Thursday, October 31, 2019

Unequal treatment and payment to women in workplace Essay

Unequal treatment and payment to women in workplace - Essay Example Women are usually born with the responsibility to give birth to next generation. However, pregnancy is not considered a disability. However, some companies and employers do not accommodate pregnant workers. In the article ‘women still are not equal in workplace’, by Tyler Vendetti, Tyler illustrates an incident where a pregnant woman was fired at Walmart for asking for the permission to carry a bottle of water even after displaying the doctor’s prescriptionBesides pregnancy, women’s ability is not recognized by many organizations. A recent survey depicted that high-potential women are over supervised and under supported relative to their male counterparts. In some companies, women are not allowed to contribute to major decisions. Apparently, this situation makes women work more and contribute less to the company’s developmental efforts, which is not fair at all.Although women constitute about half the total labor force in different fields, they recei ve a low deal when it comes to payment. Men are usually concentrated in high-paying fields such as finance and engineering. In those high-income fields, women take approximately 37%. However, in the low-income fields such as social services, women constitute about 77.3% of labor force. It can be observed that this is another discrimination in the workplace environment. The society does not believe that women can take an important and hard job such as engineering and finance. Actually, when the companies conduct interviews, they are more likely to hire males in the high paying jobs.

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Democracy (essay can be on Equality or Power as well) Essay

Democracy ( can be on Equality or Power as well) - Essay Example Who were some of the most powerful leaders in history? People such as Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and Xenophon, and todays American presidents. These mens lives have lessons for us today but also in a way parallel the lives of some of the most significant business leaders of the 20th and 21st centuries. Business leaders and generals and political leaders all lead high stress lives. Many people depend on them for everything and their decisions have enormous impact. It is therefore very useful to understand what works and what doesnt. Indeed, what happened in the past is the best predictor of what will happen in the future. A limitation that seems apparent in this analysis is that while there are similarities between business and war they are not the exactly the same. Sam Walton is not Alexander the Great. If things go bad for Sam, he loses money (Burns 45). If things go bad for Alexander, he and his soldiers are killed and his country destroyed. There is an important difference. When Hank Greenberg was voted out of AIG by the board of directors because of some of the mistakes he made with management, his penalty wasnt exactly the same as Julius Caesars. Life and death are rarely at stake in the business world (although sometimes they are). Power is a complex thing. For me personally power and leadership means a number of things. Powerful leaders dont need to be bigger than life. They dont need to be historical figures. They are sometimes just people in your local community. Something that has had a big influence on me is the idea of integrity and leadership. I believe integrity is the most pressing leadership issue of today. To me it means having sound moral principles and being honest and upright. In our contemporary world it is clear we have a serious lack of these important principles. But it is not enough to say that it is important to have integrity—we must take steps to instil it where it is lacking. To begin

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Analysis of Singapore Integrated Resorts

Analysis of Singapore Integrated Resorts 1 Introduction Singapore is a small island city with a total population of about 4.98 million. The local population consists of approximately 74.2% ethnic Chinese, 13.4% Malays and 9.2% Indians. The remainder 3.2% is made up of Eurasians and other foreign workers. It is a relatively young population with only 217,000 or 7% of the population currently over the age of 65. This is set to change dramatically from now to 2030 when 800,000 or 18.7% of the population will be aged 65 years and above. The proportion of those between 15 and 45 years currently make up nearly half the population (Singapore Facts and Figures, 2009) The objective of the Integrated Resorts is to strengthen the leisure and entertainment options to enhance Singapores reputation as a must-visit destination for leisure and business visitors. The Integrated Resorts will be part of a larger spectrum of tourism products and are developing to enhance our destination appeal, and will enhance the tourism industry and economy. (Ministry of Trade and Industry, 2010) The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Singapore expanded at an annual rate of 24.00 percent in the last reported quarter. From 2007 until 2010, Singapores average quarterly GDP Growth was 7.62 percent reaching an historical high of 45.70 percent in March of 2010 and a record low of -12.50 percent in June of 2008. Singapore along with Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan is one of the Four Asian Tigers. Singapore has a highly developed and successful free-market economy. It enjoys a per capita GDP higher than that of most developed countries. The economy depends heavily on exports, particularly in consumer electronics, information technology products, pharmaceuticals, and on a growing service sector. This page includes: Singapore GDP Growth Rate chart, historical data and news. (Trading Economics, 2010) There are over 7,000 Multi-National Corporations (MNCs) with operations based in Singapore, 4,000 of which are regional headquarters (Singapore Facts and Figures, 2009). Definition of Socio Economics In most cases, socio economists focus on the social impact of some sort of economic change, which is basically a study of the relationship between the economic activity and social life (Davis et al, 2008). Involve both economic and social factors. 1.2 Objectives of the Research The main objectives of this research are to understand the Socio-Economic Perspective of the Singapore Integrated Resorts. This research deals with the socio-economic factors that have potential impact of the Singapore Integrated Resorts. Its focus is to investigate and analyze the socio-economic impact. Identify and evaluate the significance of the social and economic factors of the Integrated Resorts. For instance gambling addiction, money laundering, Revitalizing of Singapore Tourism Industry and Boost in Singapore Tourism and Economy. The objective of this research to understand the socio economic perceptive of Singapore Integrated resorts, would they have bad or good effect to Singapore and understand the factors how these factors have positive or negative effect on Singapore. 1.3 Research Focus The Focus of this research is to understand the Socio-Economic perceptive of the Singapore Integrated Resorts. The main aim to understand how, the impacts of the Singapore Integrated Resorts can play a vital role in the socio and economic ways. Revitalizing Singapore Tourism Boost for Singapore Tourism and Economy Compulsive Gambling 1.4 Research Questions In this report we have to invest the socio economic- perceptive of Singapore Integrated Resorts and the effects of these socio and economic perceptive could be negative and positive. How the Integrated Resorts would help in Revitalizing Singapore Tourism. How the Integrated Resorts would help in boosting Singapore Tourism and Economy How the Integrated Resorts could cause Compulsive Gambling Chapter 2 Literature Review The purpose of literature review is to make sure that we analyze the Socio Economic- Perceptive of Singapore Integrated Resorts and the purpose of the literature review is to select promising measure, methods (Mamchak and Mamchak, 1994) The Integrated Resort (IRs) is undoubtedly a necessary step to Singaporeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s future economic viability. As Singapore has no natural advantages, it must capitalize its ability to stay at the front of the global economy, with focus to attract foreign investors, tourists and talent. Surveys have suggested that Singapore is seen as unexciting compared to other travel destinations, and has been labeled as conservative, moderate and stale; concentrating on traditional cultural projects like the Asian Village, Tang Dynasty and Haw Par Villa, and failing to move on with new innovations (Straits Times, 2005). Identify and highlight the important variables and document the significant results of earlier research that will serve as the basis on which the theoretical framework of the investigation can be built and the hypothesis developed (Sekaran, 2003). Based on the research objectives, the researcher will provide relevant concepts in the review of current literature in this chapter. Revitalizing Singapore Tourism Singapore achieved good growth in visitor arrivals of 4.6% during Jan-May 2008, visitor arrivals to Singapore started to decline from June 2008 coinciding with the economic downturn. September/October saw a slight pickup in arrivals due to the 2008 FORMULA 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix. Stronger arrivals from West Asia (+15.5%), South Asia (+5.6%), Oceania (+6.6%) and Europe (+4.5%) also helped to cushion the downward pressure on arrivals. As a result, Singapore ended the year with a marginal decline of 1.6% in arrivals to reach a total of 10.1 million visitor arrivals. Visitor arrivals to Singapore fell by 4.5% year-on-year in July 2009 to reach 881,000 visitors. Visitorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s days were estimated at 4.6% million days, year-on-year decrease of 11.6% in comparison of July 2008 (923,000), The decline in tourism is certainly a concern for Singapore and the solution is to revitalize Singaporeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s tourism and create a unique Singapore niche. There is little po int in selling Singapore as a country rich in heritage and culture; rather, the Integrated Resorts will market the modern entertainment, vibrant city life, and a constantly changing environment Singapore can best call her own (Singapore Tourism Board, 2009). Figure 1 Decline in tourism in 2008 C:UsersDickeyDesktopSingapore factsdrop in numbers.png Source: Singapore Tourism Board, 2010 Singapore Tourism Boards (STB) can see the potential attraction of the Integrated Resort as an economic case to revitalize the tourism attractions which have become luster over the years. The two Integrated Resorts can bring more prospective investors and they could invest up to some $5 billion and create about 35,000 jobs for the whole economy. (Ministry of Home Affairs, 18th April, 2005) The integrated Resorts played an important role and the visitor arrivals to Singapore registered 18.4% growth to reach 947,000 in September 2010, the highest number of arrivals received in the month of September. This also marks the tenth consecutive month of record visitor arrivals. This