Hofstede Cultural Difference Critiques Essay

Arguably, Hofstede’s work (1980, 1997) represents a pioneering approach of culture as a way of comparing international management frameworks. First of all, prior to offering any evaluations in regards to McSweeney’s criticism (2002a/b), it is crucial to identify the nature of Hostede’s work within the entire sphere of the culture approach itself. In contrast to the guarantors of the emic approach , whose main concepts tend to discard the equalization and standardization of dimensions in national cultures’ comparisons, the pillars of Hofstede’s work, which belong to the etic approach , are based on 5 dimensions whereby national differences are then measured. In other words, from the emic standpoint it is also arguable that the etic research methodology, as aiming to identify equalities among national differences, would risk throwing out the baby with the bath water . On the other hand, from the emic perspective, dividing the culture into a set of defined scopes stands as the only way to actually enable researchers to compare cultures . Having briefly introduced the shortcomings related to both approaches, McSweeney’s critiques can now be narrowed down to a specific scope, which is mainly encompassed with Hofstede’s research methodology. Research Validity  In light of the importance for any researches to provide clear definitions on the specific research concepts and key words, the first part of this essay will evolve on contextualizing the meaning of culture within Hofstede’s work, thus, giving ground to McSweeney’s relevant sources of criticism. Geert (1980) has defined culture as â€Å"the collective programming of the mind distinguishing the members of one group or category of people from another†. McSweeney essentially critiques Hofstede’s adoption of nations as means of cultural comparisons, scorning the territoriality uniqueness of culture in primis. In regards to this issue, Hofstede in a second stage (2002: 1356) acknowledges that nations are not the ideal elements for studying cultures, yet this is the only way researchers could have access to comparable units. Predictably, thousands of other author’s contributions in regards to the definition of culture would make this argument even more complex. For the sake of this analysis, emphasis would be given to the arguments in regards to the research methodology. Research Reliability: Research Sample The first criticism which may arise is likely to involve the representativeness of Hofstede’s research sample. In more details, he argues that 117,000 questionnaires for two surveys, covering 66 countries would be enough to ensure the research reliability. From my point of view, McSweeney’s critiques result founded when analysing the sampling framework in more details. CountryNumber of Respondents for Each Country Belgium, France, Great Britain, Germany, Japan and Sweden (6 countries)More than 1000 Chile, Columbia, Greece, Hong Kong, Iran, Ireland, Israel, New Zealand, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Turkey (15 countries)Less than 200 [Tab. 1] As it can be seen by the table (Tab. ), in 15 countries the sample size is composed by less than 200 respondents, which results to be extremely small compared to other countries with over 1000 respondents. To couple this argument, McSweeney discusses about the narrowness of the population surveyed as respondents were all IBM employees, mainly involved with the marketing and sales departments. Hofstede’s reply ( 2002), stating that this sample’s framework had only been used in order to isolate the national culture differences from both the organizational and occupational culture, seems however to give rise to other arguments. As McSweeney’s (2002a: 95-99) argues, respondents’ cultural framework is made up by three non-interacting and durable levels of culture (Tab. 2). At the first level, the assumptions which would free this model from any shortcomings would be that there is only one IBM culture and that there is also a common worldwide occupational culture for each job (Hofstede 1980a: 181). What are these assumptions based on? According to McSweeney (2002a: 96), these assumptions are â€Å"too crude and implausible to underpin Hofstede’s emphatic empirical claims† . Following the thread of his argument we come across a situation where assuming that an IBM employee, whether in a developed USA head office or a new opened branch office in Pakistan, will possess the same identical organizational and occupational culture does become hard to encompass. In response to this argument, Hofstede acknowledges that considerable differences exist at the â€Å"organizational level† (1991: 93), yet it redefines the entire organizational culture as a mere set of â€Å"shared perceptions of daily practices† (1991: 182-3), therefore distancing from the early-stage value-based definition. According to McSweeney (2002b), this is only a failed attempt to deliver a straightforward concept and definition of organizational culture. Back to Culture Hofstede’s vision of culture is often linked to two different concepts, unique national tendency and central tendency, respectively. In the first case, as pointed out by McSweeney, the national uniformity which Hofstede claims to have found, results to have no valid grounds as it derives from a very specific micro-level (IBM). Secondly, in regards to the claimed average tendency, the heterogeneity of questionnaires’ responses completely contradicts this conceptualization at the first place. As cited from Jacob (2005), â€Å"if exceptions to the rule are as numerous as the rule itself† to what extent could predictions based on that rule be reliable? In many countries, McSweeney argues, the typical IBM employee would at a high extent diverge from the general population. That is to say that an IBM employee in Taiwan would not necessarily reflect Taiwan’s population average individual, especially when we are talking about someone who holds a managerial position in a multinational firm. This concept brings us to another aspect of McSweeney’s criticism (2002a:92), â€Å"culture treated as a mere epiphenomenon, completely casual†, as conceptualized by Hofstede, it would look like something which moves along the history â€Å"enduring†, yet it is not subject to radical changes due to fluctuating social, economic and institutional trends (Tab. 3). Questionnaire and Dimensions Arguably, the questionnaire itself also presents some limitations. Firstly aimed to investigate the employees’ morale at IBM, it also resulted to reflect some values that, for Hofstede, could have been used to unveil the national cultural differences’ myth. Citing one of his research questions, â€Å"How long do you think you will continue working for this company? †(1980 Appendix 1) , it is obviously clear there would be differences in whether this question is being asked in a country, say, the USA, with plentiful employment vacancies, or in a country, say Thailand where at the time of the research the unemployment rate was comparatively high. Under these circumstances, it is extremely hard to assume that the respondents were not influenced by other social, political and institutional factors (See Tab. 3). Therefore, his research’s entire reliability could be easily questioned on this basis. Despite ensuring the confidentiality of respondents’ answers, employees’ foreknowledge of the end objective of the survey might have easily encouraged them to assume a more positive attitude in order to support their divisions’ reputation. Arguably, the responses analysed by Hofstede were situationally restricted (McSweeney, 2002a: 107). In more details, the questions only reflected values related to the workplace, furthermore the surveys were exclusively directed within the workplace and were not tested in non-work place locations for both same respondents and others. In light of the first purpose of the questionnaire, it is spontaneous to raise a question in regards to the validity of the dimensions found by Hofstede. Could it be possible that a specialized study in cultural differences would have delineated different dimensions? In his response, Hofstede acknowledged that, although there may be some other dimensions equally important for the structuring of a comparative cultural analysis, relative questions were simply not asked. McSweeney with reference to Triadis (1994) argues that bi-polar dimensions of national cultures should not be comprised of opposite poles (for example: Individualism – Collectivism), but depending on the situations they could coexist. Under these principles, the work of Schwartz (1992) appears to give a comparatively dynamic dimensions’ disposition. History and Research Validations In the last section of his book, Hofstede (1980: 326- 331) includes some historical and contemporary events which he states would validate his research findings. However, McSweeney (2002b) argues that these stories reveal nothing but justifications, leaving out the basics for an accurate confirmation. According to his analysis, Hosfstede’s assertion, â€Å"the more masculine a culture the more antagonistic are industrial relations, is flawed as the trends for working days lost in industrial disputes , in both Spain and the UK, result to vary enormously over time. In other words, we could argue that these fluctuations are highly influenced by political, economic and institutional changes. In the case of industrial relations’ disputes in Spain, after the death of Spanish dictator Franco in 1975, the level of working days was subject to a huge increase. Hofstede’s findings have also been validated by other studies, reflecting the same national cultural differences . This is one of the reasons why Hofstede’s work has so far been used in many disciplines as pioneer of the cultural approach in the sphere of comparative international management. Under these circumstances, as Hofstede states (2002 p. 1358), it is just not all about faith in his research, but it is the willingness of the society to accept his work as something which could be taken to a step further. In some cases, institutional factors, history, politics and economy do provide better explanations in this field, yet as Hofstede would argue, the cultural perspective does have his validity as it offers a complete different view on values embedded by people which do have an influence on their daily lives. Conclusion Arguably, some of Hofstede research framework’s features, especially the ones related to his research methodology, do present various shortcomings. However, the overall importance of cultural approach for national differences should be seen as undeniable (Koen, 2005). Nevertheless, it is worth pointing out that after all, the main argument merely evolves on Hofstede’s claims to have â€Å"uncover[ed] the secrets of entire national cultures† (1980b: 44). Despite his book title narrowing the scope of its findings down to the work-place, â€Å"Culture’s Consequences: International Differences in Work-Place Values†, Hofstede, in many of his publications, seems to overestimate his findings. It is extremely important to acknowledge and appreciate the enormous contribution that Hofstede has made to the entire society’s understanding of international cultural differences. On the other hand, it is also crucial to stay away from the â€Å"taken for granted† approach when coming across such a complex topic. As mentioned in the preface, etic and emic approach despite having a different vision on how to measure and analyse culture, they could still be seen as two complementarities which could be extensively used for a more thorough research. In addition, although admitting that limitations in research methodology do hamper the objectivity of findings, the etic approach still stands as the unique way to allow researchers to obtain comparable quantitative data. I do also appreciate the contributions made by McSweeney, whose criticisms have enabled me to adopt a more critical line of thought in analysing this interesting topic. At some extent we could assume that Hofstede’s research is still a â€Å"work in progress†, eventually other advocates of the etic approach will take it to a more universal level, as some of other authors in this field have already done. I would like to conclude this essay with a quote from McSweeney (2002a: 90), when he states that Hofstede’s work could be dismissed as a misguided attempt to measure the unmeasurable .

