GROUP 1 - LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
CATEGORY 3
STUDENT: BEATRICE ALEXA-MARIE AFRICA CARANDANG
AN EXPLORATION ON THE USE OF LANGUAGE IN THE PORTRAYAL OF WAR RESEARCH QUESTION: How did the Bush Administration present and justify the War on Terror through their use of language and rhetoric in political speeches? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? This investigation involved quite a lot of background research in order to find specific speeches delivered by the Bush Administration to ground the essay in. Upon deciding on the texts, each text was heavily and critically analysed in terms of the use of specific language and terminology and how the language used affected and continues to affect different audiences. Upon finding the primary texts, secondary sources consisting of: academic journals, research papers and dissertations written by persons with academic degrees on the subject matter, were found in order to support the ideas presented and bring forth new topics and arguments to further enrich the research presented. Furthermore, the investigation looks at how this new spin on the language of war positioned the public’s perception on the American national identity.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? Through extensive research and analysis, I have come to the conclusion that different perspectives must be taken into account to fully gain a holistic understanding of the issue of the “War on Terror”. On one hand, Bush’s heavy appeals to patriotism and liberty has portrayed the War on Terror as a necessary means of spreading Western democracy and the American ideal of freedom, therefore questioning the meaning of the word “freedom” itself. In the same way however, the portrayal of America as having the duty to fight for sovereignty and global freedom by vilifying Islamic radicalism has consequently created a parallel between extremist ideology and the entirety of the Islamic faith, therefore making Muslim individuals more susceptible to racism and discrimination.
GROUP 1 - LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
CATEGORY 1
STUDENT: JUHYUN (ROBIN) KIM
AN EXPLORATION OF THE IMPACT OF SETTING ON RELATIONSHIPS IN LITERATURE. RESEARCH QUESTION: How does Cormac McCarthy present setting as a significant influence on the central relationship between the man and the boy in The Road? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? The Road, by Cormac McCarthy, is a post-apocalypse novel, published in fairly recent date. This novel is very distinguishable from the conventional “post-apocalypse literature,” as it explores a life and its meaning through the use of apocalyptic setting. Thus, the investigation of The Road was undertaken with a careful approach due to its unique feature. For my essay, I have chosen to use a close-book analysis, which is a very traditional analytical approach to texts. I however soon found myself an assistance, as the complexity of The Road simply was too much for one to handle independently. I therefore have taken in consideration of other’s interpretations of the book by reading literary criticisms of The Road. Towards the very end, I was able to finally have my own perspective on The Road, which I then started to write my EE.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? The Road is highly sophisticated, yet its message is very simple: appreciate life. After taking literary, philosophical and even theological exploration of The Road, they all alluded me to the theme of death and its inevitability, that seemed to possess pessimistic intention. However, by resisting to maintain a civility among themselves, McCarthy teaches us the meaning of our lives is not found from an external source, but it depends on how much we are aware of surrounding and appreciate it.
GROUP 1 - LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
CATEGORY 3
STUDENT: LUCINDA BROWN
PERCEPTIONS OF FEMININITY IN WOMEN’S LINGERIE ADVERTISEMENTS RESEARCH QUESTION: How do Victoria’s Secret advertisements show the changing perceptions of femininity within the American lingerie market between 1970s-2000s through their use of linguistics and visual imagery? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? Whilst conducting this investigation I have applied the following ways into my method: I began with exploring the areas in my Higher Level subject Language and Literature and seeing what areas I am interested in exploring. I have always found the topic around Women’s image quite inspiring and so forth, I decided to look at one of the world most famous lingerie brands, Victoria’s Secret. Proceeding from this, I picked out four advertisements throughout their history and analyzed them in context. After analyzing, I delved into how the advertisements have evolved due to the social standards of women at the time and what influences them. By doing this, I needed to find authentic academic journals to support my argument. Once I had analyzed my advertisements, I began to structure my essay and build an argument around what I believed Victoria’s Secrets intentions were through linguistics and visual linguistics.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? By the end of the essay, I am able to conclude just as I had predicted that, the advertisements are entirely based off of the social standards at the time. Through the exploration of these advertisements I became aware of just how much the female illustration has become its own independent image.
GROUP 1 - LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
CATEGORY 3
STUDENT: MANUELA DIAZ VARGAS
AN EXPLORATION OF MARRIAGE IN INDIAN ADVERTISEMENT RESEARCH QUESTION: How is the idea of marriage portrayed through images and language in Indian advertisement? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? After extensive researched was conducted, five advertisements were chosen and analyzed as primary texts, due to their overarching theme of marriage. Their main target audiences being women or parents of single women of a middle to high social class, and have been displayed publicly on television, billboards and magazines in India all within the 21st century. Thus showing that these reach out to a large audience and have a large influence on societal perceptions. Secondary research was also conducted to obtain an insight into Indian society, their cultural norms and expectation regarding marriage. As these are written by reputable and regarded scholars, authors and professors these give the sources credibility.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? Through the the range of primary sources chosen, marriage is used as the driving force behind the acquisition of these products. My investigation has shed light on how these advertisements in India perpetuate the desirability of marriage in order to sell and display it as a cultural expectation. However it cannot be established that this is an accurate representation of marriage in this nation as the sample was miniscule and society is always at a state of flux responding to modernizing, economic development. Therefore the analysis is perhaps to some extent inaccurate. For a the portrayal of this to be analyzed in a wholesome manner a broad range of advertisements could be taken into account, and respectively a more valid conclusion can be come to.
GROUP 1 - LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
CATEGORY 3
STUDENT: TIMOTHY NGUYEN
PERCEPTIONS OF MASCULINITY IN MALE CLOTHING ADVERTISEMENTS RESEARCH QUESTION: How does Dolce and Gabbana utilize visual techniques to highlight the perceptions of masculinity in the male clothing industry? . HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? A series of menswear advertisements by Dolce & Gabbana for they Spring/Summer 2010 campaign was analyzed. The advertisements were inspired by the Sicilian theme and was aimed to promote their upcoming Spring/Summer 2010 menswear line release. The essay will focus on how the advertisements reflect masculinity of the time at which they were published and evaluate the nature of societal perceptions, attitudes and behavior. To add, I have analyzed how Dolce and Gabbana reinforce the hegemonic status of men in society through their selected techniques and how they tend to establish the societal perceptions of masculinity as a cultural value.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? Through this investigation, it can be concluded that the societal and cultural values of the time have an inuence on the advertisements. The techniques employed within the campaign help drive societal perceptions on what it means to be masculine in modern society. Most businesses manipulate the cultural values and audience perception but also adhere to dierent social and cultural groups. It is evident that male advertising serve as a tool to further conceptions on masculinity pertaining to certain social standards and aIitudes. Furthermore, advertisements can help reinforce these expectations in society, implementing the idea of gender roles deeper into the minds of individuals, especially the audience.
GROUP 1 - LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
CATEGORY 3
STUDENT: PETER WONWOO CHOE
신조어와 인식변화의 연관성 연구 RESEARCH QUESTION: 1 인가구 관련 신조어가 사회 구성원들의 인식을 어떻게 변화시키는가?
HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? 신조어는 현대 사회에서 큰 영향을 미치고 있다. 신조어를 통해 사람들의 사회 현상에 대한 인식변화를 유도할 수 있다. 본 연구는 신조어가 사람들의 인식변화에 어떠한 영향을 미치는지 모색한다. 1인가구에 연관된 신조어가 많이 사용되면서 1인가구에 대한 인식변화가 1인가구의 증가로 이끌었다. 이 논문은 신조어의 사용이 1인가구가 증가하는 사회적 현상과의 연관성을 찾는 점에서 의의가 있다. 본 논문은 1인가구와 연관된 신조어들이 생겨난 배경을 분석하고, 각 세대별 설문조사를 통해 신조어를 많이 사용하는 사람들과 그렇지 않은 사람들을 기준으로 신조어가 인식변화에 미치는 영향을 탐구했다. 설문 대상은 20대, 30대, 40대, 50대, 60대의 연령대로 나누어 각 세대별로 설문했다. 신조어에 많이 노출되어 있는 젊은 층과 신조어에 비교적 덜 노출된 노년층의 인식변화를 설문을 통해 비교하고 분석하고자 했다. 더불어 신조어가 우리사회 속에서 어떻게 사용되는지 파악하기 위해서 인터넷 기사 제목들을 비교 및 분석했다. 인터넷 기사 제목 속에서 같은 의미를 갖고 있는 ‘돌싱녀’와 ‘이혼녀’가 어떻게 다르게 사용되는지 파악함으로 신조어가 우리 사회 속에서 긍정적인 이미지를 형성한다는 것을 알 수 있었다.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? 본 논문의 연구 결과는 신조어는 새로운 사회현상에 대한 인식변화를 가져왔다는 것이다. 신조어에 더 많이 노출되어 있는 젊은층은 신조어가 생겨난 이후 사회적 현상에 대해 더 긍정적인 생각을 가지게 되었다는 것을 보여주고 있다. 하지만, 신조어에 노출이 많이 되지 않은 노년층의 경우에는 신조어의 정의조차 모르는 경우도 있으며, 이혼, 개인주의, 그리고 취업난에 관한 사회적 현상에 아직도 부정적인 시선을 가지고 있었다. 중노년층의 경우에도 신조어를 자주 접하면서 새로운 사회현상에 대한 인식이 부정적인 면이 상당히 완화하는 방향으로 변화하고 있음을 보여주었다. 이 논문을 통해 신조어는 사회적 현상에 대해 사람들의 인식을 변화시킬 수 있음을 보여주었다.
