Getting to Know Absinthe - 650 Words

La Fee Verte, the green fairy, the green goddess, all popular names for the spirit known as absinthe. However its referred to, absinthe has made a big name for itself throughout history, eventually leading to its banning, and is now making a come back. The name â€Å"absinthe† comes from the scientific name for its main ingredient Artemisia absinthium, or wormwood. Woodworm flavored wines date back to the Egyptians, who drank it for medicinal purposes as early as 1550 B.C. Ancient Greeks also consumed a woodworm flavored wine that may have been the predecessor of modern absinthe. (History.com) It was not until 1792 where it was first distilled in Switzerland by the French doctor Pierre Ordinaire. For five years the spirit was produced for its medicinal properties. In fact, French soldiers fighting in Algeria were administered absinthe to prevent malaria and dysentery. (Kitchen Doctor) These men sought out this cure-all in the bars and cafes of Paris, where it had gained a following among bohemians and the bourgeoisie. (Liquor.com) This demand was met with commercial absinthe production when Major Dubied bought the recipe from Dr. Ordinaire and proceeded to manufacture the spirit with his son-in-law, Henri-Louis Pernod, in Val-de-Travers, Switzerland. The venture proved to be profitable and Pernod in 1805 moved to a larger facility in Pontarlier, France. Although Pernod only distilled some 16 liters of absinthe when it first started, it only took a few short years forShow MoreRelatedA Case Study Of Vincent Van Gogh1723 Words   |  7 Pagesmadman† who had cut off his ear and given it as present to a prostitute. 1. Artistic beginnings. Van Gogh’s introduction to art was through his mother, who was an amateur artist, but his uncle was the one who actually helped him pursue his goals by getting Van Gogh his first art gig. As teenager, Van Gogh worked under an international art dealer, and through this position, he soon found himself in London where he first discovered his love for art. Originally, he thought he wanted to be a pastor dueRead MoreCritical Analysis of Hills Like White Elephants923 Words   |  4 Pagesirrational and controversial as today’s ongoing debate over gay marriage. Although the term abortion is never used in the story, the imagery Hemingway uses along with the language and behavior of the characters gives way for one explanation – Jig is getting an abortion. Of the many symbols Hemingway uses, the theme of abortion is evident in the white elephant hills that have the â€Å"coloring of †¦ skin through the trees† (Hemingway, 1). The white hills, as described in the setting, parallels a pregnantRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem The Golden Sunshine 901 Words   |  4 Pagesbecome aware the battery ran out. By the time, in some branches near me- I saw the indistinct lights waving in the air, not sure whether is absinthe-green or calamine-blue. I am moving toward the bushes tardily with curious, but same with fear. The light seems like the â€Å"will-o-the-wisp†that I seen in the cemetery in the countryside when i was little, even know it’s a chemical reaction of the air and temperature. The goose bumps off the ground from my skin and I stopped my pace. Think in my head, itRead MoreTales From The Mekong Delta Essay1127 Words   |  5 PagesEverything turns a beautiful blue. Sights, sounds, touch, and mind-sets are changed. Creativity flows freely from your mind to the hand to the pen and to the paper. This blue is the blue that knows you and where you live and its never going to forget(107). The blue is the fix and excitement an addict gets from drugs. Addicts look for an escape. They feel that if they just have that hit they will enjoy life and its experiences to a fuller extent. In Kate Bravermans short story Tall TalesRead MoreThe Quality Of Communication And The Way A Person1143 Words   |  5 Pagesperfectly simple,† operation. He indirectly leads her towards the abortion by saying â€Å"[this baby] is the only thing that bothers us. It’s the only thing that’s made us unhappy.† Jig doesn’t want for the man to be unsatisfied, therefore she considers getting rid of what they think is the â€Å"problem†. She claims she doesn’t â€Å"care about [herself]† and just cares about the man. It is evident that she loves him and just wants to do whatever the man desires in order for his love. â€Å"If I do it you’ll be happyRead MoreMonologue of a Drug Lord1143 Words   |  5 PagesMonologue of a Drug Lord I know. If you were to see me walking on the street you would never suspect I’m a drug dealer – let alone a drug lord. You know, I’ve always resented that title: drug lord. It makes me seem like a vehement Colombian with an imperial moustache and ostentatious golden rings, not to mention most people assume the worst of you the instant you tell them – even the weed obsessed Rastafarians and the acid infatuated Hipsters don’t respond too well to that particular title. I haveRead MoreHills Like White Elephants Analysis Essay1766 Words   |  8 Pagescharacters, the language, and the symbolism, one can see that the conversation is about an abortion and that the couple’s relationship is falling apart. Ernest Hemingway uses characters, sexism, and the setting and symbolism to give the readers a chance to know couple and see their broken relationship. Hills Like White Elephant was written in 1927, right before the Great Depression. In the story, the couple travels throughout Spain to Barcelona and to the capitol of Spain, Madrid. The male protagonist isRead MoreJig and the Stream of Life in Hemingway’s â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants†1646 Words   |  7 PagesI see many people as I wander through the streets, yet I can only hear silence. I see couples getting into a restaurant, order, check their smartphones, eat, and I wonder why they do not look up, face each other and genuinely communicate. What I perceive, are men and women living not with, but next to each other. This is exactly what I imagined when I read Hemingway’s â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants†. A couple waiting to catch a train and as they sit and drink some beers, they start talking about Jig’sRead More heroarms A Comparison of Code Heroes of A Farewell to Arms and For Whom the Bell Tolls2088 Words   |  9 Pagesoften witnesse s Frederic Henry or Robert Jordan enjoying a drink.  Ã‚   One instance comes when Robert Jordan eats with his comrades.   He muses over the wine he is drinking, thinking but [wine] does not curl around inside you the way absinthe does... there is nothing like absinthe (For Whom the Bell Tolls, 204) .  Ã‚   This series of thoughts by Robert Jordan shows that he enjoys drinking alcohol because of its relaxing qualities; however, he exhibits moderation in his drinking because his judgment never faltersRead MoreKate Bravermans short story Tall Tales From the Mekong Delta1838 Words   |  8 Pagescreativity flows freely from your mind. You feel indestructible, confident, and prideful. The sun is jolly and as you inhale the air seems to suck through you effortlessly. Everything is blue, no, not blue with melancholy, this blue is the blue that knows you and where you live and its never going to forget (107). The blue is the faà §ade and excitement an addict gets from drugs. Addicts look for an escape, a better life, and something more gratifying, instantly. In Kate Bravermans short story Tall