Quinte Mir

The immediate issue is that Benton-Cooper Medical Centre’s MRI clinic has been open for 6 weeks and not performing to expectations and to the promises made by their new MRI provider, Quinte MRI. With referrals to the clinic, doctors expect to receive MRI transcription reports within two days and the current backlog exceeds 14 days. As a result there is a loss of patient referrals from doctors within the hospital and surrounding community which means a loss of revenue for BCMC. Quinte MRI must determine what is causing the backlog and how to fix it.Secondary IssuesA secondary issue in the clinic is that the MR Technologist is putting in a lot of overtime even though the maximum number of patients each week is not being met. Quinte MRI personnel need to examine and analyze the interaction between the capacity, the process flow and the bottleneck and provide a resolution and action plan back to the CEO, Dr. Syed Haider within 2 days. Environmental and Root Causes Quinte MRI, an i nternational service provider specializing in medical diagnostic technologies signed an agreement in February 2002 with Benton-Cooper Medical Centre (BCMC) for the outsourcing of their MRI services.BCMC believed that they could competed successfully if they had a third MRI machine as they anticipated continued growth in this area by 15% through doctor’s referrals from the hospital and surrounding areas. BCMC also believed that they could generate enough revenue and promotional support through advertisements with local print and radio stations to be able to own their own fixed MR system and be recognized as a top rated hospital for the area. Quinte MRI promised the avenue for BCMC to be able to accomplish these goals through its service reliability and access to diagnostic equipment 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at a reasonable cost.However, these expectations are not being met and David Wright has gone to the MR Technologist, Jeff Sinclair to examine and analyze what was caus ing the backlog (bottleneck) in the operation. Jeff indicated that due to poor communication between the hospital and the clinic, mistakes were being made due to a manual process for recording information. Patients were being booked at wrong time, cancelling or not showing up, wrong tests were being requested or recorded, and patients were not being screened properly for an MRI scan.An assessment was being done when the patient came into the clinic. A patient preparation process has not been implemented in the new facility, whereas the previous MRI provider scheduled all appointments. Jeff felt that wasted time was being spent on delivering scans to the radiologist after each patient. Jeff also accounted for the fact that during May, the clinic used a Siemens unit, which took some time to get used to, however, now that the GE machine was in place (Jeff was originally trained on this machine), things were improving.David next examined the cycle time on for a 30 minute procedure. The table below shows the current cycle time of the patient, the MR Technologist and the MRI machine. 15 minutes was dedicated to patient preparation for an MRI while only 27. 5 minutes was spent in the Magnet Room. 42. 5 minutes was being spent on a 30 minute procedure. This was where the bottleneck was in the process. Staying with this current process and resources, the maximum capacity of this process can only be 8 procedures if all other inputs into this process ran smoothly (i. . no cancellations). Exhibit 1 Patient Check in until entrance into Magnet Room Minutes MR Technologist escorted the patient to the Magnet Room (asks questions to determine if any health risks/conflicts and if any patient has any metal components internally or on clothing) 59Patient – 42. 5 minutesMR Technologist – 42. 5 minutes Changing Room for patients wearing metal on their clothing (25% of patients)Magnet Room Patient Orientation and paperwork verification 127. 5 Positioning of Coil 4 MRI Scan time based on a 30 minute scheduled MRI scan)16. 5MRI Machine – 16. 5 minutes Data Entry (happened during scan)1 Printing MRI Scans (average 8 sheets at 45 seconds each)6 Patient back to reception Escort the Patient back to Front Desk 26 Changing Room 4 Monica Zimmerman, radiology department manager was pressuring Quinte MRI to hire another MR technologist to lighten Jeff’s workload and improve the process flow. David needed to review the cost of hiring an additional person to make the process flow better.He knew that the 1. Tesla MRI machine rated capacity was 2 patients per hour, however the actual scans in a day, would be based on the type of scan required. David used the 30 minute and the 1 hour procedure to determine what the potential spend per day was and what the annual spend would be. Note that any lost appointments resulted in a $700. 00 per scan loss, however this also could be a $700. 00 increase for unscheduled (walk-in) appointments. By looking at th e potential projected income, hiring another person was a possibility.Exhibit 2 Time – Min/Hour# performed$ scan suppliesper scan Daily RevenueBCMC chargeDaily revenue – BCMC chargeAnnual Revenue25% Tax $Income 3016145$700 $ 11,200$2,320$8,880$2,800,000$700,000$2,100,000 18145$700 $ 5,600$1,160$4,440$1,400,000$350,000$1,050,000 Alternatives and Options Criteria 1. Increase the process flow, machine capacity and change the position of the bottleneck 2. Increase revenue 3. Repair relationship and reputation with BCMC Alternative 1: (Strategic) Quinte MRI has found out that the manual process for taking appointments is creating many errors.If the system was computerized MRI test requirements could be input into the system and throughput could be maximized based on MRI procedure time required in order to maximize time slot available. Quinte MRI also realized that the MRI Technologist was performing administrative tasks that could be assigned to an assistant. By removing th ese tasks from the technologist, more time availability would become available for scheduling additional MRI tests. In order to process patients faster, a form could be developed that specifies what the patient must do prior to arrival at the MRI Clinic.Another form could be developed for when that patient arrives at the clinic that asks questions regarding health risks and indicating what restriction would prevent a patient from having an MRI. The assistant could take the patient all the way through the process until the Magnet room at which point the MR technologist would take over. There are necessary requirements that the MR technologist must do prior to completion of the scan, but the collection of the MRI scans and delivery of them back to the radiologist could be done by the assistant that is escorting the patient from the Magnet room.If we assume that most of the MRI scans are a half an hour, than patients could be scheduled every half hour in order to maximize both the capa city of the machine and the capacity of the technologist. Pros: By implementing the computer, there is more accuracy being collected for appointments and test requirements. By hiring the MR assistance, there is increased flow capacity because the technologist will handle only the MRI scans and not the administration task that were previous being done him.This takes the bottleneck out of the administrative task and aligns it to the maximum capacity of the machine thereby increasing revenue which provides the ability to hire the assistant. This would create reliability with the clinic again so that doctors will send their referrals to the clinic. Cons: A second MR technologist will not be hired and when it comes time for vacation of illness, there will be no one to step into the technologist position and ensure continuous flow.Quinte MRI would need to hire from a temporary agency in order to fulfill their requirement which means addition dollars will be spend. Alternative 2: (Tactical ) Quinte MRI could hire a second MRI Technologist to perform MRI scans alternating times with the first MRI Technologist to increase the flow and capacity of the process. This would take away the backlog and doctors could send their referrals to the clinic with a sense of reliability that the clinic will get it turnaround within 2 days. Pros:This would allow Quinte MRI to always have a back up in the event that one of the technologists is on vacation and / or ill. The increase revenue being generated due to increased MRI procedures could pay for the second MR Technologist. Cons: Based on the current practices, hiring a second technologist would alleviate some of the workload, however given that no effort has been made to correct the communication issues between the hospital/patient and the booking department, there is a strong possibility, that patients will still continue to be booked at the wrong time, cancel or just not show up.Without a procedure to hand how patients are dealt w ith from checking to magnet room, people could still be turn away due to health reasons, clothing that is not appropriate for scanning purposes. Recommendation The recommendation is to take Alternative #2 as it addresses all of the criteria by increasing the process flow, machine capacity and changes the bottle neck to the maximum machine capacity. It increases revenue and repairs the relationship and reputation with BCMC.

