Hamlet - Hero or Villain - 1126 Words

Hamlet - a villain and a hero. Hamlet comes across as both a hero and a villain throughout ‘Hamlet’ at different intervals. His loyalty, morality, honesty and popularity are certainly heroic traits however one can’t deny his villainous ways in his dealings with Ophelia, his killing of Polonius and most importantly his delaying of killing Claudius. Hamlet is full of faults yet full of honourable intentions. His negative qualities are slim compared to his heroic qualities therefore I believe Hamlet to be a hero, a â€Å"prince among men†. When we first meet Hamlet, he is dressed all in black and conveys all the â€Å"moods, forms and shapes of grief†. This depression is caused by his father’s recent death. Gertrude, his mother and†¦show more content†¦His inconsistent treating of Ophelia eventually drives her to insanity. The actual recognition of his love for Ophelia can only come when Hamlet realizes that she is dead, and free from her tainted womanly trappings â€Å"I lov’d Ophelia†. This is without doubt one of the most villainous qualities of Hamlet. His cruel treating of Ophelia however can also be seen as a heroic trait. He is honest about his feelings towards her. He is honest throughout the whole play, which is rare in ‘Hamlet’ as most of the characters live their lives through deception. He doesn’t once hide his hatred of Claudius â€Å"a little more than kin and less than kind†, he is also honest of his disliking of Polonius when he says his words have no substance â€Å"words words word†. He eventually tells his mother how disgusted he is with her marriage â€Å"O shame, where is thy blush?† and admits he treated her with cruelty â€Å"I must be cruel only to be kind†. He is even honest about his own inaction as he â€Å"lets all sleep†. His honesty throughout the play is admirable and only further proves him to be a hero. He is without doubt a man of high morals which is an important feature of a hero. He agrees to avenge his father even though he almost crushed with the burden. â€Å"oh cursed spite that ever I was born to set it right†. It is clear that he does not want to murder but accepts the task nonetheless â€Å"I have sworn’t†. He also apologises toShow MoreRelatedHamlet : Hero Or Villain?1588 Words   |  7 PagesToluwani Emmanuel Falade Professor Brunson ENGL 1302-160 3 May 2017 Hamlet: Hero or Villain? Humans are rational mammals, blessed with a prevalent knowledge, however, even with this interesting capacity, people are flawed. They encounter intricate and powerful feelings that meddle with their thinking aptitudes. Heroes in comic books, plays, motion pictures, and other anecdotal works can be culminated and transformed into what are known as legends. Heroes can be portrayed as optimistic, valiantRead MoreHamlet : Hero Or Villain?2396 Words   |  10 PagesHamlet Essay: Hero or Villain? Distinguishing between a hero and a villain can be extremely difficult especially if one does both heroic and evil actions. A perfect example of someone that may confuse others of a fair or foul status is Marvel’s Deadpool. Deadpool is a very unique character in Marvel’s franchise as he is not necessarily categorized as a hero or villain, he is mainly seen as an anti-hero as he seeks out good deeds, but uses morally incorrect ways to accomplish them. The play HamletRead MoreEssay on Heroes and Revenge in Hamlet and The Spanish Tragedy1389 Words   |  6 PagesHeroes and Revenge in Hamlet and The Spanish Tragedy In Elizabethan drama, it was accepted that the villains of the piece would, because of their evil methods and aims, be revealed and punished - in other words, justice would be served. The problem, however, arises when the heroes of the piece use the same methods as the villains. I use the term hero warily, as the traditional hero of a revenge tragedy is one who would at first seem completely unsuited to a revenging role; Heironimo is portrayedRead MoreDiscontentment in William Shakespeare ´s Hamlet899 Words   |  4 PagesThe villain and the hero in any plot are basically the same person. The only difference is that the hero settles for less and is content with what he has and the villain always desires more and is discontent with his life. Many people are discontent whether it be from not having enough money, not strong enough relationships, or imperfect lifestyles. Hamlet is discontent with his life and always asking and scheming for more. The constant stream of wanting more eventually dries up and Hamlet is leftRead MoreHamlet, By William Shakespeare918 Words   |  4 Pagesa conflict between hero and villain. In some stories, there is a plot twist where the hero is also the villain—but in Hamlet, there are no heroes and many villains. In Hamlet, every character has lied, kept secrets or is seeking revenge that leads to a tragic ending at every corner, but what we fail to see is who the true villain is. Looking at the character of Hamlet throughout the play, it is easier to spot his many dishonorable actions than his few honorable ones. Hamlet is often viewed as anRead MoreThe Tragedy of Hamlet Essay941 Words   |  4 PagesThe Tragedy of Hamlet In life the border between sanity and madness is thin and undefined. At best it is a gray area, fuzzy and unclear. Yet it is this area that Shakespeare so deftly depicts in The Tragedy of Hamlet. The gray environment he weaves eventually renders it almost impossible to tell the sane from the insane, the ability to reason ultimately becomes the audiences sole determiner of a characters mental condition. Thus, Shakespeare is able to successfully tie his thoughtsRead MoreAnalysis Of Shakespeare s Hamlet 1650 Words   |  7 Pages Duplication and repetition in Hamlet create an effect in which the core foundations of the play are reiterated and given greater attention as to resonate with the audience. Each of these duplications are binary oppositions that showcase a similar situation with opposite processes or results-- ultimately the majority of these duplications are reverberations of death in scenes that show Hamlet trying to be a hero but ending up being a villain. There are two actions in the play that are duplicatedRead MoreShakespeares Great Heroes 908 Words   |  4 Pagessuch as Hamlet, Laertes, and Fortinbras take the heroic journey to bring back the natural balance of their kingdoms. Although many heroes many not live until the end, â€Å"The point is, not how long you live, but how nobly you live† as said by Seneca the Younger. In his play, Shakespeare shows realistic portrayals of what a t rue masculine hero would do. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the male archetype is portrayed as a hero through Hamlet’s, Laertes’, and Fortinbras’ actions. Hamlet, the princeRead MoreHamlet As A Tragic Hero850 Words   |  4 Pagesperceived as a hero if they revenge? Well In the novel Hamlet the author, William Shakespeare creates tragic events where his main character Hamlet has to overcome to achieve his goal of killing his evil uncle Claudius. â€Å"In life one has to do bad thing in order to be a hero,the hero also has to make sacrifices in order to be successful† (John Barrowman). In Shakespeare Hamlet, should hamlet be considered a tragic hero judging by him following the hero steps. Shakespeare proves that Hamlet was a tragicRead MoreThe Heroes Of A Hero1082 Words   |  5 PagesChristopher Reeve once said, â€Å"A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.† In today’s society, what describes a hero is different to each person you ask. In my opinion, there are three different heroes today. There are the heroes you read abou t in books and watch in movies such as The Avengers and X-Men, and there are the everyday heroes such as doctors, police, and soldiers. There are also tragic heroes. Shakespeare is famous

Ethics Essay Example

Essays on Ethics Essay Essay Ethics Essay Treasury Secretary Henry Merritt â€Å"Hank† Paulson revealed inside information with regards to the plans made by the government to takeoverFannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which are government mortgage servicers. The information was revealed by Former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson to the top hedge fund executives during the times of financial meltdown. Hank Paulson addressed the issues in a meeting that took place in Manhattan, at the hedge funds headquarters and informed the fund managers that government might seize Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and might annihilate their stocks (Teitelbaum, â€Å"Personal Finance†). It can be stated that the case is related to insider trading. Most of the legal experts revealed that the issue revealed by Hank Paulson cannot be considered as illegal since although Hank Paulson shared sensitive data, he did not derive any personal profits from such trading. However, when viewed from legal viewpoints such acts of any individual can be considered as wrong doing and is completely illegal. It was noted that quasi government agencies which had ‘mortgage-backed securities’ together with other debts offered the hedge fund insiders to make huge profits that they made from the inside information which was shared with them by Hank Paulson. Ethically, such issues can be considered as wrong because it may weaken the trust in vital public institutions such as the Department of Treasury. The impact of the disclosure of such material related to non-public information would be that the clients would stop trading the shares of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and some of the groups of managers might be profited off because of the information that was provided by Hank Paulson. The only party at fault has been Hank Paulson and it can be stated that since the information had not actually been used by the fund managers for their benefits, therefore they are not at fault. Hank Paulson must be reprimanded for his unethical behavior and for violating the laws. The reason for reprimand is the unethical behavior of Hank Paulson and his intentions to harm the interest of the department. If reprimand does take place, then it would prevent any person from taking such illegal actions in the near future and by taking stringent measures, government and companies can prevent such abusive market activities from taking place. Punitive actions need to be taken against Hank Paulson for the uneth ical acts. It has been found that insider trading has always undermined the proficient as well as efficient functioning of free market. It is also considered as economically inefficient. Insider trading is generally exploitation of the information and therefore no one must be benefited because of such exploitations. Section 10(b) and 14(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1939 has offered Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) the power to seek a court order that demands the violators to return back their trading profits. Though the case of insider trading conducted by Hank Paulson was not much severe, he must still be penalized for the offence committed. He must also be taken out from the position that he holds in the department (University of Cincinnati, â€Å"Securities Lawyers Desktop†). It can be concluded that it is quite significant for the companies to prevent insider trading from taking place because it tends to have an enduring detrimental impact on the offenders. It is significant for the companies’ to train the employees to understand the ill effects of insider trading (Barr, â€Å"Outside Counsel†). Works Cited Barr, Evan, T. â€Å"Outside Counsel†. January 21, 2012. Insider Trading: Making Punishment Fit The Crime, 2005. Teitelbaum, Richard. â€Å"Personal Finance†. January 21, 2012. How Paulson Gave Hedge Funds Advance Word of Fannie Mae Rescue, 2011. . University of Cincinnati. â€Å"Securities Lawyers Desktop†. January 21, 2012. Section 21A -- Civil Penalties for Insider Trading, 2011.

