E.B. Whites Drafts of Once More to the Lake

At the start of every fall term, countless students are asked to write an essay on what must be the most uninspired composition topic of all time: How I Spent My Summer Vacation. Still, its remarkable what a good writer can do with such a seemingly dull subject--though it may take a bit longer than usual to complete the assignment. In this case, the good writer was E.B. White, and the essay that took more than a quarter century to complete was Once More to the Lake. First Draft: Pamphlet on Belgrade Lake (1914) Back in 1914, shortly before his 15th birthday, Elwyn White responded to this familiar topic with uncommon enthusiasm. It was a subject the boy knew well and an experience that he fiercely enjoyed. Every August for the past decade, Whites father had taken the family to the same camp on Belgrade Lake in Maine. In a self-designed pamphlet, complete with sketches and photos, young Elwyn began his report clearly and conventionally This wonderful lake is five miles wide, and about ten miles long, with many coves, points and islands. It is one of a series of lakes, which are connected with each other by little streams. One of these streams is several miles long and deep enough so that it affords an opportunity for a fine all-day canoe trip. . . .The lake is large enough to make the conditions ideal for all kinds of small boats. The bathing also is a feature, for the days grow very warm at noon time and make a good swim feel fine. (reprinted in Scott Elledge, ​E.B. White: A Biography. Norton, 1984) Second Draft: Letter to Stanley Hart White (1936) In the summer of 1936, E. B. White, by then a popular writer for The New Yorker magazine, made a return visit to this childhood vacation spot. While there, he wrote a long letter to his brother Stanley, vividly describing the sights, sounds, and smells of the lake. Here are a few excerpts: The lake hangs clear and still at dawn, and the sound of a cowbell comes softly from a faraway woodlot. In the shallows along shore the pebbles and driftwood show clear and smooth on bottom, and black water bugs dart, spreading a wake and a shadow. A fish rises quickly in the lily pads with a little plop, and a broad ring widens to eternity. The water in the basin is icy before breakfast, and cuts sharply into your nose and ears and makes your face blue as you wash. But the boards of the dock are already hot in the sun, and there are doughnuts for breakfast and the smell is there, the faintly rancid smell that hangs around Maine kitchens. Sometimes there is little wind all day, and on still hot afternoons the sound of a motorboat comes drifting five miles from the other shore, and the droning lake becomes articulate, like a hot field. A crow calls, fearfully and far. If a night breeze springs up, you are aware of a restless noise along the shore, and for a few minutes before you fall asleep you hear the intimate talk between fresh-water waves and rocks that lie below bending birches. The insides of your camp are hung with pictures cut from magazines, and the camp smells of lumber and damp. Things dont change much. . . .(Letters of E.B. White, edited by Dorothy Lobrano Guth. Harper Row, 1976) Final Revision: Once More to the Lake (1941) White made the return journey in 1936 on his own, in part to commemorate his parents, both of whom had recently died. When he next made the trip to Belgrade Lake, in 1941, he took along his son Joel. White recorded that experience in what has become one of the best-known and most frequently anthologized essays of the past century, Once More to the Lake: We went fishing the first morning. I felt the same damp moss covering the worms in the bait can, and saw the dragonfly alight on the tip of my rod as it hovered a few inches from the surface of the water. It was the arrival of this fly that convinced me beyond any doubt that everything was as it always had been, that the years were a mirage and there had been no years. The small waves were the same, chucking the rowboat under the chin as we fished at anchor, and the boat was the same boat, the same color green and the ribs broken in the same places, and under the floor-boards the same fresh-water leavings and debris--the dead hellgrammite, the wisps of moss, the rusty discarded fishhook, the dried blood from yesterdays catch. We stared silently at the tips of our rods, at the dragonflies that came and went. I lowered the tip of mine into the water, pensively dislodging the fly, which darted two feet away, poised, darted two feet back, and came to rest again a little farther up the ro d. There had been no years between the ducking of this dragonfly and the other one--the one that was part of memory. . . . (Harpers, 1941; reprinted in One Mans Meat. Tilbury House Publishers, 1997) Certain details from Whites 1936 letter reappear in his 1941 essay: damp moss, birch beer, the smell of lumber, the sound of outboard motors. In his letter, White insisted that things dont change much, and in his essay, we hear the refrain, There had been no years. But in both texts, we sense that the author was working hard to sustain an illusion. A joke may be deathless, the lake may be fade-proof, and summer may seem to be without end. Yet as White makes clear in the concluding image of Once More to the Lake, only the pattern of life is indelible: When the others went swimming my son said he was going in too. He pulled his dripping trunks from the line where they had hung all through the shower, and wrung them out. Languidly, and with no thought of going in, I watched him, his hard little body, skinny and bare, saw him wince slightly as he pulled up around his vitals the small, soggy, icy garment. As he buckled the swollen belt, suddenly my groin felt the chill of death. To spend almost 30 years composing an essay is exceptional. But then, you have to admit, so is Once More to the Lake. Postscript (1981) According to Scott Elledge in E.B. White: A Biography, on July 11, 1981, to celebrate his eighty-first birthday, White lashed a canoe to the top of his car and drove to the same Belgrade lake where, seventy years before, he had received a green old town canoe from his father, a gift for his eleventh birthday.

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass - 1401 Words

Slavery: A Lifelong Escape To say that slavery only affects slaves is inaccurate; it dehumanizes the slaveholders too. Some of the slaveholders were sympathetic, innocent human beings. They were not automatically corrupt just because they owned a slave. Rather, slavery changed their actions and characters from merciful to vicious. In his autobiographical novel, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Douglass reveals how the act of owning slaves turns many dignified human beings into barbarians. Slavery’s wicked nature turns slaveholders into monsters. Sophia Auld, one of Douglass’ masters, had been ignorant of slavery before she owned slaves, but it did not take long for slavery to degrade her character. When†¦show more content†¦This further proves that owning slaves turns an innocent person into a preposterous slaveholder. Before, she treated Douglass like a human being, but now she treats him like an object. Due to slavery, Mrs. Auld’s kind personality has changed into a demonic one. Ultimately, Douglass is saying that when a person becomes a slaveholder, there is no turning back because slavery’s cruelness will always dominate their minds. As slavery overpowers Mrs. Auld’s being, she treats Douglass barbarically. Mrs. Auld deprives Douglass of his right to read and explodes with rage whenever she sees him with a newspaper in his hands: â€Å"The tender heart became stone, and the lamblike disposition gave way to one of tiger-like fierceness†¦ I have had her rush at me with a face made all up of fury, and snatch from me a newspaper, in a manner that fully revealed her apprehension† (Douglass 82). Sophia Auld started out as a caring human being, but now she becomes almost like an animal; she becomes dehumanized by owning a slave. She wants to keep Douglass uneducated and worthless so that he will keep obeying her and will not try to escape. Douglass, in his speech What To the Slave Is the Fourth of July, describes the barbaricShow MoreRelatedNarrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass987 Words   |  4 PagesLife of Frederick In the â€Å"narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass an American slave written by himself† Frederick reveled to audience the time he was living as a slave and the moments of brutal treats for example psychological, emotional and physical abuses. He was suffering terrible moments during his 20 years as a slave in the twentieth century. In addition, he describes in his own words the strategies he used to escape from the slave holders and to be free. This story the â€Å"Narrative of theRead MoreNarrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Essay1102 Words   |  5 PagesDate Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Writing in the favor of black people has always remained controversial from the very beginning. Critics regard such writing as â€Å"a highly conventionalized genre† indicating that â€Å"its status as literature was long disputed but the literary merits of its most famous example such as Frederick Douglass s Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass†¦are widely recognized today.† (Ryan:537) Despite of such severe resistance, writers like Douglass have pennedRead MoreThe Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass1566 Words   |  7 PagesThe â€Å"Narratives of the Life of Frederick Douglass† is the story of Frederick Douglass’ life from the time he was born into slavery, to the time he escaped to freedom in the north. When Douglass wrote this book, slavery was still legal in a large portion of the United States. After Douglass’ escape to freedom and his continuation of his education, he became an abolitionist through his works of literatu re and speeches. In â€Å"The Blessings of Slavery†, by George Fitzhugh he states that southern slavesRead MoreNarrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass1257 Words   |  6 PagesBook Review By Mary Elizabeth Ralls Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass: An autobiography written by Frederick Douglass Millennium publication, 1945edition 75 pages Frederick Douglass whose real name was Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey approximately birthdate is in1818, the month or day is not known, he died in 1895. He is one of the most famous advocates and the greatest leaders of anti-slavery in the past 200 or so years.Read MoreNarrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass1730 Words   |  7 PagesOne of the most well-known slavery narratives was lived and written by Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. Frederick Douglass was a civil rights activist who was born into slavery on a plantation in eastern Maryland in February 1818. His exact birth date is unknown, he states in his narrative, â€Å"I have no accurate knowledge of my age, never having seen any authentic record containing it.†2 His birth name was Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, which was given by hisRead MoreNarrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Essay1498 Words   |  6 Pagessoutherners believed that one of the most essential me ans of life was slavery. In the novel, Narrative of The Life of Frederick Douglass, Douglass challenges and debunks the idea of slavery being a necessary part of the white lifestyle; many pro-slavery arguments consisted of religion justifying slavery, slaves being â€Å"easily manipulated†/ignorant, and slavery keeping the southern economy from disappearing (The Proslavery Argument). Frederick uses personal experiences and other tactics to expose theRead MoreThe Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass1363 Words   |  6 Pages In The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Frederick Douglass portrays the importance of education because of its influence in leveling the playing field between the races in the 1800s. Education and knowledge are themes that are heavily dwelled upon throughout the novel, inspiring the reader to see the full power of such important ideals and to take the full advantage of both at all times. Douglass gives the reader a new appreciat ion for education as he delivers his message regardingRead MoreNarrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass1255 Words   |  6 PagesFrederick Douglass, throughout Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, uses religion to get many of his points across. In one way, religion plays a huge role in Douglass’ ability to become literate throughout the text. With the Bible and other Christian texts, Douglass is able to further his ability and the ability of others to read. This becomes important because as Douglass points out the slaveholders believe a literate slave is not a good slave. This union of literacy and religion show theRead MoreThe Narrative Life Of Frederick Douglass1583 Words   |  7 Pages‘The Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass’ is an autobiography of Frederick Douglass, the slave who escaped and became one of renowned social reformers of his time. The book is a collection of actual experiences of the author during his time in slavery and experienc es of fellow slaves. He describes brilliantly the oppressive conditions into which he was born, lived, as well as his struggles and triumphs. The author meant to make the reader comprehend life of the African Americans in slavery beforeRead MoreThe Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass939 Words   |  4 PagesRevolutionary Freedom In 1845, an African-American man named Frederick Douglass released a thought-provoking autobiography that would become a turning point in revolutionary change. The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass was the first autobiography Douglass had written focusing on the real life struggles he has faced during his time spent in bondage. During his time, it was not common for an African-American to have the skills to read and write, and it was especially uncommon to publish

