Step into the GLM Time Machine

Step into the GLM Time Machine Step into the GLM Time Machine Step into the GLM Time Machine By Maeve Maddox The Global Language Monitor (GLM) is an Austin, Texas-based entity that  documents, analyzes and tracks trends in language and publishes a list of the years most used English words, names, and phrases. According to GLMs algorithm, 2009s most used word, both online and in print, is Twitter. GLM’s top ten for 2009: Twitter Obama H1N1 stimulus vampire 2.0 (as a suffix attached to the next generation of everything. Ex. Web2.0) deficit Hadron healthcare transparency A look at the Words of the Year for 2000-2008 recalls the prominent events and personalities of those years: 2000 chad 2001 GroundZero 2002 misunderestimate 2003 embedded 2004 incivility 2005 refugee 2006 sustainable 2007 hybrid 2008 change Taking the decade as a whole, here are the top ten words with GLC comments: 1. Global Warming (2000) Rated highly from Day One of the decade 2. 9/11 (2001) Another inauspicious start to the decade 3. Obama- (2008 )The US President’s name as a ‘root’ word or ‘word stem’ 4. Bailout (2008) The Bank Bailout was but Act One of the crisis 5. Evacuee/refugee (2005) After Katrina, refugees became evacuees 6. Derivative (2007) Financial instrument or analytical tool that engendered the Meltdown 7. Google (2007) Founders misspelled actual word ‘googol’ Surge (2007) The strategy that effectively ended the Iraq War 9. Chinglish (2005) The Chinese-English Hybrid language growing larger as Chinese influence expands [There are an estimated 300 to 500 million users and/or learners of English in the Peoples Republic of China.] 10. Tsunami (2004) Southeast Asian Tsunami took 250,000 lives To see the top phrases and names for 2009 and the first decade of the 21st century, explore the Global Language Monitor site. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Words with More Than One Spelling50 Types of PropagandaWords That Begin with Q

Battle of Ia Drang in the Vietnam War

Battle of Ia Drang in the Vietnam War The Battle of Ia Drang was fought November 14-18, 1965, during the Vietnam War (1955-1975) and was the first major engagement between the US Army and the Peoples Army of Vietnam (PAVN). After a North Vietnamese strike against the Special Forces camp at Plei Me, American forces deployed in an effort to destroy the attackers. This saw elements of the air mobile 1st Cavalry Division move into South Vietnams Central Highlands. Encountering the enemy, the battle was primarily fought at two separate landing zones. While the Americans won a tactical victory at one, they took heavy losses at the other. The fighting in the Ia Drang Valley sent the tone for much of the conflict to come with the Americans relying on air mobility, air power, and artillery while the North Vietnamese sought to fight at close quarters to negate these advantages. Fast Facts: Battle of Ia Drang Conflict: Vietnam War (1955-1975)Dates: November 14-18, 1965Armies Commanders:United StatesColonel Thomas BrownLieutenant Colonel Harold G. MooreLieutenant Colonel Robert McDadeapprox. 1,000 menNorth VietnamLieutenant Colonel Nguyen Huu Anapprox. 2,000 menCasualties:United States: 96 killed and 121 wounded at X-Ray and 155 killed and 124 wounded at AlbanyNorth Vietnam: Approximately 800 killed at X-Ray and minimum of 403 killed at Albany Background In 1965, General William Westmoreland, commander of the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, began utilizing American troops for combat operations in Vietnam rather than solely relying on the forces of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. With National Liberation Front (Viet Cong) and Peoples Army of Vietnam (PAVN) forces operating in the Central Highlands northeast of Saigon, Westmoreland elected to debut the new air mobile 1st Cavalry Division as he believed its helicopters would allow it to overcome the regions rugged terrain. Ia Drang - Vietnam. US Department of Defense Following a failed North Vietnamese attack on the Special Forces camp at Plei Me in October, the commander of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Colonel Thomas Brown, was instructed to move from Pleiku to seek and destroy the enemy. Arriving in the area, the 3rd Brigade was unable to find the attackers. Encouraged by Westmoreland to press towards the Cambodian border, Brown soon learned of an enemy concentration near Chu Pong Mountain. Acting on this intelligence, he directed the 1st Battalion/7th Cavalry, led by Lieutenant Colonel Hal Moore, to conduct a reconnaissance in force in the area of Chu Pong. Arriving at X-Ray Assessing several landing zones, Moore chose LZ X-Ray near the base of the Chu Pong Massif. Roughly the size of a football field, X-Ray was surrounded by low trees and bordered by a dry creek bed to the west. Due to the relatively small size of the LZ, the transport of the 1st/7ths four companies would have to be conducted in several lifts. The first of these touched down at 10:48 AM on November 14 and consisted of Captain John Herrens Bravo Company and Moores command group. Departing, the helicopters began shuttling the rest of the battalion to X-Ray with each trip taking around 30 minutes. Soldiers of the U.S. Amry 1/7th Cavalry disembark