, competitive and self-reliant. Also when young children saw their parents acting out traditional gender roles many would perceive these roles as natural and inevitable leading girls and boys to imagine their futures as fulltime housewives and mothers and as fulltime paid employees respectively. In schools teachers praised girls for feminine qualities and boys for masculine qualities; boys and girls were encouraged to opt for traditional male and female subjects and then for traditional male and female careers. Furthermore in certain sections of the mass media [and especially perhaps in teenage magazines] girls were encouraged to recognize the all importance of finding Mr. Right and settling down to a life of blissf ul domesticity in their traditional housewife-mother roles. Cole (2006, p.26) suggests that even before children go to school their parents will treat a boy and girl very different. Even in society throughout history this has occurred. A lot of research has gone into this; your gender is an issue from the minute you are born. Automatically society will say how a girl will behave and how a boy will behave. If it is a boy, oh hes like that because hes a boy and boys always take longer to grasp it. Girls, even in the late 1960s were more likely than boys to gain 5 or more GCE Ordinary Level pass grades. From the 1960s to the 1980s the percentages of girls and boys gaining 5 or more GCE Ordinary Level pass grades gradually increased but the so-called gender gap in educational attainment increased especially once the GCSE was introduced primarily because girls have maintained their traditional higher attainment levels in Arts and Humanities subjects but also reduced [and in some years overturned] the traditional attainment gaps in favour of boys in Mathematics and Science subjects. The GCSE was introduced in 1988 and from then onwards the female- male gender difference in educational achievement at GCSE level widened as differences between the [ higher] female pass rates and the male pass rates in Arts and Humanities widened and females narrowed or sometimes reversed the traditional higher male pass rates in Mathematics and science subjects. It has been claimed that the relative improvement of female educational achievements can be explained partly by the nature of the new GCSE courses .This has been disputed, however, on the grounds that several factors have contributed to these trends. By the late 1980s females were more likely than males to gain two or more Advanced Level passes and during the course of the 1990s they also became more likely to gain 3 or more A level passes. Females also soon became more likely than males to gain A grades in almost all Advanced Level subjects Nevertheless gender differences in examination performance at Advanced level are smaller than at GCSE level. In 2007-2008 69.3% of girls and 60.1% of boys achieved 5 or more GCSE Grade A*-C passes; 51.3% of girls and 42.0% of boys achieved 5 or more GCSE Grade A*-C passes including English and Maths. The gender difference in examination success varies considerably from subject to subject. For example girls in 2007-2008 girls outperformed boys by 14% in English, 16% in Design and Technology, 9% in Modern Foreign Languages, 17% in Art and Design and 12 % in English Literature but by only 1% in Mathematics, 2% in Core Sciences, 1% in Chemistry and 2% in Classical Studies. Although the data are not presented here Girls are now more likely to gain A* and A grades in most but not all   GCSE subjects. Other areas the research will focus on are schools too feminised, advantage for girls but disadvantage for boys. Hutchings (2002) states the phrase feminisation is used simply to refer to the fact that there are more female teachers than male, especially in the primary sector. (Biddulph, 1997 cited in Skelton et el, 2007) state that the current situation is often presented as one which is detrimental to the educational experiences and opportunities of boys with the implication that boys do better when taught by men teachers. (Skelton et el, 2007) suggest that Another use of the phrase feminisation of schools is in relation to the idea that the predominance of females has led to the delivery of the curriculum, assessment practices and the management and organisation of the classroom becoming more feminine in nature. Female teachers are more lenient on boys than male teachers also male teachers can be role models for pupils which will enable the child to be motivated to learn and succe ed in education. Role models it is argued that there are more positive role models for young girls than there are for young boys in terms of encouraging them to do well at school. Issues within the classroom the findings of  Becky Francis (2000) argues girls are improving more rapidly than boys , this is to be explained   primarily in terms of the processes affecting the social construction of femininity and masculinity. In relation to the social construction of femininity, she argues that many girls of middle school and secondary school age aim to construct feminine identities which emphasise the importance of maturity and a relatively quiet and orderly approach to school life. Girls certainly do take considerable interest in their appearance and may choose to rebel quietly by talking at the back of the class or feigning lack of interest but , according to Francis, not in a way which will detract from their school studies. Their femininity is constructed in such a way that if they choose to behave sensibly and work hard this, if anything, adds to their femininity. Findings have suggested that it is vital to keep the subjects taught in curriculum interesting for children to learn about in class. This may enable children to be motivated to learn and gets rid of the label of boringness of lessons. Jackson (2006, p.127) states that if students find the curriculum boring, it provides little incentive for them to counter the uncool to work discourse. Continued existence of laddish, macho anti- school subculture- these are groups of pupils in schools who have different norms and values to the rest of the school. Subcultures can be anti school where pupils are rude to teachers, dont do homework, truant and get into fights. Some sociologists argue that boys are much more likely to be in these groups and to think that education is a waste of time and that it is not macho to do well at school. Subcultures can also be pro school where pupils are very committed to school, they do all their work on time, or early, they are always on time for lessons and n ever truant. It is argued that girls are more likely to be in these subcultures than boys. Methods of assessment have been identified particularly frequently as a key factor in this bias against boys. An increased amount of assessed coursework has been suggested to explain boys doing less well at GCSE and A levels, with the argument being that boys do less well at coursework because of their preferred learning styles (Skelton et al, 2007). Girls do less well at sudden death exams (timed exams previously unseen by the candidate) which rely on last-minute revision and require self-confidence. This latter form of assessment has been argued to favour boys, and was the basis for O level exams (the exams that preceded GCSEs in Britain). Bleach, 1998, cited in Skelton et al, 2007 In fact, however, girls results were already improving before the GCSE assessment model was introduced. And further, Arnot et al. (1999) discuss how a reduction in the coursework component in public examinations in the 1990s did little to alter the pattern of gender achievement (Skelton et al, 2007). Another issue could be masculinity peer pressure from friends Jackson (2006, p.74) states that the uncool to work this statement is suggesting that if boys work hard at school they will not be cool. (Jackson, 2006, p.84) Those who seem to be most disadvantaged as a result of the discourse are those who attempt to balance academic work and popularity but can not manage to do both successfully. This is a powerful predictor in a lot of schools, this is seen as social status of pupils needs to be popular and be part of a group. A lot of pupils will feel being unpopular is not as good as anything else. Also it will lead to negative impact. Both girls and boys have to act as they are chilled, relaxed, laid back when it comes to the academic side of work. As the relative rate of female educational improvement increased it came to be argued that this might be explained to some extent by biological factors. Experiments investigating the brain activities of male and female babies suggested that differences in the structures of female and male brains respectively may mean that females have genetically determined linguistic advantages which would explain females especial facility with language based subjects. It was also suggested that girls earlier maturity means that they can concentrate more effectively and are better organised especially in relation to course work. This was considered to be a significant point because the relative improvement in female GCSE results was associated especially with the introduction of coursework-based assessments which had been absent from the GCE Ordinary Level examinations which the GCSE replaced. However in relation to these theories it should be noted that male-female differences in Advanced level lan guage examination results are small, that the relationships between physical and intellectual maturity are uncertain and that gender differences in examination results cannot be explained only by the presence or absence of coursework. Other factors that may affect attainment are different learning styles, both boys and girls learn differently, but we need to be careful we do not stereotype on gender. When looking at the gender debate it has been suggested by Coffield (2004) that consideration to learning styles is important when establishing the link as to why there is a gap between boys and girls due to peer pressure for the boys what their friends may think if they achieved well in school, the way boys are assessed in schools for instance boys do better in exams than coursework. Examples of these could be boys would prefer to learn kinaesthetically by doing things such as experiments or activities and girls would learn well visually by seeing. Interest in learning styles has grown rapidly in recent years and perceived differences in the learning styles of boys and girls are one of the most frequently expressed explanations for the gender gap in achievement. This argument is also based on the presumption that if boys are naturally different to girls because of their biological make-up, then it follows that they will have different approaches to learning (Noble and Bradford, 2000; Gurian, 2002). Studies have shown that the vast majority of boys and girls prioritise a teachers individual ability as a teacher, and their level of care for their students, rather than a teachers gender. Skelton et al (2009), Francis et al (2008). Boys to better in maths than girls research by Hargreaves et al into pupils