Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Ethical problem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ethical problem - Essay Example The action of the managers to hide some information to the shareholders is unethical. This is because, ethical behavior requires that any decision reached by the management should be a truthful one, and thus any action that is mean to hide the truth from the shareholders is unethical (Frederic, 17). This type of conflict falls under the category of conflict referred to as Normative ethics, in a subset referred to as professional ethics, which requires that the professional conduct of individuals within an certain professions should act in accordance with set standards of right and wrong, and the deviation from such conduct eventually creates an ethical conflict (Weiss, 41). The classification of this ethical conflict under the Normative ethics category is informed by the fact that Normative ethics apply a practical approach towards arriving at an ethical decision, which has to do with the duties that individuals should follow and the implication of behaviors of an individual on other s (Frederic, 31). Explaining the conflict can happen in the corporation Normative ethics conflict can happen in organizations due to conflicts of interests, where the interests of the professionals tend to compete with the obligations and responsibilities of the professional (Weiss, 72). The managers can hide information from the shareholders, so that they can favor their interests at the expense of the interests of the shareholders, considering that he interest of the shareholders and those of the management are always conflicting (Frederic, 22). Therefore, the managers can hide a potential investment venture to the stakeholders, which would have long-term benefits for the shareholders through enhancing organizational growth, and prefer to pursue short-term investments that will result to short term benefits for the shareholders, to avoid taking risks, while also trying to make a name amongst their peers and other corporate commentators, who evaluates organizations on the basis of their short term revenues and performances (Weiss, 49). Further, the managers might hide the long-term benefits of an investment from the shareholders, and instead pursue short-term investments, so that they can increase the revenues in the short-term and benefit from salary increments and promotions, at the expense of pursuing investments that may have no revenue benefits in the present, but will yield more benefits and revenues for the shareholders in the future, such as investment in Research & Development (Frederic, 44). The effect of this conflict on the stakeholders This conflict has an adverse effect on the shareholders, since it works towards making the shareholders lose their future value of investment, while the managers are the ones who benefit from the conflict, through financial gains and promotions. Another effect of the conflict on the stakeholders is that; it erodes the trust that the stakeholders had on the managers, since the existence of such a conflict shows that the managers are not favoring the

Monday, October 28, 2019

United States Foreign Policy after 1945 Essay Example for Free

United States Foreign Policy after 1945 Essay â€Å"President Clinton and I†¦ have spoken often about the goals of American foreign policy. Boiled down, these have not changed in more than 200 years. They are to ensure the continued security, prosperity, and freedom of our people. † (Albright 1998, p. 50-64) Thus were the words of then US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright back in 1998. Fast-forward to 2006 and we have President George W. Bush remarking on America as facing a ‘choice between the path of fear and the path of confidence. ’ The path of fear – isolationism and protectionism, retreat and retrenchment – appeals to those who find challenges too great, failing to see in them opportunities (Bush 2006). As Bush (2006) asserts, his administration has chosen the path of confidence, leadership over isolationism and the pursuit of free and fair trade and open markets over protectionism, consistent with the tradition of American policy. Founded on two pillars – promoting freedom, justice and human dignity, and confronting the challenges of our time by leading a growing community of democracies, the present national security strategy of the Bush administration maintains the primacy of expanding the national strength of the United States resting not merely on the strength of the military but on economic prosperity and a vibrant democracy as well. Yet Bush’s rather confrontational, militaristic approach as reflected in US foreign policy has been shown to have negative effects on America’s relations with its long-time allies, as well as in terms of projecting its image abroad in the somewhat turbulent arena of international relations, and ultimately casting doubts whether it is really in the national interest of the United States of America. The present paper aims to illustrate how this is so, through a discussion of US foreign policy emphasizing the critical aspects of national security, free trade, democracy, world peace and human rights. II. DISCUSSION National Security It is the recognized primary duty of the United States Government to ‘protect the American people and American interests, obligating the government to anticipate and counter threats using all resources of national power at its disposal, before these threats can do grave damage’ (The National Security Strategy of the United States of America 2006, p. 18). Anticipatory action taken in self-defense is considered of primary importance, particularly in view of terrorist attacks withWMD. The US-led global War on Terror after the 10/11 terrorist attacks is considered by the US State as ‘both a battle of arms and a battle of ideas’ (The National Security Strategy of the United States of America 2006, p. 9). It involves both the use of military force and other instruments of national power to capture and eliminate terrorists, deny them safe haven or control of any nation, prevent their access to WMD, and the cutting off of their sources of support. The US government shall employ a comprehensive strategy involving strengthened nonproliferation efforts, i. e. proactive counter-proliferation efforts to defend against and defeat WMD and missile threats before they are unleashed; and improved protection mitigating the consequences of WMD use (The National Security Strategy of the United States of America 2006, p. 18). The proliferation of nuclear weapons is recognized as posing the greatest threat to US national security in their capacity to inflict instant loss of life on a massive scale. The strategy of choice is on denying terrorists and nuclear states access to the essential ingredient of fissile material and to deter any transfer of nuclear material from states having this capability to rogue states and terrorists. The 9/11 terror attacks proved the vulnerability of the United States, acclaimed lone superpower of the world, to terrorism. In a bid to safeguard national security, the Bush administration declared a global war on terror, which undoubtedly leaves many fears of retaliatory attacks from terror groups. It is important to note that the problem of terrorism is a thorny issue and a multi-faceted one, involving not merely differences in religion and ideology but poverty and social grievances, among others, which are recognized by the National Security Strategy. Free Trade The promotion of free and fair trade has long been a tenet of American foreign policy as greater economic freedom is viewed as ultimately inseparable from political liberty (The National Security Strategy of the United States of America 2006, p. 25). Taking into consideration economic power as empowering individuals, which in turn leads to the demand for greater political freedom promoting greater economic opportunity and prosperity, the market economy is viewed as the single most effective economic system and the greatest antidote to poverty. The US promotes free and fair trade, open markets, a stable financial system, the integration of the global economy, and secure, clean energy development as the means towards economic liberty and prosperity. Economic freedom is viewed by the present administration as a ‘moral imperative,’ with the ‘liberty to create and build, buy, sell and own property fundamental to human nature and foundational to a free society’ (The National Security Strategy of the United States of America 2006, p. 27). Economic freedom creates diversified centers of power and authority which places limits on the reach of governments, expanding the free flow of ideas, exposing people to new ways of thinking and living and ultimately giving more control over their own lives. Even as most of the world affirms the appeal of economic liberty, it is the view of the present government that too many nations still hold fast to the ‘false comforts of subsidies and trade barriers’ which stifles growth in developed countries (The National Security Strategy of the United States of America 2006, p. 27). The US promotes the vision of a global economy welcoming to each and every nation-participant and encourages the voluntary exchange of goods and services. Issues on the establishment of a truly level playing field among developed and developing nations, the continuing significance and evolving roles of the post-World War multilateral institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund continue to haunt the rounds of free trade negotiations, serving as effective obstacles towards the full globalization and integration of free markets all over the world. Democracy It is the policy of the United States to seek and support democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world (The National Security Strategy of the United States of America 2006, p. 1). The avowed goal of US statecraft then is â€Å"help create a world of democratic, well-governed states that can meet the needs of their citizens and conduct themselves responsibly in the international system† (The National Security Strategy of the United States of America 2006, p. 1) through leading the international effort to end tyranny and promote effective democracy. Closely related to the goal of ending tyrannies, the US recognizes its role in helping newly free nations in the building of effective democracies – states which respect human dignity, are accountable to their citizens, and responsible towards their neighbors. Democracy is concretely expressed through elections wherein individuals and parties committed to the equality of all citizens, minority rights, civil liberties, voluntary and peaceful transfer of power, and the peaceful resolution of differences can freely participate, as well as the presence of institutions which protect individual liberty, independent media, freely competing political associations and political parties, an independent judiciary, professional legal establishment, and an honest and competent police force. This commitment to the promotion of freedom is coursed through several tactics varying among countries reflecting the culture and history of its people, from vocal and visible steps on behalf of immediate change to more quiet support laying the foundation for future reports. The US shall lead and call on other nations in a common international effort, yet it does not hesitate to act on its own if need be. Grave problems arise when the US is seen as intervening in what other countries may perceive as largely domestic affairs which does not concern Washington, and the perception of democracy as a Western imposition even in non-Western countries, fueling resentment and claims of on-going cultural imperialism in the promotion of American values even in still-largely traditional societies. World Peace Conflict among nations can arise from a variety of causes – external aggression, competing claims, internal revolt, poor governance, ethnic and religious differences, among others – which if left unaddressed, can eventually result to humanitarian disasters, the failure of states, and ungoverned areas which can become harbor terrorists. To address this, the Bush administration seeks to implement three levels of engagement: (1) conflict intervention; (2) post-conflict stabilization; and (3) reconstruction (The National Security Strategy of the United States of America 2006, p. 15). In terms of ensuring peace in an often tumultuous international arena of competing nations, the most effective long-term measure for conflict prevention and resolution is the promotion of democracy (The National Security Strategy of the United States of America 2006, p. 15). This is in line of the view that though effective democracies may still have disputes, they are more equipped to solve such differences through peaceful means, either bilaterally or in cooperation with other international institutions, formations or regional states. As some conflicts pose such grave threats to the broader national interests, conflict intervention may be deemed necessary to restore peace and stability, particularly in circumstances wherein the international community does not have enough trained military forces capable of performing peace-keeping missions. This has led to close the government closely working with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in improving state capacities for intervention in conflict situations, and support to the UN reforms seeking to improve its ability to carry out peacekeeping missions characterized by enhanced accountability, oversight and results-based management practices (The National Security Strategy of the United States of America 2006, p. 16). And the third level of engagement takes into consideration the need for post-conflict stabilization and reconstruction once peace has been restored. History has borne witness to success as resulting from the early establishment of strong local institutions, e. g. a functional judiciary and penal system, effective police systems, and enhancing governance capacity critical to the establishment of the rule of law and a free market economy, on the assumption that these in turn would provide the key to long-term stability and prosperity. It is also interesting to note that the pursuit of American interests is to be accomplished within the framework of cooperative relationships, particularly with its ‘oldest and closest friends and allies’ (The National Security Strategy of the United States of America 2006, p. 35). Another priority is the prevention of any re-emergence of the great power rivalries which had divided the world in previous eras, in such a way that these new approaches are flexible enough to permit effective action even in the face of differences of opinions among friends, yet strong enough to confront challenges. These principles guide American international relations, notably within its own hemisphere (the Western Hemisphere) considered the ‘frontline of defense of American national security’ (The National Security Strategy of the United States of America 2006, p. 37) which is envisioned to be fully democratic, bound together in good will, security cooperation and opportunity for all its citizens to prosper. Concretely, the goal includes strengthening relations with regional partners to make multilateral institutions, e. g. the Inter-American Development Bank, more effective and better able in fostering concerted action addressing threats to the region’s stability, prosperity, security or democratic progress. The Bush administration has identified key threats to international security in the form of rogue states, and its taking on a hard-line policy towards these states which could possibly fuel resentment and strong feelings of anti-Americanism among their peoples. World peace does not appear any less elusive in the contemporary period despite the end of the Cold War and the bipolarization of the world, as poverty, social inequality, racial, ethnic and religious differences continue to create social divides among people. Human Rights Tyranny is defined as the ‘combination of brutality, poverty, instability, corruption, and suffering forged under the rule of despots and despotic systems’ (The National Security Strategy of the United States of America 2006, p. 3), as is the case under the nations of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Iran, Syria, Cuba, Belarus and Burma, which treated the world’s interest in freedom’s expansion and immediate security threats as well, i. e. their pursuit of weapons of mass destruction (The National Security Strategy of the United States of America 2006. The goal of human rights promotion is closely related to the pursuit of democracy, world peace, and the promotion of global free trade. This becomes particularly acute when one considers political liberties and democratic institutions as vital towards attaining greater economic freedom, opportunities and prosperity in the context of a market economy. Chomsky (1982) notes that the US is no more engaged in programs of international good will than any other state has been as foreign policy is designed and implemented by narrow groups deriving their power from the domestic sources of state capitalism and control over the domestic economy. Within the nation-state, the effective ‘national interest’ is by and large articulated by those who control the central economic institutions, leaving the formulation of its disguise for the technocratic and policy-oriented intelligentsia. Human rights violations have been charged against US soldiers in occupied territories as well as among those in peace-keeping missions. Specific cases of human rights violations have been documented in US bases in South Korea, Japan, and in the former US bases in the Philippines. The preferential treatment for and custody of US soldiers in case of trial and conviction is also a major sore point between the US government and the ‘host’ countries.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Allegory for War in Battle of the Ants by David Thoreau Essay example -