from a Bell UH-1D Huey at LZ X-Ray during the battle of Ia Drang. US Army Day 1 Initially holding his forces in the LZ, Moore soon began sending out patrols while waiting for more men to arrive. At 12:15 PM, the enemy was first encountered northwest of the creek bed. Shortly thereafter, Herren ordered his 1st and 2nd Platoons to advance in that direction. Encountering heavy enemy resistance, the 1st was halted though the 2nd pushed on and pursued an enemy squad. In the process, the platoon, led by Lieutenant Henry Herrick, became separated and was soon surrounded by North Vietnamese forces. In the firefight that ensued, Herrick was killed and effective command devolved to Sergeant Ernie Savage. As the day progressed, Moores men successfully defended the creek bed as well as repelled assaults from the south while awaiting the arrival of the remainder of the battalion. By 3:20 PM, the last of the battalion arrived and Moore established a 360-degree perimeter around X-Ray. Eager to rescue the lost platoon, Moore sent forward Alpha and Bravo Companies at 3:45 PM. This effort succeeded in advancing around 75 yards from the creek bed before enemy fire brought it to a halt. In the attack, Lieutenant Walter Marm earned the Medal of Honor when he single-handedly captured an enemy machine gun position (Map). Day 2 Around 5:00 PM, Moore was reinforced by the lead elements of Bravo Company/2nd/7th. While the Americans dug in for the night, the North Vietnamese probed their lines and conducted three assaults against the lost platoon. Though under heavy pressure, Savages men turned these back. At 6:20 AM on November 15, the North Vietnamese mounted a major attack against Charlie Companys section of the perimeter. Calling in fire support, the hard-pressed Americans turned back the attack but took significant losses in the process. At 7:45 AM, the enemy began a three-pronged assault on Moores position. With the fighting intensifying and Charlie Companys line wavering, heavy air support was called in to halt the North Vietnamese advance. As it arrived over the field, it inflicted major losses on the enemy, though a friendly fire incident led to some napalm striking the American lines. At 9:10 AM, additional reinforcements arrived from the 2nd/7th and began reinforcing Charlie Companys lines. By 10:00 AM the North Vietnamese began withdrawing. With fighting raging at X-Ray, Brown dispatched Lieutenant Colonel Bob Tullys 2nd/5th to LZ Victor approximately 2.2 miles east-southeast. Moving overland, they reached X-Ray at 12:05 PM, augmenting Moores force. Pushing out of the perimeter, Moore and Tully succeeded in rescuing the lost platoon that afternoon. That night North Vietnamese forces harassed the American lines and then launched a major assault around 4:00 AM. With the aid of well-directed artillery, four assaults were repelled as the morning progressed. By mid-morning, the remainder of the 2nd/7th and 2nd/5th arrived at X-Ray. With the Americans on the field in strength and having taken massive losses, the North Vietnamese began withdrawing. Ambush at Albany That afternoon Moores command departed the field. Hearing reports of enemy units moving into the area and seeing that little more could be done at X-Ray, Brown wished to withdraw the remainder of his men. This was vetoed by Westmoreland who wished to avoid the appearance of a retreat. As a result, Tully was instructed to march the 2nd/5th northeast to LZ Columbus while Lieutenant Colonel Robert McDade was to take the 2nd/7th north-northeast to LZ Albany. As they departed, a flight of B-52 Stratofortresses was assigned to strike the Chu Pong Massif. While Tullys men had an uneventful march to Columbus, McDades troops began encountering elements of the 33rd and 66th PAVN Regiments. These actions culminated with a devastating ambush in the vicinity of Albany which saw PAVN troops attack and split McDades men into smaller groups. Under heavy pressure and taking major losses, McDades command was soon aided by air support and elements of the 2nd/5th which marched in from Columbus. Beginning late that afternoon, additional reinforcements were flown in and the American position was appearance during the night. The next morning, the enemy had largely pulled back. After policing the area for casualties and dead, the Americans departed for LZ Crooks the next day. Aftermath The first major battle that involved US ground forces, Ia Drang saw them suffer 96 killed and 121 wounded at X-Ray and 155 killed and 124 wounded at Albany. Estimates for North Vietnamese losses are around 800 killed at X-Ray and minimum of 403 killed at Albany. For his actions in leading the defense of X-Ray, Moore was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Pilots Major Bruce Crandall and Captain Ed Freeman were later (2007) awarded the Medal of Honor for making volunteer flights under heavy fire to and from X-Ray. During these flights, they delivered much-needed supplies while evacuating wounded soldiers. The fighting at Ia Drang set the tone for the conflict as American forces continued to rely on air mobility and heavy fire support to achieve victory. Conversely, the North Vietnamese learned that the latter could be neutralized by quickly closing with the enemy and fighting at close range.

