A Colorblind Society Will Not Work free essay sample

In his I have a Dream Speech, a statement which stands out in everybodys mind is To be judged not by the color our of skin but for the content of our character (King, 1963), he implements the idea of racial equality, but realizes racial identity will cease to exist. Another problem of the Color Blind Society is forgetting that one of the many ways people identify themselves is by race. To be blind to this fact is to ignore an obvious racial or ethnic identity. Nonetheless to ignore this facet of a color-blinding a society is to abandoned ones heritage and roots, despite what ethnic group minority or majority one belongs to. This suggestion of a color-blind society is far fetched and nearly accepts the idea of not acknowledging racism to exist among minorities. Dr. Kings thoughts of racial equality might have been taken out of context. Even though he mentions for his fellow brothers and sisters to be judged on their character and not color, he is not implying he wanted his Black brothers and sisters to forget and ignore who they are. We will write a custom essay sample on A Colorblind Society Will Not Work or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He recognized the significance of the being disadvantaged as a Black American. In his Letter from Birmingham Jail, he makes reference to the Negros problem in communities and the segregation in the city of Birmingham. He expresses his concerns of how their homes and churches are the target of more racially motivated crimes in Birmingham than any other city in the U. S. His movement was not for a color-blind society, but wanted to propose the advancement of Blacks on the basis of who they are internally and not on the surface. The reality of skin color is knowing that color does exists, he sought out to implement the use of judging beyond ones outward appearance alone. He proposed not to advocate violence and rightfully expressed his views stating We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed (King, 1963). This powerful statement shows his recognition for oppression existing and demanded for its justice. With his views on an equal society and request for fairness with Blacks, these concepts have still followed suit long after his untimely death, however the racial problem continues to thrive in Americas forefront (King, 1963). With every other television or newspaper headline starting out identifying people especially criminals by their race first, there is no way to diminish the profile of an individuals color. Whether they are Black, White, Asian, or Hispanic the first few words described of a person in is their race or cultural background. This is just one of the ways the minorities, particularly Blacks have been attributed as to being recognized for color first; more so their color, plus what they did or did not achieve. Furthermore, many firsts have been congratulated as well as widely accepted on the account for positive movements within their culture. For example a Black woman being the first to serve in the White House cabinet, an Asian being the first to receive a doctorate, or the first Hispanic owned million dollar business. To free our society of these recognitions is to deny these individuals admiration for opening the doors of others to achieve the same aspirations in life. The root of existing racism resides within the practices of stereotypes. Stereotypes have been formed over many years by using a fact or the truth and distorting its ideas in a demeaning way to generalize others. As long as stereotypes exists then racism will continue, and as long as racism continues there can never be a color-blind society. Stereotyped views remain by the use of the oppressors as a way of not having to educate or acknowledge how the effects of racism have altered the state of minorities socially, economically, and psychologically. For some, it is easy to hold on to stereotypes rather than invite the blame of the oppressor. For this reason, there is a misunderstanding of blame and oppression. While forceful segregation has not remained distinct, there continues to be a problem with institutional racism in the schools, communities, workforce, and jail systems. Schools are affected by the communities which separate districts a majority of the time by race. When urban communities are left behind from prosperous industries, the people are often left jobless and in poverty. Job markets often look for an ideal candidate. Many wish to hire workers who would appeal to the other workers including the clientele and consuming industry. Unfortunately it might be seen as uninviting to look a certain way, talk different, or dress within a different class. Employers may hold a higher standard of physical appearance and socio-economical background when choosing employees. There is no mistake that the prisons are heavily populated with more minorities as with non-minorities. There is an unjust system of profiling and unfairness standing in the government scope. A color-blind society will not be able to exist with unfair treatment of minorities. Howard Witt reported in the Chicago Tribune of a 14 year old Black girl who was sentenced for up to 7 years for shoving a hall monitor in Paris, Texas. Brenda Cherry who is an activists states the small town of 26,000 is segregated and she informs how she can still see the Paris Fairgrounds, which was the site of various lynches in the late 1800s to the early 1900s. She makes a comparison to the July 2006 criminal conviction of a 19 year White man who was held responsible in a homicide which killed a 54 year old Black woman along with her 3 year old grandson with his truck (Witt, 2007). There are too many factors in creating a color-blind society. There are existing problems within every sector of racism. Adopting the idea of a color-blind society is procreating just what is says, and that is covering the notion that racism exists and skin color is not going to be recognized. Blinding the world to what is essentially reality; suggests the unimportance of accepting an equal racial society. A number of efforts have been enforced by the civil rights movement, activists, and community leaders to strive for equality and continued freedom, and to deny them of this endeavor is to not only regress but would promote that minority’s concerns have no relevance to their society. Minorities have been taught to ignore, be inferior and stand and wait like Dr. King said, but no one will grant them their freedom, it has to be demanded. A color-blind society perpetuates the idea of blinding racism. This is a myth which may never be possible considering the long history of oppression that has affected the minorities in the United States.

The hegemonic decline of the United States and the eastward shift in the global capitalist economy The WritePass Journal

The hegemonic decline of the United States and the eastward shift in the global capitalist economy Abstract The hegemonic decline of the United States and the eastward shift in the global capitalist economy : 33) In turn, this will end up hurting the most powerful sovereign nation, which will find it increasingly difficult to maintain military hegemony without the ability to print out as many dollars as it needs. The erosion of political sovereignty as a result of the Great Recession of 2008 and the reaction to it by the ‘Second World’ goes hand in hand with the idea of privatisation of economic power, managed at supranational and extraterritorial level by powerful private concerns (Khanna, 2008: 41). These supranational concerns are in the process of setting up their own regulatory schemes, imposed on individual territorial states, which are finding it increasingly difficult to resist them. My preliminary findings show that the realignment of economic international systems is the main conduit by which harmonisation leading to an hegemonic shift in favour of China will be activated. In addition, there is a definite reaction by what I would call the Shanghai Cooperation Orga nisation bloc (notably China and Russia, but also the likes of India and Iran). The harmonisation process is proceeding apace in the West. This reaction in the Second World is generating its own kind of harmonisation. The political sovereignty of nations could also be further impaired by the conflict that will arise as a result of it. Trying to eliminate the logic of anarchy brings with it the possibility of conflict. As Schmitt put it, the political cannot exist outside the realm of conflict. It is expected that the United States will not let China accumulate the necessary military capabilities in order to establish itself as the new hegemon. Preliminary findings There are several factors which enables us to think that a hegemonic transition is taking place. A massive, imposing display of Chinese-constructed fighter aircraft and other military equipment was used to commemorate the 60th anniversary of communist Chinas founding, on 1 October, 2009. At the same time, Chinas space industry was rapidly burgeoning and continuing to develop. Along with the fact that the Chinese economy continued to expand during a global recession and a rising position on the world political stage, these technological advances indicate Chinas movement towards the status of a world superpower. While the rest of the world struggled in 2009, the Chinese economy exemplified a remarkable flexibility in returning to significant growth. The Chinese government attributes this economic resilience to Chinas blend of communism with capitalism, in contrast to the laissez-faire approach taken by the West (Guthrie, 1999: 122). In early 2009, a migration of millions of workers from urban areas to rural locales resulted from the closure of factories that produced exports on the east coast and south coast of China. The steep price of fuel and food had put pressure on household budgets in 2008, and in order to halt inflation, stringent financial and credit policies were set in place. These policies caused the construction industry to dip, as well as a slump in the property market. In response, the Chinese government created a stimulus package in November 2008 that was worth 4 trillion yuan (about $586 billion). Approximately 50% of the stimulus package was set aside for improving infrastructure, such as railways and airports, primarily in rural regions, while a further 25% was designated for the Sichuan province, which had been severely affected by a May 2008 earthquake and was in need of rebuilding. Banks were ordered to increase lending, and the result was a 164% upsurge of loans in the first three quarters of 2009. This facilitated a rebound of the economy, which occurred far more quickly than in other countries. (Wright, 2010: 221). Additionally, the latter part of the year saw the recovery of exports, which set China up to overtake Germany as the top exporter world-wide. As a result, speculation grew as to whether China could reclaim the dominant position that it once held prior to the early 1800s, at which time it provided roughly one third of manufacturing in the world, compared to just 25% of manufacturing in the West. This outcome was rendered more probably by a trade deal with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations that transpired at the end of the year. As the worlds largest creditor, China had a symbiotic and mutually beneficial relationship with the U.S., the globes biggest debtor, that had become vital in the effort to rebalance the global economy. Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of the Peoples Bank of China (PBOC) issued a statement on 23 March 2009 that called for an interna tional currency that would replace the U.S. dollar as the primary global currency and would remain unattached to individual countries; he argued that this currency would have increased stability over time. The Peoples Bank of China also proposed that Special Drawing Rights, which were designed in 1969 by the IMF for utilisation between international institutions and governments, might be employed on a wider scale and used as payment in international finance and trade transactions. This would reduce fluctuations in price and the risks associated with these fluctuations. The initiative was made again at the yearly Group of Eight (G-8) summit that took place in Italy in July 2009. Delegates from China, India, Brazil, Mexico, and South Africa (also known as the Group of Five) were also invited to the summit, where China, along with India and Russia (a G-8 member) called for an overhaul of the global financial system and a halt to dollar domination. In the latter part of September 2009, the president of the World Bank, Robert Zoellick, cautioned that the U.S. dollar faced an increasing threat due to the rising force of both the euro and the Chinese yuan. At this juncture China had surpassed Japan as the main creditor of the U.S.; there were concerns coming from Beijing that the $800.5 billion value of U.S. Treasury securities, along with other assets that constituted 60% of Chinas foreign-exchange reserves and 30% of foreign-exchange reserves globally, would be attenuated by American debt and decreasing confidence in the U.S. dollar. Â  China presented a temporary solution, which was to resist purchasing U.S. Treasury stock and, more significantly, to advocate the utilisation of the yuan as a world currency. (Kim, 2010: 49). Bibliography Arrighi, G., Capitalism and the Modern World-System: Rethinking the Non-debates of the 1970s Review (Fernand Braudel Center), Vol. 21, No. 1 (1998), pp. 113-129 Arrighi, G. The Three Hegemonies of Historical Capitalism, Review (Fernand Braudel Center), Volume 13, Number 3 (Summer, 1990), pp. 365-408 Basch, L. et al (1993) Nations Unbound: Transnational Projects, Postcolonial Predicaments, and Deterritorialized Nation-States, Gordon and Breach, London Bobbitt, Philip (2002) The Shield of Achilles: War, Peace and the Course of