Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Thomas Hobbes Ieviathan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Thomas Hobbes Ieviathan - Essay Example Always he based his argument on the violent deaths of men on the hands of another man. He believed that the only way natural laws could work was only by submitting the commands t the sovereign. Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan, Oxford 1996 Thomas Hobbes has his own reputation on political philosophy. He is widely known to be a thinker with so many interests in political philosophy. In the world of philosophy, Thomas H. is widely known for his defense on a wide range of issues that included Naminalist, empiricist, and materialist views in contrast to republic. In history too, he is also known to have translated Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian war in to now English which saw him later write his own history on the long parliament. Generally, Thomas H. is widely known for his participation in his intellectual life.1 His vision of the world is original and still relevant to the contemporary politics. His main concern is majorly the problems of the social and political order, which is how human beings can live together without fear or civil conflicts in our societies. He has ever insisted in giving our obedience to an account able sovereign person or group to determine every social political issue. Otherwise, what awaits us is a state of nature, which more closely resembles a civil war whereby everybody in any society is in a state of fear. It is due to Hobbes interpretations, which lead to so many controversies as to whether he sees human beings as merely egoistic or purely self-interested. He goes on to posits unconnected and primitive state of nature whereby men have the natural proclivity to hurt another man and have rights over everything even to one another’s body. This is what making me defends Hobbes in his argument whereby powers should be rested on the sovereign state. Power is entrusted to a certain group who ensures that there is law and order in that state and no civil wars2. In the early 1640s, this is the time when Hobbes started making an impac t with most of the philosophical writings and one of his own was the elements of law, whereby he started with the developments of the workings of the human mind and language also the political matters. One of his first published books on philosophy was the De Cive published in 1642, which encompasses three main aspects, which included Empire, Liberty, and religion. Later when in France Hobbes then wrote Leviathan and this book was published in 1651. Leviathan basically comprises of matters of scriptural interpretation and it is in this book where majorly his work evolves in. Leviathan is a book written by Thomas Hobbes during the civil war. Its concerns are basically on the society and the legitimate government hence taken as one of the examples of the social contract theory. He argues that social unity and civil peace can only be achieved through the establishment of a commonwealth through the social contract. This common wealth is then ruled by either a sovereign power or even a s ingle ruler who provides security to the common wealth. He is a man who has lived in fear, which then eventually led him to write the leviathan. In his book, He set out the foundation of states plus the legitimate governments, which are said to have originated from the social contract theory3. This book is known to have been written during the English civil wars. It was as a result of these evil

Monday, October 28, 2019

Law and Morality Essay Example for Free

Law and Morality Essay There has been an ongoing debate about the relationship between law and morality. Numerous writers and philosophers have proffered arguments on how law is affected by morality. The question it is believed is no longer if morality affects law, it is to what extent is law affected by morality? And should there be any limitations on the relationship between law and morality? The law and morality conflict has been persisting for many years. Both the natural law theorists and the positive law theorists would agree that there is a relationship between law and morality. The argument has now moved to what degree morality should play in law? The obvious indication that this has been laid to rest is HLA Hart’s concession made at the onset of his book, Law, Liberty and Morality. He said that there is a definitive answer of yes, that historically and casually law has been influenced by morality. In his book Hart focused on the legal enforcement of morality and likewise this essay is concerned with that question. It is believed this is the only debatable divide between law and morality. The debate became a hot topic in the 1950’s after the creation of a commission to investigate and report back on sexual moralities. The commission led to the publication of the Wolfenden Report in 1957. The report at it outset defined the purpose of criminal law as: .. to preserve the public order and decency, to protect the citizen from what is offensive and injurious and to provide sufficient safeguards against exploitation and corruption of others especially the vulnerable, that is the young, weak in body or mind, inexperienced or those in a state of physical, official or economic dependence. The Law should not intervene in the private lives of citizens or seek to enforce any particular pattern of behaviour further than necessary to carry out the above purpose. Before embarking on the discussion proper, a definition is required for morality and for what law is. Morality according to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary is (a) a doctrine or system of moral conduct; (b) particular moral principles or rules of conduct; or (c) conformity to ideals of right human conduct. Law on the other hand is defined as â€Å"a binding custom or practice of a community: a rule of conduct or action prescribed or formally recognized as binding or enforced by controlling authority. † That is morality is not enforceable by its definition while law is. Moralities are normative rules applied to a society or a sub-group of society that does not bind them in a court of law. The only enforceability of morality by its definition is from the group applying peer pressure. There are two main schools of thought in this divide between law and morality, the natural law theorists and the positive law theorists. The natural law school bases much of their ideas of law in their religious beliefs or other transcendental force such as nature. While positivists argue that law has no necessary basis in morality and that it is simply impossible to assess law in terms of morality. Opposition Supporters of the legal positivist school, such as Hart and Mills, purports that law should be in a different sphere from morality. Utilitarianism, a subgroup of the positivism, believes that laws should only serve for the maximization of utility or happiness for the majority. John Stuart Mills said that instead of society imposing morality on members of a society, the individuals should be free to choose their own conduct. Utilitarian’s are not concerned with the morality of law. They believe that law should only play a minimal role in an individual’s life. Persons should be free to do whatever they want as long as it does not harm another. This is referred to as the ‘harm principle’. Mills said â€Å"the only purpose for which power can rightfully be exercised over any member of a civilised community against his will is to prevent harm to others†. Mills went on and said that not even for the individual’s own good should such power be exerted. This argument is rebuttable in that not because there was no immediate physical harm to another, there was no harm. It could be argued that someone taking drugs or proliferating pornography causes ripple effects that may result in harm to others. Pornography promotes women as sexual objects and thereby promotes sexual violence against women. Drug users, by their combined effect, have led to the growth of large underworlds that not only supply drugs but commits direct victim crimes such as murder. If Mills theory is to be adhered to, this would mean that even in a situation of explicit sadomasochist sexual practices that could result in the injury to participants, the law should not get involved to prevent harm. This is because the individuals consented to such acts and no one will be harmed except the willing participants. In this light R v Brown would have been decided incorrectly. Hart said that the judges in Shaw v DPP, where the defendant was convicted for conspiracy to corrupt public morals after publishing a booklet containing details of prostitutes and their sexual practices, â€Å" seemed willing to pay a high price in terms of the sacrifice of other values for the establishment or re-establishment-of the court as custos morum. † The value Hart was referring to is the legality principle of Lon Fuller. He was suggesting the ruling made the law imprecise and thereby itself immoral. Fuller suggests that for law to be moral there must be eight elements referred to as the ‘inner morality of law’ or ‘principles of legality’ or ‘procedural natural law’. The eight elements are generality, promulgation, non-retroactivity, clarity, non-contradiction, capability of compliance, constancy and congruence. These elements Fuller suggests are what a good legal system should aspire for but no one system has or is expected to perfect all elements. However, significant lack of these elements may mean that a system is an immoral legal system and could support tyranny. Fuller said that tyranny is a result of the break down of the internal morality of law and was the case in Nazi Germany. Hart made that very connection between the principles of legality and tyranny when he suggested that there was no adherence to the principles of legality in Shaw v DPP and by extent was in itself immoral law. The central problem with morality is whose morality is the right morality to enforce. Nazi Germany is the best example of law enforcing morality. This is why caution must be used with the continued growth of the court making moral judgements and pronouncing itself as the custos morum. Hart said that there are several flaws with the use of law to enforce morality and if no such enforcement exists it would not necessarily lead to the disintegration of society. He said that society can support several different and sphere of morality. What is considered moral in one country is not necessarily the same in another. On a smaller scale, what is considered moral in one religion within a country may not hold true for another, yet they can exist in relative harmony through mutual respect. He also said that by using law to enforce morality will result in the stagnating of morals in time. It is evident that morality changes with time and what was immoral years ago would not be immoral today. Sometimes the existing laws do not match changes in societal. In the case R v R, where a husband was charged with attempted rape of his wife, the existing law at the time was outdated in respect of the current moral standards of society. If the courts had followed the law as was, they would directly contradict the will of society and the husband would not have done anything illegal. In that case the court made a value judgement, one based in morality to adapt to the change in the morality of society and found that a husband could in fact rape his wife. This case demonstrates the role morality plays in law. If courts did not have any moral basis, then this may lead to disconnect between the law and society. In R v R the courts had a choice either observe an immoral precedent or to adapt itself to the changing morality of the society. Although the judges may try to propound that they only declared what the law was, this judgement is one on moral basis. Should the judges have followed the law at the time that a man cannot rape his wife? Wouldn’t that have led to an infringement on the woman’s individual right? Are judges the right people to expound morality? Supporters The idea that morality has no place in law has been refuted by many theorists such as Hyman Gross and Lord Devlin. Gross contended that Law and morality are one and the same. Laws are inherently moral and that is why acts like murder, rape and theft have been made illegal. Law and morality cannot be separated as the society creates law based on the foundation that the behaviour being address has to be immoral or undesirable by the reasonable man. The problem with this view is that this cannot explain acts that are prohibited by law but not immoral or the reverse. Sex outside of marriage brings a very strong social scourge but no one believes that adultery rise to the level for legal reprimand. Devlin argued that there is an underlying moral web that keeps society together and it should be protected by law. His approach has some aspect of social contract theory, which suggests that everyone in society is there by agreement. He said that to exist in a society there must be some general principles that members have a consensus on. It could be said to be analogous to a family. In a family there may be several different personalities, but what keep them functioning like a unit is that there are underlying similar values that act as a cohesive bond between members. Devlin said in â€Å"The Enforcement of Morals† (1959) that: Societies disintegrate from within more frequently than they are broken up by external pressures. There is disintegration when no common morality is observed and history shows that the loosening of moral bonds is often the first stage of disintegration, so that society is justified in taking the same steps to preserve its moral code as it does to preserve its government the suppression of vice is as much the laws business as the suppression of subversive activities. Former Minister of Justice of Jamaica, Senator Harding, in his speech at the inaugural lecture at the Institute of Law and Economics said it would have been helpful if Lord Devlin had provided examples of some modern societies which have disintegrated because of the loosening of moral bonds. And it might be a better thing for some societies to disintegrate by loosening its moral bonds. Nazi Germany comes to mind; those societies disintegrate from within more frequently than there are broken up by external pressures†¦ Devlin said that it is morals that hold society together and should therefore influence the development of law. He goes further and said that even if private acts are considered to create sufficient public disgust, that is if the ‘reasonable’ man finds this act so unacceptable then it threatens the moral fabric of society and should be subject to criminal punishment. He describes a limit of tolerance as to how much of an immoral act society or the reasonable man can tolerate. Once society passes this limit then something must be done to intervene. Lord Devlin did not suggest that it is all immorality that should be sanctioned. He suggested that the ones that bring ‘right-minded man’ to disgust should be. It is not believed that Devlin was out of touch with the state of developing individual liberty. It is how far those individual liberties will be allowed to infringe on the general public morality and liberty? There needs to be a balance between the individual’s right and the general public’s. Lord Devlin asked if society has the right to make judgment on individual morality. He answered yes, and this seems to be the accepted approach in R v Brown and Shaw v DPP. There is no where in the past were law has developed in an abstract. Law has developed along with the social changes as R v R Devlin also proposed a guideline for the implementation of statutes. He supported individualism and suggested that persons should have the maximum amount of freedom to do as they wish, except when it conflicts with the society’s integrity. He also said that law should only be created to sanction behaviours that are gross, not just merely immoral. And finally, the law should only set the minimum basic standards expected of individuals. Conclusion Morality is important to the integration of society and if the mythical social contract theory has any weight it is in fact as Devlin suggest the web that holds it together. However, it can also be dangerous and may also be the underlying reason for actual disintegration of society as in Nazi Germany. There is no correct answer or side. The answer rest in the balance: the balance between the individual right and that of society, the balance between the positivist and the naturalist, the balance between the heterosexual and the homosexual. The individual should have the right to do as he feels but there has to be limitations. The extremes of either side of the debate are the danger zones but the answer lies in the indefinable, undiscoverable shadows of the gray that rest between the divide. Bibliography 1. MDA Freeman, Introduction to Jurisprudence 8th Edition (Sweet Maxwell) 2. Http:sixthformlaw. info/01_modules/other_materials/law_and_morality_/08_hart_devlin. htm 3. HLA Harts, Law, Liberty and Morality (University of Stanford Press) 4. Dwight Bellanfante, â€Å"Keep the law out of Gays Bedroom† (The Jamaica Observer October 31, 2004). 5. Elliott Frances Quinn, English Legal System 11th Edition (Longman-Pearson, UK), 6. ‘Criminal Law’, Clarkson and Keating, (Sweet Maxwell), 2007 7. Gary Slapper And David Kelly, The English Legal System 11th Edition (Routledge, UK) Page [ 1 ]. Law, Liberty and Morality, H. L. A Hart, Stanford University Press, 1963. Page 1 [ 2 ]. Catherine Elliott Frances Quinn, English Legal System 11th Ed (Longman-Pearson, UK), Page 657 [ 3 ]. http://www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/morality, accessed 20th October 2010. [ 4 ]. http://www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/law, accessed 20th October 2010. [ 5 ]. Gary Slapper And David Kelly, The English Legal System 11th Ed (Routledge, UK) Page [ 6 ]. Catherine Elliott Frances Quinn, English Legal System 11th Ed (Longman-Pearson, UK), Pg 655-656 [ 7 ]. Law, Liberty and Morality, HLA Hart Stanford university Press, 1963, page 3 [ 8 ]. Ibid [ 9 ]. Catherine Elliott Frances Quinn, English Legal System 11th Ed (Longman-Pearson, UK), Page 656 [ 10 ]. [1993] 2 All ER 75 [ 11 ]. [1961] 2 W. L. R 897 [ 12 ]. Law, Liberty and Morality, HLA Hart Stanford university Press, 1963, page 7 [ 13 ]. [1961] 2 W. L. R 897 [ 14 ]. Catherine Elliott Frances Quinn, English Legal System 11th Ed (Longman-Pearson, UK), Pg 658 [ 15 ]. Ibid [ 16 ]. [1992] 1 A. C. 599 [ 17 ]. [1994] 1A. C. 212 [ 18 ]. ‘Criminal Law’, Clarkson and Keating, sweet Maxwell, 2007 [ 19 ]. ‘Keep law out of gays bedrooms’ says Harding, Dwight Bellanfante, Observer staff reporter Sunday, October 31, 2004 [ 20 ]. [1994] 1A. C. 212 [ 21 ]. [1961] 2 W. L. R. 897 [ 22 ]. [1992] 1 A. C. 599 [ 23 ]. Catherine Elliott Frances Quinn, English Legal System 11th Edition (Longman-Pearson, UK), Page 658.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Designing an Automatic Card Shuffler :: Robotics

