Concepts on pilgrimage as a social process

Concepts on pilgrimage as a social process To what extent do Turners concepts of liminality and communitas cast light on pilgrimage as a social process? The concepts of liminality and comunitas is evanescent, like a wisp of smoke in the wind. (Shure, 2005) It attempts to achieve some formalization of a social process in a theoretically perspective, though academically this can be achieved; it is very hard to master the full and in-depth concept of the pilgrimage. As all academic essays require the clear and standard definition of the question, Turners concepts will subsequently be explained and furthermore the meaning behind both the pilgrimage and social process will be dealt with in detail. Turner draws on concepts of Van Genneps model of rites of passage; liminality is a state of transition argued by Turner, it is neither here nor there; they are betwixt and between the positions assigned and arrayed by law, custom, convention, and ceremonial. (Turner, 1969, p. 95) The attempt of the essay will show how the liminality iden tifies itself as period of transition with the social process of a pilgrimage, identify the equality and communitas will attempt to illustrate the process of a pilgrimage, however is structure truly lost during a pilgrimage and what is the concept of a social process and does a pilgrimage really fit into this definition, is a pilgrimage one of equality and individuality or that of a structured formation or a social experience. The rite of passage, focuses on the fact that a member of a group neither belongs to the group she was a part of or the group she will belong to after the luminal stage has been completed. A typical liminal stage can be seen as the child between becoming an adult and staying a child, puberty as a liminal stage in every individual persons own life pilgrimage. (Turner V. E., 1978) Continuing with the notion of liminal periods one can observe that in Mary Douglas Purity and Danger, illustrates that the individual is a polluting force on the external groups as liminal individuals are of no status, insigniakinship position, nothing to demarcate them structurally (Turner V. , The forst of symbols: Aspects of Ndembu ritual, 1967, p. 98) Liminality, In the use of Van Genneps model of the three, Turner illustrates the phases of the ritual, the ritual is an catalyst and exemplifies the transitional period. The transitional period is identified as the liminal period. (Turner V. , 1967, p. 94) S eclusion from everyday life is a typical consequence to the liminal period which is the attempt to remove the individual from the society, subsequently forcing the individual into an interior pilgrimage of development of self. The application of classification is often used, in doing so this continues the transition and the removal of previous identity, furthermore denoting the status of transition. Turner develops this concept further in the ambiguity that is suggested, the concept of seclusion, and the non identification of the individual of gender or class. Turner continues to suggest the equality of this transitional period however many anthropologist are hesitant to apply this to an overall spectrum as in various societies the formation of structure is still imposed. (Turner V. , 1967) Turners three phase concept is simplistic in concept and difficult in application, phase one being the communication of sacra, where secret symbols are communicated to the ritual subjects in the form of exhibitions of sacred articles, actions, and instructions; the symbols represent the unity and continuity of the community. This then transcends into the liminal period of ludic deconstruction (Deflem, 1991, p. 13) and then subsequently the recombination of the individual; Turner develops on this and we move into the phase three, which is the removal of all social structure and what is left is solely the authority of the instructor and aim of the ritual. (Turner V. E., 1978) This phase three fuelled Turner into formalising the concept of Communitas as the identification of one. Anti-structure and Communitas are blood brothers in the opposition to structure, Turner clearly notes that communitas is present within in a liminal stage when structure is not present (Turner V. , 1969, pp. 94-96) as criticised above Turner clearly identifies this to be present within a period of liminality in a ritual process. The removal of all social elements and the exclusion from this constitutes a community bond, one of human kindness; constituting this ritual communitas of individuals in a separate transition society such as the concept of limbo between heaven and hell, between life and death. Turner further explains communitas in the Ritual Process, explaining that they refer to two further modalities of society. (Turner V. , Pilgrimage and communitas, 1974) A Dialectic process between various communitas, a general view of equality of individuals (later works such as Eade argue against this concept) and that of the structured individuals in a hierarchical system such as in t he Hindu religion. The Dialectic has been used throughout time such as in Revolutions and the maximization of communitas provokes maximization of structure, which in turn produces revolutionary strivings for renewed communitus. (Turner V. , 1969, p. 129) Communitas is observed as something that is a phase in a process of a ritual not something that will continue after the process has been completed as the fate of any type of communitas is inevitably a decline and fall into structure and law (Turner V. , 1969, p. 132), after which a new form of communitas may rise again. (Turner V. , Pilgrimage and communitas, 1974, p. 282) The concept of a pilgrimage and the community are centred to many scholarly debates, Eade and Sallnow question the role of the pilgrimage in sustaining or negating the social structure. (Sallnow, 1981) In following onto the concept that is discussed, the contrast to Marxist understanding to the pilgrimage as a structural maintenance juxtaposed with Turners pilgrimage concept of spontaneous communitas. Therefore in discussion of the experience does it not bind one to the larger concept of a community? (Eade J. a., 1991, p. 5) The pilgrimage is an area of anthropology that had lacked any in-depth focus within the field till Turners Image and Pilgrimage in Christian Culture and when formalising concepts on the pilgrimage one is prone to focus on the most powerful rituals performed by religious members and not necessarily the simplistic rituals of everyday life Eade Coleman suggest that pilgrimage has been neglected due to this assertion of a pilgrimage of a liminal nature, and that of a daily life furthermore suggesting that a pilgrimage is something of extraordinary nature such as the pilgrimage to Mecca, a pilgrimage to a holy shrine Why in this definition has pilgrimage has been removed from everyday life and imposed on that of a religious ritual background, one could suggest that the simplistic notion of going in search of a new pair of shoes or a job is a pilgrimage of the individual. In doing so one is removing themselves from the pre-persona and transition into the new entity and within this liminal stage they are neither. (Eade, 2004) Though Turner states that the individual accounts such as documents or oral narratives of the personal experiences allow us to envisage the social process of a pilgrimage, subsequently suggesting that even though a pilgrimage maybe an interior one between the divine or one or a social community to Mecca, a pilgrimage none the less is a social process. The pilgrimage as a social process is formed on the symbolic and structural elements, directly important when considering the apparent or lack of structure, anti-structure, communitas, and liminality. (Turner V. , 1974) (Turner V. , Pilgrimage and communitas, 1974) Turner observes structure as a more or less distinctive arrangement of mutually dependent institutions and the institutional organization of social positions and/or actors which they imply. (Turner V. , 1974, p. 272) Therefore in such pilgrimages as Muktinath in Nepal such social relations as caste cause the formation of distance and ine quality (Turner V. , 1974, p. 272) (Edwards, 1972) That religious pilgrimage serves to highlight social principles which are idiosyncratic to a particular religious system (Messerschmidt, 1980) Most of Turners work was based on the Christianity bases of a pilgrimage as a result communitas behaviour was expectedinherent principles and idealistic expectations (Turner V. E., 1978) though juxtaposed with the pilgrimage of Hinduism, it is very much a contradiction as a Hindu society is hierarchical and subsequently even though through transition this structured formation is enforced. In relation to the question being addressed, this example illustrates Turners specific concepts of liminality and communitas do not act coherently throughout all religious pilgrimages. Even though structure plays an element in this example of a pilgrimage. Pilgrimage does not inherently maintain or remove the structure, though Starke and Finke suggest that it rather strengthens the bonds between the individual to a symbolic community. Therefore even though Me sserchmidt suggests that structure is within the liminal stage and subsequently communitas does not exist, could not suggest that the symbolic bond that is being achieved is subsequently causing a communitus that exists in a greater place. (Stark, 2000) If we look at the Hajj, it is one of the largest and most well known religious pilgrimages to date, that brings pilgrims back into the time of the Prophets and into the utopian-like society that previously existed. This pilgrimage is international, members of Islam ascend Mecca to fulfil a once in a life connection to a spiritual community, it is a pilgrimage of the individual however a social process which will forever be linked into history, with the notion of communitus one could further suggest that the linking with a spiritual holy place one is not just linking to a communitus of the present but that of the past and future. If all are equal at this period of time and structure therefore the communitus above time. (McCarter, 2005 ) Turners concepts of liminality and communitas cast a light on the social process of a pilgrimage in some specific notions. It has been clear that Turner has centred all research majorly on a Christianity stance and subsequently foreshowing other religious pilgrimages that actually do not have the removal of the structure within the liminal stage and therefore the inherent structure is transposed from the pre to post formations of the individual. As the question directly asks to what extent does Turners concepts cast light, it can be seen that metaphorically Turner has been the lighthouse to the development of anthropology of the pilgrimage; however inevitably with the development of theories, Turners concepts notwithstanding will always foreground others. Though as Modern development requires less need for lighthouses, so do the concepts of Turner no longer stand alone with theories of social process and pilgrimage. Turner illustrates that ritual is a response to a societys demand bu t that is actively involved in the human interaction and meaning. His actions and concepts are far from static. (Deflem, 1991) Furthermore supported in new research of John Eade, one can see that within Turners concepts the expression of a pilgrimage as something that is not a daily process has once again cast a shadow on the mundane concepts of a pilgrimage. One, can see that the direct social understanding of a pilgrimage is that of a religious one; the search for the divine inspiration and where miracles once happened, still happen, and may happen again (Turner V. E., 1978, p. 6)