History. New York, Alfred Knopf Bryson, J. Nick, H., Keebie, D. and Martin, R. (1999) The Economic Geography Reader: Producing and Consuming Global Capitalism, Wiley, New York Dilly, R. (1992) Contesting Markets: Analyses of Ideology, Discourse and Practice, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh Fukuyama, F. (1992) The Last Man and the End of History, Free Press. New York Gill, S. (Ed.) (1993)Â  Gramsci, Historical Materialism and International Relations, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Gilpin, R. (1981) War and Change in World Politics, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Guthrie, D. (1999) Dragon in a Three-Piece Suit: The Emergence of Capitalism in China, Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ Harvey, D. (2005) The New Imperialism, Oxford University Press, Oxford Holub, R. (1992) Antonio Gramsci: Beyond Marxism and Postmodernism, Routledge, New York Jacques, M. (2009) When China Rules the World: The End of the Western World and the Birth of a New Global Order, Penguin Press, New York Jansson, B. (2001) The Sixteen-Trillion-Dollar Mistake: How the U.S. Bungled Its National Priorities from the New Deal to the Present, Columbia University Press, New York Khanna, P. (2008) The Second World, Penguin Books, London Kim, Yong-Ki, The Rise of G20 and Koreas Response , SERI Quarterly. Volume: 3. Issue: 4 October 2010, pp. 49-66 Kindleberger, C. Dominance and Leadership in the International Economy, International Studies Quarterly 25(2) (1981), pp. 242-54 Mandel, E. (1995) Long Waves of Capitalist Development, Verso, London Marx, K. (1863) The Capital, Volume III, marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1894-c3/index.htm MCCarthy, G. (1990) Marx and the Ancients: Classical Ethics, Social Justice, and Nineteenth-Century Political Economy, Rowman and Littlefield, Savage, MD Organski, A.F.K. (1969) World Politics, Knopf, New York Suominen, K. (2012) Peerless and Periled: The Paradox of American Leadership in the World Economic Order, Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA Wright, T. (2010) Accepting Authoritarianism: State-Society Relations in Chinas Reform Era, Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA

City of God Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

City of God Analysis - Essay Example From the beginning to the end of the film, the characters are trapped in their own destinies, only with the difference that it is not determined by God but by the corrupt and insensitive rulers of their country. It is reminded by each frame of the film that there is not even a speck of dignity in the life the slum dwellers live as they lack education as well as social and economic provisions to attain it. By raising the question, â€Å"when is a movie great?†, Thomson (year) has stressed the power of realism and the mundane in movies (p.39). He (Thomson, year) has stricken a cord with the real element of success of a film by establishing that a really great film need not have so-called 'serious' content but only need to have the ability to touch the heart and emotions of the viewers. In the film, City of God, also, it is the silly incident of a chicken running away from being butchered and being chased by gangsters that stands as one among the most impressive scenes. The film through its depiction of life and crime in the urban slums, has proven enough that there is no meaning in violence. This can be seen as the great role realism plays in making the art of film a social vehicle, as Thomson (year) said- â€Å"the idea of wanting to be there and believing the screened world was real or fit to be shared imaginatively† (p.38). In the case of this particular film, this observation can be re-worded as the idea of not wanting to be there and also sharing the anguish to make a difference in the world as members of the society. From the opening scene itself, the film has made clear that the events were happening in an urban slum. This is realized through showing the tin roofs and dirty walls of the dwellings as well as the chaotic and raw interactions of the people. The presence of forest is always there in the backyard of the slum, reminding the greenery that once might have supported the livelihood of the slum dwellers. After the motel shoot out, when two gangster youth hide inside the forest, one of them is seen expressing his wish to leave the life of the gangster. There are also many other similar incidents in the film. Thus the image of slum evolves into a political statement that questions the status quo involved. Another aspect of the use of images of slum and its physical settings in this Brazilian film is the identification that an individual in a developing world would feel with the life in this film. When the youth gang, the triad, was looting the motel, a woman inside the motel could be heard asking them why they were not studying, and she was reminding them that they were still kids. The next moment, youngest kid of the gang, Li'l Dice, has shot the people inside the motel, including the woman, giving a shocker to the viewers. This is the kind of violence and crime depicted in the film. It can be seen in this film that frustration caused by poverty and lack of opportunities was the leading emotion of the kids who beco me gangsters. This is why Li'l Dice is depicted killing the same person who was handing him over a gun for the first time. The theme of the film, in this sense is very close to reality of Latin American urban slums that comprises of â€Å"poverty that stunts the lives of children who labor long hours each day, who work as prostitutes, or who fall victim

United States Counterinsurgency (COIN) Operations Essay

United States Counterinsurgency (COIN) Operations - Essay Example Effective intelligence plays a major on wars against the insurgence as stipulated on the FM 3-24. The study reveals that the success of the operation on fields to bring down insurgents rest upon the effectiveness of the counter-insurgences team. Researchers have realized that a clear analysis of cultures, values, interest and strategic plans of a certain group in a society is the way forward to successful counterinsurgency. Studying the behavior of the insurgence, the population of the host country and the state will improve the success of the counterinsurgent team1. Additionally, the population provides more information regarding their behavior and the mode of insurgents. Research indicates that the insurgents use the population to gain their support and undermine the governing body. It is also indicated that the insurgents use the readily available tools to improve their supports. Such tools that can foster their support include political, economic, and informational to undermine the incumbent government. About such efforts by the insurgents, the counterinsurgency team would have to integrate themselves with the population. Such effort will provide them with more information about the techniques use by the insurgence. There are limitations to successful counterinsurgency; one that is clear is that most human intelligence operates in a short period in places with a high number of insurgence or in places that require counterinsurgency team. As clearly stated above, COIN requires deep analysis of the culture, believes, interest and perception of a certain group or an individual. Achievement of this can only be realized after a long period of mixing and studying such

Ecommerce in Tourism Industry

Ecommerce in Tourism Industry 2.1. Introduction to e-Commerce ‘Electronic commerce (e-Commerce) is such a service offering people the opportunity to do their shopping via modern information and communication technologies at home’ (Schultz, 2007). It enables everyone to conduct business via the Internet. The only precondition is a computer and a connection to the Internet. The term e-Commerce is becoming increasingly important in the dictionary of today’s tourism managers all around the world. This is reflected in the development of the overall online travel market turnover in Europe reaching a total of EUR 70 billion in the year 2008 (V-I-R, Verband Internet Reisevertrieb, 2009). The introduction of the internet represented both, major opportunities as well as threats, for the tourism industry. The internet erased physical borders and enables everyone to participate in a global marketplace. The only requisite is a computer and an internet access. This section explores the current dynamics within the broader area of e-Commerce and provides definitions for the incorporating aspects of business transactions via the Internet. The worldwide proliferation of the internet led to the birth of electronic transfer of transactional information. ‘E-Commerce flourished because of the openness, speed, anonymity, digitization, and global accessibility characteristics of the internet, which facilitated real-time business’ (Yu et al., 2002). One can of course argue, whether the anonymity of the Internet is still valid today. Maya Gadzheva (2008) for example, suggests that the ‘achievement of unobservability and anonymity in the Internet is going to be much more difficult in the future, due to the possibility of unlimited collection of data’. Through the aide of the internet tourism companies are able to market and sell their products to a far greater mass which represents substantial growth opportunities for them. According to Porter (2001), the ‘Internet technology provides better opportunities for companies to establish distinctive, strategic positioning than did previous generations of information technology’. However, those opportunities can also represent burdens for companies participating in transactions via the Internet. Those companies are now more than ever forced to keep their web sites up-to-date and to provide reliable information. Since the Internet is a very fast changing medium, it requires their participants, in this case the e-merchants, to keep up with this pace. In case the companies cannot fulfil these requirements, they will probably face a shift of customers to the competition. Especially the area of tourism, being labelled as largely information driven (Morgan et al., 2001) requires constantly updated and reliable information. Customers need to find every information they require on the web. They need to know where to search and they need to be convinced of the trustworthiness and reliability of this information. The ability to inform clients and to sell and market products in the virtual marketplace is a critical success factor for economic triumph of tourism companies nowadays and in the future. The website is thus a digital business card of tourism companies and one of their most effective sales persons at the same time. ‘Internet technology provides buyers with easier access to information about products and suppliers, thus bolstering buyer bargaining power’ (Porter, 2001). This will also decrease the costs of switching suppliers (or tourism companies). That is the downturn of the Internet. Competitors are only a few mouse clicks away (Porter, 2001) and the whole industry becomes more transparent. Just about every company participating in e-Commerce is obviously forced to list prices of their holiday components. This facilitates the comparability of tourism services. Customers do now have access to all kinds of information that facilitate as well as influence their holiday choice. Since tourism companies can no longer differentiate themselves from the competition by pricing means, the corporate website, and the online booking process of a holiday becomes progressively more important. This involves the appearance of the website, including usability and content related features, but also everything concerning the actual booking process and transaction handling. The tourism company (the seller) and the customer (the buyer) conducting business over the internet have usually never seen each other face-to-face, nor do they exchange currency or hard copies of documents hand-to-hand. When payments are to be made over a telecommunications network such as the internet, accuracy and security become critical (Yu et al., 2002). In other words this would mean that customers need to transfer extremely private information like credit card details to a complete stranger. Summarizing this section it can be said that Internet and e-Commerce present various advantages for tourism customers, since companies and offers are more transparent and easier to compare. Furthermore, improvements in IT technology will enhance the search for relevant information and facilitate the navigation in the World Wide Web. However, there are also threatening factors for tourism companies. Competition will become stronger, since competitors are only a few mouse clicks away, switching costs for customers are much longer and due to their access to nearly unlimited information the customers’ bargaining power will increase. Nonetheless, tourism companies who can keep up with the fast pace of the Internet and who are able to convince customers of the reliability, trustworthiness and timeliness of their displayed offers and information will benefit from the Internet. 