Baoding balls Essay

Baoding balls are believed to have originated in Baoding, a small town in the Heibei province of China during the reign of the Ming dynasty( Luo, 1991). Baoding balls were originally known as Iron Balls, since the early Baoding balls were made of iron balls. At present, the Iron material that was originally used in making Baoding balls has been replaced with chrome-plated steel. Some modern day Baoding ball designs has been modified to be made of light materials forged into a hollow ball, containing a chime in the hollow space inside. This modification has caused the Baoding ball to be sometimes called rhyme balls. Baoding balls are generally used for exercise. It can also be used for meditation and can also be also be utilized for medical and therapy purposes. There are many possible forms of exercise that may employ the use of Baoding balls. A user may also design his own routine using his Baoding ball, depending on his preference. Baoding balls are good at relieving Arthritis, and may benefit individuals suffering from Carpal Tunnel syndrome (CTS) and other manual diseases. Baoding balls are also good at restoring or improving manual dexterity. At some extent, it can even be used in therapy against hand paralysis. Scientifically, the effects of Baoding balls are yet to be proven, but alternative medicine advocates ascertain that the Baoding balls can really help, health wise, by touching pressure points during their rotation in the palm. By touching pressure points, the Baoding balls can improve blood circulation and at the same time, helps muscles, nerves, and tissues relax. Baoding balls are usually used in pairs. For exercises, the Baoding balls are placed in the palm and are rotated clockwise or counterclockwise through hand motion. Advance exercises using the Baoding balls may employ additional balls, aside from the two Baoding balls employed in the basic exercises. Some Baoding ball users may use up to three Baoding balls at a time. Other users may also set rules to improve their exercises routine, such as not allowing the Baoding balls to touch each other during the exercises. Other variations to hand exercises using Baoding balls may also be made to suit the needs and preference of the users. Although the health effects of Baoding balls still lay as a mystery to the western medical sciences, the Chinese has spent centuries using the Baoding balls, and living up as witnesses to the health benefits that it can give. References Cited Luo, Steve. 1991. The Mysterious Iron Balls of Boading. Qi: The Journal of Traditional Eastern Health & Fitness. Retrieved on May 22, 2010 from http://www. qi-journal. com/culture

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Nike Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

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Impacts of Globalization on Indigenous Cultures Essay

Impacts of Globalization on Indigenous Cultures - Essay Example Due to globalization however,, this group of people also experience an enhanced ability to communicate globally and adjust their voice after many years of disenfranchisement (Cesarotti (.n.d) p. 3). Globalization, has been defined in many different ways. In its simplest term, globalization is the process of integration among different nations across the globe. The integration in this case takes the form of multinational corporations expanding their influence, trade agreements, communication, and internet, movement of individuals cross borders and the increasing power of multilateral organizations such as International Monetary Fund (IMF). These social, economic and political changes have been brought about by technological advancement, promotion of the neoliberal and the unexploited potential for corporations in foreign markets (Edelman and Haugerud 2005 p.16-22). These forces have had a lot of impacts on the indigenous cultures across the world. The objective of this paper is to exp lore the impacts that globalization has had on the indigenous cultures across the globe. Globalization has presented itself in different ways, affecting almost everyone on the planet. Its impacts on indigenous cultures more than often are viewed both positively and negatively. This is because growth of globalization has introduced new opportunities to people across the globe while at the same time impeding the indigenous people’s ability to retain their knowledge and cultural practices (Collier and Collier 2005 p.450-460). Globalization has indeed had far reaching effects on the world since it has made the world smaller both virtually and in reality. This has happened as a result of the several developments happening across the globe, especially with the introduction of computers and the internet. Physically, globalization has made traveling easier since it has brought with it modern means of transport and communication including cars, ships and the airplanes. This has helped bring indigenous people into closer contact with other people and parts of the world. Worth noting is that the contacts brought about by globalization have not just been for the benefit of the indigenous people around the world. Instead, indigenous cultures, more than often, have been replaced by superior western views of what the world is all about through increasing access to various modes of communication, such as, the Internet, digital media, television and satellite communication system and increased contact with individuals of diverse cultural backgrounds through trade and tourism. The impacts of exploitation of different parts of the globe not initially touched by the global forces and western cultures have indeed resulted in the exploitation of the indigenous people mainly for the benefit of the world entities (Collier and Collier 2005 p.450-460). The International Forum on Globalization (2006) notes that indigenous people are on the verge of crisis with regard to sustainab le development. It goes ahead to state that these communities are good examples of sustainable societies, which evolved in diverse ecosystem according to history. Currently the indigenous cultures are facing the challenge of survival, extinction and renewal due to the effects of globalization according to the International Forum on Globalization (2006). Globalization is seen to have impacted negatively on the indigenous cu

