Marcus Ulpius Trajanus essays

Marcus Ulpius Trajanus essays Marcus Ulpius Trajanus was born on the 18th of September at Italica near Seville, around the year 52 A.D. Also referred to as Trajan, he was surprisingly the first emperor not to come from Italy. Coming from an old Umbrian family that lived in northern Italy, he was of a Spanish background. His father, who had the exact same name, had a successful political career as well, which most likely influenced Trajan to enter into politics too. Trajan served as a military tribune under his fathers governorship and he soon grew up to enjoy a thriving political career, just like his father. Trajan gained office of praetorship in 85 A.D. Shortly after winning the command of the seventh legion Gemina in northern Spain, Trajan and his men attempted to help defeat the rebellion against the current emperor, Domitian. Trajan respectfully gained the approval of the emperor for his attempts despite the fact that he arrived too late to be able to do anything. Later, Domitian was unfortunately murdered, and a man by the name of Nerva, was elected to become emperor. Nervas imperial authority was weak, so Nerva adopted Trajan as his colleague and future successor purely for political reasons in 97 A.D. Upon becoming a person of high authority, Trajan gathered all the leaders of an earlier mutiny, and he meanwhile called for the help of his legion by whom he was greatly respected. He tricked the leaders into coming for a reward, but instead, he and his legion immediately executed them when they arrived. By doing so he made a grave statement; no one was to oppose the Roman government. Nerva died on the 28th of January 98 A.D, making Trajan the new emperor. In 99 A.D, Trajan entered Rome on foot, greeting all the senators and even walking among the people, which no other emperor did. Trajan was one of the ablest emperors in Roman history. He had a numerous amount of good qu ...

The eNotes Blog 20 Lovable Little FreeLibraries

20 Lovable Little FreeLibraries â€Å"Take a book, return a book† is the mantra that rings true to bookworms all around the world who are interacting with Little Free Libraries. Since the birth of the first little library in Wisconsin circa 2009, the growth and prevalence of these tiny structures are astounding. As of 2017, there are 60,000 registered Little Free Libraries in all U.S. states and over 80 countries. They come in all different shapes and sizes, showcasing the unique, personal touches of their creators. Little Free Libraries, however, are more than just creating a gift-sharing network for the common good. It’s part of a social movement inspired by Andrew Carnegie’s goal of the 20th century to fund the creation of 2,508 free public libraries across the English-speaking world. These libraries are more than an educational resource. They aim to inspire communities to embrace the arts, share their stories, and encourage literacy practices. We simply cannot get enough of these adorable little libraries, so we’ve created a list of the 20 Little Free Libraries that have stolen our hearts. View this post on Instagram We took a little field trip today to @littlefreelibrarynashville on Labrador Lane to visit the Ryman library 📚 box. We even left a few goodies inside 💒. Much love to the Hunters Branch neighbors for the honor of our own #littlefreelibrary ⠝ ¤Ã¯ ¸  A post shared by Ryman Auditorium (@theryman) on Nov 6, 2017 at 3:14pm PST View this post on Instagram Obligatory #publicbookbox in the snow photo. #littlefreelibrary #bookbox #nopo #stjohns #doctorwho #tardis A post shared by Sarah Carter Adams (@sarah.carter.adams) on Feb 21, 2018 at 8:27am PST View this post on Instagram Phone booth turned Little Free Library #littlefreelibrary #literacy #britishphonebooth #england #cotswolds #uk #latergram #englandtrip A post shared by Angela (@angela_j_f) on Feb 21, 2018 at 10:43am PST View this post on Instagram On an afternoon walk and happened upon this cute little neighborhood library!! So I had to borrow a book! #booksofinstagram #booknerds #booklovers #booksonbooks #littlefreelibrary #takeabookreturnabook A post shared by Booksbooksbooks (@booksbymaggs) on Feb 18, 2018 at 2:51pm PST View this post on Instagram The cutest Little Free Library yet! Swipe to see the awesome vintage book I took from it. 📚 #littlefreelibrary #freebooks #addedtoreadinglist A post shared by Sarah H. (@sheiman) on Feb 15, 2018 at 11:41am PST View this post on Instagram Little rustic library. #library #pallets #santamonicacanyon #littlefreelibrary #onlybigger #wishithadcookbooks A post shared by Jaime Goodrich (@jaimegoodrich) on Feb 13, 2018 at 3:03pm PST View this post on Instagram Walked all the way to downtown via Fernwood today, BC Family day holiday here. Crisp but sunny day. Loved this elaborate (not so) Little Free Library by Fernwood square. Also picked up couple books from a different LFL. ä »Å Ã¦â€" ¥Ã£  ¯BC ãÆ'•ã‚ ¡Ã£Æ'ŸãÆ' ªÃ£Æ' ¼Ã£Æ'‡ã‚ ¤Ã£  ¨Ã£ â€žÃ£ â€ Ã§ ¥ Ã¦â€" ¥Ã£â‚¬â€šÃ£ Å Ã¥ ¤ ©Ã¦ °â€"ã‚‚è‰ ¯Ã£ â€žÃ£  ®Ã£  §Fernwoodを通㠁 £Ã£  ¦Ã£Æ'€ã‚ ¦Ã£Æ' ³Ã£â€š ¿Ã£â€š ¦Ã£Æ' ³Ã£  ¾Ã£  §Ã¥ ¤ «Ã£  ¨Ã¦â€¢ £Ã¦ ­ ©Ã£â‚¬â€šÃ¥â€ â„¢Ã§Å"Ÿã  ¯Ã¨ ¶â€¦Ã¥â€¡ Ã£  £Ã£  ¦Ã£â€šâ€¹Ã§â€ž ¡Ã¦â€"™ã  ®Ã¥â€º ³Ã¦â€º ¸Ã§ ® ±Ã£â‚¬â€šÃ¨ ¦ Ã£â€šâ€°Ã£  ªÃ£ â€žÃ¦Å" ¬Ã£â€šâ€™Ã¥â€¹ Ã¦â€°â€¹Ã£  «Ã¥â€¦ ¥Ã£â€šÅ'㠁Ÿã‚Šã€ Ã¥â€¦ ¥Ã£  £Ã£  ¦Ã£â€šâ€¹Ã¦Å" ¬Ã£â€šâ€™Ã¦Å' Ã£  £Ã£  ¦Ã¥ ¸ °Ã£â€šâ€¹Ã¤ ºâ€¹Ã£ Å'å‡ ºÃ¦  ¥Ã£  ¾Ã£ â„¢Ã£â‚¬â€šÃ¤ »Å Ã¦â€" ¥Ã£â€š ²Ã£Æ'Æ'ãÆ'ˆã â€"㠁Ÿã  ®Ã£  ¯Ã¥Å" °Ã¥â€¦Æ'ã‚ ·Ã£â€š §Ã£Æ'•ã  ®Ã¦â€"™ç â€ Ã¦Å" ¬Ã£  ¨Ã¨ © ©Ã£  ®Ã¦Å" ¬Ã£â‚¬â€š #bcfamilyday #familyday #yyj #lfl #littlefreelibrary #fernwood #victoriabc #explorevictoria #dateday #walking #ã‚ «Ã£Æ'ŠãÆ'€ #ã‚ «Ã£Æ'ŠãÆ'ۋÆ'“ã‚ ¯Ã£Æ'ˆãÆ' ªÃ£â€š ¢ #ã‚ «Ã£Æ'ŠãÆ'€ç”Ÿæ ´ » #ãÆ'•ã‚ ¡Ã£Æ'ŸãÆ' ªÃ£Æ' ¼Ã£Æ'‡ãÆ' ¼ #ãÆ'“ã‚ ¯Ã£Æ'ˆãÆ' ªÃ£â€š ¢ #å› ³Ã¦â€º ¸Ã© ¤ ¨ #ç ¥ Ã¦â€" ¥ #ã‚ «Ã£Æ'ŠãÆ'ۋÆ' ©Ã£â€š ¤Ã£Æ'• #æÅ" ¬ #æ µ ·Ã¥ ¤â€"生æ ´ » A post shared by Yukari Peerless㠁 ¯Ã£  ¿Ã£Æ' ©Ã£â€š ¤Ã£Æ' Ã£Æ'Æ'ãÆ'‰ã‚ ­Ã£Æ' £Ã£â€š ¹Ã£Æ'ˆ (@yukaripeerless) on Feb 12, 2018 at 3:13pm PST View this post on Instagram You can find the sweetest little library at Gates Lake. #takeabookleaveabook #littlefreelibrary #gateslake #weekendwandering A post shared by cara (@cara_yu) on Feb 10, 2018 at 5:39pm PST View this post on Instagram An early happy Valentines ⠝ ¤Ã¯ ¸  Day! #littlefreelibrary #coronadoisland A post shared by Nado Little Free Library 📚 (@nadolfl) on Feb 9, 2018 at 3:19pm PST View this post on Instagram Is it just me, or has the weather been ridiculously nice over the past couple of weeks? Get outside with your littles by finding one (or more!) of many free little libraries in neighborhoods near you! Visit our website to find one close by! https://www.findlittleoutings.com/salt-lake-county-outings/little-free-libraries #findlittleoutings #littlefreelibrary A post shared by Find Little Outings (@findlittleoutings) on Feb 8, 2018 at 11:28am PST View this post on Instagram #littlefreelibrary #littlefreelibrary55158 #snoopy#doghouse#snoopylittlefreelibrary A post shared by ChaCha And Ru (@chachalarue_therapydog) on Feb 4, 2018 at 3:33pm PST View this post on Instagram Wishing you a whale of a weekend from our #littlefreelibrary #shakeragalley #takeabookleaveabook #reading ##writing #weekend A post shared by Shake Rag Alley (@shakeragalley) on Jan 26, 2018 at 3:23pm PST View this post on Instagram Another #littlelibrary between Dinglewood #discgolf and #MidtownCoffeeHouse #ColumbusGa #getoutside #parksandrec #littlefreelibrary A post shared by Bethanie Hagues (@bethaniehagues) on Jan 25, 2018 at 2:53pm PST View this post on Instagram I was happy to see a little free library at the @sequoiaparkzoo! #storieseverywhere A post shared by Storyteller John Weaver (@storyteller_john_weaver) on Jan 15, 2018 at 12:53pm PST View this post on Instagram The #HoweLFL in the snow. #HanoverNH #HoweLibrary #littlefreelibrary A post shared by Howe Library (@howelibrary) on Jan 17, 2018 at 1:36pm PST View this post on Instagram Another Little Free Library in my neighborhood, spotted on a walk with a friend. I live near 4, actually. I love how enormous this one is. Also saw the owner repainting it one day so it clearly has pride of place. I definitely fall into the ‘book liberator’ camp if you love a book, set it free and pass it on so I am happy seeing Little Free Libraries around town. #littlefreelibrary #myweekof2017 #rhodereaders A post shared by kc (@rhode_reads) on Dec 28, 2017 at 5:16am PST View this post on Instagram New Year and the @littlefreelibraryonrose received some love! Clean and ready for some new books! Come #leaveabookandtakeabook #littlefreelibrary #littlefreelibraryonrosest #burbank #literacy #readmore #LitteFreeLibrary @littlefreelibrary A post shared by LittleFreeLibraryonRose (@littlefreelibraryonrose) on Jan 7, 2018 at 3:49pm PST View this post on Instagram Another Beautifully crafted design Little Free Library with lights in Whitmore Park had a visit from Book Fairy Regina Book. The Chronicles of Naria: The Last Battle was left inside in celebration of #MiniBookShare day. About the book: During the last days of Narnia, the land faces its fiercest challenge- not an invader from without but an enemy from within. Lies and treachery have taken root, and only the king and a small band of loyal followers can prevent the destruction of all they hold dear in this, the magnificent ending to The Chronicles of Narnia. #thechronicleaofnaria #thelastbattle #cslewis #MiniBookShare #ibelieveinbookfairies #bookfairies #thebookfairies #bookfairy #bookfairiesworldwide #libraries #minilibraries #littlefreelibrary #littlefreelibraries #littlelibraries #library #sharebooks #bookfairiessaskatchewan #bookfairiescanada #bookfairyregina #bookworm #saskatchewan #regina #reginasaskatchewan #bookstagram #mustread #lovereading #bookish #childrenbooks #bookfairi esregina A post shared by The Book Fairies Saskatchewan (@bookfairies_saskatchewan) on Nov 4, 2017 at 5:25pm PDT The next time you stumble upon one of these charming little gems, hopefully you’ll have a better understanding of the motive behind the movement. Curious to know where the Little Free Libraries are around you? Check out the world map of all the Little Free Libraries that have been registered within the system. The Little Free Libraries are made possible by direct donations from individuals and organizations to Little Free Library’s Impact Library Program. If you want to learn more about this program and how you can help bring a little library to your community, check out the Little Free Library website. Looking for an online library complete with full summaries and study guides of great literary works? Check out   where our summaries and analyses are written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers!    *Cover image by Gratisography.com