2.2. Online Trust or eTrust What is (online) trust? A first step towards the answer of this question can be made by looking at various definitions of the term trust. Trust is defined as ‘the trait of believing in the honesty and reliability of others’ (Wordnet, Princeton University, 2006). According to this definition, buyers conducting transactions via the Internet will have to rely on a person or institution they may have never seen or even heard of. This would certainly be not sufficient as an assurance for most of us. Another definition defines trust as ‘to hope or wish’ (Wordnet, Princeton University, 2006). Summarizing this would mean that we need to rely on the goodwill of the other party and hope or wish that it will act as it was promised. Those definitions might be a good starting point in explaining the meaning of trust, but they certainly do not seem to be convenient for most of us. Bà ¶hle et al. (2000) argue that trust is a precondition for flourishing e-Commerce. Shankar et al. (2002) advance a different view, although they classify ‘(online) trust as being important in both business-to-business and business-to-consumer e-business’. Koufaris and Hampton-Sosa (2004) pursue a similar way of argumentation. They suggest that ‘lack of trust in online companies is a primary reason why many users do not shop online’. Another author, Peter Landrock (2002), founder and managing director of Cryptomathic UK Ltd., one of the world’s leading providers of security solutions to businesses, points out that ‘without such trust, neither businesses nor consumers will conduct transactions or sensitive communications across this medium (the Internet)’. This argument is being supported by a recently conducted study by Ernst Young and the Information Technology Association of America who concluded ‘that trust represents one of the most fundamental issues impacting the growth of e-Commerce’ (Talwatte, 2000). Strader and Shaw (Chadwick, 2001) point out that ‘consumers are more likely to buy from an online company they trust, when price differences are small’. Thos would in turn imply that whenever price differences are significant, customers are willing to accept a higher level of uncertainty and perceived risk in transactions with companies they do not know or trust. According to those argumentations one can say that trust is the major precondition for both, businesses as well as consumers to conduct transactions via the Internet. ‘Trust is a key challenge to the customer acceptance of e-Commerce: the lack of trust is an important reason for the hesitant growth in e-Commerce and for the reluctance of consumers to engage in online buying transactions’ (Schultz, 2007). A Forrester Survey from 2000 stated that ‘51% of companies would not do business with parties they do not trust over the web’ (Shankar et al., 2002). However, this would also mean that 49% of companies would do business with companies they do not trust. Trust needs to be strongly combined with uncertainty and ambiguity. The more information a buyer has about the seller, the better can he or she estimates whether the seller will act as it was promised. Thus, the better the information about a seller the better can he or she be trusted. Good examples for this assumption are online marketplaces like eBay or Amazon. Those two providers offer nearly everyone the possibility to participate in e-Business. Since they recognized the increased need from customers for information about sellers, they introduced up-to-date ratings. Every seller can be rated after transactions whether buyers have been satisfied with the transaction process or not. The higher and better the rating, the more trustworthy is the seller (in a simplified way). These ratings are good indications for (unexperienced) buyers, since they equip them with information about the seller’s past performance in transactions. Other ways in creating trustworthiness are so-called trust seals. ‘Those seals are issued by third parties to verify the commitment of an e-vendor’ (Cook and Luo, 2003; Hu et al., 2003; Kaplan and Nieschwitz, 2003; Koufaris and Hampton-Sosa, 2004; Loebbecke, 2003; Patton and Jà ¸sang, 2004; Urban et al., 2000; Yang et al., 2006; in Schultz, 2007). Trust seals are generally indicated via symbols on the web site of the seller. Those seals are a sign that the seller conducts business according to the standards of the third party, the trust seal provider, and/or that the seller conducts business as promised by the statements and policies on the web site (Schultz, 2007). ‘Further measures to increase trust are security features, the availability of alternative payment methods, privacy, security and return policies and feedback mechanisms and consumer communities’ (Schultz, 2007). ‘Security is the main concern of consumers before engaging in e-business with a seller’ (Schultz, 2007; Hinde 1998). ‘Sellers need to incorporate certain security features into the design of their web sites in order to ensure the safety of the whole transaction process’ (see Credit Card) (Schultz, 2007). Offering alternative methods of payment is another approach of the seller to signal the willingness to adapt to the customers’ needs. Being able to choose a method of payment equips the customer with the perceived power over a part of the transaction process. It is essential to display the ‘rules of the game’. Privacy, security and return policies need to present on every seller’s web site in order to inform the customer properly. This will not only increase trust but will also facilitate processes in case of complaints or other problems. The provision of customer feedback mechanism (ratings, reply forms, forums, etc.) is another way for customers to increase knowledge and gather information about a seller. The advantage is that customers can exchange with previous customers of the seller. This way they can obtain an objective evaluation of the seller. However, sellers can also manipulate those forums by uploading faked ratings or deleting negative ratings or feedbacks. Again, the customer needs to develop trust in these kinds of information. Furthermore, customers do also need to develop trust in the IT infrastructure they are using, since this will be the mean of communicating the transactional data between the seller and the buyer. In other words, consumers not trusting the technology they are using for an intended transaction via the Internet will not participate in any e-Business transaction unless they feel confident with the security. When considering security issues, a public key infrastructure (PKI) that can provide secure authentication on the Internet is an important step towards secure Internet transactions. It can help to build trust, reduce the potential for fraud, ensure privacy and provide merchants with non-repudiation (Bà ¶hle et al., 2000). It is essential for the merchant that the customer can trust him, his connection and Website and the payment system used. Otherwise there will not be any transactions between the two parties. Summarizing this section it can be said that information is the key to (nearly) everything. A higher level of information about the other transactional party will increase the level of trust, since uncertainty and ambiguity can be erased at least to a certain extent. Furthermore, it is essential to create awareness for technologies and tools needed for security improvements and the development of trust. These tools and technologies can involve ‘soft’ components like trust seals and customer feedback forums. The ‘harder’ components are embedded in the aspect of IT infrastructure. This includes improvements in the encryption and network and database security. 2.3. Electronic Payment Systems Monetary transactions via the Internet do always involve risks and uncertainty. In most of the cases, there is no personal interaction involved. That means that the customer has to put a considerable amount of trust in the seller’s promise to fulfil everything that has been agreed upon during the confirmation of the purchase (e.g. the delivery of the ordered products or services on time, in the right quality and that the agreed amount of money is charged) (Schultz, 2007; Chadwick, 2001). According to Lammer (2006) ‘Electronic Payment Systems or e-Payment Systems may be defined as all payments that are initiated, processed and received electronically’. The main concern with electronic payment systems is the level of security in each step of the transaction, because money and merchandise are transferred while there is no direct contact between the two sides involved in the transaction. If there is even the slightest possibility that the payment system may not be secure, trust and confidence in this system will begin to erode, destroying the infrastructure needed for electronic commerce (Yu et al., 2002). The customer is concerned right from the point he is connected to the website of the seller. The risk of losing private information like contact details, credit card or bank account information is a primary concern of the customer. Therefore, it is necessary that both, the seller as well as the customer take care for the security of their own network as well as with the data exchanged during the transaction. In Germany, there are currently up to ten different electronic payment methods used with varying frequency and success. The author will only refer to those payment systems which are applicable for intangible goods, such as holidays. The definitions below are based on the work of Stroborn et al. (2004), who were arguing that one way to ‘classify different payment instruments is by the point of time when the liquidity effect sets in from the payer’s point of view that means the exact point in time when the customer’s account is charged with the payment’. ‘Following this premise, one can distinguish between â€Å"prepaid†, â€Å"pay-now† and â€Å"pay-later† systems’ (Stroborn et.al, 2004). Other authors (Yu et al., 2002, Dannenberg Ulrich, 2004) categorized payment systems with regard to the following variables. ‘The first variable is the ‘size or the amount of the payment’ (e.g. micro-payments). The second variable depends on the ‘type of transaction’, e.g. credit card, paying via e-mail (PayPal)’, etc. It can be argued which of these two different approaches in classifying e-payment systems is the most appropriate. However, the author decides to use the classification of Stroborn et al. (2004) for the reason that this type of classification can be best applied to the underlying topic of this work, due to the following facts. The ability to differentiate e-Payment systems by the time, the liquidity effect sets in is important within the industry of tourism. Holiday components, especially cruises are oftentimes financed using prepayments of customers. Therefore, it is particularly important for cruise lines to know which of the offered payment systems allow them to use prepayments as financing means. On the other hand, customers do always want a certain level of security, especially when they purchase a holiday, which is certainly not an everyday expense with regard to the amount charged. Therefore, equipping customers with the perceived power of determining the point of time when the actual payment will be processed will result in a beneficial feeling on the side of the customer. This equipment of perceived power is another way of demonstrating willingness to adapt to customer needs. Customers seem to have all under control, since they receive the product before they have to pay for it. So the seller has already delivered the agreed upon product or service. 2.3.1 Pre-Paid-payment systems The different Pre-Paid-payment systems currently in use in Germany will not be further explained. Systems like GeldKarte, MicroMoney or WEB.Cent are being used to settle small-or micro-payments up to usually â‚ ¬ 100. In this respect an application within the tourism industry is of no relevance. According to the DRV (Deutscher Reiseverband, 2008), the majority of holidays booked via the Internet was between â‚ ¬ 500 -â‚ ¬ 1.500 (55, 1% of all holidays). 2.3.2 Pay-Now-payment systems ‘So called pay-now systems debit the account of the customer at the exact time the customer purchases something. Cash-on-Delivery (COD) and debit entry are well established examples today’ (Stroborn et al., 2004). Online Transfer: According to Monika E. Hartmann (Lammer, 2006) online transfer can be defined as follows: These services are embedded in the online shopping process, e.g. via an automatic popup window connecting to the service provider and already containing all necessary transaction details. The customer is invited to choose a payment option and provide his account details. The completed transaction data set will be routed to the relevant payment service provider for authorization. After successful payment authorization the bank (or the payment service provider) confirms the payment to the merchant so that the purchase transaction can be completed (Lammer, 2006). COD (Cash-on-Delivery) COD is usually used for the settlement of amounts for physical goods. Customers order their desired articles over the website of an online merchant. The goods are then delivered by a mail service. In addition to the price of the delivered goods, the customer pays also COD charges to the delivery service. The mail delivery service then mails a money order to the internet merchant. Due to the simultaneous exchange of physical goods and money, COD is said to protect consumer and merchant at the same time. Nevertheless, it is considered not to be cost-effective and awkward for the consumer, who needs to be present for the delivery. Additionally, this payment method cannot be used for goods delivered electronically (Stroborn et al., 2004). M-Payments (Mobile Payments) M-Payment is such a service, where the mobile phone of the customer in combination with a PIN number deals as authentication device. Whenever the customer wants to purchase goods or transfer money, he or she is called by a third party, e.g. Paybox (www.paybox.net), on his or her mobile phone. He needs to confirm the transaction with a PIN. The sum of the transaction is then debited from the customer’s bank account (Stroborn et al., 2004). According to a recent study conducted by the Verband Internet Reisevertrieb, v-i-r (2007), only two percent of all holiday purchases have been settled using mpayments. However, this payment method is expected to grow tremendously in the future. This is already indicated by the awareness level of m-payments. Although only two percent had used m-payments to settle their online purchases, more than 23% of all respondents are aware of the possibility of using mobile payments. Debit Entry ‘The process of a debit entry requires the receiver of the payment, the seller, to inform his banking institution to charge the account of the buyer with a certain amount. This amount is in turn booked on the account of the seller’ (www.wikipedia.org). PayPal With over 150 million registered accounts worldwide (PayPal, 2009), PayPal is one of the most successful internet-based payment schemes. Authentication is done via the personal e-mail address of the customer in addition to the entry of a password. The amount is then debited from the customer’s PayPal account. Customers using PayPal will benefit since they will no longer have to reveal their debit or credit card number. Furthermore, the whole transaction process is speeded up due to the fact that customers no longer need to enter their address details. PayPal also promotes its product as being more secure in comparison with other e-payment schemes. 