Nonverbal Communication Essay

Among the many different ways that we as human beings communicate with one another, nonverbal communication is one of the most common yet most unnoticed form of communication. Also described as body language, nonverbal communication can be the slightest facial expression or just the certain position of your body in a conversation. Without even realizing it, your body language can show feelings of happiness, awkwardness, nervousness and much more. Furthermore, the study of the movement, facial expressions and posture is called kinesics. Having the skill to understand kinesics is a fundamental tool in all aspects of life. Being able to read other’s body language can help you in a number of situations. By learning more about kinetics, you can open your eyes to a whole new way of reading others as well as presenting yourself appropriately for a given situation. In order to utilize any nonverbal communication skills effectively, you must first be familiar with what it exactly means as well as to recognize what each motion or signal symbolizes. These signals could be anything from the twitch of a nose, to a gaze of the eyes or just the fiddling of hair. To be completely knowledgeable about studying one’s actions, you must learn the deeper meaning behind each gesture. That’s not to say, however, that each signal means the same for everyone in every situation. Noticing that your spouse is not making eye contact with you does not necessarily signify that she or she is telling a lie, although that may be a possibility. Generalizations such as avoiding eye contact or fidgeting to indicate that a person is lying are simply what many studies have shown to be more than likely true in a number of cases. There is much debate as to whether or not non-verbal communication skills should be taught as an aid for medical uses. Of course those in professions such as the psychiatric field, gain a trained eye to notice certain feelings of their patients, but there is question about if the skill is even a teachable subject. A reason being because there doesn’t seem to be any real answer or strict guideline to every action or expression, especially when it comes to discussing the differences between cultures. Yourself and certain gestures that you make can be considered as strange or even insulting. Take eye contact for example. Most people who have grown up in not only the United States, but most Western cultures, use eye contact in a positive way. When making eye contact with someone who you are speaking with, it shows that you are listening and paying close attention to what they are saying. Also, it shows a sense of respect, where the elder in a situation prefers the child to be looking them in the eye while being scolded, showing that they are understanding and paying attention to a lecture. On the other hand, there are negative connotations regarding eye contact when it is being avoided. Usually when someone is not looking you in the eye while speaking to you, it gives a sense that the person is not being truthful. This scenario takes a whole three-hundred-sixty degree change in the minds of other cultures. For example, some Caribbean cultures find eye contact to be offensive. They believe that when a child is being scolded, they should not make eye contact. It is a sign of disrespect, as the child is expected to lower their eyes and show complete remorse. Aside from eye contact, there is a whole spectrum of differences in common gestures between cultures. In many cases, Americans especially fail to understand that the world is very different from the United States. In America, the â€Å"Rock On† symbol is made by closing a fist while leaving only the index and pinky finger extended. Commonly used when listening to music or maybe simply during an exciting situation. On the other hand, traveling to Italy and preforming this hand gesture is not only insulting, but is considered an offense. In Italy, it is a sign that when given by a man to another man symbolizes that â€Å"other men are in relations with his wife†, which is obviously a huge sign of disrespect as well as a personal insult. There are many ways in which cultures differ when it comes to body language, but there are a few universal expressions that are the same across the board. British scientist, Charles Darwin, was the first to recognize the six basic facial expressions as being the same all over the world. They are happiness, sadness, fear, disgust, surprise, and anger. Darwin first made these claims in his book titled The Expressions of the Emotions in Man and Animals. Darwin’s idea about the six facial gestures was later put together  in a study in the 1960’s by Paul Ekman. Ekman was a psychiatrist expert in facial expressions and decided to test the validity of Darwin’s theory. He found that all men, even those from isolated tribes, were able to recognize all six expressions for what they were, proving Darwin correct. http://westsidetoastmasters.com/resources/book_of_body_language/chap5.html http://www.businessballs.com/body-language.htm#body-language-different-cultures http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/darwin_charles.shtml Not only is it important to understand what messages you body language sends while you are in other cultures, but it may be even more important to learn how to carry and present yourself in the workplace. Knowing what sends off confident and powerful signals to your boss or employees can be a key factor in your performance and enables others to take you seriously. It could even be what makes or breaks you being accepted for a position you are applying for. As everyone knows, first impressions are incredibly strong and lasting. Before an interview is begun, there is almost always a handshake with the interviewer. Even before that, theres the moment that you are walking up to that person and your strut and presence or lack of fidgeting approaching the handshake sends signals before you can even present your credentials. They will note if you carry yourself confidently and especially if your handshake is firm or limp. When asked what percentage of communication comes from actual words and speaking, most would think it’s a high percentage. In actuality, only a surprising 7% of communication is derived from words. That leaves 38% to vocal details such as the tone, speed, or volume while speaking. So interestingly enough, 55% of communication is the reading and sending of body language signals. Now the signals that you send may give away what your feeling, or they could be a complete misrepresentation. This is why it is in your best interest to make note of how others are seeing you, so you can make any necessary changes to your behavior. This is obviously easier said  than done, especially if you are among those who have always been the nervous type and tend to perspire or fidget. Fortunately, knowing what your faults are and having the knowledge to correct them can result in making a complete change and eventually landing that promotion that you have sought after for so long. First, understanding the importance of eye contact in crucial. One step of effectively making this connection with an audience is knowing the material you are presenting. If you are constantly referring back to your powerpoint or notes, your obviously not making eye contact which in turn creates a distance that is imperative to avoid. Another tactic is to rid of all objects that could count as a barrier. Standing behind a podium or folder or even crossing your arms will create the distance between you and your audience, and may ultimately end up with a performance that was not your best. Along with making eye contact, it is a good idea to appear animated. Using hand gestures or maybe even moving about the room will create interest which in turn leaves a great impression on the audience.