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Age Factor in Learning a Secnd Language ( The Critical Period Hypothesis) - Research Paper Example The paper also includes a detailed section which analyses the findings and presents a fair view of the scenario and the issues that dominate this particular branch of linguistic research. Adults are regarded to exceed in virtually every field of learning, on account of the presence of highly developed cognitive skills, as compared to children. However, with regard to language learning, children seem to have a better edge. There are innumerable instances where children have been able to learn a second language faster than adults and achieve native-like expertise, while in case of adults such a competence is rarely observed. It is on account of this very reason that issue regarding the existence of a certain sensitive / critical period of learning exists among individuals which fosters language development. Researchers and academic scholars as well as general observers have noted that children – up to a certain age, have a better grasp of learning languages – both native as well as foreign / second language, than their adult counterparts. During this period their language learning skills are heightened and once this period lapses, their skills begin to fa de, and acquiring native-like proficiency in language learning becomes all the more difficult, beyond a certain age. However there are several criticisms and contradictory views offered by others. In response to the critical period for language learning, certain researchers have opposed the hypothesis, stating that native-like skills can be found in certain adult learners with regard to second language. Yet another group of researchers have stated that over and above the critical period of language learning, there are other factors which also play an important role in learning a language a second language. These include sociological, psychological as well as physiological factors. This paper analyzes, explores and investigates

University Entrance Examination Essay Example for Free

University Entrance Examination Essay An entrance examination is an exam that applicants must pass with great scores for access to an institution of higher education as universities. The entrance exam to enter a college must be mandatory for all people who are interested in pursuing a career and vocational training for several reasons. First of all, the exam helps to measure and evaluate the level of intelligence, ability and knowledge of every applicant for example, young people or graduates from various schools in the country. In fact, all applicants are able to perform this test. Second, the student who really wants to go to a specific college or wants to study a specific career should strive and work hard to achieve his/her purpose. However, entrance examinations differ depending on the university. Some universities only evaluate logical reasoning and reading skills and others evaluate the knowledge in physics, chemistry, mathematics, English and many other branches. Finally, schools prepare their students to be trained to develop the examination required by SENESCYT in Ecuador to achieve a quality higher education, that is a reason why the classes that students take in high school are essential such as the average grades as well as the entrance examinations results because they play an important role in the college admission process. To conclude, an entrance exam opens the doors to all kinds of students who are willing to overcome and it motives them to learn harder to fulfill their wish and achieve future success but depends on them whether they approve the exam or not. Number of words: 255

