Accountability of Public Finances Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Accountability of Public Finances - Essay Example 2006). In case of financial statement, fraud or any the crime involving financial statements in the government organizations then the PAC is expected to carry out an investigation and table its report to the Parliament on debate and provide recommendations for the government (Kang et al. 2008). Members of the committee are expected to obtain information or evidence from public officers and even managers of the public organizations. They are expected to examine the Director of Audits report concerning any organization. The president, however, is not a member of the committee, and the committee is independent of any control by the executive. In China the process of reporting involves preparation of the audit report, then preparation of the tax reconciliation report and finally preparation of foreign exchange reconciliation for foreign companies operating in China. There is also profit Repatriation of the financial statements depending on tax clearance completion. The financial reporting process in China is coded as it was borrowed heavily from Germany. Previously, most of the companies were owned by the government, but after the 80’s they reduced though the government still has some control over their reporting. The source of capital is debt thus the reporting is inclined towards the requirements of their equity providers that is the government and banks. The management is responsible for the financial statements of an entity in China be it government’ public or private organization. Accountability of the financial statements is at the hands of the Chief Financial Officers and the top management who acts a s the agents of the owners. It is expected that all financial reports must be audited before getting published so as to show a true and fair view of the financial position of the firm. The must comply with the reporting standards issued by Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants (Shah

Economy versus the Environment Essay Example for Free

Economy versus the Environment Essay Down to Earth by Ted Steinberg highlights the role of nature in US history. Steinberg provides historical events, from minute detail of migrating birds to monumental breaking up of Pangeae, to support his analysis and for readers to fully grasp the course of American history. He maintains that the continuous interaction between human and nature drives them to evolve. But the truth, of course, is that human has tendencies to disregard nature to achieve their ideal standard of living. Moreover, human’s present consumption puts the life of future generation at risk. Long before the European settlement in the region, America’s natural resources were already being threatened. Native American hunters utilized the world around them according to their needs. These early hunters drove mammoths to extinction, as well as the giant ground sloths and other prehistoric species. Many of them used fire to clear landscape which did served their purpose but harmed other plants and animals. Eventually, however, they became gifted stewards of their environment. Their activities, hunting, gathering and farming, were influenced by the cycles of nature. The early exploration dictated by personal consumption quickly followed by exploitation. Migrants poured in pursuit of gold and silver in the English colonies which was abandoned for intensive harvesting of lucrative crops or the trapping of animals. The slang â€Å"buck† for money in America refers to deer hides called buckskins, being exported for glove making and other forms of leather manufacturing. This economic system persists until the end of the colonial period. By mid-1800s, regions were identified by the kind of cash crops they produced. Tobacco, â€Å"King Cotton,† rice from South Carolina lowlands, timber from the virgin forests of the Great Lakes, Texas cattle and wheat from the Great Plains. The system made the nation wealthy but at a devastating cost to biodiversity. Steinberg pointed out that the major factor that brought the ecological change in America is â€Å"putting a price tag on the natural world. † Cities were expanding, farmers were becoming more specialized in their cash crops and companies were pushing for more profits. Nature was transformed to articles of trade. Lumber companies, for instance, led to much deforestation which led to loss of other plants and habitat of animals. The citizens of the US seemed to have a sense of â€Å"ecological amnesia,† oblivious to the effect on nature of ruthless exploitation despite the mounting evidence. Aside from lumber companies, other businesses and industries abused the natural resources for profit to further degrade the environment. A common man specializing in one type of cash crop had to rely on other farmers to provide for the needs not met by his own produce. Rivers where fish used to spawn were dammed and converted to companies’ energy source. Nature was completely ignored in the interest of commerce and industry. As trade and commercialization intensifies so as reliance of everyone on someone else. Economic activity, both production and consumption, relates to the environment in two ways: the environment provides the raw materials for production, and through the process of production and consumption, we emit wastes into the environment (Worster, 1994). However, human wants are limited while resources are finite. Demand always exceeds supply. So what happens now if we continue to strive to obtain more goods and services from our limited supply of non-renewable resources? Our present and future generations are in peril. Economic theories of trade argue that a country should concentrate on trading and producing goods and services where they have the comparative advantage (Krugman Obstfeld, 2008). The comparative advantage in production is achieved if the input that was used is abundant in the country. For instance, labor intensive goods should be traded by countries with large population, while countries should concentrate in producing capital intensive goods if they are abundant in capital. This exactly what the early traders did. They traded according to their comparative advantage, maximized their profit and yes, abused the environment to further their gains. The economic thinking that competitiveness as a function of efficiency of labor and capital is outmoded (Epping, 2001). In other parts of the world, industries are starting to factor in the efficient way of using their natural resources. These efficiencies benefit countries, companies and local communities. Japan and Germany use half the energy input of American industry in their products. Energy represents about 10 percent of the cost of production and so they achieve with their efficiency about a five percent comparative advantage in world markets relative to US goods. The idea is to have a sustainable supply of both non-renewable and renewable resources relative to demand, to use the natural resources in a more efficient way to make the goods and services of a country, a company or a community more competitive in the market. We do not want to be the generation that kills everything. References Epping, Randy Charles (2001). A Beginner’s Guide To World Economy. New York: Random House, Inc. Krugman, P. Obstfeld, M. (2008). International Economics: Theory and Policy. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc. Steinberg, Ted (2002). Down To Earth (pp. 1-115). New York: Oxford UP. Worster, Donald (1994). Nature’s Economy: The History of Ecological Ideas. United Kingdom: Cambridge UP.

9-1-1: An American Emergency :: September 11 Terrorism Essays

9-1-1: An American Emergency When hijackers coordinated the take-over of four passenger planes on September 11, they sent out a 9-1-1. It was truly an emergency call. Emergency comes from emerge and emergence, from the Latin word for to plunge out--it means to rise from, to come out into view. We have listened to stories of rescue and sacrifice. We have watched First Responders, the Fire and Emergency Medical teams that are first on the scene of a disaster. We have recognized so many people as the heroes they are. But it's not over. There is plenty of emergency response work still to be done, over a long period of time, and this gives us all a chance to be heroes in our own way. It was an airport security emergency and an air traffic control emergency. It was a national security emergency. It was a crisis management emergency. It was a belief and reality emergency--days later, I heard people repeating "It's not real, it's not real" and "I can't believe it." It was a shock and grief emergency, and experts say the trauma will go on for months and years. Some people are already discussing rebuilding on the site in lower Manhattan, but who will want to have an office to do business on a mass grave? It was a political emergency, and the government mobilized. It was an intelligence emergency--why didn't we know enough to prevent it? It was a religious and spiritual emergency--how can we understand the purpose of death and destruction on this scale? It was a patriotic emergency-- how do we respond to an "Attack on America?" It was a peace and justice emergency--do we have a repertoire of response that does not take the form of violent retaliation and retribution? It was a democracy emergency--how do we preserve our principles in adversity? It was a tolerance and understanding emergency--how do we keep from turning against people from other religious and cultural groups, ethnic groups and nationalities that we identify with the criminals, the enemy?

John Updikes A&P :: essays research papers

Bathing Beauties   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   John Updike’s â€Å"A&P† is a short story about a nineteen year old boy during the 1960’s that has a summer job at the local A&P grocery. The main character in the story, Sammy, realizes that life isn’t always fair and that sometimes a person makes decisions that he will regret. Sammy sees that life doesn’t always go as planned when three young girls in bathing suits walk in and his manager Lengel gives them a hard time, and he comes to term with that sometimes you make bad decisions. Sammy is astounded by three young girls that walk into his store in their bathing suits. He follows their every move as they peruse over the cookies and other goods. The first thing this typical nineteen boy recognizes is the one girl’s â€Å"can†. But then he goes on to say that this girl is one that other girls seems to think has potential but never really makes it with the guys. One girl though especially catches his eye. He starts to call her â€Å"Queenie† because of the way she carries herself and that she seems to be the leader of the pack. Sammy does nothing but watch her every move as they parade about the store. He even daydreams about going into her house with her rich family at a cocktail party. He notices everything about her and thinks there was nothing cuter than the way she pulls the money out of her top. His immature infatuation with this girl is one of the reasons Sammy makes the hasty decision to quit in the end. Lengel, the manager of the store, spots the girls and gives them a hard time about their dress in the store. He tells them, â€Å"Girls, this isn’t the beach.† He says that they are not dressed appropriately to come into this grocery store. Lengel’s words cause Queenie to get embarrassed and start to blush. Sammy cannot believe this and gets frustrated at his boss. He doesn’t believe that it is right to prosecute these innocent girls for the way they are dressed. He also states at this point that the sheep are piling up over in Stokesie line trying to avoid all the commotion the scene has caused. I believe Sammy takes this as the last straw in a long string of aggravations. Sammy confronts Lengel and tells him that he didn’t have to embarrass them like that, but it does no good.

How and Why Is the Grotesque Used in Tennessee Williams’ a Streetcar Named Desire Essay