Internet Positive and Negative Impacts on Education

Internet Positive and Negative Impacts on Education Introduction The computer and the internet were the most significant inventions of the 21st century and these two inventions have changed the way human beings operate. Many aspects of modern life have been influenced by this two inventions and the education sector is one of the fields that have been significantly influenced by computers and the internet. Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Internet Positive and Negative Impacts on Education specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The internet has had major impacts on education; some of them negative and others positive. This paper argues that education would not be better off without the internet. The paper will begin by articulating the positive impacts that the internet has had on education. It will then analyze some of the negative impacts so as to provide a balanced view on the topic and conclude by showing how the positive impacts outweigh the negative. Positive Impacts of the Internet Academic research is one of the important pillars of education. Tsai asserts that the internet has increased the ability of students to engage in research (222). Before the internet was available, researching students had to engage in time consuming activities while carrying out their research work. They had to physically visit libraries and finding the necessary information was not easy. With the internet, students are able to tap into a virtually unlimited pool of resources. Students are therefore able to produce good research work as a result of the internet. The internet has enhanced the engagement in collaborative work by students and teachers. Without the internet, collaborative work was limited to being among or between parties who lived close to each other (Tsai 234). For people who lived significant distances from each other, collaboration could be a slow and tedious affair since post mail had to be used or one had to travel in order to meet with th eir collaborating partner. The internet has made it possible for collaboration to occur instantaneously regardless of distance. Students and teachers can therefore consult with their peers and engage in productive discussions. By exchanging ideas, innovation and school performance can be achieved. Another significant benefit of the internet is that is has made it possible for online learning to take place. Traditionally, the only way for students to acquire education was by physically going to the school facilities. Advertising Looking for research paper on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More A lot of prospective students were locked out since they lacked the time to attend these institutes or they lived away from the education facilities (Tsai 233). The internet has made it possible for online-learning to take place and students can now engage in education at their convenience and from different geographical locations using virtual classrooms. This has not only benefited students but also educational institutes which can now serve more students since they are no longer restricted by a lack of physical resources to cater for the students. The internet has therefore made education available to more people and therefore helped the society move closer to its goal of providing educational opportunities to all. Negative Impacts of the Internet One of the major demerits that the internet has caused is that it has led to an increase in the rate of academic dishonesty. The major academic dishonesty that has increased due to the internet is the prevalence of plagiarism instances. Most students assume that information that is available online is free for use and therefore submit it as their own in research papers. Other students find copies of work in the internet submitted by other students and attempt to pass it off as their own. While it is true that the high availability of digital media h as increased the temptation of students to cheat, there are ways in which this can be mitigated. Park notes that digital detection of plagiarism has led to a decrease in the plagiarism instances since students are unlikely to engage in plagiarism if the likelihood of being caught is high (481). The internet has made online learning possible and incidents of cheating in this setting are high. Grijlava and Joe reveal that cheating is more abundant in web-based classes than in the traditional classroom setting (2). This is because in web-based settings, there is no physical supervision by the tutor and the temptation to cheat is therefore very high. Students therefore end up attaining grades that they do not deserve as a result of the internet and this damages the credibility of the education system. However, Grijlava and Joe contend that most of the instances of academic dishonesty that occur through the internet are due to the ignorance on the part of the students. The assumption th at all information available is free and can be used in any manner leads many students to unwittingly engage in dishonest behavior.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Internet Positive and Negative Impacts on Education specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Conclusion This paper has argued that the internet has enhanced education by providing significant advantages to the various parties engaged in the educational sector. The internet presents a number of impressive ways for enhancing the educational experience of the students. The paper has highlighted how the internet has increased the research ability of students, enhanced collaboration and made online learning possible. Even so, the paper has noted that the internet has some negative impacts on education, mostly because it makes cheating easy. However, measures can be undertaken to deal with this issue. Considering the positive impact of the internet on educat ion, its use should be encouraged so that the education sector can benefit even more from this invention. Grijlava, Therese and Joe Kerkvliet. â€Å"Academic honesty and online courses†. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 47.2 (2003): 1-16. Park, Chris. â€Å"In Other (People’s) Words: plagiarism by university students- literature and lessons†. Assessment Evaluation in Higher Education, 28.5 (2003): 471-488. Tsai, Chin. â€Å"Self-efficacy in Internet-based Learning Environments: A Literature Review†. Educational Technology Society, 14.4 (2011): 222–240.