Provide Knowledge About Ethical Accounting â€Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Provide Knowledge About Ethical Accounting? Answer: Introducation: The purpose of this letter is to provide you knowledge about the ethical, procedural and accounting provisions which has to be adhered by a migration agent while providing Visa services to the clients in Australia. It is the duty of the migration agents in Australia to base their actions with respect to the provisions of the code of conduct established through schedule 2 of the Migration Regulation 1998 along with the provisions of the Migration Act 1958. Section 314 of the MA states that every migration agent has the duty to abide by the code of conduct imposed upon them while performing their professional activities[1]. As provided by Section 313 of the MA until and unless a statement of services is provided by a registered migration agent which has details about all the services to be provided to the client along with all the cost which would be incurred by the migration agent while providing such services, no client is liable to pay any fees to the migration agent. Therefore, in this case you must provide Wood Engineering with all the details about the services which would be required for the successful application of work skilled temporary visa subclass 457. In case search statement is not provided to Wood Engineering, they would have the right to recover any amount paid by them in relation to the Visa services. According to the code of conduct for migration agents in Australia the fees which is charged by them for the services provided has to be reasonable and fair the fees is set by the agent based on the situation. The fees may be based upon the type of visa application, time taken to prepare the visa application, the level of service needed extra help in complex circumstances and the qualification and experience of the agent. It is the duty of migration agents to provide the Migration Agent Registration Authority (MARA) with data every year for the level of fees charged by them. Normally the fees for temporary work skilled subclass 457 visa varies from $1800 5000. In case of an initial consultation fees the agent must provide the client in writing about the fees charged by them. It is the duty of every agent under the code of conduct to provide the clients with the written statement with respect to the fees charged by them for their services. The written statement must include fees, such as professional fees which maybe either by service or by the hour along with other disbursements such as the visa application charges. The migration agent has to ensure that the agreement terms are accepted by the client in writing via the agreement for services and fees. The agreement has to include the services which would be performed by the agent along with the information discussed above. In case the clients are charged before the service is completed a bank account known as the clients account has to be created. This account is totally separate from their personal bank account or business accounts. The money in the clients account cannot be used by the agent until and unless they need to use it to pay for some services in relation to the visa application. Only when the services have been completed can an agent take out money from the clients account for professional fees. Immigration assistance provided by the migration agent is dealt by part 3 of the Migration Act 1958. As provided by section 312A a migration agent must notify the department of immigration about any immigration assistance to be provided to a visa applicant after an agreement of service with them. As provided by the code of conduct for migration agent the activities of the registered migration agent must be directed towards the best interest of the client but it must be kept in mind that the activities has to be in accordance with the existing legal provisions. The agents must deal with the clients competently and diligently. Whenever there is a conflict of interest or a suspected conflict of interest the migration agent must not accept the client or notify the client about such conflict of interest. When the services provided to the clients are to be terminated it is the duty of every registered migration agent to inform the Business department within 14 days of such termination[2]. As provided by the Migration Regulations 1998 regulation 6B it is compulsory for every migration agent to hold a professional indemnity insurance so that the clients can be protected from any unnecessary financial losses[3]. Further it is the duty of every registered migration agent to notify the clients in relation to the progress of visa application. In this case it is the duty of Jeffrey to provide the department notification of serving Wood Engineering through form 956. It is also the duty of Jeffrey to notify the clients about their rights and to provide them with a copy of the code of conduct. For the purpose obtaining a work skilled visa subclass 457 a visa applicant has to be given sponsorship by an approved business in Australia, in addition the visa applicant must have the skills which is required to fill the position nominated by the sponsor. The subclass 457 visa is granted for a period of 4 years if the applicant fall under the scope of the specific skills and as Josephine is an engineer she is eligible to get a visa for 4 years. The visa is eligible to be applied both by a person in and out of Australia. For the purpose of lodging a temporary work subclass 457 visa application employer sponsored worker form 1066 has to be completed online. The basic charges for the application of the visa subclass 457 is $ 1080. Other charges which will be charged in addition to the base fees include the cost of health assessment, police certificates or any test or certificate which is required for the purpose of the visa. It is also the duty of Wood Engineering in this case to complete form 1196 which is employee sponsored work form. For the purpose of completing this form common business information such as Australian registered body number, Australian business number and documents related to the Australian security and investment Commission would be needed. The visa applicant also have to submit a few documents for the purpose of the application. These documents include licence registration, qualification certificate, reference of the previous employer and educational qualifications, a skill assessment which is conducted by a registered organisation and health certificates. Visa conditions 8501 and 8107 are imposed upon the holders of subclass 457 visa. The conditions briefly state that the visa holder must not perform any work other than the work provided to them by the sponsored employer, abide by all the rules and regulations provided by the licensing authorities in Australia and not stay in Australia after the visa has expired (No further stay condition)[4]. The subclass 457 visa allows the holder to bring their families to Australia for the purpose of study or work and provide them with the opportunity to travel in and out of Australia as much as they want during the lifetime of the visa. Before the visa application is made an approved employer has to sponsor such application and nominate the applicant for a vacant position in the business. Yours sincerely Visa applicants have the duty to ensure that they only provide information which is true to the migration agents and not indulge in any kind of misrepresentation of information. It has been provided by Crock, Mary and Berg (2011) that it is mandatory that a person who is making a visa application has to be completely truthful in the information and documents which they provide to the migration agent to be submitted before the department of immigration[5]. It has been stated in Section 101 of the MA that, it is the responsibility of every visa applicant to fill the visa application form in such a way that no false or incorrect information is given are provided to the department of immigration and border protection. It has been for the stated by Section 109 of the act that any kind of false or incorrect information provided by the visa applicants may result in the cancellation of the visa application. In addition Section 48 of the Act states that if the visa application of a person has been cancelled because a false or incorrect information they cannot apply for a visa again except a very limited types of visa. The fact that the visa applicant has no role to play in the false or incorrect information provided to the department cannot be used by them to avoid liability under this section[6]. They cannot claim that the process of making in application was totally allocated to the migration agent. Through Trivedi v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection[7] it had been ruled by the judges that even if the visa applicant did not have knowledge that they have provided incorrect information in relation to the application they may be held liable for the purpose of providing wrong information. As discussed above the code of conduct for the registered migration agent states that the migration agent has to act towards the best interest of the clients. In addition the actions of the migration agent has to be based totally in accordance to the existing legal provision towards a visa application. As stated by regulation 2.9 of the code of conduct a statement in support of a visa application should not be provided by a registered migration agent under these regulations along with any encouragement towards making and visa application to the clients which they believe or have knowledge to be misleading or incorrect. It has been provided by regulation 2.9A of the code of conduct that the migration agent directly or indirectly during the process of communication and providing information to the department of immigration must not indulge in any action which may mislead the department with respect to the visa application. In the situation which has been provided by the scenario Josephine has informed Jacob that the company is not providing on wages in accordance to what has been submitted to the department of immigration. The fact provided by Josephine has been confirmed by Jacob with the company would engineering. In such case to ensure the best interest of would engineering it is the duty of Jacob to make them know that the visa application may be cancelled because of the incorrect information provided by them to the department of immigration. If the company does not abide by the suggestion of Jacob it is his duty to inform the department that an incorrect statement has been made with respect to the application. References Austlii (2017) https://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_reg/mar1998287/sch2.html. Crock, Mary, and L. A. Berg. management, refugees and forced migration: law, policy and practice in Australia. Federation Press, 2011. Hollifield, James, Philip Martin, and Pia Orrenius.Controlling immigration: A global perspective. Stanford University Press, 2014. Migration Act 1958 Migration Regulations 1998 Temporary Work (Skilled) Visa (Subclass 457)(2017) Border.gov.au https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Visa-1/457-. Trivedi v minister for immigration and border protection 2014 FCAFC 42 (4 April 2014 [1] Migration Act 1958 [2] Austlii (2017) https://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_reg/mar1998287/sch2.html. [3] Migration Regulations 1998 [4] Temporary Work (Skilled) Visa (Subclass 457)(2017) Border.gov.au https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Visa-1/457-. [5] Crock, Mary, and L. A. Berg.Immigration, refugees and forced migration: law, policy and practice in Australia. Federation Press, 2011. [6] Hollifield, James, Philip Martin, and Pia Orrenius.Controlling immigration: A global perspective. Stanford University Press, 2014. [7] 2014 FCAFC 42 (4 April 2014)