monthà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s visitor arrivals can be partly attributed to the hosting of the Formula 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix, the worldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s only Formula One night race and the draw of the many leisure and entertainment events under the Grand Prix Season Singapore 2010 (Singapore Tourism Board, 2010). China is ranked third among the top 15. There is good potential for the Chinese tourists market. With the rise of China and the influx of middle-income Chinese tourists the segment with the largest growth potential, in which most are willing to gamble at the gaming tables, the IRs would become more crucial than ever. The Feedback Unit itself has ascertained that Singapore wants an iconic destination resort that offers world-class entertainment and leisure facilities not a mere gambling facility like Macau. Figure 2 Visitors arrival 2009/10 C:UsersDickeyDesktopSingapore factsvisitors arrivals.png Source: STB 2010 Figure 3: Visitors arrival top 15 markets 2010 C:UsersDickeyDesktopSingapore factsvisiots arrival 2010.png Source: STB 2010 Figure 4 Visitors arrival 2007/08 C:UsersDickeyDesktopSnag itVisitordec 07,dec08.png Source: STB 2010 The socio economic perceptive of Singapore Integrated Resorts have really revitalized the tourism sector of Singapore as shown in the figure above and the tourism industry has grown rapidly as there are a lot of visitors coming to Singapore to check out the new Integrated Resorts, leisure and recreation purpose. Singapore had rapid hotel growth and development over the past two years with the openings of The St. Regis Singapore (April 2008), Capella Singapore (March 2009), Integrtaed Resorts and the Fullerton Bay Hotel Singapore. The hotels are doing very good business as their occupancy rate has really grown up and they are performing well. The new hotel openings come at a time when visitor arrivals numbers to Singapore are seeing an increase. The destination saw visitor arrival numbers increase by 30.3 percent to 946,000 visitors total in May 2010, compared to the same period last year, which saw 726,000 visitor arrivals. May marked the sixth consecutive month during which Singapore saw record tourism arrival numbers. The country expects to reach its goal of at least 11.5 million total visitor arrivals by the end of 2010 (Travel Age West, 2010) Average Occupancy Rate (AOR) posted a 5.2 percentage point increase over September 2009 to reach 82% in September 2010. (STB, 2010) Figure 5 Hotels average occupancy 2009/10 C:UsersDickeyDesktopSingapore factshotel occupancy in 2010.pngSource: STB, 2010 Average Room Rate (ARR3) increased by 13.1% over September 2009 to reach an estimate of S$233 in September 2010. Figure 6 Average Room Rate 2009/2010C:UsersDickeyDesktopSingapore factshotel arr.png Source: STB 2010 2.2 Boost Singapore Tourism and Economy The Integrated Resorts brings in entertainment and conventions, hospitality and retail outlets, which will help to increase the demand for hotel services, greater patronage at restaurants and heightened convention and exhibition activities. Studies and surveys have shown that tourism numbers and spending increase with the development of IRs. The Integrated Resorts in Singapore is not like the gambling facilities in Macau or Australia, which mainly cater to local patrons. One possible model for Singapore is a premium themed mega-resort, which has a large scale development that takes advantage of beach and marina settings to create a truly get-away holiday feel for visitors and locals Supporters of Integrated Resorts have claimed that touristà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s duration and repeated visits would also increase. Singapore Tourism Board also supports the project, as it believes that the IRs has help to boost the tourism industry and enhance Singaporeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s attractiveness as a tourism destination. Being among the top-three visitor-generating markets, China (with increasing number of middle-class), and Japan (with existence of high rollers), serve as attractive target segments for Singapore (Singapore Tourism Board, 2009). There has been a great change from the paradigm over the past century. Governments and developers around the world have caught on the race to mastermind, create and develop Integrated Resorts and Entertainment which creates positive value propositions and potential growth to the countryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s image and economic strength of Singapore. Between 1993 and 2002, tourismà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s contribution to GDP dropped from 6.1% to 3%, and our share of the Asia Pacific tourist flow fell from 8% in 1998 to 6% in 2002. Extremely moderate. Figure 7: Assessing the Economic Impacts Integrated Resort: Assessing the Economic Impacts Total Revenue of about $ 270 million, of which $212 million are derived from gaming activates Contribution to GDP of about $500 million, which is 0.4 of Singaporeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s 2003 GDP Employment of people of 3600 Source: Forecast by Assoc Prof Winston Koh, Singapore Management University The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has forecasted its tourism industry for 2010, predicting that between 11.5 million to 12.5 million visitors will arrive, with S$12.6 billion ($9 billion) to S$13.3 billion ($9.52 billion) in tourism receipts. The forecast can be attributed to Singaporeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s dramatic transformation as a result of multibillion-dollar investments in new tourism infrastructure (Singapore Tourism Board, 2010). The Integrated Resorts play a vital role in attracting the visitors through Casinos, Shopping Centers, Universal Studios, different types of Hotels, Convention halls and restaurants. Singapores two integrated resorts are a major boost to the countrys economy, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. The Prime Minister said he is glad that visitors are generally happy with the IRs as such attractions make the economy more vibrant and the city more colorful. He added that the IRs have created buzz and both were packed with visitors on their opening days, creating many jobs in the hospitality and tourism sector. According to media reports, nearly 200 bus loads of Malaysian tourists a day are visiting the IRs. (Channel News Asia, 2010) Asia in particular is fuelled by rapid growth, economic interest for the business and leisure group. Plenty of investors both local and foreign are becoming aware that Integrated Resorts are now becoming the of city life with important socio economic implications. (Integrated resorts and Entertainment 2010) Singaporeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s growth accelerated to a record 18.1 percent pace in the first half of 2010, spurring the currency and putting the island on course to overtake China as Asiaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s fastest-growing economy this year. Gross domestic product expanded at a 26 percent annualized pace in the second quarter from the previous three months, after a revised 45.9 percent gain in January to March, the trade ministry said today. Growth in the first half was the fastest since records began in 1975, prompting the government to predict GDP will rise 13 percent to 15 percent in 2010 (Bloomberg,2010) Figure 8 Singapore GDP Growth rates 2007/2010C:UsersDickeyDesktopSingapore facts11-10-2010 1-48-36 PM.png C:UsersDickeyDesktopSingapore factsgdp.png Source: Trading Economics (2010) Singapores two integrated resorts are a major boost to the countrys economy, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. The Prime Minister said he is glad that visitors are generally happy with the IRs. He added that the IRs have created buzz and both were packed with visitors on their opening days, creating many jobs in the hospitality and tourism sector. (Channel News Asia, 2010) In the case of the tourist-related services, like Hong Kong, Singapore has enjoyed a big bounce in tourist arrivals during the first 5 months of 2010, and theres an extra boost from the Integrated Resorts opening. Jimmy Koh, head of Economic-Treasury Research, United Overseas Bank, said: Most of us are still expecting a moderate 5 to 6 more per cent growth for 2011. This will put Singapore on track to possibly becoming the worlds fastest growing economy, surpassing even China. On an annualized and seasonally adjusted basis, Singapore economy expanded 26.0 per cent in the April-June period (Channel news Asia, 2010) Figure 9, 10, 11 Visitors arrive 2009/10. 2008/09. 2009/10C:UsersDickeyDesktopSnag itjuly 2010 visitors.png C:UsersDickeyDesktopSnag itVisitor10-23-2010 2-22-36 PM.png C:UsersDickeyDesktopSingapore factsvisitors arrivals.png Tourism in Singapore is expected to experience a boom this year due to Integrated Resorts. Industry players say there are now over 950 travel agents in Singapore an increase of over 100 from previous year. Travel agents told Media Corp that there are now more queries on visiting Universal Studios Singapore, Casinos and Hotels. Some operators are also increasing investments to expand their businesses and gain a bigger share of the tourism dollar. The two integrated resorts are expected to bring in more tourists to Singapore in the next one to two years. (Channel News Asia, 2010) 2.3 Compulsive Gambling As reported in à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Todayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? on 27 August, 2009, Singaporeans have a love for gambling. Singaporeans reportedly indulged in gambling, such as 4D, TOTO, and Football betting and horse-racing. Their growing appetite for gambling drove an increase of 3.6% in betting and sweepstakes duties, totaling S$1.4 billion (4D accounted for S$1.1 billion). Individuals claimed S$19 billion in reliefs (for example CPF, child, caregiver, maid levy, NS man); 218,600 people with assessable income of over S$20,000 did not have to pay tax (Today, 27 Aug, 2009). Figure 11 People Queuing outside Singapore Pools C:UsersDickeyDesktopSingapore factsSingapore pools.png Source: Today 2009 PM Lee Hsien Loong at Parliament Sitting, 18 April 2005. Integrated Resorts (IRs) are a significant proposal to boost our tourism industry. The government has been studying this idea for over years. The issue has been debated intensely, both among the public and within the government, because the IRs has a gaming component that is a casino. Many Singaporeans have spoken up both for and against. One of the key issues would be compulsive gambling as a social impact of having a casino in Singapore. So there will be the casino regulator. The Ministry of Home Affairs set up a new regulatory agency to regulate the casino. The casino regulator will put in place a strict regulatory to ensure that the casino remains free from criminal influence and that illegal activities on the premises are kept under control. Singaporeans love for gambling could be issue as people would have a compulsion for gambling. Casino gaming is becoming widely available around the world and Singapore, intention is not to develop a gambling attraction that compete in the gambling market (Lee, 2005). The Integrated Resorts in Singapore will not be like the gambling facilities in Macau or Australia, which mainly cater to local patrons. One possible model for Singapore is a premium themed mega-resort, which has a large scale development that takes advantage of beach and marina settings to create a truly get-away holiday feel for visitors. The Integrated Resorts are having issues raised included concerns that the casinos is resulting in increased compulsive gambling and undesirable activities linked with gambling such as loan sharks and organized crime.  