Price Hike

India is facing many serious problems nowadays, but the problem of price-rise is the most serious one. It is very common these days. The prices of essential commodities are going higher day by day. India is passing through a very hard time nowadays. The problem of prise-rise has become very serious. The government is unable to control the prices of necessary goods. The rise in prices is natural in a developing county like India. But when it goes out of control, it causes great difficulties for the masses. If the problem is not tackled in a proper way, it may take a serious turn. There are many causes responsible for rise in prices. Such rise in prices might be due to natural calamities like floods, earthquakes and famine and also wars. The three wars between India and Pakistan and one between Indian and China since. 1962 have largely affected Indian economy. The other reasons of the soaring prices may be bribery, corruption, black-marketing, hoarding, smuggling, profiteering and many other anti-national and anti-social tendencies. The pressure of population growth is also one of its causes. The most important factor which is responsible for price-rise is the mentality of the people to become millionaire in a night. High prices have very bad effect on the people. These rising prices increase the cost of living. It is deplorable that a small group of businessmen earn a lot of money by unfair means of hoarding essential goods. Owing to this tendency a vast majority of people have to suffer untold hardships. If the present position continues, the middle-class people will not be able to maintain their position in society. The government is aware of this problem. A number of measures have been taken by the government. It is also trying to increase the production of essential goods. The distribution of these goods has also been made fair and effective. The burden of taxes on the middle-class has been lessened. But rising prices can be checked only when the people co-operate with the government. The hoarders and the black-marketeers should be severely punished. Growth of population should be checked. Public sector should be encouraged. The government should take over the trade of essential goods. The government should find out ways and means to increase the production. There should be balance in supply and demand. Only the combined efforts of the government and the people can solve the problem

Political Compromise

The political compromise during the period of 1820 to 1860 was unable to reduce sectional tension during this time period. According to Tom Meltzer and Jean H. Bennett, in their book Cracking the Ap U.s. History Exam, â€Å"The new period of expansion resulted in a national debate over slavery, as would every period of expansion to follow until the Civil War resolved the slavery question. † The Missouri Compromise, the Compromise of 1850, and†¦ were just a quick fix for the inevitable to come, the civil war. The political compromises of this time period were not able to meet their final goal, primarily because of misunderstandings The Missouri compromise, which admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, helped balance the U. S. Senate. The compromise was one of the first measures anticipating the Civil War, It was helpful for a small period of time before more states were created and tipped off the balance. The Missouri compromise wasn’t effective in reducing sectional tension, because it was only effective for a small period of time before sectional struggle began over the new territories that were being settled. Another example of a quick fix to reduce sectional tension is the Compromise of 1850. California created a state constitution that prohibited slavery, which of course caused the South to oppose bid for statehood. The Compromise of 1850 admitted California as a free state, enacted a fugitive slave law, and created the territories of Utah and New Mexico, it also let them decide if they wanted to be a free or slave state.

Reflecting on Leadership Styles Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reflecting on Leadership Styles - Assignment Example Commonly, when two people are asked to make a qualitative assessment of a person’s leadership style and leadership qualities, each of these people are looking to base the premise of their judgment on different factors and parameters. But in order to ensure fairness in the current assessment of the leaders, a very clearly outlined scope of assessment is used. This scope will be to analyze how the behaviors and actions of these leaders in specific instances were consistent, or not with contingency theory and the styles of leadership referred to in Goleman (2000) and Bjugstad et al (2006). Aligning Leadership Styles to Challenges Priya Singh and Lillian Park, who are the Associate Dean and Chief of Staff to the Dean at Stanford University, and the human resource manager of Mechanical Lloyd respectively. According to the contingency theory, there is no single leadership style or leadership behavior that can be identified as being exclusively right or wrong. Rather, a leaderâ€℠¢s ability to manipulate a prevailing situation and adopt the best leadership behavior towards any given situation within the organizational set up represents the leader’s real attitude towards change (Oladipo et al, 2013). To this end, it is always important to assess leaders based on specific issues that they were faced with. Recently in media reports, allegations of student victimization at the School of Medical Sciences of the Stanford University came up. In the heat of media tussle, many were those who were calling for heads to roll without any thorough investigations but based on hearsay. While this hula balloon was going on, Mr. Singh went behind public confrontation to undertake secret investigations of his own staff. Eventually, it was the findings of Mr. Singh that became the major decision tool that exposed all offenders. Clearly, the best of leaders have been described as those who are not quick to be seen in the public domain but would sit back and put their skil ls, knowledge and logic to work to achieve results (Goleman, 2000). Indeed, even though his action may be generally considered as authoritarian; because it did not directly involve other people, the dean implemented this action perfectly and to the best of the challenge that he was faced at the time. Ineffectiveness of Leadership Still on the practice of the authoritarian leadership style, the story of Lillian Park can be told as an example of how ineffectively this leadership style was used. This is because in recent media reportage, a group of workers at the company went on a protest against their management for various reasons of poor conditions of work. As soon as this became known to the human resource manager, she single handedly took a decision to have all workers involved in the protest out of her working staff. This was done without any prior notification of the board of directors of the company. Eventually after her action was rolled out, the group of aggrieved workers con sulted a public attorney, who took up the issue in court. After days of legal battle, it turned out that the human resource manager was wrong in her action as she did not follow due process and at the same time denied the workers of their benefits. A fine as huge as $1.5 million was leveled against the company. As noted in literature, leaders must see themselves as chief servants, who are tasked with the responsibility of getting the collective goal of the

Aboriginal people and the Canadian justice system Essay

Aboriginal people and the Canadian justice system - Essay Example Section 35 of the constitution of Canada defines aborigines as 'aboriginal people in Canada include the Indian, Inuit, and metis people of Canada And further sect 35 sub sec 4 states 'notwithstanding any other provision of this act, the aboriginal and treaty rights referred to in sub section 1 are guaranteed equally to male and female.The Federal government of Canada and the provincial government are committed to the principle that, before amendment to class 24 of section 91 of the constitution act 1867 to section 25 of this act or to this part.The Ottawa project for restoration and sentencing is said to be the pilot project .it is said also to one of the several justice projects across Canada that have garnered support of the department of justice.The numerous studies, reports and justice inquires across Canada, and growing body of statistical information, confirmed that aboriginal people experience disproportionately high rates of crime and victimization are over represented in the court and the correctional system, and further, feel a deep alienation from justice system that is to them foreign and inaccessible and reflects both human and fiscal terms are seen to be exhorbitant, but also spiraling.Through persistent dialogue with various levels of government, aboriginal communities across Canada have gradually begun to explore the possibility of administering various components of the criminal justice system. Various difficulties confronting Aboriginal people within the Canadian judicial system have been addressed over the past twenty years but, unfortunately, many problems still exist. High levels of Aboriginal incarceration, one of the most serious problems, are aggravated by inadequate government funding and limited rehabilitation options and resources, and the overall justice system still does not address the cultural needs of Aboriginal peoples. JURISDICTIONAL REACH OF THE INTIATIVES Besides the fact that the restorative and sentencing community projects is a national wide issue which has been deeply entrenched in the constitution via the constitution act 1867,provincial governments have been given the a larger part to play in initiating projects within their provincial jurisdiction to address the issue. Overall, the Program helps Aboriginal people who are in conflict with the criminal justice system to obtain fair, just, equitable, and culturally sensitive treatment. Specifically, the Aboriginal Court work Program seeks to: 1. In the event of as aborigine being accused of a criminal offence and eventually put in custody, the project has devised a way of organizing for bail terms, which in most cases are denied to them. assist Aboriginal people to understand their right to speak on their own behalf or to request legal counsel, to better understand the nature of the charges against them and the philosophy and functioning of the criminal justice system. 2. Also the project is assisting in ensuring that the time spent in pre-trial detention by aboriginal people is reduced. 3. Afford them legal representation in court. 4. Disproportinate level of aboriginal incarceration -the Canadian criminal justice system is rooted in a strong reliance on incarceration and as a result, Canada is placed among the highest users of imprisonment in the world .the emphasis an incarceration as punishment had a detrimental effect on offenders, particularly aboriginal offenders on whom confinement places particularly onerous pressures, given the traditional relationship with the land

The Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living - Essay Example For a philosopher, every life form should have a way of life suitable for it, that is, the life that is in harmony with its nature. But according to human nature, ‘the good’ involves living that kind of life subject to the truly critical use of reason, namely to live such a life implying anything less that it is quite unworthy of such person’s nature. Indeed he stands to find it intolerable and further, that way of life is quite unworthy of such person’s nature, and he/she should not endure the unexamined life, which is in Kant’s words ‘an eternal childhood’ which in essence is a condition of lack of freedom. This paper discuses Socrates’ words "The unexamined life is not worth living". This would help ascertain if such words are any meaningful in human life. "The unexamined life is not worth living." Certainly those are Socrates’ words while at his trial for heresy. Socrates was on trial and said those words intentionally to encourage his students to always think for themselves and challenge the accepted belief of the time. He was condemned to death, although he had the choice of suggesting an alternative punishment. Rationally, it was expected that Socrates could have opted for exile or life in prison, which would have helped him avoid death. But according to Socrates, these promising alternatives would instead rob him of that only thing that would make him useful in examining the beautiful world around him and discussing how well to make it a better place to live. Without his examined life Socrates believed then that there was no point in living. He, therefore, suggested that the Jury should consider rewarding him for his service to the society. This implied that the Athens had no other alternative but be forced to vote for his death punishment. Socrates believed that the purpose of human life would always be personal and spiritual growth. People are not able to grow towards their greater understan ding of their true nature unless they spend some time reflecting and examining their lives (Palmer 34). Just like philosopher, Santayana, observed, â€Å"He who fails to remember the past is condemned to repeat it.† (Karl 11). Lucky enough, people do not have to make a choice between death and examined life. The saddest thing is that most people always avoid living an examined life not because they do not have the time, but because they actively like to avoid examining their own life. Socrates’ words are significantly relevant in every bit of human life, and I unreservedly agree to them. It implies that a person who is not open for questioning by others concerning his action and thoughts certainly lives in denial of such motivations prompting his actions and thoughts. It follows that such an individual wastes his or her life. That kind of life is but a superficial act that reveals nothing new and nothing unique and such a life is not "real" Socrates’ careful cho ice of words provides much color to his quote. The word ‘examined’ might be interpreted to mean to analyze, study, to check condition or health of someone or something, or to inquire. One would imagine that Socrates insists that asking other persons what his quote implies defiles the precise nature. It is, therefore, best for one to have his or her meaning from it. Socrates suggests that ‘unexamined life’ refers to that life whose purpose has at no time been questioned; a

