Language & Cross-cultural Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Language & Cross-cultural Communication - Essay Example As defined by Schà ¼tz (1972), this essay proceeds from an understanding of intercultural communication as embedded in all forms of cultural discourse, and advances a hybrid structural and sociolinguistic analytic framework, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative methodology in analyzing intercultural communication within social networking sites, with particular emphasis on Facebook, Chinese, and French versions. The quantitative analysis contained herein requires comment. Over a course of a week participants were monitored and the newsfeed and wall-postings from a sample Facebook account were recorded. A series of five participants were also interviewed regarding their forms of communication on Facebook. Further elements of intercultural communication were analyzed on an individual basis and qualitative analyses were conducted and compared with contemporary research on the issues of language, identity and social capital. While such an approach allows for a level of sample bias, it does allow for a micro-level sociolinguistic analysis where past studies have opted for macro discussions. The nature of Facebook also allows a uniquely convenient means for sociological analyses that in non-electronic subcultures requires extensive means and human organization. Further research was conducted in the realm of morphology to determine the extent to which linguistic shifts have occurred as a result of the recent emergence of Facebook as a major means of social communication. With the fast technological development of web 2.0, social networking sites have gained worldwide popularity at a fast speed. Most SNSs allow individuals to present themselves through profiles, articulate their social networks by participating in group activities, and establish or maintain connections with strangers based on common interests, shared views, or interactive activities (Scale,

Intraorganizational Conflicts Essay Example for Free

Intraorganizational Conflicts Essay In the discourse about the assessment and management of intraorganizational conflict within an organization, Jessica Katz Jameson underscores the various facets of these conflicts. These include the sources of conflict, their characteristics, the management strategies and the desired outcomes. However, of interest here is how the author characterizes the sources of these conflicts. In this presentation, an attempt to unveil the characterization of the sources of conflict without examining the attributes and the form taken by the conflicts is an effort in futility. According to Jameson (1999), conflicts arise when interdependent parties have very unlike and incompatible mindsets and interests. Intraorganizational conflicts take different forms depending on the source Sources of Informal Conflicts. Informal conflicts take the form of informal arguments or differences in points of view and opinions between co-workers, employees and supervisors, between factions within an organization or even interdepartmental Conflicts. Informal conflicts occur mainly due to differing values, beliefs, opinions as well as perception regarding to how work should be accomplished (Jameson 1999). Shapiro and Rosen (as cited in Jameson, 1999) further categorized informal conflicts as those whose sources are relational differences and those that arise from differences in opinions as to how tasks ought to be carried out. Relational differences include personal differences between members of an organization or differences in opinion regarding to leadership style. Task conflict on the hand has to do with differences in matters regarding to authority and/or responsibilities as well as differences in perception and interpretation various issues. Others[1] have utilized words such as subjective conflicts and objective conflicts in trying to categorize various forms of conflicts. Sources of formal conflicts. Formal conflicts are of a different dimension. They are characterized by formal complaints about such issues as: Contravention of human rights within an organization or policy violations. In several instances, formal conflicts result in legal action usually by an employee against an organization. Formal conflicts occur due to issues regarding to dismissal, benefits, absentee policies, safety standards, discrimination, rules and regulations of work and promotions. Employees feel that they are not being treated fairly. Formal conflicts have been a subject of much interest in recent times due to the rising number of costly court cases between the employees and organizations. Question 2. Is it important or necessary in an organization to understand the sources of conflict within an organization, as we have an autocratic structure that can impose a resolution? Understanding the sources of conflict within an organization is important because of the following reasons: a) It can help in unearthing potential conflicts before they happen. Usually conflicts do not just happen but follow a distinct pattern that can be detected by knowledgeable persons. Early detection would allow for action that would ensure that the conflict never gets out of hand. This would result in saving the parties involved time money and misery. b) It assists the disputants, managers and third parties involved in selecting the most suitable method of resolving particular conflicts. An imposed resolution may serve an important purpose in a conflict resolution but may fail to achieve the most satisfying solution for the parties involved. There are differing concerns and interests that form the conflict resolution goals for the parties and these have to be put into consideration when seeking a resolution strategy. Some of these interests include: Cost reduction, timeliness, privacy and confidentiality, fairness, maintaining relations and establishing a precedent. These concerns may not be adequately addressed if a resolution has to come from an autocratic authority with an own interest and concern. c) Autocratic Structure of conflict resolution would be of little use in formal conflicts that are likely to result in litigation. Litigation is an undesired outcome due to the costs incurred by either party (time and money); especially depending on the way the judgment goes. Litigation has served to increase the need for dispute systems within organizations. d)Â   Understanding the sources of conflict within an organization assists in the development of effective organizational conflict management. This creates a conducive work environment and reduces work related stress. This would in turn have a positive effect on employee satisfaction and productivity. Understanding sources of conflict should thus be a goal that is pursued by all members within an organization.

Contemporary Dance Assesment :: essays research papers

Our year 11 contemporary dance assessment for semester 1 consisted of dance exercises taught by Rachel. Due to a dance injury I sustained 14 weeks ago I was unable to participate in the assessment but, instead was asked to asses my peers and write corrections and strengths they demonstrated throughout the class. In this class I really feel, as a group, they lacked an effective dance vocabulary. In answer to the question ‘What do you feel you need to work on in this exercise?’ there was only really the basic terminology used, basic things said that did not show a very thorough grasp on dance language. I feel that the use and understanding of communication in verbal modes was poor and at a low standard. For this age they should be able to effectively converse appropriate dance vocabulary. Although that said, this conclusion is targeted at the group as a whole; there were certain individuals who came up with some valuable answers. In this task I feel that the demonstration of appropriate dance technique to the contemporary genre was at a satisfactory standard. The correct contemporary technique was evident in a number of students, while others, I feel require more effort. The group, in general lacked physical competencies. Strength and flexibility was not a strong highlight, although they did demonstrate good coordination skills. The drop swings exercise proved to be their strongest asset. The Grande Battement exercise required work, turn out and alignment seemed to be, overall the thing that most people had difficulties in mastering. The identification and application of correct posture and alignment was evident, more often than not throughout the class. In general I feel that my peers have improved over the weeks but still demands a lot more work in order to strengthen their technique. Presenting dance sequences, I feel was a positive feature in the contemporary assessment to some extent. My fellow peers, generally had a thorough grasp on all exercises demonstrated. They understood and carried out dance combinations with great awareness to what they were doing. This said I feel that although my peers know and can demonstrate the exercises, they have no real approach or presentation to their work. Style has a great impact on dance. The way a dancer approaches an exercise or dance piece can change one’s technique, body stance and physical ability. Julie and Stephanie showed a great display of this in all exercises, but particularly the jump exercise.