The Possible Outcomes of Globalization

Human beings have always been dirty, corrupt, deceitful and horrible. But humans also have some redeeming factors that account for our current state of relative peace, our ability to innovate, the ability for great kindness and to care for other living things. All because each individual person is as different as the last with their own unique experiences and morals and standards that accumulate to our own incredibly different personalities and attitudes. Yet there are those who believe that striping us of the things that makes us†¦ s will be a great improvement on society even when the evidence points elsewhere. There is a very clear disagreement in our society about what we should do and what the benefits of globalization are. ‘Black’ and ‘White’ sides to a very grey issue. Usually people on the right will say that globalization is a good thing, giving you this; Claims increase in diversity and creativity, trade becomes easier and cheaper, goods becom e more accessible and cheaper, and that everyone will be materially richer. Countries are becoming more alike in the sense of offering some more commonly diverse choices. †-Tyler Cowen(supporter of Globalization) The other side to this are people that are decidedly on the left and they will say things like; Homogenization of culture, loss of creativity, total loss of some cultures, people will become easier to control through advertisements, society becomes about working and keeping ‘afloat’ and not living an actual life, creates violence within people try to protect their culture. †Fast food†¦ ecomes a fueling up ritual†¦ but if it social or family values is what you about†¦ then its a disaster. †-Benjamin Barber (advocate against globalization). Although I say most conservatives and most liberals is because some conservatives don’t see it for what is and buy into what the businessman would say and that all cultures would get a b it of every other culture and are fearful of the blending of culture and are against it. Some liberals think that bringing money to the third world countries, and many more reasons.This is not to say that the political spectrum doesn’t play a role but rather a major one, as most people on the right see it for what it is and support it because globalization creates wealth for the multinational corporations and destroys the native peoples culture and making them more focused on work and it becomes a win-win situation. Liberals are fearful of the corporation as once the people are on the bandwagon it’s very easy to keep them on it and the power of the people of those nations falls to the businesses.Another reason for concern on the part of all citizens regardless of political ideologies is the outsourcing of jobs, which we are already seeing the effects of as unemployment â€Å"unemployment rate moving to 9. 5% in the U. S. , the highest level since 1983. The same thing happened around the globe; the unemployment rate surged to record high values. †-London Forex Broadsheet. My opinion is that there are large winnings and some very hard losses to be had.On one side it boosts the local economy and overall wealth of the certain poorer country, and poverty by any measure is a horrible thing to live in. Unfortunately it destroys the culture that has survived for possibly thousands of years â€Å"Just over 38% of global cultures are in danger of extinction or are already extinct†-UNESCO and we lose some of the history that makes the world the way it is, also globalization can destroy the local environment and cause serious physical injury and sickness. †About one half of the forests that covered the Earth are gone.Each year, another 16 million hectares disappear. †-globalchange. umich. edu And the only reason they live in poverty is not because they're useless and lazy but because of the current global economic system we use. So overall I believe that the losses outweigh the possible gains. The driving forces behind globalization is the corporations they first lobby the government to build an airport saying it will bring more tourists and money. afterwards they move in and set up factories (depending on the ethics or pressure put on them by the public) or sweatshops.So the increased tourism brings foreign ideas and technology like: democracy, freedom, wealth, internet, computers, TV’s, etc. After they make some money in a dangerous mine or a low paying factory they buy a TV/Computer and they see what we have and they want it, they see our big houses and big cars and they will save up and buy one. when they do that they adopt our north american culture and they stop going to church because they can get more money working weekends, they dress like we do and act like we do.They want to be like us so they tell their parents that their culture is dumb and look how this new culture brought us out of povert y, and how we don’t have to pick through garbage anymore. Once people think like this and act like this it causes other people to join them, thinking â€Å"Well he has a car a house and nice clothes, why can’t I have that? † So as more people drop their culture and uniqueness the faster it speeds up. The possibilities of an outcome of this en masse shift towards a North American lifestyle are endless, but what is almost certain is the fact that 99. % of the time this will end badly and not just for the humans that live here but the entire planet. So I will propose 3 scenarios that generally cover the possible outcomes at this point in time. Scenario 1) As more and more people get cars, computers, and use more electricity the CO2 emissions increase exponentially and we get to a tipping point in the atmosphere and a cascade/domino effect happens. Methane from the bottom of the ocean is released into the atmosphere and the Earth heats up even more.Then the Amazon b urns heating it even more, etc. etc. and the world fries and after 100000 years the Earth is plunged into an ice age. By the way almost everyone died. Scenario 2) As more and more jobs are outsourced to cheaper labour the North American way of life collapses because there’s no jobs and with no money you can’t buy anything. Then the whole global economic market crashes and burns. World is plunged into WWIII for the remaining resources, nuclear bombs are launched, whole countries become uninhabitable.Billions die. Scenario 3) In a global effort we switch over to renewable resources and solve the global energy crisis and with that we are able to stabilize the economy and regain peace. It is then possible to help and provide electricity to developing countries. There are many proposed solutions to the crisis we are dealing with but just as with many other problems many of the ‘solutions’ prove to be ineffective or even more harmful. So what will it take to hav e a solution that will save us?Unfortunately its too late to have a gradual change that would allow for people to adapt comfortably to the new lifestyle that i am about to propose. We will have to do this quickly and without hesitation because the longer we wait the more painful this will be. In scenario 3 of the last paragraph is what we will have to do as currently many of the wars being fought around the world are about or were started by the need of the black gold, oil, and n order to restore peace we need to switch over to a more renewable way of life especially here in North America. Not only will this reduce the incentive to kill each other over something that will become increasingly obsolete but it will also help calm the people who are angry at the way we live here because of our wastefulness. Also legislation by the government will have to be passed in order to make it harder for corporations to treat people poorly and pay them less, also make them create jobs in their ho me (eg; US, Canada, UK, etc. ) countries.Increased tourism from more money and cheaper bills will help reinforce the local cultures as people usually travel to see the culture. Advertisements will have to be localized and not forcing the American way of life down peoples throats. I believe that this will, if not completely solve this issue, help out greatly. Unfortunately people can’t see what is happening around them and then when they finally realize what has happened its too late, and that is the problem, why we can’t solve this crisis and why we can’t solve many other difficult issues that exist.The fact is that until something catastrophic happens no one will do anything about it, history shows this and as the saying goes History always repeats itself. Globalization will continue to be a problem for a very long time and when the mass population sees what has happened it will be too late. all we can do is support groups in foreign countries that try to susta in the culture and language of their ancestors.