Literature Review Digital Technology

Question: Discuss about theLiterature Reviewfor Digital Technology. Answer: The aim of the present paper is to make fruitful comparison as well as contrast between perceptions of different authors regarding the particular extent to which higher education students exploit opportunities provided by digital technology for the purpose of learning. In the era of digital technology, education has highly become digitalized as the use of varied digital tools and methods have proved to be efficient for the aid of both learning and teaching. Utilization of digital devices like mobile, tablets, personal computer, laptops and digital board have now become some of the essential classroom devices in most of the academic institutes. With the help of the aforementioned digital tools the procedure for learning and teaching has become easier, effective and more attractive. However, it has been identified that the easy accessibility to digital devices and their user-friendly nature are instigating numerous learners to exploit the use digital technology for the aid of learning (Lai and Hong 2015). Several researches have proved that instead of using digital technology for the purpose of learning, students are making negative uses of the technology, which are directly affecting their studies, cognitive development and their social behavior (Gallardo-Echenique et al. 2015). According to Beetham and Sharpe (2013), in terms technological advent, development of internet and its use has affected every aspect of the learners life. The utilization of digital technology and specifically the exploiting use of internet are increasing particularly among the higher education students throughout the world. As per Murray et al. (2014), it could not be neglected that with the persuasion of digital education and use of internet in the academic arena has successfully empowered the students in refining as well as sharpening their skills and knowledge in subject specific grounds. As mentioned by Mishra et al. (2014), the easy accessibility to digital tools and internet has opened a Pandoras Door of danger and addiction. On the other hand, based on Selwyn and Bulfin (2016), it is not a concrete truth that nowadays students of high education level are exploiting the use of digital technology. The aforementioned authors claim that under proper instructions and monitoring, m ost of the time students make proper use of ICT tools and online resource sites like Google, Wikipedia and VLE. In the context, it is essential to mention that the study of McCoy (2013), has indicated that students use of digital technology is highly influenced the particular approach adopted by their individual lecturers or educators. Over last few years, education has started to take an omnipresent place in the society as well as in the premise of education. According to Beetham and Sharpe (2013), the reason behind the ubiquitous position of digital technology in the premise of education is that digital technology provides easy access to information regarding any subject or any educational field. However, as opposed by McCoy (2013), among most of the students of US universities, the number of using digital technology for non-class purposes is higher that the number of using digital technology for educational purpose. The aforementioned authors have also indicated the fact that use of digital technology among students of Universities, colleges and high school is increasing for fighting boredom and for entertainment rather than for education. It has been further identified that in terms of consequence, more than 80% of the students using digital technology have been found to provide less attention to the class and on their education (McCoy 2013). Almost each of the authors of the considered articles have indicated a similar fact that says, the use of digital technologies as well as digital media create numerous challenges for the educators and the students regarding the problems of control, power along with authority. Furthermore, almost each of the authors has pointed out the fact that the possible chances of misusing the digital technology among higher education students is increasing because digital technology is gradually turning to be personally-owned and wireless. It means students are more getting accustomed to personalized, self-directed as well as empowering activities with the help of advancing digital technologies. Nevertheless, while Selwyn and Bulfin (2016), have strongly implied that exploitation of digital technology among higher education students is majorly dependent upon the approach made by the lecturers, Beetham and Sharpe (2013), have said that it is the advancing digital technology that should be blamed for the misuse. On the other hand, as pointed out by Lai and Hong (2015), the use of digital technology in classroom learning in higher education has been proving contentious. It is because most of the time, the school authorities are not being able to put an end to the exploiting use of digital technology among the students. However, according to Gallardo-Echenique et al. (2015), the most horrible consequence of using digital technology for non-class purpose is cyber-bullying, cyber-crime, development of frantic behavior and depression. As per the opposition made by Margaryan et al. (2011), the claims of students making negative use of digital technology is dependent upon the shiftin g expectation of the students as well as the patterns of learning and utilization of technology. Nevertheless, majority of the considered researches has pointed out that the reason behind misuse of digital technology is the increasing demand of children and their parents tendency to provide their children everything in the name of education. On the other hand, none of the considered authors have neglected the fact that the advancement of IT premise is bringing varied of new learning styles, which have the potentiality to act most conveniently in assisting students in their academic field. At the same time, none of them have ignored the possible consequence that