The Impact of Inward Foreign Direct Investment on Host Countries Essay

The Impact of Inward Foreign Direct Investment on Host Countries - Essay Example According to the research findings, Foreign Direct Investment has over the last three decades aroused conflicting responses from the first and third world. In essence, FDI gives the investor the power to operate a company in another country for the long term. Developed host countries are not too welcome to the idea on the premise that they fear foreign firms will end up dominating their local firms. In contrast to this, developing countries are more welcome to the idea on the grounds that FDI will bring additional capital, expertise and new technology into their country. Host countries record FDI flows as liabilities along with similar items in their balance of payments. In host countries like these FDI flows make up a large percentage of the total investment in the economy as compared to more developed countries; the effects of FDI on these countries differ as well, with developing countries showing a steady growth trend as compared to developed countries who showed boom and bust cy cles as a result of engaging in FDI. Growth is normally measured by looking at the trends in per capita GDP growth. Analysts relate FDI to per capita to GDP growth by looking at figures of gross FDI inflows and FDI inflows per capita to see if they have any impact on the economic growth of a country. Research has revealed a positive relationship between FDI levels and growth levels in an economy, in some cases, these results have been insignificant as well but these variables have never shared a negative relationship. The extraneous variable has a magnitude changing effect on this relationship. It has been seen that the more developed a country is, the better and greater positive effect FDI will have on its economic growth. Most studies that have analyzed the impact of FDI on the economic growth of the host country have found the results to be pretty elusive. Most established relationships are based specifically on the host country’s own specific economic characteristics. Thu s it is difficult to generalize these effects and apply them to other countries as the findings of a study. However, the probable effects are not completely elusive, as the endogenous growth theory provides a framework for the positive linkage between growth and FDI inflows.

Estuary Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Estuary Project - Essay Example The first step is to engage measures that aim to reduce, completely, the pollution to which the estuary is prone. This entails the employment of toxic reduction programs, which have the long time goals of reducing the load of toxic pollutants. Other additional measures include engaging in economic incentives that discourage the use of toxic raw materials and subsequently the production of harmful waste products. People and industries should be made accountable to their waste disposal mechanisms lest they wilfully engage in polluting the estuary, which are environmental audits. Environmentally friendly agricultural practises should be encouraged and advertised for those who are ignorant. These agricultural practises might need to include the creation of means via which pesticides will not penetrate the estuary. A disturbing fact is that new commercial products are being created and sold in the market daily. Some of these new products will be a source of pollution. Thus, pollution prev ention will not be complete if this avenue is not analysed. In this regard, stewardship programs should be employed that seek to guide on the reduction of pollution attributed to new commercial products in the market. ... Additionally, the accumulation of mercury and selenium should be controlled in respect to the source and sinks. A major concern, in pollution control, will be to manage the amount of run off arising from public and private establishments. Appropriate measures have been put in place to check on this, it varies from the implementation of ordinance and education the general public on the appropriate ways of managing run-offs. Additionally, measures have been proposed to curb and control the amount of pollution arising from energy and transportation systems. In the context of controlling pollution, the role played by mines and agricultural toxic waste has also been analyzed. Various avenues have been proposed in reaching this goal (Gordon Becker, 2011). When all this is done, it is of fundamental importance to check on the significance of pollution on the life of wildlife and the human population. This entails the cleaning up of pollutants of the aquatic species in the estuary. Additiona lly, the source of food for these species should be checked. Subsequently, the deposits or hot spots of the sediments be it mercury or selenium should be controlled if not completely eradicated. All these measures mentioned above are being employed in the endeavour of finally making the water quality better and conducive for life. An additional objective is to improve the water quality via the restoration and improvement of the tidal wetland functions. Subsequently, the riparian and floodplain actions in the wetland will also be improved. Aside from the aspect of pollution, biotic and abiotic factors impede on the productivity and diversity of life present and dependent on the estuary. The abiotic factors that affect the estuary consist of the amount of sunshine that is

Write a case study of a contemporary ecotourism issue in which you Essay

Write a case study of a contemporary ecotourism issue in which you integrate aspects of theory and practice from a wide range of material - Essay Example In the third section I will give examples of elements that threaten to saturate the carrying capacity of nature based tourism in Kenya. In the fourth and final section I will give a brief historical account of ecotourisms presence in Kenya and give ways in which it can be a possible source of sustainable development in the future. Part 1: What does sustainable development really mean? The most common definition of sustainable development is: development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987).ï ¾ µ In essence, for sustainable development to occur there must be some sort of trade-off between the aspirations of the present and those of the future. Successful management of resources is the cornerstone of sustainable development. Creating sustainable development is especially important to nature based tourism because it completely relies on an ecological re source that is usually non-renewable and irreplaceable. Once the environmental resource has developed past the point where it is no longer attractive to perspective tourist the entire economy of the dependent host community will collapse. The maximum amount of positive development that can occur is determined by the carrying capacity. The carrying capacity is the saturation point where anymore development will result in the degeneration of future resources. All nature-based tourism locations have limited ecological, aesthetic, and social carrying capacities. The ecological carrying capacity is reached when the number of visitors starts to have a negative impact on the wildlife and environment (Whelan, p. 11.). The aesthetic carrying capacity is reached when tourists encounter so many other tourists that the intrinsic value of the beauty of the environment is marred (Whelan, p. 11). The social carrying capacity is reached when the number of tourist in relation to the host population

To Explore Feminist Counselling taking into critical consideration Essay

To Explore Feminist Counselling taking into critical consideration both the overarching theoretical ideas and practice skills - Essay Example As per (Chaplin,1999,pg.5 ) â€Å"Feminist counselling is profoundly social and polite as well as personal and individual†. Feminist counselling is about bringing in a social change where woman to could act, think and move freely. Feminist counselling has a different approach unlike traditional approach which move away from a notion that females are responsible for sexual assault. As commonly represented among feminist theorists, the first wave is often originated from liberal feminists† (Ross ,2010,pg .4 ) On the other hand , in this counselling there is an acknowledgement of power relation in society, acknowledgment of inappropriately oppressed clients and their strengths, healing women through their journey and encourage more equitable relationship with opposite sect in the society. In feminist counselling, women counsellors from various backgrounds, races, sexual orientation, abilities are involved to handle all kind of woman problems. In feminist counselling ,different kind of theories, techniques and approaches are used to attain best results. The feminist counselling has been a movement progressed with the support and ideas of many prominent figures. Some of the main contributors to feminist counselling are Judith Worell, Pam Remen, Sandra Bem , Laura Brown, Jean Baker Miller and many others. However, there was much criticism from other women regarding its concept and intention. In this movement there is no one particular founder but many women figures like Judith Worell, Pam Remen , Sandar Bem. Carol Gilligan, Carolyn Enns,Laura Brown,Lillian Comas-Diaz and Olivia Espin had a major role to play. So, the feminist counselling has been an invention of many women who were fighters and they wanted equality and freedom for women. The major focus of feminist counselling is to empower woman and make their life potential and contributing to the society. It focuses on cultural, political, social

Canadian economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Canadian economics - Essay Example During the first half of 2003, a rapidly appreciating currency cut deeply into net exports in most Canadian traded goods industries. The auto industry was among the hardest-hit sectors. Automotive products have traditionally generated an important trade surplus for Canada, offsetting continuing large trade deficits in most other high-value and high technology manufacturing products. Already, however, the appreciating dollar has reduced Canada's automotive trade surplus by 50 percent (compared to the first half of 2002). Short-run impacts of a higher dollar include both reduced real shipments and shrinkage in the domestic value of Canadian exports (most automotive exports are priced in U.S. dollar terms). Even more important longer-run impacts could include the relocation of new investment to alternative jurisdictions, as Canada's relative cost competitiveness is eroded. If the exchange rate stays at current levels or higher on a longer-run basis, Canada could feasibly become a net im porter of automotive products within 5 years. On average, hourly labor productivity in Canada's manufacturing sector is approximately 15 percent lower than in U.S. industry. Given the current differential in nominal hourly compensation costs between the two countries (hourly total compensation costs in Canadian manufacturing average just over $25 Cdn., whereas total hourly compensation costs in U.S. manufacturing are about $21.50 U.S.), this creates a nominal unit labor cost disadvantage (measured in national currencies) that must be offset by the exchange rate between the two currencies. When the Canadian dollar trades at approximately 72 cents U.S., average manufacturing unit labor costs in the two countries are equalized. If the dollar is above that level, therefore, Canadian manufacturing (on average) faces a unit cost disadvantage that will spark the long-run outward migration of investment and employment (the opposite of what occurred in the late 1990s when the Canadian dollar traded for less than 72 cents U.S.). The Rising Canadian Dollar and its Impact on the Canadian Auto Industry, Testimony of Jim Stanford Economist, Canadian Auto Workers Before the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Senate of Canada, October 8, 2003 http://www.caw.ca/visual&printlibrary/speeches&briefs/briefs/senatetestimonyonthedollar.pdf Is Canada now at risk of catching the Dutch disease What is the evidence When it gains ground against the U.S. dollar, for example, Canadian exporters lose ground because their products become more expensive for U.S. buyers. It's simply harder to compete. Since 2002, Statistics Canada says 189,000 manufacturing jobs have disappeared in Canada. The agency places the blame squarely on the soaring loonie. But some economists say the difficulties of adjusting to a higher loonie will help exporters in the long run, because they've had to take measures to improve efficiency. The days of relying on a cheap loonie to help them sell in the U.S. are long gone. Cheaper U.S. dollars also provide Canadian companies with an opportunity to invest in U.S.-made tools that make them more competitive. Much of the software and machinery Canadian companies

Hindi matter on fashion Essay Example for Free

Hindi matter on fashion Essay Agriculture is the backbone of Pakistan’s economy. Pakistan today is among one of the World’s fastest growing population, now estimated as over 170 million. Due to lack of large river regulation capability through sizeable storages, the country is already facing serious shortages in food grains. Given the present trend, Pakistan could soon become one of the food deficit countries in the near future. Therefore, there is a dire need to build storages for augmenting agriculture production. reservoirs have already lost about 5,000,000 acre feet (6. 2Ãâ€"109 m3) due to sedimentation. Electricity needed Employement India wants its supremacy in the region; therefore, it is not resolving the water and Kashmir disputes. Politics has strong links to trade as political disputes led to blocking of trade India should display seriousness to practically resolve Kashmir and water disputes for trade and economic cooperation between Pakistan and India. Pakistani traders and industrialists want trade ties with India despite some reservations. There are chances of war on the water issue. Improvement in bilateral ties could benefit both the countries, but friendship should not be made at the cost of Kashmir and water. Climate affects the IWT or India’s building of reservoirs It gives India rights to the natural flow of water of the Indus three eastern tributaries the Ravi, Sutlej and Beas while Pakistan controls the main Indus channel itself and two western rivers, the Jhelum and Chenab. Pakistan has increasingly raised concerns about data sharing and transparency, particularly because the upper reaches of all of the rivers lie in Indian-controlled territory, giving that nation greater scope for control of the entire Indus river system. harvesting summer stream water into 3,000 litre gravity-fed storage tanks. Up to 30 percent of water is lost from the countrys unlined irrigation canals, experts said.