Definition and Examples of Overwriting

Definition and Examples of Overwriting Overwriting is a wordy writing style characterized by excessive detail, needless repetition, overwrought figures of speech, and/or convoluted sentence structures. For writers striving for color, advises author and editor Sol Stein, try, fly, experiment, but if it shows strain, if it isnt accurate, cut it (Stein on Writing, 1995). Examples and Observations Overwriting is the failure to make choices. . . . Linguistic bric-a-brac is literatures Elvis on velvet.(Paula LaRocque, Championship Writing: 50 Ways to Improve Your Writing. Marion Street, 2000)[Andrew] Davidsons approach is scattergun: for every lovely image (the unholy yoga of his crash), there is a horrible, almost parodic piece of overwriting (a cheese strand dangled from her mouth to the edge of her nipple, and I wanted to rappel it like a mozzarella commando).(James Smart, The Gargoyle. The Guardian, September 27, 2008)Even Great Writers Can OverwriteNote that some critics deeply admire the following passages by John Updike and Joan Didion. With uncommon perception, says Thomas L. Martin, Updike offers the beauty of these several figures which, lined up, converge in a significatory pattern as do these dropsin a single figurative mosaic (Poiesis and Possible Worlds, 2004). Likewise, the excerpt from On Self-Respect, one of Didions best-known essays, is frequently quoted approv ingly. Other readers, however, argue that Updikes images and Didions figurative comparisons are self-conscious and distractingin a word, overwritten. Decide for yourselves.- It was a window enchanted by the rarity with which I looked from it. Its panes were strewn with drops that as if by amoebic decision would abruptly merge and break and jerkily run downward, and the window screen, like a sampler half-stitched, or a crossword puzzle invisibly solved, was inlaid erratically with minute, translucent tesserae of rain.(John Updike, Of the Farm, 1965)- Although to be driven back upon oneself is an uneasy affair at best, rather like trying to cross a border with borrowed credentials, it seems to me now the one condition necessary to the beginnings of real self-respect. Most of our platitudes notwithstanding, self-deception remains the most difficult deception. The tricks that work on others count for nothing in that very well-lit back alley where one keeps assignations with oneself: no winning smiles will do here, no prettily drawn lists of good intentions. One shuffles flashily but in vain through ones marked cardsthe kindness done for the wrong reason, the apparent triumph which involved no real effort, the seemingly heroic act into which one had been shamed.(Joan Didion, On Self-Respect. Slouching Towards Bethlehem, 1968) Weltys WordinessSometimes writers get so excited about specificity and description that they begin to confuse them with mere wordiness. This is called overwriting and is a common early malady in apprentice writers. . . .Heres one of Eudora Weltys early first sentences: Monsieur Boule inserted a delicate dagger in Mademoiselles left side and departed with a poised immediacy.The solution to overcoming overwriting . . . is simply to exercise restraint and to remember the notion of immediacy. Weltys sentence, short of its too-fancy verbs and its excess of adjectives, might simply have read, Monsieur Boule stabbed Mademoiselle with a dagger and left the room in a hurry.(Julie Checkoway, Creating Fiction: Instruction and Insights From Teachers of the Associated Writing Programs. Writers Digest Books, 2001)Daniel Harris on OverwritingEven as my prose congealed into epic similes that grew more and more outlandish, I displayed absolute intolerance for the overwriting of others whose prose all owed me to study my own shortcomings at several removes, from a vantage point far above the vendetta I was waging as the self-appointed hatchet man of minority fiction. Often I was so blind to my tendency to write purple prose that I overwrote in the very act of criticizing overwriting, as . . . when I praised Patricia Highsmith, who, unlike other American writers, was so committed to telling her story that she never had any time to single out something for its own sake, to pluck it up from its context, and pet it from head to toe with long, voluptuous strokes of adjectives and metaphors. Far from being smug about my skills as a writer, I was bitterly frustrated, divided between my need to entertain my audience and my abhorrence of the prose that resulted from my acrobatic efforts to maintain my readers interest.(Daniel Harris, A Memoir Of No One In Particular. Basic Books, 2002) Do Not OverwriteRich, ornate prose is hard to digest, generally unwholesome, and sometimes nauseating. If the sickly sweet word, the overblown phrase are a writers natural form of expression, as is sometimes the case, he will have to compensate for it by a show of vigor, and by writing something as meritorious as the Song of Songs, which is Solomons.(William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White, The Elements of Style, 3rd ed. Macmillan, 1979)

History of the afterlife Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

History of the afterlife - Essay Example While in the afterlife, people will have physical presence like they have in this world, life there would be very different from what it is in this world. A vast majority of Christians also believe in the existence of hell and believe that it is a place meant for punishment. Fire has been included in the description of hell in several passages of New Testament. Many Christians believe in the intense sensation of burning caused by the fire in hell in its literal sense whereas there are others who think of fire as a symbol to reflect the pain and agony that will be caused to the people in hell in the afterlife. Many Christians also believe that people will be made to experience the punishment temporarily, after which they would be destroyed just like the flames destroy an object. Lutheran Churches also teach that Christ will appear at the world’s consummation for judgment, when he will raise all dead up; â€Å"He will give to the godly and elect eternal life and everlasting joy s, but ungodly men and the devils He will condemn to be tormented without end† (â€Å"Christian Beliefs

ANALYSIS Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