Background Most automatic card shufflers on the market today have a card output slot, a card input slot, a card separation area, and an arm between the card input slot and the separation area. The card input slot is where used cards are put to be shuffled. The arm makes sure that not too many cards enter the separation area at a time. The separation area is where the actual shuffling occurs. The most common method of separation uses a system of rotating belts to pull cards out of the main pile and put them back at random (Card Shuffler). Another method uses a series of elevators. The elevators move up and down, while cards are inserted randomly into each one. Then, the piles in the elevators are shuffled together (Uncomfortable Shoe). This design adds another level of randomness to the shuffling. The last essential part of the shuffler is the card output slot, which is simply where the shuffled cards come out of the machine. Our robot will be different. It has a card input and output slot, but the rest of the machine is different. It shuffles by randomly choosing from several trays full of cards. This method is faster and is more flexible regarding the number of cards being shuffled than other shufflers. Also, this machine will deal a number of different card games automatically. Casinos will want this robot because it is a faster way to shuffle more cards. It makes it so that players can not "count" cards to gain an advantage over the casinos, and with its automatic dealing capabilities, it will increase their efficiency, allowing them to earn more money. Preliminary Design Our product will do more than current automatic card shufflers. In addition to just shuffling the cards, it will also deal them out. The final product will have many shuffling trays, to increase the capacity and effectiveness of the shuffler. It will have an LCD display with inputs that allow card players to select a game on the screen, and the robot will shuffle and deal the cards according to the rules of the game. The final product will be mostly enclosed in a plastic case, to make it look streamlined and prevent tampering or damage to the parts inside. The internals, however, will not be plastic. The gears will be welloiled metal, and the gates will also be smooth plastic to allow the cards to exit them rapidly. To allow the 2 robot to be low-cost, the metal parts would have to be aluminum. There would be little to no specialized

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Communication Essay

I. Mass Media Effect on Children’s and Teens’ Body Image Outline Mass media outlets of all forms effect adolescent girls’ and young women’s body image negatively. Be it via magazine, television, movies, advertisement, or other sources, girls and young women are bombarded with mass media constantly that contain hidden messages about the â€Å"ideal† woman, and messages on ways to attain the attributes required to be socially accepted by these unspoken standards. Common attitudes acquired by children and teens from the media of what is acceptable physically, related eating disorders, media literacy’s effect on whether an individual will be easily influenced or not by subliminal mass media messages on body image will be discussed accordingly. A. Mass Media Effects on Children’s Attitudes towards overweight individuals and/or obesity 1. According to Bissell K. and Hays, H. (2011), in the article, â€Å"Understanding Anti-Fat Bias in Children: The Role of Media and Appearance Anxiety in Third to Sixth Graders’ Implicit and Explicit Attitudes Toward Obesity† children develop attitudes about acceptable body weight from media such as television. Children view television close to 6 hours a day according to Bissell and Hays (2011). The subliminal content on acceptable body fat and physical appearance abounds. Bissell and Hays state that, â€Å"Given this amount of exposure, it seems likely children are exposed to television and images that reinforce notions about the importance of thinness and attractiveness (p. 116-7)†. Bissell and Hays also say â€Å". . . The media’s influence on the body image of children that the media perpetuate beliefs about the importance of thinness and that a negative stigma associated with being overweight i s then possibly formed (p. 117).† 2. The Social Learning Theory closely relates to the attitudes of other children towards individuals, and can be applied to this point. B. Mass media effects on eating disorders 1. In the article, â€Å"Influence of Mass Media on Body Image and Eating Disorder Attitudes and Behaviors in Females: A Review of Effects and Processes†, by Lopez, et al. (2010), direct effects of magazine and television on adolescent girls and young women. According to Lopez et al, â€Å"Undeniably, a substantial portion of media content consumed by children and adolescents is replete with unhealthy messages about the beauty ideal, body size, food, weight control, and the gender roles of women and girls, as well as use of alcohol, tobacco, and other substances for managing one’s emotions and self-presentation (pg. 388).† Lopez et al goes on to discuss the way that the mass media effects adolescents without their realizing it; â€Å"People are often unaware—and mass media work hard to keep it that way—of the extent to which, and just exactly how mass media play an important role in promoting consumerism, body objectification, and internalization o f the current beauty ideal (Lopez et al., 2010). 2. According to Rieves, S. (2011) â€Å"Models weigh 23% less than the average woman, while a generation ago the gap was 8%†. This ideal sets an impractical role model for young girls. Rieves (2011) also points out the startling fact that, â€Å"At the start of puberty, 81% of 10-year-olds are afraid of being fat† (p. 123). Rieves also alludes to the evidence of studies, and said â€Å"Researchers consistently ï ¬ nd a strong relationship between media exposure and the epidemiology of eating disorders at the aggregate population level† (p. 123). 3. Social Comparison Theory relates to eating disorder development and mass media influence. According to Rieves (2011), â€Å"Moreover, celebrity images contribute to unrealistic weight through social comparison (p. 124).† C. Mass Media effects regarding Media Literacy 1. In the article, â€Å"Idealism: Factors Affecting the Body Image of College Students† by Pitura A., college students participated in a study to determine the degree mass media effected body image and which media sources were more influential. Pitura says that media literacy is a crucial quality in whether or not an individual’s body image will be negatively affected by media exposure. According to Pitura (2010), â€Å"In order to become media literate one must be able to sort through the information given by the media and determine fact from fiction (p. 63). 2. According to Meng, J. and Bissell, K., (2009) â€Å"As young girls look to television and movie stars such as Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana) or Ashley Tisdale (High School Musical), they see the glamorized images, to a large degree, of very thin girls (p. 7).† What viewers can distinguish between what is real and what is glamorized relates to each viewers le vel of media literacy. If a viewer has a low media literacy, the images that viewer regards as realistic and acceptable outweigh the views of viewers who hold a more realistic outlook when consuming media such as the television shows mentioned. D. Mass Media Effects Factors Contributing to Body Image 1. Several factors contribute to mass media effects on an individual. The degree of consumption of media, the media form, and peer pressure all play a role in the internalization of body image; often these ideals are excessively thin due to media images. 2. A study of girls ages 9 through 12, by Clark and Tiggerman (2006), concluded that media does in facts effects one’s body image and self-worth from adolescents and earlier; â€Å"There is no doubt, however, that the mass media are powerful transmitters of societal ideals for children, just as for adults (Clark and Tiggerman).†

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Best Practices in Training and Development Essay