stereotypical attitudes to mathematics and English has shown that stereotypes succeed among pupils, with most believing that maths is a boys subject where boys do better, and English a girls subject where girls do better. DfES (2007, p. 3) Boys outperform girls in Maths at Key Stage 2, and continue to outnumber girls at higher level maths. But there is a large gender gap favouring girls in English. On the other hand girls do better in English than boys On the other hand women do better on reading comprehension and vocabulary than men do. APA report state that some verbal tasks show substantial mean differences favouring females. Whitepaper on gender differences in achievement Social class and ethnicity according to Cole (2006, p.29) states that Gender is not the strongest predictor of attainment. Social class attainment gap at key stage 4 is three times as wide as gender gap. DfES (2007, p.3) Analysis of the attainment data shows that other factors or a combination of factors, such as ethnicity and social class, have a greater bearing on educational achievement than gender considered on its own. Gender differences in educational achievement are far smaller than social class differences in educational achievement. Students of both sexes who are eligible for free school meals are far less likely than students of both sexes ineligible to be successful at both levels of the education system. Some ethnic differences in educational achievement are also greater than gender differences in educational achievement. Statistics on the gender gap between boys and girls Attainment at each end of the distribution of grades also varies by gender. Girls are more likely than boys to gain an A* grade at GCSE. Boys are a little more likely to gain a G grade at GCSE or to gain no GCSEs at all. The largest gender differences (a female advantage of more than ten percentage points on those gaining an A*-C GCSE) are for the Humanities, the Arts and Languages. Smaller gender differences (a female advantage of five percentage points or less) tend to be in Science and Maths subjects. Some of these achievement patterns have been relatively stable over six decades of exam results, particularly in English Language and Literature, French, Art and Design and Religious Studies. There have been changing patterns over the years. In Maths, there has been a shift from a male advantage averaging 4 percentage points prior to 1991 to a slim female advantage of 1-2 percentage points in recent years. In Geography, there has be en a widening of the gap in girls favour, and in History, there has been variation but with girls now doing much better than boys. This research will explore possible solutions we can use to solve this gap such as single sex schools which may help girls to speak out. Times online (2004) Girls in mixed classrooms refrain from speaking up and answering questions. Another way of solving the gender gap is by having single sex classes in mixed schools so that teachers can meet different learning styles for boys. Research has shown that girls obtain better results in single sex schools in comparison to mixed schools Curtis (2009). Odone (2004) conversely, that boys do not want to study foreign languages or shine in English literature in case they are mocked as poofs. Garner (2008) Differences in how male and female brains work mean single-sex schooling will make a comeback leading head mistress in the Independent. However the disadvantages of sex schools Blair (2006) Girls schools feature highly in the league tables because they are highly selective, their children come from particular social backgrounds and they hav e excellent teachers. BBC News (2006) While both single-sex and co-education have passionate advocates, half a century of research has so far revealed no striking or consistent differences one way or the other. Odone (2004) Children, will inhabit a mixed society later, so let them start young, with mixed classes. Younger et al (2005, p.89) found that boys and girls may feel more at ease in single sex classes, feel more able to interact with learning and feel free to show interest in the lesson without inhibition. It was felt that there can be positive effects on achievement for boys in modern languages and girls in science and maths. (Dcfs (2007) Methodology The methods that will be used to gather research for this project will be as follows: the use of books to get information on issues affecting gender differences in achievement at schools and what theorist have already found around this agenda. The internet will be useful for this research project because you can research recent and up to date statistical information on the gender gap and get government published on this debate. Journals will be useful for the research project to collect recent data and changes in the debate around boys and girls achievement in schools and narrowing down the gap. These methods of researching are called secondary research. Secondary research is the use of material, which has been researched by someone else. The different research methods for secondary research are as follows: technology based research is to do with researching from the computer to get your information, which has a lot of benefits such as the internet provides online libraries; e-books, journals and encyclopaedias such as infed. The main electronic databases that will be used for this research are as follows education research complete, education online and SwetsWise. The key read that will be used will be based on gender differences and achievement in school also how the search found a number of journals, but some were irrelevant, to the research topic. Search engines help you through the mass of information on the internet two most popular search engines are Bing, google advanced search and google scholar also on the internet you can search for newspaper articles. However web sources may not always be reliable so researchers need to find out how accurate the information there are number of ways to assess the accuracy of the sites. According to Walliman and Buckler (2008, p.92) compare the data with other sources and is it biased many use the web to promote ideas. The reasons for choosing to do the research project as a desk study were as follows: to find out what has already been researched in this field and arguments that have already been produced around this agenda. However the reasons for not choosing the fieldwork approach method were because it will be time consuming and availability of schools to carry out the research is limited and difficult to get a place in schools to do observations. The advantages of the desk study approach are as follows; able to collect, understand and interpret data also to limit costs such as travelling costs. The disadvantages of desk study may be the availability of books from the library In contrast the advantages of the interview approach (structure and unstructured) advantages of structured interviews are time management can be controlled, results are simple to gather and the questions are securely set in advance. the disadvantages of structured interviews are there might be other questions to ask and you cant develop on questions. The advantages of unstructured interviews are there is a lot of time, you can develop questions and it is a relaxed method. Disadvantages of the interview approach are as follows: The disadvantages of unstructured interviews are the interview can simply be a chat, not all the participants are asked the same questions and only some of the questions are asked. Indirect observation is when a participant gets their information from viewing from far. Direct observation is when a participant obtains information by combining with the circumstances they are watching. Advantages of the observation approach (direct and indirect) the advantages of observations are actions can be seen in the normal surroundings and observations can both be direct or indirect. Disadvantages of the observation approach (direct and indirect) the disadvantages of observations are they are lengthy and not consistent. Qualitative vs. quantitative Analysis There was clear evidence that in the era of the 11+ pass marks were set higher for girls than for boys so as to prevent girls from taking a disproportionate share of Grammar School places. From the early 1950s until the late 1960s girls were less likely than boys to be entered for GCE Ordinary Level examinations. In any case in the 1950s and early 1960s many pupils left school at age 15 having taken no official national examinations. The candidate pass rate in GCE O Level examinations was higher for girls than for boys from the early 50s to the late 1960s so that despite the higher entry rates for males the percentages of male and female school leavers actually passing 5 or more GCE O levels were fairly similar although females did usually outperform males by 1-2% each year. This overall statistic masked the facts that girls outperformed boys by considerable margins in Arts and Humanities subjects and that boys usually outperformed girls but by smaller margins in Mathematics and Scie nce subjects. In order to analyse the relative educational improvement from the 1980s onwards we must distinguish between factors accelerating the rate of female improvement and factors restricting the rate of male improvement. Females and males educational achievements have improved but the rate of female improvement has been faster and this widened the female-male achievement gap especially at GCSE level. Remember, however, that gender, social class and ethnicity are interconnected. Girls are more successful than boys in all ethnic groups but middle class boys are still more educationally successful than working class girls in all ethnic groups. Gender differences in educational achievement are smaller than social class differences in educational achievement and some ethnic differences in educational achievement. Research has shown that Of the 71,286 girls who sat GCSEs in single-sex schools over the three-year period, on average all did better than predicted on the basis of their end of primary SATS results. By comparison, of the 647,942 who took exams in mixed-sex schools, 20% did worse than expected. This means that girls in single sex schools can be expected to do better in their school, in comparison to girls in mixed schools. Studies have shown that girls in mixed sex classes tend to refrain from speaking up and boys dont want to study English to avoid being mocked as poofs', therefore single sex schools would help to resolve this issue as they will remove this pressure between the genders and allow both boys and girls to participate freely. Also Single sex schools will benefit students as male and female brains work differently. Girls can relate to emotions more and are seen as caring and talkative they can sit and talk about emotions whereas boys are more likely to do practical things instead of talking of emotions, hence why boys fail in English. So perhaps, as this leading head mistress, quoted in the Independent suggests, single sex classes need to be implemented to meet