Smartphone Usage Among Students

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1. Introduction: Smartphone Usage Mobile phones nowadays are addressed as smartphone as they offer more advanced connectivity and computing ability than a normal cell phone. The term smartphone refers to a programmable mobile phone that offers advanced capabilities and features that help individuals in their daily work and personal life (Euromonitor, 2010). Smartphone basically is the combination of both cell phone and a PDA. 70% of the world’s population own at least one mobile phone. In a telephone survey, 83% of respondents said that they owned a cell phone and 35% of the 2,277 U. S. dults said that they owned a smartphone. Literately, a smartphone is a handheld computer, as it is powerful enough to deliver various functionalities comparable to a computer. The release of dual-core processors smartphone recently has further reaffirmed this assertion. A research on 5013 US adult smartphone Internet users at the end of 2010 reveal the types of smartphon e users. i. General Smartphone Usage: Cell phones have been a must have item in daily lives. With the invention of smartphones, owing a cell phone is no longer for calling; it has become a trend and is a substitute for computers, telephone and PDA. 1% uses smartphone to browse the Internet, 77% search, 68% use an application and 48% watch videos on their smartphone. ii. Action-Oriented Searchers: Smartphones is used to find wide variety of information and to navigate the mobile internet. Search engine websites are the most visited websites with 77% of US smartphone users citing this. iii. Local Information Seekers: Smartphone is convenient because it users can easily access to information through internet and software provided. 95% of US smartphone users have looked for local information. iv.Purchase-driven Shoppers: Smartphones has been relatively useful for women because it provides shopping tools, from comparing prices, finding more product information to locating a retailer. 74% of US smartphone shoppers make a purchase, whether online, in-store, or on their phones. v. Reaching Mobile Consumers: Businesses never miss the opportunity to advertise their products. With smartphones, consumers are exposed cross-media and a majority of them notice mobile ads which lead to taking action on it. 82% notice mobile ads with half of take action, 35% visiting a website and 49% making a purchase.Figure 1. 1 Smartphone Penetrations across Global Markets Source: http://www. asymco. com/2011/12/13/global-smartphone-penetration-below-10/ (2011) Smartphones have penetrated many countries since its first launching. The number of users started to expand massively in 2010. Figure 1. 1 depicts Singapore to be the country with the most smartphone penetration in year 2011. 2. Smartphone usage in Malaysia With the popularity and functions offered in the phone, smartphones have seen an increase in terms of demand (Park and Chen, 2007). It is reported that in year 2010, 85% of Malays ians own mobile phones.Number of smartphones sold doubles within 12 months. In 2010, mobile phone industry in Malaysia started to boom. The overall value of the industry increased by 30 per cent compared to the year before. The main contributor to the good performance of the industry was the sales of smartphones. The number of units sold went two-fold growth of 208 per cent. Figure 1. 2 Smartphone and Internet Usage in Asia Source: http://www. malaysianwireless. com/2010/05/nsn-talks-about-lte-mobile-broadband/ Figure1. 2 shows that Malaysia is the fifth country in Asia with growing percentage of smartphone and internet usage.With mobile broadband becoming more widely available and affordable, it’s not surprising that a growing number of Malaysians are accessing the Internet via smartphones. Massive competition on mobile broadband industry causes the price of subscription become lower. This is an advantage to middle income people especially to students as they now have the ab ility to own a smartphone and utilise it with mobile internet. More than half of Malaysian consumers (55%) are using laptops and netbooks while eleven per cent said they are using smartphones which is a nine point gain from 2009.Almost two in ten (19%) Malaysians aged 20-24 access the Internet via their mobile phones. Figure 1. 3: Mobile and Smartphone Sales in Malaysia Source: http://marketresearchbulletin. com/? p=3636 The data from the Figure 1. 3 shows that the number of smartphones sold doubles from 2009 to 2010. Since the beginning of 2010, value sales of smartphones have been consistently increasing every month and occupied 72 per cent of the overall pie by December. Overall, close to two in five (38 per cent) mobile phone sets sold last year were smartphones.In Malaysia, it was found that smartphone sales totalled 172. 4 million units in year 2009, with a 23. 8 per cent increase from 2008 (Sidhu, 2010). This increment in sales was partly contributed by university students (J acob and Isaac, 2008). 3. Research Problem Mobile phones have been more and more versatile and with smartphones, it makes communication convenient between and among individuals, especially students. Communication and life makes easy as smartphones provides Internet capability and functionalities that are similar to computers.Students nowadays are prone to using Social networking services (SNS) to spread information. With smartphones, students can instantly share ideas, activities, news, and interests anytime and anywhere. The problem therefore is to understand whether attitudes will affect the intention towards using smartphone among students. Attitude is a feeling, beliefs or opinion towards something. Positive attitude can result in beneficial usage of smartphones by students such as to use it as a medium of learning.On the others hand, negative attitude such as to abuse the use of smartphone will develop negative effects to the users such as incompetent and unable to meet deadlin es and reduces the productivity which will affect the user overall daily routine. The next question that we want to research is on whether perceived behavioural control can influence the intention to use smartphones. Perceived behavioural control is an individual’s perceived ease or difficulty of performing the particular behaviour.It is linked to control beliefs, which refers to beliefs about the presence of factors that may facilitate the behaviour. 4. Research Objectives Research objectives are the objective that we intend to achieve after identifying research problems. There are some of research objectives that are highlighted in this research. One of our main objectives of this research is to understand the determinants of attitude among students in using smartphones. We are going to find out the relationship of the key determinants such compatibility, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use in influencing the attitude.Secondly, the purpose of this research is to understand the factors that will influence the intention of students to use smartphones. Lastly, this study will also seek to understand the role of attitude on intension. 5. Research Questions In seeking to achieve the above objectives, this study attempts to answer the following research questions: 1) What are the key determinants of intention? 2) Does attitude moderate the relationship between perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, compatibility, observability, trialability, self-efficacy and intention? ) Does perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, compatibility, observability, trialability, self-efficacy influence intention to use? 6. Significance of Study The study is carried out to help us understand the key determinants of intention to use smartphones among students, using attitude as the moderator to the relationship. It helps us to have clearer picture on how the determinants will affect the intention of using smartphones among students by looking at the indepen dent variables that are directly and indirectly affecting the dependent variable (actual use).Understanding the determinants for intention to use will raise awareness regarding usefulness of smartphones to students and will create higher level of acceptance to smartphone in the future. This study will help to give insight on the grey areas of smartphones and enable us to understand better the social and psychological factors that may affect the intention to use smartphone among students. The results from this study can be used by mobile phone manufacturers to improve the functions and elements in smartphone which will attract new users especially students and continue to bring extra benefits to the present users.In addition, this result can be used as a benchmark for smartphone manufacturers to be creative and innovative in developing new ideas that could help users especially students in learning process. Therefore, understanding the key factors that will increase the intention to use smartphone will result in better suitability in functions to students. 7. Definition of Key Terms Perceived Usefulness – defined as the degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would enhance his or her job performance. Davis, 1989) Perceived Ease of Use – defined as the degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would be free of effort. (Davis, 1989) Compatibility – defined as the degree to which using an innovation is perceived as consistent with the existing sociocultural values and beliefs, past and present experiences, and needs of potential adopters. (Rogers, 1983) Observability – defined as the degree to which the results of an innovation are visible to others. (Rogers, 2003) Trialability – defined as the degree to which an innovation may be experimented with on a limited basis. Rogers, 2003) Self-Efficacy – The judgments an individual makes about his or her capability to mobilize the m otivation, cognitive resources and course of action needed to orchestrate future performance on a specific task. (Martocchio and Dulebohn, 1994) Attitude – A psychological tendency that is expressed by evaluating a particular entity with some degree of favour or disfavour† (Chaiken, 1993) Intention – the extent to which an individual intends to perform a specificbehavior. (Davis et al. ,1989). 8. Organization of the Report This research proposal is organized into five chapters.Chapter 1 gives the background of the study. The purposes and research objectives have been put forth to guide the direction of the study. Chapter 2 reviews related literatures by previous researchers. Based on these literatures the theoretical framework and hypotheses are developed. Chapter 3 discusses the research methodology used in this research. Chapter 4 presents the result of the statistical analysis. Chapter 5 summarizes research findings, implications of the findings and limitation of the study. The concluding chapter also provides some suggestions for further studies. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2. Introduction This chapter focuses on discussing the theories, the expansion of the theories to the present theoretical framework used in this research and the justification for the present model. 2. 