Academic Reading and Writing

CENTRE FOR LANGUAGE STUDIES, UNIMAS PBI 1032: ACADEMIC READING AND WRITING Learning Unit 2: READING SKILLS By the end of this session, you should be able to: identify what the writer has stated literally (read the lines) infer what the writer has stated (read between the lines) apply ideas within the text to what you already know (read beyond the lines) A. Reading Academic Texts Academic texts are relatively formal in structure and style. They might be textbooks or just straightforward texts.To increase the amount of information that you can extract from a single reading of a section, chapter or article in an academic text, you need to use efficient academic reading strategies. Some of the skills which are essential in academic reading are skimming and scanning for specific information or details, making inferences based on what is stated and applying ideas with the text to what you already know. B. Identifying Specific Information To identify specific information, you should begin b y scanning the topic sentences (i. e. he sentence which makes the point of the paragraph and which is usually the first sentence of the paragraph). Locating the topic sentence helps you to stay focus on finding the needed information. Task 1 Read the following passage and provide the most appropriate answers for the corresponding questions. Social Influence 1 Of the many influences on human behaviour, social influences are the most constant. When we hear the term social influence, most of us think of attempts of someone to persuade us to change our actions or opinions. The television usually comes to mind.However, the major influence on people is people’s presence. Many of the most important forms of social influence are unintentional and the effects we humans have on one another occur due to the fact that we are in each other’s physical presence. In 1898, a psychologist named Triplett made an interesting study. In checking the speed records of bicycle racers, he notic ed that better speed records were obtained when cyclists raced against each other than when they raced against the clock. This observation led Triplett to perform another experiment. He asked children to turn a wheel as fast as possible for a certain period of time.Sometimes two children worked at the same time in the same room, each with his wheel; at other times, they worked alone. The results confirmed his theory that children worked faster in co-action, which is when another child doing the same thing was present. Therefore, the experiments proved that humans perform significantly better with the presence of another person when doing a task. 2 ARW-SEM2-2013-LU2-READING-SKILLS 48 CENTRE FOR LANGUAGE STUDIES, UNIMAS PBI 1032: ACADEMIC READING AND WRITING 3 Soon after Triplett’s experiments, it was discovered that the presence of a passive spectator was enough to improve one’s performance.This was discovered in an experiment on muscular effort by Meumann in 1910, who found that subjects lifted a weight faster whenever the psychologist was in the room. Later experiments have confirmed this audience effect that provides several contributions to humans. Firstly, it helps to motivate a person to perform better. Secondly, it drives a person to break the psychological barrier. This is apparent in sport competitions in which crowds have a great effect on athletes’ performance, and it is normally referred to as home-ground advantage. For example, footballers tend to win more matches hen playing in front of their own fans. It appears that co-action and audience effects in humans are caused by the individual’s cognitive concerns about competition and the evaluation of performance that others will make. We learn as we grow up that others praise or criticize, reward or punish our performances, and this raises our drive level when we perform in front of others. Thus, even the early studies of co-action found that if all elements of competition are removed, co-action effects are reduced or eliminated. Similarly, audience effects are a function of a person’s interpretation of how much he is being evaluated. adapted from Simon, 2010) 4 1. Based on the information provided in paragraph 1, what is the main influence in changing a person’s behaviour and views? ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ 2. What does the underlined phrase â€Å"comes to mind† in paragraph 1 mean? ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ 3. According to the passage, what was the result of Triplett’s two co-action experiments in 1898? ___________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ 4. Briefly explain TWO (2) reasons that caused the existence of co-action and audience effects in humans. ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ARW-SEM2-2013-LU2-READING-SKILLS 49 CENTRE FOR LANGUAGE STUDIES, UNIMAS PBI 1032: ACADEMIC READING AND WRITING C. Making Inferences Writers often tell you more than they say directly. They give you hints or clues that help you â€Å"read between the lines†.Using these clues to give you a deeper understanding of your reading is called inferring. When you infer, you go beyond the surface details to see other meanings that the details suggest or imply (not stated). Task 2 Warming-Up: Try to infer the possible message of the following cartoons. Discuss the messages with your peers and explain why your message is acceptable. Possible message: ______________________________ ______________________________ Possible message: ______________________________ ______________________________ ARW-SEM2-2013-LU2-READ ING-SKILLS 50 CENTRE FOR LANGUAGE STUDIES, UNIMASPBI 1032: ACADEMIC READING AND WRITING Task 3 Making Inferences: Read the short excerpts taken from several academic articles and answer the questions given. Excerpt 1 During the recession of the mid-1980s, there was an increase in graduate unemployment in Malaysia. With the recovery of the economy towards the end of the 1980s, graduate unemployment was slightly reduced thanks to government’s effort to create more jobs. However, graduate unemployment that existed during the 1998 currency crisis still persists until today as many companies were forced to merge and lay off workers.It has been reported that the number of unemployed graduates had increased from 45,000 in 2000 to 85,000 in 2005 (Sim, 2006). What is the main cause of the increasing rate of graduate unemployment in Malaysia? A. Limited job opportunities due to economic instability. B. Currency crisis in 1998 reduced salary of many jobs. C. Lack of efforts by the gover nment to improve the economy. D. The impact of the global economic recession in the mid-1980s. Excerpt 2 Students are required to take English exam as a compulsory requirement for entrance to public university.MUET (Malaysian undergraduate English Test) result for new entry student for the 2007/8 intake at one public university which can be considered as a typical sample for other public universities indicated that most students scored below the satisfactory level in English competency. From the population of 2916 new students’ intake at this public university, about 72. 7% has a score of Bands 1, 2 and 3. This is because all they need is to get the MUET certificate regardless of their Bands (Mohini, 2008). Why did many students still score below the satisfactory level though MUET is a compulsory entrance requirement?A. Students lack initiatives to improve their English. B. English is often taken for granted since it is accepted as unimportant. C. Majority of the programmes a t university does not have a minimum Band requirement. D. A high MUET band is not a necessity for university entrance. Excerpt 3 It is all too apparent in this study that many students, often very good students, suffer needlessly when doing group assignments. While some academics might claim that it is good to let students face problems arising from group work, it is pointless having them to face problems that they will not see in the workplace.Simply making students do assignments together is not preparing them for team work in industry. It is not simulating â€Å"real life in industry†. It causes stress to many students and gives them grades they do not deserve, especially when the better ones are penalized for the lack of efforts by others (Ford & Maurice, 2011). Why do good students suffer from doing group assignments? A. Group assignments reduce lecturers’ marking load. B. Group assignments do not relate to their future work life. C. Group assignments’ grad es do not reflect their actual ability.D. Group assignments help them manage problems when working together. ARW-SEM2-2013-LU2-READING-SKILLS 51 CENTRE FOR LANGUAGE STUDIES, UNIMAS PBI 1032: ACADEMIC READING AND WRITING D. Reading Practice Task 3 Read the passage below and choose the best answers (A, B, C or D) for the questions that follow Break Your Bad Habits By Amy Novotney As an undergraduate student, you probably got A's despite less-than-ideal study habits: reading in front of the television, staying up all night cramming, checking e-mail every 10 minutes while working on a paper.These behaviors may have cut it in college, but graduate school calls for a better set of strategies, says University of Virginia psychology professor Daniel Willingham, PhD. According to psychology faculty and other experts, here are the top five habits that hold graduate students back: 1. Highlighting. Dog-earing pages and highlighting journal article passages are popular but worthless exercises wh en it comes to helping you remember information later on, Willingham says. That's because they don't require students to engage with the material.Instead, he suggests students find a more active strategy that forces them to think about the meaning of what they're reading. This might be something as simple as taking notes on important points, outlining how journal articles fit together or spending a moment after reading a paragraph to reflect on how it fits into a piece's bigger picture. In a study by Pintrich and De Groot (1990), students who asked themselves â€Å"why? † at the end of each sentence while reading a factual passage about a university were significantly more likely to remember important points than students who were simply told to read the passage and remember it. . Cramming for exams. When you pull an all-nighter, your memories of the concepts you’re studying becomes associated with a particular time and environment, making them harder to retrieve, says Willingham. That's bad news for crammers, as most tests aren't handed out at 2 a. m. There are several reasons why distributing your studying throughout the semester is more long-lasting. One is that your brain doesn't make that association because the knowledge is cued and retrieved at many different points over time.Willingham's claims are backed up by Webb and Sheeran’s (2006) meta-analysis of 317 experiments examining the spacing of student study periods. The authors found that when participants studied at two different points in time, they recalled a greater percentage of the material than when the same amount of study time was nearly uninterrupted. 5 10 15 20 25 30 ARW-SEM2-2013-LU2-READING-SKILLS 52 CENTRE FOR LANGUAGE STUDIES, UNIMAS PBI 1032: ACADEMIC READING AND WRITING 3. Unhealthy eating. With both time and money in short supply, graduate students often skip lunch when rushing to class or hit the vending machine for a late-night snack.Yet the high-fat, empty-calo rie foods they often choose don't provide the energy needed to work effectively, and can also take a toll on the brain. A study by Manos (1999) linked memory loss to a diet high in saturated fat and cholesterol. And a 2008 meta-analysis of 160 studies examining food's effect on the brain showed that omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in salmon, walnuts and kiwi fruit, improve learning and memory (Hillman & Erickson, 1999). 4. Multitasking. Many students pride themselves on their ability to attend to several tasks at once, but multitasking undermines efficiency, according to a study by Miller (2006).It takes extra time to shift mental gears every time you switch tasks—that means when you sit down to work, close your e-mail program so it doesn't distract you. â€Å"If you ask any graduate student what they do first when they sit down to study, 99 percent say they check their e-mail, and then the next thing you know, an hour has gone by,† Miller says. When you're studyi ng, you may even need to disable your Internet connection and turn off your cell phone, she says. 5. Assuming you remember what you've read.According to a Pickering and Ferreira’s (2006) meta-analysis of 30 years of research, we aren't very good at assessing how well we understand something. You may feel well-versed in the social psychology theories you learned in class after reading over your notes several times, but familiarity doesn't mean you'll be able to recall the material for a test, Willingham says. To gauge whether you've studied enough, explain the material to someone else or create a test for yourself, he says. â€Å"Quizzing one another is the No. 1 thing I recommend to students,† Willingham says. It's a much more realistic assessment of what you know because it forces you to get inside the professor's head and think about what they are likely to ask about the material. † (adapted from Novotney, 2009) 35 40 45 50 55 60 For Questions 1-5, choose a wor d/phrase that is closest in meaning to the underlined word as used in the text. 1. Dog-earing pages †¦ (line 9) A. m a r kin g wit h book m a r ks B. dr a win g pict u r es on pages C. foldin g t h e cor n er s of pa ges D. wr it in g down n ot es on t h e side 2. †¦ making them harder to retrieve (line 24) A. or ga n ise B. pr ocess C. r eca ll D. t im u la t e ARW-SEM2-2013-LU2-READING-SKILLS 53 CENTRE FOR LANGUAGE STUDIES, UNIMAS PBI 1032: ACADEMIC READING AND WRITING 3. †¦ can also take a toll on the brain (line 38) A. ch a r ge B. disast er C. ba d effect D. lou d r in gin g 4. It takes extra time to shift mental gears †¦ (line 45) A. speed up wor k B. slow down t h inkin g C. t h in k a t a n a lyt ica l level D. ch a n ge focu s of concen t r a t ion 5. You may feel well-versed in †¦ (line 54) A. com pet en t B. en t h u siast ic C. h a bit u a l D. r em em ber For Questions 6-15, choose the most appropriate answers based on your reading. . Which of t he following is an ideal study habit for undergraduate students? A. Studying while watching television. B. Studying into the wee hours of the morning. C. Interacting in emails while doing an assignment. D. Searching the internet for information on assignments. 7. Which sentence contains the main idea for the paragraph on highlighting? A. Dog-earing pages and highlighting journal article passages are popular but worthless exercises when it comes to helping you remember information later on, Willingham says B. That's because they don't require students to engage with the material. C.Instead, he suggests students find a more active strategy that forces them to think about the meaning of what they're reading D. This might be something as simple as taking notes on important points, outlining how journal articles fit together or spending a moment after reading a paragraph to reflect on how it fits into a piece's bigger picture. 8. According to the paragraph 2, why are crammers unable to r emember what they studied the night before? A. Memory is better at night but tests are usually not conducted at night. B. People usually lose their concentration if they study in one long sitting. C.What is studied is stored in the memory as a single episode and is not easily recalled. D. The amount of time spent studying in one night is less than that for a whole semester. ARW-SEM2-2013-LU2-READING-SKILLS 54 CENTRE FOR LANGUAGE STUDIES, UNIMAS PBI 1032: ACADEMIC READING AND WRITING 9. Why do students end up with unhealthy eating habits that affect their memory and learning? A. Food stalls are not open at night. B. They are busy and short of money. C. High-fat, empty-calorie food is tasty. D. They have lectures during lunch hour. 10. What food should students avoid if they want to improve their memory and learning?A. Fish. B. Fries. C. Fruits. D. Nuts. 11. What is the main idea for the paragraph on multitasking? A. Multitasking is an ability to be proud of. B. Multitasking is not an efficient way to study. C. Checking email should not be part of multitasking. D. Internet connection is a distractor when multitasking. 12. What is the author not saying in paragraph on multitasking? A. Students should do the less mentally taxing tasks first. B. It is better to finish one task first before starting another. C. Email, internet connection and cell phones are distractive. D. To save time, graduate students should not check their email. 3. Why do students often assume they remember what they have read? A. They are familiar with it. B. They have copied the notes. C. They have attended the lecture. D. They can explain it to someone. 14. According to Willingham, which is the best way to assess how well we understand something? A. See whether we can recall the information in the lecture. B. Find out whether we can do the test given by the lecturer. C. Ask each other questions on the information in the lecture. D. Set a test on the lecture and answer the questions ourselves . 15. Which text? A. B. C. D. f the following less-than-ideal study habits is not an idea found in the Eating at irregular hours. Doing last-minute studying. Reading articles superficially. Doing many things at one time. ARW-SEM2-2013-LU2-READING-SKILLS 55 CENTRE FOR LANGUAGE STUDIES, UNIMAS PBI 1032: ACADEMIC READING AND WRITING Task 4 Read the passage below and choose the best answers (A, B, C or D) for the questions that follow. The Record-breaking Book 1 The biggest house of cards, the longest tongue, and of course, the tallest man: these are among the thousands of records logged in the famous Guinness Book of Records.Created in 1955 after a debate concerning Europe's fastest game bird, what began as a marketing tool sold to pub landlords to promote Guinness, an Irish drink, became one of the bestselling copyright titles of all time. In time, the book have sold 120 million copies in over 100 countries, quite a leap from its humble beginnings. 2 In its early years, the book aims to satisfy man's curiosity about the natural world around him. Its two principal fact finders, twins Norris and Ross McWhirter, travelled the globe to collect facts.It was their task to find and document aspects of life that can be sensed or observed, things that can be quantified or measured. But not just any things. They were only interested in superlatives: the biggest and the best. It was during this period that some of the hallmark Guinness Records were documented, answering such questions as â€Å"What is the brightest star? † and â€Å"What is the biggest spider? † 3 Once aware of the public's thirst for such knowledge, the book's authors began to branch out to cover little-known facts. They started documenting human achievements as well.A forerunner for reality television, the Guinness Book gave people a chance to become famous for accomplishing extraordinary and often pointless tasks. Records were set in 1955 for consuming 24 raw eggs in 14 minutes and in 1981 for the fastest solving of a Rubik's Cube (which took a mere 38 seconds). In 1979, a man yodelled non-stop for ten and a quarter hours. 4 In its latest form, the book has found a new home on the internet. No longer restricted to the physical paper, the Guinness World Records website contains seemingly infinite facts concerning such topics as the most powerful combustion engine, or the world's longest train.More and more facts and achievements are added. While there is no denying that each of these facts has its individual attraction, the increasing number of strange achievements represents an important change from the education-oriented facts of earlier editions. It seems Guinness World Records has changed its focus to cater to the audience that wants entertainment more than educational values. 5 Originating as a simple bar book, the Guinness Book of Records has changed over decades to provide insight into the full variety of modern life.Although one may be more likely to learn abo ut the widest human mouth than the highest number of casualties in a Civil War, the Guinness World Records website offers a peek into the future of fact-finding and record-documenting. (adapted from Michael & Timothy, 2012) ARW-SEM2-2013-LU2-READING-SKILLS 56 CENTRE FOR LANGUAGE STUDIES, UNIMAS PBI 1032: ACADEMIC READING AND WRITING 1. What caused the introduction of Guinness Book of Records in 1955? A. The search for bestselling titles. B. The debate by several pub landlords. C. The marketing tool to promote Guinness. D. The arguments on the Europe's fastest game bird.What was the main purpose of Guinness Book of Records in its early years? A. To document various life happenings B. To let the fact finders do the superlatives. C. To fulfil the curiosity within each human being. D. To travel around the world and find unbelievable facts. As used in paragraph 2, which is the best definition for â€Å"principal†? A. main B. belief C. senior D. original How did the Guinness Book r eality television show give people a chance to become famous? A. By accomplishing a task within a given time. B. By showing off their eating and singing habits. C. By presenting their skills in front of the audience. D.By performing strange and usually pointless tasks. 2. 3. 4. 5. What is the primary benefit of making Guinness World Records available online? A. It is more environmental friendly. B. It helps to save the cost of printing the book. C. The book can be sold to a larger number of readers. D. More facts can be added without the restriction of the paper. According to the author, the major difference between older editions of the Guinness Book of Records and the new Guinness World Records website involves A. a move from fact-finding to the recording of achievements B. a change in focus from educational to entertaining material C. departure from book sales being limited to local pubs and bars D. an end to the use of educational facts as a means to promote Guinness Why does Gu inness World Records include more strange achievements? A. It adds entertainment values to the records. B. It allows more people to achieve the impossible. C. More people were capable of doing weird things. D. The education-oriented facts are very hard to find. 6. 7. ARW-SEM2-2013-LU2-READING-SKILLS 57 CENTRE FOR LANGUAGE STUDIES, UNIMAS PBI 1032: ACADEMIC READING AND WRITING 8. As used in paragraph 4, which is the best definition for â€Å"infinite†?A. certain B. excellent C. unlimited D. very little Which of the following statements is TRUE? A. The reality television show for Guinness Book of Records was a failure. B. The title for the Guinness Book of Records was derived from an Irish bird. C. Norris and Ross McWhirter were the first fact-finders for Guinness Book of Records. D. Changes to Guinness Book of Records are expected in the future since many people dislike reading silly records. What does the author imply by â€Å"Guinness World Records website offers a peek int o the future of fact-finding and record-documenting† (paragraph 5)?A. Guinness World Records website will continue to be more entertainmentbased. B. Finding facts on various records to fit into the website would be harder in the future. C. The need for Guinness World Records website to be maintained for future generations. D. The Guinness World Records website may not be visited in the future since it has excluded educational facts. 9. 10. IMPORTANT NOTE: In the final exam, the reading section will only include multiple-choice questions (MCQ) ARW-SEM2-2013-LU2-READING-SKILLS 58

Slave Dbq

Julie Giaimo DBQ Going back to 1619, Africans were bought to America and sold to Americans as workers. It wasn’t long before slavery became a controversial issue. Over the course of almost two and a half centuries the debate of weather to continue or abolish slavery went on. The supporters and the abolitionist had their arguments on how they viewed slavery, and the government played their part too. Those who supported slavery were for the most part southerners. Senator John C. Calhoun states that slavery is a â€Å"positive good†.He says that through slavery, the conditions of the races improved physically, morally, and intellectually and the two races of black and white were brought together. Calhoun also says that the living conditions for the slaves were good and they were taken care of. But in reality, the slaves were living in shacks fearing for their lives and hoping not to get beaten by their slave owner after a long hard day of working in the blistering sun on t he plantations (document 2). Another man against the abolition of slavery is Chancellor Harper.According to Harper, the emancipated slaves would harm the economy of the United States and Europe. This is because he believed that the free laborers would strike against working for higher pays and they wouldn’t do their jobs, thus affecting the trade. The slaves did get paid but very low amounts compared to the hard work that they put into their jobs (document 3). Those were some arguments of people who supported slavery and believed that it should be continued. People who didn’t believe in slavery are known as abolitionist.

