IRA Peace Settlement Essays - Politics Of Europe,

IRA Peace Settlement The Irish Republican Army, also known as the IRA, is a parliamentary and nationalist organization that opposes the connection of Northern Ireland to Great Britain. The IRA is also dedicated to the creation of a single unified Irish state. The name IRA derived from the veterans of the Easter Battles of 1916. The battle was fought for support of Irish independence. Accordingly the IRA became the political division of the Sinn Fein party. The political leaders of Britain and Ireland, negotiated a treaty that incorporated 26 of Ireland's counties as the Irish Free State. The remainder of Ireland, remained part of the United Kingdom. The Irish Republican Army began to decline after Eamon de Valera became a prime minister and took over the Irish government. The IRA and the Irish state were in constant conflict, during the 1930s and 1940s. The IRA started to concentrate on Northern Ireland in the 1950s. The IRA tried to gain favor from Northern Ireland, but failed. In 1969 the IRA started new radical social reforms in Northern Ireland, and the British government couldn't overcome them after a dozen years. This crisis also allowed the IRA to make a drastic comeback. The Irish Republican Army was split into two groups. The officials, which promoted a Socialist Ireland by democratic means, and provisionals, that promoted terrorism. In 1972 the Provisional IRA's terrorist tactics led to the downfall of the Northern Ireland government. From 1972 to 1994 the Provisional IRA maintained their campaign on terminating British victims in Northern Ireland and Britain. On August 31, 1994, the Irish Republican Army announced a cease-fire. This would affect the 25-year-old battle against British domination of Northern Ireland. This cease-fire came about from several years of confidential meetings between the IRA and the British government. This arrangement for peace is called the "Downing Street Declaration." The controversy between Northern Ireland and Britain began with Roman Catholic objections against favoritism by the protestant majority in the country. British troops were sent into Northern Ireland to patrol the country. They still remained there in 1994. The Catholic minority wanted a reunion with the Republic of Ireland, which was mainly Catholic. The Protestants of Northern Ireland resisted the reunification. The IRA gave no amount of time for the duration of the cease fire, nor did they surrender their weapons. There were two earlier cease-fires in 1972 and 1975, but they failed to last. Nationalists, supporters of the Irish Republican Army and others have grown tired of the Northern Ireland conflict, and celebrated the announcement of the cease-fire. The IRA has commanded its units to obey a complete halt of military actions. In the first public meeting between Gerry Adams (the leader of Sinn Fein), Albert Reynolds (the Irish Republic's prime minister), and John Hume (the leader of Northern Ireland's Catholic nationalist), the British government was not pleased with the stating of the cease-fire. The British government was warily optimistic about the conference. A political scandal led to the collapse of the Irish government in Dublin. Throughout the years, Dublin acted as a halfway house between the Irish, British and American governments. The prime minister Albert Reynolds was replaced by John Bruton. A terrorist, loyalist and Protestant militia called the Ulster Defense Association shot and killed a Catholic man. The loyalists work with the sympathetic Protestant officers in the Royal Ulster Constabulary. This proved that the IRA was not the only forceful group in the Northern Ireland crisis. The Protestant militia soon after the killing called a cease-fire. This group was responsible for more deaths than the IRA, in the two years before the cease-fire was called. Ian Paisley, a leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, protested that the IRA must surrender their arms before any contact between the IRA and the British government can proceed. Paisley also continued to disapprove the idea of representatives of Sinn Fein to take part in all the meetings dealing with the future of Northern Ireland. Gerry Adams and Britain negotiate over the matter of IRA disarmament. Adams argued that weapons of the British army and the Northern Irish police can be incorporated in the talks. The British government agreed to Adams request only if the cease-fire

Understanding the Cash Nexus in History and Today

Understanding the Cash Nexus in History and Today Cash nexus is a phrase that refers to  the depersonalized relationship that exists between employers and employees in a capitalist society. It was coined by Thomas Carlyle, a nineteenth-century Scottish historian, but is often erroneously attributed to Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. It was, however, Marx and Engels who popularized the concept in their writings and fueled use of the phrase within the fields of political economy and sociology. Overview Cash nexus is a phrase and concept that became associated with the writings of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels because it perfectly encapsulates their thinking about the alienating nature of the relations of production within a capitalist economy. While Marx critiqued the social and political impacts of capitalism at length in all of his works, in particular in  Capital, Volume 1, it is within  The Communist Manifesto  (1848), jointly written by Marx and Engels, that one finds the most referenced passage relating to term. The bourgeoisie, wherever it has got the upper hand, has put an end to all feudal, patriarchal, idyllic relations. It has pitilessly torn asunder the motley feudal ties that bound man to his â€Å"natural superiors†, and has left remaining no other nexus between man and man than naked self-interest, than callous â€Å"cash payment†. It has drowned the most heavenly ecstasies of religious  fervour, of chivalrous enthusiasm, of philistine sentimentalism, in the icy water of egotistical calculation. It has resolved personal worth into exchange value, and in place of the numberless indefeasible chartered freedoms, has set up that single, unconscionable freedom – Free Trade. In one word, for exploitation, veiled by religious and political illusions, it has substituted naked, shameless, direct, brutal exploitation. A nexus, simply put, is a connection between things. In the passage quoted above, Marx and Engels argue that in the interest of profit, the bourgeoisiethe ruling class during the epoch of classical capitalismhad stripped away any and all connections between people except for cash payment. What they refer to here is the commodification of labor, whereby the labor of workers is effectively sold and bold on the capitalist market. Marx and Engels suggested that the commodification of labor makes workers interchangeable, and leads to workers being viewed as things rather than people. This condition further leads to commodity fetishism, wherein relations between peopleworkers and employersare viewed and understood as between thingsmoney and labor. In other words, the cash nexus has a dehumanizing power. This mindset on the part of the bourgeoisie, or among todays managers, owners, CEOs, and shareholders is a dangerous and destructive one that fosters the extreme exploitation of workers in the pursuit of profit across all industries, locally and around the world. The Cash Nexus Today The effect of the cash nexus on the lives of workers around the world has only intensified in the more than a hundred years since Marx and Engels wrote about this phenomenon. This has happened because controls on the capitalist market, including protections for workers, have been progressively dismantled since the 1960s. The removal of national barriers to relations of production which ushered in global capitalism was and continues to be disastrous for workers. Workers in the U.S. and other Western nations saw production jobs disappear because corporations were freed to pursue cheaper labor overseas. And beyond the Western world, in places like China, Southeast Asia, and India, where most of our goods are made, workers are forced to accept poverty-level wages and dangerous working conditions because, like commodities, those who run the system view them as easily replaceable. The conditions faced by workers throughout Apples supply chain are a case-in-point. Though the company preaches values of progress and togetherness, it is ultimately the cash nexus that determines its impact on workers of the world. Updated  by Nicki Lisa Cole, Ph.D.

