Genetic Diversity

Mutations are various forms of changes in ones DNA’s structure or makeup. This abnormality can happen for various reasons such as chemical misuse, harmful viruses or environment factors. When a mutation occurs in ones genetic structure, there is often a push to find out what went wrong and if it was a onetime occurrence or a genetic abnormality that no one in the family knew about until the recent discovery. This genetic abnormality occurs when there is a dominant gene which comes from a parent.This dominant gene attaches itself to a recessive gene and sparks a change in the genetic sequence of the offspring. This is most relevant as I was observing my nephew last weekend. My brother is â€Å"dark skinned†, tall and slim. My sister-in law is of French decent and full bodied while looking at my nephew, I ascertained that he is heading towards his mother’s side of the family he has the â€Å"fair skin, â€Å"finer grain of hair†, and the full body of his mo ther, thus his physical appearance is a mixture of both his mother’s and father’s genes along with a mutation of their DNA.Sexual Reproduction ensures life will continue no matter what happens. As genes are exchanged between two potential parents, the resulting offspring ends up with a combination of genes from both parents which then in turn gives them their own genetic makeup. This can lead to an expansion in various parts of the world where there is a diverse genetic makeup of people. This is due to various factors such as economics, upward mobility and educational opportunities.When this occurs new communities develop, form and branch out spawning a growth in population and migration. As the various traits from one’s genetic makeup mixes with others of another makeup, this helps to further expand the world’s unique makeup among its various populations and cultures. As these factors come into play over and over again, this helps to ensure the possibili ty of cloning one’s self or someone else will never happen.This also ensures the population will continue to grow change and the diversity of it all helps to make the world we live in today all the more unique and complicated. As I reflect on my nephew’s own unique genetic makeup, I can’t help but wonder what his future will hold in regards to his own children, where he will migrate to and what he will contribute to leave his mark on the world. One can only hope that the traits and genes he has inherited from his mother and father will help him to reach his full potential.

Comparative Analysis of Art Essay

Throughout history art has served as a preservation and representation of the time in which they were made. During the Ancient Greek period art was not only mare naturalistic and humanistic but also became directly affected by the events going around. Both the Marble Statue of an Old Woman and the Marble Statue of Aphrodite are sculptures that were made during the Ancient Greek era, they each tell a story of what was going on during that point in time. The Marble Statue of Aphrodite is the eldest of the two sculptures, it was sculpted between the 2nd and 3rd century B .  C. During this period Greece was at its peak, the people of Greece had power and wealth. The art made at this time depicted the peace of the Greeks and power that they had attained. The Greeks believed that this greatness was due to the gods and goddesses, as they were polytheistic; keeping the gods and goddesses happy meant good things for the Greeks. Many of the buildings that were built were built as offerings to show their beliefs and to display what mattered most to the people of Greece. The marble Statue of Aphrodite is one of these artworks dedicated to the goddesses. Aphrodite was believed to be the goddess of love, lust and sexuality she was also a symbol of strength; she gave the men of the military hope and optimism when going into battle. As Aphrodite was the goddess of love and lust her statues and sculptures were almost always nude or partially nude. As in this marble sculpture where Aphrodite is pictured fully nude, her face expressionless which is a key attribute to the events going in Greece at the time. Almost all sculptures during this time were expressionless as a symbol that Greece had no major worries, there was no pain or suffering amongst the people and there was a general sense of peace and stability. She is in a contro- postal pose, her feet shifted and most of her weight distributed into one leg. Her arms are now missing as they have fallen off due to the fact that the sculpture is over 3000 years old and aging has worn out the material. Another reason why the arms have fallen off is because, unlike the major societies before them, Greeks believed in humanistic art. Societies before the Greeks, such as the Egyptians, used to keep the material between what would be spaces between arms and body and the legs. This form of art was not humanistic not realistic enough for the Greeks so most of their artwork follows the ideals of humanism. Artists would break off the extra material that would remain after the statue was fully sculpted. To further the realistic look of the Aphrodite sculpture the artist, who is unknown at this time, detailed the curves of her body. You can view the lines of her stomach and breasts which are simple and uncomplicated and create an image that looks like a real woman. Greeks continued with the ideas of humanism and realism even as their society aged and changed. Like many great societies before them Greeks hit a climactic point in their era that had people uneasy and artist evolving away from the artistic norms that had been practiced for years; this new era was known as the Hellenistic Period. The Sculpture of an Old Woman is an example of this radical change in art; still loyal to the idea of humanism this sculpture is not of a goddess or soldier, as many arts were based on before, it was of a normal average, everyday elder woman who could have simply been walking down the street. Not only did the artist stray away from the norms of subject matter but they also stepped away from the expressionless simplistic art that had been around for centuries. The old woman sculpted was not in the traditional contro-postal pose instead she is hovered almost as if she is being weighed down by something or perhaps just the sad truth of aging when your body is no longer as strong as it once was. Her face, which is not almost completely fallen off from the statue, may have been in some sort of realistic expression, as opposed to the Aphrodite sculpture. I can imagine her face being in pain or perhaps sadness; I came to that conclusion based on the body language of the art. She is hovered strained from a lifetime of work and deteriorating from signs of age, similarly to Greece at the time. Like many of its time the sculpture can be seen as a metaphor for what the Greeks were going through during the Hellenistic period. No longer was the empire in control and in power instead Greece was now falling due to the Roman Empire. The people and cities within Greece were now in chaos because the extravagant lifestyle they had grown accustomed to was being torn away more and more as each day passed. Both pieces of art were originally sculpted during the Greek period but the images that now remain were actually sculpted during the Roman era, making both pieces remakes of original pieces. Similarly, both pieces were also made out of marble, as it is a resource that is of great quantity in that area of Europe. They are also lifelike statues not overbearingly tall nor extremely short each does fall upon approximately 5 feet or so. Although both pieces are not equally dedications to higher beings the Sculpture of the Old Woman has artifacts sculpted within it that can be attributed to the idea that the old woman is making offerings to a higher being in order to help her through difficult times. It is most interesting to see how the current events of ones lifetimes can affect the art that is made. Most people believe that the only way to tell these stories is through books and other forms of writing. Personally it is more amazing to see how creative an artistic can get to convey a message from a visual aspect rather than clearly writing what the art was based on. Looking at both sculptures side to side I could not help but to feel for the people living during these times, going from a peaceful and prospering power to having everything torn away and having to live through the chaos.

Performing arts Essay

Art, culture, and society; these three elements are closely linked. These three elements affect one another in one way or another. There is often a conflict of interest between the artist, the audience, and the government body. The artist’s aim is to express art freely. The audience’s aim is to view art in forms that are not offensive to them. The government’s aim is to mitigate the conflict of interest between the two parties by implementing policies and restrictions to art pieces that are produced and viewed. Controversy is an issue to take into consideration by the government when funding art and censoring art. This is due to art pieces being widely reached through the advances of technology. Audiences of art are thus easily accessible to art that could influence or offend. However, art is innately challenging and often provocative. Creativity would be stifled if the government funded only art so bland that it offended no one. Creativity would also be stifled if the government creates censorship to limit art that challenges the strongly held beliefs of the society. These concerns raise a few questions to Art in the society. Firstly, how much restriction should the government restrict the type of art forms that could have an adverse effect on the society? Or rather what limitations on censorship and funding should be made for the sake of artist value, or more broadly freedom of expression? Secondly, should it be the responsibility for the artist to take into consideration the effect on the viewer when creating art pieces that may seem controversial to others? In Singapore, Art is increasingly promoted. The promotion of Art in Singapore can be seen from the provision of arts institution that provides full time programmes for the performing arts, the implementation of the yearly Singapore Art Festival which provides a platform for artist to express their talent and for the community to appreciate and to understand Art better, and the funding from the government to arts companies, the opening of the Art Science Museum in February 2012, etc. Although Art is increasingly promoted in Singapore, artistic freedom is being under assaulted. Freedom is threatened by pressures from the government. The society only accepts art that is socially acceptable; one that does not break the law and does not offend any individual. The recent works of a student of an art institution in Singapore is one example that provides evidence for freedom of artistic expression being restricted. The artist printed stickers with captions and pasted them on a pavement and on road traffic signs an act of a guerrilla art scene. She also painted â€Å"My Grandfather Road. † along certain roads in Singapore. While her works portrays certain value of the Singaporean Culture, where singlish and certain forms of lingos are being used in her stickers and paintings, they are then being deemed by the law as vandalism. This specific act of art creation has roared a debate among netizens in Singapore, with many fighting for freedom for creative expression, while the others stating that what she did was merely seeking attention, vandalism, or creating art of no value. In 1994, a performing artist was fined for committing an obscene act. In his performance, he snipped his pubic hair before a small audience as a symbolic protest against police entrapment of gays, punishment by flogging, jail sentences for â€Å"victimless† crimes, and news media exposure of those convicted. He was also prohibited from future public performances. While the artist did this for the love of art and in the interest of expanding the general outlook of art in Singapore, The National Arts Council branded the acts â€Å"vulgar† and â€Å"extremely distasteful. If the government funds and allows only art that is has no controversial value, then wouldn’t creativity be buried in our society? Also, if art works is created to conform to the norm of the society, is art still art? Art is a form of freedom, expression, creativity, and life. However, from the above two examples, it can be seen that there is a constraint place on freedom of artistic expression and the value of art. Artists can express art only with lawful restrictions. Artists who are daring enough to oppose to such norms are either being punish, or their art works are being restricted from the audience. The rest restricts their work to those that conforms to the societal norms. With these restrictions, art can never be expressed in its original form; audience can never be exposed to some brilliant art works which may be vulgar to some but artistic to others. By total restriction of art works that lack redeeming social values, we will be exposed to only art that conforms. This would cause depreciation in the value of art in our society. Despite the fact that art should be freely expressed to preserve its value of creativity, it is important to take into consideration what effect some art works may have on our society. It can be seen that the two artists go against cultural norms to showcase art works that breaks away from the norm and set themselves different from others. By breaking away from the cultural norm, viewers with his or her set of cultural values may be offended. However, by silencing art pieces that the majority considers offensive, we may be oppressing the minority and preventing the society from learning the message that the artist conveys. Thus it is important for an artist to recognize how far he or she should go in order to create art works that do not offend some individuals. It is widely believed that Singapore, being a Cosmopolitan city, has to be very careful when expressing our thoughts on sensitive issues. In our society, censorship is necessary to protect its community from artistic content that lack redeeming social values. It can be argued that artistic content that oppose social values should be restricted. It is stated by our minister that artists can express themselves through many other areas without crossing any red tape. This shows that total freedom of artistic expression is indeed not present in our society. In conclusion, while artists should be able freely express as much as possible, it is only fair for them to consider whether their work would cause harms to others. In both examples, from the artists’ point of view, they are merely creating art freely and creatively. Yet their works did not take into consideration the effects it has on the environment, community, and individuals. Also, although the government has the responsibility and the right to protect its community from inappropriate message and content, individuals should be given certain rights to choose what they deemed suitable for themselves. The definition of obscenity differs among different individuals. What seems obscene to one may not be obscene to others. Thus it is important to have a clear line on what the rights does the government has on implementing policies and guidelines to restrict art works from the audience.