What does it mean to adhere to a monotheistic theology in Judaism, Essay

What does it mean to adhere to a monotheistic theology in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, other than a basic belief in a unique and singular agent pre-existent and uncreated deity. Compare and contrast - Essay Example Additionally, the differences and similarities in the three religions portray the varied way in which each approach the concept of monotheism as the discussion below portrays. Al the three religions believe in the existence of God, a supernatural being who created the earth and therefore controls all the activities. The three religions contend in the position and role of God. Such is therefore a paramount similarity in the three religions thus upholding the values of monotheism as discussed earlier. The religions present God as the all-knowing and ever present but just and fair being who accords everyone space and time to act independently thus enjoy life on earth. The doctrines of the religions uphold and respect the position of God whose works and manifestations occur at varied levels. Another equally important similarity of the three religions is the existence of canons that detest sin. The religions have holy books that records and outline the position of God thus providing the adherents with a systematic way of interacting with God at varied levels. Christians have a bible while the Muslims have the holy Quran. Such are essential books that outline the relationship between God and humans besides providing the specific religious values. In the three religions, God provide a list of testaments that guide human behavior. Through the commandments, God doe not only influence the interaction among humans but also between humans and Himself. Christianity introduces a concept of the holy trinity. While the religion remains monotheist, it has the position of two other important beings who enjoy God’s glory. He three thus appears as one. The Holy Spirit is part of the holy trinity, this refers to the spirit that guides the adherents of the faith on a daily basis, Jesus Christ is the son of God who came down to earth to share

Summary of what is the right supply chain for your product Essay

Summary of what is the right supply chain for your product - Essay Example For Innovative products, many companies introduce innovation to give customers an added reason to purchase their products. Innovative products give a company higher profit margins, but their demand is very unpredictable, their life cycle is short. Because of their high-profit margins and unstable demand, innovative products necessitate a special supply chain than functional products. Supply chain has two different functions: these include physical and the market mediation function (Fisher, 112). The supply chain physical function includes converting raw materials into parts, components, and transferring all of them from one position in the supply chain to the next position. Market mediation ensures that the variety of products reaching the market matches what the consumers want to buy. The predictable demand of functional demand products makes market mediation simple because it nearly achieves a perfect match between supply and demand. Uncertainty is intrinsic in innovative products, and companies accept that, but companies that grew up in oligopoly with less competition find it more difficult to accept the high levels of uncertainty that exist today in many

The Brick and Mortar Video Rental Industry Essay Example for Free

The Brick and Mortar Video Rental Industry Essay The video rental industry is an ever evolving industry that changes with the economy, evolution of culture, and technology. Due to the changes in general environment surrounding the video rental industry, it can be said that this once lucrative brick and mortar industry has gone through a death and rebirth. New concepts of distribution such as Netflix, Redbox, and cable rentals have hastened the extinction of the weekend drive to the video rental store. Various forces influence the video rental industry as it transitions from a bricks and mortar industry into a more technologically advanced industry. To remain viable the video rental giants must be willing to evolve. Extensive organizational changes are essential in the progression of the video rental industry. By identifying and exploring the changes that need to occur, the changes that have occurred, and by assessing the implications and effectiveness of these changes one can determine the viability off and direction that this lucrative industry must take. For the brick and mortar rental business to stay viable many changes need to occur. Organizational change may be varied in its definition and the amount of change that must occur. The text, Implementing Organizational Change Theory into Practice by Bert Spector states that one example of change might be â€Å"introducing a new business model to meet innovative competitors† (2010, pg. 1). For the former rental industry brick and mortar giants to remain competitive they must make changes and become more cost effective, convenient, technologically advanced, accepting of changes regarding the human implications, and managerially forward thinking. If these changes do not occur the likelihood that the former brick and mortar giants such as Blockbuster, Movie Gallery, and Hollywood Video will be able to compete with the new concepts of distribution such as Netflix, Redbox, and cable rentals is very minimal. Cost effectiveness and convenience are two of the largest forces driving the need for change. The days of four dollar video rentals for three nights is coming to an end. With the need for the average consumer to think in a more cost effective manor the idea of a one dollar per night movie rental at a kiosk in the local grocery store appeals to the consumers need for savings. As consumers find themselves now completely acclimated to a computer and internet age, the sociocultural as well as technological forces become more apparent in the video rental industry. †Americans are watching movies via video subscription services such as Netflix, vending machine services such as Redbox and services that offer movies on demand via cable, satellite and the Internet†(Lieberman, 2010). Through dot com companies like Netflix, the consumer has the option of paying a monthly fee and downloading and watching videos through their children’s gaming systems such as Xbox 360 or Wii system. They also have the option of ordering rentals through their cable or satellite provider. Our culture has become more technologically savvy, but also is very much more convenience driven. Our culture has become enamored with the quick rental fix. These Driving forces behind the changes in the video rental industry have created the reason and the need for change. However, there are human implications such as why consumers want change and the resistance to change that might occur within the organization that must be considered.

Celebrating Chinese New Year in America Essay -- Expository

This world is populated by a variety of races that come from different cultures and different backgrounds. These people differ in many ways. Do you know Chinese in all over the world have something in common? It is the Chinese New Year! Chinese New Year is the most important festival in Chinese culture and it is celebrated once every year. They do not have a specify date for Chinese New Year because the date is set by traditional calendar that was invented in China long time ago. A day before Chinese New Year or known as Chinese New Year eve, family members who is working out of state will go back to their hometown to have a family gathering and a special dinner will be served. There is fifteen days of celebration in the Chinese New Year and each day carries a different meaning. For example, for the first day of Lunar New Year, it is the welcoming of gods from the heaven and earth. According to the elderly, the family members will gain protection from this goddess by worshipping th em. Many Chinese will abstain from meat because they believe that this will ensure long and happy lives for them. Most of the western people do not have a deep understanding of what Chinese New Year is all about. Further more, this is not a common festival that they is celebrated. As a result, it creates a big difference of the surroundings for Chinese New Year. The purpose of writing this research paper is to compare the ways international Chinese students celebrate Chinese New Year in United States of America. I have been in America for 15 months; this is my second year celebrating my Chinese New Year in the states. Since I have been here, I have never enjoyed the Chinese New Year anymore. Things were different here. I still have to attend... ...lso held a party in New Hub. In conclusion, celebrating Chinese New Year in the states is different compare to other Chinese countries. It is difficult for a foreign Chinese student to adapt the different feeling of celebrating Chinese New Year. Chinese students from different counties have different ways to celebrate Chinese New Year. After I had been through a disappointing Chinese New Year for my first celebration in the states, I hope that other students would feel better for their first year in the United States. It helps to reduce the fear for international students of further their studies overseas. This research paper increases the understanding of different celebrations that are held by international students. After talking with students, I wanted to try to create a better Chinese New Year atmosphere next year in Indiana for those new Malaysian students.