Management & Budgetary Control and the Beyond Budgeting debate Essay

Management & Budgetary Control and the Beyond Budgeting debate - Essay Example During the recent years new ideas have emerged in the business world that challenge the traditional approach to budgeting and claim it not be fit for the current business environment as it is unable to fulfill the demands and requirements. It is both private and public sector that have adopted traditional approach to budgeting since very beginning and they find comfort in tradition even if it doesn’t suit the current business environment. The new ideas are revolutionary they compensate both future financial planning keeping in view non-financial factors that influence the performance and working of the organization (Moolchand, Narendra, & Koshina, 2012). Therefore this changing business world gives rise to the idea of â€Å"Beyond Budgeting† that provides a model beyond command and control towards a more adaptive, flexible and empowering model. Beyond Budgeting is being used to transform the performance potential of the organization it removes the shackles of annual bud get and at the same time allowing the employees to use their full power in the front line. Business environment especially in the past one decade has become much dynamic, complex, turbulent and uncertain. Adaptability is the greatest attribute that the organizations should possess in order to sustain in the market. Life cycles of the products have reduced with the continuous advancement in the technology innovation becomes a critical factor of success for the corporates. These details regarding the business and market environment signify that diversity along with flexibility is important for sustainable growth of the organization. It is not the organizations with huge capital and resources who can survive it is corporates that are adaptable would progress in future. Recent events in the business world raised the comments and the criticism over budgeting system that is in practice currently. It brings rigidity in the system, restricts movement and doesn’t limits

The Utilization of Wellness Programs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Utilization of Wellness Programs - Essay Example The other issue relates to how HR leaders find themselves performing dual roles in the HR systems and as members of the top management team (TMT). Utilization of Wellness Programs The term Human Resources has different meanings which depend with the context of usage. In economics, it means the human labor or capital at a firm’s disposal. However, in business it refers to individuals who make up the workforce of an organization. In most organizations, a human resources department headed by the HR manager is created so as to manage the organization’s workforce and to harness its efforts. The department has various responsibilities which ensure that the workforce is geared towards the achievement of the organizational strategies. Some of the HR roles involve utilization of wellness programs. Wellness in this regard encompasses more than just absence of ailments. An employee’s lifestyle should resonate with their mental and body health as well as their spirituality. These aspects hugely determine an employee’s wellbeing thereby crucial towards productivity (McCalla, Kumar and Lybeck, 2009). Therefore, it is essential for HR departments to encompass wellness programs in order to ensure a healthy and productive workforce. HR managers and support staff have the best opportunity of understanding individual employees better through the wellness programs. ... A poor or disorganized lifestyle indicates a disorganized mind while the opposite is true. It is also important to note that wellness programs also include financial wellness. There is considerable comfort enjoyed by individuals when they dwell in financial health. An organization should therefore strife towards attaining wellness for the employees as a motivator. When employees are motivated in a positive manner, research has shown that they significantly increase their productivity (Ingham and Norris, 2007). Some of the popular wellness programs encompass health risk assessment, smoking and drinking and free or subsidized membership to fitness centers among others. Every organization ensures that there are clearly laid out policies or guidelines followed during operations to attain set goals. This means that everything that goes on in a firm must be in line with the set strategies. The various departments in the organization must also make sure that as they undertaking their respon sibilities they comply with the organization’s key policy. As a result, operations in the organization are harmonized through teamwork and chain of command within the HR functions (McCalla, Kumar and Lybeck, 2009). It is not possible to have a workforce that is willing to work together if most of the workers lead unhealthy and poor lifestyles. Some will drag the others in a team as a result of illnesses or even mental stress. Employees should be exposed to education coupled with activities inclined towards healthy living in order to improve the general welfare of the employees. Employee wellness results in reduced cost of insurance due to many lifestyle related conditions and diseases for organizations. Absenteeism is another big issue plaguing

How do events become media events Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