Analysis of Cartoon Cultures in Walt Disney Stories Free Essays

Disney and his studio do not only aim to create entertainment but present a meaningful thesis as well; â€Å"All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them† (Williams Denney, 2004, p. 69). Usually, Disney’s stories like to present the royal romance comprising of love, courage and dream. We will write a custom essay sample on Analysis of Cartoon Cultures in Walt Disney Stories or any similar topic only for you Order Now By comparing Cinderella (Geronimi, Luske, Jackson, 1950) and his latest princess iteration, The Princess and The Frog (Clements, 2009), we could clearly see the critical influence of Cinderella that has affected the cartoon culture of Disney’s stories, as highlighted by the appearance of the Fairy Godmother, the importance of animal characters and the narrative power of the songs. Many of Disney’s stories are concerned with a goal that the leading character has to achieve, passing obstacles along the way in order to realize his dream. As such, a correlation can be seen between Cinderella (1950) and The Princess and The Frog (2009); both the young ladies work very hard to achieve their aspirations. Before Cinderella was transformed by Fairy Godmother with an opportunity to attend the royal ball, she was a poor girl, and seemingly under distress. Her stepmother and stepsisters take over all her benefits and mistreat her. She is abused and made to serve as the housekeeper and maid for her family. However, she does not give up on dreaming and wishing, and has faith that one day her dream will come true. On the other hand, Tiana is a poor African-American young lady who works very hard to accomplish her goal of owning a restaurant in New Orleans. Although, her dream seems big and difficult for her to achieve, she never thinks about giving up. She continues tracing her dream; her hopes remain high even after she is accidently transformed into a frog by kissing the cursed Prince Naveen. Although these two Disney princesses are coming from different nationalities and generations, they both represent the same story structure of Disney’s fairytales. Secondly, Disney’s Cinderella has become the dominant version in Western culture, since it was the first one to be aired on the big screen. It was the first time a character like the Fairy godmother was presented straight from a Disney tale. Her task was strictly to prepareeverything for Cinderella so she could attend the royalty ball. The story of Cinderella has historically portrayed a strong character in the Fairy godmother; a prominent companion has become an important element in the life of a cheerful heroine in the follow up stories of Disney. Looking into The Princess and The Frog (Clements, 2009)Mama Odie is representing a new type of Fairy godmother as a blind voodoo priestess. She plays a guiding role in the story, full of magic and power to help the frogs transform back into humans. The Fairy godmother has thus become an iconic character since it was first presented in Cinderella. It plays an important part in shaping the cartoons’ structures, influencing many other stories to portray the same character in other forms, enriching the story with color and inspiration. Thirdly, by featuring animal characters in Cinderella, Disney and his animators have developed a new structure of cartoon culture. Animal characters have carved a niche in Disney’s animations. However, these animal characters only play supporting or minor roles in the full-length animated films. Due to the strong connection between animal characters and Disney’s animations in the public’s mind, Disney and his animators have recently inclined towards creating much more detailed versions of the animal characters found in Cinderella. As a result, the mice have gained more screen time than the step-mother and sisters, and one of the most memorable scenes in the film regarding the manufacturing process of the ball dress revolves aroundbirds and mice which work together to prepare a beautiful gown for Cinderella. This scene appears for nearly 8 minutes in the film. It shows the importance of animals in story-telling. Moreover, those animals carry their own personality, as seen for example in the red bird who would much enjoyperforming a vocal accommodation where as the character Jaq, who was portrayed as a leader of the mice while Gus was the cute and childish one. Moreover, the relationship between Cinderella and the mice provided clues to reveal her real personality. Her kindness could be observed through her interest in making clothes and dresses for the animals, rescuing them from traps, and feeding them with enough food. As such, in the story of Cinderella, animals do not feature as minor characters. They are highlighted to be very important in the narrative. Since that story, animal characters have moved up in ranks, taking important roles as support for the main characters in reaching their goals. In The Princess and The Frog (Clements, 2009)those small animal characters follow Cinderella’s tradition in that they play important roles as support for the frogs so they could return to their human forms, carrying their own personality and dreams. For example, Ray is a firefly, who knows Mama Odie and agrees to help the frogs find her and nearly sacrifices himself fighting with Dr. Facilier. From his lover to the star, we can see that his personality is very gentle and kind. Moreover, Louis is a friendly neurotic alligator, who dreams to become human and joins a jazz band as the trumpet player. He is not just a background image and accompanies the frogs in their adventure. Their appearances make the narratives to be more balanced, completed and interesting. Thanks to the success of theanimal characters in Cinderella, animal characters have continued to play an important role in developing plots and, in turn, have had stories revolve around them instead of the other way round. Lastly, over the years Disney’s animations have developed an indivisible relationship with songs and musical elements. Songs provide a useful tool to breathe more definition into the characters. For example, in Cinderella, the song â€Å"A Dream is A Wish Your Heart Makes† (Geronimi, Luske, Jackson, 1950), we can observe that Cinderella is faced with many obstacles, but her dream is still kept alive in her heart, thanks to her positive attitude. This way, songs contain the power of presenting deeper content, which normal speech may not effectively communicate. Besides, the audience can see and feel the threat pertaining to the character of Dr. Facilier, for example, by virtue of the song â€Å"Friends on the Other Side† (Clements, 2009). Walt Disney has seemingly pioneered the tradition of using songs and music to replace boring conversations, because the song can portray an idea in much more detail. For example, the Fairy godmother’s song â€Å"Bibidi-Bobidi-Boo† (Geronimi, Luske, Jackson, 1950), played when she transforms the pumpkin into a coach, the mice into a horse, and Cinderella’s appearance for the ball, etc. relayed a magical element only music could provide. The song, in this context, is a much more powerful tool to present the idea than normal speech, because it gives the audience an extra vocal dimension to remember the scene with, adding to the visual impact. Moreover, the songs and music also add to the dynamics of the picture in order to present the inner meaning of the stories. By comparing the versions of â€Å"Sing Sweet Nightingale† (Geronimi, Luske, Jackson, 1950) as sung by Cinderella and her stepsisters, we can see the difference in nature of both parties, Cinderella being the gentler much more caring personality. At another instance, we can see a deeper relationship between the frogs, through the song Never knew I Needed, instead of simply saying, I think I am falling in love with you (Clements, 2009). It surrounds the narrative with a profundity in an implicit way. Disney’s animation, hence, really has the ability to capture the fantasy-oriented imagination of the audience providing entertainment both for the adults and children alike. Incorporating these qualities into Disney’s cartoon culture has enabled the creation of some of the most excellent pieces of animated and other motion-picture films that history has ever seen. How to cite Analysis of Cartoon Cultures in Walt Disney Stories, Papers

Gerhard Richter free essay sample

This paper looks at the life of German artist Gerhard Richter. This paper examines the contributions of Gerhard Richter detailing with the different stages of his life, beginning with his involvement in Hitler Youth during WWII, his involvement in East German politics which enabled him to move to West Berlin before the Berlin Wall went up. Richter painted, but he used photographs as the basis for many of his works which are abstract in nature. The writer uses several examples of Richters works to illustrate how he was constantly questioning the role of modernity in art and life. Richter asks us again and again in his work to question these ideas, to ask if modernity in either art or life is precisely what it makes itself out to be. Modernity is a trope, an idea that a group of thinkers made up to try to understand what life meant in an age in which the machines had finally won, in which not only the heavy lifting would be done by mechanical devices but also the thinking would be done by computers and the art would be made by machines with no eyes. We will write a custom essay sample on Gerhard Richter or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Work and freedom mean very different things in a world of machines, and modernity is above all else an attempt to come to an understanding of the relationship between the human body and the machine.