Plate Tectonics and Weathering and Erosion Essay

Plate Tectonics and Weathering and Erosion - Essay Example Some territories of our planet suffer from annual earthquakes constantly, but it does not mean that population of these regions has got used to such events. In reality unpredictability and dreadful consequences of any natural disasters keep people in tension and fear, proving the fact that human life is fragile and unsecured. The main causes of earthquakes are the following: breaking of frail rocks and formation of hollow spaces in the Earth’s crust; volcano’s eruption; movement of tectonic plates, which collide with each other, causing heavy pushes. Making precise prognosis concerning the impending earthquake has been always rather complicated, however, nowadays scientist with a help of special equipment and methodic try to enhance people’s awareness and safety. Frequently, studying animals’ behavior can be very useful, due to their strange reactions before earthquakes. Hence, dogs start to wail and cats become more aggressive and even frantic. Noticing s uch changes in animals’ behavior, person gets opportunity to prepare himself for inevitable event. According to this, it is important to fix all furniture in the house and lay in a supply of primary necessities.

Supply Chain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5250 words

Supply Chain - Essay Example II. Options of recommendation of a supply chain strategy: Keiretsu network The business will utilize the keiretsu network for the power tool company. Keiretsu is a network of organizations linked together by having a stake in each other's organization. The structure is usually likened to a spider's web and was designed to diffuse the adversarial relationship between buyer and supplier. The supplier also becomes a stakeholder of the organization and this set up induces the parties to work for their mutual benefit. This kind of relationship promotes cooperation and collaboration as each organization becomes a stakeholder in each other's organization whereby all stakeholders will share the fruit of profit or in the case of loss, also a share in the financial setback (Miyashia and Russel, 1994). The parts needed for the power tools (electric drills, saws, and sanders) are highly specialized and costly. It has a high learning curve and cannot be procured with any supplier overnight becaus e its specifications must be met before it can purchase from a certain supplier. Needless to say, a collaborative long-term and non-antagonistic relationship with suppliers is favorable for the company due to the requirements of its parts. The keiretsu procurement network serves this purpose. This kind of procurement strategy is aligned with the company's vision of producing the highest quality for its power tool because the company will be working close with its suppliers. Keiretsu is basically a collaborative supplier-client networking where each player has a stake in each other and this kind of supplier chain relationship serves this purpose. Power tools depend on the quality, timeliness and reasonability of the cost of its parts and it is imperative that the supplier that provides the parts of the power tools is committed to delivering its supplies according to those requirements. Of all the supply chain strategies, keiretsu network is the best option that serves the company's o bjectives. The best way to commit suppliers to provide supplies of quality, timely and cost effective is to build a relationship with them whereby the company can work with the supplier on how to better achieve these business objectives. This will not only produce better power tool products, but also allow better prices making the company more competitive in the market making keiretsu a top choice. The only downside of keiretsu network is that if a non-performing (tardy on delivery) and substandard (not meeting specifications) supplier is wrongly chosen, it would be difficult shake it off because the company has committed itself on a long-term basis, especially if there is a contract between the two parties. These issues can be easily remedied. For the issue of incorrectly choosing non-performing and substandard supplier, the power tool company must first establish a strict criteria before looking for a supplier. These criteria must reflect the objectives, quality standard and timel iness of the company and must be met by the supplier in consideration. This would avoid incorrectly choosing a wrong supplier. For the issue of binding the company to a wrong supplier, it can be remedied by stipulating an opt out and a fine in the event that supplier will renege the contract. This will compensate the company for any

Peace Processes Are the Preferred Method of Establishing Lasting Peace Assignment

Peace Processes Are the Preferred Method of Establishing Lasting Peace - Assignment Example The move to use peaceful means for dispute resolution was accelerated in large part by the influx of the First and Second World War in the twentieth century. The use of violence failed to accomplish little more than death and destruction on a scale never witnessed before in both of these wars. This paper will attempt to analyse why peace processes have failed to end the violence in conflicts. The scope of the current discussion will remain limited to the twentieth and the twenty-first centuries alone in order to develop a stronger argument. The first major visible effort for initiating peace in the twentieth century came through the Treaty of Versailles in the aftermath of the First World War. Some may argue that the Treaty of Versailles was little more than retribution for Germany’s actions in the war. However, it must be borne in mind that the statesmen of Europe were mature enough to attempt to deliver lasting peace using the Treaty of Versailles. This maturity stemmed from previous peacebuilding efforts such as the Congress of Vienna that had delivered Europe with peace for nearly a century (King, 2008) (Zamoyski, 2007). The comparison between the Treaty of Versailles and the Congress of Vienna provides an immediately noticeable difference – the representation of stakeholders. The Congress of Vienna was highly tolerant of the demands of Talleyrand but there was no such behaviour at the drafting of the Treaty of Versailles. It has also been suggested that the Germans were purposefully kept out of the dr afting procedures in order to deliver a harsh blow to the German state under the Treaty. While the Congress of Vienna was tolerant of the French, the Treaty of Versailles was discriminatory to the Germans (Lentin, 1985). This behaviour of the Allied victors through the Treaty of Versailles was enough to instigate German resistance to this understanding of peace.  

Education Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Education Law - Essay Example The significance of the case is to show that school authorities should ensure that the off-campus rules they implement need clear wording, applied and interpreted for students who do not understand them. The case is an excellent example for school authority officials and for students showing what happens in instances when school rules get breached. The student was not suspended from carrying out other school activities and functions, but got suspended from the baseball team as punishment for being in possession of alcohol. The violation of school rules warrants different punishments. However, certain factors have to be considered before enforcing such punishments. The first factor is the seriousness of the offense. Other factors such as the student’s age, the student’s code adopted by the board, the attitude and how often the student commits the offense are also important to assess. Lastly, the other two factors include requirements of chapter 37 of the education code and the potential effect that the student’s misconduct has on the school environment. The first concept is that the state has to take action (Lesson 3). For example, a teacher from a private school who gets fired without getting a notice from the school’s board of team members has the right to complain for contractual breach. In such an instance the school becomes liable for a lawsuit because it violates its own policies. The second concept is that the person must have been dispossessed of his or her property or liberty by the state for the court to accept that there has been a violation of due process. In this case, the state is liable for violation of due process because of breaching the contract formed between it and the person. The third concept is that the nature of due process is dependent on how severe the problem is in a case. In a case where a person has killed another person and gets sentenced to life imprisonment or death penalty, the state is liable for

ART Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 14

ART - Essay Example Probably, this is to contrast the main carving from its environment with the intention of making it stand out and appear more visible. In addition, the man is extremely muscular with a clean-shaved head, which aligns well with his shining entire body. The illuminating light from the upper front prompts the man appear as if he is working during a sunny day, mostly evident from his shinny muscular physique. The image’s texture is supremely smooth besides the sculptor making the entire image appear tactile. This is evident from the shininess aspect of the entire carving from the clean-shaven head to the material he is working on with a chisel and hammer. This image is asymmetrical though the sculptor has utilized space well, which comprises it surroundings, hence emphasizing the aspect of proportionality. This is also evident in its scale, which is comparable with the base, hammer and the stone is hewing to produce the desired size or shape. From observation, the sculptor has carved this image intentionally to be a closed form; hence, its appearance does not lose the viewer’s attention or admiration. This is because eyes after observing at one point of the image tend to shift towards the central point where the man is focusing. The choice of carving’s color is also another sculptor’s technique to draw and hold the attention of the viewer. This is because it c ontrast’s with human’s ordinary skin color besides being more exaggerated than it ought to be so, that the image stands out well. By observing this image, I think the sculptor has put more exaggeration than necessary to draw his or her audiences’ attention and admiration. This is evident from the heavy black and shiny color on the entire carving. The sculptor has ignored the application of diverse shades meant to reveal certain distinct parts of the image like eyes, nose, hair, hammer and the stone he is hewing. Besides,