European Works Councils Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

European Works Councils - Essay Example Employers' and personnel' organizations be supposed to play an lively role at a variety of levels in order to hold up the meeting on decent work (Philippe Egger, 2003). During the not on time 19th and earlier 20th centuries manufacturing democratic system was a concept included in the ideological constituent of the manufacturing and following growth of labour actions all through Europe. In spirit and in put into practice it come about throughout and following the 2nd World War as a practical and provisional organisational agreement, which was only aiming to add to manufacture (de Grauwe, P, 2002, 693-718). This research focused on this truth that the European Works Council (EWC) Instruction in 1994 was seen as a important development inside European manufacturing family members and the result of thorough political negotiations. The query of worker contribution had forever been middle to the ambitions of the European Union's (EU) social measurement but important steps had been almost absent since the Agreement of Rome in 1957. The ultimate Directive required transnational companies (TNCs) inside the EU to expand exact organization and structures of cross-border discussion with their workers (see the foreword to this text). It responded to an continuing anxiety inside the worldwide labour group with regard to the directive of novel forms of worldwide assets. Furthermore, the long-term prospect of the deal union group, and certainly the European Commission, up-and-coming from the EWC Instruction are consequently far attainment. Investigate inside this complex area of manufacturing family members straddles the matters of financial and following meeting in the EU, the altering policies of TNCs, the moribund significance of nationwide sectoral communal bargaining preparations and the institutional and following difficulty of European trade amalgamations. Moreover, these wide areas of investigate are now life form additional explored subsequent the completion of the EWC Instruction and the tackle the new structure pretense for the European labour association. Coming to firm finished with look upon to these growths is clearly unwise at this near the beginning period (Hughes Hallett, A.J., Ma. Y., Demertzis, M, 2000, 141-55). In the '80s, a more traditional government with its alteration to the service Act 1982, supported unpaid participation rather than contribution through legislated force. In 1994, after more than a few additional commands, the EU adopted the European Works Councils Instruction require the organization of European-wide Works Council in corporations with more than 1,000 workers in service in two or additional associate states. European Work Councils The self-governing deficit in the EU has many sources; not smallest amount of which is the impotence of the European Parliament. The European Parliament is the merely body inside the Union that is in a straight line elected, and consequently the only of the institution that

Hotel Paris Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Hotel Paris - Essay Example Hotel Paris The various problems in this context are studied and analysed in the study and suitable recommendations are provided for eliminating the gaps and attaining a greater association between compensation plans in the organization and strategic objectives of the company. It is also aimed at attaining greater satisfaction and contentment of employees such they are adequately motivated to perform up to the desired standards in the organization. Challenge 1 The present compensation structure in the company is highly unstructured, unplanned and unsophisticated. In this, the pay range for workers is too narrow and does not differentiate much between them at different positions, such as front desk clerks, security guards etc. â€Å"Like several other HR systems at the Hotel Paris, the compensation programs were unplanned and unsophisticated........................each job category†. Challenge 2 Maintaining a salary standard which is competitive in the market seems to be inadequate to attain the best contributions and performance of employees. Also the compensation structures are not enough to motivate them to perform to their best abilities. They remain frustrated and discontented and this leads to high employee turnovers and attritions. â€Å"For example, the firm’s policy is simply to pay its employees a competitive salary...............extraordinarily service oriented workforce†. ... â€Å"The company has given little thought to tying general pay levels or individual employees' pay to the company's strategic goals†. Solutions Solution 1 Firstly a well defined job roles and responsibilities must be created for all positions in the organizations which include front line employees, securities, staffs, back-end workers, management executives etc. Compensation structures must be developed according to this structure and must be generated as per educational qualifications of employees, numbers of years of experience and position and designation in the organization. It is to be ensured that there is no overlap between the salary slabs for the different positions. This is important in order to differentiate between the positional roles of employees. The same salary from two different levels would necessarily de-motivate employees at the higher level of the hierarchy (Mathis & Jackson, 2011, p.153). Solution 2 Finally, setting a compensation standard at par with th e industry standard would not be effective in retaining or attracting talents in the organization. There can be multiple organizations paying similar compensation and employees would be easily tempted towards them. Thus it is recommended that the compensation level must be a step higher than the industry standards in order to attract and retain talents from the industry. However, a fair proportion of the gross salary must be performance based. This would not only help to get potential candidates but also help to motivate them to perform to the best of their ability in the organization. Besides this, it would also serve the purpose of controlling employee attritions to a

Home Depot and Lowe's Financial analysis Assignment

Home Depot and Lowe's Financial analysis - Assignment Example The times earned ratio increased from 9.95 to 11.01 to 12.43 over the three years. That shows that the company is earning interest over its investments and that is a positive thing for the company. The cash coverage ratio for the company increased to 15.1 from 13.8 and 13 over the three years. Lowe- The long-term debt ratio for the company is increasing over the three years. The ratio increased from 27% to 29% from the year 2011 to 2012 then increased to 39% in the year 2013. That shows that the ratio for the company for the long-term debt is stable and the company depends on long term funding for its operations. For the long term to equity ratio, the ratio increased from 36% to 42% then increased to 65% over the three years. The total debt ratio for the company reduced from 46% to 23% then increased to 24%. That shows that the total debt for the company is not stable. That shows that that the company is dependent on debt as the means of raising funds for the company. The times earned ratio reduced from 9.72 to 7.7 to 6.95 over the three years. That shows that the company is cutting on the interest earned on its investments and that is not a positive thing for the company. The cash coverage ratio for the company reduced to 11 from 11.89 and 14.80 over the three years. Home depot: The net working capital to total assets ratio increased from 0.08 to 0.13 in the year 2012 then reduced to 0.1. That shows that the liquidity of the company is not stable and that shows that the working capital of the company should be increased (Damodaran 1999). The current ratio for the company increased from 1.33 to 1.55 then reduced to 1.34. The current ratio shows the ratio of current liabilities to current assets. That shows the ability of the company to payback its liabilities using current assets. The best ratio is 2:1. The quick ratio for the company reduced from 0.4 from 0.44. That shows the ability of a

