Staying Focused

? There are many ways I can stay focused stayin focused is really hard for me to do. There are many times my mind wonder off which cost me to lose focus on whatever I am doing. Staying Focused effects alot of people in the world especially people thats in school that have kids In this report I will be talking about many ways that I can stay focused. I have a problem with staying focused I am a single mom with two kids and it is really hard trying to be focused with them around. Its real easy for me to stay focused at school or at work unless I have people around me thats disturbing me,other then that when Im there I leave my communication in the car so I can be focused in one area. Its hard to stay focused when my kids are around because all my attention goes to them. Most of the time when I have to study I have my sister or brother to watch them. (Its important to understand that maintaining focus is an active mental and physical excerise, not a passive or automatic response says Michael Pollicks). Focus gets assassinated when you find yourself being distracted. If you find yourself disoriented,scattered,or if you have no plan your focus is going to get nailed in the process. If your focus is gone you will not be able to do what you need to do in order to see the goal attained. I feel that if you don't learn how to deal with staying focused then if will be very hard to make it through anything in life especially me. I totally agree with Michael Pollick because maintaining focus is an active and physical excerise. I learned that having well defined goals are good guidelines writing my goals down really helps whenever I get distrracted. Its helps me when I read my goals It reminds me of what I am trying to do and why. (The enviroment around you will always find new ways to distract you from whats important, Its even more important to maintain your focus always remember to be calm and focused. Steve Martile). I feel that if people read more about staying focused it will help them alot I know with me reading about it helped me alot and I feel that if I follow some of these guidelines It will help me alot through life and through my career. The proccess that I will use to evaluate the information that I gathered. I will follow these steps I will choose one or two objectives for the year. Goal setting is important,but setting too many goals can be a trap. Too many goals mess alot of people focus up because they have all these goals that they are trying to complete instead if you have two goals you can focused on one at a time and you don't have to rush. If I focus on the most important first my focus will be alot stronger because I will be staying focus on what is important to me first. I will also give myself daily quiet time so that I can focused on my work or especially whan I have to study I especcially need quiet time when I am doing anything dealing with school. I learned that if u visualize daily vision it is the magnet that pulls you along your destination. It gives you the juice to move towards a bright future. Having a vision moves you with the current instead of against it. In this research I talked about many ways that I can stay focused there are many different ways that I can stay focused. If I stay focused through out my entire life I will suceede if i focus on one or two goals in life I will complete my goals I just have to stay focused. I ran across a statment that was so true and it said. ( Being the eye of the storm is no easy task, but it can be very simple. Choose one tip and commit every part of your being to make it happen. It will make all the difference as you steer your ship through those turbulent waters-and ultimately help you stay focused. by;Steve Martile)