Training and development is the keystone of successful company’s operation. There are a lot of training methods today that can be used for staff training. Many of the training options that are easily available take too much time, are too high-priced, are curriculum and course oriented and do not match the needs of the company or enterprise. That is why it is very important to realize all pros and cons of these methods. Instructor – Led Classroom Training. Pros: High quality delivery; Immediate Q & A; Leverage student questions. Cons: Costly student/trainer expense; Costly one-to-few training; Training often too soon/too late; Trainer must be knowledgeable of multiple applications. Best for: Multiple students of similar skill level; Training in single location; Observable performance Interpersonal skills/feedback; Highly interactive knowledge sharing. Worth for: Students of widely-varying skill levels; Training for large system/process rollout; Consistency across learner groups. Asynchronous Web – Based Internet/Intranet Training. Pros: Just-in-time training; No travel costs; Self-paced learning; Remedial training at no cost; Consistency; Possible increased retention; Easily distributed/updated training materials. Cons: Self-directed motivation can be problematic; Lack of classroom collaboration; May be viewed as â€Å"done on your own time†. Best for: Basic training; Students in multiple locations; As part of instructor-led training course. Worth for: Observable interpersonal skills/feedback; Real-time knowledge sharing. Synchronous (real-time) Web – Based Internet/Intranet Training. Pros: High quality delivery; Immediate Q & A; Leverage student questions; Rapid, low-cost content. Cons: Cost-per-student higher than asynchronous training; Network connection needed. Best for: Basic training; Students in multiple locations; Highly interactive knowledge sharing; Hands-on application training. Worth for: Students of widely-varying skill levels Observable interpersonal skills/feedback. What training method is the most useful and productive? Jim Campbell, Hudson’s Bay Company’s organizational management senior manager, said on the Canada’s Learning and Development Conference, that e-learning is not the be-all and end-all solution. His preferred approach is blended learning, where technology-assisted learning is integrated into more traditional training methods. â€Å"E-learning staff learned an important lesson when 5,000 binders of material meant as support for the online courses were distributed to employees†, said David Wright, TD learning and development senior manager. â€Å"About a year later, when we’d travel to the different branches, we’d still see people holding on to those binders. † Wright said some employees were simply choosing to print out all of the online material and study it in paper form anyway. He says the company acknowledges that not everyone learns in the same fashion, adding e-learning is best combined with peer-assisted training and one-on-one coaching. A blended approach to learning is not always an easy sell. Banks are conservative organizations and many TD employees had a hard time getting over a â€Å"computer-phobia,† Wright said. To this day, the company has to use scare tactics to get some of its employees to complete online courses, for example, when an online course is a pre-requisite for a seminar. In most midsize or large companies, internal training and development is viewed as a strategic imperative. â€Å"I’m all for the renaissance person,† says Lee Dailey, director of executive and management development at United Technology Corp. Dailey heads the Hartford, Connecticut, conglomerate’s Employee Scholar Program, a legendarily generous plan under which every one of UTC’s 200,000-plus employees is eligible for 100 percent reimbursement of all educational costs, including tuition, registration fees and books. Courses do not have to be directly related to the participant’s job. â€Å"If you’re an engineer for our Pratt & Whitney division and you want to study Middle Eastern religion, go ahead,† Dailey says. In addition, employees are given three hours off each week to work at their studies or attend class. When employees earn a degree, they are awarded $10,000 worth of company stock. Currently, 15 percent of UTC’s workforce is enrolled. Last year the company paid out $60 million, and it has spent $400 million since 1996, when the scholar program was instituted in its current form. The program, Dailey says, has never been evaluated for ROI. â€Å"Inherently, people understand that a better-educated workforce is a more productive workforce. † This is the philosophy of longtime UTC CEO George David, Dailey adds. â€Å"He wants the best-educated workforce on the planet. † Training and continuing education are tracked at General Motors, says Jeff Johnson, director of benefit operations worldwide for the auto company. Under the firm’s Salaried Employees’ Tuition Assistance Plan, managers must get approval from their supervisors before enrolling in courses that will earn them a desired undergraduate degree or advance their technical or managerial skills. â€Å"They’re very rarely turned down,† Johnson says, adding that few employees want to waste their time or GM’s money on irrelevant courses. The yearly limit at GM is $6,400 per individual for undergraduate education and $10,000 for postgraduate courses. Generally, large companies are the most generous with tuition dollars, but small and medium-sized companies do their best to keep up. Washington Trust Company, a 16-branch bank in Westerly, Rhode Island, gives tuition assistance to 70 of its 450 employees. Undergraduates must obtain a grade of at least C in their courses, and graduate students a B. Last year the company spent $73,000, and Kristen DiSanto, vice president for human resources, considers it money well spent. 1. Workforce Management on the Web 2004. Pros and Cons of Training Modes. 17 Oct. 2004 2. Rola, Monika. â€Å"Don’t forget the human touch: enterprises swap horror stories and best practices with their e-learning initiatives – IT Training & Careers. † Computing Canada 25 Apr. 2003. 17 Oct. 2004 3. Meisler, Andy. â€Å"A Matter of Degree. † Workforce Management May 2004. 17 Oct. 2004

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

To what extent do you consider Hamlet a play which presents a patriarchal society Essays

To what extent do you consider Hamlet a play which presents a patriarchal society Essays To what extent do you consider Hamlet a play which presents a patriarchal society Paper To what extent do you consider Hamlet a play which presents a patriarchal society Paper In order to understand a patriarchal Elizabethan society, we must first understand the social and historical context of the play. Elizabethan society was fundamentally male. Most roles of importance were assigned to men. The thought that a woman was to be given a post of responsibility would have caused much upset among male civilians. Even though there was a female monarch at the time, men essentially ruled the scene, with the queen as its figurehead. Shakespeare had to convey this situation fairly accurately, as a play in which women were empowered by male standards would have been frowned upon during that period in history. However, given the change in societys views on women since Elizabethan times, the play may not have been construed as patriarchal at the time of writing. It would have been viewed as an accurate representation of the monarchy and its hierarchy of power. It is known that Elizabeth was a fan of Shakespeares work, and for Shakespeare to present a society in which women were viewed entirely as sexual objects and nothing more would have been unacceptable in the queens eyes, which I believe results in the subtle hints at empowered women. Some film portrayals show Gertrude as very similar to Elizabeth I, a woman who uses and manipulates men in order to gain power. Others show Gertrude as a wine-swilling, rampantly sexual temptress, which I do not believe to be true. I believe that even though Gertrude marries her brother-in-law, and so soon after her Husbands death is not an act of sexual desire, rather an act of emotional need. Also, in the closet scene, she expresses remorse for marrying Claudius so early, and some believe that in doing this, she aligns herself with Hamlets quest for revenge, and shuns Claudius touch and bed. In the play, it can be considered that women are only disempowered in a male sense. They do not play major roles in the development of the play, but their interaction with the male characters can be seen as a form of sub-plot, additional to the main events of the play. To empower someone is defined by the English dictionary as to authorize, or enable someone. Throughout Hamlet, we see that this means women are not empowered in the play in terms of power in the literal sense, however are empowered in their dignity and actions. There are two views of female figures in Hamlet cunningly empowered, as one critic, Praveen Pillai, puts it, or as fundamentally weak figures, who are entirely disempowered. Both these views, I believe, are partially true. In one sense, women are cunningly empowered through death. Females in the play die in a gentle fashion, with Ophelia slowly drowning, surrounded by her dress, and the queen being poisoned by wine. This can be seen as a more empowered way to die than the male figures in the play, as most of them die violent deaths, through poisoning, being stabbed, and killed by other men. In a way, this is a triumph for the women in the play, especially as Ophelia, corrupted by her sexual desire for Hamlet, dies a virgin. This is empowerment in a feminine sense, as it does not fit with male views of empowerment. However, women can also be seen as fundamentally disempowered in the sense that they hold no real authority, and are merely seen as objects of desire by the men in the play. Ophelia is seen as the cause of Hamlets madness, providing women with a negative image. Some critics, such as Praveen Pillai, even say that Ophelias name has roots in sexual imagery, with Ophelia being likened to O-Phallus. Also, Hamlets sexual obsession with his mother further proves the fact that women are seen as sex objects and no more Incestuous sheets, Live in a bed of rank sweat. This lust seems highly derogatory, and jealousy of Claudius may be a contributing factor in Hamlets anger and madness, also shown in the quote Almost as bad as to kill a king and marry his brother. This Freudian view of Hamlet is widely accepted by many, and has become a fundamental part of analysing the play. One of the most powerful statements in the play clearly shows a male view of female disempowerment in the play Frailty thy name is woman. A powerful statement, which has its roots in the Elizabethan attitude towards women. It shows that women are viewed as fundamentally weak beings in the eyes of men. The scene between Hamlet and Gertrude in the royal bedroom acts as a sort of commentary on the male societys views of Elizabethan women. It shows the low amounts of respect given to women, and the way they are scorned through sexual relations with others. Loving a woman was seen as weak, and Hamlets lust for both Ophelia and Gertrude are seen as weaknesses contributing to his madness. Rebecca Smith states that because Claudius, his mothers second husband is the killer of his Father, Hamlets general outrage at women increases and spreads and that it Ophelias unexpected rejection of his love is also a trigger factor in this, her rejection being due to the order from her brother and father, that results from their one-dimensional view of a woman as a sexual object. I am not entirely sure that this is true. I do not doubt that the general view of the female characters in the play by male characters is that of sexual objects, but rather the order was given to Ophelia by her brother and father out of an unselfish and untainted love for her as a family member, in them wishing that she should not be associated with Hamlet, who they regard as Mad. In this way, Ophelia is empowered Gertrude appears in the play as a woman whose actions contribute greatly to the negative turns in the plot as Claudius puts it, Gertrude is both My virtue or my plague. She is shown as having poor judgement, as seen in Act 1 Scene 2, in which we realise she must be more sensitive to her sons feelings. However, Gertrudes own insensitive actions reveal a form of male disempowerment in the play Jealousy. Hamlets jealousy of his mother during the grieving period may be for two reasons one, that as her son, Hamlet should be given more attention than Claudius, and two the fact that his mother has just married his uncle O, most wicked speed, to post, With such dexterity to incestuous sheets! . During the scene in the royal bedroom, a symbol of sexuality in itself, one of Gertrudes main weaknesses shows. She has the opportunity here to face the issue head on and resolve it, however she is the type of person to put bad news to the back of their minds and pretend like nothing has happened. She gives no deep thought to the matter at all. Hamlets madness can be linked to his jealousy of Claudius in this scene, and the fact that the ghost of his father warned him to Let not the royal bed of Denmark be a couch for luxury and damned incest The introduction of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern by the King and Queen show a fundamental contrast in their characters, the Queen, representative of a female character wishes them to discover the roots of her sons madness so she can help him feel better, however the king, representative of a male character in the play, uses them for more sinister purposes, showing the great contrast between male and female characters in the play, and highlighting a form of empowerment for the women the mens underhand evil deeds lead to acts of revenge and violence, yet the female act of kindness leads to a form of peace and understanding. In this way, then we can definitely say that women are subtly empowered in Hamlet. Even though it is seen that Gertrude is an insensitive mother, in not showing her son compassion and understanding after his fathers death, while still being married to her Husbands murderer, there are certain parts of the play where she defends her son from Claudius, showing moral strength for example, when talking to Claudius about Hamlets murder of Polonius, she says that he Cries afterwards in an attempt to cover up the fact that he did not think anything of it. This is an outstanding act of compassion towards Hamlet, and proves her to be a loving mother, morally empowered. A form of female disempowerment is seen in the way that Gertrude cannot see through the deception of Claudius. He convinces Gertrude (perhaps too easily) that Hamlets sending away is to protect her, rather than the true reason, that Claudius fears for his life when Hamlet is still around. If Gertrude was empowered as a woman in this way, she would object, for fear of Hamlets life. This is a subtle element throughout the play that really stands out when the play is seen in terms of weakness, empowerment and disempowerment. Ophelia, the only other woman in the play, mostly shows female disempowerment throughout most of the play. One critic puts it well Amanda Mabillard says that Ophelia could become the tragic heroine of the play; instead she crumbles into insanity and becomes merely tragic. It seems that Ophelias purpose in the play is to show the dual nature of women Ophelias distinct purpose is to show at once Hamlets warped view of women as callous sexual predators, and the innocence and virtue of women. Throughout the play, Hamlet becomes increasingly convinced that women are whores, shown by both women in the play Gertrude chose Claudius over her dead husband, and Ophelia chose her father over Hamlet. These both strike Hamlet as incestuous and add to his madness. Ophelias character is very one-dimensional and shallow; her main purpose is as an instrument through which other characters act, i. e. her father using her beauty to suit his underhanded needs, such as where she is told to spy on Hamlet to try and determine the cause of his madness. She gives Hamlet the opinion that the most innocent looking women are the worst corrupted with sexual desire, and throughout the play, we see that to an extent this is made true through Ophelias sex-crazed madness. Hamlet appears before Ophelia with no hat on his head, his stockings soiled, and round his ankles. This initially frightens Ophelia, and the fact that she confides in her father to tell him of her fear portrays her as a weak individual, unable to cope with her feelings, or her sexuality. This develops into a sex-fuelled insanity later on in the play, with her using blatantly sexual imagery in her speeches, such as when she sings By Cock. This may be untrue, as the slang word Cock may have not been used in Elizabethan times. However, in a modern context, this can be seen as a way for Ophelia to release her bottled-up emotions through her madness, much alike to Hamlets madness throughout the play. Gertrudes last acts show female empowerment in a nice way. During the dramatic final scene in which she drinks the poisoned wine, and realises that Claudius is guilty of killing her husband and attempting to murder her son, she valiantly warns her son against drinking the wine No, no, the drink, the drink o my dear Hamlet The drink, the drink! I am poisoned! It is unusual in this scene that Claudius does nothing to prevent Gertrude from drinking the poisoned wine, even though he murdered the King out of a sexual desire for her. Even though she is about to die, she still manages to show a final act of compassion for her son, and effectively renounces Claudius from her heart, giving Hamlet a final triumph, and easing his madness. In conclusion, I think the evidence shows that there are different types of empowerment and disempowerment, male and female scattered throughout the play, some blatantly obvious, some rather more subtle. After careful analysis of the play, I have come to my own personal opinion that women in Hamlet are essentially disempowered, for these main reasons : Firstly, there are more men than women in the play, showing that women play less important roles. Secondly, women are not involved in the real important parts of the plot, they only act as a sub-plot, a tangent from the storyline. Also, by the end of the play, neither of the women are seen to have any sort of peace of mind, and they both die tragically. Sources Used: Shakespeares Ophelia Amanda Mabillard Gertrude In Hamlet Orah Rosenblatt A Z of Shakespeare Charles Boyce Shakespeares Life And Times Oscar J Campbell Hamlet Commentary Granville Barker Hamlet Psychoanalysed. 1815words. W/Quotes 1703words W/out Quotes.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Definition and Examples of Sememes in English