American History (1492

The Tale of Two Perspectives Professor Ramos Blog

The Tale of Two Perspectives -ABSFreePic.com The Tale of Two Perspectives Many extremely different cultures have been examined across the United States of America for as long as it has existed. Because the country is so large and spread far and wide, it is impossible for there to be only one culture and therefore just one singular way to identify as an American. There have been very many interpretations and perspectives on what it means to be an American. However, many authors have attempted through their writing to express what it means to be an American and how to identify as an American. Through literature, both Carl Sandburg and Jean Toomer contributed to the growth of American identity through their own appreciations of different aspects of that identity, together creating an ultimate definition of an American. Carl Sandburg emphasized a whole American identity while Jean Toomer emphasized a cultural American identity. Carl Sandburg can be seen throughout many of his works to not necessarily encourage any particular American identity in the form of what a person looks like or where they come from (Maas). Sandburg seemed to actually value the way of life of the general American. This general life included working and laboring to build a better life for yourself. This perspective is most likely due to Sandburg’s own experiences throughout his life. He was born in a small, rural house and started working as a very young boy, laboring so that he may create a better life for himself. This perspective of laboring for a better life is obviously represented in his poem â€Å"Chicago.† The very first lines of the poem, Sandburg is naming off different occupations, stating â€Å"Hog Butcher for the World,/ Tool Maker, Stack of Wheat,/ Player with Railroads and the Nation’s Freight Handler;† (Sandburg 773). By having the list of the different occupations, which are more often than not essential to every day American life, Sandburg is showing his appreciation for labor and those who do it. He is acknowledging the identity of American workers, and expressing that to be American is to work for yourself and work towards the ever attractive American Dream. While Sandburg shows his specific appreciation for laboring in the poem â€Å"Chicago,† he is specifically referring to the city of Chicago. Chicago is often seen as the heart of the United States, as it is a top commerce location and many different people from many different walks of life will flock there. Sandburg is aware of this as he writes â€Å"Chicago.† He shows pride in the city that has become the home of so many people of different standings, pasts, and social statuses. He states in his poem, â€Å"Come and show me another city with lifted head singing so/ proud to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning† (Sandburg 773). In these two lines, he is stating that because of the many people who live and work in Chicago, there is no other city like it. He is understanding that though everyone in the city may have separate identities, they are one in the same in that they are proud to be where they are, and they are moving on stronger than they were before. With these lines, Sandburg is emphasizing that American identity is not where someone may come from or what they may be, but rather how proud they are to be what they are. Carl Sandburg is seen to show an appreciation for the strength of American people who are able to push through their hardships and come out stronger on the other side. This sentiment is obvious in his poem when says, â€Å"Under the smoke, dust all over his mouth, laughing with white teeth,/ Under the terrible burden of destiny laughing as a young man laughs,/ Laughing even as an ignorant fighter laughs who has never lost a battle,/ Bragging and laughing that under his wrist is the pulse, and under his ribs the heart of the people,/ Laughing!† (Sandburg 774). Through these lines, Sandburg is stating that through every burden a man may face in Chicago, he is able to laugh. Laughing in the face of danger is a common trope seen throughout hardships of history. Sandburg sees the legitimacy in this sentiment, as many people in Chicago have a rough go at it, but are able to survive and come out stronger than they were. This ability to be strong in the face of hardship is one of the major cornerstones of American life, as believed by Carl Sandburg. He is showing that he believes that in order to be an American, you have to be willing to come out of hardships as a stronger and better person. He believes that American identity includes facing hardships head on, and being stronger because of it. Jean Toomer, though he often wrote about the South including in â€Å"Cane† and his excerpt from it â€Å"Georgia Dusk,† he only visited the South twice and was not raised in a rural setting, but in white neighborhoods where he was mostly passing as white (Ramsey). With this in mind, it is interesting that Toomer wrote about the South. However, it can be assumed that because he originally grew up in white American neighborhoods, he aspired to experience and understand the culture of African Americans. This want to appreciate this culture can be seen in â€Å"Georgia Dusk† as Toomer attempts to identify with African Americans in the South. Toomer’s appreciation for the culture can be seen in â€Å"Georgia Dusk† when Toomer says, â€Å"Race memories of king and caravan,/ High-priests, an ostrich, and a juju-man,/ Go singing through the footpaths of the swamp† (Toomer 969). These lines show vivid imagery of the old culture of African Americans before coming to America. By acknowledging this older culture, with some of it still living on in later generations, Toomer is expressing the importance of owning a culture within America. He is showing a belief that in order for one to be an American, they must know their culture and embrace it. Jean Toomer shows a similar interpretation of labor in America to Carl Sandburg, as he acknowledges laboring. Toomer states, â€Å"The sawmill blows its whistle, buzz-saws stop,/ And silence breaks the bud of knoll and hill,/ Soft settling pollen where plowed lands fulfill/ Their early promise of a bumper crop† (Toomer 969). In these lines, Toomer is acknowledging how working will affect those in America. However, Toomer ties in how working affects the culture that he focuses on. While the men are working, he states that, â€Å"Their voices rise†¦ the pine trees are guitars,/ Strumming, pine-needles fall like sheets of rain†¦/ Their voices rise†¦ the chorus of the cane/ Is caroling a vesper to the stars† (Toomer 969). Toomer is expressing that the people are able to incorporate their beloved culture into their very much American laboring. Toomer seems to be emphasizing how versatile America is when it comes to culture, as people are able to work while still observing and expressing their culture. This shows a pride in that culture, as Toomer seems to emphasize. Toomer is focusing on an American identity that shows pride in the culture that one subscribes to. To Toomer, without this pride, one would not be worthy of calling themselves an American, as they would not have any identity to begin with. Carl Sandburg and Jean Toomer through their individual focuses on American identity are able to encompass what it means to be an American. Sandburg touches on the wholeness of American identity and how being American means working for a better life and being proud of how much stronger you can get. Meanwhile, Toomer focuses in â€Å"Georgia Dusk† on the cultural aspect of being American. He shows a belief that being an American means holding on to an original culture and carrying it through to America instead of abandoning it in order to assimilate as an American. He also focuses on the idea that one must have pride in their own culture and have that strong identity with that culture. Through both of these focuses, a more encompassing, yet still specific, definition of American identity can be made. Considering the two perspectives of Carl Sandburg and Jean Toomer, the combined and ultimate definition of American identity would be an identity associated with working hard, having any culture one would like, and having pride in both of those. Since these two authors have penned their respective works, America and Americans have changed drastically. However, both of their perspectives and the combined definition are still able to be held true, though with some societal challenges. The meaning of American has been lost within the last few decades with many social and economic strains. However, this idea of American identity may soon be rediscovered as time marches on. As people begin to regain their sense of pride in who they are, where they come from, and what they believe, the perspectives of both Carl Sandburg and Jean Toomer may soon be rediscovered and reimplemented as the standards of living within the American identity. Maas, David F. â€Å"Using Gs Extension Al Devices to Explore Carl Sandburg’s Poetry.† ETC: A Review of General Semantics, vol. 62, no. 4, Oct. 2005, pp. 411–419. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=truedb=a9hAN=18596409site=ehost-live. Ramsey, William M. â€Å"Jean Toomer’s Eternal South.† Southern Literary Journal, vol. 36, no. 1, Fall 2003, pp. 74–89. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1353/slj.2003.0038. Sandburg, Carl. â€Å"Chicago.† The Norton Anthology: American Literature: 1865 to Present, edited by Robert S. Levine, W. W. Norton Company, 2017, pp 773-774. Toomer, Jean. â€Å"Georgia Dusk.† The Norton Anthology: American Literature: 1865 to Present, edited by Robert S. Levine, W. W. Norton Company, 2017, pp 968-969.

Strong Inventory analisys and MBTI Personal Statement

Strong Inventory analisys and MBTI - Personal Statement Example My MBTI test reveals that my MBTI type is INFJ. This personality type is the short form for Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Judging People who belong to this type are generated Introverted Intuition with Extraverted Feeling. According to Personality Page (2010), â€Å"As an INFJ, your primary mode of living is focused internally, where you take things in primarily via intuition†. This is to say that we look more to ourselves though we are not selfish. The reason we would look more to ourselves is because we are introverts and do not easily associate with people. Introverts are person who tends to focus on their own thoughts and feelings (EnglishTest.Net, 2011). Instead of making friend with almost everyone who comes their way, we would rather â€Å"direct their energy towards the inner world of thoughts and emotions† (Team Technology, 1995). For this reason, the INFJ personality type thinks and invents a lot. The possibility of dealing with external influence is judged by how we feel about them and how they suit our way of doing things. This is to say that we are not easily influenced. We will do things only because we feel it is right for us to do it. Personality Pages describes INFJs as people who â€Å"are gentle, caring, complex, highly intuitive, artistic and creative who live in a world of hidden meanings and possibilities.† It is believed that only 1% of the world’s population has this personality meaning it is the most uncommon. Functional Preference Ordering According to personality page (2010), there are four functional preference ordering for the INFJ which are Dominant (Introverted Intuition), Auxiliary (Extraverted Feeling), Tertiary (Introverted Thinking) and Inferior (Extraverted Sensing). According to Butt (2010), â€Å"Introverted intuitive, INFJs enjoy a greater clarity of perception of inner, unconscious processes†. The strength or advantage of this preference ordering lies in the fact that because the introve rted intuitive requires greater clarity of perception, they are deep thinkers and do not take decisions briskly. With the extraverted feeling, Butt holds the view that they â€Å"express a range of emotion and opinions of, for and about people and find themselves caught between the desire to express their wealth of feelings and moral conclusions about the actions and attitudes of others, and the awareness of the consequences of unbridled candor.† The strength in this ordering or preference is that such people are very selfless and put others first. This is seen in their habit of being caring, loving, empathetic and generous. The introverted thinking ordering also has to do with people â€Å"make decisions based on logic, so the introverted thinking function allows a person to categorize and analyze data† (My Personality Info, 2011). The final type which is extraverted sensing also carries a lot of strengths and advantages. Such a person believes in personal experience and cannot be persuaded easily to do something out of his wish. According to My Personality Info, extraverted sensing â€Å"is the ability to be keen to what is seen, smelled, touched, heard and tasted.† Relation of my MBTI to my Career Interests My career interest is in becoming an individual therapist and also to take up careers in teaching and taking to counseling and clergy work. I find this ambition so linked with my MBTI personality type. This is because as per my type, I am visionary, understand people and situation, highly principled, sensitive and compassionate, service-oriented, value authentic relationship and I dislike dealing with details unless they enhance or promote my vision† (Personality Page, 2010). These are traits that are shared in an individual therapist. This is because according to Therapists.Net, an individual therapists help others â€Å"to learn to be more confident in yourself, to make your voice heard through communication, to validate you r own emotions, to learn to love yourself, and to learn better ways of coping with anger, sadness and stress (and not rely on your

Cross Culture Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cross Culture Management - Essay Example The nature of the Indian culture comprises of people who believe in sharing love with one another yet fall short on the count of being good to them all the same. What this means is the fact that the Indians are very sensitive within their judgments and hence could lead to a number of consequences in the long run for their own domains (Henderson, 2002). The culture of India is a mixture of the Hindu and Muslim religions since Hindus are in majority while Muslims are also in a sizable proportion. India is famous for its culture manifestations through films, music, cricket and so on. These have essentially bolstered the basis of India as a country all over the world, and people know that India is one nation where one can expect color and excitement as the people like to live their lives to the maximum. The culture of India has many different forms since this is one country whose population is more than 1 and a half billion, making it the second most populous country in the world after C hina. India serves a huge population and hence its culture is manifested in a number of different ways and means. The culture of India is such that the people derive pleasure from its varied manifestations and representations. The celebrities form an essential part of the Indian culture and this is easily witnessed on the television, in the movies and on the outdoors. What is interesting to note is the fact that India boasts of a population that absolutely cherishes the idea of dance and music (Cohen, 2000). The people believe it to be a part of their everyday lives, and hence the reason that th