GROUP 1 - KOREAN LANGUAGE
CATEGORY 3
STUDENT: GEONWOO RYU
ANALYSIS OF 19TH SOUTH KOREAN PRESEDENTIAL RACE BROADCAST RESEARCH QUESTION: How can linguistic and nonlinguistic characteristic of news broadcast influence the integrity of the news? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? 대한민국의 제 8대 ‘대통령‘인 박근혜가 탄핵이 되 19대 대통령 선거가 앞당겨져 시행되었다. 새로운 정부를 희망하고, 이전 정부에서부터 축적된 적폐를 청산하자는 국민의 마음이 간절했던 만큼, 그 관심이 어느 때보다 더 뜨거웠던 대선이였다. 방송사는 대선을 취재 또는 보도할 때 반드시 공정성을 유지해야 한다. 편파적인 보도는 대중들에게 편향된 프레임을 씌우고, 그들로 하여금 언론을 불신하고 부당한 인식을 갖게 할 수 있기 때문이다. 하지만, 공정성을 최우선시해야 할 대한민국의 언론들은 최근 들어 공정성의 위기를 겪고 있다. 본 연구는 이러한 사회적 맥락을 반영하여19대 대선 관련 뉴스를 보도했던 KBS, SBS, MBC 그리고 JTBC의 취재와 보도에서 사용된 언어적 그리고 비언어적인 기법을 분석하고 비교하며, 각 방송사가 공정하게 19대 대선을 보도하였는지 분석하였다.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? 이 번 19대 대통령 대선보도는 작년 대선보도애서 보여진 양적 측면과 내용적 측면의 문제점이 다시 나타났다. 언론은 선거 기간 동안 특정 후보의 이름이 거론되는 폭로성 주장이나 의혹을 보도할 때 신중을 기해야 한다. 사실이 아닐 경우 유권자의 판단을 곡해하는 결과를 낳기 때문이다. 불행히도, 특정 후보에게 편향적이고 불리한 MBC의 보도행태가 대선보도의 수준과 공정성을 훼손하였다. 정도는 MBC보다 심하지 않았지만, JTBC는 의도적으로 후보자들의 발언을 편집하여 문재인 후보에게 우호적인 인식을 생성하는데 일조했다. 또한, 유승민 후보와 심상정 후보의 관련된 보도는 그 비중이 상대적으로 적었다. 각 후보자의 보도를 동등한 시간으로 유지하는 ‘동등시간의 원칙’은 잘 지켜지지 않았다고 결론지을 수 있다.
GROUP 1 - LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
CATEGORY 3
STUDENT: MINSUNG KANG
A STUDY ON THE CHANGED PERSPECTIVE OF THE MARRIAGE OF MODERN WOMEN IN KOREAN DRAMAS SINCE 2016 RESEARCH QUESTION: How does drama reflect the changed perspective of the marriage in modern society? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? 드라마는 현재의 사회 분위기를 가장 잘 반영하는 매체 중 하나이다. 최근 몇 년 동안 한국 여성의 사회적 지위가 높아짐으로서 여성의 결혼관 역시 변화를 보이고 있다. 2016년 대한민국 출생아 수는 지난 10년 최저를 기록했을 뿐더러 결혼율 통계 작성 이래 혼인율 최저치를 기록한 해이기도 하다. 이러한 현상의 이유 중 하나는 결혼에 대한 사회적 인식 변화 또는 개인의 가치관 변화이다. 다음을 연구하기 위해 2016년부터 2017년에 방영된 지상파, 케이블, 종편 드라마 <아이가 다섯>, <아버지가 이상해>, <품위있는 그녀> 속 여주인공 ‘안미정’, ‘변혜영’, ‘우아진’을 심층적으로 분석했다. 드라마 속 여성 인물들이 보여주는 행동과 대사를 분석해 여성의 결혼관이 어떤 이유로 변화했는지 연구했다. 또한 여성의 결혼에 대한 가치관 변화 속 결혼, 이혼, 재혼, 동거를 통해 각 드라마의 여자 인물들이 어떤 생각을 갖고 있는지, 어떤 태도를 보이는지 분석했다. 이는 여성의 가치를 증명하고 개선해준다는 점에서 의의가 있다.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? 2016년 이후 방영된 드라마들은 10여 년 전 방영된 드라마들과 확연한 차이를 띈다. 분석 결과 2016년 이전에 방영했던 드라마의 결말은 대부분이 웨딩드레스를 입은 남녀 주인공의 결혼식이었던 반면에, 이후에 방영한 드라마의 결말은 해피엔딩임에도 불구하고 남녀 주인공의 결혼식 장면을 보여주지 않는 추세로 결혼식 자체에 의의를 두지 않는 관습적 변화를 반영하고 있다는 걸 알 수 있다. 진부한 신데렐라 스토리의 수동적이고, 경제적으로 불안정한 여성으로 등장했던 예전 드라마들 속 여성 주인공들과는 다르게 사회적으로 안정된 위치를 갖고있는 현대 드라마 속 여성 주인공의 모습은 여성의 사회적 지위가 전보다 높아졌다는 것을 증명한다.
GROUP 1 - LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
CATEGORY 1
STUDENT: MINH TUNG DUONG
ĐẶC TRƯNG NGÔN NGỮ TRONG THỂ LOẠI BÚT KÝ CỦA VŨ BẰNG QUA HAI TÁC PHẨM “MÓN NGON HÀ NỘI” VÁ “MÓN LẠ MIỀN NAM”. RESEARCH QUESTION: Đặc trưng ngôn ngữ trong thể loại bút ký của Vũ Bằng được thể hiện như thế nào qua hai tác phẩm “Món ngon Hà Nội” và “Món lạ miền Nam”? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? Trong bài luận nghiên cứu, em sẽ giải đáp câu hỏi: “Đặc trưng ngôn ngữ trong thể loại bút ký của Vũ Bằng được thể hiện như thế nào qua hai tác phẩm “Món ngon Hà Nội” và “Món lạ miền Nam” qua ba luận điểm chính: Đặc trưng của thể loại kí trong hai tác phẩm “Món ngon Hà Nội” và “Món lạ miền Nam” được thể hiện qua mối quan hệ giữa tiêu đề và nội dung tác phẩm; Đặc trưng của thể loại bút ký của Vũ Bằng thể hiện qua giọng điệu mang âm hưởng của những cảm xúc trữ tình, ký ức hoài niệm; Đặc trưng ngôn ngữ bút ký qua hai tác phẩm “Món ngon Hà Nội” và “Món lạ Miền Nam” thể hiện qua bút pháp nghệ thuật. Để làm tốt bài luận, em đã dùng kĩ năng tìm kiếm và xử lý thông tin phù hợp, đọc hiểu văn bản văn học, phân tích, bình luận và phỏng vấn nhằm khám phá, định hướng đúng và hiểu sâu sắc hơn về hai tác phẩm cũng như phong cách của nhà văn Vũ Bằng.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? Trong lịch sử văn học Việt Nam, Vũ Bằng không phải là người đầu tiên và duy nhất viết về ẩm thực nhưng có thể nói rằng ông là người đầu tiên viết về các món ăn ngon đằm thắm, say mê nhất. Nỗi nhớ quê nhà và tình yêu quê hương sâu đậm của tác giả đã chắp cánh cho niềm cảm hứng vô tận của tác phẩm có những trang văn độc đáo, xuất sắc có một không hai, in đậm dấu ấn được viết bởi một người con của Hà Nội. Thể loại bút ký của Vũ Bằng là cách ông đã mở lòng với người đọc, là chia sẻ những khoảng lặng trong tâm hồn chất chứa nhiều nỗi niềm, ký ức hoài niệm và cảm xúc trữ tình của một người con xa xứ với người vợ thân yêu. Viết bằng hoài niệm và những cảm xúc chân thật, Vũ Bằng đã tạo ra những trang ký có sức hút kỳ lạ. Ông không chỉ miêu tả miếng ngon mà còn làm bừng lên tất cả vẻ đẹp tinh tế, lịch lãm của cảnh vật, con người, văn hoá miền Nam và Bắc, qua đó đã vẽ lên một bức tranh sống động chứa chan hương vị và linh hồn của quê hương tổ quốc Việt Nam.
GROUP 1 - VIETNAMESE LITERATURE
CATEGORY 1
STUDENT: NGUYỄN HỮU TRANG THƠ
HÌNH ẢNH NGƯỜI NÔNG DÂN TRONG VĂN HỌC HIỆN THỰC PHÊ PHÁN RESEARCH QUESTION: Hình ảnh người nông dân trong văn học hiện thực phê phán đã được xây dựng như thế nào thông qua truyện ngắn của Nam Cao và Ngô Tất Tố? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? Em đã từng học qua nhiều tác phẩm văn học về đề tài người nông dân và em nhận ra rằng cùng một hình ảnh người nông dân nhưng thông qua ngòi bút của các nhà văn thì bối cảnh, ngoại hình, tính cách và tư tưởng của nhân vật nông dân lại được khắc họa khác nhau. Điển hình là Nam Cao và Ngô Tất Tố- hai nhà văn lớn của thời kì văn học hiện thực phê phán với nhiều tác phẩm nổi tiếng về người nông dân như “Một Bữa No”, “Đôi Móng Giò” của Nam Cao và “Góc Chiếu Giữa Đình”, “Một Tiệc Ăn Vạ”, “Miếng Thịt Giỗ Hậu” của Ngô Tất Tố. Những điểm tương đồng và khác nhau trong cách xây dựng nhân vật nông dân của hai nhà văn về mặt bối cảnh, ngoại hình, tính cách và tư tưởng được phân tích trong bài tiểu luận này thông qua phương pháp so sánh đối chiếu. Các tài liệu được tham khảo bao gồm các tác phẩm truyện ngắn của hai nhà văn trên cùng những nhận xét chung của bạn đọc về hai tác giả. Thông qua bài tiểu luận này, người đọc có thể hiểu thêm về đời sống, hình tượng người nông dân cũng như là tính cách và tư tưởng của họ.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? Nhìn chung, người nông dân trong các tác phẩm của hai tác giả này đều phải sống chung với sự nghèo đói và bóc lột từ xã hội. Với bút pháp điển hình hóa nhân vật chính diện, Ngô Tất Tố đã xây dựng lên nhân vật người nông dân dù trong bối cảnh tù túng vẫn giữ được sự thuần khiết và tư tưởng tiến bộ không ngừng. Hình tượng người nông dân trong các tác phẩm của Nam Cao có phần xù xì, gai gốc và chai lì hơn, song vẫn mang tư tưởng tiến bộ nhất định. Nếu sự thật thà và chăm chỉ của người nông dân trong Ngô Tất Tố nhận được sự cảm mến từ người đọc thì khát vọng sống cuộc đời lương thiện của người nông dân trong Nam Cao nhận được sự cảm thông. Những tác phẩm viết về người nông dân đã góp phần lưu trữ lại hình tượng người nông dân Việt Nam thông qua mỗi thời kì.