Task3 submitted Essay

Task3 submitted Essay Task3 submitted Essay Task 3 – Managing Products & Services eBusiness/QRT2 May 31, 2014 Anthony Duran Brighter Day Productions Site Map About Facebook Twitter Social Media Pinterest Blog Homepage Event Services Weddings Images/Text Corporate Images/Text Social Images/Text Family Images/Text Current Year Images/Text Annual Conference Ima Previous Years Registration Special Events Products Contact Annual Award Images/Text Nominations Store Shopping Cart Check-out Brighter Day Productions Site Design Mock-up As per the recommendation, the website enhancements include adding the terms â€Å"event planning† for improved Search Engine Optimization (SEO), adding links to social media sites and blogging. It was also recommended that BDP offer products to sell online. Therefore, an online store and shopping cart were added, too. Additional graphics are recommended so potential customers can see what they can expect from BDP. Home page: A new logo design was recommended. The owner is working with a graphic artist to design a new logo. A slideshow banner can run by default. A small page edit should allow the owner to change the banner to highlight upcoming events as a way to increase promotion. Event Planning Services: the term event planning will draw more hits and optimize searches driving more potential customers. Each photo is a link to more graphics and brief text descriptions Products: It is recommended that BDP provide several standard products used when planning parties for the do-it-yourself hosts. Using the basic terms will also enhance keyword searches leading to the website. Each photo is a link to the actual product BDP can rent or sell. Brighter Day Productions Site Development & Maintenance Included Components Hosting Vendor Initial Cost Maintenance Comments Cost $0 set-up $79/mo Shopify Professional (2014) Domain Registration 1st month payment$79 Domain Transfer Contracts are month-month as a standard, but can sign-up for an annual or biannual contract. Credit card payment fees: ï‚ · ï‚ · Website Builder Shopping Cart Online: 2.5%+$0.30 Swipe: 2.5% Additional 1% transaction fee if using an outside payment gateway SEO SSL Certificate 5GB File Storage Mobile Site Reports 24/7 Support Merchant Account/ Payment Processor PayPal Payments Advanced (2014) $0 set-up $5/mo Per Transactions fees: ï‚ · 0-$3K/mo=2.9%+$0.30, ï‚ · $3-10K/mo=2.5%+$0.30, ï‚ · $10K/mo=2.2%+$0.30 American Express – 3.5% No early termination or downgrade fees, if sales $3k/mo Free Card reader available for onsite transactions (additional fees apply) International sales – additional fees apply from 2.9-3.9%+$0.30 (dependent on transaction amount – calculator available online) After discussing the various website development options with the business owner, a decision was made to go with Shopify over GoDaddy. She chose Shopify because she felt it provided the most options and flexibility at an affordable price. The owner was able to chat with an online representative and ask various questions for clarification. This was a big sell point for the owner because attempts to talk with the other vendor was not a simple. Another reason

Deck the Halls

Deck the Halls Deck the Halls Deck the Halls By Maeve Maddox Many of the traditional Christmas songs in English contain words or references that have changed in meaning or fallen out of common use. The familiar Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly (words from 1881), has several words that may stump native and non-native speakers alike. Deck in the title is a verb meaning adorn. It entered the language in about 1570; from Middle Dutch dekken to cover. Don we now our gay apparel The verb don, meaning put on, is a 14th century contraction of do on. Ex. Do on your shoes. The word doff, take off is a contraction of do off. Doff your hat in the house. Gay entered the language in the 12th century with the meaning full of joy or mirth. According the the Online Etymology Dictionary, The word gay in the 1890s had an overall tinge of promiscuity a gay house was a brothel. The suggestion of immorality in the word can be traced back to 1637. The Dictionary of American Slang reports that gay (adj.) was used by homosexuals, among themselves, in this sense since at least 1920. Gay as a noun meaning a (usually male) homosexual is attested from 1971. Troll the ancient Yuletide carols troll (v) to sing in a full, rolling voice; c. 1575. The word derives for a hunting term meaning to look for game in a wandering fashion. Yuletide is used now as a synonym for the Christmas season in general. In a more narrow sense it can refer to the 12 days of Christmas, usually counted from Christmas on December 25 to the arrival of the Three Kings on January 6 (Epiphany). Before the arrival of Christianity, Germanic pagans, including the ancestors of English Christians, celebrated the Winter Solstice as Yule. The Yule log represented the renewal of the sun. The suffix tide in Yuletide is from O.E. tid,point or portion of time, due time, The tide that ebbs and flows is from the same word. When the word carol entered English about 1300, it referred to a dance. The meaning of carol as Christmas hymn dates from 1502. Could be there was singing along with the dancing and the dancing part dropped out. You can read some curious facts about four traditional carols here. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Farther vs. Further"Latter," not "Ladder"Is "Number" Singular or Plural?

Origin for the Surname Thompson Genealogy

Origin for the Surname Thompson Genealogy THOMPSON Surname Meaning Origin: Thompson is a patronymic surname meaning son of the man known as Thom, Thomp, Thompkin, or another diminutive form of Thomas (twin). Without the p, the Thomson surname is often of Scottish origin. Surname Origin: English, Scottish Alternate Surname Spellings: THOMSON, THOMASON, THOMASSON, THOMASSIN, THOMESON, TOMPSON, THOMPSEN, TOMASON, THOMS, THOMASSET, TOMPSETT, THOMSETT, TOMSETT, THOMERSON, THOMLINSON, THOMLIN Famous People with the Surname THOMPSON: Fred Thompson - U.S. Senator and television actorAlexander Greek Thomson - Scottish architect (1817-1875)Sir Joseph John (J. J.) Thomson - English physicist who discovered the electron Genealogy Resources for the Surname THOMPSON: 100 Most Common U.S. Surnames Their MeaningsSmith, Johnson, Williams, Jones, Brown... Are you one of the millions of Americans sporting one of these top 100 common last names from the 2000 census? Thompson DNA ProjectDNA testing is making connections between families with Thompson surname variants used in different areas of the world including Thomson, Thomsen, Thomason, Thomazin, Taweson, MacThomas, MacTavish, MacCavish, Macomish, Macomb, McComas, McComb, MacCombie, and reasonable spelling variations. Thompson Family Genealogy ForumSearch this popular genealogy forum for the Thompson surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Thompson query. There are also separate forums for the THOMSON surname and other Thompson variations. FamilySearch - THOMPSON GenealogyFind records, queries, and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Thompson surname and its variations. - References: Surname Meanings OriginsCottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.Menk, Lars. A Dictionary of German Jewish Surnames. Avotaynu, 2005.Beider, Alexander. A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from Galicia. Avotaynu, 2004.Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

No topic just 4 questions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

No topic just 4 questions - Research Paper Example The democratic approach to peace involves considering the rights of the people. When the rights such the right to life, movement and speech are limited leads to suffering. Democracy gives equal chances to the warring communities to exercise their rights. Once the rights are observed, they will stop fighting. In peaceful settlement, it involves dialogue and agreement over issues causing the commotion between the warring ethnic groups. The method of conflict settlement can be the most appropriate because there is no usage of excessive force. The excessive force cause more harm The liberal will employ two methods to settle the conflict. They will use military and economic policies. In the military aspects they will force the two ethnic groups to stop and surrender their weapon. Failure to do so, they will be forced by the, military to surrender forcefully. The economic policies involve widening the dependency between the poor and the rich for the poor to continuously depend on the rich. They will threaten the warring nation with economic sanction in which they have to comply. Failure to compliance leads to total withdrawal of the support. In conclusion, the two aspects of conflict settlement: realist and liberal have the advantages over the other. The liberal is more forceful than the realist. It can be used in few cases as compared to the realism that is harmless and observe human

Islam and West African Indigenous Religion Essay

Islam and West African Indigenous Religion - Essay Example Whether the local populations engaged in animism, polytheism, or other cultural heritage-derived beliefs, once Africa was directly invaded by the Turks and subsequently opened up by European traders, the Islamic religion became prevalent. The scope of this paper is to focus on the advent of the Islamic faith within the region and explain some of the factors that contributed to it. These factors can be generalized within three broad areas; geographical, historical, and behavioral. Through the combination of these causes, Islam became prolific and replaced much of the ancient indigenous practices. Africa is a diverse continent where the geography includes almost every possible landmass variation. From desert, tropical forests, mountains, and the plains of the savannah, the influence of the geography itself impacted how and when Islam spread. As Parrinder points out in his article, the expansion of non-native populations tended to take a vertical shape, almost assuredly due to the use o f the coastlines as entry points for foreign traders, but the land itself is stratified horizontally between the major geographical components. "These two ways of viewing the country help to explain the progress of Islam; for it came into the interior plateaus first and long remained almost stationary there, cut off from the coastal regions by the impenetrable forest" (Parrinder 131). It wasn't until the European traders established a transportation infrastructure of roads and railways that Islam began to make inroads from the interior of the country into the coastal regions. Once that was accomplished, however, Islam was able to spread from the central portions of the continent to the outer edges, including West Africa. This specifically points to the first of three historical aspects of the spread of Islam. Historical Factors While it might be inferred that Islam was initially carried into Africa by the Turkish invaders who used the Mediterranean Sea as a conduit for expansion, the fact is that the spread of Islam owes its initial developments to commerce. As Trimingham notes, "Islam was first introduced into West Africa by traders. Their activities in purveying Islam along with their goods have continued ever since" (28). It is intuitive that religion spreads with commerce. As native people interact with merchants, there is a blending of ideas and philosophies that naturally takes place. Given the aggressive proselytization practices of Islam, there is no great mystery as to why the native Africans would convert. Their assimilation into Islamic beliefs was also fostered by the historical imperialism of the religion. By its very structure, Islam is a faith that blends political and economic activities with religious practice. Once the belief system becomes sufficiently popular, it begins to enforce its tenets through more than simple missionary means. The statement that "Islam in power is secularized theocracy and this always leads to forms of religious imperialism" (Trimingham 28) is as true today as it was in the eleventh century. Once entrenched in tribal governance, the more aggressive forms of an imperialistic recruitment would emerge. These practices included everything from forced conversions to the refusal to allow commerce between individuals of the faith and apostates. In many parts of Africa, conversion to Islam was not a voluntary activity, but a political and economic necessity. The next historical fact, that of western development, would simply provide the means for expansion of the imperialistic

Anything to do with Microbology Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Anything to do with Microbology - Article Example Disease causes by this bacteria, tuberculosis is a major public health challenge and is currently in an epidemic state in several parts of the world. According to the World Health Organisation, 139 per 100,000 population through out the world suffer from tuberculosis. The highest number of cases are seen in Asia, followed by Africa. Two important contributing factors are human immunodeficiency virus and development of resistance of the bacteria to first line drugs. The main source of infection to the community are sputum positive pulmonary tuberculosis. Only 10 percent of individuals develop the clinical disease and the rest arrest the growth of the bacteria through adequate immune response. Some population-based studies have shown that some individuals are at increased risk of acquiring the infection when compared to others. Active transmission is mainly seen in crowded and household contacts. Acquisition is most common in young people. More than 85 percent of tuberculosis is pulmon ary tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is communicable and patients with pulmonary tuberculosis are the most important source of infection. When the tuberculosis bacillus presents in the body, it is phagocytosed by antigen presenting cells in the alveoli of human lungs. This initiates a protective immune response by the host. The genome of the bacillus helps in establishing latent or progressive infection in the host.