ANALYSIS - Research Paper Example 73). This poses a threat to the aircraft industry in that trains are going at speeds better than airplanes yet they are cheaper in terms of fare paid (Grimm, Lee & Smith, 2006, p. 98). In addition, it has been noted that trains and automobiles are more convenient as opposed to the airplanes (Grimm, Lee & Smith, 2006, p. 98). This is because the automobiles offer better services in terms of door to door deliveries. The aircraft industry faces this threat since delivery of both goods and people is restricted to the airports (Grimm, Lee & Smith, 2006, p. 101). Travelers however are opting to use more convenient and cheaper means. As such, aircrafts like Bombardier Aerospace face the most significant substitutes as being commercial airlines (Grimm, Lee & Smith, 2006, p. 55). This lies in the cost incurred since the cost of boarding a flight on an air taxi is approximated to be the same as the cost of a coach airline ticket (Grimm, Lee & Smith, 2006, p. 55). Based on this, it is noted that 8.12% of the first class commuters have shifted to private jets (Grimm, Lee & Smith, 2006, p. 87). This can be blamed partly on the post-9/11 disturbances of airline voyage, ineffective airfields and profitable airlines as well as contemporary emphasis on time and effectiveness (Grimm, Lee & Smith, 2006, p. 99). People actually values time and the efficiency in which the airlines are operating. Strengths of the Southwest Airline Company are inclined on the corporation’s growth as well as the internal environment (Lauer, 2010, p. 29). The company has a superior clientele service culture, operational strategy within the firm as well as the capacity to provide the lowest costs in terms of fare (Lauer, 2010, p. 29). These are some of the issues that have contributed to its fast development and survival within the 2009 recession in aircraft industry (Lauer, 2010, p. 31). The company’s operational strategy gives room for the airline to measure the recession with

Corporate and Business Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Corporate and Business Law - Essay Example This essay demonstrates that the manager as a businessman owes a duty of care to all his customers. This entails that he is bound by law to provide goods that have the best interest of his customers at hand. However, in the case scenario, the manager of ABC Ltd sells faulty goods knowingly and does not refund his customers, meaning that he is defrauding his customers. It is indeed important that the manager is held legally responsible for failing to give refunds for faulty goods, and he is compelled to sell quality goods to his customers.Contract law and sale of Goods Act are interrelated and work to salvage the contract arrived at by entities in the performance of business activities. They protect the rights of customers and ensure that the sellers are legally bound by their commitment in the contract. In the case scenario discussed, undue influence, misrepresentation, buyer beware, remedies for breach of contract, and obligations of a seller have been evaluated. This paper makes a conclusion that the sale of goods act has also been expounded in a bid to illuminate the rights and obligations of entities selling and buying goods from each other. It is through this that a contract has to involve two parties; the parties have to come to an agreement and the rights and legal obligations of the parties. These serve as the basis of rulings made in courts as a result of filled litigation and hence understanding of the underlying principles is essential for any finance person or accountant.... A similar decision was arrived at by the court of Appeal in Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain v Boots Cash Chemists (Southern) Ltd5. The outcome of this case for the defendant was important. This is since it was agreed at that by merely picking the drugs from the shelf; this did not amount to a contract between the two parties. However, a contract was arrived at when the goods were presented at the counter for sale and proper supervision was carried out. The same case applies to Tim and ABC Ltd, the advertisement displayed cannot be treated as an offer to sell by merely picking it but is an invitation to treat and will only bind into a contract once it is presented at the cash point as was done and the mistake corrected in due time. See also Fisher v Bell6. There are some exceptions to the rule of an invitation to treat where an advertisement is treated as an offer to sell. In Chapleton v Barry Urban District Council7 it was held that an attachment of price to a display of deck chairs was an offer to sell and not an invitation to treat. Subsequently, it was ruled that in a self service station, a contract is arrived at when the customer pumps the pump to fill the tank and not at the pay point. Though a weak form of defense, Tim may rely on the prospect that by ABC Ltd attaching a price to the computer, it served as an invitation to sell and not an offer to treat and hence ABC Ltd was liable for the misprice8. A2. Whether the manager’s statement of additional RAM was part of the contract The manager’s statement of additional RAM though not being right forms part of the contract. This is legally on the basis of actual undue influence as ascribed in Bank of Scotland plc v Etridge (No.2)9 where undue influence pertains to

The Threat Of New Entrant Marketing Essay

The Threat Of New Entrant Marketing Essay Introduction Poh Kong Sdn. Bhd. was founded in 1976, by 3 Choon Brothers and their two brother-in-laws, which built in half of a normal retail store in Petaling Jaya. The company started to expand their business around the city in Petaling Jaya. On 1999, the company has reached 50 retail outlets around the Penisular Malaysia. Most of it located in Klang Valley, 3 branches in Johor Bahru, and one branch in each of these city: Melaka, Kuantan, Muar, Batu Pahat, Ipoh, and Sungai Petani. Poh Kong was listed on the main board of Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad on 9th March, 2004, with 60 outlets and approximate 600 employees around the world. Then, the company started to expand the franchise division, and the first franchise outlet is in Complex Karamunsing in Sabah, to be part of the retail expansion in East Malaysia. As to date, the company has reach market capitalization of RM197millions and has more than 1200 of employees, with the total of 101 retail store and still expanding. The mission and vision of Poh Kong Group is to manufacturing and retailing the jewelries, while differentiates their products offered by achieving the four core business principles of value, quality, choice, and trustworthiness. Besides, they also try their best to serve their customers from the walks of life for many of their important moments. From setting the benchmark in retailing of jewelries in Malaysia, Poh Kong Holdings Berhad is known as a company with corporate successes in phenomenal growth over the years. The company also has several in-house brands such as Tranz, Happy Love, Anggun, The Art of Auspicious, and Bunga Raya Gold Bar. While, Poh Kong is also the licensee for Disney Collection, sole distributor for Schoeffel luxury pearls from Germany, Luca Carati and Verdi Gioielli from Italy, Angel Diamonds from Belgium, Cocoro from Japan, which that the company has variety of unique jewelries from around the world. Besides, the company also differentiate themselves by separate the retail concept store. Other than Poh Kong and Diamond Gold outlets, retail concept stores such as Diamond Boutique, Jade Gallery, Tranz Boutique and Oro Bianco are available. Besides, they also providing Gold Bar Buy-Back service to customer, its purpose is to letting the customer to trade back their Bunga Raya Gold Bar for jewelry or trade it for cash. While, they also helping customers to customize the design of the jewelries and also making of corporate awards and gifts, such as Gold emblem, gold plaque an d etc. The group mentioned that they