Definition and Examples of Sememes in English Definition In English grammar, morphology,  and semiotics, a sememe is a unit of meaning conveyed by a morpheme (i.e., a word or word element). As shown below, not all linguists interpret the concept of sememe in just the same way. The term sememe was coined by Swedish linguist Adolf Noreen in Và ¥rt Sprà ¥k (Our Language), his unfinished grammar of the Swedish language (1904-1924). John McKay notes that Noreen described a sememe as a definite idea-content expressed in some linguistic form, e.g., triangle and three-sided straight-lined figure are the same sememe (Guide to Germanic Reference Grammars, 1984). The term was introduced into American linguistics in 1926 by Leonard Bloomfield. See Examples and Observations below. Also see: Grammatical CategoryHomonymyLexemeLexicalizationLexical Set Lexicology, Semantics, and Semiotics Polysemy Semantic Field and Semantic Field Analysis Examples and Observations: As a rough approximation, one may think of a sememe as an element of meaning.[W]e can say that a lexeme may be connected to more than one sememe; the lexeme table is an example. This relationship is often referred to by the term polysemy, which means multiple meaning.(Sydney Lamb, Lexicology and Semantics. Language and Reality: Selected Writings of Sydney Lamb, ed. by Jonathan J. Webster. Continuum, 2004) Semes and Sememes- [T]he basic or minimal unit of meaning, not further subdividable, is the seme, and . . . two or more semes existing together in a more complex unit of meaning comprise a sememe.(Louise Schleiner, Cultural Semiotics, Spenser, and the Captive Woman. Associated University Presses, 1995)- A sememe is the totality of semes that are actualized by a term within a given context. In [William] Blakes poetry the following sememe could be attached to the term city: industrial, black, crowded, poverty, pain, evil, filth, noise.(Bronwen Martin and Felizitas Ringham, Key Terms i n Semiotics. Continuum, 2006) Bloomfield on Sememes- According to [Leonard] Bloomfield (1933: 161 f.), a morpheme was composed of phonemes and had a meaning, the sememe. The sememe was a constant and definite unit of meaning which differed from all other meanings, including all other sememes. Thus, in Bloomfields view, the identification of a morpheme was based on the identification of a sequence of phonemes which could be assigned a meaning that was constant and different from all other meanings.(Gisa Rauh, Syntactic Categories: Their Identification and Description in Linguistic Theories. Oxford University Press, 2010)- In customary stratificationalist parlance . . ., one refers to the sememe as the realizate of a lexeme, or that piece of fragment of a network of mans cognitive knowledge that the given lexeme happens to realize. For technical and working purposes such a definition of the sememe is quite satisfactory and one need take no further issue with it. The evolution of the concept is fairly straight as w ell: in [Leonard] Bloomfields Language (1933) the term sememe refers to the meaning of a morpheme. Bloomfield offered no clear distinction between morpheme and lexeme, however, and this lack of clarification . . . meant foregoing the benefit of a powerful generalization. . . .The reason for this neglect of a most useful principle in linguistics arises from the fact that it is difficult to explain to linguists of other persuasions, to students, etc., just what it is that the stratificationalist means by the term sememe.(Adam Makkai, How Does a Sememe Mean? Essays in Honor of Charles F. Hockett, ed. by Frederick Browning Agard. Brill, 1983) The Meaning of a Simple WordWhat laity calls a simple word is probably a monomorphemic lexeme identifiable rather obviously with a major part of speech, as one is taught in traditional pedagogic grammars. What laity calls the meaning of a simple word is the semantically always-complex sememe that stands behind or sponsors a given lexeme. If such a lexeme is a common one- e.g., the meaning of father, mother, milk or sun, native speakers are not consciously aware of the definitional meaning of such a form, but they can, nevertheless, immediately translate such a form into another language they know, say German, and come up with Vater, Mutter, Milch or Sonne. If the word needed to express a fairly clear notion does not come to mind or is actually unknown, laity says, how shall I put it (the person has the notion but cannot find the word for it).(Adam Makkai, Luminous Loci in Lex-Eco-Memory: Toward a Pragmo-Ecological Resolution of the Metaphysical Debate Concerning the Reality or Ficti tiousness of Words. Functional Approaches to Language, Culture and Cognition, ed. by David G. Lockwood. John Benjamins, 2000) Sememes and Lexical Units[T]he introduction of the concept lexical unit (although within the restricted technical language of linguistics) is itself an illustration of the concept-forming power of the word. Many linguists . . . make a clear distinction between the seme (or semantic feature) and the sememe, defined as a complex or configuration of semes, which corresponds to a single sense of a lexeme. Sometimes the complete meaning of a lexeme is called a semanteme. However, up to [D. Alan] Cruse (1986) a precise term was missing in lexicology and lexical semantics for the combination of a specific form with a single sense, i.e. a full linguistic sign in Saussures sense. . . . Obviously, the introduction of the notion lexical unit has serious consequences for the distinction between homonymy and polysemy. It must be recognized, however, that paradigmatic as well as syntagmatic relations between words are a matter of lexical units, not lexemes.(Leonhard Lipka, English Lexicology: Lex ical Structure, Word Semantics and Word-Formation. Gunter Narr Verlag, 2002)