Utilizing the Internet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Utilizing the Internet - Essay Example Internet continues to impact my life every time I use it. It offers easy and simple access to a wide range of data and knowledge, at the click of a button. Its relative affordability means that I save a lot on research costs and study expenses such as those incurred when one is forced to visit the library (time saving too) and even subscribe to them for membership. There is also reduced expenditure on purchase of textbooks and reading material and such capital is diverted into other concerns. Apart from introducing me to a vibrant social life through the creation and keeping in touch with friends, the Internet has also enabled me remain an informed member of the society on virtually all topics. It has also enabled me work from home and even plan events without particularly having to go to different places and meet different people (Healey, 2006). Professionally and in organisations, the Internet is useful in the overall business strategy by collapsing time and distance, and thereby enabling electronic commerce. It is also useful in enhancing organisational culture as it encourages free flow of information. In addition, by making networking and virtual corporations a reality, the Internet greatly influences organisational structure. The Internet is also used professionally as tool for information management, sharing and receipting of information (Wiener, 2010). The Internet would apply to my future career in many useful ways. For one, it will be a useful tool for improving services delivery for instance, via online questionnaires, feedbacks, receipt of ideas and trends in customer taste and preferences and even receipt of orders. The Internet will also be useful in boosting the general awareness of the public to the services offered and the quality of the service, thus offering an effective marketing tool in a world where everyone is

Conceptual Design Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Conceptual Design - Coursework Example Lateral stability in the building is achieved by the use of a framed structure as shown in figure 3. A frame structure makes the building become capable of evenly directing all the loads of the foundation without causing stress at one point of the building more than the other. The foamed structure is such that the slab is placed on top of the beams which form the walls. The total force is from the upper rooms of the story is thus efficiently transferred downwards. Notably, the slab is also constructed by spanning it along the shorter side so as to increase length stability. This technique has the advantage of reducing the total number of beams and columns that are needed in the construction of the building and at the same time while maintaining a stable structure. Each beam is scanned at a length of 4 meters. This is cheaper and very affordable in terms of the bars used. Any design is only viable once tests done on it can prove its authenticity and applicability. Testing for the feas ibility of the member positions used in the design can be done by the use of preliminary sizing exercise for the main structural elements of the building. As shown in figure 6 and 7, the desired measurements for the slab, beam and wall are 150, 300 and 200 respectively. The column is designed with an approximate size of 300 rising up to about 4000.Often conceptual analysis is a precise procedure which has most of the details embedded in the diagrams used in the explanation.

Private Securities Litigation Reform Act's Essay

Private Securities Litigation Reform Act's - Essay Example Plaintiffs also allege that they incurred substantial personal losses due to their respective purchases of Daou stock at fraudulently inflated prices (2005). The district court held that the plaintiffs had failed to state sufficiently particularize claims under the 1933 Securities Act and the 1934 Exchange Act (2005). Hence, Plaintiffs now appeal the district courts dismissal of their Third Amended Complaint (â€Å"TAC†) with prejudice (2005). Plaintiffs contend that Daou fraudulently inflated the price of its stock by reporting revenues before they were earned, in violation of GAAP (2005). They claim that the said company employed an accounting method known as the percentage-of-completion (â€Å"POC†) method, which is used primarily to account for progress on long-term projects (2005). Under this method, revenue from these projects could only be recognized based on the percentage of labor costs incurred to date compared to the total estimated labor costs for the project (2005). Plaintiffs allege, however, that defendants would prematurely recognize revenue in contravention of the POC method (2005). Hence, because of such artificial inflation of the price of Daou stock, Plaintiffs allege that Daou was able to acquire eleven companies, and Daou executives and their respective family members were able to sell nearly 2.5 million shares for a total of $54.67 million in improper proceeds (2005). Plaintiffs also allege th at to their detriment they purchased their Daou shares during the class period at artificially inflated prices and that, had they been aware of Daous true financial results and condition, they would not have purchased their shares, or at least not at the prices paid (2005).

Conceptual Design Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Conceptual Design - Coursework Example Lateral stability in the building is achieved by the use of a framed structure as shown in figure 3. A frame structure makes the building become capable of evenly directing all the loads of the foundation without causing stress at one point of the building more than the other. The foamed structure is such that the slab is placed on top of the beams which form the walls. The total force is from the upper rooms of the story is thus efficiently transferred downwards. Notably, the slab is also constructed by spanning it along the shorter side so as to increase length stability. This technique has the advantage of reducing the total number of beams and columns that are needed in the construction of the building and at the same time while maintaining a stable structure. Each beam is scanned at a length of 4 meters. This is cheaper and very affordable in terms of the bars used. Any design is only viable once tests done on it can prove its authenticity and applicability. Testing for the feas ibility of the member positions used in the design can be done by the use of preliminary sizing exercise for the main structural elements of the building. As shown in figure 6 and 7, the desired measurements for the slab, beam and wall are 150, 300 and 200 respectively. The column is designed with an approximate size of 300 rising up to about 4000.Often conceptual analysis is a precise procedure which has most of the details embedded in the diagrams used in the explanation.

Multinational Business of Kuwait Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Multinational Business of Kuwait - Case Study Example Economic standing of Kuwait has been progressing well in the recent past despite various environmental and internal challenges that threaten its GDP. Currently, the nation’s income per capita has increased by 1% while the GDP level has also recorded a growth of 7%. Kuwait is a vast land that has the potential for growth if proper economic modalities are put in place by the authorities. The country’s resource base can sustain its citizens. This is evident in the immense potential in the agricultural sector, the business field and its rising labor force (Ghemawat, 2001). The initiation of viable trade, political, social and cultural policies has enabled the country to record significant growth in its per capita income levels and GDP standards. The policies are to eradicate the distance dimensions or factors that influence performance. Kuwait’s economic geography is bound to record an upward growth trend or expansion especially with the mitigation plans that are und er formulation to avert the effects of the dimensional factors. The dimensions that include cultural practices, economic implications, social and political issues must be addressed by an economy that seeks to meet its target (Ghemawat, 2001). The country's Dimensions of Distance Economic growth in Kuwait is dependent on the major factors that influence performance and production. The factors that hold the capacity of stalling or propelling economic performance are integral in enhancing per capita income in the country (Khanna & Sinha, 2005). Authorities in Kuwait recognize the need for the development of viable performance measures to trade barriers and unwarranted economic bottlenecks that seek to impede the flow of production. Modalities are being crafted to streamline economic activities that include agriculture and business operations. This is critical because the country’s economy is financed by agricultural activities and international business. The policies are to help in eradicating trade barriers and other distant factors that affect growth in the nation. The dimensions that include cultural practices, economic implications, social and political issues hold far-reaching effects on the economy. According to Khanna and Sinha (2005), the country’s international business operations have been affected by the cost implications and risks that result from barriers that are created by distant factors. He stated that the distant factors do not expressly refer to the geographical difference but they are the major dimensions that influence economic growth. Economic element is a dimension that affects business operations and various income-generating activities in Kuwait. The nation is described as a small economy with two major GDP financiers that are under-exploited. The under exploitation is due to inadequate resource capacity that hinders the adoption of modern technological setups for production. Although the nation’s GDP has recorded sig nificant percentage growth, the increase is not adequate to steer the expansion plans that are expected in the agricultural and business sectors (Khanna & Sinha, 2005). This may further harm the nation’s performance if amicable solutions are not realized.

Improving Health Literacy with Clear Communication Essay Example for Free

Improving Health Literacy with Clear Communication Essay Health literacy, defined as the ability to search, find, understand, evaluate and act on health information to promote, maintain and improve health in a variety of ways across the lifespan (Manafo Wong, 2013). Paasche-Orlow and Wolf proposed a conceptual model of this relationship that highlights the two-sided nature of health literacy: the role of self-care and personal skill development, and the importance of a therapeutic relationship between patient and healthcare provider. As two aspects operate together in promoting efficient health literacy outcomes, a top priority of health literacy for Canadians is having the necessary capacity, opportunity, and encouragement to collect and use health information efficiently; so, they can act as educated partners in their self-care (Manafo, 2013). Unfortunately, Canadians have a low level of health literacy, which associates with poorer health outcomes. Low health education interferes health promotion and well-being of the aging Canadian population (Poureslami, Rootman, Pleasant, FitzGerald, 2016). Enhancing individual health literacy skills is the next step in promoting the use and uptake of information available to support Canadians’ health and well-being (Manafo, 2013). Improved health literacy associated with reductions in risk behaviors for chronic disease, higher self-reported health status, and decreased health care utilization. (Poureslami, Nimmon, Rootman, FitzGerald, 2017). Due to the active communication between health care providers, who play an essential function in health promotion, management of chronic disease, and disease prevention, we can reach a sufficient level of HL of public (Poureslami, 2106). According to the Erickson’s model, middle age defines as the time between ages 35 to 65. Significant physiological and psychological changes that are gradual and inevitable may occur between the ages 40 and 65 years. The physiological and psychosocial changes presented in the middle adulthood may be accompanied by declining of physical strength and the awareness of mortality (Potter Perry, 2014). Chronic health disorders can arise as an issue accompanied by disability or disease. Successful chronic disease management (CDM) requires patient and health care provider collaboration in which health literacy is foundational. This partnership less effective when patients do not have the skills to process and act on health information and providers lack the skills and resources to deliver that information in ways that support comprehension and uptake (Poureslami, 2106). The aging population, especially among ethnic groups with chronic diseases, have been found to be at higher risk for misunderstanding their diagnosis, treatment plan, and instructions for self-management. It is crucial to understand better the role of the community and public health in supporting health literacy and chronic disease self-management. Creating community-based education and health public programs that mediate exchange and uptake information (FitzGerald, Poureslami, 2014). The source of many chronic health conditions, including type II diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), is behavioral. Furthermore, the successful control of chronic diseases, including asthma, relies on a patient\s activities and behaviors. Asthma can be well controlled when patients put maximum effort to manage exposures to triggers, maintain constant contact with health care providers, and follow specialists’ recommendations and treatments (Bender, 2015). Due to the therapeutic relationship between a nurse and a patient, a shared-decision-making approach has demonstrated positive results in practical application in asthma care (Bender, 2105). Providers who practice patient-centered care often utilize a shared decision-making communication plan to examine patients’ perspectives and involve them in making decisions about their health. According to the recent researching, higher adherence and low percentage of urgent care are recorded in the group of patients whose provider received the shared decision-making training in comparison with the other group of asthmatics whose symptoms got worst due to the routine care and guidelines management instructions. (Bender, 2015). Ineffective asthma management is costly for patients’ and taxpayers budget. According to the statistical numbers from National Health Survey of 2014, the number of patients with asthma increased by 28 % from 2001 to 2011. Moreover, the estimated cost of asthm a for taxpayers budget was $ 56 billion in 2007 (Mishra, Kashif, Venkatram, George, Luo Diaz-Fuentes, 2017). Asthma action plan (AAP) is highly recommended in addition to education to improve outcomes in asthmatics. â€Å"To improve asthma management and reduce the number of deaths from the condition, the national guidance recommends that patients are offered a written, personalized asthma action plan (Newell, 2015, p.12). The Asthma Action Plan provides information about asthma stages identifying when symptoms become worse, medication, and what to do in an emergency. The healthcare provider will write asthma plan with an explanation about right using of inhalers and elimination of all triggers (Newell,2015). The nursing process of writing AAP consists of four phases: assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluating (Newell, 2015). An individualized written action plan is adjusted to the patient’s asthma severity and treatment. Several studies have shown that asthma education improves outcomes like asthma-related emergency room (ER) utilization and hospitalization, unscheduled doct ors’ visits, days off work, and quality of life.