Allegory for War in "Battle of the Ants" by David Thoreau The reading journal that I chose was "Battle of the Ants" by David Thoreau. I chose this essay because I felt that it was a strongly written piece about a somewhat interesting topic. When I first read it I was taken aback by its seemingly uninteresting nature of topic, but after I read it a couple more times I began to see its true beauty. The story is about government and war and depicted by ants battling to the death. "The legions of Myrmidons covered all the hills and vales in my wood-yard, and the ground was already strewn with all the dead and dying, both the red and the black," the ants represent humans struggling for freedom and power. There are two types of ants: the red ones who represent the rebellious soldiers fightin...

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Talkin the Talk: An Examination of Black English in the American Education System :: Free Essays Online

Talkin the Talk: An Examination of Black English in the American Education System How many people here believe that schools should require the use of standard English at all times? That schools should respect all languages? How many people believe that Ebonics is a legitimate language that should not be compared to standard English? Most of you are probably wondering why I am interested in Ebonics. Obviously I’m not black. But, that does not mean that I can’t take an interest in the success of my friends and classmates. I attended Amherst Regional High School in Amherst, Massachusetts. My town is supposedly a liberal, open-minded place. But I always wondered why there were very few black students in my advanced-level classes and how come some of the black friends I had in the beginning of the year were no longer around at the end. I talked to one of my friends about this once. She told me that many black students in our school had moved from a nearby city and that they were not used to the academic standards of the school. Many of them became discouraged due to the lack of support of the teachers and some students even dropped out. This is a problem. In my opinion, many teachers do not respect students’ cultures if they are not a part of the mainstream, white culture. Although language is on ly one part of this respect, it is a large part of every student’s culture. Even though there has been a movement to improve inner-city schools and increase the success of black students, these programs would benefit any school around the country. Although the debate over the legitimacy of Ebonics as a language had been burning out, the Oakland school board decision in 1996 re-sparked this debate. Every marking period, in the Oakland school district, many African-American students brought home report cards singed with bad grades. In a school district where 53% of the student population is African-American, what concerned the school board was that these black students accounted for 71 percent of "special needs" students and received an average GPA of 1.8, compared to the average of 2.4 for all other students (Perry xi). It was time to correct that problem. The school board of Oakland, California organized a task force to do just this. The Ebonics Resolution, as the plan was called, recognized Ebonics as a legitimate language that deserved respect within the classroom.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Pablo Membreno

The plaintiff Pablo Membreno was a citizen of Honduras, who worked as an oiler on the ships owned by Costa Crociere, S. p. A (Costa), which was an Italian company whose headquarters were in Genoa, Italy. Costa fully owned another company Carnival Corporation, panama. Carnival Corporation was operating in Miami, Florida. Costa had no land – based offices in the United States. Membreno was hired on contract by Cruise Ships Catering & Service International, N. V. (CSCS), Netherlands Antilles, to work onboard Costa Atlantica, which began its cruise from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.While the ship was in international waters, Membreno injured his wrist in the course of his work. The plaintiff claimed that despite having reported the matter to the supervisor and the ship’s doctor, he had not been given medical treatment. Five days later, his contract was completed and he disembarked from the ship. In Honduras a surgeon diagnosed Membreno with Kinnock’s disease and recommen ded surgery. Membreno sought a second opinion in Miami from an orthopedic surgeon, who performed surgery on the plaintiff’s wrist.He also received physical therapy. Procedural History: Membreno filed a case in the Southern District Court of Florida seeking redress for his damage. The number of defendants in the case was four but later reduced to two upon a consensus of the parties to the case. Costa and CSCS invoked the doctrine of forum non conveniens to move the court for a dismissal. The district court dismissed the case and Membreno appealed in the Eleventh Circuit Court. Issues legal question:The legal issues raised were whether or not the plaintiff could seek redressal in US courts for an injury that had occurred in international waters, the area of applicability of the Jones Act and the General Maritime Laws and whether such actions could be dismissed on the grounds of forum non conveniens. Broad holding: The Jones Act and the General Maritime Laws apply only within th e territorial waters of the United States and the plaintiff will be precluded from filing suit at the location of a subsidiary company. Narrow holding:The district court rejected the application of the plaintiff seeking redress on the basis that he was injured in the international waters and the Florida company was merely a subsidiary company. Doctrinal Reasoning: In Szumlicz v. Norwegian Am. Line, Inc the court had held that if the laws of the United States were not applicable, then the action should be dismissed on the grounds of forum non conveniens (Szumlicz v Norwegian Am. Line, Inc, 1983). In Lauritzen v. Larsen, the Supreme Court laid down a set of eight factors to be satisfied.These factors are the place of the wrongful act, the national flag under which the ship was sailing, the domicile of the injured party, the dwelling place of the ship owner, the location where the parties had entered into the agreement, the approachability of a foreign forum, the law of the forum and t he place of operations of the ship owner (Lauritzen v. Larsen, 1953 ). In the present case, six conditions had been in the favor of the defendants and as such the defendants had argued that the United States law was not applicable to the plaintiff.Policy Reasoning: The district court had properly interpreted and applied the doctrine of forum non conveniens in this case and the Eleventh Circuit Court upheld the decision of the district court. Miscellaneous: There was no difference of opinion between the presiding judges and the decision was unanimous. References Lauritzen v. Larsen, 345 U. S. 571 (1953 ). Szumlicz v Norwegian Am. Line, Inc, 698F. 2d 1192 (11th Circuit Court 1983).

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

TIMEs Person of the Year Winners (1927-2017)

TIME's Person of the Year Winners (1927-2017) Since 1927, TIME Magazine has chosen a man, woman, or idea that for better or worse, has most influenced events in the preceding year. Although TIMEs list is not an academic or objective study of the past, the list gives a contemporary viewpoint of what was important during each year. In 2018, TIME issued four separate covers, memorializing journalists who lost their lives in 2018. They are Jamal Khashoggi, Washington Post columnist;  staff members of the Capital Gazette newspaper; Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo; and Maria Ressa, journalist and founder of Rappler. TIMEs Person of the Year Winners 1927 Charles Augustus Lindbergh 1928 Walter P. Chrysler 1929 Owen D. Young 1930 Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi 1931 Pierre Laval 1932 Franklin Delano Roosevelt 1933 Hugh Samuel Johnson 1934 Franklin Delano Roosevelt 1935 Haile Selassie 1936 Mrs. Wallis Warfield Simpson 1937 Generalissimo Mme Chiang Kai-Shek 1938 Adolf Hitler 1939 Joseph Stalin 1940 Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill 1941 Franklin Delano Roosevelt 1942 Joseph Stalin 1943 George Catlett Marshall 1944 Dwight David Eisenhower 1945 Harry Truman 1946 James F. Byrnes 1947 George Catlett Marshall 1948 Harry Truman 1949 Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill 1950 American Fighting-Man 1951 Mohammed Mossadegh 1952 Elizabeth II 1953 Konrad Adenauer 1954 John Foster Dulles 1955 Harlow Herbert Curtice 1956 Hungarian Freedom Fighter 1957 Nikita Krushchev 1958 Charles De Gaulle 1959 Dwight David Eisenhower 1960 U.S. Scientists 1961 John Fitzgerald Kennedy 1962 Pope John XXIII 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson 1965 General William Childs Westmoreland 1966 Twenty-Five and Under 1967 Lyndon B. Johnson 1968 Astronauts Anders, Borman and Lovell 1969 The Middle Americans 1970 Willy Brandt 1971 Richard Milhous Nixon 1972 Nixon and Kissinger 1973 John J. Sirica 1974 King Faisal 1975 American Women 1976 Jimmy Carter 1977 Anwar Sadat 1978 Teng Hsiao-Ping 1979 Ayatullah Khomeini 1980 Ronald Reagan 1981 Lech Walesa 1982 The Computer 1983 Ronald Reagan Yuri Andropov 1984 Peter Ueberroth 1985 Deng Xiaoping 1986 Corazon Aquino 1987 Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev 1988 Endangered Earth 1989 Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev 1990 The Two George Bushes 1991 Ted Turner 1992 Bill Clinton 1993 The Peacemakers 1994 Pope John Paul II 1995 Newt Gingrich 1996 Dr. David Ho 1997 Andy Grove 1998 Bill Clinton and Kenneth Starr 1999 Jeff Bezos 2000 George W. Bush 2001 Rudolph Giuliani 2002 The Whistleblowers 2003 The American Soldier 2004 George W. Bush 2005 Bill Gates, Melinda Gates, Bono 2006 You 2007 Vladimir Putin 2008 Barack Obama 2009 Ben Bernanke 2010 Mark Zuckerberg 2011 The Protester 2012 Barack Obama 2013 Pope Francis 2014 Ebola Fighters 2015 Angela Merkel 2016 Donald Trump 2017 The Silence Breakers 2018 The Guardians and the War on Truth Person of the Year Fast Facts Charles Lindbergh  (1927) was the first and youngest person to receive the distinction at 25 years old.Mrs. Wallis Warfield Simpson, the woman whom English  King Edward VIII abdicated  in order to marry, was the first woman to receive the honor (1936).Although a number of people have received the honor twice,  U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt  is the only person to have been named three times: 1932, 1934, and 1941.Adolf Hitler, the murderous leader of Nazi Germany, received the honor in 1938- before he started   World War II. Hitlers  TIME  cover, however, shows him with dead bodies hanging above him.Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, who was a U.S. ally during World War II, but who was ultimately responsible for the deaths of approximately 20 to 60 million of his own people, was awarded the honor twice.A whole generation was named in 1966: Twenty-five and Under.In 1982, the computer became the first object ever to receive the distinction.There are several years whe re large groups of people were nominated: the American Fighting-Man (1950), the Hungarian Freedom Fighter (1956), U.S. Scientists (1960), Twenty-Five and Under (1966), the Middle Americans (1968), and American Women (1975). The winner in 2006 was even more unusual. The winner was you. This choice was meant to draw attention to the impact of the world wide web, which had made each of our contributions both relevant and important.