Negative Effects of Mining in Palawan

Thesis Statement: The continuous mining in Palawan will cause degradation of the soil, denuding of the forests and extinction of animal and plant species thus lowering its’ biodiversity. Biological diversity, or biodiversity, encompasses the variety and abundance of plants, animals, and microorganisms as well as the ecosystems and ecological processes to which they belong. (Braatz, 1992) The word came from the Latin â€Å"bios† which means life and â€Å"diversitas† which means variety or differences which therefore means variety of life. Catibog-Sinha, C. , Heaney, L. 2006) Biodiversity plays a large role on what the society is possessing today. Its’ significance can be divided into two main aspects: the economic benefits and the services it gives to humanities. The most politically appealing and economically attractive argument in favour of maintaining biodiversity is that it provides enormous direct economic benefits in the form of food, medicines, indu strial raw materials and has the potential for generating many more. Ehrlich and Wilson, 1991; McNeely, 1988 as cited in Braatz, 1992) In addition to this, there are three main factors of biodiversity loss and these are the continuous changing of land use, the ongoing expansion, emergence and integration of markets and states, and the movement of species into the areas inhabited by others. (Konteleon, A. , Pascual, U. , Swanson, T. , 2007) In an article in the Philippine Star newspaper, it was said that â€Å"The Philippines ranks fifth globally in the number of plant species, and it hosts about 5% of the world’s flora. † (Paje, R. 2012) The Philippines has been named one of the world’s â€Å"megadiverse† countries, and it has been ranked one of the countries with the highest rates of discovery in the world. (Yap, D. , 2012) Also, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has revealed that more than 270 wildlife species endemic to the Phi lippines have been found in the past 25 years. In a statement given by DENR Secretary Ramon Paje (2012) â€Å"These discoveries of sorts are a testament that the Philippines is richly endowed with unique biodiversity that only underscores the need for stepped up protection.These endemic species are our living jewels. They are irreplaceable and unique components of our awesome environmental heritage. † (Villanueva, R. 2012) Fortunately, there is a province here in the Philippines that is so much blessed in biological diversity. This province is referred to as the â€Å"Last Ecological Frontier† of the country due to the number of endangered species of birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles that are found only in this province. Thus, the name Palawan enters. Palawan is the largest province in the country with an area of 1,489,655 hectares or equivalent to 5% of the country’s local territory.It comprises of the following biodiversity: 15 lakes, 42 ponds, 44 waterf alls, 72 natural springs, 9 mineral springs, 28 principal rivers, 43 streams and 165 creeks identified as potential sources of water for domestic consumption and irrigation, 690,000 hectares of terrestrial forest, 42,500 hectares of mangrove forests- having 31 species and 90% of the known mangrove species in the country, 8 of the 11 amphibians endemic to the Philippines, 279 species of birds- 27 are endemic, 15 out of 25 marine mammals, 58 species of terrestrial mammals- 19 endemic to the country and 16 are restricted to Mantalingahan Mountain Range, 24 endemic reptiles and 69 species found in the corridor, 4 of the 5marine turtles and 379 species of corals and 82% of the total coral species recorded in the country.Aside from having the title of the â€Å"Last Ecological Frontier†, the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared it as a â€Å"Man and Biosphere Reserve† because of its’ uniqueness like having a vast land area and topography which is divided by tall mountain ranges such as Mt. Mantalingahan, Mt. Gantung in the southern part and Cleopatra’s Needle in the northern part of the province with an average elevation of approximately 1,100 meters. Palawan is also a home of three major indigenous communities namely: Batak which can be located in the central and northern part, Tagbanua in the central, northern and southern part and Pala’wan in the southern part of the province. (http://pnni. wordpress. com) Because of the natural resources endowed upon Palawan and the local and global appreciation it gathered, the Senate Bill No. 1358 was created.This declares Palawan as the â€Å"Ecological Tourism Capital of the Philippines† and thus needs ample â€Å"government support† and â€Å"grant of autonomy† for its ecological projects. The said bill banks on the â€Å"right of the people to a balanced and healthful ecology† and protects Palawan from attacks on its natural resources. (Estropia, E. J. , 2012) Palawan does not only have distinct species but it also possesses beautiful sceneries that have gathered titles and are well-known around the globe. One of these is the Tubbataha Reef which covers 33,200 hectares and a home to lots of marine life such as manta rays, sea turtles, sharks, tuna, dolphins, jackfish, coral reefs with 300 coral species and 379 species of fish.It is also the one of the most desirable scuba-diving destination in the Philippines. Another is the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River which was chosen as one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature. However, the biodiversity of Palawan is under very high threat. Conservation International has identified Palawan as a site for threatened amphibians, mammals, birds, reptiles, and freshwater fish, as well as for restricted-range and congregatory birds, using confirmed locality data for each target species. (Impact Asian Magazine for Human Transformation 45(7), 2011) As of today, Palawan has been experiencing a serious problem that could lower its biodiversity and this is mining.Mining is the extraction of minerals down the earth’s crust. In mining, land excavation will always be performed whether it is an open-cast mining or an underground mining. Both types will cause significant effects on the environment and to all living organisms around the area. It cannot be hide that the province of Palawan is not only rich in biodiversity but also rich in mineral deposits that lie under its virgin forests. This made many mining industries to capitalize in the province and extract minerals. The mineral resources that can be found in the province are nickel, copper, manganese, chromite and gold. However, nickel ranks first in terms of the province’s mineral production value.Even though the mining industry contributes on raising the status of Philippine economy, as anticipated, it is causing disruptive activities that harm the people and the environment o f Palawan specifically lowering its biodiversity level. â€Å"According to Impact, Asian Magazine for Human Transformation in their special edition on July 2011entitled â€Å"Palawan: A Clash Between Mining and Biodiversity†, mining operations have been active in Palawan since 1970. It was revealed that mining tenements are found in core protected zones in Palawan. † (Estropia, E. J. , 2012) Also, according to statistics, there are 429 mining claims and applications currently present in Palawan which covered up a total area of 850,000 hectares. The numbers of mining firms are alarming since most of these are prominent in the north and south part of Palawan where the biodiversity level is high.Geo-tagging data from Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Mines and Geosciences Bureau (DENR-MGB) as of March 2011, has also found the province and its biodiversity under threat due to some 354 mining tenements encroached in almost 50% of its total land area, covering forest ranges of Mt. Bulanjao which is a protected area and falls under ‘core zones’ which should not be open to any development activity, and 90% of ancestral lands. (Impact Asian Magazine for Human Transformation 45(7), 2011) There are laws concerning on the preservation of Palawan’s biodiversity. One of these is the Republic Act No. 7942 otherwise known as the Philippine Mining Act of 1995. This act declares that all mineral resources in public and private lands within the territory and exclusive economic zone of the Republic of the Philippines are owned by the State.It shall be the responsibility of the State to promote their rational exploration, development, utilization and conservation through the combined efforts of government and the private sector in order to enhance national growth in a way that effectively safeguards the environment and protect the rights of affected communities. It sought to arrest the slump of the mining industry by providi ng a framework by which investments in mineral exploitation must operate, so as not to repeat the mistakes of the past which caused many of the mines to close shop. (Ballesteros, 1997) On the other side, the law was opposed by environmentalists, social activists and indigenous people organizations.The law is based on Article XII of the Philippine Constitution and thus mandates the State to manage the country’s mineral resources as owner and administrator, and to control and supervise exploration, development and utilization of mineral resources. The law reiterates the Constitutional provision that only the government may grant mining rights to individuals and corporations. (http://www. forestpeoples. org) In addition to this, the government has approved 180 Mineral Production Sharing Agreements (MPPAs), 70 exploration permits, 126 industrial sand and gravel permits, and five special mineral extraction permits including two Financial and Technical Assistance Agreements (FTAAs) under previous mining laws. (Estropia, E. J. , 2012) Another is the Republic Act 7661 or Strategic Environmental Plan (SEP Law).It is known as a comprehensive frame-work for the sustainable development of Palawan compatible with protecting and enhancing the natural resources and endangered environment of the province. It shall serve to guide the local government of Palawan and the government agencies concerned in the formulation and implementation of plans, programs affecting the environment and natural resources of Palawan. SEP has established a graded system of protection and development control over the whole of Palawan, including its tribal lands, forests, mines, agricultural areas, settlement areas, small islands, mangroves, coral reefs, sea grass beds and the surrounding sea which is known as the Environmental Critical Areas Network (ECAN) and shall serve as the main strategy of the SEP. (http://pnni. wordpress. om) Despite of the presence of these laws, companies are still b eing granted authorization to mine in core protected areas and mining corporations have been able to grab massive land areas for mining metal ores through this act. Mining is a very destructive activity to all forms of life. The fact that it will casts vast excavation of land which mining corporations perform not in lowland areas but in the location where dense forests exist on various mountain and mountain ranges shows how big the total damage it may cause in the environment. The main thing that is being affected by mining is the nature encompassing all the biotic and abiotic organisms that exist in the surrounding area where mining is being held. In mining, it cannot be conducted without affecting the land, water, and air surrounding the site, as well as the various natural resources found in them.It involves the extraction of minerals and because of this then there is destruction of wildlife which may also result in health problems. Then there are the disasters that can happen fr om the cutting of trees, erosion, and other accidents from mining structures. Thus, it is important for mining companies to practice the concept of â€Å"Responsible Mining†. In a statement given by Godfrey Oliphant, Deputy Minister of Mineral Resources of South Africa, 2012, â€Å"Responsible mining is something that develops the economy and its people and recognizes the delicate balance between mining and the environment. Responsibility in mining gives priority to the health and safety of workers and surrounding communities. † (Malanes, M. , Caluza, D. , Cimatu, F. 2012) In responsible mining there must be a positive effect on the Philippine economy. Whatever environmental problems that mining companies are facing must be remediated. Moreover, there must be progress seen in the surrounding community like construction of schools and hospitals. However, most mining companies do not apply these concepts that is why adverse effects in the ecosystem are being felt by the present species of animals, plants and as well as humans. First and foremost, mining affects the land that is being converted to a mining site. Since mining companies perform mining in the virgin forests of Palawan, the trees are being cut down.Cutting down trees would cause destruction of the whole forests. Without trees, the area is prone to erosion and when heavy rain strikes, there will be flash floods which could cause death to the residents living near the mine site. Thus, there will be deforestation and loss of wildlife habitat. Given that most animal and plant species are living in the forests, devastating their habitat will cause them to leave and change the way they live. Animals will try to find new ways in order to survive in the new environment that they are encountering. However, soon enough and they will not be able to cope with the changes, they will die. Their number will decrease and soon only few will be alive.This causes endemism. Ecologically speaking, the flora and fauna of Palawan will decline, thus contributing on decreasing its level of biodiversity. In order to recover some ores located within and beneath the layers of soil and rocks, miners use huge machineries that destroy the big rock deposits. In doing this, dust is produced within the process which contributes on air pollution. The dust greatly affects the quality of the air being inhaled by humans. The dust which was released may contain greenhouse gases like methane. Also, other toxins that were released like sulphur dioxide will combine into the air and when it precipitates, the rain will be acidic.Another is smog. Smog when inhale can cause shortness of breath and serious coughing. Another effect of mining in land is that it causes declination in agricultural production. The main livelihood of the people in Palawan is through agricultural crops specifically rice production. However, when mining started to strike in their land, there has been a decrease in their total harvest due to the mine tailings that have scattered throughout their plantation. The laterite that came from mining waste was deposited in their field which caused the rice to grow smaller than the usual. One example of mineral which is commonly subject for mining in Palawan is nickel.Nickel, above the natural tolerable level in soil caused reduction in yield of shoots of rye grass (Khalid and Tinsley, 1980). The species of Rice belongs to the family of grasses which is supposed to composed of sturdy plants. Nickel also reduced the growth of corn (Huillier et al. 1996) and higher concentration of Nickel in the germinating seeds of cabbage, lettuce, millet, radish, turnips and wheat cause reductions in root elongation (Carlson et al. 1991). Similarly, elevated levels of nickel in higher forms of flowering plants such as rice for instance, blocks cell division in the pericycle of roots, resulting in the inhibition of root branching (Seregin and Kozhevnikova 2005).Likewise, the toxic effects of Cr on plant growth and development are in the germination and growth of roots, stems and leaves, hence, its yield. In addition, Cr causes harmful effects on photosynthesis, water relations and mineral nutrition by direct effects on enzymes and anti-oxidants (Shanker et al. 2005). Hence, the abovementioned effects would definitely impact on plant growth and productivity. (Regis, E. , 2011) Aside from the effects of mining in land, it also affects the bodies of water near it and the aquatic ecosystems were the marine species are living. When mining disturbs the layers of soil and rocks, the process scatters toxic heavy metals contained in these layers and become mixed with loosened soil and tailings.Through mining, these metals become concentrated in surface soil and brought downslope by heavy rains and typhoons in tropical environments. In island ecosystem with steep slopes, these toxics reach the sea and kill marine organisms in marine habitats. (Regis, E. , 2011) Due to the late rite that flows through rivers and to the seas, it covered the natural habitat of fishes and other marine organisms and these are the coral reefs. Coral reefs serve as the breeding ground for most fishes and food for various fishery resources. After the invasive flow of laterite to the seas, the coral reefs look like a rusty piece of metal which means that it is already dead and useless.And because the corals were already dead due to the polluted water, species of fishes as well as other marine animals living in that area will have no habitat. They will not be able to reproduce since there are no more breeding grounds. The water will not be suitable for these organisms and light will not be able to pass through and the sea grasses which are covered with laterite will not be able to propagate. Laterite will also fill the gills of the fishes which is the main cause of fill kills. Not only sees but also rivers were victims of mining. Other mine wastes flow in the rivers thus making it a dead river. Severe outcomes will be encountered by humans and other forms of life when mining in Palawan continues. However, the most adverse effect is the destruction of the environment.Because of this, there will be a decrease in the flora and fauna of Palawan. The once known to be the most diverse province in the Philippines might lost its title due to the impact of mining on the forested areas, social community and aquatic ecosystem. If mining operations will continue, pollution whether in air, land or water will get worse. The endemic species in Palawan might soon be vanished, and the numerous species of today will be classified as extinct tomorrow. Also, the biodiversity sites like the Tubbataha Reef National Park and the Puerto Princesa Underground River which are known around the world will be destroyed. With all of this, the biodiversity level of Palawan will decline.The people who are benefiting on the natural resources of the province will also be affected. There will b e a change in the food and services they acquired. Since their primary source of livelihood is farming, pollution of the soil will produce no crops. There will also be less employment. The water that they are taking will not be potable due to chemical deposits that pollute the water. The fishes recovered by the fishermen will not be enough to supply the food of the people and if there is fill kill then sea foods will be inedible. There will be diseases due to pollution like skin diseases. If the people were able to eat any crops containing metal minerals from mine waste then they will be sick.In addition to this, there will also be geological vulnerability. Philippines lies near the Pacific Ring of Fire, if mining will continue then there will be more and more excavation of land and conversion of mountainous areas to plains, when this happens the formation of the plates will be destructed. Any time, there will movements of plates that could cause high intensity earthquakes and could cause a tsunami since Palawan is surrounded with water. Admittedly, the Philippines is below par when it comes to international practice of water and toxic waste management at mining sites. The already disastrous legacy of mining in the Philippines will, it is feared, worsen.The international community should take stronger action in order to regulate mining particularly, near sea level mining that might be easily inundated as sea level rises and all mining in monsoon/typhoon /hurricane affected zones. (Impact Asian Magazine for Human Transformation 45(7), 2011) The continuous mining in Palawan will cause degradation of the soil, denuding of the forests and extinction of animal and plant species thus lowering its’ biodiversity. Hence, mining should be stopped in order to avoid the possible effects above which can be experience by the whole province. Another is in order to conserve the natural species of Palawan including all the animal and plant species that are found only in the province.The rules and regulations which are being implemented must be revised in order to inspect every mining application that tends to build a mining site in the province and the current mining tenements as well. Further land excavation must be put to an end and the mine wastes that mining companies created must be cleaned. The mountains that they cleared must be replaced with new trees. Also, the wastes on the rivers and on the seas must be removed. What else must the environment have to experience in order to stop the mining in Palawan? Would it be okay to let the numerous species of today be classified as extinct tomorrow? Is it just to take the risk of having a progressive economy than to preserve the treasures of the country? Should mining be stopped or just wait for nature to hit back?

