Jack Greenberg, Inc.

Family owned business is a business that is owned by one family, most of the shareholders are from the same family. One of the major problems in this type of business is a conflict in interests among the family’s member. The auditor should be careful and observe the type of the relationship among the family’s member. There should be a written agreement to specify rights, duties, and obligations for each member, the auditor should read those documents for further information.One issue that faced the auditor is to understand the attitude of each member, the risk of manipulating facts can be existed due to the close relationship. In the case of Jack Greenberg, the son has manipulated the numbers in the record for his father’s sake and no one would be able to prevent him since he is one of the owners. The possibility of hiding facts is high in this kind of business because of the close relationship among the family’s member.I believe the family owned business demands more effort from the auditor to check and discover misstatements. 2. For the prepaid inventory I would recommend that the auditor should focus on the following objectives; existing, occurrence, valuation and allocation, completeness, and right and obligation. Prepaid items represent a complete listing of the company’s costs that are allocable to future periods and that can reasonably be expected to be realized through future operations.As for the merchandise, the auditor should physically observe the inventory to verify the amount recorded, the most important part of the observation of inventory is to determine whether the physical count is being taken in accordance with the client’s instructions. The audit objective related to merchandise are; * Existence: Inventory as recorded on tags exists. * Completeness: Existing inventory is counted and tagged. * Accuracy: Inventory is counted accurately. * Realizable value: Obsolete and unusable inventory items are excl uded or noted. Rights: The client has rights to inventory recorded on tags. * Classification: Inventory is classified correctly on the tags. * Cutoff: Transactions are recorded in the proper period. 3. Internal evidence is created, used, and retained within the client’s organization and without the help of outside parties for example; sales invoices duplicate copy, employees’ time reports, inventory reports, and purchase requisitions. On the other hand, external evidence originates outside the client’s organization for example; bank statement.This type of documents generally prepared in the ordinary course of business activities and form part of its records whether of accounting or non-accounting nature. Sometimes obtained directly from source such as bank, debtors, and creditors confirmations. External evidence and the internally generated evidence circulated externally are more reliable than the internal evidence. 4. Walkthrough is simply the act of tracing a transaction through organizational records and procedures, a commonsense approach to learning how a process works.The purpose of walkthrough procedure is to evaluate the reliability of the client's accounting system. The auditor looks at the supporting documentation for a transaction from its starting point and then proceeds to examine the accounting system steps thereafter until ultimate disposition of the item. The walk-through examination is one of the tests that is important for the auditor to obtain an understanding of the client’s business. The U. S.Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) has drawn attention to a fundamental audit procedures, one that is so common that auditors may take it for granted is the walkthrough procedure. Most auditors traditionally have viewed walkthroughs as the procedure of choice when attempting to develop an understanding of key processes and internal controls of a client. Now, walkthroughs are required when certifying financial reporting controls under Section 404 of the U. S. Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. As it relates to Audit Standard No. from the PCAOB, the standard includes a requirement that the auditor must perform a walkthrough for each of the company’s significant processes. 5. I would highly recommend that the auditor should extend the scope of substantive test and increase the sample size in order to discover other misstatements that existed. The auditor also could trace documents to testify whether the inventory has been listed accurately. Analytical procedure and test of detail as part of substantive test to find the relationship between the inventory account and other accounts in the financial statements.Cut off test with physical observation to the inventory would help to discover fraud and any misstatement in the inventory account. In addition, the auditor may use confirmation to confirm amount listed in the record with third parties. 6. I think the audit firm responsibility is to info rm the client that there are weaknesses in their current internal control however the audit firm does not have the right to force the client to do some action regarding those deficiencies. The auditor should try to persuade the client and reveal the risks of having such a weak internal control system.In case the client did not cooperate with the auditor, the auditor should resign from performing audit services to the client; he or she should disclose that decision. The general Accepted Auditing Standards -AU 150 paragraph 2- require the auditor to maintain independence as a general rule, the auditor must also exercise due professional care in the performance of the audit and the preparation of the report therefore, in order to maintain the auditor independence, the auditor should have his or her own voice and not just follow the client’s rule.

TOUAX company

TOUAX is a French company and is currently Europe‟s no. 1 in shipping containers and river barges, and no. 2 in modular building and freight railcars. The group provides operating leases to customers around the world, both on its own account and for third-party investors. On June 24, 2009, TOUAX announced that its capital increased by waiving preferential subscription rights but with priority for existing shareholders, launched on 18 June 2009 for a total of E17, 851,519.76 (gross) through the issue of 936,596 new shares which were subscribed in the entirely. Following partial application of the extension clause, 952,747 shares were placed or 101.72% of the issue; total proceeds were E18, 159,357.82. This rights issue has enabled the Group to strengthen its financial structure, to position itself with advantage for possible acquisitions of tangible stock, and to grasp opportunities thrown up by the crisis (purchase of shipping containers, modular buildings, river barges and railcars, for hiring out on mainly long-term leases). 370,062 new shares allotted under absolute entitlement were subscribed or 39.51% of the total number of new shares issue. Another 555,685 shares were applied for subject to cutting back in the event of over subscription, and orders for these were all filled. Another 27,000 shares had been applied for by the general public, and following partial application of the extension clause it proved possible to fill orders for all of these. All the result of the right issue, TOUAX is well placed to respond to the boom in corporate outsourcing of non-core assets, and every day provides over 5,000 customers with quick and flexible leasing solutions. TOUAX is now listed on Euronext in Paris – NYSE Euronext Compartment C (ISIN Code FR0000033003), and features in the SBF 250 Index.

The Rise of Fascism and Japanese Imperialism Essay

The Rise of Fascism and Japanese Imperialism - Essay Example The three primary factors were: Japanese militant imperialism, the failure of the League of Nations, and Nazi Germany’s inability to abide by their own treaties. America tried to avoid being directly involved with the military, by assuring its military neutrality at several conferences and through arms deals. Despite America’s proposed neutrality, it did certainly favor its old allies from the days of the First World War, and oppose the spread of fascism. It thus attempted to aid its allies through arms deals such as the lend-lease act, which would provide American made military machinery of various sorts to the British for free in the short term, supposedly expecting repayment in the long term (Brinkley 243). America thus tried to avoid getting directly involved with the conflict while still providing its allies with the materials necessary to win it themselves. America’s attempts to avoid conflict were foiled by several factors, the most notable of which was Ja panese imperialism. The United States and Japan both had significant pacific colonies, with the United States holding Hawaii and the Philippines while Japan had a series of pacific islands. This brought the two nations into conflict, and all but assured that Japan’s imperial aims would eventually come up against American land claims. This conflict led to the proximate cause of America entering the Second World War, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Because of the alliance between Japan and Germany, the attack had to be considered an act of both parties, and the United States was thus directly thrust into the Second World War. Though Japanese imperialism was a proximate cause that directly led to the United States entering the conflict, there were several other factors that would have all but guaranteed that the United States would have eventually had to get involved regardless. One of these was Germany’s lack of honesty and integrity when dealing at peace conference s, especially the Munich conference. At this conference, a European line in the sand was drawn, indicating that Germany’s actions up to that point, such as annexing Austria or Czechoslovakia would be accepted (in part because those, especially Austria, were already in Germany’s sphere of influence and at least partly culturally German). Germany’s technically illegal expansion of its army was also legitimized, in large part because allies had begun to realize how unreasonably harsh their victory conditions after WWI were. The conference also indicated, however, that Germany would not continue future territorial expansions such as invading France or Poland. Germany agreed to this plan, then relatively quickly afterwards, built up their military and invaded Poland. This indicated that Germany’s peace promises could not be trusted, which means that the United States would never feel assured of its safety. The failure of the League of Nations also guaranteed a n eventually entry into the conflict by the United States. The League of Nations was a group proposed by Woodrow Wilson at the close of the First World War as a mechanism to stop future wars: it would be a place both for diplomatic discussions and have military power to engage in defense actions, forcing an armed truce amongst all

Race Relations Act 1976 And The Actions That Athea And The Commission Essay

Race Relations Act 1976 And The Actions That Athea And The Commission For Racial Equality Could Take In Respect Of Them - Essay Example In the U.K. the Government has recognized the importance of preserving equality and civil liberties in the interest of overall progress in the State. The Race Relations Act framed in 1976 specifically deals with discrimination on the grounds of race in the fields of employment, training education, housing and other services deemed necessary to ensure that the civil liberties of an individual are not hampered*3. This act was further amended in 2000 to incorporate discrimination from all public bodies. Chapter 74, Section 1 of the Race relations Act sets out the grounds that will constitute a violation of the provisions of the Act by any person when â€Å"on racial grounds, he treats that other less favorably than he treats or would treat other persons† especially when â€Å"he cannot show [it] to be justifiable, irrespective of the color, race, nationality or ethnic or national origins of the person to whom it is applied.† Part II of the Act deals specifically with discr imination exercised by employers and under Section 4, an employer’s action would also be deemed to be unlawful under the provisions of this act if he discriminates against an employee or potential employee by â€Å"refusing or deliberately omitting to offer him that employment.†

Chicano Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Chicano - Essay Example La Huasanga (Los Rogacianos) is a must for followers of music who appreciates diversity in culture. The film industry in Mexico is credited by the way they have appreciated and marketed the Mexican culture through music. Conjunto Hueyapan used a sharp harp called arpa planeca together with a deep sounding bass register, one or two violins. They also use a tandem strumming section formed by a five-string guitar (a vihuela) and aquitarrs de golpe. The guitars have really stood out in the music. The vocalists have ensured that the message is passed through the most appropriate musical way. The lyrics are such that they describes the moment of the time. The lyrics are passing the message as required. The performance had great characterization and lots of energy. The dances of the performance are crisp, clean and synchronized. It was the most entertaining performance. The instruments ranging from guitar to violin could be just described as wonderful. Every word in the music was spoken with a lot of enthusiasm and energy and it also provided the audience with the opportunity to laugh. This showed that the music is not meant for entertainment but also as a way to educate audience about the goodness of Mexican meal (El Toro Viejo) Weinstock, Herbert, and Carlos ChaÃŒ vez.  Mexican Music: Notes by Herbert Weinstock for Concerts Arranged by Carlos ChaÃŒ vez As Part of the Exhibition. New York: Printed for the Trustees of the Museum of modern art by W.E. Rudges Sons, 1940.

Analyze the Running Case on pages 456-457 of the textbook Essay

Analyze the Running Case on pages 456-457 of the textbook - Essay Example To finish all projects in time, it is important to allocate sufficient resources and manpower to all projects. The first step will be workforce planning which involves anticipating and integrating human resource in order to preempt contingencies that would prevent delivery of a project in time and at the allocated budget. Each project will have a work plan which gives the expected progress with time, budget, resources and expected contingencies and ways of mitigating them. For the parts carried out by the company procedures and work instructions, a standard progress reporting form will be prepared with fields for the report date, status of the project as a percentage, expected status as of that date from the project planning, budget used as a percentage of the total, next report date and a description of the progress made in the project. "We are also concerned that the longer the full implementation takes †¦.† By Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY advertisement on FBI behind schedule, over budget on computer system. From this it is quite evident that a project that goes beyond the stipulated plan bracket ends up by being costly. To implement the completion of the project within the budget bracket, PMO executes the project(s) through four phases where in the initial stages, the PMO team is trained on the basic project management processes, standards to be followed when running the project (Mahnic, & Zabkar, 2012) . For the projects to be carried out by subcontractors, and partners, progress reporting dates will be agreed upon and included in the progress contract. A similar progress reporting form will be used by external contractors with actual inspection by Wild Solutions staff to verify the claims of the submitted progress report. Control process for progress reporting focus on software design schedule, construction schedule, budget and resources (Mahnic, & Zabkar, 2012). Under design schedule, reporting will focus on how well the completed part of

Cloud computing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cloud computing - Assignment Example Without a doubt, the worldwide economic downturn forced the business organizations to reevaluate their business strategies and models from start till end. In this scenario, the business organizations spent a lot of time and resources in assessing their IT infrastructures and they considered cloud computing as a conceivable substitute to the traditional IT infrastructures. One of the most important advantages of cloud computing is that it allows the business organizations to convert fixed price mode (such as cost of ownership, servers, employee salaries , servers and additional expenses) to flexible price mode. On the other hand, with traditional IT models the organizations had to pay heavy charges all the time, whether they make extensive use of information technology or not. In fact, they had to pay higher prices for the time when IT was not used such as holidays. So there was always a fixed cost associated with traditional IT models. On the other hand, cloud computing is both scala ble and flex ­ible. In addition, it allows business organizations to buy only what they need, and pay for only those services which are used (Cooke, 2010). At the present, the majority of business organizations are adopting cloud computing technology for the effective management of their business activities. In fact, the implementations of cloud computing can be seen in all the fields such as business, finance, education, defense and so on. I have chosen a case study where an Oil and Gas industry shifted its IT systems from an internal data center to Amazon EC2. The basic objective for the selection of cloud computing technology was to reduce IT costs up to 37%in the next five years, and eliminating more than 21% support calls regarding their IT system. The company is basically a UK based firm that is currently operating in the Middle East. The results of this case study demonstrated that cloud computing can be an

