Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Chinese Eating Manner vs. Korean Eating Manner

Compare and contrast essay: Chinese eating manner vs. Korean eating manner Different places and countries have different cultures and manners. China and Korea both are historical and traditional Asian countries, which have many traditional cultures and manners, including the eating manners. Even though their geographical position is close, there are similarities and differences between Chinese and Korean eating manner. There are some distinct similarities between Chinese and Korean eating manner.The first similarity is that they both use bowl and chopstick to eat, and no sounds are allowed when chopstick touches the bowl, for example like scratching rice from the bowl with chopstick. Different from western countries, most Asian countries use bowls instead of plates to carry food. It is impolite to make noise by tableware when eating. Another similarity is that, when eating with seniors, juniors only can start eating after seniors start.There is a traditional saying in Chinese called â€Å" respect for seniority†, let seniors to start eating first is a kind of showing respect to them. Similarly, in traditional Korean culture there are plenteous manners on respecting seniors, and start eating after they eat is one of the manners. Although there are a number of similarities, there are several differences between Chinese and Korean eating manner. The first difference is that Chinese prefer to hold the bowl when eating, and use chopstick so often.It is impolite to put down the bowl on table and just use one hand to eat. In contrast, it is not allow to hold the bowl when eating in Korea, also, spoon is much more important than chopstick in its manner. For example, though it is difficult to spoon up a bean sprout from a bowl, it is not allow to use chopstick for it. Another important difference is, in China both hands should be upon the table when eating. When holding a bowl to drink soup without using a spoon, the idle hand still needs to be upon the table.How ever, in Korea it is so impolite to show one`s left hand upon the table when eating, the left hand must be hidden under the table. Both the societies of China and Korea are changing and become much more open than they used to be. Many of their traditional cultures and manners have combined with other cultures or even disappeared, however, there are still differences. No matter which manners we prefer, they are all a kind of cultures, we should be respected to cultural differences.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Macbeth: A Tragic Hero

There is much debate to whether Macbeth is a villain or hero, but it truly is clear that Macbeth is a tragic hero based on that he has the fatal flaw of having too much ambition, he was doomed to make a serious error in judgment which was killing Duncan, and that he suffered greatly in order to accomplish what he believed was right. Macbeth’s flaw of his extreme ambition is demonstrated by how he kills Duncan, how he kills Banquo, and how he kills MacDuff’s family.He was doomed to make the serious judgment error that was killing Duncan, and he was condemned to do this because the witches prophesized it, his wife wanted him to, and he was unnaturally guided by a dagger to kill Duncan. Also he went through the death of his friends at his own hand and the death of his wife to achieve what he wanted to, and was willing to suffer for it. Macbeth showed that he had a fatal flaw, which was that his ambition was what mainly factored his decisions.This is shown when he killed th e King in his quest for power, when he killed his friend Banquo, and when he killed the wife and child of MacDuff. Early in the play Macbeth was told that he would become King of Scotland, and that really put the gears in motion for the terrible decisions he would make throughout the play. His first one was to kill Duncan, who was not only the King whom he had loyally served for a long time, but also his own cousin. He killed his own flesh and blood in order to get the opportunity to gain power.He figured that if he killed Duncan he would have a chance at being king, and he acted upon that thought. This thought process is shown in the quote, â€Å"If good, why do I yield to that suggestion whose horrid image doth unfix my hair and make my seated heart knock at my ribs, against the use of nature? Present fears are less than horrible imaginings: My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, shakes so my single state of man that function is smother'd in surmise, and nothing is but what is not. † (Act1, Scene3).This showed that he knew what a terrible deed he would be doing, but that couldn’t stop his need to become king. Also, Macbeth killed his dear friend Banquo and even attempted to kill Fleance, Banquo’s son, in order to keep the throne. The witches prophesized that Fleance would become king, and Macbeth decided that he had already done so much to become king that there was no point in letting the throne leave him so soon, and that is shown in the quote, â€Å"I am in blood, stepped in so far that should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go'oer† (Act3, Scene4).He decided that he had already hit the point of no return and acted accordingly. Finally, the fact that he killed the wife and child of his enemy MacDuff, proved