In what is said to be one of the biggest losses yet at a Singapore casino, a local businessman lost $26.3 million over three days of gambling in June 2010. This included a staggering $18 million that he lost in one day alone. (Today, June 2010). These are the signs of compulsive gambling. Singapore love for gambling can become a compulsive gambling issues and casino industry in Asia has been booming over the years, both legally and illegally, despite moral and religious barriers in legalizing and operating gambling facilities for recreation. Now the Integrated resorts being operating in Singapore which gives the residents of Singapore to gamble but with a levy charged upon entry. Singapore has being the hub for gambling for several years as shown in the figure below before the Integrated Resorts even, but now it is legally allowed by law to gamble with responsible gambling. Figure 12 Gambling Participation Rates by Type of Games (%) C:UsersDickeyDesktopSingapore facts11-15-2010 10-17-29 PM.png Source: Gambling Survey 2008 2.4 Theoretical Framework Based on the theoretical framework the theoretical framework is there to test the validity of an existing theory. It is easier to understand the theoretical framework if it is viewed as the answers to the collected interrelated concepts. Revitalize Singapore Tourism IV 1 Socio Economic Perceptive of Singapore Integrated Resorts DV Boost Singapore Economy and Tourism IV 2 Compulsive Gambling IV 3 2.5 Hypothesis Development Hypothesis development is necessary as it shows a relationship between two or more variables expressed in the form of testable statement. (Sekaran, 2003: pg 103). Based on the research topic the final independent variable and dependant variable are as follows. Revitalize Singapore Tourism. (IV 1) Boost Singapore Economy and Tourism. (IV 2) Compulsive Gambling. (IV 3) Socio Economic Perceptive of Singapore Integrated Resorts. (DV) 2.6 Null hypothesis Addressed by: = 0 Finding: There is no relationship between the IVs and DV The null hypotheses represent that the independent variable (IVs) and do not have effect on the outcome of Dependent Variable DV. Table of Null Hypotheses H1 = Hypothesis 1. Revitalize Singapore Tourism H2 = Hypothesis 2. Boost Singapore Economy and Tourism H3 = Hypothesis 3. Compulsive Gambling = 0 => = Ho H1= Ho There is no significant effect of Revitalize Singapore Tourism on Social Economic Perceptive of Singapore Integrated Resorts H2= Ho There is no significant effect of Boost Singapore Economy and Tourism on Social Economic Perceptive of Singapore Integrated Resorts H3= Ho There is no significant effect of Compulsive Gambling on Social Economic Perceptive of Singapore Integrated Resorts Alternative Hypothesis Addressed by: à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚   0 meaning that à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚   Ho Finding: There is either negative or positive relationship between the IVs and DV Procedure : The alternative hypotheses represent that the outcomes are different from zero; in particular, it could be greater (positive) or lesser (negative). As a result, IVs positively relate to the DV if alternative hypotheses greater than zero and negatively relate to the DV if alternative hypotheses lesser than zero. To find out how significant IVs positively or negatively relate to DV, Alternative Hypotheses are measured. The alternate hypothesis  which is the opposite of the null is a statement expressing a relationship between two variables or indicating differences between groups. (Sekaran Bougie, 2003) à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚   0 => à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚   Ho H1à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚   Ho There is either positive or negative effect of Revitalize Singapore Tourism on Socio Economic Perceptive of Singapore Integrated Resorts H2à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚   Ho There is either positive or negative effect of Boost Singapore Economy and Tourism on Socio Economic Perceptive of Singapore Integrated Resorts H3à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚   Ho There is either positive or negative effect of Compulsive Gambling on Socio Economic Perceptive of Singapore Integrated Resorts Research Design The main aim of this research is to conduct a descriptive study and a correlation study. Descriptive research is used to obtain information concerning the current status of the phenomena to describe what exists with respect to variables or conditions in a situation. The methods involved range from the survey which describes the status, the correlation study which investigates the relationship between variables, to developmental studies which seek to determine changes over time. (Key, 1997) In this research the researcher wants to relate the independent variables and the dependent variables. Descriptive study and a correlation study would help in identifying the information, design a procedure to gather the information and analyze the information with the help of the IVà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s and DV. 3.1 Research Methodologies In order to collect the data for my research it is necessary to get an understanding of the data collection methods. There are many research methods but according to the topic nature we are doing a qualitative study. Qualitative research is unstructured exploratory in nature based on small samples and may utilize popular qualitative techniques such as group interviews, word association asking respondents to indicate their first responses to stimulus words and interviews For the purpose of this research the survey questionnaire of quantitative research is more effective in collecting and analyzing a huge amount of data. Furthermore the time to collect and study the answers from questionnaire is shorter as well. As a result the survey questionnaire of quantitative is the most suitable method to this research. (Malhotra, 2007) 3.2 Data Collection Methods According to the research design we are going to the following methods Secondary Data: Secondary data are the existing sources which were produced by earlier researchers for some specific purposes. According to the research topic we are using secondary data collections ways as it is from existing sources. (Blaxter et al, 2001) Primary Data: Primary data are original information collected by researchers to fulfill numerous purposes of research. The investigators could collect primary data by using various methods such as direct interviews, interviews through telephone, questionnaires, observations and others. (Macneill and Chapman, 2005) In this research, secondary data will be collected through magazines, journals, newspaper reports, company manuals, brochures and annual reports. 3.3 Data Collection Methods In this research, the researcher uses a questionnaire to gather data due to questionnaire is an effective data collection mechanism when the researcher knows exactly what is required and how to measure the variables of interest (Sekaran, 2003). Data would be collected through magazines, journals, newspaper reports, and brochures. To capture data, questionnaires are designed accordingly to specific information needed. In order to be precise, the question will be set as simple as possible. The number of question is small and the words are simplified. Before the questionnaire is practiced, they should be pre-tested to see how it works and improved if there is any mistake. 3.4 Data analysis The researcher needs an effective data analysis tool to examine the chosen hypothesis at the beginning step. SPSS which stands for Statistics Package of Social Science is considered the best method in statistical analysis. This software allows researchers to enhance their perception of the data and interpretation of the output. (Weinberg and Abramowitz, 2002) The main jobs of researcher are to decide the needed variables before entering the input to the software, to select correct statistical tests to analyze data and to interpret the final output results. (Bryman and Bell, 2007) 3.5 Pilot-Testing The purpose of doing pilot testing is to detect weaknesses in design and content in the instrument before it is reach final steps. (Fink, 2003), 12 peoples are required to be tested. The pilot tested should monitor the ease with which respondents complete the questionnaire, and also the ease with respondents to complete the questionnaire (Fink, 2003). 4 Ethical issues While conducting survey and interview for the research, the researcher should consider the code of ethical issue. The major responsibility of the researcher is to inform clearly and accurately the surveyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s purpose and content to respondents so that they can make decision whether they wish to participate. The researcher should also show the respect to the participants by keeping their answers confidential based on the guidelines of the university. Furthermore researcher need to guarantee the data must be used only for this particular report. No Content Month Nov, Dec 2010 Jan Feb 2010 Mar Apr 2010 Week 1,2 3,4 1,2 1,2 1,2 3,4 1,2 3,4 1,2 3,4 1,2 1 Problem Identification 2 Literature Review 3 Research Design 4 Choice of Methodology 5 Data Sources 6 Data Collection 7 Data Analysis 8 Writing up Draft 9 Editing 10 Final Document 11 Binding of Document 5 Schedules Figure 13: Singapore Population .Source: Singapore department of Statistics C:UsersDickeyDesktopSingapore facts11-10-2010 2-07-49 PM.png Analysis of Singapore Integrated Resorts Analysis of Singapore Integrated Resorts 1 Introduction Singapore is a small island city with a total population of about 4.98 million. The local population consists of approximately 74.2% ethnic Chinese, 13.4% Malays and 9.2% Indians. The remainder 3.2% is made up of Eurasians and other foreign workers. It is a relatively young population with only 217,000 or 7% of the population currently over the age of 65. This is set to change dramatically from now to 2030 when 800,000 or 18.7% of the population will be aged 65 years and above. The proportion of those between 15 and 45 years currently make up nearly half the population (Singapore Facts and Figures, 2009) The objective of the Integrated Resorts is to strengthen the leisure and entertainment options to enhance Singapores reputation as a must-visit destination for leisure and business visitors. The Integrated Resorts will be part of a larger spectrum of tourism products and are developing to enhance our destination appeal, and will enhance the tourism industry and economy. (Ministry of Trade and Industry, 2010) The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Singapore expanded at an annual rate of 24.00 percent in the last reported quarter. From 2007 until 2010, Singapores average quarterly GDP Growth was 7.62 percent reaching an historical high of 45.70 percent in March of 2010 and a record low of -12.50 percent in June of 2008. Singapore along with Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan is one of the Four Asian Tigers. Singapore has a highly developed and successful free-market economy. It enjoys a per capita GDP higher than that of most developed countries. The economy depends heavily on exports, particularly in consumer electronics, information technology products, pharmaceuticals, and on a growing service sector. This page includes: Singapore GDP Growth Rate chart, historical data and news. (Trading Economics, 2010) There are over 7,000 Multi-National Corporations (MNCs) with operations based in Singapore, 4,000 of which are regional headquarters (Singapore Facts and Figures, 2009). Definition of Socio Economics In most cases, socio economists focus on the social impact of some sort of economic change, which is basically a study of the relationship between the economic activity and social life (Davis et al, 2008). Involve both economic and social factors. 