Writing and Researching Skills

Introduction Every learning institution encourages novelty, clarity and objectivity in academic research. This is usually done to provide students with research writing skills that are necessary for successful completion of their studies. Students are therefore required to undertake self assessments, which introduce them to numerous factors that can promote strong and well structured writings.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Writing and Researching Skills specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Such activities are vital in helping students refine their arguments and writing at large. In addition, it helps establish logical writing in students. However, it faces several obstacles. These include among others, academic plagiarism. This has made research quite difficult as scholars try to avoid plagiarizing other people’s works. Plagiarism cases have risen, especially with increased availability of resources online. In fact, while advancement in technology has pooled resources, it has also led to increased cases of plagiarism. This paper will therefore try to explore academic writing styles, plagiarism, strengths and weaknesses as well as growth plan (Colantuono, 2009, p. 1). Plagiarism can be defined as use of other people’s ideas, or works as your own. This occurs in any event that an individual uses another person’s idea or written work without giving him/her credit. Most written works in learning institutions are nowadays turned in after passing through plagiarism detecting software. These are aimed at curbing plagiarism, which has been on the rise. Online degrees have had its advantages, which include among others, providing affordable quality education to learners from different regions. On the other hand, this has had its effects on creativity as plagiarism takes toil. It is quite important to note that plagiarism is a punishable offense both by law and learning institution s. In learning institutions, plagiarism draws punishments that may range from penalties, suspension, expulsion and even sacking for scholars. Moreover, it can lead to jail term, if not avoided. Academic writing involves use of different formatting and citation styles. These include MLA, APA, Harvard, Chicago, Turabian and Oxford, among others. These styles are usually utilized depending on the type of paper to be written. For instance, when writing papers on psychology, APA (American Psychological Association) style is usually utilized. Most of these citation styles are usually aimed at avoiding plagiarism as well as structuring academic papers in a formal and cohesive manner (McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2003, p. 1).Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Analysis of Strengths Some of the strengths I have in academic writing include creativity, which helps to minimize plagiarism. In additi on, in situations where I use other people’s works, I usually ensure that they are credited. This helps in avoiding plagiarism. Another strength that I have in writing is my ability to master citation styles. This helps me in formatting academic writing as required. Academic writing requires people to be relevant as well as clear on given instructions. As much as this is sometimes difficult, I have tried to be relevant in most papers. This helps in ensuring that instructions are followed as given in the papers (Colantuono, 2009, p. 1). Analysis of Weaknesses Academic research comes with various obstacles. This includes fear of plagiarism, grammar mistakes, among others. I usually face a few problems in putting my essay together. Other obstacles that I face include level of writing. As much as I do formal writing, there are levels of writing required for each category. These include bachelors, masters and PhD levels. Moreover, depending on subject to be covered, writing can so metimes get complex. For instance, technical papers are usually more complex than others. In addition, Phd papers are commonly more detailed and complex than those of masters or bachelors. Finally, I am sometimes nervous on spelling and grammar mistakes (Dikel, 2011, p. 1). Growth Plan Academic writing is very important in learning institutions. This is mainly because it gives the true picture of an individual’s creativity and writing skills, among other attributes. Moreover, it confirms that one is able to conduct research and provide quality writings on them. Having considered both my strengths and weaknesses, it is only reasonable that I work towards improving them. In this regard, I have made a plan that includes improving in spelling and grammar, among others. Moreover, I plan to ensure that plagiarism becomes the least of my problems. In order to achieve this, I plan to institute regular self assessment tests with regards to citation styles. This involves going through research centers such as Purdue Owl and Ashford, among others. I also plan to practice more on academic writing, this will enable me improve in levels of writing as well as in formatting and style as required (Colantuono, 2009, p. 1).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Writing and Researching Skills specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Conclusion Academic writing is instrumental to an individual’s capacity development. Institutions of higher learning ensure that students are well trained on ways of articulating their ideas. This can only be done through academic writing. Self assessment is also important as it helps one to establish the causes and possible solutions to his/her problems in writing. It is quite imperative to know how to write varieties of academic papers. Throughout the process, I have learned on ways of writing different types of papers, styles as well as plagiarism. The process also helped me le arn how to acknowledge sources that are used. In addition, the process has enabled me use credible sources in my research. I have also learned the importance of writing good papers since instructors use them to evaluate our level of comprehension and analysis (Ashford Writing Center, 2011, p. 1). References Ashford Writing Center. (2011). Research Guides. Web. Colantuono, F. (2009). Academic Plagiarism. Web. Dikel, M. (2011). Self- Assessment: The Riley Guide. Web. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. (2003). Avoiding Plagiarism Tutorial. Web.Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This essay on Writing and Researching Skills was written and submitted by user Haven F. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

votingwhy should we essays

votingwhy should we essays Why should Americans exercise their right to vote? Why should we vote? Is it really worth our time? The answer is YES. People say that one vote wont change the outcome, but take a look at Florida! Right now, the election of our president is in the people of Floridas hands. [Your] one vote is very important. Many people take voting for granted. You see? By voting, here in Oklahoma, we are really choosing eight representatives to go to the electoral colleges in December. Those same eight people are also the people from our beloved state that are in the House of Representatives. In December, they [the representatives you chose] will vote for a president. Their votes are called electoral votes. They are based on the popular votes. When you go to the poles to vote for a president, and the ballots are totaled up those are called the popular votes. My personal opinion is that the popular votes should determine the winner. Right now, just because a candidate has more popular votes doesnt necessarily mean that they have more electoral votes. The number of electoral votes each state has is determined by that states population. The larger the population, the more electoral votes. In the election that is taking place right now, Al Gore is winning in electoral votes, but, over half of the states voted for George Bush. How is that possible you ask? Because Gore took most of the larger populated states. Now, say you lived in California. That state has 54 electoral votes. What if only half the population of registered voters actually went to vote? Lets say the majority of them voted for Bush, but he only won by one vote. That states electoral votes would be Bushs, and in conclusion, Bush would be president. So, think about this again, does your vote really ...

Assassin Bugs in the Garden

Assassin Bugs in the Garden Assassin bugs get their name from their predatory habits. Gardeners consider them beneficial insects because their voracious appetites for other bugs keep pests under control. All About Assassin Bugs Assassin bugs use piercing, sucking mouthparts to feed and have long, slender antennae. A short, three-segmented beak distinguishes Reduviids from other true bugs, which generally have beaks with four segments. Their heads are often tapered behind the eyes, so they look like they have a long neck. Reduviids vary in size, from just a few millimeters in length to over three centimeters. Some assassin bugs seem rather bland in brown or black, while others sport elaborate markings and brighter colors. The front legs of assassin bugs are designed for catching prey. When threatened, assassin bugs may inflict a painful bite, so be careful handling them. Classification of Assassin Bugs Kingdom – AnimaliaPhylum – ArthropodaClass – InsectaOrder – HemipteraFamily – Reduviidae The Assassin Bug Diet Most assassin bugs prey on other small invertebrates. A few parasitic Reduviids, like the well-known kissing bugs, suck the blood of vertebrates, including humans. The Assasin Bug Life Cycle Assassin bugs, like other Hemipterans, undergo incomplete metamorphosis with three stages- egg, nymph, and adult. The female lays clusters of eggs on plants. Wingless nymphs hatch from the eggs and molt several times to reach adulthood in about two months. Assassin bugs living in colder climates usually overwinter as adults. Special Adaptations and Defenses Toxins in the assassin bugs saliva paralyze its prey. Many have sticky hairs on their front legs, which help them grasp other insects. Some assassin bug nymphs camouflage themselves with debris, from dust bunnies to insect carcasses. Assassin bugs do whatever it takes to catch a meal. Many employ specialized behaviors or modified body parts designed to fool their prey. One termite-hunting species in Costa Rica uses the dead termite carcasses as bait to attract live ones, then pounces on the unsuspecting insect and eats it. Certain assassin bugs in southeast Asia will stick their hairy front legs in tree resin, and use it to attract bees. Range and Distribution of Assassin Bugs A cosmopolitan family of insects, assassin bugs live throughout the world. They are particularly diverse in the tropics. Scientists describe 6,600 distinct species, with over 100 types of assassin bugs living in North America.

Healthcare Spending Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Healthcare Spending - Essay Example In order to achieve desired health outcomes, there should be a systematic approach that addresses staff competence, health care financing, and emphasis on quality. System theory offers a guide health care towards the desired direction by employing evidenced-based management practices to enhance quality, accessibility an equity as fundamental elements of health care systems. The theory envisions use of a systematic guideline in practice to ensure health care emans such as quality, affordability are met. One of the fundamental concepts of system theory is system thinking. Wiegerinck, Kappen, & Burgers (2010) stated that the application of system theory in the health care system can have an incredible achievement in streamlining operations towards the desired standards. With system thinking, health care quality would greatly improve because the conceptual framework would help in building health care as a system with several subsystems. This theory emphasizes six critical cornerstones that apply well to the health care system. Firstly, it higlightes improving communication among subsystems within a larger system. Certainly, communication is an important asset in health care reforms. Communication allows for nursing, and medical staff strives towards the same direction by employing uniform quality care. Quality health care standard is, therefore, an important feature in the health care system (Bhandari & Snowdon, 2012). Secondly, the social theory, a fundamental component of the system theory, premises teamwork as a success strategy in any task undertaking. Evidently, achieving health care standards that quality-based, cost-effective and appropriate to the community culture requires interdisciplinary collaboration. In contemporary health care system emphasizes on teaming up with the community members in the identification of health care needs, this is emphasized in system theory

Model for Integrating Physical and Virtual Identity Management Systems Thesis

Model for Integrating Physical and Virtual Identity Management Systems - Thesis Example This research will begin with the presentation of theories in the field of security and identity. Secure authentication protocol for the multi-server environment using dynamic ID. This theory relies on the nonce-based (a value or counter) mechanism rather than timestamp. The authentication key of the user is based on two factors such that the theft of one cannot be used to recreate the other, thereby improving the level of security. The theft of the past session key cannot serve to provide access to any individual twice since the key is nonce-based and unique every time. User anonymity is protected with the dynamicity of the variables of the login session. The user Ui sends the following login message to the desired server Sj: (CIDi, Pij, Qi, Ni) where CIDi is the dynamic and ID of Ui, Pij and Qij are nonce-based variables and Ni is the nonce value. The above-mentioned variables are computed by hash functions in accordance with the uniquely generated nounce. This technique not only p rovides a unique session but also hides the identity of the user.   Its attributes: Two-factor authentication; Single registration for multi-server access; User anonymity; Avoidance of time-synchronization problem. These authors have not implemented their approach in the physical environments; however, the attributes of their theory seem effective enough to facilitate a secure service in multi-server environments.... Several laws and security measures are deployed to protect the identity of individuals in the physical world but minimal efforts have been witnessed for the provision of such laws in online spaces. Control of personal information Clear mapping between physical and virtual identity Conceal information This theory is relevant since it provides an individual certain rights to control the exposure of his personal information. This enhances the level of privacy and security of the data. The authors explain the implementation of the concept of e-ID federation which provides access across multiple platforms [21]. e-ID federation implements a security token service (STS) that is based on the Windows Identity Framework. The authentication mechanism is based on security certificates, login forms, Windows Authentication and OpenID credentials [22]. A common platform is established by the STS that can be accessed by different sources to authenticate the individuals. The interoperability takes pl ace on an intermediate layer that serves as an abstraction of the authentication mechanism. The federated authentication mechanism of STS can be seen in Appendix A.2 Security certificates OpenID credentials WS Federation Specification The STS authentication mechanism has been explained in a comprehensive manner with the aid of a diagram. Windows Identity framework can serve as the basis of the authentication mechanism for the chosen research study. Perspectives Theory name Definition of the theory The reason for selecting this theory Its attributes If the theory and attributes can be applied in virtual or physical environments Acceptability and