HR Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

HR Plan - Essay Example This false gesture of making the workers feel important can motivate them to work more efficiently. Human relations (HR) theory needs also to focus on retention of skilled employees for the benefit of the organization. In order to maintain satisfaction within employees and to make the organization attractive for potential employees, management must provide them employment benefits like health benefits. In many organizations, there is a one person HR department in which a solo individual is given the responsibility of performing all aspects of human relations management. It is up to the efficiency of that person which determines how well he can face the challenges and takes advantages of the opportunities to prove himself as a strong leader (Brady, 2006, p.1). For an effective human relations management, the strategy is to learning how to balance different aspects of the departments. Working tirelessly for long hours will reduce the efficiency of the manager as he will lose focus on h is critical responsibilities. In this paper, a HR program is created for a retail business firm that sells variety of products ranging from beauty products to apparels. It has over 1,000 stores in several U.S. states with over 120,000 employees. The retail organization has set up a one person HR department, and the new HR manager has designed and initiated a program for the benefit of the employees. The next section will talk about this program. Recruitment is the â€Å"process by which prospective employees are located and they are encouraged to apply for the job† (Khurana et al., 2010, p.65). There are several internal factors that determine the recruitment and selection process in an organization. First, salary and other benefits direct affect the recruitment of efficient employees. The promise of high salary in this competitive market can attract

Professional Roles and Values Essay Example for Free

Professional Roles and Values Essay Nursing is a profession that constantly evolves to improve itself. There is a high demand for nurses all across America. Excellent nursing practice is achieved by understanding the history of nursing and integrating the milestones achieved with the present practice. Through advanced education and new technology the nurse can provide the patient with the best care and promote community health. Knowledge gives us power to change and advance in healthcare. My mission is to demonstrate excellence in clinical care by my commitment to evidence-based practice research, continuing education, and by delivering culturally competent patient care in a caring and healing environment in accordance with the nurse practice act. PART A The Board of Nursing (BON) is a regulatory agency that functions to protect the public as well as govern the safe practice of nurses. Every state has a board of nursing that mandates the nurse practice act be properly carried out. Nurse practice acts define the scope of nursing, how to obtain licensure, how to lose licensure, and the consequences of practicing without a license. The makeup of the nursing board and its responsibilities come from the nurse practice acts also. The BON is responsible for reviewing the nurse practice act to ensure that minimum standards of practice are defined. The BON also approves nursing education programs, evaluates applicants, issues licensure, and disciplines those who violate the law (Pearson Education, 2010). To obtain a nursing license in South Carolina I am required by the BON to have demonstrated competency in performing regulated activities that are complex, require skill, and independent decision -making. This is determined by showing verification of graduating from an approved Registered Nurse education program, passing the national licensing test, and passing a criminal background check. In order  to renew my license biennially I must go through the BON and show verification of competency and the number of hours practiced as evidenced by my employer certification on a form approved by the Board. If I fail to comply the renewal requirements the BON may deny my application for renewal. Also, abiding by the nurse practice act and refraining from unethical decisions such as; using drug and alcohol at work, diverting narcotics, and abusing patients I am able to remain in good standing with the BON and abstain from any disciplinary action from the BON. The American Nurses Association (ANA) is a Professional Nursing Organization that provides nurses a variety of resources to support their careers. The ANA offers leadership positions within the organizations and workshops for continuing education as well as employment resources. Conferences are held within the organization to network and congregate about healthcare reform. Although the ANA does not offer any legal authority to grant licensure or enforce practice policy, it carries the voice of the nurse and the public to the regulatory agency to evoke change (ANA, 2013). I currently am not a member of the ANA, but I plan to join. Being as though I am a nurse that works in the emergency department I feel the need to voice concerns I have in dealing with patient care and staffing issues. I also would like to have a voice in addressing safe nurse to patient ratios in the emergency department. The ANA can help with these issues I face by helping to promote the interests of nurses to state and federal legislative bodies like the BON. I feel this organization can help me obtain the education I need in directing me to online courses offering continuing education credits and assist me in special credentialing such as obtaining a Certified Emergency Nurse certificate. PART B Nursing ethics are a set of standards concerning the actions of the nurse in his or her relationship with patients, patients’ family members, other healthcare providers, policymakers, and society as a whole (Cherry Jacob, 2011). One provision from the code of ethics that influences my practice is â€Å"The nurse participates in the advancement of the profession through contributions to practice, education, administration, and knowledge development (ANA, 2013). Although patient care is of the utmost importance nursing can’t be practiced without the appropriate knowledge required.  Evidence-based practiced research is such an important component to nursing. Without the continuous studies of such research progress would not be made in healthcare advancements. As a nurse that has worked in the emergency department I have engaged in educational opportunities offered by the emergency department has helped with quality improvement initiatives and increased patient satisfaction scores. A second provision that has influenced my practice in nursing is listed as â€Å"The nurse’s primary commitment is to the patient, whether an individual, family, group, or community (ANA, 2013). â€Å" Many times in the emergency department families and friends are surrounding their loved one. It is the nurse’s primary duty to advocate for the patient. Many times families have other ideas of healthcare that the patient is not interested in. This is where communication and education is imperative between all involved. Also, if the patient refuses any type of care education is the best answer and then acceptance if the refusal is ongoing. Honoring the patient’s wishes as long as patient safety is not an issue must be upheld in the nursing pr ofession. PART C The ANA Code of Ethics consists of several traits that should be the underlying basis from all professional nursing practices. As a nurse one must interact with a multidisciplinary team to reach optimal results for a patient’s outcome. One of the trait’s that is important is mutual respect. In an Emergency Department I work with several entities all of which have the patient’s best interest at heart. Collaborating, listening, supporting, and implementing goals are all part of having mutual respect for the team members as well as the patient and patient’s family. Another trait that is important is confidentiality. Privacy is an essential code of ethics. Discussing pertinent issues about a patient is restricted to those directly involved in patient care. Many times individuals try to call the emergency department and get updates on patients. I follow the laws in my setting regarding this issue. A third trait would be having respect for human dignity. This is important in the emergency department when patients are too sick to move. Many times patients soil themselves and feel embarrassed. We as nurses must acknowledged their feelings in a therapeutic way. We must maintain professional and never judge the patient in these instances.  A fourth trait I possess would be accountability. I take full responsibility to abide by the nurse practice act in my state. I follow the requirement for licensure renewal and take continuing education classes pertinent to my work area. I also am accountable for the nursing care of patients and to practice using the standards of care in my hospital. If I make a mistake I am held accountable for my actions and report any incidents to the appropriate personnel. PART D Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring plays a significant part in promotion of a patient’s health. This theory suggests that there are carative factors that are the core to nursing. It is a holistic outlook that addresses the impact and importance of altruism, sensitivity, trust, and interpersonal skills (Cherry Jacob, 2011). Caring is a key element of the patient’s outcome. Possessing a caring heart sets the bar high in healthcare. â€Å"The transpersonal process of caring, or caring among, nurse, environment, and client, is essential to healing† and the nurse is the tool that â€Å"implements these carative factors, that facilitates, and promotes† the restoration of the patient health (Cherry Jacob, 2011).† PART D1 Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring fits in my professional practice daily. This model helps to establish a trusting rapport between you and the patient. When dealing with patients on an everyday basis the nurse is the one who interacts with the patient the most and sets the tone for the relationship. Compassion and human touch are necessary for positive patient outcomes. Following this module reminds me and helps me to improve my delivery of care by allowing patients to communicate feelings while I actively listen to their needs. When I enter a patient’s room I survey the scene or take a holistic approach. I want to let this patient know I care about all of their needs and not just the medical concerns. The theory states â€Å"interconnectedness of one human touching or caring for another is a carative factor which promotes restoration of health and equilibrium† (Cherry Jacob, 2011). After I introduce myself to the patient I immediately ask them how they are feeling or if there is anything that they are concerned about. I feel this gives the patient the opportunity to discuss concerns and allows time for therapeutic communication establishing  a trusting nurse to patient environment. Watson’s carative factors help with caring or maintaining health even when a patient is terminal. I instill this theory through offering chaplin services to patients or assistance finding mental support for those that are terminal. I come in contact with many different cultures in the emergency department and it is important to recognize the need for teaching and making it conducive for the patients to learn about their medication or disease process. Using a language lines shows the patient that you care about their health and education. PART E Florence Nightingale was inspirational and changed the face of nursing across the world from a career many looked down upon to a highly skilled and respected medical profession by implementing standards in healthcare and training others for the occupation. After witnessing the unsanitary conditions during the Crimean War she obtained hundreds of scrub brushes and asked nurses and the least sick patients to scrub the inside of the hospital from floor the ceiling (The Biography Company, 2014). Her compassionate, dedicated, and skilled work helped her to reduce the hospitals death rate by two-thirds from implementing â€Å"The Environmental Theory† into her practice (The Biography Company, 2014). Florence was a nurse that was able to look outside the box and critical think to find solutions to better healthcare. After learning of her great achievements the one I use most in my healthcare setting is following sanitary measures. The spread of bacteria is very prevalent among the emergency department and by adhering to hand hygiene principles and other core measures to keep from the spread of disease I feel her testimony sets the stage for mostly all healthcare employees. Also, through her courage and compassion for humanity she helped to mold my nursing practice into one of diligence. PART F Respect for autonomy comes to mind when I think of a case scenario. Upon triaging a patient with their significant other in the room I came across the medical history section. This may cause concern for some patients being as though we must obtain a full medical history. I explained to the patient that I have personal questions to ask her and needed to know if she would like to be alone during this process. The patient stated she  would like her significant other to leave the room. When interviewing the patient they informed me that they did not want their history disclosed to the significant other or any of the results of testing that day. I appreciated this request and then informed the significant other that they must remain in the waiting room until testing was finished and that it would be up to the patient to notify them of updates. Beneficence is the principle of providing good to someone whereas non-maleficence addresses the risk of a procedure to cause harm to a patient (Cherry Jacob, 2011). An example of beneficence I encountered was when an elderly patient was scheduled to have a cardiac catheterization performed. While performing the pre-op measures for this patient it was observed that this patient had an area of breakdown on his skin and an elevated temperature. I immediately called the cardiologist and informed him of the findings. He came to talk to the patient and decided to reschedule the procedure for another day when he was afebrile. Without reporting the finding to the doctor the patient could have introduced infection into the bloodstream and could have became septic with critical results. REFERENCES ANA Nursing World. (2013). Retrieved from https://www.nursingworld.org Cherry, B., Jacob, S. (2011). Contemporary Nursing: Issues, Trends and Management, (5th edition). St. Louis: Mosby Elsevier. Florence Nightingale. (2014). The Biography.com website. Retrieved from http://www.biography.com/people/florence-nightingale-9423539 Pearson Education. (2010). Retrieved May 8, 2015 from http://wps.prenhall.com/chet_sullivan_effective_6/21/5493/1406300.cw/content/index.html