1.2 Objectives of the Research The main objectives of this research are to understand the Socio-Economic Perspective of the Singapore Integrated Resorts. This research deals with the socio-economic factors that have potential impact of the Singapore Integrated Resorts. Its focus is to investigate and analyze the socio-economic impact. Identify and evaluate the significance of the social and economic factors of the Integrated Resorts. For instance gambling addiction, money laundering, Revitalizing of Singapore Tourism Industry and Boost in Singapore Tourism and Economy. The objective of this research to understand the socio economic perceptive of Singapore Integrated resorts, would they have bad or good effect to Singapore and understand the factors how these factors have positive or negative effect on Singapore. 1.3 Research Focus The Focus of this research is to understand the Socio-Economic perceptive of the Singapore Integrated Resorts. The main aim to understand how, the impacts of the Singapore Integrated Resorts can play a vital role in the socio and economic ways. Revitalizing Singapore Tourism Boost for Singapore Tourism and Economy Compulsive Gambling 1.4 Research Questions In this report we have to invest the socio economic- perceptive of Singapore Integrated Resorts and the effects of these socio and economic perceptive could be negative and positive. How the Integrated Resorts would help in Revitalizing Singapore Tourism. How the Integrated Resorts would help in boosting Singapore Tourism and Economy How the Integrated Resorts could cause Compulsive Gambling Chapter 2 Literature Review The purpose of literature review is to make sure that we analyze the Socio Economic- Perceptive of Singapore Integrated Resorts and the purpose of the literature review is to select promising measure, methods (Mamchak and Mamchak, 1994) The Integrated Resort (IRs) is undoubtedly a necessary step to Singaporeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s future economic viability. As Singapore has no natural advantages, it must capitalize its ability to stay at the front of the global economy, with focus to attract foreign investors, tourists and talent. Surveys have suggested that Singapore is seen as unexciting compared to other travel destinations, and has been labeled as conservative, moderate and stale; concentrating on traditional cultural projects like the Asian Village, Tang Dynasty and Haw Par Villa, and failing to move on with new innovations (Straits Times, 2005). Identify and highlight the important variables and document the significant results of earlier research that will serve as the basis on which the theoretical framework of the investigation can be built and the hypothesis developed (Sekaran, 2003). Based on the research objectives, the researcher will provide relevant concepts in the review of current literature in this chapter. Revitalizing Singapore Tourism Singapore achieved good growth in visitor arrivals of 4.6% during Jan-May 2008, visitor arrivals to Singapore started to decline from June 2008 coinciding with the economic downturn. September/October saw a slight pickup in arrivals due to the 2008 FORMULA 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix. Stronger arrivals from West Asia (+15.5%), South Asia (+5.6%), Oceania (+6.6%) and Europe (+4.5%) also helped to cushion the downward pressure on arrivals. As a result, Singapore ended the year with a marginal decline of 1.6% in arrivals to reach a total of 10.1 million visitor arrivals. Visitor arrivals to Singapore fell by 4.5% year-on-year in July 2009 to reach 881,000 visitors. Visitorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s days were estimated at 4.6% million days, year-on-year decrease of 11.6% in comparison of July 2008 (923,000), The decline in tourism is certainly a concern for Singapore and the solution is to revitalize Singaporeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s tourism and create a unique Singapore niche. There is little po int in selling Singapore as a country rich in heritage and culture; rather, the Integrated Resorts will market the modern entertainment, vibrant city life, and a constantly changing environment Singapore can best call her own (Singapore Tourism Board, 2009). Figure 1 Decline in tourism in 2008 C:UsersDickeyDesktopSingapore factsdrop in numbers.png Source: Singapore Tourism Board, 2010 Singapore Tourism Boards (STB) can see the potential attraction of the Integrated Resort as an economic case to revitalize the tourism attractions which have become luster over the years. The two Integrated Resorts can bring more prospective investors and they could invest up to some $5 billion and create about 35,000 jobs for the whole economy. (Ministry of Home Affairs, 18th April, 2005) The integrated Resorts played an important role and the visitor arrivals to Singapore registered 18.4% growth to reach 947,000 in September 2010, the highest number of arrivals received in the month of September. This also marks the tenth consecutive month of record visitor arrivals. This monthà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s visitor arrivals can be partly attributed to the hosting of the Formula 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix, the worldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s only Formula One night race and the draw of the many leisure and entertainment events under the Grand Prix Season Singapore 2010 (Singapore Tourism Board, 2010). China is ranked third among the top 15. There is good potential for the Chinese tourists market. With the rise of China and the influx of middle-income Chinese tourists the segment with the largest growth potential, in which most are willing to gamble at the gaming tables, the IRs would become more crucial than ever. The Feedback Unit itself has ascertained that Singapore wants an iconic destination resort that offers world-class entertainment and leisure facilities not a mere gambling facility like Macau. Figure 2 Visitors arrival 2009/10 C:UsersDickeyDesktopSingapore factsvisitors arrivals.png Source: STB 2010 Figure 3: Visitors arrival top 15 markets 2010 C:UsersDickeyDesktopSingapore factsvisiots arrival 2010.png Source: STB 2010 Figure 4 Visitors arrival 2007/08 C:UsersDickeyDesktopSnag itVisitordec 07,dec08.png Source: STB 2010 The socio economic perceptive of Singapore Integrated Resorts have really revitalized the tourism sector of Singapore as shown in the figure above and the tourism industry has grown rapidly as there are a lot of visitors coming to Singapore to check out the new Integrated Resorts, leisure and recreation purpose. Singapore had rapid hotel growth and development over the past two years with the openings of The St. Regis Singapore (April 2008), Capella Singapore (March 2009), Integrtaed Resorts and the Fullerton Bay Hotel Singapore. The hotels are doing very good business as their occupancy rate has really grown up and they are performing well. The new hotel openings come at a time when visitor arrivals numbers to Singapore are seeing an increase. The destination saw visitor arrival numbers increase by 30.3 percent to 946,000 visitors total in May 2010, compared to the same period last year, which saw 726,000 visitor arrivals. May marked the sixth consecutive month during which Singapore saw record tourism arrival numbers. The country expects to reach its goal of at least 11.5 million total visitor arrivals by the end of 2010 (Travel Age West, 2010) Average Occupancy Rate (AOR) posted a 5.2 percentage point increase over September 2009 to reach 82% in September 2010. (STB, 2010) Figure 5 Hotels average occupancy 2009/10 C:UsersDickeyDesktopSingapore factshotel occupancy in 2010.pngSource: STB, 2010 Average Room Rate (ARR3) increased by 13.1% over September 2009 to reach an estimate of S$233 in September 2010. Figure 6 Average Room Rate 2009/2010C:UsersDickeyDesktopSingapore factshotel arr.png Source: STB 2010 2.2 Boost Singapore Tourism and Economy The Integrated Resorts brings in entertainment and conventions, hospitality and retail outlets, which will help to increase the demand for hotel services, greater patronage at restaurants and heightened convention and exhibition activities. Studies and surveys have shown that tourism numbers and spending increase with the development of IRs. The Integrated Resorts in Singapore is not like the gambling facilities in Macau or Australia, which mainly cater to local patrons. One possible model for Singapore is a premium themed mega-resort, which has a large scale development that takes advantage of beach and marina settings to create a truly get-away holiday feel for visitors and locals Supporters of Integrated Resorts have claimed that touristà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s duration and repeated visits would also increase. Singapore Tourism Board also supports the project, as it believes that the IRs has help to boost the tourism industry and enhance Singaporeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s attractiveness as a tourism destination. Being among the top-three visitor-generating markets, China (with increasing number of middle-class), and Japan (with existence of high rollers), serve as attractive target segments for Singapore (Singapore Tourism Board, 2009). There has been a great change from the paradigm over the past century. Governments and developers around the world have caught on the race to mastermind, create and develop Integrated Resorts and Entertainment which creates positive value propositions and potential growth to the countryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s image and economic strength of Singapore. Between 1993 and 2002, tourismà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s contribution to GDP dropped from 6.1% to 3%, and our share of the Asia Pacific tourist flow fell from 8% in 1998 to 6% in 2002. Extremely moderate. Figure 7: Assessing the Economic Impacts Integrated Resort: Assessing the Economic Impacts Total Revenue of about $ 270 million, of which $212 million are derived from gaming activates Contribution to GDP of about $500 million, which is 0.4 of Singaporeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s 