Literary Analysis Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Literary Analysis - Article Example The war with the Koreans symbolized a sense of not belonging or alienation in America. The story is a portentous reminder of the devastations that families went through and male emigration during the Vietnam War. The story provides different versions of the Chinese-American experiences and different contradictions that shaped these experiences. The character ‘Brother’ reveals the contradictions that shaped Chinese-American experiences that were felt during the historical period in which the story is set. The younger of the author highly opposed the Vietnam War. The brother was forced to make a decision between running away to Canada and going to the Vietnam War which made him enlist himself in the navy in order to fight in that war even though he joined the navy with no intention of killing anyone. Even though he was born in America and fought for America, the brother remained an object of suspicion. The author points out how many Chinese men were going into America in order to avoid being forced to serve in the Chinese military. During the basic training, he was asked by the company commander on where he came from. He was also found to speak pretty good English which makes him a communications specialist. This entails something analogous to a certification or the confirmation of his Americanness. In this chapter, Kingston imagined of how her brother was able to resolve the contradictions that were faced by the Chinese Americans-this is a sense of a fragmented belonging and identity . He was able to manage both Chinese and American hence bringing in an integrated identity (Ludwig and lexoae-Zagni 152). Her brother moved from one experience to the other and in he returned back to America in the end. The brother had managed both Chinese and Americans but ended up returning to America, which brings in a contradiction of the Chinese-American experience. A similar case is found in â€Å"Birds of paradise lost† by Andrew Lam. The story is

Mythical Object Outline Essay Example for Free

Mythical Object Outline Essay Blood is the one thing in all human beings that symbolizes life itself and although the history of vampirism is not conclusive, there are many images in history that reflect the fear of blood-sucking agents. At a stage in history, vampirism may have been a deeply feared faculty from beyond the grave, but today it is embraced in some cultures in terms of the Goth culture which is an historically inaccurate description of a culture that had existed long before modern memory. We explore these beliefs in an attempt to ascertain where the myth of the vampire began and how it is viewed in modern terms with the knowledge we now have about spirituality and physiology. We also explore the myth in modern media culture with reference to popular film and literature and explore modern beliefs about this ancient entity. 2. The Origins of Vampirism. One belief about the origins of vampirism stems from the oldest cultures in the world, that of Persian and Aramaic world. The Persian history has only a vase unearthed revealing a blood-sucking creature struggling with a man while the Hebrew belief is one of a woman named Lillith who sucked the blood from infants (VAU, date unknown). This had been a Babylonian myth believing that she had been the wife of Adam who had left him due to unfulfilled sexual appetites (VAU, date unknown ). If the films such as Blade and Interview with a Vampire are taken into account, we see that sexuality and the myth of vampirism are entwined deeply, making it all the more sensational. With numerous historical artifacts leaning towards vampirism, tow are extremely interesting but only one is founded on actual evidence. They are Lilith and the Elizabeth Bathory. The Rabbinical myth of Lilith is complicated but loosely translates to the opposition of good, which is naturally evil. She is believed to be the ‘other’ half of Adam, the very root of creation of humanity itself (Smith, date unknown). Some even believe her to symbolize Babylon in its entirety but either way she is interwoven with infancy and child-bearing, hence the belief that she fed off the blood of children. Furthermore, Lilith or Lilit as Adam’s shadow bears his children as demons and evil spirits while Eve produces children that are good in the eyes of God. She is not impregnated by normal means but by unclean thoughts of men (Ibid). We see a number of reasons for this, including that since her children are not born of flesh and blood, the need to for blood would make it necessary for them to feed off of it. Elizabeth Bathory or Erzsebet was known as the ‘Blood Countess’ and her story comes much later in history than Lilith probably around (1560-1614) (Monstrous, 2008). She was of a wealthy family, owning vat expanses of land and she was inextricably related to the famous Vlad Dracula of Transylvania who later became the subject of vampirism himself, but it was Elizabeth who truly exemplified the legend (Ibid). Extraordinarily beautiful and known for her complexion, it was this beauty that led to the blood-lusty narcissism. She was sadistic and also had lesbian tendencies (Ibid). known to have murdered and tortured anyone from peasant girls to nobility, and it was believed that upon seeing the effect of blood on her skin, the Baroness began to bath in the blood of her victims (BBC, 2001). This is not proved, but her innumerable crimes against humanity are well documented. She is known to have tortured her young victims to the point where pools of blood were gathered on the floor (Ibid). She may well have used this blood to bath it but it is known that she bit some of her victims when too ill to torture them herself (Ibid. ). 3. Vampires Examined in Today’s Society The two stories above are disturbing in the extreme, but modern explanations may pass off vampirism as a form of chemical imbalance or psychosis and not being more than psychopathic behavior rather than lending to the perception that vampirism is supernatural. In more modern terms the idea of vampirism was explained in terms of the dead returning to seek revenge for injustices (Richardson, 2008). It was also likened to rabies which causes excessive thirst, but one noblewoman of Austria Empress Marie Theresa forbade the opening of graves or the desecration of bodies and the attacks in that area appeared to cease (Ibid. ). We do know a lot more about human functioning today and we know that to human beings blood is indigestible, causing toxicity inside the body. This would mean that no normal human would be able to survive the drinking of blood for any length of time. We know that blood ‘rusts’ or oxidizes within the body making it useless to the body if consumed in raw form. Porphyria, a rare blood disorder was put forward as a possible reason for vampirism, and that is could be treated with blood in order to alleviate symptoms (Wikpedia, 2008). 4. Vampire Domestication Modern films make it seem possible that the diseased person can be treated and therefore rehabilitated into society. Blade and Underworld see outright war between ‘good’ vampires and ‘bad’ vampires and Interview with a Vampire inspires the belief that vampires are trapped within their fate of living forever on blood but that they only really seek to be normal. A ‘domesticated’ vampire would indeed be one that can function normally in society under the influence of special (fictional) drugs that suppress the blood-craving in the same way nicotine patches suppress cigarette cravings. Innana Arthen explains the difference between blood-sucking and true vampirism. Vampirism according to Arthen is a person is extraordinarily endowed by the planet’s cosmic resources and it is their bio-rhythms that cause them to function better at night (Arthen, 2008). Rehabilitating or taming the ‘true’ vampire is not only unnecessary but also irrational in terms that they are not psychotic serial killers who torture animals and humans for stimulation. 5. Fictional Stories We all grew up with Count Dracula and Frankenstein as classical stories. We also studied the Portrait of Dorian Gray and Wuthering Heights as so-called Gothic horrors, but what influence if any have they had on the way we view myths such as vampirism? Previously it was believed that vampires simply bit and sucked the blood from victims. Now it known that if indeed vampires exist, then they are people with heightened psychic senses, are highly photosensitive and have a greater need for blood than others. We also believe that vampires are immortal, but again, if they exist this would simply mean a longer lifespan but not immortality (AngelFire, 2008). Films such as Blade and Near Dark purport that vampires can be treated with some form of ‘serum’ to reduce blood-lust. Bram Stoker’s famous Dracula was based on the relative of the formerly discussed Elizabeth Bathory, and the man in question was known for severe cruelty and torturous actions but not for drinking blood itself. 6. Traditional and Modern Vampires Modern vampires are almost culturally defined. They are often perceived as being Satanic or evil and in terms of the modern Goth culture, they are almost counter-cultural. They openly flout the norms of society, attempting to be everything that society tells us is bad and unhealthy. Religious Tolerance websites explain that due to their black clothing, obsession with bondage and strange make-up allow them to be seen as violence and death-obsessed but this is untrue (Robinson, 2007). In most cases their appearance belies a devout religious belief, Christian or otherwise and express a profound interest Medieval history which would include the Germanic Gothic era from which many of the most beautiful Cathedrals in history (Ibid). Contrary to the popular belief that they try to be vampires, it is not necessarily part of the equation (Ibid). In other words, being Goth does not mean they are part of any particular sect or group, they merely express themselves differently. 7. Vampires and Family The Interview with a Vampire showed a ‘family’ life not dissimilar to our own. The definition of family in these terms was a convergence of people with common needs and common problems. All three of the ‘family’ members were vampires by default or by fate and having no other group into which they fitted, came together to support and understand one another. They were simply a group of outsiders that formed their own little family. The film itself also relates to the above section on Goth’s where they come together out of common beliefs and situations. When we are children we are inducted into a common vein of thought, we give them ideals, norms and values that are the same as the group into which we are born. For instance, if you are born in Spain, you grow up with bull-fighting and annual bull-runs, however if you are born in Sweden this practice may seem abominable. Family is not only something we are paternally or maternally related to, but a common thought particularly surrounding differences that the outside world does not understand. 8. Conclusion Vampirism is shrouded in misconception, misunderstanding and fear, and all this when the world is not even certain that they exist. Modern films have created somewhat of an enigma surrounding out ‘bloodsucking’ kin, but the fact is that evil people such as Elizabeth Bathory and Count Vlad Dracula exist among us not necessarily making them super-human or abnormal beyond mere psychosis (BBC, 2001). There are evidently people who believe themselves to be vampires, but they don’t run around biting other people; there are people with rare blood-disorders causing them to behave in strange or violent ways but they too are not vampires. Humans have this innate and complicated relationship with fear, both hating it and needing it. This is why we create these unknown creatures and terrifying realities, to feed our imagination and sometimes†¦to alleviate boredom. References Angel Fire. (2008). FAQs About Real Vampires. Retrieved June 27, 2008, from http://www.angelfire.com/biz4/vampyreresearch/faq.html Arthen, Inanna. (2008). Real Vampires. Retrieved 8 July 2008. http://www.earthspirit.com/fireheart/fhvampire.html

Who Stole My Cheese? Self-Analysis Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Change, like time, is always happening. There is no way to stop it, not even for a second. Whither or not you realize it, you are always changing in every possible way. However, we commonly simplify change to only the large differences in our normal routines each day or week, whither they are expected or unexpected. These large problems can sometimes become problems for people, which is not surprising. They should be problems, whither they are good problems to have, or bad. It is our job to adapt to these changes, and to adapt quickly. All of the time it takes you to adapt, is time lost, time you will never regain. This principle is easily explained by Spencer Johnson, M.D. in his book Who Moved My Cheese?.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hem, Haw, and two speedy mice running through a maze looking for cheese first sounded like a very odd way to analyze how people deal with change, however, after reading a section, the comparison between two different people and mice is a very creative and correct comparison. The mice, are concerned with one thing, their cheese. They do not worry about having a permanent home or structure to fall back on. They are like Indians following the buffalo wherever they roam. They are constantly on the move following their source of life. The little people, Hem and Haw, however, are more concerned with have a home, and a schedule. A life that stays the same with themselves always perfectly content. They do not want to hav...