Study On Awareness Of Internet Banking

Study On Awareness Of Internet Banking Internet banking allows customers of a financial institution to conduct financial transactions on a secure website operated by the institution, which can be a retail or virtual bank, credit union or building society .It may include of any transactions related to online usage. To access a financial institutions online banking facility, a customer having personal Internet access must register with the institution for the service, and set up some password for customer verification. The password for online banking is normally not the same as for telephone banking. Financial institutions now routinely allocate customer numbers whether or not customers intend to access their online banking facility. Customer numbers are normally not the same as account numbers, because a number of accounts can be linked to the one customer number. The customer will link to the customer number any of those accounts which the customer controls, which may be cheque , savings, loan, credit card and other accou nts. To access online banking, the customer would go to the financial institutions website, and enter the online banking facility using the customer number and password. Some financial institutions have set up additional security steps for access, but there is no consistency to the approach adopted. Internet banking (or E-banking) means any user with a personal computer and a browser can get connected to his bank -s website to perform any of the virtual banking functions. In internet banking system the bank has a centralized database that is web-enabled. All the services that the bank has permitted on the internet are displayed in menu. Any service can be selected and further interaction is dictated by the nature of service. The traditional branch model of bank is now giving place to an alternative delivery channels with ATM network. Once the branch offices of bank are interconnected through terrestrial or satellite links, there would be no physical identity for any branch. It would a borderless entity permitting anytime, anywhere and anyhow banking. The network which connects the various locations and gives connectivity to the central office within the organization is called intranet. These networks are limited to organizations for which they are set up. SWIFT is a live example of intranet application. FUNCTIONS OF INTERNET BANKING 1. Pay a bill. 2. Schedule payments in advance. 3. Transfer funds. 4. Manage all your accounts in one place. 5. View images of your checks online. 6. Apply for a loan or credit card. 7. Purchase and manage CD accounts. 8. Order travelers checks. 9 Order a cheque book. 10 View up-to-the-minute account statements and balance. 11 Track your payment history. 12 Change contact details. Internet banking allows customers to perform a wide range of banking transactions electronically via the banks Web site. When first introduced, Internet banking was used mainly as an information presentation medium in which banks marketed their products and services on their Web sites.With the development of asynchronous technologies and secured electronic transaction technologies, however, more banks have come forward to use Internet banking both as a transactional as well as an informational medium. Internet banking can perform following banking transactions: Writing checks Paying bills Transferring funds Printing statements Inquiring about account balance The popular services covered under E-banking are :- 1. Automated Teller Machines 2. Credit Cards 3. Debit Cards 4. Smart Cards 5. Electronic Funds Transfer 6. Cheque Payment System 7. Mobile Banking Internet banking in india The Reserve Bank of India constituted a working group on E- Banking. The group divided the internet banking products in India into following 3 levels of access : Information Only System: General Information like interest rates, branch location, bank products and their features, loan and deposit calculations are provided in the banks website. There exist facilities for downloading various types of application forms. The communication is normally done through e-mail. There is no interaction between the customer and banks application system. No identification of the customer is done. In this system, there is no possibility of any unauthorized person getting into production systems of the bank through internet. Electronic Information Transfer System: The system provides customer- specific information in the form of account balances, transaction details, and statement of accounts. The information is still largely of the read only format. Identification and authentication of the customer is through password. The information is fetched from the banks application system either in batch mode or off-line. The application systems cannot directly access through the internet. Fully Electronic Transactional System: This system allows bi-directional capabilities. Transactions can be submitted by the customer for online update. This system requires high degree of security and control. In this environment, web server and application systems are linked over secure infrastructure. It comprises technology covering computerization, networking and security, inter-bank payment gateway and legal infrastructure. Benefits of E-Banking The operating cost per unit services is lower for the banks. It offers convenience to customers as they are not required to go to the banks premises. There is very low incidence of errors. The customer can obtain funds at any time from ATM machines. The credit cards and debit cards enables the Customers to obtain discounts from retail outlets. The customer can easily transfer the funds from one place to another place electronically The following services can be availed through E-Banking: Bill payment service You can facilitate payment of electricity and telephone bills, mobile phone, credit card and insurance premium bills as each bank has tie-ups with various utility companies, service providers and insurance companies, across the country. To pay your bills, all you need to do is complete a simple one-time registration for each biller. The bank does not charge customers for online bill payment. Fund transfer You can transfer any amount from one account to another of the same or any another bank. Customers can send money anywhere in India. Once you login to your account, you need to mention the payeess account number, his bank and the branch. The transfer will take place in a day or so, whereas in a traditional method, it takes about three working days. Credit card customers With Internet banking, customers can not only pay their credit card bills online but also get a loan on their cards. If you lose your credit card, you can report lost card online. Railway pass This is something that would interest all the aam janta. Indian Railways has tied up with ICICI bank and you can now make your railway pass for local trains online. The pass will be delivered to you at your doorstep. But the facility is limited to Mumbai, Thane, Nashik, Surat and Pune. Investing through Internet banking You can now open an FD online through funds transfer.Now investors with interlinked demat account and bank account can easily trade in the stock market and the amount will be automatically debited from their respective bank accounts and the shares will be credited in their demat account. Moreover, some banks even give you the facility to purchase mutual funds directly from the online banking system. Recharging your prepaid phone Now just top-up your prepaid mobile cards by logging in to Internet banking. By just selecting your operators name, entering your mobile number and the amount for recharge, your phone is again back in action within few minutes. Shopping With a range of all kind of products, you can shop online and the payment is also made conveniently through your account. You can also buy railway and air tickets through Internet banking. Security Precautions The security precautions used in internet banking are: Buy good antivirus, It is very important to protect against viruses. Such