the learning strategies of the different sexes. Mainly English and foreign languages is where I believe that pupils need a gender based curriculum as was suggested by the DFES (2007) report it remarks that of the core subjects, the gender gap is widest in English; overall, the differences in language and literacy skills are given as the main cause of the gender gap in attainment. It is suggested that there is around 10% children leaving education with 5 Cs and above girls since 1968 have been slowly achieving better than boys according to Dcfs report into gender. It is a step towards the well researched idea that genders learn differently therefore it is possible to suggest that gender specific learning amongst boys and girls will close the statistical gap of attainment. Although the dfes report suggest that is no substantial evidence to back this up I believe that children will benefit from this approach. Another issue that I found is that boys tend to do better on spatial skills; they find mathematics and science more interesting to learn about. But on the other hand girls to better on verbal, comprehension and vocabulary skills than boys do. This table shows the gap in 1989 was just 6% but 10yrs later it had increased to 10%. It is suggested by S. Ball (2008) that this gap is an overall statistic and not subject specific he suggests that in 2004 the deviations of this gap was just 1% and that in some subjects boys achieve better results than girls therefore it is not valid to say that all boys or all girls achieve less in GCSE levels Conclusions In conclusion doing this research project on boys and girls achievement in schools and narrowing down the gap. The research found that there is not as big as a gap as people thought. The main factors that affect boys achievement are peer pressure and schools too feminised. The research also found that single sex schools and classes do not make that much difference but it found that girls have more confidence to participate in class discussion. In conclusion, the history of the gender gap shows that the gender gap itself has always been present in education, but was hidden by the advantage given to boys in 1960s, and it was often harder for girls to progress into further education, since it was not expected of them, therefore affecting the gender gap in the sense that there were lower numbers of girls then boys progressing. Over the years boys have improved and so have girls, maintaining the gender gap but showing that boys are adapting to the changes and are working harder to keep up. The gender differences in boys and girls does show that they learn in different ways, and these differences are, now more then ever, taken into account in teaching methods, lesson planning and assessment methods, and there is evidence showing that Boys are fighting back at A levels, with their results improving more rapidly than girls (BBC, 2004),however, it is important to recognise that there are girls and boys who wont fit into these gendered patterns and therefore focus should still be placed on the individual and not the biologically predisposed expectations, (Phoenix, 2004, pg 34). We could also conclude that this improvement could be the first sign that boys are now realising they will have to fight to maintain their place in the workforce, as history shows women have been seen as servants to the state (Steedman, 1 985, cited in Arnot and Ghaill, 2006, pg 19). This oppression of women, like other cases where parts of society have been repressed (e.g. repression of the afro-Caribbean population), resulted in women fighting or rebelling for their place in society, which is not something the male population has had to do. Therefore acting as a source of motivation for women to make sure they are treated as equals and to progress in life, where as men have missed out on this and until recently, have lacked the motivation to fight for their place. Now men are in a place of competition with women and are now beginning to see that its not particularly clever to under-achieve (BBC, 2004).

Consumer Motivations for Online Shopping

Consumer Motivations for Online Shopping CHAPTER 1 1 INTRODUCTION At the end of the last century, online shopping was already starting to catch peoples attention, and was slowly attracting consumers to use it as a channel, primarily because of its ease in completing purchases (i.e. not needing to step out of the home) and also in providing information as, even then, some sites already provided extensive information (Gay 1999, Gehrt et al 2007). But we are well into the first decade of the 21st century, and since then times have changed and certainly, consumers motivations, as evidenced in this literature review and the results of the research project, have changed. The use of the online channel for shopping varies greatly by country with the UK and the US ranking high up in the list with greatest ratio of online shoppers among Internet users, in addition to also having a large penetration of users for Internet access (Bhatti 2006). In the UK, Internet access among households has increased from 34% in 2000 to 54% in 2004, while Internet access for adults increased from 40% in 2000 to 64% in 2005 (Datamonitor 2006). 1.1 Research aims and objectives The project had two key questions to focus on and this acted as a guide to the research design and methodology. The two key research questions in my project were: What are the key consumer motivations for online shopping and how are these impacting the development of the online channel? This question focused on the key drivers acting as impetus for consumers to pursue online shopping, and how these drivers were impacting the online channel as an alternative channel for making purchases. What are the emerging trends for online shopping, and how will the online shopping channel develop? As online shopping continues to increase, both organisations and consumers are expected to be better-placed with having a good understanding of where online shopping trends seem to be directed at. 1.2 Consumer motivations The project sought to understand the consumer motivations for choosing online shopping as an alternative channel or, for some consumers, their main channel for shopping particular items. This part of the project was based on determining what consumers have stated as their key motivation factors through secondary research. This was supported by primary research by surveying and interviewing consumers on their motivational factors. The objective was to list out the key motivational factors consumers have for online shopping. 1.3 Emerging trends for online shopping In addition to understanding consumer motivation, this project also sought, as an objective, to understand the emerging trends in online shopping, and establish a viewpoint on where the online channel was expected to move to. Similar for consumer motivations, this part of the project was based on a combination of primary and secondary research. 1.4 Rationale for research project There was a strong rationale for pursuing this project as it aimed to provide a greater understanding of the consumer and the motivations behind online shopping. As the importance of the online channel becomes increasingly greater for organisations, there is greater need for determining the consumers key drivers in choosing this as an alternative channel for shopping. The project results impact both consumers and organisations. For consumers, this gave them a venue for stating their preferences and key requirements to continue using the online channel which could lead to improvements on the online shopping experience. For organisations, this project provided an understanding of the current situation and also the emerging trends based on competitive dynamics, in order to be able to provide the consumers their requirements. This project was also important for me as the student as it gave me an opportunity to develop the knowledge and pursue the analysis of a critical management issue which was becoming a greater value add channel for a large number of organisations. The project, I believe, has led to new insights and a confirmation of consumers key motivations to online shopping. I believe this contributes to the growing knowledge on the online shopping experience of consumers 1.5 Overview of the study Chapter 1 is the introduction chapter where the background, research question and rational, objective and the structure of the research are stated. Chapter 2 contains a brief literature review on online shopping and provided basic understanding about consumer motivations and emerging trends for online shopping which is related to the research question. Chapter 3 is brief about the case study on online shopping. Chapter 4 contains research methodology which includes research frame work the design of the research, sampling and questionnaire. Chapter 5 describes the critical review of the findings. Chapter 6 discusses on recommendation and conclusions. CHAPTER 2 2. LITERATURE REVIEW The study attempts to analyze research works relating to consumer motivations for online shopping and related issues are critically evaluated. This research project was pursued with a ‘qualitative research approach as the focus was on consumer motivations, which, while it could have been developed with quantitative metrics, seemed to translate better into a qualitative focus. The objective was more focused on going in greater depth across the key consumer motivations instead of tallying figures in terms of which factors consumers felt were their key motivations. The qualitative aspect of the research project was pursued through surveys and in-depth questionnaires. 2.1 Consumer motivations Childers et al (2001) defines ‘‘consumer motivations for online retail shopping conducted a few years ago, some of the consumer motivations cited were interest in use of a new technology, ease of navigation and use, and convenience of online shopping. While the research mentioned looked at consumer motivations, the research was only a subset of what could be learned from consumer behaviour as the study focused on only a few possible factors of online shopping activity. Linked to the increase of online shopping is the increase in access and usage of the Internet. Rodgers and Sheldon (2002) researched ‘‘the increasing use of the Internet and highlighted shopping as one of the key motivations for increased consumer use. In this work, the authors looked at shopping as a consumer motivation for increased consumer use. (Ko et al 2005, Tamimi et al 2005, Dadzie et al 2005) discussed that ‘‘it should be noted that there has been considerable growth in Internet access and usage, and this has created a significant market in marketing and communications of organisations. Online shopping has been growing and organisations have been focusing more on developing the online channel to capture a greater share of the wallet of the consumer. Online shopping Hult et al (2007) defines that ‘‘online shopping can relate to any offering of service quality, product quality, or e-Business quality where the objective is the customer-based value creation for organisations. Based on this definition, we can see that the number of online shoppers has indeed increased significantly in the UK, with the percentage of UK Internet users shopping online (including ordering tickets of buying goods and services) grew from 36% in 2000 to 61% in 2005 (Datamonitor 2006). For this research project, the broad definition is reasonable as the key focus of the research is in understanding consumer motivations for online shopping in general, with no specific product or service in mind. Undoubtedly, there are a large number of ways in which to cut the issue and there would be differences in the consumer motivations for specific products in specific markets. The works cited in this section provided a good starting point in the consumer motivations to be considered. The research works also provided an indication of the increasing use of the Internet and online shopping as an activity. From the limitations cited in the research works, further research needs to be conducted on a general understanding of consumer motivations which are not limited to a few factors. The rest of this section discusses some motivating factors cited by consumers as driving their online shopping activity. 