Monday, October 21, 2019

bortion and Pro Life essays

bortion and Pro Life essays The topic of abortion is one that is currently deadlocked and unless there is a piece of critical evidence that is released, each side will filibuster the issue until both sides are completely exasperated. Rather than comment on this stalemate, the purpose of this paper is to explore only one remote aspect of abortion: the pro-life argument as described through the writings of Don Marquis. This stance is widely shared by those religious activists, our current president and is the only determinate factor of who can be elected into the Supreme Court. The entire topic of abortion is the termination of a birth while it is still in the womb. Those who favor the mother retaining her right to abort the pregnancy are considered pro-choice while pro-life supporters hold the opposite to be true. The following reasons are employed by pro-life advocates to support their argument: it is seriously wrong to kill a human being or one of its ambiguous variants; killing is a form of brutalization , it is wrong to commit any form of killing out of respect to the victim and lacking human features is not grounds for being lenient in killing something. Each reason will be followed by a counterpoint and then a cross-examination to outweigh the counterpoint. Beginning with the ambiguous variants argument, Don Marquis, in his article Why Abortion is Immoral, develops the idea that all arguments presented before that attempt to put a time restraint on when a life begins. For us to focus on the main points of his argument, he has assumed all restraints to be true. If one restraint says a baby is human at conception, then the pro-life argument would have no problems saying that murder is being committed because the one-celled zygote at this particular stage is human. Conversely, if another restraint says a baby is human at birth, then a mother has every right to terminate her pregnancy even seconds before her delivery of the newb...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Listen to and Learn Spanish on the Internet

Listen to and Learn Spanish on the Internet Many people want to hear what native-speaker Spanish sounds like, but dont have access to native speakers or even Spanish-language radio or TV. Chances are that if youre reading this article, you have all the tools you need need to start listening. An abundance of Spanish-language webcasts, podcasts, and other programming is available for free on the Internet. The system requirements for listing to Internet audio vary with the site, but chances are that if your computer was built within the past three or four years, you already have the hardware you need. Most sites that provide audio content also have links to the software you need. Most audio content can be played using one of three audio players that are readily available for free: Windows Media Player, RealPlayer, and Apple QuickTime. The three are available for both recent versions of the Windows and Macintosh operating systems; the RealPlayer is also available for Linux. Some sites also have downloadable audio in MP3 or other formats that you can listen to on portable players. A high-speed Internet connection is helpful, although a good dial-up connection will sometimes be sufficient if you arent Web surfing at the same time. Listening Online in Spanish Spanish-language programming can be found for almost any interest, and a complete list would be far too long to list here. Following, however, are some of the sites that have been recommended by readers of this site: Batanga: You wont find any classical music here (unless you count classic rock), but youll find just about every other style of music.BBC Mundo: True, the BBC is well-known British news service. However, youll find quality programming in Spanish here.Deutsche Welle: This German network offers streaming programming in nearly all the European language and then some. At the time of this writing, however, its Spanish-language programming is not available to U.S. listeners.Ke Buena: Popular music from Acapulco, Mexico.La100: Rock from Argentina.Notes in Spanish: Tips about Spain, news, conversation and all the cool words they never teach you in class.M80 Radio: Classic rock from Madrid.Mitre: Variety of programming from Argentina.RAC105: International rock and pop from Spain. The home page is in Catalan, but if youre adept at reading Spanish you can probably comprehend most of it.Metro951: Self-described as the most popular radio, from Argentina.Radio Bilingà ¼e: Public radio-type progra mming from the United States. Radio Isla: Talk shows and more, from Puerto Rico.Radio Jai: Catering to Argentinas Jewish community with a mix of programming.Radio Progreso: Music, news and a bit of propaganda from Cuba.RTVE: This network from Spain provides a choice of six channels streamed over the Internet.Terra Radios: Talk, music and sports are featured on stations from Guatemala.Yahoo Music: About a dozen music stations feature Spanish music of various genres including rock, rap, reggaeton, pop, tejano, and jazz.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Case Against Reinstating the Military Draft Essay

Case Against Reinstating the Military Draft - Essay Example Case Against Reinstating the Military Draft New York Representative Charles Rangel, who is a Korean war veteran, introduced a bill back in 2003 that would bring the military draft back into the lives of our young male population. (Rangel Introduces Bill to Reinstate Draft, 2003). It is his firm belief that a forced military draft is the only way that the young men of America can prove their allegiance and loyalty to the country that they call home. His bill, which is still pending in congress to this very day would draft young men between the ages of 18-26 into forced military service. With exemptions being granted only to those still in high school so that they can graduate. College age men are expected to enter military service under his proposed bill (Rangel Introduces Bill to Reinstate Draft, 2003). This particular bill is was supported in the senate by South Carolina Senator Fritz Hollings. These two men both believe that being drafted into the military would build the character of our young men and democratize what they call the â€Å"citizen soldier†. According to Douglas Bandow (Forum: Should the Draft be Reinstated?†, 2003) who was a former special assistant to President Reagan â€Å"As a veteran, I strongly believe that fighting for our country must be fairly shared by all racial and economic groups. Nobody wants to go to war, but the burden of service cannot fall only on volunteers who, no matter how patriotic, are attracted to the military for financial reasons. We cannot continue to pretend it is fair that one segment of society makes all the sacrifices.† Records show that most of the members of our Armed Forces are part of the lower income class families who join the service because it is the only job they know that they can have. Rep. Rangel indicated (Rangel Introduces Bill to Reinstate Draft, 2003) that as of 2003 30 percent of the minority population serve in our military services on a voluntary basis. Therefore, there is a discrepancy in the social strata representa tion in our military and it is Rep. Rangel and Sen. Hollings belief that drafting all available young men would be the best way to get all the social classes represented in the military. I find it amusing that these two highly respected lawmakers would use that kind of requirement in drafting their military draft bill because most of the male high school graduates from low to lowest income families often choose to opt for volunteer military service in order to keep a roof over their head and a regular salary with which to pay their daily expenses. Others who support the draft such as retired general and former commandant of the Army War College and historian Robert Scales Jr do so because they believe that our domestic / homeland security forces lack in numbers when it comes to protecting our own soil. He has claimed that â€Å"Even before the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, our military was severely overstretched in fulfilling its missions. But more important, we have done nothing s erious about homeland defense in the war against terrorism. We need guards for our nuclear power plants, dams and public facilities. We have done little to create the necessary border patrollers, customs agents and cargo-ship inspectors†

Friday, October 18, 2019

What Criteria might be used to Define a State as Liberal Democracy Essay

What Criteria might be used to Define a State as Liberal Democracy - Essay Example The liberal state can be explained as an opposition of the individual against the norms of custom, tradition, and religion (Barry et al 2001, p. 3). As a result, the liberal inherently distrusted the imposition of any authority over the individual and the forces of the marketplace. Democracy is a means by which members of a community could ensure equality while working to achieve common goals and aspirations. Liberal democracy can be defined as a political system in which the application of state power is curtailed in several specific ways. The first, most important constraint is the clear separatior if the private and the public realms. Any explicit attempt to merge the two is considered illegitimate. Liberal democracies are also political systems in which any application of political power must be sanctioned by law and a certain degree of equality before the law is accorded all citizens. Political power is subject to popular control through regular, open, and reasonably fair elections in which at least two parties compete for power. Finally, while there may not be a constitutional separation of secular and clerical authorities, the former has prevailed over the latter, at least in recent times. (Bell 2006, p. 123). The main criteria used to defined the state as liberal democracy are the rule of laws and supremacy of constitution, voting rights and equality of all citizens, civil liberties and minority rights, independent judiciary and parliamentary power, independent media and religious freedom, subordination of military to the state power and freedom and autonomy of movements and assassinations. The examples of liberal democracies are France and Austria, Jamaica and Poland. Following Plattner (2007, p. 41), the general will of the community could force men to be free. Far from seeking to defend the liberty of the individual from the power of the state, the essence of democratic thought is to capture and employ the power of the state to benefit the community as a whole. Phrased another way, if liberalism proclaims the primacy of the individual, democracy demands the subordination of the individual to the collective welfare of the whole. Liberal values are not, of course, the only desiderata. Th ere are ideals which others share, of unity, efficiency, order and security. In addition, all societies today, whether democratic or non-democratic, pursue the secular grail of economic growth, and democracy is likely to be judged not only by its merits but its performance. Some account, therefore, had to be taken of the relationship between political reform and economic freedom--a liberalization of markets and the spread of local wealth to match the dispersal of political power (Barry et al 2001, p. 43). Civil society corresponds to liberal democratic society in its political aspects and to the pluralistic society of voluntary associations and private corporations on the other. Civil society entails the freedom of contract and the market economy. The private ownership of property and the freedom of contract and the organization of the market economy around them, are necessary conditions for civility in society. Seen in the crudest terms, civility and the market seem to be antithetical to each other--one altruistic, the other egoistic, the one inclusive, the other exclusive--but in fact they are mutually dependent. The very anonymity of the market, its relative disregard for the primordial and personal, is a necessary condition of the extension of the collective self-consciousness to the inclusion of unknown and unseen persons (Bell 2006, p. 13). Political scandals in the modern world can be understood only by developing an appreciation for this ambiguity concerning the use of politic al power-an ambiguity