Throughout this semester, we were introduced to varying degrees of literary styles and themes. From the epiphanies discovered through American Realism, to the skepticism explored through Literary Modernism, to the conflicts of social conformity and individualism approached by a Post-Modernistic America and its writers. We have had the great opportunity of being exposed to individuals who questioned and pushed the boundaries of creativity and expression. Tennessee Williams was an author and playwright who balanced the enigmatic, macabre, and often cruel disintegration of his characters with a poetic grace. He became the keystone of a style that is known as Southern Gothic. A Streetcar Named Desire became the quintessential manifestation of the grotesque through the unraveling of the â€Å"Old South†. More specifically, his themes on the conflict between the â€Å"sensitive, non-conformist† individual against conventional society, the disintegration of the southern woman, and the divergence between southern gentiles and northern brutality to which all of Williams’ characters contributed to in some degree. The grotesque style of literature supplies the reader with a historical as well as social perspective. This provides a metaphorical reference to the â€Å"dying† South and the struggle to exist against the progressive ideals of the North, all the while, fraught with trying to keep the Southern identity and dignity intact. It is stated that â€Å"A common description (of the grotesque) has to do with causation: Southern grotesque is often said to be the literary aftermath of historical misfortune. (Presley 37). If we take into account the surrounding setting of the play, â€Å"†¦a two-story corner building on a street in New Orleans which is named Elysian Fields and runs between the L & N tracks and the river (Elysian Fields is a New Orleans street at the northern tip of the French Quarter, between the Louisville & Nashville railroad tracks and the Mississippi River. In Greek mythology the Elysian Fields are the abode of the blessed in the afterlife. ) The section is poor but, unlike corresponding sections in other American cities, it has a raffish charm† (Klinkowitz & Wallace 2187), the reader is thrust into the ensuing chaos before any of the characters are even introduced. Williams was very particular about each detail with regards to the style in which he was writing. The drama is not only a result of the surroundings, but is a symbiotic portrayal of the daily lives that exist within the grotesque. â€Å"The disorders are threefold: narcissism, familial conflict, and dream- like confusion†: (Presley 37). The Southern Gothic, grotesque style of writing can best be characterized by the profound ability of an author to evoke feelings of disgust while contrarily evoking feelings of compassion among his/her audience as well as between the characters within the work. These emotions are presented and contained within, what seems to be, a lost individual. This character may also display traits of incontinence due to physical or mental incapability. â€Å"Literature of the grotesque, according to the authoress, is distinguished by a moral or theological vision not usually associated with realistic works. Freaks appear in her fiction, she said, to reflect quite simply what man is like without God† (Presley 38). In keeping with the grotesque, Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire stretched the boundaries of this theme through the representation of the disintegration of the southern woman. By exploring the torrid longing of his character, Blanche Dubois, and her desires and fears. â€Å"Grotesque writers are â€Å"faced with the reality that they live in an age whose distortions function as indicators of how far man has drifted from his true image as a creature of God. In this vein, Williams explores the corruption of mankind, along with its difficulties in reconciling its primal nature with the rules of society: Blanche’s charm and beauty is overridden by her alcoholism, nymphomania, and general debauchery† (Presley, 1). Blanche DuBois provided the extreme case of what it is like to lose yourself. Blanche was â€Å"Deceptive, dishonest, fraudulent, permanently flawed, unable to face reality, Blanche is for all that thoroughly capable of commanding audience compassion, for her struggle and the crushing defeat she endures have the magnitude of tragedy. The inevitability of her doom, her refusal to back down in the face of it, and the essential humanity of the forces that drive her to it are the very heart of tragedy, No matter what evil she may have done, nor what villainies practiced, she is a human being trapped by the fates, making a human fight to escape and to survive with some shred of human dignity, in full recognition of her own fatal human weaknesses and increasing absence of hope† (Crandell 93). The obscure relevance to her deceptions are only a portion of why Blanche represents the grotesque. Her necessity to cling to the â€Å"old† southern ways (with a â€Å"death grip†) allows her to cling to her own sanity. She exudes narcissism to the fullest extent, but is unable to see the damage that it is causing to herself and the people around her. In the very first scene, Blanche describes the loss of Belle Reve. She goes on to embellish the loss as a personal encounter with death, to which she is the only witness to and the only effected party: â€Å"I, I, I, took the blows in my face and my body! All of those deaths! The long parade to the graveyard! Father, mother! Margaret, that dreadful way! So big with it, it couldn’t be put in a coffin! But I had to be burned like rubbish!†¦. And, oh, what gorgeous boxes they packed them away in! Unless you were there at the bed when they cried out, â€Å"Hold me! † you’d never suspect there was the struggle for breath and bleeding. You didn’t dream, but I saw! Saw! Saw!†¦. † (Williams 2193). This description was a faint cry for compassion or an attempt to restore the relationship with Stella, but through a premeditated state of self preservation. The grotesque narcissism with which she approaches the loss of the estate and their relatives only happened to her. It is this over dramatic perception that reinforces the author’s emphasis on the Southern Gothic or grotesque style apparent throughout his play. The culmination of the loss of Belle Reve, her husband’s suicide, and, later, her dismissal from her job, could have contributed to her current state. But it in the end, she chose not to face her demons, she opted to hide behind the ruse of entitlement associated with old Southern Society that proved to be her ultimate demise. â€Å"If there is any character in modern dramatic literature whose identity is bound up in such fantasies and sees erself as unique, special and entitled, it is Blanche DuBois, whose very name conjures up images of French, chivalric romances. Furthermore, it is clear that she identifies with the role of the â€Å"Southern Belle† and, in fact, retreats to memories of herself as â€Å"Southern Belle† when confronted with death and trauma. Ironically, from Blanche’s point of view, although the â€Å"Southern Belle† is fundamentally superior, she is also, simultaneously, a vulnerable, even fragile figure, in need of constant attention and care, dependant on others. (Ribkoff & Tyndall 327). The reason why the grotesque is so important to the decline of the Southern woman, and this particular character, is because there is this realization that there are no happy endings. Blanche is happy to wallow in her own self destructions and with this she is libel to take down everyone within her distinct vicinity. Blanche’s character is deprived of the one thing that she longs for which is love and by reaching for the facade of the Southern Belle, she does more damage because she is the complete antithe sis of the Southern Belle. There is also a lot of symbolism associated with Blanche’s decline. Throughout her short time at her sister’s apartment, it is evident that she was taking a lot of baths through the progression of the story. As more information gets divulged about what really happened in her past, it is almost as if she is trying to maintain that she is a Southern Belle. She is trying to convince herself that she is still clean or that she can wash away her past through her frequent bathing. There is also the issue of light. Blanche does her best to conceal herself from the light of reality by placing paper lanterns over lamps to soften the light â€Å"So, too, in A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche is described (in the same stage direction! ) as both attracted to and repulsed by light. On the one hand, she is described as moth-like in appearance. Comparable to the moth, she is strangely attracted to that which has the power to destroy her. On the other hand, â€Å"her delicate beauty must avoid a strong light†. To avoid it, she dresses naked light bulbs in paper lanterns, and when she goes out, with Mitch for example, it is always at night. † (Crandall 95). This pertains to her willingness to escape reality and is yet another way that Williams exhibits the grotesque through his writing. In further examination of Blanche, her dependency on men is another portrayal of the grotesque. She is constantly looking for and acquiring the affections of men and seems to feed upon the generous nature of Mitch, Stanley’s friend. Here we see the grotesque outlined in the form of female dependence on the male figures in their lives. At one point, Blanche rejects the union of her sister with that of the abusive Stanley Kowalski. She fantasizes about an alternative life with the financial support from Shep Huntleigh, but this still emphasizes a need for the support to exist from a male figure. Even though this wouldn’t be a stable situation for Stella, this would free her from her dependency on Stanley. This reiterates the progression from the old to the new south, but isn’t a source of stability for Stella. She still needs to rely on Stanley and in doing so we see the indignity of the human spirit due to sacrifice. It is also a theme of Williams’ that the removal of the simply â€Å"country† life, and into the throngs of a bustling city, create the setting for the grotesque situations that these characters find themselves in. Williams thought that in moving away from the country life, we are separating ourselves further from the life that God had intended us to live. There is a quiet simplicity that is associated with working the land in the country and in moving to the trappings of a large city, there is room for trouble. This is also apparent through the loss of Belle Reve. When Blanche falls into misfortune and loses the house, she is forced into a life of less prestige and honor. She loses her job as a teacher due to moral discrepancies, she is called on at the hotel that she is staying at by many men, and she is forced to move in with her sister in New Orleans. This transition represents a removal of all that is decent and good with humanity and confines us to the â€Å"cramped† quarters of a city where we lose ourselves. Stanley Kowalski’s character impresses upon the reader an animalistic quality that can only be implied to represent the conflict of the divergence between southern gentiles and northern brutality. â€Å"As much as Blanche is the representative of dreams, Stanley is the emissary of quotidian reality. His Napoleonic Code and the State of Louisiana are the realistic counterparts to Blanche’s more ephemeral Belle Reve. Whereas Blanche values civilization and its refinements-art, poetry, and music-Stanley indulges in more primitive pleasures-eating (bringing home meat from the kill); drinking, to the point of intoxication; and sleeping with women. He knows what his pleasures are and indulges them, often to excess. He enjoys life to the fullest-â€Å"be comfortable is his motto†. In his drunken paroxysms, he easily forgets himself, and becomes one with his buddies. He is, for the most part, spontaneous and unselfconscious† (Crandall 97). In the climax of the play, we bear witness to Stanley’s submission to the atavistic urges and northern brutality by the rape of Blanche. As the story progresses, Mitch (Stanley’s friend) exhibits how the loss of the Southern Gentile adds to the grotesque setting with which all of the characters exist in. At the end of the play, we are made aware that Blanche is being committed to an insane asylum. As the Doctor starts to take Blanche away, Mitch had an opportunity to intervene, but he didn’t. He felt a great deal of sympathy for Blanche, but chose to not act on those feelings and instead Blanche is committed. The reason that this is such an important example of the loss of the Southern gentile was because he had the opportunity to act and didn’t step up to defend Blanche. Southern gentiles are all about honor and dignity. With the loss of these important qualities within him, he has just let Blanche succumb to the darkness that has shrouded her since she arrived at Stella’s apartment. Even though Blanche didn’t see the hero within Mitch, they had a bond between them. They were both looking for love and for someone to take care of them. With him not coming to her rescue, the true Mitch is presented-a person who is devoid of the heroism that Blanche so desperately needed. On the conflict between the â€Å"sensitive, non-conformist† individual against conventional society, we have to re-examine Blanche Dubois. From the beginning of the play, we are well aware of Blanche’s â€Å"sensitive, non-conformist† characteristics. She is someone who was unwilling to uphold he civilities that should exist within each person. In her having tarnishing relations with a pupil of hers, she sacrifices the only thing that she had left- her dignity. â€Å"However defensive Blanche becomes, from the moment she enters the stage until the moment she leaves it, she is in search of direction and empathy or â€Å"kindness† of others in order to work through the traumas of the past and present. Ultimately, this search for understanding is he main reason she comes to New Orleans and not simply for a place to stay† (Ribkoff & Tyndall 327). The climax of the grotesque within this play seems to come as a result of Blanche’s sensitive, non-conformist attitude towards life. Her inability to accept responsibility for her current situation is the catalyst to the way that Stanley shows no tolerance for her. Stanley’s brutalities, along with his intolerance for Blanche’s current state of mind, clash to create the ultimately grotesque act of rape later in the play. â€Å"Many critics believe Stanley’s rape of Blanche precipitates her descent into madness. According to Mary Ann Corrigan, this descent is part of the overall trajectory of the play: â€Å"in each of the [play’s] 11 scenes Blanche moves inexorably closer to the disintegration of her mind and the total rejection of reality† (Humanit 334). After the disintegration of the world that Williams created in A Streetcar Named Desire, we are left with the overwhelming themes of the struggle for human affection, dignity, and resolve. Through this in-depth dissection of the characters, plot, and settings, emerge the themes that exemplify the Southern Gothic/grotesque style of writing.

