Work attitude in Vietnam Free Essays

Work attitudes have become the most critical point for managers In the context that there Is a shift from a planned to market economy In developing countries. This raised a question for managers about whether or not this change may affect employee attitudes about work, commitment to a company, satisfaction and willingness to work hard. In a research conducted in Vietnam, three researchers, namely, El NCO Hung, Stephen Apollo and Earn Eagleburger explored and clarified the issues of organizational commitment, Job satisfaction and reasons affecting work attitudes in Vietnam. We will write a custom essay sample on Work attitude in Vietnam or any similar topic only for you Order Now To begin with, the critical reason for this survey conducted in Vietnam was that Vietnam was one of the most suitable countries for this research where employees have traditionally worked for state-owned enterprises (Goes) but now are starting to work In economic market. Moreover, Vietnam had a potential labor workforce and nearly 80 million people were born after 1975. Thus, If the government can utilize this advantage by effective Investment or attracting foreign Investors, It will be a considerable competitive force. Otherwise, It might trigger to various social problems. As the research revealed, generally speaking, Vietnamese employees expressed positive work value. In specific, older employees were more committed to their organizations and more satisfied with their jobs, while employees with more education had lower commitment and Job satisfaction. They also reported more committed when they held a Job that was complicated, required more teamwork or they considered their Job as a central life interest. Employees who sought more independent or high income were less satisfied with their Jobs. However, there are some distinctions in attitude of employees between working in Goes and private companies as well as in regions. There was a trend that employees working In private firms were more satisfied and committed than their counterparts In Goes. Relating to regional differences, the attitudes of older workers In the south of Vietnam were more positive than the north and SEE employees In the north had such more negative attitudes than their counterparts in the south. The main purpose of this research was better understand employees as well as find the best way to treat them in order to enhance their organizational commitment and job satisfaction. This research also indicated economic restructuring was the core leading to negative attitudes in the north because nearly all of their Job were in Goes. With the change in this structure, a great deal of downsizing and Job changing may be more extensive in the north, triggering to uncertainty in their minds. How to cite Work attitude in Vietnam, Papers

Travel and Tourism Essay

Question: Analyse issues that affect the popularity of tourist destinations. Discuss the potential for responsible tourism to enhance the host community at worldwide tourist destinations. Answer: Introduction Tourism is defined as the travel undertaken for a limited duration either for leisure, recreation, family, religious or business purposes (Papatheodorou, et al., 2012). The World Tourism Organisation has defined tourism as the activities which an individual undertakes in order to travel to or stay in places that are outside their usual environment, for a period not more than one consecutive year either for business, leisure or other purposes (Evans, et al., 2012). Travel and tourism is the fastest growing industry and makes a considerable contribution to worlds economy and employs the highest number of individuals. Depending upon the purpose tourism can be classified into three broad categories namely; leisure tourism, business tourism and visiting friend and family tourism (Evans, et al., 2012). However with people becoming more and more concerned about their society and its well being, responsible tourism and volunteering tourism are two forms of tourism that is gaining popularity at a fast pace. Analyse issues that affect the Popularity of Tourist Destinations Tourism is the fastest growing industry, more and more new businesses coming up and more and more people are getting involved in it. Places acts as products in this case and like any other business it needs effective marketing strategies in order to create an awareness of product specialities (Hall, et al., 2003). Word of mouth publicity plays the most vital role in tourism. PESTLE Analysis helps determining the macro-environment of an industry and can be used to analysing the factors that affect the popularity of tourist destinations. Political Factors Use of Tourism as a political tool: At some tourist destinations tourism is used as a political tool and is used in political war decreasing the popularity of the place (Dwyer Forsyth, 2010). Myanmar is an excellent example where internal and external political forces shape the tourism of the place and has become a highly contested and visible political issue. Growth of nationalism and religious fundamentalism: It also leads to a decline in the popularity of a tourist destination as it imposes a threat to security. Recent attacks on Asian in Australia is an example of cases which imposed a threat on tourists of specific nationality Economical Factors Economics: Economic health of a tourist destination greatly impacts its popularity(Dwyer Forsyth, 2010). Destinations with strong economy possess the ability to invest in infrastructure and providing high quality facilities to the tourists. However a strong economy indicated strong value of currency which creates an affordability issue for tourists. For example, Europe which is a very popular tourist destination owing to its infrastructure, facilities and natural beauty however affordability is the primary concern associated with the place. Socio-Cultural Factors Sustainability: As people are becoming more and more concerned about the well-being of their society and environment they are looking for sustainability in tourism such that it does not create any negative impact on the society, environment and economy (Vodopivec Jaffe, 2011). Lesser the efforts made by tourist destinations to ensure sustainability lesser is the popularity. Human Right: As tourism is developing as the biggest economic sector worldwide protecting human rights of the local community of tourist destinations has become a serious issue(travelmatters, 2014). Use of child labour, forced labour, prostitution, human trafficking etc, are some of the activities which are threat to the popularity of the destination. Ethics: Unethical activities such as cheating customers by charging them hire amount, selling them fake products, providing services that does not meet specified standards, thefts, sale of drugs without licence etc considerable reduce the popularity of tourist destinations(travelmatters, 2014). Terrorism: Terrorism creates a threat in the minds of people completely destroying the popularity of a tourist destination(Clav Wilson, 2013). Best example of this is Kashmir Valley in India which is beautiful as heaven however presence of terrorist activities in the place has greatly reduced its popularity as a tourist destination. Conflict with agriculture: In order to maintain the popularity of tourist destinations it must be ensured that tourist activities should not be in conflict with agriculture(travelmatters, 2014). Recent report on tourism in Bali reveals how the agriculture of the place is struggling due to diminishing water resources which is being overexploited to meet the rising demands of tourism. Trade links and Sports Links: Popularity of a tourist destination is enhanced by its strong trade links and sports links as these appear as added attractions to tourists(Page, 2012). Australia is recognised worldwide for its specialised trade links and sports links making the place a highly popular tourist destination. Technological Role of Media: Media plays a vital role in creating awareness of a tourist destination. Greater the recommendations made by the media greater will be the