antivirus is Quick heal, Kasper sky, Net Protector etc. Scan Your Computer Daily with antivirus to ensure your system is safe. Enable Firewall for better protection. Avoid access net banking from cyber cafe or any other PCs having virus. With in periodical intervals, change your net banking password. There is Last log-in Date in your net banking account. Check it daily. Use Latest version of Browser like Mozilla Firefox 3.1 and above,IE 7.0 and above,Opera 9.5 and above,Safari 3.5 and above, Google chrome,etc. Use Newer Operating System. Do Not Disclose your Password to anyone. Before log-in into your account check the website URL having https:// . it means it is secured site. Do not click on any link showing Update Your Password . Ensure that the logged in session is properly signed out. CHAPTER 2 Review of Literature Introduction and development of e-banking especially began in 1990s (Pikkarainen et al.2004, p.224) A research made in U.S in year 1999 stated that there have been huge increases in the use of e-banking in America. Examining the development of online banking in the world, one can say that the European countries are still the leader of the use of newest banking technologies and online banking (Pyun et al, 2002,p.73). According to a study, less than 15 percent of banks with transactional websites will realize profits directly attributable to those sites (Courchanne et al,2002, p.354). According to Zeithaml et al. (2008), consumer perception plays a vital role particularly in pre-purchase decision making of services with high credence attributes as their pre-purchase evaluation is difficult. Althoughinternet banking provides recognized benefits for customers over the traditional banking system, however, thecustomers adoption of internet banking depends upon the pre-purchase perception of its proposed benefits insteadof the potential benefits it can actually provide, due to its high credence nature (Eriksson et al, 2005). Underlying customer perceptions, satisfaction and other behavioral constructs have, therefore, become research-worthy subjects for the researchers and practitioners in this field of study, however, customer perception has been given an escalating importance in the empirical studies due to its significant role in service evaluation (International Business Economics Research Journal April 2011) The vast majority of the banks that avoided Internet banking in the beginning did so because they simply did not see the benefits of using it. Polatoglu Kin (2001) state that the average internet banking transaction costs the institution only one twentieth of teller transaction. On the importance of trainability, Rogers (1983) and Agarwal and Prasad (1998) stated that potential adopters of new technology, who are allowed to experiment with it, would feel comfortable with it and thus be more likely to adopt it. According to Tan and Teo (2000) if customers are given the chance to try the innovation, it will minimize certain fears, especially when customers found that mistakes could be rectified and thus providing a predictable situation. A more rapid diffusion occurs when consumers can have low-cost or low-risk trial of the service. Internet banking services are free.(www.arraydev.com) An American study conducted last year by Booz-Allen projects that by the year 2000, 16 million US households will be using Internet banking. While these numbers do not appear to be significant as compared to the total population, each Internet user is projected to be 50-250% more profitable than the average banking customer. It is expected that these Internet customers will be some of the banking systems most profitable customers representing close to 30% of all retail banking profits. The study projects that by 1999, 1,500 banks will have Internet Web sites and at least 500 of these banks will be offering full-fledged Internet banking services.In 2001 Micro banker send detailed questionnaire to the leading vendors of internet banking software27 companies responded with information on thirty programs the aggregate outcome of the outcome was that almost all the companies have developed functions for internet banking and have inbuilt feature to aid with one to one marketing on the web. The vast majority of the banks that avoided Internet banking in the beginning did so because they simply did not see the benefits of using it. Polatoglu Kin (2001) state that the average internet banking transaction costs the institution only one twentieth of teller transaction.( www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2006/OnlineBanking-2006.aspx) On the importance of trainability, Rogers (1983) and Agarwal and Prasad (1998) stated that potential adopters of new technology, who are allowed to experiment with it, would feel comfortable with it and thus be more likely to adopt it. According to Tan and Teo (2000) if customers are given the chance to try the innovation, it will minimize certain fears, especially when customers found that mistakes could be rectified and thus providing a predictable situation. A more rapid diffusion occurs when consumers can have low-cost or low-risk trial of the service. Internet banking services are free. The cost and risk to trial are relatively low especially when Internet access is available from work.The concept of electronic banking has been defined in many ways (e.g. Daniel, 1999). According to Karjaluoto (2002) electronic banking is a construct that consists of several distribution channels. Daniel (1999) defines electronic banking as the delivery of banks information and services by banks to customers via different delivery platforms that can be used with different terminal devices such as a personal computer and a mobile phone with browser or desktop software, telephone or digital television. Electronic banking also commonly known as internet banking or e-banking. Internet Banking, defined as the delivery of banking services through the open-access computer network (the internet) directly to customers home or private address. (Lau, 1997) has experienced phenomenal growth in recent years. In 2006, Pew Internet and American Life Project reported that nearly half of internet users in the United States 63 million adults bank online (Fox and Beier, 2006). In many ways, e-banking is not unlike traditional payment, inquiry, and information processing system, differing only in that it utilizes a different delivery channel. Any decision to adopt e-banking is normally influenced by a number of factors. Liao et al. (2008) stress that the success in Internet banking will be a chieved with tailored financial products and services that fulfill customer wants, preferences and quality expectations. Mattila (2001) concedes that customer satisfaction is a key to success in Internet banking and banks will use different media to customize products and services to fit customers specific needs in the future(.