Youth Work And Anti Social Behaviour Criminology Essay

Youth Work And Anti Social Behaviour Criminology Essay The purpose of this research is to investigate and explore whether youth work helps in preventing Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) amongst young people. It is a worthwhile task to research this specific area as there is little published research on the contribution of youth work in preventing ASB. The research was conducted using young people and youth workers from the youth centre that I was doing my placement in Warwickshire. The data collected was a mixture of both quantitative and qualitative, however the focus of the data collection was on qualitative data. The main findings from the study revealed that the majority of young people and youth workers felt that attending the youth club helps to keep young people out of trouble. It was confirmed that youth clubs play an important role in informing young people about crime and justice issues, and that young people are likely to approach youth workers for help and advice. The services deemed important by young people were highlighted, and differences have been recognised between the services deemed most important to provide by young people and youth workers. Issues regarding the role of youth workers were raised, with differing opinions from both young people and youth workers. It has been illustrated that young people have a very positive attitude towards both youth work and youth workers, which is very important if youth workers are to build and maintain good relationships with young people. It is hoped that this research will provide a valuable insight into the possible role of youth work in preventing ASB to those who work in the field of youth work and crime prevention. Introduction The purpose of this study is to explore the potential role of youth work in preventing Anti-social behaviour(ASB). The topic of ASB and youth crime is one used in election campaigns by all political parties. Since New Labour came to power in 1997 there have been numerous citations of Tony Blairs slogan tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime, especially with regard to the phenomenon of youth crime. The purpose of this research therefore is to add to the debate on ASB prevention and to investigate a potential avenue that could help prevent it, that is, Youth Work. Relatively little published research has been conducted in the UK specifically on youth work and ASB or crime prevention, especially when compared to the US where Sherman et al (1997) has conducted interesting research. It is the purpose of this piece of research to reduce this gap in knowledge. It is hoped that this research will inform both those who work in the youth work arena and crime prevention strategists in general of the possibilities that youth work holds. 1.2 Aims and Objectives The title of the project is Investigate and Explore the role of Youth Work in preventing Anti-Social Behaviour. The broad aim was to explore whether youth work plays a role in preventing young people commit Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) or in severe cases Crime. The objectives of the research were: To search, review and critically examine the available literature on youth work and youth crime prevention. To determine the role and nature of the youth clubs and youth workers in relation to crime prevention To demonstrate and compare the perceptions of youth work from those who attend youth clubs and those who act in the role of youth worker. To establish whether youth work can be an effective means in preventing youth crime 1.3 Definition of terms used There are debates about the precise meaning of the key terms used in this research, therefore these debates will be briefly outlined and the use of terminology justified. There are three main terms that are used within this report that must be defined. These are: anti-social behaviour, youth crime, youth work and young people. These terms each have their own meanings that are debated by academics, researchers, politicians and even the media. The biggest debates regarding terminology centre on the terms youth crime and young people therefore these will be discussed first. There are two initial problems that occur when attempting to define youth crime. Firstly the problem in defining exactly what crime is, and secondly the problem in defining exactly what youth is. Muncie states the common definition of crime usually takes the form similar to that of an act prohibited by criminal law (2004:39). Michael and Adler (1933) take this further stating that in other words, no act can be considered a crime, irrespective of how immoral or damaging it may be, unless it has been made such by legislation (cited by Muncie, 2004:39). On first examination, this definition may seem perfectly viable, however in respect of young people it is argued that such a legal uncontroversial definition is unable to capture the full extent of troublesome behaviour. It is for these reasons that criminologists have used terms such as delinquency and antisocial behaviour to refer to youth misconduct which is not deemed criminal by the law, but is otherwise troublesome. The use of such terms are used to label and criticise youth behaviour such as hanging around on the streets or being loud as anti-social when this would not necessarily be the case had an adult been behaving in the same manner. These terms therefore provide a way in which to discriminate against young peoples, often not excessively offensive, behaviour. With regard to anti-social behaviour, even a definition of what amounts to this has contrasting perspectives. For example, Rutter, Giller and Hagell define anti-social behaviour as criminal behaviour whereas the Home Office do not (1998:1). This could indicate that the location and context in which the term is used can be of significance. It is submitted that over time and in different societies our constructions of what constitutes criminality clearly change. Support for this can be found from Becker who argues that crime is a consequence of social interaction and that crime only occurs once it has been criminalized through public perception and social reaction. Sumner (1990) supports Beckers view and argues that crime and deviance are matters of moral and political judgement as they are ideological concepts that justify inequality (cited in Muncie, 2004:40). Defining youth is also a problematic task. If attempting to define youth by reference to age, there are no precise moments that mark when childhood ends and adulthood begins (Muncie, 2004:41). This important change has become known as the transition between childhood and adulthood. Spence argues that transition suggests a journey from one state to another, involving both personal and social aspects, and it is therefore dependent upon the idea that the two stages are distinct conditions and fundamentally different (2004: 48). One possible approach to pinpoint the occurrence of this transition is to use the age of criminal responsibility, which is currently 10 years old in England and Wales. Ultimately, the concept of youth is one that suggests similarity amongst people of similar age whilst acting as the basis for creating social rules and institutions that reinforce these apparent similarities (Spence, 2005, p.47). However, despite these definitional problems it is important to define youth in relation to crime. In England and Wales, a person who commits a criminal offence who is between the ages of 10 and 17 years will be treated as a juvenile offender, whereas an individual who commits a criminal offence and is between the ages of 18 and 21 years will be tried as a young offender (Davies, Croall and Tyrer (2004. p.57). Having taken these debates into consideration, the use of these terms throughout this report have been used to mean the following: the term youth crime refers to crime committed by those individuals under the age of 18 years, and the term crime indicates an act prohibited by criminal law (Muncie, 2004, p.39). The term young people has been used to mean those individuals over the age of 10 years and below the age of 18 years, as this also reflects the age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales. With regard to youth work, it is difficult to give a text book explanation of exactly what youth work is and research has illustrated that youth workers themselves find it difficult to put their role into a sentence that gives justice to both the work of the youth worker and that of the young person (Ingram and Harris, 2005, p.11-12). The nearest one will find to a formal definition of what youth work entails can be found in the statement of values and principles from the National Youth Agency (NYA), which states that the nature and purpose of youth work is: to facilitate and support young peoples growth through dependence to interdependence, by encouraging their personal and social development and enabling them to have a voice, influence and place in their communities and society. (NYA, 2005:17). It is through this definition that the researcher uses the term youth work to mean working with young people to help them achieve a sense of personal fulfilment, as well as work that can help and advice young people in their daily life choices and activities. The term youth worker therefore is used to describe those who carry out this role. 1.4 Organisation of the report The report is divided into four chapters as follows: Chapter Two reviews the design and methodology adopted to conduct the research and provides justification for the design and methods used. Chapter Three presents the findings of the research and analyse these appropriately. Chapter Four is the final chapter and will discuss the main findings from the research. It will also draw on these findings and the literature review in order to argue that youth work has the potential to make a significant contribution to ASB prevention and recommendations for policy makers, practice and further research. The appendices contain copies of all relevant documents referred to throughout the research. CHAPTER 2 Design and Methodology Research Design and methods The overall design of this research incorporated both quantitative and qualitative methods. The researcher aimed to collect these forms of data using questionnaires and focus groups. One set of questionnaires was distributed to six youth workers who works at the youth club. Semi-structured questions formed the interview questions used in focus groups with young people. As the research was an investigation the use of questionnaires was deemed appropriate for the collection of both quantitative and qualitative data. Throughout the literature review, it is clear that there is a number of research/theories and approaches that are based on facts within the topic of ASB. An example is that the Home Office have established that young people with a troubled home life are at higher risk of being involved in ASB and crime than those who have not. Using a quantitative design would be inadequate to offer alternative explanations and explain different personal circumstances, for example, why young people who have come from troubled family life get involved in ASB. My research question requires me to ask young people and youth workers whether youth work helps in preventing ASB. A qualitative design would therefore benefit me as it would allow me to ask young people directly through the use of semi-structured interviews. This would therefore include their individual understanding and experiences, rather than being given a choice of options to choose from. It has been stated that qualitative and quantitative research each reflects a different epistemological stance, which ultimately widens the gap between the two (Bryman, 1992). In terms of epistemological framework, quantitative research is strongly linked to the positivist method of studying society, therefore observing the world in an objective manner, whereas qualitative research entails a more subjective approach. These theories explain why quantitative data is often viewed as hard data and qualitative data as real and deep (OReilly, 1996:7). It is therefore submitted that it is not a disadvantage to combine quantitative and qualitative data, but that it is an advantage as the utilisation of the two methods allows for an in-depth investigation, which will allow a more complete account[s] of social reality (Bryman, 1992:126). Questionnaires According to Robson, (2002:230), questionnaires are seen as a predominantly quantitative research method. The questionnaires used in this research asked questions about young people and ASB from the workers point of view, and included both tick boxes and also opportunities to explain further. This offered the researcher qualitative data from the questionnaires. The questionnaire also contained personal data including age, gender, ethnicity, disability and sexuality. Participants were however not asked for their name or any details which would have enabled them to be identified. Below is a table adapted from Munn and Drever(1990) and Sarantakos(2005) which shows the benefits and drawbacks of questionnaires. Fig 1. Benefits Drawbacks Efficient use of time Greater assurance of anonymity for participants Standardised questions and format for data collection Production for quick results Less opportunity for researcher bias Easier for data analysis Allow for a greater coverage of participants Information tends to describe rather than explain Information can be superficial No room for probing, prompting or clarification No opportunity to provide motivation for the participant to take part Identity and conditions are not known Do not allow for additional information The main benefit of using questionnaires in this research was the ability to gain information in a relatively straight forward. This was also helpful for the data analysis stage as questions were all standardised and could easily be organised to produce results for analysis. Focus groups The other method used to collect data in this research was focus groups. Morgan(1998:1) states that, focus groups are group interviews. A moderator guides the interview while a small group discusses the topics that the interviewer raises. Morgan went on to talk about the growth of focus groups as a qualitative research method and how discussions that takes place generate a rich understanding of participants experiences and beliefs'(1998:11). The purpose of a focus group in this research was to offer a deep insight and gain a greater understanding of the opinions that exist towards the research question being explored. Sarantakos (2005) talks about how focus groups can be used as a tool to explain trends and variances through the views of respondents. Below is a table that shows the pros and cons of using focus groups and have been taken from Morgan(1997) and (1998), Bloor et al (2001), Sarantakos (2005). Fig 2 Benefits Drawbacks Ability to gain understanding o complex issues through group discussions Ability to understand uncertainties and ambiguity that can underlie group assessments Allow for easier comparisons of opinions and the similarities and differences that exist Recording data can be problematic Being in a group may hide peoples real opinions The process can be dominated by some members There can be difficulties keeping discussions on track Findings may not be represented The reason why these two methods were used in the research was to enhance the data collected and to enable the researcher to gain a deeper understanding of feelings and opinions that surround the subject. This use of multiple methods is becoming common in social researches which, as stated by Boer et al (2001:12), contribute to the parallel mushrooming commitment of academic researchers to triangulation. Triangulation is a process by which different methods are employed by researchers to ensure that the methods themselves do not distort data but instead produce similar findings. Implementation and changes to Design Due to selected young people not turning up for the focus group, the researcher had to randomly select young people who were present at the time who fitted the criteria. This meant having to postpone the time and some planned activities as the young people had to seek consent first to participate from parents/carers and bring to the researcher signed forms. This meant that the researcher had to do one focus group instead of two that had been planned in the research proposal. Although it would have been good to have two focus group so as to look for similarities and differences in young peoples views, having one group did not make much difference as the researcher felt the young people who participated were a fair representatives of young people who attend youth clubs. Having one focus group, in the researchers opinion was more than enough as the researcher had to consider time needed for analysis. 2.5 Sample Selection and Details of Participants In total there were 14 participants in the study: eight young people, and six youth workers. It was felt that although this was a relatively small sample, it would allow for a greater degree of qualitative data to be collected and analysed. The researcher felt that the sample of young people was, fairly representative of those attending the youth clubs. The sampling method used was convenience or accidental sampling which involves choosing the nearest and most convenience persons to act as respondents. Robson(2002:265). The main limitations to this type of sampling is that there is no way to tell if the findings are representatives of the population or not. Robson(2002:265). However, the researcher tried to make sure that many groups were represented in the study including every age group and gender. One key group that was not included was young people from ethnic minorities group. This was due to the fact that at the time no one who fitted the criteria was present and the area is dominantly white. The participants (both youth workers and young people) were all white British. The age range of the young people was between 13 and 16 years old, with 37.5% being female and 62.5% male. The youth worker participants were 66.7% female and 33.3% male. The table below(Fig 3) shows a detailed breakdown of all participants. Young people Age(years) Male Female Total 13 1 1 2 14 1 1 2 15 2 1 3 16 1 1 Fig 4 Youth Workers Age range Female Male Total 18-25 2 2 25-30 1 1 2 30+ 1 1 2 2.6 Young Peoples Focus Group The researcher arranged semi-structured questions in advance and sent them to the Youth Worker in charge for approval. A place and time was allocated where the group would not be disturbed. By planning in advance, the researcher was able to avoid interruptions and ensure people could not overhear the discussions. Facilitating a focus group allowed the researcher to be creative in the types of questions that she could ask. Interactive and visual exercises were included which enabled young people to keep focused, interested and engaged in the topic. 2.7 Youth workers questionnaire There were several questions that could be compared to the questions given to young people, in order to reach the objective of determining and comparing the perceptions of youth work from youth workers and young people. Due to the mixture of open and closed questions it was possible to extract both quantitative and qualitative data from the youth workers. However, because the sample size was relatively small the focus was to collect qualitative data that was rich in both information and experience. At the youth club the questionnaires were handed to the worker-in-charge who ensured that the researcher was handed the completed questionnaires back. All six questionnaires were completed and returned. Confidentiality was ensured and maintained throughout as the questionnaires were handed out with an envelope for use after completion of the questionnaire. 2.8 Ethical Issues It is vital when completing research that the importance of ethical issues is observed. (Walliman 2006:151). The ethical issues identified for this research can be found in the research proposal (Appedix). No further ethical issues were identified. Consent forms forms were all signed and retuned to the researcher. The researcher further emphasised on confidentiality issues within the group. Throughout the research, all the procedures identified to promote ethical practice were put into place. A place that was free from noise, interruptions or risks that others could overhear was used and this was important in maintaining confidentiality. 2.9 Data Analysis In presenting and discussing the research findings a mixture of summary and descriptive statistics were used. Generalizations from these statistics were kept to a minimum due to the research design and methods adopted. As the research sample was relatively small and manageable, the researcher felt confident to complete the statistical calculations herself. In addition, as the research sample was relatively small it was not thought appropriate to use any other statistical tests in the data analysis CHAPTER 3 FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS 3.1 Introduction The purpose of this chapter is to present the findings of the research and provide a basic interpretation of these findings. Quantifiable data will be presented in a graphical format. Qualitative data will be illustrated by quotes and written observations. The findings of the study have been provided through the use of data analysis by using a grounded theory approach. A grounded theory is dedicated to generating theories. It emphasises the importance of empirical fieldwork and the need to link any explanations very closely to what happens in the real world.(Denscombe, 2007:89) The researcher analysed the data after recording all of the information provided from the focus group onto one sheet. This meant putting all of the participants answers to each question together, therefore analysis on possible themes and categories was made easier. An example is provided in Fig 5 below: Key P1=Participant 1 Q1 What do you understand by the term Anti-Social Behaviour? P1- ermm, I think its crime committed by youth like young people P2- ohm ermm I dont know (pause) young people messing around on the streets getting into trouble P3- aint it just teenagers doing nothing on the streets or corner shops P4- Like graffiti, hanging on the streets, smoking, drinking, things that young people do P5- Its like all these guys with hoodies hanging about getting into trouble by misbehaving, acting stupid P6- Petty crime like hanging about on the streets, making noise, vandalising property I used this process to look at specific parts of the interviews which were important in order to meet my research objectives. My data analysis was based on looking for similarities or differences in the answers given and categorising relevant themes. Denscombe (2007:98) states that, the first stage of analysis involves the coding and categorizing of the data. This means the researcher begins to assign bits of raw data to particular categories. Careful scrutiny of the data will allow the researcher to see that certain bits of the data have something in common. 3.2 Focus Group-Young people The objective of having a focus group with young people was ultimately to discover their views on both the youth club they attended, the youth workers that worked there, and whether having a youth club helped keep the young people out of trouble, therefore addressing the issue of reducing and preventing youth crime. In order to do this it was considered important to discover how often the young people actually attended the clubs. Youth club attendance and spare time activities Figure 6 below illustrates that nearly two thirds of the young people, (5, which is 62.5%) attended whenever the clubs were open. It is argued that this is an important finding for the foundation of the research as if young people were not attending the clubs then the potential of youth work to help reduce Anti-social behaviour and crime would be dramatically reduced from the outset. As the youth clubs are regularly attended by young people it was felt that because the youth club studied in this research were not open seven days a week, it was important to try and discover what young people were doing in their spare time when they were not at the club. As was discussed in Chapter Two, according to research, social skills are an important part of the transition into adulthood (Spence, 2005). However, the effect of socialisation and peer group pressure can have differing effects on individuals. It is clear to see from figure 7 below, socialising with friends is a large part of the young peoples lives. It is interesting to observe that only a small proportion (2), which is a quarter of young people thought that they got into trouble in their spare time. This figure could be a result of several different factors such as different opinions as to what is classed as getting into trouble, for example is it only trouble if you have broken the law or when you are being antisocial? Subjective factors such as these could have affected the answers given by the participants and this must be kept in mind when analysing the findings Keeping out of trouble The young people were asked to rate the extent of their agreement to the statement coming to the youth club keeps me out of trouble (question 3). It is submitted that the results (see figure 8 below) are encouraging on several levels. Firstly, no one disagreed with the statement therefore it is possible to argue that the youth clubs could help reduce youth crime, at least for the period in which the young people attended the club. Support for this argument can be found in the fact that 62.5% of young people rated their extent of agreement at 4 or above on the scale. To make a direct comparison, the youth workers were asked the same question (question 6). The results are also illustrated in figure 3 above. It must be remembered when interpreting these findings that the sample size of the two groups were different, as the young people sample (n=8) was larger than the youth worker sample (n=6). The findings from the youth workers indicate a strong extent of agreement that youth clubs do help keep young people out of trouble, illustrated by the fact nearly all responses (4: 66.7%) were marked 4 or above on the scale. # Comparative means to indicate the level of agreement to the statement that youth clubs keep young people out of trouble The role of a youth worker: Question 1-Youth Workers/ Question 10-Young people It was important to discover what the young people and the youth workers perceived to be the role of a youth worker in order to see if there were any major differences. If they were there, these would need to be resolved in order to provide the service that young people want and need. The young people in the stated that someone to offer help/advice as the main role of a youth worker. Help/advice/guidance is one perception of the role that is shared by both the young people and youth workers. There was a difference in that young people felt that to provide activities was an element of the role, as opposed to youth workers. This information was difficult to quantify the data into categories in that the answers given by the youth workers were very serious, whereas the young peoples answers were more focused towards fun and activities as opposed to being focused on serious matters such as guidance The NYA promotes that the main purpose of youth work is the personal and social development of young people and their social inclusion (NYA, 2006:6). . In comparison to Mertons study (2004), which found the role of a youth worker to be a social educator and mentor, it is possible to argue that these elements are also visible in the findings from this research as helping, advising and guiding young people can fit into both of the roles Merton found. Referring to the literature review, I had based my research on the risk factors identified by the home office that increase the chances of young people be involved in ASB. Within these risk factors, peer pressure was established as one of the risk factors associated with ASB. My results supported this as 7 out of 8 young people mentioned copying their friends, trying to fit in and peer pressure as a reason for engaging in ASB. Chapter Four Discussion, Conclusions and Implications 4.1 The most important findings The study found that there was a high level of agreement amongst young people and youth workers that going to the youth club keeps young people out of trouble. It is therefore argued that youth work is already contributing to ASB prevention, at least during the period in which the youth clubs are open. Regarding what the participants thought were the most important services to provide, Q4-YW and Q9-YP, the study found a difference of opinion not only between youth workers and young people, but also amongst youth workers themselves. Young people felt that a place to socialise, access to information and advice, and a safe place to be were the most important services, whereas overall youth workers felt enthusiastic workers and the building of relationships were paramount. If youth work were to hold a substantial ASB or crime prevention role, differences such as these would need to be straightened out in order to ensure the most important services are clearly defined in terms of what the young people want and need from the clubs. With regard to the informative function of youth work, it was found that youth work does indeed play an important role in informing young people about ASB, crime and justice issues. This provides the foundation on which to argue that youth work has an extremely important role in providing young people with information on important issues. The study found that young people were likely to approach a youth worker for support and advice. This is very encouraging in terms of youth work holding and maintaining a successful role in ASB prevention, as it would be paramount that young people feel both confident and comfortable in approaching youth workers for help. It was also illustrated that in general young people have a very positive attitude towards youth workers, which supports the argument that youth workers have the potential to cross the barriers with young people where others fail, especially in terms of promoting pro-social behaviour and social inclusion. This finding als