Luxury Goods Essays

Luxury Goods Essays Luxury Goods Essay Luxury Goods Essay Chapter 2: Literature Reappraisals 2.0 Definition of Luxury Goods The word ‘luxury can be defined as province of life in which has utilizations things that please the senses or delighting to hold but non indispensable. â€Å"A good attains the label as a â€Å"luxury† when it has a peculiar design, quality, public presentation or lastingness that is unusually superior to the comparable substitutes† ( Snapshot of U.S Luxury Good Market, 2007 ) . Dubois, Laurent and Czellar ( 2001 ) and Survanasuddhi ( 2007 ) stated a definition of the nature and features of the construct of luxury. The six aspects are first-class quality, really high monetary value, scarceness and singularity, aesthetics and polysensuality, hereditary heritage and personal history and superfluousness. Luxury goods are lifting in popularity particularly as consumers purchasing behaviour is going more symbolized. Consumers feel that by having luxury merchandises can show their personality and put them apart. Thus, â€Å"luxury goods have been defined as goods for which the mere usage or show of a peculiar branded merchandise brings prestigiousness on the proprietor, apart from any functional utility† ( Nia and Zaikowsky,2000 ) The term ‘prestige was defined as it consists of consumers motives for trailing proficient high quality, uniqueness, signaling wealth and position good as aesthetics appeal ( Vigneron and Johnson, 1999 ) . ‘Prestige and ‘luxury are used synonymously in the VIgneron and Johnson s research. Vigneron and Johnson ( 1999 ) categorized three types of prestigiousness trade name as upmarket trade names, premium trade names and luxury trade names, severally in an increasing order of prestigiousness. Hence, it was expected that people would hold different perceptual experiences of the degree of prestigiousness for the same trade names, and that the overall prestige degree of a trade name would see the prestigiousness perceptual experiences from different people. Beginning: Vigneron and Johnson ( 1999 ) â€Å"Luxury trade names can be described as premium priced trade names that consumers purchase for their psychological values ( symbolic and hedonistic ) , and non predominately for their economical and functional value† ( Nueno and Quelch 1998 ; Stegeman, 2006 ) . However, the definition of luxury goods or trade names can non be to the full recognized. The definition of luxury will be different and may non be the same for another research worker. Chadha A ; Husband ( 2006 ) definition bounds itself in that it merely pertains to luxury manner goods alternatively there are other luxury goods that are besides both universally available and accepted as luxury. The definition of luxury trade names have been defined as stylish and high quality consumers goods made by reputed luxury trade names which contained wearable manner goods such as pocketbook, billfold, places and belt ( Chadha and Husband, 2006 ; Heinemann, 2008 ) . Manner can be contemplation of the societal, economic, political and artistic forces of the clip. Accoding to Gao, Norton, Zhang, To ( 2009 ) , â€Å"luxury manner goods are apparel, accoutrements, pocketbooks, places, tickers, jewelry, and aroma for which usage or show of peculiar branded merchandises brings prestigiousness to proprietors, apart from any functional utility† . Snapshot of U.S Luxury Good Market ( 2007 ) stated manner group represent the major merchandise sector in the luxury goods market. It is of import to cognize that the study showed that â€Å"one sixth ( 16 % ) of the universe s consumers claim to purchase interior decorator brands† ( ACNielsen, 2008 ) . For this research, the term luxury goods can be defined as the trade names that are defined as epicurean in the one-year â€Å"Consumer and Designer Brand Report 2008† by the planetary Nielson house which the study is the largest and it identified the undermentioned goods as the luxury manner goods. Calvin Klien Giorgio Armani Celine Ralph Lauren Louis Vuitton Ferragamo Diesel Burberry Chloe Chanel Versace Marc Jacobs Christian Dior Prada Gucci Givenchy DKNY Emporio Armani Valentino Hermes Fendi Yves Saint Lauren Max Mara The manner goods that show above are non the lone goods that are stated as luxury in this research. Consumers allow to measure and include other trade names which they think is luxury manner goods for them. Furthermore, there are many sentiments and positions of luxury from different leaders point of view stated in KPMG research ( Pull offing Luxury Brand Growth, 2006 ) . Luxury is explained in the tabular array below as followers: Leaderships Name and Company Definition 1. Guy Salter * Private Investor, Deputy Chairman of Walpole, the British Luxury goods organisation Because luxury affairs in a manner that did nt affair before. Increasingly, luxury is large concern: the luxury section is turning and harmonizing to most projections it will go on to turn for the following 10 to fifteen old ages. 2. Belinda Earl, * Jaeger Group s main executive * Jaeger is a luxury British trade name renowned for planing fashionable, advanced and brilliant quality womenswear, menswear and accoutrements. None of us are in the concern merchandising necessities ; luxury is the concern of making and fulfilling desires. 3. Richard Purdey of gun shapers James Purdey and Sons * Celebrated British gun shaper of London, and the name is synonymous with the really finest featuring scatterguns and rifles. Purdeys hold or have held legion warrants of assignment as gun and rifle shapers to the British and other European royal households. A existent luxury trade names has got to hold entire unity. It has to be the purchaser that says ‘this is luxury . 4. Theo Fennell * Theo Fennell is the jewelry shaper by utilizing his name for his company ‘Theo Fennel in London Luxury is something that everyone wants and cipher demands. 5. Joseph Wan of Harvey Nichols * CEO of retail merchant Harvey Nichols * Harvey Nichols is an international luxury life style shop, renowned both in the UK and internationally for the comprehensiveness and deepness of its sole manner ware. It offers many of the universe s most esteemed trade names in womenswear, menswear, accoutrements, beauty, nutrient and place. Luxury is about history. A luxury trade name is a lifestyle construct and to be sustainable it has to hold history, including a history of quality ware and of existent luxury customers.. 6. Raphael le Masne de Chermont, of Shanghai Tang * Executive Chair of Shanghai Tang * Shanghai Tang is the first luxury trade name emerging design from Chiana It is non in the monetary value, it is in the pleasance you give to the client. It is to make with creativeness, a harmonious aesthetic with attending to inside informations. 7.Christian Hafner * Head of Branding at Swarovski Luxury is about history, genuineness, deepness and being a spouse. Buying a luxury merchandise is like a love matter. 2.1 Generation Y Generation Y are besides referred as the Millennial Generation or Generation Next or Net Generation describes the demographic cohort following Generation X. Its members are frequently referred to as Millennials or Echo Boomers. Harmonizing to Shareef Mahdavi ( 2008 ) , Generation Y is the term used to depict kids of the Baby Boomer coevals, typically born between 1977 and 1995. McCrindle ( 2008 ) described the coevals Y born in between 1980 and 1994. They are besides referred to as ‘Millenials and ‘Echo Boomers in the western society, particularly American Society. Generation Y are persons who born between 1977 to 1994 that have a free disbursement spirit and consist of 71 million 8 to 25 twelvemonth olds ( Horovitz, 2002 ; Sriviroj 2007 ) . The wealthiest groups of people are between the ages of 19 to 25 twelvemonth olds who are either employed in full clip occupations or portion clip work even though there are group sum of coevals Y consumers. The greatest buying power in the Generation Y college pupil takes topographic point within the parttime pupil, who spends over $ 400 monthly on discretional purchases while frequently keeping full-time employment ( Gardyn, 2002 ) . Those who are either portion clip or at full clip work are college pupils ( Martin A ; Turley, 2004 ) . Students ever work as portion clip work to happen excess support for their inordinate disbursement during the university holidays or interruptions. There are mean 80 % of pupils go toing college or university are employed ( Martin A ; Turley, 2004 ) . The fiscal cognition of the mean Generation Y consumer besides earns them the consciousness and regard of sellers even though their disbursement power entirely is adequate ground to pay important attending to this group of consumers. The fiscal cognition of the mean Generation Y consumer besides earns them the regard of sellers today. Generation Y consumers have a singular sum of disposable income due to the increasing of greater degree in the economic system over the past decennary ( Martin A ; Turley, 2004 ) . Besides that, the research suggested that â€Å"Generation Y has more discretional income than the old coevalss and prefer to pass it on themselves instead than others. A ground for this may be because they are get downing households later in life and therefore are able to pass their income on themselves without holding to worry about others† ( Angela Hughes, 2008 ) The of import of this group of consumers has taken on the greater degree of intending for seller. â€Å"While the Baby Boomers grew up with telecasting advertisement act uponing how they were marketed to and how they bought merchandises, Generation Y has many different mediums that they grew up with, which is what makes selling to them so much more difficult† ( Angela Hughes, 2008 ) . Sellers are playing the big portion influence consumers behavior through the cognition of manner. The ground is that adolescents are concerned about manner value more than any other age groups ( Koester and May,1985 ; Sriviroj 2007 ) . One of the most influencers is the media because of media consist of a broad scope of engineering such as telecasting, cyberspace, nomadic phone and DVD. ( Angela Hughes, 2008, Sriviroj 2007 ) . The cyberspace has for good changed the manner that this coevals stores by giving the information about merchandises than the companies give the consumer. Harmonizing to A ngela Hughes ( 2008 ) , he cyberspace is besides a powerful tool for this coevals in distributing sentiments about merchandises to their equals. The largest differences between Generation Y and those that preceded them are Generation Y s enormous consciousness and assurance. Generation Y is more likely than any old coevals to look up information before buying a merchandise. Generation Y is more desirable to have the merchandises that they know their equals will accept merely to demo they are portion of the group. On the other manus, in the research of Sriviroj ( 2007 ) stated that telecasting is strongly influence these coevals which affect them as they will reflect their perceptual experiences in â€Å"reality† as they have seen in telecasting universe. â€Å"Of the paid advertisement channels of online, outdoor, newspaper, magazine, wireless, Television and Theatrical, Television and newspaper are the most sure media† ( Nielsen Global Online Consumer Survey, 2009 ) . â€Å"Generation Y is poised to take over as the largest and most moneymaking consumer group for sellers, a place that has long been held by the Baby Boomer generation† ( Angela Hughes, 2008 ) . In order to understand the coevals Y consumers, it is of import to believe about factors that motivate these persons towards the buying of luxury goods. 2.2 Social Influence Previous research shows that group influences play an of import function in act uponing the purchase determinations ( Brinberg and Plimpton, 1986 ; Martin and Bush 2000 ; Mascareches and Higby, 1993 ) . The group members have been recognized as determiner of behaviour. The fact that the people act in conformity with a frame of mention produced by the group to which they belong is a long recognized and sound premiss ( Merton and Rossi, 1949 ) . However, many persons did non act like the bulk of people in their recognized group ( e.g. , societal category or educational degree ) .The insouciant observation showed confusing contradictions between group rank and behaviours. Harmonizing to Merton and Rossi ( 1994 ) , â€Å"a partial solution was found in the construct of â€Å"reference group† , which recognizes that people often orient themselves to other than rank group in determining their behaviours and ratings and that mention groups can execute a diverseness of functions.â₠¬  Mention groups are by and large defined as â€Å"actual or fanciful establishments, persons, or groups conceived of holding important relevancy upon an individual?s ratings, aspirations, or behavior† ( Lessig and Park, 1975 ; Pertina, Prybutok, Zhang, 2008 ) . Besides that, mention group besides can be defined as â€Å"a group of people that significantly influence an person s behavior† ( Bearden and Etzel, 1982 ) . Reference group are of import because they make the person aware to a specific goods or trade names and influence persons to follow attitude and behavior that are consistent with the norm of the group. The normative and enlightening societal influences are the most widely recognized influence. Normative societal influence is based on the inclination to conform to the outlook of others while informational influence is based on the desire to do informed determinations and optimise the pick ( Stephen Yang and He, 2009 ; Khan and Khan, 2005 ) . Berden and Etzel ( 1982 ) examined that the mention group influence by merchandise and the trade name purchase determination. Previous research studied group influences in selling scheme and consumer s buying behavior. Specifically, three types of group influences are studied which is information, useful and value expressive influences ( Stephen Yang and He ; Bearden and Etzel, 1982 ; Makgosa and Mohube, 2007 ; Pertina, Prybutok, Zhang, 2008 ) . Informational influence is reflected when an single perceives sweetening of cognition and ability to get by with environment when utilizing information from sentiment leaders, experts, or merchandise use rs. Utilitarian influence manifests through the procedure of conformity with those who can exert wages or penalty power. Value-expressive mention group map is based on the designation procedure whereas an person who associates oneself with a group to heighten self-concept adopts this group s ingestion forms. Mention groups have been found to stipulate what the desirable and unwanted goods are ( Bristol and Malengburg, 2005 ; Khan and Khan, 2005 ) . Many research workers have argued that persons are more susceptible to cite groups influence when the goods is conspicuous and publically consumed ( Bearden and Etzel, 1982 ; Makgosa and Mohube, 2007 ; Batra, Homer, Kahle, 2009 ; Morris and White, 2009 ) . The influence of a mention group on consumer behaviour can be done in one of two ways, either straight or indirectly. In the research Stephen Yang and He ( 2009 ) , mention groups refer the group that person has frequent contact with ( such as household members, work associates, schoolmates, friends, etc. ) . These group is refers to the groups used by an person to direct one buying behaviors in peculiar state of affairs. These are by and large referred as direct mention group ( Schiffman and Kanuk, 1994 ) . On the other manus, it included â€Å"the groups that does non hold the rank in or direct contact with, such as certain expected groups or people in a certain societal degree ( Stephen Yang and He, 2009 ) . Based on the work of Khan and Khan ( 2005 ) , the direct mention group influence was illustrated as â€Å"families, friends, colleague, formal societal groups and other leisure groups† . This differs from the indirect mention groups comprise of â€Å"individuals and groups that influence consumers purchase purposes without holding and direct contact such as famous persons and athletics personalities† ( Khan and Khan, 2005 ) . 2.2.1 Direct Mention Groups Direct mention groups can be defined as direct contact from the person or groups with the consumers. With the mention from †¦.. , it showed that households, friends, colleague, formal societal groups and other leisure groups are under this classs. A individual has several mention groups for assorted topics or different determinations usually. For illustration, â€Å"a adult female may confer with one mention group when she is buying a auto and a different mention group for lingerie† ( Consumer Behaviour, no day of the month ) .These direct mention groups are the 1 who often contact with the consumers, It can be seen that the groups positions from direct mention groups whether purchase the goods in order to be like group members, believing in group members determinations or a mark of desiring to suit in the group. The old research workers have carried out the probes on how the function theoretical accounts ( parents, relations, equals ) influence adolescents purchase purposes and behaviour ( Martin and Bush ; Subramanian and Subramanian, 1995 ) ) and how parents and equals influence assorted merchandises and trade names purchase determinations ( Bearden and Etzel, 1982 ) . Researcher has shown that open household communicating can and frequently does act upon younger consumers attitudes toward purchases and their ingestion forms ( Martin and Bush ) . Consumers ever do non experience confident plenty to measure entirely. They will confer with a friend or spouse by ask foring them along to a possible purchase can heighten the procedure. â€Å"Having a equal nowadays meant that store assistants become mostly irrelevant and that rating of a trade name centered mostly on initial equal reaction to suit, manner and price-based decisions† ( Guy W.Mullarkey, 2001 ) . â€Å"It is besides interesting to observe that of all the three direct mention groups, friends tend to exercise the greatest influence where persons buy trade names because they identify themselves with their peers† ( Khan and Khan, 2005 ) . From the legion researches that have been done, direct mention groups influence make an immediate impact to the consumers. Therefore, it can be concluded that direct mention groups play a important function in supplying relevant information, deemed necessary to do a purchase and conform the group norm. 2.2.2 Indirect Reference Groups Indirect mention groups is the group that influence consumers purchase determinations without holding any direct contact with the consumers such as famous persons and athletics personalities. Khan and Khan ( 2005 ) defined famous persons as â€Å"individuals who are good known to the populace for their advertizements in countries other than merchandise category endorsed† and that they represent â€Å"an idealization of life† . In luxury goods industry, it will be much easier by linking the trade name to a famous person and is even viewed, in some cases, as a necessity. This is because a luxury goods company is in the concern of edifice and merchandising dreams, and nil is more helpful in doing such dreams concrete and therefore more credible in the eyes of the consumer, than pass oning it through a celebrated personality. Celebrities are being progressively used in marketing communicating by sellers to impart personality to their merchandises in India ( Matrade Chennai, 2005 ) . Young consumers particularly the generation-Y like advertizement more if they are attracted or look up to the famous persons. Positive feelings toward the famous persons and the trade name itself will develop more from the immature consumers. â€Å"Research indicates that famous person indorsements can ensue in more favourable advertisement evaluations and merchandise ratings and can hold a significant positive impact on fiscal returns for the companies that use them† ( Silvera and Austad, 2004 ) . Besides that, old research indicates that famous persons exert influence on consumers purchase purposes and determinations ( Martin and Bush, 2000 ) . â€Å"Celebrities have besides been found to heighten strength of messages and lead to existent purchases† ( Khan and Khan, 2005 ) . For illustration, Madonna and Demi Moore for Versace- beautiful, successful, mature adult females in their 40s, transgressive, independent, non-conformist, sexy, etc. ( Roncaglia and Brevetti, 200 6 ) . In decision, even there is no direct contact with consumers ; indirect mention groups have the strong influence to the generation-Y which affects their trade name picks toward the luxury goods. 