Types Of Small Business Structures Business Essay

Types Of Small Business Structures Business Essay Small businesses are normally privately owned corporations, partnerships, or sole proprietorships. Small business employs over half of the countrys workforce. While many people think that new industrial giants are the most important factor in driving the economy, but small business is actually in the top. Small business in all country has been the stabilizing force in the economy. Entrepreneurs are the backbone of creativity and production. Small business is what stimulates economic growth. Every country has its own criteria to separate small businesses from the larger ones Apart from number of employees other criteria for classifying a business as small are: Amount of capital employed Annual Sales turnover Value of assets Profits Types of Small Business  Structures Making the right decision about the legal and corporate structure of the business is critical to long-term success. How establishing the business will affect ownership rights, personal liability risks, and how operate the business. The following is a simple breakdown of some of the different types of business structures. 1.  Corporations Corporations are governed by a set of By laws, which are usually filed along with Articles of Incorporation. Corporations become a legal entity that owns itself. Corporations can have their own bank accounts, assets, and even secure financing. All tax-exempt nonprofit organizations must be incorporated 2.  Limited Liability Company (LLC) (also called Limited Liability Corporation) A Limited Liability Company (LLC) is sometimes also referred to as a Limited Liability Corporation, but the preferred term is Company. It is one of the simpler ways to start a business, and is becoming one of the most popular ways to structure a business. An LLC is not a corporation, but has some of the protection benefits that a fully incorporated business structure has. 3.  Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) An LLP is similar to a general partnership; however, in an LLP, each partner is not liable for the actions of other partners. If one partner dies, the LLP automatically ceases. There are many forms or partnerships that can be formed. 4.  Sole Proprietorships The sole proprietorship is the easiest way to form a business. It is subject to the fewest regulations of all business structures. For tax and legal purposes, the business is the owner. When the owner dies the business automatically ceases. Starting a Business Identify Your Business Opportunity: Choosing what kind of business to start can be an immobilizing task when confronted with the multitude of opportunities. Its important to determine where the passions lie. Yet, equally important is what skills you bring to the table and whether you are entering a dying industry or a fast growing emerging business. Build a Business Plan: For any start-ups, a business plan allows you to gain a better understanding of your industry structure, competitive landscape, and the capital requirements of starting a small business. Find Start-up Money: To start a business, you must invest in the business. The journey of finding start up funds will be different for each individual. Some start ups such as consulting, requires a few thousand to get a website and business cards whereas a retail store could need lots of money. Finding the money you need may come for a source you never thought of . Name Your Business: Whats in a business name? The right business name will help distinguish you from a sea of bland competitors, provide your customers with a reason to hire you, and aid in the branding of your company. Learn what you need to know to find a name for your business. Choose a Business Structure: Deciding on the structure of your business is not a decision to be taken lightly. Whether you choose the popular LLC, a sole proprietorship or form a corporation; your choice will have an impact on your business liability, fund-ability as well as taxes due. Dont worry over your ultimate business structure, because as your business evolves, so too, may your structure. Get Your Business License and Permits: Starting a small business requires the ordinary, yet necessary, paperwork and regulations. Depending on your chosen business structure, may need to register your business with the state authorities. Setting up your small business may require an employer identification number which is also used by state taxing authorities to identify businesses. Additional paperwork can entail sales tax licenses. Set Up Determine Your Business Location: One of the multitudes of tasks in starting a business is the setting up of your office. There are many steps in office set up including where to locate your office (home or office space), buying the necessary office equipment, designing your work space and getting supplies. Get Business Insurance: As a new small business owner, you have the responsibility to manage the risks associated with your business. Dont put your new start-up at risk without getting the proper small business insurance to protect your company in the event of disaster or litigation. Create an Accounting System: The accounting and bookkeeping aspect of running your business cant be avoided. Setting up your accounting will help you understand the financials of running a business . Advantages and disadvantages of small business This Following are the advantages and disadvantages of small businesses to their owner or operator as well as the economy in which they operate. Appropriate government policies to promote small businesses are also discussed. Advantage of the owner There is a relatively small amount of capital needed to start the businesses. This is a very strong point as banks might not be willing to lend large amounts of money to businesses that are new. These businesses are good for those people who have experience in a field but do not have an adequate amount of resources. These resources of production could be land, labor, capital and enterprise. Enterprise is the risk taking ability of the owner. Small businesses give the owner the freedom to choose the way they want to work, the office hours, when to take breaks during the day or when to take a day off. The entrepreneur has complete right over the profit. He does not have to share it with other, unlike large public limited companies which have to give out the profits to a large number of shareholders in the form of dividends. Entrepreneurs own business motivates him to work harder as he takes all the profits and is Advantages of the Economy   Ã‚  They provide employment to a very large number of people. In some economies, they employ more than half of the total employees. They act as competitors to larger firms which will help improve their efficiency and lower the prices offered to the consumers. Small firms might come up with very innovative ideas which can lead to mass production of products and exports to foreign markets which has huge advantages for the economy. Most businesses start with being small. Therefore there is an enormous chance that small businesses of today might become the market leaders of tomorrow and provide greater benefits to the economy. Government Policies to Help Small Businesses The governments should offer lower amount of corporate taxes for small businesses. Most governments do that. Loans should be provided to these businesses which are free of interest or at very small rates of interest. Grants should be given to small businesses for operating in underdeveloped areas of the country with high unemployment The government should provide them satisfactory level of training so that the owners and employees could work more efficiently to make the business a success  [1]   The importance and benefits of small businesses Small businesses are vital to the success of the economy. Not only as they provide the success stories of the future, but also because they meet local needs. They serve the requirements of larger businesses. Being entrepreneurial simply means developing the right skills, attitudes and initiatives to make an innovative contribution to an organization. Small businesses survive and prosper for many different reasons: Developing personal relationships small businesses are well placed to build personal relationships with customers, employees, and suppliers. With a small business you know who you are dealing with; you can put a face to the person you are in contact with. Person-to-person interaction is as important as ever in building strong relationships. Responding flexibly to problems and challenges in a small business there is little hierarchy or chain of command. Large businesses may have set ways of operating and establish procedures that are hard to change. Small businesses are often far more flexible. It can also reach a quick decision on whether or not it can do what is required. Inventiveness and innovation small businesses are well positioned to introduce and develop new ideas. This is due to their owners not having to report or seek approval from anyone else. Low overheads due to the small scale of operation, small businesses have lower overhead costs. They operate in small premises with low heating and lighting costs, and limited rent and rates to pay. Low costs result in lower prices for consumers. Catering for limited or niche markets -large firms with high overheads must produce high levels of output to spread costs. By contrast, small firms are able to make a profit on much lower sales figures. They can therefore sell into much smaller markets: a local window cleaner serving a few hundred houses, a specialist jewellery maker with personal clients. The main reason many people choose to set up a small business, is because it gives them independence. They also reap the rewards for themselves; these are two powerful incentives Small businesses face the following problems Costs A study conducted by the National Federation of Independent Business reported in 2008 that the primary problem that business owners face is the expense of running the business. The inability to control some costs, including health insurance, energy bills and inflation, add stress to the business owners bottom line. In addition, the cost of paying employees, stocking inventory and basic overhead can create cash flow issues for the small business owner. Time Management Time management can become problematic for the owner of a small business. Small businesses often operate on a very tight budget, precluding the hiring of many employees. The owner is often faced with trying to manage and grow the business, while at the same time having to run the everyday operation. Small business owners can also find themselves so tied up in running the business that they dont take time to enjoy families, hobbies or other activities. Inflexibility Refusing to let go of an idea and move on to something else is a common problem for small business owners, according to the Nevada Appeal. For small business owners to succeed, it is important for them to be willing to think like an entrepreneur and explore many different ideas. Whether it is the need to change inventory, provide additional services or move to a new location, a small business owner must remain flexible if he wants his small business to succeed. Obtaining Credit Access to credit can be an issue for the small business owner, according to the Washington Post. A business line of credit can provide necessary cash flow during the start-up months. It can also ensure that the owner has the ability to fill the business with inventory and meet her payroll. A small business, however, will not always qualify for a large credit line, which can impede the owners ability to succeed. Employee Issues Small business owners often face a problem when it comes to hiring a workforce. Staffing enough workers to adequately cover the business needs without destroying the businesss profit margin can be a tricky process. Under capitalisation Poor debt management Lack of managerial skills of the owner Cannot retain experienced staff Usually find it difficult to attract skilled staff Poor stock management How can small business survive Small firms survive by being different (product differentiation). They can survive by Segmenting the market by income. They can target niche market segments of high income customers, position their product as a premium brand at a high premium price eg Morgan sports cars Small firms have the advantage of being able to respond quickly to change they do not have the bureaucratic procedures often a feature of large firms where decisions are made only after endless meetings. This means they can be quick to exploit new market trends. The Internet also allows small firms direct access to consumers, by passing intermediaries. The web gives small firms the opportunity of international marketing. Small independent firms can join together to form a buying group to negotiate discounts on joint orders. Small firms can survive by selecting a premium niche and offering an exclusive brand that exactly meets the customer requirements of their target segment. They will need to be totally customer orientated. Keep well documentation for  accounts receivable financing  when unexpected expenses arrive.  