2 Overview of the literature Various literatures from scholars in Malaysia and abroad were reviewed on the subject Theory Acceptance Model (TAM) and Innovation-Diffusion Theory (IDT). Among numerous perspectives that can be used to examine user acceptance and usage behavior of new technologies, TAM might be the most popular one. This model is derived from Fishbein & Ajzen’s (1975) Theory of Reasoned Action.Davis (1986) developed TAM specifically for explaining and predicting user acceptance of computer technology. The goal of TAM is â€Å"to provide an explanation of the determinants of computer acceptance that is in general, capable of explaining user behavior across a broad range of end-user computing technologies and user populations, while at the same time being both parsimonious and theoretically justified†. The Technology Acceptance Model posits the determinants of user acceptance that may be able to explain a user’s behavior in regard to a general user’s computing technologies.The TAM claims that users evaluate the system based on the system’s ease of use (PEOU) and perceived usefulness (PU). If the system is easy to use and useful, a user would have a positive attitude toward the system (AT), which in turn causes a user’s actual intention to use (BI). Then, the intention creates a user’s decision to use the system. A previous study conducted by Park and Chen indicated that behavioral intention to use a smartphone was largely influenced by perceived usefulness and attitude toward using a smartphone.They further postulated that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use positively determi ne attitudes toward using a smartphone. Kwon & Zmud (1987) suggest that when discussing IDT-related subjects’ factors such as task, individual, organization, and environment as additional explanatory factors should be introduced. Task includes structure of the task, jurisdiction, and uncertainty. Individual factors include aspects such as education, age, experience, and personal specialties.Organizational factors include the support of higher-level management, the organizational structure, the involvedness of the users, and the quality of the product. Environmental factors include pressure from competitors, customer satisfaction, and marketing strategies. The context of smartphone adoption contains both individual factors and organizational diffusion. Previous innovation diffusion studies have suggested that innovation attributes affect an individual’s attitude of the innovation prior to adoption and may consequently influence the speed of adoptions.This study employed these attributes in building the theoretical basis for behavioral characteristics. These beliefs include, compatibility, trialability, self- efficacy and observability. 2. 3. Theory Acceptance Model (TAM) The TAM probably is the most popular theory explaining user acceptance and behavior related to new technologies. Davis (1989) developed the TAM and investigated the determinants of user acceptance that may explain a user’s behavior in regard to the user’s general attitude toward the use of computing technologies.According to the TAM, users evaluate the system based on the perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of the system. If the system is perceived as easy to use and useful, a user would have a positive attitude toward the system, which in turn leads to the user’s intention to use the system. Then, the intention results in the user’s actual decision to use the system. We are using the Technology Acceptance Model to test the perceived usefulne ss and perceived ease of use about the intention to use smart phones among students.The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) has become a well-established robust model for predicting user acceptance (Davis, 1989; Davis, Bagozzi, & Warsaw, 1989). TAM is one of the most influential extensions of Ajzen and Fishbein's (1975) theory of reasoned action and specifies two key constructs that influence users' attitudes, intentions, and behaviors related to technology adoption and use (Lippert & Forman, 2005). The parsimony of TAM combined with its predictive power makes it easy to apply to different situations. However, while parsimony is TAM’s strength, it is also the model’s key limitation.TAM is predictive but its generality does not provide sufficient understanding from the standpoint of providing system designers with information necessary to create user acceptance for new systems (Mathieson,1991). TAM provides researchers with â€Å"valid, reliable, and easy to administer s cales for the key constructs† (Venkatesh et al. , 2007, p. 268). Due to the reliability of these measurement scales, questions for the survey instrument in this study were adapted from this information. Venkatesh et al. noted the repeatability and validity of TAM.TAM was confirmed to be generalizable over time in various research papers worldwide, testing numerous technologies, diverse settings, and different populations. Predicted validity was also confirmed by a number of research studies investigating intention, self-reported use, and actual use. Ramayah (2006a) and (Venkatesh, 2000) have added depth to TAM model by understanding the determinants of perceived ease of use in their study. The study by (Venkatesh, 2000) explained up to 60% of the variance in system specific perceived ease of use.The study by (Ramayah, 2006a) on determinants of perceived ease of use of e-Library also explained up 65% of the total variance. These studies have some of the highest explanatory powe r among TAM research conducted in recent years. The TAM is a specific model developed to explain and predict user’s smartphone usage behavior. Derived from the TAM, it predicts user acceptance based on the influence of two use beliefs: Perceived Usefulness (PU) and Perceived Ease of Use (PEU). 2. 3. 1 Limitation of Theory Acceptance Model (TAM)TAM may be criticized, however, for the lack of sufficient explanation about cognitive processes culminating in a user’s acceptance of new technology. TAM still shares the basic premises and components outlined in Ajzen and Fishbein’s Theory of Reasoned Action (Ajzen and Fishbein, 1980), but by excluding the attitude construct from the TRA model, TAM discounts the role of attitude in explaining technology acceptance behavior. Venkatesh and his colleagues dropped the construct of attitude from the technology acceptance model (Venkatesh and Davis, 1996; Venkatesh and Davis, 2000; Venkatesh et al. 2003), arguing that the role of attitude in explaining behavioral intention or actual adoption behavior is very limited and is at best a partial mediator in the relationship between salient beliefs and the adoption behavior or intention. We contend that this argument is made without serious theoretical consideration and restricts the search for a comprehensive understanding of technology acceptance. 2. 4 Innovation Diffusion Theory (IDT) The IDT describes the process of technology acceptance by five characteristics of the technology influencing the consumer's attitude leading to adopting or refusing the technology (Rogers, 1995).The main difference appears to be TAM's focus on a specific technology whereas IDT recognize the importance of establishing a technology's likelihood to be adopted in relation to comparable existing technologies (Park & Gretzel, 2006). Diffusion of Innovation Theory (DIT or DOI) (Roger 1995) is a well-known conceptual framework to study new products’ diffusion and adoption. The original diffusion model provided a probabilistic approach based on the hazard function, which determines the likelihood that an agent who has remained a non-adopter of an innovative product will become an adopter in the next temporal unit.Rogers [1983] explained the process of innovation diffusion as one which is dictated by uncertainty reduction behaviour amongst potential adopters during the introduction of technological innovations. Even though innovations typically offer its adopters novel ways of tackling day-to-day problems, the uncertainty as to whether the new ways will be superior to existing ones presents a considerable obstacle to the adoption process. To counter this uncertainty, potential adopters are motivated to seek additional information, particularly from their workplace peers [Brancheau & Wetherbe, 1990].In diffusion research theory (Rogers, 1995), diffusion is classified into five stages: innovators, early adopters, the early majority, the late majority, and lag gards, with 2. 5%, 13. 5%, 34%, 34%, and 16% of the population respectively. These barriers are closely connected to all kinds of access-related issues, i. e. access to the physical device needed to use a new mobile service, i. e. the smartphone, or access to money to pay for the hardware to use the service, or to pay for the service itself.Innovation Diffusion Theory (IDT) consists of six major components: innovation characteristics, individual user characteristics, adopter distribution over time, diffusion networks, innovativeness and adopter categories, and the individual adoption process [Tornatsky & Klein, 1982; Rogers, 1983; Brancheau & Wetherbe, 1990; Moore & Benbasat, 1991; Taylor & Todd, 1995(b)]. According to IDT, the rate of technology diffusion is affected by an innovation’s relative advantage, compatibility, trialability, observability and complexity.Research suggests that all but the last factors have a positive influence on diffusion (Sonnenwald, Maglaughlin an d Whitton 2004; Ferle, Edwards and Mizuno 2002). Rogers (1995) defines relative advantage as ‘the degree to which an innovation is seen as being superior to its predecessor’. The IDT posits an array of innovation characteristics that may impact a user’s perception of the innovation preceding adoption of the innovation. As a result, these characteristics presumably affect the speed of innovations being embraced. These attributes further provide a theoretically-based set of socio-behavioral beliefs.Thus, we adopted IDT because of the innovative nature of smartphone devices. Innovation may be defined as a new use of an idea, practice, or object by the unit of adoption. This definition of innovation can be applied to new technology adoptions among students. Rogers defined innovation as a new use of an idea, a practice, or an object by the unit of adoption. The smartphone was introduced in 2000. Thus, we view smartphone devices as recent innovations and employ Rogersà ¢â‚¬â„¢s DOI theory in our study. Researchers have used the theory to better understand whether an individual or an organization will adopt new innovations. 2. Theoretical Framework Theoretical frameworks in quantitative research help to â€Å"provide a conceptual guide for choosing the concepts to be investigated, for suggesting research questions, and for framing the research findings† (Corbin & Strauss, 2008, p. 39). Figure 2. 5. 1 Theoretical Framework 6. Independent Variable 2. 6. 