The World Is Not Enough Essay -- essays research papers

"The World Is Not Enough" is a great action-adventure movie with exciting stunt scenes, exotic locations, beautiful women and traditional Bond one-liners. Pierce Brosnan carries on the role of the world’s most famous secret agent, James Bond in which was established by Sean Connery in 1962’s "Doctor No". Since it is also the 19th installment to the longest running film series in history, comparing this one to the older movies is like comparing one athlete to another. But hey, I guess that’s the fun of it all.To get more in depth of the film, let’s see if the traditional Bond trademarks live up to their roles.1. Bond†¦James Bond. Pierce Brosnan, in his third appearance as agent 007, has become comfortable in his role and plays it with confidence. He’s now more understanding and has added a more sensitive side, but also a harder side to the role that Sean Connery had as Bond and what Timothy Dalton attempted to achieve. For example, in the scene between Bond and "M", "M" tells Bond the story behind the kidnapping of King’s daughter, Elektra and the reasons for why MI6 was involved. The example of the harder side is near the end when Bond confronts Elektra for the last time and orders her to call off Renard from carrying out his plans. She doesn’t do so; therefore, Bond shoots her in the chest and killing her. Some may argue that this is something that James Bond shouldn’t do since Elektra was unarmed, but I beg to differ because that is part of the mission. In 1971’s "Diamonds Are Forever" Connery’s Bond slapped Tiffany Case (played by Jill St. John) across the face to get her to tell him information.2. Who would ever thought that "Q", the inventor of all of James Bond’s gadgets is retiring. Desmond Llewelyn has played the character in all the Bond films for the exception of "Doctor No" in 1962 and "Live and Let Die" in 1973. After demonstrating his lasted invention to 007, Llewelyn drops out of sight by a sinking platform. I guess that was his way of saying goodbye.3. Well, who could replace "Q"? John Cleese makes his debut to the series as "R", the replacement for "Q". Although "R" is very precise, he doesn’t use the correct terms for his inventions like "Q" did.4. Judi Dench is also back as Bond’s boss and head of the Bri... ...es". I enjoyed watching the stunts that were in the film. The boat scene during the opening sequence was fantastic and reminding James Bond fans of the boat scenes of in "From Russia with Love", "Live and Let Die" and "Moonraker". The ski chase reminded me of "On Her Majesty’s Secret Service" when James Bond and Traci Draco were skiing for their lives down the Swiss Mountains. I liked the way the writers added the title of the movie into the script. When Elektra tells Bond that she could have given him the world, Bond responds, "The world is not enough" then he says that it’s a "family motto". Bond was referring to his family coat of arms that was translated to him in the 1969 movie "On Her Majesty’s Secret Service". And finally the music scores. David Arnold, who was the composer for "Tomorrow Never Dies" comes back again with an excellent sounds and adding a techno or a retro theme to James Bond. "The World Is Not Enough" is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action violence, some sexuality, sexual innuendo and old school elements for true James Bond fans. Running time 128 minutes.

Beowulf: An Epic Hero Essay

â€Å"I resolved when I set out on the sea, sat down in the sea- boat with my band of men, which should altogether fulfill the will of your people or else fall in slaughter, fast in the foe’s grasp. I shall achieve a deed of manly courage or else have lived to see in this mead-hall my ending day† (Garcia) Beowulf was from a far away world to seek the challenges with the beasts and show his great courage and speaks as an epic hero. Beowulf announces his name and shows his glory and invoking the reputation he has for himself through his great deeds. â€Å"The man whose name was known for courage the Great leader, resolute in his helmet, answered in return: â€Å"We are retainers from Hygelac’s band. Beowulf is my name.† (340-343) Beowulf sails from the seas and to meet King Hrothgar and to display his honor and glory to fight the beast, Grendel. Beowulf makes his battle with Grendel by announcing it will be a hand-to-hand combat as he gains extra glory for himself. Look more:  beowulf essay â€Å"I have heard moreover that the monster scorns in his reckless way to use weapons; therefore, to heighten Hygelac’s fame and gladden his hear, I hereby renounce sword and the shelter of the broad shield, the heavy war- board: hand to hand is how it will be, a life and death fight with the fiend â€Å" (433-440) How strong does a medieval epic hero have to be? Strong enough to rip a demon’s arm out of its socket and use of no weapon. â€Å"The monster’s whole body was in pain, a tremendous wound appeared on his shoulder. Sinews split and the bone- lapping burst. Beowulf was granted the glory of winning; Grendel was driven under the fen-banks, fatally hurt, to his desolate lair.† (814-820) The only battle Beowulf uses a weapon to defeat the dragon; its because the dragon has its own special advantages, venom and breathing fire. He is demonstrating his own strength, bravery and prowess, not just using better weapons. â€Å"I’d would rather not use a weapon if I knew another way to grapple with the dragon and make good my boast as I did against Grendel in days gone by. But I shall be meeting molten venom in the fire he breathes, so I go forth in mail-shirt and a shield.† (2518-2534) Beowulf the epic hero is one who places himself at risk for another by performing great deeds of courage he has. He is looked up to by many of his strength, leadership, and success. With the strength of thirty men in one arm, the courage to fight monsters, and the knowledge to respect and consider others’ feelings, Beowulf is the epic hero of that time.

Free Essays on Old Tokyo

Throughout the pages of Old Tokyo, Keiko Imai Packard attempts to recreate the history of this great city between the years of 1855 and 1923. Using her grandmother’s tales as an influence, she uses her writing as a way to describe the culture and social attitudes of the time rather than give the reader only a list of dates and historical facts. She describes Edo/Tokyo’s history as ever evolving. The culture started from scratch multiple times throughout its history for various reasons including: developing political structures, changes in economic goals, and natural disasters. However, can this novel be used as historical documentation? While reading it several issues came to mind that made me ponder the validity of the book. In terms of historical text, Old Tokyo by Keiko Imai Packard should not be used as a primary source due to lack of documentation throughout the novel and obvious bias on behalf of the author and other contributing sources. However it can still be u sed it combination with other historical works as it does give helpful insight into the lives of everyday people in the city of Tokyo. The biggest problem I found while reading was the lack of documentation. By scanning Packard’s acknowledgement and preface, the reader is well aware of the different types of information that she used. She was obviously influenced by the stories that her grandmother used to tell her as a young child. â€Å"I was so interested in her manners and traditional habits that I often asked her to talk about her past. Her views of Tokyo were so different from mine, and this contrast instilled in me a lifelong fascination with the city she knew† (Packard, viii). However since her grandmother’s death she was left with just memories. In the acknowledgements she lists her different sources including a ninety-two year old man and her editor. Packard also has a bibliography at the back of the novel to list all of the books and articles that we... Free Essays on Old Tokyo Free Essays on Old Tokyo Throughout the pages of Old Tokyo, Keiko Imai Packard attempts to recreate the history of this great city between the years of 1855 and 1923. Using her grandmother’s tales as an influence, she uses her writing as a way to describe the culture and social attitudes of the time rather than give the reader only a list of dates and historical facts. She describes Edo/Tokyo’s history as ever evolving. The culture started from scratch multiple times throughout its history for various reasons including: developing political structures, changes in economic goals, and natural disasters. However, can this novel be used as historical documentation? While reading it several issues came to mind that made me ponder the validity of the book. In terms of historical text, Old Tokyo by Keiko Imai Packard should not be used as a primary source due to lack of documentation throughout the novel and obvious bias on behalf of the author and other contributing sources. However it can still be u sed it combination with other historical works as it does give helpful insight into the lives of everyday people in the city of Tokyo. The biggest problem I found while reading was the lack of documentation. By scanning Packard’s acknowledgement and preface, the reader is well aware of the different types of information that she used. She was obviously influenced by the stories that her grandmother used to tell her as a young child. â€Å"I was so interested in her manners and traditional habits that I often asked her to talk about her past. Her views of Tokyo were so different from mine, and this contrast instilled in me a lifelong fascination with the city she knew† (Packard, viii). However since her grandmother’s death she was left with just memories. In the acknowledgements she lists her different sources including a ninety-two year old man and her editor. Packard also has a bibliography at the back of the novel to list all of the books and articles that we...

Probabilities for Monopoly

Probabilities for Monopoly Monopoly is a board game in which players get to put capitalism into action. Players buy and sell properties and charge each other rent. Although there are social and strategic portions of the game, players move their pieces around the board by rolling two standard six-sided dice. Since this controls how the players move, there is also an aspect of probability to the game. By only knowing a few facts, we can calculate how likely it is to land on certain spaces during the first two turns at the beginning of the game. The Dice On each turn, a player rolls two dice and then moves his or her piece that many spaces on the board. So it is helpful to review the probabilities for rolling two dice. In summary, the following sums are possible: A sum of two has probability 1/36.A sum of three has probability 2/36.A sum of four has probability 3/36.A sum of five has probability 4/36.A sum of six has probability 5/36.A sum of seven has probability 6/36.A sum of eight has probability 5/36.A sum of nine has probability 4/36.A sum of ten has probability 3/36.A sum of eleven has probability 2/36.A sum of twelve has probability 1/36. These probabilities will be very important as we continue. The Monopoly Gameboard We also need to take note of the Monopoly gameboard. There are a total of 40 spaces around the gameboard, with 28 of these properties, railroads, or utilities that can be purchased. Six spaces involve drawing a card from the Chance or Community Chest piles. Three spaces are free spaces in which nothing happens. Two spaces involving paying taxes: either income tax or luxury tax. One space sends the player to jail. We will only consider the first two turns of a game of Monopoly. In the course of these turns, the furthest we could get around the board is to roll twelve twice and move a total of 24 spaces. So we will only examine the first 24 spaces on the board. In order these spaces are: Mediterranean AvenueCommunity ChestBaltic AvenueIncome TaxReading RailroadOriental AvenueChanceVermont AvenueConnecticut TaxJust Visiting JailSt. James PlaceElectric CompanyStates AvenueVirginia AvenuePennsylvania RailroadSt. James PlaceCommunity ChestTennessee AvenueNew York AvenueFree ParkingKentucky AvenueChanceIndiana AvenueIllinois Avenue First Turn The first turn is relatively straightforward. Since we have probabilities for rolling two dice, we simply match these up with the appropriate squares. For instance, the second space is a Community Chest square and there is a 1/36 probability of rolling a sum of two. Thus there is a 1/36 probability of landing on Community Chest on the first turn. Below are the probabilities of landing on the following spaces on the first turn: Community Chest – 1/36Baltic Avenue – 2/36Income Tax – 3/36Reading Railroad – 4/36Oriental Avenue – 5/36Chance – 6/36Vermont Avenue – 5/36Connecticut Tax – 4/36Just Visiting Jail – 3/36St. James Place – 2/36Electric Company – 1/36 Second Turn Calculating the probabilities for the second turn is somewhat more difficult. We can roll a total of two on both turns and go a minimum of four spaces, or a total of 12 on both turns and go a maximum of 24 spaces. Any spaces between four and 24 can also be reached. But these can be done in different ways. For example, we could move a total of seven spaces by moving any of the following combinations: Two spaces on the first turn and five spaces on the second turnThree spaces on the first turn and four spaces on the second turnFour spaces on the first turn and three spaces on the second turnFive spaces on the first turn and two spaces on the second turn We must consider all of these possibilities when calculating probabilities. Each turn’s throws are independent of the next turn’s throw. So we do not need to worry about conditional probability, but just need to multiply each of the probabilities: The probability of rolling a two and then a five is (1/36) x (4/36) 4/1296.The probability of rolling a three and then a four is (2/36) x (3/36) 6/1296.The probability of rolling a four and then a three is (3/36) x (2/36) 6/1296.The probability of rolling a five and then a two is (4/36) x (1/36) 4/1296. Mutually Exclusive Addition Rule Other probabilities for two turns are calculated in the same way. For each case, we just need to figure out all of the possible ways to obtain a total sum corresponding to that square of the game board. Below are the probabilities(rounded to the nearest hundredth of a percent) of landing on the following spaces on the first turn: Income Tax – 0.08%Reading Railroad – 0.31%Oriental Avenue – 0.77%Chance – 1.54%Vermont Avenue – 2.70%Connecticut Tax – 4.32%Just Visiting Jail – 6.17%St. James Place – 8.02%Electric Company – 9.65%States Avenue – 10.80%Virginia Avenue – 11.27%Pennsylvania Railroad – 10.80%St. James Place – 9.65%Community Chest – 8.02%Tennessee Avenue 6.17%New York Avenue 4.32%Free Parking – 2.70%Kentucky Avenue – 1.54%Chance – 0.77%Indiana Avenue – 0.31%Illinois Avenue – 0.08% More Than Three Turns For more turns, the situation becomes even more difficult. One reason is that in the rules of the game if we roll doubles three times in a row we go to jail. This rule will affect our probabilities in ways that we didn’t have to previously consider. In addition to this rule, there are effects from the chance and community chest cards that we are not considering. Some of these cards direct players to skip over spaces and go directly to particular spaces. Due to the increased computational complexity, it becomes easier to calculate probabilities for more than just a few turns by using Monte Carlo methods. Computers can simulate hundreds of thousands if not millions of games of Monopoly, and the probabilities of landing on each space can be calculated empirically from these games.