Scenario And Challenges Of Retail Banking In India Finance Essay

Scenario And Challenges Of Retail Banking In India Finance Essay ABSTRACT This paper discusses the overview of retail banking in India. It further explains the scope tremendous growth of this segment among the other segments of banking. The retail sector in India has huge potential is expected to grow at a rapid pace when overall banking sector is expected to grow at 30% this year. The current scenario, products services offered advantages; disadvantages, issues challenges are also a part of this paper. INTRODUCTION Today, the marketing mantra is to delight customers by offering them more than their expectations. This leads to more satisfied customers. The same is applied to the banking industry. Indian Economy is moving from manufacturing to service economy where Banking sector is undergoing a change. The demand for financial products is increasing customization of services is becoming a necessity. The retail banking is growing at a rapid pace. Once it was considered as forbidden by the leading foreign domestic banks. But today all the banks have recognized the importance of retail banking which became possible due to extensive competition, innovation advanced technology. With the expected growth of 30% for retail banking, the banks are focusing more more on it. They are moving up to the potential of this segmant of banking. In terms of revenue for both public private sector banks, Retail banking is a major contributor. PSBs are considered to be more risk averse. In comparison to the private banks, PSBs have higher exposure to the retail banking segment lesser exposure to treasury operations, in which foreign banks holds maximum revenue. In Public Sector Banks, SBI alone holds more than 1/4th of the revenue from retail banking operations. The PSBs have higher share in retail banking because of their rural reach in comparison to private or foreign banks. Out of the total branches of banks in rural India, PSBs have for 94.7% of them. As on 31st march, 2008 the revenue in different segments is shown for PSBs, Private Foreign Banks. PSBs Private Banks Foreign Banks The Indian players are confident towards the Indian Retail banking. The reason for it is that There has been a drastic change in the urban household income pattern which has directly impacted the consumption patterns hence the banking habits of Indians have tilted towards the Retail products services. The spending pattern in India is also increasing. The bullish pattern can be seen in the Retail business. The total outstanding Retail loans in India are below 5% of the Indian GDP whereas they are around 41 of the GDP in Taiwan. The figures are more surprising while comparing with the West. Compared to Western countries, India is lagging behind in the use of credit cards. In India the people have generally save a lot. On an average an Indian saves 35% of his income. Therefore, no. of banking services provided by banks is increasing day by day. Also the tax benefits are available on various loans. For ex- a borrower can avail tax benefits for the loan repayment the interest charged for the loan in case of housing loans. Retail banking is actually a mass market banking where individual customers use local branches of the large commercial banks. The focus is on creating products services that meet the needs of the target customers and in turn making profits as well. Since retail banking products are more on a mass production basis, therefore, all risks operations are to cater to a large number of customers are also based on them. This approach is quite different from wholesale banking or corporate banking where target is on large sized customer accounts rather than large numbers of customers as in the case of retail banking. For servicing your customer better it is very important to understand retail banking as it helps in structuring products and meeting specific requirements for each set of products. ATM introduced the concept of Anytime banking. Anywhere banking became possible with the development of satellites telecom networks across the world. Now it is the time for Anyhow banking the bank which will have all these 3 As will be the leading bank of the next century. RETAIL BANKING Retail banking is quite broad in nature. It refers to dealing with individual customers by commercial banks, both on liabilities assets sides of their balance sheet. Fixed savings /current accounts come on the liabilities side mortgages and loans come on the assets side. Various other services include credit cards or depository services. Retail banking retail lending are often confused with each other but retail lending is only a subset of the retail banking. Individual customers need requirement are accessed approached in an integrated manner in retail banking. Retail banking sector is consists of: BENEFITS OF RETAIL BANKING Retail Banking has become a better option for banks to increase their earnings as the lending to corporate is of high risk are generally slow moving. This sector consists of a large no. of customers of varied class. This type of banking provides customized wide range of products to individual small units. Also the risk is spread the recovery is very good. The products can be designed, deployed marketed according to the individual requirements. ANALYSIS OF RETAIL BANKING STRENGTH Diversified asset portfolio Retail banking consists of a wide range of financial product services. These include deposit product, home loan, loan against equity shares, mortgage loan, auto loan, car loan, payment of bills, credit card, debit card etc. Such a diversified asset portfolios provide banks with higher profit relatively lower NPA (non Performing Assets). Upcoming as a new growth driver Over past few years, fierce competition has lowered the spread profitability from a commercial loan. Also, with the deregulation and increase in consumer loan rate, the risk adjusted return in retail sector has exceeded beyond the return on commercial loan. CRM tools The customer Service Quality implementation through use of CRM tools will help banks in acceptance of their banking product and satisfaction of customer that will eventually yield profit for them. Innovative product development In financial services there is an unlimited scope for development innovation. Banks should approach the customers to find out their financial need problem and accordingly structure their strategies towards the development of the product services, marketing them finally selling them to satisfy its customer. Increase in income With the increase in per capita income growth in urbanization the life style of people has changed. The needs aspirations of people have increased. Therefore, the role of retail banking has become important. By providing various products services like personal loan, education loan, home loan etc to its customer, the retail banking helps in maintaining the changing life style of its customers through affordable credit. Economies of scale Through Retail Banking, Banks can get the benefits of information transaction. Banks have access to more information through extended services. They should systematically record this customer information as it can help them in efficient utilization of this information, which in turn can be used in finding out new segmento of market to sell their new services. WEAKNESS Reduces the profitability Retail banking requires high