that Macbeth was willing to cross any line to keep his spot as king, and would let nothing stand in the way of his ambition. The quote, â€Å"The castle of Macduff I will surprise; Seize upon Fife; giv e to the edge o' the sword his wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls that trace him in his line. † (Act4, Scene1), shows that Macbeth was willing to kill an innocent family to prove that he was not ready to be defeated.Basically Macbeth showed that his fatal flaw was too much ambition, and that was demonstrated through him killing Duncan, killing Banquo, and killing the family of MacDuff. Macbeth appeared to be destined to make the serious judgment error that was killing Duncan because when you take his ambition as talked about above, and that he was told by witches that it was his future to be king, that his wife thought it was the right thing to do, and that he even had hallucinations pointing towards killing him, it seemed like he had no other choice.First off, Macbeth was approached by witches who told him that he would become king of Scotland and that intrigued him very much, especially with his crazy ambition. He took this to heart and because he wanted to become ki ng and he now thought it was in the realm of possibility, yet he knew it would not happen legally, he was really left with just one option. This was despite that at the time he knew it wasn’t the right thing to do. This is shown by the quote, â€Å"All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter! † (Act1, Scene3).This was just the beginning of the seed that would grow in Macbeth that eventually culminated into a plant of terrible things. Next, Lady Macbeth also influenced Macbeth, and that was presented in the quote, â€Å"Glamis thou art, and Cawdor; and shalt be what thou art promised: yet do I fear thy nature; It is too full o' the milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way: thou wouldst be great; Art not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it. † (Act1, Scene5). This just showed how Lady Macbeth reacted to the situation as though killing Duncan was the right thing to do and that Macbeth would be greatly benefited from it.Lastly, Macbe th was influenced by a hallucination of a blood stained dagger that was meant to be stained by the blood of Duncan. One night Macbeth saw the dagger and didn’t know whether it was real or fake, and what to do with it, but then it became clear in the quote, â€Å"Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee†¦ †¦ I go, and it is done; the bell invites me. Hear it not, Duncan; for it is a knell hat summons thee to heaven or to hell. † (Act2, Scene2) This showed how Macbeth was basically shown the way to murdering Duncan by the dagger.And from being influenced by the witches, his wife, and the dagger, it was obviously meant to be that Macbeth was going to make a serious judgment of error in killing Duncan. A tragic hero must have a capacity for suffering, and suffer because he believes in what he is doing, and because he feels both guilt and guiltlessness. Macbeth in my mind does fit into this category through all th e pain and suffering he experiences throughout the play after he murders Duncan. A quote that shows he is suffering is â€Å"Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?No, this my hand will rather turn the multitudinous seas incarnadine, making the green one red. † (Act 2, Scene2). Macbeth is just realizing that what he has done is irreversible and he will never be able to get it off of his conscious. He therefore must have the capacity for suffering, and though there are many moments when he is unsure, I believe that he truly believes in what he is doing. There are also times when Macbeth feels guilt over the act he has committed and he is never really able to shake these feelings off, but he still gladly takes over as king and moves on in life, therefore showing he feels both guilt and guiltlessness.Again, the point is now raised that yes, he believes in what he is doing, but what he is doing is a terrible thing, and how does this make him a he ro? I believe that while Macbeth isn’t your typical hero, whether his actions were right or wrong he still meets the criteria, and it is on that that I’m basing the decision. Overall, it was clear in the story that Macbeth was definitely a tragic hero. He displayed his fatal flaw that was his insane ambition, he was destined to make the disastrous make of killing Duncan, and that he is  willing so suffer to achieve what he believes is right.Macbeth showed his ambition through killing Duncan, killing Banquo, and killing Macduff’s wife and child. His serious error in judgment of killing the king was always meant to happen because three witches gave him the thought, his wife wanted him to do it, and his hallucination even pointed him towards it. To sum it up, the debate over whether Macbeth is a hero or villain should be put to rest because it is quite evident that Macbeth is a tragic, tragic hero.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Family Essay