GROUP 1 - VIETNAMESE LITERATURE
CATEGORY 1
STUDENT: GIANG LE
TÌM HIỂU VỀ CHỦ ĐỀ TÌNH MẪU TỬ THÔNG QUA THƠ VÀ CA DAO DÂN CA VIỆT NAM RESEARCH QUESTION: Tình mẫu tử được thể hiện như thế nào trong thơ ca và cao dao dân ca Việt Nam? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? Tấm lòng người mẹ chính là vật vô đáy duy nhất mà thượng đế đã ban tặng cho con người; những câu thơ, lời hát đậm sâu tình nghĩa về mẹ đã âm vang từ thế hệ này qua thế hệ khác làm sâu lắng lòng người với những cảm xúc mà chỉ có phận con cái mới thấu hiểu. Dù cho mẹ có là ai, đi đâu hay làm gì thì tình yêu của mẹ dành cho con vẫn mãi là biển cả. Những bài thơ và bài hát mang hình ảnh của người mẹ tần tảo nuôi nấng các con khôn lớn, hay những lời báo hiếu chân thành từ phận làm con đã lâu không còn xa lại với độc giả Việt Nam. Chính vì thế, câu hỏi “Tình mẫu tử được thể hiện như thế nào trong thơ ca và ca dao dân ca Việt Nam?” được nghiên cứu để so sánh và đối chiếu qua các thời kì sau: phong trào thơ mới (1930 – 1945), thơ trong thời kì kháng chiến chống Mỹ (1954 – 1975) và thơ hiện đại sau giải phóng năm 1975.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? Qua ba thời kì khác nhau, tình mẫu tử được làm nổi bật qua những sự kiện lịch sử trọng đại ở mỗi giai đoạn. Thời Pháp thuộc nửa đầu thế kỉ 20 chính là thời gian người phụ nữ Việt Nam ta chịu nhiều cực hình và đau khổ nhất. Những bài thơ khắc họa nên hình ảnh của người mẹ vừa chiến đấu với nạn đói, vừa phải xoay sở nuôi con nhỏ thế nhưng một khi tổ quốc kêu gọi, họ không ngần ngại hi sinh các con của mình ra chiến trường. Đối với thời kì kháng chiến chống Mỹ, tình mẹ lại âm thầm hơn khi khát khao được độc lập, tự do gào thét trong tim họ. Sau năm 1975 đến hiện tại, tình mẹ cuối cùng cũng được báo hiếu và khắc sâu trong tâm trí của những người con đã trưởng thành. Dù cho ở hoàn cảnh nào thì tình yêu của người mẹ đều có điểm chung đó là một tình yêu vô bờ bến với lòng khoan dung không đáy, luôn sẵn sàng hi sinh thân xác để che chở cho các con. Chủ đề tình mẫu tử còn được làm nổi bật hơn với sự kết hợp của nhiều nghệ thuật đặc sắc như hình ảnh ẩn dụ, so sánh và nhân hóa trong từng bài thơ. Thế nhưng tình mẹ quá bao la rộng lớn, không có một nhà văn hay nhà thơ nào có thể lột tả hết được.
GROUP 1 - LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
CATEGORY 1
STUDENT: QUYNH NHU VU
TÌM HIỂU VỀ HÌNH TƯỢNG NGƯỜI NÔNG DÂN TRONG VĂN HỌC VIỆT NAM RESEARCH QUESTION: Hoàn cảnh sống đã ảnh hưởng như thế nào đến hình tượng người nông dân Việt Nam trong hai tác phẩm ‘’Con Nhà Nghèo’’ của Hồ Biểu Chánh và ‘’Bước đường cùng’’ của Nguyễn Công Hoan? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? Bài tiểu luận của tôi được viết sau khi tìm hiểu về xã hội thực dân nửa phong kiến khắc nghiệt, khi người nông dân bị chà đạp, hắt hủi và có cố gắng mấy cũng không có được tiếng nói của chính mình. Dường như họ quá bé nhỏ để có thể vùng dậy đấu tranh cho sự phân chia giai cấp của xã hội. Đây là sự thất khổ tâm mà liệu có mấy ai biết và cảm thông cho những gì người nông dân phải cam chịu.Tôi đã phân tích hình tượng người nông dân Việt Nam trong hai tác phẩm ‘Con nhà nghèo’ và ‘Bước đường cùng’ bằng cách nghiên cứu cũng như tham khảo các tài liệu trên các trang mạng để viết lên bài tiểu luận của mình. Sau đó, bối cảnh, tính cách và tư tưởng sẽ được tìm hiểu qua phương pháp so sánh đối chiếu giữa hai tiểu thuyết.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? Hai tác phẩm trên đều lên án xã hội bất công khi coi trọng đồng tiền hơn giá trị con người, đã áp bức, bóc lột người dân đến tận đường cùng. Những người nông dân được cả hai tác giả nhận thấy và thể hiện bên trong cái hình hài mộc mạc, thô sơ và đói rách là những trái tim bao la, nhân hậu, biết đùm bọc giúp đỡ lẫn nhau, là đức tính cao thượng, quên mình vì người khác rất đáng quý biết nhường nào. Mặc dù sống trong một xã hội thối nát đến thế nhưng Hồ Biểu Chánh và Nguyễn Công Hoan vẫn tuyên dương đồng thời làm nổi bật phẩm chất lương thiện tốt đẹp của những người nông dân nghèo. Họ là những tấm gương chứng minh rằng chúng ta có thể vượt qua số phận bạc mệnh, chống lại những sự đàn áp mà xã hội đã trút lên họ, qua đó phê phán tầng lớp giàu có, cường hào và địa chủ đã dùng tiền và quyền để áp bức dân. Cả hai tác phẩm mang đầy tính nhân văn, mang cho người đọc sự đồng cảm thay cho số phận đau khổ của người nông dân.
GROUP 1 - LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
CATEGORY 1
STUDENT: NGOC BAO DUONG
HÌNH ẢNH NGƯỜI PHỤ NỮ VIỆT NAM TRONG VĂN HỌC TRUNG ĐẠI VÀ VĂN HỌC HIỆN ĐẠI RESEARCH QUESTION: Hình ảnh người phụ nữ Việt Nam được xây dựng như thế nào trong văn học trung đại và văn học hiện đại thông qua hai tác phẩm “Xuân Hương Thi Tập” của Hồ Xuân Hương và “Mùa Lạc” của Nguyễn Khải ? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? Đề tài bài nghiên cứu của tôi được đặt ra là: “Hình ảnh người phụ nữ Việt Nam thông qua hai tác phẩm “Xuân Hương Thị Tập” của nhà thơ Hồ Xuân Hương thuộc văn học trung đại và “Mùa Lạc” của nhà văn Nguyễn Khải thuộc văn học hiện đại. Qua bài luận nghiên cứu này, độc giả có thể am hiểu hơn về những điểm giống và khác nhau trong hình ảnh của người phụ nữ qua thời gian. Bài luận được nghiên cứu bằng việc tìm hiểu về bối cảnh xã hội và cuộc sống của người phụ nữ trong hai thời kì qua những bài nghiên cứu về lịch sử con người và văn học trong sách và trên mạng. Hình ảnh người phụ nữ trong hai giai đoạn văn học sẽ được phân tích kĩ qua những nhân vật nữ hai tác phẩm để thấy được sự giống và khác nhau.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? Qua bài nghiên cứu, tôi nhận thấy hình ảnh của người phụ nữ trong hai giai đoạn văn học có rất nhiều điểm khác nhau điển hình trong vai trò và địa vị xã hội: họ không có tiếng nói và cam chịu những áp bức không thể bộc lộ Người phụ nữ trong văn học hiện đại lại được sự bình đẳng và họ cùng người đàn ông xông pha, đóng góp rất nhiều trong xã hội. Nhưng cho dù ở thời kì nào, người phụ nữ đều toát lên những đức tính vô cùng đáng quý và thể hiện niềm hy vọng và khát khao về một tình yêu hạnh phúc.
GROUP 1 - VIETNAMESE LITERATURE
CATEGORY 1
STUDENT: GIA AN LUU
SỐ PHẬN CỦA NGƯỜI PHỤ NỮ TRONG XÃ HỘI PHONG KIẾN QUA VĂN HỌC VIỆT NAM RESEARCH QUESTION: Số phận của những người phụ nữ trong xã hội phong kiến Viiệt Nam bị đối xử như thế nào qua hai tác phẩm “Bỉ Vỏ” của Nguyên Hồng và “Giông Tố” của Vũ Trọng Phụng? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? Số phận của những người phụ nữ Việt Nam trong xã hội phong kiến luôn là những bi kịch không lối thoát. Họ phải chịu những bất công ngang trái, những ràng buộc của một xã hội phong kiến khắt khe, một xã hội “trọng nam khinh nữ”, xã hội của thế lực đồng tiền đã vùi dập họ. Bản thân tôi là một người phụ nữ Việt Nam hiện đại, tôi rất may mắn vì không phải sống trong cùng khổ và bị ngược đãi như bao người phụ nữ xưa. Chính vì thế, tôi đã chọn đề tài nghiên cứu này để tôi có thể một phần nào đó thấu hiểu được và cảm thông cho những số phận đáng thương của họ. Tôi đã hoàn thành bài tiểu luận này sau khi nghiên cứu về những ảnh hưởng của xã hội đến tính cách, suy nghĩ, hành động và tư tưởng của người phụ nữ Việt Nam qua hai tác phẩm văn học “Bỉ Vỏ”, “Giông Tố” cùng những bài bình luận văn học có liên quan đến đề tài nghiên cứu.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? Các tác giả viết về số phận, cuộc đời của người phụ nữ trong xã hội phong kiến Việt Nam đương thời bằng tất cả tấm lòng trân trọng, cảm thông, bằng ngòi bút thấm đẫm nước mắt. Số phận của mỗi nhân vật được đặt trong những hoàn cảnh, tình huống éo le, nghiệt ngã để nhân vật tự bộc lộ tính cách của mình. Đó là lời tố cáo đanh thép vào một xã hội phong kiến thối nát, suy tàn đã đẩy số phận của người phụ nữ Việt Nam vào bước đường cùng, không lối thoát. Ngày nay, cuộc đời của người phụ nữ không còn những bất hạnh, khổ đau mà hướng đến một tương lai tươi sáng hơn, tốt đẹp hơn đúng phẩm giá của một con người. Phụ nữ ngày nay đang góp phần công sức, tài năng, trí tuệ để cùng xây dựng và phát triển đất nước giàu mạnh.
