Developing Yourself as an Effective HR Practitioner

Free Essays on Hussein

Saddam Hussein took his position as the Head of State of Iraq on July 11th, 1979 after the people had voted to relieve his predecessor, Ahmad Hasan Bakr, due to health reasons. Before he became the Supreme Ruler of Iraq, he held many seats and offices to include Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council, Secretary General of the Ba’th Party Regional Command, Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces (Karsh 110). With all of these positions that he had held at some point in time, it was no wonder that his popularity was wide spread, but unfortunately, his views and beliefs in which he expected to make known were not. As stated earlier, Hussein’s involvement in the Ba’th Party is no mystery. However, contrary to popular belief, he did not in fact start it. Two Syrian schoolteachers from Damascus established the Ba’th Party in the early 1940’s. Its ideology and agenda is the rise and unification of the Arab world, and to elimi nate the traces of colonialism in the Middle East (Karsh 12). The Ba’th Party was secretly established in Iraq by 1950, but did not take control until 1963. This lasted only until a Prime Minister who was not involved in the Ba’th beliefs took office in 1963. Due to the part of high elected political officials and senior military officers, the Ba’th Party once again gained full control over Iraq in 1968 and remained that way until March-April of 2003 where the Ba’th Part and it’s political leadership was destroyed by U- led coalition forces (Orient).... Free Essays on Hussein Free Essays on Hussein Saddam Hussein took his position as the Head of State of Iraq on July 11th, 1979 after the people had voted to relieve his predecessor, Ahmad Hasan Bakr, due to health reasons. Before he became the Supreme Ruler of Iraq, he held many seats and offices to include Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council, Secretary General of the Ba’th Party Regional Command, Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces (Karsh 110). With all of these positions that he had held at some point in time, it was no wonder that his popularity was wide spread, but unfortunately, his views and beliefs in which he expected to make known were not. As stated earlier, Hussein’s involvement in the Ba’th Party is no mystery. However, contrary to popular belief, he did not in fact start it. Two Syrian schoolteachers from Damascus established the Ba’th Party in the early 1940’s. Its ideology and agenda is the rise and unification of the Arab world, and to elimi nate the traces of colonialism in the Middle East (Karsh 12). The Ba’th Party was secretly established in Iraq by 1950, but did not take control until 1963. This lasted only until a Prime Minister who was not involved in the Ba’th beliefs took office in 1963. Due to the part of high elected political officials and senior military officers, the Ba’th Party once again gained full control over Iraq in 1968 and remained that way until March-April of 2003 where the Ba’th Part and it’s political leadership was destroyed by U- led coalition forces (Orient)....

Building a customer loyalty scheme via The Three Commitment Components Essay

Building a customer loyalty scheme via The Three Commitment Components model for family-run Thai restaurants in London - Essay Example The latter trend has borne business ventures’ interest in fostering consumer loyalty, which is synonymous with consumer adherence to an establishment’s products and services, as opposed to shifting to alternative suppliers. Further, adoption of consumer loyalty has seen firms shift from the traditional marketing model that primarily targeted broadening of their consumer bases and enhancing profitability through increased sales volumes, toward marketing for loyalty. The widespread inclination is evident from the increasing number of companies that are opting to formulate, implement, assess and improve loyalty strategies or programmes meant to develop stable relations with customers. This paper seeks to provide insight into how the three commitment component model can be used to formulate loyalty programmes and consequently foster consumers’ loyalty to a family-run Thai restaurant based in London. Customer loyalty will enable the Thai restaurant to attain higher ef ficiency by streamlining operation strategies, providing customers’ with favorite meals or services, and incurring lower expenditure, while using three commitment component model-based programmes. Conventionally, firms utilized a loyalty strategy that sought to attract numerous customers, but not to retain them in the long run. An excellent example of a traditional loyalty model is the behavioural approach, whereby firms take advantage of customers’ buying propensities to build a loyalty program. This translates to creation of slow point redemption of points or rewards by a customer after they use the establishment’s products or services for a while. Contrastingly, the three commitment component model encompasses three principal loyalty elements, that is, the affective, normative and continuance. The affective aspect represents elements that bind consumers willingly to a service provider. The

Critical Thinking and Decision Making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Critical Thinking and Decision Making - Essay Example The initial stage is to perceive the problems associated with the company being in the state docket, low return is likely to be the major shortcoming. The main question in this stage is what to be done to reverse the situation. Human resource department, however, is the most critical since it deals with human, who have feelings and emotions among other traits. Formulating the problem may require special skills and understanding. A time a company may be compelled to hire or outsource skilled and experienced professionals to detect or ascertain some short comings. The basics behind problem detection are comparing the current situation with the company goals or target. Some economic yard sticks can be used to evaluate accompany and ascertain whether it is on a gaining or losing trend (Eric, 2003). Problems related to human resource can best be ascertained by involving every worker to give his/her opinion on the company’s management and operation. Workers from different department s and positions can be interviewed one at time, this is to ensure confidentiality. The second step is interpreting the problem. This requires some deep understanding of a particular company aspect. Scientific principles could be applied to analyze the problem, in other words, this steps transforms the problem understanding form layman’s perception to a more detailed one. It is in this stage that several professionals are consulted to give scientific causes and remedies of the problems. This step can also be accomplished by interviewing the top management team in a specific field or department, for instance, social counselors or therapists may engage dialogue by the top management team to analyze a specific social or management problem in the organization. The third step is arranging the problems in the order of their priority. The most important goal of any organization or business is to make profit. The state governor thought the company is not doing well, hence the option t o privatize it. This might see the company make $250,000 annual profit. This helps to deal with the most critical problems then handle the rest while the company operates. It requires skilled and experienced professionals to determine which problems are more critical than the rest. Research indicates that this step require workers who have been in a certain organization for quite a long time. This is because they have good experience on Company’s operations, hence it is always important to retain two to five old workers in every department. This step requires deep understanding of a company’s goals and objectives. This stage may also compel the management team to review company’s records to ascertain how previous similar problems were dealt with. The fourth step involves using proven scientific methods to solve the problem in question. The State will apply proven economic principles in the transition/ privatization. According to the governor, the best alternativ e is to privatize the DMV. The principles have to consider the current workers; hence the governor promised that they will be employed in other companies but same department and position. Furthermore, the state will continue to provide the company with software, hardware and other professionals. Some proven yard sticks or models could be used to pick the best alternative (Shapira, 2002). For instance, economic alternatives could be vetted using present and future value yard

Positive Impact of Banning Smoking in Public Places Essay - 1

Positive Impact of Banning Smoking in Public Places - Essay Example Basically, smokers have the right to continue smoking despite the adverse health consequences of smoking whereas non-smokers have the right for a clean air each time they go to public places like restaurants, malls, and offices. Given that the local government banned smoking in public places, a lot of businesses strictly prohibit the smoking of cigarettes within their working environment and offices. In line with the banning of smoking in public places, three major reasons will be presented in order to convince the readers why I strongly support the government’s legislation on making smoking illegal in public areas. My auntie who lives in another town died at a very young age due to second-hand smoking. She is one of the closest relatives I have considered since we shared a common interest in photography. I have never seen my auntie smoke. Since she has always been with friends who smoke at least two packs of cigarettes a day, her life became in danger. Because of the close re lationship I had with my auntie, I spent almost every single day with her while she was confined at the hospital. Personally, I have seen how she suffered physically from a lung cancer. Due to her bad faith, the researcher strongly supports the banning of smoking in public places. Similar incidence recently happened to my best friend’s father. My best friend’s father is currently undergoing chemotherapy due to second-hand smoking he gets each day from his workplace. Aside from the financial burden the chemotherapy brings to my best friend’s family, there is still a risk that they would lose the head of their family. Similar to all stories related to what happens to patients with smoking habits, my sister who is a nurse told me a lot of smokers are unable to quit smoking despite knowing the health consequences of smoking. She said that patients with lung cancer often experience difficulty in breathing. The fact that there is no way to replace the lungs increases the risk of patients with chronic lung cancer to die.