Three Factors That Form Individual Ethics Philosophy Essay

Three Factors That Form Individual Ethics Philosophy Essay Ethics is the division of study commerce with suitable course of an achievement for man. It is the study of correct and wrong in individual endeavours. At a more primary level, it is the process where we categorize our values and practise them. Ethics in the field of philosophy means that the revise and assessment of human behaviour in the glow of moral theories. Moral theories might be observed additionally as the model of behaviour that human beings have built for themselves or as the remains of responsibilities and functions that a demanding society needs of its associates. Ethics can also be generally be defined as the principles of morally acceptable conduct of individuals. Ethics also means an individuals personal beliefs about right and wrong behaviours. Ethics is a must for human life. It is our indications of making our mind up a course of action. Without it, our battles would be haphazard and pointless. There can be no technique to work in the direction of an objective as there would be no method to choose between a never ending numbers of objectives. Yet with an ethical model, we might be not capable to practise our goals with the prospect of success. To the quantity which a realistic ethical model is taken, we are proficient to perfectly classify our goals and battles to accomplish our most imperative values. Any mistake in our ethics will ease our ability to be successful in our endeavours. A suitable base of ethics needs a standard of significance to which all objectives and battles can be balanced to. This model is our own lives, and the pleasure which makes them liveable. This is our vital model of importance, where the goal in which an ethical man must aim at all times. It is turn up at by an assessment of mans nature, and identify his strange needs. A structure of ethics must additionally consist of not only emergency circumstances, but the usual choices we make continuously. It must consist of our relations to others, and identify their importance not only to our physical endurance, but to our interests and happiness. Furthermore, ethics is also known as private set of values used by a person to direct their actions, and to be aware with any responsibility.   Ethics are not intention, but are slanted to the individual.   Ethics are a constantly developing policy of behaviour charge upon situations and the life practices of the individual. According to Mary, 1956, ethics are the relative to our observation of authenticity, and are also based in the lead of a detailed viewpoint. We  as human beings, the moral command are classified by the individuals.   It has been started when the children are being skilled with suitable behaviours based on common norms and parental significances.   These norms and values are being used to grant a structure for the progression of the individual values. Therefore, there has no perceptions can seek to define ethics.   It is not viable for any one of the persons to claim total common awareness and subjectivity.   In addition, human beings are not all-powerful and dependable.   Some of them may go all-out for the excellence, but our very humanness will certify that accomplishment is not attained. Meanwhile, it is agreed that ethics are the persons set of values, whereby they must not be used to create broad assertions of true or false without tolerate for disagreement and the argument.   Ethics have to be used to help each of the human beings to identify our own life so that we live as stated to the top forms that we, as individuals, advised to.   Ethics and loyalty to our standards are the guiding principle which we use to review our battles.   It is an appearance of self-measurement of development or of obligation to the perfects which we struggle towards. The factors in our usual life may give good reason for some action, or take the edge off its harshness; we are still dependable for our choices.   Choices need to be investigated before an enlightened choice is being made. Ethics need to be understood usually at times of predicament or an internalized modification.   This happens because a belief is been shown to be incorrect or when the certainty fails to take into reflection a very specific set of situations.   At those times, the entity should realistically view on their certainty, and make an internal inquiry as to the knowledge which had been produced by them.   Considerations are needed to verify if theres a new set of values is required, or if active values need only been modified to reflect those situation. Ethics must not be used to ditch one set of narrow faiths adjacent to another.   The split created by such traditions becomes one of severe obedience to a set of precise values, and teaches prejudice for variations in another set of significances. Ethics must not be followed sightless nor should share morals which can be spoken out the ethical norms for all those individuals. In example, where this has been happened, the loads have roller blindly followed like sheep, following the firm point of views of a selected numbers.   Ethics must not interrupt in the lead of the private lives of any other individuals who is not hurting anyone. Norms First factor that forms individual ethics is norms. Norms are a useful guideline for the social behaviour. It has to be made active before they can point the behaviour when the persons are in a situation of deindividuation. They only see themselves in the name of group individuality, and their behaviours are probable to be guided by group norms alone. Norm of social reciprocity expresses us to return to other services, good qualities and kindness they offer us. The door in the face technique is used in norms as thats not all technique, and in advertising the peak of the line. Norm of social commitments also expresses us to maintain with our promises as this norm is being used in the low-ball technique. In addition, norm of obedience directs us in the direction of submission to the abilities. Milgram explain this agreement in his studies where contributors had to deliver frights to suffering victims. It is also has the possibility to resist being influenced by norms. People who display their reactance by fighting against the fear to their liberty of action when they find norms were out of place. The attitudes and norms normally work simultaneously to manipulate behaviour either directly or indirectly. As stated in the theory of planned behaviour, purposes are the function of three factors which is manners about behaviour, common norms applicable to the behaviour and awareness of organized over the behaviour. Therefore, when the thoughts and norms disagree, their pressure on behaviour will depend on their relative convenience. There are 3 personal experience examples of norms as stated below: Thank you is an example of norms. This is expected when we as human being express appreciation for helpful, supportive and kind manners. We express sympathy by saying sorry to hear this when we hear about another individuals difficulty in any situation. Failing to express sympathy, might result in the view that the person is thoughtless. In our daily life, we should help the people who had helped us. You wish to take annual leave to attend relatives wedding and you suppose to work on the day. You asked your colleague to cover for you. And you may be expected to agree similar request from your colleague in future. Belief Belief is defined as the mental mind-set that some intentions are true. In most of the given intention, most of the individual either has or be short of the mental attitude that it is true. Therefore, there is none of any central point ground between the occurrences of nonappearance of a belief. For an example, in the case of gods, most of the individuals either have the belief that at least one god in a number of sorts is real or they lack any such belief. In addition, belief is different from judgment, which is a mental act that involves arriving at an ending about an intention and consequently creating a belief among the individuals. Whereby, belief is the mental thoughts that some intention is correct rather than wrong. Decision after believing in something is the evaluation of an intention as realistic, fair, confusing and etc. It is because one type of character is not necessary for a belief to be continuously and intentionally parented. A belief that thought a god exists often depends on a few other beliefs which some individuals have not intentionally considered. There are a few examples below based on my personal experience: There were a few situations where I pray to God for something good to happen and it eventually happened and I gained success through that. I started doing this after seeing my parents doing so. It has become a belief for me as I see what ever my parents pray for, will somehow come to reality one day. The same thing started happening to me. Since that my belief on God has become stronger. This clearly shows that a belief is a mental thought for some intentions to be correct. The other example which I can give for belief is in the method of rising up children. I grew up with the care and guidance of my parents. When I was young, I have already started believing that I would be a successful man in future just like my parents because I believed that they would put me in correct path of life for me to gain success. I followed the exact path and I gained success just like how I thought and believed that it would happen one day. I believed my life path showed by my parents and here where I am today with good job and education. My belief has lead to a realistic in my life. Values Values can be defined as the foundation of beliefs of the persons which guide and encourage their attitudes and also actions. A few of the most essential ethical values are truthfulness, commitment, integrity and equality. Bear in mind that not all are ethical or moral values. Therefore, a number of non-ethical values which are considered to be the ethical impartial since they are neither principled nor not principled whereby it inspires behaviour are wealth, status, happiness, attractiveness, taste, comfort and success. These are ethic impartial because there is nothing right with these principles in and of themselves, but how one attains these and what one carries out with these can be right or wrong. Principle values are believed to always take priority over non-ethical morals. Individual moral values are significant in determining principled behaviour, but it is not concentrate on important theoretical ethics predominantly when there is a variation between our individual moral po int and our responsibilities to the patient. As for me, many beliefs have changed to values. For instance being caring towards others has become a value because I believed that if I care for a person, I will be cared in return. This statement was brought by my parents where they will keep reminding me to be caring to people around us. This principle or quality that we hold guide the way we live our lives and also decisions we make. It is really worthy to make this belief a value in our life as we build good behaviour in ourselves by being caring and helpful towards people. This actually is inherited and for sure we will bring this value down to the next upcoming generations. In another situation, the change of the belief to a value can be explained through another experience of mine. Since I was a teenager, I have the belief that it is important to spend quality time with our family. We believed that when we spend time together, a lot of problems can be solved. For instance, if any of us have headache, or stressful due to a work or studies, we will mingle and have a close conversation or do some other activities with our family members and that eventually reduces the headache and stress. In other word, it can be said that we help each other to ease our difficulties. Therefore, I believed very much that spending time together with our family can make us cheerful and free from stress. This belief has changed to value where we hold to it tightly. We made sure to follow this value of sharing ears and shoulders, and helping one another in every situation. This also has led me and other family members to take this value up and control or change how we live our lives. Our life which is based on a personal code of values brings meaning, purpose, and direction to living. How the rule of law can be used as guide to moral choice Rules and regulations can be found in many places but when it comes to official rules and regulations they are referred as law. Law is generated in a society to control the behavior of people that constitute the society. Law is generally found in organizations, legislation and legal opinions. It is also known as a formal mechanism to control socialism. Law is very important and useful to establish and maintain social order. (Glanville Williams) Rules of law can be considered as the base for setting up a society and it helps in making positive changes to the ways of bringing up the society. When a person has the knowledge of law, they can understand public affairs better which is really important for establishment of a society. When law is studied, it will promote some understanding of social values. Thus, it makes the person to choose rules of law for a society by comparing the good effects and bad effects they may have on the society. This choice of rules will create good ethics for the society. All the members must follow the rules accordingly and that will eventually create a good social order. For an example, when the organization set a rule for its members on not to be harsh on the customers, the members should always keep that in mind and obey it all the time. If at all they disobey the rule, they may need to be out of the society or be sacked. Therefore, this rule can be a guide for people to be ethical in that society. They will make sure that they do not be harsh on others in order to maintain a good social order. Social order is considered as an organization or mechanism that exists with the enforcement of rules of laws. A person must learn to obey the rules that are set up for the organization or society and accept them in order to fit him or herself in that society. For most cases, social order is always pre-developed which means it is usually inherited by the older people of that society. They integrated cultures and personalities as a guide to develop the ideas and beliefs for the society which has changed into moral values. In addition to that, moral values shape a persons behaviour and it also manage the group activity within that society. If the established law or values are not followed by the members of a society, conflict may arise. Therefore an organization should always make sure that their members always follow the values practised in that organization in order to maintain smooth relationships and healthy environment. Summary Ethics is the formal study of moral standards and conduct. For this reason ethics is also known as moral philosophy. The study and evaluation of human conduct in the light of moral principles that humans have constructed for themselves or as the life guidelines and cultures that a particular society requires for its own members. We had discussed ethics in 3 subtopics which is norms, values and beliefs. In conclusion, first of all, norms are useful tool for the social behaviour of a person towards his daily activity and possess acceptable behaviours that are the unintended, unexpected result of individuals communications. For example, a system of norms specified what is satisfactory and what is not satisfactory in a society or group. Belief is defined as the mind-set of a person that intentions are true, and confidence in the fact or way of life of something. It is proof of a mental attitude of acceptance toward a proposition without the full intellectual evidence required to guarantee its truth. Beliefs have been well-known according to their level of certainty which is mistrust, an opinion, or a confidence. Belief becomes awareness only when the truth of a intention becomes obvious to the believer himself. Values can be concluded as the foundation of beliefs of the persons which guide and encourage their attitudes and belief. There are three main theories of values which humans can have favoured values, instrumental values and fundamental values. Each of it plays an important and unique role in our life in the development of moral standards and moral norm. Values are about belief and ideas of culture that are acceptable or not by a society. Besides that, rules of law that are chosen for an organization or society can be used as a guide to moral choice. When rules are to be followed by the members of the organization, a healthy environment and a good social order can be maintained. Rules that are formed in a society will ensure that all the members follow them that eventually become moral values in that organization. When the entire members act according to the moral values formed through the rules, an ethical organization can be formed.