Analysis of the Organic Food Industry in Malaysia

Analysis of the Organic Food Industry in Malaysia Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Introduction Today, with the advancement of science and technology, humans have more exposure to information technology, knowledge and education than ever before. As a result, people become more aware and sensitive to the environment and their surroundings. A quality and healthy lifestyle have becomes a kind of necessity to the modern generation. Among others, Organic Food is recognized to be one of the contributors to a healthy lifestyle. Almost every day, you can read or see Organic topic everywhere around you. From newspaper, magazine, billboard advertisement, internet and etc, Organic has slowly becomes a trend to the modern society. However, a few issues have been identified in the Organic Industry in Malaysia. These factors have a strong role in influencing the purchasing and consuming of Organic Food in Malaysia. Therefore, it is important to identified and understand every factor of influence that affect the purchasing and consuming of organic food in Malaysia as all this factors will affect the entire industry from farmer, retailer, produces and even the consumers. 1.2 Background of Study 1.2.1 What is organic food Based on United State, European, and international definitions, organic food is define as without using any material substance in the food itself, but instead by the holistic methods used on organic farms. According to Gracia and Magistris (2007), the intention of organic production is to eliminate chemical used on the food production in order to promote healthier and safety food. Moreover, organic food also means that it is not cultivated using chemical-derived pesticides fertilizers and herbicides. As an alternative, the process of planting and farming the organic food are by using holistic methods such as compost, crop rotation, and biological agents over a natural period of time. According to National Organic Standard Board of the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) in year 2000, they established a national standard for the term organic. Organic food, it is defined by how it cannot be made rather by how it can be made, which must be produced without the used of sewer-sludge fert ilizers, most synthetic fertilizers, and pesticides, genetic engineering(biotechnology), growth hormones, irradiations and antibiotics (TheStar, 2005). From the individuals point of view, organic means it is grown in a natural environment without any chemical, antibiotics, genetic engineering, and any synthetic products or in simple way, organic mean natural or go back to the traditional way of modes of agricultural. As an overview, the developments of organic food always work in cooperation with nature environment. Normally peoples definition of organic food maybe was just vegetables and fruits, but actually plenty of foods category like meats, eggs, livestock, dairy products and many more are also conclude as organic food. This issues supported by the research conducted by Padel and Foster (2005) where respondents only associate organic term with vegetable and fruit. Generally, organic food includes plenty of categories which include vegetables, fruits, bread, meat, eggs, coffee, juice, rice, tea, potatoes and etc. Other than that, organic food like egg, meat must be free of all kinds of antibiotics or growth naturally in a clean environment. To sum up, organic food is more environmental friendly since it does not create any pollution and waste to the earth. Besides, they give a tremendous opportunity to human being which led to healthy lifestyle and provide a better environment. Organic consumers carry a meaning of who are not only prefer an improved and healthier lifestyle but also environmental exportation and responsible to take care of the nature (Midmore et al, 2005). In addition, it also brings advantage to whole economy by increase business activities, trade, production and consumption. 1.2.2 The fact of organic The rise of demanding organic food and healthy lifestyle in both developed and developing country is not just a passing fad. The popularity of consuming organic food is now in an increasing manner in all over the world where it also includes Malaysia. Increased consumers concern and care regarding food safety and quality as well as health and nutritional aspect of food resulted in increased demand toward organically produced food. Such trend is a kind of reaction to numerous health affair related to processed food (Davies et al, 1995). Refer to the press release post by Nestlà © Malaysia in year 2008, it shows that organic growth reached 8.9% including 3.4% of real internal growth. In Europe, organic growth of Nestlà ©s total Food and Beverages business is about 5.4% and the growth rate is presented around 9.5% in United State and Asia, Oceania and Africa is at the rate of 14.2%. Functional food such as health supplements and organic food was projected reach RM234bil (US$65bil) in 2003 at global market place. It is estimated reach RM601bil (US$167bil) in 2010 by has the growth rate of 14% annually. According Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA), in the year of 2001 the sale for organic food has achieved USD 8 billion world wide. The sale value of organic food is estimated to have growth rate at 20-30% by year 2005. The organization stated that if compared with others agricultural products, organic food has high potential for commercialization in Malaysia. Demand for healthy, environmental friendly processed food, minimally chemical used fresh food, organic food and natural food are caused by increasing of consumer awareness in nutrition value and health conscious (Malaysia Industrial Development Authority, MIDA, 2009). Malaysian start to increase their demand since they believe that consuming organic food is one of the best ways that led to a healthy lifestyle and they view this as a worthy investment for their heath. The concern of consumers toward food safety, quality and the environment give an opportunity to the organic industry and become more valuable for produ cers and retailers. As a part from that, it also activates the organic agriculture sector in Malaysia. The rises of consumers awareness of healthy lifestyle along with environment free of pollution have created a wonderful opportunity and market for organic food. However, it is hard for producer or businessman to manage the right products at a right time, right price and still right place with attractive promotion since the changes of consumer behaviour was so unstable due to various kind of reason, so it is very complicate to fix or to define how the consumer behave. Consumer behaviour carries the meaning of activities people undertake when obtaining, consuming and disposing of products and services (Kozak, and Decrop, 2009). As a result, study and understanding the consumer behaviour and willingness of consumers to pay for organic food is a vital knowledge for marketers, producers and businessman. There is a behavioural model proposed by Von Alvesleben (1997) address that product information, product perception and attitudes are the main factors that drive consumer behaviour. When w e believe that an object or brand possess favorable attributes or have good feeling then we will have good attitudes toward it. As we all know, when consumer attitudes are more desirable, the intention to purchase is stronger. In this research, it is more focus on consumer preferences and their willingness to pay when they wish to obtain organic food. The result can help marketers and policy makers develop strategies to reach customers more effectively and efficiently. 1.2.3 Natural Food vs Organic food Most of the people are often confuse about the different between organic food and natural food. Moreover, people though organic food and natural food own the same attribute and tend to treat or mean both the same. In fact, there are certain features that distinguish organic food and natural food. Obviously, the main factor difference the two is organic food must be certified by United Stated Agricultural Department (USDA) and organic food possessed higher quality. We can notice that organic food have labelled organic and this label represent the products are considered as organic by USDA and get the stamp of approval from designed organization. Products which stamp by USDA or labelled with organic must contain at least 95percent organic. Organic food can either labelled by foreign certification which is USDA or certify by local organization which is Malaysia Organic Scheme (SOM). Products that labelled with SOM carry a meaning which is the process of production inspected by departments Crop Quality Control Division. The standard where SOM follow is Sirim MS 1529:2001 standards. The guideline applied to control whole process of organic food which includes production, processing, labelling and marketing of plant-based organically produced food and lastly, series number will be provided in order to ease the identification process (SOM). Previously, certification only offer for limited organic food such as vegetables, fruit and etc. In general, Malaysia organic aquaculture products were under the governance of Thailands Organic Aquaculture Farms and Products Certification Centre (OAPC). In order to enhance aquaculture industry in Malaysia, fisheries department provide organic scheme for organic aquaculture production. Additional, this action can minimize the cost of apply organic aquaculture certification from other country. Moreover, organic food always free of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, bioengineering or irradiation during produce, manufacture and handle (Annadana,2009). Besides, livestock must be free of growth hormones and antibiotics. On the others hand, there is not any specify standard for natural food and it is grown with pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers. Basically, natural food have minimal processing and do not contain refined sugar or artificial ingredients and without altering the raw product (Hermitt, 2006). 1.2.4 Consumer vs Customer Generally, most of the people have categorized both consumer and customer in the same category where it carry the meaning of purchase any products from sellers. Conversely, both of the words carry different meaning. According to Kotler and Armstrong (2006), consumer is the person who purchases any products for personal use or they call end user. Basically, consumer is the individual who had previously purchased or current users for particular product. On the other hand, the word customer carries different meaning in different perspective. In business market, customer is the individual or organization who purchase the product but not for own consumption. The products will become their inventory for further production or resell to end user (Kotler and Armstrong, 2006). Customer can either is a current user or only a potential customer for the product (Wikipedia). 