Communication Media for Banking Industry

Communication Media for Banking Industry Chapter 1: Introduction Introduction Todays world is world of technology. Everyday a new technology is introduced that can assist people in order to do their daily works easily and finally increase the quality of their life. These new technologies help their users in different aspects of their life, by saving time, doing works faster and better with lower level of error. The rapid development of information technology has brought unprecedented influence on the life of millions of people around the globe. Various activities were handled electronically through the adoption of IT in the workplace or at home, for example, e-mail, e-commerce and e-government (Guriting and Ndubisi, 2006). One of these technologies that effects most people around the world is Internet, which was born in the last years of 20 century and rapidly broke boundaries, time and place. It brought more easily communication ways from usual daily activities to high level official activities. Online shopping and paying is a symbol of developing internet te chnology. People can stay at home, be at their work place, or their car or any other place, and order their food, clothes , shoes and pay online and receive their orders without spending time for going to the shopping center or finding parking .so online paying helped its users saved their time and their money. Next generation of online paying is internet banking, which means doing transactions online without going to the bank, staying in long queues, and without direct face-to-face interacting. The terms of PC banking, online banking, Internet banking, and mobile banking refer to a number of ways in which customers can access their banks without having to be physically present at a bank branch. PC Banking relates to every banking business transacted from a customers PC. This can be done through online banking, in which bank transactions are conducted within a closed network, or via Internet banking, which permits the customer to perform transactions from any terminal with access to the Internet. Mobile banking is the implementation of banking and trading transactions using an Internet-enabled wireless device. (Mobile phones, PDAs, handheld computers, etc.). Thus mobile banking (m-banking) is a subset of Internet banking, I banking, (Hazell and Raphael, 2001) The banking industry is using the new communication media to offer its services to the customers with convenience. Using Internet banking and its nearest technology, mobile banking, is increased during these years around the world. Malaysian penetration of Internet banking and mobile banking, as the base infrastructure for this paper, is mentioned as below: In all five continents, penetration of internet and mobile banking are rapidly increasing. Especially in most developed countries, trend of internet banking is increasing, also using mobile banking, is increasing. Most of Europe has embraced GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) as a format for wireless technology. This more standardized wireless telecommunications infrastructure has yielded a higher level of acceptance and penetration, which has led to speculation that Europe will drive innovations in wireless communications, this technology can use to do both internet banking and mobile banking. Although still need time to adapt the mobile banking. In most countries this service is available but Because of its price and some uncertainty about its security, mobile banking is not popular yet. North America represents the flip side of the European situation. Wireless communications, though far from rare, lag behind Europes penetration levels, while participation in the wired I nternet is the highest in the world. The North American wireless infrastructure is not as widespread as standardized as its European counterpart. In the Middle East, has secured 15 wireless infrastructure contracts in regional markets over the last 12 months, most recently in Kuwait. Motorolas work in Kuwait involves a $14 million contract with wireless GSM operator MTC to implement a countrywide capacity enhancement. The dual-band network implementation will enable cell phones to utilize the most efficient network route and frequency, thus optimizing network performance. In spite of the fact that internet and mobile banking has rapidly growth in all countries, but still there are people from developing countries that do not interest in use this facility. People of these countries are concerning about their personal information, privacy and security, and these are factors that will increase their uncertainty level of using internet banking(East African and West African countries in Malaysia interviewing). This anxiety can refer to their cultural background. culture can refer to the customs and beliefs of a nation that stay with people for years, and changing of fundamental of this culture is not possible easily. So culture of a country can affect the culture of sub-societies in that country, such as organizational culture, educational culture and etc. So each nation and country has especial fundamental in order to go to the technology world and use technology as an assistant in their life. Statement of the Problem According to the previous discussion, although there is rapidly increasing in internet banking penetration but still there is some unsafe feeling towards it. That means there are factors that can affect acceptance and adaption of a technology, beside existing factors such as usefulness, ease of use, subjective norm and etc. While essential research has been directed toward understanding the adoption and diffusion of IT (Prescott and Conger, 1995), there have been a few studies that specifically examine possible cultural effects on the adoption and dispersion of new information technologies (Raman and Wei, 1992). Research on the impact of corporate culture on IT acceptance provides a useful viewpoint (Cooper, 1994; Kydd and Jones, 1989) but ethnic or national culture research undoubtedly has a special character. The problem to be investigated is that there is no enough research that works on the effect of national culture on acceptance a technology. Thereafter This study examines the role of culture on technology acceptance model (TAM) adaption and tries to give an in depth view of Hofstede Cultural Dimensions towards acceptance of a technology (Power distance index:PID, Individualism/collectivism, Uncertainty avoidance). It is hoped that conclusions can be drawn and opened a window for managers and all who want to bring world of technology to their life and work. Research Objective The main aim of this paper is finding the role of culture in acceptance a new technology. That can be interpreted to culture role on the Technology Acceptance Model. Beside the main objective this study pursues following objectives: Giving the overall view of Hofstede Cultural Dimensions in different countries base on their Power Distance Index, Individualism/Collectivism and Uncertainty avoidance Opening a new window for all who work in IT and IS implementing, to bring technology in multinational and international organizations. Handling the problem that faced in multi-cultural society according to each person cultural background. Research Questions Main question can be draw as below: Is there any effect by Hofstede cultural dimensions (PDI, IND/CLV, UAI) on TAM This main question can be expended as below: Is there any effect by Hofstede cultural dimensions (PDI, IND/CLV, UAI) on Perceived Usefulness (PU)? Is there any effect by Hofstede cultural dimensions (PDI, IND/CLV, UAI) on Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU)? Is there any effect by Hofstede cultural dimensions (PDI, IND/CLV, UAI) on Subjective Norm (SN)? Is there any effect by Hofstede cultural dimensions (PDI, IND/CLV, UAI) on Perceived Behavioral Control (PBC)? Is there any effect by Hofstede cultural dimensions (PDI, IND/CLV, UAI) on Behavioral Intention(BI) to use internet banking? Scope of the Study In order to achieve the best results in finding different attitude towards technology acceptance (Internet banking) among different people from different nations, student of four universities in Malaysia have been selected to administer the questionnaire in order to examine attitude towards internet and mobile banking. Because of large scope of this study and necessity of collaboration of more than 30 countries from the five continents in Malaysia, embassy of ten countries and their referees took part in this research by filling up questionnaires that was distributed by hand and by e-mail, also staffs of some international organizations in Malaysia cooperate in this research, and the last one, social networks such as facebook came to assist this paper by finding the different others countries communities in Malaysia. Significance of the Study As firms internationalize, there is a growing need to understand how cultural factors might affect a multinational organizations ability to adopt and utilize IT. Further studies may lead to knowledge that will help IT researchers and practitioners in improving the technology transfer process. Such knowledge will be worth to practitioners, because it could spell the difference between achievement and collapse in implementing IT. In the movement toward globalization of markets and corporate multinationalism, the value of more cross-cultural research is clear (Cash, McFarlan, McKenney and Applegate, 1992). In a large survey of information systems more than half of the respondents felt that global IT issues were keys to their firms future success (Ives and Jarvenpaa, 1991). As firms grow their operations in the international arena, there is a need to exploit the power of IT to communicate among these widespread locations and to coordinate activities both within and across countries. Henc e, it is important for the managers of these firms to learn, as much as they can, about the cross-cultural adoption and use of IT (Couger,1986; Kumar and Andersen,1990) Such understanding can make the distinction between success and failure in executing information technology and system. The study will be clear the differences and similarities between countries cultures, and will give nations attitude towards technology acceptance. This study will be the first one that combines culture and TAM across the five continents. The result can assists managers and technology developers around the world in order to apply IT through international organization. The unique results of this study can be a base for future research and open a window to work on TAM as viewpoint of culture. Summary and Organization of the Remaining Chapters The main part of the dissertation is divided into five Chapters, which will be briefly introduced: Chapter1: Introduction The introduction section a projects a brief overview of the study is provided. Chapter 2: Literature Review In this section, selected academic literature related to Technology acceptance model, related theory and Hofstede cultural dimension and its related academic literatures. Then conceptual framework and steps to developing the hypothesis are discussed. Chapter 3: Methodology The methodology section critically examines a range of research approaches and techniques. Sample and the size of samples, also one of the most important for this study, finding the sample from different countries who stay in Malaysia for study or work. The research technique that is selected for this study is Design of Experiment. Chapter 4: Analysis and Results In the analytical section, the research findings are explained briefly according to the data collection and analysis. Chapter 5: Discussion In discussion section the further interpretation and explanation the findings is provided and comparisons is made between the findings with other literature in the area of the study. Then the findings are summarized; recommendations for future research and the practicing manager are made. Chapter 2: Literature Review Introduction This chapter is included of backgrounds and literatures in Technology acceptance Model, Hofstede cultural Dimensions and previous researchs including of cultural role on TAM. This chapter will prove the unique work of this paper. Framework, definitions and hypothesis development for this study, will mention and discuss in this chapter. Technology Acceptance Model Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) is one of the most influential extensions of Ajzen and Fishbeins theory of reasoned action (TRA) that has been widely used to predict user acceptance and use based on perceived usefulness and ease of use. According to TRA, an individuals behavioural intention, which