Idioms Denoting Parts of Body Essay

1. Introduction It is common knowledge that one of the most important functions of language is to name the world or express human thoughts through a system of concepts. They exist in association in language and make up a giant network with many interconnection and association among the various subparts. A good example of this interconnection involves metaphor. Metaphor is used in the literary or poetic language. It is also widely used in every day conversational language. It is obvious that metaphor is utilized to express ideas sensibly and vividly as it has great expressive power. It is capable of conveying more of the human feeling, emotion or attitude toward what is said rather than the non-metaphorical or direct way of expression. The more developed the society is, the more necessary the need of communication becomes; especially in the process of globalization, the communication has spread beyond the boundary of a country. Together with the development of the society in the era of integration, language has been clearly recognized as a very important tool in communication with many purposes. Language can be used to show one’s feeling, attitude, and evaluation. And through communicating, reading newspapers etc., I realize that people often use words, phrases denoting human body to show their feeling, emotion†¦ In our daily life, we can easily recognize words denoting our body parts used plentifully, not only individual words but also word combinations containing more than one human body part. Regarding to word groups denoting human body parts, their meanings are not the combination of each word’s meaning only, in some cases, their meanings are quite different from the original meaning. Learning of idioms is important, especially for the foreigner learners. Idioms correspond to a valuable vein in English language, so they need for explanation. Idioms are fixed expressions whose meaning cannot be deduced from the meaning of its components. Learners of English must be aware that the meaning cannot be taken as a combination of words which the idiom consist of. Also behaviour of idioms in sentences is different. One cannot understand literally the meaning of an idiom. Sometimes it seems that it has no sense or it is illogical. Idioms cannot be changed; especially one cannot use related words when the idiom is concerned. Many of them cannot be used in passive form. The structure of idioms is extraordinary. That is why learners of English must know that the most important thing is not learning idioms by rote, but learning how to use them. If speaker of English knows a lot of idioms and he can use them in a right context, he will be able to communicate more easily. Idiomatic expressions are phrases which use language in a non-literal way. This is why interpretation of idioms is very hard. Idioms are group of words, phrases that meaning cannot be concluded from the individual words. Every idiom has a deeper, metaphorical meaning. Idioms are very important in life because it is impossible to speak, read, write and listen to English without knowing idiomatic expressions. Native speakers of English feel more comfortable using idiomatic phrases; however, non-native speakers can be frustrated because the true meaning of an idiom is not always clear. One should remember that idioms can be used when every speaker master a language completely. Nowadays, idioms are essential elements that enrich the language. However, one should remember that speech which is overloaded with idioms loses its originality. On the other hand, lack of idioms make that oral or written speech loses much in its expressiveness. A large number of phrases and sentences in the English language are related to body parts. Some of them are descriptive while others, elusive. Their origins are dated from Biblical times to the recent days. Each generation adds new idiomatic expressions which are connected with their culture. The meaning of idiomatic expressions is indefinable. They show that metaphors are very important in our lives and that we do not look at things in the way they are in reality, but rather we perceive them through our understanding and our experience of the world. The present thesis is an attempt at an analysis of English idioms with a body component. Its goal is to study and present the nature of idioms, their connection with culture and context. It is common knowledge that one of the most important   functions of language is to name the world or express human thoughts through a system of concepts. They exist in association in language and make up a giant network with many interconnection and association among the various subparts. A good example of this interconnection involves metaphor. Metaphor is used in the literary or poetic language. It is also widely used in every day conversational language. It is obvious that metaphor is utilized to express ideas sensibly and vividly as it has great expressive power. It is capable of conveying more of the human feeling, emotion or attitude toward what is said rather than the non-metaphorical or direct way of expression. Achilles’ heel= the only vulnerable spot in a person or thing that is otherwise strong; a serious or fatal weakness/ fault After one’s own heart = to like someone because of similar interests An eye for an eye (and a tooth for a tooth)= retaliation/ retribution in kind, a punishment that is as cruel as the crime An eye opener = a surprise; a startling or enlightening experience Armed to the teeth = heavily armed Behind one’s back = when one is not present Blue blood = having the qualities of being of noble birth Can’t put one’s finger on = can’t locate immediately, can’t find the answer Can’t see beyond the end of one’s nose = limited vision concerning decisions of the future Crocodile tears = false tears, pretended grief Face to face/ eyeball-to-eyeball = confronting each other Foul mouth = a user of profanity Hand in hand= in close association Hands are tied = restrained from acting Heart-to-heart = intimate speaking freely and seriously about a private subject I could have bitten my tongue off= sorry you said something In one ear and out the other = does not heed or pay attention It’s in your hands = it is your responsibility On the tip of one’s tongue= at the point of telling or recalling One foot in the grave = old and decrepit Over one’s dead body= against one’s strong opposition Right-hand man= chief assistant To (not) lift a finger= not to help in the slightest degree To be all ears = to listen attentively To be loose–tongued = to talk too much To be up to one’s ears = immersed in, caught in To break someone’s heart = cause great sorrow, disappoint someone To breathe down someone’s neck = to follow someone closely in pursuit, the action of a superior who is looking for something wrong or watching someone very closely To bury one’s head in the sand = to refuse to accept facts To catch one’s breath = to rest to regain normal breathing To cry on someone’s shoulder = to go to someone to talk to about a problem To foam/ froth at the mouth= to be very angry To force one’s hand = make one reveal his plans To get one’s hands on= obtain To get out of hand= become uncontrollable To get through one’s head= to understand or believe To give one’s right arm = make a big sacrifice; give something of great value To give someone a hand= help, assistance To go to one’s head= cause dizziness To have a big mouth= to talk too much To have a sharp tongue= harsh or sarcastic in speech To have an eagle eye= to have an excellent eyesight 1.1 Aim Idiomatic Phrases For the first time the term ‘phraseology’ appeared in 16th century and it meant ‘style’ or ‘vocabulary’. In 18th century it got terminological meaning such as ‘a group of word units’. At the same time in most of European languages ‘phraseology’ meant ‘empty words’. New linguistic branch ‘phraseology’ developed in 20th century, mostly in East Europe. The forerunner of phraseology was Charles. Bally, Swiss linguist. He used the term phraseology when he wrote about different types of word-groups which differ in degree of stability from free word-groups to phraseological units. The study on phraseology was developed by Russian linguists A.A. Shakhmotov and A.D. Polivanov. M. Tarasevitch (1991:448) claims that â€Å"[†¦] linguists became aware of the existence in the language of special larger-than-words units: word-groups consisting of two or more words whose combination is integrated as a un it with a specialized meaning of the whole [†¦]. Russian linguists made an attempt to study various word-groups on a scientific basis. They pointed out the need to establish a new branch of linguistics that would study unusual feature of word-groups. In linguistics, ‘phraseology’ is a term used for describing the context in which a word is used. The term also describes various structural and semantic types of phrases characterized by different degrees of idiomacity in given language. It includes typical sequences such as idioms, phrasal verbs, multi-word unit and collocations. â€Å" Phraseology – the words and phrases used in particular profession or activity or a particular way of putting words together to express something† (Macmillan English Dictionary 2007:1119) Phraseology studies compound meaning of two or more words e.g. like a knife through butter. The meaning of the phrase is different from the words used alone. Phraseology studies why such meanings come in everyday use, and what possibly are the laws governing these word combinations. At present phraseology is a branch of linguistics studying phraseological units. According to M. Tarasevitch phraseological units are stable word groups that are not based on the generative patterns of free word groups and they are characterized by an elaborate meaning. Tarasevitch claims that phraseological unit should have: * Stability of use; * Structural separateness; * Complexity of meaning and * Word-groups are not built on the generative pattern of free word-groups. Stability of use means that phraseological units are language units which are members of a language community. Phraseology is connected with culture and speech community. Structural separateness helps to distinguish praseological units from compound words. Complexity of meaning signifies the non-compositionality of phraseological units, which mean that the meaning of the whole phrase is different from the sum of literal meanings of the words. Each unit is constituted according to its own unique rule, which cannot be predicted. One of three groups of phraseological units is idioms. Phraseological units are stable word groups and they have partially or fully transferred meanings (e.g. kick the bucket). They are lexicalized word group in common use. What is an idiom? â€Å"A group of words whose meaning is different from the meanings of the individual words† (Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary 2000:672) â€Å"An expression established in the usage of a language that is peculiar to itself either in grammatical construction or in having a meaning that cannot be derived as a whole from the conjoined meanings of its elements† (Webster’s Third New International Dictionary 1993:1123) â€Å"[†¦] an idiom is a lexicalized, reproducible word group in common use, which has the syntactic stability, and may carry connotations, but whose meaning cannot be derived from the meanings of its constituents† (Cowie 2001:125) The word ‘idiom’ comes from the Greek root idio, meaning a unique signature. An idiom is an expression, a phrase or a combination of words that has a meaning that is different from a meaning of the individual words. Each language contains expressions which make no sense when they are translated literally into another language. Sometimes idiom can have literal meaning in some situation and different idiomatic meaning in another situation. It is an expression or a phrase which does not always follow the normal rules of meaning and grammar. If somebody (especially a foreigner or a person outside a given culture) does not know that some words convey a meaning that is unrelated to the individual meaning of those words, he may does not understand what someone is saying. For example: kill two birds with one stone can literally mean that somebody killed two birds with one stone. But the idiom has totally different meaning: one resolves two difficulties or matters with a one single action. Many idioms are similar to expressions in other languages, can be easy to understand and its meaning is usually obvious. For instance, black ship of the family in Poland can be easily understood because there is an identical idiom and it can be easily translated. Other idioms come from older phrases which have changed their meaning over time, for example, kick the bucket originally referred to suicide victims standing on inverted buckets, they kick them away and in this way hang themselves, but now it means simply to die. Shelley (1995) suggests that some idioms are slang. â€Å"Slang seems to mean everything that is below the standard of usage of present-day English† (Galperin 1971:96). Galperin cited a definition of slang of â€Å"Webster’s New World Dictionary of the American Language†: â€Å"1. Originally, the specialized vocabulary and idioms of criminals tramps, etc. The purpose of which was to disguise from outsiders the meaning of what was said; now usually called cant. 2. The specialized vocabulary and idioms of those in the same work, way of life, etc.; now usually called shoptalk, argot, jargon. â€Å" (Galperin 1971:96). According to Thomas (1995) idioms are known as clichà ©s. Clichà ©s are expressions that have been used over and over again. They are overused and common expressions. Idioms are perceived as a very interesting part of the language because they are different from simple words and phrases. They make language life and rich because they take existing words and combine them with a new sense and create totally new expressions. â€Å"[†¦] language is a living thing [†¦]. Living things grow and change, so does language.