2003 GDP Employment of people of 3600 Source: Forecast by Assoc Prof Winston Koh, Singapore Management University The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has forecasted its tourism industry for 2010, predicting that between 11.5 million to 12.5 million visitors will arrive, with S$12.6 billion ($9 billion) to S$13.3 billion ($9.52 billion) in tourism receipts. The forecast can be attributed to Singaporeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s dramatic transformation as a result of multibillion-dollar investments in new tourism infrastructure (Singapore Tourism Board, 2010). The Integrated Resorts play a vital role in attracting the visitors through Casinos, Shopping Centers, Universal Studios, different types of Hotels, Convention halls and restaurants. Singapores two integrated resorts are a major boost to the countrys economy, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. The Prime Minister said he is glad that visitors are generally happy with the IRs as such attractions make the economy more vibrant and the city more colorful. He added that the IRs have created buzz and both were packed with visitors on their opening days, creating many jobs in the hospitality and tourism sector. According to media reports, nearly 200 bus loads of Malaysian tourists a day are visiting the IRs. (Channel News Asia, 2010) Asia in particular is fuelled by rapid growth, economic interest for the business and leisure group. Plenty of investors both local and foreign are becoming aware that Integrated Resorts are now becoming the of city life with important socio economic implications. (Integrated resorts and Entertainment 2010) Singaporeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s growth accelerated to a record 18.1 percent pace in the first half of 2010, spurring the currency and putting the island on course to overtake China as Asiaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s fastest-growing economy this year. Gross domestic product expanded at a 26 percent annualized pace in the second quarter from the previous three months, after a revised 45.9 percent gain in January to March, the trade ministry said today. Growth in the first half was the fastest since records began in 1975, prompting the government to predict GDP will rise 13 percent to 15 percent in 2010 (Bloomberg,2010) Figure 8 Singapore GDP Growth rates 2007/2010C:UsersDickeyDesktopSingapore facts11-10-2010 1-48-36 PM.png C:UsersDickeyDesktopSingapore factsgdp.png Source: Trading Economics (2010) Singapores two integrated resorts are a major boost to the countrys economy, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. The Prime Minister said he is glad that visitors are generally happy with the IRs. He added that the IRs have created buzz and both were packed with visitors on their opening days, creating many jobs in the hospitality and tourism sector. (Channel News Asia, 2010) In the case of the tourist-related services, like Hong Kong, Singapore has enjoyed a big bounce in tourist arrivals during the first 5 months of 2010, and theres an extra boost from the Integrated Resorts opening. Jimmy Koh, head of Economic-Treasury Research, United Overseas Bank, said: Most of us are still expecting a moderate 5 to 6 more per cent growth for 2011. This will put Singapore on track to possibly becoming the worlds fastest growing economy, surpassing even China. On an annualized and seasonally adjusted basis, Singapore economy expanded 26.0 per cent in the April-June period (Channel news Asia, 2010) Figure 9, 10, 11 Visitors arrive 2009/10. 2008/09. 2009/10C:UsersDickeyDesktopSnag itjuly 2010 visitors.png C:UsersDickeyDesktopSnag itVisitor10-23-2010 2-22-36 PM.png C:UsersDickeyDesktopSingapore factsvisitors arrivals.png Tourism in Singapore is expected to experience a boom this year due to Integrated Resorts. Industry players say there are now over 950 travel agents in Singapore an increase of over 100 from previous year. Travel agents told Media Corp that there are now more queries on visiting Universal Studios Singapore, Casinos and Hotels. Some operators are also increasing investments to expand their businesses and gain a bigger share of the tourism dollar. The two integrated resorts are expected to bring in more tourists to Singapore in the next one to two years. (Channel News Asia, 2010) 2.3 Compulsive Gambling As reported in à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Todayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? on 27 August, 2009, Singaporeans have a love for gambling. Singaporeans reportedly indulged in gambling, such as 4D, TOTO, and Football betting and horse-racing. Their growing appetite for gambling drove an increase of 3.6% in betting and sweepstakes duties, totaling S$1.4 billion (4D accounted for S$1.1 billion). Individuals claimed S$19 billion in reliefs (for example CPF, child, caregiver, maid levy, NS man); 218,600 people with assessable income of over S$20,000 did not have to pay tax (Today, 27 Aug, 2009). Figure 11 People Queuing outside Singapore Pools C:UsersDickeyDesktopSingapore factsSingapore pools.png Source: Today 2009 PM Lee Hsien Loong at Parliament Sitting, 18 April 2005. Integrated Resorts (IRs) are a significant proposal to boost our tourism industry. The government has been studying this idea for over years. The issue has been debated intensely, both among the public and within the government, because the IRs has a gaming component that is a casino. Many Singaporeans have spoken up both for and against. One of the key issues would be compulsive gambling as a social impact of having a casino in Singapore. So there will be the casino regulator. The Ministry of Home Affairs set up a new regulatory agency to regulate the casino. The casino regulator will put in place a strict regulatory to ensure that the casino remains free from criminal influence and that illegal activities on the premises are kept under control. Singaporeans love for gambling could be issue as people would have a compulsion for gambling. Casino gaming is becoming widely available around the world and Singapore, intention is not to develop a gambling attraction that compete in the gambling market (Lee, 2005). The Integrated Resorts in Singapore will not be like the gambling facilities in Macau or Australia, which mainly cater to local patrons. One possible model for Singapore is a premium themed mega-resort, which has a large scale development that takes advantage of beach and marina settings to create a truly get-away holiday feel for visitors. The Integrated Resorts are having issues raised included concerns that the casinos is resulting in increased compulsive gambling and undesirable activities linked with gambling such as loan sharks and organized crime.  In what is said to be one of the biggest losses yet at a Singapore casino, a local businessman lost $26.3 million over three days of gambling in June 2010. This included a staggering $18 million that he lost in one day alone. (Today, June 2010). These are the signs of compulsive gambling. Singapore love for gambling can become a compulsive gambling issues and casino industry in Asia has been booming over the years, both legally and illegally, despite moral and religious barriers in legalizing and operating gambling facilities for recreation. Now the Integrated resorts being operating in Singapore which gives the residents of Singapore to gamble but with a levy charged upon entry. Singapore has being the hub for gambling for several years as shown in the figure below before the Integrated Resorts even, but now it is legally allowed by law to gamble with responsible gambling. Figure 12 Gambling Participation Rates by Type of Games (%) C:UsersDickeyDesktopSingapore facts11-15-2010 10-17-29 PM.png Source: Gambling Survey 2008 2.4 Theoretical Framework Based on the theoretical framework the theoretical framework is there to test the validity of an existing theory. It is easier to understand the theoretical framework if it is viewed as the answers to the collected interrelated concepts. Revitalize Singapore Tourism IV 1 Socio Economic Perceptive of Singapore Integrated Resorts DV Boost Singapore Economy and Tourism IV 2 Compulsive Gambling IV 3 2.5 Hypothesis Development Hypothesis development is necessary as it shows a relationship between two or more variables expressed in the form of testable statement. (Sekaran, 2003: pg 103). Based on the research topic the final independent variable and dependant variable are as follows. Revitalize Singapore Tourism. (IV 1) Boost Singapore Economy and Tourism. (IV 2) Compulsive Gambling. (IV 3) Socio Economic Perceptive of Singapore Integrated Resorts. (DV) 2.6 Null hypothesis Addressed by: = 0 Finding: There is no relationship between the IVs and DV The null hypotheses represent that the independent variable (IVs) and do not have effect on the outcome of Dependent Variable DV. Table of Null Hypotheses H1 = Hypothesis 1. Revitalize Singapore Tourism H2 = Hypothesis 2. Boost Singapore Economy and Tourism H3 = Hypothesis 3. Compulsive Gambling = 0 => = Ho H1= Ho There is no significant effect of Revitalize Singapore Tourism on Social Economic Perceptive of Singapore Integrated Resorts H2= Ho There is no significant effect of Boost Singapore Economy and Tourism on Social Economic Perceptive of Singapore Integrated Resorts H3= Ho There is no significant effect of Compulsive Gambling on Social Economic Perceptive of Singapore Integrated Resorts Alternative Hypothesis Addressed by: à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚   0 meaning that à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚   Ho Finding: There is either negative or positive relationship between the IVs and DV Procedure : The alternative hypotheses represent that the outcomes are different from zero; in particular, it could be greater (positive) or lesser (negative). As a result, IVs positively relate to the DV if alternative hypotheses greater than zero and negatively relate to the DV if alternative hypotheses lesser than zero. To find out how significant IVs positively or negatively relate to DV, Alternative Hypotheses are measured. The alternate hypothesis  which is the opposite of the null is a statement expressing a relationship between two variables or indicating differences between groups. (Sekaran Bougie, 2003) à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚   0 => à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚   Ho H1à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚   Ho There is either positive or negative effect of Revitalize Singapore Tourism on Socio Economic Perceptive of Singapore Integrated Resorts H2à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚   Ho There is either positive or negative effect of Boost Singapore Economy and Tourism on Socio Economic Perceptive of Singapore Integrated Resorts H3à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚   Ho There is either positive or negative effect of Compulsive Gambling on Socio Economic Perceptive of Singapore Integrated Resorts Research Design The main aim of this research is to conduct a descriptive study and a correlation study. Descriptive research is used to obtain information concerning the current status of the phenomena to describe what exists with respect to variables or conditions in a