Hbr Case Introducing the New Coke free essay sample

Its principle achievement was originating from another advertising system, coordinating its emphasis on new age customers just as facilitating a progression of plugs called â€Å"the Pepsi Challenge†, which is a trial rivalry among Pepsi and Coke. The aftereffect of this test was in Pepsi’s advantage, it demonstrated that purchasers lean toward the flavor of Pepsi more. This outcome made the Coca-cola company’ administrators exceptionally concerned and chose to upset its leader item by changing the flavor of the Coke and presented it as the â€Å"New Coke†. After the item was propelled, consumers’ reaction was over the top and the new item was a finished disappointment. Just a couple of months after the fact, the organization needed to choose to bring its unique item back, Coke great. 2. What is Coca-Cola? As far as Ted Levitt’s acclaimed question, â€Å"what business is it in†? You may need to do some extra research on Levitt. Kindly don't compose the undeniable answer (e. We will compose a custom exposition test on Hbr Case Introducing the New Coke or then again any comparative theme explicitly for you Don't WasteYour Time Recruit WRITER Just 13.90/page g. refreshment, pop, and so on). Ans: When Ted Levitt posed the inquiry â€Å"What business is it in†, he was provoking organizations to look past their prompt material item or support and analyze the range of ways they can and should focus on the more prominent open intrigue. Coca-Cola is in the drink business however its business is to offer a sweet, fun, memory-motivating convenient refreshment that moves wistfulness for a lighthearted time. Coca-Cola is a sense-memory item that depends on a view of guilty pleasure and solace 3. How did Pepsi build up its image and how was the Pepsi brand situated in the commercial center? Was it actually a danger to Coke? In what capacity should Coke have reacted to Pepsi’s importance making propels? Ans: Pepsi acknowledge devoting itself completely to a war with Coke on brand acknowledgment would liable to be an act of futility. The Coke brand has been engraved in consumers’ mind over decades, through war, downturn and numerous significant verifiable occasions and recollections. In this manner, it chose to concentrate on one specific buyer portion and began to construct its image in the new division. By concentrating on youthful shoppers, whose psyche isn't yet appended to the coke brand, it positions itself as a youthful, energetic beverage, with the trademark â€Å"Pepsi Generation† infers the youthful, exuberant individuals, the new age. It would be a danger to Coke, since Coke would lose its youngsters fragment to Pepsi. In any case, Coke should reaction to its opposition by helping to remember how unique the item is, or presenting another item with various market division methodology. 4. Knowing the past is surely 20/20, however setting this predisposition aside, what central point do you think caused the disappointment of the New Coke dispatch? Kindly don't compose the undeniable answer (e. g. individuals didn't care for the new taste). Do you think it was the item, the dispatch procedure or both? On the off chance that you think it was the procedure, at that point how might it have been progressively fruitful? Ans: The main consideration of the inability to New Coke dispatch, as I would like to think, was not simply the item, the new coke was assume to be a superior item with better taste. The dispatch procedure has been interfered with a tad yet it has additionally not the principle disappointment. The primary disappointment was the expelling of the first item, the item that is genuinely unblemished with consumers’ mind. While occupied with upsetting about losing the old Coke, nobody would focus or ready to check out a New Coke. The New Coke may have been increasingly fruitful, if it somehow managed to be acquainted as an expansion with the product offering. With another promoting methodology.

Mary Ellen Mark

The term ‘photography’ started from the Greek words â€Å"drawing with light† (Grundberg, 2005). None could be a progressively adept name for this human creation. In reality, when it prospered in the mid nineteenth century, we have at last found an approach to draw upon light and use it to freeze the good and bad times of our inquisitive race. The photographic artists among us have taken pictures of logical progressions and creative wonders, of the incredible people that had significantly impacted our general public, of languid towns and stunning vistas, of family life, and of whatever else that interests to our longing to deify the pieces of our reality. We have understood that photography is a valuable hobby.But others discover photography something beyond a leisure activity. They are the ones who catch a second, yet in addition, progressively significant, shed light to those couple of living underneath the splits in the public arena. Such picture takers, for ex ample, would go to any war-torn nation, where they will report the battles of youngster fighters and the individuals caught in war, so that ideally government officials would listen attentively, or a delicate heart.And still different photographic artists would go to any undocumented district far and wide to eradicate the extremism and disdain with which purported social outcastsâ€like prostitutesâ€are treated. Diane Arbus, a famous American picture taker, once stated, â€Å"There are things no one would check whether I didn't photo them†. We have a lot to gain from the sort of social orders we, all in all, have madeâ€and through photography we could make a difference.Mary Ellen Mark, a picture taker herself, typifies the equivalent core value in her profession. She puts stock in the wealth of humankind, regardless of where it is found. Regardless of the rewarding guarantee in her sort of work, which a portion of her counterparts appreciate, Mark frequently escapes t he corporate world and dives into a progressively personal one, to the sort of spots where in any event, snapping a photo of a spectator may imperil her own life.Yet she is eager to exchange her wellbeing for the story she gathers from the individuals around her. Commonly, in 1978, while endeavoring to photo the whores of Falkland Road, Bombay, Mark have needed to bear verbal abuse and falls of trash tossed by individuals who felt undermined by her (Long, 2000). Others may call her style of photojournalism careless, if not self-destructive, yet Mark confides in individuals, and they to her consequently. She has had an extraordinary excursion up until this point, and she’ll unquestionably not stop.More than thirty years had gone in her honorable profession. Be that as it may, similar to each unselfish individual who had decided to escape the futile daily existence, Mark’s vocation began fairly conventionally, her disclosure still a ways off. In the 1960’s she sta rted the long ascension upwards to building a vocation, working for separated magazines, for example, Look and Life. A fairly stylish activity contrasted with what she is doing well at this point. However even around then she was at that point culminating her photojournalism as she formed rich photograph papers for both news and design periodicals. What's more, her customers was impressiveâ€Esquire, Holiday, The New York Times, Magazine, Vogue, and numerous others.1965 was the year where she at last found the opportunity to escape the prohibitive office space. Imprint got a Fulbright Scholarship, which she utilized expeditiously as a venturing stone to go for a long time in different nations, for example, Greece, Italy, Germany, Spain, and England (Long, 2000). She was gradually expelling the chains that bound her to only one spot, a sort of opportunity that would serve her later on.Within that decade Mark started utilizing her camera to enlighten the concealed overlooked ignored partial pieces of society. Her perspective of things was evolving. This time, rather than floundering in allure and news, she was submerging herself in the difficulties of othersâ€the transvestites, master ladies and against war demonstrators, and others which have frequently got less from a similar society to which they give a lot of their unfilled weeps for correspondence, equity, and comprehension, and acceptance.She was in the bleeding edges, and she archived everything utilizing her camera. â€Å"What I need to accomplish more than anything is recognize their existence,† she once said. One is viewed as a considerate host in the event that one recognizes the nearness of another. Be that as it may, Mary Ellen Mark, even as she was building a profession, was something other than an obliging individual. More than that. Truth be told, by recognizing the presence of people around her, she was really engaging them, placing them in center and point of view, similarly that a magnifying lens looks at the germs on a crucibleâ€although for this situation she was inspecting the injuries in the public arena. Her camera turned into her figurative expanded eye, one that opens her comprehension. Furthermore, with understanding she would likewise find compassion.Production stills, utilized in Hollywood motion pictures, came next in line for her. The work itself fit her photojournalismâ€on one hand she was taking pictures; then again, telling the significance behind the photos. At the point when she took stills of Milos Forman’s One Flew over the Cuckoo Nest, a film that was shot in a genuine mental clinic, Mark dug profound into the brains of the profoundly pained. It was 1973. In the end, to carry herself closer to the patients, Mary Ellen Mark got to know the hospital’s executive (Long, 2000).â€Å"I've quite recently consistently been keen on emotional well-being, mental illness,† she once said. In any case, her advantage didnâ€⠄¢t verge on a dreary interest; she simply did it because of her enthusiasm for her profession. Furthermore, rather than depicting the patients as a crazy group with no fix, Mark esteemed their distinction, their novel characters that despite everything cover up underneath the unhinged veil (Long, 2000).That is one of her styles, her accepting that not all things show up precisely as they are in photos. She thinks something will show up beside what she accepts to be genuine. Her conviction is itself a style, for she fuses it into her work. She may snap a photo of a grinning kid, for example, but then not recognize what the youngster truly feels; she probably won't realize that the kid might be concealing a pity profound inside. By and by, she despite everything takes pictures since part of her seesâ€whether deliberately or subconsciouslyâ€a certain connection with outsiders, a person seeing herself in others. Also, on the off chance that that were the situation, at that point maybe one could even say that her style is more profound than individual, an approach to discover a spot for herself in this world.To her, each individual in the image is a raconteur. A rodeo cowhand may seem manly, yet somewhere inside he recounts to an account of his battles to keep up that machismo picture, if just to welcome food on to his family table. Or on the other hand a female patient in a psychological medical clinic may seem unequipped for concentrating on to anything and is simply constrained to mumblings, yet the clearness in her eyes or the posture at which her photograph was taken recommend in any case. Storiesâ€each of us has a story to tell, and one of the approaches to telling it is through photographs.Mary Ellen Mark knows this well. In this manner, another of her style is to let her subjects recount to their own accounts, the consideration away from her. â€Å"There's not a lot fascinating about me; what’s intriguing is the individual I'm capturing, a nd that’s what I attempt to show,† she once said. The final product, obviously, is pictures that show strikingly the accounts of individuals, who appear to jump out of the paper, advising â€Å"Look at my story† to watchers. Mark’s photos show the mankind in each individual, regardless of where the photograph was taken (Fulton).Mary Ellen Mark additionally adores indicating the incongruities of life and its members. One more of her style, which she has applied when she made a photograph article of 8 distinctive voyaging carnivals (Long, 2000). She concentrated on the outfits’ characters, the sprinters of the showâ€the creatures and the unusual attractions, for example, the diminutive person and the flexible performers. Without precedent for her life, she felt youthful once more, a lady shipped into an otherworldly world. She observed everything just as she were watching it through the eyes of a newborn child. She portrayed it appropriately: †Å"It was brimming with incongruities, regularly hilarious and once in a while dismal, wonderful and monstrous, cherishing and now and again merciless, however consistently human.†Life is loaded with hues, every one of a kind unto itself. A painter or picture taker mixes these rich hues to extraordinary impact, as a rule consolidating the genuine with the strange. Be that as it may, even a few painters and picture takers do take care of their shading palettes on occasion. Also, why shouldn’t they? All things considered, is it false that the wealth of hues can cause a tactile over-burden, as well? Ellen Mark is such an individual who thinks so. By utilizing a highly contrasting palette in her photos, she develops the pieces of life and reality that are frequently disregarded. In the greater part of her photos, for example, everything is made more clear by the absence of a rich palette, similar to a short delay throughout everyday life. The watcher at that point sees thing s that were once covered under colors.It is similar to the Zen idea of less is moreâ€in this case, the absence of an excessive number of hues recounts to more tale about the spot, things, and individuals in the photos. Imprint once took photos of the sort of life that goes on inside a home for the debilitated and the perishing. Here, she stripped all the notable data achieved by conflicting hues, and rather brought out amazingly the stunning subtleties of the metal bunks, the gaunt bodies, and the human likes in desolation (Long, 2000).Mary Ellen Mark is as special as the characters in her photos. Yet, some couldn’t help contrasting her style with that of Diane Arbus. The two ladies extend life by decreasing the hues to high contrast; both identify with those living outside the acknowledged circles in the public eye. However, maybe what isolates Mary Ellen Mark from her forerunner