Psychopathic behavior Essay Example for Free

Psychopathic behavior Essay Mike Tyson, or Iron Mike, the world’s youngest heavy weight boxing champion, has been involved in several problems with the law. A brief look at his life will show that it is possible that he is suffering from antisocial personality disorder or psychopathy. Mike was born in Brooklyn, New York on June 30, 1966. He came from a broken family as his left them when he was two years old. At his younger years, before 12 years old, he became a member a street gang and was involved in numerous bouts with the law. At the age 12 he was arrested for armed robbery and was sent a correctional center for juveniles in New York. At the age of 16 his mother died, and having no parent, he lived with his boxing trainer D’ Amato, became his legal guardian. There were rumors that he sexually abused a 12 year old girl. At age 20, in 1986, he came the world’s youngest WBC heavyweight champion. At age 21, he became the WBA heavy weight champion, and earned $20 million. Later he was married to actress Robin Givens, but they subsequently divorced. In 1992, he was convicted of rape and he spent 3 years in prison. In an official match, he bit off a chink of Evander Holyfield’s ear, which caused him to be banished from boxing for quite some time. In 1999, he was again sent to prison for assault. In a 2002 press conference, he attacked Lennox Lewis and bit his leg. In 2005, he was in debt for $34 million, despite earning hundreds of millions throughout his career. In 2006, he was again apprehended for driving while under the influence of alcohol. Based on these, it can be believed that Mike Tyson is possibly suffering from antisocial personality disorder. The key symptoms of antisocial personality disorder are; repeated lawbreaking, which can be seen from his repeated arrests; deceitfulness or lying; impulsivity, irritableness and aggressiveness, which can be seen from his assault and attack charges; reckless disregard for own safety and that of others, which can be seen when he was driving without a license; irresponsibility as seen unreliable employment history or not meeting financial obligations, which can be seen is being in debt for millions of dollars; lack of remorse; conduct disorder, which can be seen as he was already a member of a gang conduct disorder before 15 yrs of age. Lacks of affection, severe parental rejection, and lack of discipline from parents, are considered to be the primary causes of psychopathic behavior. In Mike’s case, he came from a broken family. He had no father since he was 2 years old. He had no mother since he was 16 years old. One might assume that mike never that the affection from his parents. When his father left their family, Mike might have taken it as being rejected. Their family set-up provided no or little room for discipline. Experts have found that it is futile to try to alter the nature of psychopaths (Davidson et al, 2004). A reason for this is that psychopaths just play along with therapists, indicating the manipulative character of psychopaths. It is also believed that it is unlikely that psychopaths would want to be in therapy. Recent studies however show that there can benefits from psychosocial treatment for younger patients with the said disorder (Davidson et al, 2004). Because of these, I believe treatment for Mike would be futile. Considering that he is already 42 years old, and that research have shown that treatment for psychopaths are often unsuccessful, and that psychosocial treatment would only benefit younger patients, it would be safe to assume that he will derive minimal, or no benefit at all from treatment. However since, he is already 42 years old, it can also be said that it would not be needed since psychopaths often settle down in middle age and after. In this stage in his life, antisocial behavior is believed to be less evident (Davidson et al, 2004). Reference Davidson, G. C. , Neale, J. M. , Kring, A. M. ( 2004) Abnormal Psychology. USA. John Wiley Sons, Inc.

Acupuncture: Treatment for Stress :: Medicine Research Medical Essays

Acupuncture: Treatment for Stress Acupuncture involves the insertion of tiny needles into "acupuncture points," specific nerve endings under the skin. These needles are extremely small, so small in fact that ten to fifteen acupuncture needles can fit in a regular hypodermic needle (http.//www.acupuncture.com/Acup/Acupuncture.htm). There are three claims for why acupuncture is effective: reflexes, hormones, and energy transfer. When the needle is inserted into the skin, the nerves send signals that travel up the spinal cord, into the brain, and block the pain center in the brain. This prevents pain and other signals from entering and exiting the brain and severity of the symptoms is suppressed. This allows the body to heal itself while the individual is unaware of any pain or other distress (http://www.acupuncture.com/Acup/Works.htm). After the needle is inserted into the skin, the surrounding area becomes red. This may be a result of the release of hormones into the bloodstream. These hormones may be the body's natural pain killers, which stimulate blood circulation as well reduce pain (http://www.acupuncture.com/Acup/Works.htm). The third explanation is the ancient Chinese explanation that the acupuncture points are doors to energy channels and that by inserting the needles into these points, one can open and close these doors. This brings about energy circulation and harbors energy balance, resulting in improved health (http://www.acupuncture.com/Acup/Works.htm). Acupuncture is believed to be highly effective. In a nation-wide survey of acupuncture users, conducted by Dr. Claire M. Cassidy, 91.5% reported "disappearance" or "improvement" of symptoms after their treatment, 84% see their MDs less often, 79% use fewer prescription drugs, and 70% were able to avoid previously recommended surgery (http://www.acupuncture.com/Acup/AcuStats.htm). Said one man from San Francisco: Acupuncture had immediate effects on my levels of stress. I simply was not the same person at work. Co-workers could not believe the difference in my disposition. Clients continually comment on my relaxed nature given the stressful environment I have put myself in (CPA, working with taxes). I believe it has helped me stay healthy over the last 9 years... (http://www.acupuncture.com/Acup/AcuStats.htm). Acupuncture is a treatment with few, if any, reported side effects. The most common side effect is deep relaxation and a slight, temporary heaviness. In the treatment of stress, the side effect of deep relaxation is often a desired result. In these cases, very few side effects are noticed. Most of the information on acupuncture is circulated by acupuncture therapists and clinics, with one such therapist being Dr.

Tradgedy After Winning the Lottery

Annotated Bibliography Topic: Tragedy after Winning the Lottery Emory McClard Nissle, Sonja, and Tom Bschor. â€Å"Winning The Jackpot And Depression: Money Cannot Buy Happiness. † International Journal Of Psychiatry In Clinical Practice 6. 3 (2002): 183-186. Academic Search Premier. Web. 27 Jan. 2012. In the article, Bschor and Nissle claim that desirable or positive life events might influence the course of a psychiatric illness, just as the negative do.The authors discuss how winning the lottery developed the depression of two patients, how hitting the jackpot made them consider suicide, and how receiving over one million dollars has only affected their life negatively. Bschor and Nissle go into a discussion involving ideas about how a positive desired event has hidden risks behind the newly won possibilities, which caused the outbreak in these two cases. Both cases recorded marriage problems, family conflicts, and financial difficulties. Suicidal thoughts were present beca use both patients felt a sense of guilt and inferiority.Bschor and Nissle are organized, knowledgeable, and very clear about their key points. Annin, Peter. â€Å"Big Money, Big Trouble. † Newsweek 133. 16 (1999): 59. Academic Search Premier. Web. 27 Jan. 2012. In this article, Annin states that â€Å"big money brings big problems. † He discusses multiple negative outcomes from a particular case in 1998 such as friends no longer speaking to the jackpot winner, the new found millionaire being banned from particular areas, and former friends filing for law suits against him.Annin discussed further about how the lottery winner has gone into hiding by removing his telephone number from the phone book, buying a shredder for unwanted mail, and doing his from inside his home. Annin is clear about his points, but not very descriptive. The author clearly stated his points, yet wasn’t as detailed about the winner’s story. Ellen Tumposky, et al. â€Å"The High Cost Of Winning. † People 61. 10 (2004): 150-154. Academic Search Premier. Web. 27 Jan. 2012.In â€Å"The High Cost of Winning,† Tumposky’s claim is how millions of Americans wish to win millions of dollars in a jackpot, but there are plenty of cases of the lottery winners have unfortunate cases. She discusses how this sudden burst of money can lead to ironic bankruptcy, nasty divorces, broken families, and even hiring hit men. One case describes how a 36 year old man’s lottery money was stolen, forcing him to file for bankruptcy. Another story talked about how her long term boyfriend took advantage of her. One man was drugged, robbed, and arrested. One man was divorced and eventually committed suicide.Another married man sued his wife for not telling him about the win, she was stripped of her entire winnings. The final tale is of a family issue that resulted in the winner’s brother hiring a hit man. Tumposky’s article is interesting yet also ver y informational. Her summaries of the events told the story, yet cut out all of the unimportant details. Douglas, Geoffrey. â€Å"Fortune's Fool. † Yankee 62. 12 (1998): 76. Academic Search Premier. Web. 27 Jan. 2012. In the article, Douglas tells the reader even the luckiest people can lose it all in the blink of an eye.He discusses the points of error in which this lotto winner was a victim. Things like his sexuality, alcoholism, relationships, and risk-taking personality got him into trouble after he won 5. 86 million dollars. As a boy, Mike Allen was very different. Even his (so-called) friends would tease him. When he won the lottery he began to give and give and give to everyone who asked. His husband ended up filing for divorce and suing him. His money was flashing before his eyes. He ended up in a $30 motel room, dead. All he was left with was a sweatshirt over his beaten face. They took jewelry, a wallet, a car, and his clothes.Douglas’s story was entertaining , but he wasn’t clear about his thesis and main points. Helyar, John. â€Å"Cold Cash. † Money 28. 4 (1999): 144. Academic Search Premier. Web. 27 Jan. 2012. In this story, Helyar’s point is that life after the lottery can be miserable. Helyar tells a story of a two people who tried to win the lottery. He discusses further about their past together, the fortune events, the sad events, and the miserable times that came after winning the lottery. Helyar is a good author and is very descriptive, yet he is extremely verbose. John did tell the entire story, yet he failed to take out the less important events.