2.3 Perceived Conspicuous Value Vigneron and Johnson ( 1999 ) defined five values of prestige behavior combined with five relevant motives, and from these identified five different classs of prestigiousness consumers. Harmonizing to his survey, peculiarly emphasized the function of interpersonal effects on the ingestion of prestigiousness trade names, and derived three chief effects: Veblen, Snob, and Bandwagon. â€Å"The Veblen, prig and bandwagon effects are apparent with consumers who perceive monetary value as the most of import factor, with a higher monetary value bespeaking greater prestigiousness. They normally buy rare merchandises and in this manner underscore their status† ( ( Husic and Cicic, 2008 ) . In add-on, the survey besides conducted by Vigneron A ; Johnson ( 1999 ) included the conceptualized model on two chief personal effects: Hedonist and Perfectionist. â€Å"Hedonists and perfectionists are more interested in pleasance derived from the usage of luxury merchandises, and less interested in the monetary value than quality, merchandise features and public presentation. These consumers know what they want and use their ain judgement while monetary value exists merely as cogent evidence of quality† ( Husic and Cicic, 2008 ) . Perceived conspicuous value which known as Veblen consequence is the ingestion of the luxury merchandise is viewed as a signal of position and wealth, whose monetary value, expensive by normal criterions, enhances the value of such a signal. ( Vigneron and Johnson, 1999 ) . Several research workers demonstrated that monetary value of merchandise have a important facet in consumers sentiment of quality ( Vigneron A ; Johnson, 1999 ) . The monetary value of the merchandise is use to judge quality of the luxury merchandises between different trade names. Luxury is an expensive investing. Therefore, a high monetary value has to be justified by an outstanding quality and aesthetics that mass produced goods ca nt vouch ( Barnier, Rodina, Florence, 2005 ) . For some consumers, high monetary value peers high quality ; hence, they are willing to pay more for high quality. â€Å"Brand exclusivity is the placement of a trade name such that it can command a high monetary value relation to similar products† ( Groth and McDaniel, 1993 ) . In add-on, it is suggested that â€Å"consumers who perceived monetary value as a placeholder for quality, besides perceived high monetary values as an index proposing a certain grade of prestige† ( Lichtenstein, Ridgway, and Netemeyer 1993 ) . This statement is farther supported in recommend the usage of prestige-pricing scheme by the selling literature when appealing to status-conscious consumers ( Vigneron and Johnson, 1999 ; Luong Thi Bich Thuy, 2008 ) . Numerous research workers have conducted the original work from Bourne ( 1957 ) , which focused on the influence of mention groups on the ingestion of prestigiousness trade names ( Mason 1981 and 1992 ; Bearden and Etzel 1982, Vigneron and Johnson, 1999 ) . They found that there was a positive relationship between conspicuous ingestion and mention groups. Surveies on mention group influence have shown that the â€Å"conspicuousness of a merchandise was positively related to its susceptibleness to cite group influence† ( Vigneron and Johnson, 1999 ) . Additionally, Bearden and Etzel ( 1982 ) stated that luxury merchandises that were publically purchased are more conspicuous merchandises in comparing to merchandises that were in private consumed. The surveies besides suggested that the luxury merchandises may used to pass on information about their individuality. Veblen ( 1899 ) suggested that conspicuous ingestion was used by people to signal wealth and by illation power and position. The public-service corporation of the luxury merchandises may be to expose wealth and one could see that luxury trade names would rule the conspicuous section of the consumers. In decision, it can be concluded that conspicuous ingestion of luxury goods is used to expose wealth, power and position. It is playing important function that how single motivated into buying luxury goods. 2.4 Perceived Quality Value Within the field of selling, the concept of sensed quality has been widely acknowledged as the primary driver of purchase purpose ( Jacoby and Olson, 1985 ) . Harmonizing to Vigneron and Johnson ( 1999 ) , perceived quality value is defined as â€Å"luxury is partially derived from proficient high quality and the utmost attention that takes topographic point during the production process† . Therefore, Husic and Cicic ( 2008 ) stated perfectionism consequence or perceived quality as â€Å"perfectionist consumers depend on their ain perceptual experience of the merchandise s quality, and may utilize monetary value as farther grounds of quality† . â€Å"Excellent quality is a sine qua non and it is of import that the premium seller maintains and develops leading in quality† ( Quelch, 1987 ; Vigneron and Johnson, 1999 ; Dubois, Laurent, Czellar, 2009 ; Barnier, Rodina, Florence, 2005 ; Srichan Sriviroj, 2007 ) . In a study conducted by ACNielsen ( 2008 ) , it was found that on a planetary norm, â€Å"28 % believe that are of significantly higher quality than standard brands† . Beginning: ACNielsen Report ( Consumer and Deisgner Brands ) , April 2008 Consumer might have prestige goods because they are likely to be of higher quality ( Vigneron and Johnson, 1999 ) . A consumer who own a luxury manner goods is likely to anticipate that the goods length of service and lastingness ( Dubois, Laurent, Czellar, 2009 ; Barnier, Rodina, Florence, 2005 ; Srichan Sriviroj, 2007 ; Sarisa Suvarnasuddhi, 2007 ) comparison with mass merchandises. It should go better with clip and should non lose its entreaty ( Barnier, Rodina, Florence, 2005 ) . Harmonizing to the Nielsen study ( 2009 ) , designer trade names stand for manner and superior quality nevertheless in the developing markets of Latin America, Asia, South Africa and the UAE. A half of respondents in these states think these trade names are for manner followings, and up to 40 per centum believe they offer superior quality. Therefore, it is interesting that the greatest per centum of people who believe interior decorator trade names offer significantly higher quality over non interior decorator options hail from Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Turkey. Beginning: ACNielsen Report ( Consumer and Deisgner Brands ) , May 2006 Luxury and premium trade names are expected to demo quality and even greater quality every bit good ( Garfein, 1989 ; Roux, 1995 ; Vigneron and Johnson, 1999 ; Srichan Sriviroj, 2007 ; Luong Thi Bich Thuy, 2008 ) . Groth and McDaniel ( 1993 ) stated that â€Å"high monetary values may even do certain merchandises or service more desirable† , because people take that merchandises with high monetary values with great quality ( Rao and Monroe, 1989 ) . In fact, luxury merchandises will lose their scarceness and uniqueness features if luxury merchandises are non priced high ( Dubois and Duquesne, 1993 ) . The surveies and literature on luxury merchandises suggested that the â€Å"quality cue might besides be used by consumers to measure the degree of prestigiousness of brands† ( Rao and Monroe, 1989 ; Vigneron and Johnson, 1999 ; Luong Thi Bich Thuy, 2008 ) . A low degree of quality would play a negative function over the perceptual experience of the trade name. In contrast , the individual s quality perceptual experience would play a positive function over his or her perceptual experience of prestigiousness on the same trade name if the purchaser or the consumer perceives the trade name as holding an first-class degree of quality. ( Vigneron and Johnson, 1999 ; Luong Thi Bich Thuy, 2008 ) Harmonizing to Vigneron and Johnson ( 1999 ) , it stated that the perfectionist consequence exists when consumers purchase luxury points and expects superior merchandises and public presentation every bit good as quality. Peoples who represent the perfectionist consequence are those â€Å"who are assessed to personal values and justice a merchandise harmonizing to their value of a luxury trade name product† ( Srichan Sriviroj, 2007 ; Luong Thi Bich Thuy, 2008 ) such as comfort and velocity for luxury auto or truth of the luxury ticker. Even old researches showed that conspicuous valley is more of import consequence and evident with consumers who perceive monetary value is the most of import factor. However, there were research workers stated that quality value is besides of import such as Jacoby and Olson ( 1983 ) . In decision, perceived quality value were found of import to analyze and can be use to place the luxury ingestion. 2.5 Brand Image Brand is a name, term, design, symbol, or any other characteristic that identifies one marketer s good or service as distinguishable from those of other Sellerss ( www.marketingpower.com ; Iyiade Adedamola Taofik, 2009 ; Suvarnasuddhi, 2007 ) . In the research of Korchia ( 1999 ) , â€Å"image creates value in a assortment of ways, assisting consumers to treat information, distinguishing the trade name, bring forthing grounds to purchase, giving positive feelings, and supplying a footing for extensions† . Cheng ( 2006 ) stated that trade name is of import because the consumers perceptual experience of a merchandise can be affected by the added value of a trade name. â€Å"Brands signal to consumers the quality of a merchandise, the image that it is meant to convey, every bit good as stand foring peculiar current garment manners and tendencies in a manner context† ( Keller, 1993 ; Guy W.Mullarkey, 2001 ) . Brand image can be defines as â€Å"perceptions about a trade name as reflected by the trade name associations held in consumer memory† ( Keller, 1993 ; Cheng, 2006 ; Rio, Varques, Iglesias, 2001 ) . Many research workers have been agreed the of import of trade name image. Brand image is polar because it influences purchase purpose and consumers penchant every bit good as they are willing to urge to others and willing to pay higher monetary value ( Forsythe, Kwon, P.Leone, Shannon, 2008 ; Aiello, Donvito, Godey, Pederzoli, Wiedmann, Hennigs, Siebels ) â€Å"To win in the altering market place, a interior decorator trade name needs to sell its nucleus trade name values ; the â€Å"image† reflected in the design and the life style it represents is what consumers pay a premium to purchase into† remarked byKaren Watson, Chief Communications Officer, The Nielsen Company. Consumers able to difference the merchandise distinction, diminish the purchase hazards, obtain several experience and acknowledge the merchandise and its quality through trade name image ( Lin and Lin, 2007 ) . â€Å"The personal designation map is related to the fact that consumers can place themselves with some trade names and develop feelings of affinity towards them† ( Rio, Varques, Iglesias, 2001 ) . It refers to correspondence between consumers behavior, self image and image of the merchandise. Through the image of the merchandises the consumers buy and use, his or her self image can be better based on the theory. It besides can be inferred that â€Å"individuals prefer trade names that have images compatible with their perceptual experiences of self† ( Chiu, Lin, Chiu, Chang ) . In add-on, a positive trade name image able to take down the merchandises purchase hazards and increase the positive feedback from consumers. â€Å"Consumers are more likely to buy goo d known trade name merchandises with positive trade name image as a manner to take down purchase risks† ( Akaah and Korgaonkar, 1988 ; Aiello, Donvito, Godey, Pederzoli, Wiedmann, Hennigs, Siebels ) . Hence, consumers feel it is less hazardous by buying branded merchandises. â€Å"The state of beginning of a trade name is besides an influential factor for consumers taking a merchandise in both Asia and in Western countries† ( Pervin ) . There are many researches suggested the state of origin influence on consumer perceptual experience and behavior through the image of the merchandise s state of beginning ( Phau and Leng, 2008 ; Forsythe, Kwon, P.Leone, Shannon, 2008 ; Aiello, Donvito, Godey, Pederzoli, Wiedmann, Hennigs, Siebels ) . It creates positive trade name image to increase the possibility for the merchandises to be chosen and besides raise the inferior image of the state of beginning ( Thakor and Katsanis ; 1997 Lin and Lin, 2007 ) . Harmonizing to Grewal, Krishnan, Baker, and Borin ( 1998 ) , the better a trade name image is, the more acknowledgment consumers give to its merchandise quality. In drumhead, it ca nt be denied that trade name image plays a pivotal in determining consumers perceptual experience of a trade name. Therefore, it can be conclude that trade name image is important to the consumers purchase determination. 2.6 Aestheticss â€Å"An aesthetic object is defined as an object produces a centripetal response in an audience such as satisfaction, pleasance or affect† ( Fine, 1992 ; Eisenman, 2009 ) . The researches from Barnier, Rodina, Florence ( 2009 ) shows that the aesthetics are primary importance because the dimension coloring material, design and beauty create by manner. The aesthetics dimensions of goods are anticipated but besides presented every bit good as from the people who consume these goods ( Dubois, Laurent, Czellar, 2001 ) . Harmonizing to Eisenman ( 2009 ) , aesthetics of the merchandises are increasing in of import competitory dimension from the outstanding houses who appear to be giving aesthetics. The consumers are attracted by the coloring material, originality of its design and manner at the first topographic point. Harmonizing to Barnier, Rodina, Florence ( 2009 ) , the beauty and originality of the merchandises can be show by the combination of the coloring material and the stuff which are playing the of import functions of design and manner. Beauty of the merchandise is truly of import because it motivates and encourages to touch and experience the merchandises. Luxury can heighten the ego construct of single consumer ( Suvarnasuddhi, 2007 ; Dubois, Laurent, Czellar, 2001 ) . Luxury trade names build up to go a portion of the ego in footings of individuality where ownerships influence their peculiarity onto the single and frailty versa. By asseverating that an object is ‘mine , it is demoing ownership and connexion that the object is a contemplation of the individual ( Suvarnasuddhi, 2007 ) . â€Å"Because an object is identified as luxury, consumers expect a superior good and experience to come out of it, gravitating the consumer into another degree of ingestion unique merely to luxury brands† ( Suvarnasuddhi, 2007 ) . The luxury is a beginning of animal pleasance where the consumers able to have a pleasurable of excellence and polish. It is non merely about the quality but it besides pleasant odor, touch, gustatory sensation or hear. Hence, the ingestion of luxury as hedonistic experience allows the consumer to touch all the senses ( Dubois, Laurent, Czellar, 2001 ; Barnier, Rodina, Florence, 2009 ) . Harmonizing to Sriviroj ( 2007 ) , the young person significantly represent the hedonic consequence in their attitude towards luxury points which further show that group norms are non able to act upon the young person. On the impudent side, they can accomplish self fulfillment by having luxury goods. â€Å"They expression for sole benefits and if merchandises creat e an emotional value for consumers it represents that the merchandise has been beneficial† ( Sriviroj, 2007 ) . The emotional value that the young person expression for include pleasance, exhilaration and aesthetic beauty. In decision, it was found that aesthetics was found to be importance to the survey. It effects the purchase determination of coevals Y on luxury manner. 2.7 Chapter Summary Chapter 2 with respects to literature reappraisal is in kernel a reappraisal on the findings and consequences of past research workers. An appraisal of all the subjects of involvement is provided with an debut to all the factors that have an influence over a consumer s purchase of luxury goods. Chapter 2 started by supplying an thought of the planetary luxury goods market followed by the first factor or variable of involvement, which is the societal influence by direct and indirect mention groups, followed by a elaborate treatment on the other factors, such as the perceived conspicuous and sensed quality value on purchase determinations. Next, trade name image was discussed. Last, the issue of aesthetics and its influence on the purchase of luxury goods was besides discussed.