Interesting Topics to Write a Personal Essay About

Interesting Topics to Write a Personal Essay AboutThere are many interesting topics to write a personal essay about, but the topic which is the most fascinating to you is often a topic that many people are unaware of. People are unaware of this because they do not know the right questions to ask when composing an essay on this topic.Here are some interesting topics to write a personal essay about:One of the most interesting topics to write a personal essay about is success and achievement. By way of this you can really teach yourself something about personal achievement, particularly since the task of looking at how to achieve success and achievement is so demanding that the more self-motivated people always seem to be struggling to achieve success and achievement.Another one of the most interesting topics to write a personal essay about is the story of your life. You can tell the story of your life in many different ways, depending on your level of consciousness. However, many peopl e believe that a story about their life is important, because they would like to express themselves and to let people know about their different struggles and triumphs. If you have ever heard someone say that they would like to tell their story, then you can understand how difficult it can be for some people to tell their story without feeling intimidated.And one of the most interesting topics to write a personal essay about is the weather. Weather is a huge issue all over the world, and that is why many people believe that there is a story to be told about the weather. As such, people would like to express themselves by writing a personal essay on the weather.Another one of the most interesting topics to write a personal essay about is the time. People usually write personal essays about their life by looking at the passage of time. It is actually quite common for people to write a personal essay about the passage of time, although they might not have actually thought about the top ic, but rather decided to look at their life at a particular point in time.Writing a personal essay is a great way to show people something about themselves, and writing an essay can be a great way to express yourself and to let people know about your personal struggles. Therefore, here are some of the most interesting topics to write a personal essay about.

Power as a Source of Conflict - 1421 Words

POWER AS A SOURCE OF CONFLICTS WHAT IS POWER? Power is a measure of an entitys ability to control its environment, including the behavior of other entities. The term authority is often used for power, perceived as legitimate by the social structure. Power can be seen as evil or unjust, but the exercise of power is accepted as important to humans as social beings. In the corporate environment, power is often expressed as upward or downward. With downward power, a superior influences subordinates. When a system experiences upward power, it is the subordinates who influence the decisions of the leader (Greiner Schein, 1988). Power is broadly defined as the capacity to bring about change. It takes many forms, comes from many places, and†¦show more content†¦This will eventually lead to informal groups being formed secretly where â€Å"lesser† staff can voice out their feelings, suggestions and complaints among peers. The frustration of not being heard by those in power will then build up and eventually explode into conflict. Position Where you occupy a recognized position, then subordinates will obey the rules regarding that position (rather than obeying you, per se). Formal positions include presidents, ministerial heads, policemen, and so on. When power exists in the hands of dictators they more often than not impose certain conditions on those under them, which is more often than not an infringement of fundamental human rights. Citizens are forced to comply with these conditions and this can cause uprising from citizens who have had enough and eventually will spring into a conflict between those in power and those not. As propounded by Karl Marx, absolute power corrupts absolutely, those in power tend to only see the intended end results and do not take into consideration the impacts of the various courses of action on the lay citizen. Most of them see citizens as just tools or a means to an end. People wish to receive some degree of decent, humane treatment. When the effects on the average citizens are not ta ken into consideration these citizens will bear the blunt of harsh rules, laws, policies and decrees of governments. It is, in a sense, to treat them as if they areShow MoreRelatedSources Of Power And Functional Identity, Conflict, Self Interest, And Integration Within An Organization1184 Words   |  5 PagesSources of Power in Organization Introduction Evaluating the Organizations as Political Systems, Morgan (2006) looks at the various sources of power in organizations, his textbook lists several essential sources of power. This independent research discussion will examine the management of gender relations, and the power one already has. Particularly in the Political Systems metaphor, this review will evaluate how the two sources of power can contribute to functional identity, conflict, self-interestRead MoreThe New System Of Team Leader And The Development Style Of The Team1456 Words   |  6 Pagestasked with working with a group of six employees throughout the organization. The goal of this case is to determine the leadership style of the team leader and the development style of the team will be outlined as well as how the team deals with conflict. Background Information The HR Department of a global enterprise is tasked with developing and implementing a new HRIS system that centralizes all of the personnel records for the organization. The team leader in addition to six differentRead MoreConflict and Power: Assessing Power Imbalances Essay1589 Words   |  7 PagesAssessing Power Imbalances Introduction In today’s organizations conflict and power are important elements to the success of any company but can also create negative long term impacts if not addressed. Organizations require enough power within the leaders to get through conflict and enough conflict within individuals to create new innovations. Not all conflict is bad but when there is conflict individuals with power must assist in aligning conflict resolution to assist in understanding for everyoneRead MoreThe Rise Of Nuclear Weapons1665 Words   |  7 PagesPearl Harbor and the conflict of the Cold War, but even with these conflicts present in our history, warning us of the effects of conflict and nuclear weaponry coexisting with humanity, these warnings have not carried through into society today. Currently in the Middle East, we are witnessing the elements of a modern day cold war starting to appear due to the conflict between Israel and Iran. As Israel and Iran have different religious ideologies, this has cre ated tension and conflict to occur, but moreRead MoreThe Conflicts And Politics Of Walt Disney1323 Words   |  6 PagesConflict in an organization is the state of discord which arises as a result of the opposition of needs and interests between the employees who are working together. The various conflicts and politics which affected Walt Disney in the past were caused by the falling company under the management of Michael Eisner. During the early 2000 s, Eisner who was the then CEO of Walt Disney was under a lot of criticism due to the company s falling performance and also his centralized decision-making processRead MoreEssay on Will There Be Peace in the Middle East1461 Words   |  6 PagesTurmoil and conflict in the Middle East not only affects the people inhabiting this region, but also has global consequences. To answer this question, one must analyze the sources of conflict in the Middle East, historically, currently, and in the future. The limited amount of natural resour ces in this region has arguably served as the most major source of conflict in the Middle East. Other contributing factors to conflict are the leadership styles of the key players in positions of power, and religiousRead MoreCritical Analysis of the Conflict Theory1633 Words   |  7 PagesInteraction, and Conflict. These theories relate to the main aspects of life in a society: organized group membership, interaction, and conflict. Out of all three of these, conflict seems to be the most straight-forward. Every person has experienced conflict in life. The main focus of this theory is how power structures and power disparities impact people’s lives (The Catholic University of America,  2008). Conflict theory according to Crossman (2013) emphasizes the role of coercion and power in producingRead MoreOrganizational Conflict At Walt Disney The Ceo Eisner1124 Words   |  5 Pagesorganizational conflict is the clash that occurs when the goal-directed behavior of one group blo cks or thwarts the goals of another (p. 391). In the case study Politics at Walt Disney the CEO Eisner began losing favor with the company when the firm’s performance began to fall. Despite having handpicked a majority of the board members Eisner could not deny the company’s loss of performance. Pondy (as cited by Jones, 2013) developed a model of organizational conflict which lists five sources of conflictRead MoreThe Russian Ukrainian Conflict During Media Discourse1510 Words   |  7 PagesMedia has power to create, shape and change public opinion. At the same time, it is also created and shaped by community. In war or conflict discourse the power of media is crucial because it affects the image of the country on the international stage as well as public mood and atmosphere in the country. The ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict has been a matter of debate between many countries including but not limited to Russia and Ukraine. The research area of the current stu dy is the current Russian-UkrainianRead MoreWater Problems Associated With Water Scarcity1589 Words   |  7 Pagesrenewable and non-renewable water sources will be strained to the breaking point, even in developed countries (Wolf, Kramer, Carrius, Dabelko, 2006). WATER-RELATED CONFLICT Water conflicts are a result of many indicators including the growth of populations, an increase in demand for water resources, a constantly shifting climate, advances in technology, the globalization and industrialization of developing countries, dwindling supplies of non-renewable water sources, among many others. To fully understand

Susan Glaspell s `` The Yellow Wallpaper `` And A Jury Of...