Crusades From the 11th to 13th Century

Crusades From the 11th to 13th Century Account for enthusiasm for crusading from the 11th to the 13th century. The following will discuss, evaluate, and account for the enthusiasm for crusading from the 11th through to the 13th century. Crusading was the name given to the attempts of Western European Christians to regain the lands and the territories in the Middle East lost due to the advance of Islamic forces. The lands, which the varying crusading forces, were primarily interested in regaining from Islamic control were those territories within the Holy Land, especially Jerusalem. All these territories had formally been under Christian control as part of the Byzantine Empire, which had once dominated the Middle East. At the start of the 11th century the Byzantine Empire still remained the dominant power in the Balkans and other parts of Eastern Europe. The Byzantine Empire had not been able to halt the advance of Islamic forces from the late 7th century and had not received any military or naval assistance that had halted the Islamic incursions from Western Europe. Although politically divid ed Western Europe was overwhelming Christian in religious terms with the papacy holding a great deal of influence over religious beliefs even if it could not exercise political power? As will be discussed below the original motivations for launching the crusades were primarily religious and those motivations continued from the 11th century through to the 13th century. The religious beliefs and views of the Western Europeans had a strong upon their enthusiasm for crusading and their subsequent behaviour towards both Muslims and the Orthodox Christians they came in to contact with. For the papacy and indeed for many of the Christians within Western Europe the occupation of the Holy Land by Muslims was an intolerable situation which needed to be reversed so that those territories would once again come under Christian control, as they had been part of the Byzantine Empire. Although the Muslims allowed Christian pilgrims to visit the Holy Land and permitted freedom of worship to the Christians and the Jews who still lived there, that did not lower Western European enthusiasm for taking the Holy Land out of Muslim hands. The way in which the crusades were conducted provided ample proof that the religious fervour of the Roman Catholic church which did the most to stimulate support for the crusades was highly intolerant of Islam and Eastern Orthodox Christianity alike. The actual fact Muslims had control of these lands was bitterly resented by the Christians of Western Europe in general, and the Papacy in particular. There was a prevailing sense that this situation w as unacceptable and only a temporary sign of weakness within Christianity was a continuous source of enthusiasm for crusading (Roberts, 1996, p. 158). Whilst the Muslims still controlled part or all of the Holy Land then enthusiasm for starting and then continuing the crusades was always likely to remain strong. The strong religious beliefs and dare it be said, prejudices were deeply held within Western Europe between the 11th and 13th centuries, with the result that the crusades remained popular as did the urge to carry on crusading. The first crusade would provide enough momentum to inspire a further three crusades in the period as well as the establishment of crusader kingdoms in the Holy Land. The crusades would heighten the conflict between Western Christianity; it also soured its relationship with the Byzantine Empire and the Eastern Orthodox churches, culminating in the disastrous fourth crusade and the sack of Constantinople (Angold, 1997, p.10). The Papacy started the enthusiasm for crusading experienced in Western Europe between the 11th and 13th centuries. The first crusade was directly inspired by Pope Urban II who asked for those Western Christians that were capable of going to the Middle East to assist the Byzantine Empire against the expansion of Islamic power in that region should do so (Norwich, 1997, p.256). Urban II’s appeal for people to join the first crusade gained recruits from right across Western Europe. The crusading urge meant that people from states that were rivals or even enemies joined together to fight the Muslims that controlled the Holy Land. The first crusade was truly a multinational fighting force, as were the next three crusades (Connell, 2001, p.8). Urban II’s message that all future crusaders were doing God’s bidding was an astute means of developing and maintaining an enthusiasm for crusading between the 11th and 13th centuries. It was a message that both the Papacy and se cular authorities were more than happy to convey throughout this period (Norwich, 1997 p. 256). The Papacy contended that the crusaders would not only be assured of heavenly treasures during their own after life, the crusaders would be rewarded with earthly treasures as well in their lives before death. For some of those individuals that took part in the crusades the opportunity to gain treasures and their own lands as a result of participation in the crusading campaigns was a greater cause for strong enthusiasm than any other form of motivation. Greed was therefore a strong and virtually continuous factor in the development and the continuing of enthusiasm for crusading between the 11th and 13th centuries. That greed made those that joined the crusades just as dangerous to the Eastern Orthodox Christians of the Middle East as they were to the Muslims who lived in the region (Norwich, 1997 p.257). Indeed, when the crusaders did manage to take land away from the Muslims within the Middle East, the victorious crusaders would set up their own separate kingdoms. The crusader kingdo ms were demonstrations of the greed and the pretensions of the crusaders themselves, the territories that they took control of should have been restored to the Byzantine Empire. If the crusaders had genuinely wished to contain Islamic power within the Middle East region, and aimed to keep the Holy Land under Christian control they would restored Byzantine power in these areas. Arguably a Byzantine Empire that had its Middle East territories restored as a result of the crusades would have been in a better position to keep the Holy Land in Christian hands. It is highly doubtful though if returning all regained territories to the control of the Byzantine Empire would have generated so much enthusiasm for crusading between the 11th and 13th centuries (Roberts, 1996 p. 158). The military and territorial successes of the first crusade was a strong factor in the development and the subsequent maintenance of widespread popular enthusiasm for crusading campaigns between the 11th century through to the 13th century. The forces of the first crusade were able to take possession of Jerusalem away from Muslim control, alongside the Lebanon, and much of Syria. The brutality of the Western European crusader armies during the first crusade made a lasting impression upon the Islamic populations within the Middle East. The onset of the crusades only increased the desire of the Muslim powers within the Middle East region to regain and maintain control of the Holy Land as well as all the other territories lost to the crusaders (Lenman, 2004 p. 214). The crusader kingdoms that were established after the apparent success of the first crusade kept the concept of crusading to the fore front of Western European thought, mainly as a means of recruiting knights and soldiers th at were needed to defend the crusader kingdoms. Knights and soldiers were needed to garrison the forts and to resist the Muslim forces that were relentlessly advancing into the crusaders territory Norwich, 1997 p. 257). The crusader kingdoms did not have enough financial resources and, enough soldiers to maintain their resistance to increasingly powerful and well led Muslim forces for prolonged periods of time. The basic Muslim military strategy was to pick off the crusader kingdoms one by one. The crusader kingdoms were not as well supported from Western Europe as strongly as they would have liked. That lack of substantial levels of support from the crusaders Western European supporters made it easier for the Muslim forces within the Middle East to conquer the territories which they had lost as a result of the first crusade (Roberts, 1996 p. 158). Ironically enough, it was the failure of the crusader kingdoms to survive the successful counter attacks of the Muslim forces within the Middle East region that prompted renewed enthusiasm for crusading. That enthusiasm resulted in the second, third, and fourth crusades throughout the remainder of the period between the 11th and the 13th century. Over all the recruitment drives to persuade people to participate in the crusades were successful, whilst the crusades themselves were military failures as they ultimately failed to restore Christian control over the Holy Land. However the launch of these crusades was a success in terms of ensuring that those crusading remained able to be highly enthusiastic about playing a role in the subsequent conflicts between the crusaders and the Muslim forces. The majority of people in Western Europe had generally held a great deal of confidence in the second crusade being every bit as successful as the first crusade had been. The popular enthusiasm f or crusading during the 11th century and through to the 13th century was assisted by the high levels of confidence that people had in the ability of the crusaders to achieve their objectives (Angold, 1997 p.194). Potentially, at least the third crusade was a campaign that would finally end Muslim control of the Holy Land once and for all. The crusaders were certainly confident of success. The third crusade could also be used to argue that there were significant levels of enthusiasm for crusading as it offered prospects for crusaders to become famous as well as rich. Going on a crusade could allow the individual crusaders the opportunity to enhance their reputations for being brave, being a good military commander, or being a devout defender of the Christian faith. For these reasons, kings, prince’s, and knights were frequent participants in the crusades. In the case of the third crusade, the most notable individual taking part was the English king Richard I, who earned the ni ckname of Richard the Lion heart (Angold, 1997 p. 178). By the time of the fourth crusade in 1204, popular enthusiasm for the practice of crusading still seemed to be very strong. However, the fourth crusade also clearly demonstrated that crusading was more concerned with greed and an increasing dislike of the Eastern Orthodox churches as it was about gaining control of the Holy Land. Instead of improving the position of the Byzantine Empire, the fourth crusade actually reduced it as a consequence of the sacking of Constantinople. The sack of Constantinople was ample demonstration that greed and prejudice were factors that created, developed, and maintained enthusiasm for crusading, as much as religious beliefs and a unmistakable belief of superiority over other religious faiths. There would be further less sustained and much smaller crusades that proved just as incapable as the four main crusades of removing Muslim control of the Holy Land. Ironically enough Jerusalem was briefly regained for Christianity in 1229 by the forces of the Hol y Roman Emperor Frederick II. His personal crusade had been launched to persuade the Papacy to remove the excommunication order against him. The Christian control of Jerusalem was only a short-term success; it was lost to Muslim forces in 1244 (Roberts, 1996 p. 159). Therefore, to conclude there were various factors that explain how and why there was a great deal of enthusiasm for crusading from the 11th century, right through to the end of the 13th century in the countries of Western Europe. The primary inspiration for starting the crusading process had been religious, and religious fervour was a constant reason for maintaining enthusiasm for crusading campaigns throughout the period. The divisions within Christianity has previously allowed the Muslims to gain control not only of the Holy Land, but the bulk of the Middle East, with the Byzantine Empire showing increasing signs of weakness. It was the Papacy under the guidance of Urban II that developed the concept of the crusades as a means of regaining control of the Holy Land and slowing down the decline of the Byzantine Empire. Enthusiasm was bases on the combination of religious fervour, the search for personal fame and fortune, factors that easily maintained popular support for crusading th roughout this period. Greed and religious prejudices were also strong influences in the brutal behaviour of the crusaders who excused their actions by arguing that restoring the Holy Land to Christian control merited earthly as well as heavenly rewards. Bibliography Angold M, (1997) The Byzantine Empire, 1025 – 1204, Longman, London Connell E S, (2001) Deus Lo Volt, a chronicle of the crusades, Pimlico, London Lenman, (2004) Chamber’s Dictionary of World History, Chambers, Edinburgh Norwich J, (1997) A Short History of Byzantium, Viking, London Roberts J.M, (1996) A History of Europe, Penguin, London and New York