VOLUME AND REVENUE PROJECT Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

VOLUME AND REVENUE PROJECT - Research Paper Example The costs are divided into fixed and variable costs. The marginal costs or the contribution is calculated by subtracting the variable costs from total revenues per unit. Medical spending with regards to private insurance spending is expected to grow in the year 2014 by an estimated 9.4% (National Health Expenditure Projections 2010-2020). Spending by the government is also expected to grow in Medicare and Medicaid by 6.2 and 300 percent respectively (National Health Expenditure Projections 2010-2020). Based on this estimated for the hospital to be profitable it either has to increase the volume of patients and or increase the revenue received per procedure. conservative figure for the projected revenue of $ 15,694,583, this is by using increments in number of procedures and cost per procedure to reflect the change estimates. The total expenses are estimated to be at $ 3,134,381 Looking at the expenses it could be noted that the physician contract services had a variance of -27.8% which affected the general result of the hospital. Other areas that should be focused on are the salaries and telephone costs. The hospital could consider employing more staff for its operations. National Health Expenditure Projections 2010-2020. 20 October 2013

Jurisdictions and Functions of the FBI

Jurisdictions and Functions of the FBI The criminal justice system consists of several government agencies whose work is to track, capture, and punish criminals. These agencies each have their roles, responsibilities, and jurisdictions which they operate. It is the reason why there are specific differentiations such as the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, the New York Police Department, O.C Superior Court, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and so on. The current report focuses on the Federal Bureau of Investigation and asserts some of its core characteristics and roles in the criminal justice system field. The article divides into the agency description, jurisdiction’s authority and the scope of the responsibilities, the specific duties that are assigned to them, and the requirements of eligibility for anyone wishing to join the agency. AGENCY DESCRIPTION The FBI protects and defends the United States against threats from any terrorist and foreign intelligence, uphold and enforce criminal laws, and provide leadership and criminal justice services to the federal, state, municipal, and international agencies, and partners. Public safety is of core importance to the FBI. The agency’s headquarters are in Washington, DC. The location is strategic as it provides a centralized operational policy, which makes it easy to provide administrative support to FBI investigations. The core investigative and intelligence work is accomplished by 56 field officers situated in major U.S. cities and over 370 resident agencies, dubbed â€Å"RAs,† from all over the country. The RAs are satellite offices which are meant to give a feel that the FBI is concerned over the local community welfare. There are 64 Legal Attachà © (Legat) offices, and 14 sub-offices in 67 countries across the globe (FBI n.p.). The core values of the FBI include rigorou s obedience to the Constitution, respect for the U.S. citizens’ dignity, fairness, compassion, personal and professional dignity, non-compromise of individual and institutional integrity, and accountability (FBI Jobs 5). The current FBI Director is Christopher Wray, who has served as number eight in the position since August 2017 to present. Other senior staff include David Bowdich as the Deputy Directory, the Associate Deputy Director Paul Abbate, and Zachary Harmon who is the Chief of Staff (FBI Leadership & Structure n.p.). The office of the Director/Deputy Director/ Associate Deputy Directors has the following further divisions; finance and facilities, information management, inspection, the office of the Chief Information Officer, Congressional Affairs, EEO Affairs, General Counsel, Integrity and Compliance, Ombudsman, Professional Responsibility, Public Affairs, and Resource Planning. FBI JURISDICTION AND SCOPE OF RESPONSIBILITIES The authority held by the FBI allows the agency to make arrests for federal crimes committed. However, its jurisdiction and that of federal officers may go beyond these functions in some cases.   For example, an FBI agent is allowed to make an arrest whenever they come across a crime being committed. Other instances include arresting individuals believed to have committed a crime, or in the process of doing so as long as there is irrefutable evidence that proves the officers claim (Leopulse n.p.). The FBI typically work in conjunction with the local policies. Its investigative authority is nonetheless, the broadest of all federal law enforcement agencies. Its strategic approach stresses long-term and complex investigations, which emphasize the close working relationships with other agencies from federal, state such as Interpol, foreign police and security officers in Washington, local, international law enforcement and intelligence agencies (Office of the United States Attorneys n.p.). The liaison and information sharing practices conducted between the FBI and any international law enforcement agencies is mediated by executive orders, laws, treaties, Attorney General Guidelines, FBI governing policies, and interagency agreements (FBI International Operations n.p.). These guidelines allow for greater uniformity and control for both national and international objectives. FBI FUNCTIONS According to the Office of the United States Attorneys, the FBI agency is divided into seven programs that help it achieve its objectives. They include applicant matter, civil rights, counterterrorism, foreign counterintelligence, organized crimes/drugs, violent crimes and major offenders, and financial crime (n.p.). These are the primary responsibilities of the FBI as dictated by the law. However, due to the differences in size, potential impacts or sensitivity of the individual cases, the scope of investigation may vary with extensive attention paid to crimes that demand so. However, the scope of responsibility for the FBI is as follows according to FDIAgentEDU.org (n.p,) & Leopulse (n.p.): Terrorism. The Federal Bureau of Investigation identifies, investigates, disrupts, and arrests those with terrorist intentions (both domestic and international). This function is considered to be the most important and requires the utilization of diverse and specialized skill sets. The terrorist group also detains and interrogates any known terrorist groups or individuals on the U.S. soil Organized Crime. The function covers many kinds of well-structured, persistent, criminal enterprises such as the Italian Mafia, illegal gambling, and sports bribery. The agency is now capable of observing and recording prominent organized crime activities in foreign countries to track associates. Aside from the Mafia, the FBI covers organized crime in the Balkans, the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Eurasia, and South America.Civil Rights. The FBI also protects and upholds all civil rights of the U.S. citizens. It prevents the persecution of civil rights through such activities such as pursuing hate crimes cases, human trafficking, and so on. Alternatively, it protects the rights to access public institutions such as libraries, schools, government offices, and hospitals.Public Corruption. The FBI also concerns itself with the protection of the public against public corruption that arises through scenarios such as election fraud, government bribery, and any other instances that would undermine the democracy that the U.S. champions. It operates as the watchdog to government operations, using technology to oversee all transactions and behaviors of public officials. White-Collar Crime. The FBI is at the forefront of preventing or fighting against white-collar crimes such as mortgage fraud, money laundering, and securities fraud, antitrust, and intellectual property theft. Also related to such cases would include internet schemes, identity theft, or large-scale investing scams.Violent Crimes and Major Thefts. Gang members and online predators are part of the responsibility scope of the FBI. Property theft rings and bank robbers are also considered part of the violent crimes and significant theft category and jurisdiction of the FBI. They work with local police and provide the relevant skills to control dangerous crimes. The agency also maintains a database of stolen artwork and those responsible for the theft.Cyber Crime. The FBI also searches for people that carry out computer attacks and intrusion. Offering protection for private information, internet fraud, and identity theft are part of the FBI’s scope of responsibilities. They carry these activities both offensively and defensively. REQUIREMENTS   The FBI employs several people to fill in positions as field agents or professional staff, each of which has different requirements for entry-level positions. However, to apply for any of the posts, one must fulfill the following conditions; Disqualifiers Automatic deselection of applied candidates will take place for individuals who are non-U.S. citizens, have a history of conviction for a felony, violated the terms of the FBI Employment Drug Policy, defaulted student loans, or the failure to pass an FBI-administered drug test. Also, if one fails to register with the Selective Service System, they stand to fact automatic disqualification. Although, this requirement only applies to the male candidates. Further, any activity or attempt to or is designed to overthrow the U.S government by force is not treated kindly. Other conditions include the failure to pay child support or failing to file federal, state, or local income tax returns (FBI Jobs 12). Employment Drug Policy The FBI prides itself on being a drug-free society and workplace and does not hire applicants who currently use illegal drugs, misuse or abuse drugs or any other substances. Another instance of disqualification occurs when the candidate is believed (with proof) to have misrepresented their drug history relative to their application. Candidates may not have used marijuana for three years preceding their application, and medical forms cannot be used as mitigating factors whatsoever. The use of illegal drugs requires the candidates to be clean for more than ten years before their FBI application. In addition to this, they should not have been involved in the manufacture, distribution, transportation, or sold illegal drugs without a permit. The same case applies for prescription drugs such as anabolic steroids (FBI Jobs 13). Background Investigation Candidates must receive the FBI Top Secret Security Clearance after completion of the FBI Background Investigation. The Intensive Background Investigation follows, and once proceeds forward with employment after passing. Preliminary requirements include the use of the polygraph examination, illegal drug use test, credit and records checks, and extensive interviews with people close to the candidate such as former and current colleagues, neighbors, professors, and friends (FBI Jobs 14). Other Qualifications Candidates must possess at least a degree before applying for an FBI entry job position. If the applicant provides a degree not obtained from an accredited university or college in the United States, then it must be of equivalent certification at the time of the application. Advanced degrees may take precedence over a foreign bachelor’s degree. The agency tests both physical and mental skills. All FBI personnel must exhibit leadership, collaboration, organization, planning, problem solving and judgment, flexibility or adaptability, initiative, and communication. These must be evidenced in the application, providing evidence as to how each of these competencies are demonstrated. In addition to these, the candidate must score high on intelligence, self-discipline, and mental stability. Another condition is that one must have been successfully employed in a full-time professional work setting with three years’ experience and with a 6-month valid driver’s license. The age should not exceed 36 before the full appointment (FBI Jobs 18). Works Cited FBI Jobs. â€Å"Employment Eligibility.† Department of Justice, https://www.fbijobs.gov/working-at-fbi/eligibility FBI Jobs. â€Å"Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Selection Process Candidate Information Packet.† Department of Justice, 2017, www.fbijobs.gov/sites/default/files/Special_Agent_Candidate_Information_Packet.pdf. FBI. â€Å"Federal Bureau of Investigations Summary.† Department of Justice, 2013, www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/jmd/legacy/2013/10/08/fy13-fbi-bud-summary.pdf. FDIAgentEDU.org. â€Å"Examples of the FBIs Jurisdiction.† How to Become an FBI Agent? 2014 https://www.fbiagentedu.org/2014/06/examples-of-the-fbis-jurisdiction/ Federal Bureau of Investigations. â€Å"International Operations.† FBI, FBI, 14 June 2016, www.fbi.gov/about/leadership-and-structure/international-operations. Federal Bureau of Investigations. â€Å"Leadership & Structure.† FBI, FBI, 14 July 2016, www.fbi.gov/about/leadership-and-structure. Leopulse. â€Å"FBI Jurisdiction & Investigative Priorities.† Drug Enforcement Administrations Jurisdiction & Investigative Priorities LEO Pulse, 2018, www.leopulse.com/research/federal/fbi/jurisdiction-investigations. Office of the United States Attorneys. â€Å"9. A FBI Organizational Structure and Investigative Jurisdiction.† The United States Department of Justice, 18 Dec. 2015, https://www.justice.gov/usam/organization-and-functions-manual-9-fbi-organizational-structure-and-investigative-jurisdiction

Setting in Greasy Lake by T. Coraghessan Boyle Essay -- Greasy Lake T.