Every time we have a family gathering in our house, informal debates are always part of the â€Å"program†. My family and I are delighted to involve talking about current issues especially that concerns the humanity’s welfare morals. It will start from simple talks and later become a big debate amongst our family members. It sounds funny but that is how we have our family gatherings. In fact, discussing current issues make our spirits alert and alive but if there is none, our gathering will become boring and seems incomplete. I personally really like exchanging ideas and point of views from others. Through them, I can learn many insights and know their position regarding the issue, whether they are pro or not. This kind of characteristic really runs in my veins. I am a kind of person that will truly stand for what I believe is right. I will never concede to a perverse beliefs and ideas. Even though I have this kind of attitude that like to debate even on simple issues, I do still have my friends that stick with. There are times that we argue on nonsense things that sometimes lead us to a â€Å"fight†. I can still remember one incident that I and one of my closest friends had a fight over on one issue and that is upholding the good morals. I know we have different views when it comes to that matter. She is quite liberated but I am a reserved and quite conservative type of person. So if we talked over on morality, our ideas always clash and it is not new to me at all. Yes, we are friends but I do not do what she does and she does not do what I do because of our opposite views when it comes to morality. The argument started when she confessed to me that she and her boyfriend had indulged into premarital sex several times. My initial reaction was shocked. I was not able to talk for a moment because of her confession to me. I was shocked with her confession not because the idea itself is new to me but because I was not expecting them do it. I trusted her boyfriend very much that he will not do anything wrong to my friend because I expect him as a person who wants my friend to be preserved even we are in this perilous times where our morals are already deteriorating. I am not against on the idea of having sex because it is a gift of God to be enjoyed by individuals specifically for the married people but doing it outside marriage is a very big â€Å"no, no† to me. And I don’t even say that I want her to be like me because I do believe on individualism. All I want to see is, she will learn how to respect her own self and not allowing anyone, not even her â€Å"beloved† boyfriend, abused her body and take advantage on her. In this modern world, several people either young or old, of legal age or not are into it. It becomes a trend of our society. If you don’t experience it, people will regard you as â€Å"loser† and coward but if you do, you will gain their appreciation and approval. See? This is how our world being corrupted of worldly pleasures. And I don’t believe that if everybody is doing it, it is already right. We have to uphold our morals as people and not letting the things of this world influence and corrupt our good character. That is one of my convictions as a person. Furthermore, she continued to relay to me the things they did in full details and silence came up in the atmosphere. I just allowed her pour out her heart on me. After a few minutes, I asked her why she sticks for that idea and permitted it to happen. But she only answered, â€Å"Why not? Everybody is doing it. And besides, we love each other very much. I was very annoyed and disgusted with her answer but I tried to hold back my temper and trying to make a â€Å"good† discussion with her regarding the matter. So, I continued asking her. â€Å"Do you think that is the only way you can express your love to your boyfriend? † I asked. Then, answered back â€Å"what do you mean? We do this because we love each other. Don’t you understand! And don’t you ever dare to dictate my life on what should I do. You are not my parents! † she exclaimed. Those words struck me a lot. I am just discussing this matter to her because I love her as my dear friend and I want the best for her. I am hoping that, through our discussion, she can be able to realize the possible things that might happen to her in the future if she and her boyfriend will continually indulge on it. So I told her that even though everybody is doing it, it doesn’t mean that it is already right. My point was, even though everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible but not everything is constructive. What seems right to our eyes may lead us into destruction. I told her that she is just destroying her life. Her dignity as a woman was lost. I am trying her to understand my point that I would just want her to preserve her virginity until she will get married because that would be the only best gift she can give to her husband aside from her precious love. But she chose not to understand my point because she was â€Å"extremely† in love with that guy. I can understand her feelings but I can’t tolerate her actions. What she only thinks is the present happiness and not looking for the possible consequences in the future. I told her that every action she will be doing has its consequence. It might be right or wrong. Then, I asked again. â€Å"What if you get pregnant? Is he willing to accept the responsibilities and marry you? † She was silent for awhile and thinking for an answer. â€Å"Well†¦My boyfriend loves me so much and I am pretty sure that he will! † she replied and I can see her trying to convinced herself as she said those words to me. â€Å"Oh, well†¦ if that’s the case, I can’t force you to listen to my advices. I respect