Maya Blue - Distinctive Color Used by Maya Artists

Maya Blue - Distinctive Color Used by Maya Artists Maya Blue is the name of a hybrid organic and inorganic pigment, used by the Maya civilization to decorate pots, sculpture, codices and panels. While its date of invention is somewhat controversial, the pigment was predominantly used within the Classic period beginning about AD 500. The distinctive blue color, as seen in the murals at Bonampak in the photo, was created using a combination of materials, including indigo and palygorskite (called sak luum or white earth in the Yucatec Maya language). Maya blue was used primarily in ritual contexts, pottery, offerings, copal incense balls and murals. By itself, palygorskite was used for medicinal properties and as an additive for ceramic tempers, in addition to its use in the creation of Maya blue. Making Maya Blue The striking turquoise color of Maya Blue is quite tenacious as such things go, with visible colors left on stone stele after hundreds of years in the subtropical climate at sites such as Chichà ©n Itz and Cacaxtla. Mines for the palygorskite component of Maya Blue are known at Ticul, YoSah Bab, Sacalum, and Chapab, all in the Yucatn peninsula of Mexico. Maya Blue requires the combination of ingredientsthe indigo plant and palygorskite oreat temperatures between 150 and 200 degrees centigrade. Such heat is necessary to get molecules of indigo incorporated into the white palygorskite clay. The process of embedding (intercalcating) indigo into the clay makes the color stable, even under exposure to harsh climate, alkali, nitric acid and organic solvents. The application of heat to the mixture may have been completed in a kiln built for that purposekilns are mentioned in early Spanish chronicles of the Maya. Arnold et al. (in Antiquity below) suggest that Maya Blue may also have been made as a by-product of burning copal incense at ritual ceremonies. Dating Maya Blue Using a series of analytical techniques, scholars have identified the content of various Maya samples. Maya Blue is generally believed to have been used first during the Classic period. Recent research at Calakmul supports suggestions that Maya Blue began to be used when the Maya began painting internal murals on temples during the late pre-classic period, ~300 BC-AD 300. However, murals at Acanceh, Tikal, Uaxactun, Nakbe, Calakmul and other pre-classic sites dont seem to have included Maya Blue in their palettes. A recent study of the interior polychrome murals at Calakmul (Vzquez de gredos Pascual 2011) conclusively identified a blue painted and modelled substructure dated to ~150 AD; this is the earliest example of Maya Blue to date. Scholarly Studies of Maya Blue Maya blue was first identified by Harvard archaeologist R. E. Merwin at Chichà ©n Itz in the 1930s. Much work on Maya Blue has been completed by Dean Arnold, who over his 40 year investigation has combined ethnography, archaeology, and materials science in his studies. A number of non-archaeological material studies of the mixture and chemical makeup of Maya blue have been published over the past decade. A preliminary study on sourcing palygorskite using trace element analysis has been undertaken. A few mines have been identified in the Yucatn and elsewhere; and tiny samples have been taken from the mines as well as paint samples from ceramics and murals of known provenience. Neutron activation analysis (INAA) and laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy (LA-ICP-MS) have both been used in an attempt to identify the trace minerals within the samples, reported in a 2007 article in Latin American Antiquity listed below. Although there were some problems with correlating the two methodologies, the pilot study identified trace amounts of rubidium, manganese and nickel in the various sources which may prove useful in identifying the sources of the pigment. Additional research by the team reported in 2012 (Arnold et al. 2012) hinged on the presence of palygorskite, and that mineral was identified in several ancient samples as having the same chemical make up a modern mines at Sacalum and possibly Yo Sak Kab. Chromatographic analysis of the indigo dye was securely identified within a Maya blue mixture from a pottery censer excavated from Tlatelolco in Mexico, and reported in 2012. Sanz and colleagues found that blue coloration used on a 16th century codex attributed to Bernardino Sahagà ºn was also identified as following a classic Maya recipe. Recent investigations have also centered on the composition of Maya Blue, indicating that perhaps making Maya Blue was a ritual part of sacrifice at  Chichà ©n Itz. See  Maya Blue: Ritual and Recipe  for more information. Sources This glossary entry is a part of the About.com guide to  Maya, and the  Guide to Ancient Pigments. Anonymous. 1998.  Ceramic Ethnoarchaeology at Ticul, Yucatn, Mexico.  Society for Archaeological Sciences Bulletin  21(12). Arnold DE. 2005. Maya blue and palygorskite: A second possible pre-Columbian source.  Ancient Mesoamerica  16(1):51-62. Arnold DE, Bohor BF, Neff H, Feinman GM, Williams PR, Dussubieux L, and Bishop R. 2012.  The first direct evidence of pre-columbian sources of palygorskite for Maya Blue.  Journal of Archaeological Science  39(7):2252-2260. Arnold DE, Branden JR, Williams PR, Feinman G, and Brown JP. 2008.  The first direct evidence for the production of Maya Blue: rediscovery of a technology.  Antiquity  82(315):151-164. Arnold DE, Neff H, Glascock MD, and Speakman RJ. 2007. Sourcing the Palygorskite Used in Maya Blue: A Pilot Study Comparing the Results of INAA and LA-ICP-MS.  Latin American Antiquity  18(1):44–58. Berke H. 2007.  The invention of blue and purple pigments in ancient times.  Chemical Society Reviews  36:15–30. Chiari G, Giustetto R, Druzik J, Doehne E, and Ricchiardi G. 2008.  Pre-columbian nanotechnology: reconciling the mysteries of the maya blue pigment.  Applied Physics A  90(1):3-7. Sanz E, Arteaga A, Garcà ­a MA, Cmara C, and Dietz C. 2012.  Chromatographic analysis of indigo from Maya Blue by LC–DAD–QTOF.  Journal of Archaeological Science  39(12):3516-3523. Vzquez de gredos Pascual, Domà ©nech Carbà ³ MT, and Domà ©nech Carbà ³ A. 2011.  Characterization of Maya Blue pigment in pre-classic and classic monumental architecture of the ancient pre-Columbian city of Calakmul (Campeche, Mexico).  Journal of Cultural Heritage  12(2):140-148.

How to Display Menu Item Hints in Delphi Applications

How to Display Menu Item Hints in Delphi Applications Use specific coding language to program Delphi applications to display a hint, or tooltip, when the mouse hovers over a menu component. If the ShowHint property is set to true and you add text to the hint property, this message will be displayed when the mouse is placed over the component (a TButton, for example). Enable Hints for Menu Items Because of the way Windows is designed, even if you set the value for the hint property to a menu item, the popup hint will not get displayed. However, the Windows start menu items do display hints. The favorites menu in Internet Explorer also displays menu item hints. It is possible to use the OnHint event of the global application variable in Delphi applications to display menu item hints in a status bar. Windows does not expose the messages needed to support a traditional OnMouseEnter event. However, the WM_MENUSELECT message is sent when the user selects a menu item. The WM_MENUSELECT implementation of the TCustomForm (ancestor of the TForm) sets the menu item hint to Application.Hint so it can be used in the Application.OnHint event. If you want to add menu item popup hints (tooltips) to your Delphi application menus, focus on the WM_MenuSelect message. Popup Hints Since you cannot rely on the Application.ActivateHint method to display the hint window for menu items (as menu handling is completely done by Windows), to get the hint window displayed you must create your own version of the hint window by deriving a new class from the THintWindow. Heres how to create a TMenuItemHint class. This is a hint widow that actually gets displayed for menu items! First, you need to handle the WM_MENUSELECT Windows message: type TForm1 class(TForm) ... private procedure WMMenuSelect(var Msg: TWMMenuSelect) ; message WM_MENUSELECT; end...implementation...procedure TForm1.WMMenuSelect(var Msg: TWMMenuSelect) ;var  Ã‚  menuItem : TMenuItem;  Ã‚  hSubMenu : HMENU;begin inherited; // from TCustomForm (so that Application.Hint is assigned) menuItem : nil; if (Msg.MenuFlag $FFFF) or (Msg.IDItem 0) then begin if Msg.MenuFlag and MF_POPUP MF_POPUP then begin hSubMenu : GetSubMenu(Msg.Menu, Msg.IDItem) ; menuItem : Self.Menu.FindItem(hSubMenu, fkHandle) ; end else begin menuItem : Self.Menu.FindItem(Msg.IDItem, fkCommand) ; end; end;  Ã‚  miHint.DoActivateHint(menuItem) ;end; (*WMMenuSelect*) Quick info: the WM_MENUSELECT message is sent to a menus owner window when the user selects (but does not click) a menu item. Using the FindItem method of the TMenu class, you can get the menu item currently selected. Parameters of the FindItem function relate to the properties of the message received. Once we know what menu item the mouse is over, we call the DoActivateHint method of the TMenuItemHint class. The miHint variable is defined as var miHint : TMenuItemHint and is created in the Forms OnCreate event handler. Now, whats left is the implementation of the TMenuItemHint class. Heres the interface part: TMenuItemHint class(THintWindow)private activeMenuItem : TMenuItem; showTimer : TTimer; hideTimer : TTimer; procedure HideTime(Sender : TObject) ; procedure ShowTime(Sender : TObject) ;public constructor Create(AOwner : TComponent) ; override; procedure DoActivateHint(menuItem : TMenuItem) ; destructor Destroy; override;end; Basically, the DoActivateHint function calls the ActivateHint method of the THintWindow using the TMenuItems Hint property (if it is assigned). The showTimer is used to ensure that the HintPause of the Application elapses before the hint is displayed. The hideTimer uses Application.HintHidePause to hide the hint window after a specified interval. Using Menu Item Hints While some might say that it is not a good design to display hints for menu items, there are situations where actually displaying menu item hints is much better than using a status bar. A most recently used (MRU) menu item list is one such case. A custom taskbar menu is another.

