Concert Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Concert Review - Essay Example The combination of these four elements allow for a truly powerful musical connection with the audience. The Celtic Women sung a Capella, with the added orchestra and percussion section beautifully. Some critics have criticized the Celtic Women for using prerecorded music for some of the orchestra. I personally could not tell a difference. The orchestra preforming on the albums is large. It would be impossible to make an orchestra that large to tour on a busy schedule like the Celtic Women have. The live orchestra preformed flawlessly. The prerecorded music did not detract from the overall show. The two songs I enjoyed the most were â€Å"Danny Boy† and â€Å"Somewhere Over the Rainbow†. These two songs were my favorites, because I have heard them a million times. From high school performances of â€Å"Danny Boy† to Judy Garlands rendition of â€Å"Somewhere Over the Rainbow†, I have heard these two songs in a variety of ways. The Celtic Womens performance of these numbers have to the best I have ever heard. The soul wrenching emotion placed into each song made me feel true sorrow and hope. One does not just listen to the Celtic Womens music, but feels it as well. The atmosphere of the Celtic Womens concert was also magical. Lights were raised and lowered flatteringly on the Celtic Women, chorus, and orchestra. The costumes of long flowing dresses gave the women an appearance of floating on air. The fiddlers costume was the most amazing, although like the other Celtic Women, this dress allowed her to dance and fiddle at the same time. The effect was like a fairy dancing across the stage. Smoke surrounded the orchestra, giving off a misty Celtic feel. The whole event was magical. Many critics have argued that the Celtic Women are not authentically Celtic, since they play modern songs like â€Å"Somewhere Over the Rainbow† or even songs with Christian

The second treatise of government Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The second treatise of government - Essay Example According to Machiavelli human nature should not be given full liberty. If this happens there is a creation of an ignorant population that may challenge the reign of the prince. In this case the prince represents the leader. The prince had the authority to use whichever form of leadership as long what is under his command remain controlled. In one of the most controversial inclusion in his book is the justification of use of violence in leadership. He justifies the use of force in controlling and eliminating political opposition and rivalry. The use of force coerces the resistant individuals and control strong men who have the ability of challenging the existing leadership. He also justified the use of violence when it came to introduction of power and implementing new laws and regulations. In his argument people responded more effectively to the use force than any other form of approach (Waldron, 45). It is from his negative political approach many public institutions and bodies cri ticized his pieces of literature. The Machiavellian approaches were termed as enemies of democracy and leadership as they promoted dictatorship and the use of crude ways of leadership. Humanists, activists and religious institutions disregarded the literature used by Machiavelli. Machiavelli’s views on security and corruption are also based on who is at power. The authority should provide people with security. However, the security should be offered when the people are opposing the leadership o f the land. Regardless of the conduct of the leader, the people should be respectful to the leadership of the land. There are numerous instances where Machiavelli disregarded the nature of human rights. The nature of human rights is based on the fact that leadership should be based on the view of the citizens. The general view of a leaders should be created by the nature of is environment. Additionally, the modes used in leadership should not be crude and undemocratic. Machiavelli†™s view is in deep contract with these views. In his view, a leader should not be changed by the nature of his environment but come up with changes that will suit his character (Waldron, 123). Even if the change is negative and unfair to the people, the leader should find other ways of implementing this change. According to Waldron human rights should be the most considered factor when coming up with policies of leadership (34). The author further argues that disregard of the nature of the Human rights what is created is not leadership for the people but leadership dictating the people. Dictatorship n itself is a negative aspect of the society. Leaders using this mode of leadership are enemies of liberty and democracy. The people should have a voice in which they give their responses to the kind of leadership they want. Machiavelli’s proposition of using violence is also a major hindrance to achieving liberal societies. His approaches were viewed as what human activists wer e against. However, looking at the literature by Machiavelli in another perspective brings out another scenario of his arguments. It is an obvious assumption that any leader should be able to control the people under his command. This means that regardless of what he does, the people should not surpass his authority. It is a human to create opposition and resistance. An effective leader should be

Capital Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Capital - Essay Example The prices of the Australian goods exports have decreased since May, due to the decrease in the price of crude oil, iron ore, etc. The Australian dollar price has appreciated over three months, despite the deterioration in the global economy and fragile financial condition. This study aims at evaluating the decision of Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) for not changing the cash rate until December. The implications of cash rate in the economy of Australia, its effect and the effect of probable changes in the cash rate are also important issues that would be discussed in the study. The motive is to forecast the decision of RBA regarding changing the cash rate. Like the central banks in the industrialized countries, the RBA also utilizes interest rate on short-term basis, as an operating instrument in order to implement monetary policy. Under the current policy, the RBA has set a monetary policy by allotting a level of target for cash rate. RBA has been quite successful in achieving the cash rate as per its target level. The payment system of an economy represents the system by which the different agents settle their transactions. In case of Australia the major participants that can be considered in the payment system are the households or the firms, which can also be called the non-bank mass of public, the RBA, private banks and the federal government. The non-bank public use transaction deposits and currency for making payments and eliminating their debts if any. The transaction deposits are the banks accounts that can be used by cheques or through the debit cards. Money or currency is a liability for the RBA. So it can be said that the transaction deposits are also a liability for the banking system. It can be also said that the medium of transaction by a household or firm would also depend on the relative cost. The banks