your opinion and decision because that is your life. But, always remember that I am not intruding your personal life. I am just worried what might be the consequences of your action and if you are really ready to face that consequence. † I responded. So, that argument is closed and I am thinking that it will never be an issue again to both of us. As time passes by, she continued to share to me what she and her boyfriend were doing and it was all about their sex escapades. I do listen to her even I do not like what I am hearing. I am trying my very best to understand her and remind her that it is not yet late to change. But she will just tell me that there is nothing wrong with her. In fact, she is very proud to experience it. One day, she phoned me and asked if we can dine out. We went to our favorite restaurant. When I saw her, she looked restless and haggard. I smiled at her and asked, â€Å"What is wrong? How are you and your boyfriend? † She just smiled bitterly to me. â€Å"Why? † I asked again. â€Å"I am pregnant and I do not know what to do with this baby. † I just looked at her and never said anything for a second. â€Å"I will abort this baby! † She started to cry. â€Å"No! † I said. â€Å"Did your boyfriend learn about this? † What did he say? † As I asked those questions, tears kept falling on her eyes. â€Å"Tell me†¦ What did he say about the baby? † I repeated. â€Å"He wanted me to abort the baby? He doesn’t want to marry me because we are still young and he has no job yet. I told her to keep the baby and never mind her boyfriend. Anyway, she can take care and provide the needs of her baby if she wants to. But she told me straight on my face that she will abort the baby. Due to her confusions, abortion came up into her mind as an ultimate answer for her recent problem. I told her that she already committed sin once, the sin of committing premarital sex, and now she should not sin again by aborting her own child. It is not right. It is morally not right. You are killing an innocent child, a child that has no strength to defend and fight for himself. This time, I persistently argued with her not to abort her baby. I told her that the guilt will always haunt her for the rest of her life. She might escape the shame for having a baby without a husband but she will not surely escape the guilt that will forever haunt her conscience. She was very stubborn because she told me that she needs to abort the baby because she cannot handle the responsibilities and the shame. I told her that all those scorns from other people will just pass and never be remembered again as the time will pass but the life of her baby cannot be withdraw from death once it is aborted.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Review Literary Terms Essay

Imagination is the power to create. It is the key component to literature. Without imagination, there won’t be an interesting story, I believe. Imagination is not only important to the writer, it helps the reader broaden their interpretation of the story. â€Å"When you allow reading to unlock your imagination, your connection sets the stage for intellectual engagement. It allows the experience of reading literature to include the pursuit of ideas and knowledge.† (Clugston, R.W 2010). With imagination comes genre. Choosing what category or type of literature. It can be a short story, poem, or drama. â€Å"It can be used to make broad distinctions or to identify specific categories within a broad category. The short story and the novel, for example, are specific literary genres within the broad category of fiction.†(Clugston, R.W.2010). I think another very important component to literature is the tone. Setting the tone will let the reader know what attitude the literary work is going. For example, â€Å"the final lines in Updike’s poem create an initial feeling of sympathy, which is likely to become empathy if the reader reflects on the dog’s predicament in not being able to communicate its final struggle.† (Clugston, R.W 2010). Tone is followed by image. Image represents the experience that go through your senses, the idea. Writers use specific language to describe the imagery. Again, in Frost’s and Updike’s poems about the dog, â€Å"In Frost’s image of an old dog there’s an initial feeling of sadness, but if the reader reflects on what the poem has to say about the inevitable life cycle that both the dog and the speaker face, sadness is likely to fade somewhat into acceptance.† Reference Clugston, R. W. (2010). Journey into literature. San Diego, California: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Friday, September 13, 2019

Changing Face Of Rural Consumer In Emerging Markets Economics Essay