GROUP 2 - ENGLISH B STUDENT: JEONGHEE JUNG
COMPARISION BETWEEN ALDOUS HUXLEYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BRAVE NEW WORLD & CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY: BIOTECHNOLOGY AND MASS MEDIA RESEARCH QUESTION: Is the presentation of Biotechnology and Mass Media to control the society in Brave New World by Aldous Huxley relevant to contemporary society? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? I have become interested in the topic of the use of power as these days, there have been many issues due to the use and abuse of power by people in authority. I decided to explore this issue by using the text, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley about a Dystopian society and to investigate whether themes raised in the novel are relevant to the 21st century. My primary sources were the novel, Brave New World, interview of Aldous Huxley done in The Mike Wallace Interview, and his essay, Brave New World Revisited. In addition, my secondary sources were academic journals from JSTOR and GALE databases and scientific news articles. After completing the research, I decided to compare the theme of technology, specifically biotechnology and mass media in Brave New World with todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s society. Academic journals provide reliable information as they have been peer-reviewed and news articles provide the most up-to-date information on recent development. Additionally, the interview of Aldous Huxley and his essay provided an understanding of his perspective and thoughts on science and technology.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? After completing an extensive research and writing an extended essay on the topic of my choice, I have come to conclude that contemporary society has not reached the stagey of Brave New World because although some nations intentionally censor and distort information, the public can easily access information through Mass Media and the society has not yet applied Biotechnology for social control. However, there is a limitation to my conclusion since the degree and accessibility of such technological advancement differ by nation. Therefore, a different conclusion would be drawn in different nations.
GROUP 2 - LANGUAGE ACQUISITION: MANDARIN STUDENT: TSENG PING CHAO (BENSON)
RESEARCH QUESTION: ? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN?
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GROUP 2 - LANGUAGE AQUISITION
CATEGORY 2
STUDENT: ALEXIA BEATRICE GUGLIELMI
THE IMPACT OF SPANISH COLONIALISM ON CULTURE IN LATIN AMERICA RESEARCH QUESTION: To what extent has Latin American culture been changed by the colonist era? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? Elegí este tema por su relación a una discusión sobre diversidad cultural mi clase de español. Las fuentes de información que utilicé consistían de algunas en inglés y en español. Fue necesario que incluir fuentes en español por el hecho que mi ensayo es escrito en español, pero también necesité incluir fuentes en inglés por una limitación de fuentes españolas. Desafortunadamente, muchos de las fuentes españolas que encontré estaban destinadas a hablantes nativos o usaban lenguaje dirigido a especialistas del sujeto, de las cuales yo soy ninguna. Esto redujo significativamente la cantidad de fuentes españolas que podía usar, mucho menos comprender. La mayoría de mis fuentes usadas fueron fuentes secundarias. Esto fue especialmente porque no existen muchas fuentes primarias originales del siglo XV que están disponibles para mi. También habían muchas fuentes de origen indígena potenciales que podría haber tenido para conocer más la cultura mesoamericana fueron destruidas hace siglos cuando los colonos llegaron por primera vez. Otra vez eso ha más limitado la disponibilidad de mis fuentes.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? Es claro que el encuentro aceleró el proceso de la modernización en América Latina y su descubrimiento era inevitable, pero esto cambió muchos aspectos de la cultura latinoamericana. Todos los derechos que los descendientes de los pueblos originarios tenían que ganar nunca deberían haber sido quitados en el primer lugar, y lo mismo es válido por el racismo que enfrentaron en el pasado. Sus religiones cambiaron por fuerza y aspectos de sus idiomas originales cambiaron o eran perdidos. Por otro lado, todos estos obstáculos que los descendientes de los pueblos originarios enfrentaron han inspirado muchos movimientos y la creación de grupos que luchan para sus derechos, uniendo nuevamente a las personas de la cultura original de América Latina.
GROUP 3 - BUSINESS MANAGEMENT STUDENT: MARGOT PIORKOWSKI
THE MAJOR OBSTACLES TO WOMEN DIRECTORS IN THE AMERICAN FILM INDUSTRY RESEARCH QUESTION: What are the business-oriented barriers hindering women directors in the American film industry? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? To investigate the gender gap in the American film industry, I considered the sociological issues and the business points of views that the industry currently faces. In order to get detailed information about women’s obstacles in the industry, I first looked at articles explaining certain problems they were facing from their point of views such as the glass ceiling and raising capital. By looking at other articles and interviews from the perspective of men, I managed to analyze more sociological barriers such as the “babysitting barrier”, the “knee jerk” disrespect and the “mini-me” problem. Looking at the news played a major part of my research as I managed to prove that this issue is current nowadays. By doing so, I analyzed the recently-exposed Harvey Weinstein case, in which men reached positions of power and influence and used their misogynistic bias to peddle favors. Primary research was also conducted by asking an acquaintance who works in the industry about equality in his workplace and how it relates to the world of the American industry nowadays. Overall, by conducting this investigation, I managed to express the efforts taken to break the barriers women face in this industry.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? By the end of my essay, I have answered my research question by stating the numerous obstacles women face in the industry but also suggesting the different ways in which women are taking action to change this misogynist culture. From this essay, I learnt and concluded that a new culture of equality needs to be implemented in the American film industry in order for women to have the freedom of making their own decisions. Big improvements will slowly allow them to break the glass ceiling in the near future and hopefully allow equal opportunities for both men and women.
GROUP 3 - BUSINESS MANAGEMENT STUDENT: VIET QUYNH (IVY) LE
THE EXTENT TO WHICH COGNITAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NETWORK OF INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS EXEMPLIFIES SHARED VALUE RESEARCH QUESTION: To what extent does Cognitaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s network of international schools exemplifies Shared Value? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? The aim of this extended essay is to understand the concept of Creating Shared Value and from that examine how this concept is implemented in practice for an education organization, Cognita. The extended essay begins with introducing the concept of Shared Value and the methods of applying it into business organization. After that, Cognita Organization is presented by discussing about the history, its goals and objectives and how Creating Shared Value concept is used in this particular business. Throughout the essay, both primary sources and secondary sources are used effectively. Primary resources include Interview with Mr. Watts, principal of International School Ho Chi Minh City (ISHCMC) and survey for ISHCMC parents. These help me to understand fully how the school operates and whether or not it applies Shared Value. Additionally, various secondary articles, regarding the operation of Cognita, are used to fulfill the aim of this investigation.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? The conclusion that I have made from this investigation is Cognita applied Shared Value within its organization. Even though the leaders of the organization might not know about Shared Value concept, they somehow apply all of the methods into their operations. From this essay, I learned that not only normal business organization uses Shared Value concept but also educational organizations are strongly encouraged to apply this concept.
GROUP 3 - BUSINESS MANAGEMENT STUDENT: SANG MIN KIM
BUSINESS ETHICS AND MAXIMIZING PROFITS RESEARCH QUESTION: To what extent does Nestle balance between ethical business practices and maximizing profits? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? My investigation focuses on how large corporations such as Nestle make decisions that are either for maximizing profits or which follow ethical business. To answer my research question I had to understand and demonstrate that I can establish a clear connection between the real life issues and concepts in business that I’ve learnt in class. I have been able to take the given information and interpret it so that I can develop a credible argument and a conclusive perspective backed by reliable information. It wasn’t difficult to find in-depth information about case studies. However it was a matter of reliability and being capable of balancing different perspectives of different authors of the sources used to ensure that my discussion wasn’t bias. Choosing a large conglomerate (corporation) that was ideal for my discussion required me to take a prudent approach in decision as I wanted to be able to find a lot of resources and information pertaining to my arguments. I chose Nestle as I was able to have access to useful information and support from my supervisor who had a deep understanding of the firm.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? It was difficult to draw a line of equilibrium when I balanced the positive and negative aspects of Nestlé’s decisions and practices. Regardless of Nestlé’s recent efforts to contribute towards positive growth of sustainability in nutritional markets and enhancing lives through prioritizing societal values by CSV, it seems that Nestlé has done more harm than good as they have been part of numerous scandalous incidents and has a history of issues and controversy that is unchangeable towards this day. Through an egoistic view, it is understandable to an extent as factors such as profitability, corporate pressure, market share and so forth, are the very fundamentals of business. As you can see that there are many factors that influence Nestlé to choose profitability over ethicality, however a line should be drawn where they should consider having a consequentialist approach where consequences are further examined and predicted. It can be concluded that It all falls in to the category of a trade-off situation between ethicality and profitability.
GROUP 3 - BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT STUDENT: MENGJUWU
TRANSFORMING THE TAIWANESE TOURISM INDUSTRY TO WITHSTAND THE DECINE IN NUMBERS OF CHINESE TOURISTS RESEARCH QUESTION: How can the Taiwanese tourism industry transform itself to withstand the decline in number of mainland Chinese tourists? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN?