situation. The methods involved range from the survey which describes the status, the correlation study which investigates the relationship between variables, to developmental studies which seek to determine changes over time. (Key, 1997) In this research the researcher wants to relate the independent variables and the dependent variables. Descriptive study and a correlation study would help in identifying the information, design a procedure to gather the information and analyze the information with the help of the IVà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s and DV. 3.1 Research Methodologies In order to collect the data for my research it is necessary to get an understanding of the data collection methods. There are many research methods but according to the topic nature we are doing a qualitative study. Qualitative research is unstructured exploratory in nature based on small samples and may utilize popular qualitative techniques such as group interviews, word association asking respondents to indicate their first responses to stimulus words and interviews For the purpose of this research the survey questionnaire of quantitative research is more effective in collecting and analyzing a huge amount of data. Furthermore the time to collect and study the answers from questionnaire is shorter as well. As a result the survey questionnaire of quantitative is the most suitable method to this research. (Malhotra, 2007) 3.2 Data Collection Methods According to the research design we are going to the following methods Secondary Data: Secondary data are the existing sources which were produced by earlier researchers for some specific purposes. According to the research topic we are using secondary data collections ways as it is from existing sources. (Blaxter et al, 2001) Primary Data: Primary data are original information collected by researchers to fulfill numerous purposes of research. The investigators could collect primary data by using various methods such as direct interviews, interviews through telephone, questionnaires, observations and others. (Macneill and Chapman, 2005) In this research, secondary data will be collected through magazines, journals, newspaper reports, company manuals, brochures and annual reports. 3.3 Data Collection Methods In this research, the researcher uses a questionnaire to gather data due to questionnaire is an effective data collection mechanism when the researcher knows exactly what is required and how to measure the variables of interest (Sekaran, 2003). Data would be collected through magazines, journals, newspaper reports, and brochures. To capture data, questionnaires are designed accordingly to specific information needed. In order to be precise, the question will be set as simple as possible. The number of question is small and the words are simplified. Before the questionnaire is practiced, they should be pre-tested to see how it works and improved if there is any mistake. 3.4 Data analysis The researcher needs an effective data analysis tool to examine the chosen hypothesis at the beginning step. SPSS which stands for Statistics Package of Social Science is considered the best method in statistical analysis. This software allows researchers to enhance their perception of the data and interpretation of the output. (Weinberg and Abramowitz, 2002) The main jobs of researcher are to decide the needed variables before entering the input to the software, to select correct statistical tests to analyze data and to interpret the final output results. (Bryman and Bell, 2007) 3.5 Pilot-Testing The purpose of doing pilot testing is to detect weaknesses in design and content in the instrument before it is reach final steps. (Fink, 2003), 12 peoples are required to be tested. The pilot tested should monitor the ease with which respondents complete the questionnaire, and also the ease with respondents to complete the questionnaire (Fink, 2003). 4 Ethical issues While conducting survey and interview for the research, the researcher should consider the code of ethical issue. The major responsibility of the researcher is to inform clearly and accurately the surveyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s purpose and content to respondents so that they can make decision whether they wish to participate. The researcher should also show the respect to the participants by keeping their answers confidential based on the guidelines of the university. Furthermore researcher need to guarantee the data must be used only for this particular report. No Content Month Nov, Dec 2010 Jan Feb 2010 Mar Apr 2010 Week 1,2 3,4 1,2 1,2 1,2 3,4 1,2 3,4 1,2 3,4 1,2 1 Problem Identification 2 Literature Review 3 Research Design 4 Choice of Methodology 5 Data Sources 6 Data Collection 7 Data Analysis 8 Writing up Draft 9 Editing 10 Final Document 11 Binding of Document 5 Schedules Figure 13: Singapore Population .Source: Singapore department of Statistics C:UsersDickeyDesktopSingapore facts11-10-2010 2-07-49 PM.png

Friday, October 25, 2019

Makioka Sisters & Pedro Paramo :: Free Essay Writer

Makioka Sisters & Pedro Paramo Though the two books, The Makioka Sisters and Pedro Paramo appear to be a part of two entirely separate worlds, some connections can be seen throughout the works. Junichiro Tanizaki uses The Makioka Sisters to tell the tale of four beautiful sisters who’s lives are encompassed by a world of tradition and propriety. While at the same time Juan Rulfo’s Pedro Paramo is exploring these same ideas of obligation and in the best term, formalities. This is the key to these two works, formalities. Each culture and time is experiencing pressures and obligations due to the characters’ belief in observing formalities and traditions. Both books open to a dilemma that plagues the characters and can be tied back to the observation of formalities. The Makioka family is desperately seeking a husband for the third sister, Yukiko. Sachiko explains â€Å"In†¦hopes of finding Yukiko a worthy husband, they had refused the proposals that in earlier years had showered upon them. Not one seemed quite what they wanted† (9). This prestigious Osaka family presumes that they must adhere to every formality to its highest degree in order to uphold their reputation and honor. A suitor has yet to meet what they believe must be their standards. The head of the family, Tatsuo has been displeased with the men that have sought Yukiko’s hand, he believes that the â€Å"old and once-important family† cannot afford to take in a man who might humble or disgrace â€Å"the dignity of the Makioka name† (8). The family is weaving itself into a web of pain and humiliation through their insistence to comply with t he precedence of exalting and sheltering the Makioka name at any cost, even that of love and happiness. Juan Preciado is also being thrust into a dilemma when he makes attempts to follow through with empty civilities. Rulfo opens this story with Preciado traveling to the small, desolate village of Comala. After the death of Preciado’s mother, he decides to uphold the promise he made to her by visiting his estranged father, Pedro Paramo, whom he never knew. Preciado admits, â€Å"I didn’t intend to keep my promise. But then I began to think about what she told me, until I couldn’t stop thinking and even dreaming about it, and building a whole world around that Pedro Paramo. That’s why I came to Comala† (1). Preciado is brought to this insufferable village because of an empty promise that he made to his dying mother.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Letter to the brazilian government regarding the amazonian rainforest

I am writing to you to express my views and opinions about the Amazonian rainforest and the way it's being exploited. I am fully aware that you, as a government, are being threatened to reduce the amount of trees you cut down from other countries; this letter may initially appear to be like those others, but I understand both sides of the argument, although I do strongly believe it is best that we protect the rainforest than destroy it. I do realize that you are desperately trying to develop into one of the world's most economically developed countries. Whilst destroying the rainforest would originally generate a huge income, I understand, the profits would not be as great if the natural resources were to be managed in a sustainable approach in the future. Amazonia will eventually be deprived of its resources at this going rate – the effects this will cause will be difficult to resolve. Firstly, Amazonia is a way of life to the indigenous people; they have lived in this rainforest for thousands of years. If you were to destroy Amazonia, these people would be forced to leave their homes as their homeland/habitat would be in the way of loggers, and legal legislations would not permit the locals to stay put, as they do not possess ‘ownership deeds', as you are aware of. This may cause more deforestation, as the tribes would have to find new areas in the rainforest to live – others may migrate (sometimes illegally) to other countries in South America or even around the world; so they will become more densely populated with mostly uneducated Brazilians, as, most of the indigenous people have never gone to school. At present, South America has an increasing population of roughly 371 million people. Notably, the most densely populated countries in South America are Brazil (186,112,794) followed by Colombia (42,954,279), Venezuela (25,375,231) and then Ecuador (13,363,593). Each of these countries are partly covered by the Amazonian Rainforest – if it were to be destroyed, a majority of these people would be likely to migrate to another country located in South America, probably a MEDC compared to the others, as it would be cheaper and easy to reach. By destroying the rainforest you would be putting your local civilization in jeopardy, just to make money, in which I would agree, this would improve the countries economy in the distant future – but it does not necessarily make this right. Not only would destroying the Amazonian rainforest have huge effects on the locals, the consequences of destroying it would make a global impact. Accordingly, the vegetation of the rainforest accounts for 20% of the world's supply of oxygen – which could be a cause for concern to the native mammals on our planet. If the trees and plants were to be destroyed the CO2 would also cause a great risk; being released into the atmosphere, as a greenhouse gas, will contribute massively to global warming. Our descendants will suffer from these effects; be witnessing flooding and climate changes worldwide, if you were to act irresponsibly and destroy Amazonia. Can you imagine your children being affected by this global impact? It surely must defeat the morals of destroying the Amazonian Rainforest in the first place. As you must be aware of, the rainforest's natural diversity is huge. It's home to over 1000 different tree species; 40,000 plants, 2. 