Sunday, October 20, 2019

3 Problematic Parallel Lists

3 Problematic Parallel Lists 3 Problematic Parallel Lists 3 Problematic Parallel Lists By Mark Nichol When listing within a sentence, take care in sentence construction to employ conjunctions and punctuation correctly to achieve proper parallel sentence structure, as discussed in the discussion and revision of each of the following flawed sentences. 1. Smith worked as a chess coach, tutor, and led overnight camping trips. This sentence lacks a verb corresponding with tutor, just as worked is associated with â€Å"as a chess coach† and led pertains to â€Å"overnight camping trips,† as in â€Å"Smith worked as a chess coach, acted as a tutor, and led overnight camping trips.† It appears, however, that the writer intends worked to apply to tutor and â€Å"chess coach† in parallel, with both supported by â€Å"as a,† but the punctuation does not allow this construction. For the statement to be syntactically valid, tutor must be preceded by a conjunction and its own article: â€Å"Smith worked as a chess coach and a tutor and led overnight camping trips.† (If the second a is omitted, the implication is that Smith was a chess coach and a chess tutor; the sentence works this way only if tutor and â€Å"chess coach† are transposed so that tutor is not mistakenly linked to chess.) 2. Regulatory technology aims to make regulatory compliance more integrated, streamlined, and less costly.   The first and third adjectives in the list are provided comparative modifiers, and the implication is that streamlined shares more with integrated, but the comma prevents that association. In order for integrated and streamlined to share more, they must be treated as a phrase separated by and and both commas must be omitted: â€Å"Regulatory technology aims to make regulatory compliance more integrated and streamlined and less costly.† Alternatively, integrated can be assigned its own instance of more: â€Å"Regulatory technology aims to make regulatory compliance more integrated, more streamlined, and less costly.† 3. Firms need to ensure that workflow, queue management, control reporting, exception management, efficient and streamlined processes are in place.   â€Å"Efficient and streamlined processes† is intended to be understood as a factor equivalent to the other four listed beforehand, but the writer has mistaken and for the conjunction that necessarily precedes the final item in the list. Because it is within the final item, another conjunction is required: â€Å"Firms need to ensure that workflow, queue management, control reporting, exception management, and efficient and streamlined processes are in place.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How Many Tenses in English?50 Latin Phrases You Should KnowPreposition Mistakes #3: Two Idioms

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Designing neew product Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Designing neew product - Essay Example Organizations are faced with high intensity of competition within the industry and also from new entrants. There is even competition from the outside players as well. Every business has to innovate to stay ahead in the competitive market. No business can afford to offer the same unchanged product. This will lead to a decrease in sale and profits reduced. Hence new product development has become an indispensable strategy for any organization in order to build a competitive advantage and carry out its operations effectively in the market place. Discussion The advancement in information and communication technology, computes etc., is influencing almost all aspects of the business world, from networking to marketing, research and development. Understanding and effectively utilizing the advancements in this technology are vital for any business if they aspire to continuously grow their business and attract new customers and clients. Technology is transforming the core of innovation. With the help of technology, companies can now test new ideas with unimaginable speed and minimum prices. Online resources help a company to test market its product or service after the initial development, to assess or evaluate the viability of the product and make necessary changes according to customer feedback. Technological advancements have helped companies to launch their innovative initiatives within no time and with least amount they have ever imagined. As information technology becomes cheaper and available to public at large, the competition for continuously growing and developing innovative products and services for the customers is becoming a necessity for companies to thrive. This makes continuous use of advancement in information technology very crucial for companies for constant innovation and growth in the market. There are various ways by which market can be segmented such as demographic segmentation, geographic segmentation, psychographic and behavioural segmentation ( Pride, Hughes & Kapoor, 2011, p.343). The present generation of young people are tech-savvy. This generation want quick solutions for everything, starting from their daily requirements, likes and preferences, means of pleasure etc. Customers look for products with multiples features or products and devices which are multi-tasking. Considering the present trend of consumers, two products can be targeted. Wrist watch is a common accessory today, which is not only used as a time tracker but has become a status symbol, owing to the continuous developments in the design and features. People, especially college students and young working professionals also carry with them music players such as iPod and other music devices. These people are music lovers and like to listen to music during their free hours such as travelling and lunch and also sometimes during work. Sometimes it becomes tedious to take iPods or music players everywhere they go. They also forget to carry it sometimes, as it i s not a regular accessory like a wristwatch. Looking at this opportunity the new product which has been planned to develop and launch in the market will be an innovative wrist watch with an embedded music system or music player in it. The music system will be equipped with a wireless Bluetooth. The watch will work as a touch screen for changing songs and folders. Wrist Watch with Music: A Brief Overview The new product whi

Challenge of Searching One's True Self Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Challenge of Searching One's True Self - Essay Example I believe father Lawton has very wisely declared the process of self-discovery as being parallel to that of a risky adventure. The journey to become ourselves is a risky journey because there are so many hurdles in the way. Man can be easily deceived and distracted away from the true path. The greatest risk while searching one’s true self is to lose the way, forget the real purpose of being and become distracted. Bible itself warns against this: "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy,   which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ." (Colossians 2:8) Self-exploration is a difficult and complex task and men tend to lose their focus on the way. In this tedious task, there are illusions of truth, one starts believing that he has attained the knowledge of his inner self and is now able to control it while actually what he has covered is just one tiny milestone. Since college life is full of new horizons and avenues, as chapters of knowledge unfold, so does the risk of being drawn away and distracted. In my journey towards self, I see many risks of misperception and distraction. College life will bring with it all sorts of information and I’ll have to categorize it in a manner that adheres to my Christian belief and guides me towards self-discovery.

Friday, October 18, 2019

Instructions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Instructions - Assignment Example These performances include some elements of Western and Eastern cultures mixed together. They are expressive and emotional; yet they have some hypnotic features which make people think about the sense of their being in the world. It seems that some dancers almost do not move; however, one needs to understand that static poses are sometimes more difficult that dynamic movements.  The costumers, music, lighting and decorations support each performance and create necessary settings where choreography of the dance can be understood by spectators. It is difficult to talk about Shen Wei Dance Arts   performances in general because each of them is unique. This is the case when a new abstract art renders postmodern understanding of life where the lines between good and bad, beautiful and ugly are blurred. It is a combination of something people usually do not combine and a fresh point of view on art and dance in

The Future of the Music Industry Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Future of the Music Industry - Assignment Example While the business spent numerous years opposing the rise of the internet as a supply and promotion technique for music, it was ultimately forced to identify it. The labels finally accredited music to iTunes and Apple (in addition to some other stores). It took them so long to make out that people needed DRM-free music; however, theyve lastly come around to identify that too. Anybody intrigue to predict the future of music sees different facets and factors. One of the main factors that can control music drifts are the musicians that create music (Hannan, 2001). The future music will probably be considerably diverse from the music we are at present used to. Artists disclose future drifts in this business since their individual tastes in addition to preferences are usually the main cause of most drifts that happen inside this industry. Customers inside this industry also portray drifts too though. Pakistani music with most recent leanings in the 21st century revitalized itself to be admired sound all through the world and region (Hannan, 2001). Through assessing the individual likes as well as dislikes of artists as they make their music and the fragile preferences of customers as they get their music, we can widen a moderately clear picture of what the viewpoint of the business will be. The only technique we can exactly predict the prospect of this industry is by joining deliberation of both customers and artists (Lankford, 2013). By assessing the predilections of both patrons, as well as artists, we can get an unambiguous picture of how the two noteworthy variables will influence future drifts. Modern musicians are focusing on scientifically sophisticated musical tools to produce their art, and the public is at present focusing on more scientifically sophisticated tools to access their music. By simply assessing the tendencies that musicians are taking, we can effortlessly

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Reflective log of report Outline Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Reflective log of report - Outline Example udgment is essential for making entrepreneurial marketing decisions, specifically for marketing decisions that impact customer dimensions, opportunity analysis, levels of provided services, and product ranges. In relation to the report, this competency helps in the identification of market opportunities for the Audi E1, as well as the ability to assess opportunities with scarce resources. In addition, judgment competency helps the entrepreneur to weigh the market opportunity for the Audi E1 against other alternatives that could emerge. Judgment in making this decision for entrepreneurs is usually based on experience, intuition, and hunch, which means that the entrepreneur must show high product knowledge levels (Uslay & Ndubisi, 2014: p16). Another competency required for entrepreneurial marketers in the decision-making stage is the experience competency, which is linked to the previous judgment competency. This competency is important in relation to specific business fields, for instance knowledge of who major players in the electric vehicle industry. Moreover, another important aspect of this competency can be seen in the level of confidence that an entrepreneur’s experience wealth will allow them to make predictions on whether customers of electric cars might react unfavourably or favourably in specific circumstances (Bjerke & Hultman, 2012: p24). This vital competence and how it is expressed is refreshing in this case because it is indicative of the entrepreneur ability to utilize, enrich, and enhance their experience via proactive marketing. Therefore, this competency is dynamic in that it can be enriched and refined constantly with every marketing experience. As a result, previous entrepreneurship marketin g experience came into play during the present activity, increasing the entrepreneur’s competency to deal with increasing numbers of marketing decisions. When the workload is heavy, for example, the competency of experience enables accurate

Tata Steel in India Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Tata Steel in India - Research Paper Example Tata Steel is recognized as India’s first Iron and Steel company, having been founded in the year 1907 during the British colonial era. (Indicus Analytics, 2009) Tata Steel operates as part of the Tata Group, allowing it to pursue integrated supply and distribution facilities to automotive manufacturing, heavy industry, and consumer goods production within the conglomerate’s structure. (Economy Watch, 2010) Tata Steel competes with a large number of different Iron and Steel companies within India’s domestic economy and internationally, including the Steel Authority of India (SAIL), Arcelor-Mittal, POSCO, Hindustan Steel, JSW Steel, and other companies. The Indian Government has pursued a policy of progressively opening India’s local economy to foreign competition, and there is currently no levy or tax restriction on the import and export of iron and steel products. (India Ministry of Steel, 2009) The consequence of this is considered to be increased compet ition in the sector, and lower prices, particularly as set by Chinese steel producers for export. China produced over 10 times the steel capacity of India, at 567 million metric tons in 2009 compared to 56.1 million metric tons produced by India in the same period. (India Ministry of Steel, 2010) Nevertheless, Tata Steel has produced a corporate strategy to meet these competitive challenges, and this includes sustainability policies directed at the greater welfare of workers, the environment, and community. Tata Steel and Economic Conditions in India Tata Steel states publicly that â€Å"the primary purpose of a business is to improve the quality of life of people.† (Tata Steel, 2011) This tenet constitutes the cornerstone of the company’s sustainability policy and represents the wider mandate held by corporate management on behalf of stakeholders. In India, there is a need for social and economic development that uplifts people out of poverty. One of the main processe s that enable individuals to improve their living condition in the modern, globalized economy is the possession of a professional, well-paying job. Another factor is the level of education that an individual receives in the formative years of development. Education is recognized as vital to the long-term sustainability of business and industry, as well as being one of the main constituents of what is required of a good employee. As India’s economic development needs change on a national level from addressing the dire threats of the poverty situation of the post-colonial era through socialist policies to supporting the booming economy expanding at a rate of 8% to 10% annually in the 21st century through progressive market policies, it should be expected that the sustainability policies at Tata Steel are also updated and analyzed by management teams to reflect the changing requirements of the communities themselves that are being served.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Reflective log of report Outline Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Reflective log of report - Outline Example udgment is essential for making entrepreneurial marketing decisions, specifically for marketing decisions that impact customer dimensions, opportunity analysis, levels of provided services, and product ranges. In relation to the report, this competency helps in the identification of market opportunities for the Audi E1, as well as the ability to assess opportunities with scarce resources. In addition, judgment competency helps the entrepreneur to weigh the market opportunity for the Audi E1 against other alternatives that could emerge. Judgment in making this decision for entrepreneurs is usually based on experience, intuition, and hunch, which means that the entrepreneur must show high product knowledge levels (Uslay & Ndubisi, 2014: p16). Another competency required for entrepreneurial marketers in the decision-making stage is the experience competency, which is linked to the previous judgment competency. This competency is important in relation to specific business fields, for instance knowledge of who major players in the electric vehicle industry. Moreover, another important aspect of this competency can be seen in the level of confidence that an entrepreneur’s experience wealth will allow them to make predictions on whether customers of electric cars might react unfavourably or favourably in specific circumstances (Bjerke & Hultman, 2012: p24). This vital competence and how it is expressed is refreshing in this case because it is indicative of the entrepreneur ability to utilize, enrich, and enhance their experience via proactive marketing. Therefore, this competency is dynamic in that it can be enriched and refined constantly with every marketing experience. As a result, previous entrepreneurship marketin g experience came into play during the present activity, increasing the entrepreneur’s competency to deal with increasing numbers of marketing decisions. When the workload is heavy, for example, the competency of experience enables accurate