Succubus Blues CHAPTER 13

Carter picked up a book and leafed through it lazily. His stringy blond hair had been stuffed under a backward baseball cap, and his flannel shirt appeared to have seen better days. â€Å"Looking for altar supplies?† he asked me without glancing up. â€Å"Or maybe here to brush up on your astrology?† â€Å"It's none of your business why I'm here,† I snapped back, too flustered at the sight of him to think of anything funny or even plausible. The gray eyes looked up. â€Å"Does Jerome know you're here?† â€Å"It's not his business either. Why? Are you going to tattle on me?† My words came out boldly, though part of me kept thinking if Carter really was the one behind the attacks, I'd have a lot more to worry about than Jerome's wrath. â€Å"Maybe.† He closed the book, holding it between his palms. â€Å"Of course, I suspect the long-term entertainment value will be greater for me if I just keep quiet and let your schemes proceed uninterrupted.† â€Å"I don't know what ‘schemes' you're talking about. Can't a girl go shopping without getting the third degree? You don't hear me grilling you about why you're here.† The truth was, I burned to know what he was doing. It didn't surprise me that he knew Erik – we all did – but finding him here in light of everything that had happened lately only furthered my suspicions. â€Å"Me?† He held up the book he'd been glancing through. Teach Yourself Witchcraft in 30 Days or Less. â€Å"I need to make up for lost time.† â€Å"Cute,† I acknowledged. â€Å"Commendation from a master. I'm honored. Have I given you sufficient time to come up with an equally cute alibi?† He set the book down. â€Å"Miss Kincaid.† Erik shuffled into the room before I could answer. â€Å"I'm so pleased to see you. My friend just dropped off the earrings you asked for.† I stared, momentarily puzzled, and then I remembered the pearl necklace, as well as the earrings I'd offhandedly requested. â€Å"I'm glad he was able to do it so quickly.† â€Å"Nice recovery,† conceded Carter in an undertone. I ignored him. Erik opened a small box for me, and I peered inside. Three tiny strands of freshwater pearls, just like the ones from the necklace, dangled from the delicate copper wires of each earring. â€Å"They're beautiful,† I told him. I meant it. â€Å"Thank your friend. I have a dress these will look great with.† â€Å"That must be a relief,† noted Carter, watching Erik ring the earrings up at the counter. â€Å"Proper accessories, I mean. Cody tells me you're doing a lot of dating these days. I don't suppose you read the book I sent you.† I slid my credit card over to Erik. Cody had seen my male entourage at the dance lesson, but I'd only told him about my subsequent date with Roman yesterday. â€Å"When did you talk to Cody?† â€Å"Last night.† â€Å"Funny, so did I. And here you are today. Are you following me around?† Carter's eyes danced merrily. â€Å"I was here first. Maybe you're following me around. Maybe you're starting to get into this dating thing and want to find a cunning way to come on to me.† I signed the credit card slip and handed it back to a quiet, listening Erik. â€Å"Sorry. I like my men to have a bit more life in them.† Carter chuckled quietly at my joke. Sex with other immortals gave me no energy payoff. â€Å"Georgina, sometimes I think you might be worth following around, just to hear what you'll say next.† Erik looked up. If he felt discomfort at being in the crossfire of two immortals, he did not show it. â€Å"Then perhaps you'd like to join us for tea, Mr. Carter? You were going to stay, weren't you, Miss Kincaid?† I gave Erik one of my better smiles. â€Å"Yes, of course.† â€Å"Mr. Carter?† â€Å"Thank you, but no. I've got things to do, and from the way I understand it, Georgina operates best one man at a time. It was nice seeing you as always, Erik. Thanks for chatting. As for you, Georgina†¦ well, I'm sure I'll be seeing you very soon.† Something in those words chilled me. It took every ounce of my resolve to sound calm as I called out to him. â€Å"Carter?† His hands touched the door. Pausing, he glanced back at me and arched an eyebrow in acknowledgment. â€Å"Does Jerome know you're here?† A slow, sly smile spread across the angel's face. â€Å"Are you going to tattle on me now, Georgina? And here I thought we were making such progress. Perhaps we should have drawn out the small talk a bit more. You could have asked me if the weather would change soon, I might have commented how pretty you looked today, etc., etc. You know how it goes.† I blinked. His words this time invoked the note on my door. You are a beautiful woman, Georgina. Beautiful enough, I think, to even tempt angels into falling†¦ Was he leaving me more clues? Toying with me in the way Cody had suggested? Or was I reading too much into this? Was he still just annoying Carter, bane of my existence, tormenting me like always? I honestly didn't know, but I still believed of all angels to be taking down evil immortals in the city, Carter had the most opportunity. â€Å"How pretty am I then?† My voice caught slightly. â€Å"Pretty enough to fall for?† The angel's lips twitched. â€Å"I knew you were coming on to me. See you later, Georgina, Erik.† He opened the door and left. I stood there, watching his retreating figure. â€Å"What was he doing here?† Erik set a tray with two cups down on the small table. â€Å"Come now, Miss Kincaid. I keep your secrets. You can't expect me to do any less for him.† â€Å"No, I suppose not.† Nor, I thought as the old man went to get the teapot, did I want to risk endangering him by getting him caught up in immortal affairs. Well, at least caught up more than he already was. He returned shortly and poured for us. â€Å"I had just put this on before you came in. I'm glad you're here to share it.† I tasted it. Another herbal blend. â€Å"What's this one called?† â€Å"Desire.† â€Å"Fitting,† I observed. Angels and conspiracies aside, I still hungered for Roman. â€Å"Did you find out anything?† â€Å"I'm afraid not. I asked around but learned nothing more about vampire hunters, nor did I get any indication of one in the area.† â€Å"That doesn't surprise me.† I sipped the tea. â€Å"I think something else is going on.† He said nothing, prudent as ever. â€Å"I know you won't tell me why he was here, and I understand that†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I trailed off, determining how best to phrase my words. â€Å"But what do you†¦ what do you think of him? Carter, that is. Has he done anything weird or seemed, I don't know, suspicious? Secretive?† Erik gave me a droll look. â€Å"Begging your pardon, but I have a number of customers – yourself inclusive – who fit that description.† No doubt that was an understatement. â€Å"Well, then, I don't know. Do you trust him?† â€Å"Mr. Carter?† Surprise registered across his features. â€Å"I've known him longer than I have you. If any of those ‘suspicious and secretive' customers can be trusted, he is certainly first among them. I'd place my life in his hands.† No surprise there. If Carter could fool Jerome, he could surely fool a mortal as well. Shifting gears, I asked: â€Å"Do you know anything about fallen angels?† â€Å"I would think you are already familiar with that topic, Miss Kincaid.† I wondered if he referred to the company I kept or the old myth that succubi were demons. For the record, we aren't. â€Å"Never ask a practitioner if you want to learn about a religion's history. Save those questions for outside scholars.† â€Å"Very true.† He smiled, thinking as he brought the cup to his lips. â€Å"Well. Surely you know that demons are angels who turned away from the divine will. They rebelled, or as it is commonly referred to, ‘fell.' Lucifer is generally accredited as being the first, and others left with him.† â€Å"That was in the beginning, though, right? One mass migration to the other side.† I frowned, still wondering about the technicalities of when angels fell. â€Å"What about later? Was that the only time it happened? Just that once?† Erik shook his head. â€Å"My impression is that it can happen still and has happened in the past. There are even documents suggesting – â€Å" The door opened, and a young couple walked in. Erik rose and smiled at them. â€Å"Do you have any books on tarot?† the girl asked. â€Å"For beginners?† Did he ever. Erik had a whole wall of them. The interruption frustrated me, but I didn't want to disrupt a chance for him to do some business. I gestured him toward the couple, drinking the rest of my tea. He led them to the appropriate section, energetically explaining certain titles and questioning their needs in further detail. I picked up my coat and purse, along with a box of the Desire tea. Erik watched me set a ten-dollar bill on the counter. â€Å"Keep the change,† I told him. Pausing from his discussion with the couple, he remarked to me, â€Å"Check†¦ let's see, I believe it's the beginning of Genesis 6†¦ verse 2 or 4 perhaps? There might be something to help you in there.† â€Å"Genesis? Like in the Bible?† He nodded, and I glanced around the book-lined shelves. â€Å"Where is it?† â€Å"I don't stock it, Miss Kincaid. I suspect your own resources will be more than adequate.† He returned to his customers, and I left, marveling at a man who could pull up biblical verses by number but not have a copy on hand. Still, he was right about me having ample resources, and my shift started soon anyway. I drove back to Queen Anne and found the street parking full. Digging my permit out from the glove box, I hung it on my rearview mirror and pulled into the tiny, private parking lot bordering an alley behind the bookstore. So many employees wanted to use the lot, I generally tried to avoid it when I could. As I walked toward the store, I caught sight of two cars pulled hood to hood and a redheaded figure leaning over them. Tammi. I liked the teenager a lot, but she also had a tendency to chat. Not wanting to delay my biblical search, I stepped into some shadows and shape-shifted into a nondescript man she wouldn't know. I then walked on past her, barely getting a second glance as she jumped the car. I changed back to my normal body once I was out of sight again. A momentary sense of windedness hit me, gone just as quickly as it had arrived. Cross-gender shape-shifting always took a bite out of me, which was why I had resisted Peter's silly haircut-modeling suggestion. I had probably just lost a few days' worth of my Martin-induced energy surplus. That left me with a couple weeks at least, but I felt the succubus feeding need stir slightly within me anyway, no doubt agitated by my perpetual longing for Roman. The bookstore hummed with normal weekday business when I arrived. Immediately, I sought out our religion section. I had directed people to it on a number of occasions; I had even pulled select titles from it. What I had not done was pay close attention to just how many Bibles existed. â€Å"Jesus,† I muttered, staring at the various translations. There were Bibles for women and men respectively, Bibles for teens, illustrated Bibles, large-print Bibles, gold-embossed Bibles. At last I caught sight of the King James Version. I knew little about it, but at least I recognized the title. Pulling it off the shelf, I flipped to Genesis 6 and read Erik's passage: And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the LORD said, ‘My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.' There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. Well. That cleared everything up. I reread the passage a few more times, hoping to get something more out of it. I finally determined Erik must have given me the wrong chapter number. He'd been distracted, after all. This passage, by my estimation, had nothing to do with angels, falling, or even the cosmic battle of good and evil. What it did seem to be about, however, was human procreation. It didn't take a biblical scholar to figure out what â€Å"the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men† meant, especially when children followed in the next phrase. Sex had sold books back in the old days, just as it did now. I wondered if Erik had given me the passage number as a joke. â€Å"Are you finding religion?† I looked up first into a Pac-Man T-shirt, then into Seth's inquisitive face. â€Å"Found and lost it a long time ago, I'm afraid.† I shut the book as he knelt down beside me. â€Å"Just looking up something. How are Cady and O'Neill today?† â€Å"Making good progress on their latest case.† He smiled fondly, and I found myself studying the amber-brown of his eyes. I'd had a few more e-mail exchanges with him in the last few days and enjoyed my mininovels, though our spoken conversation had seen little improvement. â€Å"I just finished a chapter and needed to take a break. Walk around, get something to drink.† â€Å"No caffeine, I presume.† I had learned Seth didn't drink caffeinated beverages, which I found both frightening and unnatural. â€Å"No. No caffeine.† â€Å"You shouldn't knock it. It might increase your writing output.† â€Å"Ah yes, that's right. You don't think my books come out fast enough.† I groaned, remembering the day I'd met him. â€Å"I think my own words came out a little too fast that first day.† â€Å"No way. You were brilliant. I'll never forget it.† His quizzical mask slipped briefly, just as it had at the dance lesson, and I once again saw male interest and appreciation cross his features. Crouching beside him, I again had a momentary sense of naturalness, like I normally had with Doug or one of the immortals. Something friendly and soothing. Like Seth and I had known each other forever. Maybe I had, in a manner of speaking, through his books. And yet, at the same time, being this close to him proved disconcerting as well. Distracting. I began noticing things like the lean muscles in his arms and the way his messy brown hair framed his face. Even the gold sheen of light hitting his facial hair and the shape of his lips held my attention. Turning away, I felt the base thirst for life energy twitch in me, and I repressed the urge to reach out and touch his face. The outside shape-shifting had caused more damage than I realized. I still didn't really require a true refill of energy, but the succubus instinct was getting irritable. I needed to squelch it soon, but certainly not with Seth. I stood up hastily, still holding the Bible, wanting to get away from him. He rose with me. â€Å"Well,† I began awkwardly when neither of us said anything for a few moments, â€Å"I need to get to work here.† He nodded, the interest in his face turning to apprehension. â€Å"I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Hmm?† Swallowing, he looked away briefly then back to me, his eyes now focused with determination. â€Å"So, I'm going to this party on Sunday, and I wondered if maybe†¦ maybe if you weren't busy or weren't working, you could maybe, that is, maybe you'd want to come with me.† I stared, speechless. Had Seth Mortensen just asked me out? And hadn't†¦ hadn't we just had a coherent conversation for once? Combined with me suddenly noticing how attractive he was, the very world seemed to be turning on its side. Worse still, I wanted to accept. Something about Seth suddenly felt natural and right, even if it wasn't like the rollercoaster of excitement I felt with Roman. Somewhere in this bizarre, awkward relationship, I'd grown to genuinely like the writer independent of his novels. But I couldn't accept. I knew I couldn't. I cursed myself for my initial flirtation; it had apparently stuck with him, despite my efforts to undo it and stay platonic. Part of me felt dismayed, part of me pleased. All of me knew what I had to do. â€Å"No,† I answered bluntly, still stunned. â€Å"Oh.† I had no choice. No way could I have Seth attracted to me. No way could I risk anything but an arm's-length friendship with my favorite books' creator. Realizing how rude I had sounded, I attempted a hasty recovery. I should have simply said I had to work, but instead, I found myself babbling on with a variant of what I had used on Doug over the years. â€Å"You see†¦ I'm not really interested in dating right now or getting involved with anyone. So, it's nothing personal, I mean, the party sounds great and all, but I just can't accept. I don't ever accept things like that, actually. Like I said, it isn't personal. It's just easier not to get involved. To not date. Um, ever.