1 Perceived Usefulness In Technology Acceptance Model, behavior intention is influenced by both perceived usefulness and attitude. This relationship has been examined and supported by many prior studies (Adams et al. , 1992; Davis et al. , 1989; Hu et al. , 1999; Venkatesh and Davis, 1996, 2000).Perceived usefulness refers to the degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would enhance his or her job performance, (Davis, 1989). Many earlier studies have shown that perceive d usefulness was the major determinant of attitude towards system use (Langford and Reeves, 1998; Venkatesh and Davis, 1996). Empirical studies have shown that perceived usefulness has a strongly impact on usage than ease of use. Perceived usefulness are existing in the studies of technology to shown that perceived usefulness directly and significantly influences behavioral intention to use smartphone (Chen and Ching, 2002; Chen et al. 2002; Heijden et al. , 2003; Guriting and Ndubisi, 2006; Khalifa and Shen, 2008; Liao et al. , 2007; Lin and Wang, 2005; Luarn and Lin, 2005; Wei et al. , 2009; Lai and Yang, 2009). However, Davis et al. (1989) to suggest that perceived usefulness may impact on behavioral intention to use the technology-based system. H1: Perceived usefulness is positive related to intention to use. H2: Perceived usefulness is positive related to attitude. 2. Perceived Ease of Use Perceived ease of use refers to the extent to which an individual perceived that using a system is easy or effortless (Davis, 1989).Earlier studies revealed that if an individual perceives a system to be easy to use, he/she is more likely to perceive the system to be useful also (Morris and Dillion, 1997). In addition, if an individual perceives the system to be easy to use, the individual is more likely to use the system, especially among novice users. In a test of selling, when consumers perceive that making a purchase from a virtual store is easy to understand and do, they usually continue interacting with that site (Barkhi and Wallace, 2007). However, by the prior literature by Davis et al. 1989) proposed that perceived ease of use is predicts attitude towards the channel, and also an antecedent of perceived usefulness. Technology acceptance model (TAM) (Davis et al. , 1989; Mathieson, 1991; Davis and Venkatesh, 1996; Gefen and Straub, 2000; Al-Gahtani, 2001) determined by perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEOU) relating to the attitude toward use that relates to intention and finally to behavior but there is no direct related with actual use. H3: Perceived ease of use is positive related to intention to use H4: Perceived ease of use is positive related to attitude. 2. 6. 3 CompatibilityCompatibility (Park and Gretzel, 2006) is the degree to which in an innovation is perceived as being consistent with the existing values, needs, and past experiences of potential adopters. Compatibility (Gavin J. Putzer, 2010) has a positive effect on the rate of adoption. When a user recognizes that an innovation is compatible with a system, the more the innovation will be adopted. Compatibility (Rogers,1995) refers to ‘the degree to which an innovation is seen to be compatible with existing values, beliefs, experiences and needs of adopters’. In a conjoint analysis directed at the adoption of mobile games, Kleijnen et al. 2004) found that perceived risk, which are often used in extensions of Rogers’ concepts (Ortt, 1998) of complexity, and are also referred to as relative ease of use and compatibility, are important factors in the intention to use of mobile services(eg Smartphone) . According to Kleijnen et al. (2004), this implies that mobile systems (eg Smartphone) have to be reliable and data-transmission has to be secure, while the systems have to be easy to navigate and fit into the daily routine of users. H5: Compatibility is positive related to intention to use H6: Compatibility is positive related to attitude . 6. 4 Observability Observability (Park and Gretzel, 2006)is the degree to which the results of an innovation is observable to others. Observability (Yangil Park,2010) has a positive effect on adoption. When a user has an opportunity to observe an innovation, the innovation is more likely to be adopted. Observability(Rogers,1995) is the ‘degree to which the results of an innovation are visible’. An innovation factor from the Kwon and Zmud model known as trialability was r emoved from our model to reduce possible confusion with another innovation factor known as observability.The final pair of characteristics, results demonstrability and visibility, are derived from Rogers’ observability characteristic. Result demonstrability is defined as the tangibility of the results of adopting an innovation, and visibility as the degree to which prospective users see an innovation as being visible in the adoption context [Moore & Benbasat, 1991; Agarwal & Prasad, 1997]. H7: Observability is positive related to intention to use H8: Observability is positive related to attitude 2. 6. 5 Trialability Trialability (Park and Gretzel , 2006) is the degree to which an innovation may be experimented with before an adoption.Trialability (C Huang,2010) existence negative relationship with the attitude of use. Trialability (Rogers,1995) is the ‘degree to which an idea can be experimented with on a limited basis’. If a person can try out the technology bef ore deciding to accept Smartphone, the person will develop a stronger attitudinal belief about the technology, either in a positive or in a negative way depending on the quality of the new technology (Karahanna et al. , 1999; Venkatesh & Brown, 2001; Xia & Lee, 2000; Choi et al. , 2002). Therefore, if a user as an opportunity for trial usage before enroll with Smartphone; the person will have positive attitudinal belief and intention to use Smartphone. H9: Trialability is positive related to intention to use H10: Trialability is positive related to attitude 2. 6. 6 Self Efficacy Self-efficacy (SE) refers to individuals’ belief in their ability to perform a specific task in a given situation or context (Bandura, 1977). Bandura (1977) states that efficacy expectations—the belief that one can perform an activity in question—are the major antecedent of activity choice and effort. Jengchung Chen, 2010) is recognized to be a more important than the others. Efficacy re fers to the belief that an individual has the ability to perform a particular behavior. Compared with competing models, TAM is believed to be more accurate and parsimonious when it is used to predict technology adoption. However, the parsimony of TAM often results in the model being less informative in understanding usage behavior. Due to this limitation, researchers have attempted to extend the TAM framework by encompassing various constructs such as gender, culture, trust, experience, social influence, and self-efficacy.Among those constructs, self-efficacy is recognized to be a more important than the others. Efficacy refers to the belief that an individual has the ability to perform a particular behavior. Self-efficacy has been documented in numerous studies to be an important determinant of PEOU. In the context of web technologies, Agrawal et al (2000) found a positive effect of self-efficacy on both PU and PEOU. Similarly, Ma & Liu (2005) found that self-efficacy positively in fluences PU, PEOU, and the intention to use smartphone. H11: Self Efficacy is positive related to intention to use. . 7 Mediating Variable 2. 7. 1 Attitude According to Antonides et al. , (1998), â€Å"Attitude is the individual predisposition to evaluate an object or an aspect of the world in a favorable or unfavorable manner. † In Fishbein & Ajzen’s (1975) formulation, attitudes influence behaviour through behavioural intentions. Past studies indicate that the link between attitude toward the object and behaviour is not always clear. In some cases, attitudes have a direct effect on behaviours (Bagozzi & Warshaw 1992) but no effect in Bagozzi (1992).Both PU and PEU are posited as having significant impact on a user’s attitude (AT) toward using smartphones. (Yong-Wee Sek 2010) Based on an analysis of four different types of mobile services, Nysveen et al. (2005b) conclude that, in all four cases, people’s intention to use mobile services as well as their attitude toward the actual use, is affected significantly by the direct motivational influence of enjoyment. Moore & Benbasat [1991:196] reminds us, however, that these definitions are, in fact, â€Å"based on perceptions of the innovation itself and not on the perceptions of actually using the system†.As Fishbein & Ajzen [1980] concur, attitudes towards an object and attitudes regarding a particular behaviour relating to that object can frequently differ. Attitude towards behaviour can be described as an individual’s subjective forecast of how positive or negative he / she will feel when performing the target behaviour, whereas subjective norm can be viewed as an individual’s perception of the social pressure on him / her to perform the target behaviour [Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975; Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980].Furthermore, according to the expectancy value model of attitude [Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975], an individual’s attitude towards performing the target behaviour is itself determined by his / her beliefs regarding the consequences of performing the target behaviour, as well as the evaluation of these consequences. Attitude is explained as a function of the combined effect of behavioural beliefs and outcomes evaluations [Mathieson, 1991]. The behavioural beliefs relate to the favourable utilitarian, hedonic and social outcomes that can result from performing the behaviour [Venkatesh & Brown, 2001]. Davis et al. 1989) indicated that the key purpose of TAM is to provide a basis to trace the impact of external factors on internal beliefs, attitudes and intentions. Many IT researchers have since used TAM as a basis to explore and identify other determinants and relationships specific to a particular IT usage in different contexts (Venkatesh et al. , 2003). Hence, since the intention of smart phone among students is very closely tied attitude, this theory should be directly applied to the adoption of this innovation. (Check-Yee Law 2010) H12: Att itude is positive related to intention to use 2. 8 Dependent Variable 2. 8. 1 Intention to useIntentions are different form attitudes where attitudes are summary evaluations, intentions represent the person’s motivation in the sense of his or her conscious plan to exert effort to carry out a behavior (Eagly & Chaiken 1993). Behavioural Intentions (BI) to use is jointly determined by a person’s attitude toward using the system and its perceived usefulness (Shahril Bin Parumo 2010). Behavioural intention is a measure of the strength of one’s intention to perform a specified behaviour (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975). It is correlated with the usage (Davis et al. , 1989) and is a predictor for usage (Szajna, 1996).Purchase intentions are personal action tendencies relating to the product (Bagozzi et al. 1979). Intentions are different from attitudes where attitudes are summary evaluations, intentions represent the person’s motivation in the sense of his or her con scious plan to exert effort to carry out a behavior (Eagly & Chaiken 1993). At times, intention is also difficult to measure. For instance, Bagozzi, Baumgartner & Yi (1989) commented that when an individual is unclear about his or her intention in regards to some action, there is strong tendency for him to react based on their past actions.Here, the individual is likely to report his or her habit rather than intention when responding to the intention (Warsaw & Davis, 1985). Despite issues, purchase intention is an important construct in consumer behavior (Kotler & Armstrong, 2003). A previous study conducted by Park and Chen indicated that behavioral intention to use a smartphone was largely influenced by perceived usefulness and attitude toward using a smartphone. The Theory Acceptance Model is the most popular intention-based theories and models that have emerged from this school of thought [Chau & Hu, 2002].CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 3. 