Greasy Lake by T. Coraghessan Boyle Nature has a powerful way of portraying good vs. bad, which parallels to the same concept intertwined with human nature. In the story â€Å"Greasy Lake† by T. Coraghessan Boyle, the author portrays this through the use of a lake by demonstrating its significance and relationship to the characters. At one time, the Greasy Lake was something of beauty and cleanliness, but then came to be the exact opposite. Through his writing, Boyle demonstrates how the setting can be a direct reflection of the characters and the experiences they encounter. The lake itself plays a major role throughout the story, as it mirrors the characters almost exactly. For example, the lake is described as being â€Å"fetid and murky, the mud banks glittering with broken glass and strewn with beer cans† (125). The characters are also described as being â€Å"greasy† or â€Å"dangerous† several times, which ties the lake and the characters together through their similarities. The narrator explains, â€Å"We were bad. At night we went up to Greasy Lake† (124). This demonstrates the importance that the surroundings in which the main characters’ choose to be in is extremely important to the image that they reflect. At the beginning of the story, these characters’ images and specifically being â€Å"bad† is essentially all that mattered to them. â€Å"We wore torn up leather jackets†¦drank gin and grape juice†¦sniffed glue and ether and what somebody claimed was cocaine† (124). They went out of their ...

Geo-Political and Economic Organization of Asean Essay

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is a geo-political and economic organization of ten countries located in Southeast Asia, which was formed on 8 August 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Since then, membership has expanded to include Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Its aims include accelerating economic growth, social progress, and cultural development among its members, protection of regional peace and stability, and opportunities for member countries to discuss differences peacefully. ASEAN has emphasized regional cooperation in the â€Å"three pillars†, which are security, sociocultural integration, and economic integration. The regional grouping has made the most progress in economic integration by creating an ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by 2015. AEC envisages the following key characteristics: (a) a single market and production base, (b) a highly competitive economic region, (c) a region of equitable economic development, and (d) a region fully integrated into the global economy. The implementation of AEC is able to boost economic returns of countries in ASEAN due to cooperative and collaborative as a group could have generated a larger overall pool of benefits to be distributed among than countries than each will ultimately achieve by working on its own. But nevertheless in my opinion, Thailand will be of great concerns to many businesses in the region when AEC is established. Thailand possess in an advantageous geographical position which is located at the strategic center position in ASEAN, foreign companies be obliged to set up a solid foundation for the base material storage and product distribution to export their products to the countries in ASEAN if they are intend to establish market in ASEAN. Other than that, open economy policy of Thailand is closely integrated in the AEC blueprint. Thus it can be seen, Thailand’s markets will be benefit most among the countries in ASEAN when it come into effect in 2015. According to a news report on Thailand newspaper World Journal, also known as Chinese Daily News, a sense of urgency is palpable in enterprises all type and in virtually every industry in Thailand since AEC will be organize soon. A number of listed companies adjusting corporate business strategies and formulating an aggressiveness marketing program are being stepped up without cease in order to meet the new challenges and opportunities that will be  occur after two or three years. Managing director of TICON (Ticon Industrial Connection Public Company Limited), Mr. Virapan Pulges indicated that TICON had already the corporate strategies to cope with the regional economic integration by 2015, focus on the greatly increasing future demand of distribution center and warehouses facilities in Thailand. The Chief Executive Officer of CMO (Creative Management Organization), Sermkhun Kunawong revealed that convention and exhibition industries will be enormously benefit from the establish of AEC because the convention and exhibition industries in Thailand are occupied leading level among ASEAN countries. CMO planned to gain further insight into related convention and exhibition industries regulation of other countries in Asian in order to seek business opportunities and establish close contact with logistic industries in Asian countries. Chairman of the board of DRT (Diamond Roofing Tiles Public Company Limited), Prakit Prathipasen mentioned that his company always maintains their products export to Vietnam and Cambodia, but they will expand their export markets to Malaysia and Indonesia from now on, they planned to set up a warehousing distribution center at Changwat Surat Thani, Thailand to aiming at above markets. The presidents of MFEC (MFEC Public Company Limited), Siriwat Vongjarukorn stated that Information and Technology industries will benefit from establish of AEC. The implementation of open and liberal investment policies and actively encourage inward investment will extremely intensify markets competitive in ASEAN. Company must pay close attention in adjusting corporate strategies, increasing competitive advantages and implement performance evaluation on a more concrete form, herein attract the investment that is in favor of the Information and Technology industries. His company has long been prepared for the establishment of AEC through service integration with various companies to increase competitive advantages and the advantage of fully satisfies known customers’ demand. The new report above let us know about that how the leaders of companies in Thailand deal with the change. Four of them accept the inevitability of change and recognize changes as potential of sources of energy and self-renewal, they develop effective management skills that help organization move towards something better. They shared a common vision of  responsibilities and economy opportunities for their companies and countries, an idolized goal has been created by them to seize the opportunities for expand their markets and try to maximized their benefits from the establishment of AEC. That is every appearance that we can almost certain they possess Charismatic Leadership- they have a vision, they are willing to take personal risks to achieve that vision, they are sensitive to follower needs, and they exhibit behavior that are out of the ordinary. The Key characteristics of charismatic leadership that they possess are: 1. Vision and articulation- They has the clear visions that proposes a future better than the status quo and is able to clarify the importance of the vision in terms that are understandable to others. They planned and implementing the new corporate strategies to meet the establishment of AEC by 2015 and they has a good idea how the strategies can benefit their companies and countries. 2. Personal risk- They willing to take on high personal risk, incur high costs, and engage in self-sacrifice to achieve the vision. According to their narrations, their new corporate strategies involve high costs to build large infrastructure facilities within or outside their country for large scale productions, they has to take on the responsibilities and possibilities of failure at their own risk. 3. Sensitivity to follower needs- They are perceptive of others’ abilities and responsive to their needs and feelings. Due to their company involve in large scale capitals and productions, they must appoint some qualified person to important positions. 4. Unconventional behavior- They engage in behaviors that are perceived as novel and counter to norms. They being as successful leaders will never assumed that if they could just keep things running on a steady without changing and vision, their companies would be successful. AEC is an international collaboration project among ASEAN countries, good workers or followers will be an essential part if the companies endeavor to obtain benefits and advantages from the project. Followers of charismatic leaders have higher task performance, task performance, and adjustment to the leader and to the group than did followers who worked under groups led by noncharismatic leaders. There are four-step process shows that how do  charismatic leaders influence followers. 1. Articulate a vision- It begins by the leader articulating an appealing vision. A vision is a long-term strategy for how to attain a goal or goals. The vision provides a sense of continuity for followers by linking the present with a better future for the organization. The leaders share their vision with followers about the steps to attain goals in future through AEC by 2015. 2. Create a vision statement- A vision is incomplete unless it has an accompanying vision statement. A vision statement is a formal articulation of an organization’s vision or mission. Charismatic leader may use vision statement to â€Å"imprint† on followers an overarching goal and purpose. Once a vision and vision statement are established, the leader then communicates high performance expectations and expresses confidence that followers can attain them. This enhances follower self-esteem and self-confidence. Leaders create framework for all their strategic planning that will apply to entity companies to meet the goals. 3. Create a new set of values- The leader conveys a new set of values and through words and actions by his or her behavior, set an example to followers to imitate. Charismatic leaders were more effective because their employees personally identified with the leaders. Finally, the charismatic leader engages in emotion-inducing and often unconventional behavior to demonstrate courage and convictions about the vision. There is an emotional contagion in charismatic leadership whereby followers â€Å"catch† the emotions their leader is conveying. As I have mentioned at above, AEC is an international collaboration project among ASEAN countries, so leaders should create a new values that can apply to ASEAN countries instead of old values that are relate only with a country. 