1.2.5 Organic industry in Malaysia Since 1990s organic market has grown in a favorable beat. Thus, sale of organic food and products are forecasted to be between USD 20 and USD 30 billion yearly. USA is the biggest organic market follow by Germany and United Kingdom. In certain country such as Denmark, Sweden, Austria and Switzerland have 4% share of organic food which exceed in the total food sales. On the other hand, organic market in developing countries is small but considers growing especially in upper income developing countries. Figure 1.3 shows the coverage of organic farm in different country in year 2005. Malaysia is located in Southeast Asia and consists of two mainlands which is Peninsular (west) Malaysia and East Malaysia with an area of 329,750 km2. The agricultural sector in Malaysia is about 10.24% (738,677 / 75,657) of GDP in year 2008 (Department of Statistics Malaysia). Organic farming in Malaysia was started by Center for Environment, Technology and Development, Malaysia (CETDEM). During year 1986 CETDEM started their organic farm in Sungai Buloh with only one hectare plot. According to Department of Agriculture (DoA), there is 131 hectares of organic farm in Malaysia during year 2001 and approximates organic farming increase to more than 1000 hectares in year 2005. In year 2008, there are about 1000 hectares of registered and 2800 hectares of unregistered organic farm. Table 1.1: Organic production area Source: Organic Alliance Malaysia, 2007 Organic farming and production had started up during year 1990. Due to increase in favorability and demand toward organic products this niche market is growing continuously. Consequently, there is increase in the number of organic organization which include government department and non government organization (Table 1.2). Table 1.2: Organic organization in Malaysia Source: Better Diet Islam, 2009 Malaysian organic scheme (SOM) is the organization that has the right to give certification to organic farmers. Today, there are 28 Malaysian Organic Scheme (SOM) Certificate Holders in nationwide with a total area of 1244 hectares (Table 1.3). Table 1.3: Malaysian Organic Scheme (SOM) Certificate Holders Source: Department of Agriculture Malaysia, 2009 Due to increasing in organic farming and production, the number of organic retail outlets is also in the increasing manner. As a result, there are many organic companies have started their business such as Justlife, BMS, Country farm, ZenXin, Woots and etc. Organic food was previously consumed by cancer patients or patients who had serious health problem. Today, organic food becomes a choice for every family or even each and everyone. As we know, Justlife is a famous retailer of organic food and organic products. Justlife has only owned half of a whole retail shop at SS2, Subang Selangor with limited organic products and food. Recently, they are success and owning eight retail shops in Malaysia. Accordingly, we can observe that consumer demand of organic food and products is rising in recent year. Since the demand of organic food and products are increasing, government has putting effort in order to encourage producers to involve themselves in organic farming. Besides, government mentioned in Ninth Malaysia Plan (2006-2010), they estimating the value for organic farms industry will be worth RM800 million after five year and plan to have 20,000 hectares of organic farm in year 2010 (Economic Planning Unit). During year 2001, Organic Alliance Malaysia (OAM) was found and this organization act as a private sector association to form national network. Government has tried to match the demand by increase the number of producer and organic farmer. However, we still supported by imports and the amount of foods that we imported from other country is about RM10.9bil or 8.7% of total import. Therefore, a study on consumer behaviour is crucial in order to forecast the demand and prepare for supply. According to local report, a supplier Kerby Ho of KK Hoganik told that demand for organic fruits and vegetables were increase at about 8%-10% every month (NST, 2008). Informed by organic-certified wholesaler Radiant Codes manager- Loke Siew Fong in local report, the sale is experiencing double digit growth. She added that consumers are having higher awareness on health issues nowadays and search for organic food rather than conventional foods (NST, 2008). As a result, research on consumer behaviour can tell supplier with fact reason why they demand for organic food and better understanding the trend of organic market. Moreover, the needs of communicate for both organic concept and build market confidence are vital in Malaysia market. Most of the citizen were still choosing conventional foods as usual and refuse to purchase organic food due to their own personal reason such as inconvenience, price, knowledge and others. Consequently, marketers have to know the concern of customers or citizen in order to better target the market and segments. In short, organic market is in an encouraging rate and it is a potential market for marketers, farmers, suppliers, wholesalers and retailers to aim. The reason why and how the demand increase is important for them to study in order to server the organic fans at the right time and right place with sufficient supplies. 1.3 Research Problem Consume organic food has become an important subject for today in changing social graphic and emerging trend. Government had been aware of the importance of organic sector since early of 1990s. The Organic Trade Association forecasts sales of organic food will be increase by 18% annually through 2010. Organic products become part of the picture for everyone at the present time and customer base of organic sector expected to rise and retailers continue to provide wider variety of organic food. Commissions communication > were presented in December 2002 that they are planning to increase their efficiency, transparency and consumer confidences in order to develop the market for organic food (Gracia and de Magistris, 2007). Refer to a report found in OAM in November 2008, Katherine diMatteo, president of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture; consumers seek organic produce as a way of environmental degradation, or as the best way to eat healthy foods. Besides, government and others view that purchasing organic is a good way for developing fair trade due to most of the organic farmers are small-scale producers. The trend of eating and purchasing organic has boosted up the organic sector in constructive rate. Transaction and trade of business have increase indirectly and these also bring a healthy rate for Malaysia economy. Consumers also willing to pay for organic food during economy down turn in June 2008. Economy down turn do not brought a strong impact to this industry and the sale of organic food still in a healthy and encouraging rate. As a result, we confidents there are something behind the consumers to motivate and move them to purchase organic food. At one time, people always believe that consumers choice was unstructured and natural but at this moment, people know that human behaviour is manipulated, push or even forced by reason. For instance, health conscious is affecting consumers where they will hunt for organic food in order to replace conventional foods. Nevertheless, this is only one of the hypotheses or assumption that we can made, we cannot prove that this is the accurate explanation for the question: Why the demand of purchasing organic food is increased from year to year? Additionally, there are many factors that keep moving people from conventional foods to organic food. Hence, study on the factor that affect consumers willingness in purchasing organic food is an essential issue to further understand consumers mind and support organic. Furthermore, dynamic issues and factors which influence consumers are changeable among individual and purchase decision of organic food will depend on many variables such as consumers attitudes toward environmental protection and healthiness (Gracia and de Magistris, 2007). Human behaviour and customers choice is not impulsive, unconscious, inborn and natural. Conversely, consumers behaviour is always motivated by the environment, enthusiasm, sensation and emotion (Ajzen and Fishbein, 1980). Consumer willingness to pay for organic food may influence by numerous factors. Human beings easily get influenced by the environment and objects surrounding them. We have no capability to freeze their consumption and purchase behaviour. The only way that we can do is to study deeply on what are the main aspects they are focusing and what are the essential factors that manipulate their purchasing. More to the point, people perception and motivation in purchase organic food are vary from country t o country. There is different demand in different county with different culture. In order to have a good explanation to answer the entire question and have a bottomless understanding of customers willingness to pay during obtain organic food, we come out with the problem statement: What are the main aspects that manipulate consumers willingness to pay for organic food. Policy maker seek consumer oriental analysis in organic sector since the information is crucial for them (Gracia and de Magistris, 2007). The study not only can improve the understanding of consumer behaviour and factors that affect customers but it is also a necessary research to help marketers to market the products, help government to better know the needs of citizen, help retailers or wholesalers to do some related activities to encourage consumers in order to choose organic food and help producer to estimate the production in future. 1.4 Research Objective The main purpose of this research is to recognize some of the essential variables that motivate or stimulate citizen in Malaysia in purchasing organic food. Organic market is a potential and profitable market for marketers to have a deep study on it since the demand of organic food is keep increasing nowadays. Besides, organic industry did contribute to Malaysia economy and citizens health, as well as the environment. In my opinion, customers belief, feeling, attitudes, motivation and demand trend would bring a deep impact on food industry and this will bring challenges for marketer to design marketing strategy. The following objectives are built to achieve goals of this study. i. To study the determinants that motive consumers willingness to pay for organic food. After identify all the factors, we can better target and server our customers when they doing their purchase. When retailers know all the factors and possess this advantage, they can come out with following step such as education fair, seminar or others kind of exhibition to influence or encourage customers in order to purchase organic food. Moreover, eating organic food can save and secure the earth. Consume organic food not only healthier but also more environmental friendly if compare with conventional foods. By educating others customers about the benefit of consuming organic food, sales of organic food will definitely continue to double up in the future. By the way, this also can help marketers to better market the products and also target potential customers easily. Lastly, this as well will contribute to economic growth and better environment for next generation. ii. To better understanding consumer buying decision and contribute precise data to policy makers. There is a problem that release by NST on November 2008 which is the number of organic supporter is increasing however; there are too few farmers to serve the large pool of consumers. As a result, we can overcome the problem of supply and demand after knowing the reason why customers purchase organic food or not. Moreover, most of the researchers showed consumers are willing to pay for high quality food. If this research can prove that there is a significant result between quality and willingness to pay. Related organization can immediately take action in order to strengthen organic production governance. iii. To study the impact on organic food industry due to the issue of health conscious. Recently, health conscious beca Analysis of the Organic Food Industry in Malaysia Analysis of the Organic Food Industry in Malaysia Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Introduction Today, with the advancement of science and technology, humans have more exposure to information technology, knowledge and education than ever before. As a result, people become more aware and sensitive to the environment and their surroundings. A quality and healthy lifestyle have becomes a kind of necessity to the modern generation. Among others, Organic Food is recognized to be one of the contributors to a healthy lifestyle. Almost every day, you can read or see Organic topic everywhere around you. From newspaper, magazine, billboard advertisement, internet and etc, Organic has slowly becomes a trend to the modern society. However, a few issues have been identified in the Organic Industry in Malaysia. These factors have a strong role in influencing the purchasing and consuming of Organic Food in Malaysia. Therefore, it is important to identified and understand every factor of influence that affect the purchasing and consuming of organic food in Malaysia as all this factors will affect the entire industry from farmer, retailer, produces and even the consumers. 