Quality Management and Continuous Improvement DB Week One Essay

Quality Management and Continuous Improvement DB Week One - Essay Example agement in assessing and investigating performance in order to ensure their services are valuable and adhere to established standards (Warren et.al, 2011). For example, cost of auditing workers, software, customer satisfaction and speed of executing services. Prevention costs are the expenses incurred in an effort to minimize appraisal and failure cost (Warren et.al, 2011). For example, the cost of inspecting check-in and check-out processes, evaluating the employee’s performance, inspecting cleanness of the rooms and the process of changing over the rooms at the client’s request. Internal costs are the expenses the hotel will incur in establishing poor services or products such before they are actually offered to the clients (Warren et.al, 2011). For example, inappropriate rooms, delays in check-in, check-out and cost of rearranging the room, repair of the rooms, unoccupied capacity, cost of motivating workers, cost of redirecting clients to other hotels. External failure costs are the cost related to defect in products or services after it has been offered to the clients (Warren et.al, 2011). For example, the customer dissatisfaction with the quality of rooms may cause them fail to continue visiting the hotel in the future. Cost of appraisal and external cost are very essential because they assist the management to evaluate how customers view the services and suggest what the management may do in order to increase customer

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Contemporary Approaches to Christian Education by Jack L Seymour and Essay

Contemporary Approaches to Christian Education by Jack L Seymour and Donal E Miller - Essay Example Literature available on this book suggest that there has been very little innovation or even slightly interesting breakthrough in the field of religious-teaching publishing for the last couple of years. It may be quite in order to point out that theological work has remained unchallenged for sometime now. Ordinary themes as well as common ground in the field of contemporary religion have been studied over and over again, but regrettably all have earthed up very little generative insight or research innovation. Through out the years, it has become evident that spiritual educationists have been unable to fully understand the broad disciplines of educational research as well as the various branches of psychology. In fact the truth of the matter is that fewer of these religious educators possess an adequate understanding of the contemporary philosophy or theology (Westerhoff and Neville). In view of this, various authors have tried to grapple with this unending lack of insight into the contemporary divinity. The Mighty Stories and Dangerous Rituals which is a text done by Anderson and Foley is found to be such an extremely important as well as opportune, and most insightful piece. In addition to being engaging theologians, these two authors also have a considerate and convincing vision of education in theology that is capable of breaking free of the general melancholy of the contemporary field. Taking their work seriously could truly mark a significant breakthrough for injecting new life and direction to an otherwise gray field. Looking at the text, one finds out that it is not only affluent in its application of a wide variety of scholarly research, but also in its depth and maturity of thought (Westerhoff and Neville). To further still give an understanding into the contemporary religion, (Westerhoff and Neville) argues that Jack L. Seymour and Donald E. Miller in their book seek to explore the relation of narrative story and ritual. According to these

Perspectives on Friendship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Perspectives on Friendship - Essay Example From this report it is clear that  Mohammed and the author were playing in the yard when thay were suddenly attacked by a group of three boys who were members of a gang in school. They took our football and even threatened to beat them if they did not cooperate with them; the author remember how Mohammed was scared when the author confronted the three boys to leave them alone. The boys were very incensed that the author  had even dared to argue with them and vowed to make life very difficult for both of them but that did not scare me even an inch. the author was firm in my resolve to fight back and resist any challenge they would put us to, thus, the author did not move even an inch when one of the older boys advanced and looked him straight in the eye with his blood-shot piercing eyes.  This essay stresses that  Mohammed and the author have also found ourselves in trouble many times, especially with law enforcement officers for petty offenses like going to parties as minors with fake IDs and driving without licences. On many occasions, their parents have been informed of our offenses and they have subsequently been grounded for days; on his eighteenth birthday, for instance, Mohammed and the author were cruising in his father’s car when traffic officers caught up with him for over-speeding. Fortunately for them, his father was not very angry with him for taking his car and nearly crushing it by over-speeding but he gave them a comprehensive lecture on careful driving.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Contemporary Approaches to Christian Education by Jack L Seymour and Essay

Contemporary Approaches to Christian Education by Jack L Seymour and Donal E Miller - Essay Example Literature available on this book suggest that there has been very little innovation or even slightly interesting breakthrough in the field of religious-teaching publishing for the last couple of years. It may be quite in order to point out that theological work has remained unchallenged for sometime now. Ordinary themes as well as common ground in the field of contemporary religion have been studied over and over again, but regrettably all have earthed up very little generative insight or research innovation. Through out the years, it has become evident that spiritual educationists have been unable to fully understand the broad disciplines of educational research as well as the various branches of psychology. In fact the truth of the matter is that fewer of these religious educators possess an adequate understanding of the contemporary philosophy or theology (Westerhoff and Neville). In view of this, various authors have tried to grapple with this unending lack of insight into the contemporary divinity. The Mighty Stories and Dangerous Rituals which is a text done by Anderson and Foley is found to be such an extremely important as well as opportune, and most insightful piece. In addition to being engaging theologians, these two authors also have a considerate and convincing vision of education in theology that is capable of breaking free of the general melancholy of the contemporary field. Taking their work seriously could truly mark a significant breakthrough for injecting new life and direction to an otherwise gray field. Looking at the text, one finds out that it is not only affluent in its application of a wide variety of scholarly research, but also in its depth and maturity of thought (Westerhoff and Neville). To further still give an understanding into the contemporary religion, (Westerhoff and Neville) argues that Jack L. Seymour and Donald E. Miller in their book seek to explore the relation of narrative story and ritual. According to these

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

IOM summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

IOM summary - Essay Example The IOM was right to propose and promote the chapter 4 policy. This is attributed to population with access to health insurance translates to heightened demand for more healthcare service providers. The California Action Coalition is an organization that works and advocates for the implementation of the IOM chapter 4 recommendation (Fairman et al, 2011). This organization acts as a driving force behind the implementation of the IOM recommendation in the state of California. The American Nurses Association (ANA) is a significant supporter and promoter of IOM recommendations on the education of nurses and the lifting of bans barring them from practicing to their full potential. The ANA strives to provide evidence based supportive material for the recommendations to ensure that they become law in various states where they are involved (Sochalski & Weiner, 2010). The need to support these recommendations is strengthened by the foreseeable increase in the number of people seeking professional health care service. This is aggravated by the changing scope of nursing practice that is redirecting towards providing more patient oriented health care services. This will require more profes sionalism from both the healthcare practitioners and

Indian Ethos and Values Essay Example for Free

Indian Ethos and Values Essay This is the first truth thought to every child. Even a poor uneducated man living in a hut knows that God is in everybody and therefore there is sameness in all. The second truth is about a holistic universe. Where at a level of pervading consciousness everything is interconnected at WASTHI LEVEL (Individual level) my limbs, hands, legs, ears, eyes, heart, lungs. Everything are me. I live in all of them. Their sorrows and joys are my sorrows and Joys. Similarly at SAMASTHI level (the whole universe) I am not a single individual but I am a part of the whole universe Just as my limbs are part f me. Modern science has accepted that in this holistic universe all minds and matters are interconnected at a deeper level. The basic unity of life cannot be broken. Love, sacrifice therefore emerge as the only for a meaningful living. On the basis of this holistic vision, Indians have developed work ethos of life. They found that all work, physical or mental, managerial or administrative have to be directed towards single purpose. The manifestation of the divinity in man by working for the good of others, for the happiness of others. These Indian ethos are required all over he world in present scenario in managing business and industry effectively and efficiently. Some of these ethos are as follows: All work/Karma to manifest divinity, hence these must be pure, good, honest and sincere. Indian philosophy also teaches to perform every work without having any attachment to result, because results do not fall under the Jurisdiction of a doer. Such thinking and understanding will change the whole attitude. Now the results will become a PRASAD-gratitude coming from the God himself. You can now accept the result with open mind without apprehensions-Just as you accept members into Considering motivations as internal every human being has the same divine atman with immense potentialities within Vedanta brings infinite expansion of mind, breaks down all the barriers and brings out the God in man. Motivation is to be internal and not external. Such motivation involves the inner beauty and does not promote any greed in an individual to have more and more in return of his work. Such an understanding is essential before embarking on the task of building the indigenous system of management. These are: Essential divinity of human soul Essential owners and solidarity of universe and all Philosophy of an integral experience. Family is the basic unit of social system. Rishi and ashramiac culture. Purusharth the mission. Varna-Ashram system. Spirit is free enquiry, tolerance and selective assimilation. The characteristics of Indian culture are that attends to be pervasive and enduring. When an international company is setting up business in India, it will have to look for the acceptability of their management in its present form in the Indian situation. The four basic cultural dimensions which may account for differences in management and HRD practices across culture are: the extent to which a society empahises collective rather than individual activity. the extent of power distance or tolerance for social inequility the extent of acceptance of uncertainity the extent to which a society empahises masculine values and behaviour such as assertiveness,ambitiousness and dominance etc. In the above diagram, the basic or the fundamental requirement for a manager is his VISION and attitude towards the environment in its totality i. e. Cosmic view based on cultural values. Next comes the emotional stability of the manager. He must be a self- controlled and self-propelled man. This can come by the heavy input of sattvic gunas and the constant practice of niskam karm. Job skills is the last input. Which though important, is not the Core Requirement as the westerners view it. Hence any international company should imbibe above mentioned features seeking the business in India.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Annotated Bibliography: Nursing Care of Patient With Stroke