24-hour access Bramall et al (2004) reported that ‘‘motivation by consumers is the 24-hour access provided or allowed by most online shopping channels. Thus, the online channel is utilised by consumers as it provides them with 24-hour access for information, customer service, and purchase opportunity. This essentially gives the consumer the opportunity to browse products and purchase at the consumers own leisure. While the research of the authors states this factor as a motivation, the focus of the research work was actually on potential trust issues in online shopping. This specific motivating factor was not analysed in comparison to other motivating factors for consumers. + Shopping convenience One oft-mentioned reason and an early consumer motivating factor, for shopping online is the convenience of doing so as consumers wont need to go to the retail stores and experience the ‘hassle of buying products in the stores (NBC News 2007). According to one study Furnham (2007) ‘‘not only highlight the convenience of shopping online but also states that shopping only also helps decision-making as a large part of the information requirements a consumer may need to make the decision are found online. Clearly, shopping convenience is expected to rank high among the consumers in terms of their motivations for pursuing online shopping. Gehrt et al (2007) reported that ‘‘Shopping convenience is a large factor for the US and UK consumers but this is not limited to the US or the UK markets only as even in Japan, online shopping has seen increasing growth rates, with shopping convenience as the greatest factor motivating consumers to do online shopping. The shopping convenience factor has been recognised across a number of research works, but these only tend to highlight that consumers have different meanings attached to the terminology, and may actually be referring to different sub-factors under the general term of convenience. In understanding this factor further, specific meanings were attached to and discussed in the surveys and interviews for the research. Greater bargains Craver (2006) reported that ‘‘not only consumers are expected to continue increasing their online purchases but only if they receive greater bargains from sellers in their online sites versus their retail stores. Thus, consumers are already building the expectations that prices online will be less that prices in retail stores. Hajewski (2006) pointed out that ‘‘If only to hammer the point of increasing consumer expectations, two factors mentioned by consumers in their increased interest in doing online shopping were free shipping of their products purchased and also everyday low pricing particularly relative to the retail stores of the sellers. The key limitation in the citations for ‘greater bargains is that these are from press articles and the approaches were not based on proper research conducted to determine the consumer motivations for online shopping. Nevertheless, this should still be accepted as a consumer motivation as this has been mentioned to be a factor based on the articles cited. Overall online shopping site experience Elliott Speck (2005) discussed that ‘‘touches on the overall online shopping site experience which in a way, relates to the overall customer experience in online shopping. This factor is quite specific to online shopping sites which consumers may visit but this nevertheless provides a motivation for some specific consumers and it relates to the overall online shopping site experience and having a positive satisfaction to the experience. Specifically, the authors argued that the following factors impacted on the consumer motivation to complete their online shopping transactions: ease of use of online shopping site, product information available, trust in the brand and the online shopping site, customer support, and entertainment experienced while in the site. The focus of the research conducted by the authors was not on online shopping specifically but rather on the attitude towards retail web sites but using the online shopping experience as an example, with an analysis of the resulting impact on the consumers. Similar to some of the other published research cited in this section, the key limitation is the set of respondents considered for the research which, in this case, consisted of undergraduate marketing students. The results are interesting and provide a good preview of what the results could be if the research is expanded to capture a greater sample of the population. 2.2 Emerging trends for online shopping In reviewing the related literature touching on online shopping and also consumer motivations, a number of emerging trends were clearly seen. These include the following: * Increased efforts in improving online security * Potential for an expanded product range and ancillary businesses * Usability of an online site as an increasing differentiator * Management of Internet product returns * Increasingly demanding consumers * Increasing opportunity for organisations to develop consumer relationships * Increasingly older market * Greater share of ad market Each of these trends is discussed in greater detail in this section. Increased efforts in improving online security (Bramall et al 2004, Arnold et al 2007, OConnell 2005, Cullen 2005) explained that ‘‘online shopping has shown strong growth and yet the belief is that online shopping growth rates could actually be much higher if not for security-related concerns by some consumers. Biswas et al (2006) described ‘‘there are two trends to be noted in relation to the security concerns of consumers. The first, as mentioned, is that there are greater efforts placed by organisations in improving online security as breaches to their security could have considerable consequences. The second trend is that a complementary approach to improving reputation for managing online security risks is paramount. In support of this, where there are great concerns for risk, it has been established that utilising expert endorsers, as opposed to celebrity endorsers or even non-celebrity non-expert endorsers, can actually help in bringing consumers over their risk concerns. Potential for an expanded product range and ancillary businesses Another trend is that organisations are increasingly seeing potential for an expanded product range and ancillary businesses. For example, in recent months, Kohls, a US department store chain, has offered products online which were not normally found in their department stores and these included higher-priced items such as leather chairs, high-end home entertainment centres, and flat screen televisions (Hajewski 2007). This trend is not without its implications for organisation. In the Kohls example, one problem with the expanded product range as done by Kohls was that Kohls did not offer everything they had online in their retail stores. This is a concern as some consumers utilise the online site for their ‘window shopping before moving to the retail stores to try on and purchase the items (Dodes 2006). The article states that more than 80% of online shoppers research products online first before sometimes going to the stores to see the products firsthand. Given that not all products are available in the stores, it would be prudent for online sites to be clear about which products are available in the stores and which products are not. In terms of ancillary businesses, the increase in online usage and online shopping has even spawned related business such as businesses which monitor traffic into organisations websites with the objective of increasing an organisations online sales (Newman 2007). Another ancillary business opportunity is from online shopping sites is as a social shopping space, such as Jellyfish.com which was recently acquired by Microsoft as it saw the growing opportunity in the business (Gallagher 2007). However, these new business are still untested as these are fairly new and would need some time before potentially growing into profitable businesses. As online shopping continues to grow, organisations will continue to seek out other opportunities that could help build the rationale for investments in establishing a highly competitive online shopping site. Usability of online site is an increasing differentiator Massey et al (2007) reported that ‘‘while the extent of technological readiness of the consumer plays a part in determining the level of comfort in navigating through an online shopping site, the general usability of an online shopping site is an increasing differentiator and distinguishes between the different sites that consumers will utilize in online shopping. The goal with these sites is to have it easily navigated through by consumers such that any potential barriers to keep consumers from purchasing products and services are effectively taken out of the equation. An example of an initiative moving into the direction of overall ease of usability is the recent transaction involving Abazias.com and Google wherein Abzias.com partnered with Google for their shopping checkout process which is considered fast and very convenient (M2 Presswire 2007). The challenge for organisations is to continue making their online shopping sites easier to use. And to support the point, some online shopping sites now provide potential live help from customer service if particular requirements are needed in order to limit the number of lost purchases resulting from consumers abandoning their purchases (Prince 2005). Overall, the design of the website and the ease of use have a large impact on the online shopping sites performance (Auger 2005). Management of Internet product returns Mollenkopf et al (2007) explained that emerging trend is the establishment of clear guidelines in the management of Internet product returns, which then addresses a key concern or questions by some consumers. Internet