History music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

History music - Essay Example None of the audience expressed concern or disgust over this sudden technical catastrophe as within that deemed darkness â€Å"Brother† and â€Å"Albannach† two of the much celebrated bands started blazing their acoustic guitars to keep the crowed entertained and that worked at its optimum level. Soon the light came back and the Seven Nations by that time started to set the stage on fire. In its earlier days when Kirk McLeod and Neil Anderson initiated the band, Seven Nations gained substantial popularity and interest among its audience. However it seemed that they have lost their way afterwards, though in this concert the band seemed rejuvenated with the inclusion of Victor Gagnon who gave an inspired performance with his fiddle. The performance that came out of the Seven Nations was a mix of old and new scores. When Seven Nations was refreshing my memories, I was missing Neil Anderson who was the co founder of the band, yet no longer associated with it. However he was not far away, his new band Rathkeltair was performing on the immediate second stage. Neil as all know is an immensely talented music performer who steals all the attention when he is on the stage. However, his performance in his new band Rathkeltair marked the re birth of a new Neil who knows how to blend with his associate musicians. Again the maestro gave his master stroke when he used his pipes to insert his whistles at the right places that only he is capable of. Those whistles gave a strange essence to the entire musical ambience and rescued the band from being reckoned as any other band of our genre. Through out the performance Neil was like a musician who believes in team work yet who knows when to lead. Again the visual impact that Neil left on the audience by playing two instruments simultaneously was a joy for ears as well as eyes. After a brief pause Albannach occupied the main stage and that for good reason and outcome. This is a pure rock band and comprised of pipe and drums. Jamesie and Jacquie at bass drums, Colin at snare and drum kit, Aya at bodhran and tambourine and Donnie with his bagpiper gave us a musical treat. The wild and erratic energy that the band filled the room with goes well with their tattoos. Sometimes it seemed that some of them might fall of the stage as they were shaking vigorously while playing their drums. The occasional long and lone snares that Colin was leaving through his hands mesmerized the audience and make them question themselves that whether his drum sticks are really attached with his fingers. Albannach all over kept the hall rocking and dancing and the entrapped energy of the audience occasionally came out with gigantic roars that might risk ones ear drums or even might led to cardiac arrest for the faint hearted. The two stages side by side and challenging each other in every step almost turned the audience into a tennis ball. After finishing with Albannach, the crowed headed to the second stage to witness the performance of Annalivia. The four performers of the group with the absence of Stuart Kenney who plays bass and banjo were bit quite comparing the previous performances yet even they reflected substantial talent through their music. Vocalist and Guitarist Liz Simmons, Brendan Carey and Emerald Rae on fiddle and the later one also on vocal and vocalist and guitarist Flynn Cohen presented a polished performance with folk flavour. Before the audience can finish with the band they have to rush back to the main stage to witness Paul McKenna band

Benziger Family Winery Essay Example for Free

Benziger Family Winery Essay In the case of the Benziger Family Winery, is being faced with the decision of whether or not Chris Benziger should invest in an ISO 14000 certification. The answer is yes, he should pursue the certification in an attempt to strengthen his knowledge that his company already has about being environmentally friendly. This will strengthen his position on the market as a leader in wine industry. In pursuing the certification, he will also educate other growers on the importance of a strong environmental management system. This will make them want to take those same steps to help promote their business to be more like him. By getting the ISO this will further support his environmental policy that he strongly applies to the daily routines for helping the company conserve resources and prevent pollution. He is already certified by the Sonoma County Green Business Program (SCGBP) and is in full environmental compliance. As part of this compliance, the winery has saved over 2 million gallons of water per year through recycling all wastewater. They reduced solid wastes as well as energy cost due to the construction of a wine cave built in the hillside which maintained temperature cool enough to prevent them from using electricity to cool. The Gap Analysis is the formal study behind what the business is currently doing and where they want to be in the future. This means the need for continuous improvement is necessary in promoting the best possible outcomes for the company goals. The gap analysis identifies the gaps from what the company is doing now to what they would be doing should they utilize additional resources to help improve the company’s outputs. By documenting what they have done in the past, this will show what other requirements are necessary to be put in place in an attempt to maximize the company’s capabilities. This may involve benchmarking as well. In this case the winery