Small and medium sized enterprises and the risks they face in an Essay

Small and medium sized enterprises and the risks they face in an international environment - Essay Example The study of international businesses and internationalization has been traditionally focused on the analysis of large corporations. Despite the growing importance of small and medium businesses, they often remain beyond the scope of scholarly studies. Apart from the fact that small and medium enterprises play a crucial role in the rapid advancement of economies, the prevailing majority of today’s international and multinational corporations have once been small and medium domestic enterprises. These are just some of the many reasons why the place of small and medium businesses in international trade should not be disregarded. More important is the question of risks faced by SMEs as they enter international trade. Recent advancements in technologies and transportation facilitate the subsequent integration of small and medium business forms into international trade communities. Therefore, SMEs should be aware of and be prepared to face international trade risks. Small and medium enterprises: Why so neglected? Small and medium enterprises are generally considered to create a strong foundation for the rapid advancement of economies. It is not surprising that so many developing countries provide SMEs with greater flexibility and freedom from taxation and administration burdens, to speed up their development and contribution to nations’ economic development. However, the current state of research often leaves small and medium-sized enterprises beyond the scope of analysis.... Yet, it should be remembered that â€Å"many MNEs developed from large, mature, domestic firms, and they commanded attention because they wielded significant economic power, especially after World War II† (Chandler 1986; Dunning 1981; Oviatt & McDougall 1994, p.45). Moreover, recent changes in the technological environment and transportation make it easier for domestic small and medium firms to expand to an international level. The growing number of consumers in international business makes international trade extremely attractive for domestic businesses, especially small and medium ones. Today, any small or medium businessman with a sufficient amount of capital can successfully conduct business anywhere in the world or travel to any part of the world, looking for international business opportunities (Oviatt & McDougall 1994). That small and medium enterprises find it easier to capture international business opportunities means the topic of their internationalization is becomi ng more urgent. Scholars in organization science are becoming more attentive to the issues of internationalization and international trade challenges affecting domestic SMEs. However, again, the most common issues considered in today’s research include the effects of public policies on SMEs, the nature and characteristics of entrepreneurial activities across countries, and comparing international and domestic enterprises (Oviatt, & McDougall 1994; Ohe et al. 1991). In light of these issues, a close look at the risks faced by domestic SMEs going into international trade is required. This report will help small and medium businesses going into the international trade

Managerial Accounting Practices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Managerial Accounting Practices - Essay Example financial reports focus on what has happened in the past – whereas what you are looking for is improvement – improvement in all sectors (manufacturing, sales, accounting, customer relations) at present and in future. Inventory is a necessary current asset that represents a significant investment at any given time. Just-In-Time represents a new paradigm of business strategy shifting from traditional inventory management to web-based supply chain management that increases inventory turnover and reduces inventory holding. JIT is an ideal for repetitive manufacturing processes (like Claire’s Antiques) in which the same products and components are produced over and over again.1 profitability†.2 With the objective of producing the right quantity of products in the right place at the right time, JIT perfectly blends the fundamentals of minimizing cost and maximizing profits – these fundamentals, Man (Labor), Material and Machines (Equipment) are often called the 3Ms of manufacturing and inventory operations. JIT (also known as ‘lean production’ or ‘stockless production’)3 produces the following benefits. You will note that most, if not all of them are lacking in Claire’s Antiques organization at this moment. Inventory levels at all levels are reduced, inventory investment is minimized by having only work-in-process (WIP) inventory with no need for safety stocks(2); inventory turnover rate (velocity) is increased. There is a balanced flow of materials throughout the entire production process, as underutilized (excess) capacity is used instead of buffer inventories. This has been a major problem of the present bedroom furniture line of Claire’s Antiques. Product quality is improved by focusing on zero-defect production processes. JIT involves utilization of more productive equipment and disposition of less productive equipment. Faulty production methods that create products requiring subsequent rework are identified and eliminated. The data that

External and Internal Environments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

External and Internal Environments - Essay Example Segments of General Environment Affecting the Company: Environmental internal and the external factors both affect the function ability of the any company. Internal factors are the controllable factor prevailing within the firm. Whereas external factor accounts for those factors which are beyond the control of any firm. One of the external factors affected the pricing strategy of a single product of Microsoft. The factor was one of the macro environmental factors of the external environment affecting the entire information technology industry. One of the factors was the political and legal forces. This did not directly affect the marketing ability of the company but indirectly clouted the marketing decisions of the company. For Microsoft political and legal external environmental forces lead profound influence on the decision making and strategy department of the company. Changes in the political and legal field hugely affected the marketing decision of the company. These forces are the macro economics forces which affects the overall industries. XBOX 360 is one of the products of Microsoft which comes under the Interactive Entertainment Business division of Microsoft. The issue which came to the picture depicted that the use of lead free solder was the source for lack of strength in the XBOX 360. So prohibitions were brought by government for the usage of lead and mercury cadmium. Following this issue the European Union announced the banning of lead and mercury Cadmium on every product used by any companies in the IT industry. It assures that the external environmental issues affected not only Microsoft but also the entire IT industry (Cornwell, n.d., pp. 1-4). Social and cultural forces of the external environment also affect the marketing concepts of the company. It assures that the firm should take a go ahead in eliminating the detrimental product. As an effect of the same Microsoft stated working to pertain technology to noteworthy environmental issues and collaborated with European Environmental Agency (Microsoft, Corporate Citizenship, 2013). Porter’s Five Forces: Michael Porte’s five forces of competition give a brief of a simple model helpful in assessing and scrutinizing the competitive strength and situation of a certain firm in respect to its competitors. Porter’s five forces lead to a competition of the rivals of the industry. Two of the forces are existing competitive â€Å"entry of competitors† and the second is â€Å"threats of substitute products†. Threats of substitute products are the potential threats from the competitors within the industry regarding the products. Microsoft faced threats from the competitors in the field of personal computer software market. Its close competitors were MAC OS, Sun Solaris, Linux, various structured browser, lotus notes etc. This lead to a high degree of competition amongst the IT companies within the industries regarding their close substitutes. But i n this aspect the government had a different view. As per the government Microsoft did not face any such threats from the competitors regarding he close substitutes. Rather it enjoyed a monopoly in the middle level market due to its pricing strategy. They also added another reason that the software markets are

The Stages in the Process of Writing a Good Essay Essay Example for Free

The Stages in the Process of Writing a Good Essay Essay The process should be done step by step alternately. Firstly, you have to think about the topic and idea. Then you must analyze and identify the topic that you have chosen, and you need to get some keywords. The next step is you have to look for the information about the topic. There are many ways to search it, such as book, journal, the internet, newspaper, library, and so on. Then, you analyze the data or arguments from those sources that you have got, and you need to take some notes. If all of information is completed, you must organize it and write a plan about every step that you will write in the essay. Besides that, you need to make an outline for the essay as well. Then you can begin to write the essay. The important thing that you have to remember when you write the essay is you must be constant with the main idea and make your writing get fluent. So, you need to use linking words and must not forget to organize your paragraph. The paragraph consists of three parts, those are introduction, body, and conclusion. You must write it in the correct order. After finishing the essay, you have to read it again and check every paragraph about the fluency. You also need to check your grammar that you use. Finally, if you have checked all of them and you feel satisfied with your essay, you need to submit it.