1.2 Background of Study 1.2.1 What is organic food Based on United State, European, and international definitions, organic food is define as without using any material substance in the food itself, but instead by the holistic methods used on organic farms. According to Gracia and Magistris (2007), the intention of organic production is to eliminate chemical used on the food production in order to promote healthier and safety food. Moreover, organic food also means that it is not cultivated using chemical-derived pesticides fertilizers and herbicides. As an alternative, the process of planting and farming the organic food are by using holistic methods such as compost, crop rotation, and biological agents over a natural period of time. According to National Organic Standard Board of the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) in year 2000, they established a national standard for the term organic. Organic food, it is defined by how it cannot be made rather by how it can be made, which must be produced without the used of sewer-sludge fert ilizers, most synthetic fertilizers, and pesticides, genetic engineering(biotechnology), growth hormones, irradiations and antibiotics (TheStar, 2005). From the individuals point of view, organic means it is grown in a natural environment without any chemical, antibiotics, genetic engineering, and any synthetic products or in simple way, organic mean natural or go back to the traditional way of modes of agricultural. As an overview, the developments of organic food always work in cooperation with nature environment. Normally peoples definition of organic food maybe was just vegetables and fruits, but actually plenty of foods category like meats, eggs, livestock, dairy products and many more are also conclude as organic food. This issues supported by the research conducted by Padel and Foster (2005) where respondents only associate organic term with vegetable and fruit. Generally, organic food includes plenty of categories which include vegetables, fruits, bread, meat, eggs, coffee, juice, rice, tea, potatoes and etc. Other than that, organic food like egg, meat must be free of all kinds of antibiotics or growth naturally in a clean environment. To sum up, organic food is more environmental friendly since it does not create any pollution and waste to the earth. Besides, they give a tremendous opportunity to human being which led to healthy lifestyle and provide a better environment. Organic consumers carry a meaning of who are not only prefer an improved and healthier lifestyle but also environmental exportation and responsible to take care of the nature (Midmore et al, 2005). In addition, it also brings advantage to whole economy by increase business activities, trade, production and consumption. 1.2.2 The fact of organic The rise of demanding organic food and healthy lifestyle in both developed and developing country is not just a passing fad. The popularity of consuming organic food is now in an increasing manner in all over the world where it also includes Malaysia. Increased consumers concern and care regarding food safety and quality as well as health and nutritional aspect of food resulted in increased demand toward organically produced food. Such trend is a kind of reaction to numerous health affair related to processed food (Davies et al, 1995). Refer to the press release post by Nestlà © Malaysia in year 2008, it shows that organic growth reached 8.9% including 3.4% of real internal growth. In Europe, organic growth of Nestlà ©s total Food and Beverages business is about 5.4% and the growth rate is presented around 9.5% in United State and Asia, Oceania and Africa is at the rate of 14.2%. Functional food such as health supplements and organic food was projected reach RM234bil (US$65bil) in 2003 at global market place. It is estimated reach RM601bil (US$167bil) in 2010 by has the growth rate of 14% annually. According Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA), in the year of 2001 the sale for organic food has achieved USD 8 billion world wide. The sale value of organic food is estimated to have growth rate at 20-30% by year 2005. The organization stated that if compared with others agricultural products, organic food has high potential for commercialization in Malaysia. Demand for healthy, environmental friendly processed food, minimally chemical used fresh food, organic food and natural food are caused by increasing of consumer awareness in nutrition value and health conscious (Malaysia Industrial Development Authority, MIDA, 2009). Malaysian start to increase their demand since they believe that consuming organic food is one of the best ways that led to a healthy lifestyle and they view this as a worthy investment for their heath. The concern of consumers toward food safety, quality and the environment give an opportunity to the organic industry and become more valuable for produ cers and retailers. As a part from that, it also activates the organic agriculture sector in Malaysia. The rises of consumers awareness of healthy lifestyle along with environment free of pollution have created a wonderful opportunity and market for organic food. However, it is hard for producer or businessman to manage the right products at a right time, right price and still right place with attractive promotion since the changes of consumer behaviour was so unstable due to various kind of reason, so it is very complicate to fix or to define how the consumer behave. Consumer behaviour carries the meaning of activities people undertake when obtaining, consuming and disposing of products and services (Kozak, and Decrop, 2009). As a result, study and understanding the consumer behaviour and willingness of consumers to pay for organic food is a vital knowledge for marketers, producers and businessman. There is a behavioural model proposed by Von Alvesleben (1997) address that product information, product perception and attitudes are the main factors that drive consumer behaviour. When w e believe that an object or brand possess favorable attributes or have good feeling then we will have good attitudes toward it. As we all know, when consumer attitudes are more desirable, the intention to purchase is stronger. In this research, it is more focus on consumer preferences and their willingness to pay when they wish to obtain organic food. The result can help marketers and policy makers develop strategies to reach customers more effectively and efficiently. 1.2.3 Natural Food vs Organic food Most of the people are often confuse about the different between organic food and natural food. Moreover, people though organic food and natural food own the same attribute and tend to treat or mean both the same. In fact, there are certain features that distinguish organic food and natural food. Obviously, the main factor difference the two is organic food must be certified by United Stated Agricultural Department (USDA) and organic food possessed higher quality. We can notice that organic food have labelled organic and this label represent the products are considered as organic by USDA and get the stamp of approval from designed organization. Products which stamp by USDA or labelled with organic must contain at least 95percent organic. Organic food can either labelled by foreign certification which is USDA or certify by local organization which is Malaysia Organic Scheme (SOM). Products that labelled with SOM carry a meaning which is the process of production inspected by departments Crop Quality Control Division. The standard where SOM follow is Sirim MS 1529:2001 standards. The guideline applied to control whole process of organic food which includes production, processing, labelling and marketing of plant-based organically produced food and lastly, series number will be provided in order to ease the identification process (SOM). Previously, certification only offer for limited organic food such as vegetables, fruit and etc. In general, Malaysia organic aquaculture products were under the governance of Thailands Organic Aquaculture Farms and Products Certification Centre (OAPC). In order to enhance aquaculture industry in Malaysia, fisheries department provide organic scheme for organic aquaculture production. Additional, this action can minimize the cost of apply organic aquaculture certification from other country. Moreover, organic food always free of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, bioengineering or irradiation during produce, manufacture and handle (Annadana,2009). Besides, livestock must be free of growth hormones and antibiotics. On the others hand, there is not any specify standard for natural food and it is grown with pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers. Basically, natural food have minimal processing and do not contain refined sugar or artificial ingredients and without altering the raw product (Hermitt, 2006). 1.2.4 Consumer vs Customer Generally, most of the people have categorized both consumer and customer in the same category where it carry the meaning of purchase any products from sellers. Conversely, both of the words carry different meaning. According to Kotler and Armstrong (2006), consumer is the person who purchases any products for personal use or they call end user. Basically, consumer is the individual who had previously purchased or current users for particular product. On the other hand, the word customer carries different meaning in different perspective. In business market, customer is the individual or organization who purchase the product but not for own consumption. The products will become their inventory for further production or resell to end user (Kotler and Armstrong, 2006). Customer can either is a current user or only a potential customer for the product (Wikipedia). 