(Journal of internet banking and commerce) Since personal and financial information can be intercepted and used for fraudulent purposes, online investing involves greater security concerns than conventional trading; users need a sense of security when conducting financial transactions, and it is still one of the major barriers to e-commerce growth (Lee and Turban, 2002). Perceived security was defined as a threat that creates a circumstance, condition, or event with the potential to cause economic hardship to data or network resources in the form of destruction, disclosures, and modification of data, denial of service, and/or fraud, waste and abuse (Kalakota and Whinston, 1997). Security, which involves the use of technical advancements like cryptography, digital signature and certificates aimed at protecting users from risk of fraud, hacking or phishing, has a positive influence on the intention to purchase online (Lian and Lin, 2008). A majority of studies highlight the fact that security is the biggest single concern for customers when faced with the decision to use internet banking. Security has always been an issue, but its scope has changed from mere doubts about the privacy of personal information to worries of financial loss (Sayar and Wolfe, 2007). White and Nteli (2004) find that security is the most important attribute for UK internet banking customers. It is followed by responsiveness of service delivery (speed and timeliness), ease of use, credibility of the bank, and product variety. Akinci et al. (2004) find that the selection of an internet banking service provider is effected by security, reliability and privacy. Security, which involves protecting users from the risk of fraud and financial loss, has been another important issue in safe use of the internet when conducting financial transactions in Saudi Arabia (Sohail and Shaikh, 2007). The banking sector was reluctant to use e-commerce applications as they felt that transactions conducted electronically were open to hackers and viruses, which are beyond their control. As well as convinced that online services are a mixture of customer insecurities, technology investment costs and a lack of market-readiness have all conspired to make e-banking unattractive (Abdulwahed and Yaqoub, 2006). Perceived risk was one of the major factors affecting consumer adoption, as well as customer satisfaction, of online banking services (Polatoglu and Ekin, 2001). Perceived risk usually arises from uncertainty. Howcroft et. al., (2002) the principal characteristics that inhibit online banking adoption are security and privacy. An interview held on web security and showed four screen shots of a browser connecting to a website and asked participants to state if the connection was secure or not secure and to affirm the motivating factor for their appraisal. It was discovered that about 7 2 participants cannot tell if a connection is secure (Friedman et. al., 2002). CHAPTER 3 OBJECTIVE OF STUDY The proposed research study is to be centered around fulfilling the following objectives. To study the level of awareness of internet banking among the customers of Indirapuram Area To find out the ways to improve Awareness To find the customer satisfaction relating to e-banking services Chapter-4 Scope of the study The study attempts to identify the level of awareness among the people of Indirapuram Area , regarding Online banking services provided by Banks. The study also indentifies the attitudes and preferences of consumers. The survey for this purpose was confined to the Indirapuram Area, Ghaziabad Chapter-5 Research Methodology Hypothesis:- H0: null hypothesis: Let us consider that residents of Indirapuram Area are fully aware of internet banking services provided by banks. H1: alternate hypothesis: Let us consider that residents of Indirapuram Area are not fully aware of internet banking services provided by banks. Research Design:- Exploratory Research We first used Exploratory Research. Exploratory research is a type of research conducted for a problem that has not been clearly defined. Exploratory research helps determine the best research design, data collection method and selection of subjects. It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution. Given its fundamental nature, exploratory research often concludes that a perceived problem does not actually exist. The working of the research was started with the questionnaire. In this we have used screening criterion to identify target group of our research. Screening of certain questions has been done. The study went through the perception of the target group about the manual banking also. Opinion about manual banking by the target group helped to measure impact of manual banking transactions. Then, our study was divided into two streams: the customer, who uses Internet banking and who doesnt use it. These parameters helped to correlate the information between both kinds of customers. This also helped to evaluate the current satisfaction level of the customers who were using Internet banking. Then we used Descriptive Research. Descriptive research is used to obtain information concerning the current status of the phenomena to describe what exists with respect to variables or conditions in a situation. The methods involved range from the survey which describes the status quo, the correlation study which investigates the relationship between variables, to developmental studies which seek to determine changes over time. To accurately portrait the characteristics of person of situation or group we used Descriptive Research Design Sample Size and Design:- Target Population- Universe or the whole mass under study will be residents of Indirapuram area. Sample Frame- will be educational qualifications, working and non-working males and females, professionals , students and business class. Sampling Unit- Individuals. Sampling method -Non Probability method under which convenient Sampling method. Sample size will be around 200. Method of Data Collection- Primary data Tools of Data Collection- Questionnaire Period: The primary data is proposed to be collected through various means of communications, i.e. In person, by telephone, e-mail , between 10.01.2013 to 25.01.2013 the period and mode of collecting data shall be reviewed suitably at the appropriate times so as to make it meaningful and closest possible to the objectives set for the research study. Chapter-6 DATA ANALYSIS Questionnaire Name: Occupation : Gender : Contact no: 1) You have a bank account? CATEGORY Answer Yes No 2) You aware of the internet banking facility? If answer to q-2 is No ,move to q 9) CATEGORY Answer Yes No 3) Level Of Awarenes of online banking services provided by Banks? CATEGORY Answer Very Good Good Fair Poor Very Poor 4) Source of awareness : CATEGORY Answer Print Media Electronic Media FamilyFriends Any Other 5) Your awareness of latest banking trends: CATEGORY GOOD FAIR POOR RTGS M-WALLET E-BANKING M-BANKING 6) Since how many years you are availing internet banking facility? CATEGORY Answer Less than 1 year 1 to 3 years 3 to 5 years More than 5 years 7) Type of service mostly you avail? CATEGORY Answer Online shopping Online bill payments Transfer funds online Bank statements Any Other 8) Please rank the following factors based on your experience CATEGORY Rating Convenience Saves times 24 hour access to account Wish to access account without visiting branch Safe and secure Low service charge Easy to maintain transactions 9) Rate your experience in getting internet banking facility from the branch? CATEGORY Rating Excellent Very Good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory 10)Reasons you are unaware of Internet Banking ? CATEGORY Answer You are not tech savy Lack of Interest Prefer to have personal human relation Lack of Sources Any Other This survey is being conducted as a part compliance of my degree in MBA (Insurance Banking) from Amity University and is a pre-requisit for award of Degree. The project is for academic purposes and confidentiality will be maintained. FINDINGS In Indirapuram area majority of respondents i.e 88% are aware of internet banking services provided by banks while 12% respondents are not aware of internet banking services Electronic Media is the source of awareness for majority of respondents of Indirapuram Area. The services which are mostly used by customers are printing bank statements and transferring funds online Majority of people are not aware of Internet banking because of Lack of sources or they are not tech savy CHAPTER 7 RECOMMENDATIONS Banks should attract consumer attention to internet banking services through better marketing Bank should make efforts to increase customers awareness about internet banking facilities by conducting training programmes. Banks should conduct various training programmes for employees so that they will get aware with the terms of internet banking and could create awareness amongst the customers. Banks should increase the awareness about various features, advantages and benefits of internet banking, especially its convenience. Bank should make the customers aware about internet banking at the time of building relationship. Banks should extend the technology which is used in internet banking in order to remove the difficulties. CHAPTER 8