currently has annual revenues of about 15 million. They are striving to launch a new brand, Tribute that would be selling in the $50-$60 range at about 4000 cases per year. They would also like their exports to increase from about 10% of sales to 20%. For Benziger, this analysis can be done at an operational level since all of his employees are well-trained on the company’s environmentally friendly efforts and are shared with guests of the winery to promote the business. This is an opportunity for Benziger to bring his reputation to a high point and work towards his goal for being a world-class leader in the wine industry. Since the U.S. market is very competitive this would make him stand out since very few U.S. wineries have their ISO 14000 certification. He could enter more markets that its consumers are sensitive to environmental products and continue expanding his business to other countries. It is stated that becoming certified with the ISO 14000 is expensive. This is an investment that will pay for itself in the future. There will be revenue increases by becoming more attractive to consumers who support the environmentally safe production process. The ISO 14000 is an attempt to develop a widely accepted, uniform approach to certify that Benziger’s EMS is the best way to run a business for long term savings and making a positive contribution to the environment. In exhibit 40.4 it shows the EMS Gap Analysis and explains what policies and procedures the Benziger may or may not have in place. It explains that he does have an environmental policy in place and that he has conducted an analysis of the impact that it has on the environment. When it comes to legal requirements, they do not have a procedure in place. This is the responsibility of the Ranch manager and it has not been done yet. He has covered all of his objectives and has established a well-written program to achieve those objectives. He has very good structured within the winery and has delegated responsibilities to each of the family members as well as their other employees. However no roles have been defined and documented yet. It is also noted that there is need for additional training on EMS aspects. The Ranch manager seems to need assistance with organization of training and documentation as well. Although they are on the right track he needs to ensure that they are taking all the necessary steps to continue the company professionally and in an organized fashion. Once the ranch manager has assigned specific roles and tasks to certain team members it will not be all on him to keep the EMS running properly it will become a part of the way they do business. The last part of the Exhibit 40.4 shows some things that they need to improve on. There is no documentation for anything the company does. He needs to be able to show records of his work to be environmentally sensitive. Several of the drafts have been started but none have been completed. It also states that there needs to be a regular review ensuring that the EMS is suitable and effective. Exhibit 40.5 is the Benziger Family Winery Environmental Policy. In comparison to Exhibit 40.4, the policy states the steps they are willing to take to make sure the winery is an environmentally safe and sustainable business. However, when each of the bullets are broken down into a series of questions as they are in Exhibit 40.4, they are not satisfying all of their own expectations. It seems as though they have a few small improvements to make that seem as though are they are not too time consuming. Once each of these steps has been achieved, they are well on their way to being more successful and more organized. If the proper steps are taken to correct the small issues on-hand, the next step for the Benziger Winery is to pursue the ISO 14000 certification. This will set the bar for how other wineries should be run and help the company become one of the top U.S. wine distributors.

Placement at a mental health rehabilitation centre

Placement at a mental health rehabilitation centre The purpose of this write up is to explore and analyse how learning theories informed knowledge development and competence in promoting health and psycho education in clinical settings. I will examine the principles underpinning the facilitation of learning and assessment. I will demonstrate my knowledge and understanding of the theoretical concepts in an episode in which I facilitated learning to clients while on placement at a Mental Health Rehabilitation Centre. Finally, I will use the reflective model by (Gibbs, 1988) to reflect on the strategies used within the episode and discuss the implications in relation to my future role as a nurse. The NMC (2008) stipulates that as nurses we must maintain our professional knowledge and competence regularly. You must keep knowledge and skills up to date throughout your working life and that you must take part in an appropriate learning and practice activities that will maintain and develop your competence and performance. In view of the aforementioned this essay is aimed at enhancing my knowledge and competence in facilitating learning through understanding of the underpinning concepts. I observed most residents having fast foods such as burgers, kebab, and chocolate as well as fuzzy drinks which are rich in saturated fatty and sugar for lunch regularly and they were also smoking a lot. I was really concerned because of my duty of care as a nurse (NMC, 2004) and due to findings from several researches for example (Bottomley and Mckeown, 2008 and Hallpike, 2008) which shows the risk of malnutrition was commonly associated with people with psychosis which predisposes them to host of physical health problems. I had a chat with my mentor of my intention to use the weekly communal meeting to carry out a teaching session to raise awareness and sensitise the residents on the effects of fatty foods and fuzzy drinks on their body chemistry and the need to improve and develop a healthier eating habits and life styles, considering the fact that most of them were on various antipsychotic medication which predisposes them to becoming obese. Timms (2008) said that a huge majority of people with mental health problems are most likely to have weight issue due to side effects of their antipsychotic medication. My mentor agreed to table it before the resident in the next meeting to gain their consent in compliance with NMC (2008). The residents consented to it and were quite interested