will actively look for more business opportunities to expand, while grow its market share in the same time. Poh Kong is the market leader and will continue to stay on its market position as the largest jewelries retail store in Malaysia. Demand for gold is expected to be recovering over the long term due to its intrinsic values by Asian cultures of giving gold jewelries as customary gifts. Poh Kong also expects the retail sales will be boost due to the coming festive spending seasons and the purchase of gold jewelries and gold bars by customers as a hedge to against the global currency risks and inflation. On top of that, the group will utilize the loan proceeds raised from the ICP/IMTN Programme to grow its business by to finance group wide restructuring programme and the capital expenditure of the Poh Kong Group. Poh Kong will continue to drive and raise its market share by enhancing and differentiating its product to its targeted market segments. In addition, they are trying to attract new customers via introduction of new products and designs, while providing as good customer service as they can. Poh Kong provided different choices of retail concepts to meet the various needs and required of customers. They are also fully commits on the design of jewelries, its craftsmanship, and quality of their products with setting reasonable competitive pricing on them. Other than that, their retail sales teams are supported with advertising, promotions, events marketing and public relations. Strong retail network have been made to reach the mass market, while the image differentiation of its product brands and retail concept stores is performed to meet the needs of different customers. Recently, Poh Kong comes out with floral designs on the recent Hari Raya celebration and some new design and series such as the Anggun series and Melur collections. The well-crafted designs are combined with elements of tradition. Manja collection is designed for children to target new market others than targeting women only. They also teams up with the Italian jeweler, Moraglione 1922, which is one of the worlds finest brands being inspired by the Europes royal families. Customers who love fine jewelries can now have the opportunity to  obtain one of  the Europes finest  brands of gems. The collections available including Anastasia, Isabella, Grace and Sofia,  which comprise of diamonds and colourful precious stones. The executive chairman and group managing director said, Malaysians can now enjoy to wearing one of the best jewelries in the world. With the Moraglione 1922 collections, Poh Kongs customers can expect the best in terms of glamour and elegance. Poh Kong is now considering on the expansion outside of the Malaysia. The group is eyes on Asean marts by plans to open the overseas outlets in Asean before 2015. Research had been done and stated that Asean region especially Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam are among the worlds key success gold markets, and they are taking opportunities of the setting up of the Asean Economic Community (AEC) by 2015. Moreover, the gold jewelry consumption are now mostly at China and India, and the company is also considering to expand on it in the future. Sales revenue is expected to rise by growth of 25% compare to this year. 2. Prospective and Strategies Products and services Poh Kong is selling different products in their outlets such as diamond and gem, Jade, Gold, and also Gold bar (Bungaraya gold bar). They also sell international products which consist of Schoeffel, Luca Carati, Angel Diamond, Cocoro, Disney and etc. Besides, wedding and Festive collection also available in the Poh Kong outlets, Chinese New Year and Hari Raya collection could be found on their outlets. Besides, they also providing Gold Bar Buy-Back service to customer, for customer to trade in Bunga Raya Gold Bar for jewelly or trade it for cash. Poh Kong Corporate Sales is also helping customers to customize in the design of jewelries andmaking of corporate awards and gifts, such as Gold emblem, gold plaque and etc. Missions and Visions Poh Kong Group, an integrated one-stop jeweller, from manufacturer to retailer of gold, jewelleries and precious stones, differentiates its products offering by meeting the four core business principles of quality, value, trustworthiness and choice. Poh Kong has served customers from all walks of life for many of their important occasions. Theres always something for everyone, from exquisite pieces to simple designs, from irresistible collections to dazzling custom-made orders are available to suit our patrons taste and budget. Setting the benchmark in the manufacturing and retailing of gold and fine jewellery in Malaysia, Poh Kong Holdings Berhad, as a public-listed company has earned a place in the countrys annals of corporate successes with phenomenal growth over the years. Milestone 1976 Poh Kong was established on March 26th, 1976, with its first outlet at Jalan 52/4, Petaling Jaya, more known as PJ Newtown or PJ State. It has been the Poh Kong Headquarters until today. 1982 First branch in SS2, Petaling Jaya, of retail space 1,500 sqft and 20 employees, was opened. 1983-1992 Poh Kong opened another 13 branches. 1993 Poh Kong upgraded all outlets with fully computerised point-of-sales and inventory systems. 1995 Poh Kong was made the exclusive distributor of Disney characters in gold in Malaysia. 1996 Poh Kong designer team won a gold medal for the Golden Design Awards 1996 organized by the World Gold Council Europe in Italy. 2001 Poh Kong invested RM12Mil to establish a 60,000 sqft modern manufacturing facility in Shah Alam. Poh Kong launched its first in-house brand, Tranz in collaboration with World Gold Council. 2004 Poh Kong was listed on the main board of Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad on March 9th, 2004. Poh Kong opened its first Poh Kong Gallery-a stylish Italian Classic VIP lounge with 5,000 sqft, at the 1stfloor of its headquarters. Poh Kong reached 60th  outlet in Peninsular Malaysia. 2005 Poh Kong set up a franchise division. 2006 Poh Kong ventured into the diamond cutting and polishing, sales, import and export of precious stones in collaboration with Hong Kong companies. Poh Kong opened its first franchise outlet in Complex Karamunsing, Kota Kinabalu in September as part of its retail expansion into East Malaysia. 2007 Poh Kong was appointed as sole distributor for Schoeffel in Southeast Asia. Poh Kong Group participated in the International Trade Malaysia (INTRADE MALAYSIA 2007) exhibition organized by Matrade and supported by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry. 2009 Poh Kong and Luca Carati, one of Italys oldest and most prestigious jewellers launched the brand in Malaysia. Poh Kong is commemorated as the sole distributor in Malaysia. 2010 Poh Kong showcased in house brand products, Tranz and Anggun in Malaysian Pavillion at Shanghai World Expo 2010. 