capital investment as a huge amount is spent on managing the wide range of product service which further requires large staff high quality technology. All this reduces the overall banks profitability. Avoids corporate sector Retail banking avoids corporate sector which forms the backbone of Indian economy. Banks should properly manage their corporate clients through lower arte credit, higher amount of loan etc. Corporate clients are easily manageable as they have well defined financial policy projects. Changes in technology If banks are not able to match with the latest technology it may affect their growth. Also the technology requires huge amount of capital investment if suppose, the technology fails then it will affect the banks reputation the bank may lose some of its customer. Marketing Retail banking requires strong internal as well as external marketing strategies to be adopted by bank. Under retail banking the management needs those employees who can introduce product properly to their customers. The employees must be aware of the products they are offering because if this is not the case then it can lead to the failure of even a very good product. Also bank should spend a lot on its marketing of product to general public. All this increases the expenses of banks in terms of time cost required to introduce the product. OPPORTUNITIES 1) Increase in per capita income: There has been increase in the per capita income over the past few years is expected to grow in the future also. Moreover, the younger population is more comfortable in taking personal debt than previous generations. Their purchasing power has also increased due to economic growth more jobs. Also GDP of India is rising at a very good rate. Currently it is around 9% is expected to rise in the near future. Innovation in products services This segment has more scope for innovation as banks tries to provide more more products services to their customers as desired by them. Banks can continuously modify its products services to match the market demand sustain in this competitive era. 3) Growing Economy Retail banking has enormous opportunities in a growing economy like India. A.T. Kearney, a global mgnt. consulting firm, identified India as the 2nd most attractive retail destination among the 30 emergent markets. THREATS Large payout of loans The increasing competition has made the banks to disburse large no. of customer loans, auto loans, home loans, loans on credit cards, educational loans etc. on easy terms without much inquiry. Due to this the no. of case of default in loan repayment has increased. This in turn has increased the banks bad debts nonperforming assets (NPA). This was one of the major reasons for recession which has affected the world. 2) Customer privacy issues One of the major problems from customers point of view is that the customer service representatives of the banks ring up their customers at any time at their places of work, informing them about new products services. This may cause inconvenience to busy customers. Banks are also responsible for not sharing the personal information of the customers with any outside agencies like market research groups other advertisers. 3) Information Technology With the growth of IT, a number of frauds have aroused are carried out with the help of technology. These frauds come under the domain of cyber crimes. The unscrupulous elements have always attacked banks. In many cases these elements have stolen credit card no., password other confidential information relating to customer. For ex- Satyam scam. These elements have also hacked banks website. BANKING PRODUCT The banking product areas which have high growth potential can be classified as follows: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ HOUSING LOANS Housing loan comprises of 48% of all retail loans. The customer attitudes toward holding debt translated this market into a market that expanded with a rate of 35% annually from 1999 to 2004. Also the lending rates are not very high and the growing household income enables the borrower to make the payment of interests principal amount. Banks generally have tie ups with various real estate companies. This is to reduce to efforts on the side of customer for taking loans. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ VEHICLE LOANS Housing loan comprises of 27.2% of all retail loans. Car sales volume in 2004 increased to more than a million vehicles and annual growth in sales reached 954,354 in 2007. The sales of bikes have also increases. Banks provide various lucrative plans to finance your car or a bike. They often come up with various schemes which increases the sales of the vehicles help people fulfill their aspirations. India has become the 3rd largest market for cars MUVs. The growth drivers of this segment are easy finance, low interest rates, opening up of 2nd hand car finance up gradation of rider to four wheelers from two wheeler. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ SME BANKING Initially public sector banks in India focused only on big industries instead of small businesses. But today SME market in India has expanded beyond 4 million businesses. These businesses are growing, importing exporting and demanding more more complicated banking products and services. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ PERSONAL FINANCIAL SERVICES Banks provided this service to boost the financial status of individuals. The banks that can establish the right combination of account mgnt distribution infrastructure can avail the benefits from growing market for wealth management. The services can be saving income in bank accounts or investing in insurance ISSUES TO THE RETAIL-BANKING SECTOR The key policy issues in retail banking sector are: financial enclosure, accessibility to finance, protection of consumer his privacy, financial capability, responsible lending, regulation prevention of financial crime. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF RETAIL BANKING ADVANTAGES The advantages from the resource asset point of view are as follows: Resource Side Apart from current savings accounts, the deposits in retail banking are comparatively stable. These constitute core deposits. Helps in increasing the subsidiary business of the banks. They are interest insensitive in case of current savings accounts. The funds in this sector are the low cost funds. Helps in building a strong customer base. ASSETS SIDE For funds deployment, Retail banking is a good opportunity. When there is a high demand for banking products services, Retail banking need not require high marketing efforts. Consumer loans involve less amount of risk have perception of less NPA. Through investments in productivity activities, it helps in economic revitalization of the nation. Through affordable credit, this segment of banking improves lifestyle of the people fulfils the aspirations of the people. Diversified portfolio due to huge customer base reduces risk for a bank. DISADVANTAGES Huge capital investment is required in designing new financial products. It requires a lot of time cost for the bank. Today net banking is preferable over branch banking by customers. It is not possible for banks to retain their customers if their technology is not up to the mark. The customers wishing to use net banking will switch over to the services of some other bank. Various other financial products like mutual funds etc. attract