with the advancement of IT tools, the possibility for juvenile crime like cyber bullying, illegal Photoshop and visit to improper video sites are enhancing (Murray 2014). Therefore, it can be said that instead of having different perception regarding the misuse of digital technology among higher education students, one similar point has been found out, which is there is the need for digital technology in learning and teaching. Though the extent to which higher education students can exploit the use of technology is difficult for the educators to estimate most of the time. References Beetham, H. and Sharpe, R., 2013.Rethinking pedagogy for a digital age: Designing for 21st century learning. routledge. Gallardo-Echenique, E.E., Marqus-Molas, L., Bullen, M. and Strijbos, J.W., 2015. Lets talk about digital learners in the digital era.The International Review of research in open and distributed learning,16(3). Lai, K.W. and Hong, K.S., 2015. Technology use and learning characteristics of students in higher education: Do generational differences exist?.British Journal of Educational Technology,46(4), pp.725-738. Margaryan, A., Littlejohn, A. and Vojt, G., 2011. Are digital natives a myth or reality? University students use of digital technologies.Computers Education,56(2), pp.429-440. McCoy, B., 2013. Digital distractions in the classroom: Student classroom use of digital devices for non-class related purposes. Mishra, S., Draus, P., Goreva, N., Leone, G. and Caputo, D., 2014. The impact of internet addiction on university students and its effect on subsequent academic success: A survey based study.Issues in Information Systems,15(1), pp.344-352. Murray, D.L., 2014.A survey of the practices and perceptions of students in one catholic high school on the use of the internet regarding safety, cyberbullying, and sexting. University of San Francisco. Selwyn, N. and Bulfin, S., 2016. Exploring school regulation of students technology userules that are made to be broken?.Educational Review,68(3), pp.274-290.

Social Administration Social Welfare Essay Example

Social Administration Social Welfare Essay SOWK 1001 Introduction to Social Administration Topic: 3 Discuss the development and change of people’s values and attitude towards social welfare in Hong Kong society Tutorial time slot: Tuesday 1600-1700 a) Introduction According to Midgley (1997) (as cited in Wong, Chow Wong, 2001), from a narrow perspective, social welfare is defined as the social helps that the government or the charity organizations provide to those poor and needy. It is also regarded as the well-being that people are enjoying in the society from a broader angle. In Hong Kong, It is obvious that the role of Hong Kong government has changed from passivity to active involvement. In the first two decades after the Second World War, the main objective of the government was to secure the poor a basic living standard. Since 1967, the mindset has changed. The government has actively involved in safeguarding the welfare of Hong Kong citizens. This is evident not only in the growing welfare budget and the increased volume of services provided, but also in the diversification of programs in operation. Social welfare has gradually regarded as one of the essential institutions in our society. We will write a custom essay sample on Social Administration Social Welfare specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Social Administration Social Welfare specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Social Administration Social Welfare specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer In order to investigate the development and change of people’s values and attitudes towards social welfare in the Hong Kong society, three major traditional values and attitudes would first be introduced. Afterwards, four major changes in values and attitudes would be discussed. Furthermore, despite the revolutionary changes in the welfare scenario, some traditional values and attitudes are still commonly upheld among Hong Kong Chinese. Few statistical survey results, together with further analysis, were used to support the arguments discussed. ) Traditional values and attitudes towards social welfare The government has no obligations in providing social services Traditionally, the Chinese people believe that the government is not obligated in providing them with any social welfare. In the words of R. Plant, H. Lesser and P. T. Gooby(1980), they think that â€Å"people have no moral right to what they receive because no individual person can have a right to another personâ₠¬â„¢s charity. † In other words, Hong Kong Chinese traditionally considered social welfare as a relief to meet urgent needs, but not as a right. Suggested by Lau (1988), the primary moral basis for the development of this attitude is the lack of the â€Å"individualism† concept among traditional Chinese people. In simple terms, individualism is the positive view of human nature and is based upon two fundamental concepts: the respect of every individuals and the belief of equal rights for all. Everyone has a separate identity. While the comprehensive welfare system is developed upon individualism in the West, the concept of individualism was weak among traditional Chinese people. Reliance on family support While Hong Kong Chinese people think that the government has no obligations in satisfying their basic needs, people’s basic needs were usually satisfied within their own families. In case of having problems which were beyond the control and capabilities of their families, they tend to seek help from their clans, neighbors or villagers. Lau (1982) used the concept of â€Å"utilitarianstic familism† to describe the reliance on family support of Chinese people in Hong Kong. According to Lau, Utilitarianistic familism means ‘the normative and behavioral tendency of an individual to place his familial interests above the interests of society and of other individuals and groups, and to structure his relationships with other individuals and groups in such a manner that the furtherance of his familial interests is the overriding concern (Lau, 1982). As every member in the familial groups considered the interest of the family was prior to other interests, family members tended to seek help from or provide help to one another rather than outsiders when they faced some financial difficulties. The responsibility of a family member is greatly emphasized, especially in terms of mutual assistance. This gradually created ‘economic interdependence among familial members’ (Lau, 1982). This unusual strong emphasis was further studied by Lau, and he proposes that the mutual assistance among familial members in many cases will be considered as long-term investment with the hope of a pay-off in the future. Another research done by Lee Ming Kwan in 1988 (Lee. M. K. 1991. Family and Social Life. Lau. S. K, Lee. M. K, Wimp’s. , Wong. S. L. p. 53. Indicators of social development, Hong Kong 1988. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies) also found that Chinese people in Hong Kong were reluctant in seeking assistance from the government. Over 90% of them will solve the trouble by their own, seek help from relatives and friends but not any NGOs nor from the government. As suggested by Lee, these findings are â€Å"consistent with the syndrome of utilitarianistic familiam: the larger society and the polity are kept at a distance while familial groups are relied on as the principal agents for safe-guarding and furthering one’s interests. Chow(1986) further explained that. The development of social welfare was largely ‘a history of charitable effort’. Religious organizations like Church World Service, Catholic Relief Services, Lutheran World Services; indigenous organizations like Tung Wah Group of hospitals and the Po Leung Kuk became the main providers of social welfare. There were also some mutual aids associations like clansmen associations, mutual aids societies and locality associations which provided help for destitute members by collecting subscriptions from those who were more fortunate. Their effort was mainly concentrated on relieving the very poor and their dependent members. Self-reliance People would satisfy their basic needs by their own effort rather than with government assistance, unless they tried their best effort and failed. The ideas of â€Å"no one should depend on the welfare system for more than is necessary† and â€Å"welfare should be earned by one’s effort† are further supported by the study conducted by Lau in 1990. (â€Å"Indicators if social development. Hong Kong 1990†. ) In the study majority (over 40%) of the respondents agree that welfare services should go to the most needed. Only 3. % of the respondents think that welfare should be distributed on a charity basis. Referring to the survey conducted by Lee Ming Kwan in 1988 (table 2. 4), almost half of the respondents claims that they would solve it by their own effort in case of they or their families run into financial difficulties. In contrast, only about six pe rcent of them claim that they would seek help from relevant government departments. The finding indicates that Hong Kong Chinese in general tend to put great emphasis on one’s own effort in times of adversity. This conclusion is also consistent with the findings by Lee Ming Kwan in 1990. In the survey, people were asked to identify their source of help that they would most frequently resort when there were needs in eight areas. According to the figures collected(table 2. 5), when the family was troubled by financial problems, 27% of the respondents would seek help from oneself while none of the respondents would seek help from social services. When difficulties occurred in work or career, over 45% of the respondents would work them out by oneself. In general, close kin, relatives, neighbors, workmates and friends had all been active in the respondent’s help-seeking network. Table 2. 5—persons from whom one sought help (%) (extract) | |When there was someone |When the family was |When difficulties |When one was upset and |When one needed advice or | | |sick in the family |troubled by financial |occurred in work or |needed someone to talk |information on certain | | | |problems |career |to |matters | |Oneself |45. 3 |27 |46. |20. 4 |13 | |Spouse |20. 4 |20. 6 |9. 5 |27. 3 |10. 2 | |Children |5. 5 |7. 6 |0. 9 |2. 4 |4. 3 | |Parents |13 |17. 1 |3. 7 |1. 9 |2. 4 | |Spouse’s kin |2. 6 |0. |0 |0. 2 |0. 4 | |Siblings |5. 5 |5. 7 |2. 8 |1. 9 |4 | |Other relatives |0. 7 |1. 9 |4 |0. 7 |1. 4 | |Workmates |0 |0. 7 |0 |1. 4 |5. 2 | |Neighbors |0. |0 |4 |0. 7 |0. 9 | |Friends |0. 4 |10 |1. 8 |33. 2 |39. 4 | |Buying services |0. 5 |0 |0. 4 |0 |1. 7 | |Social services |1. 4 |0 |0. 9 |0. 2 |1. | |Others |0. 7 |0. 5 |0. 4 |1. 2 |1. 7 | |Don’t know/ not |4. 7 |8. 1 |9. 3 |8. 6 |14. 7 | |applicable | | | | | | Other Reasons Living under ‘borrowed time and borrowed place’, the young people stroke no roots in Hong Kong. As people came to make money and went away all the time, Hong Kong people felt that there was no need to care for the well being of others who just happened to be living in the same community for a while. A short term horizon was developed as a result. People were generally reluctant to commit resources to uncertain long term future. Welfare programmes thus lacked long term goals. As a highly commercialized and industrialized society, Hong Kong has often been described as a city where no one is concerned about the well-being of other people. As upward social mobility through political channel was blocked under British colonial rule, people could only place emphasis on economic pursuits. They were thus often characterized to be highly egoistic, materialistic and pragmatic. A lukewarm attitude towards the government and other matters outside personal orbit was shared among majority of Hong Kong people. The better-off class was unwilling to share resources with the poor. Fighting for more social benefits from the government was something undesirable as this might disrupt order and stability. They just wanted to maintain the status quo. ) Changes in people’s values and attitudes towards social welfare Political change – democratization and the change of sovereignty Hong Kong has been undergoing a gradual process of democratization since the 1970s. There was the first election of District Board in 1981. Before 1985, members of Hong Kongs Legislative Council received executive appointment. They served as an advis ory body for the colonial governor and had no power to introduce legislation or overturn acts of the executive. The British colonial government began to introduce democratic reforms into Hong Kongs legislature after the signing of the Joint Declaration in 1984. Beginning in 1985 these representatives were elected by professionals from functional constituencies. It was not until 1991 that any part of the legislature was elected directly through geographically defined constituencies. After 1989 Tiananmen Massacre in Beijing, Governor Patten was sent to Hong Kong to further accelerate the democratization process. The voting age was lowered and the number of voters selecting LegCo seats through indirect elections was raised. Under such reforms, Hong Kong people have become more politically socialized. Through the experience of election and political participation, the Hong Kong people have become more aware of their rights, including their right to social welfare. The change of sovereignty in 1997 also contributed to an increasing