Examining The Concept Of Lean Synchronization Information Technology Essay

Examining The Concept Of Lean Synchronization Information Technology Essay Lean manufacturing is an approach of continuous improvement that focuses on the removal of waste resources from a process so that the goods flow to the customer at determined rate with minimum inventory. It mainly focuses on eliminating resources that does not create value for the customer. Based on Toyota Production System, Lean concentrates on preserving value with less work. Lean synchronization is the aim of achieving the flow of products and services which is able to deliver exactly what customers want, in exact quantities, exactly when needed, exactly where required at the lowest possible cost (Slack et al, 2010). This report evaluates the utility and relevance of basic Lean principles and Management and applies the same principles in contemporary business environment. Executive Summary First part of the report talks about theoretical aspect of lean. The concept of lean synchronization is explained first. After this the principles of lean and benefits of using lean are described. Subsequently barriers to lean implementation are explained. Second half of the report accounts practical application of lean in context with healthcare industry. Firstly the need to apply lean in hospitals is determined. Basic need of lean in hospitals is to: Reduce patient wait time Reduce cost and increase savings and Improve staff efficiency. Lean principles are than applied on hospital operations. Analysis discovered that time creates value to the patient. After this, value stream was assessed and waste processes were identified in the journey of patients recovery and treatment. Further to this, wastes were identified and recommendations were proposed to eliminate those wastes. Important Identified Wastes are: Extra work done for simple and easy tasks. Investigations and tests those are not required. Patient waiting for tests and surgeries. Redundancy in treating a patient. Recommendations to eliminate such wastes: Avoid the use of complex equipments that makes the processes tedious and time consuming. Perform only those tests that are required for the treatment. Equipments must be ready before a patient comes to pathology lab and operation theatre so as to avoid waste of time. Things must be done in right way in first attempt so as to avoid repetitive actions. Concept behind Lean Synchronization The term lean came into existence post World War II when there was a huge shortage of resources in Automobile sector in Japan. Toyota Company developed the concept of achieving most with optimum resources, by continuous elimination of waste. Today this concept is well known as Lean Manufacturing across the globe and is not limited to manufacturing processes. Lean applies to the whole enterprise including supply-chain, new product development process and services. The concept of lean thinking was introduced to European world in 1991 by the book written by Womack, Jones, and Roos: The Machine That Changed the World. According to Slack et al (2009), lean synchronization is concerned all about: Elimination of waste in whole process Involving all the resources and Continuously improving the process Lean approach simply calls to work smarter rather than harder with value driven sense of purpose. Organizations that follow lean thinking understand customer value and focus the processes to increase it. The ultimate aim is to create a perfect value process for the customer with zero waste. Such contemporary approach creates processes that enable companies to respond to changing customer desires with high quality, high variety, and low cost with very fast throughput times. Lean Principles The main guiding principle of lean to create right value for the customer with minimum effort is compounded of five key principles: value, value stream, flow, pull and perfection. Value: The key principle is to identify the customers view point about what creates value to the customer. Value Stream: This is to identify all the steps in value chain and to eliminate all those that do not create value to the end product. Flow: In order to make a smooth flow of the product towards customer, the value-creating steps must occur in tight sequence. Pull: Make only what is pulled by the customer and creates synchronization between demand and manufacturing process. Perfection: Once the value is identified, value stream is specified with wasted steps eliminated and flow and pull are introduced, execute the whole process again and continue until perfection is reached in which perfect value is developed without waste. 5stepslean.gif Fig.1 Benefits of Applying Lean Traditional Approach: Traditional approach assumes that each stage is separated from the other stage by placing the output in an inventory. The next stage will take the outputs from the buffer inventory and will pass them to the succeeding buffer e.g. as shown in fig.2, outputs from stage A are stored in buffer inventory which feeds the system for Stage B. In this manner each stage of the operation acts independently and picks material from buffer inventory and processes it for the subsequent buffer. These buffers insulate each stage from its neighbors and operations of one stage do not hinder the next stage. Hence if operations at stage A cease due to some reason, stage B can still continue for at least one time. The condition of insulation of each stage that seeks to promote traditional approach is indeed the learning argument of this system. Problems: Inventory remains idle. Slow throughput times since items spend more time waiting in buffer. Lack of coordination due to insulation of stages. Problem solving responsibility will be centered on people working in that very stage. C:UsersVibhorDesktopUntitled.jpg Fig.2 Lean Approach: In contrast with the traditional approach, lean approach processes and passes items directly to the next stage, eliminating the buffer inventories, hence reducing the barriers between stages. This provides the required amount of input for each stage at the required time. In this approach, problems at any stage have different impact on the process e.g. in fig.3 if stage A stops its operations, than subsequent stages will immediately notice the issue and the problem is quickly exposed to the whole system. This helps in improving the quality by providing quick feedback at each stage. C:UsersVibhorDesktopUntitled1.jpg Fig.3 In the traditional approach, if one stage stops functioning the other stage may continue to process by the available buffer resources resulting in high capacity utilization. But generally this situation would not sustain for a long period of time and the whole process will come to halt once the buffer is empty. On the other hand, in lean approach each time there is a blockage in any stage of the process, the whole process will come to halt, reducing the capacity utilization initially. Therefore where traditional approach encourages efficiency by protecting each stage from disruption, lean approach motivates the whole system to solve the problem. Fig.4 Source: Slack et al, 2010 According to Wild (2002), following are the benefits of Lean synchronization. Also evident from the above differentiation: Reduced inventories and work in progress; Less use of space; Shorter throughput times; Increased employee motivation and participation; Smoother work flows; Increased productivity; Improved quality and customer service Barriers to Lean Synchronization Lean synchronization aims at managing the operations process in such a way that it achieves exactly what customers are looking from the operation. Pure lean synchronization intends smooth, continuous flow without any sort of delay, waste and imperfection. Following are the major barriers to achieve this ideal state: Failure to eliminate waste in all parts of the operation Failure to harness the contribution of all the people involved in the operation. Failure to establish improvement as a continuous activity. Source: (Slack et al, 2010) Waste Identification and Elimination: Elimination of waste is the basic part of lean thinking and identifying the waste is the first step towards its elimination. Any activity that does not add to value is called as waste. The wastes that hinder the streamlined flow are: Wait time worker wait time and machine wait time is waste. This is usually dependant on efficiency of machinery and workers. Conveyance Change in layout can bring processes closer resulting in reduced movements. Inventory Inappropriate quantity of production According to Toyota, supplying less or more quantity than required is the greatest source of waste. Delivery Time- Early delivery is wasteful. Therefore items must be delivered Just In Time. Variability- If quality varies according to customer expectations and customer considers to be inadequately supplied than the whole process is wasteful. waste-poster.jpg Fig.5 Employee Participation: Organizations following lean philosophy must encourage its employees to participate in problem solving activity. The intention to encourage the feeling of personal responsibility and ownership within the employees is referred as respect-for-people. Some basic factors in encouraging employee involvement are: Environment Safety safety standards and environment must be followed by everyone. Flexibility employees must be given authority to take decisions and restrictive practices must be removed. Equality each employee must be treated equally. Creativity each persons creativity must be utilized to improve the processes. Total people involvement- staff must be encouraged to participate in other activities like recruitment, supply chain and customer dealing. This improves the processes and benefits the company as a whole. Continuous Improvement: Kaizen: Kaizen is a Japanese term for improvement or change for better. In terms of Masaaki Imai, Kaizen is a continuous process of improvement in which each individual of an organization is involved to achieve a state of perfection. Three guiding principles of kaizen as explained by Hill (2005) are: Process reviews review of entire process from designing stage to delivery. People participation employees insights to improve the process. Constant need for change seeking improvement and implementing changes result in achieving perfection. kaizen.JPG Fig.6 Source: Archfield Consulting Group Deming Cycle: It is also called PDCA cycle which involve a team of people who continuously find improvements in an organization. Waters (2002) defined this cycle as: Plan review of existing processes, information gathering, finding alternatives and suggesting improvement plans. Do plan in implemented and performance data is collected. Check analyzes the collected data to check if expected improvements appear or not. Act- if improvements are visible, the operation is made permanent else lessons are learnt. deming cycle.png Fig.7 Applying Lean in Healthcare Industry Applying lean in healthcare industry is similar to its application in manufacturing. Lean manufacturing reduces waste from the set of operations that takes place in producing of items. Similarly lean can reduce waste and improve the services provided to the patients in hospitals. This may also help hospitals to manage issues like financial deficits, infections, waiting queues and capacity management. Why Lean in healthcare? Alike other industries, healthcare also face problems like safety concerns, capacity and waiting queue management, low level of efficiency and lack of staff motivation. To get rid of these issues and to deliver improved and timely patient care, it is important to base hospital processes on lean synchronization. Lean implementation in hospitals can also prevent hospitals acquired infections, avoidable injuries, death and less recovery time. Traditional practice in hospitals Major time of patients and hospital staff is wasted due to multiple trips made by the patients and the staff members. Once the tests are performed, patient is called for diagnosis after few days. Treatment for the illness may or may not start on the same day. This delay in treatment may cause deterioration in patients condition. Implementation of lean in hospitals will reduce the time taken in treating the patient. According to lean process, a patient must come once and all the processes must be done on the same day e.g. tests are done and the treatment is started soon after the diagnosis from the tests. The process mentioned in the figure consumes unneeded time of patients and hospital staff and this in turn increases the overall cost and risk to life. Avoiding such unnecessary trips eases patient care and reduces the workload on doctors. Lean eliminates waste processes and increases the overall throughput in hospitals. Untitled.png Fig.8 Untitled.png Fig.9 Source: NHS Confederation Principles of lean in healthcare Value: To ensure patient satisfaction, hospitals need to analyze the patients viewpoint as depicted in fig.10. Value is the perception of a patient and can be created when right consultation, test, diagnosis, communication, treatment and after care is provided to the patient. By eliminating waste processes and utilizing resources, staff will be able to concentrate more on patient care. figure3.jpg Fig.10 Source: JWA Inc. Value Stream: Value stream is the process of identifying all the steps that creates value to the patient and eliminating those that creates no value to the patient. Usually hospitals tend to group patients on the basis of clinical similarity. However lean focuses not on similar conditions but similar processes.Fig.11 shows various steps and processes taken to discharge a patient. Untitled.png Fig.11 Source: Flinders Medical Centre In a hospital a value stream is the end-to-end process of caring for a group of patients whose overall care process have enough in common for them to be managed together, irrespective of clinical diagnosis (David Ben-Tovim, 2006). Following are the steps that may not create any value to the patient and should be eliminated: Patients visit to hospital on different days for different tests. Time wasted when patient waits to be seen by the doctor. Unnecessary step of nurse checking the patient. Time wasted in collecting medical equipments and information. Repetition of processes such as diagnostic tests and paperwork. Time consumed in searching medical history of patients. Performing tests that are not required. Fig.12 The factors stated above signify that time is the most valued element for the patient as well as for the hospital staff. To eliminate this waste of time, we first need to identify the cause of this waste. Fig.13 shows the causes that increase the waste in waiting time. Cause and Effect 3.jpg Fig.13 Waste Identification: Waste is anything that does not create value to the patient. Inventory: Holding excess material to avoid unreliable supply is referred as inventory waste in hospitals. Eliminating such waste can reduce cost and time of both the patient as well as the hospitals. Extra Processing: Use of complex equipments to conduct simple tests makes processes large and inflexible and may cause stress to the staff. Overproduction: Unnecessary tests and investigations are referred as overproduction in healthcare industry. These tests must be avoided to save time and cost. Waiting: This is the patient wait time that created due to process or material waiting e.g. patients waiting for test or surgery due to equipment readiness. Transportation: Movement of patients and materials are considered as waste but these cannot be eliminated completely. Processes must be arranged in a manner that steps become sequential and easy to identify. Defects: Defects increase the processes and are caused due to wrong medication or infections. Doing things in a right way will reduce redundancy as well as defects in a process. Movement: Hospital layout must be in a way that it minimizes the repetition of movements by staff and patients e.g. in operation theatres, all equipments must be in reach of the operation table so as to ease the surgeon while doing surgery. Mapping Value Stream: The challenge in value stream is to map exactly the things that actually occur at each stage of patients journey towards recovery, as depicted in fig.14. Lean redesigns this flow to enable seamless movement of patients to the next step without unnecessary work or wait. Fig.14 Fig.15 shows an example of process mapping where it just takes one step on the process of tests and lists each step of work that is currently performed. Amount of time, distance covered and required amount of materials can be added to each such step. It is evident that huge amount of work is being done without creating any value. Involvement of staff during waste identification is usually advised so that the effect of one persons actions is visible to all. Fig.15 Flow: Flow is the process where every patient is worked with single unit at a time and passed to the next step without any delay. Following are few processes that can be redesigned in order to implement lean operations: Concurrent medical problems complicate patient care of an elderly patient who got fractured. Treatment is affected because specialists fail to communicate and coordinate with each other. This problem can be resolved by creating another department called Trauma Unit which creates a single team having all kind of specialists. A standard hand off process between each member will make it possible to identify and address treatment issues regardless of who is on duty. In hospitals, usually same type of operations is conducted on one day and another type of operations on other day. To increase flow through surgeries, it is suggested that few operations of each type should be performed each day. This will reduce waiting time for patients as well as burden on wards. In outpatient department, patients are usually called in the morning at same time say 9a.m. and it is highly likely that not all of them will be treated at the same time and some have to wait till noon. Hence patients must be called according to priority and severity of the problem. Samples are held back in pathology to process them in batches. This leads to increase in wait time for patients. Samples must be tested soon they arrive to the lab. Pull: To create value to the customer, services should be provided in line with the demand. If the demand is for 100 admissions a day, it implies that 100 patients must be discharged on that day to accommodate the demand. To achieve this demand in hospitals all the key processes and interfaces between them must be redesigned. The time required to spend on each activity to achieve output in line with demand is called as Takt Time. It is the time that identifies the speed with which work and materials flow within different departments. In pull system, each patient is treated as one unit at a time and passed to the next level without as soon as it is ready. Fig.16 shows a pull system where each stage of the process pulls the patient towards it. Untitled.png Fig.16 Source: NHS Confederation Perfection: After eliminating all the waste processes without compromising the quality of service, the whole operations process is repeated until perfection is achieved. To achieve perfection in hospitals, following aspects must be taken care of: After Lean Implementation Patient first Wait time unaccepted Reduced errors Existing resources Reduce waste Problems visible to all End to end process Before Lean Service provider first Wait time Errors New resources Reduce cost Problems not visible Functional management Perfection Fig.17 Perfection is achieved by continuous improvement of the operations process. It is therefore necessary to that all the staff members and the hospital management must commit to seek perfection at their level. By creating standard, visible and clear processes, we can develop the foundation of uninterrupted improvement, where every new improvement becomes a landmark or platform for future processes. Advantages of Lean in Hospitals: It is observed that implementation of lean in hospitals have increased efficiency from 15 to 20 percent with safer and improved services using the existing infrastructure, technology and staff. Hospitals across the globe, which have adopted lean philosophy, have benefited from its implementation. According to David Ben-Tovim of Flinders Medical Centre, Australia, the hospital was struggling to survive and was on the verge of meltdown. But after applying lean in their operations process, they managed to earn more profits and decreased the costs. Some important advantages of lean are: Reduction of wait time for patients. Reduced cost and increased savings. Reduction in physical floor space by 30%. Productivity increases from 75% to up to 125% in some cases. Good customer relations. Staff motivation and reduced stress levels. Untitled.png Fig.18 Conclusion The aim of this research was to understand the lean philosophy and to apply lean principles in healthcare industry. It is evident from the study that lean philosophy brings positive results. It improves safety, quality and morale of the staff along with reducing time and costs in the operations process. Lean when enforced in hospital operations can add value to patient care and improve efficiency. Lean principles are generic and can be applied anywhere. If lean principles are applied at each stage of the operations process than huge amount of time can be saved. These principles challenge the whole idea of batching, triage, economies of scale and de-skilling. Results of lean implementation are potentially significant. Lean acts as antidote to traditional approach of performance management. Its emphasis is to put the whole system in a valuable stream. Leans focus is to improve effort on things that weigh importance to patients and hospital staff. It opposes the external benchmarks whic h tend to express the things that are indirectly related to improve patient care. It is also evident from the data that hospitals that have adopted lean in their operations have improved in terms of patient care, costs and time. Hence it can be concluded that implementing lean in any industry will prove to be the best bet.