Book Report Mastering Self Leadership Essays

Book Report Mastering Self Leadership Essays Book Report Mastering Self Leadership Essay Book Report Mastering Self Leadership Essay Overall, this is a great book that will definitely help you become a better leader to others, as well as yourself, and will help you achieve your goals. Summary Chapter one explains what leadership is, what the different types of leadership are, and how we all lead ourselves. It is a basis for the rest of the book. Chapter two talks about how both personal and external factors shape our personality. How each individual processes and reacts to what goes on in the world is what our personality is, so the outside world plays a major factor on how we act. Chapter three explains that not everything in life is easy to do and it shows you how to overcome obstacles in life. It starts off by assessing your self-leadership skills with a brief assessment and then goes on to explain how to remove negative cues, implement positive cues, setting specific long and short-term goals, searching and defining purpose in life, and how to achieve your goals using self-reward, self-punishment, and practice. Chapter four goes into depth on the importance of natural reward. Natural reward is getting enjoyment from doing an activity without doing it for the sole purpose f a physical reward. This means that you are doing something because you like to do it, not because you will get pay raise or promotion from it. Chapter four goes onto explain how natural rewards make us feel, why it is important to find natural rewards in activities, and how to find natural rewards in everyday activities. Chapter five focuses on the psychological mindset of a person and how each individual interprets their physical situation differently. Chapter five explains how positive thinking, self-talk, and your beliefs can help or hinder how successful you are at a specific task. Chapter six goes into more detail about the mental part of leadership and introduces mental practice and opportunity thinking. Chapter six shows the steps of mental practice and explains how opportunity thinking can help you throughout life. Chapter seven takes everything from the previous six chapters and explains how it can be used in the team setting. Chapter seven goes over how individual self- leadership is a key to success in the team setting. It also goes over how to balance the me with the we as a team. Chapter eight shows how everything in the previous seven chapters has been applied in various tuitions such as personal problems, athletics, work, and management positions. This is very helpful for people who are skeptical of this book and do not think that these concepts will work. Chapter nine shows us how all four parts of self-leadership influence our behavior and decisions and ultimately determine our destiny. They show a diagram to show how everything is connected and that it all leads to your personal and team effectiveness. In chapter ten, it focuses on how your personal fitness can help or hinder your ability to lead yourself and others. It shows how physical fitness costively affects your ability to think more clearly and to reduce stress quicker. This is essential for business people who work long days and always feel tired. Chapter eleven talks about optimism, happiness, and your personality and how each of the three can affect your self-leadership effectiveness. It talks about how optimism can be learned and it directly relates to how happy a person is. Chapter twelve sums up the book and shows you how everything throughout this book can make you a better person. How useful were the concepts I found the concepts in this book very useful. I have always been the optimistic type of person and since I was little I have been taught that if I dont achieve something, that I just need to work harder to get it. This book, though a little more scientific, pretty much sums up what I have been taught and what I have learned throughout the past 19 years of my life. I love the concept of natural reward because it is very true. Always try to find the silver lining in every situation and by thinking optimistically, have gotten me pretty far. Have been playing baseball and hockey for the past 16 years and have laded in numerous championship games and if there is one thing that I learned from those 16 seasons, it would be that not everything goes your way. Sometimes challenges are thrown at you to test you and you dont always succeed, but regardless if you win or lose, there is always an important positive message to be taken away from it and that is what I got from this book, too. Strengths and Weaknesses I found that there are many more strengths from this book than there are weaknesses. To start with, I thought the way that this book was written was a huge strength for it. I liked how it was almost like you were having a conversation with one of your professors and he was telling you how you could be more successful and then showing you how what theyre saying works by showing you examples of previous people who have been through the same thing. It was really easy to read and even easier to understand the concepts presented. Also thought that defining each individual characteristic of self-leadership and then defining team self-leadership was a strength for this book. Think that if this book tried to define team self-leadership first, cost people would not have gotten the relationship between teams and self- leadership. One thing didnt like was how long and elaborate the chapters were. I understand that putting in examples of people using these concepts is ke y to the reader learning, but just felt that it took too long to try and prove their point. I liked how most of the major concepts were in the beginning of the chapter, but felt that after the first couple pages, the rest of the chapter was just filler. Point of View This book did not change my point of view on achieving goals, but it did reinforce it. The only reason that it did not change my point of view on achieving goals is because it preached my view of achieving goals. Before reading this book, I felt that one of the most important aspects in achieving your goals is your mental approach to the situation. If you feel that your goal is unreachable, then youre never going to reach it. Most people who do achieve their goals have been telling themselves from day one that they were going to do it, and they normally do. This book reinforced that view because it also focused heavily on the importance of your mental approach and how ITIL it is to achieve your goals. Real Life Examples As stated earlier, have been playing baseball and hockey for the past 16 years. I currently play for the Division 1 Club Hockey Team here at WV, too. Throughout my life, I have learned that your mental preparation is just as important, if not more important, than your physical preparation. Whether I am trying out for a team, preparing for a big game, or preparing for a test, I usually have the same mental outlook on the situation. Sadly, I usually go through the same routine before a hockey game that I do before a big test in school. Before a hockey game, along with stretching and warming up, put in my headphones and listen to some music that gets me pumped up until about ten minutes before the game, which is when I switch to some more calming music to level my emotions. I usually do the same thing before a test with the exception that do not stretch or warm up for a test. Instead, I go over any last minute notes and then ease my mind with a shower and then music to keep me calm. Have found that being calm and confident in my abilities sets me up for the best chance at success, whether it is a test or a big game. Therefore, I try to get myself hyped up about the event to get the blood flowing and my intensity up, and then calm it down a little to keep my mind clear for thinking. Along with keeping the same mental approach, I try and keep my physical approach toward my obstacles the same. I like how this book mentioned how fitness is a big part in achieving goals because have been saying that for years. I always thought that taking study breaks and going to work out or even just walking around and getting the blood flowing helped me more than just studying and cramming as much information as possible into my brain. I know that when you are stressed or emotional, you tend to make irrational decisions.

Midterm Exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Midterm Exam - Essay Example The securities are supporting various political sides and hence creating a situation whereby a certain proportion of the population is not secure. Without fair security to all people, a country experiences political instability. In other countries, military leaders are being involved in politics and hence the forces side with them. In such a situation, a county is exposed to political instability since their security is not guaranteed. In the last decade, the phenomenon of coups in Arab regimes that has dominated the political world since 1950’s has come to an end. Most regimes have expanded their military forces and hence making a military coup very complex. The numbers of military officers have grown by over 200% (Cordesman 57). The fund of the military officers has also been increases and hence they cannot be lured to taking political sides through money favors. This has ensured that the military can guard the country’s political stability. From the above dig into, it is apparent that the military have been in involved in generating political stability and political instability in Arab countries. Discovery of oil in Saudi Arabia was highly welcomed, and it was anticipated that the country was going to rise highly economically. The demand of oil globally had been constantly increasing and hence the country focused on oil production leaving out the other economic activities. The countries oil export was very high and hence its currency value spear-rocketed making it difficult for other countries to purchase its exports. The domestic industries were negatively affected by the economic situation and hence limiting their growth and reducing the possibility of opening of new business. The local industries participate in state building, and when they are in a position of no or little growth, the rate of state building is very low. The collapse of many local industries due to the value of the currency in

Military Personnel and its Benefits Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Military Personnel and its Benefits - Essay Example Sadly, the mundane world is governed by economic and strategic constraints. Still, in a starkly pragmatic context, the reality is that in the contemporary scenario, not only the military personnel are getting less than sufficient benefits, but such curtailing and liquidation of benefits could have dire consequences for the national security and the overall morale of the military. Lately, the Congress and the Federal administration has been vociferously evincing the desire to not only downsize the military but also to cut on the benefits to military personnel and the veterans, going by the current economic meltdown and the recessionary trends (Scarborough A01). The direct conclusion that could be drawn from such intentions is that not only the nation does not have enough money to pay the salary to military personnel, but the military personnel could also expect a further cut in the benefits being extended to them. One thing that needs to be kept on the mind is that the proposed cuts are not in consonance with the nation’s strategic requirements, but rather are the results of the hypothetical financial calculations being resorted to being the Congress (Bennett 1). Hence, any shrinking in the number of armed personnel or the benefits they deserve could have dire consequences for the strategic interests of the United States of America. The army serves the Congress. These curtailing of the military benefits will send a direct message to the military ranks that the Congress does no more afford to pay them. Even a cursory perusal of the fundamentals of HR will amply testify to the fact that such a message is bound to negatively impact the morale of the army (Maze 1). How would a soldier dare to sacrifice one’s life in the line of duty, while his conscience is bothered by the worry as to whether he will be able to provide for his family and loved ones (Maze 1)? One other important thing is that the special perks and benefits accorded to the military personnel  serve a pivotal function.  

D.A.R.E. Drug Abuse Resistance Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

D.A.R.E. Drug Abuse Resistance Education - Essay Example The most prevalent drug education program in existence is the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, commonly referred to as D.A.R.E. This is a program currently taught in all 50 states as well as in foreign countries and is in the vast majority of all school systems. Despite its immense popularity, there has been great debate in whether or not the program is successfully maintaining its own goals of preventing the nations’ youth from engaging in substance use/abuse. In this paper, I will present arguments and studies both for and against the program and its effectiveness. This paper will also demonstrate that with all the research that has been examined in the debate over the effectiveness of the D.A.R.E. program, there may be crucial questions that have not yet been addressed that might further reveal D.A.R.E.’s influence on youth. Literature Review The following literature review attempts to demonstrate and support the hypothesis that the D.A.R.E. program is effect ive in combating drug use among the nations’ youth. Ennet et al., (1994) carried out a research to analyze the effectiveness of D.A.R.E program in meta-analysis. ... In two of their studies, there was reliable information on the long-term effects of the program. However, there was no indication D.A.R.E’s effectiveness deters individuals from using drugs even at their adult stage. In illuminating some light on Ennet et al., (1994), (Hansen, et al. 1988) conducted, a study to that aimed at preventing multiple substances among seventh grade students. In their research, two drug abuse prevention curricula tested aimed at determining their efficacy in preventing the onset of tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use among adolescents. The first program focused on prevention through social pressure resistance training, while the second featured affective education approaches to prevention. A test on curricula was on seventh grade students. Subjects were pretested just prior to the program and post-tested at 12 and 24 months. Post-test analyses indicated that the social program delivered to seventh grade subjects was effective in delaying the onset of tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use. There was no preventive effect of the affective education program was observed. By the final post-test, classrooms that had received the affective program had significantly more drug use than controls. A study conducted in 1991 suggested that two strategies for preventing the onset of alcohol abuse and marijuana and cigarette use were tested in junior high schools in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, California. The first strategy taught skills to refuse substance use offers. The second strategy corrected erroneous normative perceptions about prevalence and acceptability of use among peers and established conservative groups norms regarding use. Four experimental

Drug abuse Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Drug abuse - Research Paper Example This research paper will seek to explore the above three topics in drug abuse so that by the end of the paper, the researcher will provide recommendations on how to reduce drug abuse in the American society. The commonly abused drugs are alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, heroin and tobacco. This research paper will analyze and examine the health effects it has on the user. Further, it will analyze the short term and long term effects of the drugs so as to give a clear understanding on the effects of drug abuse. The paper will also research on the effects of the drugs to the non-abusers. Non-abusers can be the family members of the abuser, the community around or even the whole country. The research paper will create more emphasis in knowing the different causes of drug abuse for different groups of people. After understanding the causes of drug abuse and the effect it has on the society, the paper will also seek to evaluate the effectiveness of the available control measures. A person begins to experience massive deterioration in health with the starting of use of illicit drugs. The different health costs that were incurred in America in the financial year 2007 lists the number of patients who had been admitted to the hospital and the reason or the cause of their admission. It was found out that the subtotaled health cost rounded up to $11,416,232. The detailed description when given was found to be specialty treatment included $3,723,338. The specialty treatments included a huge population undergoing detoxification, residential, outpatient whose primary abused substance is an illicit drug. It was also noted that most of the people who were the patients of drug abuse were found out to be affected by diseases such as HIV, hepatitis C, hepatitis B, tuberculosis, poisoning and the likes. The latest census reports that about one million of the people of America are living affected by HIV and AIDS due to drug