† (Seidl and McMordie 1988:11) English language being flexible enriches its vocabulary with the words invented by language speakers, which makes English more colourful with new idiomatic expressions. Since idioms have unpredictable meaning, structure and collocations, they are linguistic curiosities. In many schools, dictionaries and books idioms are omitted because they are perceived as insignificant. They are rarely used in classrooms. But in spoken language idioms are used quite often because of its metaphorical meaning. According to Seidl and McMordie (1988) the attitude to language is still changing. It is observed in some parts of grammar (case, number and tense), and in style. Some words which were deemed as slang in the past now are considered informal or colloquial. Idioms are not any longer colloquial expressions. They appear in formal style, in poetry and in the language of the Bible. Idioms and culture â€Å"By culture we understand the ability of members of speech community to orientate themselves with respect to social, moral, political and so on values in their empirical and mental experience. Cultural categories [†¦] are conceptualized in the subconscious knowledge of standards, stereotypes, mythologies, rituals, general habits and other cultural patterns†. (Cowie 2001:57) The term idiom refers to a group of words which are usually confusing to people who are not familiar with the language. Nevertheless, many phrases or expressions from natural language are in fact idioms or have idiomatic origin and they have been assimilated into the language. Idioms are often colloquial metaphors. They often combine in their semantics more than one type of cultural information. It means that they require some foundational knowledge, information and experience which are used only within a culture where groups must have common reference. As cultures are localized around some area, idioms are not useful for communication outside of that local context. But there are some idioms that can be more universally used than others, they can be easily translated and their metaphorical meaning can be more easily deduced. Those common idioms have deep roots in many languages, they can be translated in other languages and tend to become international. Idioms are an essential part of English style language study. One cannot say that he know English history, culture and society without understanding the meaning and the roots of English idioms. Each generation has added its new non-literal expressions which are defined by the values, beliefs, traditions, customs and events of the times. If you master idioms you will be on your path to better understanding English culture, customs, society and lifestyle of English people. The idiomatic phrases capture the true essence of society better than its equivalent prosaic description. When one uses idioms among English friends and even business associates, he can create emotional bands that bring him closer to their culture. Mastery of idioms can lead to better understanding of people. Often background information on the origin or popular usage of idioms provides important insight into culture. Different aspects of an idiom Seidl and McMordie (1988) said that idioms are not only colloquial expressions, but they also appear in formal style and in poetry. Idioms often occur in journalism, radio and magazines to make information, stories and articles more interesting. However, idioms are often connected with informal language. The construction of an idiom is strict and for one it can be odd (e.g. not by a long chalk). Sometimes the construction seems to be illogical (e.g. for two pins). This is why learning idioms is not only very difficult task but also very exciting and intriguing. People who do not know certain idioms cannot easily understand the others. Such a phrase would not make sense and one cannot deduce what is actual meaning of the expression. These features causes that idioms have to be learnt as a whole expressions without any changes. Sometimes idioms have alternative forms without any change in their meaning (e.g. to drop a brick and put one’s foot in it mean to say something tactlessly or blue-eyed boy and golden boy – a favoured person). In some cases several verbs can be used in one idiom and the meaning is the same, but sometimes there are slight changes in meaning connected with the verb which it substitutes (e.g. keep/bear someone in mind, come/get to/reach the point). An idiom is natural to native speakers of the language and only people who are possess English very good can use idiomatic expressions in their speech. Idioms have different structures and combinations. They can be short or long, they contain various parts of speech and they are unpredictable, but sometimes one may guess meaning from the context, when the idiom is used in a particular situation. Foreigners know the meaning of the idiom when it is related to the mother tongue of the speaker (e.g. be in seven heaven in Polish its mean być w sià ³dmym niebie). Some idioms are so difficult that one cannot guess the meaning from the context correctly. It is difficult to learn them. Idioms can change their meaning during period of time or simple phrase can transform into idiom and get deeper meaning as it was with kick the bucket. Learners of foreign language have to learn idioms as a single item with their meaning. It is essential to master the rules of their use in sentences. They are strict in their structure and they do not allow the word order to change. A learner must know how to use an idiom in the correct way. Idioms are not separate part of language, but they are very important part of lexicon. Languages contain a large number of idioms and sometimes native speakers use them in the unconscious way. There are many problems with idioms. The main problem is that it is not usually possible to translate them literally. There are exceptions, for instance, take the bull by the horns can be translated literally into Polish as wziąć byka za rogi, which has the same meaning. Mostly, the use of normal rules in order to translate idioms will result in illogical phrases. Idioms have to be treated as single units in translation. There are idioms which are ‘frozen’. It means that an idiom appears in the same form and in the same order (e.g. for good – ‘forever’). But, there is problem with idioms which change the form of the verb, which varies according to tense, person and number. For example, kick the bucket (‘to die’) one gets she kicks/kicked/will kick the bucket. Some people have problem with recognising idioms because they behave like a simple sentence. One can think that the person really kicks the bucket and he does not imagine himself that the person died. The interpretation of idioms for one can be surprising. It is better to recognise idioms which have ‘frozen forms’. Idioms pragmatics and context â€Å"Pragmatics – the study of the way in which language is used to express what somebody really means in particular situations, especially when the actual words used may appear to mean something different.† (Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English 2000:1031). Pragmatics is involved with the comprehension process. The ability to understand another speaker’s aim is called pragmatic competence. It is a linguistic study of the way in which people use language to achieve different goals. Suppose a person wanted to ask someone else to reveal a secret. These could be achieved in the different ways. The person could simply say ‘do not tell a secret, please’ which is direct and with clear meaning. Alternatively the person could say ‘do not spill the beans’, which implies a similar meaning but is indirect and therefore requires pragmatic competence. Idioms play very important role in those studies. Because idioms have general meaning they are rather used to express attitude then give specific information. They are used to express approval or disapproval and admiration or criticism. According to Collins Coubild Dictionary of Idioms (1995) idioms sometimes have connotations and pragmatic meaning which are not always obvious to people who do not know the meaning and then the meaning of the expression can be missed. It may happen that somebody can use an idiom and do not realize that it can be interpreted as critical or disapproving. It can cause wrong reaction of the person they are talking to. Pragmatics is one of the most challenging aspects for language learners to comprehend, and can be learned by experience. The interpretation of what the speaker wanted to say using particular words is often influenced by factors such as listener’s assumption or the context. In pragmatics two contexts can be distinguished: linguistic context (is the set of words that surround the lexical item) and physical context (is the location of given words, the situation in which the word is used, as well as timing, all of them lead to proper understanding of the words). 1.2. Practical Value When we use idioms? According to Seild and McMordie (1988) one should know in which situations it is correct to use idiom and weather an idiom can be used in a formal or an informal situation. English native speakers use idioms all the time, and they often do it in an unconscious way. This means that the communication with them can be very difficult. They use idioms to express something that other words do not express as clearly or as cleverly. Of course choice of words depends on the person who is speaking, on the situation and the place. If people are friends and they are talking in private there is no reason to avoid using idioms, slang or jargon. But, if in the same situation one of speakers is foreigner they should not use idioms until this person will master the language completely. Learning idioms cause a lot of troubles to English learners because they do not know the culture and history behind the idioms. That is way they often use idioms inappropriately. Learners use idiomatic expressions carefully because they are afraid of using them incorrectly. In formal situations, it means when one is talking with a stranger or speaks publicly than one should shun idioms. Using idioms one should know whether an idiom is appropriate in certain situation. When idioms are used judiciously, they can even improve the atmosphere of one’s formal writing and provide more interesting descriptions. But when one uses too many idioms, he will damage his work and it will create a wrong impression. Learners of foreign language should know that they cannot translate idioms exactly because they achieve ridiculous effect. The results of foreigner’s translation may be bewildering to the English native speaker. Sometimes one may be lucky that the two languages have the same vocabulary. It is connected with close relation between language and culture. Idioms can be learnt only by listening to native speakers or reading texts which contains idioms. â€Å"Mastery of idioms comes only slowly, through careful study and observation, through practice and experience.† (Seidl and McMordie 1978:8) Idioms with a body part component Many English idioms are related to external and internal organs of the human body. Body parts idioms contain following aspects: ââ€"  body parts which are connected with senses ââ€"  internal organs ââ€"  limbs and limbs’ elements ââ€"  other body parts Body idioms connected with senses Ear Idioms Ear – is an organ of hearing. It is a part of human auditory system and it is used to listen to the sounds. Ear idioms have both positive and negative meaning. Half of them are positively loaded; the other part is negatively loaded. Eye idioms Eye – is an organ of vision. According to Macmillan dictionary (2007) eye is one of two body parts used for seeing. Most of the idioms are positively loaded. Nose idioms Nose – it is a part of people’s face that is used for smelling and breathing. Half of nose idioms have a positive meaning the other half have a negative meaning. Skin idioms According to Mcmillan English dictionary (2007) skin is the external layer of human’s and animal’s body. Skin also enables feeling. Body idioms connected with limbs and limbs’ elements Arm idioms Arm – is an upper limb of human body with your hands at the end. Six arm idioms have a positive meaning, one is rather neutral and the others have a negative meaning. Shoulder idioms Shoulder – it is one of two parts of the body between one’s neck and the top of one’s arms. Hand idioms In dictionaries there are many different uses of word ‘hand’. As a body part ‘hand’ is at the end of each arm that people use for picking up and holding things, but it is also used for moving and touching things. Hand provides a good source for metonymic extensions and hand-based idioms convey both positive and negative meanings. That said, a hand that takes does not give, your hand and not the charity of others, someone’s hand outruns his/her tongue (speech), someone’s hand and strike, someone with a long hand, someone’s hand on his/her heart, someone with an empty hand, someone with a loose hand, someone with a short hand, someone with a dry hand, someone dug his/her grave by hand, someone withdrew his/her hand from someone/ something, soften your hand (imperative), as left by your hand, no power in hand, putting one’s hand in another’s throat and nobody hit him/her on the hand are all instances of hand based idioms that express negative meanings. Finger idioms Fingers are the long, thin parts at the end of human’s hands. Half of the finger idioms have a positive meaning and the other part is negative. Leg idioms Leg – is a lower limb of human body with your foot at the end. Bigger parts of leg idioms have negative meaning (5), one is neutral and the rest are positive. Foot idioms Foot – the part of your body that is at the end of the leg on which a human or an animal stands. Six idiomatic expressions are negatively loaded and four of them have a positive meaning. Toe idioms Toe is the one of the individual parts at the end of human’s foot. Only one idiom (be/keep on one’s toes) have a positive meaning, one is neutral (from top to toes) and the rest are negatively loaded. Internal idioms Heart idioms Heart is the organ in human’s chest that makes blood flow around the body. The term refers to our feelings and emotions in reference to people’s character. Heart is considered as the most important and influential part of human body. It is the place where people’s deepest emotions come from. It is believed that heart controls emotions and it is used to talk about love and happiness. This is why, the most of idioms are positively loaded. 