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Review of Financial Statements Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Review of Financial Statements Paper - Essay Example Under both systems financial statements of both entities play an important role. Balance Sheet is a statement of affairs of the company on a particular date that provides in details the sources of funds for the company and how those sources have applied for by the company. This in fact is an overall financial summary of the company as on a date. The depiction of sources of funds provides an idea as to how the company has mobilized funds in order to meet its objectives. Basically, funds can be organized through two sources, namely investments by the company’s shareholders and/ or through borrowings by the company. Investments by shareholders is the capital of the owners invested into the company, and held by the shareholders in the shape of shares of a specific value into the total capital of the company, which may be equity or preferential. The distinction of equity and preferential capital has to do with allotment of certain priority rights relating to payment of dividend and repayment of capital invested into such shares at the time of liquidation of the company. Further, a balance sheet describes borrowings as secured and unsecured. Repayment of secured borrowings is insured on the security of certain specific assets; whereas unsecured borrowings’ rights of repayment emerge only after the satisfaction of se cured loans, and out of left over assets of the company. Balance sheet further describes how funds of the companies have been applied on a particular date on different assets and miscellaneous expenditures that include expenditures deferred over a period of some fiscal periods. Assets may be fixed or current. Fixed assets are expenditures made by the company that provide benefits to the company over useful life of the assets. That is why only a portion of fixed assets expenditure, called depreciation, is