4. Demonstrate the vision- Because the vision is such a critical component of charismatic leadership, we should clarify exactly what we mean by the term, identify specific qualities of an effective vision, and offer some examples. Leaders implement the visions with their followers to achieve the goals. According to the other news report of Thailand newspaper World Journal, Department of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Commerce held a round table meeting with regard to tourism recently, discussed the opportunities and development  in tourist industry after Thailand join AEC by 2015. The round table meeting invited the Ministry of Tourism and Sport, relevant departments and travel agencies to participate in discussion. Head of Foreign Trade Department indicate that the integration of ASEAN will mainly reflect the effect in investment and mobility of human resource after the establishment of AEC. By that time, Thailand will see further competitive in tourism markets from other ASEAN countries. Therefore, Thailand is critical to maintain and increase its own competitiveness to adapt to the markets and create great development progress. After the discussion in round table meeting, the methods were considered as effectiveness in increasing competitiveness of tourist industries of Thailand included: 1. Unify the standardization of tourism service, adopt international standard progressively to guild and measure. 2. Train employees with systematically, instill professional knowledge to them and also let them learn to master foreign language. 3. Formulate trade standard, avoid price war break out. 4. Establish good relationship with other ASEAN countries. 5. Create stricter law and legislation, crack down on illegal activities related to tourist industries. Moreover, the round table meeting believed that short term and long term plans should be formulate to guide travel agencies solve their problems in order to accelerated development and faces the competitive from ASIAN countries positively. We can address the foregoing changes of Ministry of Commerce, Thailand as an international and goal-oriented activity, we can also described the scenario as planned change. Essentially there are two goals in planned change. First, it seeks to improve the ability of the organization or industry to adapt to changes in its environment. Second, it seeks to change employee behavior. If an organization or industry is to survive, it must respond to changes in its environment. When competitors introduce new products or services, government agencies enact new laws, important sources of supplies go out of business,  or similar environmental changes take place, the organization or industry needs to adapt. Efforts to stimulate innovation, empower employees, and introduce work teams are examples of planned-change activities directed at responding to changes in the environment. Because an organization or industry’s success or failure is essentially due to the things that its employees do or fail to do, planned change also is concerned with changing the behavior of individuals and groups within the organization. In the above case, Ministry of commerce improves the competitiveness and abilities of tourist industries in Thailand and train employees to improve their qualities to face the changes brought by AEC, like the increase of competitors are fully consistent with planned change. Change agents are responsible for managing change activities, change agents can be managers or nonmanagers, current employees of an organization, newly hired employees, or outside consultants, but the Ministry of Commerce, travel agencies and employees of tourist industries are the change agents in this case. However, when people are confronted with change, resistance to change appears to be natural and positive state. One of the well-documented findings from studies of individual and organizational behavior is that organizations and their members resist change. One recent study showed that even when employees are shown data that they need to change, they latch onto whatever data they can find that suggests they are alright and don’t need to change. Our egos are fragile, and we often see change as threatening. In order to avoid continue walking in the old steps and seclude oneself, seven tactics have been suggested for use by change agents in dealing with resistance to change: 1. Education and Communication- Resistance can be reduced through communicating with employees to help them see the logic of a change. Communication can reduce resistance on two levels. First, it fights the effects of misinformation and poor communication. Second, communication can be helpful in â€Å"selling† the need for change. The changes are most effective if Minister of Commerce communicate its rationale balancing various participants’ interest versus a rationale based on minister or heads of  department’s interest only. 2. Participation- It’s difficult for individuals to resist a change decision in which they participated. Prior to making a change, those opposed can be brought into the decision process. Assuming that the participants have the expertise to make a meaningful contribution, their involvement can reduce resistance, obtain commitment, and increase the quality of the change decision. Therefore, Minister of Commerce should invite particip ations from various industries that are related to tourist industries to increase the success rate of changes. 3. Building Support and Commitment- Change agents can offer a range of supportive efforts to reduce resistance. When employees’ fear and anxiety are high, employee counseling and therapy, new-skills training, or a short paid leave or absence may facilitate adjustment. Research on middle managers has shown that when managers or employees have low emotional commitment to change, they favor the status quo and resist it. So firing up employees can also help them emotionally commit to the change rather than embrace the status quo. Minister of Commerce should fully support all of the participants by effort and money due to they are same sided and share same purposes to benefit their countries and industries. 4. Implementing Changes Fairly- Try as managers might to have employees see change positively, most workers tend to react negatively. Most people simply don’t like change. But one way organizations can minimize the negative impact of change, even when employees frame it a s a negative, is to makes sure the change is implemented fairly. Procedural fairness becomes especially important when employees perceive an outcome as negative, so when implementing changes, it’s crucial that organizations bend over backwards to make sure employees see the reason for the change, and perceive that the changes are being implemented consistently and fairly. Technical support and financial support allocate by Minister of Commerce to participants must be absolutely fair and free of discrimination or bias. 5. Manipulation and Cooptation- Manipulation refers to covert influence attempts. Twisting and distorting facts to make them appear more attractive, withholding undesirable information, and creating false rumors to get employees to accept a change are all examples of manipulation. Cooptation, on the other hand, is a form of both manipulation and participation. It seeks to â€Å"buy off† the leaders of a resistance group by giving them a key role in the  change decision. The leaders’ advice is sought, not to seek a better decision, but to get their endorsement. Ministry of Commerce can conceal the fact that will be against by participants in order to cooperative production. This method is not recommended to change agents unless there are left with no choice, because the tactics can backfire if the targets become aware they are being trick or used. 6. Selecting People Who Accept Change- Research suggests that the ability to easily accept and adapt to change is related to personality. It appears that people who adjust best to change are those who are open to experience, take a positive attitude toward change, are willing to take risks, and are flexible in their behavior. Ministry of Commerce should select participants who are positive self-concept and high risk tolerance because they are coped better with change. 7. Coercion- Coercion is the application of direct threats or force on the resisters. The examples of coercion are threats of transfer, loss of promotions, negative performance evaluations, and a poor letter of recommendation. This method can use to be directed against participants who are not follow instructions or rules that made by Ministry of Commerce. No discussion of resistance to change would be complete without a brief mention of the politics of change because change invariably threaten and the status quo, it inherently implies political activity. In the frame of ASEAN Economic Community, enterprises need to the notion of operation and management to get the best of the achievement of free flow system from essential productive factors. Companies should convert to from the operation strategies that confines only to domestic markets transnational operation though establish relationship with business partners in the area of ASEAN. The most important thing is to put the pressure on formulate a new business planning for strives to adapt the changes and committed to the new business opportunities. The establishment of AEC is expected to create bigger markets for products of Thailand, at the same time, companies of Thailand should examine themselves if they are brace to become a member of AEC while speed up with enhance comprehensive strength. Most of the ASEAN countries are not fully prepare to meet AEC, there are still some disadvantages in various directions for Thailand, especially the  political situation of Thailand not showing any specific development route, some corporation are still lack of related knowledge result in not fully prepare of relevant plans. For this purpose, Thailand should make full use of advantages and rational utilization of resources to increase competitiveness to differentiates their superiority with other ASEAN countries for the in coming of establishment of AEC by 2015. References Aseansec.org (2007) ASEANWEB – ASEAN Economic Community. [online] Available at: http://www.aseansec.org/18757.htm [Accessed: 1 Oct 2012]. Chinaasean.org (2005) Ministry of Commerce of Thailand Appeal Tourist Industries to Increase Competitiveness. [online] Available at: http://www.chinaasean.org/html/report/1259802-1.htm [Accessed: 1 Oct 2012]. En.wikipedia.org (1967) Association of Southeast Asian Nations – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASEAN#From_CEPT_to_AEC [Accessed: 1 Oct 2012]. ROBBINS, S. and JUDGE, T. (2010) Organizational Behavior. 13th ed. Prentice Hall, p.447-450,654-659. News.sina.com.tw (1996) Thailand Listed Company Adjust Strategies to Meet AEC [online] Available at: http://news.sina.com.tw/article/20120626/7156145.html [Accessed: 1 Oct 2012].