social expectation on the government. The handover has enhanced sense of belonging among the Hong Kong people and they now expect their own government to be more responsive to their needs. It is submitted that the introduction of the Principle Official Accountability System is also another reason for the rise of expectation on the government. Breakdown of traditional family system Nowadays, the family system is losing most of its traditional functions. With high percentage of old people, increasing number of young mothers going out to work, escalating incidence of divorce and higher number of domestic violence reports, family may no longer be acting as an institution where emotional, social and financial support can be provided. Instead, the family is now shedding most of its responsibilities on the society and people expect more from the government. Also, with the change in family structure and increasing economic difficulties, some problems may be so burdensome that is beyond what a family can handle. Many look to government for help as a result. . Economic difficulties The Hong Kong society is facing many challenges today. Economic restructuring, rapid ageing population and erosion of family functioning are some of the biggest challenges identified by the Hong Kong Council of Social Services. The new mode of business operation due to technological globalization causes structural job displacement and leads to high rate of unemployment. The ageing of baby-boomed generation increases financial burden of the family and our society. According to a survey conducted by the Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, 59. % respondents considered social cause as the reason for poverty. Only 14. 2% considered individual problem as cause of poverty. As most people believe that it is not their fault or laziness which makes them poor, they expect the government to give them more help. It should be noted that not only the grassroots, but also the middle class has adopted a more active attitud es towards public affairs. In the past, the middle class as a whole seldom took up class-specific issues through collective action. However, many middle class families now find that they no longer have a secure future to look to. Some are even suffering negative equity. In the July 1st parade, the middle class was actually the backbone of the protest. This shows that the middle class is no longer apathetic with social issues now. More aware of rights as a citizen People become more aware of their rights as citizens and their social awareness were increased, more attention have been given to the issues on welfare services and social policy. According to the study conducted by Wong Chack-kie in 1993 (indicators of social development Hong Kong 1993), public welfare represents a contract of rights and duties among citizens of a society, and the Government’s welfare responsibility is supported. Table 3. 1. Government’s welfare responsibility (%) | |disagree |average |agree |Don’t know | |1. providing medial care for the sick |2. 1 |5 |91. 1 |1. 8 | |2. providing care for the elderly |3. 3 |6. 5 |88. 1 |2. 1 | |3. providing financial subsidy to university students |2. 4 |5. 9 |87. 8 |3. | |from low income families | | | | | |4. reducing the gap between rich and poor |10. 7 |6. 2 |75. 3 |7. 7 | |5. improving living standards of single-parent |13. 6 |11 |70 |5. 4 | |families | | | | | |6. providing unemployment benefits |14. |11 |69. 8 |4. 5 | |7. providing subsidies to new immigrants from mainland|65. 5 |12. 2 |14. 9 |7. 4 | |China | | | | | This change is largely brought about by political factors which made public opinions more reflected. Political parties in the 90’s joined the legislative council and exerted pressure on government’s social policy formulation. People were taken part into the vote as the legislation of social policy was opened to the public, so people’s awareness of the rights to receive social welfare services were raised. In addition, democratic parties’ campaigns encouraged the development of social welfare. For example, in 1991, â€Å"one man one vote† was realized and eighteen members were directly elected in the Legislative Council. More issues related to social welfare policy were being discussed in the Legislature afterwards. The set up of the District Board also encourage the expression of opinions towards public welfare. The responsibilities of the District Board is to advice the District Management Committee on the well being of district residents and on the provision and use of public services and the priorities of government programs. Citizens who had lived in Hong Kong for seven years would have the right to vote and elect their representatives to reflect their ideas on the government’s social welfare policy. Although the District Board had a limited authority and no power to the legislation of the social policy, the public could express their opinions through the District Board. Members of the District Board gave vote to the problems and needs, which are uppermost in the minds of the people of the District. It made suggestions for improvement of social welfare. For the sake of receiving better social welfare services, people would voice out their opinions and suggestions. Growing demand on quality social services provided by the government After the change of sovereignty in 1997, people have higher expectations on the government and are more demanding in terms of social services provision. After the 1st July 1997, Hong Kong became the special administrative region (SAR) of China and the British colonial government no longer holds the sovereignty. The government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) announced that social welfare, including the extent of education, housing and elderly care, would be carried out efficiently in order to improve peoples’ life. In the past, people felt helpless under the colonial ruling and the self-reliance id eology was formed. After the transition of sovereignty in 1997, people began to expect more on the government as their â€Å"own government† rather than a government in a â€Å"borrowed time† and at a â€Å"borrowed place†. People are less reluctant in seeking government’s assistance. Hong Kong’s economy has been in decline for some time. After 1997, GDP growth slowed to 2. 3 percent a year, compared to 5 percent previously. Structural unemployment arises due to the offshoring of jobs to low-cost economies, and business process improvements in which redesign of operating processes and IT-enabled process redesign reduce the number pf people that need to be employed. The portion of respondents perceiving â€Å"government assistance† to be the best way in meeting personal needs has almost doubled from 4. 7% to 8. 