Annotated Bibliography: Nursing Care of Patient With Stroke This annotated bibliography will discuss three pieces of literatures, which include a Department of health policy. Demonstrating an understanding of the chosen articles with the use of additional literatures to analyse identify and explore learning and how it will influence the nursing care of patient with stroke. Furthermore, the analysis of how the literature search was performed, the database used, search term used, the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the findings and exploration of why the literature was chosen will be identified. Search Strategy Database such as CINAHL plus, British Nursing Index and Department of Health policy was utilised to acquire relevant articles and guideline relating to stroke (Achterberg, Schoonhoven Grol, 2008). This was searched using keywords such as; â€Å"self- care CVA†, â€Å"self-care management†, with the use of the Boolean operator â€Å"OR†, â€Å"AND â€Å"and â€Å"IN† which helped expand and narrow the search criteria (Petersen, 2010). To carry out the first search the keywords â€Å"self-care management† was inserted and it came up with 1878 hits, again Boolean operator â€Å"OR† was used to refine the search. However the hits were large at 40361 hits, the Boolean operator â€Å"IN† was inserted which gave less than 1657 hits. Moreover, when the search keywords â€Å"self-care stroke† was inserted to the database it came up with 1831 hits, however when the Boolean operator â€Å"AND† was added the number of hits had red uced to 51. To further narrow the search to get minimum and relevant information relating to stroke, the writer used the advance search tools by limiting the search to UK only, publications dates within 6years and excluding international. As a result of this, the first article had 30 results, second article had 500 results and the third article had 321 results. From this, the writer read 10 abstracts each from the articles that were more suitable for the research. From the ten abstract read, the writer was able to come to conclusion by choosing 1 article from each search as it contains appropriate information regarding nursing care for patient with stroke. However the policy was found using the DoH website as the database used to find the other articles were not appropriate for finding a guideline. This was search using keywords â€Å"SELF MANAGEMENT FOR STROKE†, in which gave the writer suitable information relating to stroke and how it influence nursing care (reference) Annotated Article 1 Joice, S. (2012). Self-Management following Stroke. Nursing Standard, 26 (22), 39-46 In this article the author defines the concept of self-management and describes psychological theories and emerging behaviour change techniques that nurses can use to promote positive self-care in patients who have had a stroke (McCabe Timmins, 2013). They identify the importance that nurses are in the main position to combine a wide range of behaviour change techniques that can be modify to different patients (Egan, 2009). They also identify the importance of nurses creating a therapeutic relationship through communication as it enhances the delivery of care provided (Palmer, 2000). Additionally, by providing useful communication between the nurse and patient it encourages them to take more interest in their condition and develop greater understanding and confidence in self-care management (McCabe Timmins, 2013). Many authors such as Burnard (2003), Barrett, Komaromy, Robb and Rodger (2004) and Bach and Grant (2011) agree that communication is the most important therapeutic skill compulsory for nurses. Whilst Schuster (2000) highlights that nurses must also be able to appreciate non-verbal communication, through eye contact and touch, as it is a crucial method to creating a rapport and trusting relationship with their patient before verbal communication commences. The article also identified the challenges nurses face when delivering self-management after stroke, as different policies, authors or researchers may not use same definition of self-management (Newman, Steed Mulligan 2009). Therefore, nurses have to interpret documents and apply them in different environment. Lorig Holman (2003) supports that self-management is poorly theorised, which means lack of knowledge restrict both the nurses and patients from facilitating self-care management (White, Duncan and Baumle, 2011) Although it identifies the importance of individual’s attitudes and beliefs towards recovery and response to rehabilitation, the attitudes and beliefs of the nurse also plays a role (Young and Forster, 2007). However Daniel, Grendall Wilkins (2008) states the importance of valuing people’s attitude and beliefs as it determines their motivation to participate in self- care. Therefore nurses have to be sensitive to that fact that all patients share different beliefs regarding health care issues. (Barker, 2009) The overall article highlighted the importance of nurse’s usage of different behaviour change techniques to promote positive self-management after stroke. It also identifies nurses as the main provider in promoting self-care to patients and their families in order to improve the outcome. Annotated Article 2 Rowat, A. (2011). Malnutrition and Dehydration after Stroke. Nursing Standard, 26 (14), 42-46 The aim of the article was to encourage nurses to identify the frequency and causes of malnutrition and dehydration, consider the complications it can cause and to be aware of the feeding strategies. They identify that patient presented with stroke should be assessed within the first 48 hours and swallowing should be assessed before giving any food, fluid or oral medication (NICE, 2008). They identify the video-fluoroscopy test used to observe the patient swallowing process. However the test is not practical for assessing patient with stroke as they are unable to sit independently as well as endure movement of their head (Rowe D’Antonio, 2005, Jacobsson et al, 2000). Although the video-fluoroscopy is used to detect dysphagia, it is believed to be an unreliable source as it does not identify how the patient should be fed when they return to the ward (Clayton, Jack, Ryall, Tran, Hilal Gosney 2006). The use of different trials carried out by Dennis, Lewis Warlow (2005) supports decisions about feeding patients after stroke as it illustrates the significance of enteral tube feeding reducing risks of death at 6months. The article also identifies alternative evaluation tool; Fibre optic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) has been developed as it can be used at the bedside to establish the movement of fluid and food in the larynx (Ramsey, Smithard Kalra, 2003). However it still requires a skilled operator to administer the swallowing test, therefore the person administering the tests must receive sufficient education and training in order to carry out the test accurately (Rodgers, 2005). It identifies the importance of nurses using the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool as it is a valid and reliable nutritional screening tool used in hospital setting, as high number of patient with stroke experience malnutrition (NICE, 2008). However the tool is not specific to stroke and would not identify reasons the patient is malnourished, but it enables the nurses to identify the patients who need to refer to speech and language therapist (Hickson, 2006). The overall article informs nurses of the common complication arising from stroke and the tools used to examine. It also identifies the importance of teamwork between nurses and speech and language therapy in maintaining the nutrition and hydration status of the patient after stroke. Annotated Policy Department of Health. (2007). National Stroke Strategy. London: HMSO The strategy has been put in place as it provide a quality framework against which local services can secure improvements to stroke services and address health inequalities involving stroke within ten years, provide advice, guidance and support for commissioners, strategic health authorities, the voluntary sector and social care, in the planning, development and monitoring of services; and inform the expectations of those affected by stroke and their families, by providing a guide to high-quality health and social care services. The Department of Health (2007) established a national strategy for stroke facilities in England. According to DoH (2007), almost 110,000 people under the age of 65 in England have a stroke yearly and 20-30% of those people pass away within a month. They identified Stroke as the main cause of disability within adults and costing the NHS and economy  £7 billion yearly as suggested by (Leatherman, Sutherland Airoldi 2008). The DoH developed the strategy as a result of an evidence based practice (Keele, 2011), which suggest what needs to be done by recommending nurses to use the care pathway to deliver an effective care to patients with stroke (Barker, 2013). The policy was implemented to remodel the services provided to the patients, ensuring they receive the best care using resources available. However due to some nurses lack of knowledge, it could limit the resources being used effectively (Rodgers, 2005). Although the policy supports the involvement of patients and family with stroke by involving them in care planning (Benner, Kyriakidis Stannard, 2011). However the policy identifies that this can prove to be less effective when communicating with the patient due to either physical disability or limited communication as a result of the severity of their stroke (DoH,2007).Therefore the policy identifies how to interact effectively with the patient by maintaining their dignity (Masters, 2014). Overall the policy highlights the important of nurses being updated frequently on different tools available to use when caring for their patient. This ensures the patients receive an up-to-date care and restricts their stay in hospital. To conclude, the writer has demonstrated understanding of the articles and policy chosen, by using literatures to analyse and explore further reading concerning how it influences the nursing care of the stroke patient. This has equipped the writer on how effective high quality care should be delivered to patients effectively. References Achterberg, T.V, Schoonhoven, L Grol, R. (2008). Nursing implementation science: How evidence based nursing requires evidence- based implementation. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 40(4), 302-310. Bach, S. Grant, A. (2011). Communication and interpersonal skills in nursing. (2nd ed). Great Britain: Short Run Press. Barker, A.M. (2009). Advanced practice nursing: Essential knowledge for the profession. USA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Barker, J. (2013). Evidence based practice for nurses. (2nd ed.). London:SAGE. Barret, S., Komaromy, C., Robb, M. Rodgers, A. (2004).Communication, relationship and care: A reader. USA: Routledge. Benner, P., Kyriakidis, P.H. Stannard, D. (2011). Clinical wisdom and interventions in acute and critical care: A thinking-in-action approach. (2nd ed.). New York: Springer Publishing. Burnard,P. (2003). Ordinary chat and therapeutic conversation: Phatic communication and mental health nursing. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Nursing, 10 (6), 678-682. Clayton, J., Jack, C.I., Ryall, C., Tran, J., Hilal, E. Gosney, M. (2006). Tracheal pH monitoring and aspiration in acute stroke. Age and Ageing. 5 (1), 47-53. Daniels, R, Grendell, R Wilkins, F.R. (2008). Nursing fundamentals: caring and clinical decision making. (2nd ed). USA: Cengage Learning. Dennis, M.S., Lewis, S.C. Warlow, C. Food Trial Collaboration (2005b). Effect of timing and method of enteral tube feeling for dysphagic stroke patients (FOOD): a multicentre randomised controlled trial. The Lancet. 365, 9461, 764-772. Egan, G. (2009). The skilled helper: A problem management and opportunity-development approach to helping. (9th ed.). USA: Cengage Learning. Hickson, M. (2006). Malnutrition and ageing. Postgraduate Medical Journal. 82 (963), 2-8. Jacobsson, C., Axelsson, K., Osterlind, P.O. Norberg, A. (2000). How people with stroke and healthy older people experience the eating process. Journal of Clinical Nursing. 9 (2), 255-264. Joice, S. (2012). Self-Management following Stroke. Nursing Standard, 26 (22), 39-46 Keele, R. (2011). Nursing research and evidence based practice: Ten steps to success. USA: Jones Bartlett Learning. Lorig, K. Holman, H.R. (2003). Self-Management education: History, definition,outcomes and mechanisms. Annals of Behavioural Medicine. 26 (1), 1-7. Leatherman, S., Sutherland, K. Airold, M. (2008). Bridging the quality gap: Stroke. Retrieved March, 9, 2014 from http://www.wales.nhs.uk/documents/bridging_the_quality_gap.pdf Masters, K. (2014). Role development in professional nursing practice. (3rd ed). USA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. McCabe, C Timmins, F. (2013). Communication skills for nursing practice. (2nd ed). UK: Palgrave Macmillian. Newman, S., Steed, L. Mulligan, K. (2009). Chronic physical illness: Self-management and behavioural intervention. England: Open University Press. Palmer, S. (2000). Introduction to counselling and psychotherapy. London: Sage Petersen, R. (2010). Ubuntu 10.04 LTS desktop handbook. USA: Surfing Turtle Press. Ramsey, D.J., Smithard, D.G. Kalra, L. (2003). Early assessments of dysphagia and aspiration risk in acute stroke patients. Stroke. 34 (5), 1252-1257. Rodger, B.L. (2005). Developing nursing knowledge: Philosophical traditions and influences. USA: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. Rowat, A. (2011). Malnutrition and Dehydration after Stroke. Nursing Standard, 26 (14), 42-46 Rowe, M.R D’Antonoio, L.L. (2005). Velopharyngeal dysfunction: Evolving developments in evaluation. Current Opinion in Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, 13 (6), 366-370. Schuster, P. (2000). Communication the key to the therapeutic relationship. Phiadelphia: F.A. Davis Company. United Kingdom. Department of Health. (2007). National Stroke Strategy. London: HMSO. United Kingdom. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. (2008). Stroke: National Clinical Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Initial Management of Acute Stroke and Transient Ischaemic Attack. Clinical Guideline No.68. London: HMSO. White, L., Duncan, G Baumle, W. (2011). Foundation of basic nursing. (3rd ed). USA: Cengage Learning. Young, J Forster, A. (2007). Review of stroke rehabilitation. British Medical Journal. 334 (7584), 86-90.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Classical vs. Operant Conditioning :: essays research papers

Classical conditioning and operant conditioning are different learning methods. The two methods have the word conditioning in common. What is conditioning? Conditioning is the acquisition of specific patterns of behavior in the presence of well-defined stimuli. Both classical and operant conditioning are basic forms of learning. Classical conditioning is a type of learning in which an organism learns to transfer a natural response from one stimulus to another, previously neutral stimulus. Manipulating reflexes does this. Operant conditioning is a type of learning in which the likelihood of a behavior is increased or decreased by the use of reinforcement or punishment. Operant conditioning deals with more cognitive thought process. These two forms of learning have similarities and differences. Their similarities are that they both produce basic phenomena. One such phenomenon is acquisition. Both types of conditioning result in the inheritance of a behavior. One of the most famous of experiments that illustrates classical conditioning is Pavlov's Dogs. In this experiment, Pavlov sat behind a one-way mirror and controlled the presentation of a bell. The bell was the conditioned stimulus. A conditioned stimulus was an originally neutral stimulus that could eventually produce a desired response when presented alone. Directly after the ringing of the bell, Pavlov gave the dog food. The food was the unconditioned stimulus. This means that the food caused an uncontrollable response whenever it was presented alone. That response would be the salivation of the dog. A tube that was in the dog's mouth then measured the saliva. When the unconditioned stimulus (US) was paired with a conditioned stimulus (CS), it eventually resulted in a conditioned response. Extinction results if there is a decrease in frequency or strength of a learned response due to the failure to continue to pair the US and the CS. Extinction can also occur in operant conditioning. The key to operant conditioning is reinforcement. Reinforcement is when a stimulus is presented that increases the probability that the preceding response will recur in the future. If reinforcement is withheld, extinction will occur in operant conditioning. Another factor that is involved in conditioning is spontaneous recovery. That is the reappearance of an extinguished response after the passage of time, without further training. If Pavlov's dogs did not hear the bell for a few years, and if when they heard it later they drooled, it would be an example of spontaneous recovery. Something similar occurs with operant conditioning.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Customer Satisfaction Towards E-Banking Services: a Case Study on Ific Bank Ltd.