Ludwig van Beethoven Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ludwig van Beethoven - Essay Example He had health issues which eventually took his life when he caught a cold. He was passionate about his work and while he knew that he was going deaf, he wrote as much music as he could before losing his ability to hear. He was also known to be an excessive and impulsive person. He would also become angry at many of his supporters but he always makes amends. Important places of Beethoven’s history include Vienna, Cologne, and Bonn. There were many prestigious musicians who have influenced Beethoven. Including his father, Gottlob Neefe, and Prince Maximilian Franz who have all helped Beethoven become the legend he is. He made a living out of music but he still suffered from financial difficulties because of his nephew. Beethoven had played many concerts and he has even played compositions for Europe’s most powerful leaders. Beethoven is famous for his ability to create beautiful classical music that maximized the romanticism period. Musical Forms: Sonata form: Tempest Son ata Rondo form: Rondo Sonate Pathetique Scherzo: Symphony no. 9 Fugue: Gro?e Fuge

Comparing Mortgage Rates Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Comparing Mortgage Rates - Research Paper Example Mortgage quotes that are published such as these are usually rates and terms available under the best of circumstance while your rate will vary according to: credit, down payment, house location and size, and your ability to prove income and assets Verbal rates are not a guarantee and you must get a written quote if you want to be assured the rate is ‘locked’ in and you should always get a letter of confirmation of your rate, rates that go up between the start of your mortgage process and the closing date can cost you thousands of dollars over the life of your loan Do not assume that because you are offered at good rate on one type of loan that you will get the same rate on a different type of mortgage Many people do not consider closing costs and fees when shopping for a mortgage Based on the effective annual rate the Lending tree offers the best rate for a fifteen year fixed interest rate loan. This amount is the percentage paid per year on the mortgage over the lifeti me of the loan. AmeriSave offers the lowest effective annual rate on a thirty year mortgage. Paying some of the interest in advance can reduce the accrual over the course of the year. Any fees or penalties that you accrue during the loan are added to the principle and will increase the EAR. These effective annual rates make sense as being the lowest because they are also in line with the lowest rates. Different lenders are able to offer different rates somewhat based on what type of lender they are, a mortgage lender or mortgage broker, each charging a different commission rate on the loan. Mortgage broker do not actually lend money and are used to help an individual find a direct loan, charging the consumer a fee for this service. While this is advantageous in that they will shop many lenders for you in an attempt to gain the best rate you will pay the associated fees, which are usually between 0.5-1 % of the loan value. The difference in rate will have a material impact on the con sumer because the value of the property will either decrease or increase with the market over the course of the loan. Investors may choose 30 year investment mortgages over other options because the value of the dollar while continue to decrease while the investment property and amount of payment remains the same. This is due to inflation of the economy and other market factors. References Today's Rate Results. (2012). Bank of America. Retrieved 2012, from https://www9.bankofamerica.com/home-loans/mortgage-purchase/TodaysRateResults.go?referrer=/home-loans/mortgage-purchase/rates Mortgage - Home Loans - Refinance - Mortgage Refinancing - Mortgage Rates - Home Equity. (2012). Retrieved 2012, from http://www.lendingtree.com/ Mortgage, Refinancing, Home Loan, Mortgage Rates - GMAC Mortgage. (2012). Retrieved 2012, from http://www.gmacmortgage.com/ Chase Mortgages - Home Lending | New or Refinance Mortgage Loans Online. (2012). CHASE Home: Personal Banking | Personal Lending | Retiremen t & Investing | Business Banking. Retrieved 2012,

International Relations Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

International Relations Theory - Essay Example Realism helps us see how the lack of hierarchy in authority at the systemic level creates rules that confine the choices available to states. Similarly, the emphasis on power explains why some states are more successful in achieving their goals than are others. This approach to world politics called realism has a long, distinguished history and offers a coherent, parsimonious explanation for much of what goes on across the globe. Realism theory is different from liberalism and postinternationalism. Liberalism promotes the freedom to pursue economic gain, liberty to participate in the affairs of public life, respect for political human rights, and minimal government. Postinternationalism comes from the presumption that accelerating change and deepening complexity are the major tendencies at work in the world. Realism, liberalism, and postinternational polaics paradigms have some common elements but they also rest on different and contradictory, premises. Hans Morgenthau (1948) first expounded a theory on international relations which explained the past and current events and which will be the likely direction and shape of future relations. Morgenthau's ideas is similar to writings on world politics and represented continuity with the past. The realist approach stems from Thucydides, the chronicler of the ancient Peloponnesian War, who wrote, "The strong do what they have the power to do, the weak accept what they have to accept." Thucydides pushed for a first-class navy and the wealth of empire gave an edge to Athens. (Thucydides, 1978). It was "the growth of Athenian power and the fear this caused in Sparta" that, in Thucydides' opinion, caused the war. The fact of Athenian power and the fact, known to his readers, that Athens ultimately lost the war creates a terrible tension in his book. (Robert Connor, 1984). Athens, a powerful state lost the war because it overextended itself and fell victim to its own sense of grandeur. Its ci tizens forgot the necessity for moderation and denigrated the virtues of taking justice as well as advantage into their political calculations. Power, as expressed in ships and money, and the moral character of the warring cities accounted for the final outcome of the war.Power holds the two strands of realism that have evolved in the modern era. Traditional realism, which evolved in the 1930s and in the post-World War II period, is a form of realism grounded in a view of human nature. It points out that humans are self-interested, rational, and seek power; qualities that lead to the consistent, regular behavior of states. Traditional realism holds that we live in "a world of opposing interests and of conflict among them, moral principles can never be fully realized, but must at best be approximated through the ever temporary balancing of interest and the very precarious settlement of disputes." (Buzan, et.al., 1984).Neorealism or structural realism, highlights the structure of the international system rather than human nature to account for the behavior of states. Individual preference does not particularly count, since the individuals themselves do not matter a great deal in explaining the behavior of states. This theory proposes that the lack of central authority in the international system causes states to behave the way they do. The set-up of the international system forces states to attend not just to their own interests but to any changes in the power of other states. Realism

Tomkins PLC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Tomkins PLC - Essay Example The declaration of dividend is often almost solely dependent on the internal condition of a company. Accordingly, a company is only able to declare a cash dividend if its operation in the fiscal year had been profitable and if it has enough cash. Capital gains on the other hand, are determined by various factors internal and external to the company. Operating performance, investor financial ratios, revenues and profits are often determines the price level of stocks. Other external factors such as interest rates, competitors, and other company issues are irrefutably integrated in the investors' perception of the intrinsic value of a stock. Thus, the creation of wealth for shareholders is often reflected at the dividend pay-outs and the appreciation of its stock price. This report will look at the shareholder value creation of Tomkins PLC for the past ten years. The next section will give a brief background on the company. The paper will then present how the company maximized shareholder value through dividends and capital gains. Relevant investor ratios will also be examined. Lastly, the report will conclude on how the company can further develop its wealth creation record. Tomkins PLC is player in the international engineering industry listed in both London (LSE) and New York Stock Exchanges (NYSE). Generally, the company is subdivided into two business segments namely, industrial and automotive, and building products. The company expressed that "Our primary business objective is to achieve a long term sustainable growth in the economic value of Tomkins through strategic development of our businesses." Tomkins PLC was recognized by the Euromonitor as one of the top companies in the world in terms of Ownership Transparency and Rights, Financial Transparency & Process, Board Structure, Stakeholder Relations and Alignment of Managerial Interest. The company garnered a high score as it ranked number two in developing countries and the best of four British companies in the top ten (Tomkins top for Corporate Governance 2003). This just reflects the company's commitment in enhancing transparency for investors on the real value of their stocks. Tomkins Chairman David Newlands expressed, "We are very pleased with this accolade from Euromoney, which acknowledges the enormous amount of work that we have put into Corporate Governance. At Tomkins we have made corporate governance and delivering shareholder value our top priorities and this survey is recognition of how far we have come. We continue to concentrate on maintaining the highest standards of transparency and delivering value to our s hareholders." Dividends As stated above, dividend is an indicator of shareholder value creation. Through dividends, each stockholder is compensated for holding the company's stock. It is

Monopoly Market and Monopolistic Competitive Market Essay

Monopoly Market and Monopolistic Competitive Market - Essay Example Each potato chip market type has its own benefits and peculiarities. Monopoly A monopoly, including the Wonks monopoly, occurs if there are no competitors. There is only one seller of a certain product type or brand in the community. Likewise, monopoly occurs when there is only one product that serves a specific need or want. Monopoly crops up when new entrants are prohibited or cannot topple the obstacles to entering a market occupied by only one seller. For example, the school allows only the school’s own bookstore to sell the students’ required textbooks. The community’s only electric power company is a monopoly. States normally admit only one tap water entity to supply the community’s water needs (King, 2011, p. 355). Under a monopoly, there are significant hindrances to entrants to the monopoly market, especially with the potato chip industry monopoly. For example, legal barriers prevent competitors from entering the monopoly market. For example, the government only allows one company the license to operate within the community, city, or state. Some states offer a monopoly license to one company to serve the water, sewer, natural gas, and electric power needs of the constituents. In other states, the government operates monopoly liquor stores and lotteries. Likewise, the United States Postal Services has a monopoly license to deliver first class mail. ... The government can ensure more accurate collection of taxes. The government has to monitor only one company supplying the water, electricity, gas, mail, and other needs of the community. The government’s tax collection efforts will be easier. The businesses have to transact with only one company in a specific market segments. The business entity has to only contact one water supply company, one mail delivery agency, or one electricity provider, for their water, mail, and electricity needs. The consumers can easily locate the only entity responsible for the supply of water, electricity, and mail services. The stakeholders will have lesser time and difficulty finding and transacting with the monopoly company serving the needs and wants of the community. Pricing under the monopoly differs from the monopolized competitive market. The monopoly company can raise its selling prices without losing its current customer base. The customers have no other alternative but to pay the higher prices. The government can step in and set limits to the monopoly company’s price increases. The government can interfere when the monopoly company’s price increases borders on abuse of the customers. Government interference is required when the price increase does not equate to the improvement of the company’s current unfavorable service (Dudey, 1996). In terms of production, the monopoly enjoys exclusive rights to sell its products and services to the current and prospective customers. Microsoft is the exclusive seller of Microsoft computer software products (Gisser, 2001, p. 211). Microsoft is the sole seller of Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows NT software. The company’s monopoly of the Microsoft office software forces all computer users to buy

Tomkins PLC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Tomkins PLC - Essay Example The declaration of dividend is often almost solely dependent on the internal condition of a company. Accordingly, a company is only able to declare a cash dividend if its operation in the fiscal year had been profitable and if it has enough cash. Capital gains on the other hand, are determined by various factors internal and external to the company. Operating performance, investor financial ratios, revenues and profits are often determines the price level of stocks. Other external factors such as interest rates, competitors, and other company issues are irrefutably integrated in the investors' perception of the intrinsic value of a stock. Thus, the creation of wealth for shareholders is often reflected at the dividend pay-outs and the appreciation of its stock price. This report will look at the shareholder value creation of Tomkins PLC for the past ten years. The next section will give a brief background on the company. The paper will then present how the company maximized shareholder value through dividends and capital gains. Relevant investor ratios will also be examined. Lastly, the report will conclude on how the company can further develop its wealth creation record. Tomkins PLC is player in the international engineering industry listed in both London (LSE) and New York Stock Exchanges (NYSE). Generally, the company is subdivided into two business segments namely, industrial and automotive, and building products. The company expressed that "Our primary business objective is to achieve a long term sustainable growth in the economic value of Tomkins through strategic development of our businesses." Tomkins PLC was recognized by the Euromonitor as one of the top companies in the world in terms of Ownership Transparency and Rights, Financial Transparency & Process, Board Structure, Stakeholder Relations and Alignment of Managerial Interest. The company garnered a high score as it ranked number two in developing countries and the best of four British companies in the top ten (Tomkins top for Corporate Governance 2003). This just reflects the company's commitment in enhancing transparency for investors on the real value of their stocks. Tomkins Chairman David Newlands expressed, "We are very pleased with this accolade from Euromoney, which acknowledges the enormous amount of work that we have put into Corporate Governance. At Tomkins we have made corporate governance and delivering shareholder value our top priorities and this survey is recognition of how far we have come. We continue to concentrate on maintaining the highest standards of transparency and delivering value to our s hareholders." Dividends As stated above, dividend is an indicator of shareholder value creation. Through dividends, each stockholder is compensated for holding the company's stock. It is

Marketing is the major factor in the success in any business. True or Essay

Marketing is the major factor in the success in any business. True or false - Essay Example This paper seeks to discuss some of the key aspects that marketing a determining factor for the success of any business. One of the major merits of marketing is to inform the potential customers about a particular product or service. A business that wants to be known by the communities and more customers must employ marketing strategies as a way of informing the customers about a new brand. Without conducting effective marketing, potential customers may not be aware of ones business leave alone the products and services being provided. Thus prospective customers can know about new or existing business by use of marketing and promotion (Hochbaum 37). Customers are communicated to through the use of advertising for example through television, magazines, internet, bill boards as well as promotional methods such as competitions and road side shows. Another importance of marketing is that once the business owner informs his or her potential customers about the products and services being provided by the business, there is a high probability of the consumers making a purchase. After the potential customers becomes aware of the products they are also in a position to make word of mouth marketing that involves telling their families and friends about the benefits of a new products that that have purchased from the business (Kotler and Philip 24). As a result, the business will experience high sales and sustainable profitability that is essential for the expansion of the company operations. It is vital to note that without use of marketing strategies it would be possible to achieve such high sales. Solid reputation leads to the success of a business. As a major responsibility, marketing assists in building the image of a business. When a business is involved in marketing strategies for example through corporate social responsibilities such