Consumer Perception on Security in E-Commerce Portals Essays

Consumer Perception on Security in E-Commerce Portals Essays Consumer Perception on Security in E-Commerce Portals Essay Consumer Perception on Security in E-Commerce Portals Essay With the introduction of internet and e-commerce many companies have been performing their business transactions through e portals such as C2B (Consumer to Business), B2C (Business to Consumer) etc. Increasing technology changes has bought tremendous changes in online business transactions and /or processes (buying and selling) and currently this process has become common. Currently E-commerce portals are playing a vital role in online business and here most consumers have varying opinions or views on online transactions especially security, privacy and trust. Security and privacy are the two major aspects that drive online businesses which leads online consumers to develop trust on the e-portals. This ultimately increases the business processes. Keeping in view this as a major aspect this research investigates and discusses the varying consumer perceptions on privacy, security and trust in electronic commerce portals. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES This research aims at discussing varying consumer perceptions on privacy, security and trust on electronic commerce portals. The intended aim is achieved through following objectives * Analyze consumer perceptions on varying characteristics of e-commerce portals * Examine the various factors that influence consumer trust and privacy on e-commerce portals * Identify the antecedents and consequences of online consumers privacy concerns * Examine how various security factors affect consumer perceptions towards e-commerce portal BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY The competition is on the increase in this highly advanced segment of marketing, both in number and intensity. More number of websites or portals are offering their services/products with lot of value additions and better quality. Selling of the services or goods, groceries, clothes, music, travel, tickets, hardware, gifts, flowers, books are a part of the e-merchandise. Insurance, smart cards, debit cards, financial services, credit cards, internet banking, banking machines etc. , are a part of the e-finance products. If any website seriously intends for retention of it existing customers (in addition to attractive more number of new customers), hey need to incorporate in their marketing strategies the relationship paradigm (Hsu, Li-Chang amp; Wang, 2008; Walczack et. al, 2006). Internet Effects on Trade and Commerce Utilization of the internet has become one of the important marketing channels and medium. In this scenario, it is the responsibility of the Managers to efficiently manage the scarce marketing resources under the purview of the internet channels in order to improve the sustainab le customer relationships. Every business entity needs to focus on the customer’s perception of improving the security, in order to maintain long term relationship. This is an important aspect in view of the fact that the customers depend on the internet for gathering the information as well as for purchases online and become very loyal to the company or a particular brand of the product they are interested in (Bart et. al. , 2005). Web Site Designing Crucial Concerns Designing of a website is one of the critical parts of internet marketing strategies as well in addressing the security concerns of the customers/consumers. The characteristics that are generally emphasized in the website categories are navigation, privacy and security (or the trust). (Bart et. al. , 2005). A website needs to be viewed as a virtual store from the consumer’s standpoint and needs to gain customer’s trust in order to create a meaningful shopping experience. A consumer’s online interaction through the website can be co-related to the experience at a store in person. Naturally, consumers develop perceptions of trust basing on their website interaction and experience. However, the trust of a consumer developed on the website depends on the extent of confidence on the security and safety of the portal. Only basing on these factors the consumer’s perceptions are formed either positive or otherwise. The level of satisfaction derived by a customer by a portal depends to a great extent on the authenticity and believability of the information offered by a portal (Bart et. al. , 2005). Privacy Vs Freedom of Information Every individual has a right to retain the information of their own tax, medical and other government related documents and this highly sensitive and ersonalized information is not revealed by the hospitals/doctors, financial institutions, business parties or the government agencies to irrelevant third parties. The Capitalistic societies are trading with the personal data as a saleable commodity (Jan, 2005), resulting in the privacy and free market policies being at odds with each other. Advanced data management technologies have re sulted in sophisticated â€Å"Consumer database and management systems† which in turn has become a fast growing and highly profitable business activity by itself. Data stored digitally has an indefinite span of life; because of which, consumers are apprehensive about their personal information being shared with unintended third parties (Warren amp; Brandies, 1890). In the present day context, the â€Å"rights to privacy† is directly conflicting with the â€Å"freedom or the right to information† being implemented by various democratic societies (Udo, 2001). Protection of the individual personal identifiable information is covered under the privacy. This is one of the major key drivers of online trust. A person buying a system may not reveal so much of personal information as the one who is travelling or even commuting. Traveler has to identify self, place of residence, place of travel, date of travel and such other details which are of prime importance and need meant to be disclosed to everyone – specially those who are not relevant to the issue. Security relates to the information revealed online such as credit card, debit card or the other financial related information, used for purchase of goods and services (Hoffman, Novak amp; Tom, 1996; Peratla, 1999). The need for online trust is very high for website categories which require presentation and navigation of information. The consumers may rely more on the brand strength of the product/ portal, while searching the websites. Advice is also one of the stronger determinants of online trust of website categories, for information on high search efforts. High involvement items are generally associated with the issue of order fulfillment conditions. Community features are very useful in trusting the information in cases where the expected sharing of the information in unknown circles is very high. Consumers generally expect the website to be â€Å"error free† (such as incorrect processing of information or the site containing wrong information) since they do not accept information error on the websites as the information becomes the critical input for their decisions making (Hoffman, Novak amp; Tom, 1996; Peratla, 1999). Regulation – Sanctity of Online Privacy Statements Of late it has become customary on the part of every website to have a privacy statement displayed prominently. This has become compulsory in view of increasing consumer perception of their security and safety being at risk while transacting on the e-commerce portals. In order to nullify the negative feelings of the consumers, privacy statements have been resorted to by the owners of various e-commerce web portals (Jan, 2005). Seldom, the privacy statements on the websites really try to protect the consumers from misutilization of their data and privacy. Mostly, they exhibit the same as per the regulatory requirements. There is lot of ambiguity in these privacy statement declarations, which are not clear in their terms and conditions and most of the time they are vague, unclear and highly confusing. The consumers are really taken for a jolly good ride by these statements, which are prepared in the interest of the owners; not the consumers (Jan, 2005). The Efficacy of Privacy Statements Unfortunately, despite various regulatory authorities being in place, the companies are not legally obliged to protect the consumers in true sense. It is up-to the consumers themselves to protect their privacy by taking care and precaution while dealing with such e-commerce portals. The consumer is expected to read the privacy statement in detail and take a decision accordingly, whether or not to divulge the personal information through such web portals. Obviously, consumers who are high users of internet services, while the occasional browsers of the internet will be taking high risk in dealing with the e-commerce portals. The high users of internet services have more awareness of privacy issues and hence will be very discrete in sharing their personal information with the web portals. (Miyazaki amp; Fernandez, 2000; Sheehan amp; Hoy; 2000). While participating in various online activities, consumers have always expressed their serious concern as regards their privacy aspects. Various legislations have been made to improve the privacy levels of the consumers. Unfortunately, such legislations have been misused by the portals to their advance, for example Amazon. com had recently publicized their privacy police statement without any notice to the consumers. As per this policy, Amazon. com could use (trade with) the personal data of the consumers with out their consent. Every organization with internet presence, cannot deny the fact that the privacy is the key factor the success of online transactions (Miyazaki amp; Fernandez, 2000). Internet Seals of Approval This is an effort by a group of companies having their online presence, to promote a third party seal of approval system in order to counter the efforts of legislation of privacy policies by various government authorities. Despite this seal of approval system being in force for couple of decades now, discussions are still inconclusive as regards – i) improving the online e-commerce portals’ privacy related practices that are acceptable to the consumers as per their expectations. ii) The extent of influence on consumer’s perceptions by such privacy policies and their implementation (Krishnamurthy amp; Sandeep, 2002). The so called seal of approval has very little or negligible impact on the consumer perceptions on the believability; since the same has been carried out by an agency of the e-commerce portal management / owners and not by a government or legalized authority. It has been believed that it is not in the best interests of the consumers and it is only intended to help the e-commerce portals to improve their business revenues by way of trying to influence the consumers by giving a feeling of total privacy assurance. Even after having failed to convince the consumers on a high note, the system of seal of approval is still continuing to be used in the market place of e-commerce portals (Krishnamurthy amp; Sandeep, 2002) Thus, this study tries to discuss and analyze the differentiating perceptions of consumers towards internet privacy, security that leads to trust on e portals. In this regard this research also looks for consumer perceptions towards e portals, key drivers of internet security, and characteristics of consumer perceptions and measures that can be used or implemented to reduce consumer perceptions on security. Further this research intends to put forward the antecedents and consequences of online consumer privacy and few recommendations to overcome the increasing security related issues to e portals which could help the consumers to effectively use e-portals, and the portals to give efficient and effective services to their online consumers. Therefore the following sections give a clear picture of these aspects in the research. LITERATURE REVIEW E-commerce portals (B2B / B2C) Today business is done with many communication technologies such as mail order phone, mail order fax, walk-in retail and so on. Web and internet are said to be another medium of communication (Vark, 1997). With the increasing demands of online customers the need of scalable, fast, accurate and secured information exchange is very important. This creates trust in online consumers. E-commerce is generally defined as a means for transactions of goods and services through internet (some of these could be B2B, B2C etc. ). E-commerce creates an indirect access of the business products and services to the customers who intend to buy just sitting at one place. This can be said as a more relaxed way of shopping (Akther, 2004). E-portals provide a wide range of products and services and if any customers intend to buy through moving for shopping they have to move to different locations to get the same, so e-portals can be said as â€Å"one sit shopping†. Security in e-commerce portals Security is defined as the protection of data against accidental or intentional disclosure to unauthorized persons, or unauthorized modification or destruction (Udo, 2001). Security is also defined as the protection of data against accidental or intentional disclosure to unauthorized persons, or unauthorized modifications or destruction. Privacy refers to the rights of individuals and organizations to determine for themselves when, how, and to what extent information about them is to be transmitted to others (Udo, 2001). According to Hsu, Li-Chang amp; Wang (2008); Mc. Knight et. al. (2002) security is one of the major and important factors of this relationship marketing. For a successful business relationship, security is generally is considered as the crucial component in the relationship marketing paradigm. Security is a mutual detriment of behavior and an indication of confidence in the exchange partner’s integrity and its reliability. The importance of consumer perceptions on security in e- portals has been stressed by many researchers and practitioners keeping in view different perspectives such as social, economic, institutional, ethical, organizational, managerial, and technological approaches (Chang et al. 2005, Moon, Gefen and Straub 2004), while Jarvenpaa et al. (1999) and (2000) in their preceding studies have suggested importance of consumer perceptions on security with respect to internet sites (online websites) and comparatively some other studies were also investigated importance of B2B on consumer buying behaviors and their varying expectations (Akhter et. al. , n. d). According to Miyazaki amp; Fernandez (2000) online consumer s purchasing behavior is affected due to concerns related to security. Due to low consumer trust these concerns may raise high risk concerns or low buying behavior. It is viewed (Akhter et. al. , n. d) that based on the experience online consumer consciously or subconsciously analyze the security levels provided online and decide to continue transactions with that particular business (company) or move to another. Technical and non technical barriers in e-commerce have been discussed by Akhter (2004 amp; 2006), Tassabehji (2003) and Turban et al. , (2000) which are considered as barriers of online growth and