Monday, October 14, 2019

Environment Analysis Essay Example for Free

Environment Analysis Essay Organizations analyze the environment in order to understand the external forces so that it could help to develop effective responses to secure or improve their positions in the future. There existed a positive relation between environmental analysis and profits of an organization. Top management looked at information in two ways: viewing and searching information. This information needed to be evaluated and disseminated to strategists within the organization and to help top management to make decisions that could create strategic advantage for the organization to succeed in a changing environment 1. There were research evidences that showed that environmental analysis was linked with improved organizational performance. Hence, it remained insufficient to assure performance, without aligning information with strategy. The main debate in strategy and environment was concerned with the primary importance of the environmental analysis in strategy formulation and implementation. 84 Reserve Bank of India The Reserve Bank of India is fully owned by the Government of India. Initially it was viewed to bring the greater coordination of the monetary, economic, and financial policies. During fifties objectives of Reserve Bank of India underwent changes. It was recognized that Reserve Bank of India needs to take on direct and much more active role, in developing machinery for financial development in order to ensure flow of finance in the country. Reserve Bank emerged as a regulatory and a growth promoting institution. In the beginning limited to the agricultural sector, the Bank later covered small-scale industries as well. The affairs of Reserve Bank of India are governed by the central board of directors. The board is appointed by the Government of India according to the Reserve Bank of India Act. The preface of the Reserve Bank of India describes the basic functions of the Reserve Bank as: â€Å"to regulate the issue of Bank Notes and keeping of reserves with a view to securing monetary stability in India and generally to operate the currency and credit system of the country to its advantage† 2. The Reserve Bank? s freedom may be viewed broadly to the areas like management including personnel matters, financial aspects, and to conduct polices. Managerial freedom refers to the procedures for appointment, term of office and dismissal procedures of top central bank officials and the governing board. It also includes the extent and nature of representation of the Government in the governing body of the central bank. 85 Financial freedom relates to the freedom to decide the extent of Government expenditures directly or indirectly financed by the central bank? s credits. Finally, policy freedom is related to the flexibility given in the formulation and execution of monetary policy, under a given authorization. Reserve Bank of India has over the years been responding to changing economic circumstances. The Reserve Bank of India performs the function of financial supervisor under the guidance of Board for Financial Supervision. This board undertake consolidated supervision of the financial sector comprising of Commercial Banks, Financial Institutions, and Non-Banking Finance Companies. The key functions played by this board were restructuring of the system of Bank, introduction of off-site scrutiny, strengthening the role of legislative auditors, and strengthening the internal defences of supervised institutions. Currently this board focus on supervision of financial institutions and legal issues in Banks. Reserve Bank of India acts as a guard for Commercial Banks. Commercial Banks are required to keep a certain proportion of cash reserves with the Reserve Bank and Bank provide them various facilities like advancing loans, underwriting securities etc. Reserve Bank of India controls the volume of reserves of Commercial Banks and thereby determines the deposits and credit creating ability of the Banks. Whenever Commercial Banks need funds they get it from the Reserve Bank of India. Apart from playing the role of Banker to the Banks, Reserve Bank of India also play promotional role. The aim is to establish and assist the establishments of a number of financial intuitions for filling up of various financial institutional gaps in the rural and semi-urban areas. 86 Other roles played by Reserve Bank of India are: Reserve Bank stabilizes the external value of the national currency. The Reserve Bank keeps gold and foreign currencies and manages foreign currency in accordance with the controls imposed by the government. Reserve Bank of India facilitate external trade and payment and promote orderly development and maintenance of foreign exchange market in India. Reserve Bank has taken the responsibility of meeting directly or indirectly all legitimate demands of Commercial Banks under emergency conditions and to a certain extent Reserve Bank influence the credit policy of Scheduled Banks. The Reserve Bank has instrument of control in the form of the bank rate, which it publishes from time to time 3. A list of the Reserve Bank of India Committees from 1990- 2008 was prepared to get an impression about developments with respect to Banking Industry (Appendix- III). The recommendations resulted into remarkable changes in products and policies of Banking Organizations. Indian Bank’s Association (IBA) Indian Bank? s Association is a leading service organization of Banking Industry in India. It aims to integrate Banking and finance system catering to all financial requirements of customer? s. It was formed in 1946 with 22 members. Today Indian Bank? s Association has more than 159 members comprising of Public Sector Banks, Private Sector Banks, Foreign Banks (having offices in India), and Urban Co-operative Banks. 87 The main objectives of Indian Bank? Association are: promoting and developing sound and progressive Banking principles and practices in order to assist Banks to develop and implement new ideas and innovative Banking services, operations and procedures; organizing co-ordination and co-operation on procedural, legal, technical, administrative or professional problems and practices of Banks ; circulating statistical data, informati on, views and opinions on the Banking System; conducting Management Development Programs for Banks; promoting education and knowledge of the law and practices of Banking Industry; to help in projecting good public image of Banking Industry ; and to promote harmonious relationships by devising ways and means for involving Banking personnel? in the growth and development of Banking Industry. Indian Bank? s Association tries to achieve excellent service quality and customer care through its focused efforts to make each customers experience a pleasant one. Towards this end Indian Bank? s Association stressed on to build staff potential by each Bank to address customer challenges and asked Banks to design a performance management system, which focuses on rewarding the staff for delivering flawless customer service. In 2000, Indian Bank? s Association reviewed the charters of different Banks and brought out a „Model Citizen Charter? explaining to the customer? s what they could expe ct from the Bank? s as a matter of right. Apart from this Indian Bank? s Association brought „bankers fair practices? in 2004 which was adopted by all Banks voluntarily. It also came out with „fair practice code for credit card operation? and „model code for collection of dues and repossession of security? with special concern to customer? s voice about Banking practices 4. 88 Ministry of Finance Ministry of Finance in India governs the entire fiscal system of the Government of India. The three departments headed by the Ministry of Finance in India include: economic affairs, expenditure, and revenue. Thus, it mainly centralizes around the economic and financial issues pertaining in India. Ministry of Finance Government of India, Banking Division is managing Government policies related to the working of Banks and the term lending to financial institutions. This Division is headed by Secretary (Banking and Insurance) and operates through three subdivisions: Industrial Finance; Banking Operations; and Banking and Insurance. Each subdivision is headed by a Joint Secretary. The Banking Operations sub-division deals with legislative proposals described to Banks, non-banking financial companies, and other related matters like appointments of Chief Executives and Government nominee Directors and non-official directors on the boards of Public Sector Banks. In addition policy matters relating to Private Banks, Foreign Banks, and improvement of customer? service in Banks and redressal of customers grievances are also dealt with this Banking Operations sub-division of Ministry of Finance. This sub-division also deals with vigilance matters and appoints Chief Vigilance Officers (C VO? s) in the Public Sector Banks to enable the Public Sector Banks to meet the credit requirements for the productive sectors of the economy in proportion to the economic growth of the country. The Government is committed to infuse capital funds in Public Sector Banks as well 5. 89 Nature of Banking Industry Bank? s safeguard money and valuables and provide loans, credit, and payment services, such as checking accounts, money-orders, and cashier? s checks. Banks also offer investment and insurance products which they were once prohibited. There exists variety of models for cooperation and integration among finance industries some of these traditional distinctions between Banks, Insurance Companies, and Securities Firms has diminished. In spite of these changes, Banks continued to maintain and perform their primary role of accepting deposits and lending funds from these deposits. Banks securely save the money of depositors, provide checking services, and lend the funds raised from depositors to consumers. Bank? s today are in a wide range of sizes, from large Global Banks to Regional and Community Banks. These Global Banks are involved in international lending and foreign currency trading, in addition to the more typical Banking services. Working Environment Employee? in a typical branch work weekdays, whereas in few Banks sometimes Banks were opened until late evenings or were open on Saturday morning? s and in few even on Sundays. Supervisory and managerial employee? s, usually work substantially longer hours. Some B anks are expanding the working hours in their branches which are located at non- 90 traditional locations, such as shopping malls, which remain open on most evenings and weekends. Branch office jobs, particularly front-end positions, required continuous communication with customers. Some employees needed to work for longer hours in a confined space. Loan officers might need to travel to meet clients, or work evenings for their clients. Loan officers also check loan applications, and solicit new business for Banks. Financial Service Sales Representatives might also have to visit clients in the evenings and on weekends to go through the client? s financial needs. To improve customer service and provide greater access to Bank personnel? s, Banks have staffed Customer Service Representatives. The remaining Bank employees, working at the headquarters or other administrative offices usually worked in comfortable surroundings and worked for a standard workweek. In general, Banks are considered relatively safer place to work with respect to injuries and illness. Banks also encourage higher education and training for their employee? as Banks require creative and talented people to compete in the market place so as to reach to more number of customers. The basic premise here is to Study the relevant data and derive some information related to the Strategic Environment pertaining to Indian Banking Industry, which may be used in due course in a broader context if not in specific context. Environmental factors influencing Banking Industry are: 91 Economic Factors Indian economy has registered impressive growth of over 9 percent for successive three financial years and experienced restraint in 2008-09. This restraint was caused due to the downturn in the global economy. The year 2008-09 was the most deficient year after 1972. To fight against this slowdown Government of India and Reserve Bank of India took many fiscal as well as monetary actions. It was expected that Indian economy could again register a robust growth rate in the year 2009-10. As per the revised estimates released by the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO), Indian economy grew by 7. 6 percent in 2008-09 and 9. 3 percent growth in the 2007-08 6. Banks lending to industries, personal loans and service sectors witnessed a slow down while, Banks lending to agriculture and allied activities moved upward during 2008-09. The income as well as the expenditures of Scheduled Commercial Banks viewed a slow down leading to decrease in the net profit. The Return on Assets (ROA) as an indicator of efficiency with which Banks deployed their assets remained to 1 percent in 2009. The Return on Equity (ROE) as an indicator of efficiency with which the Banks used capital increased to 13. 2 percent in 2009 from 12. 5 percent in 2008, indicating increased efficiency with which Banks used capital 7. 92 Growth of income of Scheduled Commercial Banks during 2008-09 decelerated to 25. 7 percent from 34. 3 in 2007-08, but was higher than the growth rate of 24. 4 percent in 200607. Expenditure of Scheduled Commercial Banks was 24. 1 percent in 2006-07, which increased to 33. 9 percent in 2007-08 and again decelerated to 26 percent in 2008-09. The operating profit of Scheduled Commercial Banks increased sharply by 33. percent during 2008-09 from 26. 8 percent in 2007-08 and 21. 3 percent in 2006-07 (Table II. 1). The net profit of Scheduled Commercial Banks also showed a significant increase of 36. 9 percent during 2007-08 as compared to 26. 9 p ercent in 2006-07, but it decelerated to 23. 5 percent during 2008-09(Table II. 1) TABLE II. 1 VARIATION IN INCOME-EXPENDITURE OF SCHEDULED COMMERCIAL BANKS 2006-07 Income Expenses Operating Profit Net Profit 24. 4 24. 1 21. 3 26. 9 2007-08 34. 3 33. 9 26. 8 36. 9 2008-09 25. 7 26. 0 33. 2 23. 5 Source: Reports on Trend and Progress of Banking in India 8, 9 The Bank Group-wise analysis is presented in Table II. 2. Even though the achievements of technological changes in Banking Industry in India were impressive but there is a need to take greater advantages from new technologies and information based system to maximize the coverage. Pricewaterhouse Coopers report 18 suggested that Banks should take up automation that would be a combination of centralized networks, operations and a Core Banking applications that included Business Intelligence (BI), Business Process Re-engineering (BPR), and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) that catered to operational and analytical business needs. The multi-channel Banking has acquired further dimensions to include third party payments such as utility bills through different channels including Automated Teller Machines and mobile banking. Bank? internal groups examined the issues, relating to rural credit and micro-finance opportunities in the sector with several possible options like smart card-based kisan credit cards, smart card solutions for self-help groups, Automated Teller Machines with local language and voice facility and call-center amenities with added services given by various Banks. Introduction of Kisan Credit Cards (KCCs) for providing credit to farmers had increased in the number a multi-fold since its inception in the late 1990? s and the total percentage share of these cards reached above forty percent 19. 97 Banks had transformed themselves into Universal Banks by adding new channels with lucrative pricing. Recent innovations in the form of total quality management, reengineering work processes, flexible systems have only one thing in common serving the customers well through improved operational efficiency. Consolidation in the Banking Industry followed by technological up-gradation acted as a key factor to boost the international competitiveness of the Indian Bank? s. Adapting technology had brought down the cost of transactions visibly and at the same time aided in business continuity. A Study mentioned that the cost per transaction through a branch was Rs. 66, cost per transaction ; through Automated Teller Machines was Rs. 22, and cost per transaction through internet was Rs. 0, ignoring the extreme variations owing to the investment cost and nature of transactions 20. This low cost benefit was opted by Commercial Banks as it helped them to reach to poor people, particularly those working in the rural areas and those who earn and spend cash. In order to handle their cash transactio ns Banks formulated two types of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). People could either use Automated Teller Machines that could accept, store or dispense cash or they could use a biometric device, which were mobile in nature. Infrastructure in India, has improved resulting into widespread use of Automated Teller Machines facility in villages as well. These machines consisted of additional features that included fingerprint use as a mean of authentication with a view that rural people were more comfortable with fingerprints than plastic cards. 98 The wide geographical coverage to access Banking related products and services with the help of mobile phone technology and the use of internet for banking transactions has gained superior usage. These modes of transactions required a safe and secure environment and provide a variety of options available for customers with different requirements. The numbers of mobile phone subscribers in India were about 261 million (March 2008). Towards this end, Reserve Bank of India issued guidelines for mobile banking transactions. Initially Banks offered the facility to their customers subject to a daily cap of Rs. 5,000 per customer for fund transfer and Rs. 10,000 per customer for transactions involving purchase of goods or services 21. Usage of internet banking in India is mainly dominated, by Private and Foreign Banks. Still, the number of individuals utilizing internet services has increased considerably. In 2006, about 12 percent of the 38. 5 million internet users in India used online banking and the figure for online banking increased to 16 million in 2007-08 22 . The average cost of servicing a customer through internet banking is the tenth of the services extended through a branch. Thus, there is a direct contribution to the profitability for a Bank and therefore, internet banking became a potential low cost alternative 23 . From customer? s viewpoint, internet banking is highly convenient as it help to avoid branch queues and makes customer free from depending on the inconsistent quality of services at the branch, which varied from person to person at the service desk. Internet Banking allowed customers to operate their accounts at their convenient hours instead of being dependent on the Banks working hours. Moreover, internet banking permitted customers to transact on a 247 basis from any part of the world. 