5 million insects, 3000 fish, 1,300 birds, 440 mammals, 430 amphibians and 380 reptiles. Destroying the habitats of the wide variety of these species will cause a majority of them to become extinct, as most can't be found anywhere else in the world. It is because of the equatorial climate in your region of the world that these species exist, and the weather is perfect for them to survive and thrive. The plants, as you will know, oppose the potential in containing undiscovered medicines which can possibly cure fatal diseases; which could benefit the human civilization forever. This could possibly give you an alternative for making huge sums of money – extracting medicines that can cure world-wide spread diseases that will always be in demand. But on the other hand, destroying the rainforest will provide the world many valuable resources like hardwoods and building materials; which are imperative in global development. Your country would receive a substantial amount of money as these materials can be used for a lot of practical uses aswell – highlighting there world-wide benefits. Finally, destroying Amazonia would provide key professions, such as loggers, cattle ranchers and miners to the local people who seek employment which requires little/no education. This is important for them as they will be able to afford a better standard of life, in which their family will benefit from. But these people are only, however, interested in their own wealth fare – not the environment around them. They simply do not care about the millions of animals that will suffer from their actions – but it is you that can prevent this, or even just change these occurrences. However, this is understandable on their behalf; they need money to survive, but the reasons for deforestation are easily outshone by the fact that the rainforest needs to be preserved. In addition, those local people can capably make a relatively large amount of money if they were to work as an act of sustainable development. Simple farming methods could be taught to the local people, which are efficient in growing reasonable amounts of produce, time after time; these allotments would be placed in selected areas of the rainforest – therefore this allows different sections of Amazonia to be protected and local people can be provided with free knowledge and education, to benefit the quality of their produce and its efficiency of being more environmentally clean and effective. Mining companies could be restrained into only being able to mine only certain amounts/types of the minerals underneath the rainforest flooring, at different intervals during a year/month. Taxes can be installed on each ore the foreign companies extract, so the country itself would receive extra amounts of money from work they don't participate in, as their own resources are being disposed. Once theses mines have been exhausted – deprived of all their natural resources – the companies must reforest the area, to help repair the damage to the environment. This possible legislation can also be applied to the logging industries. The trees cut down should be replaced immediately by the seeds of that species – afforestation. This would at least enable the survival of the vegetation in Amazonia in the future. Also once again, it could be acceptable to place a tax on the more expensive tree species which are cut down, which would decrease the companies profits which may prevent them from cutting down so many of them; and the local governments would receive this money which could possibly increase their yearly revenue dramatically . Ecotourism will provide employment for the local people, but more importantly boost the economy, just like all of the other sustainable activities, but the difference would be; the beneficial improvement to the popularity and reputation of the rainforest. Amazonia's natural beauty will be appreciated as it deserves, with a minimal amount of deforestation, and a global demand to witness its magnificence, which will always be constant – fetching high prices from each tourist. The use of ecotourism could be extended to the creations of national reserves and parks, in and outside of Amazonia; which would provide a wide range of employment and the potential to be the most ‘exotic' of the world's national parks, which would make a visit there highly expensive and therefore profitable for the countries. By following these policies, horrific consequences are being prevented and compromises have been put into place to ensure that both groups of people, wanting to protect the rainforest and destroy the rainforest are happy with the agreement. If any of these legislations were to be broken then fines could be used to create negative publicity for the companies; which could decrease their popularity severely and damage the economical structure. In conclusion I strongly believe that you should try your up-most hardest to protect the Amazonian Rainforest. Whilst you have plenty of sustainable ways to provide your country with resources needed to develop efficiently, your local people can also benefit from the new legislations I strongly recommend you implement. If you were to decide to destroy the entire rainforest, global warming would endanger the world, and for that sole reason other countries would attempt to stop you, creating wars, in order to inevitably save the plant. Your only acceptable reason for cutting down the rainforest is to make money from the large amounts of natural resources you produce. But when the rainforest would be completely destroyed, you will have nothing that is valuable remaining. Moreover, the profit you would make from the various techniques of sustainable development, in a relatively short time period, at around a matter of a decade, would be greater than if you were to destroy the rainforest entirely. So you could receive a better ‘turn-over' from saving the planet, eventually. It is not essential that you totally cut down the rainforest. Destroying it will cause far more arguments and worldwide horror than leaving Amazonia to provide us with the resources required.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Bottled Water

Yizza Burgueno First Draft Instructor Michael Heumann English 101 March 26, 2013 Bottled Water Most American see bottled water as a necessity, even though bottled water did not exist many years ago. Drinking out of a water bottle has become the standard drinking source for most Americans. We have become dependent on plastic waste. Water is life sustaining, so many of us would think that drinking water out of a bottle is harmless. Regrettably it is not, there have been traces of PET and BPA in the plastic containers we are drinking out of. Both PET and BPA can stimulate sever health consequences.Not only are we putting our life in danger by drinking out of bottled water but our planet as well. Plastic bottles don’t just vanish into thin air. Most Americans don’t recycle, so most plastic bottles end up on streets, rivers, lakes, canals, streams, or oceans polluting our planet. Not only is bottled water way more expensive than tap, it also contains the same water quality a s tap water. In other words we’re just paying for the names on the plastic bottles. Rather than paying for quality, our tap water can produce just about the same quality as bottled water. Bottled water is not all it is made out to be.We all need water to survive, especially when up to 60% of the human body is composed of it (USGS, 2009). Water is absolutely necessary to our planet. Approximately 75% of the earth’s surface is covered by water, but only 1% of that is drinkable (Soechtig, 2009). Hence, clean drinkable water is not as easy to get as it may seem. Representative Dennis Kuchinich from Ohio states that, â€Å"Water is a basic human right, it’s a necessary for survival of life. When you start commodifying the necessities of life in such a way as to make it more difficult for people to gain access, you have the basis for serious political instability,† (Soechtig, 2009).Water is no longer a fundamental right, it has become bankable and sold to peopl e who already have perfectly drinkable water coming out of their tap. People are looking at water as if it were gold and are only looking for a way to profit off of it. Instead of waiting in line to drink from the water fountains, people are waiting in line at the stores to pay for overly priced bottled water. People are no longer drink out of water fountains or out their kitchen sinks because they have the luxury of buying bottled water.Therefore, the demand for water fountains has decreased because of how easily it is to obtain bottled water. The more we buy bottled water, the more we are convinced that bottled water is not a luxury, but rather a necessity (Gleick, 2010, p. 107). Although, drinking out of a plastic bottle can cost twice as much, if not more than the water that comes out of our kitchen sinks and public drinking fountains and may also harm not only our health but our planet as well, millions of people still keep buying and drinking out of bottled water.Peter Gleick author of Bottled and Sold: the Story Behind our Obsession with Bottled Water, wrote, â€Å"certainly, the environmental problems with bottled water, the economic costs to pocketbooks, and the growing support for improving tap water quality and reliability are all contributing to new thinking about the simple act of buying a plastic bottled water,†(Gleick, 2010, p. 161). Bottled water was nonexistent many years ago. Elizabeth Royote mentions in her book, that people did not start walking down the streets with their water bottles until 1989 when water could be put in clear, lightweight bottles made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET).Once that was created, bottled water skyrocketed in the 90’s. Water sales tripled in size, from 4. 5 gallons per year for the average American in 1986, to 12. 7 gallons per person in 1997 (NRDC, 1999). In 2007, Americans bout more than 29 billion bottles of water (Soechtig, 2009). America has engraved into people heads that drinking tap wat er is not healthy and in fear of the people have turned to bottled water thinking it’s the healthier option for them. Some people have gone to drinking bottled water literally because they are concerned about their water, and the problem is they are unaware of the fact that buying bottled water is not necessarily safe, that they end up being exposed to other chemical compounds,† says Stephanie King (PH. D. , M. P. H. ) a toxicologists and epidemiologist with Toxicology Inc. (Soechtig, 2009). Bottled water can actually lead to health concerns for those with weak immune systems, (NRDC, 1999). Most water bottles are made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a polymer derived from oil that adds flexibility, color, and strength to plastic (Royote, 2008, p. 48). Another health risky ingredient in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastic is Bisphenol A (BPA), a non steroidal estrogenic compound (Rubin, Murray, Damassa, King, and Soto, 2001). BPA can be found in many products such as sports bottles, baby bottles, and water coolers (Soechtig, 2009). Every American owns or has own a bottled that contained BPA, and because BPA mimics estrogen most bottles say they are â€Å"BPA free†. â€Å"Bisphoenol A may be one of the most potent, toxic chemicals known to man. The problem is Bisphenol A acts at very low doses as an estrogen,† (Soechtig, 2009).Both PET and BPA can be harming to Americans health, one leading to cancer and the other leading to the reproductive system. One’s life is not only in danger from drinking out of bottled water but the earth’s life as well. A large amount of water is wasted to create plastic bottles plus the water used to fill it. The amounts of bottles produce are not nearly close to the amounts recycled. Of the 80 million single served bottles of water consumed daily, 30 million ends up in landfills (Soechtig, 2009). The other ends up all over the streets making their way to the ocean, lakes, rivers, ca nals.Etc. The average international recycling rate for beverages containers for the word is 50%, but the United States is 20% and this number has been declining (Soechtig, 2009). The cost to produce bottled water is twice as expensive as, if not more, than tap water. Why waste more money on bottled water when people are already paying for it in the comfort of their own home. There is the cost of materials, production, and transportation. â€Å"This energy cost is a thousand times larger than the energy required to produce, process, treat, and deliver tap water,† (Gleick, 2010, p. 5). Are we just paying for the brand of the bottle rather than the quality of the water? 