because some them were really concerned about their weight and really wanted to do something about it. We agreed on a date for the teaching. The onus was now on me to facilitate the learning process that will empower the residents to take responsibility for their health and make a positive change. A vast majority of physical health problems are caused by people life styles and their failure to see the risk associated with their daily habits. Kiger (1995) defined health as state of balance between different facets of life suggesting that it is a dynamic concept which he termed movable. What this means is that our life styles can alter the balance resulting in an adverse effect on our health. As facilitators it is essential that we have a clear understanding of the different learning styles in order to tailor our teaching to meeting the varied approach of our learners. This is because learners are intrinsically different and preferred different ways of learning. Teaching is an act of imparting knowledge, a purposeful intervention aimed at promoting learning and causing learning to happen. Kemm and Close (1995) defined teaching is an act of assisting others to learn and putting it to use in their life. While Kiger (2004) defined teaching as a process of enabling people to learn through the dissemination of information and advice; it creates room for people to express their feeling, clarify their thought and acquired new skills. Learning is the acquisition of knowledge through education and experience. It is essentially important because it enable people to make informed choice about their own health. Roger (1996) defined learning as a kind of change often in knowledge but also in behaviour. Reece and Walker (2002) stated that learning brings about change and that teaching and learning proceeds pari passu and cannot be considered in isolation. I spent time engaging with the residents so as to build a therapeutic relationship based on trust whilst observing their behaviours as I gather information to facilitate the learning process. This was to enable me identify their preferred style of learning so as to increase ease of transmission of knowledge. There are a host of approaches available in health promotion. Ewles and Simlet (2003) identified five approaches which include medical, client-centred, behaviour, education and societal change. In his word all these approaches must be taken into cognition when undertaking health promotion to clients. Kolb (1984) developed the experimental learning theory (learning by doing) by this he suggested that learning is not fixed but formed from previous experiences. Kolb learning theory which is cyclical affirmed that people have different learning style and he identified four distinct learning styles as shown in figure 1 below includes concrete experience (having an experience ), reflective observation( taking time to reflective on their experience from different perspective), abstract conceptualization ( drawing their conclusions) and active experimentation ( putting theory into practice). For effective learning to happen Kolb said all this four must be taking into context when planning a teaching session. Honey and Mumfords learning cycle is slightly different from Kolb system. http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/styles/honey_mumford.html Figure 1 Honey and Mumfords variation on the Kolb system Honey and Mumford (2000) said that there four different types of learners which must be taken into consideration when planning a teaching session as shown in figure 1 above. These include the activists, like learning situation that presents them with new challenges, problem solving, and role play and uses the first opportunity to experiment; reflector like brainstorming and learning activity that gives room for observation, thinking and reflecting on they have learned; theorist like to research into fact before taking it onboard, they prefer a step by step approach and pragmatist like practical based learning and been given the opportunity to try out techniques and getting feedback in return. In view of fact that people have varied approach to learning considering the fact that its a group teaching. I intend to present my teaching to my mentor first to get feedback on whether I have considered all the four learners identified by both Kolb and Honey and Mumford. As nurses the education of our clients about their health is a vital aspect of our nursing process. It is important that we use an approach that encompasses congruence, empathy and respect in assisting our client (Roger, 1996) instead of coercing them to change their life style. Therefore it is imperative that we aware that teaching the client requires consent and that the client has the right and autonomy to refuse any intervention even when it can result to death provided they have the mental capacity to make informed decision (Mental Capacity Act, 2005 and NMC, 2008). DH (1996) states that the client must be provided with vital information about their health, so that they can make informed choice about the treatment options, life styles changes and behaviour. The subject was brought before the residents for them to make informed decision with regards to the teaching and they consented to because they wanted to do something about their weight. Kemm and Close (1995) wrote that there is high tendency for client to learn if teaching is directed to meeting their needs, interest and within their ability. Effective communication plays a vital role in facilitating learning. As nurses the way we communicate and the kind of rapport we build with our client plays an essential role in empowering or disempowering them (Brown, 1997). Good communication skills act as therapeutic tool in delivery a holistic and person-centred care (Burnard, 1992). Our role as facilitator should be to explore and support our client to build that intrinsic motivation to make a change in their life, strengthen their commitment to change and then develop a plan to fulfill that change (Miller and Rollnick 2002). The responsibility for change lies purely on the client however as facilitator we should use an approach that confront the client with the idea of need for change without been persuasive and argumentative rather we should create an environment that show a sense of genuinity, respect and empathic understanding through collaboration and working in partnership with the client. Based on my assessment of the residents