Personal Narrative- Christian Apologetics :: Personal Narrative

Personal Narrative- Christian Apologetics Two weeks of this past summer rank high as some of the most rewarding times of my life. Next to my salvation, the experience has become an important turning point of my youth. This experience changed my worldview into a biblical perspective, and strengthened my faith in the Lord. For the first time, I was on my own, flying cross-country to spend two weeks in Colorado, not for a vacation I might add. I was to attend a Christian apologetics course sponsored by Summit Ministries. The coursework was grueling, intense, and mind stretching. My living quarters were a small, rickety, 100 year old (and counting) hotel with paper thin walls shared with 99 other students. I left my sheltered home-school and was introduced to the modern, secular world of weird people, graphic videos of abortion, and the persecution of Christians in Sudan through science, history, theology, and philosophy. We were taught about the chain reactions that develop in a nation caused by unwise decisions, and looked at problems our country faces today and studied them using the Bible. Many knowledgeable Christian professionals fed us their studies and wisdom taught by the Bible. A former Mob boss gave his moving testimony, and an outgoing evangelist who witnessed to Michael Jordan, presented us with arguments and strategies to combat false religions, yet be effective witnesses. Those two weeks were intense, mentally and emotionally, and I got a taste of the real world. Now I often think about my generation, and if it is truly ready to undertake the leadership of our great nation. Many are blind and sinking in the bog of humanistic and atheistic views of today’s society, and will not be ready when the torch is passed on to them.

Stocking the Online Community :: Internet Web Cyberspace Essays

Stocking the Online Community I must have a net worth of one million dollars by the time I'm forty. Sounds like a plan to me. Retirement, living the good life. My plan would be to go to school full?time, quit the job, and move into the country. (Not necessarily in that order) The Ad's I see have to be working for someone. The internet and stock trading were meant for each other. More and more people are getting on the band wagon so get on early. "But these hot High?tech stocks and you can't miss," followed by, "The next five winning I.P.O.'s free, just log onto www...." Sure there is some risk involved but people are making a ton of money and I want my share. Show me where to buy. I have some cash put aside I can risk it, I'm young. I can go online find a couple reputable communities, put out the feelers and take the plunge. The help will be free, I'll just give them my email address and they can send me junk mail. It's not hard to delete it. I will have to do some research to find someone to purchase stocks thro ugh that does not charge too much. In addition, I'll need a source for researching which stocks to buy. One or two emergent stocks, buy and sell at the right time and I'm on my way to early retirement. The operation I buy the stocks from will need to have a low price for trades and a low starting balance. It must be quick and easy to trade stocks and I will need quick confirmation to know how much money I've made. Not through the web but in a magazine article I found a rating of six online trading companies they are Scottrade, E?Trade, Suretrade, Smith Barney, Charles Schwab and DLJ Direct. The two most important things to me are the cost of a trade and the amount and quality of access to research. Scottrade has the lowest trade price of $5.95 and Smith Barney with the highest at $24.95. The research is especially good with Smith Barney and Charles Schwab slightly below in quality is Suretrade. Another thing I learned is that most of these companies require a minimum balance to start, E?Trade wants $1000 while Smith Barney starts with $2000. While Suretrade requires no minimum and Scottrade requires only $200. Stocking the Online Community :: Internet Web Cyberspace Essays Stocking the Online Community I must have a net worth of one million dollars by the time I'm forty. Sounds like a plan to me. Retirement, living the good life. My plan would be to go to school full?time, quit the job, and move into the country. (Not necessarily in that order) The Ad's I see have to be working for someone. The internet and stock trading were meant for each other. More and more people are getting on the band wagon so get on early. "But these hot High?tech stocks and you can't miss," followed by, "The next five winning I.P.O.'s free, just log onto www...." Sure there is some risk involved but people are making a ton of money and I want my share. Show me where to buy. I have some cash put aside I can risk it, I'm young. I can go online find a couple reputable communities, put out the feelers and take the plunge. The help will be free, I'll just give them my email address and they can send me junk mail. It's not hard to delete it. I will have to do some research to find someone to purchase stocks thro ugh that does not charge too much. In addition, I'll need a source for researching which stocks to buy. One or two emergent stocks, buy and sell at the right time and I'm on my way to early retirement. The operation I buy the stocks from will need to have a low price for trades and a low starting balance. It must be quick and easy to trade stocks and I will need quick confirmation to know how much money I've made. Not through the web but in a magazine article I found a rating of six online trading companies they are Scottrade, E?Trade, Suretrade, Smith Barney, Charles Schwab and DLJ Direct. The two most important things to me are the cost of a trade and the amount and quality of access to research. Scottrade has the lowest trade price of $5.95 and Smith Barney with the highest at $24.95. The research is especially good with Smith Barney and Charles Schwab slightly below in quality is Suretrade. Another thing I learned is that most of these companies require a minimum balance to start, E?Trade wants $1000 while Smith Barney starts with $2000. While Suretrade requires no minimum and Scottrade requires only $200.

Gender Stereotypes Among Childrens Toys Essay -- Stereotypes Toys Gen

Gender Stereotypes Among Children's Toys   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When you walk into the toy section of any store, you do not need a sign to indicate which section is the girls’ side and which section is the boys’ side. Aside from all the pink, purple, and other pastel colors that fill the shelves on the girls’ side, the glitter sticks out a lot as well. The boys’ toys however are mostly dark colors – blue, black, red, gray, or dark green. The colors typically used on either side are very stereotypical in themselves.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I noticed the girls’ toys engaged fine motor skills more than the boys’ toys did. The girls have several different types and sizes of dolls to choose from – however, this also makes dolls or items used with dolls (Barbie clothes, doll clothes, doll houses, Barbie cars, and doll furniture) over half of all the products in the girls’ section. This shows the stereotypical attitude that all girls like to nurture and will someday be expected to be mothers and the primary care giver for their children. Other toys I noticed that were very stereotypical were the child size vacuum, broom, and kitchen set. Even at this young age we teach girls it is part of their role to cook and clean.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another stereotype I saw demonstrated in the girls section was the idea that all girls are animal lovers. A large section of the girls’ side was filled with different stuffed animals or other toy animals like â€Å"Pound Puppies† or â€Å"My Little Ponies†. Mostly the girls’ toys used fine motor sk...