How do events become media events - Essay Example ial networking platforms and media’ then they could probably cite a strong point of view by attributing the man who killed his wife because of her internet addiction. Then the more the media would cover this event, allowing many people to provide their stands, the said story then starts to become a great media event, as there would be many people involved by taking the event right to their heart, making them fully involved. This is the same trend we might probably observed from the September 11 USA terrorism attack. If there would be no television or other media from the other side of the world and USA’s adjacent countries, it would take time to hear about what was happening that time to the world’s twin towers in New York. After the attack, it would most probably took time to keeping popular number of people about the news report. Publicity would be too slow that many people would miss the opportunity to take the event right to their heart. However, since the wi de coverage of media continues to lead us people and becoming integrated with our life at present, the September 11 attack remained a remarkable history that today’s generation could impart to the future. Media therefore have become powerful agents of publicity, allowing great news event to become great media event. Right after the September 11 attack, there were various news reported associated with the event. For couple of months, local and internatianal news reports from various parts of the world were primary important headlines, and many opinions, stands, symphaties or reactions begun to flinch from the audience, making the event a great media event, just like what happened to Princess Diana’s funeral and Prince Charles and Kate’s matrimonial ceremony. The flu virus and its associated... The "How do events become media events?" essay describes the influence of media on our perception of some life events. Why some of them would no longer create remarkable impact or special response? The flu virus and its associated detrimental impacts on the human health was once become a media event as people discovered that SARS for instance could potentially wipe out the human race. Everyday, the media would cover the progress of mortality rate and the probable place affected by the pandemic. Via broadcasters, people were informed about the said news event, allowing everyone to stop for a while from doing their daily routines, and focus on understanding the right thing to do in order not to contract the disease. The news event about SARS progressed to becoming a great media event, as people paid considerable amount of time concerning the event. However, the entire piece of this could be attributed to the level of publicity that the media were able to impart with the consuming publi c. It is therefore clear that media publicity is a common activity normally associated with media events. Media events operate as public arenas where people find themselves engaged in the political debates and political actions that are responsible for shaping the world around them. This could potentially be illustrated through the US presidential election. The Democrats and Republicans have various and conflicting ideologies which they used to defend their stands and ultimate perspectives on certain political, social, and economic issues.

The Advantages of Studying Abroad Essay Example for Free

The Advantages of Studying Abroad Essay Studying abroad has been a hotly discussed topic. Various reasons have been analyzed. My writing will critically present the main ones. In the first place, study efficiency is what I put in my priority. It cannot be denied that students are greatly motivated when they study in another country. The national pride inside themselves encourages them to study harder in order to compete with foreign students. The desire to improve their country’s image is likely to boost their studious spirit. Therefore, their academic performances have a tendency to be remarkably improved. More interestingly, foreign education creates chances for students to study at colleges that have the best teaching quality and learning environment in a specific field of studies that they are in favor of. For example, German and Japan are the two most countries for their education in chemical industry. Students are able to learn from the best chemistry teachers and professors in the world. As a result, their learning is definitely developed. Without doubt, studying abroad enables students to haverst fantastic results. In the second place, skill development holds no less importance. It is widely known that there likelihood for students to promote their time-management skill when they learn in a different country. They live on their own then and have no family support on completing household tasks. They also have to take part in many extra-curricular activities. They are forced to create a well-organized time table in order to have enough time for learning. Hence, their abilities to manage time are undoubtedly enhanced. More notably, only by studying in a foreign country can students heighten their decision-making skill. It is attributed to the fact that their parents are not around to make decision for them. They must determine everything by themselves. Additionally, there are lots of dangerous seduction they are bound to face in their independent life. It requires them the ability to resist insidious pleasure and come to the best choice. Thus, they stand a golden chance to improve their ability to hand out good decisions. With no doubt, studying in a country far from home is a beneficial way for students to sharpen their skills considerably. Last but not least, personal enjoyment draws much of my attention. It is common knowledge that studying abroad brings students opportunity to approach a new culture. It is possible for them to get to know to different life style and customs, witness religious activities and taste special dishes of the local people near their schools or colleges. Consequently, their spiritual life is full of excitement and pleasure. More importantly, studying abroad involves helps students to have friends from around the world. International friendships are surely built when students from numerous countries gather in a particular place to study. Students definitely relish the enjoyment of having multinational relationships. Beyond sany doubt, foreign education brings students happiness. In a nutshell, not only study efficiency, skill development but also personal enjoyment are the convincing reasons for studying abroad. I highly recommend that students should take my writing into detailed consideration to make an effective decision on foreign education.