The fight for equality for minorities dates back to the beginning of mankind. Women, in particular, fight for fairness even in today’s society. This everlasting battle can be seen in both â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and â€Å"A Jury of Her Peers† by Susan Glaspell. Gilman’s story revolves around a woman who has postpartum depression. Her husband, who is also her physician, uses isolation to try and heal his wife’s â€Å"nervous disease.† Glaspell’s story, on the other hand, describes the murder of a man, with his wife being the prime suspect. This story is clearly about a battle of the sexes, where the women ultimately win. Although these stories have many differences, both authors examine deep themes by using various literary elements. Using irony and symbolism, Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† and Susan Glaspell’s â€Å"A Jury of Her Peers† explore the themes of isolation and female oppression. Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† is an intricate story that uses the conflict between an â€Å"imaginative wife† and her â€Å"rational doctor† of a husband to convey underlying motifs (Shumaker n.pag.). The story is told from the narrator’s journal that she keeps hidden from her husband. It is clear throughout the story that the narrator suffers from some sort of mental illness. Her husband/physician, John, uses unethical remedies to try to cure the narrator’s disease. Isolation and complete bed rest are John’s idea of treatment for hisShow MoreRelatedA Jury Of Her Peers By Susan Glaspell1674 Words   |  7 Pagescaretakers. In â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† Charlotte Gilman Illustrates the controlling behavior that men had exercises on their wives, and the lack of freedom women had to make independent decisions. In â€Å"A Jury of Her Peers† Susan G laspell illustrates how men exercised prejudice against women by focusing on the sexist perspective of two men during a lawful investigation which rendered them incapable of understanding what actually occurred. Analyzing the work of writers like Gilman and Glaspell is a powerfulRead MoreComparing ‚Äà ºThe Yellow Wallpaper‚Äà ¹ and ‚Äà ºA Jury of Her Peers‚Äà ¹3135 Words   |  13 Pages Comparing â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† and â€Å"A Jury of Her Peers† Many great authors have written stories about the oppression women faced in the past and one was Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the author of the late 19th century short story â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper.† She portrays the struggles and hardships that women of that period experienced through brilliant uses of theme, mood, tone, and imagery. Another equally great author that used imagery and events that happened in realRead MoreAnalysis Of Susan Glaspells Trifles: Patriarchal Dominance997 Words   |  4 PagesPatriarchal Dominance Susan Glaspell’s a stage play Trifles filmed by Jasmine Castillo is based on the theme that two genders are separated by the roles they performance in society and their powers of execution. The story is about the terrible murder of Mr. Wright by his wife, and the women who found the evidence in farmer’s house decided to be silent and hide it. The women unquestionably have a strong motive to be quiet about their discovery. The discriminatory separation between two genders proves

A Tale of Two Cities Persuasive Essay free essay sample

I am married to Lucie Manette and have a beautiful daughter also named Lucie. They are the center of my universe and mean the whole world to me. On my wedding day I promised to tell Lucie’s father Dr. Manette my real name. Since I do not want to lie to my family or keep anything secret I did as I promised and told Dr. Manette my real name. This was not easy but I did it because you should not keep anything from your family and try to express everything which is exactly what I did. Although I say I am a good man to follow there are a few things that you should not follow. I did pursue my promise to Dr. Manette but what I should have done is tell him right away. Now that I think about it I feel bad about it because I kept a huge part of me away from my wife and her family. We will write a custom essay sample on A Tale of Two Cities Persuasive Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Although I was not quite sure on whether or not to tell Dr. Manette about my real name I chose to tell him later on our wedding day than be up front and tell him and Lucie as soon as I met both of them. You always need to tell the truth right away because it may hurt you in the end. I believe that I happen to be a good role model for many young people. There are not many of us in this world but I do know for sure that England does have at least one good role model to follow. Only pay attention to the good role models and leave the bad ones in the dust, they will get you in trouble. There are a lot of good people in this world and I happen to be one of them.

Parent Engagement and School Readiness free essay sample

CS IV: To establish a positive and productive relationship with families.My goal is to create an environment that responsive and cooperative with the children and families. I believe that positive, cooperative communication with the families that support to build a strong relationship. I did volunteer work at my son’s school that I perceived family is an important part of the school. I will display the classroom that looks warm, welcoming and friendly to the children and families. I love to create a family tree with children to make them feel comfortable, and my goal is to work with families throughout the year to set the goals for children’s development. I will help families to have access to the resources, daily go home folder, weekly newsletters, and mail. I will encourage them to visit throughout the day to school and respect the families with dignity. I will commit to school, families, and staff to establish a positive relationship with all. We will write a custom essay sample on Parent Engagement and School Readiness or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Also, I will create an environment that parents understand how the school works throughout the day. I will send weekly menus, newsletters, daily teacher-parent communication folder at home. Also, I will post the menus, news to read for parents when they come to pick or drop and communicate with them if they have any concern. I will encourage them to involve in volunteer work to class like mystery reader, help with artwork, and field trips. I will conduct the meeting and discuss with parents about their child’s development, and what they think about their child’s development, also I will ask how they are doing at home. That’s the way I will get to know about their child ‘s likes, dislike, strengths, and needs. I will also ensure that if they have any concern, I will do my best to help with their concerns.CS IV a: I will ensure by sending email, weekly plans, menus, newsletters and go home folder with children that will be easy to parents and teacher to communicate. Also, I will post menus, weekly plan for parents to read on website and board.CS IV b: I will ensure that how the children are doing at home by communicating with parents. And I will conduct a meeting to discuss with parents about their children’s development. Also, I will ask what’s their opinion about children’s development.

Daniel Essays - Christian Eschatology, Book Of Daniel, Free Essays

Daniel Essays - Christian Eschatology, Book Of Daniel, Free Essays Daniel BOOK REPORT The book used for this study: Daniel Verse by Verse Study Oliver B. Green THE GOSPEL HOUR, INC. Fourteenth printing, May 1981 508 pages Class: Old Testament Literature 2 Grade rec'd: A Word count=2375 THE STUDY OF THE BOOK OF DANIEL IS THE STUDY OF PROPHECY, AND AS SUCH, DEALS WITH THE FUTURE. IN STUDYING THESE, WE, AS CHRISTIANS, CAN GAIN A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE BIBLE AND OF GOD. THROUGH THIS STUDY AN UNDERSTANDING IS OBTAINED OF THE BATTLE BETWEEN THE FORCES OF GOOD AND EVIL, AND THE ULTIMATE TRIUMPH OF JESUS. THE PROPHETIC SYMBOLS OF DANIEL MUST BE INTERPRETED BY THE BIBLE ITSELF. MAN-MADE INTERPRETATIONS HAVE NO VALIDITY AT ALL. THE COMPREHENSION OF THE PROPHECIES OF DANIEL GIVE US A CLEARER UNDERSTANDING OF JESUS. DANIEL, ALTHOUGH WRITING IN THE THIRD PERSON, GAVE A PERSONAL HISTORY, AS HE LIVED IT, IN THE BOOK OF DANIEL. JESUS ATTESTED TO DANIEL'S RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE WORDS FOUND IN THE BOOK OF DANIEL, AS HIS THIRD POINT, WHEN HE TOLD HIS FOLLOWERS TO UNDERSTAND THE PROPHECIES OF DANIEL, THE FIRST TWO BEING: TO STUDY THE PROPHECIES, AND THEY COULD BE UNDERSTOOD. DANIEL IS SET DURING THE REIGN OF KING NEBUCHDREZZAR OF BABYLON, WHICH BEGAN IN 605 B.C., AND EXTENDS INTO THE MEDO-PERSIAN REIGN, WHICH BEGAN IN 538 B.C. WE CAN DETERMINE, THEN, THAT THE BOOK WAS WRITTEN SOMETIME DURING THOSE YEARS. BECAUSE OF THEIR DISOBEDIENCE TO GOD, THE NATIONS OF ISRAEL AND JUDAH FOUND THEMSELVES CONQUERED BY NEBUCHADREZZAR AND THEIR PEOPLE TAKEN CAPTIVE TO A HEATHEN COUNTRY. ALTHOUGH, THE BOOK OF DANIEL WAS WRITTEN WHILE GOD'S PEOPLE WERE CAPTIVE IN BABYLON BECAUSE OF THEIR SINS, THE FOCUS OF THE BOOK IS NOT ABOUT THE CAPTIVITY, BUT ABOUT THE END TIME. THIS DISCOVERY ABOUT THE BOOK, GIVES DANIEL RELEVANCE FOR US TODAY. THERE ARE TWO DISTINCT PERSPECTIVES FOUND IN THE BOOK OF DANIEL: THE HISTORICAL, WHERE WE SEE STORIES ABOUT DANIEL'S TIME; AND THE PROPHETIC, WHERE WE SEE PROPHECIES POINTING TO THE END TIME. THE STORIES OF DANIEL ARE NOT JUST GIVEN AS SIMPLE STORIES, THEY ARE GIVEN TO ILLUSTRATE WHAT THE PROPHECIES PREDICT. REMEMBER, THE POINT OF THE BOOK OF DANIEL IS THE END TIME...THE ERA OF THE ENDING OF THE CONFLICT BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL. WE STUDY THE HISTORICAL PASSAGES TO DISCOVER THE MESSAGE THERE FOR THE END TIME, AND THEN WE DISCOVER HOW THE PROPHETIC SECTIONS HAVE PREDICTED THOSE VERY CONDITIONS IN THE LAST DAYS. THE BIBLE SAYS THAT PROPHECY IS CERTAIN, AND THAT REAL ANSWERS CAN BE FOUND ONLY IN PROPHECY. OUR PATH IS LIT BY THE LIGHT OF PROPHECY, AND THROUGH IT'S STUDY WE FIND JESUS PLACED IN OUR HEARTS. MUCH OF THE BOOK OF DANIEL IS WRITTEN IN SYMBOLIC LANGUAGE. THE FORM THAT DANIEL USES IS CALLED 'OUTLINE PROPHECY', IN WHICH HISTORY IS OUTLINED FROM DANIEL'S DAY TO THE END TIME. WE CAN SEE THAT WE ARE LIVING IN THE STREAM OF HISTORY BECAUSE DANIEL BEGINS HIS PROPHECIES IN HIS OWN DAY, CONTINUES THROUGH HISTORY AS THEY UNFOLD, AND THEN FOCUSES ON THE END TIME. WE SEE THE PROPHECIES OF DANIEL ARE CONSISTENT WITH BIBLICAL EVIDENCE, THEY SPAN THE AGES, ROOTED IN HISTORY BUT FOCUSED ON THE FUTURE. THE BOOK OF DANIEL OPENS WITH THE APPARENT DEFEAT FOR GOD'S PEOPLE WHEN THEY ARE DELIVERED INTO THE HANDS OF THE KING OF BABYLON AND TAKEN INTO CAPTIVITY. THESE EVENTS ARE SYMBOLIC OF THE FINAL CONFLICT THAT WILL TAKE PLACE IN THE END TIME, WHEN, IN THE LAST DAYS, SATAN'S FORCES ARE AT WORK TRYING TO DESTROY THOSE WHO ARE FAITHFUL TO JESUS. THE STRUGGLE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL IS EVIDENCED WHEN NEBUCHADREZZAR HAD DANIEL'S THREE FRIENDS THROWN INTO THE FIERY FURNACE. HE CLEARLY SAW A FOURTH PERSON IN THE FIRE, TO PROTECT AND DELIVER THE HEBREW CHILDREN, AND HE KNEW SOMETHING SUPERNATURAL HAD OCCURRED. NEBUCHADREZZAR IS SHOWN OVER AND OVER THAT GOD IS IN CONTROL OF HUMAN EVENTS NO MATTER WHAT. THIS SAME DELIVERER IS WITH US TODAY. WHEN CHRISTIANS GO THROUGH TRIBULATIONS, THEIR OWN 'FIERY FURNACE', THE SON OF GOD IS RIGHT THERE TO GO THROUGH THE FIRE WITH THEM. THERE ARE TWO ISSUES THAT ARE AT THE FORE OF THE BOOK OF DANIEL...WORSHIP AND OBEDIENCE. THROUGHOUT THE BOOK OF DANIEL WE SEE HOW HIS OBEDIENCE TO GOD AND WORSHIP OF GOD ARE THREATENED AND