Genetically modified (GM) foods Essay

What does a tomato, soybean, and McDonald’s French fry have in common? They are all some of the most commonly genetically modified foods sold on the market today. By using the genetic information from one organism, and inserting or modifying it into another organism, scientists can make food crops stay fresher, grow bigger, and have the crops create their own pesticides. Nevertheless, the technology to modify genes has surpassed its practicality. Genetically modified foods need to be removed from everyday agriculture because of the threat they pose to human health, the environment, and the impact on global economy. Genetically modified (GM) foods could produce new toxic substances, and/or allergens. A gene from the Brazil nut was inserted into the DNA of a soybean plant to increase the nutritional value of the soybean. However, this particular gene in the GM soybean also produced an allergen (a substance that causes allergic reactions in people). Fortunately, the plant was not put into production (McHughen 119). Another example is of a GM tomato called â€Å"FLAVR SAVR†. The tomato is larger, tastier, and stays fresher longer than commercial tomatoes on the market. Combining conventional tomato genes with the genes of an arctic trout produces the â€Å"FLAVR SAVR†. Nevertheless, questions such as â€Å"Will people with sea food allergies be able to consume the tomato?† and â€Å"Will the trout genes in the tomato enable new bacteria growth, and thereby make the tomato hazardous to eat?† have still not been answered. This causes the â€Å"FLAVR SAVR† to be a potential hazard to human health (McHughen 14, 112). Since technology is new with regards to genetics, there is no real way of knowing whether genetically modified foods would take a negative impact on the body. An incident that occurred in 1989 concerning the nutritional supplement L- Tryptophan is one way of testing the long-term effects of a GM food (Background on L-tryptophan and 5-hydroxy L-tryptophan and the eosinophilia myalgia syndrome, U.S. Food and Drug Administration). The manufacturer had apparently altered its manufacturing process to speed up production, and had not realized the toxic side effects. However, it caused a potentially fatal illness called Eosinophilia Myolgia Syndrome in which 37 people died and 1500 more were permanently disabled (Background on L-tryptophan and 5-hydroxy L-tryptophan and the eosinophilia myalgia syndrome, U.S. Food and Drug Administration). Therefore, it was taken off the market shortly after the reports of widespread illness among consumers of the supplement. Another two examples of diseases that have been created by GM crops are glufosinate (Hart 21), which causes birth defects in mammals, and glyphosate (Hart 88), which is now linked to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Therefore, it is evident that the general public is the guinea pig for GM food, and today’s drugs may not be able to combat the diseases that may arise from eating the food. Superbugs are created when genes transfer from one species to another, and if an antibiotic-resistant or pesticide-resistant gene were to transfer from an organism into a disease creating bacteria, then an antibiotic-resistant or pesticide-resistant bug would be created (Miller 83). This applies to bacteria and viruses that are symbiotically related. Gene modification is indirectly making life resistant to diseases, and these bacteria and viruses will adapt to the new form of life and create new disorders. Furthermore, GM crops may make the â€Å"normal† biological pest spray obsolete. This is because pests will soon develop resistance to the spray because of the widespread planting of GM crops. Nevertheless, superbug pesticides have not yet been manufactured, nor have superbug antibiotics been created (Miller 92). Consequently, the health risks for humans through superbug infections or by eating GM food is very serious, and the consequences that may come about have the potent ial to be life threatening. Genetic engineering of food crops has the potential to affect the biodiversity of a region in effectively two ways. First, wild populations of weed may be replaced by GM crop/weed, due to the GM crop spreading outside the crop field and interacting with natural weed and slowly becoming GM weed. Since GM crops are produced to be resistant to pesticides and herbicides, there is the possibility that they could invade wild grasslands and other places and prosper because of these special characteristics. If this happened, the native grasses would be unable to compete and biodiversity would be lost in these regions. Also, many genetically engineered crops contain anti-viral genes and there is the potential that these genes could combine to form new and dangerous strains of viruses, which could destroy specific crops. Although, to date, there is no direct evidence of these occurring naturally, the potential is clearly increasing (UK Agricultural Biodiversity Coalition. What is happening to Agricultural Biodiversity?). The second way in which the biodiversity of a region is potentially affected is by the decreasing crop varieties that are being planted. This is a problem already existing in agriculture today, and results in a loss of genetic variety within crop cultures. Farmers being forced to use only patented seeds are an example of a potential decrease in biodiversity. If traditional seed varieties are used, farmers will be at a financial disadvantage due to better tasting, better looking crops produced by farmers using GM seeds. In the U.S., and some other countries, laws have been passed and are currently in effect stating that the use of non-patented seeds is prohibited. This will restrict the crops to a few species, leaving them more at risk to new pests that may form (UK Agricultural Biodiversity Coalition. What are the underlying causes of the Losses of Agricultural Biodiversity?). The European community is by far the most anti-GM, so to speak, when it comes to the retail of GM food in their supermarkets (Tackling Food Safety Concerns over GMO’s, Consumer attitudes and decision-making with regard to genetically modified food products). Regulations are being imposed on the European Parliament, individual European nations, and some stores themselves have all imposed restrictions on GM foods. Manufacturers must label all foods that might have genetically altered ingredients. This includes food with genetically manufactured organisms, food with an intentionally modified molecular structure, and food that has been isolated for microorganisms, fungi, and algae. Furthermore, the genetically altered food must not mislead the consumer, present any danger to the consumer, or differ from the food that it is intended to replace so that the altered food is a nutritional disadvantage to the consumer (Tackling Food Safety Concerns over GMO’s, Development of meth ods to identify foods produced by means of genetic engineering). This legislation has now created trade barriers for food coming into Europe – some imported food is genetically modified and creates a risk to the people’s health and safety. Nevertheless, because some supermarkets in Europe have decided to be non-GM only, this has created a competitive disadvantage for the â€Å"half†-GM supermarkets. This response to consumer pressure is also having an effect on some companies or countries that cannot meet the legislative needs, and are obliged to lose markets and/or market shares (Tackling Food Safety Concerns over GMO’s, European network safety assessment of genetically modified food crops). If the world finally agrees to the consumption of GM food, European countries will be the last to â€Å"give-in† to the more lenient regulations. If one is to ask a North American if the product he or she is eating contains GM food, he or she will most likely show a blank stare. This is because regulation of GM food in North America is relatively relaxed when compared to Europe (Borger, second paragraph). Since the manufacturer is not required to label their products, the consumer is oblivious to buying GM food at the supermarket. Agriculture and technology are both being heavily invested in the United States. Profit is an important driving force for the developed world, and agricultural exports make up a large portion of exports from the United States (Borger, third paragraph). Since the demand for food is always increasing, the demand to produce more food at a faster rate requires the need for better biotechnology to be put into practice. And because of the lax laws in effect for the United States, and Canada, North Americans are â€Å"in the dark† with regards to what they are eating during their meals. North Americans are not educated about the risks of GM food, nor are they aware of where to find information regarding how much GM food is in their groceries (Borger, 12th paragraph). This poses a serious threat to the potential health of North Americans, as they are nothing but â€Å"lab rats† waiting for their first abnormal â€Å"twitch†. Human health can be seen as the greatest factor when considering the manufacturing of GM food. This is because of the few diseases and viruses that have been discovered which formed through the use of GM food. Also, the potential for new diseases and/or viruses through the use of GM food is increasing, and people are not aware of the risks. Antibiotics or pesticides have not yet been created to combat the superbug, and this is a concern for humans, as it will infect people, and crops altogether. There is a potential for the biodiversity to decrease because of gene transfers from one species to another, creating more powerful crops, which may take over the natural populations of weeds and grasslands. An additional way for the biodiversity to decrease is by farmers planting only a single variety of crop, thus wiping out the varied species needed to keep the diversity within crop fields. Europeans are the most aware of GM food, and are taking the necessary precautions and legislative actions to protect themselves against the use of GM food. However, North Americans are the least aware of GM food, and their government has not yet educated their citizens on the risks of GM food. There are too many risks involved in the use of GM food, and its removal from the agricultural and biotechnological industries will benefit human health, the environment, and global economy.