results in actual behaviour, is influenced by person subject norm and attitude, and the attitude is influenced by individual beliefs (Ajzen Fishbein, 1980). According to the Davis (1989), TAM hypothesizes that behavioural intention is a significant determinant of actual system use, and that behavioural intention is determined by two relevant beliefs, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. In TAM, an individuals principle determines the attitude toward using the system. The attitude develops the intention to use. Perceived usefulness is related to productivity but perceived ease-of-use is related to effort (Venkatesh, 1999). This intention influences the decision of actual technology usage. These causalities were largely studied and accepted (Suh and Han, 2002; Morris and Dillon, 1997; Teo, Lim, Lai, 1999). The most significant results of Davis study was the strong relation between Usefulness and Usage. Users of a technology try to cope with difficulties of a system, although difficulty of use can discourage adoption of a useful system, no amount of ease of use can give back for a system that does not perform a useful function.TAM used in several IS studies and proved useful determining technology acceptance, especially to explain computer usage behaviour. This justifies why TAM is suitable for studies in computer acceptance. Given the rising popularity of Electronic_ Commerce technology such as Internet banking and Mobile Banking and the dynamic user behaviors identified above, the TAM is a suitable framework for this study. There are other widely used and well known frameworks, such as uses and gratification or diffusion of innovation, but the TAM is considered the best fit for this study because other frameworks focus on different levels of analysis (macro, mezzo, or micro) or differ ent topics of emphasis (diffusion mechanisms, etc.). If modified appropriately, the TAM is the most effective tool for a study like this one, which investigates factors relating to usage and adoption, such as cultural dimensions. (Suh et al., 2002; Morris et al., 1997; Teo et al., 1999). The TAM was stimulated by the theory of reasoned action(1980), which argues that both the attitude toward an action and subjective norms have an impact on behavioral intention, which in turn affects how people perform an action. The TAM was an early attempt to apply psychological factors to information systems and computer adoption. It assumed that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use were major influences on an individuals attitude toward using technology and, thus, ultimately, were related to actual use (Davis, 1989). Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) has been widely used to predict user acceptance and use based on perceived usefulness and ease of use (Davis, 1989). TAM conceives that behavioural intention is a significant determinant of actual system use, and that behavioural intention is determined by two main beliefs, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. The perceived usefulness refers to the degree to which an individual believes that using a particular system would enhance his/her job performance. The perceived ease of use refers to the degree to which an individual believes that using a particular system would be free of physical and mental efforts. In TAM, an individuals belief settles on the attitude toward using the system and, in turn, the attitude develops the intention to use. This intention influences the decision of actual technology usage. With the bang of the Internet and convergence technologies, researchers have modified TAM to demonstrate the empirical evidences of it in the convergence context. In fact, many researchers have proposed various extended TAM. For instance, Moon and Kim (2001) suggest a model where perceived playfulness was described as one of the antecedents of attitude toward Web surfing. They noted that most prior TAM research had focused only on extrinsic motivation, not on intrinsic motivation. Morris and Dillon (1997) found that TAM contributes to the prediction of individual usage of software. The motivational model that was adapted by Davis, Bagozzi, Warshaw (1992) employs two key constructs: extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. According to Venkatesh and Speier (1999), extrinsic motivation refers to the performance of an activity. Extrinsic motivation is perceived to help achieve valued outcomes that are distinct from the activity itself, such as improving job performance, pay, etc. Intrinsic motivation refers to the performance of an activity for no reason other than the process of performing it. In the case of technology a cceptance studies, perceived usefulness is an example of extrinsic motivation. Davis et al. (1992) found that perceived enjoyment was significantly related to the perceived ease of use. In the research on the usage intentions for information systems, Heijden (2004) adds perceived an enjoyment to TAM model. Cheong and Park (2005) also develop a more comprehensive version of TAM to better reflect mobile Internet context. Their model employs perceived playfulness, contents quality, system quality, Internet experience and perceived price level, in addition to perceived usefulness and ease of use. For the mobile services, Nysveen et al. (2005) investigate the consumers intention to use mobile services, which shows the four overall influences on usage intention: motivational influences, attitudinal influences, normative pressure, and perceived control. Similarly, Fogelgren-Pedersen (2005) found that connection stability and geographic coverage are one of the significant variables of perceived relative advantage in mobile Internet. Also, in the worldwide mobile Internet user survey, Fife (2005) found that perceived enhanced utility of mobile services are the strong value motivating use of mobile technology. While these studies found the significant perceived variables, they still do not find variables specific to mobile Internet. Viswanath Venkatesh, Morris, B.Davis, D.Davis (2003) worked on this issue an d eight prominent models are discussed, the eight models and their extensions are empirically compared, a unified model is formulated that integrates elements across the eight models, and the unified model is empirically validated. Using data from four organizations over a six-month period with three points of measurement, the eight models explained between 17% and 53% of the variance in user intentions to use information technology. Next, a unified model, called the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), was formulated, with four core determinants of intention and usage, and up to four moderators of key relationships. UTAUT provides a useful tool for managers needing to assess the likelihood of success for new technology introductions and helps them understand the drivers of acceptance in order to proactively design interventions targeted at populations of users that may be less inclined to adopt and use new systems. Theory of reason Action(TRA) Drawn from social Psychology.TRA is one of the most fundamental and inflectional theories of human behaviour. It has been used to predict a wide range of behaviours .Davis et al.(1989) applied TRA to individual acceptance of technology and found that the variance explained was largely consistent with studies that employed TRA in context of other behaviours Technology Acceptance Model(TAM) TAM is tailored to IS contexts, and was designed to predict information technology acceptance and usage on the job. Unlike TRA, the final conceptualization of TAM excludes the attitude construct in order to better explain intention parsimoniously. TAM2 extended TAM by including subjective norm as an additional predictor of intention in the case of mandatory settings (Venkatesh and Davis 2000). TAM has been widely applied to a diverse set of technologies and users. Theory of Planned Behaviour TPB extended TRA by adding the construct of perceived behavioural control is theorized to be an additional determinant of intention and behavioural .Ajzan(1991) presented a review of several studies they successfully used TPB to predict intention and behaviour in a wide variety of settings. TPB has been successfully applied to the understanding of individual acceptance and usage of many different technologies (Tailor and Todd, 1995). A related model is the Decomposed Theory of Planned Behaviour (DTPB). In terms of predicting intention, DTPB is identical to TPB. In contrast to TPB but similar to TAM, DTPB decomposes attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioural control into its the underlying belief structure within technology adaption contexts. Combined TAM and TPB It is a combination of TPB TAM to provide a hybrid model (Taylor and Todd,1995) Innovation Diffusion Theory (IDT) Grounded in sociology, IDT (Rogers 1964) has been used since the 1960s to study a variety of innovations, ranging from agricultural tools to organizational innovation (Tornatzky and Klein 1982). Within information systems, Moore and Benbasat (1991) adapted the characteristics of innovations presented in Rogers and refined a set of constructs that could be used to study individual technology acceptance. Moore and Benbasat (1996) found support for the predictive validity of these innovation Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) One of the most powerful theories of human behavior is social cognitive theory (Bandura 1986). Compeau and Higgins (1995) applied and extended SCT to the context of computer; while Compeau and Higgins (1995) also employed SCT, it was to study performance and thus is outside the goal of the current research. Compeau and Higgins'(1995) model studied computer use but the nature of the model and the underlying theory allow it to be extended to acceptance and use of information technology in general. The original model of Compeau and Higgins (1995) used usage as a dependent variable but in keeping with the spirit of predicting individual acceptance, In 2008, Ima, I., Kim, Y., Han, H. did a revising research on Venkatesh work. They claimed that in previous study there seem to be two critical factors that are overlooked or have received inadequate attention—perceived risk (PR) and technology type. PR has been recognized as an important factor and was modelled as a precursor of perceived usefulness (PU), and a sub construct of others, such as trust (or as its precursor). In their study PR and technology type, consider as additional to the moderating variables in UTAUT and was tested how they moderate the effects of PU and PEU on users intention to use a technology. It was shown the PR and technology type were moderating variables. Kim (2006) added two new constructs, Perceived Cost Savings and Companys Willingness to Fund, and two causal relationships, Job Relevance and Experience, as moderating effects to previous existing model and proved that there is a strong significant relationships between PCS and CWTF and behaviral i ntention to use a technology. also moderating effects of job relevance was proved , also found that an individuals intention to use mobile wireless technology was significantly affected by CWF. Kim claimed that a company must provide technology to their employees to help them perform their jobs. Finally, the individuals adopt a technology if it is within their prior experience, which was found to be significant moderator between CWF and BI. Prior studies based on TAM did not examine the direct link from self-efficacy to behavioral intention assuming the full mediation of perceived ease of use but Khalifa (2008) integrated the theory of planned behavior (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975; Ajzen and Madden, 1986) and the technology acceptance model (TAM) (Davis, 1989) to explain the adoption of m-commerce as a new technology. He added subjective norm to the main block of TAM as an factors that have positive direct effect on the individuals intention and Self-efficacy as a positive direct effec t on the individuals intention to adopt m-commerce. During the years researchers examined different items and their relations with TAM models, they have used original framework of TAM and found relation between them. In paper by June Lu at el.