2011 Poh Kong reached 100th  outlet in Peninsula Malaysia. PEST Analysis Political As usual, government policies play an important role on the development of 1 industry. It can affect how well the industry can perform and influence the decision on consumer as well as the sellers. Based on the Malaysia Budget 2011, in order to promote Malaysia as a shopping haven in Asia, the import duty of approximately 300 goods is abolished and imitation jewellery is one of the listed goods. As effective from 1st January 2011, this imported as well as exported jewelry items will enjoy the tax free policy. The execution of this new tax policy has successfully transformed Malaysia to be a duty-free shopping paradise locally and internationally. The reduction on tax burden has encourages tourists and local buyers to spend more with lowest price and it is expected will bringing economic growth in the jewellery industry would expected to growth in both importing and exporting sector. In this gold and jewellery industry, there is an association which will govern the rule and regulation of the industry, which namely Federation of Goldsmith and Jewellers Association of Malaysia. This association was established in 25 April 1978 by 12 different goldsmith associations and today there is more than 1500 goldsmiths and jewellers are in the member list. As at year 2011, the group managing director of TOMEI Group, Mr. Ng YihPyng is the president of this association and the deputy president is served by Mr. Siow Der Ming, the executive director of Poh Kong Holding Bhd. The aim of establishing this association is to protect the interest of the member. They also dealt with lobbying with the government as well as standardize the retail charges of gold and other jewelry ornaments to prevent them from being distorted by competition among the goldsmiths and jewellers. In order to protect the member, the association will try to bargaining with the government on the taxation. E.g. In 1982 the Association bargained over the government for a free and open policy whereby gold bar imports would be exempted from tax, and eventually this had been executed in 1983. This execution had enhanced the performance of goldsmiths and jewellery industry. As mentioned, this association will standardize the retail charges of gold and other jewelry ornaments. However, starting from around October 2012, the standardization of the price no longer apply, which mean all the goldsmiths and jewellers can charges whatever the price of their product they want to. The abolishment of standardize gold price could cause the jewellers who achieved the economics of scale can charge for lower price of their jewellery compared to whose had cost competitive disadvantage. This brings up the more competitive in the jewellery industry and for sure, the larger size company with lower production will win the battle and the small scale goldsmiths and jewellery business will have to move out from the industry. Physical gold bullion is no longer a restricted item since 1987, which means general public can trade in gold like other merchandise. One can now buy and sell gold bullion at goldsmith shops which traditionally sells over-the-counter (OTC) gold jewellery and also at many gold trading companies which apply different trading model to attract business. This has been increased the confident of those investors which buy for the purpose for investment because the existing of physical gold is far better than a just a piece of paper prove that how much gold you have owned. This abolishment had further increased the growth of the industry. In recent the announcement of Malaysia Budget 2013 will also enhanced the lifestyle of the citizen especially of the medium range income receiver. One of the policies listed in Budget 2013 is that the tax rate will be has a reduction of 1 per cent for those chargeable income which currently fall into the category below tax rate of 19 per cent. This will increase the disposal income of those middle income ranges of household, which is 60% of Malaysia household and hence probably will increase the consumption of jewellery industry. Economic Jewellery industry in Malaysia from a very humble beginning of family-owned business transformed into one of the major exporters of jewellery in the Asian region. According to the industry write-up released on Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE), the Malaysian jewellery industry consists of 2 segments: Precious metals and gemstone jewellery Costume or imitation jewellery Jewellery sector was ranked the 13th largest contributor and accounted for 1.5% share of total exports of manufactured goods. Based on the trade performance from MATRADE (Appendix), the exports of jewellery in year 2011 grew by 1.7% compared to year 2010.   Malaysias exports of jewellery comprised three major product categories namely jewellery of gold, silver and platinum, which is the main export sector with 81.5% of total jewellery export and followed by is the articles of precious metals, which recorded 18.3 % share of exports and lastly is the imitation jewellery which has a share of 0.2%. According to the news reported in The Star on 13 July 2012, the growth rate of jewellery industry in Malaysia is expected to have a growth rate of more than 6% a year. In current economic condition, the increase of price of fuel, electricity and transportation and other costs has left companies no choice but to increase the price of their goods. According to the consumers of the industry, the prices for gold and jewellery have been increasing rapidly over the years. This has caused a drop in the demand for jewellery. If costs of gold and other precious metals such as silver and platinum continue to escalate, demand for jewellery would decrease and thus affect jewelers and the industry. Malaysia jewellery industry will continue to face keen competition from low-cost producers such as India, Thailand, Indonesia and China. However, the industry has the potential to successfully compete against the luxury goods industry and preserve its traditional domination of the consumers spending. Social In todays jewellery market, consumers preference seem has been changed. The traditional yellow gold jewellery can no longer attract younger customers which prefer their jewellery set in white gold and platinum. Most of the jewelers have changed their strategy to meet the demand of younger customers. One example can be found is the DeGemBerhad. In order to meet the preference of younger customer, one of the listed player in goldsmith and jewellery industry, DeGemBerhad, had purposely launched its division Diamond Platinum, which is more focuses on more trendy and fashionable designs to capture the demands of younger customers who preferred their jewellery set in white gold as well as platinum. Even though there are changes in customers preference in term of design and material the cultural may also affect the consumption level of jewellery industry. In this multi-racial country, the effect from different races can be greater than single race countries. In Malaysia, each race has its own new year, own festive, therefore the gold and jewellery industry performance can be further boosted by these festive. For example part of Chinese traditional culture, gold and precious stone jewellery will be the popular gift to their friend when they are get married or give birth. Furthermore, the Valentines Day, Christmas, and