† Seth studied me for a long time, considering, and I was suddenly reminded of that first night when he looked much the same way while I explained my five-page rule with his books. Finally, he said, â€Å"Oh. Okay. But†¦ aren't you dating that guy? The really tall one with black hair?† â€Å"No. We're not dating. Not really. We're just, uh, friends. Sort of.† â€Å"Oh,† Seth repeated. â€Å"Friends don't go to parties together, then?† â€Å"No.† I hesitated, suddenly wishing I had a different answer. â€Å"They can maybe have coffee sometimes. Here in the bookstore.† â€Å"I don't drink coffee.† There was a sharpness to his voice. I felt like I'd been slapped. We stood there then in what was quite possibly among the top five most uncomfortable moments of my life. The silence stretched out between us. At last, I repeated my lame exit excuse: â€Å"I have to get back to work.† â€Å"Okay. See you around.† Just friends, just friends. How many times had I used that line? How many times had the lie been easier than facing up to the truth? I'd even used it on my husband so long ago, again hiding from the reality of a matter I didn't want to admit to when things had turned sour between us. â€Å"Just friends?† Kyriakos had repeated, dark eyes staring at me. â€Å"Of course. He's your friend too, you know. He just keeps me company when you're gone, that's all. It's lonely without you.† But I never told my husband how often his friend Ariston came to visit or how we always seemed to be finding excuses to touch each other. A casual brush here and there. His hand to help me up. Or the one day that still burned in my memory, when he had reached over me to grab a bottle, and his hand had grazed my breast. I'd given an involuntary gasp, and he'd lingered for a heartbeat before carrying on with his task. And I didn't tell Kyriakos that Ariston made me feel like I had in the early days of my marriage, like I was clever, beautiful, and desirable. Ariston lavished me with the attention Kyriakos once had; Ariston loved the sharp wit that had once gotten me into trouble as an unmarried maiden. As for Kyriakos†¦ well, I assumed he loved those things too, but he didn't show it so much anymore. His father was making him work longer and longer hours, and when he finally got home, he would collapse into bed or seek the solitude of his flute. I hated that flute†¦ hated it and loved it. I loathed that it seemed to hold his attention more than I did. Yet, on some nights, when I sat outside and listened to him play, I felt awed at his skill and that ability to create such sweetness. But that didn't change the fact that I slept untouched more often than not. When I told him I'd never get pregnant that way, he'd laugh and tell me we had all the time in the world for children. This troubled me because I honestly – and irrationally – believed that having a baby would somehow fix everything between us. I ached for one, missing the way my little sisters had once felt in my arms. I loved the honesty and the innocence of children and liked to think I might help guide one into becoming a good person. Nothing seemed so sweet to me in those days as cleaning cuts, holding small hands, and telling stories. Furthermore, I had reached a point where I needed to know that I could have a baby. Three years of marriage was a long time to go without a child in those days, and I'd seen the way others were starting to whisper that poor Letha might be barren. I hated their simpering and sickeningly sugared pity. I should have told Kyriakos everything that was on my mind, every last detail. But he was so sweet and worked so hard to provide for us, I couldn't bear it. I didn't want to shake the contentment that ostensibly filled our household just for my own self-gratification and need for attention. Besides, it wasn't like he always neglected my body. A bit of coaxing, and I could sometimes get him to answer my desire. We'd come together in the middle of the night then, his body moving in mine with the same passion he used in his music. Yet, looking at Ariston some days, I had the feeling he wouldn't need any coaxing at all. And as empty days without Kyriakos passed, that started to mean something. Just friends, just friends. Standing there in the bookstore, watching Seth walk away, I half wondered how anyone could still use that line. But I knew why, of course. It was used because people still believed it. Or at least they wanted to. When I returned downstairs – feeling sad, angry, and idiotic all at the same time – I stumbled upon a scenario guaranteed to make my day even weirder: Helena from Krystal Starz stood there in front of the registers, gesticulating wildly to the cashiers. Helena here. On my turf. Swallowing my confusion over Seth, I strode over in my best managerial way, still carrying the Bible. â€Å"Is there something I can help you with?† Helena spun around, making the crystals around her neck tinkle as they hit each other. â€Å"It's her – she's the one. The one who stole my staff.† I glanced behind the counter. Casey and Beth stood there, looking relieved to see me. Tammi and her friend Janice must have been somewhere else in the store, for which I was grateful. Best to keep them out of this. I kept my voice cool, ever-conscious of the customers observing. â€Å"I'm sure I don't know what you mean.† â€Å"Don't start that with me! You know exactly what I mean. You walked into my store, made a scene, and then lured away my staff. They left without notice!† â€Å"People have recently applied for jobs here,† I responded blandly. â€Å"I can't really keep track of where they used to work. As assistant manager, however, I can empathize with the inconvenience of employees who leave without giving notice.† â€Å"Stop that!† Helena exclaimed, hardly resembling the cool, collected diva from last week. â€Å"Do you think I can't see through your lies? You walk in darkness, your aura wreathed in fire!† â€Å"What's on fire?† Doug and Warren walked up, obviously attracted by the mounting spectacle. â€Å"Her,† Helena proclaimed, pointing at me, using the New Age raspy voice. Warren eyed me curiously, as though actually assessing for flames. â€Å"Georgina?† â€Å"She stole my employees. Just came in and took them like that. I could sue, you know. When I tell my lawyers – â€Å" â€Å"Which employees?† † Tammiand Janice.† I cringed, waiting to see what this new development would unleash. Despite his many shortcomings, Warren did have a smooth sense of customer service and professionalism. I worried what might ensue if my poaching received further investigation. He frowned, trying to match faces with names apparently. â€Å"Wait†¦ didn't one of them jump my car today?† † Tammidid.† He snorted dismissively. â€Å"We're not giving them back.† Helena turned beet red. â€Å"You can't – â€Å" â€Å"Ma'am, I am sorry for your inconvenience, but I can hardly pass back workers who have signed employment papers with us and are unwilling to work for you anymore. There's always turnover in retail. I'm sure you'll find someone soon.† She turned on me, still pointing. â€Å"I won't forget this. Even if I can't get you back for this, the universe will repay your cruel and twisted nature. You will die miserable and alone. Unloved. Friendless. Childless. Your life will have amounted to nothing.† So much for New Age love and kindness. I hardly feared her comments about dying, but the other adjectives dug in a little. Miserable and alone. Unloved. Friendless. Childless. Warren, however, felt no such concerns for me. â€Å"Ma'am, Georgina's the last one I'd accuse of having a ‘cruel' nature or leading a meaningless life. She holds this place together, and I trust her judgment implicitly – including the hiring of your former employees. Now unless you would like to make a purchase, I must ask you to leave before I'm forced to call the authorities.† Helena spouted off more curses and woes to us, no doubt entertaining the customers waiting in line. To my surprise, Warren continued holding his ground. He usually went out of his way to smooth customer relations and put our best foot forward, even at his employees' expense. Today he didn't apparently feel like humoring anyone. It was refreshing. When Helena left, he retreated to his office without another word, and Doug and I stood there, astonishment quickly giving way to amusement. â€Å"The things you cause, Kincaid.† â€Å"What? Don't peg that one on me.† â€Å"Are you kidding? Freaky witch women never showed up before you started working here.† â€Å"How would you know? I started before you.† Checking my watch, I turned thoughtful. â€Å"You're still here for a while today, aren't you?† â€Å"Yup. Lucky for you. Why?† â€Å"No reason.† I left him there and walked to the back offices. Instead of turning left for my office, however, I turned right into Warren's. He sat at his desk, packing his briefcase, preparing to leave now that his car was ready. â€Å"Don't tell me she's back.† â€Å"No.† I closed the door behind me. This made him look up. â€Å"I just wanted to thank you.† Warren eyed me shrewdly. â€Å"Kicking irrational customers out is part of my job.† â€Å"Yeah, but last time I didn't get praised. I had to apologize.† He shrugged, thinking of an incident from a year ago. â€Å"Well, that was different. You called an old woman a hypocritical, pathological Nazi neophyte.† â€Å"She was.† â€Å"If you say so.† His eyes still watched my every move. I walked over to him, setting the Bible down on his desk. Climbing onto his chair, I straddled his lap, making my tight red skirt ride up considerably, revealing the lace-covered tops of black thigh-highs underneath. I leaned in to kiss him, at first just running my teeth tauntingly over his lips, and then suddenly pressing my mouth in hard. He returned the kiss with equal fervor, hands automatically sliding up the backs of my thighs to cup my ass. †Christ,† he breathed when we broke apart slightly. One of his hands moved to my face, the other toyed with the thong I wore under my skirt. His fingers ran along its lacy edge and then pushed upward inside me, at first just delicately probing and then sliding up the full length. I was already wet from a sudden desire and breathed deeply as I savored those long, smooth strokes. Warren watched me with approval. â€Å"What's this all about?† â€Å"What's what? We do this all the time.† â€Å"You never initiate it.† â€Å"I told you, I'm grateful.† That was true, actually. I had found his defense rather endearing. Also, still burning with Roman-lust and now maybe Seth-lust, I suddenly found Warren convenient in the wake of my grouchy succubus hunger. The hand by my face wound up a lock of hair, and he turned pensive, although he didn't stop what he was doing between my legs. â€Å"Georgina†¦ I hope†¦ I hope you know what we do here in no way affects your job. You have no obligations – no danger of losing your position here if – â€Å" I laughed out loud, surprised by this oddly considerate side. â€Å"I know that.† â€Å"I mean it – â€Å" â€Å"I know that,† I repeated, biting his lower lip with my teeth. â€Å"Don't go soft on me all of a sudden,† I growled. â€Å"That's not what I'm here for.† He didn't interrupt again, and I let myself sink into the pleasure of contact. The feel of his tongue in my mouth, his hands brazenly exploring my body. After a long morning of sexual frustration, I just needed it from someone – anyone. He unbuttoned my blouse and tossed it to the floor, where it rested in a black, silken pile. My skirt and thong followed, leaving me only in thigh-highs, bra, and heels. All black. He shifted his body, still in the chair, so that I could pull his pants off. Seeing him there – long, straight, and hard – made me move his hand out of me. Fingers no longer satisfied me. I wrapped my legs more tightly around his hips, as much as the chair would allow. Then, without further warning, I thrust my body down, plunging him inside me. I arched my body so that I could take him deeper, then moved in steady, repeated thrusts. Looking back down, I watched him glide in and out. There was no sound in the room save that of flesh on flesh and our heavy breathing. With penetration came a flood of feeling and sensations from him – different from the physical ones. As a less noble soul, his energy and presence did not knock me across the room like Martin's had. Succubi absorption depended on the victim's character. Strong, moral souls yielded more to the succubus and took a huge bite out of the guy. Corrupt men lost less and consequently gave less. Regardless of his energy or moral fiber, I did catch snippets of Warren's thoughts and emotions as I rode him. This was normal. They came through with his life force. Desire certainly was foremost in his mind. Smug pride at being with a younger, attractive woman. Excitement. Surprise. He had little remorse about cheating on his wife – contributing to the lower energy yield – and even the brief fondness for me he'd displayed earlier gave way to raw lust. So fucking hot. So wet. Love the way she rides me. Hope she comes and comes on top of me†¦ I did, as it turned out. My movements becoming harder and fiercer as our bodies slapped together. My leg muscles clenching. Neck arched back again. Breasts hot and sweaty from where he'd clutched them. The orgasm reverberating through me. Spasms of pleasure growing fainter and fainter as my breathing slowly returned to normal. And the energy fix wasn't bad either. It had leaked into me slowly throughout our building passion, starting off as fine glittering threads. Near the end, however, it had become strong and bright, pouring into me, reinvigorating my own life, fueling my immortality in a glorious climax that rivaled the physical one. When we both had our clothes back on, I made moves for an exit. Small energy loss or no, Warren always felt exhausted and worn after we'd been together. He thought it was the result of his age going up against a younger, more active woman. I did nothing to change his attitude but usually tried to discretely leave, so he wouldn't feel self-conscious around me in his fatigue. I knew it bothered him to think he couldn't keep up with me. â€Å"Georgina?† he called as I moved to the door. â€Å"Why are you carrying a Bible? You aren't trying to convert customers, are you?† â€Å"Oh. That. Just researching something for a friend. It's applicable, actually. All about sex.† He wiped sweat off his brow. â€Å"After years and years of church, I think I'd remember any good sex scenes.† â€Å"Well, it's not so much a scene as a clinical description of procreation.† â€Å"Ah. Lots of those.† On impulse, I walked over to him and opened up Genesis 6. â€Å"See?† I pointed to the appropriate verses. â€Å"All these mentions of men taking women. They say it, like, three times.† Warren studied the book with a frown, and I remembered that he had not opened this place without a substantial background in literary study. â€Å"Well†¦ it's repeated because here when it says ‘men began to multiply on the face of the earth,' it's referring to human men.† I looked up sharply. â€Å"What do you mean ‘human'?† â€Å"Here. The ‘sons of God' aren't human men. They're angels.† â€Å"What?† If I'd been holding the book, I would have dropped it. â€Å"Are you sure?† â€Å"Positive. Like I said, years of church services. They use this term throughout the Bible.† He flipped to Job. â€Å"See? Here it is again. ‘Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them.' It's referring to angels – fallen angels in this case.† I swallowed. â€Å"What†¦ what were they doing in Genesis then? With the ‘daughters of men'? Were†¦ were the angels having sex with human women?† â€Å"Well, it says the women were ‘fair.' Hard to blame them, huh?† He gave me an admiring sweep as he spoke. â€Å"I don't know. This isn't a point discussed a lot in church, as I'm sure you can imagine. Mostly we emphasized human sin and guilt, but I ignored that.† I continued to stare at the book, dumbfounded, yet suddenly ablaze with ideas and theories. Warren eyed me curiously when I didn't respond to his joke. â€Å"Does that help you any?† â€Å"Yes,† I said, recovering myself. â€Å"It helps a lot.† I surprised him with a soft kiss on the lips, took the Bible, and left.