Research methodology, different types of philosophical

Research methodology, different types of philosophical Fischer (2004) states that research methodology is the study which raises all types of philosophical questions for the researchers to know and check the availability of their knowledge. Saunders et al. (2007) states that, the research design will be the general plan of how to answer the research questions and it should contain: Clear objectives derived from the research questions It should specify sources from which data is collected Consider the constraints that the researcher will have access to data, location time and money Discussing ethical issues Cooper and Schindler (2008) mentions that the research task is a sequential process involving clearly defined steps. They also state that despite the variation in steps involved, the idea of sequence is useful in developing a research and maintaining an order as the research progresses. According to Teresa and William (1997), research methodology provides a systematic, planned approach to a research project and ensures that all aspects of the project are consistent with one another. The method that has been used for this research is based on the research process onion as described by Saunders et al. (2007). The research goes through different layers of the research onion. The various layers are philosophies, approaches, strategies, choices, time horizons and techniques and procedures. This chapter is divided into three sections. The first section deals with the research methods that have been used for this dissertation. The second part deals with data collection methods. The last section deals with population and sampling. Research Onion- Adapted from Saunders et al. (2007) Research philosophy: Saunders et al. (2007) mentions that research philosophy depends on the way you think about the development of knowledge. It is the first layer in the research onion proposed by them. According to them, there are three approaches to research philosophy. They are epistemology, ontology and axiology. Epistemology constitutes with the acceptable knowledge in the field of study; ontology is concerned with nature of reality where as axiology studies about the researchers value in all stage of research process. They argue that the choice of philosophy depends on the research question posed and the researcher feels that the approach that has to be used is Epistemology. Jancowickz (2000) mentioned epistemology as personal theory of knowing and what researcher feels as knowledge, what he counts as evidence and proof and what he does not. Saunders et al. (2007) mentioned that there are three epistemological positions namely, positivism, interpretivism, and realism. Positivism: Saunders et al. (2007) mentions that if research philosophy reflects the principles of positivism, then we will probably adopt the philosophical stance of a natural scientist. According to Bryman Bell (2007) positivism is an epistemological position that advocates the application of methods of natural sciences to study of social reality and beyond. Reilly (2006) defined positivism as a belief that only true knowledge is scientific in character, describing interrelationships between real and observable phenomena. Interpretivism: This is a philosophy where researcher be critical of positivism and argue that rich insights, into complex world are lost if such complexity is reduced entirely to a series of law like generations. It also emphasises on the difference between conducting a research among people rather than tangible objects. Realism: This is a philosophical approach which is based on that a reality exists that is independent of human thoughts and beliefs. It holds many thoughts from positivism and it scientifically questions what is regarded as acceptable knowledge. In realism, the approach assumes a scientific approach to the development of data and underpins the collection of data and understanding of those data. (Saunders et al., 2007, p105). There are two types of realism namely critical realism and direct realism. Direct realism is what the researcher experience through his senses represents the world accurately. In critical realism, what the researcher experiences are sensations and images of the things in the real world, but not the real thing. Research philosophy for this research: Saunders et al. (2007) argues that usually a combination of positivism and interpretivism are generally used in the management of business research. However, the research philosophy varies according to research question. This research focuses on impact of sales promotions on impulse purchases. Various authors have discussed the phenomenon that happens and the researcher is trying to explore the consumer behaviour on impulse purchase. The philosophy that is used in this research is realism. For this the researcher uses acceptable knowledge in the field of impulse purchase and consumer behaviour to understand the impact of sales promotion on impulse purchase and consumer loyalty. The researcher collects and analyses data using acceptable knowledge for the purpose of answering the research question, so the research is more inclined towards realism. Research Approach: Saunders et al. (2007) states that all research work involves theories and suggests the clarity of researchers theory at the beginning of the research could inform the research the approach taken in designing the research. They, suggest two types of research approach of reasoning. They are Inductive approach and Deductive approach. Inductive Approach: In inductive approach, the researcher would collect the data and develop and theory with the result of data analysis. According to Saunders et al. (2007), the following are the features of inductive approach. Gaining an understanding of meanings human attach to events A close understanding of research context A collection of qualitative data A more flexible structure to permit changes of research emphasis as research progresses A realisation that the researcher is part of the research process Less concern with need to generalise Deductive approach: Deductive approach method is the way of testing a theory. The