popularity of the place(Rodgers, 2001). Greater the information provided on media greater is the willingness to visit the place. Advancement: Destinations that provide high-tech facilities like are most sought after destinations. Places that have telephone networks, internet connection, process automations etc are considered safe as compared to remote locations. Environmental Factors Climate: Climate and popularity of tourist destinations goes hand in hand (Zainal, et al., 2012). Most of the tourist destinations are preferred in a particular season only. For example, places that are famous for their beaches are less popular during summers while popularity of hill stations increases during this season. Some places are popular for their beauty during rainy season while some are avoided specially during rains. Places that face extremes of climatic conditions are generally not preferred for tourism, for example, Antarctica and Greenland. Global Warming: Global warming also has a considerable impact on tourism and greatly affects the popularity of tourist destinations (Rodgers, 2001). Small islands and coastal regions that depend on tourism as their main source of living are under great threat as global warming is resulting in a rise in sea levels which will slowly submerge these destinations. Venice is an example of such destination which is facing threat of rising sea level (Mack, 2012). Global warming causes various other problems like desertification and the scarcity of water in hot destinations, deforestation and harm of biodiversity in destinations famous for their wildlife and melting of snow and glaciers in destinations famous of snow covered mountains and ski activity. Arctic Flows and Ocean Current: Popularity of coastal regions is greatly affected by arctic flows and ocean currents(Page, 2012). Flow of water in case of oceanic currents is disturbed owing to winds, tides and differences in water density making the destinations unsafe. Natural Disasters: Natural disasters have devastating effects on the popularity of the tourist destinations not only because it destroys the infrastructure of the place but also creates a fear in the heart of tourist about the place(Singh, 2008). 2003 hurricane in Grenada and 2004 tsunami in South East Asia are still remembered by tourist while planning their travel to such areas. People still avoid such places completely destroying their popularity as a tourist destination. Legal Factors Laws and Legislations: Government rules and regulations of a tourist destination greatly affect its popularity (Clav Wilson, 2013). Greater the restriction and legal formalities lesser will be the demand. For example, Andaman and Nicobar Islands are recognised worldwide for its naturally beautiful seas however the laws of the place prohibit people from using private transports; everything closes by 7pm in the evening due to which the place appears dull and has no night life thus, fails to attract too many tourists. The Potential for Responsible Tourism to enhance the Host Community at Worldwide Tourist Destinations There are a number of ways by which it can be analysed that the popularity of a tourist destination is being affected namely; increase or decrease in the visitor numbers directly indicate a rise of decline in the popularity of a place, statistical data related to various resources of the place, economic data that shows the contribution made tourism to strengthen the economy of the place, number of tourist generated by the place in peak seasons and world distribution(Page, 2012). One of the major impacts of increase in tourism activities at a tourist destination is the decline in the quality lifestyle of the host communities(Rodgers, 2001). There are many examples where an increase in rise of tourism interferes with the day to day life of local people and also is also effecting the environment adversely. Venice is a place that is almost sinking under the weight of tourism, another example being Bali where water resources are being used to meet the needs of increased tourist resulting in considerable water shortage for agricultural use. Responsible tourism is the answer to all such problems and has the potential to enhance the host communities at worldwide tourist destinations. Responsible Tourism is the approach of managing tourism in a way that leads to maximisation of social, economical and environmental benefits which minimising the cost of the destinations (Leslie, 2012). Responsible tourism aims at creating places that are better to live and better to visit. It helps the host communities by improving the quality of their lives which has been disturbed by tourism. It helps ensuring that the tourism has minimum impact on the culture and environment of the host communities. It helps satisfying the needs of host communities and the present tourists while ensuring their needs will be protected and enhanced in the future (Spenceley, 2012). Responsible tourism is highly recommended as it helps enhancing the sustainability to the tourism sector of the destination. In order to take advantage of this fast growing indust ry it is important to ensure the environment and culture of the host communities is preserved (Leslie, 2012). Apart from preserving the environment and culture it helps enhancing economical growth, creating employment opportunities for local people, women empowerment, and conservation of natural resources, growth or agriculture and development of a strong infrastructure. Responsible tourism like any other form of tourism has its own problems and implications such as adverse impacts to environment and climate change as it also involves air travels and other means of transportation (Leslie, 2012). At times responsible tourism results in too much interference with the wildlife and biodiversity of the tourist destinations causing huge damage to the host communities. It also interferes with the culture and ways of living of the local people reducing their quality of life. One of the most effective ways of managing the problems associated with responsible tourism is encouraging people to travel to nearby places instead of places that are far away. This will help reducing all forms of pollution created by means of transportations and will also help conserving natural resources. These problems can also be managed by ensuring that only limited numbers of tourists are allowed to travel to places that are under threat due to excessive rise in tourist activities . References Clav, S. A. Wilson, J., (2013) Geographies of Tourism: European Research Perspectives. Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing. Dwyer, L. Forsyth, P., (2010) Tourism Economics and Policy. London: Channel View Publications. Evans, N., Stonehouse, G. Campbell, D., (2012) Strategic Management for Travel and Tourism. New Jersey: Taylor Francis. Hall, C. M., Timoth, D. J. D. T. D., (2003) Safety and Security in Tourism: Relationships, Management, and Marketing. New Jersey: Routledge. Leslie, D., (2012) Responsible Tourism: Concepts, Theory and Practice. Burlington: CABI. Mack, B., (2012) Tourism overwhelms vanishing Venice. [Online] Available at: https://www.dw.de/tourism-overwhelms-vanishing-venice/a-16364608 [Accessed 2014]. Page, S., (2012) Tourism Management. New Jersey: Routledge. Papatheodorou, D. A., Forsyth, P. P. Graham, D. A., (2012) Aviation and Tourism: Implications for Leisure Travel. Burlington: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.. Rodgers, J., (2001) Advanced Travel and Tourism. Oxford: Heinemann. Singh, L., (2008) Fundamental Of Tourism And Travel. New Delhi: Gyan Publishing House. Spenceley, A., (2012) Responsible Tourism: Critical Issues for Conservation and Development. Hamburg: Earthscan. travelmatters, (2014) What is Ethical Tourism?. [Online] Available at: https://www.travelmatters.co.uk/ethical-tourism/ [Accessed 2015]. Vodopivec, B. Jaffe, R., (2011) Save the World in a Week: Volunteer Tourism, Development and Difference. European Journal of Development Research, 23(1), pp. 111-128. Zainal, A. et al., (2012) Current Issues in Hospitality and Tourism: Research and Innovations. Boca Raton: CRC Press.