As a Taiwanese citizen interest in hospitality, the effects of the declining number of Chinese tourists to Taiwan since 2016 has drawn my attention. The aim of my research is to find and present strategies to solve this problem. The methods to research on will be both primary and secondary resources, where I began to answer the sub questions I formed to better understand the issues at hand. The initial research by secondary research has focused on the industry background and statistics, which have gone successfully, however Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve struggled to develop some clear strategies, theoretically and appropriate to the problem in Taiwan. I have interviewed different perspectives of the people in person who are also involved in the Taiwanese tourism industry, to have more accurate, balance and bigger picture of the perception of how people in Taiwan view this current event, therefore the information collected will not be biased or limited. Also, perspectives of tourists from different nations were also collected by interviewing them in person, such as potential foreign tourists, and existing domestic tourists. Their feedback supported my investigation since it reflects the real expectations from the customers. Official tourism survey and statistical data were collected from both national Kaohsiung library and Kaohsiung city government by visiting the place. They are relevant and reliable resources since they are officially published data.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? The decline in the number of mainland Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan may not be a crisis but reminds us not to only run a single market and ignoring the significance of multidirectional development. To change this situation, it is necessary to transform the tourism industry or increase the number of tourists from all over the world, especially the recent rising group of Southeast Asian tourists and the vast Muslim market. Not just by government policies, businesses should also actively improve their hardware and software facilities to attract and retain travelers globally, changing the marketing strategy of low-cost competition in the past and giving them good impression to create business opportunities.
GROUP 3 - BUSINESS MANAGEMENT STUDENT: LEE HSIN TIEN (SANDY)
THE OPTIMISATION OF FOXCONN HUMAN RESOURCES ASSET RESEARCH QUESTION: How might Foxconn optimise its human resources asset with financial and non-financial rewards? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN?
Foxconn, one of the biggest suppliers for Apple has hit the headlines by being involved in labor disputes that allegedly caused 17 suicides due to unpleasant working conditions with low salaries. When one business chooses to neglect human resources, others would replicate the system with lack of CSR which would form a culture of extortion. The context of collective suicide has prompted me to examine Foxconn's human resources assets with regard to financial and non-financial rewards. Due to the inevitable limited access to primary sources, I have strongly relied on secondary resources and an interview with Foxconn's Human Resources manager Mr. Chen Zhen Yu in order to ascertain the company's attitude. I have examined Foxconn's leadership style and strategies then compared with other corporations in similar industries. The business tool CSR continuum was also used to illustrate Foxconn's current position and future prospects of being an ethical corporation. If business like Foxconn choose to not make any changes, those unethical practices will then lead to the formation of the culture of exploitation among businesses.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? It is necessary to change the mix between financial and non-financial rewards. There should be a higher reliance on non-financial rewards to upgrade the working conditions by eliminating the dormitory system therefore motivating the employees. In order to fully optimise their human resources, non-financial rewards should be implemented. It is possible that creativity or talent exists within the large population of low skilled Foxconn employees. I've learned that demoralizing doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t gain anything and it often does harm to the business as well as the individuals. They ought to recognize the importance of creating ethical and family-sustaining jobs in order to prove that they are interested in the labour market as well as the profits they may derive from the consumer market. If the company is genuinely interested in its triple bottom line, they will attend to these recommendations as a matter of urgency.
GROUP 3 - BUSINESS MANAGEMENT STUDENT: LAM BUI
IMPACT OF NESTLÉ'S MARKETING STRATEGIES ON ITS REPUTATION RESEARCH QUESTION: To what extent has Nestlé's marketing strategies potentially improved its ethical reputation? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? My investigation focuses on all the bad publicity of Nestle causes by its unethical incidents, the most popular one is infant milk formula that was widely sold in Africa. The research was going to be mainly conducted from secondary sources such articles, case studies and newspapers. In addition these sources need to be carefully checked to make sure they are reliable sources. By investigate deeply into the unethical action from Nestle, we can understand how severe the unethical decision was made is and also have a be@er picture of the amount of work Nestle needed to get done in order to regain the trust from customers.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? There aren’t many guides and instruction given like other essay students normally get in high school, which lead to a rough start in the beginning. Time management has later become one of the big issues since many other deadlines also take away time. I strongly suggest who are going to do the extended start from summer, and for whom chose business management, it is important to collect primary research initially because it can help you to solidify your argument, which is something I will improve if I have to redo it. Nestlé committed many unethical acts was a surprise to me, as someone who lives in Vietnam where people really trust this brand. I learnt in order to reach the top company in the world, business needs to maximize their profit and involving unethically is inevitable. However marketing was invested by those companies in order to polish their image and get them out of trouble with the public.
GROUP 3 - INDIVIDUALS & SOCIETIES STUDENT: ISHINI TENNAKOON
THE IMPORTANCE OF PSYCHOLOGY IN A BUSINESS MANAGEMENT DEGREE RESEARCH QUESTION: Should psychology be a compulsory component for a business degree? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? Psychology in a business degree is not mandatory but is rather an optional course in most universities. Therefore I examined the role of psychology and the need for it to become a mandatory course for a business degree. Due to the limited access of primary sources, the research for the topic is solely based off a variety of secondary sources, this includes case studies, books, academic journals, news articles, websites and videos. As psychology applies to quite a broad range of business concepts, an extensive understanding of business psychology and the causes of business failures were necessary to answer the question. In order to address the question appropriately, it was essential for me to establish that the role of psychology in business is vital enough to be a compulsory requirement in the fields of Human Resources and Marketing.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? Unethical decision making, Toxic corporate cultures, Negative employee â&#x20AC;&#x201C; employer relations, Demotivation and Customer dissatisfaction are few of the existing problems that businesses deal with on a daily basis. The root cause is â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the lack of understanding in people. Therefore, in order to create a better, more positive and understanding culture among future businesses, psychology should be a prerequisite course for a business degree. It is to be noted that by no means is the understanding of human behavior limited to the fields of : Human Resources and Marketing and can be studied further. The secondary sources contributed greatly to address the issue, however I believe that primary data such as a focus group with business psychology college students would have provided more insight from the perspectives of the future generation of businessmen and women.
GROUP 3 - INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIETIES STUDENT:
Business and Management
CHEN, CHIEN-YUAN (JIMMY)
MARKETING STRATEGIES THAT STARBUCKS CAN IMPLEMENT TO ENTER LOW-INCOME VIETNAMESE MARKET RESEARCH QUESTION: In what specific ways would Starbucks need to change their marketing strategies in order to make successful entries into low-income Vietnamese markets? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? I was shocked with the decision made by Starbucks to exclude low-income Vietnamese customers from Vietnamese coffeehouse markets, which can potentially cause them to lose a huge amount of profit. Therefore, my entire research question and report were inspired by the marketing issue that I observed from Starbucks. This significant report was undertaken by several different resources from two different categories of research – primary and secondary. Throughout the investigation process, I contacted and arranged an appointment with one of the Starbucks’ senior managers to obtain my primary resource for this entire report. Interviewing with the manager was fun and enjoyable, which I also have obtained the information about the Starbucks’ marketing strategies that has not been mentioned in any secondary sources.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? Since Starbucks is still in the position to insist any changes toward their global markets. However, as long as Starbucks decides to implement the marketing strategies to attract low-income customers in their Vietnamese markets. Starbucks will possibly receive a huge amount of profits from low-income Vietnamese customers due to their business reputation.
GROUP 3 - ECONOMICS STUDENT: SEO YOUNG KIM
OLIGOPOLISTIC NATURE OF THE SOUTH KOREAN MOBILE PHONE MARKET RESEARCH QUESTION: To what extent is the South Korean mobile phone market an oligopoly? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? Within the crafting of my extended essay, I first used two distinct methods to measure the extent of the oligopoly in South Korea: the HHI index to calculate market concentration and the concentration ratio to measure the extent of the oligopoly. In order to successfully answer the research question, both primary and secondary research was conducted. The primary research consisted of researching the prices of the most recently produced mobile phones of the major producers in the Korean mobile phone market and the market share each company holds. Another primary resource was an interview with the Samsung Corporate Head of Vietnam who has worked in Samsung Electronics for almost 20 years now. Secondary resources such as textbooks, online databases, company websites, and newspaper articles was utilized to give a broad overview of the oligopolistic nature of the market and how it works in South Korea.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? The South Korean mobile phone market is to a large extent an oligopoly. The characteristics of high barriers to entry, lack of price diďŹ&#x20AC;erentiation, limited producers, and interdependence all point to the oligopolistic characteristic of the market. However, the mobile phone market in South Korea is constantly changing and evolving with many new technologies directly aimed at the lower ends of the social hierarchy. With companies such as Huawei and Xiaomi slowly rising up to meet the greater demands of the lower and middle social class, market share along with customer base will slowly begin to shift.
GROUP 3 - ECONOMICS STUDENT: LINH TRUONG
REAL ESTATE MARKET RECOVERY IN HO CHI MINH CITY IN 2013 RESEARCH QUESTION: What are the factors behind the recovery of the real estate sector in Ho Chi Minh City from 2013 after the economic slump? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? Through my investigation, I aim to provide a full analysis on how the real estate sector in Ho Chi Minh City has to an extent recovered and developed after the slump from 2009-2013, and justify how different specific factors have played a role in the process. In order to do so, I first explored how the real estate sector performed in 2009-2013. Then, I began to describe the signs of recovery before identifying relevant factors to the recovery then analyzing them and evaluating their impacts in depth. In the investigation, I strengthen my findings and arguments by utilizing both primary and secondary resources. While the interview with a Novaland real estate developer at the beginning of the research process helped to steer and solidify the areas of focus, secondary sources such as market reports and academic papers offered data, statistics and analysis for me to validate my points throughout the paper.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? Overall, the first and most prominent factor behind the recovery of the real estate sector in HCMC is the recovery of the economy as demand for properties in all of the sectors (residential, commercial and industrial) rose with great economic performance. The recovery of the real estate market is also a result of effective government measures, which aim to increase affordable housing options, diminish legal barriers for foreign ownership and address both buyersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and developersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; financial concerns with tax cuts, interest rates reduction and real estate stimuli. These factors helped to boost both demand and supply, which have been and will continue to carry the market growth in the near future.