researcher will develop a theory and suitable hypothesis. The research strategy is the developed to test the hypothesis that is developed. Roboson (2002) suggests a five-stage model through which the deductive stage will progress: Deduct a hypothesis from the theory Express the hypothesis in operational terms Test the hypothesis Examine outcome of the inquiry Modify theory in light of results Research Approach for this research: The researcher has chosen the deductive approach over the inductive approach for this research. In deductive approach for this research, an initial stage presents a general hypothesis. This initial stage contains secondary data mentioned by various authors. This hypothesis is then tested using the data collection methods to answer the objectives. Research Strategy: According to Saunders et al. (2007), seven different strategies can be used for a research. They are: Experiment Survey Case study Action research Grounded theory Ethnography Archival research The strategy that has to be used can be chosen depending on research questions and objectives, research time and other resources that are available. (Saunders et al., 2007) The most feasible solution for this dissertation is the survey method. The survey method is associated with deductive approach. It allows the collection of a large amount of data from sizeable population in highly economical way. Utilising the questionnaire, data can be standardised allowing easy compilation. It is also a cheap option for the researcher. The survey strategy also allows collecting quantitative data, which can be analysed using descriptive tactics. The survey strategy utilises the designing and piloting of data collection method to ensure a good response rate. In the case of this dissertation, the researcher plans to distribute questionnaire among the customers and thus do the survey for this dissertation. This will be handed out by the researcher himself which adds to the cheapness of the survey. The researcher is also planning to do two mini focus group interviews among the customers. Looking at all these options, the researcher feels that conducting a survey will be the best way to collect data for this research. Research choice: According to Saunders et al. (2007), the two main methods of data collection are quantitative data collection and qualitative data collection. Qualitative data that is used in research would be usually a non-numerical data. It has open-ended information. Example: Pictures or video clips. Quantitative data that is used in data would be numerical data consisting of graphs or statistics. It includes close-ended information such as attitude, behaviour of performance instruments. (John and Vicki, 2007). Saunders et al. (2007, p 146) Saunders et al. (2007) mentions that the researcher can use used both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. This is known as mixed method of data collection. Both these could be done at the same time or one after the other, but the methods cannot be combined. John and Vicki (2007) argue that the weakness of both quantitative and qualitative methods can be overcome by using both the methods. If we use mixed methods, different methods like interview and questionnaire can be used for the study. They also state that mixed method research provides more comprehensive evidence for studying a research question than using just one method of data analysis. This was also mentioned as the most practical method since the researcher is free to use all the methods to address the problem. In the context of this research, the researcher used a combination of both quantitative and qualitative data techniques to find the data. The quantitative data is analysed with the help of questionnaires and the qualitative data is analysed with the help of interviews. The attitudes and impulse buying behaviour and perception of customers can be studied using the questionnaire surveys. For the qualitative data analysis, two mini focus groups consisting of three members each will be conducted by the researcher. The researcher will use the respondents observation and researchers observation to conclude his findings. In short, the researcher uses mixed method of data analysis to generalise the findings. Time Horizon: According to Saunders et al. (2007), time horizons are needed for the research design independent of the research methodology used. There are two types of time horizons namely Longitudinal and Cross-sectional. Longitudinal studies are repeated over an extended period. Cross sectional studies are limited to a specific time frame. This research is also limited to a specific time frame and hence the cross sectional time horizon is used. Data Collection Methods: There are two types of data involved with this research. The first one is primary data and the second type is secondary data. The secondary data contains the literature review, which is the view by various authors about the topic. The primary data which is collected to prove the hypothesis presented which is collected using secondary data. According to Saunders et al. (2007), the secondary data may not match the needs of new research; aggregations and definitions may also be unsuitable, there for to resolve this primary data has been employed to answer the nature of the problem and test the hypothesis. In other words, the secondary data is the data that is collected for some other purpose while the primary data is collected specifically for this research. Secondary data: According to Saunders et al. (2007), the secondary data consists of both quantitative and qualitative data. It contains both raw data and published data. Bryman and Bell (2007) stated that it could provide an answer to the research question. They also mentioned about the benefits of collecting secondary data. It helps us structuring ideas, developing new concepts, widen new directions to data, sketch population and organise appropriate approach to the research. Saunders et al. (2007) also mentions that the secondary data should be viewed with the same caution that we view the primary data. The researcher needs to make sure that it will be able to answer the research question and meet his