Prelude In a constantly changing world of today, where past is replaced by dynamic present and the dynamic present is being replaced by more challenging future, the old ways of doing things is no longer valid. Change is permanent and a reality. Those who are not able to keep pace with the changes are destined to loose the race. Science and technology is changing the way financial institutions perform their transactions. Today’s banks are shaking by these technological changes. Life has never been so easy, comfortable, and luxurious. Science and technology have brought our life to this stage. But a new technology brings with it not only the potential for success but also a never-ending series of questions regarding its design, its value to its users, ultimate use and acceptability. E-banking is the waves of the future. It provides enormous benefits to consumers in terms of case and cost of transactions, either through internet, telephone or other electronic delivery channels. For many consumers, electronic banking means 24-hours access to cash through an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) or Direct Deposit of paychecks into checking or savings accounts. But electronic banking now involves many different types of transactions. E-banking is a form of banking where funds are transferred through an exchange of electronic signals between financial institution, rather than exchange of cash, cheeks or other negotiable instruments. With the expansion of global Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure and the internet, e-banking is set to play a pivotal role in the national economy, proper software, infrastructure, cyber low and skilled manpower are important for the implementation of e-banking in a country. The concept of e-banking includes all types of banking activities performed through electronic networks. E-banking includes activities like payment of bills and invoices, transfer of funds between accounts, applying for a loan, payment of loan installments, sending funds to third parties via emails or internet connections regardless of where the client is located. Since e-banking offers some smart services benefiting both banks and customers compared with traditional banking system, it has become imperative to make necessary room for the scheduled banks to flourish e- banking. Since e-banking offers some smart services benefiting both banks and customers compared with traditional banking system, it has become imperative to make necessary room for the scheduled banks to flourish e-banking. Among others, attractiveness of e-banking includes: ? it lowers transaction cost; ? provide 24-hour services; ? ensure increased security and control over transactions; ? reduces fraud risk; ? performs higher volume of transactions with less time; ? increases number and volume of value payment through banks; ? llows remote transactions facilities that replace physical presence of a customer in a bank branch and; ? increases transaction speed and accuracy. On the other hand, traditional banking is time-consuming and more costly and therefore, e-banking is replacing traditional banking all over the world. Especially with the increasing acceptability of digital signatures around the world, e-banking has made life much easier and banking much faster and more pleasant, for cus tomers as well as for bankers. Problem Statement Customer satisfaction is required for the banking sector to raise profitability, business growth and success. Customer perception is very important to add value of the banking services and products. E-banking is the waves of the future. It can provide speedier, faster, reliable services to the customers for which they are relatively happy. It provides enormous benefits to consumers in terms of case and cost of transactions, either through internet, telephone or other electronic delivery channels. A new technology brings with it not only the potential for success, but also a never-ending series of questions regarding its design, its value to the user, its ultimate use and acceptability. Although there has been significant effort made to eliminate paper-based payment transactions, the basic way of handling payments by consumers has not changed. The study has been undertaken to evaluate the reaction of the customers towards the e-banking services. Research Objectives E-banking services provide smart replacement of traditional banking services and benefit both the bankers and the customers. But in Bangladesh, due to presence of some constrains, e-banking is not flourishing as it should do. The main objective of this research study is to find out the reaction of the customers towards the e-banking services. In this context, the specific objectives would be to observe – ? The types of e-banking facilities a bank, in this case IFIC Bank Ltd. , offers to its customers; ? The factors that satisfy the customers in receiving e-banking facilities offered by the bank; ? The constraints the customers face in adopting e-banking facilities; ? The expectations and recommendations of the customers towards e-banking services. Literature Review A. E-Banking in Bangladesh In Bangladesh, e-banking facilities are yet to be fully developed although some technology driven products and services have been in operation over the last few years. The existing technology driven products and services offered by the traditional banks are ATM services, debit card and credit card, transactions through POS terminals, inter-branch online transactions through individualized online closed network of individual bank, limited customer services provided through internet and membership of SWIFT allowing scheduled banks to conduct wireless transactions especially e-transactions. All these technology based products and services have obviously unlocked the way to step toward e-banking. Moreover, as a part of modernizing national payment and settlement system, Bangladesh Automated Clearing House (BACH) that includes Bangladesh Automated Cheque Processing System (BACPS), and Bangladesh Electronic Fund Transfer Network (BEFTN), is being implemented under the â€Å"Remittance and Payments Partnership† (RPP) project of the Bangladesh Bank funded by DFID-UK is expected to speed up the adoption of e-banking as well. E-banking at per international standard is yet to develop in Bangladesh. At present, several private commercial banks (PCBs) and foreign commercial banks (FCBs) offer limited services of telebanking, internet banking, and online banking facilities working within the branches of individual bank in a closed network environment. As a part of stepping towards e-banking, the FCBs have played the pioneering role with adoption of modern technology in retail banking during the early 1990s whereas the state-owned commercial banks (SCBs) and PCBs came forward with such services in a limited scale during the late 1990s. Moreover, the banking industry as a whole, except for the four specialized banks (SBs), rushed to offer technology based banking services during the middle of the current decade. Online Banking: Transactions in online banking are performed within closed network for which the customer use specialized software provided by the respective bank. International standard online banking facilities are expanding in Bangladesh. At present, 29 scheduled banks offer any branch banking facilities through their respective bank online network that provides facilities like transaction through any branch under the respective bank online network; payment against pay order or pay order encashment, demand draft encashment, opening or redemption of FDR from any branch of the same bank; remote fund transfer, cash withdrawal, cash deposit, account statement, clearing and balance enquiry within branches of the same bank; and L/C opening, loan repayment facility to and from any branch of respective bank under its own online network. Inter-bank transactions or transaction between inter bank branches are yet to expand. Under the modernization program of the National Payment and Settlement System, Bangladesh Automated Clearing House (which includes Bangladesh Automated Cheque Processing System and Bangladesh Electronic Fund Transfer Network) came into effect from September 2009 followed by implementation of online banking at per international standard in near future. Internet Banking: Internet banking refers to the use of internet as a remote delivery channel for banking services which permits the customer to conduct transactions from any terminal with access to the internet. It is the WWW through which banks can reach their customers directly with no intermediaries. Internet banking in true sense is still absent in Bangladesh. Only 7 out of 47 banks are providing some banking services via internet that include account balance enquiry, fund transfer among accounts of the same customer, opening or modifying term deposit account, cheque book or pay order request, exchange rate or interest rate enquiry, bills payment, account summary, account details, account activity, standing instructions, loan repayment, loan information, statement request, ,cheque status enquiry, stop payment cheque, refill prepaid card, password change, L/C application, bank guarantee application, lost card (debit/credit) reporting, pay credit card dues, view credit card statement, or check balance. The core banking activities like fund transfer to third party, cross border transactions and so on are still uncovered by internet banking offered by the scheduled banks in Bangladesh. Mobile Banking: Mobile banking (also known as M-banking or SMS banking) is a term used for performing balance checks, account transactions, payments etc. via a mobile device such as a mobile phone. Mobile banking is most often performed via SMS or the Mobile Internet but can also use special programs called clients downloaded to the mobile device. The standard package of activities that mobile banking covers are: mini-statements and checking of account history; alerts on account activity or passing of set thresholds; monitoring of term deposits; access to loan statements; access to card statements; mutual funds/equity statements; insurance policy management; pension plan management; status on cheque, stop payment on cheque; ordering check books; balance checking in the account; recent transactions; due date of payment (functionality for stop, change and deleting of payments); PIN provision, change of PIN and reminder over the internet; blocking of (lost/stolen) cards; domestic and international fund transfers; micro-payment handling; mobile recharging; commercial payment processing; bill payment processing; peer to peer payments; withdrawal at banking agent; and deposit at banking agent. Despite huge prospects, only a few banks adopted mobile banking in Bangladesh during the last year. Tele Banking: Tele banking refers to the services provided through phone that requires the customers to dial a particular telephone number to have access to an account which provides several options of services. Despite huge potential, telebanking services have not been widened enough in daily banking activities in Bangladesh. Only four banks so far provide a few options of telebanking services such as detail account information, balance inquiry, information about products or services, ATM card activation, cheque book related service, bills payment, credit card service and so on. Funds transfer between current, savings and credit card account, stock exchange transactions etc are still inaccessible through telebanking in Bangladesh. B. Prospects of e-Banking in Bangladesh E-banking is now a global phenomenon. Apart from the developed countries, the developing countries are experiencing strong growth in e-banking. The government’s emphasis on building a digital Bangladesh, setting up ICT park, raising allocation for developing ICT infrastructure, waiving taxes on computer peripherals and other measures including the automation program of banking sector led by the Bangladesh Bank and competition among the scheduled banks in improving customer services have accelerated the prospects of e-banking in Bangladesh. Bangladesh Bank is implementing the RPP project for modernizing national payment and settlement system. The BACH including BACPS and BEFTN has started functioning from September 2009 followed by the development of inter-bank online network. The project plans to go for real time gross settlement (RTGS) by 2012. It has been made mandatory for all head offices of the scheduled banks to be connected with Bangladesh Bank for satisfying BACH and BEFTN. These efforts would allow the scheduled banks to be connected to each other for conducting inter-bank online transactions in near future and this would smoothen the introduction of e-banking in Bangladesh. Internet services came to Bangladesh with connectivity in 1996. Digital telephone exchanges have been established in 389 upazilas and 17 growth centres. Work is underway to cover the rest of the upazilas under digital exchange system. Meanwhile, Bangladesh has joined the information super-highway by connecting itself with international submarine cable system in 2006. A total of 159 Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have now been connected with this system of which 64 are actively providing services. Internet connection is slow with bandwidth range 32 kbps to 56 kbps for dial up and 64 kbps to 8 mbps for broadband. The establishment of internet exchange is under implementation. Encryption laws to accept electronic authentication of transactions has been enacted in 2006 and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) has been legalized. Under this scenario, as