Language acquisition by a bilingual child Essay

Language acquisition by a bilingual child - Essay Example Of concern to this paper is vocabulary acquisition in bilingual children and the impact that various factors have in determining children’s proficiency in their two languages. While little research exists in this area, a few researchers have since conducted research and came up with interesting results on the role these factors play in their children’s language development. It is also very important to compare the bilingual children with those from the monolingual families to see the extent of vocabulary acquisition of the two, though researches have since indicated that the language scores in bilingual children are lower than the scores of those from monolingual homes (Altarriba & Heredia, 2011, p.170). This calls for more studies so as to know the exact factors that contribute to this difference. In their article, Quiroz et al., (2010) summarise their study findings on the impacts of a mother on the learning outcomes of their children, as regards to mastering the vocabularies of the different languages. The study was conducted mainly to examine the various home factors affecting language acquisition of children of 4-5 years old, in bilingual families. Another question of this research involved the impact of the mother-child book sharing activity in bilingual families, and how it compares with that of the monolingual families. Since this study used Latin American kids from families who also used English as their other langiage, it also endeavoured to find out whether the Spanish vocabulary input also impacted the English vocabulary outcomes. The participants of this study were 250 Spanish-Speaking children. Family samples were from three communities living in Maryland and Massachusetts. A comparison sample comprised 150 children drawn from families living in Puerto Rico. The researchers made sure that the children participated came from families where at least Spanish was one of the languages spoken in the

Drug abuse Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Drug abuse - Research Paper Example This research paper will seek to explore the above three topics in drug abuse so that by the end of the paper, the researcher will provide recommendations on how to reduce drug abuse in the American society. The commonly abused drugs are alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, heroin and tobacco. This research paper will analyze and examine the health effects it has on the user. Further, it will analyze the short term and long term effects of the drugs so as to give a clear understanding on the effects of drug abuse. The paper will also research on the effects of the drugs to the non-abusers. Non-abusers can be the family members of the abuser, the community around or even the whole country. The research paper will create more emphasis in knowing the different causes of drug abuse for different groups of people. After understanding the causes of drug abuse and the effect it has on the society, the paper will also seek to evaluate the effectiveness of the available control measures. A person begins to experience massive deterioration in health with the starting of use of illicit drugs. The different health costs that were incurred in America in the financial year 2007 lists the number of patients who had been admitted to the hospital and the reason or the cause of their admission. It was found out that the subtotaled health cost rounded up to $11,416,232. The detailed description when given was found to be specialty treatment included $3,723,338. The specialty treatments included a huge population undergoing detoxification, residential, outpatient whose primary abused substance is an illicit drug. It was also noted that most of the people who were the patients of drug abuse were found out to be affected by diseases such as HIV, hepatitis C, hepatitis B, tuberculosis, poisoning and the likes. The latest census reports that about one million of the people of America are living affected by HIV and AIDS due to drug

Driving to Colma Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Driving to Colma - Assignment Example On the same point, when the father was seek it is recommended for him to call his friends to see how is feeling concerning the sickness. This is depicted when he calls Jim a friend. On top of that, the invited Japanese come with food. The narrator and the father have a strong relationship when it comes to driving. The father is always dictating the narrator on how to drive and show her directions like a little child. It pisses of the narrator making her to hate the instructions she receives from the father. On top of that the father is very concerning with the welfare of the daughter and he always likes to be driven by the narrator. The two are close friend and a father and daughter respectively. They narrator has the bond of love to her father just like the father to daughter relationship. The narrator loves the car of her father and she always loves driving her to important places like hospital. With the partying gift, the father loves his daughter till he buys her (the narrator) a present. The narrator always loves a quiet life and she does not need anyone to dictate her. She always never liked her father to dictate her and show her directions that are unnecessary. She also loves her father by the fact that she massages her using fists. Each and every time the father gets sick, she always gets worried. All this is proved from the drive where the narrator loves to hold the keys and take her father to a drive. On the other side, the father cares the life of his daughter. She takes her daughter oversees to study and always wants her to be close to him. By allowing her to be driving him, it is a sign of a father daughter love.

Benefits of an online business presence Essay Example for Free

Benefits of an online business presence Essay In this task I am going to explain the developments in internet technology, describe the benefits of an online presence and give examples of businesses that enjoy these benefits and finally explain the advantages of to businesses of having an online presence rather than having a purely offline presence. Broadband and other developments Nowadays, broadband connections enable data to be transferred much faster than narrowband. The connection does not tie up a normal phone line. The user can choose get online by an ADSL connection, a cable line, wireless or via satellite dish. Also the internet is low cost and is increasing in speed which benefits the commerce online. The new portable devices such as PDA offer the user easy internet access at any time. 80% of the UK can get broadband by ADSL and cable. Most of people use internet every day which enables a great share of data. Secure payments The increase of security enables the use of credit/debit card facilities. But the newspapers and magazine headlines about fraud and hackers quite obviously put people off. To be secured, all the online payments need to be private and confidential between the buyer and the seller, conveyed intact and without any changes during transmission and erased from the system after the process has been completed. The banks are increasing the security of the debit/credit cards of the user. To purchase an item online the user need to key in the password and the date of birth. Secure Electronic Transaction (SET) is a standard protocol for securing credit card transactions over insecure networks, the Internet. SET is not itself a payment system, but rather a set of security protocols and formats that enables users to employ the existing credit card payment infrastructure on an open network in a secure fashion. When the cardholder buys online the credit card company authenticates the card via digital signature. This proves that the cardholder is genuine. Web authoring tools Nowadays there are a number of web authoring tools such as the Microsoft FrontPage program which enables the user to create a website without any specialist knowledge. There are other programs such as the Dreamweaver, Fireworks and Flash technology used to create the effects and designs in a website. Businesses can easily build their website, which enables them to create a service online. Benefits of an online presence A web business presence have global round visibility which means they never close and are available from any location in the world at 24 hours 7 days a week. This benefit can increase the opportunity of trading of the website. Some examples of websites that enjoy this benefit are www.sainsburys. co. uk, www. amazon. co. uk and www. argos. co. uk. Some businesses operating online have opportunity of expansion to access to a wide range of customers especially from abroad. If the business offers an excellent service the opportunity is maximised. But there are worries for example the tariff barriers, quotas and environmental regulations. This is not a problem in the European Community as the goods can be freely traded between member states. Some websites that enjoy this benefit are www. ebay. com, www. hp. com, www. dell. com. A Small business with a good service and well designed can compete with larger businesses. There is an equality of presence regardless of size of business. The costumer never looks on the size of the business only on the service and product provided. Therefore a small business can compete with a larger one. Some websites that enjoy this benefit are www. zonepoint. co. uk and www. computeradvicecentre. com. A web business presence has the benefit of a rapid response to customer interest. But some firms dont take advantage of this benefit. A web can provide several opportunities for customer contact for example the email messages. The speed of response is very important. A response over the internet is faster than the response by phone or letter. An online business presence enjoying this benefit is www. ebuyer. com. A web business presence has the opportunity to analyse online competition. It is quicker and easier to compare competitor activities online than by visiting their stores or obtaining information offline. Also the internet enables businesses to check new competitors and their market share. Businesses operating online have opportunity to keep up with customers. Businesses can check competitors status and then they can improve the product or service offered, speed of the delivery or the design of the website. The internet has made the life much easier. Achieving a responsive integrated supply chain A supply chain contains every single business that is involved in the eventual supply of a product or service. But there are problems associated with the supply chain. If the chain is long the price to the customer may be high and the chain is usually slow to respond to a rapid change. To combat these problems businesses tried to change the supply chain to shorten it, this is done by cutting out or by passing as many intermediaries, and to integrate it, to speed the things by changing the information in one stage to another. An example of business that has a simple and short supply chain is Dell. Dell manufactures computers and sells them online directly to the buyers. This means there are no wholesales and no need for retail shops. This speeds things up and reduces the final price to the customer. If the businesses improve their supply chain there many benefits that follows. Businesses can offer punctual delivery as a sales feature. The seller will have more control over delivery if the supply chain is short and integrated. One example of a business operating online that has this benefit is Dell. co. uk Other benefit is the opportunity for buying the products online. Businesses can improve the product delivery and reduce the time between the order and supply. Customers can check stocks online. If an item is currently out of stock many businesses put a note on the site and email the customer when stocks are replenished. One example of a business that has this benefit is ebuyer. com. Ebuyer is a business like Dell. It sells directly to the buyer; there is no need for retail shops. Online order tracking is another benefit. It enables the customers to check every stage of their order from the suppliers website. The system sends automatically email to customer informing about tracking order. In other systems customers can check at any time the progress of the order. Ebuyer. com is a business operating online that enjoys this benefit. Businesses can reduce overheads and labour costs. A business that has a short and an integrated supply chain has more possibilities to process the orders more cheaply. This is because there is likely to be fewer staff required to process paperwork relating to customer orders, fewer shops required if the business deals directly to the customer, fewer intermediaries required and fewer staff needed to deal with the customer. Ebuyer and Dell are two examples of businesses that enjoy this benefit. Reduced stockholding Businesses can improve cash flow through fewer bad debts. Cash flow improves if the customer is paying as they make a purchase. The transactions over the internet are done by credit or debit card. The card payment is always checked and authorised before the goods are dispatched. Ebuyer. com can choose where to locate. Ebuyer only trades over the internet. It has more freedom in choosing the location than other types of businesses. A business can save money with affiliations with ISPs and portals. This works as the following: a business wants to show the location of the company, the business can do an affiliation using multimap to show it. One example is the BT website. Other benefit is the accessibility to different users. Disabled and housebound people have more advantages to shop at home over the internet. Also people who live in rural and remote areas dont need to worry to go a shopping trip. Only one click can save money and time. Nowadays is increasing availability of public web access points. The internet kiosks and cybercafi s are a common feature in all large towns and cities. They enable anyone without a pc, or away from home, to access the internet easily. Also the pocked Pcs and the portable computers, laptops, enable the access to internet at any time. Advantages of to businesses of having an online presence rather than having a purely offline presence Tesco are ale to sell a lot more groceries as they have both their stores and the home delivery service than Primark which only sells its product to customers who came into their stores. Tesco website would operate globally as well as locally for relatively little extra cost. Tesco can get a wide range of customers because they can buy online at any time. People dont need to worry to go for shopping. Only by one click people can shop online. Also disabled people would prefer to shop online. Primark website only offers the information about the products and where to find retail outlets. In my point of view an online presence has more advantages than a purely offline presence. An online presence can get more customers selling online than an offline presence. The customers are very important for a business because without them a business can close. In conclusion, I mentioned the benefits of an online presence and the advantages of an online presence rather than a purely offline presence. BTEC First in Business Unit 8: Business Online.