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Essay

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is classified as an anxiety disorder that can develop after an individual has observed and/or experienced an extreme traumatic event that involved actual or threatened death or serious injury to one’s self or another (APA, 2000). An extreme traumatic event can include, but is not limited to, military combat, terrorist attacks, natural or manmade disasters, sexual assault, physical assault, robbery, and torture (APA, 2000). The type of traumatic event could influence the way in which medical and mental health care professionals assess, conceptualize, and subsequently treat the individuals with a PTSD diagnosis. For this reason, sexual assault, as the traumatic event that led to the development of a PTSD diagnosis, will be the focus of discussion. The current statistics on sexual assault exemplify the need to focus on this particular population. For example: every two minutes, someone in the United States is sexually assaulted, and each year there are about 213, 000 survivors of sexual assault (RAINN, 2009). The purpose of this paper, then, is to explore how cognitive-behavioral therapies assess, conceptualize, and treat clients with a sexual assault history and a PTSD diagnosis. Treatment Components of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy The treatment components of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) that are typically utilized in the treatment for PTSD include psychoeducation, prolonged exposure and/or in vivo exposure, cognitive restructuring, and anxiety management (Harvey, Bryant, & Tarrier, 2003). Psychoeducation Psychoeducation includes providing the client with information about the common symptomology that may be experien... ... conceptualize, and treat clients with a sexual assault history and a PTSD diagnosis. The sexual traumatic event, experienced by the client, may elicit negative PTSD-related cognitions that are perpetuated by avoidant behavior. Prolonged exposure, in vivo exposure, and cognitive restructuring can challenge and correct such negative cognitions and avoidant behaviors. Psychoeducation can provide information, as well as a rationale about therapy, whereas anxiety management training can provide coping skills to engage in exposure and cognitive restructuring interventions. In general, cognitive-behavioral therapies can provide the means by which to assess, conceptualize, and treat clients, and has also shown to be efficacious (Dobson, 2010; Dobson & Dobson, 2009; Foa et al., 1999; Foa & Rauch, 2004; Harvey, Bryant, & Tarrier, 2003; McDonagh et al., 2005; Roman, 2010).