Newspaper article to evaluate Essay Example for Free

Newspaper article to evaluate Essay Newspaper article to evaluate and review the purpose of faith schools in multi-faith and multicultural Britain. Faith schools in Britain are schools that teach general national curriculums but using religious principles and aims within their teaching. The extremities of these principles vary between different faiths and different schools. The term â€Å"faith schools† was first used in 1990 when Muslim institutes demanded for more freedom within education. There is approximately 7000 faith schools in Britain, almost a third of all state funded schools with around one and quarter million pupils but many ask if there is any need for such a large number of faith schools in a society that is becoming more secular. In 2006, 197 faith schools made up the 209 primary schools in the UK that achieved â€Å"perfect† results in that year’s league tables. All students reached the expected standard for 11 year olds in English, maths and science. The best school in the tables was North Cheshire Jewish primary school which offers â€Å"a traditional Jewish education†. The most improved school was St Anne’s Roman Catholic primary school whose results tripled within three years. Some would say that faith schools create a â€Å"social sorting† of children according to class, ability, religion and academics. This could be backed up by the fact that faith schools achieve higher exam results on average in the UK. However, the pupils who attend the secondary faith schools who have been to high-achieving primary schools appear to be from more well-off families. As well as this, according to a report for the Government, faith schools only achieve better results as they select the best pupils, not because of their religious ethos thus raising the question in whether if there is a need for faith schools. The Politics Show South has surveyed all the secondary schools in the region and found that 72% of pupils at the regions faith schools got five good GCSE results, as against a national average of 53. 7% getting five good GCSE results. Four out of five faith schools in the South beat the national average. A parent at the Islamia Primary School in Queens Park, North London, also sees cultural advantages for her children in faith schools. I wanted them to have a sense of pride as a Muslim but also to be following the English curriculum so that they could hopefully continue on to university and mix with everyone else. â€Å"But at the same time theyd know about Islam from a Muslim and not a Christian point of view. † As well as result statistics, faith schools are also keen on imposing discipline and teaching ethics to students. Some say that â€Å"the force of their religion and faith and the ethos of how to become a good citizen will be there all the time. † This means that students who study at these faith schools may have difficulty indulging in a crime or hating people or doing something which is not like their religious ethos. However a lot of people would agree that the rise of multi faith schools within the country would actually produce more secular societies as the rise in numbers and funding of one particular faith for schools could lead to unsettlement from other faiths. Also, single faith schools can also leave children unequipped to deal with life in mainstream Britain as only select things are taught within single faith schools. Director of National Secular society said: If they are moving from restricted communities into a single faith school, they have very little contact with those from the majority community. And then suddenly, when they are 16 they come out into the majority community for the first time and into the workplace. Im worried about the implications of that.