GROUP 3 - ECONOMICS STUDENT: SHAN HONG MO
EFFECTS OF MINIMUM WAGE ON MCDONALD’S BUSINESS RESEARCH QUESTION: To what extend do the new minimum wage legislation in California affect McDonald’s business? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? My research topic is related to the future of McDonalds as the new minimum wage had been approved recently. Therefore, the consequences from this legislation are difficult to be certain. Further more, I was unable unable to contact with McDonalds in California and set up an interview. In order to solve this issue, I resorted to online articles from the past with parallels to the situation and opinions from different figures that are important in the McDonald’s industry.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? Based on research and the usage of economic models, McDonalds will most likely continue to raise the price of goods as the minimum wage increases. Along with the price increase, self-service kiosks will most likely to be more popular in this business as it is cheaper to maintain compared to the $15 wage per hour given to the workers in order to reduce cost of production. Due to demand and supply curve, as price increases for a good, demand will consequently decrease, therefore McDonalds will most likely observe a drop in their consumer base as well as a change in their revenue.
GROUP 3 - ECONOMICS STUDENT: HYUNSEOK (TONY) JANG
CAUSES OF THE HOUSE RENTAL (JEONSE) CRISIS RESEARCH QUESTION: What are the factors that caused the house rental (Jeonse) crisis in Seoul during 2010-2015? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? Jeonse is a unique real estate term which refers to the way apartments and houses are leased in South Korea. ‘Jeonse’ is one of the house rent methods which requires the tenants to pay 25%-70% of the property’s value to rent the property for 2 years. The money paid for the rent will then be paid back to the tenants by the end of the contract, and therefore tenants stay in the property with no additional monthly payments. The owners of the house earn profit by saving the deposit in the bank account and earning the deposit interest. In microeconomics concept, Jeonse is one of the types of house rent markets and therefore the price change in Jeonse market can be explained by the changes in demand and supply of Jeonse. In microeconomics, the rise in price of the goods and services is caused by the increased scarcity of the goods in the market due to either increase in demand or decrease in supply of the goods and services. Therefore the investigation was undertaken by focusing on the factors that increased demand and decreased supply of Jeonse, such as deposit interest rate, price of monthly rent, etc.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? Jeonse crisis was caused by the combined influence of different demand and supply side effects. However, the most influential factor was the supply side factor, which was the decreased deposit interest rate. Due to decrease in deposit interest rate, the Jeonse suppliers were not able to make enough profit from Jeonse, which made them start providing monthly rent. More Jeonse suppliers moving to monthly rent market decreased the supply of Jeonse, which increased scarcity of Jeonse. Increased scarcity of Jeonse increased the price of Jeonse, eventually causing a Jeonse crisis.
GROUP 3 - ECONOMICS STUDENT: MINH CHAU DANG
VIETNAMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FROM 2012-2017 INFLUENCED BY RICE INDUSTRY AFTER DOI MOI ECONOMIC REFORM RESEARCH QUESTION: How has rice industry contributed to Vietnam both economically and socially in the past 5 years? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? My research was undertaken through formal interviews with farmers living along the Mekong Delta, in order to explore deeper about their life and importance of rice farming. A survey was also conducted at a local supermarket to calculate more accurately the quantity demanded for diďŹ&#x20AC;erent type of rice and investigate whether rice imports have made it more competitive for local farmers. Credent reports and other academics paper from Vietnam Rice Organization from 2012-2017 were used to provide validate evidences to answer the Research Question more successfully and thoroughly.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? To a significant extent, since 2012, Vietnam is improving rapidly, however, compared to foreign countries, there still need to be more regulations set to give benefits the local farmers. Majority of farmers are now have accessed to advanced machinery and equipment, as this would significantly help them to reduce much time and efforts. Thus, contributes to GDP and economic growth. As suggested above, government could impose different policies and strategies in order to help domestic farmers gain an advantage in the market to compete with the foreign producer.Overall, based on my research above, I personally think that in the long term, the rice industry needs an intensive support from the government, providing capital and more advanced technologies in order to maintain the labor force in the market as well as satisfying demand for consumers.
GROUP 3 - BUSINESS MANAGEMENT STUDENT: ETHAN ISAAC WEI
A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF INDUSTRIAL AND ARTISANAL MARKETING STRATEGIES IN THE U.S COFFEE INDUSTRY RESEARCH QUESTION: How might an artisanal approach differ from an industrial approach to marketing in the coffee industry? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? I gained a broad initial understanding of my topic that guided the rest of my exploration by accessing a variety of secondary resources, including dissertations, coffee enthusiast blog posting, academic theses, news articles, LinkedIn posts, and even an Instagram post. However, when it came to close analysis, I considered actual coffee businesses to see the theory in practice. Since my research question considered the United States coffee market, it was difficult to get in contact with many businesses, so I instead accessed their online websites and stores. In the editing process of my Extended Essay, I was fortunate enough to receive the critical comments and insights of a university marker, experienced in working with academic business theses.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? The differences between artisanal and industrial marketing strategies can be said to stem from a difference in purchasing preference and power between older and newer generations. This has been given rise to by an evolving social and technological climate. With the increased popularity of ethical consumerism, a market for artisanally produced, batch roasted coffee where a focus on quality permeates the business’ operations. Conversely, mass-produced industrial coffee businesses have needed to evolve and incorporate more of this quality-focused ethos into their business strategies.
GROUP 3 - GEOGRAPHY STUDENT:
YOONSEO UHM
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF GOVERNMENT POLICY AIMED AT AGING POPULATION RESEARCH QUESTION: To what extent is the government policy aimed at aging population effective in urban (Seoul) and rural (Gangwon province) areas of South Korea? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? My investigation is about evaluating two government policies aimed at aging population: Salary Peak System and Affirmative Action. The two regions are selected in order to provide a comparison between the rural and the urban area of South Korea, in terms of how the policies are applied. I have collected the primary data about the selected policies through personal interviews with the experts in this field, such as the member of Korea National Statistical Office. Through the primary data, I could get the insights of the local perspectives which allowed me a deeper geographical analysis. The secondary data was collected from the databases of the government sources to support my findings and strengthen the evaluation.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? Salary peak system is effective to a greater extent in the large-scale businesses of the tertiary industry, and Seoul was found to have more large-scale businesses of the tertiary industries. For Affirmative action which is focused on the female public officials, it is effective to a greater extent in the central government compared to the local government, and therefore favors the urban area, Seoul. In conclusion, both of the policies are found to be effective to a greater extent in Seoul, the urban area of South Korea, compared to Gangwon province.
GROUP 3 - INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETIES STUDENT: DAHYE KWAK
AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE DEGREE TO WHICH COFFEE PRODUCTION IN DAK LAK, CAN BE CONSIDERED AN ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE INDUSTRY RESEARCH QUESTION: To what extent has coffee production in Dak Lak province affected environmental sustainability? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? Abide by the characteristic of Geography, I attempted to undertake investigation in a range of locality. In order to conduct the most appropriate methodologies and gain the most accurate information, I conducted an interview with Nestlé as a representative of the biggest influencer of the buyer of coffee. The interview with Nestlé provided an insight of environmental sustainability of coffee plantation in Dak Lak, leading to answer the research question as large multinational companies need to ensure they have access to a long-term supply of quality beans for their instant blends.. The primary information provided from the interview with Nestlé also helped me gain comprehension of the significance of environmental sustainability specifically in Dak Lak province, the extent of usage of fertilizers in plantation area and what have done to prevent over-consumption of agrochemicals.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? The aim of this investigation was to investigate the relationship between coffee production in Dak Lak province and environmental sustainability in terms of fertilizer consumption and soil degradation, using the Knifton Model. Pearson Correlation Coefficient was used to test the relationship between fertilizer consumption and total production of coffee. The environmental sustainability of coffee production have become significant for both local farmers and transnational companies therefore, this alarms the significance of better stewardship towards the soil management and application of fertilizers.
GROUP 3 - GEOGRAPHY STUDENT: LAURA FETHKE
THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC INTEGRATION OF SYRIAN REFUGEES IN COLOGNE’S SOCIETY RESEARCH QUESTION: To what extent have Syrian refugees been integrated into Cologne’s society socially and economically since 2012? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? While conducting this essay, I have used a balance of primary and secondary research. The secondary research was carefully selected and checked for reliability through cross-reference with other websites. Additionally, I used governmental websites and academic studies from data bases to ensure validity. To receive primary data, I contacted the University of Cologne to receive contacts and interesting information on my topic. Furthermore, a meeting with a representative of the NGO tandem refugee organization “Start with a Friend” located in Cologne was organized. The representative arranged for an interview with two Syrian refugees whom I interviewed about their experience of integration into Cologne’s society. I specifically asked if they feel welcomed into Cologne’s society and if they have experienced any difficulty of receiving a job. This information allowed me to gain different perspectives from people who are first hand involved in helping refugees to integrate into society and from Syrian refugees themselve about being integrated into Cologne.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? By the end of this essay, I was able to effectively answer the research question. The German and Cologne government have undertaken measures to ensure an effective social and economic integration but there are still issues that have to be resolved. I was able to conclude that refugees have been integrated into Cologne’s society socially and economically to some extent. Yet, the effectiveness of social integration, to prevent cultural clashes, and economic integration, to increase the number of refugees in the workforce, can be developed.