Challenges Facing Fashion Industry in Ghana

CHAPTER ONE BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY The environment in which the fashion industry operates the world over has become turbulent, unpredictable and therefore, difficult to exert managerial control. Cultures around the world are constantly influencing each other; hence, the world’s cultures are changing fashion constantly. Also, social, economic, political and legal factors keep changing than before. Competition in the fashion industry is so rife such that the survival of fashion organizations cannot be guaranteed (Stuart, 1995). During the last decade, the developments of new technologies all over the world and growing globalization of countries economies have produced the fastest changes ever. The fashion industry in Ghana, especially, the clothing sub sector (which is the focus of this study) has not been without the effect of economic, political, social, cultural and legal pressures brought to bear on all organizations. In recent years, protectionism has given way to globalization. With that change, Ghanaian clothing sector of the fashion industry has had to compete with imports from low wage countries. Retailers, unencumbered by protectionism, have also seized on the opportunity, often choosing to go directly to offshore manufacturers. As retailers become larger and more globally connected, they continue to build global brands marketed around the world. In doing so, they eliminate many Ghanaian clothing companies from their supply chain. The result has been major market share declines and job losses in the industry. Aug The Ghanaian clothing sector of the fashion industry faces many challenges. he rise of low-cost goods from Asia, a slowdown in consumer spending, difficulty in accessing capital, lack of innovation from entrepreneurs, relatively high prices of products due to high unit cost, poor distribution channels and inability to promote local brands. It is without doubt that low-cost Chinese imports have increasingly dominated the local fashion scene. As a result some local manufacturers, in an attempt to remain competitive, have subcontracted their production processes offsho re. The issue of access to capital for the industry is not new. For years, industry players have indicated that they feel there is a lack of support for their industry from the banking community. Under these circumstances, it is not a surprise that many companies cannot secure financing. as a result of banking formula-based lending practices, financing remains a challenge to many well-run clothing companies and small businesses in general. Brand DEVELOPMENT HAS BEEN A MJOR ISSUE IN THE clothing sub sector in the fashion industry in Ghana. Many Designers have not been able to design unique Ghanaian designs that would bear their own brand name in order to project their business. However, a few creative ones have had their product design copied wrongly and produced cheaply from China, thereby destroying the brands they have developed. These and other factors have created serious marketing challenges for the clothing sub sector of the fashion industry in Ghana. This study would go into detail to look at the nature of the marketing challenges facing the industry in Ghana. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM There are growing signs Ghanaian garment and fashion industry is approaching a serious crossroad. Increasing numbers of mainland Chinese manufacturers are taking Ghana’s role of mass-producing quality fashion items at reasonable cost. Industry players, also have difficulty securing financing from other lenders. For example, asset based lenders often require substantial premium interest rates. Other larger non-traditional lending institutions and professionals that can assist prefer working with larger companies where greater fees and returns can be earned. The traditional financing problems will likely become further exacerbated as companies implement new models that do not generate assets that can be collateralized. The problems enumerated above, as well as western cultures, globalization have created internal marketing challenges for the clothing industry in the area of promotion, pricing and distribution of products. The study seeks to unravel the challenges and make recommendations to solve the problems. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The objectives of the study were: 1. To investigate how foreign cultures have influenced the Ghanaian brands in the clothing industry. 2. To assess the challenges associated with clothing design ( product development) 3. To investigate the challenges industry players face in their pricing of products . To assess how they promote their products. RELEVANCE OF THE STUDY It is hoped that the study would benefit clothing sub sector of the fashion industry in Ghana. Also, it will serve as a pedestal upon which future researches in the area would be based. CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW Eusebio (2007) carried out a research on the topic â€Å"Internal key factors in export pe rformance: A comparative analysis in the Italian and Spanish textile-clothing sector† The purpose of this paper is to analyze the key factors in the international performance of textile manufacturing companies. The study provided a comparative study of the main factors that have affected the export performance of the Spanish and Italian clothing sub sector of the fashion businesses. A wide range of factors has been studied, such as size, dispersion of sales and export experience. In order to compare Spanish and Italian cases, the empirical study used a standardized questionnaire for collecting data. The cases analyzed were respective geographical zones with a great tradition in textile-clothing industry in their country, Catalonian (in the Spanish case) and Lombardian business (in the Italian case). It was found that international experience was the main factor in the export performance for both cases but the investment in R&D and the export experience have been the keys for explaining the major export performance of the Italian businesses. The paper explained why the Lambardian textile-clothing companies exported more, in relation to total sales, than the Catalan companies in the same sector. . Research limitations – The sample was formed basically for small textile-clothing businesses (with less than five employees). Eusebio (2007) STUDIED Top of Form Management perception and marketing strategy in export performance: A comparative analysis in Italian and Spanish textile-clothing sector The purpose of the study was to focus on the key factors in the international performance of textile manufacturing companies. In order to compare Spanish and Italian cases, the empirical study used a standardized questionnaire for collecting data. The cases analysed were respectively geographical zones with a great tradition in textile-clothing industry in their country, Catalonian (in the Spanish case) and Lombardian business (in the Italian case). Research limitations/implications – The sample was basically from small textile-clothing business (with less than 500 employees). It was found that international experience was the main factor in the export performance for both cases but investments in R&D and export experience have been the keys for explaining the major export performance of the Italian businesses. The study was of value in that it provides a comparative study of the main factors that have affected the export performance of the Spanish and Italian businesses. A wide range of factors has been studied, including characteristics of the business, such as size, dispersion of sales and export experience. Freeman (2007) carried out a survey on the topic â€Å"Fashion marketing to women in Kazakhstan†The purpose study was to explore consumer behavior regarding women's decisions concerning fashion in the emerging marketing of Kazakhstan. Literature review formed the basis of the questions asked to several focus groups and in-depth interviews of 48 Kazakhs representing the average age of Kazakhstan. The approach of the paper was exploratory as there was not a lot of research concerning the Kazakhstani marketplace. The work revealed that Kazakhstani women were becoming aware of their rights to choose clothing and location of purchase. They expected to be treated with respect. The women were value conscious, thinking brand names enhanced the value of clothing and will shop sales regardless of the actual discount. Kazakhstani women we extremely fashion conscious and looked to the media current fashions. They were wary ything coming out of China. There were five market segments into which these women can be divided. Practical implications – Kazakhstan is opening as a marketplace. In order to understand how to market in Kazakhstan, firms must understand what is wanted and this paper begins this exploration. This market is unexplored both academically and by many clothing manufacturers. This market is opening and thus information concerning the marketplace is necessary. Chong (2007) carried out a survey on the topic â€Å"Central and Eastern European countries and North Africa: The emerging clothing supplying countries to the EU†. The purpose of this study was to examine the delocalization trend of the EU's clothing production to Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) and North Africa, focusing on the geographical shift of outsourced clothing production pattern within the two developing regions. In total, 14 CEECs and North African countries were selected and classified into 1st-tier and 2nd-tier regions according to their GDP/capita values. Clothing trade statistics were obtained from the Eurostat database, and the clothing trade pattern was examined during 1995 to 2004. Trade Specialization Coefficient (TSC) was employed to measure the international competitiveness of clothing exports of the selected CEECs and North African countries. Results concluded that the EU's clothing production had significantly delocalized to the proximate CEECs and North African regions, with further geographical shift to less-developing 2nd-tier clothing supplying countries in recent years. The TSC analysis reflected that the competitiveness of clothing industry in 2nd-tiers had outperformed the 1st-tier economies, indicating Western European firms had shifted their sourcing practices to those lower-waged countries. Koksal (2007) studied on the topic† references regarding children's clothing in Turkey† The aim of this study was to determine the factors affecting the consumer preferences and behavior in the children's clothing market in Turkey, a country where the majority of the population is under 18 years old. Whilst the study investigated the purchasing preferences and behaviour of parents, such as shopping frequency and period, type of retailer and the effect of reference groups in the children's clothing market, it also explored some children's purchasing characteristics, like shopping decision age. This study offered some academic results on consumer behaviour and preferences in the children's clothing market: There is no set shopping period; consumers prefer shopping from independent shops; in the selection of retailers, consumers consider payment conditions, pricing, and range of merchandise; in the family the parents mostly make the buying decisions for their children's clothes; the age of children making their own clothing decisions varies between six and ten; the most important factors affecting consumers' decisions towards shopping for children's clothing are the price, quality, convenience, payment conditions, and size of the clothing. Kilduff (2007) carried out a research on the topic â€Å"Analysis of comparative advantage in the textile complex: A study of Eastern European and former Soviet Union nations† This research aimed to present an exploratory investigation into ten-year (1995-2004) patterns of trade specialization among Eastern European and former Sovie t Union Nations, assessing patterns of comparative advantage across the textile machinery, man-made fiber, textile, and apparel sectors of the textile complex to determine whether these conform with both trade specialization and industry evolution theories. A revealed symmetric comparative advantage index was employed to evaluate international competitiveness for 27 Eastern European and former Soviet Union Nations over a ten-year period. A repeated measure ANOVA was used to determine the significance of the observed patterns across four income-defined groups of nations. Overall, the pattern of export development and RSCA generally reflected expectations regarding factor proportions theory and industry evolution models. The RMANOVA partially confirmed the observations. The analysis indicated that income group did not independently affect comparative advantage; however, the nature of products was the significant factor influencing national comparative advantage. According to the researchers, the established models may be better at understanding those nations which have established relatively stable political and economic environment, and been experiencing earlier stages of industry development, but appear less useful in predicting development patterns for those nations experiencing dramatic transitions from regulated to de-regulated markets. The patterns of national comparative advantage in a vertical textile complex are identified for Eastern European and former Soviet Union Nations. The dynamics of change over a ten-year period following economic reforms are revealed. Karpova et al (2007) looked at the topic â€Å"Making sense of the market: An exploration of apparel consumption practices of the Russian consumer†. The purpose of this study was to examine and interpret post-socialist consumer xperiences in relation to clothing consumption practices when consumers shop, acquire, and wear clothing and other fashion-related products. Th e in-depth interview was the primary data collection tool. Data collection was conducted during summer 2004 in St Petersburg, Russia. College students formed the sample for the study. In total, 17 students (four males and 13 females) were interviewed. The hermeneutic approach was used to interpret the meanings of the participant life experiences. In comparison to consumers in an established market-based economy, consumers in this post-socialist market have unique perceptions of clothing attributes (quality, brand name, country of origin, retail channel) critical for buying decisions. Overall, appearance and clothing play a special role in the emerging Russian market as they help construct and communicate new identities more than any other product category. Identified challenges of the Russian apparel market indicate opportunities for domestic and foreign apparel businesses. The meanings Russian consumers attach to clothing attributes can be used to develop product positioning and promotional strategies. Discussed implications of the research findings can be extended to other post-socialist emerging markets. This study explored how Russian consumers have adjusted to the new economic reality after almost fifteen years of transition from a socialist to a capitalist society from the perspective of the consumer. Whereas previous research findings were confirmed, the present study provides rationale for perceived importance of quality and unimportance of brand name in the Russian apparel market. Curran (2007) studied the topic â€Å"clothing's big bang: the impact of the end of the ATC on developing country clothing suppliers†. Prior to the liberalization of the clothing and textiles sector under the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC) fears had been expressed about the potential impact on developing country suppliers. This study sought to establish the actual impact of the liberalization of the EU and US clothing markets. Comparison of trade figures pre and post liberalization. Was the basis for the research design The research revealed that, as forecast, significant changes occurred in sourcing patterns in the EU almost overnight. The big winners were India and China. Almost all other developing countries lost market share, although often not as much as had been feared. The impact of the liberalization was mitigated somewhat by the new quantitative restrictions negotiated with China half way through the year, which resulted in a redistribution of market share to other developing countries. Comparisons with the USA indicated that trends are rather similar, although on that market more developing countries saw increases in their exports, partly canceling out losses in the EU. Johnson (2007) carried out a survey on â€Å"The role of focal suppliers in strategic networks for internationalization: Perspectives from small and medium-sized Italian and Thai silk suppliers† The purpose of this research was to examine the role of focal suppliers in strategic networks for internationalization from the perspectives of small and medium-sized Italian and Thai silk suppliers. Multiple case studies of small and medium-sized suppliers within the silk industries of Italy and Thailand were undertaken. In total, seventeen interviews and three observations were conducted with directors or managers of silk suppliers and a range of government agencies, associations and institutes involved with the silk industry, to identify significant current issues within the sector. Conceptually clustered and role ordered matrices were used as coding frameworks to reduce, structure and analyze the data. The research showed that Silk suppliers' networks may be co-ordinated by a focal supplier that assumes the role of strategic leader. The involvement of a focal and strategically-focused supplier may strengthen and integrate the resources and capabilities of silk suppliers in their networks and enable them to improve their international network development and position. Further investigation is needed on the details of specific roles of focal suppliers in strategic networks. In the view of the researchers, Silk suppliers, their customers and government agencies involved with silk suppliers should: advocate and actively support the development of focal suppliers in their networks to enhance the effectiveness of their internationalization process and strategy. The researchers also indicated that there tends to be a consensus in the literature about the influence of focal customers and larger organizations in strategic networks. This study highlighted how small and medium-sized silk suppliers adopt the roles attributed to focal firms and gain positioning advantages for themselves and other suppliers in their network. Karmenidou (2007) carried out an exploratory study on the reasons for purchasing imported high fashion apparels: The case of Greece. The purpose of the study was to examine the reasons that Greek consumers purchase imported high fashion apparel over Greek designers high fashion apparel. The specific objective of the research was to detect the underlying factors that affect their purchasing behaviour. Qualitative research was conducted through discussions with consumer focus groups, all purchasers of imported high fashion apparel. Quantitative research was undertaken by means of a questionnaire with 28 items referring to the reasons for purchasing imported high fashion apparel. The sample consisted of 200 high fashion consumers from the city of Larissa, Greece. Data analysis includes descriptive statistics, reliability, as well as factor analysis by principal component analysis with Varimax rotation. This research was exploratory in nature and employed a non-probability sampling method. Results indicated that the consumers perceive that the imported high fashion apparel have better aesthetics, a better line and are produced from quality textiles, compared to the domestic high fashion apparel. Four factors derived underpinned the purchasing reasons of imported high fashion apparel: â€Å"status and image†, â€Å"quality of the product†, â€Å"marketing reasons† and â€Å"in fashion†. This study provided a useful source of information, which can be used by Greek high fashion apparel designers regarding the reasons why Greek customers of high fashion apparel purchase imported over domestic ones. The study suggests which elements Greek designers of high fashion apparel should focus upon in order to gain a larger market share. This study was important in terms that it was the first one to explore the reasons for purchasing imported high fashion apparel over domestic ones in Greece. It highlighted 28 reasons (items) derived from qualitative research. In addition it suggested appropriate quality and marketing actions to be undertaken by Greek high fashion apparel designers. Baker (2006) looked at the topic â€Å"Fashion industry facing challenges†. According to him, the Australia’s fashion industry faces many challenges including the rise of low-cost goods from Asia, a slowdown in consumer spending and the need to respond quickly to changes in trends. crippling household debt and low-cost Chinese imports increasingly will dominate the local fashion scene. â€Å"With house prices stagnant and the ongoing threat of an interest rate rise, people are readjusting their spending habits. Having spent beyond their means for many years, the debt to income gaps need to diminish, which means shrinking the value of goods bought on credit. According to him, the clothing industry is set to bear the brunt of a consumer slowdown in spending which would spell disaster for some local manufacturers. The ability of local production to respond quickly to changes in fashion trends is also crucial for survival. In his view, manufacturers will need to build closer relationships with retailers to help them respond more appropriately to consumer demand. Another challenge came from rapidly rising imports, particularly from China which accounts for 59 per cent of industry imports. Smaller, independent operators should always be on the lookout to increase efficiencies, develop effective branding and market strategies and attack key niche segments to make financial gains. One growth area for smaller players was on line selling, or e-tail, with its low set-up costs. Online sales currently account for just two to five per cent of retail sales in Australia but predicted that figure will increase with rising levels of broadband penetration. Revenue is leaking from our fashion industry as retailers who have been slow to catch on to building an online presence are losing out to overseas labels that are selling direct to the Australian public online. A survey undertaken by logistics group DHL found that the trend for local designers to go offshore could have a negative effect on the Australian fashion industry. The Business of Fashion survey showed that 90 per cent of respondents, which included designers and manufacturers, believe more garment manufacturing is headed offshore. The survey found that the industry needs better business training and more help to export if it is to remain competitive. Kalman (1999) wrote an article on how globalization has affected the fashion industry in the West Coast. While the West Coast sewn products industry is not exempt from downward domestic production trends faced by the rest of the United States, the region continues to stay one step ahead of the game thanks to its strengths in quick-turn fashion and flexible production. Suppliers to the market are focusing on these strengths as well as the challenges facing West Coast producers – namely the lure of low-cost sourcing south of the border – as they prepare to participate in the 1999 Sewn Products Expo – Los Angeles, which takes place April 22-24 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Looking at the factors that have driven the West Coast industry's growth, Lectra Systems Inc. vice president of marketing Rick Ludolph observes, â€Å"As West Coast firms have always been more fashion-driven, they have adapted better than more traditional manufacturing regions of the country to the need for fast, flexible production. †¦ Southern California, in particular, maintains a favorable value proposition with good labor availability at relatively low labor costs when compared to other U. S. regions. † Likewise, Mike Grogan, vice president of Apparel Machinery & Supply Co. notes that despite the migration of production offshore, the We st Coast apparel industry â€Å"still [has] a good core of smaller manufacturers, particularly in the Asian community, which can offer quick response to sudden fashion trends and short production runs. † The source of most West Coast production is California, which continues to lead U. S. apparel industry employment with a 1998 work force of approximately 168,700. The state is home to some 7,400 fashion-related companies that account for $47. 