2.3.3 Pay-Later-payment systems ‘In terms of pay-later-systems (e.g. credit cards), the customer actually receives the goods before being debited’ (Stroborn et al., 2004). However, this depends upon the point in time when the customers’ bank account is being debited. It is also possible, particularly within the area of tourism that the bank account is debited before the holiday is ‘consumed’. Within the tourism industry it is a common practice to book and purchase holidays long time in advance. Especially in terms of family holidays, customers like to book in advance, since they do only have a small time frame (namely the school holidays) where they can go on holiday. So, holidays in these periods are strongly demanded. Thus there is an incentive for customers to book as early in advance as possible. In this case, the classification of Stroborn et al. (2004) is not valid anymore. The holiday is purchased long before it is consumed and thus the bank account will also be debited before the consumption. Credit Card ‘Settling payments via the use of the credit card is the most commonly used payment method worldwide. Nearly 90 % of all items and goods purchased via the Internet are paid by credit card’ (Dannenberg Ulrich, 2004). Stroborn et al. differentiate between three basic ways of credit card payments via the Internet: An unsecured transaction ‘A transaction via Secure Socket Layer (SSL), which is a sort of digital envelope. SSL is the de facto standard for secure online transactions, preventing eavesdroppers from learning customers’ account details’ (Ashrafi Ng, 2009). The SSL technology establishes a secure communication channel between the participants of an online transaction. ‘a transaction employing Secure Electronic Transaction Protocol (SET), which is currently considered as the safest credit-card-based payment systems on the Internet’ (Stroborn et al., 2004). Recapitulating this section again highlights the importance of awareness. According to Monika Hartmann (Lammer, 2006) ‘many payment solutions did not succeed in reaching a critical mass of users’. This can be seen in within the example of Mpayments. Payment methods may be very useful, however if they do not manage to reach a critical mass of users, they will not succeed in the market. So customers need to be enlightened about the different payment methods available and the advantages and disadvantages involved. In addition the aspect of trust reappears in this section. Customers need to trust the security of their Internet connection in the first place before they are conducting any business transactions. 3.1 Factors favouring the growth of e-Commerce in tourism The introduction of the internet as well as the ability to pay for goods and services via electronic payment systems created potential advantages for customers as well as for tourism companies. ‘The marketing of an intangible product such as tourism largely depends upon visual presentation’ (Morgan et al., 2001). With the Internet, marketers finally found the perfect tool. The capability of combining the presentation of facts and figures, emotional pictures and the whole booking process is a huge asset for tourism companies. Buhalis (Morgan et al., 2001) stated that ‘organizations and destinations which need to compete will be forced to compute’. Thereby, he assigns companies participating in e-Commerce a significant competitive advantage. According to a recent study of the VIR (Verband Internet Reisevertrieb, 2007) customers value the easy and fast way of booking trips via the internet. Furthermore, they appreciate the possibility to customize their trips, to see if their desired holiday is still available and the extensive range of offerings. The possibility to pay per credit card and the savings in terms of time they need to invest are also big advantages for German customers booking their trips and holidays via the Internet. Cheyne et al. (2006) suggested that ‘the Internet is providing the means for suppliers and consumers to bypass the travel agent and interact directly’. Furthermore, many writers propose that ‘the Internet furnishes travel consumers with more information, quicker responses and often lower prices than they can achieve when making travel arrangements through a traditional travel agent’ (Cheyne et al., 2006). Tania Lang, a senior consultant at Cap Gemini Ernst Young, stated in her work in 2000 that ‘there are a variety of factors providing advantages and benefits for the users of the Internet’. Amongst those factors is the access for availability enquiries and bookings when consumers want to research and purchase travel. Customers are no longer restricted to the opening times of their local travel agency. According to Buhalis (Lang, 2000), ‘the ability to access information which is detailed and up to date assists the travel consumer by making the product more tangible in their mind’. Another important advantage of e-Commerce in tourism is the bypass of travel agent fees and the access to online discounts. Lang (2000) stated that there is a ‘cost advantage in purchasing travel online as a result of the market becoming more competitive. These cost advantages can also be explained by decreasing distribution costs’. Concluding this section it can be suggested that customers will benefit tremendously from e-Commerce in the tourism industry. They will be faced with lower prices, since no intermediaries are involved any more so that potential cost savings can be achieved. In addition to this, the authors cited above implied that the visual representation of holidays will improve due the recent and upcoming developments in technology. According to this, there should not be any disadvantages for customers and conducting bookings via the Internet are the best solution for the future. However customers will also have to sacrifice in certain aspects as well as they will have to experience that bookings holidays via the Internet might not be that advantageous as the following section will point out. 3.2 Factors for the hesitant growth of e-Commerce in tourism In 2009, Prashant Palvia argues that ‘the Internet is far from achieving its potential due to the reluctance of consumers to engage in its use’. Palvia (2009) stresses this assumption by a recent study, indicating that sales of online retailers were only 2, 2% of total goods sold in the U.S. in 2005. Moreover, analysts have predicted that even by 2011, e-Commerce sales would only account for only 7%. According to Tania Lang (2000), there are certain barriers or disadvantages of the Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW) for consumers. Amongst those factors, the ‘lacks of a human interface and of confidence in the technology as well as security issues have a high relevance’. There are a lot of situations, where a customer has built a strong relationship to his travel agent. For some travellers, the actual booking process (whether via a travel agency or the Internet) is already part of the holiday itself. The booking process might even be some kind of ritual which is carried out in exactly the same manner every time the customer goes on holiday. Those loyalty or relational factors are hard to be erased or replaced by the Internet which is in fact a major threat to electronic commerce in the tourism industry. A number of authors maintain that ‘travel agents provide better services, especially when more complex products are to be purchased’ (Cheyne et al., 2006). ‘Those complex travel arrangements are more information intensive and therefore needs consultation of travel agents compared to less complex holiday components such as flights or rail tickets’. Other authors, including Inkpen, Lyle and Paulson (Cheyne et al., 2006) argue that ‘travel agents can offer a more personalized service and provide unbiased advices that add value for the customer’. Concerning the latter assumption one can argue that this is true for inexperienced or first-time users. Customers, who are familiar with the Internet and know where to find the information they are looking for, will not need the advice of the travel agent no more. First of all, the travel agent might provide them with information they already know or find by themselves. Secondly, travel agents are biased too, regarding the amount of commissions they receive for the sale of products. Another case where customers do not need the advice of the travel agent are repeated holidays, meaning customers who always travel to the same hotel. Those customers will not benefit from a travel agent’s consultancy. Summarizing this, one can say that ‘the service offered by travel agents is value adding for customers, who are inexperienced with the process of online booking and for customers who want to travel to a variety of different destinations’ (comparing Cheyne et al., 2006). The lack of confidence in the technology as well as the mistrust in security are the two other major disadvantages of the Internet that Tania Lang has determined. She points out that the ‘main barrier stopping consumers from booking travel via the Internet is the perceived lack of a secure payment method’ (Lang, 2000). ‘The main concern with electronic payment is the level of security in each step of the transaction, because money and merchandise are transferred while there is no direct contact between the two sides involved in the transaction’ (Yu et al., 2002). ‘If there is even the slightest possibility that the payment system may not be secure, trust and confidence in this system will begin to erode, destroying the infrastructure needed for electronic commerce’ (Yu et al., 2002). Putting this in other words, tourism companies may have the perfect product in terms of price quality ratio. However, the company will not be able to sell its products to a greater mass if their payment system is lacking security. This will not only erode trust in the payment system itself, but may also affect the customers’ acceptance of the company, thus affecting the company’s reputation, image and profits. In 1998, Haas surveyed that even though ‘many Internet users go online to find product information, most users prefer to log off and buy their goods through traditional sales channels’. Of course, this trend has increasingly changed over the last years; however, still today customers inform themselves over the Internet without performing t Ecommerce in Tourism Industry Ecommerce in Tourism Industry 2.1. Introduction to e-Commerce ‘Electronic commerce (e-Commerce) is such a service offering people the opportunity to do their shopping via modern information and communication technologies at home’ (Schultz, 2007). It enables everyone to conduct business via the Internet. The only precondition is a computer and a connection to the Internet. The term e-Commerce is becoming increasingly important in the dictionary of today’s tourism managers all around the world. This is reflected in the development of the overall online travel market turnover in Europe reaching a total of EUR 70 billion in the year 2008 (V-I-R, Verband Internet Reisevertrieb, 2009). The introduction of the internet represented both, major opportunities as well as threats, for the tourism industry. The internet erased physical borders and enables everyone to participate in a global marketplace. The only requisite is a computer and an internet access. This section explores the current dynamics within the broader area of e-Commerce and provides definitions for the incorporating aspects of business transactions via the Internet. The worldwide proliferation of the internet led to the birth of electronic transfer of transactional information. ‘E-Commerce flourished because of the openness, speed, anonymity, digitization, and global accessibility characteristics of the internet, which facilitated real-time business’ (Yu et al., 2002). One can of course argue, whether the anonymity of the Internet is still valid today. Maya Gadzheva (2008) for example, suggests that the ‘achievement of unobservability and anonymity in the Internet is going to be much more difficult in the future, due to the possibility of unlimited collection of data’. Through the aide of the internet tourism companies are able to market and sell their products to a far greater mass which represents substantial growth opportunities for them. According to Porter (2001), the ‘Internet technology provides better opportunities for companies to establish distinctive, strategic positioning than did previous generations of information technology’. However, those opportunities can also represent burdens for companies participating in transactions via the Internet. Those companies are now more than ever forced to keep their web sites up-to-date and to provide reliable information. Since the Internet is a very fast changing medium, it requires their participants, in this case the e-merchants, to keep up with this pace. In case the companies cannot fulfil these requirements, they will probably face a shift of customers to the competition. Especially the area of tourism, being labelled as largely information driven (Morgan et al., 2001) requires constantly updated and reliable information. Customers need to find every information they require on the web. They need to know where to search and they need to be convinced of the trustworthiness and reliability of this information. The ability to inform clients and to sell and market products in the virtual marketplace is a critical success factor for economic triumph of tourism companies nowadays and in the future. The website is thus a digital business card of tourism companies and one of their most effective sales persons at the same time. ‘Internet technology provides buyers with easier access to information about products and suppliers, thus bolstering buyer bargaining power’ (Porter, 2001). This will also decrease the costs of switching suppliers (or tourism companies). That is the downturn of the Internet. Competitors are only a few mouse clicks away (Porter, 2001) and the whole industry becomes more transparent. Just about every company participating in e-Commerce is obviously forced to list prices of their holiday components. This facilitates the comparability of tourism services. Customers do now have access to all kinds of information that facilitate as well as influence their holiday choice. Since tourism companies can no longer differentiate themselves from the competition by pricing means, the corporate website, and the online booking process of a holiday becomes progressively more important. This involves the appearance of the website, including usability and content related features, but also everything concerning the actual booking process and transaction handling. The tourism company (the seller) and the customer (the buyer) conducting business over the internet have usually never seen each other face-to-face, nor do they exchange currency or hard copies of documents hand-to-hand. When payments are to be made over a telecommunications network such as the internet, accuracy and security become critical (Yu et al., 2002). In other words this would mean that customers need to transfer extremely private information like credit card details to a complete stranger. Summarizing this section it can be said that Internet and e-Commerce present various advantages for tourism customers, since companies and offers are more transparent and easier to compare. Furthermore, improvements in IT technology will enhance the search for relevant information and facilitate the navigation in the World Wide Web. However, there are also threatening factors for tourism companies. Competition will become stronger, since competitors are only a few mouse clicks away, switching costs for customers are much longer and due to their access to nearly unlimited information the customers’ bargaining power will increase. Nonetheless, tourism companies who can keep up with the fast pace of the Internet and who are able to convince customers of the reliability, trustworthiness and timeliness of their displayed offers and information will benefit from the Internet. 2.2. Online Trust or eTrust What is (online) trust? A first step towards the answer of this question can be made by looking at various definitions of the term trust. Trust is defined as ‘the trait of believing in the honesty and reliability of others’ (Wordnet, Princeton University, 2006). According to this definition, buyers conducting transactions via the Internet will have to rely on a person or institution they may have never seen or even heard of. This would certainly be not sufficient as an assurance for most of us. Another definition defines trust as ‘to hope or wish’ (Wordnet, Princeton University, 2006). Summarizing this would mean that we need to rely on the goodwill of the other party and hope or wish that it will act as it was promised. Those definitions might be a good starting point in explaining the meaning of trust, but they certainly do not seem to be convenient for most of us. Bà ¶hle et al. (2000) argue that trust is a precondition for flourishing e-Commerce. Shankar et al. (2002) advance a different view, although they classify ‘(online) trust as being important in both business-to-business and business-to-consumer e-business’. Koufaris and Hampton-Sosa (2004) pursue a similar way of argumentation. They suggest that ‘lack of trust in online companies is a primary reason why many users do not shop online’. Another author, Peter Landrock (2002), founder and managing director of Cryptomathic UK Ltd., one of the world’s leading providers of security solutions to businesses, points out that ‘without such trust, neither businesses nor consumers will conduct transactions or sensitive communications across this medium (the Internet)’. This argument is being supported by a recently conducted study by Ernst Young and the Information Technology Association of America who concluded ‘that trust represents one of the most fundamental issues impacting the growth of e-Commerce’ (Talwatte, 2000). Strader and Shaw (Chadwick, 2001) point out that ‘consumers are more likely to buy from an online company they trust, when price differences are small’. Thos would in turn imply that whenever price differences are significant, customers are willing to accept a higher level of uncertainty and perceived risk in transactions with companies they do not know or trust. According to those argumentations one can say that trust is the major precondition for both, businesses as well as consumers to conduct transactions via the Internet. ‘Trust is a key challenge to the customer acceptance of e-Commerce: the lack of trust is an important reason for the hesitant growth in e-Commerce and for the reluctance of consumers to engage in online buying transactions’ (Schultz, 2007). A Forrester Survey from 2000 stated that ‘51% of companies would not do business with parties they do not trust over the web’ (Shankar et al., 2002). However, this would also mean that 49% of companies would do business with companies they do not trust. Trust needs to be strongly combined with uncertainty and ambiguity. The more information a buyer has about the seller, the better can he or she estimates whether the seller will act as it was promised. Thus, the better the information about a seller the better can he or she be trusted. Good examples for this assumption are online marketplaces like eBay or Amazon. Those two providers offer nearly everyone the possibility to participate in e-Business. Since they recognized the increased need from customers for information about sellers, they introduced up-to-date ratings. Every seller can be rated after transactions whether buyers have been satisfied with the transaction process or not. The higher and better the rating, the more trustworthy is the seller (in a simplified way). These ratings are good indications for (unexperienced) buyers, since they equip them with information about the seller’s past performance in transactions. Other ways in creating trustworthiness are so-called trust seals. ‘Those seals are issued by third parties to verify the commitment of an e-vendor’ (Cook and Luo, 2003; Hu et al., 2003; Kaplan and Nieschwitz, 2003; Koufaris and Hampton-Sosa, 2004; Loebbecke, 2003; Patton and Jà ¸sang, 2004; Urban et al., 2000; Yang et al., 2006; in Schultz, 2007). Trust seals are generally indicated via symbols on the web site of the seller. Those seals are a sign that the seller conducts business according to the standards of the third party, the trust seal provider, and/or that the seller conducts business as promised by the statements and policies on the web site (Schultz, 2007). ‘Further measures to increase trust are security features, the availability of alternative payment methods, privacy, security and return policies and feedback mechanisms and consumer communities’ (Schultz, 2007). ‘Security is the main concern of consumers before engaging in e-business with a seller’ (Schultz, 2007; Hinde 1998). ‘Sellers need to incorporate certain security features into the design of their web sites in order to ensure the safety of the whole transaction process’ (see Credit Card) (Schultz, 2007). Offering alternative methods of payment is another approach of the seller to signal the willingness to adapt to the customers’ needs. Being able to choose a method of payment equips the customer with the perceived power over a part of the transaction process. It is essential to display the ‘rules of the game’. Privacy, security and return policies need to present on every seller’s web site in order to inform the customer properly. This will not only increase trust but will also facilitate processes in case of complaints or other problems. The provision of customer feedback mechanism (ratings, reply forms, forums, etc.) is another way for customers to increase knowledge and gather information about a seller. The advantage is that customers can exchange with previous customers of the seller. This way they can obtain an objective evaluation of the seller. However, sellers can also manipulate those forums by uploading faked ratings or deleting negative ratings or feedbacks. Again, the customer needs to develop trust in these kinds of information. Furthermore, customers do also need to develop trust in the IT infrastructure they are using, since this will be the mean of communicating the transactional data between the seller and the buyer. In other words, consumers not trusting the technology they are using for an intended transaction via the Internet will not participate in any e-Business transaction unless they feel confident with the security. When considering security issues, a public key infrastructure (PKI) that can provide secure authentication on the Internet is an important step towards secure Internet transactions. It can help to build trust, reduce the potential for fraud, ensure privacy and provide merchants with non-repudiation (Bà ¶hle et al., 2000). It is essential for the merchant that the customer can trust him, his connection and Website and the payment system used. Otherwise there will not be any transactions between the two parties. Summarizing this section it can be said that information is the key to (nearly) everything. A higher level of information about the other transactional party will increase the level of trust, since uncertainty and ambiguity can be erased at least to a certain extent. Furthermore, it is essential to create awareness for technologies and tools needed for security improvements and the development of trust. These tools and technologies can involve ‘soft’ components like trust seals and customer feedback forums. The ‘harder’ components are embedded in the aspect of IT infrastructure. This includes improvements in the encryption and network and database security. 2.3. Electronic Payment Systems Monetary transactions via the Internet do always involve risks and uncertainty. In most of the cases, there is no personal interaction involved. That means that the customer has to put a considerable amount of trust in the seller’s promise to fulfil everything that has been agreed upon during the confirmation of the purchase (e.g. the delivery of the ordered products or services on time, in the right quality and that the agreed amount of money is charged) (Schultz, 2007; Chadwick, 2001). According to Lammer (2006) ‘Electronic Payment Systems or e-Payment Systems may be defined as all payments that are initiated, processed and received electronically’. The main concern with electronic payment systems is the level of security in each step of the transaction, because money and merchandise are transferred while there is no direct contact between the two sides involved in the transaction. If there is even the slightest possibility that the payment system may not be secure, trust and confidence in this system will begin to erode, destroying the infrastructure needed for electronic commerce (Yu et al., 2002). The customer is concerned right from the point he is connected to the website of the seller. The risk of losing private information like contact details, credit card or bank account information is a primary concern of the customer. Therefore, it is necessary that both, the seller as well as the customer take care for the security of their own network as well as with the data exchanged during the transaction. In Germany, there are currently up to ten different electronic payment methods used with varying frequency and success. The author will only refer to those payment systems which are applicable for intangible goods, such as holidays. The definitions below are based on the work of Stroborn et al. (2004), who were arguing that one way to ‘classify different payment instruments is by the point of time when the liquidity effect sets in from the payer’s point of view that means the exact point in time when the customer’s account is charged with the payment’. ‘Following this premise, one can distinguish between â€Å"prepaid†, â€Å"pay-now† and â€Å"pay-later† systems’ (Stroborn et.al, 2004). Other authors (Yu et al., 2002, Dannenberg Ulrich, 2004) categorized payment systems with regard to the following variables. ‘The first variable is the ‘size or the amount of the payment’ (e.g. micro-payments). The second variable depends on the ‘type of transaction’, e.g. credit card, paying via e-mail (PayPal)’, etc. It can be argued which of these two different approaches in classifying e-payment systems is the most appropriate. However, the author decides to use the classification of Stroborn et al. (2004) for the reason that this type of classification can be best applied to the underlying topic of this work, due to the following facts. The ability to differentiate e-Payment systems by the time, the liquidity effect sets in is important within the industry of tourism. Holiday components, especially cruises are oftentimes financed using prepayments of customers. Therefore, it is particularly important for cruise lines to know which of the offered payment systems allow them to use prepayments as financing means. On the other hand, customers do always want a certain level of security, especially when they purchase a holiday, which is certainly not an everyday expense with regard to the amount charged. Therefore, equipping customers with the perceived power of determining the point of time when the actual payment will be processed will result in a beneficial feeling on the side of the customer. This equipment of perceived power is another way of demonstrating willingness to adapt to customer needs. Customers seem to have all under control, since they receive the product before they have to pay for it. So the seller has already delivered the agreed upon product or service. 