Leadership In The Dead Poets Society English Literature Essay

Leadership In The Dead Poets Society English Literature Essay For this leadership report, we have chosen the movie  «Ã‚  Dead Poets Society  Ã‚ ». This movie was awarded for the best scenario in 1989 and was a great international success. We have selected this movie for different reasons that we will explain below. First, some members of our work group were teenagers when the movie was released. At that time, in some way, they identified themselves to the characters of the movie who are also teenagers. Carpe Diem had become a very popular concept in French schools because teenagers were concerned by the vision of life presented in the movie. The youngest members of our work group saw the movie for the first time a few years ago and were also impressed by the originality of the scenario. Moreover, we think that this movie covers many leadership aspects: each main character has his own type of leadership and there are interesting interactions and influences between the characters to speak about. For us, this movie has been like a leadership laboratory where to continue to learn from. We would like to point out that we have analysed leadership in this movie taking into account that the story takes place in 1959, that is to say at a time when educational standards were different from todays. In this respect, the behaviours of the adults like Mr Nolan (Director of the School) and Mr Perry (students father) sometimes may have appeared to us abusive, but at that time it was probably more common than today. The  «Ã‚  Dead Poets Society  Ã‚ » can be summarised as follow: In 1959, John Keating, an unconventional English literature teacher, has newly arrived at Welton Academy. This school is known for its prestigious teaching but also, and not the least, its rough and strict education. For the students, Mr Keating will be much more than a teacher: he will be their guide. He will teach them what cannot be learnt from books: speak up their mind, make their own choice of life, and in the end become free spirits. He will deeply influence his students especially Todd and Neil. Here is below a diagram that we have drawn up in order to represent the different characters and the influences they have on each others. This report will be divided in three different sections. First, we will focus on Mr Nolan, Director of Welton, and Mr Perry, Neils father, as they both appear as strong authority figures in the movie. In a second part, we will present Mr Keatings personality and leadership as an alternative to the authority figures. In a last part, we will focus on the personality and leadership of three other main characters that are students: Charlie Dalton, Neil Perry and Todd Anderson. We will then conclude this report by an open discussion on some particular aspects of leadership. Authority figures Mr Nolan Mr Nolans personality and relationships with the students Mr Nolan is the Director of Welton. His mindset is based on the Four Pillars of Welton which are tradition, honour, discipline and excellence. He truly believes in these values and is programmed to execute them. He wants the values of the school to be strictly regarded by the students. They all must know the four Pillars and adhere to them. As we will see in the following paragraph, his personality is authoritarian and his leadership can be qualified as traditional and conservative. At the beginning of the movie, his speech as part of the Welton welcoming ceremony reflects his mindset: he has a formal, solemn and very rigid attitude. He represents the prestigious Welton School and has a mission: prepare boys for college. It is his vision as a leader. During the ceremony, we can see pride on his face, particularly when he announces: Last year we graduated 51. And more than 75% of those went on to the Ivy League. (03:10) Both Mr Nolan and the ceremony he leads are traditionalist and conservative. We immediately understand that there is no place for imagination, innovation and creativity in this school. Later on, when he meets some of the students at the end of the ceremony, we can see how important excellence is for him and how he subtly puts pressure on the boys: Mr Nolan to Todd: You have some big shoes to fill. Your brother was one of our finest (04:42) Mr Nolan to Neil : We expect great things from you this year (04:50) The major trait of his personality is authority. His authority shows up very clearly in the middle of movie (01:12:06) when he arrives in the teachers room. He is very irritated due to an article that was written in the Welton Honour (school journal) that he qualifies as profane. This word profane that he uses is very strong. He wants strict sanctions to punish the ones that have written this article. He is also very suspicious. He has full power in the school and he is sure to find the guilty persons shortly. He expects a denunciation. His aim is to track down the ones that have dared to disregard the rules and the principles of the school and, in the end, defied his authority. Mr Nolan uses repression to serve the schools values which illustrates some dictatorial behaviour. Mr Nolan uses corporal punishment as a leadership tool. For instance he beats Charlie Dalton who is the boy who had written the article and then had dared to challenge him in public. Mr Nolans relationship with Mr Keating Mr Nolan is suspicious towards Mr Keating and discreetly observes him while he is teaching outdoor (01:03:06). The dialogues between Mr Nolan and Mr Keating look like a cordial confrontation as we will explain below. Mr Nolan says to Mr Keating that he is older, has more experience, knows what education is and that he was teaching English as well  «Ã‚  (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) long before your time  Ã‚ » (01:15:25), which shows that he expects respect from Mr Keating. Mr Nolan is imposing his vision of education on Mr Keating who is new in the school. Mr Nolan uses the word  «Ã‚  unortodox  Ã‚ » to qualify Mr Keatings methods. Mr Keating does not seem impressed and is both polite and sarcastic when he answers to Mr Nolan: Well, your reprimand made quite an impression, Im sure (01:16:09). Mr Nolan is not dupe and changes tactics towards Mr Keating asking him more concrete questions on his class. Mr Keating explains his own vision of education and life. Mr Nolan is then able now to openly criticize Mr Keatings methods. Here follows a portion of the dialogue between the two characters illustrating the above: Keating: I have always thought the idea of education was to learn to think for yourself   (01:16:30). Nolan: At this boys age? Not on your life! Tradition, John. Discipline. Prepare them for college and the rest will take care of itself.  . This dialogue clearly shows that none can dispute Mr Nolans views on education at Welton. This discloses an autocratic leadership from Mr Nolan. All teachers must have the same vision. Mr Nolans behaviour shows some aspects of the transactional leadership model that we saw in class: when people have agreed to do a job, a part of the deal is that they cede all authority to their manager. That is what he wants Mr Keating to understand. Moreover, it is obvious for Mr Nolan that the prime purpose of a subordinate is to do what their manager tells them to do. There is no possible discussion. Mr Nolans leadership and honour After Neils death, Mr Nolan keeps his self-control. He wants to put a final point to this incident by finding an ideal guilty person. Such a serious incident must not soil his honour and the prestigious image of Welton. A guilty person responsible for this tragic event must be found. This will exonerate Welton. Mr Keating is for Mr Nolan the perfect scapegoat as his methods and way of thinking are too different from the schools principles. All over the film, Mr Nolan is still the same: authoritarian and dictatorial: He does not tolerate to be challenged. He cannot stand  «Ã‚  thinking different  Ã‚ ». There is no change from the start to the end of the movie. He steers a course and his objective his clear: to be Weltons servant and keep it in traditionalism and austerity to preserve its prestige. Mr Perry Mr Perry is Neils father. As we will see below, he can also be regarded as a strong authority figure. Mr Perry is a very strict man. He has a rigid behaviour both in his own way of life and in the way he educates his son. The way he wears, the severity of his face (when he is angry at his son) and some details like the way he carefully aligns his slippers on the ground when he goes to bed at the end of the move (1:38:27), reflect his mindset. His conception of life is based on strict order, discipline and planning. On the one hand, Mr Perry is very authoritarian with Neil: You do what I tell you, is that clear? (08:09) He commends Neil: I have spoken to Mr Nolan, youre taking too many extracurricular activities this semester. I have decided you must drop the annual school. (07:31) On the other hand, Mr Perry becomes gentler with his son only when Neil agrees with him If you need anything, let us know. In that way, Mr Perrys leadership towards Neil has some patterns of the transactional leadership: he has full authority on his son and Neil just has to obey him. If Neil obeys, his father offers him his support, if not, he is punished. More than authoritarian, the leaderships style of Mr Perry is dictatorial: Mr Perry does not listen to his son and imposes his own views to Neil without asking him his advice. He is uncompromising. For instance, he says to his son: Tomorrow, I am withdrawing you from Welton and enrolling you in Braden Military School. You are going to Harvard and youre gonna be a doctor. (1:36:20) Mr Perry does not understand his son. For instance, he says: You have wasted your time with this absurd acting business (1:18:52). It is like if Mr Perry and Neil were not speaking the same language: Mr Perrys language is based on reason and Neils language is based on passion. Mr Perry also behaves as if he was himself persecuted by his son why is it that you insist on defying us (1:36:10). For instance, he also says dont ever dispute me in public, do you understand (07:59). He uses blackmail you know how much this means to your mother, dont you (08:15). He wants his child to do the studies and have the carrier that he would have liked for himself I have made many sacrifices to get you here and you will not let me down (1:20:07). You have opportunities that I never even dreamt of and I am not going to let you waste them (1:36:41). The result of Mr Perrys leadership is that communication with his son is impossible. His son cannot see any exit to the situation, except suicide. An alternative to the authority figures: Mr John Keating A leader must have the courage to act against an experts advice. James Callaghan : thats what Mr. Keating does. He goes against the schools rules. John Keatings leadership has two sides: a charismatic one and also a visionary and entrepreneurial one. Charismatic leadership Charisma is a sparkle in people that money cant buy. Its an invisible energy with visible effects. Marianne Williamson John Keatings leadership is mostly based on his personality. He is dynamic, enthusiastic, very dedicated to his students and very excited about schooling. The least we can say is that he is a very eccentric teacher that contrasts with the schools strict atmosphere. He makes a strong impression on his first day of class. The first scene when he meets the students for the first time is very important for the future relation he will have with them. They are all expecting a strict work atmosphere and teacher, but instead of that John Keating gets in the classroom whistling. The way the students are staring at each others shows how surprised they are by John Keatings casual manner and apparent lack of concern. He is the master of orchestra, trying to get the best of everyone. He can be seen as a guide, a spiritual leader who is providing an alternative way of learning, usually a funnier one. He makes the students realize they are the actors of their own destiny and that they have to choose their path. He pushes the students to go find answers by themselves using words as find your own walk, strive to find your own voice, free up your mind ,dare to strike out and fine new ground (1:02:39). He seems to have a halo over his students, like a preacher. He believes in them and the students believe in him. Mr Keatings aim is that the students get more confidence in themselves and dare go further taking initiatives. The movies tagline He was their inspiration. He made their lives extraordinary also very well illustrates the charismatic leadership of Mr Keating. Entrepreneurs and visionary leadership Leadership is the capacity and will to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character which inspires confidence. Bernard Montgomery He is an entrepreneur: he has the guts to do things differently, to take initiatives. He is a risk taker. Indeed, instead of following 100 years of conventional education like his predecessors have done, he chooses an alternative: teach the students how to become free men and seize the day. He teaches in unconventional ways. For example, the first lesson is done outside the classroom. Mr Keating makes it like a game, more tempting and dynamic. Here is below a sample of the dialogue between Mr Keating and one of the students illustrating the above: Mr Keating: Why the author does use these lines? A student: Because hes in a hurry Mr Keating: No! Ding! Thank you for playing anyway! (13:57) Later on, he asks the students to rip out the pages of a literature book, which is unbelievable for the students. Doing this, Mr Keating wants to teach them that what is written in books is not always right and that they must think by themselves as free men. Mr Keatings relationship with the students Tell me, I will forget. Show me, I may remember. Involve me, I will understand. Chinese Proverb Mr Keating has a special way of teaching: he involves his students. Indeed, he has a strong conviction and belief that his students could do and be the best. He feels he has to fulfil a mission: to take to them far away, the further they can go. He just has to show them the way, which explains why he has a special bond with the students. The relation is based on trust, more than a teacher/ student relationship. The fact that the students are keen to follow him and play his game shows that he has succeeded in making this vision come true. As an alumni of this school, he, better than anyone else, knows what it is like to be in their position. We can assume that it is why he is trying to be different and wants his lessons to help the students in real life. He is a sensible and intuitive man: since the beginning, he is able to detect his students personality. He is very fast in getting the flaws of his students. He understands them and acts to help them develop their skills. This can be noticed in his behaviour with Todd. He sees that Todd needs some help. He detects Todds fear and takes actions to make Todd go beyond it: Mr Keating à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ I would kike you to compose a poem of your own, an original work. (Hes leaving the class and comes back a few seconds later) Mr Anderson. Dont think that I dont know that this assignment scares the hell out of you, you mole. (42:28) The limits of Mr Keatings leadership However, an unexpected event will put an end to Mr Keatings methods: the suicide of one of the students, Neil. Mr Keating is held responsible for Neils death by the Management of the school and is then dismissed. Mr Keatings objectives were to develop the students. However, he has had no control over them and their actions. He has proposed an appealing alternative of learning, but has not cleared up the negative possible consequences. We can think that he has been too idealist and that he has brought with him too many big changes in an organization whose values and objectives were totally different from his. For this reason, we can assume that Mr Keatings leadership was expected to probably fail one day or another. Portrait of three different leaders among the students Charlie Dalton Where he comes from Charlie evolves in the same religious school environment as his friends. This environment is very authoritarian. It is based on rules and habits that must be respected. We know that Charlie comes from a wealthy family and that his father is a banker. Charlies personality Charlie has a strong personality. He likes provocation and is sometimes a rebel. He is also the funny guy of the group. He is a happy-go-lucky person and can reveal himself thoughtless of the consequences of his actions. All over the film, there are examples showing his rebel side. We can see this trait of his personality very clearly when he announces to his friends that he has released an illegal article in the school journal. In this article, he pleaded for the admission of girls at Welton, which is by nature an insult to the Management of the school. Charlie does not see the consequences of his act, but his friends do. Following the release of this article, the Director of the School, Mr Nolan wants to find the guilty person and for this purpose he organizes a meeting with all the students. At the meeting, Charlie follows up his idea and defies the authority of Mr Nolan, pretending that he is receiving a call from God asking for the admission of girls:  «Ã‚  Welton Academy Hello  !   Yes, he is. Just a moment. Mr Nolan, its for you. Its God! Hey says we should have girls at Welton (1:13:07). He is also very proud. The scene that best shows his pride is just after he was kicked out by Mr Nolan as a punishment for the release of the article in the journal. As he is talking with his friends, he does not admit that he got hurt, but raises his head and reminds his friends of his warriors nickname Nuwanda (1:15:15). Charlie likes his new teacher, Mr Keating, not only because of his original vision of poetry, but also because Mr Keatings teaching methods make him free to experiment daring innovations. Charlie likes to experiment freedom. This is what we can see in the scene where Mr Keating asks the boys to walk in line. Charlie decides not to do the exercise saying to Mr Keating that he is Exercising the right not to walk (1:02:58). Mr Keating accepts Charlies position as he is precisely teaching the boys how to become free men. Charlies leadership At the beginning of the film, Charlie appears as a natural leader due to his personal traits: his is extravert, self-confident and impulsive. He has a sense of humour that the others appreciate. Because of his strong personality, his is the one that is noticed first in the group. He is the one who makes initiatives in the group. For instance, he is the first to hear Mr Keating and rip out the page of the poetry book: Mr Keating: Go on. Rip out the entire page. You heard me. Rip it outà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Thank you, Mr Dalton (22:15). He also chooses his own nickname Nuwanda (1:05:50) as if he was an Indian warrior. He is the only one in the group to do that and the others seem to admire him for his creativity. This shows that he also has some charisma. Charlies strong personality remains constant all over the movie, but does not match with the austere and strict rules of the school. However, Mr Keatings class and methods allow Charlie to express himself more freely. Time after time, Charlies leadership over the group is getting less important because of Neils leadership that is showing up and growing. For instance, when Mr Keating asks the boys to stand up on the tables, Charlie is not the first to go, but Neil is. We can say that Charlie does not remain a strong leader in the students group because his friends do not always understand and agree on his behaviours. Charlie acts on his own without consulting his friends. The result is that Charlie appears as uncontrollable and as someone who can put himself and his friends in danger (he released an illegal article in the journal). Charlie has then not kept the others confidence and cannot be considered by the others as their leader. Neil Perry Neils personality Neil is also a student at Welton and is one of most important characters in the movie. He lives in an authoritarian and respectful environment not only at Welton but also at home. He is expected to be compliant with strict and heavy rules and obey the strong authority of his father and school. Like all the students at Welton, he is supposed to follow a detailed order built around the four values of Welton: discipline, excellence, tradition and honor. Neil is an enthusiastic and a dynamic boy. He is the initiator of the re-launch of the Dead Poets Society. Judging by the way he acts and talks, he is very determined and self confident. For instance, a lot of his sentences begin with I want. His excitement and passion show up very well when he decides to follow his vocation: drama. In the movie, we can see that Neils personality has three different sides. Each of these sides appears depending on his circle of acquaintances: Neil appears as submissive to his fathers authority, he is more like a leader in his own group and finally he has a special bond with Mr Keating. Neils relationship with his father Neils personality weakens in front of his father, who represents the family authority: Neil seems to become compliant and passive. He does not dare to face him up, or to tell him that he wants a path different from what his father expects. He has a whole life planned by his father. His fathers authority overwhelms Neil and Neil cannot fight with him, but only express his agreement. Here are two examples of his apparent obedience to his father: 1. Mr Perry: Youre taking too many extracurricular activities this semester, and Ive decided that you should drop the school annual [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] Mr Perry: [..]. Dont you ever dispute me in public. Do you understand? Neil: Father, I wasnt disputing Mr Perry: After youve finished medical school and youre on your own, then you can do as you damn well please. But until then, you do as I tell you. Is it clear? Neil: Yes, Sir. Im sorry. (7:23) 2. Mr Perry : Dont you dare talk back to me. Its bad enough that youve wasted your time with this, this absurd acting business, but you deliberately deceived me. How did you expect to get away with this? Answer me. Who put you up to it? Was it this new man? Keating? However, we have noticed that there is a big difference between what he says to his father and the way he acts. Indeed, although it is difficult for Neil to tell his father what he wants for himself, he does not hesitate to write a false letter usurping his fathers signature in order to play in the drama in which he has a role. Neils relationship with his father contrasts with the one he develops with his teacher, Mr Keating. c) Neils relationship with Mr Keating One of the most interesting relationship in the movie is the one between Mr Keating and Neil, and more noteworthy the way it evolves. Neil is the first professors follower. He becomes totally fascinated by this teacher. Every time Mr Keating speaks, Neil is like captivated by Mr Keatings words. He admires him and considers him as a model with whom he can have free and confidential talks about his passions and dreams. Neil sees in his professor a mentor, teaching him how to live his life. He fully trusts his speech without questioning Mr Keatings mindset. d) Neils relationship with Todd Regarding his relation with Todd, Neil is like a mentor to him; he takes him under his protection and decides to help him live his life. Various scenes highlight the fact that Neil wants to help Todd by opening his mind to the world. For instance, Neil succeeds in convincing Todd to be part of the Dead Poets Society even if at first Todd does not want to because he does not want to take turn in reading. Neil does not want Todd to be excluded. He then offers to adapt the Dead Poets Society rules so that Todd does not have to read and feel comfortable in joining the Dead Poets Society. Here is a scene illustrating the above: Neil: Todd, are you coming tonight? Todd: No Neil: Why not? God, you were there. You heard Keating. Dont you want to do something about that? Todd: Yes, butà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Neil: But? But What? Todd: Keating said that everybody took turns reading, and I dont want to do that. Neil: Gosh, you really have a problem with that, dont you? Todd: No I dont have a problem. I just I dont want to do it, okay? Neil: All right. What if you didnt have to read? What if you just came and listened? Todd: Thats not how it works. Neil: Well, forget how it works. What if they said it was okay? Todd: What are you gonna go up and ask them? No Neil. Neil: I will be right back. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (30:47) In this scene, Neil pushes Todd to participate in the Dead Poets Society meeting. He could have just let him be alone but he wants him to come: he cares for him. Neil reproduces with Todd the same type of relationship that exists between Mr Keating and himself: He listens to his friend and tries to help him the same way Mr Keating listens and tries to help Neil. Neil maybe recognizes himself in Todd as a shy boy who does not dare to speak his minds. Indeed, Neil behaves the same way when he is in front of his father. Neil knows too much this feeling of weakness and just cannot let his friend like this. Finally Neil becomes a leader in his friends group thanks to his fascinated, enthusiastic and dynamic personality. He pushes his friends to rebuild the Dead Poet Society which makes him become a leader. e) Neils leadership Based on the characteristics of his personality as described above namely passion, enthusiasm and energy, we can say that Neil is a charismatic leader. He is the initiator of the re-launch of the Dead Poets Society and he has been able to communicate his energy to the other boys. Moreover he represents a model especially for Todd. He is also an entrepreneurial leader. Indeed, he is a risk taker who does not hesitate to break rules. Indeed, he rebuilds a society that is unauthorized and must remain secrete. He also writes a false letter to serve his objective which is play in a drama: he dares to take initiatives. He is also a relational leader who cares about developing the others skills particularly with Todd as we have explained in the above section. f) Neils evolution Leadership is a serving relationship that has the effect of facilitating human development. Ted Ward Mr Keatings leadership has revealed Neils personality: It evolves throughout the film. At first, we discover a person with an erased personality in front of the familys authority. Thanks to Mr Keating, Neil is going to develop his self-awareness and freedom of mind. This new awareness will lead him to position himself as leader in his friends group. Neil then becomes more passionate and dreamy. He fulfills his passion for drama thanks to the self-confidence he has developed. However, this personal development will not help him to speak up his mind to his father because he probably realizes that there is a too big difference between his fathers expectations and his own ones. He believes that communication with his father is just not possible and that he has no solution, but suicide. Todd Anderson Where he comes from Todd is a new student at Welton. His brother was himself a student at Welton before. Todds brother was one of the finest students and is remembered in everyones memory as an excellent student. As the Director of the School meets Todd for the first time, he says to Todd that he will have big shoes to fill. When Todd is introduced to Neils friends, one of them immediately refers to his brothers success: you are that Anderson! Valedictorian, National Merit Scholar (07:05). The strong image of his successful brother is difficult to cope with for Todd. Todd depreciates himself. This probably comes from the fact that his parents are completely focused on his brother and not sufficiently on Todd. For instance, each year Todd gets the same present from his parents for his birthday. As a result, Todd feels like abandoned by his parents. He feels like an outsider. This may illustrate the psychodynamic leadership theory: The parents have an influence on their childrens leadership when they are grown. Todds brother probably has had the esteem and confidence of his parents as the older son, which helped his development and success. Todd, the younger boy, probably has had less attention from his parents which has resulted in his lack of self-confidence. When he arrives at Welton, his family environment, and more especially his brother, is a heavy burden to cope with for Todd. Todds personality Todd is shy and introvert. He does not feel comfortable with others. He does not take any initiatives to make friends, but only responds to initiatives made by Neil and his friends. He is often on his own, studying at his desk. Todd lacks self-confidence and does not want to be noticed in a way or another. For instance, when Neil offers him to be part of the Dead Poets Society, Todd says no, noà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Keating said that everybody took turns reading and I do not want to do that (30:58). He does not want Neil to ask the other boys if they would agree on the fact that Todd would not read. This shows that he wants to be transparent to others. He also has some self-awareness as he points out his weaknesses to Neil: I am not like you Neil, you say things and people listen, I am not like that (45:49). Todd sticks to the rules strictly that is how it works (31:20) he says about the rules of the Dead Poets Society. He does not explore creativity and is then not able to look at alternatives different from the existing framework. For Todd, the authority of the adults (parents, director and teachers) prevails over everything else. When Neil wants to write a false letter usurping his fathers signature, Todd says that it is impossible to do that. Instead, he tries to convince Neil to ask his father the right to be in a play. In doing this, he tries to protect Neil from any serious problem with his father: he will kill you if he finds out you went to an audition and did not tell him (44:38). On the one hand, due to his personality and family context, Todd does not dare things. He is very static and conformist. On the other hand, he is cautious and does not take any unconsidered risks. Todds relationships Todd develops a strong friendship with Neil. He admires his friend who has charisma, vision and creativity. Todd is considered by Neil, which is something Todd had lacked so far as his parents have been focused on his brother only. Todd seems to consider Neil as a mentor: He can talk with him of personal difficulties, and get boosted b