Arthur Miller And Crucible Essays - Salem Witch Trials, The Crucible

Arthur Miller And Crucible Arthur Miller was an American playwright who was born in 1915. He grew up in New York to a Jewish family. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1938 where he began to distinguish himself as a playwright. His first plays were Honors at Dawn (1936) and No Villain (1937) which won the University of Michigan Hopwood Awards. His Death of a Salesman won the Pulitzer prize in 1949. Miller wrote The Crucible in 1953 during the McCarthy period when Americans were accusing each other of Pro-Communist beliefs. Many of Miller's friends were being attacked as communists and in 1956, Miller himself was brought before the House of Un-American Activities Committee where he was found guilty of beliefs in communism. The verdict was reversed in 1957 in an appeals court. Miller married Marylin Monroe in 1956 but divorced her in 1961. The Crucible is set against the backdrop of the mad witch hunts of the Salem witch trials in the late 17th century. It is about a town, after accusations from a few girls, which begins a mad hunt for witches that did not exist. Many townspeople were hanged on charges of witchcraft. Miller brings out the absurdity of the incident with the theme of truth and righteousness. The theme is conveyed through the struggles of Miller's main character, John Proctor. Summary Act one begins with Reverend Parris praying over her daughter, Betty Parris, who lies unconscious on her bed. Through conversations between Reverend Parris and his niece Abigail Williams, and between several girls, the audience learns that these girls, including Abigail and Betty, were engaged in occultic activities in the forest lead by Tituba, Parris' slave from Barbados. Parris caught them and jumped from a bush startling the girls. Betty fainted and had not recovered. During this session, Abigail drank chicken blood to kill Elizabeth Proctor. She tells the girls that she will kill anyone who mutters a word about what happened. The townspeople do not know exactly what the girls were doing but there are rumors of witchcraft. John Proctor enters the room where Betty lies faint. Abigail is still in there and she tries to seduce him. Proctor is a farmer who has had an affair with Abigail a while ago, but now he wants to forget it. Reverend John Hale is summoned to look upon Betty and the research the incident. He is an expert in occultic phenomena and he is eager to show his knowledge. He questions Abigail who accuses Tituba as being a witch. Tituba, afraid of being hanged, confesses faith in God and accuses Goody Good and Goody Osborne of witchcraft. Abigail and Betty, who has woken up, claim to have been bewitched and confess faith in God. They name several other people whom they claim they saw with the Devil. Act two begins eight days after the discussion at Parris' house. Between act one and act two, Deputy Governor Dansforth came to Salem to oversee the court proceedings. Fourteen people have been arrested for witchcraft, and there is talk of hanging. Elizabeth Proctor asks John to go to the court and testify against Abigail and the other girls. John doesn't want to get involved. There is tension between Elizabeth and John since Elizabeth has not forgiven John for the affair. Marry Warren enters. She was in court testifying against the townspeople. She gives Elizabeth a doll which she has made in court. In the middle of their discussion, Hale enters to question John and Elizabeth, suspicious of witchcraft. Later, Giles Corey and Francis Nurse enter to seek advice after both their wives had been arrested. Next, the marshal arrives with a warrant for Elizabeth's arrest. Elizabeth was accused by Abigail for stabbing Abigail with a needle through a doll. John Proctor protests but Elizabeth is taken away in chains. Proctor demands Mary that she goes to court and testify against the girls. He vows that he will fight the proceedings, even if it means confessing his own adultery. Act three takes place in court. Francis Nurse, Giles Corey, and John Proctor present their case against the girls to Deputy Governor Dansforth and Judge Hathorne. Proctor presents a petition signed by 91 people testifying to the good character of their wives, and Dansforth issues warrants for the questioning of all of them. Corey charges Putnam on inciting his daughter to accuse Corey of witchcraft in order get his land. Corey has a witness but will not name him for fear of getting the man arrested. Corey

May 2008 Most Popular Articles

May 2008 Most Popular Articles May 2008 Most Popular Articles May 2008 Most Popular Articles By Daniel Scocco Below you will find the most popular articles over the past month. Check them out if you missed any. 44 Resume Writing Tips: Having a solid and effective resume can greatly improve your chances of landing that dream job. That is beyond discussion. How does one make sure that his resume is top notch and bullet proof, however? Cna Yuo Raed Tihs?: Today while opening my email I came across a very interesting message from a friend. It was basically a message where the letters of each word were all scrambled. The Vicissitudes of the Latin Plural in English: he dictionary says the word data can be treated as a singular. But strictly speaking the word is a plural. How does such a thing happen in language? You wouldn’t say, â€Å"the cars is fast†. How does a plural gain acceptance as a singular? Creative Writing 101: Creative writing is anything where the purpose is to express thoughts, feelings and emotions rather than to simply convey information. A While vs Awhile: Here’s a couple of words I use all the time interchangeably. But are they? a while vs. awhile Help me out, o oracle! What’s a Male Mistress?: The other day someone asked me for the male equivalent of â€Å"mistress.† An Englishman in New York The Problem Of UK-US English in Freelance Writing: Some people see the differences between American English and British English as a problem. I see them as an interesting challenge. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the General category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Fly, Flew, (has) FlownFlied?How to Punctuate with â€Å"However†Personification vs. Anthropomorphism

Recuitment & selectionCMI LEVEL 3 DiPLOMA Assignment