99 Therefore, internet banking delivery channel has the potential to contribute directly towards the nation? prosperity as it allowed more people to join the Banking stream without adding cost and it is tremendously convenient to customers. Reserve Bank of India started measures to create multi-lingual links on its website for thirteen Indian languages on all matters concerning Banking in June 2007 24. In the recent years, the use of electronic payments has witnessed manifold increase reflecting increased adoption of technology. The electronic payment systems comprised of the large value payment systems like Real Time Gross Settlements (RTGS), National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT) and card based payment systems. The growth of volume of transactions directed through electronic payment has decelerated from 41. 4 percent in 2007-08 to 24. 8 percent in 2008-0925. The numbers and usage of Automated Teller Machines had gone up substantially during the last few years. Automated Teller Machines were primarily used for cash withdrawal and balance enquiry. In 2008-09, the total number of Automated Teller Machines installed by the Banks grew by 25. 4 percent. Automated Teller Machines of State Bank of India group registered a sharp growth of 34. 5 percent. While the Automated Teller Machines installed by new Private Sector Banks and Foreign Banks was 3 times of their respective branches 26, 27 . In March 2008, the population per automated teller machines in India was more than 29,500 as against the range of 1,000-9,500 in some of the other emerging market economies 28, 29 . In June 2009, Reserve Bank of India permitted Scheduled Commercial Banks to install off-site Automated Teller Machines at places identified by them, without any need to take permission from the Reserve Bank of India. Cash withdrawal from Automated Teller Machines of the Bank? s was made free of charges, April 2009 onwards. This made Automated Teller Machines more popular among customers. 100 Banks had deployed Information Technology solutions to facilitate automation in transaction management, reporting and risk management. Most of the Banks across the segments had already implemented Core Banking Systems. In the 2007, 85. 6 percent and in the 2008, 93. 7 percent Public Sector Banks were fully computerised 30, 31 . Other rograms such as internet based transactions, self-service kiosks, mobile banking were either underway or planned in near future by Public Sector Banks. Foreign Sector Banks and old and new Private Sector Banks in India, had progressed well in the areas of technology up-gradation i n operations. Technology up-gradation helped to introduce new products and services to enable Banks to improve the quality of service and value added services. Overall, Indian Banks score well with respect to technological adaption and the three key characteristic contributing towards the effective use of information technology in Banking Industry were: ? Factor Cost Advantage- information technology related labour costs in India remained cheaper as compared to other countries; ? Distribution Strategy- Indian Banks adopted a unique business model, acquiring customers rapidly with minimal technological investments; and ? Information Technology Governance- Indian Banks emphasized on information technology governance with the strong in-house Information Technology Division and a Chief Information Officer (CIO) directly reporting to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in most cases. 101 It is information that made the Banking Industry stable. The pressure of competition and the need to improve productivity has generated a need for better information. In order to manage Banking operations to meet the needs of managers operating at tactical and strategic level and to improve their quality of decisions and policymaking processes within the Banks. Banks needed to set up an efficient and comprehensive Management Information System (MIS) without which asset and liability management and risk management were not possible. However, adoption of technology by Banks provided them competitive advantage in their operations but at the same time Banks became dependent on outsourcing for most of their technological applications. Therefore, Banks needed to employ caution to put in place mechanisms for vendor management. As an insecure system, could expose Banks towards serious operational regulatory and reputational risks. Banks have taken measures to safeguard the risk factors, emerging due to the use of technology. Towards this end, the Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT) helped Banks to bring in technology and enabled them to work in secured environment while operating Real Time Gross Settlements System, Centralised Fund Management System (CFMS), corporate e-mail, and internet banking. It also acted as a „certifying authority? for the Banking Sector in India by issuing Digital Certificates 32 . Still there exists need to ensure much more accountable systems with regard to online payments with uniform standards all over the world. 102 Social Factors Before nationalization of the Banks, their control was in the hands of the private parties and only big business houses and the effluent sections of the society gained benefits from the Banking in India. Thus, adoption of the social development model in the Banking Sector was necessary for speedy economic progress consistent with social justice in democratic political system. Bankers were directed to help economically weaker sections of the society and to provide needed finance to all the sectors of the economy with flexible and liberal attitude. India? s demography had undergone transition and the demographic trends 1950 – 2050 studied, illustrates that India? s fertility rate is consistently falling from the peak 5. 91 percent in the first decade after independence to 2. 76 percent today and expected to fall further to 1. 85 percent. Even the death rate also likewise showing consistent decline from its peak 25. 5 in 1950-55 to 8. 5 today and to the lowest of 7. 9 in 2020-2025 33 . This ignifies towards steady number of customers for Banking Sector with longer income in the coming years. Indeed, India would be one of the youngest nations with its median age lying between 25 a nd 30 years over the next 15 years (2010 to 2025) 34. This signified that India would enjoy its prevalence of young age population for almost four decades. Thus, India? s demographic transition needed to be exploited by Banking Sectors viewing it as an opportunity. 103 Increase in the per capita income of the working class population of India, enabled individuals to purchase goods, which were far out of their reach earlier. It also encouraged people to buy goods for their personal use and for their family. Today societies have shifted towards nuclear family, resulting into the growing needs for home consumer durables like washing machine, television, bike, car etc. This showed how we as a society have moved from a socialist society to a consumerist society. Understanding these changes and to use them as an opportunity Banks provided various types of loans to farmers, working women, professionals, education loan to the students, housing loans, and consumer loans. Even customers life style, their behaviour, and consumption patterns have changed which acted as an opportunity as well as a threat for Banking Industry. Deposits showed a subdued growth during this decade. In 2008- 09 personal loans by Commercial Banks was 12. percent with respect to 10. 8 in 2007-08 of which housing loan was 11. 6 percent in 2007-08 and 7. 4 percent in 2008-09 35 . This deceleration was observed in housing loans especially due to economy slow down. Literacy rate in India is low as compared to other developed countries. Illiterate people hesitate to transact with Banks. Therefore, this influenced negatively on Banking Industry. Nevertheless, there exists positive side of this as well that illiterate people trust more on Banks to deposit their money as they do not have market information they do not put money in stocks or mutual funds so they look Bank as their sole and safe alternative. For a common man Banks have emerged as the key players to provide variety of products and services like saving accounts, insurance, remittance and other facilities to the under privileged and the poor in rural, semi-urban and urban areas or socially disadvantage as well as the small and medium enterprise sector . 104 On the other hand Banks deal with big clients or big companies which required personalized banking as these customers do not believe in running and waiting in queues for getting their work done . To these customers bankers provided special provisions and at times benefits like individualised hosting to these types of customers. It was brought to the notice of the Reserve Bank of India that visually challenged persons were facing problem in availing Banking facilities. Reserve Bank of India in June 2008 advised all Banks to ensure that all facilities such as cheque book including third party cheques, Automated Teller Machine facilities (at least one third of new Automated Teller Machine installed with Braille key pads and located strategically), net banking, locker, and credit cards to be provided to visually challenged persons without any discrimination 36. Banks related crimes are rising. These crimes included the typical ones such as Bank robbery, false statement to a Bank in order to obtain loan, false entry in a Banks book, Bank bribery, and Bank fraud. The other new types of crimes have also emerged like accessing to the whole or any part of information technology system without rights. These also included manipulation of Banking system, data alteration, or data destruction to make unauthorized identity theft with reference to Automate Teller Machines. Indian police has initiated by opening of special cyber cells across the country and started educating the personal against these crimes. 105 Political Factors Before 1990, the lack of accountability and lack of profit motive in Nationalized Banks was credited to political interference. After the economic reforms of 1991, the Indian Banking Industry entered into the new horizon of competiveness, efficiency, and productivity. Reserve Bank of India? s control system and its monetary policies acted as a major weapon in India? financial market. However, sometimes looking into the political advantage of a particular party, Government declares some measures for their benefits like short-term agricultural loans to attract farmer? s votes affecting the profits of the Banks. Even according to Banking Banana Skins, survey 2010 political interference was considered as the greatest risk for Banking Industry 37. In the Budget provisions, Finance Minister increased the farm credit target for 2009-10 at Rs. 3, 25,000 crore compared to Rs. 2, 87,000 crore in 2008-09. The Union Budget 200910 extended the debt waiver scheme by six more months for farmers owing more than 2 hectare of land. The Union Budget 2008-09 allowed farmers 25 percent rebate on 75 percent of their overdue repayment within the stipulated period 38 . Government also announced setting up of a task force to examine the issues of debt taken by a large number of farmers in some regions of Maharashtra from private moneylenders who were not covered under the loan waiver scheme 39 . With Government bearing this burden, Banks would not be affected much. As Government assured to help, Banks to clear their most stubborn non-performing assets accounts on Banks Book. In addition, the emphasis on expanding network with Automated Teller Machines, opening of Banking centre in unbanked blocks were some of the positive moves taken by Government. 106 Political interference by the leftist political parties claimed that various regulations with respect to Foreign Banks would benefit only those Banks, which intend to make a quick jump by providing high-profile corporate services, instead of those who wish to intensify their rural operations. Left political parties also cautioned that foreign players could increase their holding size in a particular Bank that would lead to an imbalance of power. Banks under the conventional system of recovery of loans had a considerable amount of money blocked in form of unproductive assets. Hence, to beat this difficulty parliament enacted Recovery of Debts to Banks and Financial Institutions Act, 1993 also refereed as Debt Recovery Act. This Act created a separate apparatus in the order of Debt Recovery Tribunals, which were handed over the responsibility of administering disputes pertaining to non-payment of debts. As this legislation was general in nature, another legislature by Parliament was enacted , referred as Securitization Act with an objective to give the Banks, more power over defaulting borrowers 40,41. Unions The post nationalization era in the Banking Industry in India, particularly in the Public Sector, witnessed consolidation of trade unions. All the nine unions had all-India presence in the Banking Industry. Five workers unions and four officers unions represented almost 100 percent of the workforce in the industry and joined hands to form a United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU). United Forum of Bank Unions comprised of All India Bank Employees Association, (AIBEA), All India Bank Officers Confederation (AIBOC), 107 National Confederation of Bank Employees (NCBE), All India Bank Officers Association (AIBOA), Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI), Indian National Bank Employees Congress (INBEC), Indian National Bank Officers Congress (INBOC), National Organization of Bank Workers (NOBW) and National Organization of Bank Officers (NOBO) 42. Representatives of unions were encouraged to give suggestions. However, in many cases undue interference of unions in decision-making has adversely affected, leading to the deterioration in discipline, efficiency, and performance effectiveness. With the growing strength of these organizations, the issues relating to employees interests were no longer determined by Bank? s managements alone. The massive introduction of technology into the industry made union policies defensive. Unions focused almost entirely on the immediate consequences of technological change on the workforce, especially the aspect of possible job losses. Employees in Public Sector Banks were repulsive to move from one table to another of the same branch. Now the trade unions seem to be willing to allow mobility for employees within a district as mergers enforced them to move from one state to another. Other issues taken up by unions were like introduction of New Pension scheme and variable pay which were resolved with the help United Forum of Bank Unions. Banks unions are also involved in demanding salary hikes, job losses, disinvestments in Public Sector, and issues related to violation of labour laws, and allocation of funds for schemes for unorganised workers. 108 After attempting, the macro level environmental analysis of Indian Banking Industry a micro functional level Human Resource Environmental Analysis has been attempted with the help of SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats), it would help to further develop strategic viewpoint about the industry (Table II. 4). TABLE II. 4 HR SWOT ANALYSIS WITH RESPECT TO INDIAN BANKING INDUSTRY STRENGTHS ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Educated Manpower Higher Compliance Amongst Employees Experienced Employees Training Infrastructure Availability Safe Working Environment Responsiveness to Needful Change Strong Regulatory Institutional Framework ? ? ? ? ? OPPORTUNITIES Liberalization of Banking Sector Preferred Industry for Employment Availability of Multi-specialist staff Technology for Improved Interpersonal and Communication Skills Workforce Diversity WEAKNESSES ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Limited Technology Skills Repetitive Tasks Structure Inadequate Remuneration for Attracting Talent Lacking Career Growth Path Rigid Recruitment Policies Hierarchal Structure Rigid Wage Negotiation Process Leadership Deficit at Senior Level ? ? ? ? ? ? ? THREATS Movement of Skilled and Quality Staff Difficulty in Hiring Highly Qualified Youngsters Trend Towards Downsizing Changing Workforce Demographics High Staff Cost Overheads Changing Employees Expectations Entrenched Trade Unionism 109 Key Concerns for Indian Banking Industry The macro level analysis of Banking Industry and micro level analysis with respect to Human Resource functions helped to identify the key concerns related to the Banking Industry. Competition in Banking Industry is very high as Banks are fighting for same share of customers. There are many Banks and non-financial institutions which gave rise to intensified competition. Amongst these, there existed relatively no differentiation in services and every Bank tried to copy each other? s services and technology which increased the level of competition. Competition from the non-Banking financial sector is increasing rapidly as there are substitutes like mutual funds, stocks (shares), government securities, debentures, gold, and real estate acting as a high threat of substitutes. The continuous deregulation has made the Banking Market extremely competitive with greater autonomy, operational flexibility, decontrolled interest rate, and liberalized norms for foreign exchange. The deregulation of the industry coupled with decontrol in interest rates had led to the entry of a number of players in the Banking Industry 43. Alliances and takeovers had occurred on a transatlantic basis. The market share for financial services that Banks hold had declined, while securities firms, mutual funds, and finance companies has grown 44 . Banking Sector needs to build up a strong and efficient financial system by emphasizing on risk based management. 110 In Banking Sector, customers have high bargaining power due to the presence of very large number of alternatives. Banks together with the specialized financial companies that provide finance to customers are available. Recently it was observed that depositors had withdrawn funds from Private and Foreign Banks and invested their money with Public Sector Banks as the cost of switching from one Bank to another was low and almost all Banks provided undifferentiated services. Today customer? s have more information and better understanding about the market, Banks have to be more competitive and customer friendly to serve them. To retain customer? s and market share, Banks started contemplating on building strong relationship with customers. United Bank of India created a revolution in Banking Industry by opening up a boutique branch in Pune in November 2007, as its priority was to provide services to the high net worth customers. Thus, United Bank also recognized the needs of high net worth individuals different from the other customers. United Bank organized corporate golf tournament for customers, music concerts, and screening of Mani Ratnam directed film „Guru? 45 . Bank? s top management has started carefully evaluating the impacts for their actions. Recently, before cutting jobs in Private and Foreign Banks, Human Resource managers tried to assess reactions beforehand and they came out with certain proactive steps. Banks persistently worked in the interest of the Society. 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