(2008) was worked on different aspects of new technology in china, such as WMDS, these items are type of technology ,functionality of that technology, interface design, Personal innovativeness in information technology (PIIT), Facilitating conditions, Social influences ,security, trust , privacy and reliability of that technology. The result of this paper showed that intention to use WMDS via mobile phones in China was dependent on an individuals perceptual beliefs about the target services in terms of their usefulness and eases of use, and also relied on PIIT and mobile trust belief. According to Dong-Hee Shin(2007) , who work on Wi-Bro acceptance in Korea, users perceptions are significantly associated with their motivation to use Wi-Bro. Specifically, perceived quality and perceived availability are found to have significant effect on users extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. These factors play as enhancing factors to attitudes and intention. In 2005, Kim et al. Work on a Value-based Adoption of a technology such as mobile banking. A Value-based Adoption Model (VAM) would be able to capture the monetary sacrifice element and present adoption as a comparison of benefits and costs. By combination of Value-based Adoption Model (VAM) of M-Internet and by integrating the most relevant findings of the technology adoption and value literature, Kim(2005) designed its framework by dividing it to benefits and sacrifices. He suggested that customers evaluation of a product includes both cognitive and affective elements, and that products are purchased for their utilitarian and hedonic benefits, so it can be proved that usefulness and enjoyment as the benefit components of perceived value. Perceived sacrifices are both monetary and non-monetary. Monetary spending includes the actual price of the product, and it is generally measured based on customers perceptions of the actual price paid. Non-monetary costs usually include time, effo rt and other unsatisfactory spending for the purchase and consumption of the product. Yang (2004) did a research that examines different items that could affect technology acceptance. Innovation, past adaption behaviour, knowledge, technology cluster, age, gender and specialization were items that were tested in relation with technology acceptance in Yang study. He provided insights into the relationships between PU, PEOU, AT, consumer innovation adoption behaviour, and demographic variables and also offers empirical data to support the suitability of the TAM through examining the emerging M-commerce technology and application. PU is found to predict consumer adoption of M-commerce. Consumer innovativeness introduced into the TAM research to expand the scope of TAM applicability to M-commerce that is yet to accumulate a critical mass in the diffusion process. According to the Lo ´ pez-Nicola ´ s, Molina-Castillo, Harry Bouwman (2008), social factors are the important factors that influence on peoples decision to adopt a new technology such as mobile services. They try to evaluate the impact of different determinants on Behavioural Intention in the adoption of advanced mobile services, by combining acceptance models with diffusion theory models theory. In particular, we assumed that social influence may be a key element in peoples intention to use the services and applications. Social influence was defined as the degree to which individuals believed that others thought they should use advanced mobile services. The views of friends and relatives have a significant impact on using mobile services, Lo ´ pez-Nicola ´ s et al. proved that as a manager, that PEOU and behavioural intention depended significantly on social influences, so for bringing new services and technologies for organisations, notice to the employees cultural backgrou nd is important. In a study by Amin (2008) who used original TAM model to finding factors affecting the intentions of customers in Malaysia to use mobile banking, proved that bank managers should create favourable perceptions concerning the usefulness and ease of use among mobile phone credit card customers. Creating these positive perceptions might be achieved by offering free seminars to customers about the ease of use of the system Malaysian consumers often take up marketing initiatives of this type. Additionally, the banks should provide a mini-guide at all branches that provides succinct and cogent information concerning the efficiency, effectiveness and risk-free attributes of the mobile phone credit card system. In 2009 GU, Lee, Suh, integrated the fragmented models such as the extended TAM and the trust-based TAM into a unified model of mobile banking. They found that self-efficiency is the strongest antecedent of perceived ease-of-use, which directly and indirectly affected behavioural intention through perceived usefulness, also was found the structural assurances are the strongest antecedent of trust, which could increase behavioural intention of mobile banking. Gu et al. research was listed most important work on technology acceptance that used TAM as base. For example Taylor and Todd (1995) selected computing resource center and worked on usefulness, ease of use, attitude and behavioural intention, they worked on Subjective norm and Perceived behavioural control as their study antecedence (complete list of work on TAM was brought in Appendix A) Hofstede Cultural dimensions: Culture has been defined according to several perspectives. Definitions go from the most complex and the most comprehensive (e.g. Kluckhohn, 1962) to the most simple (e.g. Triandis, 1972, Hofstede, 1997). According to Kluckhohn (1962), Culture consists of patterns, explicit and implicit, of and for behavior acquired and transmitted by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievement of human groups, including their embodiments in artifacts (p.73). Hofstede cultural dimensions served as the most influential culture theory among social science research (Nokata and Sivakumar, 2001). In addition, Hofstede cultural framework has also received strong empirical support by Sondergaard work (1994).Geert Hofstede research gives insights into other cultures so that it will be more effective when interacting with people in other countries. If understood and applied properly, this information should reduce level of nuisance, concern, and distress. But most important, Geert Hofstede will give the edge of understanding which translates to more successful results. In 1980 Hofstede offered his famous description of cultural dimensions. Geert Hofstede collected and analyzed a large data base of employee values scores of IBM between 1967 and 1973 .it was included more than 70 countries. He first used the 40 largest countries and then extended the analysis to 50 countries and 3 regions. From t Communication Media for Banking Industry Communication Media for Banking Industry Chapter 1: Introduction Introduction Todays world is world of technology. Everyday a new technology is introduced that can assist people in order to do their daily works easily and finally increase the quality of their life. These new technologies help their users in different aspects of their life, by saving time, doing works faster and better with lower level of error. The rapid development of information technology has brought unprecedented influence on the life of millions of people around the globe. Various activities were handled electronically through the adoption of IT in the workplace or at home, for example, e-mail, e-commerce and e-government (Guriting and Ndubisi, 2006). One of these technologies that effects most people around the world is Internet, which was born in the last years of 20 century and rapidly broke boundaries, time and place. It brought more easily communication ways from usual daily activities to high level official activities. Online shopping and paying is a symbol of developing internet te chnology. People can stay at home, be at their work place, or their car or any other place, and order their food, clothes , shoes and pay online and receive their orders without spending time for going to the shopping center or finding parking .so online paying helped its users saved their time and their money. Next generation of online paying is internet banking, which means doing transactions online without going to the bank, staying in long queues, and without direct face-to-face interacting. The terms of PC banking, online banking, Internet banking, and mobile banking refer to a number of ways in which customers can access their banks without having to be physically present at a bank branch. PC Banking relates to every banking business transacted from a customers PC. This can be done through online banking, in which bank transactions are conducted within a closed network, or via Internet banking, which permits the customer to perform transactions from any terminal with access to the Internet. Mobile banking is the implementation of banking and trading transactions using an Internet-enabled wireless device. (Mobile phones, PDAs, handheld computers, etc.). Thus mobile banking (m-banking) is a subset of Internet banking, I banking, (Hazell and Raphael, 2001) The banking industry is using the new communication media to offer its services to the customers with convenience. Using Internet banking and its nearest technology, mobile banking, is increased during these years around the world. Malaysian penetration of Internet banking and mobile banking, as the base infrastructure for this paper, is mentioned as below: In all five continents, penetration of internet and mobile banking are rapidly increasing. Especially in most developed countries, trend of internet banking is increasing, also using mobile banking, is increasing. Most of Europe has embraced GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) as a format for wireless technology. This more standardized wireless telecommunications infrastructure has yielded a higher level of acceptance and penetration, which has led to speculation that Europe will drive innovations in wireless communications, this technology can use to do both internet banking and mobile banking. Although still need time to adapt the mobile banking. In most countries this service is available but Because of its price and some uncertainty about its security, mobile banking is not popular yet. North America represents the flip side of the European situation. Wireless communications, though far from rare, lag behind Europes penetration levels, while participation in the wired I nternet is the highest in the world. The North American wireless infrastructure is not as widespread as standardized as its European counterpart. In the Middle East, has secured 15 wireless infrastructure contracts in regional markets over the last 12 months, most recently in Kuwait. Motorolas work in Kuwait involves a $14 million contract with wireless GSM operator MTC to implement a countrywide capacity enhancement. The dual-band network implementation will enable cell phones to utilize the most efficient network route and frequency, thus optimizing network performance. In spite of the fact that internet and mobile banking has rapidly growth in all countries, but still there are people from developing countries that do not interest in use this facility. People of these countries are concerning about their personal information, privacy and security, and these are factors that will increase their uncertainty level of using internet banking(East African and West African countries in Malaysia interviewing). This anxiety can refer to their cultural background. culture can refer to the customs and beliefs of a nation that stay with people for years, and changing of fundamental of this culture is not possible easily. So culture of a country can affect the culture of sub-societies in that country, such as organizational culture, educational culture and etc. So each nation and country has especial fundamental in order to go to the technology world and use technology as an assistant in their life. Statement of the Problem According to the previous discussion, although there is rapidly increasing in internet banking penetration but still there is some unsafe feeling towards it. That means there are factors that can affect acceptance and adaption of a technology, beside existing factors such as usefulness, ease of use, subjective norm and etc. While essential research has been directed toward understanding the adoption and diffusion of IT (Prescott and Conger, 1995), there have been a few studies that specifically examine possible cultural effects on the adoption and dispersion of new information technologies (Raman and Wei, 1992). Research on the impact of corporate culture on IT acceptance provides a useful viewpoint (Cooper, 1994; Kydd and Jones, 1989) but ethnic or national culture research undoubtedly has a special character. The problem to be investigated is that there is no enough research that works on the effect of national culture on acceptance a technology. Thereafter This study examines the role of culture on technology acceptance model (TAM) adaption and tries to give an in depth view of Hofstede