1.2.5 Organic industry in Malaysia Since 1990s organic market has grown in a favorable beat. Thus, sale of organic food and products are forecasted to be between USD 20 and USD 30 billion yearly. USA is the biggest organic market follow by Germany and United Kingdom. In certain country such as Denmark, Sweden, Austria and Switzerland have 4% share of organic food which exceed in the total food sales. On the other hand, organic market in developing countries is small but considers growing especially in upper income developing countries. Figure 1.3 shows the coverage of organic farm in different country in year 2005. Malaysia is located in Southeast Asia and consists of two mainlands which is Peninsular (west) Malaysia and East Malaysia with an area of 329,750 km2. The agricultural sector in Malaysia is about 10.24% (738,677 / 75,657) of GDP in year 2008 (Department of Statistics Malaysia). Organic farming in Malaysia was started by Center for Environment, Technology and Development, Malaysia (CETDEM). During year 1986 CETDEM started their organic farm in Sungai Buloh with only one hectare plot. According to Department of Agriculture (DoA), there is 131 hectares of organic farm in Malaysia during year 2001 and approximates organic farming increase to more than 1000 hectares in year 2005. In year 2008, there are about 1000 hectares of registered and 2800 hectares of unregistered organic farm. Table 1.1: Organic production area Source: Organic Alliance Malaysia, 2007 Organic farming and production had started up during year 1990. Due to increase in favorability and demand toward organic products this niche market is growing continuously. Consequently, there is increase in the number of organic organization which include government department and non government organization (Table 1.2). Table 1.2: Organic organization in Malaysia Source: Better Diet Islam, 2009 Malaysian organic scheme (SOM) is the organization that has the right to give certification to organic farmers. Today, there are 28 Malaysian Organic Scheme (SOM) Certificate Holders in nationwide with a total area of 1244 hectares (Table 1.3). Table 1.3: Malaysian Organic Scheme (SOM) Certificate Holders Source: Department of Agriculture Malaysia, 2009 Due to increasing in organic farming and production, the number of organic retail outlets is also in the increasing manner. As a result, there are many organic companies have started their business such as Justlife, BMS, Country farm, ZenXin, Woots and etc. Organic food was previously consumed by cancer patients or patients who had serious health problem. Today, organic food becomes a choice for every family or even each and everyone. As we know, Justlife is a famous retailer of organic food and organic products. Justlife has only owned half of a whole retail shop at SS2, Subang Selangor with limited organic products and food. Recently, they are success and owning eight retail shops in Malaysia. Accordingly, we can observe that consumer demand of organic food and products is rising in recent year. Since the demand of organic food and products are increasing, government has putting effort in order to encourage producers to involve themselves in organic farming. Besides, government mentioned in Ninth Malaysia Plan (2006-2010), they estimating the value for organic farms industry will be worth RM800 million after five year and plan to have 20,000 hectares of organic farm in year 2010 (Economic Planning Unit). During year 2001, Organic Alliance Malaysia (OAM) was found and this organization act as a private sector association to form national network. Government has tried to match the demand by increase the number of producer and organic farmer. However, we still supported by imports and the amount of foods that we imported from other country is about RM10.9bil or 8.7% of total import. Therefore, a study on consumer behaviour is crucial in order to forecast the demand and prepare for supply. According to local report, a supplier Kerby Ho of KK Hoganik told that demand for organic fruits and vegetables were increase at about 8%-10% every month (NST, 2008). Informed by organic-certified wholesaler Radiant Codes manager- Loke Siew Fong in local report, the sale is experiencing double digit growth. She added that consumers are having higher awareness on health issues nowadays and search for organic food rather than conventional foods (NST, 2008). As a result, research on consumer behaviour can tell supplier with fact reason why they demand for organic food and better understanding the trend of organic market. Moreover, the needs of communicate for both organic concept and build market confidence are vital in Malaysia market. Most of the citizen were still choosing conventional foods as usual and refuse to purchase organic food due to their own personal reason such as inconvenience, price, knowledge and others. Consequently, marketers have to know the concern of customers or citizen in order to better target the market and segments. In short, organic market is in an encouraging rate and it is a potential market for marketers, farmers, suppliers, wholesalers and retailers to aim. The reason why and how the demand increase is important for them to study in order to server the organic fans at the right time and right place with sufficient supplies. 1.3 Research Problem Consume organic food has become an important subject for today in changing social graphic and emerging trend. Government had been aware of the importance of organic sector since early of 1990s. The Organic Trade Association forecasts sales of organic food will be increase by 18% annually through 2010. Organic products become part of the picture for everyone at the present time and customer base of organic sector expected to rise and retailers continue to provide wider variety of organic food. Commissions communication > were presented in December 2002 that they are planning to increase their efficiency, transparency and consumer confidences in order to develop the market for organic food (Gracia and de Magistris, 2007). Refer to a report found in OAM in November 2008, Katherine diMatteo, president of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture; consumers seek organic produce as a way of environmental degradation, or as the best way to eat healthy foods. Besides, government and others view that purchasing organic is a good way for developing fair trade due to most of the organic farmers are small-scale producers. The trend of eating and purchasing organic has boosted up the organic sector in constructive rate. Transaction and trade of business have increase indirectly and these also bring a healthy rate for Malaysia economy. Consumers also willing to pay for organic food during economy down turn in June 2008. Economy down turn do not brought a strong impact to this industry and the sale of organic food still in a healthy and encouraging rate. As a result, we confidents there are something behind the consumers to motivate and move them to purchase organic food. At one time, people always believe that consumers choice was unstructured and natural but at this moment, people know that human behaviour is manipulated, push or even forced by reason. For instance, health conscious is affecting consumers where they will hunt for organic food in order to replace conventional foods. Nevertheless, this is only one of the hypotheses or assumption that we can made, we cannot prove that this is the accurate explanation for the question: Why the demand of purchasing organic food is increased from year to year? Additionally, there are many factors that keep moving people from conventional foods to organic food. Hence, study on the factor that affect consumers willingness in purchasing organic food is an essential issue to further understand consumers mind and support organic. Furthermore, dynamic issues and factors which influence consumers are changeable among individual and purchase decision of organic food will depend on many variables such as consumers attitudes toward environmental protection and healthiness (Gracia and de Magistris, 2007). Human behaviour and customers choice is not impulsive, unconscious, inborn and natural. Conversely, consumers behaviour is always motivated by the environment, enthusiasm, sensation and emotion (Ajzen and Fishbein, 1980). Consumer willingness to pay for organic food may influence by numerous factors. Human beings easily get influenced by the environment and objects surrounding them. We have no capability to freeze their consumption and purchase behaviour. The only way that we can do is to study deeply on what are the main aspects they are focusing and what are the essential factors that manipulate their purchasing. More to the point, people perception and motivation in purchase organic food are vary from country t o country. There is different demand in different county with different culture. In order to have a good explanation to answer the entire question and have a bottomless understanding of customers willingness to pay during obtain organic food, we come out with the problem statement: What are the main aspects that manipulate consumers willingness to pay for organic food. Policy maker seek consumer oriental analysis in organic sector since the information is crucial for them (Gracia and de Magistris, 2007). The study not only can improve the understanding of consumer behaviour and factors that affect customers but it is also a necessary research to help marketers to market the products, help government to better know the needs of citizen, help retailers or wholesalers to do some related activities to encourage consumers in order to choose organic food and help producer to estimate the production in future. 1.4 Research Objective The main purpose of this research is to recognize some of the essential variables that motivate or stimulate citizen in Malaysia in purchasing organic food. Organic market is a potential and profitable market for marketers to have a deep study on it since the demand of organic food is keep increasing nowadays. Besides, organic industry did contribute to Malaysia economy and citizens health, as well as the environment. In my opinion, customers belief, feeling, attitudes, motivation and demand trend would bring a deep impact on food industry and this will bring challenges for marketer to design marketing strategy. The following objectives are built to achieve goals of this study. i. To study the determinants that motive consumers willingness to pay for organic food. After identify all the factors, we can better target and server our customers when they doing their purchase. When retailers know all the factors and possess this advantage, they can come out with following step such as education fair, seminar or others kind of exhibition to influence or encourage customers in order to purchase organic food. Moreover, eating organic food can save and secure the earth. Consume organic food not only healthier but also more environmental friendly if compare with conventional foods. By educating others customers about the benefit of consuming organic food, sales of organic food will definitely continue to double up in the future. By the way, this also can help marketers to better market the products and also target potential customers easily. Lastly, this as well will contribute to economic growth and better environment for next generation. ii. To better understanding consumer buying decision and contribute precise data to policy makers. There is a problem that release by NST on November 2008 which is the number of organic supporter is increasing however; there are too few farmers to serve the large pool of consumers. As a result, we can overcome the problem of supply and demand after knowing the reason why customers purchase organic food or not. Moreover, most of the researchers showed consumers are willing to pay for high quality food. If this research can prove that there is a significant result between quality and willingness to pay. Related organization can immediately take action in order to strengthen organic production governance. iii. To study the impact on organic food industry due to the issue of health conscious. Recently, health conscious beca