a part of government decision of building digital Bangladesh, the existing capabilities of ICT sector is likely to increase rapidly in bringing all upazilas under internet services and this will contribute in widening the scope of e-banking throughout the country. Although all branches of FCBs and 99% branches of PCBs were computerized by December 2006, the average for all bank branches was 37% since only 4% and 16% of SBs and SCBs respectively were computerized. Out of a total of 6,565 branches in 2006, 2,426 were computerized of which 651 branches of 22 PCBs and 7 FCBs together were providing any-branch-banking facility under respective bank online network. During the period, the number of ATM booths and POS terminals stood at 478 and 4,647 respectively covering important merchant outlets in six divisional cities and some other important district towns in Bangladesh while 43 banks became the member of SWIFT and 25 banks adopted router connection. Since about 50% of total bank branches belong to SCBs spread throughout the country including the rural areas, ICT penetration is crucial for this category of banks. The recent corporatization of the NCBs, would influence the banks in this category to be competitive through improving their service quality incorporating the use of modern technology. Although all these are positive developments, more attention is needed to enhance ICT capabilities of the banking system especially the SCBs for successful implementation of e-banking all over the country. Although e-banking has bright prospects, it involves some financial risks as well. The major risk of e-banking includes operational risks (e. g. security risks, system design, implementation and maintenance risks); customer misuse of products and services risks; legal risks (e. g. without proper legal support, money laundering may be influenced); strategic risks; reputation risks (e. g. in case the bank fails to provide secure and trouble free e-banking services, this will cause reputation risk); credit risks; market risks; and liquidity risks. Therefore, identification of relevant risks, and formulation and implementation of proper risk mitigation policies and strategies are important for the scheduled banks while performing e-banking. In Bangladesh, despite huge demand from the business community as well as the retail customers particularly the urban customers, the expansion of e-banking is beset with several infrastructural, institutional, and regulatory constraints such as unavailability of a backbone network connecting the whole country; inadequacy of reliable and secure information infrastructure especially telecommunication infrastructure; sluggish ICT penetration in banking sector; insufficient legal and regulatory support for adopting e-banking and so on. In Bangladesh, telephone connectivity is inadequate, cost of PCs are still beyond purchasing capacity of most people, internet connection is costly, IT literacy is yet to reach satisfactory level, banking sector lacks skilled IT personnel, and huge investment requirement for establishing technology based banking services are prime drawbacks. Despite the constraints, efforts by the Bangladesh Bank in modernizing the country's payment system and commitment by the government in building ‘Digital Bangladesh’ have brought competition among the scheduled banks to improve banking services and rapidly adopt e-banking on a wider scale. Research Design Since the research is conducted to find out the factors that satisfy the customers towards e-banking, the constraints they face in adopting e-banking facilities and their expectations and recommendations towards e-banking, the research is particularly suited as an exploratory research. Data Collection Methods For the purpose of the study both primary and secondary data have been used. Primary data have been collected from the customers through depth interview with the help of a questionnaire, which is attached with this report in Appendix I. In case of secondary data, the data has been collected from the websites, brochures, annual reports, and manuals of IFIC Bank Ltd. Sample Design The target population for the study was all the customers of IFIC Bank Ltd. who receive e-banking services from the bank. Elephant Road Branch of IFIC Bank Ltd. is selected as the sampling unit. All the customers of the branch who have used e-banking services constituted the sampling frame. A sample size of 30 customers has been selected. The sample was selected using convenience sampling. Analysis Qualitative analysis of the facts found through depth interview of the customers and secondary data collected through other sources is done throughout the research. This qualitative analysis is totally a judgmental analysis of the researcher. Here, no quantitative analysis is done. To find out the reactions of the customers towards e-banking services it is tried to find out whether the customers use the e-banking services frequently; people of which occupation use the service frequently; if the customers are comfortable with using the e-banking services or not; if they are satisfied what factors make them satisfied; if the customers are facing constraints, what type of constraints they are facing; what the customers suggest to diversify away those constraints; and lastly what the customers expect more from the bank regarding e-banking services. Overview of IFIC Bank Ltd. International Finance Investment and Commerce Bank Limited (IFIC Bank) is a banking company incorporated in the People's Republic of Bangladesh with limited liability. It was set up at the instance of the Government in 1976 as a joint venture between the Government of Bangladesh and sponsors in the private sector with the objective of working as a finance company within the country and setting up joint venture banks/financial institutions abroad. The Government held 49 per cent shares and the rest 51 per cent were held by the sponsors and general public. In 1983 when the Government allowed banks in the private sector, IFIC was converted into a full-fledged commercial bank. The Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh now holds 35% of the share capital of the Bank. Leading industrialists of the country having vast experience in the field of trade and commerce own 34% of the share capital and the rest is held by the general public. The Bank’s mission is to provide service to the clients with the help of a skilled and dedicated workforce whose creative talents, innovative actions and competitive edge make its position unique in giving quality service to all institutions and individuals. The bank is committed to the welfare and economic prosperity of the people and the community, for it drives from them the inspiration and drive for onward progress to prosperity. The bank wants to be the leader among banks in Bangladesh and make indelible mark as an active partner in regional banking operating beyond the national boundary. In an intensely competitive and complex financial and business environment, we particularly focus on growth and profitability of all concerned. Milestones in the development of IFIC BANK |1976 |Established as an Investment & Finance Company under arrangement of joint venture with the govt. of Bangladesh. | |1980 |Commenced operation in Foreign Exchange Business in a limited scale. | |1982 |Obtained permission from the Govt. to operate as a commercial bank. | |Set up a its first overseas joint venture (Bank of Maldives Limited) in the Republic of Maldives (IFIC's share in Bank | | |of Maldives Limited was subsequently sold to Maldives Govt. in 1992) | |1983 |Commenced operation as a full-fledged commercial bank in Bangladesh. | |1985 |Set up a joint venture Exchange Company in the Sultanate of Oman, titled Oman Bangladesh Exchange Company (subsequently| | |renamed as Oman International Exchange, LLC). | |1987 |Set up its first overseas branch in Pakistan at Karachi. | |1993 |Set up its second overseas branch in Pakistan at Lahore. |1994 |Set up its first joint venture in Nepal for banking operation, titled Nepal Bangladesh Bank Ltd. | |1999 |Set up its 2nd joint venture in Nepal for lease financing, titled Nepal Bangladesh Finance & leasing Co. Ltd. which was| | |merged with NBBL in 2007 | |2003 |Overseas Branches in Pakistan amalgamated with NDLC, to establish a joint venture bank: NDLC-IFIC Bank Ltd. , | | |subsequently renamed as NIB Bank Ltd. | |2005 |Acquired MISYS solution for real time on-line banking application. | | |Core Risk Management implemented. | |2006 |Corporate Branding introduced. | |Visa Principal and Plus (Issuer and Require) Program Participant Membership obtained. | |2008 |Observing 25th Anniversary of Customer Satisfaction. | |2009 |64 Branches offering Real Time On-line banking facility. | Services Offered by IFIC Bank Ltd. Corporate Banking IFIC Bank is providing a wide range of financial services, offering specialist advice and products to corporate clients to meet diverse demands of changing market scenario. Products and services for commercial and business customers include: Working Capital Finance, Project Finance, Term Finance, Trade Finance, Lease Finance, Syndication Loan etc. Retail Banking Retail Banking is mass-banking facility for individual customers to avail banking services directly from the wide branch network all over the country. The bank provides one-stop financial services to all individual customers through its innovative products & services to cater their need. With a view to provide faster and more convenient centralized online banking services, now, all its branches have been brought under the real time online banking system. IFIC Bank offers a wide variety of deposit products, loan product & value added services to suit the customer’s banking requirements. Products and services for individual customer include: Consumer Finance, Deposit Product, Card, NRB Account, Student File, SMS Banking etc. SME Banking The growth of Small and Medium enterprises (SMEs) in terms of size and number has multiple effects on the national economy, specifically on employment generation, GDP growth, and poverty alleviation in Bangladesh. At present, Small & Medium Enterprise sector is playing a vital role in creation of new generation entrepreneurs and ‘Entrepreneurs Culture' in the country. Experience shows that borrowers of small enterprise sector prefers collateral free loan since normally they cannot offer high value security to cover the exposure. To facilitate SME sector of the country, IFIC Bank provides collateral free credit facilities to the small & medium entrepreneurs across the country whose access to traditional credit facilities are very limited. The bank is offering 15 different products for selected target groups, such as – Easy Commercial Loan, Retailers Loan, Muldhan Loan, Women Entrepreneur’s Loan (Protyasha), Transport Loan, Working Capital Loan, Project Loan, letter of Contractor's Loan, Bidder's Loan, Working Capital Loan, Project Loan, Letter of Guarantee, Letter of Credit Loan against Imported Merchandize (LIM), Loan against Trust Receipt etc. E-Banking Services Offered by IFIC Bank Ltd. Since the beginning of its journey as a commercial bank in 1983, IFIC Bank has been giving great emphasis on the adoption of modern technology. It became the pioneer in the field of automation by introducing computerized branch banking right in the same year. Subsequently, all the branches were brought under similar automated platforms with upgraded software applications to offer all the critical banking features. At present all 82 domestic branches are fully computerized under networked environment. The Bank has taken up a new project with Misys International Banking System Inc. (UK) to further upgrade its banking operation to state-of-art world class on-line banking solutions to provide faster and even more convenient centralized services to the clients. Besides, the Bank is also operating fully on-line Automated Teller Machine (ATM) services under the banner Q-Cash at a number of locations in Dhaka and Chittagong. The ATM facilities are available to the customers at Q-Cash booth. At present, there are five ATM booths of the bank. IFIC Bank Ltd. or achieving customer satisfaction and for surviving in this competitive market has concentrated on offering different types of e-banking services to its customers. Different e-banking services offered by the bank are fully online branch banking facilities, credit card, debit card, prepaid card, SMS banking facilities etc. IFIC Credit Card IFIC Bank VISA Credit Cards are issued in two types namely Gold and Classic for both local and international use. The Local Cards can be used at any ATM displaying VISA Logo for withdrawal of cash and at any POS displaying VISA Logo for purchase of goods & services within Bangladesh whereas the International Cards can be used at any ATM and POS displaying VISA logo anywhere in the world. International credit card is a dual currency card and as such one can use the same plastic at home & abroad. Classic cards are for lower limits and less costly. IFIC credit cardholders can enjoy 20 to 50 days interest free period depending on the date of transaction and the date of statement generation. Interest free period will not be allowed for cash advance. The customers can repay any amount not less than the minimum payment due within the due date and keep account regular to enjoy revolving credit facility. Customers can enjoy credit facility at lower interest rate of 2% per month. Customers can enjoy cash withdrawal facility up to 60% of the credit limit through ATMs. One can enjoy up to 100% of your credit limit through Bank POS from any branch of IFIC