I am Just Like Everyone Else Essay -- Personal Narrative, essay about

It's 9:38 p.m.. I guess I've put this off long enough... not that I want to sound unenthusiastic, but it just feels weird. When I looked over the prompts nothing really struck me: I really don't want to drag on about my plastic trophies, or try to convince you that I am the one student that would change your school entirely. The only thing left was to write about a hardship that I had overcome... funny thing though... I couldn't think of many hardships. I mean, a lot of things have happened to me, but most of those things, like my dad dying, were things everyone has to overcome at some point. I never had to do anything... unexpected. That brings me here sitting in front of a screen typing as Chopin plays in the background at 10:00 p.m.. I've changed a lot since my freshmen year; I've changed a lot since breakfast, but I never knew why until just a while ago. When I was a little kid, my class mates would always make fun of me. At first I thought it was because I was stupid, then I thought it was because they were stupid, but by the time I was in eighth grade I had firmly identified the reason for my social awkwardness: I was so much better than everyone else at everything that they were all jealous of me. Why not? It was true. No matter how hard they tried they could never produce answers like me... or questions. Also, I needn't bother about trying to get good grades; that wasn't my "style." Whether by Freudian compensation or an empathic teacher's comment, I began to look at other people as being slower, less farsighted than me. Their senses were dulled while mine were too acute to pay attention to little things like assignments. Entering Valhalla I looked upon the various Goths and Preps, the Ret... ...one there deserved the air I breathed as much as I did. It boggled my mind. Slowly, I began to work back. All the skills I had worked so relentlessly on to be superior were talents in their own right. My road to heaven was being paved with bad intentions. I stopped work on the moonlight sonata (Cj had always played it better than I). I began to teach myself the blues and Chopin. I didn't have to worry about being better at physics than some one. I no longer had to not take notes in class so I could prove to everyone I didn't "need" to. I had always been master to myself, but now I was slave to no man. I was just like everyone else, and that was O.K. That's about all. I can't say that I deserve to go to your school any more than the next guy. I don't really think it will change your life one iota, but I do know that it would change mine. I am Just Like Everyone Else Essay -- Personal Narrative, essay about It's 9:38 p.m.. I guess I've put this off long enough... not that I want to sound unenthusiastic, but it just feels weird. When I looked over the prompts nothing really struck me: I really don't want to drag on about my plastic trophies, or try to convince you that I am the one student that would change your school entirely. The only thing left was to write about a hardship that I had overcome... funny thing though... I couldn't think of many hardships. I mean, a lot of things have happened to me, but most of those things, like my dad dying, were things everyone has to overcome at some point. I never had to do anything... unexpected. That brings me here sitting in front of a screen typing as Chopin plays in the background at 10:00 p.m.. I've changed a lot since my freshmen year; I've changed a lot since breakfast, but I never knew why until just a while ago. When I was a little kid, my class mates would always make fun of me. At first I thought it was because I was stupid, then I thought it was because they were stupid, but by the time I was in eighth grade I had firmly identified the reason for my social awkwardness: I was so much better than everyone else at everything that they were all jealous of me. Why not? It was true. No matter how hard they tried they could never produce answers like me... or questions. Also, I needn't bother about trying to get good grades; that wasn't my "style." Whether by Freudian compensation or an empathic teacher's comment, I began to look at other people as being slower, less farsighted than me. Their senses were dulled while mine were too acute to pay attention to little things like assignments. Entering Valhalla I looked upon the various Goths and Preps, the Ret... ...one there deserved the air I breathed as much as I did. It boggled my mind. Slowly, I began to work back. All the skills I had worked so relentlessly on to be superior were talents in their own right. My road to heaven was being paved with bad intentions. I stopped work on the moonlight sonata (Cj had always played it better than I). I began to teach myself the blues and Chopin. I didn't have to worry about being better at physics than some one. I no longer had to not take notes in class so I could prove to everyone I didn't "need" to. I had always been master to myself, but now I was slave to no man. I was just like everyone else, and that was O.K. That's about all. I can't say that I deserve to go to your school any more than the next guy. I don't really think it will change your life one iota, but I do know that it would change mine.