Brand Audit South India Bank

Through this study an analysis is made on Branding strategies by South Indian Bank, this refers to the communication that is being sent by South India Bank about its product, services and other such attributes and what is being received by the costumers. Banks are coming up with new strategies to market themselves, gone are the days when Banks were an unattractive lot and one stepped foot in a bank as a last resort for financial assistance. Now new strategies are being used by Banks for retaining their customers as well as acquiring new ones. This is where the importance of Brand Management comes in. PORPORTION OF ADVERTISEMENT (EMPLOYEE ) SPONSORSHIP EVENTS (CUSTOMER ) SPONSORSHIP EVENTS (EMPLOYEE) BILLBOARDS (CUSTOMER) BILLBOARDS (EMPLOYEE) SOCIAL MEDIA (CUSOMER OPINION) SOCIAL MEDIA (EMPLOYEE OPINION) CUSTOMER YEARS IN BANK NUMBER OF TRANSCATION ONLINE BANKING MOBILE BANKING PERSONAL LOANS WELCOME 22 29 29 30 31 31 32 35 36 36 37 37 38 5 1,22 1. 23 1. 24 1. 25 1. 26 1. 27 VALUE EMPLOYEE SIB FIRST PREFERNCE CELEBRATEES INDIVIDUALS TEAM SUCCESS ONLINE BANK MOBILE BANKING DATABASE MANAGEMENT 39 39 40 40 41 42 6 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 7 1. INTRODUCTION Brand: â€Å"A Brand is a complex symbol. It is the intangible sum of a product? s attributes, its name, packaging and price, its history, reputation, and the way it? s advertised. A brand is also defined by consumer? s impression of people who use it, as well as their own experience†- David Ogilvy A brand is a Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one sellers good or service as distinct from those of other sellers. Brands are distinguished and this is protected by trademarks or service mark from authorized agencies. Brands are often expressed in the form of Logos, graphic representations, slogan etc. Good and powerful brands drive success in any competitive markets and help achieve company various difficult feats. Proper branding results in higher sales of not only one product, but on other products associated with that brand. Some people distinguish the psychological aspect, brand associations like thoughts, feelings, perceptions, images, experiences, beliefs, attitudes, and so on that become linked to the brand, of a brand from the experiential aspect. Brand Management: Brand management is the application of marketing techniques to a specific product, product line, or brand. It refers to all the strategies that are used for maintaining a particular image of the brand. It involves managing both tangible and intangible characteristic of Brand. In terms of service brands this includes customers? satisfaction, and intangible refers to emotional bonding or connection to the Brand. The success and failure depends on similarity between what is conveyed by the company to what is received by the customers. Branding is based on external experience and internal experience. External experience includes Name, Logo, advertising, Brand Identity and product and services. Internal experience includes Customer relation, brand values, training, quality, staff motivation, technology etc. 1. 1. The Banking Sector The Banking industry plays a dynamic role in the economic development of a country. The growth story of an economy depends on the robustness of its banking industry. Banks act as 8 the store as well as the power house of the country? s wealth. They accept deposits from individuals and corporate and lends to the businesses. They use the deposits collected for productive purposes which help in the capital formation in the country. Today, the Indian Banking System is known the world over for its robustness. The Reserve Bank of India is the central/apex Bank which regulates the functioning of all banks operating within the country. The banking system, largely, comprises of scheduled banks (banks that are listed under the Second Schedule of the RBI Act, 1934). Unscheduled banks form a very small component (function in the form of Local Area Bank). Scheduled banks are further classified into commercial and cooperative banks, with the basic difference in their holding pattern. Cooperative banks are cooperative credit institutions that are registered under the Cooperative Societies Act and work according to the cooperative principles of mutual assistance. Banking with the passing time has gain more importance as human civilization evolved, starting with just a place where to store ones money and for transfer of it. Now banks have developed to different horizons. Indian Banking because of its strict regulation from the Reserve Bank of India has always maintained a world class banking model which was clearly visible in the recession of 2008. A great leap in banking sector in India happened with the revolution in the IT sector which helped in great technological advancements such as online banking, database management, core banking etc. 1. 1. Profile of the Company South Indian Bank Limited (SIB) is a private sector bank headquartered at Thrissur in Kerala, India. The bank was founded in the year 1929. It is headed by Dr VA Joseph, Managing Director CEO of the bank. South Indian Bank has 705 branches spread across more than 26 states and union territories in India. It has set up 683 ATMs all over India. History: One of the earliest banks in South India, â€Å"South Indian Bank came into being during the Swadeshi movement. The establishment of the bank was the fulfilment of the dreams of a group of enterprising men who joined together at Thrissur, a major town (now known as the Cultural Capital of Kerala), in the erstwhile State of Cochin to provide for the people a safe, efficient and service oriented repository of savings of the community on one 9 hand and to free the business community from the clutches of greedy money lenders on the other by providing need based credit at reasonable rates of interest. . 1. 2. Products And Services Personal Banking-Under this bank offers wide range of personal banking products and services such as deposit, saving, loans, internet banking, mobile banking, demat services, credit card, debit card, etc. The bank offers mutual funds products of various funds houses such as ICICI Prudential AMC, Franklin Templeton, TATA Mutual Fund, Sundaram BNP Pariba s, UTI Mutual Funds, Reliance Mutual Funds, HSBC Investments, HDFC Mutual Fund, Fidelity Fund Management, Principal Mutual Funds, Fortis Investments, Birla Sun Life Asset Management Company and DSP BlackRock Mutual Funds. NRI banking- SIB also caters its banking products and services to NRI customers such as deposit, car loans, remittances, investment schemes, insurance are amongst others. Corporate banking- It provides wide range of products and services to corporates. SIB offers working capital finance, project finance, structured finance etc. 1. 2. PURPOSE objective OF THE STUDY †¢The purpose of the study is to analyze the brand value of South Indian Bank stakeholders which include its customers and employees. †¢Through this analysis the weak points in branding strategy will be covered to create a better Brand image of South Indian Bank. Brand Management study is to evaluate whether the South Indian Bank as a brand with its different aspects and qualities stands different from other names. What distinguishing aspects of SIB make it different from others? This includes name, logo, slogan, services, marketing strategies etc. 1. 3. Limitation Of The Study †¢Number of employees covered in the survey is very less because of the difficulty to access them; in the survey employees from only two branches were used. †¢The less number of sample might give a less accurate and imprecise data. 10 Chapter II RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 11 2. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY In general, research can be termed as an inquiry in to the nature of, the reason for, and the consequences of any particular set of circumstances. It is the process of finding solution for the problem after a thorough study and analysis of the situational factors. It tries to solve a complex and complicated problem through use of various tools and techniques. These tools and techniques try to bring out a logical, accurate and scientific solution to the problem. Research methodology is simply a plan of action for a research which explains in detail how data is to be collected, analyses and interpreted. . 1. Research Design Research design is the basic framework, which provides guidelines for the research process. It is a map or blue print according to which the research is to be concluded. Research design ensures that the study will be relevant to the problem and employs economical procedure. The type of research design used in this study is Descriptive Research. Descriptive research is concerned with the research studies with a focus on the portrayal of the characteristics of a group of individuals or a situation. It includes surveys and fact-finding enquiries of different kinds of analysis. The main objective of this descriptive study is to gather knowledge and to find the state of affairs, as it exists at present. 2. 1. 1. Research Instrument A descriptive questionnaire was used to question the awareness, preferences and thoughts of the customers and employees about the Corporate Branding Strategy of South Indian Bank in. The data used in this study is both primary and secondary. 2. 2. Data Collection ? Primary data has been collected through questionnaires prepared for the stakeholders of South Indian Bank, in this case both customers and employees. Secondary data collection includes proprietary databases and search engines. These sources include company websites and reports, books, trade journals, magazines, white papers, Industry Portals, government sources. 12 2. 3. Sampling All the items under consideration on any field of inquiry constitute a „universe? or population?. Sampling is the process of selecting a sufficient number of elements from the population so that a study of sample and on understanding of its properties or characteristics would make it possible for us to generalize such properties or characteristics to the population elements. 2. . 1. Sampling Technique There are various types of sampling techniques classified under probability and nonprobability. In this research, we used convenience sampling which is a deliberate or nonprobability sampling. i. e. , when population elements are selected for inclusion on the ease of access, it can be called convenience sampling. 2. 3. 2. Sample Size The sample size is that of 58 with customers and 15 with employees, making a total sample size of 73. 2. 4. Area Of The Study Employee data has been collected from two branches of South India Bank in Bangalore, Indira Nagar Branch and Cantonment Branch. For customers both data has been collected from these branches as well from other parts, through the accumulation of an online form. It has been made sure that a particular region is not targeted when it comes to collecting data. 2. 5. Analysis Technique The analysis techniques used in this study are ? Charts representing the spread on various variables 13 CHAPTER III FINDINGS AND INTERPRETATION 14 The result of the study will be explained in the following chapters 3. 1 Marketing strategies by THE Ad agency All the current marketing communications are handled by an independent ad agency Jelitta publicity situated in Thrissur, Kerala. The ad agency was appointed in the year 1994 since then it is exclusively handling all marketing operations except for one year when it was handled by another ad agency FCB Ulka. Through these years the ad agency worked along closely with the SIB management and has contributed towards this brand building effort. The role of agency has included providing 360 degree marketing communication solutions for the bank. Above the line, Below the Line activities, events, PR are all handled by Jelitta. Customer service experience: The whole new approach comes in south Indian bank with its shift to 100 % core (centralized online real-time environment) banking, and banks approach targeting the huge NRI market. The bank needed more visibility and was going to be known as a next generation banker rather than an old generation banker. Technology based products were introduced and the NRI customer base in the Middle East were targeted in large scale. Media mix: Earlier print ads were used more as a medium, but down the years the agency has shifted more towards electronic media and outdoor activities. Now print ads are being more used to communicate the financial achievements, awards accolades, financial notifications like publishing balance sheet other financial results where as electronic media (predominantly TV Radio) is used for visibility, products services communication etc. Outdoor media has also been used simultaneously with the TV campaigns to get more impact and events PR activities are used to create better brand profile. Promotional events: They form the main tool used by SIB for the past several years. One such event was when 80 years of SIB was celebrated by conferring awards to globally acclaimed personalities for their life- time achievement. Dr. K. M. Cherian, the eminent Cardiologist, Mr. Adoor Gopalakrishnan, the film Director, Dr. Verghese Kurien, „the milk man of India? , the music- maestro Padma Bhushan Dr. K. J. Yesudas and Mr. M. A. Yusuff Ali, the prominent NRI. Public Relations: Every result announcement is followed by a press meet in Kochi and interviews one to one interactions are arranged with the press people. Entertainment programmes were organised in every major city in South India for SIB customers. Several 15 CSR activities like sponsoring a whole village in Kerala was done 2 years back. All the product launches are carried out with much fanfare and every new branch inauguration is organised with huge promotional activities. Right from designing a product to its end marketing communication, the agency has an important role in SIB. Ad agency interface: Marketing (Ad evaluation): South Indian bank has used well known personalities such as Mamootty, ZarinaWahab, M. Balamuralikrishnan in their ads with each being well known in their respective fields. The strategy is to use them as a means of reaching different line of customers. While using a brand ambassador it should be considered that the ambassadors suits the image of the bank. A bank which stands for trust and support should keep that in mind 3. 2 Services capes (External Experience) All the physical evidence of South Indian Bank has been evaluated based on the response from customers and employees 3. 3 NAME Bank for South Indians Completely Agree Completely Agree 7% 2% Disagree 23% Undecided 25% Agree 43% Fig 1. 1 Bank for South Indians When asked whether they think that South Indian Bank is a bank for South Indians, a majority of 43% believed it to be so. 16 South Indian Bank was formed in the year 1929 in Thrissur the cultural capital of Kerala, the name derived from being a bank from south India, the name gives the bank a restriction to its idea of spreading its reach all over India. India is a multi-ethnic society being basically categorised into North India and South India. When someone from North India hears of South India Bank the first impression itself goes that it is a bank for south Indians. Here is an evaluation of South Indian Bank brand name based on the standard criteria a brand name should follow. a. Uniqueness: South Indian Bank has a very unique name which easily distinguishes it from other brands b. Pronunciation and Spelling: South Indian Bank has an easily pronounced name which has a short abbreviation of SIB, but this is often confused with the more known SBI, which stands for State Bank of India the oldest commercial bank in Indian subcontinent. South Indian Bank is easily spelled as well because there aren? t any complicated words in it. . Legal Protectability: South Indian Bank has a name which can be legally protected. Having a very unique name to it ensures that other companies cannot take the same name. d. Related to product and service: The name South Indian Bank clearly states that it is involved in banking sector. e. Easily related with: The name South Indian Bank gives it a limitation of being associated as a South Indian Ban 3. 