2.3.1 Pre-Paid-payment systems The different Pre-Paid-payment systems currently in use in Germany will not be further explained. Systems like GeldKarte, MicroMoney or WEB.Cent are being used to settle small-or micro-payments up to usually â‚ ¬ 100. In this respect an application within the tourism industry is of no relevance. According to the DRV (Deutscher Reiseverband, 2008), the majority of holidays booked via the Internet was between â‚ ¬ 500 -â‚ ¬ 1.500 (55, 1% of all holidays). 2.3.2 Pay-Now-payment systems ‘So called pay-now systems debit the account of the customer at the exact time the customer purchases something. Cash-on-Delivery (COD) and debit entry are well established examples today’ (Stroborn et al., 2004). Online Transfer: According to Monika E. Hartmann (Lammer, 2006) online transfer can be defined as follows: These services are embedded in the online shopping process, e.g. via an automatic popup window connecting to the service provider and already containing all necessary transaction details. The customer is invited to choose a payment option and provide his account details. The completed transaction data set will be routed to the relevant payment service provider for authorization. After successful payment authorization the bank (or the payment service provider) confirms the payment to the merchant so that the purchase transaction can be completed (Lammer, 2006). COD (Cash-on-Delivery) COD is usually used for the settlement of amounts for physical goods. Customers order their desired articles over the website of an online merchant. The goods are then delivered by a mail service. In addition to the price of the delivered goods, the customer pays also COD charges to the delivery service. The mail delivery service then mails a money order to the internet merchant. Due to the simultaneous exchange of physical goods and money, COD is said to protect consumer and merchant at the same time. Nevertheless, it is considered not to be cost-effective and awkward for the consumer, who needs to be present for the delivery. Additionally, this payment method cannot be used for goods delivered electronically (Stroborn et al., 2004). M-Payments (Mobile Payments) M-Payment is such a service, where the mobile phone of the customer in combination with a PIN number deals as authentication device. Whenever the customer wants to purchase goods or transfer money, he or she is called by a third party, e.g. Paybox (www.paybox.net), on his or her mobile phone. He needs to confirm the transaction with a PIN. The sum of the transaction is then debited from the customer’s bank account (Stroborn et al., 2004). According to a recent study conducted by the Verband Internet Reisevertrieb, v-i-r (2007), only two percent of all holiday purchases have been settled using mpayments. However, this payment method is expected to grow tremendously in the future. This is already indicated by the awareness level of m-payments. Although only two percent had used m-payments to settle their online purchases, more than 23% of all respondents are aware of the possibility of using mobile payments. Debit Entry ‘The process of a debit entry requires the receiver of the payment, the seller, to inform his banking institution to charge the account of the buyer with a certain amount. This amount is in turn booked on the account of the seller’ (www.wikipedia.org). PayPal With over 150 million registered accounts worldwide (PayPal, 2009), PayPal is one of the most successful internet-based payment schemes. Authentication is done via the personal e-mail address of the customer in addition to the entry of a password. The amount is then debited from the customer’s PayPal account. Customers using PayPal will benefit since they will no longer have to reveal their debit or credit card number. Furthermore, the whole transaction process is speeded up due to the fact that customers no longer need to enter their address details. PayPal also promotes its product as being more secure in comparison with other e-payment schemes. 2.3.3 Pay-Later-payment systems ‘In terms of pay-later-systems (e.g. credit cards), the customer actually receives the goods before being debited’ (Stroborn et al., 2004). However, this depends upon the point in time when the customers’ bank account is being debited. It is also possible, particularly within the area of tourism that the bank account is debited before the holiday is ‘consumed’. Within the tourism industry it is a common practice to book and purchase holidays long time in advance. Especially in terms of family holidays, customers like to book in advance, since they do only have a small time frame (namely the school holidays) where they can go on holiday. So, holidays in these periods are strongly demanded. Thus there is an incentive for customers to book as early in advance as possible. In this case, the classification of Stroborn et al. (2004) is not valid anymore. The holiday is purchased long before it is consumed and thus the bank account will also be debited before the consumption. Credit Card ‘Settling payments via the use of the credit card is the most commonly used payment method worldwide. Nearly 90 % of all items and goods purchased via the Internet are paid by credit card’ (Dannenberg Ulrich, 2004). Stroborn et al. differentiate between three basic ways of credit card payments via the Internet: An unsecured transaction ‘A transaction via Secure Socket Layer (SSL), which is a sort of digital envelope. SSL is the de facto standard for secure online transactions, preventing eavesdroppers from learning customers’ account details’ (Ashrafi Ng, 2009). The SSL technology establishes a secure communication channel between the participants of an online transaction. ‘a transaction employing Secure Electronic Transaction Protocol (SET), which is currently considered as the safest credit-card-based payment systems on the Internet’ (Stroborn et al., 2004). Recapitulating this section again highlights the importance of awareness. According to Monika Hartmann (Lammer, 2006) ‘many payment solutions did not succeed in reaching a critical mass of users’. This can be seen in within the example of Mpayments. Payment methods may be very useful, however if they do not manage to reach a critical mass of users, they will not succeed in the market. So customers need to be enlightened about the different payment methods available and the advantages and disadvantages involved. In addition the aspect of trust reappears in this section. Customers need to trust the security of their Internet connection in the first place before they are conducting any business transactions. 3.1 Factors favouring the growth of e-Commerce in tourism The introduction of the internet as well as the ability to pay for goods and services via electronic payment systems created potential advantages for customers as well as for tourism companies. ‘The marketing of an intangible product such as tourism largely depends upon visual presentation’ (Morgan et al., 2001). With the Internet, marketers finally found the perfect tool. The capability of combining the presentation of facts and figures, emotional pictures and the whole booking process is a huge asset for tourism companies. Buhalis (Morgan et al., 2001) stated that ‘organizations and destinations which need to compete will be forced to compute’. Thereby, he assigns companies participating in e-Commerce a significant competitive advantage. According to a recent study of the VIR (Verband Internet Reisevertrieb, 2007) customers value the easy and fast way of booking trips via the internet. Furthermore, they appreciate the possibility to customize their trips, to see if their desired holiday is still available and the extensive range of offerings. The possibility to pay per credit card and the savings in terms of time they need to invest are also big advantages for German customers booking their trips and holidays via the Internet. Cheyne et al. (2006) suggested that ‘the Internet is providing the means for suppliers and consumers to bypass the travel agent and interact directly’. Furthermore, many writers propose that ‘the Internet furnishes travel consumers with more information, quicker responses and often lower prices than they can achieve when making travel arrangements through a traditional travel agent’ (Cheyne et al., 2006). Tania Lang, a senior consultant at Cap Gemini Ernst Young, stated in her work in 2000 that ‘there are a variety of factors providing advantages and benefits for the users of the Internet’. Amongst those factors is the access for availability enquiries and bookings when consumers want to research and purchase travel. Customers are no longer restricted to the opening times of their local travel agency. According to Buhalis (Lang, 2000), ‘the ability to access information which is detailed and up to date assists the travel consumer by making the product more tangible in their mind’. Another important advantage of e-Commerce in tourism is the bypass of travel agent fees and the access to online discounts. Lang (2000) stated that there is a ‘cost advantage in purchasing travel online as a result of the market becoming more competitive. These cost advantages can also be explained by decreasing distribution costs’. Concluding this section it can be suggested that customers will benefit tremendously from e-Commerce in the tourism industry. They will be faced with lower prices, since no intermediaries are involved any more so that potential cost savings can be achieved. In addition to this, the authors cited above implied that the visual representation of holidays will improve due the recent and upcoming developments in technology. According to this, there should not be any disadvantages for customers and conducting bookings via the Internet are the best solution for the future. However customers will also have to sacrifice in certain aspects as well as they will have to experience that bookings holidays via the Internet might not be that advantageous as the following section will point out. 3.2 Factors for the hesitant growth of e-Commerce in tourism In 2009, Prashant Palvia argues that ‘the Internet is far from achieving its potential due to the reluctance of consumers to engage in its use’. Palvia (2009) stresses this assumption by a recent study, indicating that sales of online retailers were only 2, 2% of total goods sold in the U.S. in 2005. Moreover, analysts have predicted that even by 2011, e-Commerce sales would only account for only 7%. According to Tania Lang (2000), there are certain barriers or disadvantages of the Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW) for consumers. Amongst those factors, the ‘lacks of a human interface and of confidence in the technology as well as security issues have a high relevance’. There are a lot of situations, where a customer has built a strong relationship to his travel agent. For some travellers, the actual booking process (whether via a travel agency or the Internet) is already part of the holiday itself. The booking process might even be some kind of ritual which is carried out in exactly the same manner every time the customer goes on holiday. Those loyalty or relational factors are hard to be erased or replaced by the Internet which is in fact a major threat to electronic commerce in the tourism industry. A number of authors maintain that ‘travel agents provide better services, especially when more complex products are to be purchased’ (Cheyne et al., 2006). ‘Those complex travel arrangements are more information intensive and therefore needs consultation of travel agents compared to less complex holiday components such as flights or rail tickets’. Other authors, including Inkpen, Lyle and Paulson (Cheyne et al., 2006) argue that ‘travel agents can offer a more personalized service and provide unbiased advices that add value for the customer’. Concerning the latter assumption one can argue that this is true for inexperienced or first-time users. Customers, who are familiar with the Internet and know where to find the information they are looking for, will not need the advice of the travel agent no more. First of all, the travel agent might provide them with information they already know or find by themselves. Secondly, travel agents are biased too, regarding the amount of commissions they receive for the sale of products. Another case where customers do not need the advice of the travel agent are repeated holidays, meaning customers who always travel to the same hotel. Those customers will not benefit from a travel agent’s consultancy. Summarizing this, one can say that ‘the service offered by travel agents is value adding for customers, who are inexperienced with the process of online booking and for customers who want to travel to a variety of different destinations’ (comparing Cheyne et al., 2006). The lack of confidence in the technology as well as the mistrust in security are the two other major disadvantages of the Internet that Tania Lang has determined. She points out that the ‘main barrier stopping consumers from booking travel via the Internet is the perceived lack of a secure payment method’ (Lang, 2000). ‘The main concern with electronic payment is the level of security in each step of the transaction, because money and merchandise are transferred while there is no direct contact between the two sides involved in the transaction’ (Yu et al., 2002). ‘If there is even the slightest possibility that the payment system may not be secure, trust and confidence in this system will begin to erode, destroying the infrastructure needed for electronic commerce’ (Yu et al., 2002). Putting this in other words, tourism companies may have the perfect product in terms of price quality ratio. However, the company will not be able to sell its products to a greater mass if their payment system is lacking security. This will not only erode trust in the payment system itself, but may also affect the customers’ acceptance of the company, thus affecting the company’s reputation, image and profits. In 1998, Haas surveyed that even though ‘many Internet users go online to find product information, most users prefer to log off and buy their goods through traditional sales channels’. Of course, this trend has increasingly changed over the last years; however, still today customers inform themselves over the Internet without performing t