Analysis of E-commerce in Kuwait

Analysis of E-commerce in Kuwait Chapter one: Introduction 1.1 Introduction This chapter provides general background information regarding online purchasing behavior with an insight into the advantages and disadvantages of e-commerce in general and then specifically in Kuwait. The history of online shopping and internet retailers is presented to better understand e-purchasing behavior alongside a description of general theories of consumer online purchaser behavior and online shopping in Kuwait. The problem definition, research questions and methodology and limitations of the study are then presented, concluding with an outline of the thesis structure. With advances in technology, specifically in the field of electronics and telecommunications, direct business and commerce with new retail approaches have emerged in recent decades to transform the business world. Due to the increase in the number of internet users and developing network technology, new forms of trade have grown from these advances particularly in Electronic Commerce (EC) a term introduced by Kalakota and Whinston in 1997. Electronic commerce has become one of the primary characteristics of the internet era and a significant method of doing business. According to Jelassi and Enders (2005) EC includes e-trading of digital and physical goods all trading steps: online marketing, online ordering, e-payment and distribution. Kalakota and Whinston (1997) pointed out that EC has two forms: business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B). According to Molla and Licker (2001) B2C retailers offer their products and services to their customers. In the last decade, Kha lifa and Liu (2003) stated that ‘we have witnessed a substantial growth of internet based on services, both from traditional companies and pure internet business that are developing online services. Despite apparent growth there are no reliable statistics concerning E-commerce in Kuwait. However there are indications that the volume of e-commerce in Kuwait is growing slowly as discussed by Al-Sabah (2009) Kuwait Financial Forum, the Central Bank Governor stating We expect growth but so far we have not found a proper to be estimated for 2010, it depends on so many variables. In research shown in Economist Information in 2006 involving over 100 countries regarding availability of e-commerce, Kuwait came 50th. As the business world recognised the advantages of such socioeconomic changes, Kuwait began to take note of the advantages of electronic trading and commerce including the set up and development of measurements of electronic trading facilities and venues across the country (Al-Shati, 2009). As e-commerce is newly introduced in Kuwait, in order for Kuwaiti firms to reach world standards there needs to be research in different contexts of e-commerce such as online retailing to utilize opportunities and avoid risk. As observed by Lin (2003) the key to success in e-commerce depends on knowing customers and studying a customers viewpoint. The internet has singlehandedly created a concept shift away from more traditional methods of shopping. Studies by Joines et al. (2003) indicate the number of internet users is constantly increasing which signifies online purchasing is also increasing. Oppenheim and Ward (2006) agreed with Joines et al. (2003) explaining rapid increase was due to the growth of use of broadband technology combined with a change in consumer behaviour. Hollensen (2004) added that the internet has developed into a new distribution channel and evolution of this channel and e-commerce. Constantinides (2004) pointed out that in the influence of the consumer the first step was to identify certain impact aspects when purchasing online regarded as dimensions. Numerous and varied studies have been conducted worldwide to identify the advantages and disadvantages of e-shopping. Bridges and Florsheim (2008) argue that online shopping has advantages for both consumers and retailers. From a consumers point of view they found e-shopping allows a lower price, different alternatives of products/services, and customized products. Additionally they established retailers benefited from online shopping as it allowed them to reach a maximum number of customers, reduce communication costs and rapid transportation. However, e-shopping has also been criticized as online shopping may be considered non-trust worthy due to concerns of security of privacy (personal and financial information), lack of examination of the products, lack of human interaction and a concern the quality of the products will not reach customer expectation. From a retailer perspective the disadvantages of online shopping are providing high quality and creating special services can be very costly for the firm and may not be a good incentive to make consumers purchase (Kim and Forsythe (2009) and Lee et al. (2006). Whether it is a traditional market or online market, Hollensen (2004) pointed out that the retailer should understand the online consumer purchasing behaviour and how individuals make decision and buying choices. Therefore, Kotler and Armstrong (2007) stated that the marketers have developed different theories that can explain why consumers interpret information provided by e-retailer in a certain way, and thereby understand certain behaviours. Several authors have set out different definitions of consumer behaviour. According to Dr. Perner â€Å"consumer behaviour is study of individuals, groups, or organizations and the processes they use select, secure, use, and dispose of products, services, experiences, or ideas to satisfy needs and the impacts that these processes have on the consumer and society†. Hollensen (2004) and Constantinides (2004) agreed that consumer online purchasing behaviour is a process of various factors and influences experienced by a consumer before fin ally purchasing products online. Online consumer behaviour researchers have therefore examined the adoption of technology for e-purchasing in different aspects. There appears to be no constant model of online purchasing adoption and behaviour as it depends on the nature of adoption as influenced by characteristics or social issues; Theory of Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) Roger (1983). In order to investigate consumer online purchasing behaviour, Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) are considered dominant theories to measure online purchase intention and attitude behaviour, with Decomposed Theory of Planned Behaviour (DTPB) (Taylor and Todd 1995) the extended TPB. On the other hand, one essential model for development technology usage perspective is the Theory of Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) Davis et al. (1989), which developed into the Online Shopping Acceptance Model (OSAM) (Zhou et al. (2007). E-commerce researchers have measured different approaches for understanding online consumer behavior. Chen and Corkindale (2008) and Hernandez et al. (2009[a]) measured factors that influence consumers online purchasing behavior from the perspective of innovation adoption and accepting technology. Moreover, other authors examined trait attributes, situational factors, web site quality, and individual factors and influences on attitude and intention of consumer purchasing online (Monsuwe et al. (2004); Liao and Shi (2009); and Vazquez and Xu (2009)). Chen and Crokindale (2008) agreed attitude and intention have a strong relationship with acceptance of technology and the decision of purchasing online. In addition, innovation characteristics were considered significant factors that influence of technology adoption and purchasing behavior (Rogers, 1983). Therefore in order to understand online purchasing behavior it is important to measure different factors that may influence e-shoppers and determine online shopping based on insight from technology adoption innovation diffusion literature. This study will therefore present the Liu Model (2004) using it to identify factors that influence Kuwaiti consumer purchasing online. It will also measure the relationship between characteristics of internet retailers/consumers and characteristics of innovation, allowing the research to examine the impacts of these characteristics on consumer decision making and then purchasing behavior. 1.2 Online purchasing 1.2.1 History of Online Shopping In the 1990s online shopping emerged as a technological breakthrough and novelty in the business arena. Strengthening year on year in 1994 the first of its kind, an online bank was opened and Pizza Hut offered pizza ordering on their web page. Netscape then presented Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) to secure transactions, an essential feature of e-shopping. In 1995 Bezos launched Amazon.com, one of the most successful online businesses worldwide, followed by ‘e-bay an online auction site. By 1997 an estimated 41 million people were shopping online. With advances in technology in 1998, electronic postage stamps were introduced, whereby individuals could download and print stamps after paying a fee. In 1999, with the first online shop in the UK, The Virtual Mall was also launched, considered the first UK graphical internet shopping mall. The online shopping market developed rapidly from this point as the consumer gained in confidence and knowledge. In 1991, Kuwait University connected all university campuses together with the internet using International Business Machine (IBM) then known as BITNET with the help of Ministry of Communication (MOC) university campuses together. This network was limited to e-mail and other minor services. The National Science Foundation (NSF) agreed to expand the internet services to Kuwait in 1992 (Hussain, 2003). 1.2.2 Kuwaiti Consumer Attitudes Towards Online Shopping Online shopping is a relatively recent phenomenon that has gradually expanded worldwide reaching Kuwait. Compared to traditional stores, e-shopping is far from the target customer in efficacy and provides significant advantages in time saving and low costs. Although developing online shopping in Kuwait advances slowly, it is establishing a solid base as it incorporates a certain lifestyle, is a convenient option and its adventurous nature is attractive to Kuwaiti youths. With these factors increasingly dominant in daily routine, purchasing online has become a natural option in countries such as the USA and economic areas of the EU and the GCC ( Maarafy et al. 2007). Common products selling in Kuwait online are from the USA, the UAE and Asia. According to Forrester research (2008), Global e-commerce spending in 2000 was 132 $ billion, and expected to spend more than 1 trillion by 2012. In GCC capitals, the usage of online shopping behavior is different in the USA compared with and European and Asia Pacific cities. In Kuwait the online shopping concept is relatively in its early stages, however the adoption of online purchasing is expected to grow continually in coming years. With a high level of penetration in neighboring countries online such as Saudi Arabia and UAE, Kuwait will not be far from this diffusion of web shopping. Among the GCC, Kuwait lies 3rd with 10.7% in terms of e-commerce penetration, against 25.1% UAE and 14.3% in Saudi Arabia (Field, (2008)). According to recent worldwide research, as shown in Table 1.1, Kuwaits internet user growth has jumped from 5.8% of the population in 2000 to over 34% in 2008 and five times more users in the same time period and with further growth expected. Table1.1: Growth Internet Users in Kuwait Year Users population % population 2000 150,000 2,424,422 5.8% 2003 567,000 2,530,012 22.4.% 2005 600,000 2,630,775 22.8% 2008 900,000 2,596,799 34.7% 2009 (estimated) Above 900,000 2,692,526 33.4% Source: world wide statistics.com According to Al-Bahar (2009), Kuwait Consumer Adaptors online shopping distinguishes between local and international websites when purchasing online for many reasons. Kuwaiti consumer purchasing online and local websites are still in their infancy and under development. Thus, consumers are oriented to external websites they have established reputations, are trustworthy and provide an assurance of quality of their products. Express delivery firms such as Aramex and DHL compete to provide their services for delivery products in efficacy and effectiveness to encourage customers to e-purchase (Al-Abdullah, 2009). However, according to Al-Awan, (2008) e-shopping in the Kuwait market is still in its development stage through lack of organization. In order to enlighten and educate consumers, huge effort needs to be made with responsibility on the retailer to reach their maximum number of potential customers in order to realize value. Recently online businesses have started to establish themselves as limited e-firms providing products and services for Kuwaiti customers. 1.3 Problem definition E-commerce penetration: With the adoption of Kuwaiti consumer online purchasing low, the penetration of e-commerce in Kuwait remains relatively slow with a lack of studies relating to Kuwaiti e-shopping adoption. Consumer e-purchasing awareness: Due to a lack of consumer awareness of online shopping it has not been used widely in Kuwait. E-retailer strategies: As online selling is different to offline selling, it is necessary to fully understand consumer behavior in order to set up business strategies for the long term. In addition the rapid development of technology related to the internet enhances the shopping experience and encourages potential customers to purchase online. It is therefore critical for e-retailers to identify what factors influence the consumer when e-shopping. 1.4 Research objectives The overall objective of this research is to gain a deeper understanding of online purchasing behavior in Kuwait and factors affecting their buying decision process. This study is therefore focusing on the following objectives: To investigate the key factors affecting online purchasing behavior of Kuwaiti consumers. To explore the impact of the decision making process on Kuwaiti consumers purchasing behavior. To determine the relationship between factors influencing purchasing behavior and the decision making process. 1.5 Research Questions To fulfill the purpose of this research and reach the stated objectives related to consumer purchase online behavior the following research questions need to be addressed: What are the main factors influencing Kuwaiti customers online purchasing? How do these factors affect online purchasing behavior? What is the impact of the decision making process on consumer online purchasing behavior? What is the relationship between factors influencing behavior and the decision making process for e-shopping? 1.6 Research methodology This studys approach is deductive, because it measures factors that affect online shopping to explain Kuwaiti consumer online behavior taken from previous studies in different countries. It is mainly explanatory, developing a deeper understanding of the online purchasing behavior of Kuwaiti consumers while investigating varied opinions related to local e-commerce, alongside which factors affect their purchasing behavior. To a certain extent it is exploratory because of a lack of previous research in the online purchase behavior in Kuwait and Gulf region. The study is also mildly descriptive due to previous research of online market phenomena conducted in different countries and extended to Kuwait. Moreover, this research is quantitative in nature using primary data for the survey questionnaire as the main tool of data collection in order to discuss online Kuwaiti consumer purchase behavior. The questionnaire was randomly distributed either in person or through email. The total sample size 500 was distributed in Kuwaiti firms, ministries, universities and public places with 360 respondents. The data collected from the questionnaire is then used to identify relationships and connections between these variables to achieve the studys objectives. 