6% from 1998 to 2001. This drastic increase could partly be attributed to the economic turmoil which disables many in meeting their basic needs, thus turning to the government for assistance under no choice. d) Traditional values towards social welfare that are still commonly uphold Self-reliance and reliance on family The upholding value of self-reliance could be reflected in the survey conducted by C. K. Wong and K. Y. Wong in 1998. Referring to table 3. 3, comparing the figures obtained in 1998 and 2001. For each year, around seventy percent of the respondents have the perception that one’s own effort in the best way in meeting personal needs. The rather stable figures indicate that self-reliance is still a commonly uphold concept among Hong Kong Chinese in general. A survey was conducted by Leung Sai-wing in 1997 to study how people assess the extent of poverty in Hong Kong. A great majority of the respondents chose individual failure from the answer categories as the main reason for Hong Kong Chinese being poor. including â€Å"the poor are lazy and lack of willpower†, â€Å"they do not have good educational qualification†, â€Å"they do not know how to speculate†, â€Å"they have been unlucky†, â€Å"they have unhealthy habits† and â€Å"their children do not support their living†). The one-fourth of respondents choosing â€Å"injustice in society† migh t be attributed to their dissatisfaction with the present institutional arrangement of wealth distribution. Anyway, the majority of them still explain poverty in terms of individual failure, which reflects people’s emphasis on self-reliance. Table 4. 1. Main reasons for Hong Kong Chinese being poor (%) |Because of injustice in society |23. 3 | |Because of their laziness and lack of willpower |22. 2 | |Because they do not have good educational qualification |19. 9 | e) Conclusion There is a value shift of Hong Kong people’s views towards social welfare as comparing to the past. Though people are usually referring social welfare to a narrow definition of providing help to those who are poor and needy, we, in recent years, discover that there has been progress in people’s perception of the term ‘social welfare’. People are trying to interpret the term in a boarder sense. They are also more open-minded towards social welfare and dependency on the government nowadays is more common than before, though we should not overlook the existent of the self-reliance ideology in the mind of many Hong Kong people. There is a growing urge for social assistance particularly due to the worsening of economic condition. It is not surprising that government spending on social welfare has been increasing over years. Thus, it is very true that government’s effort in welfare provision is directly related to people’s attitudes towards welfare. Reference: Lau. S. K. , Lee. lM. K, Wan. P. S, Wong. S. L. (1999, 2001). Indicators of social development, Hong Kong 1997 Hong Kong: Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Wong. C. K. , Chow K. Wong K. Y. (1998). The assessment of social welfare policy : the views of Hong Kong people. HK: Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Lau. S. K. , Lee. M. K, Wan. P. S, Wong. S. L. (1995, 1998). Indicators of social development, Hong Kong 1993 Hong Kong: Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Lau. S. K. (1991). Society and politics in Hong Kong. HK: The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Lau. S. K, Kuan. H. C. (1988). The ethos of Hong Kong Chinese. Hong Kong: The Chinese University Press

Borders Group Inc. Case Study Essay Example

Borders Group Inc. Case Study Essay Example Borders Group Inc. Case Study Paper Borders Group Inc. Case Study Paper Borders Group Inc. Professor: Simon Dekker Student: Yanhui Zheng Student ID: 021244231 Date: 02- -2010 Introduction Borders Group Inc. is one of leading and well-known retailers of books, CD, and other educational items. Its idea is â€Å"To create richer, more satisfying lives through knowledge and entertainment. † In order to accomplish its mission, Borders provide additional services to make its customer enjoy spending in the store. Borders’ store is not just a bookstore that people go in, buy books, and leave. More likely, it is a place that people can relax and learn knowledge at the same time. Despite the stores throughout nationwide, Borders also has stores in Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Oman, Singapore, and United Arab Emirates, and in total approximate 600 stores. Its headquarter is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Borders Group Inc. ’s history can be traced by two brands: Borders and Waldenbooks. Lawernce Hoyt ran a rent library in 1933. Later in 1962, Hoyt opened first independent bookstore named Walden Book Store. In 1971, an 800-square-foot used bookstore named Borders Book shop was opened. In 1984, Waldenbooks was purchased by Kmart Corporation, and in 1992 Kmart Corporation also merged Borders and named them as Borders-Walden Group. Three years later, it was renamed as Borders Group Inc. , and moved headquarter to Ann Arbor. Recent years, Borders can not compete with online sellers, especially Amazon. com. It starts to lose business, and has to close stores in order to cut its expenses. Now, it is close to bankruptcy, and is preparing the files. As-is Condition According to Moneycentral. com, from 2001 to 2006, Border Group Inc. made approximate 100 million dollars every year. Later it started to lose money. In year 2009 and 2010, it boomingly lost 184. 7 and 110. 2 million dollars. Borders as a leading traditional bookstore, its experience is a live example that shows the industry life cycle for the tradition bookstore industry. Following char illustrates the whole process. Chart1: Traditional Bookstore Industry Life Cycle Combining the Borders’ financial statements, it shows that during maturity period, Borders made a lot profit. Later on, because of the new technology, the way to sell books and other related items is changed. Compared with the online sales, the traditional bookstore is getting out of fashion, and the whole industry is going to the decline period, or even phase-out period. Within this period, Borders started to lose business, and now can not even operate normally. Borders can not disobey the industry life cycle, it has to close its business or follow the new technology. Actually, Borders has already taken some actions. News form internetretaler. om, on August 1, 2010, CEO Mike Edwards announced that Borders was trying to open an e-books store with 1. 