Mothers Day, and etc are also the main boost of the sales in the jewellery sales. Not only have those stated, most of the designs of jewellery in this industry are based on the different season. Different season the jewellers and goldsmiths will comes out with unique designs which use the seasonal theme as the basis. Therefore the innovation and creativity of the craftsmanship are crucial in this area in order to differentiate the product from the competitors and attracting the buyers. For Poh Kong, it used the spider and leaf as the theme for their autumn series design. Crimes affect the consumption of gold jewelry among the consumer. They afraid of being rob therefore they tend to not wearing the jewelry when going out. So the demand of gold will be affected as the crime of robbery increase simultaneously. Technology With today advanced technology, Internet had been effectively using and hence the increased the distribution channel for not only jewellery but also other product. Website has been a tool for the jewellers to list their precious jewellery and giving the information to the potential customers. Also with this technology, the imitation jewellery increased its position by offering the online buying the jewellery and shipping worldwide. The advanced technology in today jewellery industry had made the need of craftsmanship decreased. Before this, the responsibility of the craftsmanship are design the jewellery, supervise the jewellery making process (e.g. make sure the cutting is accurate.). Since the advancement of technology, the development of Rapid Prototyping and Tooling Technology in jewellery CAD (computer aided design) has made the jewellery process more precisely and less craftsmanship is needed. This new technology had simplifies the designing process, ease the adjusting processes if the design is not well designed hence it shorten the time of making a jewellery and increase the productivity. Not only that, the error rate of this technology has greatly reduced to only 0.0012 chances of error occurred. This technology is kept in improving and enhancing. Threat of New Entrant This industry needs very huge amount of capitals in order to operate the business, such as acquisition of shop lot, plant and machineries to manufacture jewelleries, high securities costs and so on. In consider that the inventory itself (gold material) is very expensive to afford compare to other industries (gold price as at 12 November 2012 2.34pm New York Time is USD1,234.87 per ounce, exclude the labour charges and other transaction costs). And of course, this industry will incurred a low exit cost, the disposal price of the inventory (gold jewelries) will be deducted 20% till 25% of the purchase cost and that is risky considered the fluctuation of the gold price. Whereas in terms of the government policys barrier, this industry is controlled by Bank Negara Malaysia, that not everyone can simply operate a goldsmith and jewellery business as there is a needed to get approval from the Federation of Goldsmiths and Jewellers Association of Malaysia, this create the barriers of entry a mong the jewellery industries in terms of capital investment, the rules and regulations and low exit costs. The threats of new entrance for jewellery industries is low because the high barriers of entry. Here, Poh Kong has managed to lower down the average cost by selling more product compare to the small-sized company, in order to utilize the fixed cost. Also, it is very unlikely for those small-sized companies to achieve these economies scale, considered that we need high cost of plant and machinery, and of course a high rental cost to expand the business in order to compete with Poh Kong. Threat of Substitute The more substitutes are available, the more elastic is the demand because customers have more alternative choices. When customers have more alternative choice to choose, the threat will become greater for a company. Jewellery actually is an item that is desired but unnecessary. Therefore only people with surplus income will buy precious metals jewellery. For those people who unwilling to afford a precious metals jewellery, they can choose to spend their money in buying imitation jewellery such as poly-plastic jewellery or non-precious metals jewellery such as stainless-steel jewellery and tungsten jewellery. And yes, there are many jewellers which are dealing with this kind of jewellery and target those low income consumers. All these jewellery will have very low relative price compare to precious metals jewellery such as gold and platinum jewellery. Not only the price, but consumers also can easily buy this type of jewellery through different channel, either from physical shop or b uy it online. Since this imitation jewelleries are cheap and customers usually will not examine them as they already know it is imitation. Therefore, the sellers can operate an online shopping which easier to reach to potential customers and provide free shipping service to attract those customers which unable to afford the precious metals jewellery. The implementation of online shopping by those jewellers has increase the availability of the substitution for precious metals jewellery. Other than that, jewellery market not only offers those precious and non-precious metals jewellery, there are also jewellery made of precious stone and gem which embed into the precious metal or ornament. For those people who do not like gold or any other precious metals but want something special or for collection, they also can opt for amber or crystal jewellery. Amber and crystal jewellery actually not cheap at all, some of the rare amber and crystal jewellery can cost more than a 4 carats diamond. If a person able to afford such expensive precious metal jewellery, it will be not a problem for that person to afford an amber or crystal jewellery. At the end of the point, its just depending on what is preferred by the consumers. The more choices of jewellery available in the market, the more option can the consumer choose from and the higher the threat. Currently the non-precious metals jewellery can be very easy to obtain from many goldsmiths and jewellers. Not all people will love jewellery. As mentioned above, jewellery is an item which desired but unnecessary, so it is considered as a luxury goods. Most of the people will first spending their money on daily necessities then only considers buying jewellery if there is a surplus. Those people who spend their money on luxury goods is try to enjoy better lifestyle. In todays world, those people who wearing or using a luxury product will giving a signal that the person is a rich man, should be more respect to them. So luxury goods in this world is not limited to jewellery only, there could have many other products, such as branded watches, designer clothes, branded hand bag and etc. These products can totally substitute the needs of jewellery for those people who wanting a better lifestyle. Furthermore, these products can also be very easy available, which has high distributional channels that easily distribute to potential customers, therefore the threat of substitute from these products is high. As the result from those many substitutions from the above, Poh Kong is facing a high threat of substitute. The direct substitution, amber and crystal, which will serve the same purpose as the precious metals jewellery, are the highest threat of substitute. It is because Poh Kongs does not sell these kinds of jewellery in its products range even though it is operating jewellery business. Threat of Buyers As an overall, the threat of buyers faced by Poh Kong will be considered as moderate to high. When supply more than demand, the threat of buyer will become higher. Poh Kong has no major customer and relies on this type of customer, which will rapidly purchase substantial amount of jewellery from Poh Kong for every purchase. This indicated that Poh Kong does not face any threat of major customer of discontinue get its sources from Poh Kong. Moreover, the switching cost of buyer is low as after they purchased the jewellery from Poh Kong, there is no restriction of law which disallowed the customers from resells their jewellery to other jewellers.