needs and considering the fact that they were adult learners capable of self-directing their learning, I decided to use andragogical instead of the pedagogical teaching style so as to enhance collaboration and for it to have a positive impact in residents lives. Pedagogy is the art and science of teaching children, it is a teacher- centred education and the teacher decided what, how and when it will be learned while andragogy is the art and science of assisting adults to learn and it is learner-centred education. Andragogical approach help learning to take place because of the clients own effort or willingness and it helps learners to learn what they want to learn (Knowles, 1990). Over the years educational psychologist and educationalist have developed models and learning theories (Hincliff, 2004). These include the behaviourist, cognitive or humanistic. Three domain of learning exist; Cognitive, psychomotor and affective (Bloom, 1972). The way we learn is however dependent on some other factors even though these three domains are the dominant. Individuals personal values, beliefs and altitude are motivating factors for self-directed learners. I decided to use the humanistic approach in facilitating the awareness and sensitization of the need for them to improve their diet and life style In order to meet the residents learning needs. The humanist theory as explained by (Maslow, 1943) is concerned with individual fulfillment and self-actualisation. The influence of the environment on the residents and their relationship with others is explained by the socio-cognitive theory. Bandura (1977) stated that learning take place as a result of social interaction throu gh observation and mimicking others whom the learner look up to for example family , peers and health professionals. To facilitate learning; a conducive learning environment, learning material suited to the learners need and their literacy level must be considered (Quinn, 1995).In view of this, I gathered all the necessary resource taking into account the residents individual learning styles and planned the teaching in such a way that it is tailored to meeting their varied learning styles. Based on my engagement with the residents I identified that majority of them belong to the theorist, pragmatist and reflector learning styles from (Honey and Mumford, 1982). Prior to the start of the teaching session I made sure the environment was conducive for leaning, spacious, quite and with the right temperature. I introduced myself to the residents and my mentor and other member of staff present. I explained the rationale for the teaching session. I gave them handout I prepared for the session which contain literature and pictures, which were simple to understand and which they could keep with them and refer to later at their convenience and I also use video from YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pp0nc4kY-tc to explain the potential side effects of fatty food and fuzzy drink on their heath and I highlighted the main topic, which is the makeup of the food they eat and its functions in the body and the calories recommended daily. I brought in several fatty foods like ground oil, butters in different make to explain to them the difference between the good product and the bad product. I explain to them that the one that contain high saturated fat and low unsaturated is not good because the body find it difficult to break down the saturated fatty into small unit which is used by body instead they are gradually deposited thereby raising their cholesterol level. The deposition of fat gradually blocks the artery wall which could lead to anterosclerosis, stroke and heart diseases while product rich in unsaturated fats and low saturated fats are better. I encouraged them to always check for this information on the food product whilst shopping. I asked them if they know what cholesterol means and if anyone has check out their cholesterol level. I then brought out some more products for them to point out which one was better to check if the understood the lectures and they did perfectly well in identifying the good and the bad product and I offered them praise f or a job well done. I then showed them they kind of food that is good for the body from you Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAFTcfaA-pcfeature=channel and what constitute a balance diet. The teaching session was an interactive one and as facilitator I suggested and encouraged them to adopt a healthier lifestyle by eating more fruit and vegetable instead of chocolate, drink more water instead of fuzzy drink and to cook their meal which was more nutritious and economical and to exercise by going to gym or taking a light work every day. I suggested that we could contribute one pound to cook for the weekly communal meeting and then see how it goes from there and the feedback was positive. I gave room for question and answer session. I thanked them for their collaboration and for making the teaching successful. Their willingness to learn was quite beneficial. I provided information on what make a balance diet and some activities aim at dealing with weight issues in the communal loung e. As nurses its imperative that we take time to reflect daily on our professional and clinical practice. Gibb et al (2005) stated that constant reflection allows learning to occur at every given opportunity and it improves practice. I felt competent though initially nervous teaching the residents on the need for healthy eating and life style change. Ewles and Simnett (2003) stated that health promotion is the process of empowering people to take proactive action over and improve their health. I was able to facilitated residents learning by building a rapport and through process I observed their learning styles and knowledge base which made it possible for me to tailor the teaching to their varied approach of learning. I believe the teaching session had a positive impact in enlightening the residents on the need for them to improve their diet and lifestyles change from the feedback I got at the end of the teaching. I use the humanistic approach clearly stating the rationale for the sess ion because I wanted them to have the knowledge so that they can take responsibility for their own health. The session was collaborative and interactive with the residents fully involved in the discussion and asking appropriate when seeking clarification. During the evaluation Amos felt that the learning outcome