Recuitment & selectionCMI LEVEL 3 DiPLOMA - Assignment Example The process of hiring the candidates starts with human resource planning which helps to determine the type and number of employees an organization needs. Hiring is an ongoing process and not confined to the formative stages of an organization. This is because some employees leave the organization through retirement and resignation. The process stops only when the organization ceases to exist. Answer 2 It is regarded as the systematic process of identifying jobs to identify the various activities, tasks and responsibilities which are associated with a particular job or a particular group of jobs. The main purpose of the job description is to gather information systematically, focus on behaviour, tasks and outcomes. Although, it is not the analysis of work process yet it helps in defining the job related to the process the work behaviour (Bennett, 2002). Job analysis will help in the analysis of various organizational purposes that provides a fundamental basis for managerial decision m aking. It also helps the manager for various fundamental bases for legal decision making and develops broader decision classification. It helps the managers largely to classify the various jobs according to various categories and then adapt to the changing world dynamics. For conducting an accurate job analysis a systematic flowchart needs to be drawn which help in drawing out reliable information (Price, 2011). Answer 3 Job description can be clearly defined as a clear and concise description of the job duties and responsibilities. The job description can take various forms and they are composed of four elements (Choi, Woods and Murrmann, 2000). These include job summary, list of job functions, requirement sections and other information. The main objective of the job description would include task of finding, interviewing and also makes the hiring and selection process easier and smooth. These job descriptions also serve important purposes like communicating job expectation to the employees, measuring future performance, planning of future and also boosting the employee morale. Answer 4 Person specification includes the skills that the job candidates have in order to accomplish the tasks effectively for a designation offered by the company. The person specification can outline the basic qualification, training expertise, experience and much other personal specification. These describe the job requirements which a job holder needs to possess to execute the job actions smoothly. Basically, these person specifications include the educational, qualification, training, experience and varied other personal attributes. The most important methods of creating the advertisement would be to make them understand that they can undertake the job responsibility dutifully. Task B Presently, there had been a sudden vacancy in the organization for the post of the receptionist and the process of recruitment of receptionist would be as per the requirements of the organization. T he process of recruitment would be as follows: Firstly, a group of prospective candidates are selected for screening and interview purposes to assess their degree of qualities and knowledge in terms of

Jurisdiction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Jurisdiction - Essay Example There are various types of jurisdiction; among the types of jurisdictions are: in personam and subject matter. A court must have both in personam and subject matter jurisdictions, in order to preside over a case. Subject matter jurisdiction refers to the authority over the matter in dispute. It concerns what types of disputes may be heard by which courts. The in personam jurisdiction is referred to as the authority over a person (Garvin, 2002). All trial courts have either limited jurisdictions or general jurisdictions; limited jurisdictions are limited to certain types of cases, for instance, bankruptcy court, tax court and housing court. General jurisdiction courts have the power to hear various cases. In addition to that, all courts have either exclusive or concurrent jurisdictio9n in any specific category of cases. An exclusive jurisdiction is a type of jurisdiction whereby only one court has the power to hear a case. On the other hand, concurrent jurisdiction is the kind of jurisdiction where more than one courts have the power to hear the case (Barbara, 2001). Other types of jurisdictions include original and appellate jurisdictions. All courts either have original or appellate jurisdiction. ... Appellate jurisdiction is where a court reviews the legal rulings of lower courts. Federal courts and state have restricted jurisdictions over many sectors of law and concurrent jurisdictions over areas of mutual interest. In other words, the federal courts have jurisdictions over cases concerning the federal government, laws, and constitution. Similarly, they have jurisdictions over civil cases that involve state law issues between different states having great damages (Garvin, 2002). The jurisdiction to preside a case is determined by the nature and the type of the case. For example a warehouse employee who worked for a company, injured his leg at work and pursued a worker compensation claim. Moreover, his employer's investigator trespassed upon the employee's property in the same company while trying to video the employee digging a trench in his backyard. If the employee filed a suit against the investigator and the company for invasion of privacy, he will do so in a court that has subject matter jurisdiction over wrongful trespass committed within the state, and in personam jurisdiction over employee, employer and investigator (Barbara, 2001). The federal courts, under the principle of pendant jurisdiction, may decide cases that involve both substantial federal issues and state law issues, when the facts and the parties are the same. References Barbara, A. (2001). Procedural justice and jurisdictions. New York: Springer. Garvin, A. (2002). The Justice Broker. Lawyers and Ordinary Ligation. New York: State University of New York Press. Q3 Identify what rights an offender has and how those rights are legally determined. Offenders' rights cover all phases of a

Expanding The Market Share For Apples Iphone Marketing Essay

Expanding The Market Share For Apples Iphone Marketing Essay A Marketing Research project for the MSc International Marketing Management programme 2010/11 Executive Summary The purpose of this research was to determine how to increase the market share of the iPhone in China. In order to conduct the study, the marketing research problem was identified as to determine the needs and preferences of buyers of smartphones in the Chinese market. In line with the research problem six hypotheses were developed to be tested. In this project, several research approaches were used. Exploratory research was conducted to help the researchers obtain a basic understanding and insight into the problems facing Apple Inc., while conclusive research helped to build upon the findings of the exploratory research. Through searching and reading secondary data, the researchers identified the different factors, in terms of physical factors (e.g., price, quality, ease of use), social factors (e.g., fashion purchasing, group identity, symbol of status) and emotional factors (e.g., brand image, appearance, advertisement, etc.), that theoretically should influence purchase behaviour. Based on the secondary data, a questionnaire was designed and administered to 176 Chinese students in the University of Leeds from 11th to 22nd November 2010 to collect the primary data of their perceptions and satisfactions towards smartphones and the iPhone. The results were analysed using SPSS, and several statistical tests performed to check whether the hypotheses