product returns has been one of the key factors limiting part of the online shopping growth as the uncertainty surrounding how returns of defective or unwanted products impacted on the overall cost and inconvenience for the consumer. Organisations which are able to state clearly their policies on Internet product returns, and which provide a seamless process for allowing consumers to make returns for products bought online are at an advantage versus other organisations which have a perception of ‘being difficult to coordinate with in processing Internet product returns. Increasingly demanding consumers As the development of the online shopping channel continues, we are now seeing increasingly demanding consumers. This is shown in the UK supermarket sector. In this sector, online shopping is still considered a poor offering by the UK supermarkets as none of the top five supermarket chains passed a service test conducted by a consumer affairs staff of a newspaper (Prunn 2006). Their failures were from their product offering to the product substitutes provided. The key good news for the UK supermarkets though was that the websites were generally easy to use for online shopping. Also, the delivery drivers were helpful and friendly. In contrast, in the US, online shopping offering for the supermarkets is a competitive offering with various supermarkets increasingly providing greater online shopping offerings for their consumers including chef-prepared, fresh-food delivery service (Food Institute Report 2006). Thus, the US supermarkets are able to provide the US consumers with their ‘demands from US supermarkets. UK supermarkets will need to focus on improving their offering in order to capture the consumer wallet for shopping deliveries. Increasing opportunity for organisations to develop consumer relationships (Kennedy 2006) pointed out that the online shopping channel provides organisations with an additional channel to develop consumer relationships. Organisations which are able to effectively capture value from their online shopping offering are the organisations which are able to â€Å"collect and analyze data on consumer patterns, interpret customer behaviour, respond with timely and effective customised communications, and deliver product and service value to consumers†. The game is not new to most organisations. The only difference is that there is a new channel to consider for the consumer relationships. In order to be competitive, organisations should be able to learn from their interactions with the consumers, and develop the channel into one that consumers will find value from. With the growth of the online shopping channel, more organisations will invest in ensuring that consumer information is managed properly to be leveraged by the organisation in capturing value from the interactions. Increasingly older market Iyer Eastman (2006) has noted that the â€Å"older internet users market comprises the fastest-growing demographic group in the Internet market† and are, aside from large and growing, generally financially secure. This potential trend has large implications on various organisations that can benefit from this research work. Thus, a greater understanding of the key trends is important in order to allow the organisations to plan and invest properly in their online shopping channels. Greater share of ad market Finally, another trend worth noting is the increasing share of the ad market by the online channel. With the growth of the online shopping consumer market, the ad share of this channel is expected to grow as well from about 5-8% to up to one-fifth of total ad budgets over the next three years (Ong 2005). The greater share of the ad market by the online channel has implications for organisations across two key points. First is that there needs to be a decision on the amount of the ad budget that will be allotted to the online channel. After deciding on the first point, the second key point is that it is imperative for organisations to understand the business model of the online channel, and that the organisations have a plan in ensuring their investments will eventually generate good returns. CHAPTER 3 3. CASE STUDY 3.1 History of online shopping Shopping online is the process for the customer to buy products or services via the Internet. In other words, consumers can buy it from the comfort of a holiday home of their own products from a store online. The concepts of this show before the first World Wide Web that are used with real-time transactions are processed from the domestic television! The technology used is called Videotext and shows the first time in 1979 by M. Aldrick, designed and installed the system in the UK. T. 1990 by Berners-Lee created the first WWW server and browser, and in 1995 by expanding the Amazon online shopping experience. History of Online Shopping is amazing. Gone are the days of waiting in traffic and work our way through the store is too full. All we need is a computer, bank account, credit or debit card and freedom voila! From books, to cosmetics, clothes and accessories to name a few, online shopping is the best in the century to 21 Simply find a site that offers things you want, price and delivery terms and in a matter of a few days of your purchase is at your door. Benefits and the ease of clear predictable as we offer a wider selection, competitive prices and greater access to information in regards to our purchase. Online stores are usually available 24 hours a day, and allow consumers to shop in their spare time and without travelling outside normal working hours. Another to consider is the first time the Internet was not well prepared that they will change the way we shop. On the web is created as a tool for communication, which in time to let the ease of virtual shopping. History of online shopping by itself represents a change by the people and now has become a service used by the ordinary business and shopping in the world. (Online blog, http://roomen-online.blogspot.com/2009/08/history-of-online-shopping.html) 3.2 Growth of online shopping The ability to shop online has transformed the way many consumers go about purchasing a product or service, giving the power to the individual consumer to access information, allowing easy and convenient research and comparison of various factors prior to making a purchase. The growth rate of online commerce is unparalleled in any other industry, growing twenty times faster than the overall UK retail market in 2005. Furthermore, the number of online shoppers grew by 25.5% to 14.6 million; with the number over the age of 55 doubling to 2.7 million. Forrester Research predict that UK shoppers will drive UK e-commerce from â‚ ¬43bn in 2006 to â‚ ¬76bn in 2011, accounting for 29% of total European internet retail. As such, we see the market study as a good opportunity to ‘take stock of online shopping in the UK, looking at what it has done for UK plc as a whole since its growth through the internet boom of the late nineties to the stable yet competitive market we see today. I t is worth noting many of the businesses that lived through the dot-com crash were internet retail sites, a clear indication of the valuable role they play for consumers. ( OFT Market Study on Online Shopping, http://207.45.116.138/ndbs/positiondoc.nsf/1f08ec61711f29768025672a0055f7a8/6174E87FE56AFC3F8025735300568DBA/$file/oftonlineshopping250706.pdf ) 3.3 Current trend As far as online shopping in UK is concerned, there is clear trend that those who resort to this new system of shopping will increase by 30 to 40 per cent in a period of 4 years. Remember, there was a delay of 2 to 6 years for people to shift to online shopping after getting acquainted to the internet. But the online system is gaining momentum in an unprecedented market reaction. In the early years only younger generation was using the online shopping services, but then came a remarkable change in the pattern of users. More and more people from older generation are getting attracted to the online shopping system. According to reliable projections, by 2050 the retail marketing scene will undergo a thorough change in its form and magnitude, and the shopping in UK will evolve beyond recognition with high street dominating the field. Everyone will be online, every hour every day! It will become an automatic process and convert the high street to something like a gallery style showroom! If the prediction becomes a reality, the Britons will be spending nearly 63 billion pounds for the online shopping. 860 million parcels will be shipped to the United Kingdom to serve 26 million internet shoppers. Each shopper will spend  £ 2400 each on an average. The number of people using online shopping will exceed the predictions and projections, if the present trend is an indication to that. At present, 10 per cent of the total retail selling is through internet. It will go up to 20 percent in 3 years. There will be a remarkable change in the composition of customers, patronizing online shopping. Men and women of all ages and professions will adopt the new system for the advantages inherent in the online shopping. The older generation, will increasingly use the online shopping, to avoid the ordeals of travelling, searching and bargaining involved in the conventional shopping. It is easier, faster, safer and valuable, according to those who have changed over to the system. No doubt the online shopping will gain popularity and momentum in the coming years. Globalization of trade has given a new impetus to this new market initiative. The political borders are disappearing as far as trade and commerce are concerned. The online trading and international postal services are giving new thrust to economy. Cross border shopping is flourishing. The internet has helped to widen the area of information much to the benefits of the customers. More accurate information is available now, about the companies, their products and services. The consumers are able to browse online catalogues and acquire vital information about a variety of goods displayed by several companies in their websites. Regarding prices there is a distinctively clear advantage for the consumer. The absence of middle men in the online shopping system will permit the dealers to trim their profit margins in favour of the customer. There are many price comparison service providers who serve the consumer by providing product information and price advantages. Retailers also publish their price ranges in such websites. The shopping web portals are more than the online version of yellow pages. The price comparison services search and retrieve data directly from retailers and feed them to the consumers through the internet. A comprehensive list of retailers and detailed list of prices are available with regular updating. (Future of ONLINE SHOPPING in UK, http://www.edealsuk.com/articles/online-shopping-trend-uk.html) CHAPTER 4 4. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY . This research project was conducted with an explanatory research approach as the focus was in discovering ideas and insights into consumer motivations and emerging trends on online shopping (Mariampolski 2001). The research methodology also followed the framework of analysis defined in the previous section which resulted from the literature review. As the research work was largely qualitative, the exploratory approach and the analysis and results from the primary research provides a good understanding of the consumer motivations for online shopping, and also provides a framework for further analysis if needed by other researchers focusing on greater depth in some areas or expansion of issues not covered in this research project. The focus of the research project is on consumer motivations on online shopping and will not touch on specific online sites unless these are discussed in the context of increasing online shopping activities and consumer motivations. 4.1 Primary research The key primary research activities for this project included surveys and in-depth interviews to understand the key consumer motivations for online shopping. 4.1.1 Surveys The surveys gave a preview of the various factors which were impacting on online shopping. An open-ended survey was conducted to give consumers the opportunity to give factors which they truly feel were their key motivating considerations. The survey was divided into two main sections: * Open-ended and unprompted This section was designed to allow the respondents to give answers freely without any prompts. This was to ensure that the consumers thoughts were captured properly, and that their ideas and key motivations were the ones that were included in their responses. * Prompted with specific factors After the unprompted section, the survey had a section which had some of the preliminary findings from the literature review. This was designed to test the literature review findings, and also provide the respondents an opportunity to highlight some factors which may be important but were not mentioned by the respondent during the first part of the survey. 4.1.2 In-depth Interviews The in-depth interviews were Consumer Motivations for Online Shopping Consumer Motivations for Online Shopping CHAPTER 1 1 INTRODUCTION At the end of the last century, online shopping was already starting to catch peoples attention, and was slowly attracting consumers to use it as a channel, primarily because of its ease in completing purchases (i.e. not needing to step out of the home) and also in providing information as, even then, some sites already provided extensive information (Gay 1999, Gehrt et al 2007). But we are well into the first decade of the 21st century, and since then times have changed and certainly, consumers motivations, as evidenced in this literature review and the results of the research project, have changed. The use of the online channel for shopping varies greatly by country with the UK and the US ranking high up in the list with greatest ratio of online shoppers among Internet users, in addition to also having a large penetration of users for Internet access (Bhatti 2006). In the UK, Internet access among households has increased from 34% in 2000 to 54% in 2004, while Internet access for adults increased from 40% in 2000 to 64% in 2005 (Datamonitor 2006). 1.1 Research aims and objectives The project had two key questions to focus on and this acted as a guide to the research design and methodology. The two key research questions in my project were: What are the key consumer motivations for online shopping and how are these impacting the development of the online channel? This question focused on the key drivers acting as impetus for consumers to pursue online shopping, and how these drivers were impacting the online channel as an alternative channel for making purchases. What are the emerging trends for online shopping, and how will the online shopping channel develop? As online shopping continues to increase, both organisations and consumers are expected to be better-placed with having a good understanding of where online shopping trends seem to be directed at. 1.2 Consumer motivations The project sought to understand the consumer motivations for choosing online shopping as an alternative channel or, for some consumers, their main channel for shopping particular items. This part of the project was based on determining what consumers have stated as their key motivation factors through secondary research. This was supported by primary research by surveying and interviewing consumers on their motivational factors. The objective was to list out the key motivational factors consumers have for online shopping. 1.3 Emerging trends for online shopping In addition to understanding consumer motivation, this project also sought, as an objective, to understand the emerging trends in online shopping, and establish a viewpoint on where the online channel was expected to move to. Similar for consumer motivations, this part of the project was based on a combination of primary and secondary research. 1.4 Rationale for research project There was a strong rationale for pursuing this project as it aimed to provide a greater understanding of the consumer and the motivations behind online shopping. As the importance of the online channel becomes increasingly greater for organisations, there is greater need for determining the consumers key drivers in choosing this as an alternative channel for shopping. The project results impact both consumers and organisations. For consumers, this gave them a venue for stating their preferences and key requirements to continue using the online channel which could lead to improvements on the online shopping experience. For organisations, this project provided an understanding of the current situation and also the emerging trends based on competitive dynamics, in order to be able to provide the consumers their requirements. This project was also important for me as the student as it gave me an opportunity to develop the knowledge and pursue the analysis of a critical management issue which was becoming a greater value add channel for a large number of organisations. The project, I believe, has led to new insights and a confirmation of consumers key motivations to online shopping. I believe this contributes to the growing knowledge on the online shopping experience of consumers 1.5 Overview of the study Chapter 1 is the introduction chapter where the background, research question and rational, objective and the structure of the research are stated. Chapter 2 contains a brief literature review on online shopping and provided basic understanding about consumer motivations and emerging trends for online shopping which is related to the research question. Chapter 3 is brief about the case study on online shopping. Chapter 4 contains research methodology which includes research frame work the design of the research, sampling and questionnaire. Chapter 5 describes the critical review of the findings. Chapter 6 discusses on recommendation and conclusions. CHAPTER 2 2. LITERATURE REVIEW The study attempts to analyze research works relating to consumer motivations for online shopping and related issues are critically evaluated. This research project was pursued with a ‘qualitative research approach as the focus was on consumer motivations, which, while it could have been developed with quantitative metrics, seemed to translate better into a qualitative focus. The objective was more focused on going in greater depth across the key consumer motivations instead of tallying figures in terms of which factors consumers felt were their key motivations. The qualitative aspect of the research project was pursued through surveys and in-depth questionnaires. 2.1 Consumer motivations Childers et al (2001) defines ‘‘consumer motivations for online retail shopping conducted a few years ago, some of the consumer motivations cited were interest in use of a new technology, ease of navigation and use, and convenience of online shopping. While the research mentioned looked at consumer motivations, the research was only a subset of what could be learned from consumer behaviour as the study focused on only a few possible factors of online shopping activity. Linked to the increase of online shopping is the increase in access and usage of the Internet. Rodgers and Sheldon (2002) researched ‘‘the increasing use of the Internet and highlighted shopping as one of the key motivations for increased consumer use. In this work, the authors looked at shopping as a consumer motivation for increased consumer use. (Ko et al 2005, Tamimi et al 2005, Dadzie et al 2005) discussed that ‘‘it should be noted that there has been considerable growth in Internet access and usage, and this has created a significant market in marketing and communications of organisations. Online shopping has been growing and organisations have been focusing more on developing the online channel to capture a greater share of the wallet of the consumer. Online shopping Hult et al (2007) defines that ‘‘online shopping can relate to any offering of service quality, product quality, or e-Business quality where the objective is the customer-based value creation for organisations. Based on this definition, we can see that the number of online shoppers has indeed increased significantly in the UK, with the percentage of UK Internet users shopping online (including ordering tickets of buying goods and services) grew from 36% in 2000 to 61% in 2005 (Datamonitor 2006). For this research project, the broad definition is reasonable as the key focus of the research is in understanding consumer motivations for online shopping in general, with no specific product or service in mind. Undoubtedly, there are a large number of ways in which to cut the issue and there would be differences in the consumer motivations for specific products in specific markets. The works cited in this section provided a good starting point in the consumer motivations to be considered. The research works also provided an indication of the increasing use of the Internet and online shopping as an activity. From the limitations cited in the research works, further research needs to be conducted on a general understanding of consumer motivations which are not limited to a few factors. The rest of this section discusses some motivating factors cited by consumers as driving their online shopping activity. 