80% of heart idioms contain the word ‘heart’ in Polish and 20% of idioms are not related to heart or feelings. Bone idioms Bone is one of the hard parts that form a fame inside the human’s or animal’s body. Bone function is to move and protect the internal organs of the body. Bones create the skeleton. This is why they used to represent death. Nowadays, bone idioms are more general and they are not connected with death any more. Most of them (six) have a negative meaning, three are positively loaded and one is neutral. Tongue idioms Tongue is the organ in your mouth. It is a long piece of flesh fixed to the bottom of human’s or animal’s mouth. People use it for tasting and speaking. Tongue, mostly is use to talk but it also stands for a style of expression, a particular way of speaking and writing. Almost all tongue idioms have a negative meaning, which is surprising. It is the first body part which is so negatively loaded. None of idioms have a clear positive meaning. Only one is neutral: have something on the tip of one’s tongue. Other body parts idioms Head idioms Head is the top part of human’s or animal’s body that has brain, eyes, mouth and nose. Head can also stand for mind and thought. It is often connected with reason, thoughts or memories. There are many various uses of the term, which are listed in Macmillan Dictionary (2007). Six head idioms have a positive meaning and four of them are negatively loaded. Head provides an essential source domain for characterizing people human states and behavior. The implicit meanings of head-based idioms are predominantly negative. This being the case, someone’s head getting big – which is equivalent to the English swollen-headed – is used rhetorically as a metonymy to stand for someone who is arrogant, whereas someone with a big head refers metonymically to any knowledgeable person (scientist, engineer or professor) who is most appreciated by others, or to any person in power (minister, prime minister, or university president) who has mastery over issues others do not. Someone with a heavy head, which is equivalent to the English sleepy head, symbolizes a person who is less likely to wake up early and almost misses the clock alarm. Other idioms which also implicate negative meanings include someone’s got dry or solid head, which is a metonymy for the attribute of stubbornness and which is parallel to the English hard-headed, and someone’s head and pillow, which symbolizes loneliness (unmarried or friendless person) and metonymically stands for anybody who need not look after anyone except him/herself. When someone constructed roads in my head – which is equivalent to the English drilling a hole in someone’s head – is said by someone, then the speaker is complaining that he/she is tormented by someone pertinacious, one who is persistently nagging and over-enquiring about something in a very unpleasant manner. Face idioms The conventional pragmatic implications of the idioms could also be either positive or negative. Instances of metonymic face-based idioms of negative implications which are of frequent use include someone has been eating my face, someone should not be given face, someone with a bloodless face, someone slept on his/her face = someone slept on belly, and someone’s face stops the livelihood. Someone has been eating my face is a metonymic expression used to stand for someone who relentlessly asks about something and insists on his request. This idiom is also used to stand for creditors who insist on their request and seek to recover debt from debtors. Someone should not be given face is also a metonymy for a meddling person and this idiom is used as advice not to establish a relationship with any such type of people. There are some people who are intrusive overbearing in a very intolerable way, and if someone shows them a good welcome and smile in their faces once, they are encouraged to come back and hope to get more and more, and ask someone at every opportunity to give them what they want. If someone forgives and disregards an intrusive person’s mistakes, then the apologizer might go too far and keep insulting and hurting the apologize unless the apologizer is stopped from doing so. Further, there are some disturbing people who overstay their welcomes, in that if respected and welcomed in someone’s home or workplace, they come to visit someone every day in order for the host to undertake the duty of hospitality. For all these possible reasons, some people might use the metonymical idiom of someone should not be given face. Someone with a bloodless face is a metonymic expression that symbolizes rude and shameless people who are likely to speak in a way that may be hurtful and offensive to others; people who do not care whether they are right or not due to over brazenness and lack of modesty and understanding. The metonymical idiom of someone slept on his/her face is normally used to describe someone who slept worried or slept because of the severity of fatigue. Finally, the expression someone’s face stops the livelihood is used to describe pessimistic people who are likely to get someone down. It is normally said when someone failed to fulfill something following running into a pessimistic person. Metonymical face-based idioms of positive implications are relatively few and they include you can see your face in it and your face and not the moonlight. The former is used as a metonymy to signify anything tremendously clean such as car, door, floor, etc. It is so clean that one can see one’s face in it as if it were a mirror. The latter is said while addressing the beloved person and used to express the longing and welcome to the beloved person after a long absence. Also, someone with white face is a metonymy for a peaceful person who is innocent of some charges blamed on him/her accidently. Back idioms Back is the body part that is opposite side to people’s chest, it is between the neck and the top of legs. Half of back idioms are positive and the other half has a negative meaning. 2. Calculation Idioms are one of the most difficult parts of the vocabulary of any language because they have unpredictable meanings or collocations and grammar. One of the main difficulties for learners is deciding in which situation it is correct to use an idiom, i.e. the level of style (neutral, informal, slang, taboo, etc. idioms). Learners of English may also have difficulty deciding whether an idiom is natural or appropriate in a certain situation. It is extremely unwise to translate idioms into or from one’s native language. One may be lucky that the two languages have the same form and vocabulary, but in most cases the result will be utterly bewildering to the English native speaker – and possibly highly amusing. (Seidl 1988) Today’s English has a general tendency towards a more idiomatic usage. Even educated usage has become more tolerant, so the use of idiomatic expressions increased in frequency. Idioms are, in a very broad sense, metaphorical rather than literal: they are effectively metaphors that have become ‘fixed’ in language. In some cases, it is fairly easy to see how the idiomatic meaning relates to the literal meaning, in other cases, the literal meaning may make no sense at all. The primary goal of this study was to investigate the positive and negative pragmatic implications of body-based idioms that are enhanced by metonymy. It was found that metonymical idioms that include lexis for head, face, eye, hand, tongue, and leg predominantly implicate negative meanings. Also, whereas metonymy-enhanced idioms that include body parts such as hair, nose, tongue, teeth, back, skin and blood were found to be expressing positive and negative meanings almost equally, metonymical idioms that are based on mouth and neck were found to be conveying positive meaning only. It might be possible to argue that the use of the majority of body-based idioms is enhanced by the need to be polite. Having said that, we could say that the use to which these idioms are established and maintained is to protect the speaker’s and/or the addressee’s face. Idioms in general and those examined in this study in particular are all examples of indirect communication of opinions, human states and behaviour. Almost every body idiom is related to human being, to its behaviour, qualities and everyday life. Understanding of the metaphorical meaning of idiomatic phrases is related to everyday experience and the world around us. It causes that metaphors are very important in people’s lives. This is whyone should know idioms especially when he is learning language. Metaphors are part of the language. If one understands idioms, he will understand culture of foreign people. 3. Some Examples All ears If you are all ears, you are very interested and ready to listen to what another person wants to tell you. Tell me what happened – I’m all ears. All in your head If something is all in your head, you have imagined it and it is not real. Stop thinking that everybody hates you. It’s all in your head. Cost somebody an arm and a leg If something costs an arm and a leg, it is very expensive. This television set cost me an arm and leg. It wasn’t cheap at all. Armed to the teeth A person who is armed to the teeth is using or carrying a lot of weapons. The enemy soldiers were armed to the teeth. It was impossible to defeat them. At each other’s throats If two people are at each other’s throats, they are arguing in an angry way. It looks like they are at each other’s throatsagain. They just can’t agree on anything. Have the guts If you have the guts to do something, you are brave enough to do it. He has the guts to express his opinions in public. Hit a nerve If you hit a nerve, you upset someone by talking about an uncomfortable topic. I think you really hit a nerve when you mentioned her divorce. Pain in the neck If someone or something is a pain in the neck, he/she/it is very annoying. Angela is a real pain in the neck. She annoys just about everyone she meets. Pick someone’s brains If you pick someone’s brains, you ask the person for advice, suggestions and information. I need some ideas. Can I pick your brains? Play it by ear If you play something by ear, you deal with a situation as it develops rather than according to any plan. We don’t have a plan. We’ll just have to play it by ear. Pull someone’s leg If you pull someone’s leg, you make someone believe something that is not true, usually as a joke. Don’t take her seriously. She’s just pulling your leg. Put your foot down If you put your foot down, you stop something from happening by using your authority. She was out of control but her parents finally decided to put their foot down. 4. References 1. Courtney, R., Longman Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs, Essex England: Longman Group UK Ltd, 1994; 2. Gibbs, Raymond W. (1994): The Poetics of Mind: Figurative Thought, Language, and Under-standing. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 3. Gibbs, Raymond W. & Berg, E. (1999): Embodied metaphor and perceptual symbols. Behavioral and Brain Sciences 22, 4. Gibbs, Raymond W., Lima, Paula & Francuzo, Edson (2004): Metaphor is grounded in embodied experience. Journal of Pragmatics 36, 5. Gibbs, Raymond W. & Wilson, Nicole L. (2002): Bodily Action and Metaphorical Meaning. 6. Goossens, Louis (1990): Metaphtonymy: The interaction of metaphor and metonymy in 7. expressions for linguistic action. Cognitive Linguistics1, 8. Halliday, Michael A.K. (1985): An Introduction to Functional Grammar. London: Edward Arnold. 9. Hansen, Gyde (2005): Experience and Emotion in Empirical Translation Research with 10. Think-Aloud and Retrospection. Meta 50, 11. Flavell, L. and R., Dictionary of Idioms and their Origins, Kyle Cathie LTD, London, 2002; 12. Manser, M., Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins, London: Sphere Books Ltd., 1990; 13. Rogers, J., The Dictionary of Clichà ©s, New Jersey: Wings Books, 1994; 14. Seidl, J., English Idioms, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988; 15. Warren, H., Oxford Learner’s Dictionary of English Idioms, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994; 16. ***, The COBUILD Dictionary of Idioms, London, Harper Collins Publishers, 1995 17. ***, The Longman Dictionary of English Idioms, Longman Group UK Ltd., 1979; 18. ***, The Oxford Dictionary of Idioms, New York, Oxford University Press Inc., 1999; 19. ***, The Penguin Dictionary of English Idioms, Penguin Books Ltd., 1994; 20. ***, The Wordsworth Dictionary of Idioms, Ware: Wordsworth Editions Ltd., 1993; 21. ***, The Wordsworth Dictionary of Phrase & Fable, Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Editions Ltd., 1993.

