Monday, September 30, 2019

Manufacturing Beauty

Manufacturing Beauty Manufacturing Beauty Cindy Jackson in my opinion has major issues. She thinks beauty is on the outside and does whatever she can to make herself look like an imaginary person. It seems to me that she is doing all this to try to make money. Her website is all about selling cosmetics. In which I am betting she doesn’t even use herself, because if there is a flaw in her mind she corrects it with surgery, so why does she need cosmetics? I think that her self-esteem is still extremely low even after all the surgeries and it has been from the start. The physical attractiveness of a person influences every individual throughout every community, across the United States and around the world. All people inherit and alter their physical attractiveness, which is determined by complex, interdependent, physical, and non-physical factors. Hidden and not-hidden values drive thoughts and actions with significant effects and realities whereby higher physical attractiveness is beneficial, lower physical attractiveness is detrimental and associated pursuits are relentless. Physical attractiveness may look skin-deep as a surface aspect of appearance, but looks can be deceiving. Researchers throughout the world collect empirical data complemented with anecdotal data to probe beyond the surfaces. Through investigations that meet meticulous scientific methodological procedures, acute observations reveal previously undetected dimensions that advance understanding about physical attractiveness (Patzer, 2006). I think the mass media has a huge influence on her. Even according her, she wants to look like Barbie â€Å"I looked at a Barbie doll when I was 6 and said, ‘This is what I want to look like. ’ She spent $100,000 on the operations because she ‘wanted to look better’, â€Å"Barbie was the blank canvas I filled in all those years ago. It was still my role model. † Cindy believed she was being ‘held back by her looks’ and that with surgery to make her more like her idol, she believes she is happier and has a better quality in life. Although this example is both rare and extreme, it is interesting to observe a woman's behavior later in life, which so blatantly and clearly links her desire of appearance to a prototype presented to her as a child. (2009) I my opinion the theme of â€Å"Manufacturing Beauty† can mean several things. I think that for one and the main theme is that a person is doing everything they can to try to make themselves beautiful in everybody else’s eyes. This is impossible, because everybody sees beauty a different why. For instance, I might be attracted to a woman at first sight but after I get to know, I may not find her beautiful; because I think, beauty is on the inside and not the physical appearance. In conclusion, I do not approve of what she is doing but then I do not have to. I think she is giving young women a very bad influence. I wish young women would see that being different is a great thing and that looking like everybody else is very boring. References (2009). Living Doll. Retrieved from http://blamingthemedia. blogspot. com/2009_09_01_archive. html Patzer, G. (2006). The Power and Paradox of Physical Attractiveness

Sunday, September 29, 2019

IT Ethics and Security Essay

The bill of Children’s Internet Protection Act or CIPA is included in the United States Congress and is recommended to keep a tight rein on children’s disclosure to obscene websites and explicit material available on the internet and online. This bill was proposed by the Senator of Arizona, Mr.  John McCain who wanted CIPA to be in United States Senate in the year 1999; however it was not included until various other delegates launched it in the United States House of Representatives, subsequent to which an absolute version was made and passed on the 15th December, 2000 after President Bill Clinton brought it into Law on 21st December, 2000 which after a few years on 23rd June, 2003 finally got defended by the Supreme Court of United States of America (US District Pennsylvania, 2010). This law requires the schools and public libraries to use internet safety filters for the reception of certain national financial support. Therefore the Supreme Court of United States of America has followed on constitutionality CIPA and has been providing them with the relieves to acquire reasonably priced telecommunications and Internet (Willard, 2007). Supreme Court of United States of America’s ruling on CIPA The purpose of CIPA was to provide the libraries and schools of the USA with support for internet and telecommunication facilities and this has been followed perfectly since the Supreme Court of USA approved it however it has certain limitation. A legal apprehension for instructors is lawsuits brought through anxious parents and associations. Through certain internet filters the minors can be saved from the explicit content on the internet which may rot their minds at a very early age so this helps in preventing the data of school from being seen by some other sources and, therefore from all points provide maximum security to the children and their families (US District Pennsylvania, 2010). As mentioned there are certain limitation to the support program which includes that as per CIPA, schools and libraries under CIPA do not obtain the concession accessible through the â€Å"E-rate† program, which is a concession that provides the facility of internet to schools and libraries, until they confirm that they have all the internet security measures in place which include the filter of blockage of pictures which are obscene, which may contain explicit material or certain data which might be bad for the children’s mind, therefore the schools which have CIPA facility need to have proper monitoring system which is too under check of the USA authorities jus in case of any violation (Willard, 2007). Also the educational institutions and libraries under the watch and aid of CIPA have to implement an authority and are inquired about to check the children while they use the internet, send any electronic mail or use some kind of chatting resource through the web while special check on certain hacking or misuse of internet by a minor is done and all the information is under supervision of the authorities however it does not need tracing of internet and the websites used by the children or any adult during the subjection to CIPA as it can be done by the supervisor of the place where the internet is being used (US District Pennsylvania, 2010). Hence this has been one of the greatest steps taken by the United States government and surely has a brilliant positive effect on the minors as they not only learn the use of internet but are also protected through it. Conclusion The united states government has always taken steps for the betterment of its citizen and the ones through which they can be benefitted therefore this step of CIPA ruling under the Supreme Court of the USA deserves appreciation and especially the people who donate funds to help the schools and libraries running and provide facilities the young minds

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Adidas Company Essay Example for Free

Adidas Company Essay ? I think this company using pull marketing. There are several reasons that I think that this company using pull marketing because for their strategy they use performance as central group value, leveraging opportunities across brand portfolio and extending innovation and design leadership. Why they use pull marketing? They use pull marketing because it very easy for customer or users s to access the services of the internet or the web using their web browsers. Their main goal is to lead the supporting goods industry with brands built n a passion for supporting lifestyle. In performance and service, they performed efficiently designed to simplicity of access especially while shopping and buying transaction via internet. Adidas will send us a confirmation email acknowledging receipt of orders. Once we have selected our purchases, delivery charges are automatically calculated and displayed on the check out page. Payment includes all major credit cards, Pay Pal or pay check. Their Customer Services is 24 hours if someone wants to order or to make sure for heir order have been sent by call at this number 1-800-982-9337 Other factor includes personalization; Adidas will request certain personally identifiable information from us on our order form membership and financial information (credit card number, money order or using pay check) for billing purposes and to fill order. Besides, look and feel factor. Based on their homepage, we can glimpse a soccer players or athletic using this shoes to show that their quality, comfort and their stability. On combination of stylish and striking background, I believe that this will attract customer to get into website swiftly. Consist of teenager’s preferences and taste it could be most sensation and favorable website among modern generation today. Last for the factor is security and reliability factor. Adidas seize customer privacy very seriously. All information collected include card credit number will remain within the company and will not be distributed or sold to any third party. To ensure customer hopping experience safe, simple and good secure, Adidas uses the standard ‘Secure Shopping Guarantee’ technology. This encrypts and protects the sensitive details like email address and credit card details. To give more privacy to their customers, they use ‘Privacy Policy to make sure that their customer can choose any product they want to buy without any interruption someone. It also ensures customer browser is being sent to the correct and then checks the data being transferred. It’s approved SSG technology make online purchasing secure and pleasurable. Adidas Company. (2018, Nov 11).

Friday, September 27, 2019

Managing Marketing Communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Managing Marketing Communications - Essay Example Some of the aspects of marketing communication include: public relations direct marketing, advertising, online communications, sales promotion and social media. Although all these marketing communication can appeal to a customer on their own, they have a better they are unified. This presents one strong message to the customer and a much reduced cost. Marketing is about perception and the power to convince potential customers, (Maria & Ionela, 2009, p 1160). Once the brand message has been strengthened, the customer has an easier decision making process. Integrated marketing approach is increasingly becoming significant within the marketing practice. This is because it is considered to be cost effective. The mass media has continued to reduce its cost effectiveness. Besides, it continued to become more and more fragmented making it difficult to reach many customers at the same time, (Marx & Lainson, 2000, p 53). Most customers spend a lot of time and on their mobile devices like cell phone and iPod. This has rendered the traditional approaches quite ineffective. For an organization to target many customers effectively, it needs to diversify its marketing approach. This has to be done with a sense of urgency and precision. Marketing strategies have to evolve due to the changing trends, (Mihart, 2012, p 129). The world has become more digitized and integrated marketing communication is now inevitable. All means of exposing a brand need to be tied to those customers who can remember the products. Sometimes marketing is just about reminding the customers that the product still exists, (Ogechukwu1,, 2011, p 62). Marketing approaches need to be diversified. This diversification need to be harmonized by use of integrated marketing communication. These two methods are mutually inclusive. The strategies of brands cannot be well understood by only looking at how they are advertised. Rather, they can easily be understood by looking at how these methods of communication wo rk together. The synchronization of these methods should also personalize the customer’s needs and tastes, (Ogechukwu1,, 2011, p 62). This should be done in real time just like as in a conversation. This is a concept of marketing with the aim of appreciating the contribution of a variety of marketing approaches. IMC involves a comprehensive plan that involves many marketing disciplines, (Marx & Lainson, 2000, p 53). It also takes into consideration how they work in relation to reach other based on the customer perception of the prevailing environment. The aim of combining the various disciplines of marketing is to provide clarity, maximum communication impact and consistency. Most of these definitions incorporate several basic ideas. These ideas include: synergistic effect, a combination of instruments of communication and seamlessness or making these communication efforts homogeneous, (Mihart, 2012, p 129). This means that marketing can be personalized, and at the same time it can be made public to masses almost simultaneously. This is an improvement from the traditional methods of communication. Integrated marketing communication has many components. These components make the IMC work towards achieving its intended goals. The foundation is one of the most critical components. It is based on the fundamental and strategic understanding of the market and the

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Analysis of Mise En Scene Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analysis of Mise En Scene - Essay Example This essay examines the mise-en-scene in this closing sequence. The closing sequence of Chinatown begins with Jack Gittes (Jack Nicholson) conversing with Evelyn Mulwray (Faye Dunaway). The two characters are featured in a medium close-up, with their bodies cut-off. While the film’s plot is highly complex and entangled, at its core it is a strong character piece. The minimalist mise-en-scene of this conversation, with the two characters featured alone in the foreground highlights the film’s strong character-centered nature. It’s also notable that Jack retains the bandage from earlier in the film, as this is symbolic of his ultimate fallibility in comparison to Mulwray almost angelic quality. This minimalist conversation scene cuts to a montage of shots of Chinatown. The city is depicted through neon lights that shine brightly in an all-dark background. The effect is powerful as the neon lights take on a sort of Las Vegas like feel where the outward brightness seems to conceal a sinister interior. The film’s nighttime setting further accentuates its neo-noir conventions. Indeed, this becomes a predominant thematic element as the final film sequence unravels. Not only is the scene shrouded entirely in darkness, but so are the characters. Only on brief occasions does director Polanski allow the street lights to shine on their faces. When Evelyn Mulwray appears she is also featured in black. The only character in white is Noah Cross. In these regards, the film’s mise-en-scene is playing with the noir notion of morality; the two protagonists are shrouded in black, and Cross, the antagonist, is featured in white. This leads the viewer to question the filmâ€℠¢s moral center and further destabilizes the viewer. This moral ambiguity is mirrored in the plot as Jack is handcuffed to the car even while attempting to reveal to the police that Cross is the murderer and villain. Ultimately, the