customers towards themselves. Banks are not able to exploit the technology to an appropriate level Banks is spending heavily on human resource department for monitoring following up of large no. of loan accounts. In the absence of proper follow-up, long term loans like housing loan which involves long repayment term can become NPAs. As compared to wholesale banking, the amount borrowed in retail banking by a single customer is very low. Therefore, the bank is not able to make huge profits from a single customer. STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS IN RETAIL BANKING Banks should adopt the following strategies to achieve success in the retail banking sector. Adoption of advanced latest technology Availability of skilled man power in all branches offices Extensive market research should be carried out in order to formulate innovative competitive products services Managing relationship with customers by having an approach of customer relationship management. There should be balanced and sustained growth in deposits advances More more delivery channels should be explored Service quality should be improved with human touch giving the customers personal experience Proper strategic cost management should be adopted Constant focus should be there on Universal banking and financial supermarkets Cross Selling of Products Public Sector Banks have a wide network of branches. This provides them with added advantage over other banks. Through these branches banks have an opportunity as they can sell third-party products. Tie Up arrangements Public, private foreign banks should tie up enter into strategic alliance with other banks to extend their reach by having presence in various other regions. This will help them by enabling them to make benefits by reaching customers across the country. Business Process Outsourcing Outsourcing of various processes will save time cost. Eventually this will help the banks in concentrating on their core business area, that is, their core competency. For ex- Managing ATMs should be outsourced, which will save banks from dealing with something which is not their core competency. CHALLENGES TO RETAIL BANKING IN INDIA The key challenges before the bank is to strike a balance between credit growth quality of asset simultaneously and sustaining the profitability in the increasing interest rate scenario. With the advancement in technology, there has been increase in the responsibilities challenges for an IT department in managing, maintaining optimizing the performance of retail banking networks. According to credit rating agency CARE, in 2010-11, the non performing assets (NPAs) in the industry are expected to rise to 3.5 % of the total assets as compared to previous fiscal years 2.8 %. Therefore, measures should be adopted to reduce NPA. As per the RBIs instructions, banks are required to provide for 70% of the total bad loans on their books from Sep 2010. The new Base rate is yet to be implemented which will ensure transparency in the lending but will reduce banks profits as they will then be able to lend at or above base rate not below it. This may affect banks as they may lose their some customers to whom the loan were given at below PLR. RBI has also asked banks to provide interest on savings accounts on daily basis. This will put pressure on margins of banks. RBI is adopting various measures to reduce liquidity. They have increased CRR also increased Repo reverse repo rate. All this will impact the lending rate of banks as the interest rate will rise to reduce liquidity in market. But this will be a threat to banking sector. At this time when interest rates are higher interest rate volatility exists, the Current Account Saving Account (CASA) deposits help banks maintaining their margins. These accounts helps in maintaining the spread between the cost of funds interest earned in a period of high interest rates. In recent past, the outsourcing of various activities such as software hardware maintenance, entire ATM operation (including cash, refilling) etc. has become very important. The banks should have innovative strategic management approach to meet its customers needs requirements in terms of products or services. It is generally said that, it takes months to find a good customer but only seconds to lose him. Therefore, banks should have the strategy of Knowing Your Customer (KYC). To retain the ongoing trust of the public reputation, banks are supposed to meet their commitments take utmost care while serving their customers. In order to increase the market share profitability in the retail banking corporate banking, the customer loyalty is very important. As per the government order, banks have to align their accounting practices in line with the IFRS (International Financial Reporting System) within 2 more years. Limited no. of branches ATMs in rural areas. Less education or training is given to the people in rural areas who are illiterate dont know how to do avail the basic benefits from banking, forget about operating ATMs. If all these challenges are faced by the banks with utmost care and deliberation, the retail banking is expected to play a very crucial role in coming years. CONCLUSION Since the reforms in financial sector in India, Retail banking is facing a lot of competition. Today banks are on their toes for sustaining in existing business capturing new business. Banks are competing for increasing their retail business. Constant innovation should be there in retail banking in areas product development differentiation, marketing, micro-planning, prudent pricing, technological up gradation, customization, home / electronic / mobile banking, asset liability management effective risk management and t techniques. But in the Indian banks, there is very less little or no interest in innovative products. Innovation should not only in terms of technology or through internet or computers but it should be such that it benefits even the rural areas. You cant just really on technology become a tech savvy in a country where Internet penetration is only 1.65%. While retail banking offers exceptional growth opportunities, the challenges are equally discouraging. Therefore, banks should face the challenges optimistically make use of opportunities to make profit. The success in retail banking business depends on the kind of technology used the effectiveness of operations. This provides the banks an edge over their competitors. Furthermore, customer interest should be most important for becoming a responsible bank. The focus of this sector should not only remain to just increasing the per capita indebtedness but it should be in terms of creation of wealth at macro economical level. RECCOMENDATIONS The retail banking sector in India should adopt knowledge banking approach which is one of the differentiating strategies of Yes Bank who is among the top 10 innovative banks of the world. The focus should be there on sun rising sectors of economy like IT, Engineering, infrastructure logistics, food agriculture etc. These are sectors of economy have growth prospects. Banks should extend their operations to rural semi urban areas should have a responsible banking approach. This can be done by educating training people to avail the benefits of banking services which will not only help the banks in increasing their reputation but will also help them in long term perspective to increase the profits by tapping the untapped areas.