Sales Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Sales Ethics - Essay Example The problem now lies on our yardstick or the standard that we use in measuring what is acceptable as ethical. Surely, legal measures are not viable in setting an ethical standard. Though, sales conduct is often regulated by government acts like the Clayton Antitrust Act with its associated and Robinson-Patman Amendment Federal Trade Commission Act with its associated Wheeler-Lea Amendment. Often, a lot of sales practices are considered legal yet unethical. An example of this is when a sales rep treats his prospective buyer to lunch and wins the contract by proposing a drink of alcoholic liquor after it. This is tolerable in the basis of legality yet, this is an unethical sales conduct. Sales ethics captures idea of the "golden rule," that is an action is considered ethical if you want somebody to do the same thing that you do to them. This is very reasonable as nobody will allow a salesperson to take advantage of him/her. Of course, all of us would want to be fully informed about the products we are considering to purchase. Next, sales ethics is present a salesperson is willing to publicly inform his conduct to the society. This is logical as anybody would be hesitant in notifying the public of any flaw in his transactions and business dealings with customer. If a salesperson is brave enough to be transparent so as to allow others to know every detail of his actions, then he is undoubtedly ethical. The last component of ethical behavior is examining whether or not it aggravated anyone. If the business dealings of a salesperson harms the customer or the company, his conduct is out of the ethical standard and is morally unacceptable. For me, these three measures fully capture the true essence of sales ethics. Sales ethics is a very crucial factor in the success of any business operation. Increasingly, it is observed that customers base their buying decisions on their perception of the company's ethical background. It was found out that buyers prefer to purchase from firms they consider as ethical (Bucaro 1998). It is also important to note that the market's perception of the company's image is strongly associated to the conduct of its salespersons as they are the firm's direct link to customers. Thus, the sales representative's conduct significantly affects the sales and profitability of a business entity. Question 3. There is a role for transaction-focused traditional selling as well as trust-based relationship selling in personal sales. Do you agree Explain your reasons. Answer: The changes that the business world undergoes call for innovative solutions to provide maximum customer value. Because of this, a lot of marketing strategies have evolved in order to suit the changing needs and preferences of buyers. There is an increasing trend of "moving away" from the traditional practices and innovating a new set of technique to boost sales. Traditional selling is now replaced with newer solutions like collaborative and relationship selling. Traditional selling is the salespersons' conventional way of doing business transaction with customers. This transaction often

Field trip report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Field trip report - Essay Example The report applies Butler’s destination life-cycle model to the Piney Lake. The site has undergone the first two stages in the life-cycle- exploration and involvement. The tourist destination is heading towards its third stage-that of development. It seems that the Noongar community may take a long time to go through the other stages of tourism life cycle as the inhabitants are so much involved and tied to their indigenous culture and traditions. The current report emphasises the need to formulate comprehensive strategies to keep the Aboriginal culture and traditions of Noongar community intact. Researchers, students and scholars on indigenous tourism need to undertake detailed in-depth studies on the tourist destination to identify the factors that preserve its authenticity and cultural diversity. Governmental policies and interventions on indigenous tourism need to perceive tourism as a cultural phenomenon rather than an economic enterprise. It is imperative for all the stakeholders to identify the dangers of commoditization and commercialization. Above all, measures are to be undertaken to facilitate sustainable models of tourism development on the tourist site. Indigenous tourism in Australia is flourishing day by day as aboriginal owned and operated enterprises have been attracting the attention of tourists. Indigenous tourism paves way for cultural rejuvenation of aboriginals while it also contributes immensely to the economy of the nation. Authenticity lies at the core of indigenous tourism and therefore loss of authenticity due to commoditization and commercialization of indigenous culture deserve primary attention. Contrived cultural products, tourist oriented commercial craftworks, and commercialized tourist services may adversely affect tourists’ quest for authenticity and will negate them of genuine indigenous tourism experiences. Similarly, sustainable models of tourism development are an essential prerequisite for

Defining Territories in different regions Essay

Defining Territories in different regions - Essay Example certain types of clothes whereas others do not, for instance in most Arabian nations it is a requirement that women adorn in veils in a move to symbolize their status and religion. Finally, there are modern gulf cities such as Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait that evolved from colonial dependency into statehood (Commins, 2012). The essay will relay information on the four types of territories in addition to how they are marked and maintained. A continent such as Europe, the culture of a single city such as trade in addition to its population is most likely to become cosmopolitan and varied. Although hopelessly outweighed in matters regarding geopolitics, networked cities are normally in a better position of achieving and retaining astonishing power hence achieving independence in terms of nominal sovereignty (Hohenberg & Lees, 2002). This is similar in the case of gulf cities, for instance Bahrain. According to Kermeliotis (2010), just like any other nation in the gulf, Bahrain has its own territories. This is because the city has a global recognition for its tolerance and openness hence becoming the most liberal society in the region. Apart from having the lowest cost of living, it also boasts of being the first nation in the gulf to allow education for both boys and girls. The veiling territory is when a city comes up with measures on how its citizens ought to appear in public. Whereas some nations embrace veiling territories, others such as France and the US do not have it; instead, their dress code is normally termed secularism or westernization. Conversely, gender territories involve both male and female in which they ought to receive equal recognition. This is normally achievable through abolition of certain norms such as the urban planning that has gender dimensions whereby whereas men travel distance locations in search of employment while women are to stay at home and take care of the home and children (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2007). Due to the