Report on Hdfc Bank

1 PROJECT FINAL REPORT ON BANKING BY JIGAR SONI AT Summer Internship Project 2 PROJECT TITLE A project report on COMPANY GUIDE FACULTY GUIDE ================ ============== Mr. Manish Panchal Prof. Pragna Kaul Branch Manager IBMR Ahmedabad Kapadwanj. Prepared by : Jigar J Soni Roll no. 5 , Div – A IBMR _Ahmedabad Year – 2008/09 3 Acknowledgements If words are considered to be signs of gratitude then let these words Convey the very same My sincere gratitude to HDFC BANK for roviding me with an opportunity to work with BANK and giving necessary directions on doing this project to the best of my abilities. I am highly indebted to Mr. Manish Panchal. , Branch Manager and company project guide, who has provided me with the necessary information and also for the support extended out to me in the completion of this report and his valuable suggestion and comments on bringing out this report in the best way possible. I also thank Prof. Pragna Kaul, IBMR_Ahmedabad, who has sincer ely supported me with the valuable insights into the completion of this project. I am grateful to all faculty members of IBMR_Ahmedabad and my 4 friends who have helped me in the successful completion of this project. 5 CONTENTS Sr. No. Subject Covered Page No. 1 Banking Structure in India 6-7 2 Indian Banking Industries 8-9 3 Upcoming Foreign Bank in India 10 4 HDFC BANK 11-12 5 Company Profile 13-15 6 Technology used 16-19 7 Product and Customer segments 20-23 8 Business Strategy 24-25 9 Inside Hdfc Bank 26-31 10 Rupee Earned – Rupee Spent 32-33 11 Recent Development 34-41 12 SWOT Analysis 42-48 13 Project on Plastic Money 49-55 6 BANKING STRUCTURE IN INDIA Scheduled Banks in India (A) Scheduled Commercial Banks Public sector Banks Private sector Banks Foreign Banks in India Regional Rural Bank (28) (27) (29) (102) †¢Nationalized Bank †¢Other Public Sector Banks (IDBI) †¢SBI and its Associates †¢Old Private Banks †¢New Private Banks (B) Scheduled Cooperative Banks Scheduled Urban Cooperative Banks (55) Scheduled State Cooperative Banks (31) 7 Here we more concerned about private sector banks and competition among them. Today, there are 27 private sector banks in the banking sector: 19 old private sector banks and 8 new private sector banks. These new banks have brought in state-of-the-art technology and Aggressively marketed their products. The Public sector banks are Facing a stiff competition from the new private sector banks. The banks which have been setup in the 1990s under the guidelines of the Narasimham Committee are referred to as NEW PRIVATE SECTOR BANKS. New Private Sector Banks †¢Superior Financial Services †¢Designed Innovative Products †¢Tapped new markets †¢Accessed Low cost NRI funds †¢Greater efficiency 8 INDIAN BANKING INDUSTRIES The Indian banking market is growing at an astonishing rate, with Assets expected to reach US$1 trillion by 2010. An expanding economy, middle class, and technological innovations are all ontributing to this growth. The country’s middle class accounts for over 320 million people. In correlation with the growth of the economy, rising income levels, increased standard of living, and affordability of banking products are promising factors for continued expansion. 9 The Indian banking Industry is in the middle of an IT revolution, Focusing on the ex pansion of retail and rural banking. Players are becoming increasingly customer – centric in their approach, which has resulted in innovative methods of offering new banking products and services. Banks are now realizing the mportance of being a big player and are beginning to focus their attention on mergers and acquisitions to take advantage of economies of scale and/or comply with Basel II regulation. â€Å"Indian banking industry assets are expected to reach US$1 trillion by 2010 and are poised to receive a greater infusion of foreign capital,† says Prathima Rajan, analyst in Celent's banking group and author of the report. â€Å"The banking industry should focus on having a small number of large players that can compete globally rather than having a large number of fragmented players. UPCOMING FOREIGN BANKS IN INDIA By 2009 few more names is going to be added in the list of foreign banks in India. This is as an aftermath of the sudden interest shown 10 by Reserve Bank of India paving roadmap for foreign banks in India greater freedom in India. Among them is the world's best private bank by EuroMoney magazine, Switzerland's UBS. The following are the list of foreign banks going to set up business in India :- †¢Royal Bank of Scotland †¢ †¢Switzerland's UBS †¢ †¢US-based GE Capital †¢ †¢Credit Suisse Group †¢ †¢Industrial and Commercial Bank of China WE UNDERSTAND YOUR WORLD The Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited (HDFC) was amongst the first to receive an ‘in principle' approval from the 11 Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to set up a bank in the private sector, as part of the RBI's liberalization of the Indian Banking Industry in 1994. The bank was incorporated in August 1994 in the name of ‘HDFC Bank Limited', with its registered office in Mumbai, India. HDFC Bank commenced operations as a Scheduled Commercial Bank in January 1995. HDFC is India's premier housing finance company and enjoys an impeccable track record in India as well as in international markets. Since its inception in 1977, the Corporation has maintained a consistent and healthy growth in its operations to remain the market leader in mortgages. Its outstanding loan portfolio covers well over a million dwelling units. HDFC has developed significant expertise in retail mortgage loans to different market segments and also has a large corporate client base for its housing related credit facilities. With its experience in the financial markets, a strong market reputation, large shareholder base and unique consumer franchise, HDFC was ideally positioned to promote a bank in the Indian nvironment. HDFC Bank began operations in 1995 with a simple mission : to be a 12 â€Å" World Class Indian Bank. † We realized that only a single minded focus on product quality and service excellence would help us get there. Today, we are proud to say that we are well on our way towards that goal. COMPANY PROFILE STRONG NATIONAL NETWORK 13 HDFC BANK As of March 31, 2008, the Bank’s di stribution network was at 761 Branches and 1977 ATMs in 327 cities as against 684 branches March 2006 March 2007 March 2008 Citied 228 316 327 Branches 535 684 761 ATMs 1323 1605 1977 14 nd 1,605 ATMs in 320 cities as of March 31, 2007. Against the regulatory approvals for new branches in hand, the Bank expects to further expand the branch network by around 150 branches by June 30, 2008. During the year, the Bank stepped up retail customer acquisition with deposit accounts increasing from 6. 2 million to 8. 7 million and total cards issued (debit and credit cards) increasing from 7 million to 9. 2 million. Whilst credit growth in the banking system slowed down to about 22% for the year ended 2007-08, the Bank’s net advances grew by 35. 1% with retail advances growing by 38. % and wholesale advances growing by 30%, implying a higher market share in both segments. The transactional banking business also registered healthy growth With cash management volumes increased by around 80% and trade services volumes by around 40% over the previous year. Portfolio quality as of March 31, 2008 remained healthy with gross nonperforming assets at 1. 3% and net non-performing assets at 15 0. 4% of total customer assets. The Bank’s provisioning policies for specific loan loss provisions remained higher than regulatory requirements. TECHNOLOGY USED IN HDFC BANK In the era of globalization each and every sector faced the stiff competition from their rivals. And world also converted into the flat from the globe. After the policy of liberalization and RBI initiatives to take the step for the private sector banks, more and more changes 16 are taking the part into it. And there are create competition between the private sector banks and public sector bank. Private sector banks are today used the latest technology for the different transaction of day to day banking life. As we know that Information Technology plays the vital role in the each and every ndustries and gives the optimum return from the limited resources. Banks are service industries and today IT gives the innovative Technology application to Banking industries. HDFC BANK is the leader in the industries and today IT and HDFC BANK together combined they reached the sky. New technology changed the mind of the customers and changed the queue concept from the history banking transaction. Today there are different channels are available for the banking transactions. We can see that the how technology gives the best results in the below diagram. There are drastically changes seen in the use of Internet banking, in a year 2001 (2%) and in the year 2008 ( 25%). These type of technology gives the freedom to retail customers. 17 Centralized Processing Units Derived Economies of Scale Electronic Straight Through Processing Reduced Transaction Cost Data Warehousing , CRM Improve cost efficiency, Cross sell Innovative Technology Application Provide new or superior products HDFC BANK is the very consistent player in the New private sector banks. New private sector banks to withstand the competition from public sector banks came up with innovative products and superior service. 2001 18 Branches 43% ATM 40% Phone Banking 14% Internet 2% Mobile 1% 2005 Branches 17% ATM 45% Phone Banking 12% Internet 25% Mobile 1% ( % customer initiated Transaction by Channel ) 19 HDFC BANK PRODUCT AND CUSTOMER SEGMENTS PERSONAL BANKING Loan Product Deposit Product Investment & Insurance †¢Auto Loan †¢Loan Against Security †¢Loan Against Property †¢Personal loan †¢Credit card †¢2-wheeler loan †¢Commercial vehicles finance †¢Home loans †¢Retail business banking †¢Tractor loan †¢Working Capital Finance †¢Construction Equipment Finance †¢Health Care Finance †¢Education Loan †¢Gold Loan †¢Saving a/c †¢Current a/c †¢Fixed deposit †¢Demat a/c †¢Safe Deposit Lockers †¢Mutual Fund †¢Bonds †¢Knowledge Centre †¢Insurance †¢General and Health Insurance †¢Equity and Derivatives †¢Mudra Gold Bar 20 Cards Payment Services Access To Bank †¢Credit Card †¢Debit Card †¢Prepaid Card —————————- —- Forex Services —————————- —- †¢Product & Services †¢Trade Services †¢Forex service Branch Locater †¢RBI Guidelines †¢NetSafe †¢Merchant †¢Prepaid Refill †¢Billpay †¢Visa Billpay †¢InstaPay †¢DirectPay †¢VisaMoney Transfer †¢e–Monies Electronic Funds Transfer †¢Online Payment of Direct Tax †¢NetBanking †¢OneView †¢InstaAlert MobileBanking †¢ATM †¢Phone Banking †¢Email Statements Branch Network 21 WHOLESALE BANKING Corporate Small and Medium Enterprises Financial Inst itutions and Trusts †¢Funded Services †¢Non Funded Services †¢Value Added Services †¢Internet Banking †¢Funded Services †¢Non Funded Services †¢Specialized Services †¢Value added services †¢Internet Banking BANKS †¢Clearing Sub- Membership †¢RTGS – submembership †¢Fund Transfer †¢ATM Tie-ups †¢Corporate Salary a/c †¢Tax Collection Financial Institutions Mutual Funds Stock Brokers Insurance Companies Commodities Business Trusts BUSINESS MIX 22 Total Deposits Gross Advances Net Revenue Retail Wholesale †¢HDFC Bank is a consistent player in the private sector bank and have a well balanced product and business mix in the Indian as well as overseas markets. †¢Customer segments (retail & wholesale) account for 84% of Net revenues ( FY 2008) †¢Higher retail revenues partly offset by higher operating and credit costs. †¢Equally well positioned to grow both segments. . 23 NRI SERVICES Accounts & Deposits Remittances †¢Rupee Saving a/c †¢Rupee Current a/c †¢Rupee Fixed Deposits †¢Foreign Currency Deposits †¢Accounts for Returning Indians †¢North America †¢UK †¢Europe †¢South East Asia †¢Middle East †¢Africa †¢Others Quick remit IndiaLink Cheque LockBox Telegraphic/ Wire Transfer Funds Transfer Cheques/DDs/TCs Investment & Insurances Loans †¢Mutual Funds †¢Insurance †¢Private Banking †¢Portfolio Investment Scheme †¢Home Loans †¢Loans Against Securities †¢Loans Against Deposits †¢Gold Credit Card Payment Services Access To Bank †¢NetSafe †¢BillPay †¢InstaPay †¢DirectPay †¢Visa Money †¢Online Donation †¢NetBanking †¢OneView †¢InstaAlert †¢ATM †¢PhoneBanking †¢Email Statements †¢Branch Network 24 BUSINESS STRETEGY HDFC BANK mission is to be â€Å"a World Class Indian Bank†, benchmarking themselves against international standards and best ractices in terms of product offerings, technology, service levels, risk management and audit & compliance. The objective is to build sound customer franchises across distinct businesses so as to be a preferred provider of banking services for target retai l and wholesale customer segments, and to achieve a healthy growth in profitability, consistent with the Bank's risk appetite. Bank is committed to do this while ensuring the highest levels of ethical standards, professional integrity, corporate governance and regulatory compliance. Continue to develop new product and technology is the main business strategy f the bank. Maintain good relation with the customers is the main and prime objective of the bank. HDFC BANK business strategy emphasizes the following : 25 †¢Increase market share in India’s expanding banking and financial services industry by following a disciplined growth strategy focusing on quality and not on quantity and delivering high quality customer service. †¢Leverage our technology platform and open scaleable systems to deliver more products to more customers and to control operating costs. †¢Maintain current high standards for asset quality through disciplined credit risk management. Develop in novative products and services that attract the targeted customers and address inefficiencies in the Indian financial sector. †¢Continue to develop products and services that reduce bank’s cost of funds. †¢Focus on high earnings growth with low volatility. 