Changing Face Of Rural Consumer In Emerging Markets Economics Essay India is growing at an average annual rate of 7.6 for the past many years and it is expected to continue growing at an equal if not faster rate. The rapid economic growth is increasing and enhancing employment and business opportunities and in turn increasing disposable incomes. The rural consumers in India account for about 73 percent of the total consumers. In recent years, the lifestyle of a large number of rural consumers in India has changed dramatically and the process of change is going on. The buying behaviour of the rural consumers is influenced by several factors such as socio-economic conditions, cultural environment, literacy level, occupation, geographical location, efforts on the part of sellers, exposure to media etc. As the benefits of growth trickle down, an increasing number of people are moving up from the economically weaker class to join the middle class. The middle class with its rising numbers and incomes is thus becoming the biggest market segment. The afflue nt class too will continue to grow in terms of size and value, albeit, at a slower pace than the middle class. Most of the companies are going rural because of large and diverse markets, increase in literacy level and changing life style of the people. Even globalization and liberalization expanded the Indian rural market. Several studies have shown that rural consumers are generally ignorant and they are also unorganised. Under these circumstances, the sellers or the manufacturers, exploit the consumers. Though, the consumers in India have been provided with various safety measures against their exploitation. In this paper, an attempt has been made to study the changing face of rural consumer in emerging markets. Key Words: Globalisation, Rural Consumer, Rural Market, Rural Potential. Introduction Rural consumers in emerging markets of developing countries are among the largest and fastest growing segments of the world’s population. In a country like India, where a substanti al number of the rural people are living below poverty line, having high level of unemployment and poor literacy level; consumer awareness continues to remain low. Above all about 70 percent of India’s population lives in rural areas. There are about 6, 38,365 villages in the country as against about 300 cities and 5,161 towns. Of the 121 crore Indians, 83.3 crore live in rural areas while 37.7 crore stay in urban areas, as per the Census 2011. Even in urban areas, a large number of people live in slums whose life is not better than those living in rural areas. This clearly highlights that India is still dominated by rural population. There were 7,935 towns in 2011 as against 5,161 in 2001. About 13.3% of India’s population and 42.6% of urban population reside in 53 cities having more than a million people, while the remaining 7,882 cities account for 47.4% of the urban population. There has been a steady increase in the number of cities from 5 in 1951 to 35 in 2001 to 53 in 2011 having a population of more than 10 lacs. About 31% of the urban population lives in the top-20 cities and about 51% of the country’s urban population lives in the top-100 cities.4 A report on survey conducted by National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) says that there are 720 million consumers across the villages in rural India. Hence, the development of the nation largely depends upon the development of the rural population. Agriculture is the main occupation of the rural people for their subsistence. It has been observed in the report that the condition of the rural consumers is deplorable because they are being exploited in the rural markets on account of lack of competition among the sellers. Although the rural consumers face various problems like fake brands and spurious products, misleading advertisements, unfair warranties and guarantees, and unreasonable pricing but it hardly affects their passion to buying because they want to buy those prod ucts which reflect their prosperity level. Similarly, with globalization and liberalization, rural market in India expanded its potentialities across the world. Globalization describes a process by which regional economies, societies, and cultures have become integrated through a global network of communication, transportation, and trade. Globalization can be defined as the intensification of worldwide social relations which link distant locations in such a way that local happenings are shaped by events occurring many miles away and vice – versa. Globalization generally means integrating our economy with the economy of world. Globalization had its impact on various sectors including agricultural, industrial, financial, health and many others. Globalization has helped in:

Working Capital Management Practices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Working Capital Management Practices - Essay Example ernal short term financing is secured to finance the working capital however; firms also tend to tie most of their productive funds with non-productive assets. Family Dollar- One of the most growing retain chain stores in US provides low overhead, self service retail stores. Founded in 1959, in North Carolina, Family Dollar is now one of the leading retail chain stores in US with over 6000 stores operating all over the US. Family Dollar is also unique and fast growing retail chain stores in US in the sense that its success is largely driven from the ease and convenience that it offers to its customers. Family Dollar offers low prices everyday and is on its way to become one of the leading retail chain stores in US. Last five years have witnessed one of the rapid growths in the history of Family Dollar as it expanded very fast and opened more than 4000 new stores during last five years. Family Dollar’s business model is based on effective and unique branding and merchandising strategy similar to neighborhood type of stores. It has collaboration with most of the major brands of the world which not only provides an opportunity to