Factors of Drugs Abuse

Child's that are lack of parental supervision will easily choose the wrong way on their way of growing. Some of them would want to take drugs because they are influence by their friends. Some of them feel depressed or unhappy so have the thought of taking drugs will reduce their unhappiness. Some of them would want to use this act (taking drugs) to attract their parent's attention. Hence, parent's supervision and communication Is Important In avoiding their child to take the wrong path. Family Conflict * Every family has their own conflicts.For example: divorce, quarrel, countermanding, lack of understanding, lack of love, and lack of concern. All these conflicts can lead to every members of the family to feel unhappy and depress when staying at home. A family is supposed to be happy, peaceful and supportive. When we could not find any of these at our home, we may likely find these at somewhere else and drug may be one of the choices if we do not think carefully. Pressure Academic Fa ilure * Nowadays, studying is not as easy as ancient time where studying is one of their favorite pass times. This is due to strong competitive studying environment.People want to score as high as possible, want to beat down other competitor and become number one academically. Those who put on a lot of pressure on themselves to score the best or other people such as parents put a lot of pressure for their children to score the best, may feel super depressed and stress. They may want to find a way to release their huge amount of stress. Some of them could not accept the fact when they face some failure academically. Drugs may be one of their choices. Working Pressure * Working world is even competitive than when we are studying especially urban rear.People fight for their Jobs to sustain their everyday life and family. Everyone would want to prove their capability to their superior to maintain their position and to get more on their pay. In order to do the best and get the best, ever yone work as hard as possible and here comes the huge pressure. Huge pressure from tones of undone tasks, sales pressure, pressure from superior and colleagues. These pressures can make a person to feel difficult to even breath. At this moment, drugs may become their channel to release their stress. Social Life / Network Peers/yearns/colleagues Everyone needs a network.That is why social network such as faceable, fritters, mans, and twitter is so popular. Everyone needs friend. Everyone needs to belong to a group in order to not feel left out or alone. In order to be a part of something, they follow what others want them to do. They also want to be â€Å"cool† and not wanted to be called old-fashion. When they meet a group of friends with bad habits, here comes they can take the wrong path. The percentage for a person to take drugs is very high when they are being invite and encourage by friends from their group.Entertainment Nowadays people like to go clubbing to release the ir stress, make friends and clubbing is their weekend must-go activity. The channel to get drugs and to have friends with drug addiction is extremely high in club and pub. People invite you to take drugs to get high. People sell drugs secretly in clubs. People even taking drugs at every corner of the place. To let ourselves into drug, is such an easy Job in these entertainment places. Individual Emotional Problems * People with emotional problems or struggles always think of an easy way to get off from the problems that they are facing.Taking drugs is an easy way to feel happy. Drugs can numb the pain that they are suffering for a moment. People that are struggling is weak and easily think of taking the easiest way out and take the wrong path. Hence, when drugs, an easy way to escape, approach them, they will get themselves involved with drugs. Curiosity * Curiosity is always the main cause for taking drugs. People feel curios when they never try it. Hence, they would want to take a risk to try it and see what will happen. However, they never know the consequences of one try. One try leads to another. Over time, it becomes addiction and it is hard to get back.

Discussion of Internet File-Sharing

Discussion of Internet File-Sharing Internet file sharing is a problem that has developed through the years as the Internet matures. Computer owners can now put a DVD in their computer and distribute it across the internet. In response to this type of "sharing," record companies have sued, claiming that consumers are "stealing." Neither word is correct in that situation because sharing is giving away part of a whole and stealing is taking the whole of something. This calls for a new response to the distribution of materials such as music, videos and software through data-based means.Programs such as Napster and Kazaa, are ridiculed for illegally giving away music and other digitized items. The conflict lies in the technology that allows a computer to send copies of songs to other computers on the internet. The record companies say that this allows people to steal their product from them. However, when a user downloads a song and enjoys it, the record company still owns the song and still has in its care each and every copy of the song it produced.English: Former EMI Distribution Centre, Hermes Cl...The record company loses nothing when another song is download.The record industry will tell you otherwise. It has claim losses in the millions due to file sharing. However, the record industry should not fear file sharing. With the majority of the nation on dial up, there are only small percentage of people who have enough bandwidth or time to download music. An even smaller percentage download videos and software. If these were the only factors that affected internet file sharing, it might remain stable as it is. Unfortunately, the latest updates to the software have eliminated the ability of the computer to share. This is extremely detrimental to the network. When everyone uploads, everyone can download. Hence the importance of uploading.The refreshing...

Words that carry weight - Emphasis

Words that carry weight Words that carry weight The words obese and obesity may soon be off-limits at Liverpool City Council. The idea is to avoid causing offence, but will they just end up diluting the message? The proposal, if it goes ahead, would see these words replaced by the term unhealthy weight in any literature aimed at children. The idea came from around 90 nine to eleven year-olds of the Liverpool Schools Parliament, who see using obese as too negative, and potentially disheartening for the young people it may describe. Its often a good move to swap more clinical or jargon-like words for everyday alternatives which are more accessible to your audience, but sometimes you risk losing the full meaning behind the original choice. Some see this as a worrying move: clinically, being obese is much more serious than merely being overweight. This substitution is just fudging the problem says Tam Fry, of the Child Growth Foundation. Unfortunately sometimes schoolchildren have to be taught the realities of life. Let us know what you think. Is this a sensible plan to protect children, or just too PC?

Chose and research an organisation with a particular focus on a Essay

Chose and research an organisation with a particular focus on a current HRM issue or process - Essay Example It is based in Japan but has spread its business to many countries in the wave of globalization. It has strong presence in United States and North America. Sales in these regions provide more than 70% of the profit worldwide. This increasing market share and rapid growth is not without its drawbacks. I have selected Toyota motors because of the recent disaster the company faced. Toyota automobile is famous for its quality but had to recall nine million cars worldwide. In addition to the obvious financial loss there was also huge loss of public image as well. The issue was mismanaged and handled poorly which tarnished the brand reputation in the public eye. It caused the company to touch the lowest ever sales in more than a decade. According to business week estimates because of this recent recall Toyota is facing $ 155 million per week and Toyota has lost almost $30 billion in stocks. In the long run the company can lose hundreds of billions of dollars because of this problem. So who is responsible for such a huge loss? On the outset it seems a great technical fault. Engineers, technicians, quality assurance people seems to be the most obvious people responsible for this disaster. The mechanical issue which affected eight models of Toyota is not the sole responsibility of the people associate with the design department, or technical staff producing faulty pedals and onboard computers. Can only technical staff be blamed for this disaster? Were Toyota leaders unaware of this mechanical fault? If they were unaware shouldn’t they be blamed for their unawareness? However, this is not the scenario. With the much hyped up Toyota production system (TPS) how such negligence is possible. TPS is known all over the world for its quality. Toyota production system (TPS) is also defined as the lean production system which emphasizes on cost cutting. It utilizes half the human capital, investment in machinery, manufacturing space and engineering hours as compared to mas s production system. Toyota production system brought the current Japan economic preeminence. This production system developed by Toyota was followed by many other industries and organizations which brought the economic profits for Japan. Just in time (JIT) production was the rationale behind Toyota production system. The major goal of TPS was cost cutting with sub goals like quality control, quality assurance and respect for humanity in terms of utilizing human resource to achieve cost objective. 2(Alavudeen & Venkateshwaran, 2008) With such renowned and successful TPS such mechanical fault was not expected. There is enough evidence that the Toyota leaders were aware of this mechanical fault long before any action was taken. This behavior suggests that the managers were actually trying to hide the issue which resulted in such disaster. With so much emphasis on cost cutting and setting it as the primary objective in TPS was probably the root cause for this disaster. If the root caus e of this failure is bad decisions by employees, ignoring a known issue, mishandling it in public then instead of just blaming the technical staff we should try to identify what made them behave like this. And the question arises to justify the rationale behind such decisions. If we make an attempt to understand the behavior then the role of HR becomes prominent. What was lacking or deficient or simply

The Buying Patterns of the Consumers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Buying Patterns of the Consumers - Essay Example When flaws in this approach became apparent, during the mid-1990s, the focus shifted towards product orientation, which urged the marketers to spend all their resources in perfecting the quality of their products. The next ideology shift during the late 1970s brought the selling orientation, which preached the idea that in order to ensure sales and profits, companies should follow highly aggressive sales strategies (Lancaster & Massingham, 2010, p. 20).   Nevertheless, all these ideologies were stepping stones in allowing marketers to come up with the marketing innovation, which puts customers at the top of everything which the motto, â€Å"a customer is always right†. Marketing approach urges marketers and companies not to engage in â€Å"hunting† but â€Å"gardening†. Marketers agree that â€Å"make and sell† strategy is extremely short-sighted and today, in order to succeed, companies need to follow a â€Å"sense and respond† strategy. Organisations should not put in all their efforts to find the right customers for their products, but the focus should be on finding the right products for your customers (Solomon, 2006, p. 370).   More importantly, in order to find right products for your customers, you first need to have a thorough understanding of the needs and wants of your customers. Only when businesses have the proper knowledge about the buying patterns of their consumers, they can sustain their revenues and ensure that they rank high in terms of customer satisfaction.

Financial statements analysis and financial models(question answers) Assignment

Financial statements analysis and financial models(question answers) - Assignment Example a company, without seeking for debt finance, the following are two ways a company can adopt in order to increase the sustainable growth rate: first, the utility rate of assets should be increased in order to increase the revenue generated, thus, increase the net income. An increase in the net income increases both the ROE and the payout ratio. Second, the company can depend on either retained earnings or equity finance to fund the undertakings of projects with positive net present value. ROE = Profit margin*Total asset turnover*equity multiplier = (0.55*1.9*0.063) = 6.5835%. Sustainable growth = (ROE*b)/1- (ROE*b). 0.09 = (0.065835b)/ 1 – (0.065835b). b = 1.2546 = (1 – payout ratio). Therefore, payout ratio = (1.2546 – 1) = 25.46%. Consequently, for the growth rate to be achieved, the dividend payout ratio must be 25.46%. The interpretation means that the company will use 25.46% of the net income to fund dividend payment. The approximate sustainable growth rate SGR = (ROEb)/1- (ROEb). ROE = (Net income/equity) = (95,000/230,000) = 41.30%. The payout ratio = (42,000/95,000) = 44.21%. Therefore, SGR = (0.413*0.4421)/1 – (0.413* 0.4421) = 0.1826/ (1- 0.1826) = 22.34%. The exact sustainable growth rate = 22.339124%. Since the value of equity never changed during the period, the ROE is remains unchanged. Therefore, the approximate sustainable growth rate is similar to the above determined