TEST EVALUATION Assignment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

TEST EVALUATION Assignment - Research Paper Example A language test is essential since it plays the role of generalizing what the person taking the test is capable of doing under some set conditions. As such, such a test helps in evaluating what the person taking the test can do even when they are not under conditions of test taking. Purpose of the test The test aims at assessing the language skills of English speakers in comparison with the language skills on non-speakers of English language. The purpose of carrying out this language test is to assess the achievement that students have made so far in the course. As such, the test aims at evaluating the extent to which students have achieved the course objectives. Moreover, the test will be used in determining which students will pass on to the next level. The student performance in the test will act as the basis for determining the students who will go to the next grade, as well as those students who will not qualify for admission in the next grade. Students will be graded based on t he marks and the grade they achieve in the test. After the grading, those will have scored marks equivalent to the required admission marks will be allowed to continue to the next level while those who will not have achieved will either have to repeat the test, or remain in their current level. Student performance will also be ranked according to how the students have scored. Description of the test The test will make an assessment of how students score when compared to other students who take a similar test. The test will also be administered as per the acceptable procedures, as well as with regard to the rules of the education section and the institution. The outcome/result of the test will be given in terms of percentage and ranking of the students. Students will be ranked from the highest scoring at the top and the lowest scoring at the bottom. Different tests will be provided for speakers of the English language and those who speak English as a second language. The purpose of d oing so is to ensure that both categories of students can be favoured by the test. While administering the test, various questions will be provided in order to ensure that students have a variety from which they can choose. The language test will be a written test where students will have an opportunity to fill in the right answers, in the exam paper. There will be questions where students can choose from multiple answers by selecting the best option. In addition, the test will encompass reading a comprehension and answering some questions based on what students understand from the reading. The test will also include some grammar questions, which will test the ability of students in grammar. Writing skills of the students will also be tested through a composition. Students will be expected to write a composition that will test their ability to communicate in writing (Richard-Amato, 2003). Scoring of test The test scores will be based on the percentage scored by the students in the r espective scores. English speakers who will score a high percentage in their tests will get high marks. Likewise, English learners who will score high marks in the test provided will be graded with high marks. The best students, native speakers or ones having English is their second language, will score an

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Theory Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Theory Assignment - Essay Example There will almost always be some common ground from which to work. By working from known shared meanings, it is possible to attach new meanings and new workds by comparing either similarity or difference. Using the more visual metaphor or simile can work well in these circumstances, as long as there is also a clear shared understanding of meanings carries by such imagery. For example one might explain â€Å"timidity† as being afraid of small things, such as l0ooking someone else in the eye. However, in some Eastern and Asian cultures, it is the height of rudeness and a very aggressive act to look someone else directly in the eye. The opportunities for miscommunication are many and truly competent communicators are few. II: Discussing Plans for Saturday Night with my Friend’s Mother It was early one Saturday evening, and my friends and I were going out to hang in the downtown area near places where there were always lots of girs. My two friends left for a few minutes to get something, and I waited. Carl’s mother came into the livingroom where I was waiting, and asked me about where we were going, but she started right off by asking if we were going bird watching. She had overheard a conversation earlier between Murray, who is from the UK and Carl, her son. I did not realize that she had misunderstood, so I simply chatted with her. FM: So I heard you Murray and Carl planning to go bird watching with you tonight. Where will you do that? Me: Oh right on the boardwalk. There’s flocks of them there. FM: Really? At night? Me: Oh you know they love the bright lights and the music. FM: That music? I would think it would drive them away. Me: Well I admit it is a tad loud, and keeps the same beat all night, but one little drink solves that whole problem. They start dancing and get more thirsty, drink a little more and pretty some they love everything. FM: That sounds more like you are planning to catch them. Me: Oh no, nothing quite so crude. A fter all, they can’t fly. FM: What kinds of birds are they, Penguins or Dodos? Me: Oh no, they’re just girls. I’m sorry. Murray’s a Brit. To him all birds are girls, doncha know? FM: No, I don’t. The prettiest ones are the boys. Me: I stood silent for many seconds and then started to laugh. III: Analysis of the Miscommunication in the Conversation and the Causes In the previous conversation, the two speakers did not share the same definition for several of the key words. Notably the two most important were â€Å"bird† and â€Å"fly†, which are colloquial expressions in Great Britain meaning â€Å"girl† and â€Å"run away†. Several other parts of the conversation were ambiguous when paired with the meanings of these two words. â€Å"Drink† was meant as an alcoholic beverage, but was interpreted as meaning water by the listener, because she was convinced the conversation was about the animals that have wings and fly mostly in the day time. Neither participant in this conversation were actually competent communicators, since neither one tried to establish a base of meaning before carrying on with the conversation. The use of slang

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Microbiology Exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Microbiology Exam - Essay Example Some viruses (animal viruses and bacteriophages) have the capsid encased in an envelope. In addition they are non-membraneous and cannot yield energy. They are also devoid of metabolic enzymes and ribosomes that form the sites for protein biosynthesis.Moreover, they need host cells to replicate. Viruses are transmitted via salivary drops, respiratory fluids, sexual contact, fecal-oral especially in case of contaminated food, animal vectors and via blood. Viroids- Comprise of single-stranded and circular RNA which is noncoding and infect plants. As compared to viruses their genome is much smaller, are protein non-coding, and unlike viruses some possess ribozyme activity. They initiate infection in plants via chloroplast or nuclear replication and they are conveyed in cells via plasmodesmata. Prions- Infectious agents that solely comprise of a protein whose form is misfolded. This is a distinguishing feature as they lack nucleic acids i.e. RNA/DNA. These potent agents means of propagat ion is via inducing folded proteins in healthy organisms to change (misfold) and assume the form of the prion; these have the ability to cause disease. The resultant stable structure causes cell death and tissue damage (Tortora, Funke & Case, 2010). 2. How can viruses lead to cancer? Be sure to use specific examples (e.g. virus name and the cancer it causes) to illustrate your points. Viral transformation mediated via viral genes results to uncontrolled cell growth with contact inhibition loss, tumor formation as well as chromosomal aberrations. In addition viral oncogenes that transform normal cells into malignant cells are transmitted by viruses. Viruses also inactivate the tumor suppressor proteins. The human papilloma virus (HPV) is the causative agent for cervical cancer and it integrates in the host’s genome and suppresses the expression E2 viral gene which represses the expression of viral oncoproteins E7 and E6. E6 has a high binding affinity for p53(tumor suppressor gene) and triggers its degradation and E7 binds to retinoblastoma(Rb). Rb and p53 are tumor suppressor proteins. This results to apoptosis inhibition and dysregulation of cell growth. E6 possesses the ability to trigger telomerase activity as well as immortalizing cells. E7 also triggers abnormal centriole biosynthesis as well as aneuploidy during the initial oncogenic process. Hence, E7 and E6 are synergistic in transforming normal cells to a state of malignancy. However, there is a genetic predisposition to the progression of cervical cancer. Moreover, acute immunosuppression heightens the propensity of cervical dysplasia and subsequent cancer progression (Damania, 2006). 3. You are growing Bacillus subtilis in nine 16,000-liter fermenters to produce enzymes for industrial use. The Bacillus cultures had been growing for 2 days when the cells in one of the fermenters lysed. Explain what happened in this fermenter. This is likely to be a case of bacteriophage contamination. Bacterio phages are a class of viruses that infect bacteria. Upon infecting bacterial cultures, they cause serious problems and this entails complete loss of bioproducts; in this respect enzymes and their subsequent proliferation in the plant (to other fermentors). This results to culture lysis and unless it is contained, the problem is bound to reoccur even after stringent sterilization of equipment. Decontamination is much difficult in such a large scale fermentor. It is has been proven that phage propagation in such a bioreactor can easily spread

Monday, September 23, 2019

Individual Strengths and Group Process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Individual Strengths and Group Process - Essay Example I give a brief description of these techniques as well as the learning’s and improvements that I can get from the same. 1) I have worked as a part of a team of 14 people that was involved in supporting a financial software application in a Fortune 100 company. We are a team that has people from diverse ethnic backgrounds and comprising men and women in almost equal proportions. The team has the responsibility of maintaining a pension funds application and fixing any bugs and issues that are reported from time to time. 2) I lead the maintenance and support team and my experience in people management and leadership abilities are the skills that I bring to the group setting. They have benefited the group in resolving the issues that are associated with team management and group dynamics. The ability to motivate the team and lead from the front by setting an example is one of the key skills that I have brought to the team and this has helped me immensely. I believe that the team has also benefited by my managerial style. 3) I have a tendency to trust my gut feelings more than group consensus. While gut feelings are an asset when taking decisions that involve me, when it comes to taking decisions that involve the group, I believe that the view points of the group must be taken into consideration. The other drawback is that I should listen more and then act. I have a tendency to act impulsively without listening to the other person or the group’s point of view and this has been described as one of my weaknesses by my supervisor. 4) The other members of the group bring their unique and individual view points to the group that brings in the much needed perspective and other side of the debate stance to the issues faced by the group. Because of this, it is easier to balance the both sides and take a measured stance at solving the problems of the group. Further, because of the ethnic mix of the group, there are some added view points to