Effects Of Breakwater In The Civil Engineering Field Construction Essay

Effects Of Breakwater In The Civil Engineering Field Construction Essay Problems of erosion, reduction in shorelines, disappearance of beaches, and environmental impacts have led to the recession of many economies around the world. To resolve, engineers have devised man made structures like breakwaters and piers to address a variety of coastal problems such as shelter, fishing, docking and coast line recession. While these problems are resolved, new ones emerge when breakwaters and jetties are constructed in the areas. Clearly, breakwater engineering and related civil engineering fields are still at their rudimentary level, despite the fact that these structures have been in use since age old. In the following study, the researcher carries out investigation into the hydrodynamics of breakwaters, and their engineering aspects, with the view to gain insight into their importance to civil engineering fields. The researcher aims to explore, evaluate and analyse the impact of breakwaters on engineering professions, and ways that their knowledge limits or opens up new channels for engineering innovation. The results are compiled, and the researcher concludes that breakwater engineering has great scope in contributing to civil engineering knowledge, provided that its design and applications are researched further. Chapter 1 Introduction Background and Rationale A coast is a geological system that is subject to constant movement and change. Shorelines, beaches, and coastal areas in effect affect human lives, and vice versa. The diverse and complex nature of the coastal system is the result of processes involving waves, tides, currents and winds that affect the geological state of the coast in an attempt to keep a balance between land and water. However, these are not the only factors that influence and shape coastlines. Human activities for economic and social purposes contribute towards its modifications. Natural processes, coupled with human intervention, contribute towards erosion, sedimentation, and accretion (Hsu, Lin, and Tseng 2007). In fact, according to French (1997), human activities bring about changes that influence the environment adversely by creating new habitat and decreasing environment stability. Though not all changes affect the environment adversely, nevertheless the natural processes are affected by the unnatural conditions. Coasts and estuaries are not indifferent towards human intervention where a range of variations in their structure and environment can alter the geological, oceanological and marine system therein. Added to this status is the fact that coasts have become the ideal place for human population, industrialisation, commercialisation transportation etc. Human has, in effect, taken over to develop coastal areas to act as shelters, ports, docks, and for numerous other activities. The pressure for benefitting human lives has inevitably changed the environment drastically towards degradation. To compensate, a host of management strategies have been undertaken to operate, manage and sustain coastal areas, to control the activities and maintain a balance between nature and mankind (dAngremond and van Roode 2004). One of these management control methods is building of breakwaters and jetties. Jetties and offshore breakwaters are man made structures designed to protect coastal areas from the natural and unnatural recession of the shoreline. Breakwaters are usually built parallel to the shore or at an angle to direct serious wave action from its destructive impact on the shoreline. Jetties, on the other hand, are built with the purpose to prevent erosion of the inlet or harbour area. Offshore breakwaters provide shelter as they are built based on wave refraction and diffraction (Putnam and Arthur, 1948). Similarly, groins are structures built to face seawards and at an angle to slope at the same angle as the normal beach. Groins are built at an elevation above datum to act as the stabilising structure and to increase the width of the beach by arresting the shore drift in part or as a whole (Paige 1950). Apart from these, coastal areas are subjected to geological problems such as natural processes including coastal erosion, deposition, sedimentation, tsunami, tidal waves etc. These require human intervention to protect and conserve human and natural habitat. For these purposes, an engineering field called coastal engineering has been introduced in the academic arena for enhancing the knowledge and skills of professionals to develop coastal areas with minimal damage to the natural and man made environment. Coastal engineering involves developing and protecting existing coastal protection work with the view to predict future natural coastal processes. Comprehending the nature and value of coastal processes, enables engineers to devise plans and strategies to protect these processes better. Moreover, knowledge of the coastal condition helps professionals in the field to construct, facilitate and execute better breakwater construction. Breakwater construction is a field that is directly related with coastal engineering. However, it also has close relations with other engineering fields like geology, construction, environment and computer engineering. It is within this context, that the researcher shall be investigating the importance of breakwater engineering and the ways it affects the engineering field. Aims and Objectives The aim of this dissertation is to investigate how breakwaters and their construction affect various civil engineering fields. The objective is to: a. Identify the various civil engineering fields that breakwaters affect b. Evaluate how breakwaters impact civil engineering professionals; and c. Study how the knowledge of breakwater construction adds to the skill knowledge of engineers Scope and Limitations The research, in essence, is not a pure scientific empirical study, but rather an exploratory one. The researcher is aware that in exploring the dynamics of breakwater engineering, he/she will have to link civil engineering techniques and skills, which makes it a successful defence structures for both, humans and marine life. In this context, the study shall limit its discussion to the various fields breakwater construction entails, and shall not delve extensive into any particular field which concerns its engineering perspectives, such as marine life or construction engineering. However, it will touch upon these topics byway, to enumerate on its role and effects on the engineering field. Audience readers shall find the study insightful and enlightening as it would provide the numerous aspects that coastal engineering of breakwaters impact. However, academics and scholars shall find the content of the study limiting as it shall not be holistically technical. Fellow students shall find the dissertation a good stepping stone for furthering their research into areas of specialisation like geological engineering, construction engineering and so on. Ne vertheless, the dissertation shall aim to address the social and scientific aspects of breakwaters. Outline of Dissertation To accomplish the above objectives, the researcher shall endeavour to carry out the study in the following manner: Chapter 1 shall introduce the background and the rationale for the study. Chapter 2 shall provide the theoretical background based on an extensive literature review on the aspects of the study outlined above. Chapter 3 shall outline the methodologies considered and the rationale for the chosen research approach. Chapter 4 will be the analysis segment in which the researcher shall evaluate the data gathered, and discuss with the aim to acquire conclusive results. Chapter 5 shall be the conclusion to the research, offering insights gained from the research, summarising whether the researcher has accomplished the objectives or not, and perhaps some recommendations for future research. Chapter 2 Literature Review Introduction Breakwaters and similar coastal structures are human interventions, which are exposed to strong waves, currents and other marine processes. The construction of such structures needs to be enduring, as well as fitting, with the natural environment. The design and construction of breakwaters and interrelated structures indicate that knowledge of pure engineering alone is not practical. In fact, it requires consideration for various empirical and theoretical knowledge for its design. To the extent of this knowledge, the researcher is of the view that civil engineering relating to large scale hydraulic structures has developed considerably. According to dAngremond and van Roode (2004), coastal problems of erosion, tides and currents have existed since the beginning of civilisation. However, the management of these movements and problems have gained considerable attention today due to the commercialization and population of coastal areas around the world. For these reasons, problems such as sea level rise, tidal asymmetry, sedimentation budget etc. need to be tackled. These are carried out through careful coastal defence and management practices, and engineering skills, which shall be discussed in the following sections. Coastal Engineering Ocean waves are generated by wind and propagated from the ocean towards the shoreline. The orbital motions of wave kinematics influence the depths and heights of the ocean bed. Near shore ocean beds are greatly impacted by the velocities and the wave strengths. As a result, sediment beds often change in topography due to continuous impact of the fluid forces of waves. Sedimentation response or impact is negligible, but, in effect, compound the problem of sediment transportation to and away from the local beach. The scale, depth, and extent of the influence of the waves on the beach may and may not result in coastal degradation. For these reasons, detailed investigation on the continental shelves, fluid dynamics, near shore motion and variation of ocean topography are required in order to monitor and maintain the natural barrier to land. When the problems of natural erosion and sedimentation become too great to manage, measures like construction of barriers, submerged shoals, breakwat ers and artificial headlands are undertaken to sustain the environment (Birbena et al 2006). Construction of this nature is triggered by defence planning, storm handling and flood prevention. In fact, coastal defence system and management require formation of framework for projects to be planned, investigated and implemented to meet the needs of the environment and its people. These are the civil aspects of coastal engineering (French 1997). Not only this; structures like breakwaters also require continuous monitoring and protection work to predict future performance. This is carried out through coastal engineering processes such as modelling to estimate the changing environment and angle of repose of shorelines, site investigation to study the cycles of hydrographic and marine life status, as well as processing these to build a profile for the shorelines on which breakwaters are constructed. For example, in Iskander et als study (2007), the authors studied and developed a monitoring model for studying coastal structure along the El Agami area of Egypt. The study indicates that where breakwaters exist, shoreline fluctuates, marine life is impacted, as well as wave hydraulics. Coastal engineers need to record and study the gradual change that takes place due to the presence of breakwaters. Issues concerning wave distribution, shoreline sand composition, coastal calibration, marine survey, and effect on the harbours population are taken into account. Apart from these, breakwaters also affect the coastal structure such as villages, ports, or other such human activities (Iskander et al 2007). Furthermore, coastal engineers also need to ensure that the construction of breakwaters and estuaries does not adversely affect human activities as a result of design fault of these structures. For example, in Donnell et als article (2006), the authors indicate that the breakwaters on Tedious Creek estuary on the shoreline of Chesapeake Bay in Dorchester County, MD caused substantial damage to local vessels than the benefits it provided for its shelters. The setup of breakwaters is aimed at protecting the boat dock and public piers from storms, but, in reality, the projects design fault has resulted in under performance, both in functionality and structure to benefit the locals. It is in instances such as these that coastal engineers need to be ascertained of the need and importance for breakwater structures. Similarly, breakwaters can also result in beach morphology that effectively negates the protection objective when breakwaters are constructed with limited knowledge applied relating to practical engineering. Accurate study of the shore area through cross shore distribution, long shore sedimentation transport rates and performance of breakwaters in advance, as well as using model calibration and validation, hydrodynamic module, wave modules etc. could positively affect the performance of the structures. Therefo re, coastal engineers are responsible for studying the wave conditions, down drift side, expected erosion and current patterns behind submerged breakwater, to gauge incident waves. These mechanisms, according to Ranasinghe and Sato (2007), can relatively influence the function and utility of breakwaters function. Thus, coastal engineering is greatly influenced by the type and design of breakwaters structures. Construction engineering Breakwaters and such coastal structure construction combine design and functionality with the view to protect the coastal area. The design process is similar to structural design of buildings as it entails paying attention to functional requirements, limitations of the state of the structure, exposure, construction phases and occurrence of natural conditions. Breakwaters also require considerations for knowledge of construction materials including quarry stone, concrete blocks, caissons and similar types of materials to apply to its construction. Equipments for both floating and rolling breakwaters too need to be studied and related to the specificity of the breakwaters site, function and design. The development of breakwaters also requires functional and structural monitoring of performance, with enduring characteristics. According to Camfield and Holmes (1995), coastal structures like breakwaters and jetties are influenced by long periods of water level changes. They need to be built parallel to the entrances, in an attempt to stabilise entrances and safe navigation. Construction along the shore should be carried out with the direction of the channel in mind, to prevent migration of channel thalweg, rapid shoaling and erosion of the coastline (Morang 1992 qt. Camfield and Holmes 1995). This is because construction o f jetties and breakwaters often creates a new equilibrium for the tidal system. For this purpose, surveys of adjacent shorelines, natural bypass and the material that may ebb tidal activities need to be carried out for effective construction of the structures aligned with the regional dynamic and hydraulic processes. Construction engineering approach such as cross sectional relationship of inlet and tidal prism, as well as depths of the jetties and breakwaters, and water flows are studied before finding the ideal balance between performance, flow conditions, and natural marine activities. Knowledge of construction material, as mentioned earlier, is imperative for choosing and designing breakwaters to complement the need of the local landscape and environment. Since breakwaters are made up of rubble mounds or caissons or are concrete filled, knowledge of construction material adds to the skills required for developing structures for dispersing wave currents to minimise impact, as well as conserve energy from wave hydraulics where possible (Arena and Filianoti 2007). Not only this; new construction material knowledge also provides an edge over the design and planning of the breakwater armour unit. Reedijk et al (2008), for example, indicate that the development of Xbloc by Delta Marine Consultants in 2001 has innovated armour concepts in terms of designs, tests and prototypes. Xbloc are concrete blocks designed to armour shore protection and are being used in breakwater construction actively by engineers today. Muttray et al (2003), in their study of the suitability of Xbloc in breakwater construction, indicate that Xbloc are shaped to suit the harsh environmental conditions of waves, and such hydraulic activities. When placed interlocked with each other, Xblocs not only reduce concrete volumes, but also achieve the stability required for achieving breakwaters impact from wave loads and damage (Muttray et al 2003; Reedijk et al (2008). Added to this fact is the cost of layering breakwaters with Xbloc, which is significantly reduced as compared to other armour blocks. Furthermore, coastal protection design and construction require development and use of probabilistic design tools to gauge uncertainties, prediction of wave impact, as well as structure stability. One of the main concerns for construction engineers is that the structures can sustain its functionality for coastal protection, regardless of the wave conditions and transformations of water bodies. The basic premise is that wave transformation in foreshores and offshore areas cannot be relied upon through model designs. In fact, it requires construction engineers to have knowledge of coastal shores by using prediction models for wave transformation to study the effect of wave height, setup and distribution before designing the breakwater and jetty structures (Muttray et al 2001; Coduto 1999). Consideration for these aspects would help design structures to achieve its long term goals, as well as retain beach composition from long shore transport processes. Analytical engineering Breakwaters are constructed based on engineering approaches and processes that exploit the nature of wave parameters and hydraulics. According to Huizinga (2003), breakwater engineering often fails after 5 to 10 years as a result of poor design. Engineers fail to grasp the concept of breakwater designs and modelling, which uses propagation of water around of breakwater with the assumptions that water is the ideal fluid and incompressible. Waves are small in amplitude and can be analysed using the linear wave theory. Their flow is usually rotational, which can be analysed through Laplace equations. Breakwaters depth is constant and its dynamics are determined by diffraction, refraction or reflection (Huizinga 2003). Diffraction analysis takes into account of the water height, and the interaction of breakwater and waves. The wave energy is assumed to disperse as the waves come into contact with breakwater structures, which could be understood using linear diffraction theory. In this context, a rubble mound breakwater is a diametric form, with certain density and diameter designed to disperse wave motion. The velocity of the waves is retarded by its action, in contact with the breakwater. The change in direction of the wave affects the sediment supply, composition, wave properties, topography, and breakwater properties. Therefore, the variables in the breakwater interaction change in response to the caisson. The underlying assumption set forth is that the physical movement of breakwater is associated with the wave action, the permeability of the breakwater surface, seabed composition and response of the breakwater over a long period of time (Huizinga 2003; Twu and Chieu 2000). Alternatively, wave reflection and wave run up is the model for analysing breakwater through a cross section and slopes. In this method of engineering, wave reflection is determined by the 3 guage method. Wave conditions comprise of relative depth, height, steepness, and breaker index. Measurement of wave conditions is accomplished by analysing its reflection at the seaward direction when the wave surface comes into contact with the structure and foreshore. The water surface comes into contact with the breakwater as a toe and an anti knot. The wave run up and run down impact the breakwaters wave resistance. When engineers analyse the efficacy and effectiveness of breakwater, they study the angle of the incident wave, as well as its reflection coefficient, to determine the impact of regular wave action. The analysis is critical for gauging the significance of wave run up and run down on breakwater surfaces, and inevitably its longevity. This is achieved by using the higher order wave theory for assimilating waves and horizontal seabed asymmetry. Furthermore, wave reflection measurement is determined by its dynamics such as local wave height, wave pressure, wave energy dissipation and wave penetration into the structure (Muttray and Oumeraci 2002). How waves break or non break is dependent on the breakwater slope and the reflection set for critical wave incident impact (Clyne and Mullarkey 2008). These analytical approaches are various forms of analytical engineering, which are engaged to evaluate the strength, longevity, efficacy and effectiveness of the breakwater functionality. Alternatives in analytical engineering, therefore, help construction of the breakwaters more effective, as they establish the baseline for stabilisation potential, as well as extend the life cycle of the structure (Wiegel 1962). Environment engineering Breakwaters and jetties are engineering solutions to resolve the problem of erosion and sedimentation of shorelines. These are constructed with the view to sustain the shoreline, and in turn benefit the local human communities. Just as breakwaters and jetties affect the hydraulic system of the areas, they also produce long and short term impacts on marine life. Hydrodynamic conditions, sedimentation patterns, wave motion, physical and chemical factors tend to alter the composition and nature of the habitat. Not only this; the habitat tends to change in its characteristics and life cycle due to the change induced by the presence of breakwaters. No doubt, there is an imperative relationship between biological life form and breakwater structures. Even though breakwaters are developed with the objective to provide shelter to marine life, as well as harbour for human activities, the type of alleviation, shoaling and access to aquatic floral and faunal also gets impacted when breakwaters are constructed without careful monitoring of quality, composition and marine lifecycle. In fact, construction of breakwaters for creating inlets often results in f loral and faunal morphology of marine life due to the quality of sand, water chemical properties and the wave action. Water temperature, with variation through seasonal change, substantially affects the fish population, as well as other marine life forms. For example, the components of macrozoobenthos, algaes and polychaetous worms densities change (increase/decrease) according to the increasing or decreasing water depth. Thus, construction of breakwater tends to adversely affect the micro constituents of marine biology (Biological effects of breakwater construction 1985). At times, colonisation of fishes within the vicinity is affected due to the elevated turbiditys and suspended solids concentrates near the breakwater. Moreover, maintenance of the depth of entrance to the area, and exposure of the same, can alter the sustenance level of fish populations. By streamlining the natural sand bypass, the morphological performance can be improved to simulate waves, currents and sediment transport, which corresponds with the marine life processes (Broker et al 2007). The reliability of the effect of breakwater calibration process ensures that the constructed structure does not hinder marine life forms. For this purpose, marine engineering knowledge, combined with the breakwater development know how, can help local engineers to establish dynamic coastal structures to fit within the parameters of the natural environment. Risks and failures While it is clear that breakwaters have their own functionality and utility for which they are used to sustain beach line sustainability and continuity, they are also risky.The utility and functionality of breakwaters and jetties depend on the model, material and simulation upon which they have been based. Measurement for their horizontal and vertical fluid velocities, breakwater composition (porous or non porous), energy dissipation rate and modification intensity, all contribute towards its impenetrable nature. However, any variation and standard deviation in the design such as surface elevation, velocity variation, calibration, and structure permeability can result in its wear and breakage. According to Kobayashi et al (2007), breakwater permeability can affect its situation in the beach zone, effectiveness in eliminating serious wave impact and structural longevity. In fact, breakwater transformation as a result of wave load, pressure and velocity can lead to shattering. This is dependent on the design of the breakwater and its sensitivity and test against breaker ratio. Steepness of seaward slope, wave breaking motion, and wave parameters greatly influence the structure, to the extent of predicting its durability (Kobayashi et al 2007). In fact, Oumeraci et al (2006) are of the view that analysis of saturation due to liquefaction phenomena in sand gravity structure tends to increase the risk of structural failure. Vertical breakwaters, especially, are vulnerable to permanent deformation of the subsoil, which leads to irreversible strains at the peak stress level. As a result, breakwaters structures can give way to wave load induced by the fluctuation in pressure along the seabed and the pore pressure in the concrete itself. Failure of such monumental nature affects the stability, composition, and cyclic mobility. Failure is also the result of the nature of the breakwater structure, whether it is designed for offshore or onshore coastal defence. It is greatly influenced by the depth, and nature of the sand composition underneath the seabed upon which the breakwater is constructed. The relative density of the sand, pressure of the fluid, as well as storm yield, all contribute towards its endurance (Oumeraci et al. 2001). Apart from these physical risks and failures, breakwaters are also vulnerable in terms of their effect on marine life forms. Changing chemical composition due to displacement of fauna colonisation, as well a toxicity of the structures along the sediment banks, can result in breakwater biota fluctuations. While the human benefits of breakwaters last for 5 to 10 years, the long term effects of marine life cycle and fishery can alter the nature of the coast altogether if careful engineering approaches are not undertaken for the construction of breakwaters (Biological effects of breakwater construction 1985). Conclusion The above discussion has been carried out with the view to provide an overview of the relationship between breakwater construction and its impact on engineering fields. While engineering is a vast discipline, in this study the researcher has included engineering fields related to the construction of breakwaters and their maintenance. The discussion indicates that breakwater structures are not merely coastal construction monuments, but have multidimensional impact on the physical, biological and human life. For this purpose, engineering and designing of these structures need to be analysed, planned and implemented with care, for its impact. Chapter 3 Research Methodology The nature of research problem determines the choice of its methods. Before one chooses the research method, its objectives, audience and underlying assumptions should be justified. The methodologies are then weighed and evaluated to justify for its choice. The theoretical perspective of the study should provide the background reality, as well as the constituent for increasing readers knowledge. Within these dimensions epistemology is concerned with providing a philosophical grounding for deciding what kinds of knowledge are possible and how we can ensure that they are both adequate and legitimate (Crotty 1998). The epistemology, therefore, allows the researcher to decide the application and the underlying academic literature that is required for adding knowledge to the existing consciousness. Generally, there are two options objectivism and constructionism. The objectivistic approach entails the investigation of existing knowledge and spanning it to extend its consciousness. The aim is to discover the objective truth. On the other hand, the constructionist approach entails the research which requires interaction with the world, and finding the truth in the process. Underlying the constructionist approach is the premise that research endeavours need to explore views from multiple angles before deciding on the objective truth. This approach is grounded in the qualitative methodology (Crotty 1998 qt. Levy 2006). Alternatively, researchers in the applied field usually conduct research based on quantitative methods that entail action research and evaluations for studying particular aspects and issues. The premise for choosing action research is to endeavour to capture the reality with certain degree of control on the phenomena under research. Although, the nature of the coastal engineering field mandates that research activities be subject to quantitative empirical methods whereby researchers carry out extensive action research strategies and processes. However, in this case, the researcher has opted for the qualitative approach as it complements the nature and topic under discussion. Whereas the study of breakwater is pragmatic, the exploration of its connection and impact on the engineering field is qualitative in nature. Furthermore, to understand the implications of breakwaters and their effect on civil engineering profession, investigation into the subjective views of experts within the field is required, rather than engaging in empirical research to achieve its findings. Having said that, the researcher is also aware that qualitative research requires a paradigm for basing the enquiry. According to Gummesson (2000), a paradigm is a very general conception of the nature of scientific endeavours within which a given enquiry is undertaken (p.18). It is a world view which allows the researcher to base his/her research outcomes and understanding. Research paradigms can be divided into positivist, which is characterised by the world as the external dimension and must be researched through facts and fundamental laws, and by studying concepts through sampling. On the other hand, the phenomenological paradigm involves the social construction of the subject, and characterised by the understanding of the totality of the situation by investigating the issue through established phenomena. For the current study, the researcher shall adopt the phenomenological paradigm for analysing the effect of breakwaters on the engineering field. The rationale is based on the premise that even though through the course of discussion some technical and practical aspects shall be discussed, the analysis shall regard the ideology, decision logic and utility behind breakwaters and their link with civil engineering fields. While the researcher is aware that the phenomenological paradigm is not suited for engineering and scientific research, he/she also has the understanding that research of this qualitative nature