3. 1 Suggestion The b ank should consider in changing its name, the name forms a major constraint for the bank to associate itself with north Indian customers. A proper promotion strategy can be used to convey the change in name and in the long run it will help the bank. 3. 3. 2 Logo It is graphic mark or emblem which is commonly used by enterprises, organisations, and individuals with the purpose of creating public recognition. Logos are either purely graphic or are composed of the name of the organisation and in some cases both. 17 Cant say 4% Logo (Customer Opinion) No 3% Never Noticed 20% Yes 73% Fig 1. 2 Logo When asked about whether the customers like the logo of South Indian Bank, out of the 56 customers, 73 % found the Logo to their liking. South India Bank changed its logo in the year 2007. In the erstwhile logo of the Bank, the unique picture was that of a coconut tree. The fronds of the coconut palm form the basic theme of the new logo. The sharp ends of the fronds are smoothened, thickened and twisted to form a „S? denoting South Indian Bank. Thus the new logo has the continuity from their erstwhile logo. It can also be seen as two hands clinging to a strong pillar in the middle. The pillar is SIB institution; the upper hand represents SIB customers and the lower hand symbolizes SIB staff members. S† also projects a Safe, Solid, Smart, Strong, Secular, Shining, Schooled, Seasoned, Successful and Straightforward Bank. (Source: South Indian Bank website). 3. 3. 3. Evaluation of the logo: Simple: South Indian Bank has a very simple logo with not too many complications, though without reading the details such as what the logo stands for, it is hard to understand the true meaning behind the logo. Effectivenes s: The new logo being adopted only in 2007, need more aggressive marketing for the logo to reach wide coverage. Colour: The new logo is that of cardinal red. Cardinal red forms one of the three primary colours, the important feature of colour red is that it stands out easily from other colours. 18 Cardinal red is often denoted as symbolic of faith an attribute which is very important for a banking institution. Other attributes include that of energy, creativity, warmth and love. 3. 3. 4 Suggestion The Bank should continue with the logo, because of it likability among the customers. Changing the Logo periodically leads to a lot of confusion among the stakeholders. Worldwide companies try to maintain their logo, which is rarely changed except for times of total restructuring. South Indian Bank should maintain and increase the visibility of the logo to such effect that just looking at the logo all aspects and details of South India Bank should be realised. 3. 4 Slogan A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a political, commercial, religious, and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose. Slogans vary from the written and the visual to the chanted and the vulgar. Their simple rhetorical nature usually leaves little room for etail, and a chanted slogan may serve more as social expression of unified purpose, than as communication to an intended audience. Your Perfect banking partner 5% Good people to bank with 5% Sales Pure banking and nothing else 4% Experience next generation banking 86% Fig 1. 3 Slogan Awareness When asked about slogan of South Indian Bank along with some well-known slogans of other Banks a clear ma jority of 86% were able to identify SIB slogan. 19 Your perfect banking partner Good people to bank with Pure banking and nothing else Experience next generation banking Fig 1. 4 Slogan Employee Awareness When asked to identify the slogan all the 15 employees were able to mark the correct option. From both the cases it can be seen that the slogan is well recognised among both the customers and the employees. This helps South Indian Bank in brand recognition. The current slogan of South Indian Bank is â€Å"Experience Next Generation Banking† which signifies the bank? s current vision of making the bank technologically advance such that the services are easily accessible for the customers and easily usable by the employees. Through years the slogan has kept on changing. ? ? ? ? ? The South Indian Bank Ltd. In Step With Progress Growing To Serve You Everywhere Your Interest Above Everything Else A Bank For All Seasons Blending Tradition with Technology 3. 4. 1. Suggestions The present slogan is clearly recognised among the customers and the employees, they are able to distinguish the slogan from other. A slogan should clearly reflect the company? s commitment and intentions. The current slogan presents the Bank? s commitment towards embracing and using technological advancement to form next generation banking. . 5 Analysis of SIB’s Brand Ambassadorship Mammootty became the brand ambassador of South Indian Bank in the year 2007. Though several reasons came up for discussion as brand ambassador, the decision to take Mammootty 20 was unanimous. Decision to take Mammootty had obvious reasons. He was very popular among the target audience of SIB. The new logo of SIB was also launched along with his in troduction and the brand ambassador increased the visibility of the brand and clicked well with the NRI sector too. Mamootty an iconic Indian film actor with three national awards and other accolades is a well-known personality all over India, he is widely recognised among the target customers of South Indian Bank. His image is easily able to connect well with both old generation and new generation, he is known as a custodian of technology products and has a clean image regarding his public persona. Brand Ambassador (Customer Opinion) Mohanlal Don’t know 14% Rajnikanth 0% 4% Amitabh Bachan 0% Mamootty 82% Fig 1. Brand Ambassador (Customer) When asked about who the brand ambassador of South Indian Bank is, a clear majority of 82% mentioned Mammootty as the brand ambassador. Brand Ambassador 0% 0% 0% Amitabh Bachan Mohanlal Mammooty Rajnikanth 100% Fig 1. 6 Brand Ambassador (Employee) 21 Completely Disagree 6% Reflects Values Completely Agree 7% Disagree 14% Undecided 18% Agree 55% Fig 1. 7 Rightly reflects the values It was asked whether Mammootty is the right ambassador for South Indian ban k, 55 % agreed to it. This is a clear reflection of the Brand Ambassadors wide recognition. Various such ads with Mammootty have been made in an attempt to create a more personal and emotional bonding between the customers and Bank. 4. 5. 1. Suggestions Here yet again a small constraint comes to any ambitious strategy of spreading bank? s reach to North India, where Mammootty even with his Pan India recognition fails in identifying with a North India customer. Here South Indian Bank can use dual brand ambassador strategy; one such example is in the case of Muthoot Finance where in Kerala Malayalam moviestar Mohanlal is portrayed for the ads, whereas in north India for the same ads Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar is portrayed. Here both are famous in their respective regions thus they can relate more to the target customers. The lagging part of the ads of South Indian Bank has often been the lack of quality ads with few exceptions and the numbers of ads are less compared to other competitors. The telecasting of these ads should be made during primetime when more people are watching television. The best strategy here is that of telecasting the ad when there are more chances for the customers to view the ad. Showing more humorous and exciting ads there are more chances of the ad getting good coverage. 22 3. Advertisements Advertisements (Customer Opinion) Never 0% Always 4% Rarely 21% Sometimes 25% Very often 50% Fig 1. 8 Advertisements (Customer) When asked about how often they see advertisements from South India Bank, 50% of them replied with very often. Very often is a good sign that the companies advertisements are reaching the customers. But the target here should be â€Å"always†, which clearly reflects the effective advertising strategy. Very Dissatisfied 0% Advertisements (Employee Opinion) Dissatisfied 6% Very Satisfied 27% Average 40% Satisfied 27% Fig 1. 9 Advertisements (Employee) 3 When asked about their satisfaction level over the advertisements of South Indian Bank, a majority of 40% found it average while 27% found satisfied and another 27% were very dissatisified. 3. 6. 1. Evaluation of SIB ADS Ad on International ATM ad starring M. Balamuralikrishnan 24 ? ? ? ? ? ? M. Balamuralikrishnan a world renowned classical musician who hails from Andhra Pradesh and a very familiar face in South India. Portrayed as himself, he receives an invite to go to America, where later in the ad he is being given a global ATM card by his son for easy usage in America. The ad has a more personal touch to it with some good background score, along with a good cast of supporting actors. No audio conversation used in the ad Being an 80 year old bank the banks approach during this time period was to show its attachment to traditions. Here again one can see the Bank? s approach of targeting NRI customers. 3. 6. 2 Gold Insurance and Mahila Account AD starring Zarina Wahab ZarinaWahab is an Indian actress and former model is a well-recognised face in India especially in North India, has also represented South Indian Bank in their ads. The idea behind casting her is to reach the north Indian customers. 25 26 ? ? ? In this particular ad she is shown as a housemaker who comes to the market wearing her full array of gold jewellery This causes concern for her friend who is worried about the safety while wearing gold, This is when ZarinaWahab informs her about the gold insurance being provided by South Indian Bank along with benefits of Mahila account in the end a clever mention of junior account by the bank is made. ? ? The ad through one small story line represents three products of South Indian Bank. The language used is Hindi. Here again the ad serves it purpose of informing customers about the services of South Indian Bank. 3. 6. 3 NRI Account Ad: Starring Mammootty Mamootty has acted in many south Indian bank ads with this AD being one noticeable one. 27 28 ? ? ? ? ? ? Shown as South Indian bank manager who gets a call from one of the bank? s NRI customers from Dubai After which Mamootty is shown visiting the customers aging parents Mammootty gives assurance to parents to inform him whenever they need him followed by some scenes of Mamootty? social interactions with the parents In the end the son returns and Mamootty leaves with the message that south Indian bank would always be with its customers The ad is well supported by its cast and the message is clearly shown. One of the better ads from South Indian Bank 29 3. 7 Sponsorship Events Sponsorship Events (Customer Opinion) Never Always 4% 7% Rarely 39% Very often 32% Sometimes 18% Fig 1. 10 Sponsorship Events (Customers) Whe n asked how often customers hear about sponsorship events from South Indian Bank 39% replied with rarely whereas 32% replied with very often. There is not much difference between those who see it rarely and those who see it very often, this is probably because the coverage of a particular sponsorship event is not same in all areas. This is the case where a certain target area is focused upon. Sponsorship Events (Employee Opinion) Very Dissatisfied Very satisfied 0% Dissatisfied 7% 6% Satisfied 20% Average 67% Fig 1. 11 Sponsorship Events (Employee) 30 When asked to respond their satisfaction level about sponsorship events by South Indian Bank, 67% found it average, while 20% were satisfied with it. This shows how communication is well maintained within the organisation, thus employees are aware of the various events being conducted. One aspect where South Indian Bank needs improvement, though South Indian Bank is contributing to sponsorships, with the recent example of Grand Kerala Shopping festival which was yet again a strategy by the bank to target NRI customer market. Sponsorship events loses its purpose if coverage is not enough. But it is clearly not enough more such sponsorship should be given by the Bank. 3. 8. Billboards Billboards (Customer opinion) Always Never 7% 9% Rarely 33% Very often 27% Sometimes 24% Fig 1. 12 Billboards (Customer) When the question of how often the customers see Billboards of South Indian Bank, 33% replied with rarely whereas 27% as very often. Here there is a small difference between rarely and very often, which shows how a certain particular target areas are focused which leads to a certain group witnessing more of it. 31 Very Dissatisfied 0% Billboards (Employees Opinion) Dissatisfied 20% Very satisfied 0% Satisfied 40% Average 40% Fig 1. 13 Billboards (Employee) When asked the same question about the billboards to the employees a majority found it both average and satisfied. Billboards are one of the oldest and still an effective means of marketing. More contribution should be made to placing such billboards in highways and main metro cities this helps in easy coverage of the Brand. 3. 9. Social Media Evaluation Social Media (Customer Opinion) Always 7% Never 10% Very often 22% Rarely 35% Sometimes 26% Fig 1. 14 Social Media (Customer Opinion) 32 When asked about the visibility of South India Bank in various social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin etc†¦ 36% responded with rarely whereas 25 % responded with sometimes. No 7% Social Media (Employees Opinion) No Opinion 0% Yes 93% Fig 1. 