Sunday, September 22, 2019

John Stuart Mill and Women’s Movement Essay Example for Free

John Stuart Mill and Women’s Movement Essay John Stuart Mill was born in London in 1806. He became renowned as an economist, a writer, a philosopher and senior personnel in the East India Company (EIC). John Stuart Mill rendered much of his life time to a prominent activist working for women’s rights and movements. The Beginning The history which links Mill to the feminist movement dates back to the year 1851 when he married to a widow named Harriet Taylor and got settled in Blackheath Park. This place is said to be his spot from where a number of influential writings that advocated women’s right were written, which subsequently became popular worldwide. The Victorian Womens Movement in England is also said to reach to this very place of Mill in the hope of counseling, headship and financial assistance (Sunshine for Women, 2003). Mill started working for the women’s cause after getting married to Taylor. As a matter of fact, he had to be subtle in participating in reform movements while being a member of the EIC. This is the reason he had to use his pen to work for the purpose. Mill retired from the East India Company in 1858. The first popular writing that he have with his name was written in 1860 and 1861 entitled as The Subjection of Women, which he did not give to publish as yet (Sunshine for Women, 2003). The Breakthrough In the year 1865, Mill was asked to stand at one of the positions for the parliament, the offer which was readily accepted by him. The agreement was basically, on the basis of the platform’s top most agenda as to give women rights to vote along with other equality rights. Following Mill’s enthusiasm for the cause and seeing his participation, different other women’s rights organizations approached him for his support. In due course, a Ladies Discussion Group carried out a poll asking its members if they thought it right for the women to participate in the public affairs. To their surprise, all the women members consented with this. Such an overwhelming response made Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon, a leading early nineteenth century feminist and educationist, take a daring step. She suggested at par to build a suffrage society. Unfortunately, this step could not be carried out at that point in time because other contemporary activists were also afraid of extremists’ actions against the idea. However, Mill was courageous enough to support this idea once it was made certain that a Reform Bill would be put forward to the Parliament. He asked Bodichon to get more than hundred signatures in support of the petition. The stride proved to be quite successful and Bodichon was able to bring around 1,500 signatures following the formation of the first ever Women’s Suffrage Committee. Subsequently, when Mill put forth the petition after almost a eyear in 1866, the Bill was passed and the agenda of having women’s suffrage was incorporated in the parliament. Despite many hurdles, Mill’s one another daring step towards the cause was to make an amendment in the clause that dealt with property qualifications. He proposed to substitute the word ‘man’ with ‘person’ (Sunshine for Women, 2003). Nevertheless, at that point in time, the amendment was defeated with a larger number of votes against it. Unfortunately, this committee did not live very long and was dissolved with the dissolution and reformation of the bill as well. But, the women and Mill’s support did not end here and Mill’s wife along with other women members of the committee succeeded in creating a whole new organization which they named as London National Womens Suffrage Society (Sunshine for Women, 2003). Mill’s leadership led him to become the honorary president of this very organization. At this moment, this organization needed something in written to disseminate among their members and among the external public. Mill felt a dire need to make his writings public and thus his The Subjection of Women got published and it saw gaining popularity worldwide being translated into a number of languages. Most importantly, this piece of writing was only of its kinds to be present on such a topic until World War 1 (Sunshine for Women, 2003). This step certainly, proved to be a milestone in women’s movement in that era. Subjection Mill’s Subjection remained a limelight for decades whenever women’s movement and feministic approach was talked about. What he wrote in it was women’s persistent low-leveled position which was in a constant struggle to rise. His writings show his sensitivity towards the issue as he talked about the prevalent attitude of the society towards a patriarchal system while subjugating women’s very existence. Subjection also talks about how women’s existence could be kept on exploiting once the society does not follow the norms of equality and justices. The comprehensive book also gets the reputation of advocating how terrible domestic violence is and could prove to be. However, it voices that the right to vote granted to women is only the first step towards a series of obligations that should be followed to treat them as equal beings (Mill, 2003). Conclusion All in all, analyzing John Stuart Mill’s life we can conclude that he got depression and physical ailment at a much younger age, but his intellect was far above those of his contemporary men. He thought and spoke high of women and worked for the feminist movement as much as his health granted him to. References Mill, J. S. (2003). On Liberty and Other Writings. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. Sunshine for Women. (2003, February n. d. ). John Stuart Mill (1806-1873). August 2, 2010, from www. pinn. net