The United States Move to IFRS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The United States Move to IFRS - Essay Example One positive aspect of the IFRS is it allows the management of companies to have more desertion when it comes to asset valuation, which in turn can increase company income. In fact European companies, who made the switch from the GAAP to the IFRS in 2002, reported that eighty two percent of their companies had higher income under the IFRS than under the GAAP (Briginshaw, 2008). Due to this fact most would assume that investors would be for the switch, there are some other aspects to consider, however. One aspect is that the reports of higher incomes of these European companies came from the same year. So the companies actually had the same profits and expenditures, yet the IFRS reported a higher income yield than that of the GAAP which leaves some investors wondering how accurate the IFRS reports really are. This means that a dollar profit calculated under the IFRS will hold less meaning that one calculated under the GAAP so investors will have to change there way of thinking as far as profits are concerned. Also because the IFRS reports are not quiet as current as the GAAP are they will show less association between reported earnings and stock prices. Overall this means that investors are going to have to relearn and rethink how they read the reports they are given. This knowledge will in turn, however, give them more expertise in investing in companies outside the U.S. Multinational Companies For multinational companies who have long been dealing with converging the two sets of standards, this is a long awaited change. The switch to IFRS will allow them to coordinate all of their accounting systems under one set of guidelines whether the branch is located in the U.S. or another country. This will also be of use... The United States’ Move to IFRS The United States’ Move to IFRS The world of accounting seems to be on the precipice of undergoing a dramatic change in the United States. For more than seventy years the United States accounting system has relied on a set of generally accepted accounting principles known as the GAAP. These principles set out by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), guide accountants in preparing, presenting, and reporting financial statements for various entities, including: publicly-traded and privately-held companies, non-profit organizations, and governments. They are implemented by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The globalization of business and finance has led to over twelve thousand companies in more than one hundred nations to adopt an internationally recognized set of accounting principles known as the International Financial Reporting System (IFRS) (â€Å"International Financial Reporting,† 2010). With many of the United States’ companies expan ding overseas, and foreign corporations now purchasing companies in the United States, there has been a huge push for the United States to forgo there use of the GAAP and adopt the new IFRS standards. So on August 27, 2008 the SEC set out a road map for all U.S. companies to adopt the IFRS by 2014 and some of the large companies started adopting them as early as 2009. If the SEC calls for a higher standard in the IFRS before and while adapting it, then it seems to be a win for all countries and companies involved.

Food Chain Diagram Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Food Chain Diagram - Coursework Example This feature enhances photosynthesis. The panther on the other hand has tough claws and jaws, which enhances their hunting skills. In an event, there occurs water pollution in a form of oil spill, the producers, which is the lily, will be affected directly since oil will reduce the lily leaves exposure to light and hence reduced rate of photosynthesis. A reduced rate of photosynthesis will reduce the population of the lily in the waters (Simon et al, 2013). The deer will experience a food shortage and hence reduced population in the ecosystem due to migration and death for those who fail to adapt. The panthers and the opossum will also reduce in number. This leads to the distraction of the organism natural habitat. The consumers may move due to the fear of human activities as results the number of producers overcrowding, thus showing short-term effect. As they, increase the competition for nutrients available resulting to the death of the weak species hence creating imbalance in the ecosystem. The energy pyramid indicates decreasing levels of energy up the hierarchy. The producers indicate a higher level of energy as compared tertiary consumers. Energy transfer from producers to consumers takes place interdependently (Simon et al, 2013). The producers sources its energy form the sun and transfers to consumers (Ecosystem Assessment Project, 2000). Primary consumers are herbivorous and the secondary and tertiary producers being

The Economies Of Italy And Austria Research Paper

The Economies Of Italy And Austria - Research Paper Example The country has a total land area of 301,230 square kilometers, of which land covers about 294,020 square kilometers. The climate of the country is predominantly Mediterranean, characterized by alpines in far north while it’s hot and dry in the south (Signorini, 2001). The terrain of the country is typically rugged and mountainous although there are some plains and coastal lowlands. Among the resources with which Italy is endowed are marble, sulfur, mercury, potash, fish, and coal. Although Italy has some crude oil reserves, the levels have been reported to be dwindling. Agriculturally, Italy uses about 32% of its land for arable farming, 10% for permanent crops, and 17% for meadows and pastures. Forest and woodland cover in the country accounts for about 22% of the land with the remaining portion being placed under other uses (Signorini, 2001). Italy also has several environmental issues including air pollution in the form of sulfur dioxide emission, water and land pollution by agricultural and industrial effluents, acid rain and poor waste treatment among other pollutants (McDonald, 1998). Economically, Italy is a rather diverse country, having a per capita yield almost equaling that of France or Great Britain. Austria, one of Italy’s neighbors, is one of the countries with which Italy’s economy may be compared. With its capital at Vienna, Austria covers an area of approximately 83,857 square kilometers and has a population of 1.71 million and an annual population growth rate of 0.4%, according to 2011 estimates. The other major and populous cities of Austria are Klagenfurt, Graz, Salzburg, Linz, and Innsbruck. Just like Italy. Austria’s terrain is composed majorly of alpines in the northern highlands and lowlands to the east. Interestingly, the most widely spoken language in Austria is German, used by about 90% of the population. This paper, thus, explores the economy of Italy and Austria and how the two countries are managing the economic crisis. Italy’s Economy The diversity in the Italian economy is first evidence in the difference between the economy of the south and that of the northern parts of the country. For instance, in the northern parts of Italy, the economy is quite capitalistic with the private companies representing the total productivity of the region (The Economist (US), 1999). On the contrary, in the south, the economy is less developed than in the north, which is more industrialized. The south’s economy is therefore more agriculturally oriented than in the north. In addition, the southern parts of Italy also experience unemployment rates as high as 20%. Nevertheless, the entire economy of Italy has recorded considerable growth in recent times as indicated by the improved imports of maximum raw materials and about 75% of its energy needs (Signorini, 2001). In this regard, Italy’s economic growth has supported employment, labor flexibility, and the restructuring of the h itherto costly pension systems. There are certain prominent features of the economy of Italy that are worth mentioning. First among these features is the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which stood at $1.826 trillion in 2011, making Italy’s economy the sixth richest in the world. The prosperity and economic development of Italy could also be attributed to the fast industrial pace in Italy. In addition, the per capita income of the country

Should insurance companies which cover the cost of Viagra Research Paper

Should insurance companies which cover the cost of Viagra prescriptions also be required to cover birth control and regular exam - Research Paper Example Due to this event, women felt that the insurance companies thought of them as inferior beings and this led to the protest created by women for coverage of birth control devices. Women believe that they have a right to free birth control and they have been fighting in its favor for several years, on the other hand the insurance companies have countered the proposal of insuring birth control segment because they believe this will further increase the premiums that individuals have to pay for a health plan. During 2002, New York successfully became the 20th state of US who made it legally obligatory for insurance companies and employers to provide coverage for contraceptive for women (Hammaker 98). Due to this 50% of women started having access to some sort of free coverage for birth control and contraceptives. During the year 2003, similar kinds of legal adjustments were made to the constitution by the states of Arizona and Massachusetts. During 2012, President Obama made an announceme nt that the health insurance coverage providers will be legally responsible to cover for women’s contraceptives without taking any charges from them. Before this announcement was made 28 states had already added this kind of rule to their constitution. There are several reasons that support of free coverage of birth control and contraceptives for women, these includes Body The mandate for free contraceptive coverage for women have been circulating throughout the senate for several years, in 2002 the subcommittee of congress took up this mandate in the senate. Gloria Feldt states that its high time since the idea of free coverage have been debated and its time to implement the idea and she believes that health insurance coverage providers are giving better deals to the male gender than the female gender (Feldt 132). According to research that when women reach their age in which they become eligible to give birth, they spend more money on contraceptives and birth control throug h their own money as compared to men. Females of US protest that the pill required for birth control is quite expensive as it can only be obtained through prescription and due to the high cost of the pill; several females fail to obtain it at the desired time period. The estimated cost of the pill for birth control and a visit to the physician leads to an expenditure of $30 on monthly basis (Feldt 132). Those who are protesting in favor of free coverage of birth control state that they can not figure out a single reason due to which employers and the insurance companies are not covering birth control and contraceptives as birth control have several benefits for them. Activists take support through a study that states that when $1 is spend on birth control and issues such as family planning, a total of $4 to $14 is saved by the public which they would have spend in pregnancy and birth control related procedures (Feldt 132). Sex is a part and partial of life, individuals who stop gett ing in the act just due to the high cost of birth control end up suffering from health diseases and they even experience emotional issues and stress. If coverage for contraceptives and birth control is provided, individuals would freely continue to take part in healthy sex and keep themselves away from other health issues. Population control is a major issue that can be countered with the assistance of such initiatives. Insurance companies counter the arguments of the female activists that they are wrong in