objectives. For this research, the researcher gathered the secondary data from journal articles and textbooks. The journals were electronically collected from the Emerald Insight (http://www. emeraldnisight.com) and Business source complete. The researcher also referred many books and magazines. Books provided the foundation for the topic and for the research methods. The journals helped to get an insight from various authors that discussed about this topic. Magazines helped to find the current situations related to the topic. Primary data: Primary data is collected for the completion of this research. It is the data collected from the survey and we do not have any previous results for this data. There are two categories of data collection available. One of them is quantitative data collection and the second is the qualitative data collection. Qualitative data: The data that is non-numerical and that cannot be quantified is known as qualitative data. Saunders et al. (2007) mentions that the use of interviews can help the researcher to gather valid and reliable data that are relevant to his/her research. There interviews are mainly categorised into two namely standardised and Non-standardised interviews. Standardised interviews will have interview-administered questions where as the other one does not have that. Under non-standardised interviews, there are two categories. They are one-to-one and one-to-many. The one-to-one is further categorised into face-to-face, telephone and internet/intranet based interviews. The one-to-many interviews are of two kinds; group interviews and internet/intranet based group interviews. This kind of group interviews come under a category called focus group interviews. (Saunders et al. (2007) p 313) This research will be using the aid of focus group interviews. The focus group method is a form of group interview in which there are several participants, there is an emphasis on questioning on a tightly defined topic and the accent is upon interaction within the group and the joint construction of meaning. (Bryman and Bell, 2007) The main characteristic of this interview is, it involves more than one interviewee and typically contains four to twelve members. According to Cooper and Schindler (2001), the two advantages of using focus group interview are to get a depth understanding and it is a chance to observe reactions to the research question in an open-ended group setting. For this research, the researcher conducts two mini focus group interviews. These interviews are used to increase the credibly of the research and to form a background for the questionnaire design. The critical analysis of the focus group interviews helped the researcher to critically analyse the sales promotion and its impact on impulse purchasing behaviour of the participants. The researcher was able to find two groups of respondents who were willing to give the focus group interview. These groups contained both male and female participants, with the age group between 15 and 30. The interviewees were asked questions about the sales promotional activities in the store. They were also asked about the factors that affect them to buy things impulsively and if price promotions affect the impulse purchase. The mini focus interviews helped the researcher in questionnaire design by exploring the responses of sample population to analytically test the hypothesis using quantitative data. The response from the interviewees pulled out the conclusions that sales promotions play an important role in impulse buying behaviour of consumers. Quantitative data: The quantitative data is analysed using survey method. For this research, the researcher uses, questionnaire for the survey method. Saunders et al. (2007) mentions that a questionnaire includes all techniques of data collection in which each person is asked to respond to the same set of questions in a predetermined order. They also mention that it is one of the most widely used data collection within the survey strategy. The questionnaires are used in the research as it permits prompt and honest responses from a respondent than interviews. This sort of response is required for extracting information such as personal information. The biasness that is likely to occur by the difference in phrasing questions to different respondents is also eliminated by using questionnaire. The convenience, availability of resources in terms of time and cost and ease of automating data entry makes questionnaire the best choice for quantitative data analysis. According to Saunders et al. (2007), various factors affect choosing the questionnaire for a research. They are The characteristics of the respondents to whom the researcher wish to collect the information. Importance of reaching a particular person as respondent Size of the sample required by the researcher for the analysis Importance of the responders answers not being contaminated or distorted The type of question that the researcher needs to collect the data The number of questions that the researcher needs to ask to collect the data There are two types of questionnaires namely self-administered questionnaire and interview administered questionnaire. Self-administered questionnaire is used in this research because of its advantage that it can be completed without the presence of the researcher. This is supported by Brace (2004) that the absence of the researcher makes the respondent to be honest and the respondent gets enough time to answer the questions. One important thing that needs to be noted is the language used in the questionnaire. A simple language is usually preferred than using technical jargons. Bruce (2004) mentions that double barrelled questions and jargon must be avoided in order to reduce confusion among both parties Bryman and Bell (2007) mentions that piloting a questionnaire should be an integral part of the process. Piloting is the process by which the questionnaire is revised and tested until the researcher and clients are happy. It helps the researcher to improve the quality of questionnaire and its efficiency in assembling data. A pilot test was conducted among five MBA International students to validate the