had been achieved and also said that the handouts and leaflets given during the teaching session were very useful and helpful. My mentor suggested that I could have done more and it would have been good, if I had used an overhead projector. But his feedback was encouraging. I had to rush towards the end of the session due to time factors. But I realised that as a student nurse, my professional development is still in progress and as my course develops I will become confident in dealing with this type of situation. My experience of teaching on this occasion will improve my professional practice. During the session I adopted a personal counselling approach based on the Beattie (1991) model, (cited in Ewles and Simnett 2003), which is a combination of the educational and client centred approach. According to Rogers (1983) people experience the world differently and know their own experiences better than anyone else. Amos ability to take responsibility for his actions helped to be more independent. In conclusion, I have been able to facilitate a teaching session by building a therapeutic relationship with Amos and through achieving effective communication. I found out from this experience that empowering clients does not mean that nurses should enforce decisions on clients but rather that; they should encourage and motivate them to achieve a desired result. I feel the experience was an interesting one. Looking back on the teaching skills demonstrated and the assessment of the clients need, I think the aim of the teaching was achieved. The feedback received from the learner and my mentor has given me an insight on how to improve in my teaching in future. I hope to use video clips and overhead projector in future teaching and to continue using the lecture learnt in taught module to enhance my skills and knowledge in my future role as registered mental health nurse.

Economic Situation Malaysians Attitudes Towards Private Label Brands Marketing Essay

Economic Situation Malaysians Attitudes Towards Private Label Brands Marketing Essay The term of Globalisation is a very common word in business world. Many businessmen are trying hard to market their product to other countries. Globalisation becomes an important issue in the world today and eventually it leads to the increasing number of competitors among retailers by doing trade globally. In order to become an outstanding firm from other retailers, established a competitive advantage is an important criterion for any competitive strategy (Walsh and Mitchell, 2010). Retailers use different methods to achieve competitive advantage. The most important elements of retails branding is private label brands (Glynn and Chen, 2009). According to Levy (2009), it is easy to find out that private label brands available in almost every retail product category and it is one of the competitive strategies that retailers used to achieve competitive advantage. Private label brands have reached another level in the appearance of many products categories such as grocery, household che micals, clothing and cosmetics (Veloutsou et al., 2004). Private label brands can be a crucial component of competitive advantage especially in an economic recession (Walsh and Mitchell, 2010). Economic downturn will lead to the changes in shopping patterns. Private label brands are products that are produced by retailers and sold under the retailers own name through their own retail outlets (Baltas, 1997). Private label brands have grown in many countries and product categories in the last few decades (Connor et al., 1996). According to Lupton et al. (2010), private label brands have established their market in the United Stated and Europe in the past few decades. The consumers tend to perceive private label brands as a substitute or choices to the national brands (Lupton et al., 2010). Private label brands have built their own markets and becoming more popular among the consumers in the world (AC Nielsen, 2006). According to Morris (2002), the most successful retailer has more private label branding strategies and the retailer is normally the stronger firm. Retailers with strong private label brands will have better financial results (Morris, 2002). Malaysia, as a middle income country and one of the most developed in the developing countries, has transformed itself from a producer of raw materials into a multi-sector economy (Economy Watch, 2011). According to Economy Watch (2011), the population of Malaysia is 28.713 Million. In the following year, 2012, population of Malaysia will be 29.20 Million, which is more than the figure in year 2011 (Economy Watch, 2011). The increasing of population in Malaysia will encourage the development of retailing and will boost up the purchasing power of goods. Yelkur (2000) found that the success of private label brands is varied from different nations, such as in the United Kingdom, private label brands have successfully gain a large portion of grocery sales, but in the United States the proportion of purchasing private label brands is relatively low if compare to branded products. Developing countries are being exposed to private label brands and are becoming more aware of their benefits ( Collins and Bone, 2008). According to Collins and Bone (2008), the growth of private label brands in developing countries, such as Malaysia, is still remaining low. Private label brands continue to steadily increase their share in the marketplace. According to A.C. Nielsen (2005), the private label share of refrigerated food is 32%, paper plastic is 31%, frozen food is 25%, cosmetics is 23%, pet food is 21%, health care is 14%, non-Alcoholic beverages is 12%, snack is 9%, personal care is 3% and others. There are few hypermarkets in Malaysia selling their private label product, such as Giant, Carrefour, Tesco and Tesco Extra (A.C. Nielsen, 2010). These hypermarkets provide their private label brands in many product categories. For example, Tesco offers Tesco Finest as their private label brands (Morris, 2004). This Tesco Finest private label brands has include the product category of non-Alcoholic beverages. Morris (2004) mentioned that the strong private label brands in Tesco have became the key elements of Tescos success. Tescos private label brands generate 55% of the total sales in year 2004 (Morris, 2004). Apart than that, even though there is an amount of studies on private label brands, there is no specific research based on the Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands. Nowadays, retailers own brand becomes an alternative of consumers. According to Veloutsou et al. (2004), consumers have their own perception on different brand of products, each of the products has its special features or characteristics and it will affect the purchasing behaviour of consumers. Retailers need to understand what are the main factors affecting Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands in order to attract and convince more customers stick to the own brands (Goldsmith et al., 2010). The factors affecting Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands include consumers perceived benefits (Chaniotakis, 2010), price (Walsh and Mitchell, 2010), social influences (Nelson and McLeod, 2005) and economic situation (Chaniotakis, 2010). In a recent study of private label brands (Richardson et al., 1996), some influences such as economic and psychological factors bring the effect to the purchasing rate of private label brands. Malaysian is a country comprises of many races. The three major races in Malaysia are Malay, Chinese, and Indian. Different culture will cause different people have different perception towards private label brands. This research is focusing on the factors affecting Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands. The factors that will be look into are consumers perceived benefits, price, social influences and economic situation. Last but not least, it can lead us to have a better understanding toward the issue of private label brands in Malaysia. The Background of Study There are a few previous studies that focusing on the topic of private label brands in many countries, such as a scale for measuring attitude towards private label products and examination of its psychological and behavioural correlates (Burton et al., 1998), an investigation of the new generic consumer (Herstein and Tifferet, 2007), consumer behaviour towards own label monitoring the Greek experience (Boutsouki et al., 2008) and consumers perception of generic products a Mexican study (Yelkur, 2000). The definition of attitudes towards private label brands is a predisposition to respond in a positive way to private label brands and the consumer will purchase the private label brands in a more favourable way. (Burton et al., 1998) The Theory of Planned Behaviour (Ajzen, 1991) which focusing on the research of attitude-behaviour consistency can explain the positive attitude of consumers who has good perception towards the brands when they are making their decision on purchase. The rate of adoption of private label brands is not the same in all the nations (Veloutsou et al., 2004). According to A.C. Nielsen (2010), the private label brands are still not famous in all Asian markets, but only Hong Kong having a share above 5%. Private label brands of sales increased in a few countries in year 2009 compared to year 2008, but it still remains less than 5%, except of Hong Kong (A.C. Nielsen, 2010). In a recent study of retail and shopper trends, A.C. Nielsen (2010) mentioned that Malaysia has only a share of 2.3% in private label brands, Singapore has only a share of 2.8% and Thailand has a share of 1.8%. The growing of private label brands in Asian markets has to depend on how much the retailers are willing to invest in the private label brands. Retailers have to focus on the development of products and also the quality of products in order to gain a better position in the current market (A.C. Nielsen, 2010). According to the Private Label Manufacturers Association (2010), it showed that 91% of the respondents will still buying private label brands after the economic downturn and they believe that the private label brands are just good and same quality with the branded products. The promotion and packaging of the private label brands is often similar to the branded products (Putsis and Dhar, 2001). Problem Statement According to Hernon and Metoyer-Duran (1993), problem statement must be precise and it contains the need for the study. The problem statement for this research is the factor that will affect Malaysians attitudes on buying branded products or private label brands. There are some researches being conducted to find out the factors that affect the consumers intention to buy private label brands (Walsh and Mitchell, 2010), the attribute that affect the consumers intentions of buying own-label premium food products (Chaniotakis et al., 2010) and consumer attitudes and loyalty towards private brands ( Goldsmith et al., 2010). The globalization of business creates a lot of opportunities to the retailers and it also brings a lot of competitors to them. In this emerging world, establishing a competitive advantage is the main purpose of every competitive strategy while doing the business globally (Walsh and Mitchell, 2010). Some retailers have low store-operating cost, some have efficient supply chain management and some have a large number of loyal customers (Walsh and Mitchell, 2010). Therefore, hypermarkets tend to make some changes in order to attract new customers or to meet their existing customers needs. To become outstanding among all the other competitors, retailers must have some unique products or services to attract more customers. Furthermore, the technology advancement has altered the media habits from the traditional advertising method, such as billboard, to some new advertising techniques, such as product placement, in order to reach younger generation (Nelson and McLeod, 2005). Those hypermarkets required to catch up with all these changes on media habits in order to attract more customers. Besides, due to the advance technologies, people prefer to go online shopping rather than shopping in the hypermarkets. They can purchase anything online through some website, such as amazon.com. This research not only expects that the price will be the major factor that affect Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands, but also some other factors that will bring effect on the attitudes of consumer in Malaysia towards private label brands. Some of the consumers are willing to pay more for a branded product in order to obtain higher quality than paying a less money for a private label brand (Tse, 2001). So, it is very important for this study to find out what are the major factors that determine the attitudes of Malaysian towards private label brands. Objectives of Study The objectives of the research are: To examine the relationship