GROUP 3 - INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETIES STUDENT: SUNGJUN MIN CONTRASTING STATUS OF LANDLOCKED COUNTRIES: AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE ECONOMIC, POLITICAL AND SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF BEING LANDLOCKED. RESEARCH QUESTION: With comparative analysis between Lao PDR and Switzerland, to what extent does being landlocked create unfavorable circumstances for nations, resulting in low development? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? During my visit to Laos, I was stunned by Vientiane’s landscape. There didn’t seem to be much economic activity in the capital. During my research at the hotel, I found out that the capital’s population was just below a million. I also found out that Laos was “landlocked”. Therefore, through this research, I wanted to investigate to what extent being landlocked is the underlying cause of Laos’ sluggish economic development. I initially started primary research by sending an email to an UN-affiliated worker based in Vientiane, Laos (example of being landlocked bringing more negative implications) and Geneva, Switzerland (example of being landlocked bringing more positive implications).
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? In spite of technological improvements in transport, landlocked developing countries continue to face structural challenges to accessing world markets. As a result, landlocked countries often lag behind their maritime neighbors in overall development and external trade. While the relatively poor performance of many landlocked countries can be aPributed to distance from coast, this paper concludes that several aspects of dependence on transit neighbors are also important. Four such types of dependence are discussed: dependence on neighbors' infrastructure; dependence on sound cross-border political relations; dependence on neighbors' peace and stability; and dependence on neighbors' administrative practices. These factors combine to pose different challenges and priorities in each landlocked country.
GROUP 3 - GEOGRAPHY STUDENT: ADAM JONATHAN MORENO
THE IMPACTS OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT ON AIR QUALITY IN THE HO CHI MINH CITY METROPOLITAN AREA RESEARCH QUESTION: To what extent does urban development affect air quality in the Ho Chi Minh City Metropolitan Area? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? A combination of primary and secondary data was used to answer the research question. Primary data on traffic congestion and land usage in Districts 1 and 2, Ho Chi Minh City were used to find a correlation between these factors and air quality (measurement in AQI). Observations from surveying done to map land usage were used to consider factors influencing pollution in the city. All claims and analysis of primary research were backed up by secondary research already conducted on this topic. Primary research was also compared to published studies to either support or refute trends found in sources of pollution citywide. Factors of pollution not covered by primary data, such as urban planning, were mentioned and added as cited secondary research to build upon ideas for the main causes of pollution in the city.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? A vast amount of pollution in the Ho Chi Minh City Metropolitan Area is due to rapid urban development. Construction projects like the skyline of Ho Chi Minh City are worsening air quality from dust and vehicle emissions. A lack of a developed public transportation network and negative attitudes towards the one already available has increased demand for cars, increasing vehicle emissions, which is another large factor in the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worsening air quality. As development projects slow down and transport/sanitation infrastructure is improved, along with more energy efficient buildings replacing older, inefficient ones, air quality should improve. However additional measures need to be taken now to improve air quality in the HCMC Metropolitan Area.
GROUP 3 - INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETIES STUDENT: AADITYA SHARMA
URBANISATION AND ITS ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS RESEARCH QUESTION: To what extent has gentrification of Thao Dien affect the Transportation of itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s neighbours? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? As my Extended Essay was of Group 3, I had to collect primary data and use Secondary Data as well, I had to collect traffic movement data in Thao Dien, the traffic count, i.e is the number of pedestrians on each side of the road, decibels levels were calculated as well. I had given out questionnaire s to the residents of Thao Dien, as to get to know there opinions on gentrification of this place After the collection of the traffic data it was explained with the help of graphs and charts. Then the traffic flow was analyzed, with the help of secondary data. Same was done for pedestrian count, questionnaires , decibel levels and air quality index levels.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? In regards with the conclusion , the data collected which was thereby analyzed suggests that Gentrification has impacted the transportation in Thao Dien, the regular traffic congestions, jams and other significant time delays area a signal of highly mismanaged traffic in Thao Dien due to Gentrification. This is also because of the increased number of shops, apartments and ultimately the biggest reasons the huge number of expats in this area, i.e Thao Dien, HCMC, Vietnam.
GROUP 3 - HISTORY HIGHER LEVEL STUDENT: TRAN PHUOC THIEN
JAPANESE OCCUPATION PAVING THE TWO KOREAN STATES TO EMERGE AFTER 1945 RESEARCH QUESTION: To what extent did the Japanese Occupation paved the way for two states to emerge in the Korean peninsula after 1945? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? Growing up, I’ve always enjoyed learning history. Going to ISHCMC has given me the opportunity to stratify the learning desire. I then was given a golden opportunity to conduct an in-depth research paper on a historical matter, which I hold most value for. I started the essay with an interview between my supervisor and me. I was selective about the approaches and reliable sources to support my arguments. In addition to that, I was selective of how I organized my essay; I organized it through a logical sense which supported the focal point of my argument. This was dealt through trials and errors. I was able to provide an analytical historical research that satisfies the burning research question of my essay.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? Answering my research question, I’ve came to a conclusion that the Japanese have imposed a militaristicstyle regime and a prohibition onto the Korean peninsula that paved the way for two states to emerge after 1945.
GROUP 3 - HISTORY STUDENT: TRAN RIZANA TATLOCK
THE IMPORTANCE OF MILITARY FACTORS IN THE SIEGE OF CONSTANTINOPLE RESEARCH QUESTION: To what extent were military factors the principal reason for Ottoman victory in the Siege of Constantinople in 1453? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? I started with the book 1453: the Holy War for Constantinople and the Clash of Islam and the West which gave a detailed account of the siege, including the historical background to the conflict and an analysis of both the O:oman and Byzantine Empire. After gaining an overview with key events, I began collecting various primary sources, including the diary of Nicolò Barbaro, who kept an account of every day of the siege, the memoirs of Georgius SphranFēs, who was a Byzantine official, and Michael Kritovoulos, an O:oman historian. Along with this, I read published articles about various aspects of the siege from multiple modern historians. With this information, I began to examine the decisiveness of military factors by comparing the tactics, resources and military power of the O:oman Empire to that of the Byzantine Empire. Furthermore, as multiple factors usually affect the outcome of a war, I extended the analysis into the political and economic factors that would affect the contemporary power dynamic between the empires and would disadvantage one over the other.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? I have come to conclude that the Ottoman Empire, from the start, had major military advantages, largely outnumbering the Byzantine defenders. Moreover, Ottoman use of guns and cannons was a historical development in siege warfare and helped besiegers to overcome the challenge of the Theodosian walls of Constantinople. However, the military factors alone would not explain the Ottoman victory. The Byzantine Empire, which has been experiencing an economic, territorial and political decline, was subject to shortage of men and resources to effectively defend the city. In effect, the downward decline of the Byzantine Empire concurrent with the rise to power of the Ottoman Empire enabled a situation wherein Ottoman victory was very likely, and the fall of Constantinople resulted in the fall of the Byzantine Empire itself.
GROUP 3 - HISTORY STUDENT: TED NGO DENNIS
THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF POLICIES OF THE TOKUGAWA SHOGUNATE RESEARCH QUESTION: To what extent and in what ways did the Warring States period aďŹ&#x20AC;ect the Policies of the Edo period HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? In order to get the primary sources I needed, I relied on the investigation of other historians who have had more extensive research on the topic. These renowned historians offered their sources along with their own interpretations. It was essential that I not let this cloud my overall judgement. I also needed to compare my sources and look at how different people interpreted the information differently and which one the evidence supported the best. As I was to establish causation, thinking about hypothetical events was also helpful as long as the evidence made the event seem probable. I had to analyze the specific reasons to why this event did not happen and look at the immediate as well as long term impact of those events. For the long term impacts, I also looked at other events which lead to them. It was essential as a historian to use my available evidence and establish a causation.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? As I start to write my essay, I did have a ready-made hypothesis at the back of my mind. I assumed that the policies during the Edo period were imposed to avoid the disasters which occurred in the Warring States period. After going through my sources and looking at evidence as well as arguments supporting the other side of the debate, I came to a conclusion that many of the policies were adopted decades after the Warring States period immediately after consequential revolts which frightened the nation.
GROUP 4 - BIOLOGY STUDENT: SYDNEY JAY ADAMS (CHIBI)
THE EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT NUTRIENTS IN TYPICALLY INFERTILE SOILS ON PLANT GROWTH. RESEARCH QUESTION: Over a Forty day period, What is the Influence of Different Nutrients to the Growth of Raphanus Sativus Radish in Soil composed of two-thirds sand? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? I spent a lot of time thinking about a topic of scientific research that could be beneficial to a large group of people, have the potential and momentum to help people across the globe. From here, I researched reasons behind the lack of food present in under-nourished countries. The most intriguing result being that a large majority of countries have infertile soils, such as sand in Sub-Saharan Africa. I researched soil fertility, and found that fertile soils are capable of both water and nutrient retention while containing the essential nutrients for life; nitrogen, potassium and calcium. All things sand does not have. Meanwhile, radishes were the perfect plant to research for this context, as they require soil with good drainage and are incredibly nutritious and 100% of the radish is edible. I also found that common household waste could be used for nutrients, coffee grinds – nitrogen, banana peels – potassium, eggshells – calcium. I planted 50 radish seeds across a variety of nutrient-soil combinations on my balcony and tended to them for 40 days. Battling hungry caterpillars, weekly mosquito spraying and finding which nutrients had the greatest impact on the growth of my radishes.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? I found that while a single nutrient was not the best at supporting all aspects of plant growth. The soils containing Calcium (eggshells) had a higher percentage of successful germination in sand. Soils without added nutrients had the highest growth rate in cm/day and tallest average plant height. Soils with a combination of all three nutrients and strictly potassium (banana peel) produced a larger overall yield of consumable vegetable in cubic cm. Soils containing nitrogen (coffee grinds) and a combination of all three nutrients were the most successful at sustaining the growth of multiple plants simultaneously.