questionnaire. Based on their feedback, necessary amendments were made to the questions. Table 2: Questionnaire description: Sl. no Characteristics Questions 1 Collects the demographic information from respondents Q1,Q2,Q3 2 Identifies the shopping details like frequency and average spending Q4, Q5 3. Identifies the sales promotional activities in the store Q6,Q7, 4 Identifies consumers impulse buying behaviour and factors Q9,Q10,11 5. Identifies if price promotion affects impulse purchase Q12,Q13,Q14,Q15 The researcher distributed the questionnaires in Tesco retail store, Parnell Street, Dublin-Ireland. The researcher ensured that the consumers got enough time to complete the questionnaire. This researcher did not give any hints to answer the questions and this helped the respondent to honestly answer the questions. The researcher used an online tool called Surveymonkey for the data analysis (www.surveymonkey.com). The response and the scales used are mentioned in the data analysis chapter Population and Sampling: According to Cooper and Schindler (2008), a population is the total collection of elements about which we wish to make some inferences. They also mentioned that to draw the conclusion about the entire population, some of the elements of the population are to be selected and this process is called sampling. Saunders et al. (2007) mentions sampling technique provides a range of methods that enable to reduce the amount of data that is needed for consideration. They further mention that this is an alternative to the census method. They provide alternative when; It would be impractical for the researcher to survey the entire population The budget constraints prevent researcher from surveying the entire population The time constraints prevents the researcher from surveying the entire population Results are needed quickly Mayolor and Blackmon (2005), mentions that sampling frame facilitates, conclusion making about the social units that have been selecting units that are representative of the population. Saunders et al. (2007) classifies the sampling techniques into probability sampling Non-probability sampling. In probability sampling, the probability of each case being selected from the population is the same for all cases, where as in non-probability sampling, the probability of case being selected is being unknown. Cooper and Schindler (2008), argues that, if the non-probability sampling is feasible, if the total population for the study is unknown. In this case, the population are the customers of Tesco, Parnell Street, Dublin. Non-probability sampling is further divided into five types: Quota Sampling Purposive sampling Snowball sampling Self selection sampling Convenience sampling This research focuses on impact of sales promotion on impulse purchase and consumer loyalty. In this research, the quota sampling is found to be more appropriate for the sampling. Saunders et al., (2007) confirms that with the help of quota sampling, population could be divided into specific groups. This helps in calculating a quota for each group based on appropriate and obtainable data. According to Barnett (1991), cited by Saunders et al. (2007), quota sampling is entirely non-random and is normally used for interview surveys. It is based on the premise that the sample will represent the population, as the variability in the sample for various quota variables is the same as that of the population. For this research, the population is categorises into specific groups. Appropriate estimate from each group is prepared to distinguish the quota based on reliable data. Each interviewer will be analysed and the data will be collected from each quota. The data that is collected are then united to obtain a full sample. The researcher selected the quotas according to the age group and gender. The customers were selected by the respondent randomly first. The researcher then checked the respondents criteria of the age group and selected the people he wanted. Sampling Frame: The frame elements in the population are called the sampling frame. Saunders et al. (2007) states that the larger the samples size, the lower the likely error in generalising to the population. Hence, suitable sample should be governed by: The confidence required in the data Margin of error that can be tolerated Types of analysis that needs to be undertaken Size of the total population The sampling frame in this research includes the customers in the grocery section in Tesco, Parnell Street. The sampling size, frame and population are defined as follows: Sampling Size: 100 Elements: Customers of Tesco, Parnell Street Units: Grocery section in Tesco Parnell Street Extents: Dublin, Ireland Sampling Technique: Non-probability sampling (quota sampling) Sampling Error: 5% Time: May 2010-Aug-2010 The quotas and total sample size are given below:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   AGE GROUP   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   MALE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   FEMALE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   15-30   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   25   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   25   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   31-50   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   15   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   15   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   51 and above   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   10   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   10   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   TOTAL POPULATION = 100 Time constraint was the main reason for the researcher to select a small population. The researcher ensured that the researcher were ensured ample time to complete the questionnaire. The researcher made sure that the questionnaire had a simple design with no technical jargons used which would have confused people otherwise. The researcher plans to distribute the questions to 100 people and expects a sampling error of 5%. Since it is a self-administered questionnaire, the researcher expects good response from the respondents.