Managing in a Global Economy Essay

Hollister Co. is an American lifestyle brand by Abercrombie & Fitch Co. The company was launched by July, 2000. It is headquarter at New Albany, Ohio. Till 2012, Hollister already has 571 stores in the world [Appendix 1]. Like its parent company, Hollister sells casual apparel which include knit layers, tanks , graphic tees, polo shirt, plaid, classic, sweaters, hoodies, outwear, jeans, pants & shorts, skirts, dresses, sweatpants, and yoga; and the accessories which include totes, belts, socks, and fragrance. The concept was originally designed to attract consumers aged 14–18, at a lower price than the parent brand through its California-style inspired image and casual wear. Goods are available in-store and through the company’s online store. It was ranked as the second most preferred clothing brand of US teens on a long list of actual West Coast companies in 2008 by Piper Jaffray. (Hollister official website, 2012) According to Abercrombie & Fitch’s latest 10-k form, Hollister’s net sales in 2011 and 2010 are $2,022,002,000 and $1,552,814,000, separately. There is 30% increase of net sales from 2010 to 2011. Based on the data, we can figure out that Hollister’s net sales are almost two times to its parent company. Foreign Markets Expanding Motivation The motivations for Hollister to expand in foreign markets will be defined as two categories. First of all, Abercrombie & Fitch wants to get rid of its lower sales in U.S market and earn profit from outside expansion. Abercrombie began to launch its expansion plan outside the USA since 2007, driven at least in part by a weakening of its domestic market. For the quarter ended July 28, Abercrombie reported a profit was dropped by nearly 52%. According to media reports, more than 135 of its American stores have been closed since 2010 and there will be 180 closures in the following year. However, based on Abercrombie & Fitch’s 10-k form, the net sales of international stores are increased steadily. The company therefore has high hopes for the European and Asian markets, where its expansion is being pushed forward. (WSJ, 2012) Hollister, as one of its subsidiaries, plays a crucial role in the expansion plan because it has good performance with higher net sales and large numbers of shop. Another reason for Abercrombie & Fitch is Asia apparel market is keep growing. Asia’s fashion and apparel market will continue to grow at a healthy clip through 2011-2015. The reason why we focus on Asia area is because as forecast last year, clothing demand in Asia is higher than the demand in Western Europe and North America in 2011 [Appendix 2]. â€Å"Many economists predict that demand will be driven by rising personal disposable income levels and an increased focus on fashion apparel, especially in the main cities.† Said by Carrie Yu. As we known, many foreign apparel brands are already present in Asia, and they will spread steadily. Here we have a figure to show the market demand growth in different Asia countries [Appendix 3]. After analysis the data and GDP per person at purchasing-power parity [Appendix 4], we choose three countries-Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong-that are good for Hollister to expand in. Three Study Countries: Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong Japan Our first choice is Japan. Here we have two reasons to support our idea. First of all, it goes without saying that Japan is one of the most potential countries in Asia. For years, Japan has been Asia’s richest and most powerful economy. It was the first Asian economy to industrialize, and the emerging Asian tigers—Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea. There are three advantages for Japan to become a good expansion country. Firstly, the economy of Japan is the third largest national economy in the world after the United States and the People’s Republic of China and is the world’s second largest developed economy (Oced library, 2010). According to the International Monetary Fund, the country’s per capita GDP was at $34,739 or the 25th highest in 2011. Besides, according to Wipo resources, Japan is the world’s 3rd largest automobile manufacturing country, has the largest electronics goods industry, and is often ranked among the world’s most innovative countries leading several measures of global patent filings. Summing up all these data, we can figure out that Japan is a growing market. Strength The strength for Japan is it got the high purchasing power. According to Appendix 5, the GNI of Japan is 45180 US dollar in 2011, while GNI of US is 48450. However, it doesn’t mean that the purchasing power of Japanese is lower than America citizen. The consumer spending is enormously high in Japan. Spending is an important role of consumers. Consumer spending plays a significantly economic factor since it usually coincides with the overall consumer confidence in a nation’s economy. High consumer confidence indicators usually relate to higher levels of consumer spending in the economic market. Consumer confidence provides governments and businesses with an analysis on consumer perception. (EconomicsHelp, 2011) From CIA factbook, we can figure out that Japanese is the third country which got higher purchasing power parity toward to Asia area, besides China and India. Moreover, The Japanese are very loyal to foreign prestigious fashion brands such as Louis Vuitton and Gucci. The sales of these companies have been growing steadily with support from young consumers. As a subsidiary of Abercrombie &Fitch, Hollister must play a leading role in fashion trends if we focus on marketing promotion. Weakness The main weakness for Japan divided by two parts. Obviously, the first weakness is the unpredicted geography phenomenon. Everybody knows that Japanese business have got a tough time by tsunami and earthquake in recently years. These two disasters are having large negative economic effects on Japan since it is a major role in global supply chain and as a producer of final products. Based on this fact, we think Japan is not a good place to set up facility in order to produce clothes. Second of all, According to Reuters (2011), Japan’s new government faces a dilemma over how to keep its campaign promises while reining in huge debt, a fragile economy that could slip back into recession, and strains in ties with close security ally the United States. Thusly, we think Japan will not be an appropriate country because it got unstable political risk. Opportunity No doubly that Japan is the core of fashion in Asia area. It is famous by its creativity and design toward to the whole world. As a result, as an apparel company, Japanese market has potential opportunity to be entered. According to Japanese fashion market report (2011), here we have two advantages to prove that Japan is a country full of fashion. 1. Japan is a critical fashionable country because it holds many fashion events annually. Thusly, Japanese consumers are sensitive to trend cycles in the international fashion market because there are so many brands enter into Japan market every year. 2. They are significantly influenced by Fashion Magazines. Although technology is developed these years, magazine is still playing an important role in Japanese teenagers’ life, like Mina, Rays, Vivi and etc. So if Hollister invest in Japan, focusing on magazine will be a good choice for this company when they doing marketing promotion. Threat Everything has two sides. Since Japanese fashion market is full of opportunity, it is also highly competitive. According to Imported Luxury Brands Market in Japan: Key Research Findings 2011, imported luxury brands market in 2010 is estimated at 831.4 billion yen, 92.9 % of the size in previous year. This data means that there are many companies already in the market. The number of competitors in Japan is huge. According to Appendix 6, 24% market is owned by US brands. After doing research, we known that Hollister’s main competitors, Gap and American eagle outfitters, have already entered Japanese market. What’s more, even though they are owned by the same company, Abercrombie & Fitch, probably another biggest competitor, entered Japanese market since 2009. [Appendix 7] In a conclusion, although Japan got higher purchasing power and fashion opportunity, it is still not an appropriate country to be entered because of the political risk and high competition. Singapore Singapore is located in southeastern Asia at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula; the city-state of Singapore consists of a main island and some 60 islets. The country has a population of 4,740,737 in which the capital and major cities occupy 3,654,103 people according to the data last year. Although the country seems not as large as many other countries, Singapore’s gross domestic product was $326.8 billion and its per capita GDP of 61,103.36 US dollars in 2011 estimates is comparable to that of leading Western European nations, and its high standard of living and strong trading links have secured its position as one of ASEAN’s leaders (Global Road Warrior, 2012). Strengths 1) Outstanding tax system.When Japan cuts its corporate tax rate this Sunday, the U.S. will have world’s highest tax rate on business income. The following chart has shown the data. (Figure Source: Isidore (2012), CNNMoney) However, Singapore’s corporate income tax rate is low which in a flat of 17% since 2010. It is often cited as the leading example of countries to reduce corporate income tax rates and introduce various tax incentives to attract and keep global investments. Since January 1, 2003, Singapore has adopted a single-tier corporate income tax system, which means there is no double-taxation for stakeholders. Tax paid by a company on its chargeable income is the final tax and all dividends paid by a company to its shareholders are exempt from further taxation (Janus, 2012). Two of Singapore’s unique advantages are its low effective personal and corporate tax rates. Personal income tax has a tier system that starts from just 0% and goes up to 20% for income above $320,000. Similarly, effective corporate tax rate for Singapore private limited companies for profits up to $300, 000 is 8.5% and capped at a flat rate of 17% for profits above $300, 000 (Janus, 2012). What’s more, there are no dividend or capital gains taxes in Singapore. 2) High purchasing power.The GDP per Capita, in Singapore, when adjusted by Purchasing Power Parity is equivalent to 278 percent of the world’s average. Consumer Spending in Singapore increased to 27,485.40 in May of 2012 from 27,467.20 in February of 2012. Historically, from 1975 until 2012, Singapore Consumer Spending averaged 12,752.67 reaching an all time high of 27,485.40 in May of 2012 and a record low of 3,553.90 in February of 1975 (Trading Economics, 2012). 3) Exchange rate & Labor cost.The USDSGD spot exchange rate depreciated 0.0194 or 1.56 percent during the last 30 days. According to Janus (2012), The Singapore dollar has been consistently appreciating against major currencies. It also got about $260 billion based on average exchange rates or $252 billion based on year-end currency rates last year. Historically, from 1980 until 2012, Singapore Labor Costs averaged 96.00 reaching an all time high of 129.93 in February of 2009 and a record low of 57.37 in May of 1980. These data are all lower than Hong Kong and Japan’s (Trading Economics, 2012). 4) Political stability.Singapore is rated No.1 as the most politically stable country in Asia (Janus, 2012). 5) English is main language.Singapore has a 10-year compulsory education program commencing at the age of 7 years. English is the first language and the medium of instruction in schools (Global Road Warrior, 2012). This means almost 100 percent of People in Singapore speak and understand English well, which would bring much easier communication for Hollister to enter into the country, especially to the communication within the management level of Singaporean while doing business. 6) Quick and easy registration. It only takes about 1-2 days to incorporate a company in Singapore, with the government providing assistance along the way (Janus, 2012). As the easiest place to do business in the world, Singapore company registration is a quick and easy process, which involves just two procedures that can be completed online within 24 hours for a retail outlet. A Singapore subsidiary can be wholly owned by a foreign company and is considered a separate legal entity from the parent company. Also, a Singapore subsidiary is generally treated as a local resident company and therefore is entitled to tax benefits available to local companies (Janus, 2012). Weakness 1) If you want to set up a limited liability company (LLC), there are two conditions that are required: it must have two agents acting on its behalf in the country; and one of them must be a Singapore resident, a native Singaporean, or someone who has a Singapore employment pass. 2) Singapore is among the most expensive in the world, as the cost of living here is very high. 3) Hollister has to hire Singapore resident and qualified Singapore auditors to do the business accountings to work with government. Opportunities 1) Singapore is one of the world’s famous shopping paradises. Its central business district has a lot of upscale shopping square: from the latest fashion clothes, jewelry, watches, perfume, cosmetics to the sports goods and daily necessities etc. Singapore’s retail sector has done well in 2010 and well into this year on the back of the tourism sector’s robust performance and in spite of a slowing economy in recent months. According to the latest retail sales index released by the Singapore Department of Statistics, Singapore’s retail sales excluding automobiles increased 7.4% year-on-year in August 2011(Janus, 2012). Hollister, as the subsidiary brand under Abercrombie & Fitch, has very large opportunity to get benefits from opening retail stores in the country. 2) Singapore is also ranked the No. 1 in tourism so there is the potential to do business. Threats Fashion is a highly competitive industry worldwide, but Asia stands out for its stylish and practical design. Although Hollister is also a very famous American brand under A&F, it still faces strong competition from Asiatic fashion. Since Singapore emerges as global fashion apparel hub with large amounts of upscale shopping squares, the opportunity to open shops in this fashionable country could also become a big threat. Hong Kong Hong Kong is a Chinese special administrative region situated in eastern Asia, with a 455-mile coastline on the South China Sea and a 19-mile border with China. Hong Kong’s population is 95 percent Chinese, with the majority coming from neighboring Guangdong province or within Hong Kong itself. The population was about 7,122,508 in 2011. Cantonese and English are the two official languages. Hong Kong’s free-market economy was vulnerable to the global economic crisis of 2008, but its increasing integration with China helped it to quickly recover (Global Road Warrior, 2012). The GDP in Hong Kong was worth 243.67 billion US dollars in 2011, which roughly equivalent to 0.39 percent of the world economy (Trading Economics, 2012). Strengths 1) Well located.Hong Kong is located at the heart of Asia, alongside many of the region’s most exciting business market such as Guangzhou, Taipei, Manila, and Bangkok etc. And it is the gateway to Mainland China. 2) Free trade port.Easy government policies for foreign fashion brands. Hong Kong is known for its free port status and easy customs procedures. Duty is paid on very few products. 3) Tax-friendly economies.Hong Kong’s profit tax is capped at 16.5 percent according to the 2011 study, and there are no capital gains and dividends taxes (InvestHK, 2012). Weakness 1) Most of good locations have already occupied by large local fashion chains or early entering foreign fashion brands. 2) After the global financial crisis in 2008, the economies of Hong Kong still need to recover. 