Friday, September 20, 2019

The History And Background Of Suicide Nursing Essay

The History And Background Of Suicide Nursing Essay Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people; however the incidence of attempted suicide is much more. It has been observed that after puberty, rate of suicide increases with age until it stabilizes in young adulthood. This increase in suicide may be associated with the onset and increase in depressive and other disorders during adolescents as compared to childhood. Suicide ideation, gestures and attempts are frequently but not always associated with depressive disorders, reports indicate that as many as half of suicidal individuals express suicidal intention to a friend or a relative within 24 hours before enactive suicidal behavior. It is a time proven fact that all the living organisms on this earth fight for survival and existence. What then makes the man to risk his own life? The tragedy of self inflicted death has always attracted the attention of the medical as well as the legal fraternity. People who have committed suicide or have been thinking about committing suicide probably feel overwhelmed by their problems. They might not be able to handle that kind of pressure and feel that death would be the only way to escape it.( Alonso J,2008). Although suicide was condemned in the Dharmashastras, yet, there is also a chapter on allowed suicides. But the earlier scriptures, of Manus and Kautilyas were against suicide. These sentiments were echoed for ages in India. Even though today, attempted suicide is also a crime in India under the Indian Penal Code system. The neighbouring country Sri Lanka has removed attempted suicide as a punishable offence. In India, even the assisting and abetting suicide is also a punishable offence. The striking aspect of Indian data is the large variation in different parts of India in relation to attempted/committed suicide. The states and cities with rapid social change are associated with higher suicide rates in the year 2010, such as the states of Tamilnadu (5470) and Andhra Pradesh (5675),Maharashtra (6289), West Bengal (5302).(NCRBI 2007). Adolescence is a stressful developmental period filled with major changes: body changes, changes in thoughts, and changes in feelings. Strong feelings of stress, confusion, fear, and uncertainty, as well as pressure to succeed, and the ability to think about things in new ways influence a teenagers problem solving and decision making abilities. For some teenagers, normal developmental changes, when compounded by other events or changes in their families such as parental divorce or moving to a new community, changes in friendships, difficulties in school, or other losses can be very upsetting and become overwhelming. Problems may appear too difficult or embarrassing to overcome. For some, suicide may seem like a perfect solution. The adolescent suicide rate has greatly increased in recent years. Suicides in those ages 15 to 24 years once accounted for 5% of all suicides but now it is increased to 14%. This makes suicide the third leading cause of death among adolescents. Suicide rates for males within the age group of 10 14 years have tripled, whereas rates for males aged 15 to 19 years have quadrupled. Rates for females have doubled. Males aged 15 to 19 years are nearly 5 times more likely to kill themselves than females in the same age group. Although female adolescents attempt suicide 2 to 3 times more often than their male counterparts. Recorded suicide attempts peak between the ages of 15 and 19years.(WHO 2008). 1.1 NEED FOR STUDY: The numbers of suicides are increasing in India. India accounts for 10% of worlds suicides. According to the latest national crime record bureau report, there are over 1.2 lakh suicides in 2006 and 1.3 lakh in 2007. It also states that Bangalore has the highest rate of suicides in India. Till June 2007 there have been around 900 cases of suicide reported from Bangalore city alone. In 2005, 1,480 persons have committed suicide, while in the year 2006, the number was over 2,000, and among all states, Karnataka stands second after Kerala, followed by Maharashtra and West Bengal (Gururaj G.2008). According to WHOs estimation, in the year 2004, approximately one million people died from suicide, and 10 20 times more people attempted suicide worldwide. This represents one death every 40 seconds and one attempt every 3 seconds, on average (WHO,2004). The adolescent suicide rate has greatly increased in recent years. Suicides in those ages 15 to 24 years once accounted for 5% of all suicides but now it is increased to 14%. This makes suicide the third leading cause of death among adolescents. Suicide rates for males within the age group of 10 14 years have tripled, whereas rates for males aged 15 to 19 years have quadrupled. Rates for females have doubled. Males aged 15 to 19 years are nearly 5 times more likely to kill themselves than females in the same age group. Although female adolescents attempt suicide 2 to 3 times more often than their male counterparts. Recorded suicide attempts peak between the ages of 15 and 19years (Marlow,2002). 1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: STRUCTURED TEACHING PROGRAMME ON THE PREVENTIVE MEASURES OF SUICIDAL IDEATION AMONG ADOLESCENTS IN PRIYADARSHINI SCHOOL,PITHAPURAM,ANDHRA PRADESH. 1.3 OBJECTIVES: 1.3.1 To assess the knowledge regarding preventive measures of suicidal ideation among adolescents. To evaluate the effectiveness of structured teaching programme on Preventive measures of Suicidal ideation among adolescents. 1.3.3 To associate the preventive measures for suicidal ideation among adolescents with the various demographic variables. 1.4 ASSUMPTIONS: The adolescents are prone for suicidal thoughts. 1.5 HYPOTHESIS: There will be a significant difference between the preventive measures for suicidal ideation before and after administration of structured teaching programme. There will be a significant association between the preventive measures for suicidal ideation with various demographic variables 1.6 Operational Definition: 1.6.1 Suicide: is the act of intentionally taking ones own life in a culturally no endorsed manner. 1.6.2. Preventive measures: refer to the risk factors, warning signs, suicidal behavior, misconceptions of suicide, how to communicate and monitoring safety needs in the environment. 1.7 Conceptual Framework: Modified general systems theory of learning: General systems theory is useful in breaking process into sequential operations or tasks to ensure goal realization. Purpose, goal or aim is necessary for any process or system. The aim of the study is to increase the knowledge of preventive measures for suicidal ideation. Input: The first function is the input which is the information, energy or matter that enters the system. For a system to work well the input should concentrate in achieving the purpose of the system. In the present study the information, energy or matter which enters the system is the introduction of structured teaching programme regarding the preventive measures for suicidal ideation. In the present study input is the existing knowledge regarding preventive measures for suicidal ideation. Throughput: According to the theorist, throughput refers to the process used by the system to convert raw material or energy into products that are usable by the system itself or by the environment. In this active phase, teacher converts the information from structured teaching programme regarding preventive measures for suicidal ideation. Output: According to theorist, it refers to the product or service which results from the systems through put. Output in this study refers to the end product of the system. This is evidenced by adolescents gaining knowledge regarding the preventive measures for suicidal ideation. Evaluation: Evaluation is the information about some aspects of data or energy processing that can be used, to evaluate and monitor the system and to guide it to more effective performance. In the present study, evaluation measures the success or failure of output. I t is done by measuring the performance and it is graded as adequate knowledge (>75% scores), moderately adequate knowledge (50%-75% scores) and inadequate knowledge ( Feedback: The final function is feedback which is the process of communicating what is found in evaluation of the system. It is the information given back to the system to determine whether or not the purpose or end result of the system has been achieved. The final part of feed back communicates what is found in the evaluation and it tells whether the structured teaching programme was effective in enhancing the knowledge of adolescents regarding the preventive measures for suicidal ideation. 1.8 Projected Outcome: Structured teaching program helps to improve the knowledge on preventive measures for suicidal ideation among adolescents. Fig: 1.1 MODIFIED SYSTEM MODEL TO ASSESS THE KNOWLEDGE OF ADOLESCENTS REGARDING PREVENTIVE MEASURES OF SUICIDAL IDEATION OUTPUT THROUGH PUT INPUT Assessment of demographic variables of adolescents such as age, sex, family income, religion, parents education. Pre assessment of knowledge of adolescents regarding preventive measures of suicidal ideation Post assessment of knowledge of adolescents regarding preventive measures of suicidal ideation Adequate Inadequate Structured teaching Programme on Preventive measures of suicidal ideation Inadequate Moderately adequate REASSESSMENT CHAPTER II REVIEW OF LITERATURE Review of Literature is a key step in research process. Nursing research may be considered as a continuing process in which knowledge gained from earlier studies is an integral part of research in general. In review of literature a researcher analyses existing knowledge before delving into a new study and when making judgement about application of new knowledge in nursing practice. The literature review is an extensive, systematic, and critical review of the most important published scholarly literature on a particular topic. 2.1 Literatures related to Suicide risk factors 2.2 Literatures related to Prevention of suicidal ideation 2.1 Literatures related to Suicide risk factors A case control study was conducted to identify and quantify risk factors for completed suicides in Bangalore, India. The study was conducted with the families of 269 completed suicides and 269 living controls within the broader population of the city using psychological autopsy methods. The results showed that, the significant risk factors for completed suicides were the presence of previous suicidal attempt in self [odds ratio (OR) = 42.62], interpersonal conflicts and marital disharmony with spouse [OR = 27.98], alcoholism [OR = 23.38], presence of mental illness [OR = 11.07], sudden economic bankruptcy [OR =7.1], domestic violence [OR = 6.82], and unemployment [OR = 6.15]. Individuals completing suicides did not have a positive outlook towards life, problem solving approaches and coping skills. The study concluded that, the intervention strategies should include prioritized macro and micro level efforts aimed at individual, family and society. (Gururaj G 2007) A study conducted involving 1205 adolescent students of two schools from New Delhi reported, one year suicidal ideation was 11.7%. they also found that physical abuse by parents, feelings neglected by parents, history of running away from school, history of suicide by a friend and death wish were found to be associated with non-fatal suicidal behavior. (Siddhartha and Jena,2006). A study conducted on bullying and risk of suicidal behaviour among adolescents in New York. Total 2341 adolescents aged 13-19 years who were enrolled in grades 9 through 12 in suburban school was selected for study. Researchers used Beck Depression Inventory to assess depression and suicide Ideation Questionnaire. Suicide attempt history included any attempt, regardless extend of injury. With regard bullying behaviour, students were asked how often they had been bullied or had bullied others in and out of school during the past 4 weeks. Being bullied was defined as having the student say or do unpleasant thing or being teased repeatedly in a way the person does not like. Result shows about 20% student reported that they were victims of bullying in school and about 10% reported that they were victims of bullying outside the school. With regard to bullying behavior, about 25% students reported that they bullied other students in school and 15% reported that they were bullied others out side school .The risk of depression, suicidal ideation and suicidal attempt was significantly higher for students who were considered either a victim or a bully compared with students who were not. The more frequent the bullying behaviour the greater risk of depression, suicidal ideation or suicidal attempt. (Wagnar KD,2007). A study conducted on rates and factors associated with suicide in Kaniymbadi block, Tamil Nadu, South India. The setting for the study was a comprehensive community health programme in a development block in rural South India. The main outcome measure was death by suicide diagnosed by detailed verbal autopsy and census and birth and death data to identify population base. Result shows the average suicide rate was 92.1 per 1,00.000. The ratio of male to female suicide was 1:0.66. The age specific suicide rate for women showed two peaks: 15-24 year and over 65 years of age. Hanging (49%) and poisoning with organo-phosphorus compound (40.5%) were commonest method of suicide. Acute or chronic stress was elicited for nearly all subjects. More men suffered from chronic stress while more women had acute precipitating events (x2= 4.58; p A study conducted on risk factors for completed suicide in Banglore, India. A case control study conducted with families of 269 completed suicides and 269 living control within the broader population of city, using psychological autopsy method. Result shows that several factor in the areas of family, marriage, education, occupation, general health, mental health and absence of protective factors contribute significantly for suicides .The significance factor were presence of previous suicidal attempt in self (odds ratio OR = 42.62), interpersonal conflicts and marital disharmony with spouse (O =27.98), alcoholism in self (OR=23.38), presence of mental illness (OR=11.07), sudden economic bankruptcy (OR=7.1), domestic violence (OR=6.82) and unemployment(OR= 6.15). Individual completing suicide did not have a positive outlook towards life, problem solving approaches and coping scale (Gururaj G and Isaac MK, 2007). A study was conducted on psychosocial risk factors associated with suicide attempts among psychiatric inpatient and this study examine how suicide attempts and violent behavior associated with various psychosocial problems. This study included 216 inpatient who had physically assaulted another patient and a comparison group of 81 inpatient who had not assaulted any one. The result was suicide attempts were associated with a history of head trauma harsh parental discipline and parental psychopathology (Menhem.I and Krakowski, 2004). A study conducted on psychosocial stressors may be strongly associated with suicide attempts; the aim of the study was to clarify the importance of psychosocial stressors in suicidal behavior and 250 suicide attempts seen at general hospital emergence room. Acute and chronic life events were assessed with the St. Paul Ramsey life experience scale Holmes and Rahes social adjustment scale respectively, life long adverse experience were also assessed. The logistic regression with dependent variable included psychosocial stressor (Odds ratio (OR)=33.6) And other interpersonal conflicts (OR =10.5) modification of life habits (OR = 14.6) adult physical abuse (OR = 7.1) confounding factors with significant ORS were cluster B traits (OR = 21.2) and finally this study mainly a replication of prior knowledge of psychosocial stressors.( Enrique Baca-Garcia, and Claudia.P.Parra,2007). A cross-sectional study of 342 adolescents aged 10-19 years from 19 schools. Multivariate analysis showed that a history of self-violence, violent thoughts toward others, mental health diagnoses other than depression, and a history of sexual abuse were positively associated with suicide attempt. Sexual abuse, mental health diagnoses other than depression, self-violence, and ease of access to lethal substances/weapons were positively associated with suicide ideation and found a relatively high prevalence of suicide ideation and suicide attempts among adolescents living in Western Jamaica. An accurate understanding of the prevailing risk factors for suicide attempts will promote a more sympathetic approach to victims and facilitate prevention efforts.( Rudatsikira E,2010). A cross-sectional school survey of 4,500 adolescent students based on a structured questionnaire. Data were collected using the supervised self-administered questionnaire (modified version of the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance in the Malaysian National Language, Bahasa Malaysia). Seven percent (312 of 4,454) of the adolescent students had seriously considered attempting suicide. Among the adolescents, 4.6% had attempted suicide at least once during the 12 months preceding the survey. Female adolescents were more likely to put their suicidal thoughts into suicidal action than were male adolescents. Malay and Indian people are more likely than the Chinese to respond, Felt sad and hopeless. However, Malay adolescents had the lowest rate of attempted suicide. Based on multiple logistic regression, factors significantly related to urban adolescents suicide behavior are Felt sad or hopeless, Number of days felt unsafe to go to school, Riding with a driver who had been drinking alcohol, P hysical fight, and Number of days absent from school. In comparison, factors relating to rural adolescents suicide behavior are Felt sad or hopeless, Physical fight, Physical fight resulting in injury, and Drive a vehicle after drinking alcohol. Adolescent suicide behavior should be viewed as a serious problem. Measures can be taken to prevent suicide by looking at the factors significantly linked to suicidal behavior among adolescents. Steps can then be taken to identify adolescents who have serious suicidal ideation so that intervention can be taken to reduce the suicidal rate.( Chen PC and Lee LK,2005). A comparative study conducted at Slovenia in 2006 to compare coping styles among adolescents with and without deliberate self-harm concluded that suicidal ideation was associated with higher scores on emotional coping and lower scores on rational and detachment coping styles. Deliberate self-harm was associated with significantly higher scores on avoidance coping strategies and identified a need for improving coping strategies among deliberate self harm adolescents(Marusic A, Goodwin RD,2006). A study conducted on the associations between peer and parental relationships and suicidal behaviour in early adolescents. Method used statistics Canadas National Longitudinal Survey of Children Youth as the dataset. This cross sectional sample included 1049 girls and 1041 age 12 to 13 years. Answers obtained through self- report questionnaires that included measures of peer relationships, parental nurturance, and parental rejection, suicidal ideation and attempts. Result shows that among early adolescent boys and girls, depression, poor peer relationships, decrease parental nurturance and increase parental rejection wear all significantly associated with suicidal ideation and attempt.( Sarah A and Laurence YK, 2006). 2.2 Literatures related to Prevention of suicidal ideation An experimental study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of a school based suicide awareness intervention among adolescents in Louisville, Kentucky. A self report questionnaire was used to collect data. A Solomon four groups design was used to assess the efficacy of suicide intervention classes. The results revealed that, the experimental groups as compared with control groups showed significant gains in relevant knowledge about suicidal peers and significantly more positive attitudes toward help seeking and intervening with troubled peers. (Kalafat J.,2006). A study was conducted to assess the efficacy of a school based prevention programme for reducing suicide potential among high risk youth in Washington, USA. A sample of 105 subjects at suicide risk participated in a three group, repeated measures, intervention study. Participants in (1) an assessment plus 1 semester experimental programme, (2) an assessment plus 2- semester experimental programme, and (3) an assessment only group were compared, using data from pre intervention, 5 month, and 10 month follow up assessments. The results suggested that, all groups showed decreased suicide risk behaviours, depression, hopelessness, stress, and anger; all groups also reported increased self- esteem and network social support. Increased personal control was observed only in the experimental groups, and not in the assessment only control group. The potential efficacy of the experimental school based prevention programme was demonstrated. The study concluded that, the necessary and sufficient strategies for suicide prevention have to be adopted. (Eggert LL, 2004). A study was conducted to assess the impact of a suicide prevention programme for adolescents on suicidal tendencies, hopelessness, ego identity, and coping ability in Israel. 393 adolescents from six schools participated in the study. The subjects were randomly divided into experimental (n = 215) and control (n= 178) groups. The experimental groups took part in seven weekly 2 hour meetings. In this pre-test post-test design, the students completed questionnaires of suicidal tendencies, hopelessness, ego identity, and coping ability before and after the programme. The statistical analysis showed that the experimental groups were superior to the controls, with at least some of the dependent measures pointing out the effectiveness of the programme ( Orbach I, 2003). An experimental study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the Signs of Suicide (SOS) prevention programme in Farmington, USA. 2,100 students in 5 high schools were randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. Self administered questionnaire were completed by students in both groups approximately 3 months after programme implementation. The results revealed that, significantly lower rates of suicide attempts and greater knowledge and more adaptive attitudes about depression and suicide were observed among students in the intervention group than control group. The study concluded that, SOS is the first school based suicide prevention programme to demonstrate significant reductions in self reported suicide attempts (Eggert LL and Thompson EA,2007). A study was conducted on the effectiveness of school based psycho-educational programme in suicide prevention in adolescents. Sample collected from 172 high school students in the 16-18 age group include 108 girls and 64 boys. Method used a structured self-report questionnaire. The results show that the programme had no effect on coping styles and level of hopelessness. However positive effect on knowledge could be identified an interaction effect of the programme with gender on attitude was also found. A negative impact of programme could not be found. Findings from study suggest that psycho-educational programs in schools may influence knowledge about suicide and attitudes towards suicidal persons but may not affect the use of coping styles or levels of hopelessness (Gwendolyn P and Kees VH,2006). A study was conducted on the evaluation of the signs of suicide prevention program where data was collected from 4133 students in 9 schools. Method used self administered questionnaires completed by students in both groups approximately 3 month after the program implementation. Result shows significantly lower rates of suicide attempts and greater knowledge and more adaptive attitude about depression and suicide were observed in intervention group.( Robert H and Asetine J,2007). A study was conducted on to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of an Informational Booklet on cancer risk factors among college students, nurses and doctors at university of Delhi. The objectives of the study was (1) to prepare an informational booklet on cancer risk factors (2) to assess the knowledge before and after the administration of informational booklet on cancer risk factors and (3) to determine the acceptability and utility of an informational booklet by college students, nurses and doctors. The one group pre-test post-test pre experimental research design adopted Convenient sampling method was used to select sample size 30. The data collection instruments used were (I) a structured knowledge questionnaire to assess the knowledge of students and (2) two structured opinionnaires were used to gather opinion regarding acceptability and utility of the booklet from college students, doctors and nurses. The results shown that information booklet is effective in increasing th e knowledge of the college students as evident from t (29) = 52.44 higher significant. Doctors and nurses were higher and close to the maximum possible acceptability and utility scores. The study concluded that the informational booklet was acceptable and useful for findings cancer risk factors ( Bairwa KS,2002). CHAPTER III MATERIALS AND METHODS Research design provides the glue that holds the research project together. A design is used to structure the research, to show how all of the major parts of the research project. This study was designed to find out effectiveness of structured teaching programme in promoting knowledge on preventive measures of suicidal ideation among adolescents. This study was conducted by adopting following steps of research process as research design, setting, population and sampling, criteria for selection of samples, instruments and tools for data collection and methods of data analysis. Pilot study was conducted and changes were incorporated. 3.1 Research Design:The study was based on one group pre test and post test design. Pre test knowledge on preventive measures of suicidal ideation among adolescents was assessed before providing education programme. Education regarding what is suicide, risk factors,misconceptions and facts, preventive measures of suicide was delivered through lecture cum discussion method by using LCD, blackboard. After a period of 5 to 7 days of education, the knowledge on preventive measures of suicidal ideation among adolescent was reassessed. The paired t test was used to compare the pre test score and post test score and assosciation was used to find among variables. 3.2 Setting of the Study: The study was conducted in Priyadarshini High school Pithapuram, Andhra Pradesh. 3.3 Population: The population of this study consisted of adolescents in the 9th standard. 3.3.1 Sample size: Size was determined by purposive sampling. All adolescents in the 9th standard were taken for the study 50 students. 3.4 Criteria for selection of sample: Inclusion criteria: Adolescents in the class of 9th standard Variables of the study: 3.5.1 Independent variable: The independent variable in this study is structured teaching programme on preventive measures of suicidal ideation. 3.5.2 Dependent variable: The dependent variable in this study is knowledge level gained by adolescent. 3.6 Instruments and tools for data collection: A questionnaire was prepared to assess the knowledge of adolescents towards preventive measures of suicidal ideation . A structured questionnaire was developed based on literature, journal, text book. The questionnaire has two aspects demographic data and questionnaire on preventive measures of suicidal ideation. Section A: The demographic data includes sample number, age, sex, number of siblings, religion, family profile. Section B: This section consists of 25 questions, for each question 4 options were given in that only one is correct, students have to tick any one of the 4 options. For each question one mark was awarded, maximum mark obtained was 25. It was mandatory that all the 25 questions should be responded by the student. Scoring: Adequate : >75% Moderately adequate: 50 -75% Inadequate : 3.7 Reliability and validity of instruments and tools for data collection: The tool was prepared with the help of literature, research and subject guides. The reliability and validity was tested through pilot study. Additions and modifications suggested by experts were included in the tool. 3.8 Data Collection Procedure: Data collection was done in the month of July; data was collected through self administered questionnaire. After assessment education was delivered through lecture cum discussion using LCD, charts, black board. Doubts were clarified at the end of teaching. The reassessment was done after 5 to 7 days from the day the education started. 3.9 Method of Data Analysis and Interpretation: Frequency distribution tables were formulated for all baseline information. Frequencies were tabulated to understand the knowledge on preventive measures of suicidal ideation. The distribution pattern was depicted through appropriate graphical methods. Results were inferred through statistical techniques likes paired t test and association was used among variables. 3.9.1 Paired t test: This formula was adopted to find out the significant difference between pretest and post test score, of adolescents to understand the knowledge on preventive measures of suicidal ideation. = Mean difference between pretest and post test score. d = Difference between pretest score and post test score. SD = Standard deviation of the pretest score and post test score. = number of samples. 3.10 Report of Pilot Study: Pilot study was conducted in Priyadarshini School, Pithapuram,Andhra Pradesh. For the Pilot Study 16 Students were taken from 9th standard. The questionnaire was given to the students for the assessment of knowledge on Prevention Of suicidal ideation, after Pre-test it was found that only 2 students had adequate knowledge, 13 had moderately adequate knowledge,1 had in adequate knowledge. After structured teaching programme, the result of the Post test is as follows, 8 students had adequate knowledge, 8 students had moderately adequate knowledge. None of them had inadequate knowledge. 3.11. Changes Brought After pilot Study: After the pilot study changes were made in the questionnaire. CHAPTER -IV DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION Data analysis is the process of analyzing the data in such a way that the research questions can be answered (Hungler and Polit, 2004). This chapter deals with analysis and interpretation of data collected from students of Priyadarshini high school in Pithapuram, A.P. Students knowledge on preventive measures of suicidal ideation w