project itself as the leading brands of the world. This paper will discuss and critically assess the strengths and weaknesses of the working capital management policies of the Family Dollar. At the end, recommendations will also be provided as to how the firm can improve its working capital policies and how these recommendations can be implemented. Working capital requirements of every organization vary depending upon the nature of the industry as well as internal dynamics of the firm. However, roughly, it is often estimated at 25 to 40% of the total assets of the firm hence indicating a substantial amount of investment into assets which are typically unproductive in nature. (Glynn, Abraham, Murphy, & Wilkinson, 2008). Typically, the difference between the current assets and current liabilities of the firm is called working capital

Thursday, September 12, 2019

MARKETING PLAN FOR SKAGEN DESIGN Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

MARKETING PLAN FOR SKAGEN DESIGN - Essay Example Entry Modes for International Marketing 9 Export-based Entry Mode 11 Contractual Entry Modes 11 Foreign Direct Investment 12 Joint Venture as appropriate mode for Skagen Design to enter China 13 Why Joint Venture for Skagen Design? 13 Marketing Objectives of Skagen Design 14 Product Mix 16 Price mix 16 Place mix 16 Promotion Mix 17 STP strategy of Skagen Design 17 Segmentation strategy of Skagen Design 17 Targeting Strategy of Skagen Design 18 Positioning Strategy of Skagen Design 18 Conclusion 18 References 19 Introduction 3 Skagen Design: Company Overview 3 Analysis of Internal and External Environments 5 SWOT analysis 5 Strengths and Opportunities 6 Weaknesses and Threats 6 Market Choice for Skagen Design 7 China and Business opportunities 7 Entry Modes for International Marketing 9 Export-based Entry Mode 11 Contractual Entry Modes 11 Foreign Direct Investment 12 Joint Venture as appropriate mode for Skagen Design to enter China 13 Why Joint Venture for Skagen Design? 13 Marketing Objectives of Skagen Design 14 Product Mix 16 Price mix 16 Place mix 16 Promotion Mix 17 STP strategy of Skagen Design 17 Segmentation strategy of Skagen Design 17 Targeting Strategy of Skagen Design 18 Positioning Strategy of Skagen Design 18 Conclusion 18 References 19 Introduction In today’s competitive business environment, marketers are required to develop certain strategies to help them achieve sustainable competitive advantage. Out of various marketing strategies, going global is one of the most effective strategies as it not only widens the market potential but also help the firm seize more marketing opportunities. A marketer is one who designs and creates benefit or utility that deliver the want or need-satisfying power to the customers (Boone and Kurtz, 2009, p. 5). In a global marketing perspective, marketers are to identify its customers, research in to their requirements and develop products or services accordingly so as to market them globally. This piece of research paper presents an international marketing plan for Skagen Design to help the management team in deciding about the best appropriate entry mode to launch its business in China. The report presents a detailed marketing audit of Skagen Design and investigates marketing objectives an d better marketing strategies for the company in relation to its international marketing plan to China. Skagen Design: Company Overview Skagen design, started as a small business upstart in 1989 in Denmark, has now emerged to be a successful multinational company designing, making and marketing stylish Danish designed watches, sun glasses, jewels and related accessories (Zacks Equity Research, 2012). It’s co-founders Henrik and Charlotte Jorst came to USA to start their own business in 1989 by developing the idea of a business opportunity from the Danish lifestyle and philosophy and started their business by marketing well designed watches and other accessories (Skagen, 2012). This illuminates an example of how effectively a business dream can be converted to reality by exploring newer business opportunities and marketing newer ideas. As Crane (2009, p. 3) noted, a successful entrepreneur starts thinking creatively from finding a hidden marketing opportunity and develops his marketing by identifying customers’ specific requirements and by developing products accordingly. Henrik and Charlotte Jorst developed the business idea based on the marketing potential for supreme quality watches made in Danish spirit, elegant design, skillful craftsmanship, perfect technology and so on. With its mission to create a Skagen Global Community ingrained with a commitment to design impressive and unique products and to offer high valued customer services, the company has long been able to generate a positive zeal among its customers. As of very recent report, Fossil Inc is proposing to purchase Skagen Design for a total value of $236 million including 150,000 shares in Fossil Inc (Zacks Equity Research, 2012). Skagen Design ltd is manufacturing and marketing watches, sun glasses and jewels for both men and women offering its products and services through third party retailers as well as online stores. Apart from administrative offices and manufacturing plants sit uated in Nevada, it operates stores in Tokyo, Nagoya, Japan, Taiwan and markets it products to various countries such as Singapore, Malaysia,