3) Hong Kong has the lowest GDP in 2011 compared to Singapore and Japan. Opportunities 1) There are large fashion-hungry population in the Hong Kong market, especially many people from Mainland China love to go shopping in Hong Kong. 2) Some foreign retailers are successful in the Hong Kong retail market. In addition, Abercrombie & Fitch was prepared entering into the country, which would in a sense lay a good foundation to its subsidiary, Hollister. Threats 1) Competition with Many local fashion brands, such as GIORDANO, BALENO, Bossini, Esprit and so on. And what is worsening is that these local brands all offer very cheap prices. 2) Many other foreign fashion competitors: Hong Kong shopping malls are creating space for Swedish brand Monki and U.S brands Gap, Forever 21 and American eagle. Others like H&M, Zara, Mango and Japanese brand Uniqlo have already established outlets in the city (Thondup and Tsang, n.d.). After reviewing the strength, weakness, opportunity, and weakness in the three countries, we chose to expand business into Singapore. We strongly recommend Hollister Co. to invest in Singapore where is a stable and strong economic, and a low risk country in political change. Singapore Marketing Singapore is an island country. The land area is 714.3 Square kilometers. The population in 2011 is 5,260,000. The population density in 2011 is 7,257 per Square kilometers. Shenton Way is the fourth largest financial center, the adjacent Keppel port is one of the world’s busiest ports. According to Singapore’s economic structure, the manufacturing sector accounted for 25%, the construction industry accounted for 5%, wholesale and retail trade accounted for 16%, transportation and telecommunications accounted for 11%, the financial services industry accounted for 12%, business services accounted for 12%, the hotel and catering industry accounts for 3%, the other accounts for 16%. Due to it is a small country, shopping is considered a kind of sport in Singapore. The government draw up a lot of plans on developing their shopping market. For one thing, many shopping malls almost per square mile are located in Singapore. Orchard Road, one of the famous shopping streets, is a 2.2 km long street and it is a retail and entertainment centre in Singapore. Orchard Road also contains a large number of high-end restaurants, coffee chain, nightclubs and hotels. There are many famous building and variety of retail store as well as there is large number of luxurious products with well-known brand. There’s practically a shopping sale of sorts all year round in Singapore, with the most notable one being the Great Singapore Sale. On the other hand, it’s a year-round shopping paradise. You only need to take a walk down Singapore’s iconic shopping districts to find out what’s in store for you. The best time to visit is during its annual eight-week Great Singapore Sale, when all kinds of discounts and deals pop up island-wide from late May through July. Great Singapore Sale 2012 will be held for 8 weeks from Friday, 25 May 2012 to Sunday, 22 July 2012. The Great Singapore Sale 2012 has been timed to coincide with the peak travel seasons to enable visitors to enjoy the fantastic deals all around. During the Great Singapore Sale 2012, you can enjoy up to 70% discount for everything on sale, anywhere in Singapore. From posh shopping centres in Marina Bay and Orchard to small stores in the suburbs, you will find fabulous deals for clothes, gadgets, beauty treatments, spa, attractions, and even food! (Great Singapore Sale, 2012) Furthermore, Singapore set large variety shopping malls to meet the different requirement of various groups. The ethnic shopping enclaves in Singapore include Little India and Chinatown – both are tourist attractions in their own right, steeped in ethnic colors and flavors. (Singapore Shopping Madness, Yong Shu Hoong) For instance, Chinatown mainly offers authentic Chinese products including tea, herbs, medicines, foodstuffs, silks, cheongsams, handicrafts, household items and antiques. Finally, Singapore duty free shopping prices at all three terminals are competitive with most places in Asia. The slippery greenback means rates are fluctuating constantly. Pick up a 50ml Dior j’adore eau de toilette for around S$96 (US$76), Chanel Alure EDP 50ml at S$112 (US$89). (Singapore Shopping Madness, Yong Shu Hoong) Human Resource Management ââ€"†Human Resources Management Practice Due to the explosive growth of the Asian economies over the past two decades, considerable attention has been focused on the human resource management (HRM) practices of Asian businesses. Cultural diversity of workforce in modern business organizations against the backdrop of globalization has attracted the attention of many researchers and analysts. By the 21st century, Singapore has developed into advanced and high-income economies, specializing in areas of competitive advantage. As one of the four little dragons in Asia, Singapore can be an interesting subject to study and it is also important for MNCs to understand Singapore’s advantages and disadvantages of its human resources management practice. Hollister Co. is an American lifestyle brand by A&F Corporation. The concept was at a lower price point than the parent brand through its SoCal-inspired image and casual wear. Hollister Co. could take some advantages of Singapore’s human resources management practice to expand its business in Singapore. According to a demographic survey, as of 2011, the population of Singapore is 5.18 million people, of whom 3.25 million (63%) are citizens while the rest (37%) are permanent residents or foreign workers. The government is considering capping these workers, although it is recognized that they are crucial to the country’s economy, as foreign workers make up 80% of the construction industry and up to 50% in the service industry. (Building and Construction Authority, April 2011) Singapore is a multicultural country with a majority population of Chinese (74 percent), with substantial Malay (13 percent) and Indian minorities (9.2 percent). The country has four official languages consisting of Mandarin, Malay, Tamil and English. English is the main working language and is the mandatory first language in all schools in Singapore. Most Singapore’s Chinese derived from southern China, especially in Fujian, Guangdong and Hainan, of which 40 percent is Fujian, the followed is Chaoshan, Cantonese, Hakka, Hainan and Fuzhou. To developing human resource management practice for Hollister Co., we should understand Singapore’s basic Human Resource Management (HRM). Hollister Co. is categorized as a service business while Singapore is a country which workforces are highly related to services sectors. In addition, considering the features of Singapore’s location, demography and other fields, its human resources is consisted of Western and Asian features. We will focus on Singapore’s HRM style and features of workforces to develop the human resources management practice for Hollister. ââ€"†Human Resources Management Style â€Å"Leadership and the Workforce in Singapore† is a survey that evaluated by the Singapore Human Resources Institute. Data were obtained from 192 respondents who were engaged in a wide variety of Singaporean industries. A total of 68 per cent of the respondents are HRM practitioners. Many of the respondents are supervisors reporting to senior management such as CEOs and managing directors. (Chart 1) All the data shows that globalization has had its impact on Singapore in a much more pronounced way. Singapore has been reputed for very advanced HRM practices both at the national and the international levels. In addition, Singapore has been especially known for its international HRM practices in a small city state. On the other hand, Singapore didn’t focus on manufacturing; it is a city state with a greater focus on financial services and other services instead, such as banking and insurance. Moreover, Singapore has a similar diversity culture of shopping centers manned by equally culturally diverse workforce. (Malikanrs, 2010) Singaporean enhances on performance record and job experiences, appropriate training and seniority when considering promoting its employees. Singapore has no set patterns of recruitment for either the entry level or middle level positions due to affecting by the Western model. However, Hofstede (1984) found that the national culture of Singapore is high in power distance. In high power distance cultures, superiors and subordinates treat each other as unequal. Singapore is also called a â€Å"nanny state’ in which people are supposed to do exactly what they are told. The mixed unique feature of national culture therefore makes Singapore’s HRM practices more complicated. ââ€"†Hiring and Retention The unemployment rate in Singapore was last reported at 2 percent in the second quarter of 2012. Historically, from 1992 until 2012, Singapore Unemployment Rate averaged 2.4 Percent reaching an all time high of 4.8 Percent in September of 2003 and a record low of 1.3 Percent in September of 1997. The employment rate for older residents made good progress. A record 61.2% of residents aged 55 to 64 were working in 2011, up from 59.0% a year ago. The employment rate for both males (from 75.0% to 76.4%) and females (from 43.4% to 46.3%) in this age group rose to new highs in 2011. Singapore’s workforce is inherently diverse due to their multi-racial community. Employees from different generations, gender, nationalities and cultures often work together in the same organization. It is therefore important for organizations to put in place policies and practices to build an inclusive and harmonious workplace. A diverse workforce that is well-managed can bring about better business per formance and higher employee engagement. ââ€"†Training and Advancement The improvement in educational profile of older residents was another contributing factor as the better educated were more likely to participate in the labor market than those less educated. The educational profile of the labor force continued to improve, as the better educated younger residents enter the labor force and the relatively less educated older cohorts retire progressively. The share of degree holders in the labor force almost doubled from 15% in 1999 to 28% in 2010. Conversely, the lower educated labor force from 36% to 22% over the same period. (Chart 2) ââ€"†Compensation Chart 3, 4, and 5 in appendix show the average salary, turnover rate, and worked hours of Singaporeans. The average salary for Singaporean to work 46.3 hours per week is around Singapore $ 4,000(about $ 3,000). The average over-time work hour is 3.7 hours a week. (Employment Situation in Fourth Quarter 2010, 2011) ââ€"†Ideal Human Resource Management First of all, we would like to talk about language skill. As mentioned above, English is the official language in Singapore. In addition, Singaporeans have high level of education and language skills in average. Therefore, the company can hire local employee without worrying about language barrier. Furthermore, we’ll analyze workforce. Due to the mixed unique feature of national culture, Singapore’s workforce is inherently diverse. Employees from different generations, gender, nationalities and cultures often work together in the same organization. On the one hand, it is easy to train and educate new employees to understand Hollister’s organizational cultures and requirements. On the other hand, Hollister Co. also has to understand the mixed unique feature of national culture. With the aging of population, Singapore government also encourage foreigner to go there and look for a job. In the meanwhile, Singapore advocates foreign enterprise producing products which is suitable for the elderly. This is another opportunity for Hollister Co. to expand their business in Singapore. Finally, we’ll talk about hiring, training, retention, promotion and salary. The unemployment rate in Singapore is very low, the educational background of workforce is becoming higher and higher, the low labor turnover and high level of wage show the Singaporeans are likely skill oriented workforces. The average monthly wage in Singapore is around 4,000 Singapore dollars which equals $3,000. It is a little bit lower than the average income that American household makes. (How much does the average American make breaking down the us household income numbers, 2011) Because Hollister Co. does not have to pay so much money for workforce training, we suggest Hollister Co. offer a somewhat high wage than the current clothing stores in Singapore and use bonus to motivate employees. Political and Legal Environment ââ€"†Legal Environment The Republic of Singapore has a legal system largely based on the British Westminster model, where the power to govern and administer the country is divided between the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary. Ranked by the World Bank’s report, â€Å"Doing Business 2007: How to Reform† as the most accommodating country to do business in the world, Singapore is a strategic and reliable base for foreign investors to invest in the emerging Asian markets. (Overview of the Legal Environment of Singapore, RSM Chio Lim) Singapore is well known as â€Å"the Switzerland of Asia.† With a population of approximately 5 million people, Singapore has an astounding 90% literacy rate, and over 85% of inhabitants have a secondary or higher education. The country has almost zero crime, zero corruption and no drug problem. (Singapore Incorporation Advantages) (International rankings of Singapore, Wikipedia) Political environment Pro-business environment: One of characteristics in Singapore is its pro-business environment. It means that Singapore has an environment that is favorable for foreign investments and can attract many foreign entrepreneurs. Furthermore, it is easy for investors to set up businesses and make higher profits. Compared to other countries, investors only have to take 1-2 days and they can incorporate a company in Singapore. Because of pro-business environment, Singapore has become one of favorite countries for investment (Singapore Incorporation Advantages, 2012). Financial assistance: In order to help start-up companies to gain funding, the Singapore government agencies set up several financial assistance schemes to let start-ups gain access to funding to turn their business ideas into reality. Moreover, Singapore government sets up many private sectors to help investors improve efficiency strengthen capabilities of their company (Singapore Incorporation Advantages, 2012). Great tax system: For a starting business, taxes cost is always a top priority. One of features in Singapore is its low effective personal and corporate tax rates. For the personal income tax, Singapore government is based on personal income to design a tier system that starts from 3.5% to 20%. For corporate tax, †Singapore private limited companies for profits up to SGD 300,000 is below 9% and capped at 18% for profits above SGD 300,000.