Goffman Traits Essay

His books have shown that in spite of total institution, people tend to break through their own personalities and redefine their established roles in regulated societies (Handler, 2012, p. 179). Total institution can be dived into five different categories. The first type of institutions are for harmless and helpless people who are incapable of taking care of themselves, such as aged, poor or blind. The second category of institution is mental hospitals that take in people who are helpless and could be harmful to the society; people who seek for treatment. The third category is for people who pose Page | 3 danger and threat to the welfare of the communities and are put into institutions such as prisons and concentration camps. The forth type of institutions are established to create a working environment among the societies, such as military camps, boarding schools and work camps. The final type of institutions is for people who want to be isolated from the rest of the world, such as church and convents (Davies, 1989, p. 77- 82). 2. 2. Four common traits of total institution In 1961, Goffman (as cited in Schaefer, 2004, p. 82) has pointed out four common factors that a total institution posses. Firstly he believes, â€Å"all aspect of life are conducted in the same place and are under the control of a single authority†. This trait illustrates the common ground used and a certain dominance enforced on the participants. Secondly, â€Å"any activities within the institution are conducted in the company of others in the same circumstances†. Thirdly, â€Å"The authorities devise rules and schedule activities without consulting the participants†. Here we understand that the members are forced to conform to certain practices. Lastly, â€Å"all aspects of life within a total institution are designed to fulfil the purpose of the organization†. This explains how the members in the group ‘working’ towards one goal (Schaefer, 2004, p. 82). 2. 3. Degradation ceremony Degradation ceremony is considered to be under the scope of the sociology of moral resentment. A degradation ceremony is a rite of passage sometimes used to initiate people into total institutions such as mental hospitals, prisons, and military units as discussed earlier (Garfinkel, 2011b). Degradation ceremony often aims to transform an individual’s identity and dignity to a lower form therefore allowing them to be more acceptant to the external control such as authorities. During this process one loss his ascribed or achieved social status that he or she possess. Garfinkel (2011a, p. 420). Garfinkel (2011a, p. 420) mentions in his studies, an observer will be unable to find a degradation ceremony in societies that are demoralized, since only in total anomie are the conditions of degradation ceremonies lacking. Page | 4 2. 4. Resocialization Resocialization is the process when an individual’s former behaviour pattern or social role is altered or replaced. After which retraining the person psychologically to fit the standards and behavior of the common society. Resocialization is often carried through the degradation ceremony when a person is stripped from his status so be able to apprehend the new behaviour patterns and values (Scheff, 2007, p. 85). Most of the time the term ‘rehabilitation’ and ‘resocialization’ are misunderstood for the same significance. However these two are interpreted the same way. Rehabilitation is just a small part or process of resocialization (Weinstein, 1982, p. 269). Goffman’s mental institute hospital study is a good example to illustrate resocialization. The staffs usually try to instil in patients that they had done something wrong in the society. And if they wanted to free themselves from the hospital and get back to the society, they would have to change themselves (Weinstein, 1982, p. 272). . 3. Self- reflection My two-year experience in the Singapore Police Force (National Service) was interesting and far challenging. The first six months of the job was known as the ‘stay-in training’ or otherwise known as total institution from the sociological perspective. Our intake, which had approximately 130 cadets, were required to stay at a camp for 6 months situated at the outskirts where there were no other human dwelling. I remember the very first day when we entered, we were shouted at by the superiors for no reason and were told to strip naked to have our bodies checked for tattoos. The superiors projected their dominance through their tone of voice. The second day all the cadets were issued with uniforms and had to shave our heads bald. We were given a time table on what had to be done everyday from the time we woke up to the amount of water we drunk to the schedule time that we had our Page | 5 meals. We had no say and were just do as we were told. Failing to comply led to punishments. The main purpose of this institution was to instil discipline into each one of us as we were preparing to represent the country’s internal security. Therefore to successfully carry out the resocialization we were put through the degradation ceremony where we had to shave our head bald and given uniforms and forcefully told what to do. Here we are able to associate all four traits that were identified by Erving Goffman. 4. Four major theoretical perspectives The four different perspectives would help us understand total institution from a clearer view. The functionalist perspective has three different categories; manifest function, latent function and dysfunction (Henslin, 2011, p. 16). If we take military camp as an example, the manifest function would be to recruit people to protect the country to maintain peace and order. The latent function is a hidden function such as creating job opportunities and instilling values and discipline into the cadets. The dysfunction would be if the cadets were to use the tactics and teachings learned in the camp for a negative purpose while off their duty. Conflict perspective is a common issue faced when looked at the military. The cadets who flow into the camp on the first day come from a many different backgrounds. Conflicts could arise not only between the views of superior and the cadets but could arise among members itself when work in teams due to the different culture, values and beliefs. Feminist perspective involves the history which back dates to when female where to stay home to look after the family while men went out for war to protect their country mainly due to their physics. However the norm on this perspective is being abolished and we tend to find female soldiers and officers involved in the military. According to my self reflection interaction perspective can be classified has the verbal and non- verbal communication styles used by the superiors, such as the authoritative tone of voice. Page | 6 5. Conclusion We have clearly understood the necessity of the five different types of social institution in a society. The essay had also covered the common traits present in the institutions. Also learnt the importance of degradation ceremony while resocialization and how it’s required to kill the former sense of an individual. However I personally believe three out of five of the total institutions are not preferable places to be at. The fact that many are not offered opportunities to work at their own free will deprives them from others and makes them feel less worthy of themselves. They are taught to obey their superiors, out of fear. In most of the occasions they are treated as numbers than a human being. Therefore allowing an individual to loose his or her sense of identity. Goffman’s discussion encouraged me to look at total institution characteristics, such as resocialization, through a positive and negative lens, depending on the situation and context. Page | 7 6. Reference list Davies, C. (1989). Goffman’s concept of the total institution: Criticism and revisions. Human Studies, 12, 77-95. El-Mafaalani, A. (2009). Do underachievers need sociology. Journal of social science education, 8(4), 35-42. Garfinkel, H. (n. d. ). Conditions of successful degradation ceremonies. (2011). American Journal of Sociology, 6(5), 420-424. GORDON MARSHALL. â€Å"degradation ceremony. † A Dictionary of Sociology. 1998. Encyclopedia. com. 16 Apr. 2013 . Handler, R. (2012). What’s up,doctor goffman? tell us where the action is!. Journal of the royal Anthropological Institute, 18, 179-190. Henslin, J. (2011). Essentials of sociology a down-to-earth approach. (9TH ed. , pp. 16-18). Boston,America: PEARSON.