Bank Limited. First two supplementary cards are free. Customers can select any two from their near & dear persons and give them supplementary credit cards. They can also enjoy and share their credit limit. They can also allow specific limits for them within their credit limit. No interest will be calculated on the amount other than cash advance if the total billing amount is paid within the payment due date. In case of part payment or no payment, interest @2% per month will be applied from the date of transaction on daily product basis until the outstanding balance is fully paid. IFIC Debit Card IFIC Bank VISA Debit Card can be used at any ATM displaying VISA Logo for withdrawal of cash and at any POS displaying VISA Logo for purchase of goods & services within Bangladesh. ATM transactions are to be secured by Personal Identification Number (PIN) known by the concerned customer only. POS transactions will not require PIN. However, all the transactions are to be authorized by the system electronically. IFIC debit card is issued against any individual savings/ current account maintained with any branch of IFIC Bank Limited. The designated savings/current account can be operated by using the debit card without using cheques any time. The customers are not required to pay any charge for transactions at Merchant Point of Sale (POS) for purchasing goods and services. For cash withdrawal from ATM/Branches, a little charge may be applied. No interest will be calculated on cash withdrawal or purchases. No minimum amount due and no hassle of payment of monthly bills. IFIC Prepaid Card IFIC Bank VISA Prepaid Card can be used at any ATM displaying VISA Logo for withdrawal of cash and at any POS displaying VISA Logo for purchase of goods & services within Bangladesh. ATM transactions are to be secured by Personal Identification Number (PIN) known by the concerned customer only. POS transactions will not require PIN. However, all the transactions are to be authorized by the system electronically. Prepaid card is safer than carrying cash and more convenient than writing cheques. IFIC Prepaid card is issued by the branches instantly on filling-up the Application Form and making initial deposit. There is no need to have any account with the Bank. Prepaid card are suitable for the customers who does not maintain any account with IFIC. No interest will be calculated on cash withdrawal or purchases. No minimum amount due and no hassle of payment of monthly bills. Bank POS are available at all the branches of the Bank. Any IFIC Card Holder can withdraw cash from any branch of IFIC Bank Ltd. through Bank POS. Credit Card Holders can withdraw cash up to 100% of their credit limit. SMS Banking IFIC Bank Ltd. atered the demand of time in the era of modern banking technology through SMS Banking Service. It is indeed a fast, secure, convenient, economical and quickest way of banking. The service is available round the clock seven days a week. Customers can check their balance, account inf ormation, or even get your mini account statements through IFIC SMS Banking Service by using their mobile phones. Services available by SMS banking are as follows: Account Service ? Balance Enquiry ? Mini Statement Request (Last 5 Transactions) ? Foreign exchange Rate enquiry ? Fixed Deposit Rate enquiry ? Interest Rate enquiry ? Branch Location enquiry ? PIN Change ? Bank Product Information ? Greetings Loan Installment Notification (overdue) ? Any other Massage Card Services ? Current Outstanding Balance ? Mini Statement Request ( Last 5 Transactions) ? Minimum Payment Due ? Payment Due Date ? Payment Due Alert ? Transaction Notification Analysis The concept of e-banking includes all types of banking activities performed through electronic networks. In Bangladesh, despite huge demand e-banking is not flourishing as it should do. On the other hand, customer satisfaction is required for the banking sector to raise profitability, business growth and success. Customer perception is ve ry important to add value of the banking services and products. Through this study it is tried to find out whether the customers are appreciating the e-banking services offered to them or not; factors that satisfy them in receiving e-banking services from banks; the constraints they face regarding this matter and what they expect from the banks regarding e-banking services. For conducting the research, data from both primary and secondary sources are collected. Primary data are collected by doing depth interview of the customers with the help of a questionnaire, which is given in the Appendix I. This research study is based on the case study on IFIC Bank Ltd. The sampling unit is the Elephant Road branch of the bank and 30 regular customers of the branch are used as sample for conducting the research. To find out the reactions of the customers towards e-banking services it is tried to find out whether the customers use the e-banking services frequently; people of which occupation use the service frequently; if the customers are comfortable with using the e-banking services or not; if they are satisfied what factors make them satisfied; if the customers are facing constraints, what type of constraints they are facing; what the customers suggest to diversify away those constraints; and lastly what the customers expect more from the bank regarding e-banking services. The research is an explorative research. That is why only qualitative research has been done on the facts found through depth interview and on the basis of secondary data collected. Nature of Respondents The research is conducted based on the opinion of 30 regular customers of IFIC bank Ltd. , Elephant Road branch. Of the respondents 4 customers are businessman, 15 are service holders, 4 are students, 5 are housewives, 1 is teacher and 1 is a retired banker. Among the respondents, 11 respondents are female and the rest of them are male. Types of E-banking Services Used by the Respondents IFIC Bank mainly provides 5 kinds of e-banking services, namely, online transaction, debit card, credit card, prepaid card, SMS banking service. Other than these ATM booths and POS terminals of the bank or other ones having VISA logo provides e-banking services to the customers. Among the respondents, all of them use online transactions; 23 customers use debit cards; 10 customers use credit cards; 11 customers use SMS banking facilities. Among the customers no one uses prepaid card service. Frequency of Usage of E-banking Services by the Respondents Among the respondents, 9 customers use e-banking services highly frequently; 13 of them use with medium frequency and 8 of them use with low frequency. Businessmen and some of the service holders use e-banking services highly frequently. Some service holders and students use with medium frequency and lastly rest of the service holders and housewives, generally, use with low frequency. Factors Satisfied the Customers regarding E-banking Services IFIC Bank has started offering e-banking services to its customers only recently, which is not more than 2 years. So the customers, who do regular transactions in the bank, are very satisfied with the type of e-banking services they are receiving from the bank. All the customers of the bank can enjoy online banking facilities. Even two years before there was branch banking system. So, the customers had to go to branch to branch for their transaction making purposes. But now, with the introduction of online banking, they can do their transactions from any branch in Bangladesh without any encumbrance. Recently, all the 82 branches of the bank are providing online banking services to the customers. So, the customers are feeling it convenient to uses e-banking services. Usage of debit and credit cards has made customers life easy. People do not have to go to branches to withdraw money. Rather they can use the ATM booths of the bank or other ones showing VISA logo and withdraw money. They can also check their account balances and get mini statements of their accounts using ATM booth. Customers can use POS terminals showing VISA logo to purchase goods and services and pay bills. SMS banking also has made customers life easy. They can use their mobile phones for balance checking, getting any kind of relevant enquiries or for making relevant requests. So, the customers are feeling it is easy to use e-banking services as it saves a lot of time and cost. Some customers feel it is safe to use e-banking facilities. A lots of paperwork and manual work has been eliminated with the introduction of e-banking services, which reduces the chance of errors. According to above analysis, it is found that the factors for which customers are satisfied with e-banking service are convenience, availability of quick services, easy services and safety. Constraints Faced by the Customers Many of the respondents have said that they are facing constraints using e-banking services offered by IFIC bank. Some customers say that they cannot depend on the e-banking services, like debit cards, credit cards. They have the fear of security. They have some misconceptions regarding these services. They say that, it would be easier for others to do fraudulent activities with their accounts or cards if they use them. For this reason, some customers do not use these services although they bear the cards. Some customers have lack of awareness regarding the benefit of e-banking services. They are not aware of safety, easiness and benefit of using e-banking services. Some customers have lack of dependency on e-banking services. They rather feel it safe to do TT rather than doing online transactions. They do not understand the speediness of using e-banking services and like traditional and manual work. Some customers find it costly using e-banking services. Cost of using debit cards and credit cards are very high according to them. Again, the bank has only 5 ATM booths of its own and POS terminals are available only in the branches, which does not bear extra cost, but they are only few in number. Other organizations’ ATM booths and POS terminals cost extra charges which the customers do not like to bear. According to above discussion, it is found that the constraints the customers face are fear of security, lack of awareness, lack of dependency, and cost. Expectations and Recommendations of the Customers Regarding E-banking Services According to the customers, the expectations from the bank and recommendations for the bank are as follows: ? The bank should install more ATM booths of its own to different locations to make it available, easy, convenient and less costly for the customers to use the facilities. ? The bank should have some programs to create awareness and increase dependency about the products they offer to customers. The bank can distribute brochures, leaflets to its customers informing them about advantages of using the services. The bank can also send letters to the customers informing about the products. Some customers have requested that it would be better if the letters are sent in Bangla rather than in English. ? As some customers think that using e-banking services are costly for them, the bank may reduce the cost of these services or may give some discounts. ? The bank should concentrate more on the safety of the services. ? The bank should do more advertisement about their products. Some customers are not even aware about the SMS banking service and the prepaid card service is offered by the bank. ? The bankers should be more helpful in making the customers aware and understand about the new e-banking services offered by the bank. Conclusion Customer satisfaction is required for the banking sector to raise profitability, business growth and success. Customer perception is very important to add value of the banking services and products. E-banking is the waves of the future. It can provide speedier, faster, reliable services to the customers for which they are relatively happy. It provides enormous benefits to consumers in terms of case and cost of transactions, either through internet, telephone or other electronic delivery channels. A new technology brings with it not only the potential for success, but also a never-ending series of questions regarding its design, its value to the user, its ultimate use and acceptability. The research has been undertaken to evaluate the reaction of the customers towards the e-banking services. The research was an exploratory research. Qualitative analysis of the data collected from both primary and secondary sources are done. Primary data was collected by doing depth interview of the customers of Elephant Road branch IFIC Bank Ltd. Sample size was 30. According to the analysis the factors for which make customers satisfied with e-banking service are convenience, availability of quick services, easy services and safety. The constraints the customers face from receiving e-banking services from the bank are fear of security, lack of awareness, lack of dependency, and high cost. The customers expect that the bank should be more careful and concentrate on informing the information about the newly launched products to its customers to increase awareness and dependency on those products. The bank should make the services more convenient to the customers. And it should also take care of the security matters of the customers. ———————– Target Population: All the customers of IFIC Bank Ltd. who use e-banking services offered by the bank Sampling Unit: Elephant Road branch of IFIC Bank ltd. Sampling Frame: Name of all the customers of the branch who have used e-banking services Sample Size: 30 Sampling Technique: Convenience Sampling Exhibit 1: Sample Design