were accepted in the study. From the project, the researchers found that all the three factors (physical factor, social factor and emotional factor) individually were closely related to the perceptions of iPhone, and also that these three factors combined exerted influence towards the perceptions. Moreover, consumers perceptions toward the iPhone were found to be related to their post purchase satisfactions as well. Gender and income, as the demographic moderators, also have influence on the perceptions and satisfactions of iPhone, although the effect of gender was limited. As a result, the study could be considered as a reference of iPhone to identify their current problems in Chinese market and design corresponding marketing strategy to increase their marketing share in China. Table of Contents 1 A Marketing Research project for the MSc International Marketing Management programme 2010/11 1 Introduction 4 Background 6 SWOT analysis for iPhone in Chinese market 7 Problem Definition 7 Management Decision Problem 7 Market Research Problem 8 Research Components 8 Research Approach Development 8 Literature review 8 1.1.1Physical Factors 8 1.1.2Social Factors 9 1.1.3Emotional/Psychological Factors 9 1.1.4Demographic Factors 9 Conceptual Model 11 Research Question and Hypotheses 11 Research Design and Methodology 13 Research Design 13 Secondary Research 13 Primary Research 14 1.1.5Research Approach 14 1.1.6Sampling Design 14 1.1.7Questionnaire Design 16 Field work 19 Analytical Methods 20 Results and Hypotheses Testing 21 Profile of the respondents 21 Factors influencing mobile phone choices 21 1.1.8Factors influencing smartphone preferences 21 1.1.9Factors related to iPhones 22 1.1.10Post Purchase Satisfaction 23 Hypothesis Testing 23 7. Conclusions and Recommendations 29 7.1 Conclusion 29 The conclusion is shown in the following model: 30 7.2 Recommendations 30 7.3 Limitations of the Research 31 8. References 32 9.List of Appendix 34 Appendix 1: Questionnaire 34 9.2 Appendix 2: Respondents Profile Frequency 39 9.3 Appendix 3: Mean Value 41 9.4 Appendix 4: Moderator regression table 44 Introduction The market for smartphones has been growing continually. The proof of its popularity is that sales of smartphones to end users have reached 54.3 million units in the first quarter of 2010, an increase of 48.7 percent from the same period in 2009. smartphones hold 17.3 percent of worldwide mobile phone devices sales (Gartner, May 2010). There are currently more than 6 types of operating systems available in the smartphone market, such as Symbian, RIM, Apple iOS, Android, Windows Mobile and Linux. The Nokia Symbian holds the highest market share followed by RIM BlackBerry and Apple iOS in the year 2010 (Gartner, May 2010). The players in the market compete by introducing new innovations and adding value to their phones, since the consumers expect more from smartphones than from basic feature phones (Mintel, January 2010). Creating an image of being a state of the art technology provider may give the positive connotations in the customers head that allow them to set a higher price, as the strategy that Apple implemented with the iPhone has shown (Data Monitor, May 2010). Even so, according to the fact that 51 percent of the consumers will not buy the phone unless the price come down (Mintel, January 2010), price does clearly matter to them. The factors influencing smartphone purchasing decisions needs to be identified in order to develop new potential opportunities to create distinctive competencies. This study will cover factors influencing iPhone perception and iPhone post purchase satisfaction. This should give a guide to a successful marketing strategy in the future. Background Apple Inc. is one of the major companies of technology and innovation in consumer products in the world. They provide a wide range of products and services, from laptop and desktop computers to accessories and software services. The company recorded revenues of almost $43 billion during the financial year ending in September 2009 (FY2009), an increase of over 14% since 2008. The increase in revenues was mainly due to growth in sales of iPhone handsets and the related sales of third-party digital content and applications from the iTunes Store (Data Monitor, May 2010). But even though China has the highest number of mobile phone subscribers in the world, the sales figures for iPhone in China as reported by China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd. are far behind the rest of the big markets in the world. It took only 30 hours for Apple iPhone to reach over 200,000 sold units in the U.S. in 2007, but it took more than a month to reach the same number in China (The Economic Times, October 2010). One possible factor holding the iPhone back in China is its relatively high price. Apple and Unicom charge $730 to $1,020 for the iPhone, not including discounts on service, making it more expensive than grey market iPhones brought into the country through places like Hong Kong. There may be up to two million such grey market iPhones in China according to an estimate by Paul Wuh, an analyst covering China Unicom for Samsung Securities. In addition to this, the Wi-Fi Internet function was initially disabled on Unicoms iPhones to comply with Chinese government rules (Wall Street Journal, Dec 2009), which might also have contributed to the slow take-off of iPhone sales. NOTE Is this a reference SWOT analysis for iPhone in Chinese market Strengths Strong brand name Focuses RD driving innovation Provides State of the art technologies Opportunities Strong growth in smartphones market segment Continuing growth in demand for handheld devices Weaknesses Product recalls Patent infringement Expensive Price Threats Intense competition Dependence on specific suppliers Chinese Governments regulations High cost of internet bundle provider Reference: Data monitor 21 May 2010 Available at http://www.datamonitor.com Problem Definition Management Decision Problem Apple Inc. has encountered some potential limitations for the iPhone in the Chinese market, such as government regulations, grey market opportunities and the high price of the phone. Even though 100,000 iPhone 4s were sold in the first 4 days of availability (Sutherland, 2010), representing a high demand for the iPhone, the market share in China is still lower than anywhere else in the world. Hence, the management decision problem for Apple could be How to increase iPhone market share in China? Market Research Problem To answer the management decision problem it needs to be translated into a market research problem, which the researchers therefore define to be: To determine the needs and preferences of buyers of smartphones in the Chinese market Research Components To clarify consumers perceptions toward smartphones. To determine the factors that influence consumers decision to buy the iPhone. To evaluate consumers post purchase behaviour of iPhone. To discover potential influence of demographic factors on iPhone satisfaction Research Approach Development Literature