Theories On Types Of Learners Education Essay

IntroductionThe study aimed to size up and analyse the place of myself as a undergraduate, this undertaking has become a really good manner for myself to place and cognize my ain personality and preferable acquisition manners more better than earlier. I am able to cognize my personal strong and weaknesses through different type of trial I took. Those trial will propose some of the acquisition manner which suit me the most, and help me to derive a higher class on my survey life. Furthermore, this study aims to find my intrinsic personality type and my functions in a squad. In order to accomplish the above aims, trials like VARK Questionnaire, Myers-Briggs Personality Type, and Belbin Self Perception Team Role Profiles trial are able to find my personality type and my preferable learning manner. Every suggestion of the consequence of the trial will be addressed one time I answered all the inquiry. Besides that, remark from my household and friend was become a back uping grounds on the finding of my personality type and acquisition abilities. Based on the few trial I took and the remark of my household, I might be able to find where one stand today, and the truth of myself. Subsequently, I picked my future calling occupation based on the field I survey and ain involvement, making research to roll up more information which related with the occupation that I taken up, looking to the demand of the occupation and based on my skill-set to find myself whether that is a occupation which suit me.Section A: Who I am as a scholar1.VARK TrialVARK is designed to analyze a scholar larning manner, and it ‘s besides determined a personal manner of a scholar. VARK is a really utile trial for every scholar, and VARK was elucidated and formulated by Fleming ( 2002 ) , and is based on the bing nuero-linguistic theoretical account which formulated by Eicher ( 1987 ) . VARK trial was divided into 4 different types of classs. It was VISUAL, AURAL, READ/WRITE and KINESTHETIC. Each scholars might be non truly cognize their ain acquisition manner sometimes, hence most of scholars know their learning manner through VARK Test. The intent of VARK trial is to find scholar lar ning manner and the result is based on the BASIC of favourite larning manner of scholars. Fleming ( 2007 ) says that VARK able to help scholars in their acknowledgment of their acquisition manners they most like. Following is a brief definition of VARK ( Fleming,1992, p274 ) Ocular: Learners who preferred learn by seeing. For illustration, utilizing picture, posting, images during presentations or talks. Aural: Learners who preferences learn by hearing. For illustration, seminars or talks that do non supply any ocular AIDSs. Read/Write: Learners who preferences learn by treating text. For illustration, there are able to read a full pages of words, and compose out a brief drumhead. Kinesthetic: Learners who preference towards larning, practical and sharing experiences for larning intents. Examples, experiment, pattern, simulations, picture cartridge holder etc.Ocular11Aural11Read/Write8Kinesthetic11Figure 1.1 – My VARK Test MarkOn my VARK trial consequence, the trial has determined my single acquisition manners, and my ain position presents. The VARK Test depicted in the Appendix 1. Based on the consequence, I quite asynclitism on Visual, Aural and Kinesthetic, three of it is the highest mark in the trial, therefore VARK describes me as a multimodal scholar. The lowest mark is Read/write. I rather consent with the VARK consequence since I evaluate my survey life in Malaysia last twelvemonth. I have a penchant on lectors who used text books, PowerPoint slide, picture or talk notes which included diagram, graph or pie chart as their instruction stuffs. I found it easy to understand the talk through looking on those ocular AIDSs. Besides that, I quite easy focal point on the pictorials instead than reading a full pages of words of articles or notes which without image. Other than this, I ever had the wont of record the talks by utilizing MP3 Recorder in category and playback when I making alteration. Re-listening aid me to rectifying my notes and more clearer understanding about the talks. My strengths ever assisted me a batch in my survey life, I can understand the talks and absorb cognition faster than those pupils who prefer Read/Write. Based on the existent life experience of myself, when I study in INTI University College Malaysia, most of the lector is giving their talk by PowerPoint slides, so I tend to this learning manner. Additionally, I have inclination of making a presentation slide as notes after category everyday in order to guarantee that I do non lose out any point, clearer apprehension of the surveies lectures. I preferred listening music while doing up notes or do exercisings at the same time. My strength ever help me a batch in my survey life. That is the ground why my visual, aural and kinaesthetic is the highest mark in the VARK trial evidently, hence, I have to use my strengths sagely from now on until the terminal of my life. Apart of this, the VARK trial consequence proved that my failings in Read/ Write facet evidently, Fleming ( 2008 ) illustrate that turning words into ocular is another manner to better the failing of Read/Write. It means that I must set more attempt to better my Read/Write accomplishment and do it equal with the other 3 facets. I found it hard to understand those talks notes, larning stuff or text edition which merely screen by words, it was endure me ever, and I feel sleepy easy if I faced it quite a long period. In add-on, my failing be conspicuous when I go toing my seminar category. I have to better my Read/Write accomplishment from now on instantly in order to do certain that is non a trouble when I out to work in the hereafter.2. MBTI TestMBTI stands for Myers Briggs Type Indicator trial, it ‘s a trial based on Jung ‘s Theory of Personality Types. Paula A. & A ; Martin. F ( 2009 ) defines that â€Å" The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator ( MBTI ) is a widely used personality stock list, or trial, employed in vocational, educational, and psychotherapy scenes to measure personality type in striplings and grownups age 14 and older † . ESTJ and INFP was carried out the different significance. extroversion ( E ) or invagination ( I ) feeling ( S ) or intuition ( N ) thought ( T ) or experiencing ( F ) judgment ( J ) or comprehending ( P ) MBTI trial be able to find the type of the scholars based on the reply of the respondents in the MBTI questionnaire. Charles R. Martin ( 1997 ) defines people who extraversion incline involve in event, outer universe, take portion in a batch of activities, work or play in groups, and like to do friends. while invagination defines a individual who is more inclined towards ain thought, sentiment, reaction etc. This type of people they more preferable making things with little group of people who they feel comfy or entirely. They are wholly different features if comparison with Extraversion. Molly ( 2008 ) defines that people who sensors incline to information they received from what they received and they will state the facts without any reading. Peoples who intuitive more slope to reading, inventive or â€Å" 6th sense † instead than merely state the facts. MyPersonality ( 2007 ) defines believing people are able to do their determination based on what they seen and they non like to believe or judge something ‘s may non based on logic. On the other custodies, experiencing people make their determination based on their feeling, they decides with bosom alternatively of facts. MyPersonality ( 2007 ) defines that people who judging they usually good at completing, they like to be aftering their things and responsible ever and command in events of a person. Besides that, people who comprehending they more preferable outward displayed. They are flexible and adaptable and they non good in organized. ISTJ 53 % ISFJ 67 % INFJ 50 % INTJ 36 % ISTP 42 %ISFP74 %INFP 66 % INTP 34 % ESTP 58 % ESFP 72 % ENFP 55 % ENTP 41 % ESTJ 42 %ESFJ74 %ENFJ 66 % ENTJ 34 %Figure 1.2: My MBTI ScoresDeduction of MBTI TestFollowing, On my Myer Briggs Type Indicator trial mark, the trial has determined my single personality types and besides prove that I have two different personality type, it was ISFP and ESFJ, it was carried out 74 % each. The existent tabular array mark depicted on ( APPENDIX 2 ) . Team Technology ( 1995 ) describes the features of ESFJ individual are does non wish to populate entirely, they more prefer unrecorded within a group. Besides that, ESFJ type individual good in organized, societal, but they have an antipathy to unusual people or environment. This type of people is a good leader in a squad, they are eligible to actuate their member, stimulate squad spirit in order to construct harmoniousness, and form life on a personal footing. Additionally ISFP type is described by Team Technology ( 1995 ) individual usually more inclined to introspective feeling, they easy experience Moody, acquire hurt and dislike alteration. They express their energy towards the interior universe of ideas and emotions. other than this, ISFP individual prone to confusion, they are easy disturbed by other remark or judgement. The chiefly different between from ISFP and ESFJ Harmonizing to C.G.Jung ‘s Theory ( 1977 ) the first two missive in the type codification is the most of import, it ‘s called â€Å" dominant map † . For ESFJ, my dominant map is experiencing, it was more incline to Extraverted Feeling. I rather agree on the trial consequence, in my existent life, I ‘m precisely a individual who extrovert. I like to do friends, take portion of out-of-door activities to regulate the outer universe. I have an antipathy to conceal my look, I preferred express or voice out directly off. For case, I like to work with a group of people, since we can portion the different point of position and values, and do more friends. moreover, I tend to see other experiencing more than my ain, I seek to construct resonance with people, and constructing a strong relationship with people around me, therefore I turn into an of import function of audience in my pack of friends, they like to chew the fat with me. On the others custodies, I like to see something ‘s new, I prefer used my life clip to see different types of life manner or new environment that I ne'er had before, therefore I can accommodate into the new life or new environment to the full in a short times ever. On the another manner unit of ammunition, I ever makes a concluding determination based on my ain basic personal values without interrupt by others. For ISFP, my dominant map is Introverted Feeling, i.e. oriented towards the interior universe. ISFP and ESFJ was happen on me at the same times, nevertheless, harmonizing to the consequence of MBTI trial, I might be non ever extraverted. Review my life, I am a individual who introverted before, I non truly good in build harmoniousness in the universe around me, or encouragement others. For illustration, when I working in a group last clip, I non like to depute my work to others, I prefer done it by myself due to i deficiency of assurance of others or alien, at the terminal, it ‘s conveying a batch of struggle between me and my group mates. However, my extremely assurance and introvert personality spoiled my friend web last clip, hence, I learn to be more Extrovert by spend a batch of times. ESFJ and ISFP non merely differ in Extraversion/Introversion, they besides differ in judgement / perceptual experience. For illustration, if I wish to be after my end, do my life go more stable and good organized, I will differ into judging. While, if I prefer to keep my life flexibleness, I will differ into perceptual experience. ESFJ and ISFP possibly occur at the same times, but it is more depend on the environment or the state of affairs. It ‘s besides called natural disposition by Team Technology ( 1995 ) .3.BELBIN TrialDR Meredith Belbin ( 2003 ) defines a squad function as â€Å" A inclination to act, contribute and interrelate with others in a peculiar manner † . Scribd ( 2009 ) Belbin described the behaviour of a member, how their relationship with others among a squad. The accomplishments developed by Belbin team-role theory allow an single good understanding about their ain strong and failings, and how they conveyed their accomplishment into their occupation o r a group. Belbin separate into nine Team Roles or bunch of behaviour. It was Plant, Resource Investigator, Co-ordinator, Shaper, Monitor Evaluator, Teamworker, Implementer, Completer Finisher and Specialist. Many of the director or employee was taking portion in this questionnaire to detect their ain Team Role penchants, and go a successful leader of a squads. Every of the squad functions can be adopted by different sort