5 million titles, and also provided 38 million loyalty program members incentives. The goal was that by this time next year, it would take 17 percentages of online market. Unfortunately, Borders did not recognize the potential of online sales at the first place. By the same time, its biggest online competitor Amazon has already taken 90% market s hare. Following char is used to illustrate the situation. Chart 2: The Impact of Speed to Market on Sales According to Moneycentral. om, in 2003 Amazon. com broke even and made 35. 28 million dollars of net income. After that it started to grow dramatically, by the end of 2010, the income went up to1,152 million dollars. Amazon took advantage of new technology, and made an early entrant to the new market. When the market was mutual, it already owned 90% market share before some other competitors realized the new trend, such as Borders, Apple and Google. ( dailyfinance. com/) Due to late entrant, Borders is facing great challenge. To sum up, new technology forces traditional bookstores lose competitions. On the other hand, Borders missed the early entrant, and it is very difficult for Borders to catch up. Analysis Despite its competitors, Borders itself already gets some problems. According to its last year’s financial statements, Borders’ metrics and trends is shown as following chart: Chart 3: Borders’ Metrics and Trends in 2010 Current Levels| Item| Metric Description| 1st Q| 2nd Q| 3rd Q| 4th Q| Measurement| 1| Total sales| 1,016,200| 547,200| 507,900| 475,600| Monetary ? | 2| COGS %| 75%| 80. 30%| 80. 90%| 84. 80%| Pecentage ^ | 3| Admin cost/sales| 21. 40%| 25. 0%| 26. 20%| 30. 30%| Pecentage ^ | 4| Net Income| 59,900| 64,100| 46,700| 74,400| Monetary ? | It is very clear that total sales are continuously decreasing each quarter. What is worse is that the costs are increasing boomingly. Only 1 year the cost of goods sold goes up by 10%, and operational activities costs also is increasing. Of cause, the profit is keep going down. Compared with Borders, Amazo n is skyrocketing growing. Its sales went up from 3. 1 billion in 2001 to 34. 2 billion dollars in 2010, especial it grew by approximately 10 billion dollars in 2009. The last three years analysis is showing in the following chart: Chart 4: 2008-2010 Amazon. com’s performances | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | Total sales| 19,166,000 | 24,509,000 | 34,204,000 | COGS %| 77. 72%| 77. 43%| 77. 65%| Admin/sales| 17. 89%| 17. 96% | 22. 34% | Net income | 645,000  Ã‚   | 902,000  Ã‚   | 1,152,000  Ã‚   | Amazon did not only make more sales or profit, it also had obviouly lower cost of goods sold and admin/sales ratio. Most important thing is Amazon still growing while Borders already goes to the downturn and has to close stores in the reality. The following is Borders’ â€Å"Causes and Effects† diagram. Chart 5: Borders’ Causes and Effects Diagram Compared to virtual bookstore, the physical bookstore needs more staff to maintain, and has to pay renting, utility, cleaning, and others. Therefore, it is too expensive to hold the traditional stores, especially when it can not make profit. Not like online sales that the customer just need to summit his/her credit card information, the customers have to stand in line to pay for the items. If customers choose to purchase online, they do not need to drive to store. They only need a computer and internet. Without computer, smart phone, iPod, or other devices can access to internet also works. It also is easier to look for a book online. Compared to online sales, traditional bookstore has more process and other inconveniences before making a sale. In contract to online sellers, Borders’ employees have to do more in order to make a sale, while online sellers just need to take care of the delivery and customer support. Borders management team realizes the trend of online sale, but it is already late to take advantage of early entrant. At the end, the products sold in bookstore usually are more expensive, and also Amazon has much more different items, not only educational stuff. In 2010, the management team did realize the value of online store, and tried to entry the online retail industry. Following is the Borders e-book transformational process. Chart 6: Borders’ e-Book Transformational Process Inputs eBooks 1. 5 million titles, customers Transformational process Outputs Make sales Amazon 90% market share; Apple and Google 38 million loyalty program members incensive Feedback Measurement Adjust Borders planned to open a e-Books’ store with up to1. 5 million titles by 2011. In additional, the management team came out an intensive plan which Borders would give away 38 million dollar to its loyalty members. This plan will encourage some customer to go to Borders online store. However, Borders’ effort is greatly impact by the online retailers’ leader Amazon, which already takes 90% of e-Books market. Despite the huge market share of Amazon, Apple and Google are also working on online bookstore. According to Sarah Weinman, Amazon’ market share will drop to 35% by next 5 years. At the nd of 2010, due to Apple and Google, Amazon is likely to go down to 72%. However, Amazon’s e-Books’ revenue will be triple by 2015. This is has both good and side effect. The good news is Borders still can take market share from Amazon decreasing share. The bad news is Border still one step behind Apple and Google, its competitors also should include Apple a nd Google. Borders put its e-Books resource and customers’ relationship into input, plus its incentive effort. It is surely that Borders will get a lot customer to support its online store. However, its competitors, especially Amazon. om already takes over the market. Border still has long way before it can grow to certain level. Proposed improvement When new technology coming out, it always brings a lot challenge to the old industry. Sometimes, it replaces the whole industry. The other times, they can both survive. Just like radio, and TV. When they first came, people start to worry that there is no place for newspaper. Actually, they did challenge the newspaper industry, but later on new balance came out and newspaper still existed. Online retail bookstore is exactly same as the radio and TV. It did bring a downturn to the traditional bookstore; for instance, Borders closed about 200 stores last year. It is irreversible that traditional book store are going to the decline period. However, there still is some place for traditional bookstore. Compared with Amazon, it is obvious that the reason for Borders to lose money is higher cost of goods sold and admin cost. Therefore, the key point for Borders physical bookstore to survive is to cut its cost of goods sold and admin cost. If Borders can not significantly cut the cost, its bookstores have to be closed. Chart 7: cost reduction process The cost comes from two sources cost of goods sold (inventory) and admin cost. In order to cut the cost of goods old, the first step is to find cheaper supplier