1.7 Limitations In the course of this research a number of limitations were identified as follows: As the research examines consumer online shopping behavior without specifying the type of product exchanged whether tangible or intangible, it is limited in its scope. This study is limited to selection factors covering aspects of Kuwaiti consumer online purchase behavior disregarding other variables of satisfaction, trust, social aspects and situational factors. As with all research using survey data the sample may not be fully representative of the actual behavior in the population, as it is impossible to directly compare our data with data collected on the State of Kuwait level on online purchasing behavior due to time factors. Investigation focuses on online consumer behavior mainly from the customers perspective rather than the retailers perspective. This study evaluates only the online adoption purchasing behavior without evaluation of service quality offered by distinct websites. With a lack of previous research in this topic in Kuwait and the Gulf region, there is little, if any, comparative literature review or use as a framework. 1.8 Thesis structure In the first chapter; an overview of the research area is given, introducing e-commerce in general, then in Kuwait. This is followed by a presentation of the country relevance, the problem definition, the research objectives and questions, the research methodology and the limitations of the study. Chapter Two provides a comprehensive review of relevant literature concerning the research to draw an understanding of dominant theories that explain online consumer behavior, followed by factors that influence consumer online purchase with an integrated consumer making decision process. Chapter Three covers the research design and methodology exploring the methodology of the strategy of collecting data and analysis of the survey questionnaire to achieve the objectives. In Chapter Four, data analysis presents the empirical data collected with analysis and a survey discussion of the results. Finally in Chapter Five conclusions drawn from the overall study are summarized with recommendations made for future research in the subject area. Chapter Two: Literature Review 2.1 Introduction In this chapter an overview and examination of theories of adoption and online technology acceptance behavior from a global perspective is presented, with a comprehensive review of relevant studies conducted on consumer behavior purchasing online with the decision making process. Interactivity is considered a primary principle for the World Wide Web (WWW) with Lee et al. (2006) arguing that â€Å"interactivity is the extent to which users can participate in modifying the form and content of a mediated environment in real time†. The WWW allows unprecedented access to information and markets which has impacted societies globally with people able to search for information and/or purchase product/service online. Factors influencing consumer online purchasing behavior have been explored between 2004/09. Ha and Stoel (2004), Lee et al. (2006) and Hernandez et al. (2009) [b] analyzed the online behavior from the perspective of innovation adoption and accepting technology by identifying the consumer acceptance of innovativeness and frequency of shopping online. Lin and Wang (2008) focused on the decision making process arguing that consumers depend on their experience with repeat shopping. Broekhuizen and Huizingh (2009) agreed adding experience will lead to a strong relationship between different variables (such as saving time/effort, enjoyment and price attractiveness) and intention to purchase. The research of Monsuwe et al. (2004) and Liao and Shi (2009) explored situational factors, trait attributes, individual factors and website quality and impact on attitude and intention of consumer purchasing online. This review will therefore cover wide-ranging theories considering the features and benefits of numerous models proposed by such authors studying online consumer behavior. 2.2 Technology readiness and Self-Services Technologies While customer innovation adoption behavior and diffusion of innovations have been investigated for decades, recent interest has turned toward Self-Service Technologies (SSTs). SSTs involves new service access provided via new channels to meet customer demand in an effective and efficient way. Many technological innovations face resistance from customers, due to a lack of experience and uncertainty. Therefore research involves varied measurements such as: innovation characteristics, service quality, individual differences, ease of use and usefulness. Liljander et al. (2006) agreed personal traits suggest influence on customer adoption of SSTs. A study by Parasurman (2000), presented the attitudinal measurement â€Å"Technology Readiness (TR), peoples propensity to embrace and use new technologies for accomplishing goals in home life and at work† stating TR is considered a factor influencing SSTs. The same author explained an individuals positive or negative feeling toward tech nology is dominant identifying TR consists of multi-measurements of: Insecurity, Discomfort, Innovativeness and Optimism. The latter, Optimism refers to the positive view of technology and beliefs of control that enable users to increase convenience, efficiency and flexibility, while, Innovativeness is peoples tendency to open up to technology. Discomfort is an individuals perceived lack of control of technology and has a strong negative influence on SSTs. Insecurity refers to lack of trust in technology and its ability to work effectively. Notably, optimism and innovativeness are considered highly TR individual contributors, with discomfort and flexibility considered to have high level inhibitor attributes decreasing TR. Liljander et al. (2006) proved in their research a positive effect of TR on customers attitude towards using SSTs and their website evaluation, finding technology linked with convenience, freedom and control as vital when building positive attitudes towards using S STs. 2.3 Original theories of consumer online behavior Having reviewed numerous forms of literature no singular constant model has been identified for innovation diffusion and adoption. Innovation technology depends on the nature of adoption influenced by social theory or characteristics of innovation such as the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) devised by Davis et al. (1989).Therefore diffusion theory and other factors have been widely used to guide consumer behavior research. Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) are dominant theories examining consumers online purchase intention and behavior. TAM is considered an initial model for technology usage development, as it is customized to understand the adoption of computer-based technology in the workplace and is used in many studies. Conversely other researchers criticized TAM, because it explores simply the technology side. TRA has evolved from TAM, determining individual attitude toward and behavioral intention to use this new technology. TPB is considered another update from TRA. Theory of Planned Behavior identifies the behavioral intention of purchase online influence with its attitude to technology. Rogers (1983) created a Diffusion of Innovation Theory (DOI) that illustrates adoption of innovation dominant over time in social systems. This theory depends on critical elements, the time of adoption and characteristics of innovation. 2.3.1 Technology acceptance model By using Theory of Reasoned Action as a theoretical base Davis et al. (1989) created a Technology Acceptance Model. TAM is identified a viable paradigm for examining consumer adoption for the new technology and information technology. The genuine TAM determined the actual use of technology, attitude toward using this technology connected with beliefs to define behavioral intention to use new technology as explained by Liu (2004) and illustrated in 2.1. TAM focused on beliefs about the usefulness and ease of use to be a main role in technology adoption behavior. Perceived Usefulness (PU) refers to the degree of potential individual perception that use of new technology will enhance improving performance Davis et al. (1989). Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU) is identified as an individual perception of using technology not requiring extra effort. Perceived Enjoyment was added later by Davis et al. (1992) and considered â€Å"essential motivation in adoption of new technology, the extent to which the activity of using computer is perceived to be enjoyable in its own right, apart from any performance consequences that may be anticipated†. In TAM, behavioral intention to new technology usage was determined by a persons attitude toward using this technology. In addition TAM evolved with an updated version proposed in 2000 by Venkatesh and Davis called TAM2. This new model was influenced by subjective norms, image and output quality. Having examined PU, PEOU and enjoyment in different shopping experiences, Lee et al. (2006) and Bridges and Florsheim (2008) found that seeking hedonic benefit depends on perceived enjoyment through online experience. Hedonic elements may encourage internet use, but not necessarily online buying. Furthermore, an individual consumer may be oriented to seek experiential value through enjoyable browsing or shopping online or for their own fun experience. Seeking utilitarian benefits also relies on perceived ease of use and satisfactory outcomes, in addition to influencing the purchase directly. Utilitarian orientation defined by Bellenger and Korgaonker (1980), Babin et al. (1994) and To et al. (2007) observes orientation or motivation seeking instrumental value to minimize time and effort shopping and cost saving or seeking convenience. Acquired benefit depends on whether the mission of shopping is completed or not. The e-retailers focus providing utilitarian benefits more than hedonic benefits will increase or be completed efficiently during the process of online buying and future intention. 2.3.2 online shopping acceptance model Zhou et al. (2007) proposed an extension model of TAM called â€Å"Online Shopping Acceptance Model† (OSAM). This model considers a general view of online purchasing acceptance from the consumers perspective. These authors also pointed out that in spite of TAM Davis et al. (1989) being broadly used to examine online purchasing environment, it does not analyze specific online shopping characteristics. Therefore OSAM integrated consumer factors in traditional markets and theories may be added to TAM factors to re-examine the issue in the context of online shopping as showed in 2.2. Moreover, OSAM have been developed to predict and explore consumer acceptance e-purchasing by incorporating the beliefs, intention, and attitude behavior relationship into the perspective of perceived usefulness which was replaced by perceived outcomes to cover potential benefits and e-shopping risks. Shopping orientation and motivation have been added from traditional market factors considered antece dents of online purchasing intention and online experience as factors that construct during navigation of e-shopping sites. Also, satisfaction as mediators between behavior and intention has been added. OSAM considers a strong predictor of continue intention to purchasing more than perceived usefulness. Furthermore, this model includes consumer demographics and normative beliefs with their influence on e-purchasing intention. Exploring the development of TAM by introducing OSAM will enhance our understanding of different factors that affect consumer behavior intention. 2.3.3 Theory of reasoned action Fishbein and Ajzen (1975) formulated a â€Å"Theory of Reasoned Action† (TRA), which illustrates behaviors expressed by individual intention to perform a behavior from psychological social factors and aims to examine measurements of that behavior. Based on Marshall et al. (2009) and Lee and Park (2009), they pointed out correlations between beliefs, subjective norms and attitude affects on formation of behavioral individual intention. This intention is influenced by subjective norms referring to the individuals perception with outside influences to perform (or not) a specific behavior to purchase as illustrated in 2.3. While attitude refers to an individual attitude behavior, negative or positive, toward adoption of innovation and brand overall which creates their beliefs about the consequences of adopting and the brands attributes (Jobber, 2004). Beliefs are defined by the persons subjective probability that performing a particular behavior will produce specific results. Four types of belief attitude towards to e-shopping were identified by Vijayasarathy (2002); shopping experience, product perception, customer services and customer risk. This model therefore suggests that external stimuli influence attitudes by modifying the structure of the persons beliefs (Ajzan and Fishbein, 1980 and Ajzen, 1991). Further, TRA provides a strong theoretical basis for studying motivation related decision-making. Using this theory is expected to enhance our understanding toward attitudes and behavioral intention of online shoppers. 2.3.4 Theory of planned behavior The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) can be appraised as an extension of TRA according to Ajzen (1985) used to predict buying behavior based on Bagozzi and Kimmel (1995) and De Cannià ¨re et al. (2009). A central element of this theory is the individual intention to perform a given behavior as shown in 2.4. Ajzen (1991) identified intention as ‘how individuals are willing to try and how much effort they are planning to exert, in order to perform the behavior. The same author and Chen and Corkindale (2008) state this theory includes an additional element which is an individual perceived behavioral control (PBC). Compeau and Higgins (1995) cited by Dennis et al. (2009) defined it as a judgment of ones ability to use a computer. PBC is compatible with Banduras (1977, 1982) concept of â€Å"perceived self-efficacy which is concerned with judgments of how well an individual can execute courses of action required to deal with prospective situations†. In PBC attitude and subje ctive norms factors can predict intention and behavior. According to TPB, PBC together with intention can be used directly to predict behavioral achievement. This model proposes the intention impact and mediates among these factors: 1) intentions are the immediate antecedent of behavior, 2) fully mediate on impact of attitude towards behavior and 3) intentions partially mediate the impact of perceived behavioral control (Ajzen, 1985, 1991; Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975) as illustrated in 2.4. Furthermore, Ajzen stated that the relative importance of predictors in the TPB would be different among behaviors and situations. On the other hand, TPB components can be used according to De Cannià ¨re et al. (2009) to form the experience after purchasing. 