(True?) In jewellery industry, products are differentiated mainly based on the design. When Poh Kong offered less variety of design can be chosen then its competitors, the higher the threat from the buyers as they can choose the preferred design from Poh Kongs competitors. This more alternative available to the customers has increase the threat of buyer for Poh Kong. Even though the jewelleries are served for the same purpose, however the designs of jewellery determine the preference of the customer. Therefore the uniqueness of the design is crucial to capture the customer demand. Human being is a weird creature, when there is a limited range of product can be choose from, they will only choose the best fit their preference from the limited range. Furthermore, Poh Kong actively comes out with different design based on different season, different festive as well as jointly design with foreign reputable company (who). Therefore no any crucial threat will face by Poh Kong in term of differentiation. In addition, most of the jewellers operate its outlets near to their competitors. Therefore, buyer can easily get the price and compare the price between them. If Poh Kongs jewellery prices higher than its competitors, buyer will try to negotiate with them. If they fail in negotiation, they can simply switch to Poh Kongs competitors. In this point of view, the bargaining power of buyer can be consider as high. Bargaining power of suppliers The raw material of jewellery of Poh Kong is mainly supply from gold bullion bank such as UOB Gold Bullion Bank, Al Rajhi Bank or Maybank. The price is set according to the market gold price and hence the supplier did not have any negotiate power for the gold price. The banks may earn the profit by charging the transaction costs and service charges against each transaction deal, therefore, the jewellery industries may negotiate with bank or choose the bank who offer the lowest charges. Therefore, the banks will very concern about these jewellery industries since they order in bulk quantity and they will try to retain the customer royalty and gain the market share. Another source of raw material also comes from the Pawnshop or Pawn Broker which the customer of pawnshop who fails to redeem their gold product such as jewellery, gold coin. This threat of supplier in this group also low because there have a lot of variety of pawnshop in Malaysia and they try to offer the lowest price to sell the failure redemption product. The minor supplies of gold are from individual through trade in or buy back schemes. The gold price is fixed and the price of trade-in is lower than outside by offering the spread. Therefore, the individual may negotiate with Poh Kong to reduce the spread and labour charges but the price cannot run away as the price set in market. Besides that, the gold bullion or gold is a homogeneous products and hence the only way to differentiation the gold bullion bank and pawn shop of industries can do is by good servicing and lower charges. Therefore, the threat of supplies basically is low because jewellery manufacturer may have variety of choices of firms which offer the best price and best services to them. In summary, the bargaining power of suppliers are low since gold is a homogenous product and the price is set in commodity market and also by BNM. Rivalry among the Competitors More than 1500 of goldsmiths and jewellers customer can choose from. The threat of new entrance is low, the bargaining power of buyers and substitutes are high while the bargaining power of suppliers are low There are only 3 listed companies in jewelry industry including Poh Kong, Tomei and DeGem. Poh Kong is not the only player in the jewelry market. Buyer can choose from many other goldsmith jewelrer. For eg: Tomei, DeGem, Habib, Wah Chan. Therefore buyer can choose from different jewelers can hence bargaining power of the buyer will be high because many alternatives can be chosen by the buyers. High industry growth rate The jewellery industry currently is expected growing by 6% per year hence, Poh Kong is able to continue expanding the jewellery market and generate the profit from there. Therefore, although there have an excited competition among the competitors such as Tomei, DeGem and etc, Poh Kong still can gain the profit from therecause the market is expanding. High fixed or storage costs There have a high fixed cost incurred in manufacturing process such as craftsmanship, rental, depreciation of plant and machinery, and there have need to incurred the high security costs to store the jewellery such as a special storage room, CCTV and security guards. This will encourage the rivalry among the competitors because the jewellery manufacturer and dealer will get the market share as much as possible to cover up those fixed costs. Low differentiation or switching cost There have low switching cost among the buyers because the buyers can change their suppliers anytime without incurred any compensation or legal fees (actually their switching costs is just learning costs, research costs). Therefore, these will cause the increases of bargaining power of buyers and threats of substitute. Degem, Tomei, Chow Tai Fook and other jewellery firm will try to lock-in the buyers through their innovation and marketing strategics hence increase the competitions among existing firm. High exit barriers There have low exit barriers for the jewellery industries, its actually just need to expose the risk of fluctuation of gold price when they dispose off their remaining stocks, hence these factor will weaken the rivalry among the competitions because the firms will not need to put the hard afford to stay in the market due to the high exit barriers. BCGs Matrix Attractiveness of portfolio Based on the information gather for each portfolio for Poh Kong, and the BCGs Matrix as at Appendix, trading division is star while manufacturing is question mark division for Poh Kong. For trading division, Poh Kong is a market leader among other competitor because it generates the highest external revenue among other competitors, which higher than the benchmark company is Tomei Consolidated Berhad, the 2nd