Effect of Export Performance on Economy

Effect of Export Performance on Economy CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION In this chapter, first we introduce the study by highlighting its background followed by a brief description of Malaysias economy and external trade based on relevant statistics related to economic growth trends and international trade, respectively. Next, we further proceed to look in detail at the export performance concept. Then, we indicate the current major products exported by Malaysian firms, and their main export destinations. Research problem, question, and objectives, followed by the significance, scope, limitations, and organization of the paper, are all discussed in the last part of the chapter. 1.1. Background of the Study With the increasing trend of globalization, the arena of market and competition for business firms has expanded from domestic markets to the international markets. This has accentuated the importance of understanding the behavior of firms in foreign markets. Exporting represents a viable strategic option for firms to internationalize and has remained the most frequently used foreign market entry mode chosen (Zhao Zou, 2002), as it provides the firm with the flexibility needed to penetrate and compete in new international markets. In 2001, the World Bank published the report Globalization, Growth and Poverty: Building an Inclusive World Economy. The report shows that 24 developing countries, which increased their integration into the world economy, achieved higher growth in incomes, longer life expectancy and better schooling (Van Dijk, 2002). Exporting is considered to be one of the most important ways for developing countries to link with the world economy. Therefore, it is identified by governments and public policy makers as a priority (Morgan, 1997). 1.1.1. Malaysias Economy and External Trade The Malaysian economy has shown to be one of the most dynamic economies in the Asia Pacific region. The structure of the Malaysian economy had a dramatic transformation in the last five decades. Gradually over this period, it has displayed attributes of newly industrialized country and its economy has shown an impressive track record (Hamid, 2004). The country had an impressive annual growth in the 1970s reaching 7.8%, and continued to grow at a rate of 8.8% in the 1980s except during recession in 1985 to 1986. The recovery started in 1988 and the economy sustained an annual growth of over 8% in the 1990s. However, the Asian financial crisis had the worst impact when the economy shrank by 11.2% year on year in the fourth quarter of 1998 (The Economist Intelligence Unit, 2009). This led the Malaysian government to implement several economic policy adjustments which started in 1999 in order to speed up the recovery. Consequently, the economy recorded a positive growth in seven consecutive years. After a strong take-off of 5.3% in 2003, the second half of 2006 recorded a higher than expected growth of 5.9% (Malaysia Economic Report , 2006). Recently, as a result of the global recession, Malaysias real GDP contracted by 6.2% year on year in the first quarter of 2009 (The Economist Intelligence Unit, 2009). However, the economy reco vered gradually later in the same year. Malaysias trade policy focuses on greater integration into the world economy and enhancing its global position as a trading nation. The country has consistently maintained its position as the 18th largest global exporter and the 20th largest importer in the last few years (WTO, 2005). Malaysias trade with the world from 2000 to 2009 is illustrated in figure 1. The bar chart shows that Malaysia had a steady increase in total trade. The country reached a peak of approximately RM787.5 billion and RM643.1 billion in 2009 for exports and imports respectively, yielding a trade surplus of RM144.4 billion. This trend is expected to continue in the next few years as more economic reforms would take place, coincided with high growth rates expected. 1.1.2. Export Performance Export performance is broadly defined as the outcome of a firms activities in export markets (Shoham, 1996). The fundamental importance of export performance to international marketing has led to a substantial body of research. It is recognized that research on export performance is of vital interest to three major groups: public policy makers, managers and researchers. First, export performance is important for public policy makers or governments as it contributes to the development of foreign exchange reserves, increases the level of imports a country can afford, provides a vehicle for job creation, improves employment opportunities, improves standards of living, and encourages better working conditions and more efficient business (Lages Montgomery, 2004). Second, at a micro level, managers view exporting as a way to expand their firms access to international markets, benefit from economies of scale, reduce the dependence on their domestic markets, and enjoy faster sales, employment, and growth (Freeman Lawley, 2005). Third, as a result of its importance for both policy makers and managers, researchers consider exporting a challenging and promising area for theory building in international marketing (Zou Stan, 1997). Since gaining independence from Britain in 1957, Malaysia implemented a series of 5-year development plans in order to transform its economy from being an exporter of rubber and tin to emerge as one of the worlds largest producers of palm oil products, timber, oil and manufactured products (Wheeler Mohamad, 1993). Additionally, due to its impressive growth, the manufacturing sector has replaced agriculture as the number one sector in the economy. Table 1 shows Malaysias major export products in January 2010. The manufacturing sector remains a dynamic engine of growth for Malaysia with an estimated share of 31.5% of GDP in 2005 (WTO, 2005). It is considered to be the most dominant sector with approximately three quarters of total exports. This is mainly due to the significant contribution of electrical and electronic products as they are Malaysias leading export earner with a value of RM21,372.3 billion, representing 40.75% of total exports in January 2010. Palm oil retained as the second largest export revenue earner with a total value of RM3,985 billion or 7.6% of exports. Third, liquefied natural gas (LNG) made up 6.5% of total exports with RM3,400.3 billion. Chemicals chemical products were the fourth largest commodity accounting for 6% of total exports with RM3,173.9 billion. The remaining different products Table 1: Malaysias major export products in January 2010 (Billion Ringgits) Source: Department of Statistics Malaysia, January 2010, Malaysia External Trade Statistics. Retrieved on 16/2/2010 from: http://www.matrade.gov.my/cms/documentstorage/com.tms.cms.document.Document_2c11596d-7f000010-584c584c-f259ef13/Press%20release%20Jan10%20Eng.pdfCalculated based on the values of the table. including crude petroleum, refined petroleum products, and others, formed approximately 40% of total exports in the same period. For export destinations, the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) was Malaysias major export market in January 2010, with RM7,094.9 billion (13.53% of total exports), as shown in table 2. Table 2: Malaysias major export markets in January 2010 (Billion Ringgits) Source: Department of Statistics Malaysia, January 2010, Malaysia External Trade Statistics. Retrieved on 16/2/2010 from: http://www.matrade.gov.my/cms/documentstorage/com.tms.cms.document.Document_2c11596d-7f000010-584c584c-f259ef13/Press%20release%20Jan10%20Eng.pdf Calculated based on the values of the table. The next major export destination is Singapore (13.26%, RM6,953.5 billion), followed by Japan (11.15%, RM5,849.7 billion), USA (9.37%, RM4,917.2 billion), and Hong Kong (5.5.%, RM 2,876.2 billion). These top five export destinations accounted for more than half of Malaysias total exports. The statistics reflect the increasing significance of exporting as a key economic tool for growth and development in Malaysia. In addition, despite the downturn caused by the Asian financial crisis thirteen years ago, Malaysia has made rapid strides in economic development through the continuous adoption of appropriate policies and strategies to ensure sustainability of growth (WTO, 2005) as well as to transform the economic structure of the country into a manufacturing and export-based economy. 1.2. Problem Statement, Question, and Objectives of the Study A problem is defined as any situation where a gap exists between the actual and the desired ideal state (Cavana et al., 2007). It is critical that the problem of the study is unambiguously identified, and followed by a clear, precise, and succinct statement of the question and objectives of the study. 1.2.1. Research Problem Much of the knowledge about successful export activity is fragmented, and the tradition of building on previous findings is not well-established in the export marketing field (Aaby Slater, 1989). Many export performance studies focused only on a single factor affecting export performance, while there have been only few attempts to come up with models that incorporate a wide range of relevant factors. These exceptions include, (Cooper Kleinschmidt, 1985); (Cavusgil Zou, 1994). Some of the discrepancies in the literature might be attributable to differences regarding the way in which export performance has been assessed (Walters Samiee, 1990). In this context, the vast majority of studies have utilized objective performance indicators (Katsikeas et al., 1996). However, there are two problems with the use of certain objective measures: First problem is concerned with research methodology i.e. accurate objective indicators of export performance are not easy to obtain since formal company financial statements and reports often make no clear distinction between domestic and export business operations, partially due to the fact that many firms view exporting as an extension of their domestic activities (Yang et al., 1992). Second, a serious comparability caveat may arise as a result of inherent measurement weaknesses underlying most objective measures (Katsikeas et al., 1996). Differences among industries and product subsectors in terms of competition or technology could lead to incoherent comparison across the sample firms. In other words, objective indicators of export performance, such as sales volume, sales growth and market share, might have little meaning in those cases where the firms surveyed belong to different industry or product groups (Covin, 1991). Accordingly, in order to fill this literature gap, it is important to use different indicators to measure the multi-dimensionality of export performance and increase the reliability of the results. In this research, we adopt three subjective indicators to measure export performance of Malaysian manufacturing firms by asking respondents three questions to indicate their perceptions in achieving objectives regarding export sales, export market share, and export profitability. We use this subjective composite indicator because, compared to other objective export indicators, it cancels the size effect and it also facilitates comparison between companies of different sizes and industries. 1.2.2. Research Question Are firms characteristics, export marketing strategy, management perceptions, and export commitment associated with export performance? If so, which of these contributes most to the variance of the dependant variable? 1.2.3. Research Objectives This study aims to contribute to the meager but growing literature on firm-level export performance for developing countries by using Malaysia as the empirical platform. The study was designed to reexamine some determinants of export performance mentioned in the export marketing literature, more specifically, certain firms characteristics, export marketing strategy adopted, managements attitudes and perceptions, and export commitment are integrated factors that viewed as significantly influencing export performance. In a nutshell, the study seeks to achieve the following two objectives: To investigate the relationships between export performance on one hand, and firm characteristics, export marketing strategy, management perceptions, and export commitment on the other hand. Establish the relative importance of each of the independent variables in influencing export performance of Malaysian manufacturing firms. 1.3. Significance, Scope, and Organization of the Study In the next few paragraphs, we address the approaches deployed in this paper that contribute to the significance of this research in the context of export marketing field. Further, the scope, limitations, and organization of the paper, are all discussed subsequently. 1.3.1. Significance of the Study With the increasing global business competition, it has become important, particularly for firms in developing countries, to understand the determinants of export performance as firms survival and expansion, and consequent economic growth of many developing countries are strongly dependent on a better understanding of what determines the export performance (Sousa et al., 2008). In spite of the numerous empirical studies of export performance published since the 1960s, the conclusions reached by researchers in this area have, however, varied widely. The significance of the present study is derived from its design to look anew at some determinants of export performance mentioned in the literature in order to examine their effect on export performance manufacturing firms in Malaysia where export marketing research is of extreme relevance for both practitioners and scholars, knowing that the country is considered to be the worlds eighteenth largest exporter, and the trend is growing significantly over time. For example, exports posted a double digit growth in December 2009, year-on-year, rising significantly by 18.7% to RM54.7 billion, compared with December 2008 (Department of Statistics Malaysia, 2010). 