State Farm Advertising Analysis Essays

State Farm Advertising Analysis Essays State Farm Advertising Analysis Paper State Farm Advertising Analysis Paper Today, advertising is as much a part of our lives as breathing. Whether we’re driving, listening to the radio, or watching T. V we are constantly being bombarded by thousands of companies telling us why we should buy their products or services. Some advertisements prove to be effective, while others can be easily dismissed. One very popular industry in advertisement is auto insurance. Every year companies like Geico, State Farm, and All State invest millions of dollars, hoping to convince audiences that their service is better than their competitors. Because auto insurance is a requirement for every single individual who owns a vehicle it is a very competitive market where various ad campaigns can be found. State Farm stands out amongst these companies with their creative incorporations of Aristotles rhetorical techniques to capture their audience and deliver their message of reliable service. Among the many ad campaigns created by the company one of the most memorable is their â€Å"magic jingle† campaign. The commercials feature customers in various inconvenient scenarios where an insurance agent may be needed. The customers then proceed to sing the â€Å"magic jingle† (like a good neighbor State Farm is there†¦) and an insurance agent will magically appear to help resolve their issue, along with other ridiculous requests. While the granting of these ridiculous requests make the ads humorous; therefore, memorable, they emphasize what the company feels is their advantage over their competitors: immediate and excellent service. In one of these commercials, two young men are sitting in their car in what appears to be the middle of nowhere, eating burgers when they are suddenly attacked by a herd of buffalo. In desperation, the passenger asks his friend to do the jingle and after doing so an agent appears in the car and proceeds to say: â€Å"like a good neighbor State Farm is there†¦In my office! † Immediately the three men are zapped into the man’s office and there are sighs of relief. The ad is directed towards young men, a clever move, because young men are often the ones who find themselves in desperate situations while driving. The immediate response from singing the jingle which made the agent appear followed by his immediate action to lead the young men to safety emphasizes State Farm’s motto of immediate and excellent service. The humor used in delivering this message introduces the use of pathos, or emotion, which help in making it memorable. Pathos is also reinforced with the sighs of relief released by the young men; emphasizing the fact that with State Farm’s reliability you can count on being stress free. The concept of ethos, or image is also present in the commercial with the professional attire on the agent as well as the professional setting when they are zapped into his office. The well put together, professional setting, with employees to match increases the companys credibility. While the scenario is unlikely and there are clear fictional aspects to the commercial, the use of pathos in the humor and relief makes it very memorable and the point is very clearly put across: if you ever find yourself in a desperate situation, you can count on your State Farm agent to get it resolved. Another â€Å"magic jingle† commercial that helps emphasize the company’s great service features a young woman, along with two of her friends who finds the side of her car completely scratched. Unlike the instance with the buffalo, the woman remains completely calm and recites the magic jingle. An agent suddenly appears and once her friends see that reciting the jingle can make anything appear, they too recite it and make the perfect man appear on top of the car. As in the previous example, the commercial emphasizes State Farm’s reliability. This time however, there is no desperation because the young woman is so certain that her agent will get things resolved. Just like the previous commercial, the ad uses pathos to convince their audience, assuring them that State Farm will allow them to be stress free. The granting of the friends wishes for the perfect man helps to reinforce the aspect of great service because it represents the company’s ability to go above and beyond for their customers. Again, pathos is presented through humor, making the ad memorable and reinforcing the company’s point: when you have State Farm there is no need for desperation because they have you covered. Ethos is also once again reinforced through the agents professional attire, creating an ethical image for the company. The next memorable ad in the campaign takes a different twist, because rather than promoting auto insurance, it promotes home insurance. In this scenario, a group of young men are sitting at home when a baseball suddenly breaks through the homeowner’s window. As his friends begin to freak out, the homeowner maintains the same relaxed attitude as the female from the previous example and recites the magic jingle. Seeing his friends in shock as an agent magically appears he encourages them to recite the jingle and make a request, which they follow by asking for a sandwich, a pretty girl, and a hot tub. Once again, pathos is used with the ridiculous requests show the company’s willingness to go above and beyond for their customers. The owner’s relaxed attitude show’s that State Farm customers are at ease because they know they can trust their agent to get things done. This ad also helps to show that the company has various types of insurance to offer and that they are all as reliable as their auto insurance. Overall, State Farm’s magic jingle campaign is successful because not only do its use of humor and repetitive use of the jingle make it memorable, but they also find clever ways to remind viewers of the company’s reliability. This successfully incorporates the use of pathos, making it easy to convince viewers that if they join the company they will feel just as relaxed as the people in their commercial. They also touch upon ethos with the presentation of their agents who are always in professional attire. This reminds viewers that despite the goofy nature of their advertisements they are still a serious and professional company. The campaign also successfully incorporates the various services the company has to offer and the fact that they are just as reliable and professional as the auto insurance.

The Life and Struggles of a Roman Farmer

The Life and Struggles of a Roman Farmer I woke up today to see that it was going to be just as any other hard and challenging work day. As usual I got up before the sun had come out to make myself breakfast which at usual was a loaf of bread and a chunk of whatever meat I could find. I lived with my wife, two sons and Adobis and Romus who were my family‚s slaves. My family wasn‚t the richest of families but we still earned enough money through our farm to pay for our food and clothing. Unlike most Roman farmers we didn‚t go back into the main city often, but we stayed in our farm admiring its peace and beauty. However my wife and I could no longer afford to send or two sons to school any more as there was a drought upon Rome, causing less food to be grown on our farm, therefore causing less income.English: Rent Romus performing at the San Francisc...

Theraputic relationship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Theraputic relationship - Essay Example The movie losing Isiah has evidence of the concept (therapeutic relationship); the movie is a story of a young boy (Isaiah) left in the trash by her mother. The mother leaves the child for dead after she found her missing in the dumpster she had left him. Trash collectors find him and take him to the hospital where a social worker named Margaret Lewin takes an interest in the boy, later she starts filling the adoption papers for the little boy. Margaret and Charles (her husband) want to give Isaiah a good and loving home together with their daughter Hannah. The boys mother, khaila is arrested for possession of drugs and shoplifting, she is later taken to a rehabilitation program where she heals and maintains without the use of drugs. After she leaves the program she secures a good job and finds a good place she lives, khaila later realizes that her child is well and alive. With the help of her lawyer and her counselor, khaila attempts to get Isaiah back, news that devastated the Lewins who by then considered Isaiah, their own son. The family also opens a case to fight for the boy, but the same goes for the mother, however khaila wins the case by showing that the two white parents did not expose the boy to his culture (black nation), they did not give the boy any books about blacks, had no black friends, and no black dolls. Even though the ruling was against Margarets argument was better as she defended her case by arguing that all that mattered was the love the family had for Isaiah and not political correctness. Khaila brings in an ex pert witness (psychologist) who argued that the mother had changed and that the child should grow to her own race. As the social worker takes the boy away, after her mother won the case, it is evident that the boy did not want to leave the white family. In this scene, the boy screams and cries for the Lewins,

Pyschological and Sociological Theoretical Explanations of Suicide Essay

Pyschological and Sociological Theoretical Explanations of Suicide - Essay Example The hopelessness theory also well defines the psychological aspect of suicide which, according to Beck’s concept of cognitive triad, makes a person think negatively about himself, his future and the world around him (1979). Emile Durkheim gave the sociological theoretical explanation of suicide (Pickering, Walford & British Centre for Durkheimian Studies, 2000). According to him, there are four kinds of suicide that result from discrepancies in a person’s ties with the society (Craighead & Nemeroff, 2002, p.1653). Altruistic suicides are those suicides that have to be committed in order to please the society, like satti in India. Egoistic suicide results from weak or too few ties with the society. Anomic suicide occurs when the ties with the society get a setback all at once, like the death of a friend. Fatalistic suicides result from excessive regulation of a person in society, like slaves and prisoners. Thus, society makes a person act in a certain way which, at times, can lead to suicide. This sociological explanation of Durkheim is still accepted by all