review According to the secondary data that have been collected for this study, there are 4 main factors that should influence consumers technology buying decisions. Physical Factors Consumers would look into visible aspects (design) more than software specific aspects (operating system). Three main factors that consumers focus on are good design, the brand of the handset and quality of integrated camera. The consumers cannot always tell the distinction between the latest innovative phones and other phones. The companies attempts to position themselves, as high technology innovators may not be significant when consumers do not look for it (Mintel, January 2010). A better design leads to a sense of better usability and help to extend users emotional attachment to the device (Nanda, 2008) Social Factors As a rule, in the emerging markets of the world the penetration of mobile technology is higher in the high-income segments of a population. In the developed world a mobile handset is part of the everyday world, while elsewhere it is still considered as a luxury and a symbol of status. Thus, while income is less related to the ownership of a mobile handset in Europe, in China it is still a very important factor (Castells et al., 2004). To specify on teenage consumers, they want to keep up with the most recent trend so there is a quick turnover in their technology adopting behaviour. They were controlled by trend not technology and they fear to be excluded from their group because the lack of technology involvement (Mintel, August 2008). People were influenced by their own group about which phone to buy. The innovation and designs were developed to satisfy consumers social needs (Vincent, 2009). Young users are also more likely to use SMS rather than voice calls than other users, mainly because it is cheaper and because they usually have more time to master the technical skill of texting. For the older, working population where the employer pays the bills the opposite is the general rule (Castells et al., 2004). Emotional/Psychological Factors The role of the phones is more than just a communication tool. They become personal objects (Hallnà ¤s Redstrà ¶m, 2002). The common emotional responses among mobile phone users are being cool, chilled out and tuned into a mobile phone culture The thrill and the novelty of the mobile phone: What the phones can do for the users are the factors that enable and strengthen the relationship. Demographic Factors There is a positive relation between age and price concern. Older buyers would take price as an important factor when deciding to buy a new phone (Mintel, January 2010). As well as teenage buyers, they have a budget constraint due to their limited income. Consequently they would wait until they are certain about their choice so as to avoid making a bad purchase. This concern leads to a brand criterion. In order to reduce the risk of wasting their money, they would stick to the trusted brand only (Mintel, August 2008). Technology goods are a low elasticity product to men. During the recession men still buy new technology goods. Women are more prices sensitive than men and they are also interested in design more than men (Mintel, June 2009). Due to the two facts that in China ownership of a mobile phone is positively related to income, and that a larger part of the high-income earners are men, there is a gap between number of male and female users of mobile phones. However, there is a growing market segment targeted at women where the exterior design is the major selling point (Castells et al., 2004). There is also a difference in how male and females perceive and use their handsets; female users are not only likelier to see the phone as a fashionable accessory but also use it as a key channel to maintain personal relationships. This becomes evident in studies that show that even if more men than women use SMS, women are more frequent users of it than men (Castells et al., 2004). Conceptual Model Figure 1: Model of Smartphone Purchasing Decision H1 H3 H4 H5 H6 iPhone Perceptions Post purchase Satisfaction Demographic Moderators Physical Factors H2 Social Factors Emotional Factors Research Question and Hypotheses Q1: Is there any relationship between physical factors and the iPhone perceptions? H1: There is a relationship between physical factors and the iPhone perceptions. Q2: Is there any relationship between social factors and the iPhone perceptions? H2: There is a relationship between social factors and the iPhone perceptions. Q3: Is there any relationship between emotional factors and the iPhone perceptions? H3: There is a relationship between emotional factors and the iPhone perceptions. Q4: Is there a relationship between physical factors, social factors and emotional factors and iPhone perceptions? H4: There is a relationship between physical factors, social factors and emotional factors and iPhone perceptions. Q5: Is there a relationship between iPhone perceptions and post purchase satisfactions? H5: There is a relationship between iPhone perceptions and post purchase satisfactions. Q6a: Does the demographic moderator of income influence the relationship between iPhone perceptions and post purchase satisfaction? H6a: The demographic moderator of income influences the relationship between iPhone perceptions and post purchase satisfaction. Q6b: Does the demographic moderator of gender influence the relationship between iPhone perceptions and post purchase satisfaction? H6b: The demographic moderator of gender influences the relationship between iPhone perceptions and post purchase satisfaction. Research Design and Methodology Research Design Research design is a framework or blueprint conducting a market research project that specifies the procedures necessary to obtain the information needed to structure or solve the marketing problem (Malhotra, 2009: 94). The objective of this project is to improve the sales volume of iPhone in China. The first step here was to define the management decision problem and then apply suitable market research approach. There are two types of research designs; Exploratory: An exploratory research was conducted to gain a basic understanding and insight in the problems faced by Apple Inc. This was done mainly through secondary data. The exploratory research proved that there was some problem and further research was required in order to address it appropriately. Conclusive: A conclusive research was conducted to build upon the finding of the exploratory research. It is done mainly to test the formulated hypotheses. The conclusive research is of two types; descriptive and casual. The descriptive research was used to identify the relationship between the different variables affecting the buying behaviour whereas the causal research was used to determine the cause and effect relationships between the moderator and the variables. Secondary Research This is one of the most important elements of a market research project especially when there is time and cost constraint. Since the study revolves around a very new, unique