Cultural Dimensions towards acceptance of a technology (Power distance index:PID, Individualism/collectivism, Uncertainty avoidance). It is hoped that conclusions can be drawn and opened a window for managers and all who want to bring world of technology to their life and work. Research Objective The main aim of this paper is finding the role of culture in acceptance a new technology. That can be interpreted to culture role on the Technology Acceptance Model. Beside the main objective this study pursues following objectives: Giving the overall view of Hofstede Cultural Dimensions in different countries base on their Power Distance Index, Individualism/Collectivism and Uncertainty avoidance Opening a new window for all who work in IT and IS implementing, to bring technology in multinational and international organizations. Handling the problem that faced in multi-cultural society according to each person cultural background. Research Questions Main question can be draw as below: Is there any effect by Hofstede cultural dimensions (PDI, IND/CLV, UAI) on TAM This main question can be expended as below: Is there any effect by Hofstede cultural dimensions (PDI, IND/CLV, UAI) on Perceived Usefulness (PU)? Is there any effect by Hofstede cultural dimensions (PDI, IND/CLV, UAI) on Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU)? Is there any effect by Hofstede cultural dimensions (PDI, IND/CLV, UAI) on Subjective Norm (SN)? Is there any effect by Hofstede cultural dimensions (PDI, IND/CLV, UAI) on Perceived Behavioral Control (PBC)? Is there any effect by Hofstede cultural dimensions (PDI, IND/CLV, UAI) on Behavioral Intention(BI) to use internet banking? Scope of the Study In order to achieve the best results in finding different attitude towards technology acceptance (Internet banking) among different people from different nations, student of four universities in Malaysia have been selected to administer the questionnaire in order to examine attitude towards internet and mobile banking. Because of large scope of this study and necessity of collaboration of more than 30 countries from the five continents in Malaysia, embassy of ten countries and their referees took part in this research by filling up questionnaires that was distributed by hand and by e-mail, also staffs of some international organizations in Malaysia cooperate in this research, and the last one, social networks such as facebook came to assist this paper by finding the different others countries communities in Malaysia. Significance of the Study As firms internationalize, there is a growing need to understand how cultural factors might affect a multinational organizations ability to adopt and utilize IT. Further studies may lead to knowledge that will help IT researchers and practitioners in improving the technology transfer process. Such knowledge will be worth to practitioners, because it could spell the difference between achievement and collapse in implementing IT. In the movement toward globalization of markets and corporate multinationalism, the value of more cross-cultural research is clear (Cash, McFarlan, McKenney and Applegate, 1992). In a large survey of information systems more than half of the respondents felt that global IT issues were keys to their firms future success (Ives and Jarvenpaa, 1991). As firms grow their operations in the international arena, there is a need to exploit the power of IT to communicate among these widespread locations and to coordinate activities both within and across countries. Henc e, it is important for the managers of these firms to learn, as much as they can, about the cross-cultural adoption and use of IT (Couger,1986; Kumar and Andersen,1990) Such understanding can make the distinction between success and failure in executing information technology and system. The study will be clear the differences and similarities between countries cultures, and will give nations attitude towards technology acceptance. This study will be the first one that combines culture and TAM across the five continents. The result can assists managers and technology developers around the world in order to apply IT through international organization. The unique results of this study can be a base for future research and open a window to work on TAM as viewpoint of culture. Summary and Organization of the Remaining Chapters The main part of the dissertation is divided into five Chapters, which will be briefly introduced: Chapter1: Introduction The introduction section a projects a brief overview of the study is provided. Chapter 2: Literature Review In this section, selected academic literature related to Technology acceptance model, related theory and Hofstede cultural dimension and its related academic literatures. Then conceptual framework and steps to developing the hypothesis are discussed. Chapter 3: Methodology The methodology section critically examines a range of research approaches and techniques. Sample and the size of samples, also one of the most important for this study, finding the sample from different countries who stay in Malaysia for study or work. The research technique that is selected for this study is Design of Experiment. Chapter 4: Analysis and Results In the analytical section, the research findings are explained briefly according to the data collection and analysis. Chapter 5: Discussion In discussion section the further interpretation and explanation the findings is provided and comparisons is made between the findings with other literature in the area of the study. Then the findings are summarized; recommendations for future research and the practicing manager are made. Chapter 2: Literature Review Introduction This chapter is included of backgrounds and literatures in Technology acceptance Model, Hofstede cultural Dimensions and previous researchs including of cultural role on TAM. This chapter will prove the unique work of this paper. Framework, definitions and hypothesis development for this study, will mention and discuss in this chapter. Technology Acceptance Model Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) is one of the most influential extensions of Ajzen and Fishbeins theory of reasoned action (TRA) that has been widely used to predict user acceptance and use based on perceived usefulness and ease of use. According to TRA, an individuals behavioural intention, which results in actual behaviour, is influenced by person subject norm and attitude, and the attitude is influenced by individual beliefs (Ajzen Fishbein, 1980). According to the Davis (1989), TAM hypothesizes that behavioural intention is a significant determinant of actual system use, and that behavioural intention is determined by two relevant beliefs, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. In TAM, an individuals principle determines the attitude toward using the system. The attitude develops the intention to use. Perceived usefulness is related to productivity but perceived ease-of-use is related to effort (Venkatesh, 1999). This intention influences the decision of actual technology usage. These causalities were largely studied and accepted (Suh and Han, 2002; Morris and Dillon, 1997; Teo, Lim, Lai, 1999). The most significant results of Davis study was the strong relation between Usefulness and Usage. Users of a technology try to cope with difficulties of a system, although difficulty of use can discourage adoption of a useful system, no amount of ease of use can give back for a system that does not perform a useful function.TAM used in several IS studies and proved useful determining technology acceptance, especially to explain computer usage behaviour. This justifies why TAM is suitable for studies in computer acceptance. Given the rising popularity of Electronic_ Commerce technology such as Internet banking and Mobile Banking and the dynamic user behaviors identified above, the TAM is a suitable framework for this study. There are other widely used and well known frameworks, such as uses and gratification or diffusion of innovation, but the TAM is considered the best fit for this study because other frameworks focus on different levels of analysis (macro, mezzo, or micro) or differ ent topics of emphasis (diffusion mechanisms, etc.). If modified appropriately, the TAM is the most effective tool for a study like this one, which investigates factors relating to usage and adoption, such as cultural dimensions. (Suh et al., 2002; Morris et al., 1997; Teo et al., 1999). The TAM was stimulated by the theory of reasoned action(1980), which argues that both the attitude toward an action and subjective norms have an impact on behavioral intention, which in turn affects how people perform an action. The TAM was an early attempt to apply psychological factors to information systems and computer adoption. It assumed that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use were major influences on an individuals attitude toward using technology and, thus, ultimately, were related to actual use (Davis, 1989). Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) has been widely used to predict user acceptance and use based on perceived usefulness and ease of use (Davis, 1989). TAM conceives that behavioural intention is a significant determinant of actual system use, and that behavioural intention is determined by two main beliefs, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. The perceived usefulness refers to the degree to which an individual believes that using a particular system would enhance his/her job performance. The perceived ease of use refers to the degree to which an individual believes that using a particular system would be free of physical and mental efforts. In TAM, an individuals belief settles on the attitude toward using the system and, in turn, the attitude develops the intention to use. This intention influences the decision of actual technology usage. With the bang of the Internet and convergence technologies, researchers have modified TAM to demonstrate the empirical evidences of it in the convergence context. In fact, many researchers have proposed various extended TAM. For instance, Moon and Kim (2001) suggest a model where perceived playfulness was described as one of the antecedents of attitude toward Web surfing. They noted that most prior TAM research had focused only on extrinsic motivation, not on intrinsic motivation. Morris and Dillon (1997) found that TAM contributes to the prediction of individual usage of software. The motivational model that was adapted by Davis, Bagozzi, Warshaw (1992) employs two key constructs: extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. According to Venkatesh and Speier (1999), extrinsic motivation refers to the performance of an activity. Extrinsic motivation is perceived to help achieve valued outcomes that are distinct from the activity itself, such as improving job performance, pay, etc. Intrinsic motivation refers to the performance of an activity for no reason other than the process of performing it. In the case of technology a cceptance studies, perceived usefulness is an example of extrinsic motivation. Davis et al. (1992) found that perceived enjoyment was significantly related to the perceived ease of use. In the research on the usage intentions for information systems, Heijden (2004) adds perceived an enjoyment to TAM model. Cheong and Park (2005) also develop a more comprehensive version of TAM to better reflect mobile Internet context. Their model employs perceived playfulness, contents quality, system quality, Internet experience and perceived price level, in addition to perceived usefulness and ease of use. For the mobile services, Nysveen et al. (2005) investigate the consumers intention to use mobile services, which shows the four overall influences on usage intention: motivational influences, attitudinal influences, normative pressure, and perceived control. Similarly, Fogelgren-Pedersen (2005) found that connection stability and geographic coverage are one of the significant variables of perceived relative advantage in mobile Internet. Also, in the worldwide mobile Internet user survey, Fife (2005) found that perceived enhanced utility of mobile services are the strong value motivating use of mobile technology. While these studies found the significant perceived variables, they still do not find variables specific to mobile Internet. Viswanath Venkatesh, Morris, B.Davis, D.Davis (2003) worked on this issue an d eight prominent models are discussed, the eight models and their extensions are empirically compared, a unified model is formulated that integrates elements across the eight models, and the unified model is empirically validated. Using data from four organizations over a six-month period with three points of measurement, the eight models explained between 17% and 53% of the variance in user intentions to use information technology. Next, a unified model, called the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), was formulated, with four core determinants of intention and usage, and up to four moderators of key relationships. UTAUT provides a useful tool for managers needing to assess the likelihood of success for new technology introductions and helps them understand the drivers of acceptance in order to proactively design interventions targeted at populations of users that may be less inclined to adopt and use new systems. Theory of reason Action(TRA) Drawn from social Psychology.TRA is one of the most fundamental and inflectional theories of human behaviour. It has been used to predict a wide range of behaviours .Davis et al.