with satisfied quality. If customers accept the normal price, then try to find another source with cheaper price. If can not find any other cheaper supplier and this price already can make profit, it is OK to keep use the same supplier. If customers resist the price, offer a discount in order to make a sale within profitable arrangement. If the discount sale can not make profit, definitely go to find cheaper source, or ave to skip this product. The second part is to reduce the administrative cost. This cost is mainly from employees’ salary. One way is to cut the salary. Reasonable salary cut due to slow business is fine, but do not cut too much. If doing so, the employees are not going to appreciate with the cut (actually cutting salary never make employee happy), they can not perform their best. If they can not provid e satisfied services, customer will not be happy to buy items from here. Another way is to fire some employees, retrain the remaining staff so they can take more duties. If the cutting cost solution works, the customers can get cheaper products. For example, the cost of goods sold goes down to 75%, which is its first quarter rate and also lower the Amazon average level. Admin cost can be back to 21. 4%, which is lower than the Amazon’s. Therefore, profit margin is larger than Amazon’s margin. This also can provide a space for Borders to give some benefit back to its customer, such as discount sales, incentive plans, and so on. Base on the economic rule, price goes down, and demand will go up because customers are willing to buy more relative cheaper products. More products are sold, and Borders is able to make profit. If the efforts on cutting cost still can not help Borders to make profit, Borders will have to close its stores in order to step away from keeping lose money. The other part of Borders operation, which is online store is much more important, it decides how far Borders can go. The major problem is the market share. As mentioned above, Amazon already takes 90% market share, Apple and Google also step into this industry, and Borders is left behind. In order to catch up with Amazon or other competitors, Boreders has to continuously improve its products and services. The related elements for improvement are price, quality, delivery and customer support. Chart 8: Online sale improvement process Whether a business can exist or not is greatly up to marketing department or sales department. The first thing should be focused is to make sales. Try to sell at the normal price firstly, if the sales do not go well, then lower down the price try it one more time. This is very important to earn money. Later on, purchasing the inventory becomes priority, it help a company to cut the cost. However, Borders can not just chase for cheaper resources, poor quality would lead customers to balk or return the products that they just bought, and this will cost more then just simply purchased high quality products. A biggest difference between physical store and online store is online store usually has to deliver items to the customers. The speed of delivery also is a key factor for online sales. If it is too slow, customer might look for another online retailer in order to get it sooner even with higher price. Customers’ feedbacks are basic and critical facts for evaluating an organization’s operations. Management team should pay enough attention to customers’ feedback as well as employees’, in order to improve its operations. For instances, if customers complain quality is not good and delivery is slow, the organization has to improve them. Even customers do not complain, the organization still need to care about the improvement. Continuously improvement is the key to success. Borders losing business also is result from careless improvement. A huge part of online sales is customers’ support. Because customers can not face to face communicate with the employees, it has to pay attention in order to satisfy customer. Despite the continuous improvement, to eliminate the wastes is another point to gain competitions. The most efficient way to do that is using lean production. Borders should pay attention to three parts: supply, transformational process and market. Borders can use enterprise resources planning (ERP) to organize its resource and operations to avoid big waste. This is key for Borders to gain competitions since it already behind the market. Conclusion Due to new technology, the traditional bookstores are running out of fashion. Book store follows the industry life cycle; it already goes to the phase-out period. Online sales give customer more profit and conveniences. Borders closed stores are the price paid for the new innovation. However, there still is space for bookstore to survive. Compared to Amazon, Borders’ biggest problem is the high cost. There is only one way to help Borders’ stores to survive, which is to cut the cost. Borders has to process cost reduction procedure constantly, or else it needs to graduated close the stores. New technology brings new opportunity. Borders continuous development depends on market the new industry, which is online bookstore. Due to its late entrant, Borders needs to do much more then earlier entrant competitors. The most important thing is to continuously improve its products and services. Any efforts that work for cutting cost must be done, such as lean production, which can help Borders to eliminate the wastes. To sum up, if an organization wants to develop for the long run, it has to constantly improve its operations, production and other related activities. The technology makes it easy for all business to share information, but still people are the decision maker. People have to learn or train in order to catch up with the development of technology and society. Borders’ experience is the live example for being behind the technology. References About Us. (2010). Borders. com. Retrieved on Feb. 21, 2010 from borders. com/online/store/BGIView_bgiabouthistory Amazon. com, Inc. (2011). Finance. yahoo. com. Retrieved on Feb 21, 2010, from http://finance. yahoo. com/q? s=AMZNql=1. Amazon. com, Inc. (2011). Money. msn. com. Retrieved on Feb 21, 2010, from http://investing. money. msn. com/investments/stock-price? Symbol=AMZN Brohan, M. (2010). Borders jumps into the e-books fray with a new online bookstore. Internetretailer. com. Retrieved on Feb. 21, 2010 from internetretailer. com/2010/08/01/borders-jumps-e-books-fray-new-online-bookstore Weinman, S. (2010). Amazons E-Book Market Share May Plummet: Great News for Amazon. Dailyfinance. com. Retrieved on Feb. 21, 2010, from dailyfinance. com/story/company-news/amazons-e-book-market-share-may-plummet-great-news-for-amazon/19361847/

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