7 billion in annual wholesale sales, the California Fashion Association reports. Yet the growth of manufacturing activity in Mexico has had deleterious effects on apparel jobs, even in California. â€Å"This is particularly true in the most basic product line. People on the lower-priced budget end are almost completely forced out of the U. S. It's very difficult for them to make the high-volume, low-cost products here anymore. Moreover, From anywhere in Mexico you can be anywhere in the United States on the ground in four days, so transportation issues aren't really a problem anymore either. † Tight retail margins also are driving more production to Mexico. As Byte Systems director of sales and marketing Brad Mikes asserts: Retail price points are still the defining issue. Sewn products will continue to move to Mexico because of its proximity to the U. S. , the industry growth in Mexico, and because of the labor cost reduction [associated with] manufacturing there. Still, California has assets, such as its highly skilled work force and quick-turn manufacturing capacity that Mexico has yet to match. With regard to the state's growing apparel work force, Ludolph emphasizes: â€Å"This is a result of the strong demand for skilled labor, which is required to produce much of the women's wear and sportswear that is dominant in the region. †¦ [Subsequently] the availability of skilled, efficient labor is key to maintaining the apparel industry on the West Coast. † As the region's labor pool is fueled by an influx of Latin American immigrants, it promises to have a positive impact on maintaining jobs that might have otherwise moved to Mexico. With regard to flexible manufacturing, Robison-Anton Textile Co. president Bruce Anton notes that streamlined logistics and just-in-time production are playing an increasingly important role in the success of California's apparel industry, whereas â€Å"Mexican manufacturers have not adjusted to this yet. † Isenberg adds that with fashion-oriented orders, California contractors can maintain an edge over those of Mexico, which has very few â€Å"fashion factories,† as well as Asia, which requires long lead times. While â€Å"the days of having big runs come into domestic factories are all but over,† he says, California firms can still win if they are willing to run many different styles and small cuts. Indeed, without the security of big runs, many West Coast companies have had to become more acutely attuned to the caprices of the marketplace. As Joe Hollander, president of AC/Automated Components observes: â€Å"We have noticed that some factories are downsizing their operations and gearing themselves toward smaller production runs with an emphasis on quality and quick turnaround. We also see an emphasis on the ability to make subtle changes in the product to customize it for specific stores, chains, etc. † From a financial perspective, JBA International's Joe Facenda, senior consultant for apparel and footwear, concludes: â€Å"Our region is more influenced [than others] by the constant flow of new companies. Our designers and supplier network make us the Silicon Valley of the apparel industry,† he emphasizes, and this status breeds â€Å"a great need for more capitalization† so that start-ups and established companies alike don't â€Å"stay behind the capit al curve. † AHRC (2007) IN THE STUD OF Key Challenges in Adapting to New Models in the fashion industry ASSERTED THAT While companies are managing to adapt to offshore sourcing, they are slow to become world class in other parts of the value chain. Challenges are both company specific and general to the industry. The Study indicated that most participants had â€Å"operating basics† right, including being able to produce a value for money product that meets the end consumer needs at the right quality level, delivered on-time, with the proper service that retailers demand. However, the same study noted several weaknesses. A startling 58 percent of companies did not have the financial acumen, information or general expertise to identify the true profit drivers in their company. Without this information, these companies have been unable to distinguish profitable versus unprofitable segments of their business, and thus often unable to identify the most profitable niches to grow;58 percent of companies did not have a strong management team, implying that their own internal management competencies may be preventing them from reinventing themselves;While 67 percent of apparel companies operate within a niche, 62 percent do not offer the customer anything that differentiates them from the competition. Contractors were specifically noted to have even greater internal challenges, including:Extremely weak sales and marketing capabilities: Many companies tend to be dependent on relatively few longterm customers; These companies do not have an owner or key employees with significant sales capabilities;Weak financial and costing which impede their abilities to determine profitable contracts from unprofitable ones;Poor workforce cross-training capabilities / flexibility. A World-Class Focus of Excellence Key challenges per company will also vary based on the model being pursued. In general, the following table illustrates the key challenges depending on whether a company intends to maintain an element of the value chain in-house and make it a core focus or whether it intends to outsource it: Beyond specific business model challenges as noted above, certain general challenges will impact industry players as well:Decreasing Domestic Supply Chain As manufacturing continues to move offshore, domestic apparel manufacturer suppliers (textile companies, label producers, thread companies, etc. ) will face greater challenges; In all likelihood, these suppliers will continue to face consolidation and closures; As the supply chain erodes, it will become increasingly difficult for those apparel companies wishing to manufacture domestically to do so. The 2003 AHRC LMU noted that while most industry executives were aware of the coming industry restructuring, 87 percent did not have a strategic plan to deal with the issues. The 2007 AHRC Study confirmed this still to be the cases at the onset of the program, some three years later. While the 2007 AHRC Study provided assistance to 130 apparel companies, presumably there continues to be many apparel companies without well-rounded management teams. Beyond specific value chain shortcomings, key weaknesses tend to be in the areas of strategic and financial management. Of all participants in the 2007 AHRC Study, 27 percent will face a succession issue within the next 5 years; 42 percent within the next 10 years:Most of these companies do not have succession plans;There is a strong correlation between companies that have succession plans and strategic plans; i. e. , if a company does not have a winning strategy in place, it likely does not have a succession plan;Without succession plans, many of these companies will face business continuity issues in the short to mid-term. The issue of access to capital for the apparel industry is not new. For years, apparel companies have indicated that they feel there is a lack of support for their industry from the banking community. While there may be some truth to this, it may be for good reason. As previously noted, consider that of the 2007 AHRC Study participants: 56 percent did not have a strong management team in place; 58 percent were not able to determine the true profit drivers of their business; 87 percent did not have a strategic plan that could be acted upon; 61 percent were not willing to reinvest in their businesses. Under these circumstances, it is not a surprise that many companies could not / cannot secure financing. Nevertheless as a result of banking formula-based lending practices, we believe that financing remains a challenge to many well-run apparel companies and small businesses in general. SMEs at times, also have difficulty securing financing from other lenders. For example, asset based lenders often require substantial premium interest rates. Other larger non-traditional lending institutions and professionals that can assist prefer working with larger companies where greater fees and returns can be earned. The traditional financing problems will likely become further exacerbated as companies implement new models that do not generate assets that can be collateralized. Consider: Soft cost expenditures are often required to implement new models (i. e. esigners, marketers, sales and service personnel, increased travel, training and marketing costs, These expenditures offer no collateral security to lending institutions and as a result, are difficult to finance; Inventory financing costs are increasing, often as a result of shifts to imports; Requirements to fund export receivables are increasing. To further exacerbate the issues, many executives appear to often strip equity from their companies as opposed to maintaining this capital for future reinvestment. Employment will shift from predominantly production jobs to balanced or predominantly white collar positions. New models will require companies to hire world-class talents in areas such as design, marketing and logistics. According to the 2007 AHRC Study, positions to be most in demand include: Sales professionals (sales managers, brand managers, sales representatives); Marketing professionals (marketing managers, marketing analysts, merchandising technicians); Designers (product developers and design technicians); Import / export specialists; This talent appears to be in short supply and in demand by other industries as well. Apparel companies will be challenged to recruit, train and retain these key personnel. Financing such salaries will also be a challenge to companies. According to the 2003 AHRC LMU, 87 percent of Canadian apparel companies had less than 50 employees. Less than 7 percent of companies employed more than 100 personnel. This SME industry structure partly explains the lack of management sophistication in the industry. In order to reinvent themselves, many companies will need to increase their size in order to support greater white collar needs. We believe that this will lead to: Further industry consolidation; Continued merger and acquisition activity (for companies that have established a niche but need greater volume to expand and operate on a larger scale); Partnering / allying / creating joint ventures with world class specialists in order to remain competitive. Such partnerships are likely across the entire value chain in the areas of design, marketing, manufacturing, sales, logistics and distribution. As in the banking sector, much of the professional expertise in this area (business brokers for example) may be out of reach to many SMEs. Professionals in these areas prefer to work with large organizations whereby they can generate substantial fees as opposed to the SME marketplace. There are relatively few barriers to entry in launching an apparel company. As a result, the industry is constantly regenerating. Consider that nearly one third of all participating companies in the 2007 AHRC Study were established within the last ten years. Many of these companies are being founded by new designers graduating from colleges or individuals who have identified an underserved niche. Unhindered with the baggage of yesteryear, many of these companies have viable new business models. In these cases, the challenge is often to secure adequate industry specific managerial talent and financial resources to grow the company. CHAPTER THREE METHODOLOGY 3. 1 RESEARCH DESIGN The research used the survey design. Independent variables which were assessed cultural, globalization, pricing, product design and promotion challenges in the clothing sub sector of the fashion industry. Assessment was made to see their effect on the industry. Both qualitative and quantitative tools were used for the research. The design factored in large scale fashion designers, medium scale designers and tailors/seamstresses. The stratified and simple random sampling methods were used. 3. 2 POPULATION AND SAMPLING 3. 21 Population and Sample The research targeted large scale cloth designers, medium scale designers and tailors/seamstresses in Accra. The large scale designers are those who produce on large scale for the Ghanaian market and still export some. The medium scale are those who produce for the Accra market and a few for other regions. The tailors selected were those imitate and create designs based on the specifications of others. A sample of 120 was chosen. It was made of 10 large scale, 50 medium scale and 60 tailors/seamstresses. 3. 22 Sampling Strategy The research stratified the population into 3: large scale designers, medium scale designers and tailors/seamstresses. Simple random sampling was then used to select the sample in each stratum. A List was obtained from the Association of Fashion Designer and the Association of Tailors and Seamstresses. They then given codes and put in a basket. The sample was then selected randomly through the lottery approach. 3. 3 RESEARCH PROCEDURE A letter of introduction was taken from the Methodist University College. Copies were made and addressed to the leaders of Associations to seek approval for preliminary interview to have insight into the challenges of the industry. The leaders of the associations gave out the list of members, location and telephone numbers. With the help of the leaders, 120 respondents were selected. The researcher upon meeting the respondents explained the topic under study, stated the purposes, relevance and benefits of the research. Upon the approval of the Heads, the respondents were given the questionnaires. The researcher and his research assistants used a period of four (4) weeks to collect the questionnaires from the respondents. Out of the 120 individuals identified and given the questionnaires, 108 responded to the questionnaires, representing a response rate of 90%. 3. 4 RESEARCH INSRUMENT The primary data was collected through the administration of questionnaires based on our aims and research questions The questions were in †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. The questions used in this research were two types: open-ended and closed-ended questions. The reason for the open-ended questions was to allow respondents to express their views in the way they desired. The closed-ended ones were used to ascertain specific answers. 3. 5 STATISTICAL ANALYSIS Qualitative and quantitative methods were used in this research. These two methods complement each other. Qualitative research can be used in all disciplines and subject matters and its main aim is to gather an in-depth understanding of reasons and human behaviour. It investigates the why, what, how, where and when of decisions making and human behaviour. The research used bar graphs and frequency tables to analyse the data. The researchers also used the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) for the analysis. REFERENCES APPENDIX 1 METHODIST UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DEPARTMENT OF MARKETING QUESTIONNAIRE INTRODUCTION I am a student of the Methodist University College, Department of Marketing, pursuing Bachelor of Business Administration. I am carrying out a research on the topic â€Å"Marketing challenges of fashion industry in Ghana: perspectives of clothing sector. in partial fulfillment for the award of the degree. It is the aim of this research to find out the challenges of the fashion industry in relation to globalization, cultural influence, product development, pricing, distribution and promotion. The information you provide would be treated with the confidentiality and anonymity it deserves. You are assured that the information would be used for purely academic purposes and nothing else. I would be grateful if you respond to this questionnaire as objectively and honestly as possible. SECTION A : Demographic Data 1. Age†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 2. Gender: Male†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Female†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 3. Educational background: Basic Education†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Secondary education†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Tertiary education†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 4. How long have you been in the fashion industry†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 5. Industry classification: Seamstresses/Tailors†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Medium scale†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Large scale†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ SECTION B: Cultural Challenges 1. Clients like European designs Yes†¦.. No†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 2. American designs have adulterated indigenous Ghanaian designs Yes†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. No†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 3. Women mostly like western clothes that expose their bodies Yes†¦. No†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 4. Cheap foreign clothes are collapsing the Ghanian fashion industry. Yes†¦ No†¦.. SECTION C: Challenges of Globalization 5 Unfair global trade affects the fashion industry in Ghana. Yes†¦ No†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 6. The fasion inudtry in Ghana uses very little IT in its operation. Yes†¦.. No†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 7. Designs on the net has a lot of influence in the choice of clothes. Yes†¦.. No†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 8. Globalisation has changed the taste and preferences of consumers in the fshion industry in Ghana. Yes†¦.. No SECTION D: Product development Challenges 9. the industry has innovative designers with a sense of originality. Yes†¦. No†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 10. The clothes designed are of high quality. Yes†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. No†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 11. Clothing brands do not have trademarks. Yes†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. No†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 12. Designs and clothes are durable. Yes†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. No†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. SECTION E: Pricing Challenges 13. Consumers compain about the prices of clothes. Yes†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. No†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 14. Prices of Ghanaian clothing designs are higher than that from the west. Yes†¦. No†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 15. Chinese clothes of the same quality are less expensive than Ghanaian clothes. Yes†¦. No†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 16. Designs do not have standard prices. Yes†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. No†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ SECTION F: Promotion Challenges 17. Industry players cannot afford to advertise clothes on TV. Yes†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. No†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 18. Medium scale clothing producers do not take part in trade exhibition. Yes†¦.. No†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 19. Most clothing designers are not known. Yes†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ No†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 20. Stakeholders do radio advert to advertise new designs. Yes†¦.. No†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. SECTION G: Distribution Challenges 21. Cloth designer do not have many sales outlet. Yes†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. No†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 22. There are not many retailers who deal in made Ghana clothes. Yes†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ No†¦. 23. Made in Ghana clothing designs are not easily accessible on the local market. Yes†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ No†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.