International and Comparative Human Resource Management Essay Example for Free

International and Comparative Human Resource Management Essay Globalization of business activities has over the recent past happened at rising rates. With the rapid growth of technology, coupled with constant innovations, several corporate organizations have targeted to operate in global scale. With the advent of multinational corporations, the landscape of human resource has undergone a lot of transformations that have given it a new definition. It is important to note that the definition of human resource management has not remained the same given the international dimension added to it (Edwards Rees 2006; Brewster Harris 1999). The degree to which a corporation or company can be considered to be multinational is normally determined by looking at and assessing human resource management policies it has put into place and implementation of the same; these policies are considered alongside other facets of organizational structures and functions. In ethnocentric corporations, human resource policies are formulated at the head quarters, home countries, and then supplied worldwide to other subsidiary corporations. It has been argued that this is not an appropriate strategic policy formulation for a multinational corporate organization with international human resources (Briscoe Schuler 2004). International human Resource Management is concerned more with global management of human capital of a given multinational corporation. The main aim of IHRM is to empower a multinational corporation to achieve success in its global operations; this means the corporation being competitive world all over, being efficient in its international operations, adapting to the global business environment and adapting to the same within the shortest time possible, being locally responsible (in every geographical region of its operations) and being able to transmit learning to all its globally dispersed subsidiaries. The main themes of this paper are about institutional factors that can potentially Influence IHRM practices and policies in developing countries. It also examines the implications of International Human Resource Manager. There are many actors that really influence the process of International Human Resource Management. However, for the purposes of this paper, the main focus will be on three institutional factors. Institutional factors that can Influence IHRM practices and policies in developing countries Institutional strategies and policies Different multinational corporations have different human resource management approaches. Several studies have found out that there is substantial national variance in terms of human resource management (Cooke 2002). This has mostly been witnessed where the parent country’s strategies seem to dominate how a multinational corporation manages its human capital. This is referred to as ethnocentric or forward diffusion strategies (Keeley 2001). This ethnocentric approach has been a big hindrance to the diffusion of parent practices into other subsidiaries. More research studies that have been done have also drawn focus to the influence which the parent country has on how strategic decisions regarding human resource management is done by a company in the host country. Most developing countries pursue different trade policies and strategies; they are these strategies and policies that inform how the multinational corporations operate and interact with other corporations from other developing and developed nations as explained by Kidd et al (2001, pp. 154-163). The fact is that these developing nations have different cultures from the host nations. Due to these differences, it has become an uphill task to transfer human resources management strategies amongst the developing nations. Moreover, different nations come up with changing legislations regarding labor management. These legislations are on policies that may concern minimum wages payable to an employee, the number of expatriates allowed in a foreign owned corporation and also the work status of such expatriates. Developing economies have different economic systems governed by different economic policies and strategies (World Book Encyclopedia 1994). Some economies are centralized while others are liberalized. In the centralized economies, it becomes a bit more difficult for foreign-owned corporations to get foreign expatriates and according to Dutkiewicz and Espino (1997, p. 22), a corporation may be forced to hire purely locally; the issue here is that centralized economies are under direct governments’ control. With respect to this, different governments come up with certain restriction or legislations that may be different from the home country of a parent corporation. Different countries also have varied legislations regarding human capital and multinational corporations are expected to comply with the legislations of the host countries. One area in which legislations differ is in terms of income. Income taxes may vary and have different ranges. This is always likely to have negative impact on the attitude of employees who are transported or exported to countries where income taxes are high. Besides, due to currency fluctuation in the global financial market, managing the salaries for the expatriates becomes a big challenge to International Human Resource Management process. Political factors Politics is one of the major factors that directly impact on IHRM. The political activities in the developing economies have significant influences in the IHRM. Elaboration of this point is evidenced by the fact that different developing nations have varied political environments. The political environments of developing nations are more dynamic in comparison to the political environment of Western developed and other developed nations. Due to this, International Human Resource Management process faces more challenges in the developing economies than developed countries. The causes of these challenges emanate from the fact that the political landscape is characterized by varied opinions by different rival politicians giving promises to the people during electioneering periods; this has made the political environment of the nations to be unstable and hence unpredictable in terms of efficient and effective IHRM policies implementation (Sparrow 2009). Political factors are intertwined with economic factors; this is in the sense politics determines economic activities in the countries. The role of politics in this sense is strong in the developing countries where poverty indices are still low. Political instability and or elements of social conflicts may scare away foreign direct investments; and most importantly, foreign workers may fear working in such economies. The effect of this scenario is ineffective transfer of human capital to certain regions. However, political stability and relative peace in these economies are likely to benefit multinational corporations as far as IHRM is concerned (Sparrow 2009). Within the political environment, there are several pressure groups and institutions that represent different interests of particular individuals. Labour unions are some of the mostly prominent pressure groups shaping the political landscapes. The availability and the latent influence exacted by the labour unions are some of the dominant factors considered when multinational corporations are deciding on countries to expand their operations to. The multinational corporations consider critically the potential cost and other limiting factors associated with the influence of labour unions. The structures of labour unions, their priorities and legislations and practices vary greatly amongst the developing nations. Some of the unions are organized based on the basis of shared industries while others are organized according to occupation of the members. There are nations where labor unions play a major role in labor relations and, low, are allowed to have representations in the boards of multinational corporations. Otherwise, there are also developing nations where independent labour unions are suppressed. Moreover, in some countries labour unions are only mainly concerned with safeguarding personal interests of workers; such interests are commensurate wages and better working conditions. In other nations, labour unions are actively involved in political process and activism. The presence of labour unions may be both beneficial and disadvantageous to multinational corporations. However, it is the prerogative of individual Multinational Corporation to decide whether it is to venture and carry out its expanded operations in a country of choice. However, it is important to mention that there are varied implications of the dynamic labor unions to the International Human Resource Management, especially in developing nations where labour unions are fully involved in mainstream politics and activism. These unions are not just a collection of workers, but also of individuals with political motivation. The consequence of this is that political issues may get into the core business of a multinational corporation thereby jeopardizing its business objectives. Therefore, International Human Resource Managers have to deal with more diversified labour issues than the national human resource managers. Organizational culture Organizational culture is one of the institutional factors that affect the IHRM. An organization’s culture is a popular concept in the theory of organizational management. It is used to refer to the underlying fundamental assumptions, shared norms and values that determines and informs the behavior of individuals attached to the organization; it serves as a behavioral control and provides a framework within which employees are to carry out organizational duties. Research has shown that there is evidence of potential ability of organizational culture in informing the values of the employees (Perkins 2000). Nonetheless, further studies have shown that an organizational culture may instill values and norms that are not consistent with those of national culture to its employees. Consequently, the both national and organizational cultures are likely to conflict at international level. Focusing on organizational culture, it is crucial to note that when a corporation goes multinational, it is likely to face challenges in situations it establishes subsidiaries in countries where its culture is potentially in conflict with the national culture of the host country. It therefore implies that an internationalizing corporation requires carrying out of thorough audit of the new regions of operations and reforming its organizational culture to conform to the national culture of the host state. This may include changing its human resource policies and harmonizing them with those of the host state (Perkins 2000). Every organization has its own culture, which it uses to remain distinct within the global sphere (Joynt Warner 1996). However, this may not stand due to varied national cultural practices of different nations. As has been discussed earlier, the organization will be forced to adapt to cultural practices of the host countries; this may mean employees working in each subsidiary have differing norms and values. This situation is extensively discussed and explained by Heath (2005, p. 233). The organizations may find it appropriate to adapt to the cultures in the host countries. The implication of this is that the organization is most likely to lose its organizational cultural identity; but still the organization has to operate as a unit on the world business platform. Taking for instance, operating in a purely Muslim country will need restructuring how human capital is managed in the organization. The relationship between men and women in Muslim countries are not as liberal as other non-Muslim nations. Therefore, the organization is faced with lots of cultural dilemmas in terms of IHRM. Joint ventures and acquisitions are some of the ways through which multinational corporations expand their operations. Given the varied organizational cultures of the developing countries, integrating human capital to work as a unit is likely to be faced with some challenges on the basis of cultural conflict. This situation may be more evident where two multinational corporations come together just to form a joint venture. However, the organizational culture of the acquiring corporation may dominate the whole negotiation. But it is also important to note that, with this respect, organizational culture may not be a problem where a multinational corporation expands its operations to regions where its culture is identical or closely related to the host’s national culture and organization (Perkins 2000). Due to different and varied national and organizational cultures, a multinational corporation may consider localizing recruitment of its human capital. The advantage of this is that there is no need to grapple with cultural issues since human resources are tapped locally; the employees are already familiar with their own national culture and are able to form a uniform organizational culture (this is where the organization has decided it will allow its organizational culture to vary regionally or geographically). This is exemplified where multinational corporations expand within the developing Muslim states. Adoption of new technology and effecting new changes form an important part of an organizational culture. Employees and other stakeholders have different opinions regarding new changes; due to this, it is important that they are well prepared for such changes. Otherwise, any form of change may not get their support, especially when change involves the corporate organization going global with its business operations. An organization may be forced to ensure that its potential expatriates are well informed on the imminent changes and how they are likely to be affected.

Latin America Essay Example for Free

Latin America Essay Nation states co-exist one alongside another, yet, their relations have not been perfect or devoid of discord. At the heart of this problem is that each nation state as a political and economic entity has its own interests. It is the pursuit of these interests that these states rub one another the wrong way, with the developed countries calling the shots, leading to an acrimonious disposition in international relations. This paper examines some of the facts by taking America, Cuba and Nicaragua as examples. Question 1 Part A The Cuba Revolution which took place in January 1, 1959 against President General Fulgencio Batista is highly esteemed by Latin Americans because it deposed the dictatorial President General Fulgencio Batista from rule. Part B Cuba occupies a special place in US policy makers’ minds both for historical and strategic reasons. The historical treason is that Nikita Khrushchev had at one time â€Å"poked US in the eye† after US had aimed missiles in Italy and Turkey at USSR. By planting other missiles in Cuba against the US, Khrushchev now had a more credible bargaining chip. America does not want a repeat of this. The Strategic reason is that Cuba at the moment is the only force standing in the way of the Caribbean domination by the US. Part C What prevented Cuba’s annexation by the US is Castro’s rule. This Castro has weathered all assassination and coup attempts that were staged against him at the behest of the US. Question 2 The main strategy that was used by Latin America against US hegemony was by forming an alliance with other socialist countries that posed antithetical stands against the US. It is through these alliances that Latin American states were able to realize the acquisition of arms and ideologies. Question 3 US has been at times responsible for the rise of military dictatorships in Latin America in its quest to annex these countries. In most cases, the US sponsored military coups both financially and militarily against legitimate governments (as it was seen in the case of General Fulgencio Batista when America wanted to oust Castro). Usually, these legitimate governments are conspired against by the US when they refuse to do US’ bidding. When these coups succeed, the leaders themselves turn into outright dictators. Commentary 1 It is true that Nicaragua looks up to Cuba positively since Cuba has been protecting her interests. Or instance, Cuba was instrumental in the 1990s in advising and helping Nicaragua to build closer ties with investors by working with them closely to reconstruct Nicaragua’s economic situation. What enhanced the credibility of Cuba’s economic advice and help to Nicaragua is that the latter witnessed Cuba’s proposals work out for the betterment of Bolivia, a country that initially was preoccupied with militarism. More Credit is being given to Cuba by Nicaragua because Cuba continues to protect Nicaragua’s trade and transport routes, of which the Trans Isthmian canal remains chief. Commentary 2 It is not sufficient to state that Nicaragua admires Cuba because of the protection it receives only. On the contrary, it is through this Trans Isthmian canal that Cuba protects, that the two economies are able to carry out bilateral trade. Cuba’s exports to Nicaragua are rice, sugar cane, medical products, hams and sausages, whereas Nicaragua exports veterinary products, pharmaceuticals, milk and milk products, meat and meat products, original perfume oil, pieces of ivory, among others, to Cuba. Conclusion It is therefore easier to see that because states exist juxtaposed to each other, there is no country that can exist on its own accord. This is why virtually all nations are players in international trade and diplomacy. The mandate therefore falls on the developed economies such as the US and the UK and other international organizations such as the UN to come up with policies that will foster egalitarianism and freedom for and among all states. References Blasier, C. (2005). Trade in Latin America. Ann Arbor: Michigan University Press. Callahan, M. (1999). A historical look at US relations with Cuba. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