1 Introduction The purpose of chapter 3, method ology is to explain the process or the steps taken to answer the research problems. The process may be expanded to include a philosophically coherent collection of theories, concepts or ideas as they relate to a particular discipline of inquiry in this research. Discussion in this chapter will consists of the research model, variables and measurement, population, sample and sampling techniques, data collection technique and techniques of analysis. 3. 2 Research Model 3. . 1 Type of Study This is correlational study. This study was conducted among students in Universiti Sains Malaysia who are personally using smartphones. Hypotheses testing was undertaken to explain the variance in the dependent variables to predict the relationship. We will begin by discussing the relationship that certain events might have to one another whether there is a positive correlation or negative correlation or no correlation. 3. 2. 2 Nature of Study This study was conducted under the non-contrived setting (natural environment).The variables are neither controlled nor manipulated. This is a cross sectional study where data were collected within 2 weeks. Data is only collected from willing students from Universiti Sains Malaysia. 3. 2. 3 Unit of Analysis The unit of analysis is individual who are students using smartphones in USM. 3. 2. 4 Research Site The research sites for this study are individuals who study in USM, Penang. 3. 3 Population, Sample Size and Sampling Technique The population consists of individuals who are students of Universiti Sains Malaysia (main campus) that uses smartphone.The general rule for the of analysis independent variable, sample size must be five-to-one ratio (5:1) of the independent variable, which means that number of respondent must be at least 30. However, based on Hair et al. (1988) he proposed that the acceptable ratio is ten-to-one (10:1) of the independent variable, which means in a research must have minimum 60 respondents. The sampling techniq ue used is non-probability sampling method. Non-probability sampling method is used because only little attempt is made to generate a representative sample.Besides, there is no need to generalize compared to probability sampling and feasibility. Moreover, when there come to limited objectives, non-probability will be a good choice. Judgment method has been chosen as the sampling technique for this study because there is a need to find out whether people that we approach have access to social networking sites before filling up the questionnaire. This ensures credibility of this research. The list of smartphone users among students in Penang cannot be obtained therefore probability sampling could not be done. . 4 Scale and Measurement The questionnaire was divided into 10 sections. Section 1 to 8 is measured using interval scale of measurement. The other two sections, personal profile and internet experience is measured by using nominal and ordinal scale. For section 1 to 8, the respo ndents were asked to read and respond to all questions according to their level of agreement or disagreement using the 5 point scale. The ratings are as below: 1 Strongly Disagree 2 Disagree 3 Neutral 4 Agree 5 Strongly AgreeAll instruments were adopted from various literatures and were modified for the purpose of understanding people’s reflection when they use smartphones. 3. 4. 1 Independent Variable The independent variable is defined as the presumed cause of some changes in the dependent variable (Robbins, 1998). 3. 4. 1. 1 Perceived Usefulness Perceived usefulness of the individuals was measured on six items using 5-point scale ranging from â€Å"strongly disagree† (1) to â€Å"strongly agree† (7). Items were derived from Park & Chen (2007). Example of question is â€Å"Using the smartphone would enable me to accomplish tasks more quickly†. 3. . 1. 2 Perceived Ease of Use Six items using 5-point scale was used to measure perceived ease of use of the individuals ranging from â€Å"strongly disagree† (1) to â€Å"strongly agree† (7). Items were derived from Park & Chen (2007). Example of question is â€Å"I would find it easy to get the smartphone to do what I want it to do†. 3. 4. 1. 3 Compatibility This measure was derived from Park & Chen (2007) and a total of 3 items was measure using 5-point scale ranging from â€Å"strongly disagree† (1) to â€Å"strongly agree† (7). Example of question is â€Å"Using the smartphone will be compatible with all aspects of my studies†. 3. 4. 1. Observability Observability of the individuals was measured on six items using 5-point scale ranging from â€Å"strongly disagree† (1) to â€Å"strongly agree† (7). Items were derived from Park & Chen (2007). Example of question is â€Å"It is easy for me to observe others using the smartphone in my university†. 3. 4. 1. 5 Trial ability This measure was derived from Park & Chen (2007) and a total of four items was measure using 5-point scale ranging from â€Å"strongly disagree† (1) to â€Å"strongly agree† (7). Example of question is â€Å"Before deciding on whether or not to adopt the smartphone, I would need to use it on a trial basis†. . 4. 1. 6 Self-Efficacy Self-efficacy of the individuals was measured on ten items using 5-point scale ranging from â€Å"strongly disagree† (1) to â€Å"strongly agree† (7). Items were derived from Park & Chen (2007). Example of question is â€Å"I could complete a task using the smartphone if I had seen someone else using it before trying it myself†. 3. 4. 2 Dependent Variable Dependent variables are variable that is measured, predicted, or monitored and are expected to be affected by the manipulation of the independent variable. The dependent variable for this study is the intention to use smartphones. 3. 4. . 1 Intention to Use Smartphones Intention to use smartphones was measured by ite ms adopted and validate by Park & Chen (2007). It has a total of four items measuring the intention of users to use smartphones. Example of item is â€Å"Assuming I have the smartphone, I intend to use it†. 3. 4. 3 Moderating Variable Moderating variable is a second independent variable, believed to have a significant contributory or contingent effect on the originally stated IV-DV relationship. The moderating variable for this study is attitudes towards using smartphones. 3. 4. 3. 1 Attitudes towards Using SmartphonesFour items using 5-point scale was used to measure perceived ease of use of the individuals ranging from â€Å"strongly disagree† (1) to â€Å"strongly agree† (7). Items were derived from Park & Chen (2007). Example of question is â€Å"Using the smartphone is would be a pleasant experience†. 3. 5 Questionnaire Design One hundred and twenty five respondents from Universiti Sains Malaysia voluntarily responded and completed the questionnaire. The questionnaire has 10 sections with 55 questions to measure the relationship of those factors and the intention to use smartphones as well as some demography questions.Table 3. 1 depicts that all instruments used in this study had a corresponding Cronbach alpha ;. 693 Table 3. 1 Questionnaire Source and Validity |Variable |Construct |Items |Cronbach | Author | |Independent |Perceived Usefulness |6 |;. 779 |Park & Chen (2007) | | |Self-Efficacy |10 |;. 85 |Park & Chen (2007) | | |Perceived Ease of Use |6 |;. 764 |Park & Chen (2007) | | |Trialability |4 |;. 748 |Park & Chen (2007) | | |Observability |2 |;. 693 |Park & Chen (2007) | | |Compatibility |3 |;. 99 |Park & Chen (2007) | |Dependent |Intention to Use Smartphones |4 |;. 765 |Park & Chen (2007) | |Moderating |Attitude towards Using Smartphones |4 |;. 795 |Park & Chen (2007) | 3. 6 Data Collection Technique Data for this study was collected through structured questionnaires. The questionnaires were distributed to students in USM, Penang. 3. 7 Statistical Data Analysis The data gathered through questionnaire was subsequently coded and analyzed sing the computerized SPSS (Statistical Software Package for Social Science) software version 16. They were summarized using appropriate descriptive and inferential statistics. 3. 7. 1 Goodness and Correctness of Data Entry Establishing the goodness of data lends credibility to all subsequent analyses and findings (Sekaran, 2003). The main objective is to provide an introductory idea of how good the scales were by checking the central tendency and distribution of the responses. In order to prevent data entry error, data will be checked by running descriptive statistics for minimum, maximum, and count.The mean, range, standard deviation and variance in the data will give a good idea of how the respondents have reacted to items in the questionnaire (Sekaran, 2003). Nevertheless, the missing value does not exhibit whether the data had been entered correctly. This is d ue to the large amount of variables that need to be keyed in. 3. 7. 2 Factor Analysis The principle concern of factor analysis is the resolution of a set of variables linearly in terms of (usually) a small number of factors. This resolution can be accomplished by the analysis of the correlation among the variables.A satisfactory will yield factors which concern essential information if the original set of variables (Harry H. Harman, 1976). When a researcher has a set of variables and suspects that these variables are interrelated in a complex fashion, then factor analysis can be used to untangle the linear relationships into their separate patterns (Zikmund, 2003). 3. 7. 3 Validity and Reliability Validity becomes an issue whenever we ask: How can we access a concept that we have? Validity test is the degree to which the test actually measures what it claims to measure (Gregory, 1992).Reliability test is the degree to which tests is free from error in measuring and therefore yield c onsistent results. It is th extent which respondent can provide almost similar answer to the same or approximately the same question the same way each time. Test validity is requisite to test reliability. If a test is not valid, then reliability is moot. Validity test plays an essential role in order to test the goodness of measurement. Validity ensures the ability of a scale to measure the intended concept (Sekaran 2003).However, reliability also very important because reliability deals with the accuracy and precision of a measurement procedure which is the respondent can answer the same or approximately the same questions the same way each time. In short, reliability is the â€Å"consistency† or â€Å"repeatability† of measurement. In order to assure that the variables are measured correctly and make sure that the respondent was understood the lucidness, wordings, interpretation and appropriateness of the questions, the content validity of the questionnaire was estab lished through literature review.Cronbach’s coefficient alpha is the commonly used measure for internal consistency reliability. Cronbach's alpha assesses the reliability of a rating summarizing a group of test or survey answers which measure some underlying factor. Cronbach’s alpha value that larger than . 70 or . 80 regard as the benchmark for acceptable reliability values (Nunnally and Bernstein, 1994). 3. 7. 