between consumers perceived benefits and Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands. To identify the relationship between price and Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands. To examine the relationship between social influences and Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands. To identify the relationship between economic situation and Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands. The Scope of Study In every research, there are independent variables and dependent variable. The dependent variable in this research is Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands. The attitude of Malaysian is important as they are contributing the response in this research. The independent variables in this study are consumers perceived benefits, price, social influences and economic situation. The coverage of this research is on Malaysian. This is because there already have a few studies that focusing on other nations but there are no research are doing based on the Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands. Besides, Malaysian seems to be likely increased their purchasing rate of private label brands in hypermarkets in these few years. Grocery sales in private label brands in Malaysia are rising. The respondents who participate in this survey are those who used or bought any private label brands before. Only 150 Malaysian will be selected to contribute their response to this research. The author will develop a questionnaire with the different types and forms of questions, such as closed questions and negatively worded questions. By using the method of questionnaires, the attitude of the respondents will be shown. Hence, after finding out the relationship between the major factors and Malaysians attitude towards private label brands, it will give us a better understanding about the current consumer trend of buying private label brands in Malaysia. It helps the retailers to know which of the factor has the major influence on the peoples intentions of purchasing private label brands. Furthermore, the retailers can help them to find out what factors affecting them from losing their market share, so that they can do some analysis based on the results and make some improvement and changes. Respondents can also benefits from this research too. They can broaden their knowledge toward the topic of private label brands. They can also know better about the current market trends and the main factor that determines their attitude towards private label brands. Then, by knowing the factors that affecting Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands, the government can earn more income due to the increasing sell of private label brands. Besides, the government should implement some policy to help the private label brands in order to protect them from the competition of branded and national products. Lastly, it will make contribution to the Malaysias economy because it will help the local retailers to know which factors affecting their customer on choosing private label brands, therefore, they can make slightly changes and it will lead to the increasing number of sales. By the increasing number of sales, it will definitely lead to a rise in GDP. Definition for the Key Terms Attributes Definition Sources Private Label Brands Products that are produced by retailers and sold under the retailers own name through their own retail outlets Baltas (1997) Perceived benefits The degree to which a fulfilment of expectations when choosing private label brands. Veloutsou, Gioulistanis and Moutinho (2004) Price A monetary value when the consumer wants to exchange it with the goods or services provided by the sellers or producers. Nagle and Holden (2002) Social Influences The degree to which learning the skills, knowledge and attitudes relevant for consumption from media, parents and peers. Nelson and Mcleod (2005) Economic Situation The economic conditions that will lead the retailers to enrich the range of private label offerings. Chaniotakis, Lymperopoulos and Soureli (2010) Organization Structure There are total five chapters in this research. The structure of the study is organized as following. Chapter 1 is about the introduction, the author will start by the background of this study. Besides, the author will briefly explain why this research is important, what factors will affect the Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands, history of private label brands, rules and regulations towards private label brands in Malaysia, problem statements, research objectives and contribution of this study. This part will have an overview of the research. Chapter 2 is literature review that discusses the factors that affect the attitudes of Malaysian towards private label brands. In the beginning, the definition of the theory and interest of study are introduces. Then, the author will explain each of the variables that affecting Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands. The author was reviewed the previous study to make the analysis of each variables. Chapter 3 is research methodology. In this part, it describes how the author collects information and finalizes the data. It will also explain what method will be used to conduct this research. The author defines the research framework, develops hypothesis, develops questionnaires, explain how the author undergo pilot study, chooses convenient sampling as the sampling method, and introduces the target size. Furthermore, data collection method and data analysis will be presented. Conclusion This chapter will give us some briefing about this research. Let us know about why this research is important and why this research is needed to be conducted. One of the reasons is that we can know the consumer purchasing trend in the current market after the completion of this research. Then, this study will make a huge contribution to the retailer who are selling or planning to sell private label brands. They can further know about how the consumers think and their attitudes towards private label brands in Malaysia. We can also know which variable has more powerful to affect the Malaysians intention to buy private label brands. This will have an impact on the economy of Malaysia too. Last but not least, we can also have better understanding towards the key terms that affect the Malaysians attitudes on private label brands. Besides, it will give us a clear picture for the structure of this research.