1.3.2. Scope and Limitations of the Study The evidence reported in this paper should be interpreted in the light of several limitations. That is, in addition to the relatively low response rate of just 17%, the research effort was restricted to manufacturing firms within a specific country context, thus caution may be exercised in generalizing the present findings too broadly. Nonetheless, generalizations of the study findings may be applicable to those exporting frameworks with similar structural characteristics of export marketing. Furthermore, the cross-sectional nature of the data limits our ability to rule out cause-effect inferences (Katsikeas et al., 1996). Such one-shot study may not be suitable for a research that involves a dynamic phenomenon, therefore, the adoption of longitudinal studies in future studies can provide more insights into the dynamic aspects of export behavior and performance. Other limitations were related to time constraint, specifically during data collection period which started in mid-February 2010. This stage of the research was coincided with celebrations of the Chinese New Year, on February 14th, the period during which most companies in Malaysia had at least a one week holiday. As a result, it took us a relatively longer time than expected to receive responds in order to proceed for further analysis. 1.3.3. Organization of the Study In this study, an attempt is made to synthesize and empirically test a model of export performance focusing on exporters from an ASEAN member. Specifically, the sudsy constitutes indigenous Malaysian manufacturers trading with overseas distributors. The paper is formatted into several sections. First, an in-depth literature is presented including key theoretical and measurement problems. Next, a conceptual framework of export performance is developed through the statement of several hypotheses. Then, the research design approach and methodological procedures including data analysis are described. Lastly, we present the findings of the study followed by a discussion, conclusions, and recommendations. Summary of Chapter One Through its external trade policy, Malaysia aims primarily for a greater integration into the world economy in order to maintain its position as one of the largest global exporters, specifically exports of manufactured products. At a micro level, export performance refers to the outcome of a firms activities in export markets. It is a way to expand access to international markets, benefit from economies of scale, reduce the dependence on domestic markets, and enjoy faster sales, employment, and growth. Studies within the export marketing field are characterized by the discrepancy and fragmentation of the findings. In this context, most export performance studies utilized objective export performance measures. However, this might result in the fragmentation of findings due to some issues related to research methodology and comparability caveat among firms. Therefore, subjective indicators are employed to measure the dimensionality of export performance in the Malaysian context. The objective is delineate the relationship between export performance (dependent variable) on one hand, and firm characteristics, export marketing strategy, management perceptions, and export commitment (independent variables) on the other hand. CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW In this chapter, a conceptual background of export performance is coherently addressed; starting with a relevant review of the export marketing performance literature and their main characteristics including the way in which export performance has been measured. We further proceed to identify and classify the multiple independent variables that have been frequently used in past studies. At the end of the chapter, some examples of the discrepancies in the findings of some studies are highlighted. 2.1. Export Marketing Performance Literature The classical economic view tries to explain why it is beneficial for a country to engage in international trade based on the assumption that countries differ in their abilities to produce goods efficiently. The comparative advantage theory, for example, helps to explain the pattern of international trade that we observe in the world economy (Heckscher Ohlin, 1991); (Ricardo, 1817); and (Smith, 1776). However, the assumptions underlying the principle of comparative advantage are unrealistic in many countries and industries. That is because competitive advantage depends on the capacity to innovate and upgrade. It also depends on the extent to which a home environment is dynamic, challenging, and forward looking. Therefore, competitive advantage is not inherited; in other words, it does not grow out of a countrys natural endowments, its labor, its interest rates or its currencys value, as classical economics insist (Porter, 1990). A plethora of studies have been published in the past 30 years on the determinants of export performance. This is mainly due to the increasing relevance of export marketing as an area of inquiry. Existing literature shows that the United States is the most researched country in export performance studies. However, an increasing number of studies have been conducted by European researchers from non-English-speaking countries who published in English-language journals. Examples include, (Bijmolt Zwart, 1994), (Holzmuller Kasper, 1991), and (Madsen, 1989). Some other studies have also been conducted in developing countries in Asia and Latin America. Characteristics of the studies reviewed are summarized in table 3. The main characteristics that we focused on are: 2.1.1. Size of the Sample Except for one study which used a data base of 20,161 Indonesian firms from different manufacturing sectors, the size of the samples used in the studies reviewed ranges between 51 and 783. Most of them were drawn from multiple manufacturing industries, while just few such as (Cavusgil Kirpalani, 1993), (Singer Czinkota, 1994), and (Sriram Manu, 1995), had included in the sampling, reselling and service firms in addition to manufacturing firms. 2.1.2. Industry Context of Studies The vast majority of the reviewed studies employed samples drawn from multiple manufacturing industries. Only few have included in addition to manufacturers, reselling and service firms. Examples include (Cavusgil Kirpalani, 1993), (Singer Czinkota, 1994), and (Sriram Manu, 1995). This reflects the importance of manufacturing firms in the world economy. However, findings cannot be generalized to other industry contexts. Table 3: Characteristics of the reviewed articles Solberg 2002 Norway 150 mult manuf SML survey correlation/ anova firm Albaum, Tse 2001 Hong Kong 183 mult manuf SML survey regression firm Gencturk, Kotabe 2001 USA 162 mult manuf SML survey anova firm Effect of Export Performance on Economy Effect of Export Performance on Economy CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION In this chapter, first we introduce the study by highlighting its background followed by a brief description of Malaysias economy and external trade based on relevant statistics related to economic growth trends and international trade, respectively. Next, we further proceed to look in detail at the export performance concept. Then, we indicate the current major products exported by Malaysian firms, and their main export destinations. Research problem, question, and objectives, followed by the significance, scope, limitations, and organization of the paper, are all discussed in the last part of the chapter. 1.1. Background of the Study With the increasing trend of globalization, the arena of market and competition for business firms has expanded from domestic markets to the international markets. This has accentuated the importance of understanding the behavior of firms in foreign markets. Exporting represents a viable strategic option for firms to internationalize and has remained the most frequently used foreign market entry mode chosen (Zhao Zou, 2002), as it provides the firm with the flexibility needed to penetrate and compete in new international markets. In 2001, the World Bank published the report Globalization, Growth and Poverty: Building an Inclusive World Economy. The report shows that 24 developing countries, which increased their integration into the world economy, achieved higher growth in incomes, longer life expectancy and better schooling (Van Dijk, 2002). Exporting is considered to be one of the most important ways for developing countries to link with the world economy. Therefore, it is identified by governments and public policy makers as a priority (Morgan, 1997). 1.1.1. Malaysias Economy and External Trade The Malaysian economy has shown to be one of the most dynamic economies in the Asia Pacific region. The structure of the Malaysian economy had a dramatic transformation in the last five decades. Gradually over this period, it has displayed attributes of newly industrialized country and its economy has shown an impressive track record (Hamid, 2004). The country had an impressive annual growth in the 1970s reaching 7.8%, and continued to grow at a rate of 8.8% in the 1980s except during recession in 1985 to 1986. The recovery started in 1988 and the economy sustained an annual growth of over 8% in the 1990s. However, the Asian financial crisis had the worst impact when the economy shrank by 11.2% year on year in the fourth quarter of 1998 (The Economist Intelligence Unit, 2009). This led the Malaysian government to implement several economic policy adjustments which started in 1999 in order to speed up the recovery. Consequently, the economy recorded a positive growth in seven consecutive years. After a strong take-off of 5.3% in 2003, the second half of 2006 recorded a higher than expected growth of 5.9% (Malaysia Economic Report , 2006). Recently, as a result of the global recession, Malaysias real GDP contracted by 6.2% year on year in the first quarter of 2009 (The Economist Intelligence Unit, 2009). However, the economy reco vered gradually later in the same year. Malaysias trade policy focuses on greater integration into the world economy and enhancing its global position as a trading nation. The country has consistently maintained its position as the 18th largest global exporter and the 20th largest importer in the last few years (WTO, 2005). Malaysias trade with the world from 2000 to 2009 is illustrated in figure 1. The bar chart shows that Malaysia had a steady increase in total trade. The country reached a peak of approximately RM787.5 billion and RM643.1 billion in 2009 for exports and imports respectively, yielding a trade surplus of RM144.4 billion. This trend is expected to continue in the next few years as more economic reforms would take place, coincided with high growth rates expected. 1.1.2. Export Performance Export performance is broadly defined as the outcome of a firms activities in export markets (Shoham, 1996). The fundamental importance of export performance to international marketing has led to a substantial body of research. It is recognized that research on export performance is of vital interest to three major groups: public policy makers, managers and researchers. First, export performance is important for public policy makers or governments as it contributes to the development of foreign exchange reserves, increases the level of imports a country can afford, provides a vehicle for job creation, improves employment opportunities, improves standards of living, and encourages better working conditions and more efficient business (Lages Montgomery, 2004). Second, at a micro level, managers view exporting as a way to expand their firms access to international markets, benefit from economies of scale, reduce the dependence on their domestic markets, and enjoy faster sales, employment, and growth (Freeman Lawley, 2005). Third, as a result of its importance for both policy makers and managers, researchers consider exporting a challenging and promising area for theory building in international marketing (Zou Stan, 1997). Since gaining independence from Britain in 1957, Malaysia implemented a series of 5-year development plans in order to transform its economy from being an exporter of rubber and tin to emerge as one of the worlds largest producers of palm oil products, timber, oil and manufactured products (Wheeler Mohamad, 1993). Additionally, due to its impressive growth, the manufacturing sector has replaced agriculture as the number one sector in the economy. Table 1 shows Malaysias major export products in January 2010. The manufacturing sector remains a dynamic engine of growth for Malaysia with an estimated share of 31.5% of GDP in 2005 (WTO, 2005). It is considered to be the most dominant sector with approximately three quarters of total exports. This is mainly due to the significant contribution of electrical and electronic products as they are Malaysias leading export earner with a value of RM21,372.3 billion, representing 40.75% of total exports in January 2010. Palm oil retained as the second largest export revenue earner with a total value of RM3,985 billion or 7.6% of exports. Third, liquefied natural gas (LNG) made up 6.5% of total exports with RM3,400.3 billion. Chemicals chemical products were the fourth largest commodity accounting for 6% of total exports with RM3,173.9 billion. The remaining different products Table 1: Malaysias major export products in January 2010 (Billion Ringgits) Source: Department of Statistics Malaysia, January 2010, Malaysia External Trade Statistics. Retrieved on 16/2/2010 from: http://www.matrade.gov.my/cms/documentstorage/com.tms.cms.document.Document_2c11596d-7f000010-584c584c-f259ef13/Press%20release%20Jan10%20Eng.pdfCalculated based on the values of the table. including crude petroleum, refined petroleum products, and others, formed approximately 40% of total exports in the same period. For export destinations, the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) was Malaysias major export market in January 2010, with RM7,094.9 billion (13.53% of total exports), as shown in table 2. Table 2: Malaysias major export markets in January 2010 (Billion Ringgits) Source: Department of Statistics Malaysia, January 2010, Malaysia External Trade Statistics. Retrieved on 16/2/2010 from: http://www.matrade.gov.my/cms/documentstorage/com.tms.cms.document.Document_2c11596d-7f000010-584c584c-f259ef13/Press%20release%20Jan10%20Eng.pdf Calculated based on the values of the table. The next major export destination is Singapore (13.26%, RM6,953.5 billion), followed by Japan (11.15%, RM5,849.7 billion), USA (9.37%, RM4,917.2 billion), and Hong Kong (5.5.