History of Computers :: Technology Computers Essays

History of Computers One could say that the history of the computer started with the abacus, a wooden frame holding two wires with beads strung on them. The beads were moved around, and the abacus was used to solve arithmetic problems. Blaise Pascal built the first digital computer in 1642, which added numbers that were entered with dials. Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz built a computer in 1694 that could add and multiply (Meyers). Thomas of Colmar (Charles Xavier Thomas) created the first mechanical calculator that added, subtracted, multiplied, and divided (Augarten 37). During this time, in Cambridge, England, Charles Babbage began designing an automatic mechanical calculating machine, called the difference machine. He started manufacturing it in 1823. It was supposed to be steam powered and fully automatic, capable of printing result tables, and run by an instruction program. He worked on it for the next ten years (Meyers). Herman Hollerith and James Powers, who worked for the US Census Bureau, were the first to successfully use punch cards in 1890. Information could be punched into the cards automatically, and they developed devices to read the information, so reading errors were reduced, work flow increased, and the punched cards could be used as easily accessible memory. International Business Machines (IBM), Remington, Burroughs, and other corporations developed better punched cards. These computers used electromechanical devices in which electrical power provided mechanical motion -- like turning the wheels of an adding machine. Such systems included features to: feed in a specified number of cards automatically, add, multiply, and sort feed out cards with punched results (Meyers). They were slow compared to today computers, only processing 50-220 cards per minute, each card only holding 80 characters. Punched cards were a big advancement in their day, providing greater memory st orage. Punched cards performed most of the world first business computing and much scientific computing work (Meyers). World War II created a great need for the military to have computer capacity; trajectory tables and other information were required for new weapons. John Eckert, John Mauchly, and their associates at the Moore School of Electrical Engineering of University of Pennsylvania built a high-speed electronic computer, the ENIAC (Electrical Numerical Integrator and Calculator) in 19 42.