ï ¼â€š(Singapore Incorporation Advantages) After 2010, corporate income tax rate will decrease from 18% to 17% in Singapore. Furthermore, there is no capital gain tax. It represents that Singapore government uses a single -tier tax policy. This policy is that when the income has been taxed at the corporate level, companies can give shareholders dividends for tax free (Singapore Incorporation Advantages). Political systems: Singapore government has an open attitude and its vision is broad to the whole world. Its political system is using a rational, pro-business way to enact laws, decide priorities and sets regulations. For example, there is almost no restriction on foreign investment including manufacturing and service activities. Any business is supported by political infrastructure and given maximum encouragement from the government. This support is an important way to let businesses grow and prosper (Singapore Incorporation Advantages). In addition, the immigration policy is open and flexible in Singapore. It assists the relocation of foreign investors to set up businesses here. If a business entrepreneur needs to run his business or and hire foreign professionals, the government can make appropriate Singapore work visa provisions to meet his needs and wants (Singapore Incorporation Advantages). Free trade agreements: Free Trade Agreements is a significant system in Singapore. It means that most products can be imported without barrier. Businesses can enjoy many benefits including tariff concessions, preferential access to certain sectors, faster entry into markets and Intellectual Property protection. Moreover, Free Trade Agreement is a way to connect Singapore to their trading partners such as United States, Europe, China, Hong Kong and, Japan (Singapore Incorporation Advantages, 2012). (Singapore Incorporation Advantages, 2012) High Quality of Life One of reasons why many investors set up their business and relocate to Singapore is the quality of life. Singapore is in a convenient location and provides a great public and private transportation, a safe and clean environment to live. It also offers an outstanding support system for businesses. Singapore is suitable for work and living. (Singapore Incorporation Advantages, 2012) Economic and Financial Environment In fact, the economic situation in Singapore is very strong and stable, because the attitude of government is open-minded and this country is anti-corrupt. The economic growth is also steady. Singapore is one of countries in the world that has the largest per capital Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is equal to the total expenditures for all final goods and services produced by a country in a period of time and measures national income and output for a country’s economy. According to the World Bank, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Singapore was worth 239.70 billion US dollars in 2011. The GDP value of Singapore is roughly equivalent to 0.39 percent of the world economy. Historically, from 1960 until 2011, Singapore GDP averaged 51.8 billion USD reaching an all time high of 239.7 billion USD in December of 2011 and a record low of 0.7 billion USD in December of 1960 (Trading Economics, 2012). (Trading Economics, 2012) The annual growth rate in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) measures the increase in value of the goods and services produced by an economy over the period of a year. It considers a full year of economic activity and avoids the need to make any type of seasonal adjustment. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Singapore expanded 2.00 percent in the second quarter of 2012 over the same quarter of the previous year. From 2007 until 2012, Singapore GDP annual growth rate averaged 5.1 percent reaching an all-time high of 19.8 percent in June of 2010 (Trading Economics, 2012). (Trading Economics, 2012) Singapore exchange rate is range from $1.30 to $1.50 for the last 10 years. It is kind of stable. Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) manages the exchange rate of the Singapore dollar. Investors can transfer funds in and out of Singapore freely in any currency. Furthermore, Singapore government bond has very good rating. Standard & Poor’s (S&P) in August 2011 gave it AAA and Moody’s gave it Aaa in 2008. According to China Post, Singapore banking system is rank top four in the world. When other country have problem with financial crisis, most of Singapore banks were rated B by Moody. We have to realize more about Singapore’s banking system for doing business. Banking System Cash and Check In Singapore, for foreigners or tourists, it is very convenient to bring their own currency and exchange from market to airport. Foreign currency banknotes and travelers checks can also be changed easily at most banks. In addition, ATM link to global banking networks can be found everywhere. Foreigners or tourists can pay for most things by using a credit card in Singapore. (Singapore Banking System, 2012) Singapore banks issue checks that can be processed electronically. Writing check can only use black and blue inks. If a person only wants to deposit and does not cash the check, he has to draw two parallel diagonal lines in the upper left corner. If he crosses out ‘or bearer’, to the right of the payee line – the check can only be deposited into the account of the named payee. When a person deposits check, he has to write his name, account number and telephone number on the back of the check. (Singapore Banking System, 2012) ATM-Automated Teller Machine ATM machines for local banks are everywhere in the Singapore. In fact, all of the Singapore local banks and some of the international banks such as Citibank, HSBC and Standard Chartered have issued ATM cards. It considers that foreigners and investors have to withdraw money immediately in a place. However, there are not many branches and ATMs in the international banks. Here is a limitation and daily withdraw amount from ATM cannot exceed SGD$3,000. (Singapore Banking System, 2012) Cash Flow Because using check will take time to clear the bank, companies have to take that into consideration for their cash flow. There is a well-established banking system with three major local banks that offer a full service of consumer banking in Singapore. It includes ATMs, telephone banking and internet banking. In addition, besides local banks, some international banks in Singapore are doing the same business. Recently, those international banks have been allowed to set up branches and 15 ATMs. (Singapore Banking System, 2012) Accounting Standards Singapore accounting standards are followed the International Accounting Standards and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) issued by the International Accounting Standards Board. Financial Reporting Standards (FRS) is accounting standards in Singapore. All companies with financial period starting on or after January 1, 2003 have to comply with Financial Reporting Standards (FRS) (Introduction to Accounting Standards in Singapore, 2012). One of the main principals of Singapore accounting standards is accrual-based accounting. It is the same as United Stated General Accepted Accounting Principle (GAPP). Under accrual basis, the revenue and expenses are recognized and recorded in the period when they occur but not receive or pay cash. They are recorded in the accounting records and reported in the financial statements in a period of time. The function of preparing financial statements on the accrual basis is to inform users not only of past transactions including the payment and receipt of cash, but also of duties to pay cash and funds that have received in the future (Introduction to Accounting Standards in Singapore, 2012). Actually, there are contains about 39 different standards with each standard named as FRS X in Singapore’s accounting system. For example, FRS 1 represents Financial Statement, FRS 2 represents inventories and FRS 18 means revenues. In addition, each standard involves a specific topic like presentation of financial statements, recognition of revenue, accounting for inventories, and so on. (Introduction to Accounting Standards in Singapore, 2012) Cultural of Singapore In Hofstede’s theory, there are five dimensions of culture, which are power distance, individualism, masculinity/femininity, uncertainty avoidance, and long-term orientation. The five dimensions are used to make a distinction between country and country. The society of Singapore is basically consisting of Chinese people. Around 77% of Singaporeans are Chinese. Therefore, the culture of Chinese does influence Singapore a lots. For example, the Buddhist-Shinto societies have an additional dimension which is long-term orientation (Geert Hofstede, 2011). Singapore Five Dimensions Culture Asian Countries Dimension Culture http://www.geert-hofstede.com/hofstede_singapore.shtml (Geert Hofsted Cultural Dimensions-Singapore, 2011) Power distance With Chinese population, Singaporeans are affected by Confucian thinking and values, so they adhere to a hierarchical relationship in their society. They believe that their society is composed of people who are in different standing and unequal relationship. The differences in standing are the signal for people to evaluate each other. The lower standing people should heed what a superior says. In addition, junior and less experienced people are expected to keep their opinions in their hearts. This kind of high power distance has been characterized in Asian society for at least two thousand years (Geert Hofstede, 2011). Individualism In an individualistic society, we can find the relationship of people is loose. The United States is the most individualistic society, but Singapore is ranked 53th out of 66 countries (ClearlyCulture, 2009). In Singapore or other Asian societies, children are raised to stay with the family. Children are educated to be a part of the group and stay in the group when they are infants. Children are taught to be dependent on the group, to make decisions which benefit the group, to support the group, and to maintain the honor of the group. The group can be family, school, or company. All of the decisions which are made by the elders for the children are common. After the Singaporean children become adults, they are not expected to cut off the former relationship (Geert Hofstede, 2011). Masculinity A high score on this dimension means competition can drive this society to success. Traditional Chinese culture is a typical masculinity. Singapore has almost 77 percent of populations are Chinese. Children are always taught to compete with other people in the school. Singapore is in the almost middle of the scale but a little on the feminine side. That means that there are still some softer aspects of culture like leveling with others and sympathy for loser in Singapore (Geert Hofstede, 2011). Uncertainty avoidance Comparing with other countries in the world, Singapore is a country with low degree of uncertainty avoidance. Singaporean comply with their rules because their high PDI. That is why Singapore is a â€Å"Fine† country (Geert Hofstede, 2011). Because Singaporeans are indirect and implicit in their communications, they will not publicly use the word â€Å"no†; likewise, their â€Å"yes† does not usually mean assent (Kwintessential, 2011). Unlike other Asian cultures, the western cultures also affect Singapore’s culture. Therefore, the degree of facing uncertainty avoidance is lower than other Asian countries. Long-term orientation The short-term orientation is related to truth and the long-term orientation is related to virtue. Singapore’s cultural qualities show the perseverance and sustained efforts support the long term investments. People believe that the truth depends a lot on situation and time in a society with a long-term orientation (Geert Hofstede, 2011). Doing business in Singapore, the relationship with other people is very important; especially you must respect the elders. Also, you must be more patient because the organization will show their purpose which is for long-term profit, not short-term gains (Kwintessential, 2011). Organizational Structure An organizational structure is setting the company into different levels, including person and work, so each person needs to perform and accomplish the company goals (Chapman, 2008). There are two types of organizational structures which are flat organization and hierarchical organization. A flat organization is an organization which is few or no levels between managers and employees. The advantage of a flat organization is top management contact directly with the staff level employees. Middle managements are eliminated, so it can also reduce the organization’s budget costs. In this structure, the communication between managers and employees would be improved and the organization is fast to respond to consumers and market conditions. The disadvantage of a flat organization is difficult to maintain when the organization grows bigger. A hierarchical organization is the layout of a pyramid. Every employee obeys someone else in this organization. The advantage of a hierarchical organization is the management can control closely. Also, the role and responsibility of each employee are distinguished clearly. The disadvantage of this organization is the decisions will be difficult to make because the organization is consisted of a multilayer management. It costs a lot to maintain a multilayer management and the communication would be slow from the bottom to the top (Colette). Hollister Co. is a subsidiary company of Abercrombie & Fitch, so the management chart of the Hollister is the same with Abercrombie & Fitch. The following table is Hollister’s organizational structure. In this table, we can consider Hollister is a hierarchical organization. An Executive VP or senior VP head all major business processes of the company. The CEO at the top, EVP/SVP on the second, EVP/SVP on the third and SVP on the fourth level are four basic layers at senior management. This hierarchical structure makes Hollister’s management make decisions quickly and let employees in each group understand their roles and responsibility clearly. On the other hand, there are still some disadvantages, which are high costs and many layers of communications, in this structure. For example, the SVP of Supply chain needs to go through two management layers in order to reach the CEO of Hollister. The hierarchical structure delays the communications between management and employees. A hierarchical structure costs a lot to maintain for Hollister. Hence, in a recession, Hollister might restructure to reduce costs and improve communication. Source: http://www.cogmap.com/chart/abercrombie-fitch-co (2010) Hollister still can use its hierarchical structure into its international markets such as Singapore. Singapore is an open country and there is no limitation in Singapore, so Hollister can use any types of organizational structure they want. If Hollister use the hierarchical structure successfully in its home country and in other international markets, Hollister should use the same structure when they expand to Singapore. Singapore is also a hierarchical structure country because its high power distance. Hollister’s International Expansion Strategies After review Hollister Co. and Singapore cultures and structures, we put forward three strategies which Hollister can use to expand its business to Singapore by exporting, licensing or wholly owned affiliates. Exporting is the first way the company can expand into a new market. By exporting, Hollister does not need to invest in Singapore and can test Singapore’s market. The disadvantages of exporting are Hollister has to suffer tariff and non-tariff barriers, high transportation costs and depend on foreign importers for product distribution. The second strategy is Hollister can give a license of its design to a Singapore Apparel Company. This way Hollister can earn profit without investing and suffering tariff and non-tariff barriers. The disadvantage of licensing its design, Hollister might be subjected to the local apparel company becomes its competitor. Hollister also cannot control the quality of products which the licensee produces, so Hollister’s brand or reputation is on risk. The third strategy is that Hollister can expand to Singapore’s market by itself. Hollister can choose a place where there will be a lot of people, including domestic residents and tourists, to visit such as CentrePoint, the most popular mall in Singapore. The advantages of expanding itself are that Hollister can have complete control and receive all of the profits. The disadvantages of expanding itself are the high costs and the greater loss if it fails. Recommendation After review three strategies, we recommend Hollister to expand itself in Singapore. Hollister has enough capital to invest into Singapore because it has a powerful backing, Abercrombie and Fitch. This way Hollister can keep their quality of products and have complete control. Hollister can test the market and the market condition by opening the first in Singapore. In order to be success, the most important things are that Hollister needs to learn Singapore’s culture and establish the relationship with the consumers and suppliers. Hollister can adapt to the Singapore’s culture and consumer taste by reviewing a quarter of sales. After its sales grow stably, Hollister should continue to open more stores in Singapore.