4 Descriptive Analysis The analysis aims to provide an overview of the respondents and an insight into their behavioural patterns. Descriptive analysis was not used to analyze gender, race, education and income level.For this data, the frequencies and percentage was used for computation. 3. 7. 5Regression Analysis Regression analysis is used as a statistical tool for the investigation of relationships between variables (Norman R. Draper, Harry Smith, 1998). Multiple regressions are a statistical technique that allows us to predict someone’s score on one variable on the basic of their scores on several other variables. Below are the assumptions of regression analysis. a. Normality assumption Regression assumes that variables have normal distribution. It used to determine whether a random variable is normally distributed.If the histogram appears to at least resemble a bell shape curve, it was assumed that the normality requirement has been met. A bell shape curve will have almost zero mean and value of one for standard deviation. b. Linearity assumption Standard multiple regression can only accurately estimate the relationship between dependant and independent variables if the relationship are linear in nature. Linearity illustrates a relationship between variables that can be described by a straight line passing through the data cloud. c. Homoscedasticity assumptionHomoscedasciticity means that the variance of errors is the same across all level of the IV. When the variance of errors differs at different values of the IV, heterosced asticity is indicated. This assumption means that the variance around the regression line is the same for all values of the predictor variable. d. Independence of Error Term Independence of Error Term means the predicted value is independent of other predicted values. Durbin-Watson statistics was used to validate the independence of error term assumption. Value of Durbin-Watson should fall between 1. 50 and 2. 0, which implies no auto-correlation problem. e. Multicollinearity Multicollinearity is the condition when two or more of the independent variables are highly correlated which will result in an overestimation of the standard deviation of the regression coefficients as an indicator of the relative importance of independent variable. Tolerance above 0. 1, Variance Inflation Factor (VIF) value below 10 and condition index below 30 signifies no major multicollinearity problem. f. Outliers In statistics, an outlier is an observation that is numerically distant from the rest of the data.Case wise diagnostics was run to identify any outlier in the sample. Any cases that fell above the standard deviation value of 2. 50 would be dropped. CHAPTER 4 ANALYSIS AND RESULT 4. 1 Introduction This chapter represents the result of the study from the statistical analysis conducted on the collected data and hypotheses testing. In the first part of this chapter the presentation would be on the characteristics of respondent profiles. The goodness of measured is determined by analyzing frequency analysis, descriptive analysis and reliability analysis on the measurement.The final part of this chapter would be focused on hypotheses testing, correlation testing and linear regressions. 4. 2 Samples and Profiles 4. 2. 1 Frequency Analysis Table 4. 2. 1: Personal Profile of Respondents |Demographics |Frequency |Percentage | |Gender | | | | Male |43 |34. | | Female |82 |65. 6 | | Missing |0 |0 | |Ethnicity | | | | Malay |46 |36. 8 | | Chinese |65 |52. | | Indian |5 |4. 0 | | Others |9 |7. 2 | | Missing |0 |0 | |Nationality | | | | Malaysian |86 |68. | | Others |39 |31. 2 | | Missing |0 |0 | |Year | | | | First Year |31 |24. 8 | | Second Year |66 |52. | | Third Year |21 |16. 8 | | Fourth Year and Above |7 |5. 6 | | Missing |0 |0 | |Program | | | | Bachelor's degree (undergraduate) |123 |98. | | Masters |2 |1. 6 | | Missing |0 |0 | |Status | | | | Part Time |17 |13. 6 | | Full Time |108 |86. | | Missing |0 |0 | |Faculty | | | | Management |95 |76. 0 | | Computer |6 |4. 8 | | Technology |4 |3. | | HBP |11 |8. 8 | | Communication |3 |2. 4 | | Chemistry |2 |1. 6 | | Humanities |1 |0. 8 | | Missing |3 |2. | |Live | | | | In Campus |100 |80. 0 | | Outside Campus |25 |20 | | Missing |0 |0 | A total of 125 responses were obtained from 125 questionnaires.According to table 4. 2. 1, the respondents comprised 43 males (34. 4%) and 82 females (65. 6%). 46 (36. 8%) of the 125 respondents were Malay, 5(4. 0%) Indian, 65 (52. 0%) Chinese and other races comprised of 9 (7 . 2%). 86 (68. 8%) of the respondents were Malaysians whereas 39 (31. 2%) of them are from other countries. Among the respondents, 31 (24. 8%) of them were First Year students, 66 (52. 8%) of them were Second Year students, 21 (16. 8%) of them were Third Year students and 7 (5. 6%) of them were students form Fourth Year and Above. Besides that, 123 (98. %) of the respondents were undergraduate whereas 2 (1. 6%) of them were master students. 17 (13. 6%) of the respondents were part time students whereas 108 (86. 4%) of them were full time students. In addition, 95 (76. 0%) of the respondents were students from School of Management, 6 (4. 8%) of them were students from School of Computer,4 (3. 2%) of them were from School of Technology, 11 (8. 8%) of them were from School of HBP, 3 (2. 4%) of them were students were students from School of Communication, 2 (1. 6%) of them were students from School of Chemistry, 1 (0. %) of them were students from School of Humanities and 2 (2. 4%) of the data were missing. 100 (80%) of respondents were live in campus whereas 25 (20%) of them were live at outside campus. Table 4. 2. 1. a Internet Experience of Respondents |Demographics |Frequency |Percentage | |Access | | | | Yes |117 |93. | | No |8 |6. 4 | | Missing |0 |0 | | | | | |Where | | | | Home |83 |66. | | Place of employment |13 |10. 4 | | School/ academic institution |21 |16. 8 | | Cybercafe |3 |2. 4 | | Others |5 |4. | | Missing |0 |0 | |Browser | | | | Internet Explorer |40 |32. 0 | | Mozilla Firefox |30 |24. | | Others |32 |25. 6 | | More than one browser |23 |18. 4 | | Missing |0 |0 | |Time | | | | Almost never |2 |1. | | From 0. 5 hours to 1 hour |5 |4. 0 | | 1-2 hours |17 |13. 6 | | 2-3 hours |31 |24. 8 | | More than 3 hours |70 |56. | | Missing |0 |0 | |Often | | | | Less than once a month |1 |0. 8 | | Once a month |1 |0. 8 | | A few times a week |13 |10. | | About once a day |30 |24. 0 | | Several times a day |80 |64. 0 | | Missing |0 |0 | According to table 4. 2. 1. a, 117 (93. 6%) of the respondents have internet access at home while 8 (6. 4%) of them do not have internet access at home. Other than that, 83 (66. %) of the respondents were primarily access internet from home, 13 (10. 4%) of them were primarily access internet from place of employment, 21 (16. 8%) of them were primarily access internet from school or academic institution, 3 (2. 4%) of them were primarily access internet from cybercafe and 5 (4%) of them were primarily access internet from other places. Internet Explorer was the most popular web browser used by respondents which recorded 40 (32%) of respondents following by 32(25. 6%) of them were using others web browser, and 30 (24%) of them were using Mozilla Firefox. 23 (18. %) of the respondents were using more than one browser. On an average day, 70 (56%) of the respondents were spend more than 3 hours on the internet, 31 (24. 8%) of them were spent 2-3 hours on the internet, 17 (13. 6%) of them were spent 1-2 hou rs on the internet, 5 (4/0%) of them were spent from 0. 5 hours to 1 hour on the internet and only 2 (1. 6%) of them almost never spending their time on the internet. On average, 80 (64%) of the respondents were using internet for several times a day, 30 (24%) of them were using internet for about once a day, 13 (10. 4%) of them were using internet for a few times a week, 1 (0. %) of them was using internet for once a month and another 1 (0. 8%) of them was using internet for less than once a month. 4. 3 Descriptive Analysis The summary of the descriptive statistic of the variables is given in table below. Table 4. 3. 1 Overall Descriptive Statistics of the Study Variables |Variables |Mean |Standard Deviation | |Perceived Usefulness | 3. 4707 |0. 56403 | |Self-Efficacy |3. 216 |0. 44948 | |Perceived Ease of Use |3. 6587 |0. 51145 | |Trialability |3. 5720 |0. 66510 | |Observability |3. 6280 |

Hr Questions and Answers - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 9 Words: 2585 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2017/09/24 Category Advertising Essay Did you like this example? HR QUESTIONS What is your greatest strength? My greatest strength includes my analytical approach, my strong logics and my patience my greatest strength is helping who r not interested in working and make them to workhard and enjoy the work with sincere. my greatest strength is my strong and positive thinking. honesty is my policy and i am hardworking My greatest strength is my ability to lead a team, delegate work and help them deliver and keep the team highly motivated. my strengths are im adaptable and flexible .. i can very well adjust with new situations and circumstances i consider my patience as my very big strength.. I think my greatest strength includes my mental strength as well as my honesty,patience,intelligence,confidence and adjusting capability. I am hardworking and I have a will to walk the extra mile to achieve excellence in my life.. as far my greatest strength is concerned it comprises of 7Cs. a)character b)courage c)consistent d)commitment e)cordination f)communication g)confidence My greatest strength is determination dedication towards my work. I learn from my mistakes very quickly and soon realise that the world is my oyster. My greatest stength is Hard working, Punchualty, honesty and analysing the situation and take a reaction on the behalf on firm with effective and efficient manner. Tell me about yourself? firstly tell ur name , what u r doing now, education qualification, technical qualification if u have, ur interest on other activities ,ur likes dislikes,hobbies, ur achievement , and then go for ur parents description only if it is necessary. i am hard working, thorough, innovative. my strength is my patient adjustable attitude that keeps me working even in difficult situations. like reading and am inquisitive about learning new things. i am determined to use my creativity and knowledge in the corporate world benefiting myself and moreover the organization i will be working for. What is more important to you: the mon ey or the work? Money and work both are like siblings. But I believe when you work hard; money will flow to you. So work is more important than money. Only hard work can help you put another feather in your success cap. Perhaps satisfaction is the most important one.. ,not just the money or work.. We may not be satisfied even if we have the money.. ut our performance will definitely give us the satisfaction as wel as the money.. So ultimately,we must go for satisfaction and decide which of our action is going to give us the same.. It is the work and the performance of an individuals that determine the success and the money. so. it will be more benefical for an individual to focus on the work. Both work and money are important to me, it is the matter of preferance, I will prefer work, because of work I will be getting money, no work no money, ultimately work harder and you