40% of bottled water is really just filtered tap water (Soechtig, 2009). Meaning that if people added a filter to their tap they can have bottled water quality coming out of their own kitchen faucet for a lower price. Most bottled water labels show a beautiful picture of waterfalls or mountains with streams runni ng through, portraying that that’s where the water comes from but in all reality the bottled water People are drinking from doesn’t come from afar.Yosemite water one the most popular bottled water in the Imperial Valley comes from Los Angeles California (Gleick, 2010, p. 110). Bottled water can cause illnesses, pollution, and costs lots of money. It may have the advantage of being convenient, but convenient is not worth harming your health, making the earth less livable, or spending more money on something that can comes out of your kitchen faucet, which in most cases you’re already paying for. Bottled water may look fancy or have a different taste to it but it’s not worth all the consequences.That’s why bottled water is not all it is made out to be. Works Cited Gleick, Peter H. Bottled and Sold: The Story behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water. Washington, Dc: Island, 2010. Print. Olson, Erik D. â€Å"Bottled Water. † NRDC:. NRDC, 1999. We b. 5 Mar. 2013. . Royte, Elizabeth. Bottlemania: Big Business, Local Springs, and the Battle over America's Drinking Water. New York: Bloomsbury, 2009. Print. Rubin, B. S. , M. K. Murray, D. A. Damassa, J. C. King, and A. M. Soto. Abstract. † National Center for Biotechnology Information. U. S. National Library of Medicine, 20 Dec. 2005. Web. 5 Mar. 2013. . Soechtig, Stephanie. â€Å"Tapped. † | Tapped the Movie – Official Site |. N. p. , 2009. Web. 19 Mar. 2013. . Us Geological Survey. â€Å"The Water in You. † Water Properties: (Water Science for Schools). Us Geological Survey, Oct. 2009. Web. 5 Mar. 2013. . Bottled Water Yizza Burgueno First Draft Instructor Michael Heumann English 101 March 26, 2013 Bottled Water Most American see bottled water as a necessity, even though bottled water did not exist many years ago. Drinking out of a water bottle has become the standard drinking source for most Americans. We have become dependent on plastic waste. Water is life sustaining, so many of us would think that drinking water out of a bottle is harmless. Regrettably it is not, there have been traces of PET and BPA in the plastic containers we are drinking out of. Both PET and BPA can stimulate sever health consequences.Not only are we putting our life in danger by drinking out of bottled water but our planet as well. Plastic bottles don’t just vanish into thin air. Most Americans don’t recycle, so most plastic bottles end up on streets, rivers, lakes, canals, streams, or oceans polluting our planet. Not only is bottled water way more expensive than tap, it also contains the same water quality a s tap water. In other words we’re just paying for the names on the plastic bottles. Rather than paying for quality, our tap water can produce just about the same quality as bottled water. Bottled water is not all it is made out to be.We all need water to survive, especially when up to 60% of the human body is composed of it (USGS, 2009). Water is absolutely necessary to our planet. Approximately 75% of the earth’s surface is covered by water, but only 1% of that is drinkable (Soechtig, 2009). Hence, clean drinkable water is not as easy to get as it may seem. Representative Dennis Kuchinich from Ohio states that, â€Å"Water is a basic human right, it’s a necessary for survival of life. When you start commodifying the necessities of life in such a way as to make it more difficult for people to gain access, you have the basis for serious political instability,† (Soechtig, 2009).Water is no longer a fundamental right, it has become bankable and sold to peopl e who already have perfectly drinkable water coming out of their tap. People are looking at water as if it were gold and are only looking for a way to profit off of it. Instead of waiting in line to drink from the water fountains, people are waiting in line at the stores to pay for overly priced bottled water. People are no longer drink out of water fountains or out their kitchen sinks because they have the luxury of buying bottled water.Therefore, the demand for water fountains has decreased because of how easily it is to obtain bottled water. The more we buy bottled water, the more we are convinced that bottled water is not a luxury, but rather a necessity (Gleick, 2010, p. 107). Although, drinking out of a plastic bottle can cost twice as much, if not more than the water that comes out of our kitchen sinks and public drinking fountains and may also harm not only our health but our planet as well, millions of people still keep buying and drinking out of bottled water.Peter Gleick author of Bottled and Sold: the Story Behind our Obsession with Bottled Water, wrote, â€Å"certainly, the environmental problems with bottled water, the economic costs to pocketbooks, and the growing support for improving tap water quality and reliability are all contributing to new thinking about the simple act of buying a plastic bottled water,†(Gleick, 2010, p. 161). Bottled water was nonexistent many years ago. Elizabeth Royote mentions in her book, that people did not start walking down the streets with their water bottles until 1989 when water could be put in clear, lightweight bottles made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET).Once that was created, bottled water skyrocketed in the 90’s. Water sales tripled in size, from 4. 5 gallons per year for the average American in 1986, to 12. 7 gallons per person in 1997 (NRDC, 1999). In 2007, Americans bout more than 29 billion bottles of water (Soechtig, 2009). America has engraved into people heads that drinking tap wat er is not healthy and in fear of the people have turned to bottled water thinking it’s the healthier option for them. Some people have gone to drinking bottled water literally because they are concerned about their water, and the problem is they are unaware of the fact that buying bottled water is not necessarily safe, that they end up being exposed to other chemical compounds,† says Stephanie King (PH. D. , M. P. H. ) a toxicologists and epidemiologist with Toxicology Inc. (Soechtig, 2009). Bottled water can actually lead to health concerns for those with weak immune systems, (NRDC, 1999). Most water bottles are made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a polymer derived from oil that adds flexibility, color, and strength to plastic (Royote, 2008, p. 48). Another health risky ingredient in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastic is Bisphenol A (BPA), a non steroidal estrogenic compound (Rubin, Murray, Damassa, King, and Soto, 2001). BPA can be found in many products such as sports bottles, baby bottles, and water coolers (Soechtig, 2009). Every American owns or has own a bottled that contained BPA, and because BPA mimics estrogen most bottles say they are â€Å"BPA free†. â€Å"Bisphoenol A may be one of the most potent, toxic chemicals known to man. The problem is Bisphenol A acts at very low doses as an estrogen,† (Soechtig, 2009).Both PET and BPA can be harming to Americans health, one leading to cancer and the other leading to the reproductive system. One’s life is not only in danger from drinking out of bottled water but the earth’s life as well. A large amount of water is wasted to create plastic bottles plus the water used to fill it. The amounts of bottles produce are not nearly close to the amounts recycled. Of the 80 million single served bottles of water consumed daily, 30 million ends up in landfills (Soechtig, 2009). The other ends up all over the streets making their way to the ocean, lakes, rivers, ca nals.Etc. The average international recycling rate for beverages containers for the word is 50%, but the United States is 20% and this number has been declining (Soechtig, 2009). The cost to produce bottled water is twice as expensive as, if not more, than tap water. Why waste more money on bottled water when people are already paying for it in the comfort of their own home. There is the cost of materials, production, and transportation. â€Å"This energy cost is a thousand times larger than the energy required to produce, process, treat, and deliver tap water,† (Gleick, 2010, p. 5). Are we just paying for the brand of the bottle rather than the quality of the water? 40% of bottled water is really just filtered tap water (Soechtig, 2009). Meaning that if people added a filter to their tap they can have bottled water quality coming out of their own kitchen faucet for a lower price. Most bottled water labels show a beautiful picture of waterfalls or mountains with streams runni ng through, portraying that that’s where the water comes from but in all reality the bottled water People are drinking from doesn’t come from afar.Yosemite water one the most popular bottled water in the Imperial Valley comes from Los Angeles California (Gleick, 2010, p. 110). Bottled water can cause illnesses, pollution, and costs lots of money. It may have the advantage of being convenient, but convenient is not worth harming your health, making the earth less livable, or spending more money on something that can comes out of your kitchen faucet, which in most cases you’re already paying for. Bottled water may look fancy or have a different taste to it but it’s not worth all the consequences.That’s why bottled water is not all it is made out to be. Works Cited Gleick, Peter H. Bottled and Sold: The Story behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water. Washington, Dc: Island, 2010. Print. Olson, Erik D. â€Å"Bottled Water. † NRDC:. NRDC, 1999. We b. 5 Mar. 2013. . Royte, Elizabeth. Bottlemania: Big Business, Local Springs, and the Battle over America's Drinking Water. New York: Bloomsbury, 2009. Print. Rubin, B. S. , M. K. Murray, D. A. Damassa, J. C. King, and A. M. Soto. Abstract. † National Center for Biotechnology Information. U. S. National Library of Medicine, 20 Dec. 2005. Web. 5 Mar. 2013. . Soechtig, Stephanie. â€Å"Tapped. † | Tapped the Movie – Official Site |. N. p. , 2009. Web. 19 Mar. 2013. . Us Geological Survey. â€Å"The Water in You. † Water Properties: (Water Science for Schools). Us Geological Survey, Oct. 2009. Web. 5 Mar. 2013. .