and innovative product so the secondary data has been entirely sourced from the quality journals, newspapers and research articles. In order to maintain authenticity of the data, all the data was compared among each other and this lay the foundation for the development of the research model for the study. Primary Research Research Approach The survey method was used to collect the information from the respondents in this research. This method was chosen due to its advantages of ease, reliability, and simplicity along with the fact that it can simultaneously demonstrate the insights into who the actual consumers are, how the consumers behave, and why the consumers behave in certain way (Malhotra, 2009: p214). With the consideration of time and resource constraints, the questionnaires were distributed to Chinese students at the University of Leeds. In addition to distributing the questionnaire face to face to the respondents, an on-line version of the questionnaire was also made available by the researchers to collect data from the respondents. Sampling Design In this case, to understand the correlations between different types of factors and the smartphone purchasing decision of Chinese consumers and between demographic moderators and the customer satisfaction, the sample size was determined according to the four steps of the Sampling Design Process (Malhotra, 2009: p371). Defining the Target Population: Elements of the Sample: Prospective purchasers of mobile phones in China Sample Units: Chinese mobile phone users Extent: Chinese students study in the University of Leeds Time Period: November, 2010 Sample Frame: The Chinese students who study at the University of Leeds were the target population of this research. According to the web page of the University of Leeds (http://www.leeds.ac.uk/info/30313/asia/200/china), the number of Chinese students was 561 when the research was undertaken. Therefore, the sample size was calculated based on the population size of 561. Sampling Technique: Sampling techniques can be classified as non-probability sampling and probability sampling (Malhotra, 2009: p373). Non-probability sampling was selected for the data collection in this research due to the time and resource constraints; the selecting of sample elements was based on the research teams personal judgment and conveniencealecting of sample elements was survey was carried out among different income level.ch could expand the age interval of the re. Determining the sample size: The sample size of the research was calculated by statistical method with the formula below: n = where: n = sample size required N = population size Z = number of standard errors (Z=1.96 for 95% confidence level) (Anton, 1995, cited by Palihawadana, 2009) The sample size was calculated at 95% confidence level, therefore n = = 229 According to the calculation above, 229 questionnaires were required to be collected in this research. However, due to the time and resource constraints, instead 76% of the required sample size or 176 questionnaires were to be included in this research. Questionnaire Design A questionnaire was designed to collect the quantitative primary data. According to the literature review, three factors were embraced in the questionnaire to determine their relevance of smartphones purchasing decision. Besides, collecting basic information of the respondents helped to investigate whether the demographic moderators affected the consumer satisfaction. The questionnaire was designed on the basis of questionnaire design process (Malhotra, 2009 p.331). Information Needed: The first step is to make sure the information which should be collected and used to analyse the result. Thus, it is vital to clearly understand the research questions and hypotheses so as to help the questionnaire remain focused. As the respondents are students at the University of Leeds, the wording and style used in the questionnaire was appropriate to their level of education. Type of Interviewing Method: The survey was conducted mainly by using personal interviews, accompanied by an internet survey. As a result, complex questions were avoided and all the questions were made as detailed and clear as possible so as to avoid any ambiguity. Content of Individual Questions: All questions were designed based on six hypotheses. Reviewing the form and structure of related researches helped the questionnaire to be succinct and well-structured, and thus easy for young respondents to answer. Question Design: The questionnaire was designed to be as simple as possible to achieve raise the willingness to answer of the respondents. Moreover, the questions were oriented to require less effort and to avoid asking for sensitive information. Question structure and operationalisation of the variables Question design: 7-Attitudinal Scales Dichotomous Data Multiple-Choice Questions Questions Social Factors Physical Factors Emotional Factors Q: 3d, 3e, 3f, 7d, 7e, 7f Q:3g-i, 7g-i, 8a-g, 12a-g H1 H2 H3 Q4,Q10,Q14 Q1, Q2, Q5, Q: 3a, 3b, 3c, 7a, 7b, 7c Demo- graphic Moderators Q15, Q16, Q17, Q18, Q19 H6 Post- purchase Satisfaction Q13 Q6 Construct Item Reference H4 iPhone Percep-tions H5 Q11 The questionnaire included 19 questions in four pages. In this questionnaire, three formats of questions were designed, which are, respectively; multiple-choice questions, 7-attitudinal scales and dichotomous questions. Multiple-choice questions were designed in order to get the general information about peoples perception of mobile phones and smartphones, as well as respondents personal information. As respondents are familiar with phones, and the personal information questions are basic background questions, respondents could easily choose a preference choice from the several alternatives. In addition, since the questions were asked in an objective way, the data collected can be taken as reliable. Dichotomous data is that classified into either one of two mutually exclusive values. In the questionnaire, the dichotomous questions were about Yes or No questions about purchasing phones of respondents. Scale questions were used to indicate respondents attitudinal preference of the given items or sentences. In the questionnaire, scale questions were designed as the model of 7-attitudinal scale questions. Among most of these questions, 7 represented strongly agree or strongly satisfied while 1 represents strongly disagree or strongly dissatisfied, indicating respondents attitude in a much more detailed manner. All the factors that directly influence the hypothesis can be evaluated in on the 7-attitudinal scale question model, including physical factors, social factors as well as emotional factors. In this way the researchers found it easy to evaluate the factors that influence peoples preferences regarding smartphones according to the data. Question wording: Questions in the questionnaire were appropriate, simple and objective. While designing the questionnaire, special attention was given so that the questions did not mislead or prime the respondents in any way. This way