can gain more and more money. Y SHOULD I HIRE U? You have published this vacancy in open market. I have appli ed for it. You have shortlisted me. So, I think that I am one of the best deserving candidates for this job. Because I am hard working I think I have all necessary qualities that are required for this job. Since I am a organized and self motivated person I can do my level best to improve your company? s standards without much supervision and also I have physical and mental fitness to face any stress condition. I may not be able say why should you hire me but could definitely say how I could strive for the better interests of the company I enjoy working in this(so and so)field. Enjoying work comes with passion, learning new things etc.. And also i am really good at getting habituated to new environments very fast. I believe everybody may be good at this. But the race is about how fast you do that and I can assure u that i ca do it in best way. Give some example and alll.. Explain how you would be an asset to this organization You should be anxious for this question. It gives you a chance to highlight your best points as they relate to the position being discussed. Give a little advance thought to this relationship. Am hardworking, self motivated and committed person which I can tackle critical situation in ease of time together with my positive attitude towards anything makes me best in Industry. Where would you like to be after five years? After five years i would find myself settled in an reputed organization like yours and serving it with my hard work, knowledge and sincerity. i never live in future. I live in present and i believe that my hardworking nature,my maturity in doing work will help me in seeing myself at a more secure,more successful human being . PRESENT IS A FRUIT OF PAST .. BUT ITS ALSO A SEED FOR FUTURE. SO HOW GOOD WE ARE IN FUTURE DEPENDS ON HOW WELL WE PERFORM NOW. BUT I CAN SAY AS AN AMBITION TAT IN NEXT FIVE YEARS I WOULD LIKE TO EXCEL IN WAT EVER FIELD I AM IN AND AS A RESULT OF MY HARDWORK I WOULD LIKE TO BE IN A COMFORTABLE AND LEADING POSITION IN NEXT FIVE YEARS Tell me about yourself? Good morning sir?! I am Arun currently pursuing my Third year BE computer science engineering in Srinivasa technology near poonamallee. I did my schooling in Avichi Hr secondary school located at virukambakkam and passed out with 80% marks. My strengths are I can easily mingle with people and can communicate easily with others. I am an organized and self motivated person. I have enough confidence and will power to do any kind of functions that are assigned to me. I have potential to grasp things easily. I learn new information and data easily. My weakness is that I am a very short-tempered person and nowadays I am practicing yoga to overcome that. My hobbies are? (If u have any hobbies please mention here). (Please mention if u are really interested in a particular game or sports? ) I love traveling and visiting different kinds of people. I like people who are really dedicated to their tasks and I hate people who deny opportunities. After telling all these things just relax yourself and say ? I believe that A good name is better than riches (it? s a proverb it may attract the HR) so wherever I go I will do my level best to get a good name?. Are you applying for other jobs? Of course, I am. I am looking for the best place to apply my abilities, and so far this place looks excellent. Side note if you sent the resume, rather than went on a recommendation from a friend, it would be obvious you sent it to other places as well. WHAT ARE YOUR WEAK POINTS? The best answer to this question is staying away from negative aspects of your life. If you answer this question it should look like a positive thing even though you quote it as your weakness. For example, you can say that sometimes you stick with your work till it is completed coz you can not leave it pending or you can quote as looking for the minutest details in the work as your weakness. Your answer must sound positive to the employer thou gh you quote it as a weakness. 2. You can say that you do not have any particular weakness that you remember. Why did you leave your last job? Stay positive regardless of the circumstances. Never refer to a major problem with management and never speak ill of supervisors, co-workers or the organization. If you do, you will be the one looking bad. Keep smiling and talk about leaving for a positive reason such as an opportunity, a chance to do something special or other forward-looking reasons. What irritates you about co-workers? Nothing irritates me, Every individual is different. Everybody has negative as well as positive points. If u look at things from their angle, things would seem more clear and analytical. Tell me about your dream job. A job where I love the work, like the people, can contribute and cant wait to get to work. Do you have any questions for me? Usually Employer asks this question to test your interest in the company. Hence you should ask questions to show k een interest to join the company. e. g. , Do you provide any training, if I am employed? ; What do you expect from the prospective employees in this job? ; What is the criterion for growth in this company? etc Remember that dont ask too many questions and whatever you ask, the question should be genuine and inquisitive. How long would you expect to work for us if hired? I worked for my previous employer years. That demonstrates my loyalty. So, as long as the work is challenging, and I will have growth and training potential, I will be happy to work here Are you a team player? while answering this question, try to keep yourself on both sides. For example, if the interviewer asks if you prefer to work alone or on a team, he may be trying to get you to say you are one way or the other. But you dont have to play this game. The reality is that most jobs require us to work both independently and in teams. Your response to this question should show that you have been successful in both situations Why do you want to work for this organization? I wanted to work for this company because you are a leading and fastest-expanding company . Hence it is a logical progression for me to join this company with my abilities I wanted to work for this company because you are a leading and fastest-expanding company . Hence it is a logical progression for me to join this company with my abilities. Want to know about KRA KPA KPA means Key Process areas which are useful for measuring the CMM levels of the organization Key Role Activity both KPA both are same Answered By: sagar  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Date: 4/2/2008 KPA is nothing but KEY PERFORMANCE AREA and KRA IS KEY result area, both are used to define job profile for perticular employee in an orgnization. HR ? Human Resource ( From Recruitment to Retirement ) If you had enough money [pic] to retire right now, would you? I dont think so that I would retire full time because if I do retire, I would stop learning and that day, my b rain will be dead. I would rather opt for going into Research and Development and have my brain cells burn more. Do you know anyone who works for us? If this question is for reference/favor, i say NO. but if its for records/formalities, i say YES. What qualities do you look for in a boss? The main thing that should be present is that at no point of time, i should feel like i have nothing to learn from him( either proffesionally or personally). He should be co-operative towards employees and should pe patience if any freshers took time to do work [pic] . Do you think you are overqualified for this position? TRAPS: The employer may be concerned that you? ll grow dissatisfied and leave. BEST ANSWER: As with any objection, don? view this as a sign of imminent defeat. It? s an invitation to teach the interviewer a new way to think about this situation, seeing advantages instead of drawbacks. Example: ? I recognize the job market for what it is ? a marketplace. Like any marketplace, i t? s subject to the laws of supply and demand. So ? overqualified? can be a relative term, depending on how tight the job market is. And right now, it? s very tight. I understand and accept that.? ?I also believe that there could be very positive benefits for both of us in this match.? Because of my unusually strong experience in ________________ , I could start to contribute right away, perhaps much faster than someone who? d have to be brought along more slowly.? ?There? s also the value of all the training and years of experience that other companies have invested tens of thousands of dollars to give me. You? d be getting all the value of that without having to pay an extra dime for it. With someone who has yet to acquire that experience, he? d have to gain it on your nickel.? ?I could also help you in many things they don? t teach at the Harvard Business School. For example? how to hire, train, motivate, etc. ) When it comes to knowing how to work well with people and getting th e most out of them, there? s just no substitute for what you learn over many years of front-line experience. You company would gain all this, too.? ?From my side, there are strong benefits, as well. Right now, I am unemployed. I want to work, very much, and the position you have here is exactly what I love to do and am best at. I? ll be happy doing this work and that? s what matters most to me, a lot more that money or title.? ?Most important, I? m looking to make a long term commitment in my career now. I? ve had enough of job-hunting and want a permanent spot at this point in my career. I also know that if I perform this job with excellence, other opportunities cannot help but open up for me right here. In time, I? ll find many other ways to help this company and in so doing, help myself. I really am looking to make a long-term commitment.? NOTE: The main concern behind the ? overqualified? question is that you will leave your new employer as soon as something better comes your way. Anything you can say to demonstrate the sincerity of your commitment to the employer and reassure him that you? e looking to stay for the long-term will help you overcome this objection What have you learned from mistakes on the job? Here you have to come up with something or you strain credibility. Make it small, well intentioned mistake with a positive lesson learned. An example would be working too far ahead of colleagues on a project and thus throwing coordination off. Would you be willing to relocate if required? If you say you need to go to moon. My very next question would wen i hav to leave . Change in location helpz a person to learn and grow as an individual. What motivates you to do your best on the job? First of all i am a workohlic and i cannot sit idle. So the motivation to do the best work comes to me naturally. But if asked what actually motivates me then i would say its the Satisfaction that i get after a whole day of work that keeps me going. Do your skill s match this job or another job more closely? I would try to utilise my skills according to the job given to me. Tell me about your ability to work under pressure. I have always enjoyed working under pressure it is like a tonic which boosts me but i always keep it under contorl so it does not take a a toll on me. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Hr Questions and Answers" essay for you Create order