(1989) applied TRA to individual acceptance of technology and found that the variance explained was largely consistent with studies that employed TRA in context of other behaviours Technology Acceptance Model(TAM) TAM is tailored to IS contexts, and was designed to predict information technology acceptance and usage on the job. Unlike TRA, the final conceptualization of TAM excludes the attitude construct in order to better explain intention parsimoniously. TAM2 extended TAM by including subjective norm as an additional predictor of intention in the case of mandatory settings (Venkatesh and Davis 2000). TAM has been widely applied to a diverse set of technologies and users. Theory of Planned Behaviour TPB extended TRA by adding the construct of perceived behavioural control is theorized to be an additional determinant of intention and behavioural .Ajzan(1991) presented a review of several studies they successfully used TPB to predict intention and behaviour in a wide variety of settings. TPB has been successfully applied to the understanding of individual acceptance and usage of many different technologies (Tailor and Todd, 1995). A related model is the Decomposed Theory of Planned Behaviour (DTPB). In terms of predicting intention, DTPB is identical to TPB. In contrast to TPB but similar to TAM, DTPB decomposes attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioural control into its the underlying belief structure within technology adaption contexts. Combined TAM and TPB It is a combination of TPB TAM to provide a hybrid model (Taylor and Todd,1995) Innovation Diffusion Theory (IDT) Grounded in sociology, IDT (Rogers 1964) has been used since the 1960s to study a variety of innovations, ranging from agricultural tools to organizational innovation (Tornatzky and Klein 1982). Within information systems, Moore and Benbasat (1991) adapted the characteristics of innovations presented in Rogers and refined a set of constructs that could be used to study individual technology acceptance. Moore and Benbasat (1996) found support for the predictive validity of these innovation Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) One of the most powerful theories of human behavior is social cognitive theory (Bandura 1986). Compeau and Higgins (1995) applied and extended SCT to the context of computer; while Compeau and Higgins (1995) also employed SCT, it was to study performance and thus is outside the goal of the current research. Compeau and Higgins'(1995) model studied computer use but the nature of the model and the underlying theory allow it to be extended to acceptance and use of information technology in general. The original model of Compeau and Higgins (1995) used usage as a dependent variable but in keeping with the spirit of predicting individual acceptance, In 2008, Ima, I., Kim, Y., Han, H. did a revising research on Venkatesh work. They claimed that in previous study there seem to be two critical factors that are overlooked or have received inadequate attention—perceived risk (PR) and technology type. PR has been recognized as an important factor and was modelled as a precursor of perceived usefulness (PU), and a sub construct of others, such as trust (or as its precursor). In their study PR and technology type, consider as additional to the moderating variables in UTAUT and was tested how they moderate the effects of PU and PEU on users intention to use a technology. It was shown the PR and technology type were moderating variables. Kim (2006) added two new constructs, Perceived Cost Savings and Companys Willingness to Fund, and two causal relationships, Job Relevance and Experience, as moderating effects to previous existing model and proved that there is a strong significant relationships between PCS and CWTF and behaviral i ntention to use a technology. also moderating effects of job relevance was proved , also found that an individuals intention to use mobile wireless technology was significantly affected by CWF. Kim claimed that a company must provide technology to their employees to help them perform their jobs. Finally, the individuals adopt a technology if it is within their prior experience, which was found to be significant moderator between CWF and BI. Prior studies based on TAM did not examine the direct link from self-efficacy to behavioral intention assuming the full mediation of perceived ease of use but Khalifa (2008) integrated the theory of planned behavior (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975; Ajzen and Madden, 1986) and the technology acceptance model (TAM) (Davis, 1989) to explain the adoption of m-commerce as a new technology. He added subjective norm to the main block of TAM as an factors that have positive direct effect on the individuals intention and Self-efficacy as a positive direct effec t on the individuals intention to adopt m-commerce. During the years researchers examined different items and their relations with TAM models, they have used original framework of TAM and found relation between them. In paper by June Lu at el.(2008) was worked on different aspects of new technology in china, such as WMDS, these items are type of technology ,functionality of that technology, interface design, Personal innovativeness in information technology (PIIT), Facilitating conditions, Social influences ,security, trust , privacy and reliability of that technology. The result of this paper showed that intention to use WMDS via mobile phones in China was dependent on an individuals perceptual beliefs about the target services in terms of their usefulness and eases of use, and also relied on PIIT and mobile trust belief. According to Dong-Hee Shin(2007) , who work on Wi-Bro acceptance in Korea, users perceptions are significantly associated with their motivation to use Wi-Bro. Specifically, perceived quality and perceived availability are found to have significant effect on users extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. These factors play as enhancing factors to attitudes and intention. In 2005, Kim et al. Work on a Value-based Adoption of a technology such as mobile banking. A Value-based Adoption Model (VAM) would be able to capture the monetary sacrifice element and present adoption as a comparison of benefits and costs. By combination of Value-based Adoption Model (VAM) of M-Internet and by integrating the most relevant findings of the technology adoption and value literature, Kim(2005) designed its framework by dividing it to benefits and sacrifices. He suggested that customers evaluation of a product includes both cognitive and affective elements, and that products are purchased for their utilitarian and hedonic benefits, so it can be proved that usefulness and enjoyment as the benefit components of perceived value. Perceived sacrifices are both monetary and non-monetary. Monetary spending includes the actual price of the product, and it is generally measured based on customers perceptions of the actual price paid. Non-monetary costs usually include time, effo rt and other unsatisfactory spending for the purchase and consumption of the product. Yang (2004) did a research that examines different items that could affect technology acceptance. Innovation, past adaption behaviour, knowledge, technology cluster, age, gender and specialization were items that were tested in relation with technology acceptance in Yang study. He provided insights into the relationships between PU, PEOU, AT, consumer innovation adoption behaviour, and demographic variables and also offers empirical data to support the suitability of the TAM through examining the emerging M-commerce technology and application. PU is found to predict consumer adoption of M-commerce. Consumer innovativeness introduced into the TAM research to expand the scope of TAM applicability to M-commerce that is yet to accumulate a critical mass in the diffusion process. According to the Lo ´ pez-Nicola ´ s, Molina-Castillo, Harry Bouwman (2008), social factors are the important factors that influence on peoples decision to adopt a new technology such as mobile services. They try to evaluate the impact of different determinants on Behavioural Intention in the adoption of advanced mobile services, by combining acceptance models with diffusion theory models theory. In particular, we assumed that social influence may be a key element in peoples intention to use the services and applications. Social influence was defined as the degree to which individuals believed that others thought they should use advanced mobile services. The views of friends and relatives have a significant impact on using mobile services, Lo ´ pez-Nicola ´ s et al. proved that as a manager, that PEOU and behavioural intention depended significantly on social influences, so for bringing new services and technologies for organisations, notice to the employees cultural backgrou nd is important. In a study by Amin (2008) who used original TAM model to finding factors affecting the intentions of customers in Malaysia to use mobile banking, proved that bank managers should create favourable perceptions concerning the usefulness and ease of use among mobile phone credit card customers. Creating these positive perceptions might be achieved by offering free seminars to customers about the ease of use of the system Malaysian consumers often take up marketing initiatives of this type. Additionally, the banks should provide a mini-guide at all branches that provides succinct and cogent information concerning the efficiency, effectiveness and risk-free attributes of the mobile phone credit card system. In 2009 GU, Lee, Suh, integrated the fragmented models such as the extended TAM and the trust-based TAM into a unified model of mobile banking. They found that self-efficiency is the strongest antecedent of perceived ease-of-use, which directly and indirectly affected behavioural intention through perceived usefulness, also was found the structural assurances are the strongest antecedent of trust, which could increase behavioural intention of mobile banking. Gu et al. research was listed most important work on technology acceptance that used TAM as base. For example Taylor and Todd (1995) selected computing resource center and worked on usefulness, ease of use, attitude and behavioural intention, they worked on Subjective norm and Perceived behavioural control as their study antecedence (complete list of work on TAM was brought in Appendix A) Hofstede Cultural dimensions: Culture has been defined according to several perspectives. Definitions go from the most complex and the most comprehensive (e.g. Kluckhohn, 1962) to the most simple (e.g. Triandis, 1972, Hofstede, 1997). According to Kluckhohn (1962), Culture consists of patterns, explicit and implicit, of and for behavior acquired and transmitted by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievement of human groups, including their embodiments in artifacts (p.73). Hofstede cultural dimensions served as the most influential culture theory among social science research (Nokata and Sivakumar, 2001). In addition, Hofstede cultural framework has also received strong empirical support by Sondergaard work (1994).Geert Hofstede research gives insights into other cultures so that it will be more effective when interacting with people in other countries. If understood and applied properly, this information should reduce level of nuisance, concern, and distress. But most important, Geert Hofstede will give the edge of understanding which translates to more successful results. In 1980 Hofstede offered his famous description of cultural dimensions. Geert Hofstede collected and analyzed a large data base of employee values scores of IBM between 1967 and 1973 .it was included more than 70 countries. He first used the 40 largest countries and then extended the analysis to 50 countries and 3 regions. From t