Online Shopping Environments In Developing Countries

Online Shopping Environments In Developing Countries Chapter 1: Introduction and context The emergence of online shopping as an alternative to the traditional shopping model has become a global phenomenon. According to Karake-Shalhoub Qasimi (2006: 4), consumers in both the developed and developing countries have moved with speed and glee to take up this opportunity to enhance the shopping experience and benefit from the ensuing benefits. In spite of the growing number of internet users and frequency of internet use among the current users, there exist variations on the global scale, with most of these variations closely related to the intrinsic features of the local environment. In a study by Alam, et al. (2008), over 600 million individuals have used this model; with the e-commerce market having surpasses $228bn as at 2007, with the projections for placing the figure at $320bn. The increased usage of online shopping is clearly written in the features of the model, with the advantages cutting across shoppers of all ages and demographics. In most cases socio-economic, cultural, political and infrastructural aspects of the environment contributes to the trajectory taken by the spread of online shopping by consumers within a specific geographical location. Studies by Zwass (1999); Wolcott, et. al. (2001) and Travica (2002) cited in Efendioglu, Yip Murray (n.d), indicated that infrastructural differences were the main sources of disparity between the consumption of online shopping services across difference environments. Other studies (Mcknight et al, 1998 and Lee Turban, 2001) have indicated that the cultural and socio-economic factors that have significant influence on online shopping with far reaching impact on the uptake of online shopping by the consumers in the developing countries. In this study, we take an insightful research into the online shopping environment in the developing countries. Environmental factors have a significant influence on the attitudes and behaviors of consumers, and the main focus of the investigation will be environment in china and how its influence on the online shopping aspects of the Chinese population. Through a quantitative and qualitative analysis, the research will depict the acceptance and diffusion of online shopping in China. Research aims and objectives The research objective was the exploration of the facets of the environment in china, with a critical investigation of their influence on online shopping. Just like in any other developing country, there are numerous factors that influence the choice of shopping model, with the availability of online shopping facilities being the most prominent. As a result, this study will depict the environmental factors that influence the consumption of internet services as well as the factors influencing the decision of sellers and retailers to offer online shopping services. The most prominent research questions include: * How online shopping environment affects customers behaviour? * How online shopping can contribute to promoting social and economic development? * In China and other developing countries, what problems are online shopping have and how to improve it? Chapter 2: Literature review The growing demand for better services by both consumers and shoppers have driven retailers and sellers to invent an endless number of models, each bearing a certain set of advantages of the preceding one. According to research by Alam Yasin (2010), success in rolling out online shopping facilities is depended on the acceptability of these factors, availability of enabling infrastructures and technical elements as well as positive customer attitude towards the internet as an avenue towards satisfaction of certain needs and wants. According to Alam Yasin (2010) the overriding need to ensure customer satisfaction as a way of enhancing customer loyalty remains the most prominent reason behind implementation of strategies in a business. Online shopping, just the traditional model, relies on the ability of the seller to attract and retain customers, thereby augmenting his returns. In most developing countries, the consumption of IT is complicated and hampered by the concentration of SMEs, which remain unviable options for online shopping as indicated by Olajubu, Afolabi Ajayi (2009). In the business-to-customer (B2C) model, online shopping culminates in the purchasing, selling and exchange of products facilitated by computer networks (internet), with electronic settlement of the transactions. Numerous models have been proposed to aid in analysis of consumer behavior in response to introduction of novel ICT structures. The most common include Rogers Diffusion model (Lawson, 2000), the perceived characteristics of innovation (Sideridis, 2010: 67), the reason action theory, the planned behavior theory (Mendes et al, 2004: 58) and the model for technological acceptance (Liu Ye, 2001: 336). Infrastructural aspects of online shopping have a significant influence on the ability of individuals to access the goods and complete the transactions as indicated by Teo, Wang, Leong, (2004). In the developing countries, economic development or underdevelopment has significantly contributed to the slow uptake of online shopping as an option, with most individuals preferring the traditional model. The lack of connectivity and communication infrastructure necessary for implementation of online services by the shoppers limits their choices, while making it an unviable option since only a small number of individuals will be willing and able to utilize the model in most cases, online shopping in developing counties has surfaced as a strategy for a select few categories of goods, limited to a small number of locations where the consumption of internet is significantly reliable. Even in those location, most individuals have not yet fully grasped and appreciated the intricacies of online shopping, thereby leading to the part-consumption of the service. As indicated by Wang (2003) the key determinants of success or failure depends on the quality of the services on offer and value-addition capabilities of the model in application. In addition to price and online presence, online shoppers are also in search for quality services, and a reason not to prefer the traditional shopping model over the online model. This originates from change in the attitudes of the individuals towards online shopping, mainly hinged on the ensuing trust on the part of the customers (Lee Turban, 2001). The numerous barriers to development of trust in the business to customer platform are closely related to the online shopping environment, which originated from the differences in both models as observed by Wang (2003). The environmental factors to be concern about include the political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental issues (Teo, Wang, Leong, 2004). Each of these factors has an overriding influence on the ability of consumers to utilize the internet for shopping as well as the availability of the goods online. The unavailability of case work and sufficient information to base the assessments regarding the spread in online shopping and retailing is the most prominent hindrance as observed by Findlay, Paddison Dawson (1990: 106) Developing countries have found it necessary to embrace technology as a way of measuring up to the steepening competition on the global scale. The increased competition by the global business unit has made it necessary for every business to avoid passing up on any opportunity to increase and retain its market share. As a result, it has become common for retailers and sellers to avail any kind of service to the consumers, in order to improve their current and future earnings. According to, online shopping is not a silver bullet to improvement in earnings. As indicated by the numerous failed ventures and organizations which relied on online shopping as a core strategic move to improve earnings, there is more to offering the goods and service online. According to Kamel (2006: 70), technological aspects of online shopping are a major aspect of the online shopping environment. Over the past decade, the number of individuals using the internet for day to day chores has increased tremendously, making it impossible for most individuals to operate without the internet. In the developing countries, investment in online service and communication infrastructure is still in its initial stages. However, the number of individuals consuming internet services grows by the day and for a country like China, it is true to postulate that there are a substantial number of internet users to warrant investment on e-commerce by businesses. In addition to shopping for goods and services, numerous individuals will be searching for information, making it a widely used service. The quality of online services such as website features (Shergill Chen, 2005) and home page design (Ho Wu, 1999) were observed to influence the consumers ability to choose online shopping. Political factors also influence the spread of online shopping practices in a developing country. Political structures influence the trajectory of development and availability of resources as well as public policy, which affects the availability of investments in the necessary sectors. As a result, political influence is a major contributor to prevalence of online shopping in a country, especially the developing countries where political structures are either underdeveloped or absent completely. As observed by Wilson (III.) (2004: 223 )â€Å"the new technologies have influenced social behavior, accelerated entrepreneurism, enhanced transparency and promoted new ideas.yet the market is substantially driven by competitive jockeying among powerful groups in agencies, ministries, government-owned companies and private bodies, including ISPs and ICPS.† Their influence on the spread of online shopping is undeniable, with the supply-side and demand factors culminating from their acti ons. Social factors influence the attitudes and perception of individuals. According to Efendioglu, Yip Murray (n.d), the long-standing preference of off-line transaction systems have a significant influence on the ability of individuals to migrate to the online facilities. Having served the needs of most individuals for long these off-line models, such as telephone and catalogue sales pose a threat to the implementation of the online shopping owing to their ability to provide the same level of perceived utility, in addition to having inculcated transition trust and the opportunity to socialize, as it is customary in China and other developing countries. As a result, the robotization of the shopping process is bound to conflict with the contemporary perception of the shopping process. According to McKinnon et al (2010: 327), success depends on establishment of online presence by the prospective consumers, and consequently adoption of the new shopping model. Chakrabati (2002: 81) posited that not all goods were suited for online shopping. The type of products on offer and on demand also influenced the spread of online shopping. The Study by Kamel (2006: 66) revealed that developing countries only account for 18.5% of the digitized information, which is small percentage as compared to the rest of the world. Consumption of infrastructural components has an influence on the environment, owing to the increased generation of e-waste (Zwass, 1996). Lack of disposal mechanisms of such wastes in addition to the increased need for energy to power the systems is bound to influence the environment. With each home having an internet connection, there originates the need for increased generation of energy thereby necessitating development of policies to address the environmental impact. Karake-Shalhoub Qasimi (2006: 209) and Kamel (2006: 71) noted that the legal quagmires facing cyber space still dog the developing countries, where legal systems are faced with numerous challenges. The inability to develop sufficient laws regarding conduct in cyber space to match the laws govern the real space is directly attributable to the inability of most individuals to take up online shopping as a viable alternative to traditional shopping. According to Wilson (III) (2004: 300) and Anwer et al. (2010) the unique nature of the internet presents real challenges even for developed countries, with policy agenda lacking with regard to privacy, security, protection of online consumers, electronic signatures, domestic and international trade as well as taxation matters. Chapter 3: Methodology The research will comprise of a qualitative and quantitative analysis. Through the use of a 25-question questionnaire, data will be gathered from a selected sample of 200 individuals. The data gathered will be analyzed through statistic means and presented in both tabular and graphical terms. Inferences from the data will be used in the generation of findings and conclusions. Chapter 4ÃÆ' ¯Ã‚ ¼Ãƒâ€¦Ã‚ ¡Practicalities The developing economies form a significant portion of the global market place. The immense number of consumers presents a potential market for goods and services, from both developed and developing markets. Rational consumers in search of maximization of utility are bound to prefer the most efficient model and the source of value addition, thereby making it imperative to understand the intrinsic nature of online shopping and the environment in developing countries. This research will present an insight into the challenges and successes of introducing online shopping to China, classified as a developing country, with sufficient data and information to provide guidelines applicable to other developing countries. The inferences and recommendations originating from this research are adaptable to other developing countries with slight customization to cater for differences in environments in the countries in question. Chapter 5ÃÆ' ¯Ã‚ ¼Ãƒâ€¦Ã‚ ¡Ethical aspects Owing to the necessity for human participation in the research, ethical issues arose regarding the conduct of the data collection process as well as the use of the findings from the study. As a rule, any data, information and assertions made by the targeted sample was to be used solely for the current project with strict privacy rules. The data collected through questionnaires was to be done on a basis of anonymity of the individuals, thereby making it impossible to tie the responses to a specific individual. Since the assertions made in the study were to be utilized in formulation of conclusions and recommendation, it was deemed representative of the situation and true to the knowledge of the individual. For this reason, the study was to be carried under strict adherence to the Universitys policy regarding research involving Human Participants, data and Tissue.