24-hour access Bramall et al (2004) reported that ‘‘motivation by consumers is the 24-hour access provided or allowed by most online shopping channels. Thus, the online channel is utilised by consumers as it provides them with 24-hour access for information, customer service, and purchase opportunity. This essentially gives the consumer the opportunity to browse products and purchase at the consumers own leisure. While the research of the authors states this factor as a motivation, the focus of the research work was actually on potential trust issues in online shopping. This specific motivating factor was not analysed in comparison to other motivating factors for consumers. + Shopping convenience One oft-mentioned reason and an early consumer motivating factor, for shopping online is the convenience of doing so as consumers wont need to go to the retail stores and experience the ‘hassle of buying products in the stores (NBC News 2007). According to one study Furnham (2007) ‘‘not only highlight the convenience of shopping online but also states that shopping only also helps decision-making as a large part of the information requirements a consumer may need to make the decision are found online. Clearly, shopping convenience is expected to rank high among the consumers in terms of their motivations for pursuing online shopping. Gehrt et al (2007) reported that ‘‘Shopping convenience is a large factor for the US and UK consumers but this is not limited to the US or the UK markets only as even in Japan, online shopping has seen increasing growth rates, with shopping convenience as the greatest factor motivating consumers to do online shopping. The shopping convenience factor has been recognised across a number of research works, but these only tend to highlight that consumers have different meanings attached to the terminology, and may actually be referring to different sub-factors under the general term of convenience. In understanding this factor further, specific meanings were attached to and discussed in the surveys and interviews for the research. Greater bargains Craver (2006) reported that ‘‘not only consumers are expected to continue increasing their online purchases but only if they receive greater bargains from sellers in their online sites versus their retail stores. Thus, consumers are already building the expectations that prices online will be less that prices in retail stores. Hajewski (2006) pointed out that ‘‘If only to hammer the point of increasing consumer expectations, two factors mentioned by consumers in their increased interest in doing online shopping were free shipping of their products purchased and also everyday low pricing particularly relative to the retail stores of the sellers. The key limitation in the citations for ‘greater bargains is that these are from press articles and the approaches were not based on proper research conducted to determine the consumer motivations for online shopping. Nevertheless, this should still be accepted as a consumer motivation as this has been mentioned to be a factor based on the articles cited. Overall online shopping site experience Elliott Speck (2005) discussed that ‘‘touches on the overall online shopping site experience which in a way, relates to the overall customer experience in online shopping. This factor is quite specific to online shopping sites which consumers may visit but this nevertheless provides a motivation for some specific consumers and it relates to the overall online shopping site experience and having a positive satisfaction to the experience. Specifically, the authors argued that the following factors impacted on the consumer motivation to complete their online shopping transactions: ease of use of online shopping site, product information available, trust in the brand and the online shopping site, customer support, and entertainment experienced while in the site. The focus of the research conducted by the authors was not on online shopping specifically but rather on the attitude towards retail web sites but using the online shopping experience as an example, with an analysis of the resulting impact on the consumers. Similar to some of the other published research cited in this section, the key limitation is the set of respondents considered for the research which, in this case, consisted of undergraduate marketing students. The results are interesting and provide a good preview of what the results could be if the research is expanded to capture a greater sample of the population. 2.2 Emerging trends for online shopping In reviewing the related literature touching on online shopping and also consumer motivations, a number of emerging trends were clearly seen. These include the following: * Increased efforts in improving online security * Potential for an expanded product range and ancillary businesses * Usability of an online site as an increasing differentiator * Management of Internet product returns * Increasingly demanding consumers * Increasing opportunity for organisations to develop consumer relationships * Increasingly older market * Greater share of ad market Each of these trends is discussed in greater detail in this section. Increased efforts in improving online security (Bramall et al 2004, Arnold et al 2007, OConnell 2005, Cullen 2005) explained that ‘‘online shopping has shown strong growth and yet the belief is that online shopping growth rates could actually be much higher if not for security-related concerns by some consumers. Biswas et al (2006) described ‘‘there are two trends to be noted in relation to the security concerns of consumers. The first, as mentioned, is that there are greater efforts placed by organisations in improving online security as breaches to their security could have considerable consequences. The second trend is that a complementary approach to improving reputation for managing online security risks is paramount. In support of this, where there are great concerns for risk, it has been established that utilising expert endorsers, as opposed to celebrity endorsers or even non-celebrity non-expert endorsers, can actually help in bringing consumers over their risk concerns. Potential for an expanded product range and ancillary businesses Another trend is that organisations are increasingly seeing potential for an expanded product range and ancillary businesses. For example, in recent months, Kohls, a US department store chain, has offered products online which were not normally found in their department stores and these included higher-priced items such as leather chairs, high-end home entertainment centres, and flat screen televisions (Hajewski 2007). This trend is not without its implications for organisation. In the Kohls example, one problem with the expanded product range as done by Kohls was that Kohls did not offer everything they had online in their retail stores. This is a concern as some consumers utilise the online site for their ‘window shopping before moving to the retail stores to try on and purchase the items (Dodes 2006). The article states that more than 80% of online shoppers research products online first before sometimes going to the stores to see the products firsthand. Given that not all products are available in the stores, it would be prudent for online sites to be clear about which products are available in the stores and which products are not. In terms of ancillary businesses, the increase in online usage and online shopping has even spawned related business such as businesses which monitor traffic into organisations websites with the objective of increasing an organisations online sales (Newman 2007). Another ancillary business opportunity is from online shopping sites is as a social shopping space, such as Jellyfish.com which was recently acquired by Microsoft as it saw the growing opportunity in the business (Gallagher 2007). However, these new business are still untested as these are fairly new and would need some time before potentially growing into profitable businesses. As online shopping continues to grow, organisations will continue to seek out other opportunities that could help build the rationale for investments in establishing a highly competitive online shopping site. Usability of online site is an increasing differentiator Massey et al (2007) reported that ‘‘while the extent of technological readiness of the consumer plays a part in determining the level of comfort in navigating through an online shopping site, the general usability of an online shopping site is an increasing differentiator and distinguishes between the different sites that consumers will utilize in online shopping. The goal with these sites is to have it easily navigated through by consumers such that any potential barriers to keep consumers from purchasing products and services are effectively taken out of the equation. An example of an initiative moving into the direction of overall ease of usability is the recent transaction involving Abazias.com and Google wherein Abzias.com partnered with Google for their shopping checkout process which is considered fast and very convenient (M2 Presswire 2007). The challenge for organisations is to continue making their online shopping sites easier to use. And to support the point, some online shopping sites now provide potential live help from customer service if particular requirements are needed in order to limit the number of lost purchases resulting from consumers abandoning their purchases (Prince 2005). Overall, the design of the website and the ease of use have a large impact on the online shopping sites performance (Auger 2005). Management of Internet product returns Mollenkopf et al (2007) explained that emerging trend is the establishment of clear guidelines in the management of Internet product returns, which then addresses a key concern or questions by some consumers. Internet product returns has been one of the key factors limiting part of the online shopping growth as the uncertainty surrounding how returns of defective or unwanted products impacted on the overall cost and inconvenience for the consumer. Organisations which are able to state clearly their policies on Internet product returns, and which provide a seamless process for allowing consumers to make returns for products bought online are at an advantage versus other organisations which have a perception of ‘being difficult to coordinate with in processing Internet product returns. Increasingly demanding consumers As the development of the online shopping channel continues, we are now seeing increasingly demanding consumers. This is shown in the UK supermarket sector. In this sector, online shopping is still considered a poor offering by the UK supermarkets as none of the top five supermarket chains passed a service test conducted by a consumer affairs staff of a newspaper (Prunn 2006). Their failures were from their product offering to the product substitutes provided. The key good news for the UK supermarkets though was that the websites were generally easy to use for online shopping. Also, the delivery drivers were helpful and friendly. In contrast, in the US, online shopping offering for the supermarkets is a competitive offering with various supermarkets increasingly providing greater online shopping offerings for their consumers including chef-prepared, fresh-food delivery service (Food Institute Report 2006). Thus, the US supermarkets are able to provide the US consumers with their ‘demands from US supermarkets. UK supermarkets will need to focus on improving their offering in order to capture the consumer wallet for shopping deliveries. Increasing opportunity for organisations to develop consumer relationships (Kennedy 2006) pointed out that the online shopping channel provides organisations with an additional channel to develop consumer relationships. Organisations which are able to effectively capture value