An Innocent Man Wronged in Oleanna Essay -- David Mamet

Sometimes there are events in our lives that we cannot control. These events occur, more or less, due to our own actions. Sometimes, however, we must come to terms with our inability to handle certain situations and also to reach our goals. These events are facts of life everyone: some people can't run as fast, or lift as much, or write as well. It is during these times that we must focus on what we can do well, and try to direct our goals around those features that make us good at something. In David Mamet's Oleanna, John loses his job and his house due to Carol's ignorance, lack of self-confidence, and overall inability to come to terms with her own short-comings as a student. This play epitomizes an act of complete degradation based solely on one individual's failure to accept that she just might not be good at school--or at least John's class.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In an attempt to help a young student named Carol, a professor named John loses his house and his job. All of the blame rests on Carol's shoulders, for it was she that allowed her delusions of grandeur and success (being without the necessary skills to attain them) to ruin the life of man who has dedicated his life to helping students do just that. Carol's ignorance plays a big role in this tragedy. From the very beginning of this play, it is apparent that Carol does not understand the information given in class, but it is her unwillingness to even try that makes her at fault. "People who came here. To know something they didn't know†¦To be helped†¦So someone would help them (12)." Carol is begging John to understand that she is stupid. She doesn't want help in the sense that someone might want help writing a paper. She wants it hand fed to her, and education is a process that involves the teacher pointing the way, not carrying someone to the end. Carol' s misconceptions of how college is supposed to work can only be result of not having been exposed to the realities of higher education, but I believe that she just doesn't have the skills she needs to succeed. "Nobody tells me anything. And I sit there†¦in the corner. In the back (14)." This is an example of the total lack of motivation that Carol has to learn. Her ignorance leads her to believe that a college education is supposed to hand fed. She just sits there, in the back, without an attempt to even try to learn on her own. We all need help form time to tim... ...hool. They have lived their lives fearing that the system of education has decided that they are failures. This group has only one goal, and that is to succeed. Their success, however, has a price. Those people who stand in the way re their enemies. John's fate was a result of Carol finding this group, and allowing them to use her as a pawn in their own sick, twisted agenda. All the members of this group suffer from the same illness that ails Carol: ignorance, lack of self-confidence, and an ability to cope with their own shortcomings as students.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Carol represents a group of people that are the destruction of the higher education system. Their complete disregard for societal structure cost a good teacher his job and his home. It seems that today, when we are unable to get what we want by earning it, we have to destroy and tear down the barriers in our way. This is exactly what Carol does, and the manner in which she executes her plan would leave most students to wonder: why even try? Works Cited Mamet, David. Oleanna: A Play in Two Acts. The Best Plays of 1992-1993. Eds. Otis L. Guernsey, Jr. and Jeffrey Sweet. New York: Limelight, 1993. 150-164

Bebop Jazz and its Influence Essay

Developed in the 1940’s, bebop jazz expanded upon the restrictive and structured arrangements of big band music, changed the way music was enjoyed, and provided a foundation for future innovators of jazz music. Bebop was a revolutionary sound that captivated the audience due largely to the new found creative freedom of musical expression allowed by extensive improvisation. According to John Andrews (1998), â€Å"Bop marked the point at which both the musicians and their audience became widely conscious that jazz was an art form.† Andrews also goes on to mention that bebop’s main focus was for people to seriously listen, instead of dancing. After bebop other styles of jazz developed, such as progressive jazz, cool jazz, and hard bop. These three styles of jazz, in the opinion of many people, imparted a substantial influence on current jazz, and will likely impact future generations as well. Bebop is a style of jazz developed in the early 1940s as a means to revolt against big band music. Big band music required large groups of players. As a consequence, the musicians were required to follow simpler, highly structured, written arrangements. At the time, many musicians resented the lack of freedom to improvise and the reliance upon written arrangements, so they created bebop, a new style of jazz. Bebop was vastly different than swing band music. It had faster tempos, complex harmonies, elaborate melodies and a rhythm section. According to _America’s Musical Landscape_, a typical bebop combo consisted of a trumpet, saxophone, double bass, piano, and percussion. Due in part to the smaller number of performing musicians, bebop music allowed for more freedom of expression and imagination than in big band music. Improvisation was a key feature. While much of big band music was designed to indulge the audience’s desire to dance, bebop jazz is for people who want to sit down and listen to the music. At first, many people enjoyed listening to bebop simply because it was something new and exciting. However, many people, particularly musicians, prefer bebop because of its sophistication and complexity. Some jazz musicians felt they needed something different and preferred to play bebop instead of swing jazz to demonstrate their improvisational skills. Musicians such as saxophonist, Dizzy Gillespie; trumpeter, Charlie Parker; and pianist, Thelonious Monk; stand out as examples of creative giants who through their virtuosity, were able to achieve an innovative sound that made listening to the nuances and astounding creative improvisations so finely wound into their musical presentations, more important than dancing or chatting over simple background music. In a way, bebop was a new genre unto itself, more akin to jazz than big band music. Because it is essentially the basis for most contemporary jazz styles, listeners will hear the enduring influence of bebop in most jazz forms that have followed it. Progressive jazz, cool jazz, and hard bop are three styles to have evolved from bebop jazz. It is likely that these three jazz styles, as well as others, embedded with the underlying roots of bebop will have an ongoing influence on future jazz musicians. No one can speak for all musicians, many may prefer to play older well-established, classic jazz, but certainly there are a substantial number of musicians that prefer playing the avant-garde styles, who will carry the flag of bebop for future generations. Bebop was a revolutionary and exciting sound that changed the world of jazz in the 1940’s and continues to influence jazz styles today. At its advent, bebop was a way for jazz musicians to break away from the confines of big band music, which did not allow for much improvisation or freedom of musical expression. Bebop pioneers such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Thelonious Monk helped pave the way for other jazz musicians, allowing them to shed their restrictive chains of structured big band music and to elevate the level of improvisational genius that bebop allows. Subtle nuances, sophisticated interpretations, and creative variations of musical phrases  created on the fly can be thrilling to an appreciative listener. It is the on the spot creative virtuosity that makes attentive listening so important to bebop jazz and its consequential styles such as progressive jazz, cool jazz, and hard bop. It is likely that these contemporary forms, still infused with the musical DNA of bebop, are likely to influence future jazz musicians. Reference Andrews, J. (1998). What Bebop Meant to Jazz History. Retrieved June 8, 2007, from The World Socialist Web Site: http://www.wsws.org/arts/1998/may1998/bop-m22.shtml

How to Disinfect Rainwater for Drinking

How to Disinfect Rainwater for Drinking You can usually drink rain straight from the sky, but if youre collecting and storing it, youll want to disinfect rainwater for drinking and cleaning. Fortunately, there are simple disinfection methods to use, whether you have power or not. This is handy information to know in case youre stuck after a storm without water or youre out camping. The same techniques can be used to prepare snow for drinking, too. Quick Methods to Disinfect Water Boiling - Reduce pathogens by boiling water for 1 minute at a rolling boil or 3 minutes if youre at an altitude greater than 2,000 meters (6,562 feet). The longer boiling time at high altitude is because water boils at a lower temperature. The recommended duration comes from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). If you store freshly boiled water in sterile containers (which can be boiled) and seal them, the water will remain safe indefinitely. Bleach - For disinfection, add 2.3 fluid ounces of household bleach (sodium hypochlorite in water)  per 1,000 gallons of water (in other words, for a small volume of water, a splash of bleach is  more than sufficient). Allow 30 minutes for the chemicals to react.  It may seem obvious, but use unscented bleach since the scented sort includes perfumes and other undesirable chemicals.  Bleach dosage is not a hard-and-fast rule because its effectiveness depends on the temperature of the water and pH. Also, be aware that bleach may react with chemicals in the water to produce toxic gases (mostly a concern with turbid or cloudy water). Its not ideal to add bleach to water and immediately seal it in containers - its better to wait for any fumes to dissipate. Although drinking straight bleach is dangerous, the small concentration used to disinfect water isnt likely to cause problems.  Bleach dissipates within 24 hours.   Why Would You Disinfect Rainwater? The point of disinfection is to remove disease-causing microbes, which include bacteria, algae, and fungi. Rain generally doesnt contain any more microbes than any other drinking water (its often cleaner than groundwater or surface water), so its usually fine to drink or use for other purposes. If the water falls into a clean cistern or bucket, its still fine. In fact, most people who collect rainwater use it without applying any treatment. Microbial contamination of rain is less of a threat than toxins that might be in the water from surfaces it touched. However, those toxins require filtration or special treatment. What were talking about here is pure rain. Technically, you dont have to disinfect it, but most public agencies recommend taking the extra precaution to prevent illness. Ways to Disinfect Water There are four broad categories of disinfection methods: heat, filtration, irradiation, and chemical methods. Boiling water is an excellent method, but obviously, it only helps if you have a heat source. Boiling water can kill some pathogens, but it does not remove heavy metals, nitrate, pesticides, or other chemical contamination.Chlorine, iodine, and ozone are most often used for chemical disinfection. Chlorination can leave potentially toxic by-products, plus it doesnt kill all cysts or viruses. Iodination is effective, but leaves an unpleasant taste. Use of iodine is not recommended when preparing water for pregnant women or people with thyroid problems.  Adding ozone is effective, but not widely available.Irradiation is accomplished using an ultraviolet light or exposure to strong sunlight. UV light kills bacteria and viruses, but doesnt kill all the algae or cysts of pathogenic organisms. Sunlight is effective if the water is sufficiently clear, the light is bright enough, and the water is exposed to light long enough. There are too many variables to give firm recommendations on use of this method. Microfiltration effectiveness depends on the pore size of the filter. The smaller the pore size, the better the filtration, but its also slower. This technique removes all pathogens. Other techniques are becoming more widespread, including electrolysis, nano-alumina filtration, and LED irradiation.