the reliability of the data is enhanced. Sections of the questionnaire: The questionnaire was divided into four parts; Section A: Mobile Phones in the Market; Section B: Smartphones in the Market; Section C: iPhone and Section D: Personal Information. In Section A, it the respondents general perception about mobile phones was explored; in Section B, the questionnaire tried to get an idea of Chinese international students preferences towards smartphones at Leeds University; in Section C, the questionnaire focused on the attitude towards iPhone among Chinese students at Leeds University; and in the last part, Section D, it is appertained that all the respondents provide their basic personal information, which is an essential part of demographic factors as it would help the researchers to test Hypothesis 4 as a reference. Among the first three sections, equivalent attitudinal questions are asked in order to make a comparison among students attitude towards feature phones, smartphones and the iPhone. Also, all these three parts contained questions about physical factors, social factors and emotional factors that could influence peoples decision while buying phones. Form and Layout: The questionnaire was designed in a way that would inspire the respondents willingness and interest to finish it. This was done by way of keeping sections clearly defined, avoiding the title or questions within a section to be separated between alternatives in two pages. Additionally, certain care was taken to give the questionnaire an appealing look, and the university logo was added to give a serious and trustworthy impression. Pilot testing: Before collecting data from Chinese students in Leeds University, a pilot testing was made among five Chinese students at different schools, to test the practicability of the questionnaire. The suggestions from the five respondents were taken into consideration. The questionnaire was then complemented with some new alternatives, covering more situations and factors in a better way. While doing the actual survey, it was concluded that the respondents of the questionnaire perceived it to be much easier to answer all the questions after the views of the respondents of the Pilot project were incorporated. Field work The duration of data collection was between 11th and 22nd of November 2010, when 176 questionnaires were distributed by the six members of the research team. The researchers collected the data from Chinese students by requesting them to fill out the questionnaires on the campus of the University of Leeds. Analytical Methods In this study, a variety of statistical methods were used to analyse the data which had collected from 176 respondents, in order to understand whether the physical factor, social factor and emotional factor significantly relate to iPhone perceptions, whether these three factors combined together and affected iPhone perception, whether there is a relationship between iPhone perceptions and post purchase satisfaction, and whether demographic factor could be considered as a moderator influences on the relationship between iPhone perceptions and post purchase satisfaction according to the conceptual model. The following are the methods adopted: Bi-variate regression analysis was used to calculate whether there was a relationship between the respondents preferences regarding the different factor (independent variable) and their perception of iPhone (dependent variable). This method was also used to test whether there was a relationship between the perception of respondents towards iPhone (independent variable) and the post purchase satisfaction (dependent variable). When measuring the importance of demographic moderating variables affect the satisfaction of iPhone (dependent variable), bi-variate regression analysis was be used as well. Multiple Regression analysis was conducted to analyse the degree of connection between three factors in terms of physical factor, social factor and emotional factor (independent variables) and the perception of iPhone (dependent variable). Results and Hypotheses Testing Profile of the respondents Among the 176 respondents, 63 of them (35.8%) were male while 113 of them (64.2%) were female. 72.7% of total sample are between the age of 20 and 23. Merely 13.1% of the respondents came from families with the family income level of less than RMB 5000 per month. 61.4% of all the respondents studied in Business School. 64.8% of the respondents have postgraduate educational level. The largest percentage of respondents came from East China, accounts for 43.8%, while only 5% of the respondents came from Northeast China. Factors influencing mobile phone choices Factors influencing smartphone preferences According to the questionnaire result, physical factors were the most important factors that influenced peoples purchasing of smartphones, with an average score of 5.77 on the attitudinal scale while social factors were the least important with an average score of 4.65. Among the physical factors that influenced respondents decision of buying smartphone quality was the most important with an average score of 6.21, while price was the least important with 5.17. Among social factors, pursuing fashion was the most important with an average score of 5.10 while group identity was the least important with 4.40. As to the emotional factors, the appearance of the smartphone was the most important in respondents mind with 5.80 average score, while advertisements were of least importance with 4.09. As mentioned about the functions of smartphones, which are part of emotional factors that influencing peoples decision of buying smartphones, the function of browsing the websites was the most attractive with an average score of 5.70 while the function of video was the least important with 4.51. Factors related to iPhones Regarding the iPhone, emotional factors were the most important factors affecting respondents purchasing behaviour with an average score of 5.26, while the social factors were the least important with 4.37. Among the physical factors, most of the respondents agreed with the sentence iPhone has a high quality, with this factor getting the highest score of 5.47. At the same time most of them think iPhone is expensive because the sentence iPhone has a reasonable price only registered the average score of 3.72. Within the social factors a majority of the respondents believed iPhone to be a symbol of fashion with the score of 5.65, while few people wanted to buy an iPhone just because their friends or family have one, this factor recording only 3.28. Among emotional factors, iPhone has a good design of appearance was the most agreeable sentence with the score of 5.61, and the sentence The advertisements of iPhone are attractive the least with an average score of 4.79. As to functions, included in emotional factors which influence peoples purchasing decisions regarding the iPhone, the availability of applications through which you can go over websites like Facebook or Youtube was the most attractive with a score of 5.91, while