Thursday, September 19, 2019

The Ballad Of The Sad Cafe Essay -- Essays Papers

The Ballad Of The Sad Cafe Throughout the novel The Ballad Of The Sad Cafe by Carson McCullers, there is an evident recurring theme. Ever-present in the story is a feeling of unrequited love, illustrated through looking at the parallels of the intertwined relationships between three separate individuals. Miss Amelia Evans, Cousin Lymon Willis, and Marvin Macy, are the players involved in this grotesque love triangle. The feelings they respectively have for each other are what drives the story, and are significant enough that the prosperity of entire town hinges upon them. First to come of the couplings between these main characters, was the 10 day marriage of Marvin Macy and Amelia Evans. Previously notorious as a womanizer and town miscreant, meeting Amelia made Martin wish to be a better man. He cleaned up his act, and devoted his entire attention to his love for Amelia. Amelia, however, felt no connection with this man, and sought a relationship only out of economic advantage. When this finally became clear to Marvin, when he was once and for all removed of the illusion that his love was returned, it was already too late. Amelia had stripped him of everything he owned. He took refuge in criminal activity, and was sent to prison. His love was not returned, and he suffered greatly for it. Many years down the line, there came into Miss Amelia’s life a man named Lymon Willis. He was a distant cousin, not to mention a deformed hunchback, ...

Essay on Mary Shelleys Frankenstein and Bladerunner -- Movie Film com

Similarities between Frankenstein and Bladerunner    Many similarities can be found between Mary Shelley's 1816 novel, Frankenstein and the 1982 movie Bladerunner . The number of similarities between these two works, created more than two hundred years apart, is staggering. A cursory look at both works reveals these similarities: Both stories feature a very intelligent person trying to play God through the creation of life. Both of the creatures were subsequently mistreated by their maker and society as a whole. In both stories, the audience is left feeling greater sympathy for the monster than for the creator. Both stories contain a very intelligent creator who seems unaware of the forces that they are dealing with. They are both fascinated with human life and wish to create it themselves. Victor Frankenstein states, "One of the phenomena which had peculiarly attracted my attention was the structure of the human frame, and, indeed, any animal endued with life. Whence, I often asked myself did the principle of life proceed?"(pg. 51) Both creators share a fascination with where life proceeds from. Is it merely intellect? Or, as in the case of Bladerunner, are emotions the defining element of human life. Both creators are expressly interested in creating a life form equal to human and Tyrell even wishes to create a life form superior to man. Both stories share a central theme, that the acquirement too much knowledge is dangerous. Throughout Frankenstein, the reader is left with the feeling that Victor's obsessive desire to defeat nature, through the creation of another life, directly led to the many tragedies that befell him, "Learn from me, if not by my precept, at least by my example, how dangerous is the ac... ...g detail of its execution." (pg 219). Roy expresses to Tyrell that he has done undesirable things during his life that were caused because of his desire to live longer than his allotted four years. Both monsters express their longing to remain alive. Even though life has not been fair to them and fait dealt them a cruel hand, these creatures still cling to life dearly, "Life, although it may only be an accumulation of anguish, is dear to me, and I will defend it.." (pg 100) Lastly both Frankenstein's monster and Roy Baty state what it means to be a slave, one to his envy and rage, and the other to a human race that spurns him. "..but I was the slave, not the master, of an impulse, which I detested, yet could not disobey...Evil thence forth became my good." Works Cited Shelley, M. (1969). Frankenstein (12th ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.   

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Operant condition Essay -- essays research papers

Several years ago, I was the marketing Manager for a new line of perfume, which had to be promoted, introduced to the consumer, and allow for succession in the market. By marketing the product the sales would either be high or low depending on the market responses. One way to ensure successfully marketing to the right consumers is through the use of Operant Conditioning. Operant Conditioning, also known as Instrumental learning is defined as a â€Å"learning process by which the consequences of an operant response affects the likelihood that the response will occur in the future†(Kozak, pg 22). Basically, Operant Conditioning is a stimulus response pattern that when reinforced will condition the individual response to a desired behavior. Our behaviors are altered to be desirable or undesirable through reinforcements, punishment and extinction. Overall, Operant conditioning is a voluntary response that precedes the stimulus and the reinforcement. According to Dr.Komisar Behavioral therapist at Long Island Jewish Hospital, says Operant Condition has been applied in many situations, such as teaching, clinical settings, and advertising, which have been proven successful in clinical trails. B.F Skinner and Edward Thorndike have developed two famous stream of research in this area. BF Skinner felt that the â€Å"term reinforcement was more desirable than the word reward†(Darcy, pg 215). â€Å"Reinforcement is any stimuli that strengthen the desired response† (Darcy, pg 223). For example, sometim...