%, RM 2,876.2 billion). These top five export destinations accounted for more than half of Malaysias total exports. The statistics reflect the increasing significance of exporting as a key economic tool for growth and development in Malaysia. In addition, despite the downturn caused by the Asian financial crisis thirteen years ago, Malaysia has made rapid strides in economic development through the continuous adoption of appropriate policies and strategies to ensure sustainability of growth (WTO, 2005) as well as to transform the economic structure of the country into a manufacturing and export-based economy. 1.2. Problem Statement, Question, and Objectives of the Study A problem is defined as any situation where a gap exists between the actual and the desired ideal state (Cavana et al., 2007). It is critical that the problem of the study is unambiguously identified, and followed by a clear, precise, and succinct statement of the question and objectives of the study. 1.2.1. Research Problem Much of the knowledge about successful export activity is fragmented, and the tradition of building on previous findings is not well-established in the export marketing field (Aaby Slater, 1989). Many export performance studies focused only on a single factor affecting export performance, while there have been only few attempts to come up with models that incorporate a wide range of relevant factors. These exceptions include, (Cooper Kleinschmidt, 1985); (Cavusgil Zou, 1994). Some of the discrepancies in the literature might be attributable to differences regarding the way in which export performance has been assessed (Walters Samiee, 1990). In this context, the vast majority of studies have utilized objective performance indicators (Katsikeas et al., 1996). However, there are two problems with the use of certain objective measures: First problem is concerned with research methodology i.e. accurate objective indicators of export performance are not easy to obtain since formal company financial statements and reports often make no clear distinction between domestic and export business operations, partially due to the fact that many firms view exporting as an extension of their domestic activities (Yang et al., 1992). Second, a serious comparability caveat may arise as a result of inherent measurement weaknesses underlying most objective measures (Katsikeas et al., 1996). Differences among industries and product subsectors in terms of competition or technology could lead to incoherent comparison across the sample firms. In other words, objective indicators of export performance, such as sales volume, sales growth and market share, might have little meaning in those cases where the firms surveyed belong to different industry or product groups (Covin, 1991). Accordingly, in order to fill this literature gap, it is important to use different indicators to measure the multi-dimensionality of export performance and increase the reliability of the results. In this research, we adopt three subjective indicators to measure export performance of Malaysian manufacturing firms by asking respondents three questions to indicate their perceptions in achieving objectives regarding export sales, export market share, and export profitability. We use this subjective composite indicator because, compared to other objective export indicators, it cancels the size effect and it also facilitates comparison between companies of different sizes and industries. 1.2.2. Research Question Are firms characteristics, export marketing strategy, management perceptions, and export commitment associated with export performance? If so, which of these contributes most to the variance of the dependant variable? 1.2.3. Research Objectives This study aims to contribute to the meager but growing literature on firm-level export performance for developing countries by using Malaysia as the empirical platform. The study was designed to reexamine some determinants of export performance mentioned in the export marketing literature, more specifically, certain firms characteristics, export marketing strategy adopted, managements attitudes and perceptions, and export commitment are integrated factors that viewed as significantly influencing export performance. In a nutshell, the study seeks to achieve the following two objectives: To investigate the relationships between export performance on one hand, and firm characteristics, export marketing strategy, management perceptions, and export commitment on the other hand. Establish the relative importance of each of the independent variables in influencing export performance of Malaysian manufacturing firms. 1.3. Significance, Scope, and Organization of the Study In the next few paragraphs, we address the approaches deployed in this paper that contribute to the significance of this research in the context of export marketing field. Further, the scope, limitations, and organization of the paper, are all discussed subsequently. 1.3.1. Significance of the Study With the increasing global business competition, it has become important, particularly for firms in developing countries, to understand the determinants of export performance as firms survival and expansion, and consequent economic growth of many developing countries are strongly dependent on a better understanding of what determines the export performance (Sousa et al., 2008). In spite of the numerous empirical studies of export performance published since the 1960s, the conclusions reached by researchers in this area have, however, varied widely. The significance of the present study is derived from its design to look anew at some determinants of export performance mentioned in the literature in order to examine their effect on export performance manufacturing firms in Malaysia where export marketing research is of extreme relevance for both practitioners and scholars, knowing that the country is considered to be the worlds eighteenth largest exporter, and the trend is growing significantly over time. For example, exports posted a double digit growth in December 2009, year-on-year, rising significantly by 18.7% to RM54.7 billion, compared with December 2008 (Department of Statistics Malaysia, 2010). 1.3.2. Scope and Limitations of the Study The evidence reported in this paper should be interpreted in the light of several limitations. That is, in addition to the relatively low response rate of just 17%, the research effort was restricted to manufacturing firms within a specific country context, thus caution may be exercised in generalizing the present findings too broadly. Nonetheless, generalizations of the study findings may be applicable to those exporting frameworks with similar structural characteristics of export marketing. Furthermore, the cross-sectional nature of the data limits our ability to rule out cause-effect inferences (Katsikeas et al., 1996). Such one-shot study may not be suitable for a research that involves a dynamic phenomenon, therefore, the adoption of longitudinal studies in future studies can provide more insights into the dynamic aspects of export behavior and performance. Other limitations were related to time constraint, specifically during data collection period which started in mid-February 2010. This stage of the research was coincided with celebrations of the Chinese New Year, on February 14th, the period during which most companies in Malaysia had at least a one week holiday. As a result, it took us a relatively longer time than expected to receive responds in order to proceed for further analysis. 1.3.3. Organization of the Study In this study, an attempt is made to synthesize and empirically test a model of export performance focusing on exporters from an ASEAN member. Specifically, the sudsy constitutes indigenous Malaysian manufacturers trading with overseas distributors. The paper is formatted into several sections. First, an in-depth literature is presented including key theoretical and measurement problems. Next, a conceptual framework of export performance is developed through the statement of several hypotheses. Then, the research design approach and methodological procedures including data analysis are described. Lastly, we present the findings of the study followed by a discussion, conclusions, and recommendations. Summary of Chapter One Through its external trade policy, Malaysia aims primarily for a greater integration into the world economy in order to maintain its position as one of the largest global exporters, specifically exports of manufactured products. At a micro level, export performance refers to the outcome of a firms activities in export markets. It is a way to expand access to international markets, benefit from economies of scale, reduce the dependence on domestic markets, and enjoy faster sales, employment, and growth. Studies within the export marketing field are characterized by the discrepancy and fragmentation of the findings. In this context, most export performance studies utilized objective export performance measures. However, this might result in the fragmentation of findings due to some issues related to research methodology and comparability caveat among firms. Therefore, subjective indicators are employed to measure the dimensionality of export performance in the Malaysian context. The objective is delineate the relationship between export performance (dependent variable) on one hand, and firm characteristics, export marketing strategy, management perceptions, and export commitment (independent variables) on the other hand. CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW In this chapter, a conceptual background of export performance is coherently addressed; starting with a relevant review of the export marketing performance literature and their main characteristics including the way in which export performance has been measured. We further proceed to identify and classify the multiple independent variables that have been frequently used in past studies. At the end of the chapter, some examples of the discrepancies in the findings of some studies are highlighted. 2.1. Export Marketing Performance Literature The classical economic view tries to explain why it is beneficial for a country to engage in international trade based on the assumption that countries differ in their abilities to produce goods efficiently. The comparative advantage theory, for example, helps to explain the pattern of international trade that we observe in the world economy (Heckscher Ohlin, 1991); (Ricardo, 1817); and (Smith, 1776). However, the assumptions underlying the principle of comparative advantage are unrealistic in many countries and industries. That is because competitive advantage depends on the capacity to innovate and upgrade. It also depends on the extent to which a home environment is dynamic, challenging, and forward looking. Therefore, competitive advantage is not inherited; in other words, it does not grow out of a countrys natural endowments, its labor, its interest rates or its currencys value, as classical economics insist (Porter, 1990). A plethora of studies have been published in the past 30 years on the determinants of export performance. This is mainly due to the increasing relevance of export marketing as an area of inquiry. Existing literature shows that the United States is the most researched country in export performance studies. However, an increasing number of studies have been conducted by European researchers from non-English-speaking countries who published in English-language journals. Examples include, (Bijmolt Zwart, 1994), (Holzmuller Kasper, 1991), and (Madsen, 1989). Some other studies have also been conducted in developing countries in Asia and Latin America. Characteristics of the studies reviewed are summarized in table 3. The main characteristics that we focused on are: 2.1.1. Size of the Sample Except for one study which used a data base of 20,161 Indonesian firms from different manufacturing sectors, the size of the samples used in the studies reviewed ranges between 51 and 783. Most of them were drawn from multiple manufacturing industries, while just few such as (Cavusgil Kirpalani, 1993), (Singer Czinkota, 1994), and (Sriram Manu, 1995), had included in the sampling, reselling and service firms in addition to manufacturing firms. 2.1.2. Industry Context of Studies The vast majority of the reviewed studies employed samples drawn from multiple manufacturing industries. Only few have included in addition to manufacturers, reselling and service firms. Examples include (Cavusgil Kirpalani, 1993), (Singer Czinkota, 1994), and (Sriram Manu, 1995). This reflects the importance of manufacturing firms in the world economy. However, findings cannot be generalized to other industry contexts. Table 3: Characteristics of the reviewed articles Solberg 2002 Norway 150 mult manuf SML survey correlation/ anova firm Albaum, Tse 2001 Hong Kong 183 mult manuf SML survey regression firm Gencturk, Kotabe 2001 USA 162 mult manuf SML survey anova firm