15 Social Media (Employee Opinion) When asked to the employees if they would like to see South Indian Bank more active in Social Media a clear majority of 93% responded with yes. This shows that the present level of presence in social media is not to the satisfaction of the employees. Social media is growing at a very fast pace with new mediums coming up day by day through which companies can communicate about their products and increase their visibility in this ever competing corporate world. Having a slogan which clearly states the bank? s commitment to embracing technology SIB should make their presence felt in social media. Here an evaluation is made on South Indian Banks involvement or usage of social media, analysis of South Indian bank? s Facebook, twitter, orkut pages, Linkedin is done. Youngsters like to spend most of their time in social media websites and companies can get the attention of these target customers through regular updates about the product and services and thus spreading awareness among the target customers. Facebook page 🙠 Things to remember: Like on a Facebook Page, in an advertisement, or on content off of Facebook, one is making a connection. A story about ones like will appear on one? s Wall (Wall / timeline- shows what all activities one does in Facebook) and may also 33 appear in one? s news feed. One may be displayed on the Page you connected to, in advertisements about that Page, or in social plugins next to the content you like. Facebook Pages you like may post updates to your news feed or send you messages. Your connection to the page may also be shared with apps on the Facebook Platform) source: Facebook. From the company perspective the morelikes leads to more visibility and thus more awareness about the company? s product and services. SEARCH RESULTS: Three for South Indian Bank were found in Facebook. LIKES: The first page shows the details of South Indian Bank, the source being Wikipedia, the page has 1608 likes and 22 talking about the page. UPDATES: The second page was created in March 2012 it is an incomplete page without any cover photo. There are no updates about any kind of services or info in the page. The page has 13 likes and 1 talking about it. BRAND AMBASSADOR – HIGHEST VISIBILITY the third page is he more active one having cover image of brand ambassador Mammootty along with his signature saying â€Å"My Card My Bank†. The profile image is that of South India Bank with its logo. South Indian Bank started the FB page in September 17, 2010. The page has 256 likes and 5 talking about the page. The page has updates about its services including youth plus, pay mate, puregold etc. It also posted links of the bank receiving awards such as best bank in asset quality among all private sector banks in India, the best â€Å"Asian Banking Web Site† award from the Charlton Media Group, â€Å"Best Bank† in the old generation banks? ategory „fe India? s Best Bank Awards? and others. There is also a link to Wikipedia giving details about South Indian Bank. QUERIES AND SUGGESTIONS were found posted in the timeline of the FB page by customers, but without any reply to them from South India Bank. Twitter: (Twitter is an online social networking service and micro blogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, known as tweets. Twitter has an option of following where twitter account holders can follow the company activities. 34 Twitter is a means of reaching out to the target audience. By tweeting (when you post an update) company? s product and services are communicated directly to the customers. If a company wants to launch a new product it can be made aware to the customers and thus valuable feedback can be gained. Promotion of the upcoming events by South India Bank can also be made through twitter. South India Bank has a twitter account but there haven? t been any tweets or updates from the Bank. The twitter page has 7 followers. Competitors such as federal bank and ICICI Bank have a well maintained twitter account with regular tweets and updates about their services. Federal Bank has 849 tweets 49 following and 221 followers, ICICI bank has 8,894 tweets, 3,556 followers, 5,436 followers much higher and active than South Indian Bank. Dated 15-6-2012 Orkut: Orkut some years ago used to be the most popular social media website in India, slowly and gradually it has lost its attractiveness with less and less people joining or maintaining an Orkut account. South India Bank has an Orkut page which has around 896 members, the page has the last update on March 16, 2012. Going through the website I ound that there had been regular updates earlier, with regular interaction with members, and equal amounts of feedback. But with less usage of orkut among members the updates and discussions have diminished. Linkedin:It is a professional social networking website. It is mainly used for professional networking. One purpose of the site is to allow registered users to maintain a list of contact details of people with whom they have some level of relationship, calle d Connections. Users can invite anyone (whether a site user or not) to become a connection. Source: Wikipedia Here companies make their presence felt with regular updates about their employees and their profile. This includes new recruits, interns etc. This gives a very good transparency among the connections, with better profile of the employee leads to goodwill in the community. South Indian Bank? s Linked In page consists of 318 employees and 888 followers (those who are regularly updated about company? s activities) Date; 15-06-2012 Competitors such as Federal Bank have 690 employees and 916 followers, HDFC has 20,376 employees and 31,364 followers, ICICI Bank has 23,040 employees and 40,729 followers. Date; 15-06-2012. 5 Other notable sites where south Indian bank can make its presence felt is google+, BIGADDA, Ibibo. 3. 10. Suggestion As clearly seen from the survey majority of the customers have not seen much activities of South India Bank in social media websites. A bank which has a slogan of â€Å"Experience next generation banking† should keep this in mind as wide usage of internet as a means of providing services is part of next generation banking. In comparison with competitors such as Federal Bank, HDFC bank, ICICI bank who have dedicated teams to contributing into social media websites, South India Bank does not have such presence in this field. It is high time that South India Bank contribute more into Social media, which can help the Bank in targeting youth market in India which has high potential. For the study it has been made sure that the right sample size is chosen. Customer years in the Bank 10 years 20% 14% 5-10 years 27% 1-5 years 39% Fig 1. 16 Customer Years in the Bank Here it can be seen that the majority of the customers that is 39% in the survey have been customers with South Indian Bank between 1 to 5 years and 27% have been customers between 5 to 10 years and thus the right sample to take for the study. 6 Number of transaction with the bank gt; 6 times a week 9% none 12% 3-6 times a week 25% 1-3 times a week 54% Fig 1. 17 Number of transaction with the bank The majority of customers in the survey make 1-3 times a week transaction with the bank. For any brand it? s all about delivery of the promise which is being given out by all the branding strategies. When the company does its marketing communication a com mitment is being made to the customers about the goodness and wellbeing of the product. Very Dissatisfied 4% Dont know about the service 10% Dissatisfied 2% Online Banking Very Satisfied 10% Satisfied 26% Average 48% Fig 1. 18 Online Banking 37 Asked about how satisfied the customers are about Online Banking 50% found it as average, while another 25% found it satisfied. Dont know about the service 13% Very Dissatisfied 0% Dissatisfied 2% Mobile Banking Very Satisfied 8% Satisfied 19% Average 58% Fig 1. 19 Mobile Banking When asked how satisfied the customers are about Mobile banking 58% felt it was average. Dont know about the service Very Dissatisfied 11% 0% Personal Loan Very Satisfied 3% Dissatisfied 4% Average 18% Satisfied 64% Fig 1. 0 Personal Loan When asked how satisfied the customers are about Personal Loan 64% felt it was satisfied. Suggestions One can see that level of satisfaction is average in terms of technological services whereas service such as personal loans is to the satisfaction of the customers. Thus the Bank really should put some more effort in services which are technologically aided. With the bank? s 38 commitment to next gener ation banking, customers expect the same from the bank, if this is not delivered it would lead to a reduction of brand value 3. 10 Internal Experience 3. 10. Customer Relation The relationship between the customer and the company helps in bridging the gap between the two. Better this relationship is the better the chances of the company surviving in the long run. South Indian Bank being in the service sector must really put a lot of effort into maintaining a healthy customer relationship. Never 2% Welcomed Rarely 9% Always 21% Sometimes 23% Very often 45% Fig 1. 21 Welcomed When asked whether the customers felt welcomed in the Bank, a majority of 45 % responded that they felt so very often, whereas another 21% felt so always. This clearly shows the good customer relationship maintained by the employees which makes the customers more welcomed. Customer relationship forms the tangible part of service brands. This shows that South Indian Bank is putting its strategies right when it comes to maintaining a healthy relationship. 3. 10. 2 Staff Motivation Employees form the driving force of any organisation. Any kind of branding of the company starts with the employees, who carry it and reciprocate it in their interaction while providing services. 39 Completely Disagree 0% Values Employee opinion Completely Agree 0% Disagree 20% Undecided 13% Agree 67% Fig. 1. 22 Values Employee Opinion To the question whether South Indian Bank values employee opinion, the employees responded with 67 % agreeing to it whereas 20% disagreeing to it. This shows the bank? s commitment to its employees. South Indian Bank first preference No Opinion 0% No 7% Yes 93% Fig . 1. 23 South Indian Bank first Preference When asked to employees if South Indian Bank is their most preferred bank for employment, a clear majority of 93% responded as yes, this reflects a good working environment and culture in South Indian Bank which makes the employees favour the bank. 40 Completely Disagree 0% Celebrates individual and team success Disagree 0% Completely Agree 20% Undecided 33% Agree 47% Fig. 1. 24 Celebrates Individual and team success A question was asked to the employees on whether South Indian Bank celebrates individual and team success to which 47 % agree with 33% undecided on it and 20 % completely agreeing to it. Here again the Bank? s commitment to its employees is clearly visible. 3. 11Technology Technology is growing at a very fast pace. With the difference between companies often based on how well they use the technology. In terms of bank currently database management forms on of the most important aspect. South India Bank adopted 100% core banking in the year 2007 making service implementation faster. Very Dissatisfied 7% Online Banking Very satisfied 13% Dissatisfied 13% Satisfied 13% Average 54% Fig 1. 25 Online Banking 41 When asked to rank the satisfaction level 54 % of the employees found the services as average. Very Dissatisfied 0% Mobile Banking Very satisfied 14% Dissatisfied 0% Average 13% Satisfied 73% Fig. 1. 26 Mobile Banking When asked about their opinion regarding mobile banking services provided by the Bank a clear majority, 73 % of employees felt satisfied with the services. 42 Dissatisfied 0% Database Mangement Very Dissatisfied 0% Very satisfied 20% Average 53% Satisfied 27% 1. 27 Database Management When asked about their satisfaction level regarding the database management by South Indian Bank, 53% felt it was average whereas 27 % felt that satisfied with it.. 3. 12 Brand Identity Prism Brand Identity Prism: In 1992 Jean-Noel Kapferer developed the Brand Identity Prism, which charts the brand identity along a constructed source and constructed receiver axis, with externalization on the one side and internalization on the other. On the externalization side brand identity consists of physical facet, relationship and reflected consumer. On the internalization side brand identity consists of personality, culture (values) and self-image or â€Å"consumer mentalisation. In this respect Kapferer positions brand personality as one factor within brand identity. Source:Wikipedia. Brand Personality: This refers to association of human personality traits to a brand to achieve differentiation. This can include many human traits such as, trustworthy, conservative, openminded etc†¦ such differentiation is achieved through continuous marketing of the brand, it gets complicated if a common strategy is not used, this may lead to confusion and no solid image of the brand. This includes character and attitude. 43 Brand Culture: Symbolizes the place of the brands origin and what values it stands for. This forms one of the most important part which helps in differentiating between brands. Self Image: Is what the consumer thinks of himself/herself while using the brand. This can be the internal mirror of customer as user of brand. Brand Physique: it forms the basis of the brand. It can be described as the outline of the brand. The physical aspects are included in this. This is what the brand does. Relationship: This stands for the relationship between the customers and the company. This helps in aiding and creating of the culture. Reflection: Is all about the consumer? s perception for what the brand stands for. It stands for customers? view of the brand. Physique Personality Brand Identity Prism Relationship Culture South Indian Bank Reflection Self Image 44 3. 13 Brand Identity Prism for South Indian Bank Physique: Banking Personality: Trustworthy, friendly, conservative Relationship: Trust and welcoming Culture: Importance to human values Reflection: Supportive and open Self Image: Sense of honesty 3. 14 Web Diagram Bank for South Indians Social Media Brand Ambassador 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% Online Services External Customer Internal Customer Mobile Banking Most Preferred Bank Advertisements Slogan Billboards Sponsorship Events Here an effort is made to find the difference between what the external customers and internal customers (employees) have opinion about South Indian Bank. This analysis is based on the common question asked to both the customer and the employees. The figures are based on percentage as the sample size of Customers and Employees differ. The weightage is given 45 to the customers? opinion based on which the same response from the employee is compared. The questions asked were based on ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Brand Ambassador Slogan Online banking Mobile Banking Most preferred Bank Advertisements Sponsorship Events Billboards Social Media South Indian Bank a bank for South Indians Here one can see a close similarity for the Brand Ambassador, Slogan, online services, mobile banking, and most preferred bank, this shows that what the opinion of external customers and internal customers does not differ much. There is a significant difference in the opinion when it comes to social media exposure of the Bank, and on the opinion if the Bank is for South Indians. When it comes to experiencing Social media the difference in opinion is wide showing that it is not uniform. Having a Bank which has a clear stereotyping name of South Indian Bank, bank should focus on avoiding on creation of such an image, thus here what the external customers perceive of the bank is different from the internal customers. Here the Bank should focus on bridging the gap in order to avoid any complications. 46 CHAPTER IV FINDING CONCLUSION 47 Conclusions and Suggestions South Indian Bank is clearly headed the right way in many aspects such as customer relationship, employee satisfaction etc. But there are certain areas where the Bank must clearly rethink its strategies. With all the good services that the Bank provides there is a limitation as to how much this acts as a marketing strategy. This may help in retaining the customers but when it comes to attaining new ones, a more aggressive marketing strategy must be adopted. With the presence of more than 80 years in the banking field the Bank has enough experience to be the top bank in the country. A rethinking of the marketing strategies should be considered by the Bank. Some suggestions have been given in this study, such as more presence in social media websites, activeness in internet banking and healthy recruitment from all parts of India to avoid any mark of being called a bank for only South Indians. 48 BIBLIOGRAPHY http://www. southindianbank. com http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Brand http://www. slideshare. net/Sarvajeet/brand-management-process-building-big-brandspresentation http://www. managementstudyguide. com/brand-management. htm