2.3.5 Decomposed Theory of planned behavior In 1995, Taylor and Todd demonstrated that better comprehension of the relationship between beliefs and antecedent of intention need to be combined as attitudinal beliefs as DTPB as shown in 2.5. They argued that DTPB is a strong model, more advanced and purer than the TRA and the TPB model. It was identified that, due to diffusion innovation theory, attitudinal beliefs contained three characteristics of an innovation that affect the adopt Analysis of E-commerce in Kuwait Analysis of E-commerce in Kuwait Chapter one: Introduction 1.1 Introduction This chapter provides general background information regarding online purchasing behavior with an insight into the advantages and disadvantages of e-commerce in general and then specifically in Kuwait. The history of online shopping and internet retailers is presented to better understand e-purchasing behavior alongside a description of general theories of consumer online purchaser behavior and online shopping in Kuwait. The problem definition, research questions and methodology and limitations of the study are then presented, concluding with an outline of the thesis structure. With advances in technology, specifically in the field of electronics and telecommunications, direct business and commerce with new retail approaches have emerged in recent decades to transform the business world. Due to the increase in the number of internet users and developing network technology, new forms of trade have grown from these advances particularly in Electronic Commerce (EC) a term introduced by Kalakota and Whinston in 1997. Electronic commerce has become one of the primary characteristics of the internet era and a significant method of doing business. According to Jelassi and Enders (2005) EC includes e-trading of digital and physical goods all trading steps: online marketing, online ordering, e-payment and distribution. Kalakota and Whinston (1997) pointed out that EC has two forms: business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B). According to Molla and Licker (2001) B2C retailers offer their products and services to their customers. In the last decade, Kha lifa and Liu (2003) stated that ‘we have witnessed a substantial growth of internet based on services, both from traditional companies and pure internet business that are developing online services. Despite apparent growth there are no reliable statistics concerning E-commerce in Kuwait. However there are indications that the volume of e-commerce in Kuwait is growing slowly as discussed by Al-Sabah (2009) Kuwait Financial Forum, the Central Bank Governor stating We expect growth but so far we have not found a proper to be estimated for 2010, it depends on so many variables. In research shown in Economist Information in 2006 involving over 100 countries regarding availability of e-commerce, Kuwait came 50th. As the business world recognised the advantages of such socioeconomic changes, Kuwait began to take note of the advantages of electronic trading and commerce including the set up and development of measurements of electronic trading facilities and venues across the country (Al-Shati, 2009). As e-commerce is newly introduced in Kuwait, in order for Kuwaiti firms to reach world standards there needs to be research in different contexts of e-commerce such as online retailing to utilize opportunities and avoid risk. As observed by Lin (2003) the key to success in e-commerce depends on knowing customers and studying a customers viewpoint. The internet has singlehandedly created a concept shift away from more traditional methods of shopping. Studies by Joines et al. (2003) indicate the number of internet users is constantly increasing which signifies online purchasing is also increasing. Oppenheim and Ward (2006) agreed with Joines et al. (2003) explaining rapid increase was due to the growth of use of broadband technology combined with a change in consumer behaviour. Hollensen (2004) added that the internet has developed into a new distribution channel and evolution of this channel and e-commerce. Constantinides (2004) pointed out that in the influence of the consumer the first step was to identify certain impact aspects when purchasing online regarded as dimensions. Numerous and varied studies have been conducted worldwide to identify the advantages and disadvantages of e-shopping. Bridges and Florsheim (2008) argue that online shopping has advantages for both consumers and retailers. From a consumers point of view they found e-shopping allows a lower price, different alternatives of products/services, and customized products. Additionally they established retailers benefited from online shopping as it allowed them to reach a maximum number of customers, reduce communication costs and rapid transportation. However, e-shopping has also been criticized as online shopping may be considered non-trust worthy due to concerns of security of privacy (personal and financial information), lack of examination of the products, lack of human interaction and a concern the quality of the products will not reach customer expectation. From a retailer perspective the disadvantages of online shopping are providing high quality and creating special services can be very costly for the firm and may not be a good incentive to make consumers purchase (Kim and Forsythe (2009) and Lee et al. (2006). Whether it is a traditional market or online market, Hollensen (2004) pointed out that the retailer should understand the online consumer purchasing behaviour and how individuals make decision and buying choices. Therefore, Kotler and Armstrong (2007) stated that the marketers have developed different theories that can explain why consumers interpret information provided by e-retailer in a certain way, and thereby understand certain behaviours. Several authors have set out different definitions of consumer behaviour. According to Dr. Perner â€Å"consumer behaviour is study of individuals, groups, or organizations and the processes they use select, secure, use, and dispose of products, services, experiences, or ideas to satisfy needs and the impacts that these processes have on the consumer and society†. Hollensen (2004) and Constantinides (2004) agreed that consumer online purchasing behaviour is a process of various factors and influences experienced by a consumer before fin ally purchasing products online. Online consumer behaviour researchers have therefore examined the adoption of technology for e-purchasing in different aspects. There appears to be no constant model of online purchasing adoption and behaviour as it depends on the nature of adoption as influenced by characteristics or social issues; Theory of Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) Roger (1983). In order to investigate consumer online purchasing behaviour, Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) are considered dominant theories to measure online purchase intention and attitude behaviour, with Decomposed Theory of Planned Behaviour (DTPB) (Taylor and Todd 1995) the extended TPB. On the other hand, one essential model for development technology usage perspective is the Theory of Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) Davis et al. (1989), which developed into the Online Shopping Acceptance Model (OSAM) (Zhou et al. (2007). E-commerce researchers have measured different approaches for understanding online consumer behavior. Chen and Corkindale (2008) and Hernandez et al. (2009[a]) measured factors that influence consumers online purchasing behavior from the perspective of innovation adoption and accepting technology. Moreover, other authors examined trait attributes, situational factors, web site quality, and individual factors and influences on attitude and intention of consumer purchasing online (Monsuwe et al. (2004); Liao and Shi (2009); and Vazquez and Xu (2009)). Chen and Crokindale (2008) agreed attitude and intention have a strong relationship with acceptance of technology and the decision of purchasing online. In addition, innovation characteristics were considered significant factors that influence of technology adoption and purchasing behavior (Rogers, 1983). Therefore in order to understand online purchasing behavior it is important to measure different factors that may influence e-shoppers and determine online shopping based on insight from technology adoption innovation diffusion literature. This study will therefore present the Liu Model (2004) using it to identify factors that influence Kuwaiti consumer purchasing online. It will also measure the relationship between characteristics of internet retailers/consumers and characteristics of innovation, allowing the research to examine the impacts of these characteristics on consumer decision making and then purchasing behavior. 1.2 Online purchasing 1.2.1 History of Online Shopping In the 1990s online shopping emerged as a technological breakthrough and novelty in the business arena. Strengthening year on year in 1994 the first of its kind, an online bank was opened and Pizza Hut offered pizza ordering on their web page. Netscape then presented Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) to secure transactions, an essential feature of e-shopping. In 1995 Bezos launched Amazon.com, one of the most successful online businesses worldwide, followed by ‘e-bay an online auction site. By 1997 an estimated 41 million people were shopping online. With advances in technology in 1998, electronic postage stamps were introduced, whereby individuals could download and print stamps after paying a fee. In 1999, with the first online shop in the UK, The Virtual Mall was also launched, considered the first UK graphical internet shopping mall. The online shopping market developed rapidly from this point as the consumer gained in confidence and knowledge. In 1991, Kuwait University connected all university campuses together with the internet using International Business Machine (IBM) then known as BITNET with the help of Ministry of Communication (MOC) university campuses together. This network was limited to e-mail and other minor services. The National Science Foundation (NSF) agreed to expand the internet services to Kuwait in 1992 (Hussain, 2003). 1.2.2 Kuwaiti Consumer Attitudes Towards Online Shopping Online shopping is a relatively recent phenomenon that has gradually expanded worldwide reaching Kuwait. Compared to traditional stores, e-shopping is far from the target customer in efficacy and provides significant advantages in time saving and low costs. Although developing online shopping in Kuwait advances slowly, it is establishing a solid base as it incorporates a certain lifestyle, is a convenient option and its adventurous nature is attractive to Kuwaiti youths. With these factors increasingly dominant in daily routine, purchasing online has become a natural option in countries such as the USA and economic areas of the EU and the GCC ( Maarafy et al. 2007). Common products selling in Kuwait online are from the USA, the UAE and Asia. According to Forrester research (2008), Global e-commerce spending in 2000 was 132 $ billion, and expected to spend more than 1 trillion by 2012. In GCC capitals, the usage of online shopping behavior is different in the USA compared with and European and Asia Pacific cities. In Kuwait the online shopping concept is relatively in its early stages, however the adoption of online purchasing is expected to grow continually in coming years. With a high level of penetration in neighboring countries online such as Saudi Arabia and UAE, Kuwait will not be far from this diffusion of web shopping. Among the GCC, Kuwait lies 3rd with 10.7% in terms of e-commerce penetration, against 25.1% UAE and 14.3% in Saudi Arabia (Field, (2008)). According to recent worldwide research, as shown in Table 1.1, Kuwaits internet user growth has jumped from 5.8% of the population in 2000 to over 34% in 2008 and five times more users in the same time period and with further growth expected. Table1.1: Growth Internet Users in Kuwait Year Users population % population 2000 150,000 2,424,422 5.8% 2003 567,000 2,530,012 22.4.% 2005 600,000 2,630,775 22.8% 2008 900,000 2,596,799 34.7% 2009 (estimated) Above 900,000 2,692,526 33.4% Source: world wide statistics.com According to Al-Bahar (2009), Kuwait Consumer Adaptors online shopping distinguishes between local and international websites when purchasing online for many reasons. Kuwaiti consumer purchasing online and local websites are still in their infancy and under development. Thus, consumers are oriented to external websites they have established reputations, are trustworthy and provide an assurance of quality of their products. Express delivery firms such as Aramex and DHL compete to provide their services for delivery products in efficacy and effectiveness to encourage customers to e-purchase (Al-Abdullah, 2009). However, according to Al-Awan, (2008) e-shopping in the Kuwait market is still in its development stage through lack of organization. In order to enlighten and educate consumers, huge effort needs to be made with responsibility on the retailer to reach their maximum number of potential customers in order to realize value. Recently online businesses have started to establish themselves as limited e-firms providing products and services for Kuwaiti customers. 1.3 Problem definition E-commerce penetration: With the adoption of Kuwaiti consumer online purchasing low, the penetration of e-commerce in Kuwait remains relatively slow with a lack of studies relating to Kuwaiti e-shopping adoption. Consumer e-purchasing awareness: Due to a lack of consumer awareness of online shopping it has not been used widely in Kuwait. E-retailer strategies: As online selling is different to offline selling, it is necessary to fully understand consumer behavior in order to set up business strategies for the long term. In addition the rapid development of technology related to the internet enhances the shopping experience and encourages potential customers to purchase online. It is therefore critical for e-retailers to identify what factors influence the consumer when e-shopping. 1.4 Research objectives The overall objective of this research is to gain a deeper understanding of online purchasing behavior in Kuwait and factors affecting their buying decision process. This study is therefore focusing on the following objectives: To investigate the key factors affecting online purchasing behavior of Kuwaiti consumers. To explore the impact of the decision making process on Kuwaiti consumers purchasing behavior. To determine the relationship between factors influencing purchasing behavior and the decision making process. 1.5 Research Questions To fulfill the purpose of this research and reach the stated objectives related to consumer purchase online behavior the following research questions need to be addressed: What are the main factors influencing Kuwaiti customers online purchasing? How do these factors affect online purchasing behavior? What is the impact of the decision making process on consumer online purchasing behavior? What is the relationship between factors influencing behavior and the decision making process for e-shopping? 1.6 Research methodology This studys approach is deductive, because it measures factors that affect online shopping to explain Kuwaiti consumer online behavior taken from previous studies in different countries. It is mainly explanatory, developing a deeper understanding of the online purchasing behavior of Kuwaiti consumers while investigating varied opinions related to local e-commerce, alongside which factors affect their purchasing behavior. To a certain extent it is exploratory because of a lack of previous research in the online purchase behavior in Kuwait and Gulf region. The study is also mildly descriptive due to previous research of online market phenomena conducted in different countries and extended to Kuwait. Moreover, this research is quantitative in nature using primary data for the survey questionnaire as the main tool of data collection in order to discuss online Kuwaiti consumer purchase behavior. The questionnaire was randomly distributed either in person or through email. The total sample size 500 was distributed in Kuwaiti firms, ministries, universities and public places with 360 respondents. The data collected from the questionnaire is then used to identify relationships and connections between these variables to achieve the studys objectives. 