The Semiotics of the Encore :: Concert Music Audience Papers

The Semiotics of the Encore Introduction In this reflexive paper, I wish to add a brief addendum to the literature about the semiotics of performance by examining the semiotic acts that surround the ritual of the encore in a live concert performance. I will bring to my analysis of this phenomena my twenty-some years of experience witnessing rock concerts in venues of all sizes and with a wide variety of audiences and performers. I will argue that there are specific elements to this ritual that are of particular interest to semioticians. I am going to attempt an admittedly incomplete semiotic analysis of the encore based on Daniel Chandler's guidelines for "D.I.Y. Semiotic Analysis," as found at http://www.aber.ac.uk/~dgc/sem12.html. The Umwelt of the Encore What are the important signifiers and what do they signify? - What is the system within which these signs make sense? - What connotations seem to be involved? (Chandler, based on Berger, 40-41) The Umwelt of the concert goer, or semiotic 'stage' of this event, includes: the literal stage, which is raised to a greater or lesser degree above the seats on the main floor of the concert hall; the levels of seating--the class structure, to put it in Marxist terms; the ushers and/or security; the tickets which are required to gain admittance; as well as the background of prior experiences that the concertgoer brings with him or her, and an infinite number of other aspects. Of course, this Umwelt, like all Umwelten, is not identical or universal for all of the concertgoers. Each individual member of the audience builds up their own particular knowledge structures of this kind of event; these structures form their own particular Umwelt. The more experiences of concerts, the more complex the Umwelt constructed around them. For instance, the Grateful Dead often performed two sets without an opening act. Most concerts feature two acts with an interim between them. A friend of mine, unfamiliar with the way the Dead's music and the way they structured their concerts, went to her first Dead show and in the intermission between sets, said loudly, as it had been twenty minutes or so since the band had left the stage, "Gee, when are the Dead coming on?" This was greeted with howls of derision from her surrounding neighbors, whose Dead-concert Umwelt was more developed. The most important aspect of the rock-concert Umwelt, I would argue, isn't directly observable: the invisible ring or wall around the stage which separates the performers from the audience.

I, Too by Langston Hughes Essay -- Langston Hughes Poetry

I, Too by Langston Hughes A situation can be interpreted into several different meanings when observed through the world of poetry. A poet can make a person think of several different meanings to a poem when he or she is reading it. Langston Hughes wrote a poem titled "I, Too." In this poem he reveals the Negro heritage and the pride that he has in his heritage and in who he is. Also, Hughes uses very simple terms that allow juvenile interpretations and reading. The poem begins "I, too, sing America. I am the darker brother." From those two lines alone, one can see that he is proud of who he is and introducing himself to the reader. In the line "I, too, sing America" he is explaining that he is an American like everyone else in the country, but he is only of a darker skin color as he follows up in line two with "I am the darker brother." He says that even though he is of another color he is still an American and he should not be treated any differently from any other American. When looking at the poem, Hughes expresses the pride that he has in his heritage and in who h...