from their online shopping offering are the organisations which are able to â€Å"collect and analyze data on consumer patterns, interpret customer behaviour, respond with timely and effective customised communications, and deliver product and service value to consumers†. The game is not new to most organisations. The only difference is that there is a new channel to consider for the consumer relationships. In order to be competitive, organisations should be able to learn from their interactions with the consumers, and develop the channel into one that consumers will find value from. With the growth of the online shopping channel, more organisations will invest in ensuring that consumer information is managed properly to be leveraged by the organisation in capturing value from the interactions. Increasingly older market Iyer Eastman (2006) has noted that the â€Å"older internet users market comprises the fastest-growing demographic group in the Internet market† and are, aside from large and growing, generally financially secure. This potential trend has large implications on various organisations that can benefit from this research work. Thus, a greater understanding of the key trends is important in order to allow the organisations to plan and invest properly in their online shopping channels. Greater share of ad market Finally, another trend worth noting is the increasing share of the ad market by the online channel. With the growth of the online shopping consumer market, the ad share of this channel is expected to grow as well from about 5-8% to up to one-fifth of total ad budgets over the next three years (Ong 2005). The greater share of the ad market by the online channel has implications for organisations across two key points. First is that there needs to be a decision on the amount of the ad budget that will be allotted to the online channel. After deciding on the first point, the second key point is that it is imperative for organisations to understand the business model of the online channel, and that the organisations have a plan in ensuring their investments will eventually generate good returns. CHAPTER 3 3. CASE STUDY 3.1 History of online shopping Shopping online is the process for the customer to buy products or services via the Internet. In other words, consumers can buy it from the comfort of a holiday home of their own products from a store online. The concepts of this show before the first World Wide Web that are used with real-time transactions are processed from the domestic television! The technology used is called Videotext and shows the first time in 1979 by M. Aldrick, designed and installed the system in the UK. T. 1990 by Berners-Lee created the first WWW server and browser, and in 1995 by expanding the Amazon online shopping experience. History of Online Shopping is amazing. Gone are the days of waiting in traffic and work our way through the store is too full. All we need is a computer, bank account, credit or debit card and freedom voila! From books, to cosmetics, clothes and accessories to name a few, online shopping is the best in the century to 21 Simply find a site that offers things you want, price and delivery terms and in a matter of a few days of your purchase is at your door. Benefits and the ease of clear predictable as we offer a wider selection, competitive prices and greater access to information in regards to our purchase. Online stores are usually available 24 hours a day, and allow consumers to shop in their spare time and without travelling outside normal working hours. Another to consider is the first time the Internet was not well prepared that they will change the way we shop. On the web is created as a tool for communication, which in time to let the ease of virtual shopping. History of online shopping by itself represents a change by the people and now has become a service used by the ordinary business and shopping in the world. (Online blog, http://roomen-online.blogspot.com/2009/08/history-of-online-shopping.html) 3.2 Growth of online shopping The ability to shop online has transformed the way many consumers go about purchasing a product or service, giving the power to the individual consumer to access information, allowing easy and convenient research and comparison of various factors prior to making a purchase. The growth rate of online commerce is unparalleled in any other industry, growing twenty times faster than the overall UK retail market in 2005. Furthermore, the number of online shoppers grew by 25.5% to 14.6 million; with the number over the age of 55 doubling to 2.7 million. Forrester Research predict that UK shoppers will drive UK e-commerce from â‚ ¬43bn in 2006 to â‚ ¬76bn in 2011, accounting for 29% of total European internet retail. As such, we see the market study as a good opportunity to ‘take stock of online shopping in the UK, looking at what it has done for UK plc as a whole since its growth through the internet boom of the late nineties to the stable yet competitive market we see today. I t is worth noting many of the businesses that lived through the dot-com crash were internet retail sites, a clear indication of the valuable role they play for consumers. ( OFT Market Study on Online Shopping, http://207.45.116.138/ndbs/positiondoc.nsf/1f08ec61711f29768025672a0055f7a8/6174E87FE56AFC3F8025735300568DBA/$file/oftonlineshopping250706.pdf ) 3.3 Current trend As far as online shopping in UK is concerned, there is clear trend that those who resort to this new system of shopping will increase by 30 to 40 per cent in a period of 4 years. Remember, there was a delay of 2 to 6 years for people to shift to online shopping after getting acquainted to the internet. But the online system is gaining momentum in an unprecedented market reaction. In the early years only younger generation was using the online shopping services, but then came a remarkable change in the pattern of users. More and more people from older generation are getting attracted to the online shopping system. According to reliable projections, by 2050 the retail marketing scene will undergo a thorough change in its form and magnitude, and the shopping in UK will evolve beyond recognition with high street dominating the field. Everyone will be online, every hour every day! It will become an automatic process and convert the high street to something like a gallery style showroom! If the prediction becomes a reality, the Britons will be spending nearly 63 billion pounds for the online shopping. 860 million parcels will be shipped to the United Kingdom to serve 26 million internet shoppers. Each shopper will spend  £ 2400 each on an average. The number of people using online shopping will exceed the predictions and projections, if the present trend is an indication to that. At present, 10 per cent of the total retail selling is through internet. It will go up to 20 percent in 3 years. There will be a remarkable change in the composition of customers, patronizing online shopping. Men and women of all ages and professions will adopt the new system for the advantages inherent in the online shopping. The older generation, will increasingly use the online shopping, to avoid the ordeals of travelling, searching and bargaining involved in the conventional shopping. It is easier, faster, safer and valuable, according to those who have changed over to the system. No doubt the online shopping will gain popularity and momentum in the coming years. Globalization of trade has given a new impetus to this new market initiative. The political borders are disappearing as far as trade and commerce are concerned. The online trading and international postal services are giving new thrust to economy. Cross border shopping is flourishing. The internet has helped to widen the area of information much to the benefits of the customers. More accurate information is available now, about the companies, their products and services. The consumers are able to browse online catalogues and acquire vital information about a variety of goods displayed by several companies in their websites. Regarding prices there is a distinctively clear advantage for the consumer. The absence of middle men in the online shopping system will permit the dealers to trim their profit margins in favour of the customer. There are many price comparison service providers who serve the consumer by providing product information and price advantages. Retailers also publish their price ranges in such websites. The shopping web portals are more than the online version of yellow pages. The price comparison services search and retrieve data directly from retailers and feed them to the consumers through the internet. A comprehensive list of retailers and detailed list of prices are available with regular updating. (Future of ONLINE SHOPPING in UK, http://www.edealsuk.com/articles/online-shopping-trend-uk.html) CHAPTER 4 4. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY . This research project was conducted with an explanatory research approach as the focus was in discovering ideas and insights into consumer motivations and emerging trends on online shopping (Mariampolski 2001). The research methodology also followed the framework of analysis defined in the previous section which resulted from the literature review. As the research work was largely qualitative, the exploratory approach and the analysis and results from the primary research provides a good understanding of the consumer motivations for online shopping, and also provides a framework for further analysis if needed by other researchers focusing on greater depth in some areas or expansion of issues not covered in this research project. The focus of the research project is on consumer motivations on online shopping and will not touch on specific online sites unless these are discussed in the context of increasing online shopping activities and consumer motivations. 4.1 Primary research The key primary research activities for this project included surveys and in-depth interviews to understand the key consumer motivations for online shopping. 4.1.1 Surveys The surveys gave a preview of the various factors which were impacting on online shopping. An open-ended survey was conducted to give consumers the opportunity to give factors which they truly feel were their key motivating considerations. The survey was divided into two main sections: * Open-ended and unprompted This section was designed to allow the respondents to give answers freely without any prompts. This was to ensure that the consumers thoughts were captured properly, and that their ideas and key motivations were the ones that were included in their responses. * Prompted with specific factors After the unprompted section, the survey had a section which had some of the preliminary findings from the literature review. This was designed to test the literature review findings, and also provide the respondents an opportunity to highlight some factors which may be important but were not mentioned by the respondent during the first part of the survey. 4.1.2 In-depth Interviews The in-depth interviews were