The Internal and External and Factors That Shaped the Collapse of the Essay

The Internal and External and Factors That Shaped the Collapse of the Soviet Union - Essay Example Instinctively, the swift collapse of the Soviet polity caught many by surprise. As it was then, the astonishing fragmentation divides scholars right in the middle with little consensus over the triggering bullets. The dominant perspective point fingers at the American massive spending and the moral clarity under Ronald Regan as economically and ideologically bankrupting to the communist planned economy. On the flip side, the deterministic view argues that the collapse of the Soviet Republic was an inevitable occurrence due to the intrinsic inbuilt contractions of its managerial economics. But, what exactly were the real causes of the USSR disintegration? This paper examines the long-standing structural dynamics as well as the short term political catalysts behind the deterioration and the subsequent collapse of the hitherto well regarded Soviet empire. The stunning disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991 is often heralded by most academics from the West as a triumphant victory of democracy and capitalism, as though the occurrence was a direct outcome of the combined Reagan -Thatcher ideological missiles. While this analytical stance may look somewhat self-congratulatory relative to the measurable facts, circumstantial evidence of the internal political dynamics of the Soviet state itself and its relations with the outside world tend to heighten affirmation of the same. Valerie Bunce concurs â€Å"the collapse of communism was not only abrupt, but inevitably long in the making†, and that the short term factors only provided fodder to the long term structural factors (p.xi). To begin with, the collapse of the Soviet Union was much a consequential effect of poor managerial aspects of the political system. According to the Marxist-Leninist ideology, the Communist Party was the vanguard of the proletariat. As such, its control of the political system was supreme, unquestionable and more so totalitarian; the party monopolized management of the state resourc es as well as all the undertakings of the society on behalf of the â€Å"universal, working class†-a multi-faceted ideological, conditional decorum of the communist system, at least at the expectation level. In practice, however, the party was firmly under the stewardship of a unique socio-political stratum namely the ‘nomenklatura’; the privileged party bureaucrats with preferential access to the state resources (McCauley, 2001, p. 86). With political legitimacy hinging on the ideological principles of the Marxist-Leninist canon underpinned by the coercive terror engineered by Stalin and operated through the security forces, the system â€Å"manufactured† leaders appropriate to it. So buttressed by sweet fear and intimidation that the subsequent leadership, those who disliked Stalin’s commanding tone included, could not quite disassociate with the world Stalin had created; yet a tone that upheld the system. Before Gorbachev’s initiation of p erestroika in 1985, successive leadership beginning with Nikita Khrushchev-the immediate Stalin’s successor, made numerous changes to the system. With gradual ‘abandonment of mass political terror’, the subsequent regimes basically lost the original Stalinist control grips on society (Dallin and Lapidise 1995, p. 675). The consequential effect was an individualistic retreat into long-term cultural transformations that further weakened the founding principles of the Soviet system. Despite of the upsurge