GROUP 4 - CHEMISTRY STUDENT: TRIEU VY LUAN
THE EFFECTS OF ADDITIVES ON THE CHEMICAL STRUCTURE AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF BIODEGRADABLE THERMOPLASTIC STARCH RESEARCH QUESTION: How do additives in the manufacturing process affect the tensile strength of Thermoplastic Starch Polymer (TPS) HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? Films of thermoplastic starch were produced with urea, glycerol and poly-vinyl-acetate as additives in five concentrations (0.5, 1, 2, 5 and 10% respectively). Samples of these films were produced from the larger film to be tested for their maximum withstandable tensile strength via a custom-built apparatus that utilizes gravity to measure force. The tensile strength was finally calculated and plotted. The trend was then attempted to be explained and rationalized through secondary research in papers and magazines, looking into the role of plasticizers, the structure of starch and the effects of each on the macroscopic structure of the starch plastic.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? It was concluded that a blend of urea at 5.0% by mass yielded the highest tensile strength. However, noticing that tensile stress is not the ultimate measure of quality, it was further concluded that the blend to be used would be dependent upon intended application, where applications such as food packaging would not require high-tensile-strength blends of plastic, as opposed to applications such as higher-duty boxes.
GROUP 4 - BIOLOGY STUDENT: IDA PUTU WIWEKA DHARMASIDDHI
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EYE CONDITION AND AGE RESEARCH QUESTION: How does age affect the frequency of eye conditions in high school students in international schools in Ho Chi Minh City? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? The eye is arguably one of the most important sensory organs in our everyday lives. We use it to write, to watch and to perform other various activities. Thus, it is important to maintain the condition and health of the eye. The investigation was conducted through a survey and sent to students from numerous international schools in Ho Chi Minh City. The survey asked for peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s age group and their eye conditions. From this, the data was organized for comparison.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? As age increases, the frequency of eye condition generally increases due to the larger myopic population since it can be expected that students will spend more time indoors with more workload each time they progress up a grade. This allows for more elongation of the eyeballs since production of dopamine in the retina decreases which results in myopia or its worsening.
GROUP 5 - MATHEMATICS
CATEGORY 5
STUDENT: SEOYEONG LEE
THE MATHEMATICAL REPRESENTATION OF CHANGE IN HUMAN’S BONE MINERAL DENSITY BY AGE RESEARCH QUESTION: How might mathematics be used to predict the onset of Osteoporosis? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? I used the “Total proximal femur BMD of female from the National Center for Biotechnology Information” as the primary source to model the trend of Bone Mineral Density over time. As a secondary source, I used “Periodontist and bone mineral density among pre and post-menopausal woman: A comparative study” to compare with my final graph of T-score regression. This extended essay was explored using various mathematical concepts, including first, second, third difference, simultaneous equations, modelling, continuity and differentiability, differentiation, integration and composite functions. At the end, the conclusion was made by using the T-score formula and the calculated log function which shows changes in Bone Mineral Density by age.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? I made the conclusion that osteoporosis of the femur bone does not appear at the age range of 7 to 85. However, osteopenia, which is a bone condition characterized by bone loss that is not as severe as in osteoporosis, starts at the age of 51. This conclusion gave a direction for what people should do to maintain bone health at the different stages of life.
GROUP 5 - MATHEMATICS STUDENT: MYEONG HUN SONG
USE OF MODELS TO PREDICT THE FUTURE POPULATION OF THE UNITED KOREA RESEARCH QUESTION: To what extent can modelling predict the future population in the United Korea? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? I researched about various population estimation models (exponential, logistic, Gompertz), and how these models estimate the population of the United Korea (which is same as combining population of South and North Korea). Then, I found that all of those models are not able to predict the population decline. To address this problem, I established ‘population change model’ by !" using concept of exponential model ( !# =rP). Instead of using fixed value for per capita rate of increase (r), I modelled per capita of increase based on exponential decay, and multiplied it with population change modelled by logistic model. I compared my model with the estimation of the United Nations for next 100 years.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? As my ‘population change model’ fits with the trend expected by the United Nations, it could be one way to estimate the population in future. However, this model is not addressing social or natural factors which could change birth rate or death rate, and this model cannot address the situation if the population increases again, because this model is generated by population model (sigmoid curve) and per capita rate of increase (which predicted by exponential decay). Although there were some limitations, as prediction of the United Nations can have similar problems, I concluded that the population of the United Korea can be estimated by mathematical models.
GROUP 6 - THE ARTS STUDENT: KAREN SUZUE
THE IMPACT OF AMERICAN BEAUTY STANDARDS ON FEMALE CHARACTERS IN ANIME AND MANGA RESEARCH QUESTION: How did American beauty standards impact the depiction of the female form in anime and manga? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? Anime and manga are significant areas of research as they hold the key to understanding the various issues and societal changes in Japan. One of the most prominent societal changes in Japan is the Americanization of Japanese culture in the twentieth century which played an important role in the change of Japanese female beauty standards. This investigation looks at the depiction of women in this medium through various case studies and compares them to the typical ones of feudal art. Various scans or stills from popular anime and manga as well as famous feudal artwork and literature were taken into account as they reflect the interests of the public. This allows us to see the changes in the depiction of females and where American influences come into play.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? The female form in anime and manga shares more similarities with those of America, containing features such as prominent secondary characteristics that were non-existent in feudal art. This shows that American beauty standards has definitely had a great impact on the depiction of Japanese females in anime and manga. Although American influence were initially synonymous with that of Europe, it soon became a separate entity as American media, cosmetics and popular culture began to dominate the Twentieth century.. Till this day, this influence still continues through cultural cross-pollination and globalization.
GROUP 6 - THEATRE STUDENT: EMMA DEWI GRUBER
THE INFLUENCE OF WAR ON BERTOLT BRECHT AND HIS WORK RESEARCH QUESTION: To what extent was the work of Bertolt Brecht influenced by the First and Second World War? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? Growing up, I have always enjoyed acting and theatre in general. I started to participate in both German and English plays, which made me become more interested in the subject. At ISHCMC I had the chance to choose Theatre and German literature as my IB subjects. These subjects introduced me to many different theatre theorists and to great playwrights in history, getting to know about these raised my attention on Bertolt Brecht. Bertolt Brecht was a great author and theatre practitioner. I started my investigation by reading into Brecht’s life and literature from different time periods, which were during the first and second world war. Further research I got for my essay was secondary, which was mostly from websites and blogs. What helped me through the process of my essay was meeting up with my teachers for help and to get more information about the whole process of writing an academic essay.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? Overall it is clear to say that the great wars had a huge impact on Bertolt Brecht and that these impacts accordingly reflect onto his literature and theories. His whole life was surrounded by war. Brecht’s ambition in life was to make people aware of wat is happening to them as German citizens during the war. During the process of writing my essay I came to the conclusion that Bertolt Brecht was strongly influenced by his environment and what surrounded him. I noticed that this type of work is very time consuming and that your research is the most important in order to get started.
GROUP 6 - MUSIC STUDENT:
JAMES YIWEI GOODALL
COMPARISON OF COMPOSITIONAL TECHNIQUES USED IN BRAHMS’ “WALTZ IN A-FLAT MAJOR, OP. 39 NO.15” AND CHOPIN’S “WALTZ OP. 64 NO. 2”. RESEARCH QUESTION: To what extent are the compositional techniques of Frederick Chopin and Johannes Brahms similar or different in the pieces Waltz in C sharp minor Op 64 No 2 by Chopin and Waltz in A flat Major Op 39 No 15 by Brahms?
HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? My extended essay started with the research of the Romantic period of western art music and of the two composers I have chosen, Frederick Chopin and Johannes Brahms. This included the overall characteristics of music from the Romantic era as well as the individual traits of the composers’ music. Following the research stage was the analysis of the two pieces. I examined how the different techniques were used by each composer and how they manipulated and used the techniques to create individuality within their pieces. Finally came the writing of my essay in which I primarily outlined the era and the composers, analyzed the pieces and compared the similarities and differences between the two composers’ styles.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? Even within the same musical era, where many characteristics are shared, these two composers each had their own styles. Chopin’s more poetic melody was created through the use of single note melodies whereas Brahms created richer harmonies through writing chordal melodies. Apart from this, the music of Chopin used a lot of dissonance whilst Brahms’ music was mostly consonant. Both of these composers used seventh, augmented and diminished chords as well as ornamentation which embellished the melody and harmonies.
GROUP 6 - THEATRE STUDENT: MADDISON PRINCE
TO WHAT EXTENT DOES BERTOLT BRECHT’S EPIC THEATER CONVENTIONS INFLUENCE THE STYLE AND DIRECTING OF MODERN DAY FILM RESEARCH QUESTION: Research Question: To what extent have the Epic Theatre conventions of Bertolt Brecht influenced the film, 500 Days of Summer? HOW WAS MY INVESTIGATION UNDERTAKEN? This essay discusses the effects of the techniques and conventions used in Epic Theatre and similarly in modern day film Specifically, this paper examines the use of Bertolt Brecht’s conventions of Epic theatre that have been similarly used to have the same effect throughout the movie “500 days of summer”. As taking IB theatre I had become quite familiar with theatre theorists and found myself finding similar conventions that Bertolt Brecht used throughout his Epic theatre. There was not a definitive source connecting Brecht influence directly with the movie “500 Days Of Summer” and because of this, my investigation relied heavily on my interpretation of the conventions within the movie and how they had been adapted or similarly used to have the same effect. In this essay I compared the uses of theatrical elements and modern day film. in order to come up with an answer I analyzed the movie to be able to accurately evaluate the film techniques used and further to be able to compare Epic Theatre conventions. I then used this to evaluate and configure an educated answer.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS HAVE I MADE? Through the evaluations of Epic theatre conventions and how Bertolt Brecht created specific conventions for a specific effect, on the audience, on the actors or the plot itself, I have been able to make a educated comparison between modern day film and Epic Theatre. Disseminating these specific ideas has allowed me to investigate and compare how they can be similarly found on the screen. Through this investigation I have come to the conclusion that Bertolt Brecht, through his established convention has assisted his intentions in the reason why presenting Epic Theatre in a certain way and how they can be adapted to have the same effect on screen. Furthermore how Brecht’s ideal Epic Theater conventions have impacted and influenced 21st Century film and can be found to influence indirectly “500 Days of Summer”.