The Causes and Impacts of Youth Smoking on Hong Kong

Title: The causes and impacts of youth smoking on Hong Kong smoking young people’s quality of life |Content |Page | |Chapter 1 : Introduction |P. 3-4 | |Chapter 2 : Literature Review and Methodology |p. 5-11 | |2. 1 Literature Review | | |2. Methodology | | |2. 3 Limitations | | |2. 4 Chapter summary | | |Chapter 3 : Findings |p. 12-19 | |3. 1 Reasons of smoking among Hong Kong young people | | |3. Non-smokers’ view towards smoking | | |3. 3 Effects of smoking on smokers’ quality of life in the economic and social aspects | | |3. 4 Suggestions to help smokers to quit smoking | | |3. 5 The effectiveness of government measures in encouraging and helping smokers to quit smoking | | |3. Chapter summary | | |Chapter 4 : Analysis and Discussion |p. 20-26 | |4. 1 The truth about youth smoking | | |4. 2 The effectiveness of government measures on encouraging and helping smokers to quit smoking | | |4. 3 Suggestions to help smokers to quit smoking | | |4. Limitation of the study | | |4. 5 Areas for further study | | |4. 6 After thoughts | | |Bibliography |p. 27 | |List of Appendices |p. 8-43 | |Table of contents: | | |Summary table of the results of questionnaires | | |Questionnaire samples ( in Chinese and English versions) | | Chapter 1 : Introduction Smoking is not good for health and it smells bad. I want to know why some young people still smoke. Hong Kong government has passed some laws about banning smoking in indoor areas and some public areas such as parks.The government also shot some advertisement about quitting smoking, such as the smoke-free Hong Kong advertisement. I want to know whether these measures are effective in helping smokers to quit smoking. My grandfather died because of tuberculosis. He was a heavy smoker. I want to know how smoking affect people’s health. My uncle also has a smoking habit. I want to know some ways to help smokers to quit smoking through this Independent Enquiry Studies. The focus questions of my Independent Enquiry Studies are â€Å" Why do some Hong Kong young people start smoking? , â€Å"What are the non-smokers and smokers’ views towards smoking? †, â€Å" How does smoking affect Hong Kong young people’s quality of life in economic and social aspect? † and â€Å"What can we do to help the smokers to quit smoking? † In this Independent Enquiry Studies, â€Å"smoking† refers to the smoking of all forms of tobacco, including cigarette, cigar, hand rolled cigarette and pipe-smoking. â€Å"Hong Kong smoking young people† refers to Hong Kong residents aged 10-25 who at the time of doing the survey have a smoking habit, no matter what type of tobacco they smoked and their smoking pattern. People who smoked before and have now quitted smoking† refers to people who previously had a smoking habit for at least 1 month continuously. â€Å"Quality of life† refers to the degree of satisfaction in the material and s piritual aspects of life. There are 4 chapters in the Independent Enquiry Studies. Chapter 1 is Introduction. It includes the background of the Independent Enquiry Studies. Chapter 2 is Methodology. It includes the method of doing research in the Independent Enquiry Studies. Chapter 3 is Findings. It includes the findings of the research. Chapter 4 is Analysis.After analyzing the findings, I will suggest some possible answers to the focus questions. In the appendix, samples of questionnaires and a summarizing table of the findings are attached. Through the Independent Enquiry Studies, we should be able to gain knowledge of non-smokers view towards smoking, assess the effectiveness of government’s measures on helping and encouraging smokers to quit smoking and know some effective methods in helping smokers to quit smoking. Chapter 2 : Literature Review and Methodology 2. 1 Literature Review 2. 1. 1 Youth smokersAccording to the survey on Pattern of Smoking conducted by the Cen sus and Statistical Department during December 2007 to March 2008, 10500 people in Hong Kong aging from 15 to 19 smoked. 2. 4% of them are daily smokers. 107800 people in Hong Kong aging from 20 to 29 smoked. 15. 9% of them are daily smokers. The percentage of daily smokers was on a gradually decreasing trend over the past 15 years from 1993 to 2008. Average daily consumption of cigarettes of 15-19 smokers was 11 cigarettes in the survey conducted during Dec 2007-Mar 2008, while the average consumption of cigarettes of 20-29 cigarettes smokers was 12 cigarettes. 1] 2. 1. 2 Causes of youth smoking According to the survey on Pattern of Smoking conducted by the Census and Statistical Department during December 2007 to March 2008, 59. 8% of daily cigarette smokers started smoking because of â€Å"influence of friends†, 36. 7% â€Å"out of curiosity†. Other reasons included â€Å"necessity in social functions† (8. 1%), â€Å"influence of family members† (7. 8% ) , â€Å"easing tension† (4. 2%), â€Å"refreshing one’s mind† (3. 7%) and â€Å"killing time† (3. 4%). [2] 2. 1. 3 Impacts of youth smoking Many sources suggest that smoking can cause various diseases and hence has a negative impact on smoker’s health.On the website of Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health, it suggests that cigarette smoking is hazardous to health. Smoking can cause different cancers, such as cancers of the mouth and throat, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer and stomach cancer. Smoking also causes cardiac diseases, pulmonary and respiratory diseases and genital diseases, such as impotence in male smokers. [3], The website of Tobacco Control Office Department of Health also suggests that smoking is a causative agent of many fatal diseases and cancers.Smoking can cause disorders and problems such as impotence, infertility, wrinkling and halitosis. Smoking would also bring about socio-economical consequences. [4] 2. 1. 4 Methods of q uitting smoking The website of Tobacco Control Office Department of Health includes some tips and methods that can help smokers to quit smoking. When you start to quit smoking, you will still have urges to smoke. The urge will last for just a few minutes and you will be able to get over it. The website provides some methods to help smokers get over this urge.For example, when smokers have urges to smoke, they can try to divert their attentions to smoke by washing face, listen to music, etc. [5] 2. 2 Methodology Questionnaire will be employed to collect the data for the IES. There are many good points. 1. Quantitative Research Orientation 1. Scientific approach Quantitative researchers work on simplifying complicated social phenomena into measurable figures. After calculation, the researcher can know the general situation of different social phenomena and their interrelationships. 2. Objective approachThe personal opinions of respondents may affect their answers to some questions. Fo r example, when the respondents are asked whether the government policy is effective in tackling smoking, it is difficult to define effective. However, the researcher can use a more objective approach, such as when using literature review, the researcher can compare the number of smokers before and after the government policies are implemented. Assume there are 10000 people quit smoking after the banning smoking in restaurants. Some people may think that it is effective while some people may think that it is not effective.From this figure, we can know the actual situation. 3. Require less time and resources Instead of arranging a time doing interview with the respondents face-to-face, we can send the questionnaire to target respondents through mails. We may also upload the questionnaire online and invite respondents to answer the questionnaire through online forums and social-networking software and websites. 4. Can reach more respondents As the time required for each respondent to give response is shorter, there is more time to invite more respondents to give responses.Some people may be scared or shy when doing a face-to-face interview, a questionnaire is more suitable to these respondents. Since Hong Kong people are busy, many of them cannot arrange time for doing the interview. Sending a questionnaire to them enables them to answer when they have time. 1. Research Procedures The mini pilot questionnaire Before actual questionnaires were distributed, the researcher discussed the questionnaire with his teacher and classmates to ascertain whether the questions are understandable and sensible to the respondents.This also gives rough ideas of the suitability of wording and the appropriateness of the sequence of questions and the questions being asked. The questionnaires The researcher used online questionnaire at first to save time and resources between 1 February 2011 and 20 March 2011. However, the number of respondents was not satisfactory (237), while the t arget sample size was 300 and the researcher decided to distribute questionnaires directly in Causeway Bay on 27 March 2011. In the research, the researcher divided the respondents into three target groups, including non-smokers, smokers and ex-smokers.Each target group had a unique set of questions in order to answer different focus questions in the research. The questions were provided with choices to make data analysis easier and save respondents’ time. Questionnaire questions Most of the questionnaire questions were provided with options and the option â€Å"others† for respondents to give answers that were not given in the options. There were a lot of options in the questions so as to cover most possible opinions of respondents. This surely saved respondent’s time in completing the questionnaire and the researcher can analyze the data easily.The questionnaire had both Chinese and English versions, so the respondents could understand the questions easily and give appropriate responses. Examples were also given after the some relatively difficult words to ensure the respondents understand the questions clearly. 1. Data Analysis Numerical expression of data In order to make the data comparable, all answers are arranged in different categories and both numbers of respondents choosing that option and the percentage of respondents choosing that option (only in questions that the respondents could only choose one option) were shown. . Limitations The questionnaires are distributed online and in the Causeway Bay, so people who do not live in Causeway Bay and cannot access to the internet cannot get the questionnaire. Therefore, the responses may be biased and confined. 3. Chapter Summary This chapter has given the theoretical framework for this research, including the literature review and methodology of this research. In this research, questionnaire was used mainly.To enhance readers’ understanding of the research, both the research p rocedure and data analysis with also its objective and scientific approach were included. Chapter 3: Findings In this chapter, the researcher is going to present the data collected through questionnaires. The research emphasizes on the causes and impacts of youth smoking on Hong Kong smoking young people’s quality of life. In 3. 1, there will be a discussion on the reasons why some Hong Kong young people start smoking. In 3. 2, the Hong Kong non-smoking young people’s view towards smoking will be investigated.In 3. 3, how smoking affects Hong Kong smoking young people’s quality of life in the economic and social aspects will be explored. In 3. 4, the researcher will attempt to give some suggestions to help Hong Kong smoking young people to quit smoking. In 3. 5, the researcher will give a discussion on the effectiveness of government measures on encouraging and helping smokers to quit smoking. 3. 1 Reasons of smoking among Hong Kong young people The researcher h as distributed 100 questionnaires to Hong Kong smoking young people.As shown in figure 1, the reasons why some Hong Kong young people smoke are influence of friends (60%), curiosity (36%), influence of family members (8%), releasing pressure (8%) killing time (4%) and refreshing one’s mind (4%) |Options |Number of respondents | |Influence of friends |60 | |Influence of family members |8 | |Curiosity |36 | |Release pressure |8 | |killing time |4 | |refreshing one’s mind |4 |Figure 1: Summary table showing the reasons why some Hong Kong young people smoke 3. 2 Non-smokers’ view towards smoking The researcher has also distributed 100 questionnaires to Hong Kong non-smoking young people. As shown in figure 2, among 100 Hong Kong non-smoking young people, 95 of them do not like people who smoke, only 5 of them like people who smoke. [pic] Figure 2: a pie chart showing the general opinions of Hong Kong non-smoking young people on Hong Kong smoking young people As show n in figure 3, among the 5 Hong Kong non-smoking young people who like smoking people, all of them like people who smoke because they think that smoking people are attractive. 4 of them also like the smell of cigarettes. Options |Number of respondents | |Smoking people are attractive |5 | |I like the smell of cigarettes |4 | |Secondhand smoke is good for my health |0 | Figure 3: Summary table showing the reasons why some Hong Kong non-smoking young people like people who smoke. (they can choose more than 1 option) As shown in figure 4, among the 95 Hong Kong non-smoking young people, 80 of them dilikes people who smoke because they think that smoking people are not attractive. 85 of them hate the smell of cigarettes. All of them agrees that secondhand smoke is bad for their health,so they dislike people who smoke. Options |Number of respondents | |Smoking people are not attractive |80 | |I hate the smell of cigarettes |85 | |Secondhand smoke is bad for my health |95 | Figure 4: Summ ary table showing the reasons why some Hong Kong non-smoking young people dislike people who smoke (Respondents can choose more than 1 option) 3. 3 Effects of smoking on smokers’ quality of life in the economic and social aspects As shown in figure 5, among the 100 Hong Kong smoking young people, 9% of them spend $0-50 in buying cigarettes per week. 80% of them spend $51-100 in buying cigarettes per week. 11% of them spend $101-150 in buying cigarettes per week. So, smokers have a greater expense and thus smoking have a negative impact on smokers’ quality of life in the economic aspect. Options |Number of respondents |percentage | |$0-50 |9 |9% | |$51-100 |80 |80% | |$101-150 |11 |11% | |$151-200 |0 |0% | |$201-250 |0 |0% | |$251-300 |0 |0% | |$301-350 |0 |0% | |$350 or above |0 |0% | Figure 5: Summary table showing how much do Hong Kong smoking young people spend on buying cigarettes per weekAs shown in figure 2, 95% of Hong Kong non-smoking young people responded dis like people who smoke. This shows that smoking has adverse impacts on the relationship between smokers and non-smokers. Hence, smoking adversely affects smokers’ quality of life in social aspect. 3. 4 Suggestions to help smokers to quit smoking The researcher has conducted questionnaires with 100 ex-smokers in Hong Kong. As shown in figure 6, among 100 ex-smokers responded, all of them discarded all cigarettes and ashtrays to quit smoking. 80 of them used medications for quitting smoking. 90 of them tried to avoid staying in places where people smoke. 77 of them used smoking cessation services provided by smoking cessation clinics. Options |Number of respondents | |Discard all cigarettes and ashtrays |100 | |Using medications for quitting smoking (such as nicotine |80 | |patch and nicotine gum) | | |Avoid staying in places where people smoke |90 | |Using smoking cessation services provided by smoking |77 | |cessation clinics | | Figure 6: Summary table showing what measure s ex-smokers took to quit smoking (Respondents can choose more than 1 option) 3. The effectiveness of government measures in encouraging and helping smokers to quit smoking According to figure 7, 76 of the 100 ex-smokers responded decided to quit smoking because of the advice from health care professionals. 54 of them decided to quit smoking because of health reasons. 23 of them decided to quit smoking because of influence of friends. 59 of them decided to quit smoking due to influence of family members. 9 of them decided to quit smoking as requested by boss or teachers. 43 of them decided to quit smoking due to government policies. |Options |Number of respondents | |Health reasons (with advice from doctors/ other health care 76 | |professional) | | |Smoking is not good to my health |54 | |Influence of friends |23 | |Influence of family members |59 | |Requested by boss/ teachers |9 | |Government policies(such as expanding statutory no smoking |43 | |areas) | |Figure 7: Summary ta ble showing why ex-smokers decided to quit smoking ( Respondents can choose more than one option) 3. 6 Chapter summary With the aids of pie charts and tables, the chapter attempts to give a discussion on the reasons why some Hong Kong young people start smoking, the non-smokers’ views towards smoking, how smoking affect smokers’ quality of life in the economic and social aspects, the effectiveness of government measures in helping and encouraging the smokers to quit smoking and suggestions to help smokers to quit smoking. The main reasons why some Hong Kong young people start smoking are influence of friends and curiosity.Most Hong Kong non-smoking young people dislike people who smoke. Smoking has adverse impacts on smokers’ quality of life in both economic and social aspects. Government measures are effective in helping the smokers to quit smoking as 77 of the 100 ex-smokers responded used smoking cessation services provided by government smoking cessation cli nics. Government measures are not effective in encouraging the smokers to quit smoking since only 43 of the 100 ex-smokers responded quit smoking because of government policies such as expanding statutory no smoking areas. Further discussion and analysis are to be followed in chapter 4. Chapter 4: Analysis and DiscussionBased on the findings done in Chapter 3 and related studies, this chapter would discuss the causes of youth smoking, the impacts of youth smoking on Hong Kong smoking young people’s quality of life in the economic and social aspect, the effectiveness of government measures in encouraging and helping the smokers to quit smoking and further explore some methods to help smokers to quit smoking. 4. 1. The truth about youth smoking 4. 1. 1. The causes of youth smoking As said in chapter 3, the causes of youth smoking are influence of friends, curiosity, influence of family members, releasing pressure, killing time and refreshing one’s mind. To explain the ca uses of youth smoking, the following may serve as reference. †¢ Influence of friends In general, adolescents value the relationship with their friends.In order to have a good relationship with their peers, they will try their best to obtain their affirmation and acceptance. So, influence of friends is a main reason why some Hong Kong young people start smoking. †¢ Curiosity Nowadays, smoking scenes frequently appears on television and films. Hong Kong young people and children often see people smoking on the street. They may have a wrong concept that smoking people are cool. They begin to develop the curiosity to smoke. When there are some chances for them to start smoking, such as being invited by friends they are more likely to start smoking. †¢ Influence of family members In the childhood, parents are the idols of their children. Children tend to follow what their parents do.If children see their parents smoking, they will have a higher tendency to follow their par ents and start smoking. They will also have a higher curiosity towards smoking. Smoking parents is harder to stop their children from smoking because the parents themselves smoke, too. So, influence of family members is also one main cause of youth smoking. 4. 1. 