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Mean World Syndrome Essay

â€Å"Mean World Syndrome† In the film, â€Å"The Mean World Syndrome†, George Gerbner argues that people who watch a large amount of television tended to think of the world as an intimidating and unforgiving place. Gerbner researched the effects of television on society. He focused on the commercial media system that thrived on violence, stereotypes, and the cultivation of anxiety. The film argues that the more television people watch, the more likely they are to be insecure and afraid of others. Is it the media that makes us more violent or do we become more scared of violence happening to us? Mass media made viewers believe that the world was more dangerous than it actually was. The film showed how these media-induced fears and anxieties provided grounds for intolerance, extremism, and a paranoid style of politics that threatened basic democratic values. He talked about the government’s power over the mass media that leaves Americans in a state of perpetual fear. The result was a fascinating and exposed introduction to debates about media violence and media effects. Yet across the board, on issue after issue, studies have repeatedly shown that the very things that scare Americans the most have little to no basis in fact. Media violence inundated every home with choreographed brutality. It was and still is a relentless exposure to violence. All of the information that he provided was astonishing and really opened my eyes. A few statistics that he talked about where that children see on average 8,000 murders by the end of elementary school and 200,000 acts of violence by age 18. This is absolutely ridiculous. It makes me think twice about letting my children someday television. There is even â€Å"happy violence,’’ meaning that most fairytales, artistic shows, or journalistic features lead to a happy ending. It’s simply sugar coated with humor or â€Å"happy violence.† Now really thinking about it, it is so true. We don’t even realize it but mass media messages have a direct influence on the audience. As I am writing this paper I have the news on and 80% of the news seems to be negative. It is all about killings, stabbings, robberies, fires, or some sort of crime in the area. In the film they stated that 61% of all stories on the news are crime, violence, deaths or fires. This Mean World causes us  to magnify our fears. In a violent and threatening world we are readier to fear ‘others’. We mistrust more, and retract into our groups in pursuit of the protection. A Mean World is a more divided world, less able to achieve compromise and progress. A Mean World makes us more prone to the ill effects of chronic stress. And as Gerbner put it â€Å"†¦a society in which most people or many people already expect a higher degree of victimization, sooner or later they are going to get it.† Media doe project violence every day into our homes and lives. A world that feels more violent and threatening than it is makes us all more worried than we need to be. For me this film has opened my eyes about what I read and what I watch on the television. I think Gerbner did a great job of bringing awareness to this issue. Now with all the mass killings that have gone one, we really have to look at what our young children are watching and listening to these days. If the mass media is pumping this violence into our homes and lives then maybe it really does have a long term affect on our culture. â€Å"[Viewers] integrate and absorb a sense of danger, of mistrust, of meanness in the world – it is what we call the Mean World Syndrome.† – George Gerbner

Monday, September 16, 2019

Internship Report on Customer Satisfaction on the Services of Al-Arafah Islami Bank Limited Essay