Conventional insurance and mutual or co-operative insurance Essay

Conventional insurance and mutual or co-operative insurance - Essay Example This paved way for the development of Takaful form of insurance that is Shariah compliant. Mutual risk arrangement Takaful envisages transfer of risk on mutual basis under which arrangement are the participants and operators. It is almost similar to conventional mutual risk sharing such as Mutual Insurance and Indemnity Club (P and I Club). The difference between Takaful and conventional insurances lies in the manner in which risk is managed and Takaful fund is operated. There are differences in relationships between the operator and participants who represent the insurer and insured respectively in the conventional insurance. The management of risk refers to the way risk is assessed (underwriting) and handled. Unlike conventional insurance, uncertainty, speculation (gambling) and interest elements are prohibited in Islamic life and the Takaful insurance is free from these vices known as Gharar (uncertainty), Maisir (gambling) and Riba (interest or usury). (Iqbal, 2005). In order to be free of Gharar, a Takaful contract must be subject to full disclosure from both sides so that there is complete clarity. The full disclosure or clarity should be in respect of the subject matter and terms of contract. If there is any unknown element or unknown exposure, Takaful contract cannot be entered into. But since this ideal situation does not always exist, Takaful contract ensures that there is at least no exchange of Gharar among the parties to the contract (Iqbal, 2005). Prohibition of Maisir (gambling) that is an extreme form of Gharar does not allow risk transfer on speculative basis. Riba, another prohibited element, is avoided by treatment of contribution from the participants as part of risk sharing scheme and not as a premium in conventional insurance. In Takaful, the contribution is envisaged as Mushahamah in the form of donation with a condition of Tabarru (compensation). Further, under Takaful, the funds so collected should be managed and invested following Shar iah principles (Iqbal, 2005). Islam does not prohibit risks as they are a reality. It only prohibits trading on risks. Islam does allow mutual help in any situation including when some misfortune strikes. Both the forms of insurance deal with risks but in a different manner from each other. Under conventional insurance, risks from various insured persons are transferred to the insurer by insured against exchange of premium collected by the insurer. On the other hand, under Takaful risks are shared by the participants (insured) by contribution to fund under a mutual guarantee scheme to be managed by Takaful operator Wakeel (agent). Thus, there is no risk transfer to the operator in Takaful insurance. The conventional insurance actually exchanges uncertainty for certainty. The uncertainty relates to whether or not loss will occur and if at all it occurs, when it will it occur and what will be severity of loss like and how many such losses are likely to occur within a given period. The conventional insurance envisages payment of fixed premium by the insured to insurance company who in turn will pay the loss if it ever occurs within ambit of policy terms. This exchange of uncertain loss is Gharar in Islam and hence not allowed. Therefore, the Takaful avoids risk transfer by the participants (insured) to the operator. This facilitates sharing of risks by among the participants under what can be called a mutual

Gambling on the Internet Essay -- online casinos

Coming to Terms You roll the dice, you look at the cards, you pick a team then you pray. The whole idea is that you feel you have an edge over others, and that you are lucky. You think that you can beat the house, and in this new age of technology you can bring it all into the comfort of your home. This is how online gambling was created. In recent years online gambling has become more and more popular; a report released last year by a stock analyst said that online gambling revenues will nearly triple $3 billion by this year. To the many sports fan out there, how many times have you said, "Anyone could have predicted the outcome of that game." The truth is that gambling isn't easy. That is why it's called gambling, you are taking a calculated risk which you believe gives you a good chance of coming out on top. Often the people who decide that they want to start an online gambling account do not understand what they are getting into. There are two types of online gamblers. There are those who should be going to gamblers anonymous and those who think that online gambling is a quick fix to financial problems. To get started the user must give out an assortment of personal information including contact numbers and credit card numbers. For certain accounts they attract you with the promise free money. For example you may receive 10% free of your initial deposit. The entire idea of a deposit is to put a certain amount of money into an account and then you use this to gamble. After you have electronically signed away your credit cards and personal information you can start to have fun. Now you get to lose some money, maybe you will get lucky and break even. When sitting at a card table, in front of a slot machine or preparing ... ... million of dollars owed to investors. In the end you must realize that all forms of gambling incur a certain amount of chance. Work Cited Gilmour, Kim. â€Å"Viva Las Vegas.† Expanded Academic ASAP. March 2009. Internet Magazine. 31 May 2009 http://web5.infotrac.galegroup.com/itw/infomark/431/916/34512188w5/purl=rc1_EAIM_0_A96304982&dyn=5!xrn_1_0_A96304982?sw_aep=viva_jmu Janower, Cynthia. â€Å"Gambling on the Internet†, Familiar Territory or Lawless Frontiers, September 1996. 28 May 2009 http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol2/issue2/janower.html#footnotes McDonald, Marci. â€Å"Betting the House.† Expanded Academic ASAP. 16 October 2000. U.S. News & World Report. 31 May 2009 http://web5.infotrac.galegroup.com/itw/infomark/431/916/34512188w5/purl=rc1_EAIM_0_A65913404&dyn=3!xrn_3_0_A65913404?sw_aep=viva_jmu McGrath, James. Personal Interview. 2 April 2009

Psychological Effects of Bisexuality

What is bisexuality? Synthesizing the predominant theories of bisexuality, Smiley (1997) suggested the following definition: Bisexuality is a sexual orientation in which an individual: experiences a combination of sexual and affectional attractions to members of both sexes; engages to varying degrees in sexual activities with both sexes; and self-identifies as bisexual in a way that is consonant with personal, social, political, and lifestyle preferences (Smiley, 375). Bisexual and the transgender people are two less visible segments of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. According to the authoritative Kinsey Report, which compiles data on human sexuality, almost eight in 10 people have some characteristics of bisexuality, wherein an individual feels attracted to both sexes (Klien, 13). However, bisexuals have to confront not just the homophobia of the straight community, which brands them as promiscuous, even though most are in strictly monogamous relationships, they also face derision from the gay community, which considers them closet gays, hiding behind the veneer of bisexuality because they are afraid to come out. Not surprisingly, therefore, that a recent study by the Australian National University found that bisexuals â€Å"had the worst mental health on measures of anxiety, depression and suicidality (Hall, 28). Tommy (name changed) Hogan, who came to Los Angeles, California nearly two years ago for graduate studies in Health Administration and works for Watts Health Foundation, says in adolescence he found himself being attracted to both boys and girls. In the gender-segregated society we lived in, opportunities for `fooling around' were much more readily available with peers of the same sex. I thought everyone in my circle was like me. So when I came to the Los Angeles it was very surprising to find that there were some individuals who were not attracted to men and others who were not attracted to women† (T. Hogan, personal communication, October 26, 2002). He wouldn't say he was gay. He would only say that he was sleeping with other men. He liked to call it â€Å"M-S-M,† men sleeping with men, you know, Brothers on the down low. I called it being a bisexual. The first thing that Tommy made clear to me is that bisexuality does not describe one sort of behavior, but rather a whole range of behaviors and lifestyles. Talking openly about sexual orientation within as private a community as the African American community is something that is not often done. Tommy revealed his disappointment at the community’s lack of acceptance of non-traditional lifestyles. According to a generally agreed upon definition, it isn't necessary for a person to be equally attracted to men and women and to be involved in multiple relationships, to be bisexual. In fact, a person can be celibate and still be bisexual. It's all a matter of whom he or she finds attractive and how he or she identifies himself or herself. There is no behavioral â€Å"test† to determine whether or not one is bisexual. Bisexuals come in all shapes and sizes, from all occupations, and with all levels of educational, racial and cultural background. When Tommy told his father of his attraction to both men and women, his father simply said that though these desires were natural and most people had them, eventually he expects Tommy to get married and have a family. â€Å"Even though his message was that it was preferable to get married to a woman, I was struck by his statement that same-sex feelings were natural, and by the fact that he didn't put same-sex desire down by calling it a perversion or sin† (T. Hogan, personal communication, October 26, 2002). Hogan says, â€Å"People have this misconception that bisexuals are promiscuous. I have been in strictly monogamous relationships and most of us are perfectly content with that. If people have made up their mind something is abnormal they can come up with as many reasons as to why it is so, and if there are people who think otherwise, they too can come up with a variety of reasons to prove their point. Why can't we approach this from a humanistic viewpoint that people have the right to love whomsoever they want to, as long as it is consensual? Tommy is very content with the bisexual lifestyle he is living. He seems to not know whether or not he will always be this way. I got a sense from our interview that he wasn’t happy being this way. He begin the express the importance of how being very religious he could not live this type of lifestyle. I would have to agree that the Bible does speak against any type of homosexual behavior. Tommy and I have discussed this issue on more t han one occasion. He seems to be confused as to what he really wants. It is a battle for him to be with a woman and be attracted to a man that is in the same company. Tommy at the present lives by himself so he doesn’t feel as if there are any rules he has to live with. He currently resides in the Hollywood area. He is comfortable living this lifestyle and his community contributes to this. Tommy has many friends and he also dates several women. Many individuals do not know that he is bisexual. Individuals might suspect that Tommy is bisexual but they have no confirmation. I am a close friend to Tommy and I actually have had the pleasure of knowing him for two years. I also might add that I have been attracted to Tommy for these two years and have dated him. I do accept his lifestyle as being bisexual because I care about him. But, I choose not to be in a relationship with Tommy because I do not want to risk my life or my health. We have an open and honest relationship so he understands that I have feelings for him but I in know way want to proceed with a relationship. But, if he chooses not to participate in this lifestyle in the future I just might end up being with him. But as one of his friends along with the others, he is accepted and is treated no differently than the next person. Tommy always feels comfortable in talking with me about his sexuality. He seems to be at this point in his life trying to deal with issues in the past that he feels might have led him to being attracted to both women and men. He has never mentioned to me about anything that stemmed from his past that might have triggered this imbalance in sexuality. I personally accept anyone who chooses to live a gay, lesbian or bisexual lifestyle. However, I do not condone dishonesty in sexual relationships with partners who have no knowledge of each other’s sexuality. It is really hard to discuss the responses of others, many individuals just do not know. Tommy is a very nice looking young man and is very professional and classy. He has all the traits that women are seeking in this young adult age. I believe that if women knew of his lifestyle as a bisexual they might not be as interested in him as before. As I mentioned many people question his sexuality but he has encountered no prejudice against him in that regard. Tommy indicates that it wasn’t until he came to Los Angeles that he decided to practice his lifestyle as a bisexual. Los Angeles makes it a lot easier to be bisexual, gay or a lesbian and be accepted in society. He feels most comfortable here and being able to go out in public with another man. He felt as though when he lived with his family he could not practice bisexuality. He never carried out sexual relationships with men until he came to Los Angeles. The sexuality of Black males as well as females is enmeshed with racial stereotyping thus the issues of gays and bisexual blacks is a particularly sensitive one so far as the Black community is concerned. The notion is that bisexuals are confused, promiscuous and greedy. To me promiscuity is really an oxymoron. It’s down to the individual needs and requirement of that person. I will never have an issue with anyone who chooses to be bisexual but in these days it is just unsafe to be with someone who is bisexual because AIDS is so prevalent and many individuals are just not honest with their sexual orientation.