of people, it depend on their ain personality types. Application of Test I have been finish the BELBIN trial and the consequence of the trial ( refer Appendix 3 ) has determined and interpreted the assorted facets of my behaviour, harmonizing to the consequence of the trial, I ‘m suit to a occupation which I can utilize my abiding nature or habit covering with everyday responsibilities. The BELBIN trial was showed that I ‘m a individual who extrovert, enthusiastic, communicative, explores chances and develop contacts. Based on my personal experience and MBTI trial, it was a consequence which unswerving and precise. On my old portion clip occupation, I capable to get the better of obstructions with my household or my staff member. Since I ‘m a individual who extrovert and like to societal or research new chances, hence, I know a batch of friends, and develop a high repute among my friends and co-worker, they assist me no affair what job I faced. that is one of the grounds to turn out that I ‘m gave a good feeling to my friends for c ertain. I expand the circle of my life triumphant. The study of the trial besides indicated my failings i.e. may be uncomfortable when holding to cover with force per unit area, uninterested in covering with everyday responsibilities. I was agreed on this, I like to research chances and experience something ‘s new, I detestation making the same things invariably. Once I work under a group, I by and large cooperation with others and supply some utile thought to my group mates. In add-on, deficiency of patiently convey me into suffer one time I working under force per unit area, I ca n't work out my job if force per unit area has come to me. Sometimes, even though the undertaking is easy, one time I gave myself excessively much of force per unit area, I may non execute good or complete it on times, and accordingly it act upon my spirit and besides affect the public presentation on the undermentioned undertaking. If I ca n't let go of my emphasis or work out the job, a feeling of abandonment develops in my bosom accidentally. The BELBIN study besides suggests that I treat anything new as a challenge, therefore leting me to released the emphasis that over sometimes, and they was promote me must larn to pull off my ain calling and self-development in a good thought out manner, and should look towards person who harmony, so merely my ain public presentation is likely to better. Drumhead Harmonizing to the consequence of the three trials I taken, it was proved that I am a multimodal scholar. I must use my strengths astutely and better my failings, so that I can heightening my ain personality and accomplishing an better result than old. The overall three trials, I know my-self better than few old ages ago, and I get ready to get the better of every obstructions that I face, and do non reluctance to make something ‘s may non accommodate my features.4.Comment From My Family or FriendsI received some of the remark from my siblings sentiment on me, harmonizing to their sentiment, it ‘s non truly closed with the result of the trials. It was non surprised me because during semester interruption or vacation, I prefer remaining at place for playing computing machine games or watching play in my room whole twenty-four hours long. due to the hapless communicating between me and my siblings or parents, I ever keep quiet when taking dinner with them or household years s. Furthermore, I born from a household that concern traditional right and subjects, therefore, I remain quiet in order to avoid speaking something incorrect. From twelvemonth to twelvemonth, I non much interact with my household members, hence, this leads them to misconstruing about my personality and disagreed on me being an extravert, which I truly felt that I am.Section A: Part 2: Deduction for calling pickLifelong acquisitionLifelong acquisition is a really critical portion in our life, with cognition, we are able to happen a good occupation, and stronger our place in the present competition state or occupation market. Besides that, cognition can construct up a positive mode and attitude to everyone. Therefore, we know how to take attention of each other ‘s or construct a good relationship with them. Alongside, the figure of grade graduated per twelvemonth was increasing quickly, that is the ground why the present occupation market is so competitory presents, and many com pany or organisation are traveling to use employees who keeping First category or Second category grade certification, while, we know that cognition was moving a really of import function for everyone and it ‘s basically applicable to everyone in the universe today. I need to use my cognition smartly in my life, and besides need to heighten my cognition base every bit much as I can. Knowles ( 1981 ) defined that acquisition is a womb-to-tomb procedure, it can last until the twenty-four hours we left the universe, we supposed to pass our leisure clip to deriving more cognition is better than merely remaining place for kiping or woolgathering. I am wholly agree with this account. Different stage of life was carry out a different womb-to-tomb acquisition manner, before we learn, we must clearly understand how of import of womb-to-tomb acquisition, how it actuate us and how it alter our subject. Besides that, Robotham ( 1995, cites at thorson,2005, p78 ) suggested that homo should preparatory to larn in their initial phase ; hence, we have to guarantee the instruction manner was suit to the stage of homo. For illustration, kids may non accept the instruction manners of grownups. In other manner, we have to put the mission or vision for ourselves, therefore we merely able to heighten our larning motive. We ca n't populate under a environment without larning or motive. Harmonizing to the consequence of Myer Briggs and BELBIN trial, I able to judge myself is a womb-to-tomb scholar since I am a individual who like to research chances and extravert ever. I plan to take maestro classs after finishing my degree plan, and enter into banking industry. Bank will offer a batch of developing class to their staff, hence, I plan to go a banker due to this ground, and I am able to update myself ever without knock out by the new coevals. Alongside, it is a best opportunity which let me to derive more cognition and better my communicating accomplishments among people. Wlodkowski ( 1999, cited at Klingensmith, 2006 ) states that â€Å" high degree of motive to larn for the grownups produces the higher acquisition consequences, the public presentation achieved † Lifelong acquisition is one of the best manner for me to heighten myself and develop good in my calling. Everyone has different larning manner or different manner to get cognition, therefore we must take a right manner of larning which suit us the most. Besides that, I will get cognition through many different sort of manner i.e. I will seek to do more friends from different civilization or different states, so that we can larn each other civilization and values. My read/write facet is non good plenty, so I have to better my read/write accomplishments and use my reading/writing accomplishments to understand what I read across assorted texts. Following, I do non excessively rely on those cognition or information that I had, I try to be unfastened minded and accept the new information. Group treatment is the other best manner for me to larning and get cognition, I sharing sentiment with my group mates, this is the manner for me to accept others sentiments and advice and besides help me in constructing up my cognition and trust between each others. I learned to copy the positive attitude or behaviour that I every had from others. Harmonizing to the Myer-Briggs trial, I more incline to Extrovert, I take the advantages on it and convey it into my womb-to-tomb acquisition, and seek to construct myself go a autonomous scholar. I plan to do more friend who older than me, therefore, I can derive more things and existent experience from them. For illustration, I observe how a director or a leader perform in a company, how they lead a squad become successful. A company screen by a batch of different types personality people, I use the opportunity to do more different personality type of friends and assisting those people who introverts since I am a individual who introverts earlier. In order to do certain the work can running under a harmoniousness environment, I learn to accept people sentiment, and constructing up the good relationship with everyone around me.Movable Sk illsIn order to do certain I can to the full accommodate into my future calling occupation, I would wish to heighten all my accomplishments invariably, hence I can force my-self to the soap and accomplish the best public presentation in the occupation. How to go a successful bank director in banking industry? In order to managing the occupation efficaciously, communicating accomplishments, leading accomplishments and composing accomplishments. Those accomplishments was playing a really of import function from clip to clip. Banking industry is one of the biggest industry in the universe today. Many of the international bank like HSBC Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, CITIBANK, Barclays Bank, they have a immense figure of client from different states. So the accomplishments of authorship, computing machine accomplishments, and Foreign linguistic communication is really of import. We are traveling to except by the industry if we do non hold the sufficient accomplishments. Furthermore, as a bank director may confront a plentifulness clients every twenty-four hours, hence, I must be better my communicating accomplishments, so that I find it easy while communicate with client or people from different states. I know a different sort of linguistic communications such as Citrus reticulata, Cantonese, Malay, English, Nipponese etc, hence, I am able to pass on with different type of clients, and do more friends. Additionally, communicating accomplishments was of import for certain, hence, I besides need to better my authorship accomplishment, interpersonal accomplishments, and so-on. Harmonizing to the trial I took, I have good sociableness accomplishments, high motivate accomplishment and leading accomplishment. It was average that I can construct a strong relationship with my client and co-worker. Once one become a Bank director, I will set a batch of attempt to go a successful banker director, and I want to distribute my cognition and my accomplishments to my staff and lead my squad go stronger and stronger. This station needs a really strong leading accomplishments, be aftering accomplishments, motive accomplishments, and communicating accomplishments, acquiring more concern from the clients, create a batch of new selling schemes to pull more client and maximise the net incomes of the bank. I will use my accomplishments, cognition, and experience sagely that I had in order to full adapt into the occupation place.Justify choose calling pickI will be after to prosecute my calling in International Banking industry after graduating with a grade in Business with international direction at Northumbria University. My occupation is needed a batch of accomplishments and cognition, so womb-to-tomb larning automatically go a really of import portion in my life, I ca n't even halt it, because I need the updated knowledge/information and latest accomplishments to managing my future occupation efficaciously. I pick two occupation advertizement ( see APENDIX 4 ) . The occupation advertizement that I found was clearly states the minimal demand, the item information of the occupation and where is the location of the occupation. In the advertizement, the Team gross revenues director must be possess at least a Bachelor ‘s Degree. Besides, the campaigner should be hold gross revenues experience in retail industry before. The campaigner are required to hold good communicating, motivation, taking and selling accomplishments. Additionally, the campaigner are required to Develop and keep a good web of concern contact and besides guarantee the gross revenues mark are met ever. On the other custodies, the advertizement states that the campaigner must hold the ability to take, motivate, and coach a gross revenues squad. The applicant must be flexible to be shifted countrywide, work in a group, therefore, good communicating accomplishments and taking accomplishments was become the compulsory needs within this occupation. The bank director are encourage to hold good harmonisation because bank director is the who traveling to go to meeting with different section largely. Standard Chartered Bank has provided preparation classs and banking operations oversea short classs to candidate for understanding more item about the merchandise of the SCB, and the regulations and ordinance, so that the director are encouraged to be flexible. In order to pull more client and take the squad become successful, the director are required being to extrovert ever. The squad sale director hopefully able to working under force per unit area, since I ‘m a individual who extrovert, sociableness, hence, I believed I will suit good to this place and able to use my strengths in this occupation. Additionally, BELBIN trial consequence shows that I am a resource research worker, who loves to research chances and develop contacts. Therefore, I can carry through most of the demand as stated by the occupation description in the occupation advertizement.DecisionFinally, after I being done the three trials, I know my personality, my accomplishments, and my learning manner, and besides learned how to better my failings. since I plan my calling and life, I must be put a batch of attempt to do my dream come true, and besides maintain the attitude of womb-to-tomb larning until terminal of my life or directing the of import message about the of import of womb-to-tomb acquisition to my future household members.