1.7 Limitations In the course of this research a number of limitations were identified as follows: As the research examines consumer online shopping behavior without specifying the type of product exchanged whether tangible or intangible, it is limited in its scope. This study is limited to selection factors covering aspects of Kuwaiti consumer online purchase behavior disregarding other variables of satisfaction, trust, social aspects and situational factors. As with all research using survey data the sample may not be fully representative of the actual behavior in the population, as it is impossible to directly compare our data with data collected on the State of Kuwait level on online purchasing behavior due to time factors. Investigation focuses on online consumer behavior mainly from the customers perspective rather than the retailers perspective. This study evaluates only the online adoption purchasing behavior without evaluation of service quality offered by distinct websites. With a lack of previous research in this topic in Kuwait and the Gulf region, there is little, if any, comparative literature review or use as a framework. 1.8 Thesis structure In the first chapter; an overview of the research area is given, introducing e-commerce in general, then in Kuwait. This is followed by a presentation of the country relevance, the problem definition, the research objectives and questions, the research methodology and the limitations of the study. Chapter Two provides a comprehensive review of relevant literature concerning the research to draw an understanding of dominant theories that explain online consumer behavior, followed by factors that influence consumer online purchase with an integrated consumer making decision process. Chapter Three covers the research design and methodology exploring the methodology of the strategy of collecting data and analysis of the survey questionnaire to achieve the objectives. In Chapter Four, data analysis presents the empirical data collected with analysis and a survey discussion of the results. Finally in Chapter Five conclusions drawn from the overall study are summarized with recommendations made for future research in the subject area. Chapter Two: Literature Review 2.1 Introduction In this chapter an overview and examination of theories of adoption and online technology acceptance behavior from a global perspective is presented, with a comprehensive review of relevant studies conducted on consumer behavior purchasing online with the decision making process. Interactivity is considered a primary principle for the World Wide Web (WWW) with Lee et al. (2006) arguing that â€Å"interactivity is the extent to which users can participate in modifying the form and content of a mediated environment in real time†. The WWW allows unprecedented access to information and markets which has impacted societies globally with people able to search for information and/or purchase product/service online. Factors influencing consumer online purchasing behavior have been explored between 2004/09. Ha and Stoel (2004), Lee et al. (2006) and Hernandez et al. (2009) [b] analyzed the online behavior from the perspective of innovation adoption and accepting technology by identifying the consumer acceptance of innovativeness and frequency of shopping online. Lin and Wang (2008) focused on the decision making process arguing that consumers depend on their experience with repeat shopping. Broekhuizen and Huizingh (2009) agreed adding experience will lead to a strong relationship between different variables (such as saving time/effort, enjoyment and price attractiveness) and intention to purchase. The research of Monsuwe et al. (2004) and Liao and Shi (2009) explored situational factors, trait attributes, individual factors and website quality and impact on attitude and intention of consumer purchasing online. This review will therefore cover wide-ranging theories considering the features and benefits of numerous models proposed by such authors studying online consumer behavior. 2.2 Technology readiness and Self-Services Technologies While customer innovation adoption behavior and diffusion of innovations have been investigated for decades, recent interest has turned toward Self-Service Technologies (SSTs). SSTs involves new service access provided via new channels to meet customer demand in an effective and efficient way. Many technological innovations face resistance from customers, due to a lack of experience and uncertainty. Therefore research involves varied measurements such as: innovation characteristics, service quality, individual differences, ease of use and usefulness. Liljander et al. (2006) agreed personal traits suggest influence on customer adoption of SSTs. A study by Parasurman (2000), presented the attitudinal measurement â€Å"Technology Readiness (TR), peoples propensity to embrace and use new technologies for accomplishing goals in home life and at work† stating TR is considered a factor influencing SSTs. The same author explained an individuals positive or negative feeling toward tech nology is dominant identifying TR consists of multi-measurements of: Insecurity, Discomfort, Innovativeness and Optimism. The latter, Optimism refers to the positive view of technology and beliefs of control that enable users to increase convenience, efficiency and flexibility, while, Innovativeness is peoples tendency to open up to technology. Discomfort is an individuals perceived lack of control of technology and has a strong negative influence on SSTs. Insecurity refers to lack of trust in technology and its ability to work effectively. Notably, optimism and innovativeness are considered highly TR individual contributors, with discomfort and flexibility considered to have high level inhibitor attributes decreasing TR. Liljander et al. (2006) proved in their research a positive effect of TR on customers attitude towards using SSTs and their website evaluation, finding technology linked with convenience, freedom and control as vital when building positive attitudes towards using S STs. 2.3 Original theories of consumer online behavior Having reviewed numerous forms of literature no singular constant model has been identified for innovation diffusion and adoption. Innovation technology depends on the nature of adoption influenced by social theory or characteristics of innovation such as the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) devised by Davis et al. (1989).Therefore diffusion theory and other factors have been widely used to guide consumer behavior research. Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) are dominant theories examining consumers online purchase intention and behavior. TAM is considered an initial model for technology usage development, as it is customized to understand the adoption of computer-based technology in the workplace and is used in many studies. Conversely other researchers criticized TAM, because it explores simply the technology side. TRA has evolved from TAM, determining individual attitude toward and behavioral intention to use this new technology. TPB is considered another update from TRA. Theory of Planned Behavior identifies the behavioral intention of purchase online influence with its attitude to technology. Rogers (1983) created a Diffusion of Innovation Theory (DOI) that illustrates adoption of innovation dominant over time in social systems. This theory depends on critical elements, the time of adoption and characteristics of innovation. 2.3.1 Technology acceptance model By using Theory of Reasoned Action as a theoretical base Davis et al. (1989) created a Technology Acceptance Model. TAM is identified a viable paradigm for examining consumer adoption for the new technology and information technology. The genuine TAM determined the actual use of technology, attitude toward using this technology connected with beliefs to define behavioral intention to use new technology as explained by Liu (2004) and illustrated in 2.1. TAM focused on beliefs about the usefulness and ease of use to be a main role in technology adoption behavior. Perceived Usefulness (PU) refers to the degree of potential individual perception that use of new technology will enhance improving performance Davis et al. (1989). Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU) is identified as an individual perception of using technology not requiring extra effort. Perceived Enjoyment was added later by Davis et al. (1992) and considered â€Å"essential motivation in adoption of new technology, the extent to which the activity of using computer is perceived to be enjoyable in its own right, apart from any performance consequences that may be anticipated†. In TAM, behavioral intention to new technology usage was determined by a persons attitude toward using this technology. In addition TAM evolved with an updated version proposed in 2000 by Venkatesh and Davis called TAM2. This new model was influenced by subjective norms, image and output quality. Having examined PU, PEOU and enjoyment in different shopping experiences, Lee et al. (2006) and Bridges and Florsheim (2008) found that seeking hedonic benefit depends on perceived enjoyment through online experience. Hedonic elements may encourage internet use, but not necessarily online buying. Furthermore, an individual consumer may be oriented to seek experiential value through enjoyable browsing or shopping online or for their own fun experience. Seeking utilitarian benefits also relies on perceived ease of use and satisfactory outcomes, in addition to influencing the purchase directly. Utilitarian orientation defined by Bellenger and Korgaonker (1980), Babin et al. (1994) and To et al. (2007) observes orientation or motivation seeking instrumental value to minimize time and effort shopping and cost saving or seeking convenience. Acquired benefit depends on whether the mission of shopping is completed or not. The e-retailers focus providing utilitarian benefits more than hedonic benefits will increase or be completed efficiently during the process of online buying and future intention. 2.3.2 online shopping acceptance model Zhou et al. (2007) proposed an extension model of TAM called â€Å"Online Shopping Acceptance Model† (OSAM). This model considers a general view of online purchasing acceptance from the consumers perspective. These authors also pointed out that in spite of TAM Davis et al. (1989) being broadly used to examine online purchasing environment, it does not analyze specific online shopping characteristics. Therefore OSAM integrated consumer factors in traditional markets and theories may be added to TAM factors to re-examine the issue in the context of online shopping as showed in 2.2. Moreover, OSAM have been developed to predict and explore consumer acceptance e-purchasing by incorporating the beliefs, intention, and attitude behavior relationship into the perspective of perceived usefulness which was replaced by perceived outcomes to cover potential benefits and e-shopping risks. Shopping orientation and motivation have been added from traditional market factors considered antece dents of online purchasing intention and online experience as factors that construct during navigation of e-shopping sites. Also, satisfaction as mediators between behavior and intention has been added. OSAM considers a strong predictor of continue intention to purchasing more than perceived usefulness. Furthermore, this model includes consumer demographics and normative beliefs with their influence on e-purchasing intention. Exploring the development of TAM by introducing OSAM will enhance our understanding of different factors that affect consumer behavior intention. 2.3.3 Theory of reasoned action Fishbein and Ajzen (1975) formulated a â€Å"Theory of Reasoned Action† (TRA), which illustrates behaviors expressed by individual intention to perform a behavior from psychological social factors and aims to examine measurements of that behavior. Based on Marshall et al. (2009) and Lee and Park (2009), they pointed out correlations between beliefs, subjective norms and attitude affects on formation of behavioral individual intention. This intention is influenced by subjective norms referring to the individuals perception with outside influences to perform (or not) a specific behavior to purchase as illustrated in 2.3. While attitude refers to an individual attitude behavior, negative or positive, toward adoption of innovation and brand overall which creates their beliefs about the consequences of adopting and the brands attributes (Jobber, 2004). Beliefs are defined by the persons subjective probability that performing a particular behavior will produce specific results. Four types of belief attitude towards to e-shopping were identified by Vijayasarathy (2002); shopping experience, product perception, customer services and customer risk. This model therefore suggests that external stimuli influence attitudes by modifying the structure of the persons beliefs (Ajzan and Fishbein, 1980 and Ajzen, 1991). Further, TRA provides a strong theoretical basis for studying motivation related decision-making. Using this theory is expected to enhance our understanding toward attitudes and behavioral intention of online shoppers. 2.3.4 Theory of planned behavior The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) can be appraised as an extension of TRA according to Ajzen (1985) used to predict buying behavior based on Bagozzi and Kimmel (1995) and De Cannià ¨re et al. (2009). A central element of this theory is the individual intention to perform a given behavior as shown in 2.4. Ajzen (1991) identified intention as ‘how individuals are willing to try and how much effort they are planning to exert, in order to perform the behavior. The same author and Chen and Corkindale (2008) state this theory includes an additional element which is an individual perceived behavioral control (PBC). Compeau and Higgins (1995) cited by Dennis et al. (2009) defined it as a judgment of ones ability to use a computer. PBC is compatible with Banduras (1977, 1982) concept of â€Å"perceived self-efficacy which is concerned with judgments of how well an individual can execute courses of action required to deal with prospective situations†. In PBC attitude and subje ctive norms factors can predict intention and behavior. According to TPB, PBC together with intention can be used directly to predict behavioral achievement. This model proposes the intention impact and mediates among these factors: 1) intentions are the immediate antecedent of behavior, 2) fully mediate on impact of attitude towards behavior and 3) intentions partially mediate the impact of perceived behavioral control (Ajzen, 1985, 1991; Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975) as illustrated in 2.4. Furthermore, Ajzen stated that the relative importance of predictors in the TPB would be different among behaviors and situations. On the other hand, TPB components can be used according to De Cannià ¨re et al. (2009) to form the experience after purchasing. 2.3.5 Decomposed Theory of planned behavior In 1995, Taylor and Todd demonstrated that better comprehension of the relationship between beliefs and antecedent of intention need to be combined as attitudinal beliefs as DTPB as shown in 2.5. They argued that DTPB is a strong model, more advanced and purer than the TRA and the TPB model. It was identified that, due to diffusion innovation theory, attitudinal beliefs contained three characteristics of an innovation that affect the adopt