26 INSIDE HDFC BANK FIVE â€Å"S† , PART OF KAIZEN WORK PLACE TRANSFORMATION Focus on effective work place organization Believe in â€Å" Small changes lead to large improvement † Every successful organization have their own strategy to win the race in the competitive market. They use some technique and methodology for smooth running of business. HDFC BANK also aquired the Japanese technique for smooth running of work and effective work place organization. Five ‘S’ Part of Kaizen is the technique which is used in the bank For easy and systematic work place and eliminating unnecessary things from the work place. BENEFIT OF FIVE â€Å"S† 27 †¢It can be started immediately. †¢Every one has to participate. †¢Five â€Å" S† is an entirely people driven initiatives. †¢Brings in concept of ownership. †¢All wastage are made visible. FIVE ‘S’ Means :- S-1 SORT SEIRI S-2 SYSTEMATIZE SEITON S-3 SPIC-N-SPAN SEIRO S-4 STANDARDIZE SEIKETSU S-5 SUSTAIN SHITSUKE (1) SORT :- It focus on eliminating unnecessary items from the work place. It is excellent way to free up valuable floor space. It segregate items as per â€Å"require and wanted†. (2) SYSTEMATIZE :- Systematize is focus on efficient and effective Storage method. Frequently Requir ed Less Frequently Requir ed Remove everything from workplace Junk Wanted but not Required Junk 28 That means it identify, organize and arrange retrieval. It largely focus on good labeling and identification practices. Objective :- â€Å"A place for everything and everything in its place†. (3) SPIC- n – SPAN :- Spic-n-Span focuses on regular clearing and self nspection. It brings in the sense of ownership. (4) STANDERDIZE :- It focus on simplification and standardization. It involve standard rules and policies. It establish checklist to facilitates autonomous maintenance of workplace. It assign responsibility for doing various jobs and decide on Five S frequency. (5) SUSTAIN:- It focuses on definin g a new status and standard of organized work place. Sustain means regular training to maintain standards developed under S-4. It brings in self- discipline and commitment towards workplace organization. 29 LABELLING ON FILE FILE NUMBER SUBJECT FROM DATE TO DATE OWNER BOX LABEL For Example 1 / 3 / A / 6 1 – Work Station (1) 3 – Drawer (3) A – Shelf (A) 6 – File Number ( 6) 30 COLOUR CODING OF FILES DEPARTMENT Welcome Desk Personal Banker Teller Relationship Manager Branch Manager Demat Others In the HDFC BANK each department has their different color coding apply on the different file. Due to this everyone aware about their particular color file which is coding on it and they save their valuable time. It is a part of Kaizen and also included in the system of the Five ‘S’. Logic behind it that , the color coding are always differentiate the things from the similar one. 31 HUMAN RESOURCES The Bank’s staffing needs continued to increase during the year particularly in the retail banking businesses in line with the business growth. Total number of employees increased from 14878 as of March31,2006 to 21477 as of March 31, 2007. The Bank continues to focus on training its employees on a continuing basis, both on the job and through training programs conducted by internal and external faculty. The Bank has consistently believed that broader employee ownership of its shares has a positive impact on its performance and employee motivation. The Bank’s employee stock option scheme so far covers round 9000 employees. 32 RUPEE EARNED – RUPEE SPENT It is more important for every organization to know about from where and where to spent money. And balanced between these two things rupee earned and rupee spent are required for smooth running of business and financial soundness. This type of watch can control and eliminate the unnecessary spending of business. In this diagram it include both things from where Bank earned Rupee and where to spent. 33 HDFC BANK earned from the ‘Interest from Advances’ 51. 14 % , ‘Interest from Investment’ 27. 12 %, bank earned commission exchange and brokerage of 15. 25 %. These are the major earning sources of the bank. Bank also earned from the Forex and Derivatives and some other Interest Income. Bank spent 39. 75 % on Interest Expense, 30. 27 % on Operating Expense and 14. 58 % on Provision. Bank also spent Dividend and Tax on dividend, Loss on Investment , Tax. As we discuss above that balancing is must between these two for every organization especially in the era of globalization where there are stiff competition among various market players. RECENT DEVELOPMENT 34 The Reserve Bank of India has approved the scheme of amalgamation of Centurion Bank of Punjab Ltd. ith HDFC Bank Ltd. with effect from May 23, 2008. All the branches of Centurion Bank of Punjab will function as branches of HDFC Bank with effect from May 23, 2008. With RBI’s approval, all requisite statutory and regulatory approvals for the merger have been obtained. 35 The combined entity would have a nationwide network of 1167 branches; a strong deposit base of around Rs. 1,22, 000 crores and net advances of around Rs. 89,000 crores. The balance sheet size of the combined entity would be over Rs. 1,63,000 crores. Merger with Centurion Bank of Punjab Limited On March 27, 2008, the shareholders of the Bank accorded their consent to a scheme of amalgamation of Centurion Bank of Punjab Limited with HDFC Bank Limited. The shareholders of the Bank approved the issuance of one equity share of Rs. 10/- each of HDFC Bank Limited for every 29 equity shares of Re. 1/- each held in Centurion Bank of Punjab Limited. This is subject to receipt of Approvals from the Reserve Bank of India, stock exchanges and Other requisite statutory and regulatory authorities. The shareholders Also accorded their consent to issue equity shares and/or warrants onvertible into equity shares at the rate of Rs. 1,530. 13 each to HDFC Limited and/or other promoter group companies on preferential basis, subject to final regulatory approvals in this regard. The Shareholders of the Bank have also approved an increase in the authorized capital from Rs. 450 crores to Rs. 550 crores. 36 Promoted in 1995 by Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC), India's leading housing finance company, HDFC Bank is one of India's premier banks providing a wide range of financial products and services to its over 11 million customers across hundreds of Indian cities using multiple distribution channels including a pan-India network of branches, ATMs, phone banking, net banking and mobile banking. Within a relatively short span of time, the bank has emerged as a leading player in retail banking, wholesale banking, and treasury operations, its three principal business segments. The bank's competitive strength clearly lies in the use of technology and the ability to deliver world-class service with rapid response time. Over the last 13 years, the bank has successfully gained market share in its target customer franchises while maintaining healthy rofitability and asset quality. 37 As on March 31, 2008, the Bank had a network of 761 branches and 1,977 ATMs in 327 cities. For the year ended March 31, 2008, the Bank reported a net profit of INR 15. 90 billion (Rs. 1590. 2crore), up 39. 3%, over the corresponding year ended March 31, 2007. As of March 31, 2008 total deposits were INR 1007. 69 billion, (Rs. 100,769 crore) up 47. 5% over th e corresponding year ended March 31, 2007. Total balance sheet size too grew by 46. 0% to INR 1,331. 77 billion (133177 crore). Leading Indian and international Publications have recognized the bank for its performance and quality. Centurion Bank of Punjab is one of the leading new generation private sector banks in India. The bank serves individual consumers, small and medium businesses and large corporations with a full range of financial products and services for investing, lending and 38 advice on financial planning. The bank offers its customers an array of wealth management products such as mutual funds, life and general insurance and has established a leadership ‘position'. The bank is also a strong player in foreign exchange services, ersonal loans, mortgages and agricultural loans. Additionally the bank offers a full suite of NRI banking products to Overseas Indians. On 29th August 2007, Centurion Bank of Punjab merged with Lord Krishna Bank (LKB), post obtaining all requisite statutory and regulatory approvals. This merger has further strengthened the geographical reach of the Bank in major towns and cities across the country , especially in the State of Kerala, in addition to its existing dominance in the northern part of the country. Centurion Bank of Punjab now operates on a strong nationwide ranchise of 404 branches and 452 ATMs in 190 locations across the country, supported by employee base of over 7,500 employees. In addition to being listed on the major Indian stock exchanges, the Bank’s shares are also listed on the Luxembourg Stock 39 Exchange. ACHIEVEMENT IN 2007 Business Today- Monitor Group survey One of India's â€Å"Most Innovative Companies† Financial Express- Ernst & Young Award Best Bank Award in the Private Sector category 40 Global HR Excellence Awards – Asia Pacific HRM Congress: ‘Employer Brand of the Year 2007 -2008' Award – First Runner up, & many more Business Today ‘Best Bank' Award Dun & Bradstreet – American Express Corporate Best Bank Award 2007 ‘Corporate Best Bank' Award The Bombay Stock Exchange and Nasscom Foundation's Business for Social Responsibility Awards 2007 ‘ Best Corporate Social Responsibility Practice' Award Outlook Money & NDTV Profit Best Bank Award in the Private sector category. The Asian Banker Excellence in Retail Financial Services Awards Best Retail Bank in India Asian Banker HDFC BANK Managing Director Aditya Puri wins the Leadership Achievement Award for India 41 SWOT ANALYSIS STRENGTH †¢Right strategy for the right products. †¢Superior customer service vs. competitors. WEAKNESSES †¢Some gaps in range for certain sectors. †¢Customer service staff need training. 42 †¢Great Brand Image †¢Products have required accreditations. †¢High degree of customer satisfaction. †¢Good place to work †¢Lower response time with efficient and effective service. †¢Dedicated workforce aiming at making a long-term career in the field. †¢Processes and systems, etc †¢Management cover insufficient. †¢Sectoral growth is constrained by low unemployment levels and competition for staff 3 Opportunities †¢Profit margins will be good. †¢Could extend to overseas broadly. †¢New specialist applications. †¢Could seek better customer deals. †¢Fast-track career development opportunities on an industry-wide basis. †¢An applied research centre to create opportunities for developing techniques to provi de added-value services. Threats †¢Legislation could impact. †¢Great risk involved †¢Very high competition prevailing in the industry. †¢Vulnerable to reactive attack by major competitors †¢Lack of infrastructure in rural areas could constrain investment. †¢High volume/low cost market is intensely ompetitive. 44 COMPETITIVE SWOT ANALYSIS WITH ICICI BANK STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES O P P O R T U N I T I E S S – O Strategies Strength: Large Capital base. Opportunity: Market Expansion. Strategy: Deep Penetration into Rural Market. W – O Strategies Weakness: Workforce Responsiveness. Opportunity: Outsourcing of Non – Core Business. Strategy: Outsource Customer Care & other E-Helps. T H R E A T S S – T Strategies Strength: Low operating costs Threat: Increased Competition from others Pvt. Banks. Strategy: Steps to Ensure Loyalty by old Customers. W – T Strategies Weakness: Not Equal to International Standards. Threat: Entry of many Foreign Banks. Strategy: Consider additional benefits 45 Detailed Analysis: i. Strength – Opportunity Analysis. Strength: It is well know that ICICI Bank has the largest Authorised Capital Base in the Banking System in India i. e. having a total capacity to raise Rs. 19,000,000,000 (Non – Premium Value). Opportunity: Seeing the present financial & economic development of Indian Economy and also the tremendous growth of the Indian Companies including the acquisition spree followed by them, it clearly states the expanding market for finance requirements nd also the growth in surplus disposal income of Indian citizens has given a huge rise in savings deposits – from the above point it is clear that there is a huge market expansion possible in banking sector in India. Strategy: From the analysis of Strength & Opportunity the simple and 46 straight possible strategy for ICICI Bank could be – to penetrate into the rural sector of India for expanding its market share as well as leading all other Pvt. Banks from a great gap. ii. Strength – Threat Analysis. Strength: ICICI Bank is not only known for large capital but also for having a ow operations cost though having huge number of branches and services provided. Threat: After showing a significant growth overall, India is able to attract many international financial & banking institutes, which are known for their state of art working and keeping low operation costs. Strategy: To ensure that ICICI Bank keeps going on with low operation cost & have continuous business it should simply promote itself well & provide quality service so as to ensure customer loyalty, therefore guaranteeing continuous business. 47 iii. Weakness – Opportunity Analysis. Weakness: It is well known that workforce responsiveness in banking sector is Very low in Indian banking sector, though ICICI Bank has better responsible staff but it still lacks behind its counterparts like HSBC, HDFC BANK, CITI BANK, YES BANK etc. Opportunity: In the present world, India is preferred one of the best places for out – sourcing of business process works and many more. Strategy: As international companies are reaping huge benefits after out- sourcing there customer care & BPO’s, this same strategy should be implemented by ICICI Bank so as to have proper customer ervice without hindering customer expectations. 48 iv. Weakness – Threat Analysis. Weakness: Though having a international presence, ICICI Bank has not been able to keep up the international standards in providing customer service as well as banking works. Threat: In recent times, India has witnessed entry of many international banks like CITI Bank, YES Bank etc which posses an external entrant threa t to ICICI Bank – as this Banks are known for their art of working and maintain high standards of customer service. Strategy: After having new entrants threat, ICICI Bank should come up with More additional benefits to its customer or may be even reduce some fees for any additional works of customers. 49 PROJECT ON PLASTIC MONEY PLASTIC MONEY PLASTIC MONEY I give the project on Plastic Money to bank. The objective behind this project is to increase the rich customers list in a bank. Plastic Money title itself says the use of Credit Card and Debit Card in day to day transaction of the business. I prepared the presentation on it and 50 submitted to bank and Bank already started work on this project. Idea behind this project is to sale the bulk product. Target customer Of this project are two parties one is Wholesaler and second is Retailer. Due to this idea bank also sell their swipe machine to wholesaler and create brand image in the market. The idea behind this, bank give the credit card swipe machine to wholesalers and retailers use the credit card of the bank. Bank gives the 50 days credit to their credit card holders. So here retailers can get benefit of long credit period and on the other side wholesalers can get the benefit of same day payment. As a result bank got the wide list of customers of wholesalers and retailers.