development. Some of the barriers are said as lack of security and reliability, standard technologies for secure payment and proven online business models. Security is a major concern to vendors in B2C as this reflects the consumer perceptions towards that business. As there is uncertainty and due to many complications present in e-commerce online consumers think of whether their financial information such as credit card are safe to send to a vendor through internet (Akhter, 2006) and due to this most consumers fear to provide their credit card information on internet to do any transaction. According to an argument done by Akhter (2004), online consumer trust can be increased if e commerce or e portals can create a positive opinion on the system that it is trustworthy and secure. Key Drivers of Online Trust Trust is a fundamental principal of every business relationship. Trust is the critical factor in stimulating purchase over internet (Corbit et. al. , 2003). Most internet marketing sites lack trust of consumer either in merchant honesty or competency. Thus trust plays a vital role on online consumer activities there by leading to ecommerce success (Corbit et. al. , 2003). Trust is said to be characterized by uncertainty, reliability, dependency and venerability and these are reflected on online transactions. According to Corbit et. al. , (2003) in the relationship marketing paradigm, trust is generally viewed as an essential ingredient for a successful relationship. Trust as a willingness to rely on an exchange partner in whom one has confidence. Trust is the perception of ‘‘confidence in the exchange partner’s reliability and integrity. According to balance theory it states that consumers tend to develop a positive towards those with whom they have prior association. Greater the association, more the consumer experience, more is the positive attitude developed towards e-commerce sites. Successful e-commerce websites are those that build trust in consumers and reduce the risk perceptions through effective technologies and marketing activities (Corbit et. al. , 2003). Some of the key drivers of online trust are – security privacy – advice brand strength fulfillment of order conditions – features of the community – error free transaction or absence of errors of all these Security and Privacy being of highest importance (Warren amp; Brandies, 1980). The basic human dignity calls for â€Å"a right to be let alone† or a right to total privacy. In the present day the powerful media or the press has taken over to a new proportion. With the advancement of information technology as well the rise of the information society, privacy levels have been curtailed by the latest â€Å"right to information acts† being implemented by various governments (Warren amp; Brandies, 1980). According to a company website (ecommerce-digest. om) most ecommerce merchants leave the mechanics to their hosting company or IT staff, but it helps to understand the basic principles and discuss some of the basic principles of customer security as following and states that any system has to meet following four requirements: * Privacy: information must be kept from unauthorized parties * Integrity: message must not be altered or tampered with * Authentication: sender and recipient must prove their identities to each other * Non-repudiation: proof is n eeded that the message was indeed received (ecommerce-digest. com). Online Privacy Policies and Adoption of Internet Seals Fair Information Practice Principles, which were adopted prior to the internet widespread, need to be based for arriving at online privacy standards. These primary principles are as follows: Notice: Disclosing the information practices by the Data Collectors (e-commerce web portals) prior to the collecting of the personal information from the consumers. This totally keeps the consumer aware of the practices being adopted by the web portal and whatever decision is taken subsequently is at their own risk and security aspects (Miyazaki amp; Fernandez 2000; Sheehan amp; Hoy, 2000). Choice: Consumers needs to be kept aware of whether and how – the personal information provided by them online the portal, could be used, beyond the purposes for which the information is provided by them to the e-commerce web portal. Here, the consumers are not only alerted on the ways of utilizing the information, also their prior consent is obtained in order to proceed further for intended purposes (Miyazaki amp; Fernandez 2000; Sheehan amp; Hoy, 2000). Access: provision of letting the consumers being able to view the accuracy as well as the completeness of the data gathered from them by the e-commerce web portal. This enables them to contest the same, if they so desire to do so (Miyazaki amp; Fernandez 2000; Sheehan amp; Hoy, 2000). Security: This is the major concern of any consumer. As the consumers are slowly but steadily moving from physical shopping to the internet shopping environments. This aspect only stops them from using the e-commerce portals, for the fear of its inadequate security measures or the levels. As such, the role of Security in this kind of environment is highly desirable form the consumer’s perception (Miyazaki amp; Fernandez 2000; Sheehan amp; Hoy, 2000). The data collectors or the e-commerce web based portals, need to assure the consumers that the information collected on line from them is â€Å"totally accurate, secure and will not be used for un-authorized purposes by the people, who are not supposed to be dealing with such data of the consumers† (Miyazaki amp; Fernandez 2000; Sheehan amp; Hoy, 2000). PROBLEM DEFINITION E-commerce is an act involving an online transaction. It could be anything from ordering a product or service online, paid content being delivered online sometimes, and financial transactions such as payments to various services such as water, electricity, telephone, rail, road and air services, movement of money from one account to another. The opportunities that arise out of E-commerce are: E-learning, E-business, E-insurance, E-ticketing etc. The internet based E-Commerce, besides its own major advantages, has some is-advantages too coming with it. These days, most of the web sites on the Internet are not focusing on the security, privacy and trust concerns of the consumers; which is highly essential for an ongoing relationship with the consumers. Most of the websites, unfortunately, are acting as â€Å"online service catalogs providers or catalog display centers†. Their failure to convince the consumers on the security and safety of their privacy issues is leading to failu re of not being able to convert the â€Å"clicks† into â€Å"closure of deals†. This is simply because they are not effective on their website on the safety, privacy and trust related information as expected by the consumers of the present day. Therefore, here security, privacy and trust are the major concern of any consumer. As more consumers are slowly but steadily moving from regular shopping to the internet shopping environments these aspects become very vital for the consumers. Thus this research intends to investigate and discuss the varying consumer perceptions on security, privacy and trust in e-commerce portals. RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES The purpose of this study is to investigate and discuss the perceptions of online consumers towards privacy, security and trust on e-portals. The different perceptions reported in this paper were identified by review of literature in relation to this issue (trust, security and privacy). A questionnaire consisting 21 questions were developed and mailed to 150 e-commerce (B2B and B2C) consumers (an email survey was conducted) in three major emirates of UAE (Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah) where in 108 individuals responded to the survey. The questions were developed from literature review, news, security and privacy issues. People who make online shopping have email Id’s as conformation of purchase is made through emails, hence we have approached this methodology. The sample email ids were borrowed from social networking sites. A pilot email was sent to them to assess their willingness to participate in this survey. Only those who were interested in the survey were sent the main questionnaire. SURVEY RESULTS The following tables (table 1 and 2) indicate the percentage responses according to demographics, consumer behavior other issues related to usage of e-portals Table 1: Percentage response according to gender, age and occupation Characteristics| % Response| Gender| Males| 72. 3| Females| 27. 7| Age| 18-25| 23. 2| 25-35| 48. 1| 35-45| 15. 4| 45-55| 12. 3| 55 and above| 2. 0| Occupation| Managers| 12. 2| Employees| 36. 3| Students| 17. 2| Others| 34. 3| According to the demographics out of 108 people surveyed 72. 3% were males and 27. 7% were males of which 23. 2% were under the age group of 18 – 25, 48. 1% were under the age group of 25 – 35, 15. 4% were under the age group of 35 – 45, 12. 3% were under the age group of 45 – 55 and the other 2. 0% were under the age group of 55 and above. Next considering the occupation of the respondents surveyed it is seen that 12. 2% were managers, 36. % were employees, 17. 2% were students and 34. 3% were others. This clearly indicates that the survey included more percentage of males when compared to females and people in the age group of 25-35 are of the highest and most on the respondents were employees and others. The following table indicates the percentage response i n accordance with consumer behavior and opinion towards browsing e-portals and online purchases, E-portal sites regularly visited, Frequency of online purchase, Concernedness and Willingness. Table 2: Consumer behavior towards browsing, purchase, frequency of usage, concernedness and willingness Behavior| % Response | Browse e-portals| Yes| 98. 5| No| 1. 5| Online purchases| Yes| 68. 7| No| 31. 3| E-portal sites regularly visited| Brownbag. ae| 21. 2| eRealDeal. com| 30. 1| Frobes. com| 3. 0| Ellamart. com| 24. 5| eTechnoworld. com| 18. 1| BooksArabia. com| 3. 1| Frequency of online purchase| Regularly| 42. 3| Occasionally| 46. 4| Never| 11. 3| Concernedness| Strongly concerned| 96. 3| Concerned| 3. 6| Neutral| 1| Not concerned| Nil| Willingness| Yes | 2. 3| No| 97. 7| According to the survey results it is seen that 98. 5% respondents browse e-portals and of which 68. 7% make transactions through e-portals. RealDeal. com portal is mostly used (30. 1%) in UAE by the respondents where as Ellamart. com stands in the 2nd position (24. 5%). Occasional purchasers are more (46. 4%) when compared to regular purchasers (42. 3%). Survey indicates that 96. 3% people are strongly concerned towards the abuse of your financial and other personal information when/they purchase things online. When questioned abou t willingness towards purchase of anything online in case their (consumer) concerns are addressed or eliminated, this survey indicated that 97. 7% people do not show willingness. The following table indicates the level of opinions of online consumers towards various issues related to security, privacy and trust. Table 3: Consumer perceptions towards issues related to security, privacy and trust Level of opinion| % Response| Online or internet security is becoming an increasingly important issue| Strongly agree| 47. 5| Agree| 31. 6| Neutral| 12. 7| Disagree| 5. 7| Strongly disagree| 0. 6| The privacy of Internet users is greatly violated| Strongly agree| 41. 8| Agree| 33. 5| Neutral| 11. 4| Disagree| 9. 5| Strongly disagree| 1. 9| Internet (e-portals) shopping sites cannot be trusted| Strongly agree are sufficient to provide security and safety on the Internet| Strongly agree| 4. 3| Agree| 20. 9| Neutral| 25. 8| Disagree| 38. 1| Strongly disagree| 6. 4| I am assured of the safety of my credit card information on the e-portals| Strongly agree| 3. 1| Agree| 11. 5| Neutral| 15. 1| Disagree| 29. 8| Strongly disagree| 38. 0| Stalking and impersonation (including forged identity) are common on the e-portals| Strongly agree| 32. 3| Agree| 42. 4| Neutral| 13. 9| Disagree| 7. 0| Strongly disagree| 2. 5| Security and privacy concerns are barriers for my shopping online| Strongly agree| 44. 1| Agree| 31. 2| Neutral| 20. 5| Disagree| 3. 2| Strongly disagree| 1. 0| As depicted over 89. % of participants (strongly agreed and agree) agreed that online or internet security is becoming an increasingly important issue. A large number 85. 3% of participants (strongly agreed and agree) agreed that the privacy of internet users is greatly violated; looking at the response for Internet (e-portals) shopping sites cannot be trusted it is indicated that 69. 0% agreed (strongly agreed and agree) where as 22. 2% showed a neutral opinion. The survey indicates that 13. 7% participants were neutral but a highly 90. 3% participants agreed that reduced the risk of liability, e-portals should institute privacy protection policies. RECOMMENDATIONS Measures to Reduce the Consumer’s Negative Perceptions on Security With the kind of negative consumer perception on the e-commerce trading and patronizing with such portals, it becomes important on the part of the owners of such portals to attempt reducing the consumers perceived security (risk) factors. One of such important measures could be the use of seal of approval from a third party agency. Attestation by such third parties on the maintenance of security and privacy levels, may be believed by the consumers, better than the one’s issued by the own agencies of e-commerce portal managements. This improved trust or the confidence level of the consumers, helps improving the online transactions using the e-commerce portals. Secondly, the seal of approval can be treated as a co-branding strategy of a web based e-commerce portal aligning with a trusted third party agency which ultimately leads to the gain of trust/confidence of the potential customers/consumers; as they are assured of security by a neutral agency, which is in line with their expectations (Krishnamurthy amp; Sandeep, 2002). One of the major responsibilities of online consumers is to maintain the privacy. When they look for any e commerce site and intend to do any transactions it is important for them to look for privacy statements of that site (Udo, 2001). According to Udo (2001) sites in which privacy concerns are sensitive should clearly display privacy policies and should offer the consumer to choose to share their personal information or restrict its use and such sites should also state how to use the privacy policies. The following have been provided as the top 12 ways to protect the user’s privacy online (McCandlish, 2002): * Do not reveal personal information inadvertently Turn on cookie notices in your Web browser * Keep a clean’’ e-mail address * Don’t reveal personal details to strangers or just-met friends’’ * Realize you may be monitored at work, avoid sending highly personal e-mail to mailing lists, and keep sensitive files on your home computer * Do not reply to spammers, for anything * Be conscious of Web security * Be consciou s of home computer security * Examine privacy policies and seals * Remember that you decide what information about yourself to reveal, when, why, and to whom * Use encryption Keep sensitive files on your home computer