Part-1 Introduction 1.1 Background of the report: The internship is a dynamic approach for practical knowledge gathered at this study. My effort was for practical job experience through internship for business communication skills as well as banking sectors. As a student of BBA for the requirement of the internship program, I was assigned to The MBL for my practical orientation. This report is done as partial requirement of the 3 months internship program for the BBA students of Department of Marketing, Bangladesh University of Business and Technology. The internship work is done on a bank, namely Mercantile Bank Limited (MBL). The students were asked to prepare reports on their assigned jobs after the completion of the Internship in the respective organizations. The topic of the report is â€Å"Customer Satisfaction on the services of MBL.† 1.2 Significance of the Report: The economy of our country has a lot left to be desired and there are lots of scopes for massive improvement. In an economy like this, banking sector can play a vital role to improve the overall social-economic conditions. As our country is an under develop country, the banks play the role of an intermediary and can mobilize the excess fund of surplus sectors to provide necessary finance, to those sectors, which are needed to promote the sound development of the country. The banks provide different types of services to its counter parts, like general banking services or finance or investing which results transaction of currency. To do this they also need capital, assets and other factors which effects directly in the bank performance. This report will help to understand the customer satisfaction on the services of MBL. As a result, we can have a clear idea about customer satisfaction on the Services of MBL. 1.3 Scope of the Report: MBL is always trying to improve their customer service in every sector, but in today’s competitive business world, banks need to give additional concentration to the client’s requirements, in order to stay at the top. Therefore, besides dealing with the general attributes of Different Services, I have been trying to put more concentration on the customer benefits and other customer related facilities in this report while I have been doing my internship. 1.4 Objectives of the Report: 1.4.1 Broad Objective: The broad objective of this report is to identify the customer satisfaction on the services of MBL. 1.4.2 Specific Objectives: * To find out the different services of MBL that is offered to its clients. * To identify the 7p’s analysis of MBL. * To identify the weakness, problems, opportunity of MBL. * To identify the level of customer satisfaction. * To explore the opportunities and competitive advantages that has been ignored by MBL. 1.5 Methodology: 1.5.1 Types of Research: It is both exploratory & descriptive research in nature. 1.5.2 Sources of Data: I have collected data from the two sources, one is primary source and another is secondary source. 1.5.2.1 Primary Sources: * Conversation and questioning with the different clients by questionnaire survey. * Observing the total environment. * Employee of foreign exchange, credit & others. 1.5.2.2 Secondary Sources: Secondary Data Which data is already published that’s called Secondary data or Secondary data is data collected by someone other than the user. Secondary data are very much important for conduct an efficient study and to have faithful result. 1.5.3 Data Collection Procedure: 1.5.3.1 Primary Data: The primary data collection process includes: * Questioner survey 1.5.3.2 Secondary Data: * Brochures of MBL. * Annual report of MBL. * Official website. * www.google.com 1.5.4 Questionnaire Design: This is a well structure type of questionnaire and used for conducting customer satisfaction survey and acquire primary data. Here average time was 20 minute for every respondent. There are 20 questions on the questioner. Question type was close ended. 1.5.5 Sampling Plan: 1.5.5.1 Target Population: All clients of MBL Gulshan branch in Dhaka city. 1.5.5.2 Sampling Element: Individual clients of MBL . 1.5.5.3 Sampling Frame: No well structured sample frame was found. 1.5.5.4 Sampling Procedure: Non probability convenience sampling procedure is used. 1.5.5.5 Sample Size: I have taken 50 customers as my sample. 1.5.6 Data analysis and reporting: Quantitative and qualitative data collected and analyzed according to acceptable standards of practice. Different tables and graphs were used to make the data meaningful. 1.6 Limitations: * Lack of customer co-operation. * Lack of adequate knowledge about any other financial institutions. * It was very difficult to collect all data, which is very essential. * Due to time limitation many aspects could not be discussed in the present study because Banking is a vast subject. * Lack of experiences on Banking. * Every organization has their own secrecy that is not revealed to others. Despite the limitation, I have tried my best to prepare the report. If you find any mistake please consider it cordially. Part -2 Overview of the company 2.1 Company Background: Mercantile Bank Limited was incorporated in Bangladesh as a public limited company under the Bank Company Act, 1991, on May 20, 1999. After obtaining license from Bangladesh Bank to carry on banking business, the bank commenced its operation on June 2, 1999 with an authorized capital of Tk 800 million divided into 8 million ordinary shares of Tk 100 each. On 31 December 2001, its paid up capital was Tk 596.5 million Mercantile Bank Limited went for public issue of shares on October 21, 2003. There are 30 sponsors involved in creating Mercantile Bank Limited. During this short span of time the MBL has been successful to make a position as a progressive and dynamic financial institution in the country. The MBL has been widely acclaimed by the business community, from small entrepreneurs to large traders and industrial conglomerates, including the top rated corporate borrowers for forwarding-looking business outlook and innovative financing solutions. Thus within this very short period of time it has been able to create an image for itself and has earned significant reputation in the country’s Banking Sector as a bank with vision. The Bank has made significant contribution to the growth of Readymade Garments sectors by handling huge amount of export Letters of Credit. Recently it has 75 Branches with 1,668 efficient employees. 2.2 Vision: To be the best Banking service provider in Bangladesh at a reasonable cost & giving more services & facilities to the small ,medium ,large sectors to improve the socio economic condition in Bangladesh. 2.3 Mission: To meet the challenges of 21th century & to meet the expected future result, MBL offering many attractive services to the customer .they increased the FDR rate from 12.5 to 13.33 to collect more deposit from customers & to increase the saving tendency of the clients.MBL recently introduced Super Benefit Deposit Scheme (SBDS) & Education Planning Deposit Scheme (EPDS) they are long term special saving scheme through which customer can get benefits up to 10 or 15 years. 2.4 Objectives: * To achieve positive Economic Value Added (EVA) each year. * To be market leader in product innovation. * To be one of the top three Financial Institutions in Bangladesh in terms of cost efficiency. * To be one of the top five Financial Institutions in Bangladesh in terms of market share in all significant market segments we serve. * To achieve 20% return on shareholders’ equity or more, on average. 2.5 Core Values: * For the customer Providing with caring services by being innovative in the development of new banking product and services * For the shareholder Maximizing wealth of the bank * For the employer Respecting worth and dignity of individual employees devoting their energies for the progress of the bank * For the community Strengthening the corporate values and taking environment and social risks and reward into account. 2.6 Board of Directors: * Chairman Md. Abdul Jalil, M.P * Vice Chairman  Morshed Alam Mohd. Selim * Director  M. S. Ahsan Alhaj Akram Hossain (Humayun) Md. Anwarul Haque Dr. Toufi que Rahman Chowdhury Golam Faruk Ahmed Engr. Mohd. Monsuruzzaman Bilkis Begum Md. Tabibul Huq A. S. M. Feroz Alam A. K. M. Shaheed Reza Md. Nasiruddin Choudhury Md. Shahabuddin Alam Syed Muhammed Abbdul Mannan, M.P Alhaj Mosharref Hossain Israt Jahan M. A. Khan Belal Dr. Matiur Rahman, M.P * Managing Director & CEO A.K.M. Shahidul Haque 2.7 Operational network organ gram: Chairman| Managing Director| Deputy Managing Director| Executive Vice President| Senior Vice President| Vice President| Sr. Assistant Vice President| Assistant Vice President| First Assistant Vice President| Senior Executive Officer| Executive Officer| Senior Officer| Officer| Junior Officer| 2.8 Deposit Services: * Monthly Saving Scheme (MSS) Monthly Saving Scheme is one of the most popular deposit products in different communities that introduced to attract small savers for building up their habit of savings and thereby build up a healthy capital base for the economy. The monthly installments are in various sizes and one can adopt the schemes for a period of 03 years, 05 years, 08 years or 10 years. * Monthly Benefit Deposit Scheme Under this scheme, depositor will get a certain sum of money in each month proportion to his/her deposit during the entire tenure. Benefit starts right from the first month of opening an account under this scheme and continues up to five years. On maturity, the principal amount is paid back. Objectives of this scheme are to help the retired persons for investing their retirement benefits, Create investment opportunities for Non-Resident Bangladeshi. The Minimum deposited amount is BDT 50,000 or its multiples and the tenure is five (05) years. * Double Benefit Deposit Scheme (DBDS) The main attraction of DBDS is that, the deposited amount will be double in tenure of 5.6years. Minimum deposited amount should be BDT 10,000 or its multiples. In case of premature encashment interest will be paid on Saving A/C Rate. Loan may be granted up to maximum 80% of the deposited amount, but minimum principle amount must be BDT 20,000. * Quarterly Benefit Deposit Scheme The ‘Quarterly Benefit Deposit Scheme’ will be maintained for a period of 3 (three) years and the minimum amount of deposit is BDT 50,000.00 (fifty thousand) or its multiples. Interest will be paid on quarterly basis. Benefits start right from the first quarter of opening the scheme. On maturity, principal amount will be paid back. Savings account is needed to maintain this scheme. * 1.5 Time Benefit Deposit Scheme Under this scheme, deposited amount reserved for 4.25 years (or 51 months) and the minimum amount of deposit is BDT 50,000.00 (fifty thousand) or its multiples. After 4.25 years maturity, 1.5 times of the deposited amount will be paid back to the account holder. * Advance Benefit Deposit Scheme Under Advance Benefit Deposit Scheme, one can deposit a certain amount of money for two years. The depositor will receive the benefit on yearly basis. The benefit amount of first year will be received in advance at the time of deposit. On maturity, the depositor will get back the principal amount with the benefit amount of second year. That means Interest is paid in two Phases, first phase paid initially and second phase paid after maturity. Loan may be granted up to maximum 70% of deposit. 2.9 Loan Services: * Consumer Credit Scheme Consumer’s Credit Scheme is one of the popular areas of collateral-free finance of the Bank. People with limited income can avail of credit facility to buy household goods including computer and other consumer durables. * Lease Finance This scheme has been designed to assist and encourage the genuine and capable entrepreneurs and professionals for acquiring capital machineries, medical equipments, computers, vehicle and other items. Flexibility and easier term and conditions of this scheme have attracted the potential entrepreneurs to acquire equipments of production and services and repay gradually from earnings on the basis of ‘Pay as you earn’ * SME Loan Scheme Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Loan Scheme has been introduced to provide financial assistance to new or experienced entrepreneurs to invest in small and medium scale industries with a comparatively low rate of interest as the same is assisted by the Bangladesh Bank wither financing facilities. * Personal Loan Scheme Personal Loan Scheme has been introduced to extend credit facilities to cater the needs of low and middle-income group for any purpose. Government and semi government officials, employees of autonomous bodies, banks and other financial organizations, multinational Companies, reputed private organizations and teachers of recognized public and private schools, colleges and Universities are eligible for this loan. * Car Loan Scheme Car Loan Scheme has been introduced to enable middle-income people to purchase Cars/SUVs/Jeeps. Government and semi-government officials, employees of autonomous bodies, banks and other financial organizations, multinational companies, reputed private organizations, teachers of recognized public and private universities and businessmen are eligible for this loan. * Home Loan Scheme To meet the growing need of housing for middle and lower-middle income people, MBL has introduced Home Loan Scheme. * Overseas Employment Loan Scheme Overseas Employment Loan Scheme is designed to facilitate the Bangladeshi youths seeking employment aboard but unable to meet the expenses to reach the workplace from their own sources. The ultimate objectives of the scheme are to promote skilled / semi-skilled manpower to different countries across the world as well as to provide support to Government Policy considering priority of this sector. By availing loan under this scheme, the active youths of middle and lower middle class can get overseas employment. 2.10 Marketing Mix: (1)Product: MBL now offering various kind of deposit screams for the customers with retail Banking, corporate finance, asset, equity brokerage and security. (2) Price: Price means value that a customer has to pay to take any service.MBL take’s a charge from the deposited account & charge interest on lone. (3)Place: Recently MBL has 75 Branches all over Bangladesh & they are opening new branches for improving their customer services. (4) Promotion: MBL use TV, print media to communicate with the customers. (5)People: MBL has 1668 efficient employee to provide their services & many sells representatives on the field. (6) Process: Process means, the procedure mechanisms and flow of the activity by which the service is delivered. They always try to provide services as early as possible. (7) Physical Evidence: Physical environment means, the environment in which the service is delivered .MBL established their branches in all important places & they provide their service’s in a comfortable & friendly environment for their customer. 2.11 SWOT analysis: * Strengths: * Strong customer relationship or customer loyalty. * More than 70 branches with 1668 efficient employee. * Excellent Service quality. * Strong Management team. * Reasonable interest rate. * Weaknesses: * Delay in service delivery. * Long Account opening process. * Introducer require in opening current account. * Low promotional activity. * Opportunities: * Technological advantage. * Mobile banking. * Offering new deposit scheme. * SME banking. * Threats * Political changes. * Technological improvement. * Increasing number of banks. * High government rule & fixed interest rate by Bangladesh bank. 2.12 Corporate Profile: Name: Mercantile Bank Limited Established: May 20, 1999 Head office: 61, Dilkusha Commercial Area Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh PABX: 9559333, 9553892 Key People: Md. Abdul Jalil, M.P Industry: Finance (Bank) Services: retail banking, corporate finance, Finance, asset, equity brokerage and security. Branches: 75 Employees: 1668 Profit: 3,004.17 million (2011) Website: www.mblbd.com Part-3 Theoretical Aspects Marketing Theory: * Marketing: The process by which companies create value for the customer & build strong relationship with them in order to capture from customer in return. * Marketing Management: Marketing Management is a business discipline which focuses on the particular application of marketing techniques & the management of firms marketing resource & activity. * Marketing Research: The systematic design, collection, analysis, and reporting of data relevant to a specific marketing situation facing an organization. * Target Market: A set of buyers sharing common needs or characteristics that the company decides to serve. * Market Segment: A group of consumers who respond in a similar way to a given set of marketing efforts. * Market Positioning: A clear, distinctive and desirable place of a product relative to competing products in the mind of target consumers or Create a positive image on customers mind. * Market: Market is a system, procedure for exchanging goods & service where two parties agree to sell or buy any product or service in a particular value or price. * Market Offering: Some combination of products, services, information, or experiences offered to a market to satisfy a need or want. * Product Concept: The idea that consumers will favor products that offers the most quality, performance, and features. * Production Concept: The idea that consumers will favor products if that are available and highly affordable. * Selling Concept: The idea that consumers will not buy enough of the firm’s products unless it undertakes a large scale selling and promotion effort. * Marketing Concept: The marketing concept that achieving organizational goals depends on knowing the needs and wants of target markets and delivering the desired satisfaction better than competitors do. * Societal Marketing Concept: Maybe a company ought to make good marketing decisions by considering consumers want, the company’s requirements, consumers’ long-run interests and society’s long-run interests. * Service: Any activity or benefit that one party can offer to another that is essentially intangible and does not result in the ownership of anything. * Customer Satisfaction: Dependent on the products perceived performance relative to buyer’s expectations or the extent to which a product’s perceived performance matches a buyer’s expectations. * 7p’s in Detail: FIG: 1 * Products: The product is the most important aspect of the marketing mix. Products have both tangible and intangible benefits. Tangible benefits include benefits, which can be measured such as the top speed of a car. Intangible benefits are benefits that cannot be measured such as the enjoyment the customer will get from the product. It is important that the product is changed as necessary to bring it up to date and prevent it from being overtaken by competitors. The term â€Å"product† refers to tangible, physical products as well as services. Here are some examples of the product decisions to be made: * Variety * Quality * Design * Features * Brand name * Packaging * Services * Sizes * Warranties * Returns * Price: It is very important that the correct price is charged for a product. If the price is too high consumers will avoid the product as they will believe it to be too expensive yet if the product is priced too low they may believe that there is something wrong with the product for it to be so cheap. Also if the company charges too low a price, it may not cover its costs. There are many different pricing strategies that companies can use to decide on a price for their product including market and psychological pricing methods. Some examples of pricing decisions to be made include: * Pricing strategy (Skim, penetration, etc.) * Suggested retail price * Volume discounts and wholesale pricing * Cash and early payment discounts/ bonus * Seasonal pricing * Bundling * Price flexibility * Price discrimination. * Place: The place is where you can expect to find your customer and consequently, where the sale is realized. Knowing this place, you have to look for a distribution channel in order to reach your customer. * Distribution channels * Market coverage (inclusive, selective, or exclusive distribution) * Specific channel members * Inventory management * Intermediaries * Distribution centers * Order processing * Transactions * Reverse logistics * Promotion: In the context of the marketing mix, promotion represents the various aspects of marketing communication, that is, the communication of information about the product with the goal of generating a positive customer response. Marketing communication decisions include: * Promotional strategy (push, pull, etc.) * Advertising * Personal selling & sales force * Sales promotions * Public relations & publicity * Marketing communications budget However, the strategies for the four P’s require some modifications when applied to services. For example, traditionally promotion is thought of as involving decisions related to sales, advertising, sales promotions and publicity. In services these factors are also important, but because services are produced and consumed simultaneously, service delivery people are involved in real-time promotion of the service even if their jobs are typically defined in terms of the operational function they perform. * People: All human action that plays a part in reference and information services delivery namely the librating personnel. * Process: Process means, the procedure mechanisms and flow of the activity by which the service is delivered. * Physical Evidence: Physical environment means, the environment in which the service is delivered & firm & customer interact, & any tangible components that facilitate performance or communication of the service. * SWOT analysis: FIG:2 * Strengths: * What advantages does your organization have? * What do you do better than anyone else? * What unique or lowest-cost resources can you draw upon that others can’t? * What do people in your market see as your strengths? * What factors mean that you â€Å"get the sale†? * What is your organization’s Unique Selling Proposition? * Weaknesses: * What could you improve? * What should you avoid? * What are people in your market likely to see as weaknesses? * What factors lose you sales? * Opportunities: * What good opportunities can you spot? * What interesting trends are you aware of? * Changes in technology and markets on both a broad and narrow scale. * Changes in government policy related to your field. * Changes in social patterns, population profiles, lifestyle changes. * Local events. * Threats: * What obstacles do you face? * What are your competitors doing? * Are quality standards or specifications for your job, products or services changing? * Is changing technology threatening your position? * Do you have bad debt or cash-flow problems? * Could any of your weaknesses seriously threaten your business? Gaps Model of Service Quality: FIG: 3 1. Customer gap: Difference between customer expectations & perceptions. 2. Provider gap 1: Not knowing what the customer wants or expect. 3. Provider gap 2: Not selecting the right service design and standards. 4. Provider gap 3: Not delivering to service designs & standard. 5. Provider gap 4: Not matching performance with promises. Part-4 Analysis and Findings Questionnaire Survey Analysis: In every survey, it is essential to analyze the survey results and follow the findings as a guideline of development of the project. The survey reports are shown below with graphical representation in percentage basis. (1) What type of account you maintain with this bank? FIG: 4 From the graph, it is seen that 23 of the respondents are MSS holder, 10 of the respondents have FDR, 13 of the respondents have current account and 4 have the other account. Here most of the respondents have Monthly saving scheme (MSS) Here bank should give importance on other accounts. (2) Why you choose mercantile bank? Or reason of choosing this Bank? FIG: 5 From the graph, it is seen that the 11 respondents choose this bank for the number of branches of the bank, 15 for location of the bank, 3 for reputation of the bank, 16 for service of the bank, 5 for personal relationship. Here most of the respondents choose this bank because of the service and location of the bank. (3) What are the services of this bank you usually use? FIG: 6 From the graph, we found that the 20 respondents use MSS of this bank, 3 uses LC of the bank, 9 uses current account of the bank, 7 uses FDR of the bank, 7 uses Card & 4 uses locker service of the bank. Here most of the respondents use MSS and current account services of the bank. (4) Are you satisfied with the service charges of the bank? FIG: 7 From the graph, we can see that the 25 respondents said moderate, 14 respondents said service charges are high, and 11 respondents said the service charges are low from some other banks. (5) Are you satisfied with the account opening procedure? FIG: 8 From the graph, we can see that the 23 respondents are satisfied with the account opening procedure, 12 are very satisfied and 15 are dissatisfied. Here most of the customers are satisfied with the account opening procedure. (6) Are you a debit card holder of this Bank? FIG: 9 From the graph, it is seen that the 14 respondents are card holder and 36 respondents are not. Here the respondents who have account in the bank they can apply for the card. (7) Do you think the numbers of ATM booths are sufficient? FIG: 10 From the graph, it is seen that the 76% respondents think that the numbers of ATM booths are not enough and available, 24% respondents think that the numbers of ATM booths are sufficient. So, most of the respondents are not satisfied with the number of ATM booths. (8) Do you think MBL takes longer time to issue a card? FIG: 11 From the graph, we can see that 20 respondents think they don’t take longer time to issue a card, 20 respondents think they take a longer time & 10 respondents think they take a very long time. (9) Are you satisfied about ATM services? FIG: 12 From the graph, it is seen that the 17 of the respondents are satisfied with the ATM services, 20 respondents are dissatisfied, and 13 respondents are in moderate position. Here most of the respondents are dissatisfied with the ATM services. (10) Are you satisfied with the branch location? FIG: 13 From the graph, we can see that 18 respondents are satisfied, 14 respondents are dissatisfied, and 18 respondents are in moderate position. (11) Where do you first know about this bank? FIG: 14 From the graph, 0 respondents know from TV, 20% respondents know from news paper, 36% respondents know from bill board & representatives, 44% respondents know from friends & family. (12) Are you satisfied with the different interest rates that are offered by MBL? FIG: 15 From the graph, we can see that 36% respondents are satisfied with the interest rates, 50% respondents are in moderate position & 14% respondents are dissatisfied with the interest rates. (13) Are you satisfied with the different promotional campaign of MBL? FIG: 16 From the graph, we can see 0 respondents are highly satisfied ,3 are satisfied, 26 are in neutral position,12 are dissatisfied ,9 are highly dissatisfy about the promotional activities of MBL. (14) Do you think the employees are highly efficient? FIG: 17 From the graph, we can see that 5 respondents are highly satisfied on the work of employees of MBL.15 respondents are satisfied & 26 respondents are in neutral position & 4 respondents are dissatisfy. As a result more or less all respondents are satisfied for the employees. (15) Do you think the process of taking loan is very easy? FIG: 18 From the graph ,we found that 0% respondents are highly satisfied with the lone processing ,28% respondents are satisfy with it, 24% respondents are in neutral position ,48% are dissatisfy on the lone taking process. Part-5 Major Findings Major Findings: Mercantile Bank Ltd actively participate in the growth and expansion of the national economy by providing various kind of services. While analyzing the policies and procedures & analyzing the customer satisfaction of the Bank the following areas were mostly viewable. * Most of the respondents have MSS account. * Most of the respondents choose this bank because of the branch location & services of the bank. * Most of the respondents come to this bank for the MSS, FDR & savings accounts. * Most of the respondents are satisfied with the MBL charges. * Most of the respondents are satisfied with the account opening procedure of the bank ,but respondents had to face some difficulties to open current account because it require introducer who already have current account on MBL. * Most of the respondents don’t use card of this bank. * Most of the respondents are not satisfied with the number of ATM booths. * Most of the respondents are not satisfied with the system of issuing a card. * Most of the respondents are not satisfy with the ATM services. * Most of the respondents are satisfied with the branch location. * Most of the respondents know about the bank from friends & family. * Most of the respondents are satisfied with the MBL interest rate. * Most of the respondents are not satisfied with the promotional actives of the bank. * Most the respondents are satisfied with the MBL employee’s attitude and behavior because they can expertly solve the banking problem. * Most of the respondents think the loan processing system is not easy & high interest rate on personal loan. Part-6 Recommendation Recommendation: MBL has an efficient and excellent management team and performing with a great expertise and care. The limitations can be overcome by some measures to make the performance outstanding. I have some suggestions for The MBL according to my observations out of my survey on 50 customers. Those are given below: * The bank should offer more facilities on other account to attract more customers. * The bank should build a strong image on market through covering new area. * The bank should provide more attractive features & plan to attract more customers. * Customers are satisfied with MBL charges, so the bank should attract large number of customer through using this low cost strategy. * The customers are satisfied with the account opening procedure of the bank. But the bank should introduce an easier process to open current account. * The bank should provide more facilities in the ATM cards. * They should increase the number of ATM booth because the Customers are not satisfied with the number of it. * The bank should give more importance on the system of issuing a card as early as possible. * The bank should give more concentration on the ATM services because the customers are not satisfied with it. * The bank should find new important area to make new branches & search opportunity for the bank. * The bank should increase their advertisements. * The bank’s customer are happy with the interest rate, through this advantage the bank should attract more customers. * The bank should increase the promotional actives on TV, print media & radio. * The bank has many efficient employees an efficient employee can attract the customers, so the bank should give more importance on that. * The bank should introduce an easier process for giving lone. Part-7 Conclusion Conclusion: Mercantile Bank Limited is a strong and effective player in the financial system. It is a solid, forward-looking, modern local bank with a record of sound performance. It is a new generation bank. It is committed to provide high quality financial services /products to contribute to the growth of GDP of the industrialization, boosting up export, creating employment opportunity for the educated youth, rising standard of living of limited income group and overall sustainable socio-economic development of the country. The bank has the vision to be the best Private Commercial Bank in Bangladesh in terms of efficiency, capital adequacy, asset quality, sound management etc. it is now one of the top most profitable commercial bank. As concluding remark the bank is able to attain a leading role with the 13 years success story but to remain in Strong position among new generation banks, the bank must face new challenges. The bank must make a positive attempt to be more outward looking in their goals and aware of what is happening. They must also emphasize on the domestic scenario more closely and analyze any certain trends and strategies of their competitors. The bank must accept any failures and think of them as an objective to pursue future goals instead of blaming such failures on other factors and in this way the Bank will be able to keep on playing its important roles in our economy. Part-8 Bibliography Bibliography: * Annual Report (2009) of Mercantile Bank Limited. * Annual Report (2011) of Mercantile Bank Limited. * Circular of Mercantile Bank Limited. * Interview with the Credit section of employees Mercantile Bank Limited, Gulshan, Branch. * Interview with SME and retail banking section of Mercantile Bank Limited, Gulshan Branch. Books reference * Principles of Marketing- 12th Edition- Philip Kotler. * Marketing Management- 13th Edition- Philip Kotler. * Service Marketing- 4th Edition- Zeithamal & Bitner . Internet reference * www.google.com * www.wikpedia.com * www.yahoo.com * www.answer.com * www.mblbd.com Part-9 Annexure Raw Table: 1. What type of account you maintain with the bank? * MSS 23 * FDR 10 * Current 13 * Others 4 2. Why you choose mercantile bank? * Branch number of the bank 11 * Location of the bank 15 * Reputation of the bank 3 * Service of the bank 16 * Personal relationship 5 3. What are the services of this bank you usually use? * MSS 20 * LC 3 * Current Account 9 * FDR 7 * Card 7 * Locker 4 4. Are you satisfied with the service charges of the bank? * Very high 0 * High 14 * Moderate 25 * Low 11 * Very low 0 05. Are you satisfied with the account opening procedure? * Good 23 * Very good 12 * Poor 15 * Very poor 0 06. Are you a debit card holder of this Bank? * Yes 14 * No 36 07. Do you think the numbers of ATM booths are sufficient? * Agree 12 * disagree 38 08. Do you think MBL takes longer time to issue a card? * Disagree 20 * Strongly Disagree 0 * Agree 20 * Strongly agree 10 * 9. Are you satisfied about ATM services? * Satisfy 7 * Dissatisfy 20 * Moderate 13 10. Are you satisfied with the branch location? * Yes 18 * No 14 * Moderate 18 11. Where do you first know about this bank? * TV 0 * News Papers 10 * Bill-board & sells representatives 18 * Friends & Family 22 (Likert scale) No.| Question:| Highly Satisfy| Satisfy| Neutral| Disagree| Highly Disagree| 12.| Are you satisfied with the Services offered by the MBL?| 0| 20| 21| 9| 0| 13.| Are you satisfied with the different charges & interest rates that are offered by MBL?| 0| 18| 25| 7| 0| 14.| Do you think the numbers of branches are satisfactory compare to other Banks?| 0| 20| 23| 7| 0| 15.| Are you satisfied with the different promotional campaign of MBL?| 0| 3| 26| 12| 9| 16.| Do you think the employees are highly efficient?| 5| 15| 26| 4| 0| 17.| Do you think the process of taking loan is very easy?| 0| 14| 12| 24| 0| 18.| Are you satisfied with the total working process of the MBL?| 0| 11| 30| 9| 0| 19.| Do you think MBL provides a very good after sales services in ATM sector?| 0| 9| 20| 13| 8| 20.| Do you think MBL take longer time to open LC?| 0| 20| 16| 14| 0| Questionnaire: Dear respondent, ————————————————- I’m a student of BBA program studying in Bangladesh University of Business & Technology (BUBT). I was assigned to prepare a report on â€Å"customer satisfaction of the Services of Mercantile Bank LTD† which is a partial fulfillment of my internship program. As a result, some information would be needed from you. It is assured that all the information will keep confidential and solely use in this report only. Name:†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Sex: a) Male b) Female Occupation:†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Express your opinion by giving (√) marks. You may choose more than one option where necessary. 01. What type of account you maintain with the bank? A) MSS C) FDR B) Current D) Others 02. Why you choose mercantile bank? A) Branch number of the bank C) Location of the bank B) Reputation of the bank D) Service of the bank E) Personal relationship 03. What are the services of this bank you usually use? A) MSS B) LC C) Current Account D) FDR E) Card F) Locker 04. Are you satisfied with the service charges of the bank? A) Very high C) Good B) High D) Poor E) Very poor 05. Are you satisfied with the account opening procedure? A) Good B) Very good C) Poor D) Very poor 06. Are you a debit card holder of this Bank? A) Yes B) No 07. Do you think the numbers of ATM booths are sufficient? A) Agree B) Disagree 08. Do you think MBL takes longer time to issue a card? A) Disagree C) Strongly Disagree B) Agree D) strongly agree 09. Are you satisfied about ATM services? A) Satisfy c) Dissatisfy B) Moderate 10. Are you satisfied with the branch location? A) Yes B) No C) Moderate 11. Where do you first know about this bank? A) TV B) News Papers C) Bill-board & sells representatives D) Friends & Family Please put tick (√) on appropriate place. Statement| Highly Satisfy | Satisfy| Neutral| Disagree | Highly Disagree| 12. Are you satisfied with the Services offered by the MBL?| | | | | | 13. Are you satisfied with the different charges & interest rates that are offered by MBL?| | | | | | 14. Do you think the numbers of branches are satisfactory?| | | | | | 15. Are you satisfied with the different promotional campaign of MBL? | | | | | | 16. Do you think the employees are highly efficient?| | | | | | 17. Do you think the process of taking loan is very easy?| | | | | | 18. Are you satisfied with the total working process of the MBL?| | | | | | 19. Do you think MBL provides a very good after sales services in ATM sector?| | | | | | 20. Do you think MBL take longer time to open LC?| | | | | | THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND COORDINATION. Surveyor Signature:†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Date:†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Contact No:†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