Cheat on Homework - What Are the Benefits of Cheating

Cheat on Homework - What Are the Benefits of Cheating Many people think cheating at school is a serious problem and only underachieving students resort to it. Those who do homework cheats are believed to have no future prospects since they acquire hardly any education because of such an approach. It is far from being true. In this post, we will talk about top 5 misconceptions about those who know how to cheat on homework. Read to know more about the questions that bother you. Why Do Students Cheat? If you are wondering why many people resort to cheating on homework, remember one of the reasons is their overloading with a large number of home assignments. Modern school children suffer from a huge load at school. Many pupils/students get tired; they can hardly do their home assignments. In some cases, this leads to the fact children ignore the tasks of the teacher or perform them partially. Person obtains low grades, starts to lag behind the program, and pays no mind on these assignments anymore. This is where cheating homework comes from. The tendency explains why many students learn how to cheat on homework. Common Beliefs on How to Cheat on Homework School children do not have a clear idea of what or how they study; they move away from the learning process and focus on getting a high grade. In order to keep the material in memory exactly before the test, students are preparing to the control and soon forget most of the learned. This negates the main task and importance of the control works. If you think cheating makes the situation worse, you are mistaken. When preparing homework cheats, a person exercises his creative skills and works with the material. This greatly contributes to the learning process. The main arguments against cheating at school are that it is unethical, cultivates bad habits, and improperly forms self-esteem through undeserved rewards. Such statements are far from the truth because all of them are out of context. ORDER PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE It is not only a trick to which people resort; this is something students should do. By cheating homework, students learn how to behave in the unexpected situations, under conditions of stress and frustration. They will need this skill in the future adult life. School repression against this approach is a fundamentally wrong way. It should be recognized as necessary and quite logical behavior in an organization where the rights are infringed. Penalties are one of the variations of the authoritarian regime. In a healthy society, people shame and ridicule those who force children to adapt to the environment where they are forced to find such tricks. Benefits of Cheating at School Cheating homework is one of the important skills that a pupil develops in an elementary school. It's easy for an adult, but very difficult for a child. Pupils should focus on writing letters, but at the same time, they should remember the whole word. In order to write down the text without errors, you need to be very attentive; be able not to be distracted; be focused on what you are doing; don’t rush, read, and memorize every word by letter; have a good enough memory, because the word must be remembered visually or by ear. It contributes to the development of the above skills. On the top of that, a pupil learns to differentiate and remember the most important information in a classroom. Such an approach develops good memory in a child and makes him search alternative ways of learning. Why Can Homework be considered Useless Harmful? Teachers strongly believe home assignments help students learn material and should be performed every day, without any neglects. Insight not always works. Home assignments have proven to be useless and even harmless in some cases. The American teacher Brandy Young decided to cancel home tasks for her class. This approach has been effective and comes up to expectations. But let’s discuss why homework can be harmful. Point #1 - Possible Damage to Health Many parents would agree with the statement since the constantly growing academic burden and stress are hitting children's health. Due to the high load, children sleep less. They sit up over the math textbooks late and worry about the grades; eventually, they have problems with the sleep. Myopia, gastritis, chronic fatigue, and posture disorders – it is not the full list of health problems modern students suffer from due to the overload at school. So, it is better to refuse from  home assignments and do something more useful, right? Affirmative answer will be a good solution. Point #2 - Time Consuming â€Å"Children are today busier than ever,† says Peter Gray, a professor at the Boston College. They spend excessive amount of time at school; they run to the tutors. On the way back, they attend another extra class/ classes; the schedule is tightly regulated; every hour is taken into account. Psychologist Harris Cooper conducted research that proved that tasks at home were not very effective. The student doesn’t have the required capacity to remember the information from all articles because he has already spent his intellectual/ physical resources on other activities. So what’s the sense of homework? Point #3 -   Does Not Affect Academic Performance Alfie Cohn, one of the main critics of modern education, wrote the book Myths about home assignments, where he said there is no connection between the number of home tasks and the achievements in studies. In high school, the relation between the two is weak. It almost disappears if more accurate measurement methods are used in the study; what’s the sense to require it? Point #4  - Can Spoil Relationships with Parents Many parents help their children to do home assignments. Although it sounds to be an effective practice that bonds family, it isn’t so. The school program has changed; the knowledge of parents has become obsolete. They cannot share it. Many parents themselves are not aware of simple examples from the school curriculum and try to carry out an academic assignment from the point of view of an adult. Children do not know how to handle it. Parents are not teachers. They do not know how to explain the material, to serve it correctly, and to check it. Working home assignments is a constant conflict. Children do not want to do it; parents do not know how to motivate, joint activities, and lead to a dead end. It results in quarrels. Cheating as a Solution Of course, it is hard to treat cheating a smart solution in the cases; there should be a balance. No correct answers can be here. It is sometimes true that a student simply has no time and strength to accomplish the home assignments assigned to him. This is where notes can solve the problem. Apart from saving precious time, it develops creative thinking, memory, and the ability to work/ think/ analyze under conditions of stress. What is more, cheating doesn’t mean that a student acquires no knowledge. This trick itself involves a close work with the studied material. Approach helps to find a balance between studying, having fun, and developing necessary skills. Searching a way to obtain professional assistance with home assignments, you can place an order on our website and receive plagiarism-free help via email.

How does the military lifestyle affect the social development and Research Paper

How does the military lifestyle affect the social development and academic motivation of adolescents in high school raised in military families during a time of war - Research Paper Example orted on their nature of adapting new places or rather new environment, control exertions, and how fast they adjust to new environment through institutionalized report toward oneself measures. For the ones who were deaf, there was a questionnaire with the same questions as those asked verbally.The results shows that adolescents living in military families reported hoisted levels of behavior issues as indicated by settled clinical standards. Be that as it may, ponder findings likewise show that control endeavors and maternal help act as critical defensive elements against the improvement of behavior issues and enthusiastic symptoms, whereas to abstain from adapting is related to more prominent enthusiastic symptoms (Marting, et al. 2000). It also shows that, those who are affected directly during the times of war are depressed and they are performing poorly in school. Descriptive statistics are utilized to portray the fundamental gimmicks of the data in a study. They give straightforward rundowns about the specimen and the measures. Together with straightforward graphics investigation, they structure the premise of essentially every quantitative examination of data. They are typically extracted from inferential statistic. It is the idea of one number that summarizes the whole measurement. Taking the gender and age as our demographic variable of the adolescents, let X denote the number of boys who were in the sample of adolescents and Y denote the number of girls in that sample. X +Y equals to the whole sample which was taken randomly as per the rules of random sampling. In central tendency, the median is the number that is at the middle of all the measurements or rather is the number at which half the measurement are exceeding that number and the other half are less than that number. The sample has to be arranged in ascending or descending order, then the number at the middle is the median. The descriptive statistics brings out the behavior of the variables

Imaginary Small Business KraftyKidz.com Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Imaginary Small Business KraftyKidz.com - Essay Example Books: there should be a selection of books that appeal specifically to the parents and educators of the target market, so that these interested adults can go to this site and order books about their children. In addition, of course there is also a selection of books to be ordered by and for the kids to read. The Internet reinvents itself every three months, or even faster. Therefore, our strategy for future development is to remain positioned with enough flexibility to adapt new technologies, and adapt to changes quickly. The Krafykidz.com market would be expanding exponentially with the advances of technology in the teaching sectors and the acceptance of technology as a teaching aid. The critical component to our entrance into the market will be approval and support from the school communities - including teachers, the PTA, and special education programs. While we have plans to expand into international territory, our initial launch will target our most important market - the American upper class. We know that most of our clients would drive BMW's and have very good taste - they spend money on their children because they can appreciate the technology that we have created. They also generally have high bandwidth connections, and are impressed by first-class design. The Break-even Analysis is a good f... We know that most of our clients would drive BMW's and have very good taste - they spend money on their children because they can appreciate the technology that we have created. They also generally have high bandwidth connections, and are impressed by first-class design. Financial Considerations Our start-up costs would come to $33,750, which are high because of our commitment to dominate the Internet market place. The Break-even Analysis is a good financial indicator. We show break-even with a sales level of about $265K per month, even assuming a fixed cost of $169 per month, which is high. Given those assumptions, we would reach steady-state break-even in December of the first year. Some companies can raise funds under the Enterprise Investment Scheme. The scheme applies to trading companiesbut not generallyto service or investment companies. There are potential tax advantages for individuals - including sole traders and partners acting in their capacity as individuals -who invest in such companies, such as - The buyer of the shares get tax relief at the lower rate of income tax and when they sell the shares it is also possible that they can defer the capital gains tax on any gains on those shares. Interest on loans taken for the purpose of investing in qualifying companies is not tax deductible. Government Regulations KraftyKidz.com would also need to consider trademarks. Trademarks and service marks may be registered in a state for a term of ten years as per the regulations involved. KraftyKidz.com would be required by law to withhold the following from the wages paid to employees: federal income taxes, state income taxes and FICA (Social Security) Insurance. Income taxes will also be levied by the federal and