2 The impacts of smoking on smokers’ quality of life As mentioned of chapter 3, smoking has adverse impacts on smokers’ quality of life in the economic and social aspect. The following will explain the impacts of smoking on smokers in details. †¢ In the economic aspect Smokers have to spend money on buying cigarettes.The government has recently increased the tobacco tax and worked hare to tackle contraband and counterfeit cigarettes problem. The prices of cigarettes therefore increases and smokers have to pay more on cigarettes. As shown in chapter 2, smoking is detrimental to health as it may lead to different cancers and other diseases such as infertility. So, smokers may be easier to get a disease and their medical expenses may increase. Therefore, smoking brings negative impacts on smokers’ quality of life in the economic aspect. †¢ In the social aspect As shown in chapter 3, most non-smokers dislike people who smoke. Therefore, smokers have a poor relationship with most non-smokers.Smokers have a poorer relationship with non-smokers and hence the social aspect of quality of life of smokers is negatively affected. On the other hand, smokers may have a better relationship with other smokers. For example, cigarettes are often used as gifts among businessmen in China. People can get recognition from other smokers by smoking. So, smokers have a better relationship with other smokers and hence smoking brings positive impacts on smokers’ quality of life in the social aspect. 4. 2. The effectiveness of government measures on encouraging and helping smokers to quit smoking 4. 2. 1 The effectiveness of government measures Smokers are often addicted to cigarettes.They e xperience many withdrawal symptoms when they try to quit smoking, such as dizziness, headache and poor concentration. Therefore, it is difficult for smokers to quit smoking. As mentioned in chapter 3, the effectiveness of government measures on encouraging smokers to quit smoking is low. 2. The effectiveness of government measures on helping smokers to quit smoking As stated in chapter 3, many ex-smokers used smoking cessation services provided by smoking cessation clinics to quit smoking. This shows that government measures are effective in helping smokers to quit smoking. 2. Suggestions to help smokers to quit smoking It is difficult to quit smoking.However, smokers can use some methods adopted by most ex-smokers to quit smoking. Here are some examples. †¢ Discard all cigarettes and ashtrays †¢ Avoid staying in places where people smoke †¢ Using medications for quitting smoking ( such as nicotine patch and nicotine gun) 3. Limitation of the study First and foremost, the study involving 300 respondents for sampling may not be able to represent the opinions of non-smokers, smokers and ex-smokers. The distribution of questionnaires are done online and in Causeway Bay, so people who do not have the access to the internet nor live in Causeway Bay may not get the questionnaire. Therefore, the responses may be biased and confined.Due to the limited resources, the researcher has already tried to work out the generalized pattern of people’s opinions towards smoking as much as possible. The researcher has also studied similar studies done by the government in a much larger scale. Hence, the reliability of the study can be increased. Time has always been a constraint to the researcher. So as to ensure the general trend of people’s opinions, the researcher has spent considerable time on analyzing the data and arranging them into summary tables and pie charts. 4. Areas for further study Despite the limitations, the study can hopefully uphold the complexity of the causes and impacts of youth smoking. This study has brought some insights to the policy makers in encouraging and helping Hong Kong smoking people to quit smoking.The following suggestions may also serve as good topics for further studies †¢ New methods to stop people from starting to smoke †¢ New methods of encouraging and helping smokers to quit smoking by other stakeholders (besides the government and individuals) The rationale behind these suggestions is highly understandable. â€Å"Prevention is better than curing. † It is easier to stop people from starting to smoke than helping smokers to quit smoking because smokers are addicted to cigarettes. Therefore, looking for methods to encourage people not to start smoking is a more useful method to reduce the smoking population in Hong Kong. As stated in 4. 2. , the current government measures are not effective in encouraging smokers to quit smoking. Also, development of new cheaper and more co mfortable methods to quit smoking may encourage smokers to quit smoking. Therefore, a research on new methods to encourage and help smokers to quit smoking is contributive to reduce smoking population in Hong Kong. 5. Afterthoughts To the researcher’s belief, this study helps readers to gain knowledge of people’s view towards smoking and know some effective methods in helping smokers to quit smoking. This study has also assessed the effectiveness of government’s measures in encouraging and helping smokers to quit smoking. Bibliography Books: Census and Statistical Department. Pattern of smoking†, Hong Kong Monthly Digest of Statistics (Hong Kong, June 2009) Websites: Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health. â€Å"Risks? Active Smoking† http://smokefree. hk/en/content/web. do? page=ActiveSmoking (Retrieved on 17 April 2011) Tobacco Control Office Department of Health. â€Å"Smoking and Health† http://www. tco. gov. hk/english/infostation_sh. h tml (Retrieved on 17 April 2011) Tobacco Control Office Department of Health. â€Å"Quitting Smoking† http://www. tco. gov. hk/english/quittting/quitting_vcqs. thml (Retrieved on 17 April 2011) Appendix I Summary table of the results of the questionnaires For non-smokers 1. How old are you? Choices |Number of respondents | |10-15 |23 | |16-20 |45 | |21-25 |32 | 2. What is your sex? |Choices |Number of respondents | |Male |79 | |Female |21 | 3. Can you suggest some methods that you think that are effective in helping smokers quit smoking? You may choose more than 1 option) |Choices |Number of respondents | |Discard all cigarettes and ashtrays |100 | |Using medications for quitting smoking (such as nicotine |90 | |patch and nicotine gum) | | |Avoid staying in places where people smoke |90 | |Using smoking cessation services provided by smoking |93 | |cessation clinics | | |Others(please state) |0 | 4. Do you like people who smoke? |Choices |Number of respondents | |Yes ( please go to question 5) |95 | |No (please go to question 6) |5 | 5. Why do you like people who smoke? You may choose more than 1 option) |Choices |Number of respondents | |Smoking people are attractive |5 | |I like the smell of cigarettes |4 | |Secondhand smoke is good for my health |0 | |Others(please state) |0 | 6. Why do you hate people who smoke? You may choose more than 1 option) |Choices |Number of respondents | |Smoking people are not attractive |80 | |I hate the smell of cigarettes |85 | |Secondhand smoke is bad for my health |95 | |Others(please state) |0 | 7. Do you have relatives or friends who smoke? Choices |Number of respondents | |Yes (please go to question 8) |63 | |No (Thank you for completing the survey) |37 | 8. Have you tried to persuade your relatives or friends to quit smoking? |Choices |Number of respondents | |Yes (please go to question 9) |27 | |No (Thank you for completing the survey) |26 | 9. After your persuasion, did your relatives or friends try to q uit smoking? Choices |Number of respondents | |Yes |8 | |No |15 | |I do not know |4 | For smokers 1. How old are you? |Choices |Number of respondents | |10-15 |3 | |16-20 |45 | |21-25 |52 | 2.How long have you been smoking? |Choices |Number of respondents | |1-3 years |63 | |4-6 years |19 | |7-10 years |15 | |10 years or above |3 | 3. Do you agree that smoking is bad to your health? Choices |Number of respondents | |Agree |92 | |Disagree |8 | 4. Do you agree that you are addicted to cigarettes? |Choices |Number of respondents | |Agree |87 | |Disagree |13 | 5. How many cigarettes you smoke per day? Choices |Number of respondents | |1-3 |12 | |4-6 |34 | |7-9 |40 | |10-12 |13 | |13-15 |1 | |16-18 |0 | |18-21 |0 | | 22 or above |0 | 6. How much do you spend on buying cigarettes per week? (Hong Kong Dollars) Choices |Number of respondents | |$0-50 |9 | |$51-100 |11 | |$101-150 |80 | |$151-200 |0 | |$201-250 | 0 | |$251-300 |0 | |$301-350 | 0 | |$350 or above |0 | ? $3 01-350 ? $350 or above 7. Where do your money buying cigarettes come from? You may choose more than 1 option) |Choices |Number of respondents | |Work |44 | |Petty cash from family members |78 | |From illegal ways |0 | |Borrow from family members/friends |23 | |Others(please state) |0 | 8. Do you relatives or friends know that you smoke? Choices |Number of respondents | |Yes (please go to question 9) |67 | |No (please go to question 10) |33 | 9. Generally, do they support you to smoke? |Choices |Number of respondents | |Yes |13 | |No |33 | |I do not know |21 | 10. Why do you smoke? (You may choose more than 1 option) Choices |Number of respondents | |Influence of friends |60 | |Influence of family members |8 | |Curiosity |36 | |Release pressure |8 | |Killing time |4 | |refreshing one’s mind |4 | |Others(please state) |0 | 11. What are the bad effects of smoking on you? You may choose more than 1 option) |Choices |Number of respondents | |I am not welcomed |23 | |I am less healthy |92 | |Not enough money |30 | |Makes me ugly |43 | |Bad image |33 | |Poor relationship with relatives |37 | |Poor relationship with friends |29 | |Others(please state) |0 | 12. What are the good effects of smoking on you? You may choose more than 1 option) |Choices |Number of respondents | |I am welcomed |63 | |I am more healthy |8 | |I have more money |47 | |I am more handsome/beautiful |57 | |Good image |57 | |Better relationship with relatives |10 | |Better relationship with friends |70 | |Others(please state) |0 | 13. Have you tried to quit smoking? |Choices |Number of respondents | |Yes (please go to question 14) |20 | |No (Thank you for completing the survey) |80 | 14. Why did you quit smoking? You may choose more than 1 option) |Choices |Number of respondents | |Health reasons(with advice from doctors/ other health care |3 | |professional) | | |Smoking is not good to my health |5 | |Influence of friends |2 | |Influence of family members |13 | |Requested by boss/ teachers |15 | |Government policies(such as expanding statutory no smoking |3 | |areas) | | |Others(please state) |0 | 15. What methods did you use to quit smoking? You may choose more than 1 option) |Choices |Number of respondents | |Discard all cigarettes and ashtrays |20 | |Using medications for quitting smoking (such as nicotine |17 | |patch and nicotine gum) | | |Avoid staying in places where people smoke |18 | |Using smoking cessation services provided by smoking |18 | |cessation clinics | | |Others(please state) |0 | 16. Why did you fail to quit smoking? You may choose more than 1 option) |Choices |Number of respondents | |Not determined enough |20 | |Smoking has become a habit/favourite |20 | |Quitting smoking is suffering |20 | |Others(please state) |0 | For ex-smokers 1. How old are you? |Choices |Number of respondents | |10-15 |0 | |16-20 |15 | |21-25 |85 | 2. Why did you smoke? (You may choose more than 1 option) Choices |Number of respondents | |Influence of fr iends |83 | |Influence of family members |15 | |Curiosity |40 | |Release pressure |13 | |killing time |15 | |refreshing one’s mind |3 | |Others(please state) |0 | 3. Why do you quit smoking? You may choose more than 1 option) |Choices |Number of respondents | |Health reasons(with advice from doctors/ other health care |76 | |professional) | | |Smoking is not good to my health |54 | |Influence of friends |23 | |Influence of family members |59 | |Requested by boss/ teachers |9 | |Government policies(such as expanding statutory no smoking |43 | |areas) | | |Others(please state) |0 | 4. What methods did you use to quit smoking? You may choose more than 1 option) |Options |Number of respondents | |Discard all cigarettes and ashtrays |100 | |Using medications for quitting smoking (such as nicotine |80 | |patch and nicotine gum) | | |Avoid staying in places where people smoke |90 | |Using smoking cessation services provided by smoking |77 | |cessation clinics | | 5. What is the most important factor that help you to quit smoking successfully? Choices |Number of respondents | |Health reasons(with advice from doctors/ other health care |76 | |professional) | | |Determination to quit smoking |100 | |Support from family member and/or friends |67 | |Requested by boss/ teachers |13 | |Government policies(such as expanding statutory no smoking |43 | |areas) | | |Others(please state) |0 | Appendix II Samples of Questionnaires ( ) 2007 10500? 15 19 , , 10 25 1. ? 10-15? 16-20? 21-25 2. ? ? ? ? 3. ( ) ? ( ) ? ? ? ( ) 4. ( 5? ) ( 6? ) 5. ( ) ? ? ? ( ) 6. ( ) ? ? ? ? ( ) 7. ( 8? ) ( ) 8. ( 9? ) ( ) 9. ( ) , 2007 10500? 15 19 , , 10 25 1. ? 10-15? 16-20? 21-25 2. ? ? 3. ?1-3? ?4-6? ? 6-10? ? 10 4. 5. 6. ?1-3 ? 4-6 ? 7-9 ? 10-12 ? 13-15 ?16-18 ? 19-21 ? 22 7. ( ) ?$0-50 ? $51-100 ? $101-150 ? $151-200 ? $201-250 ? $251-300 ? $301-350 ? $350 8. ( ) ? ? ? ? ? ( ) 9. ( 10? ) 11? ) 10. , 11. ( ) ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ( ) 12. ( ) ? ? ? ? / ? ? ? ? ? ( ) 13. ( ) ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ( ) 14. ( 15? ) ( ) 15. ( ) ? ( ) ? ? ? ? ( ) ? ( ) 16. ( ) ? ( ) ? ? ? ( ) 17. ( ) ? ? / ? ? ( ) ( ) , 2007 10500? 15 19 , , 10 25 2. ? 10-15? 16-20? 21-25 2. ? ? ? ? 3. ( ) ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ( ) 4. ( ) ? ( ) ? ? / ? ? ? ( ) ? ( ) 5. ( ) ? ( ) ? ? ? ( ) 6. ? ( ) ? ? ? ( ) ? / ? ( ) Youth Smoking (non-smokers)Background Information In recent years, the number of youth smoking increases steadily. A survey in 2007 reveals that 10500 Hong Kong people aged 15-19 smoked. Through this survey, I want to identify the opinions of non-smokers and smokers towards smoking, the reasons why smokers smoke and how smoking affect smoker’s and non-smoker’s quality of life. This survey is only set for people aged 10-25 1. How old are you? ? 10-15? 16-20? 21-25 2. What is your sex? ? male ? female 3. Can you suggest some methods that you think that are effective in helping smokers quit smoking? (You may choose more than 1 option) ? Discard all cigarettes and ashtrays Using medications for quitting smoking (such as nicotine patch and nicotine gum) ? Avoid staying in places where people smoke ? Using smoking cessation services provided by smoking cessation clinics ? Others(please state) 4. Do you like people who smoke? ? Yes (please go to question 5) ? No (please go to question 6) 5. Why do you like people who smoke? (You may choose more than 1 option) ? Smoking people are attractive ? I like the smell of cigarettes ? Secondhand smoke is good for my health ? Others(please state) 6. Why do you hate people who smoke? (You may choose more than 1 option) ? Smoking people are not attractive ? I hate the smell of cigarettes ?Secondhand smoke is bad for my health ? Others(please state) 7. Do you have relatives or friends who smoke? ? Yes (please go to question 8) ? No (Thank you for completing the survey) 8. Have you tried to per suade your relatives or friends to quit smoking? ? Yes (please go to question 9) ? No (Thank you for completing the survey) 9. After your persuasion, did your relatives or friends try to quit smoking? ? Yes? No ? I do not know Thank you for completing the survey Youth Smoking (smokers) Background Information In recent years, the number of youth smoking increases steadily. A survey in 2007 reveals that 10500 Hong Kong people aged 15-19 smoked.Through this survey, I want to identify the opinions of non-smokers and smokers towards smoking, the reasons why smokers smoke and how smoking affect smoker’s and non-smoker’s quality of life. This survey is only set for people aged 10-25 1. How old are you? ? 10-15? 16-20? 21-25 2. How long have you been smoking? ? 1-3 years? 4-6 years? 7-10 years ? 10 years or above 3. Do you agree that smoking is bad to your health? ? Agree ? Disagree 4. Do you agree that you are addicted to cigarettes? ? Agree ? Disagree 5. How many cigarettes you smoke per day? ? 1-3 ? 4-6? 7-9? 10-12? 13-15? 16-18 ?18-21? 22 or above 6. How much do you spend on buying cigarettes per week? (Hong Kong Dollars) ? $0-50 ? $51-100 ? 101-150 ? $151-200 ? $201-250 ? $251-300 ? $301-350 ? $350 or above 7. Where do your money buying cigarettes come from? (You may choose more than 1 option) ? Work ? Petty cash from family members ? From illegal ways ? Borrow from family members/friends ? Others(Please state) 8. Do you relatives or friends know that you smoke? ? Yes (please go to question 9) ? No (please go to question 10) 9. Generally, do they support you to smoke? ? Yes? No ? I don’t know 10. Why do you smoke? (You may choose more than 1 option) ? Influence of friends ? Influence of family members ? Curiosity ? Release pressure ? killing time ? refreshing one’s mind ?Others(please state) 11. What are the bad effects of smoking on you? (You may choose more than 1 option) ? I am not welcomed ? I am less healthy ? Not enough money ? M akes me ugly ? Bad image ? Poor relationship with relatives ? Poor relationship with friends ? Others(please state) 12. What are the good effects of smoking on you? (You may choose more than 1 option) ? I am welcomed ? I am more healthy ? I have more money ? I have better relationship with relatives ? I am more handsome/beautiful ? good image ? I have better relationship with friends ? Others(please state) 13. Have you tried to quit smoking? ? Yes (please go to question 14) No (Thank you for completing the survey) 14. Why did you quit smoking? (You may choose more than 1 option) ? Health reasons(with advice from doctors/ other health care professional) ? Smoking is not good to my health ? Influence of friends ? Influence of family members ? Requested by boss/ teachers ? Government policies(such as expanding statutory no smoking areas) ? Others(Please state) 15. What methods did you use to quit smoking? (You may choose more than 1 option) ? Discard all cigarettes and ashtrays ? Using medications for quitting smoking (such as nicotine patch and nicotine gum) ? Avoid staying in places where people smoke Using smoking cessation services provided by smoking cessation clinics ? Others(please state) 16. Why did you fail to quit smoking? (You may choose more than 1 option) ? Not determined enough ? Smoking has become a habit/favourite ? Quitting smoking is suffering ? Others(please state) Thank you for completing the survey Youth Smoking (Ex-smokers) Background Information In recent years, the number of youth smoking increases steadily. A survey in 2007 reveals that 10500 Hong Kong people aged 15-19 smoked. Through this survey, I want to identify the opinions of non-smokers and smokers towards smoking, the reasons why smokers smoke and how smoking affect smoker’s and non-smoker’s quality of life.This survey is only set for people aged 10-25 1. How old are you? ? 10-15? 16-20? 21-25 2. Why did you smoke? (You may choose more than 1 option) ? Influence of friends ? Influence of family members ? Curiosity ? Release pressure ? killing time ? refreshing one’s mind ? Others(please state) 3. Why do you quit smoking? (You may choose more than 1 option) ? Health reasons(with advice from doctors/ other health care professional) ? Smoking is not good to my health ? Influence of friends ? Influence of family members ? Requested by boss/ teachers ? Government policies(such as expanding statutory no smoking areas) ? Others(Please state) 4.What methods did you use to quit smoking? (You may choose more than 1 option) ? Discard all cigarettes and ashtrays ? Using medications for quitting smoking (such as nicotine patch and nicotine gum) ? Avoid staying in places where people smoke ? Using smoking cessation services provided by smoking cessation clinics ? Others(please state) 5. What is the most important factor that help you to quit smoking successfully? ? Health reasons(with advice from doctors/ other health care professional) ? Determinati on to quit smoking ? Support from family member and/or friends ? Requested by boss/ teachers ? Government policies(such as expanding statutory no smoking areas) ?Others(Please state) Thank you for completing the survey ———————– [1] Census and Statistical Departmen