Essay --

INTRO: state the q; motivate it; history facts A number of EU members have implemented environmental tax reforms (ETRs) which are defined as a reform of the national tax system that shift the tax burden from taxation of labor to taxation of carbon-energy, and the reforms were first introduced in Scandinavian countries since 1990 and then applied in other European countries, such as, Germany and Britain (PTAK, 2010; COMETR, 2007). This project summarizes an assessment of the German ETR and its effect on technological innovation by trying to answer the research question: Did the German ETR increase technological innovation? The question is motivated by general environmental considerations, for instance, slowing down the global warming by reducing energy consumptions and carbon emissions. My paper’s aim is to assess the effect of the German ERTs on technology innovation level specifically, and this is motivated by the following relevant facts. The German ETR was launched in April 1999, and it has been adopted in Germany for m ore than ten years; thus, there are plenty of available data for us to assess the impacts of this ETR regarding to German government’s motivations. This ETR was proposed because the German government wanted to increase technology innovation, to create additional jobs, and to decrease energy consumption (Agnolucci, 2009; Beuermann and Santarius, 2006). Moreover, it is important for us to assess the impacts of ETRs from different angles, for example, the level of technology innovation, rather than assessing the impacts on the level of energy consumption and employment that abundant papers have discussed. The rest of the paper is organized as follows. Section 2 presents a literature review of the related literature ... ...atively; hence, it can be concluded that the ETR in Germany had a positive impact on reducing energy consumption, and the effect on employment is overall small and can be positive (Agnolucci, 2009)†¦..however†¦. Moreover, Agnolucci applied an econometric approach to assess the effect of the environmental tax reforms introduced in Germany and the UK, especially their effects on energy consumptions and employment level†¦. In this paper, the author modelled his data by sorting them into the following various economics subsectors: Textiles and leather (TXT); Pulp, paper and printing (PPP); Rubber and plastics (RP); Non-metallic minerals (NMM); Machinery (MAC); Electrical and optical equipment (ELE); Wholesale and retail trade (TRA) which covered almost the whole spectrum of manufacturing activity. Therefore, I am able to use these subsectors later in my solving process.

An Inspector Calls - Write fully about one of the characters in the play. :: English Literature:

An Inspector Calls - Write fully about one of the characters in the play. Write fully about one of the characters in the play. Take into account what they have done before the play begins as well as their actions, words and attitudes during the course of the play. Write about the way attitudes, moods and opinions change and develop during the course of the action on the stage. An Inspector Calls is a play with many social and political messages. J. B. Priestley believed a great deal in socialism and he used several of his plays to try and influence people to his way of thinking. It was written in a time when Britain was ruled by a Labour government and socialist policies were seen as the way forward. It was a popular way of thinking at that time so Priestley's aim for the play was probably to teach the unconvinced. The play is set in the house of the Birling family. As soon as the curtains open, it is clear that the family is wealthy because there is high quality furniture and decoration in the house in which the play is set. The family use their house as a status symbol and have decorated it in a way so as to reflect their wealth. We learn this from the "few imposing but tasteless pictures" which will probably have been chosen because they were expensive, not because they were liked. These pictures also tell us that the Birlings are proud of their wealth and think themselves to be very important but lack the good taste which is present in those who are socially superior to them. The house is described as being "substantial and comfortable and old-fashioned, but not cosy and homelike." This setting suggests that the family are uncomfortable with each other and therefore suggests problems. We gather from the Birling family they are of an upper-middle social class, who think themselves to be of a very high status. Eric Birling the character I am going to focus on does not seem to be understood by the rest of the characters. His sister Sheila and he are still treated as if they were still children "What an expression, Sheila! Really the things you girls pick up these days!" Mr and Mrs Birling have a lack of understanding of the younger generation, particularly their offspring. They try to control their lives as this was the norm with generations prior to theirs, "Just let me finish, Eric. You've a lot to learn yet." Here we can see that the elders in the family have the first and last say in many matters.

The Vietnam War :: Vietnam War Essays

The Vietnam War The Vietnam War is truly one of the most unique wars ever fought by the Unites States of by any country. It was never officially declared a war (Knowll, 3). It had no official beginning nor an official end. It was fought over 10,000 miles away in a virtually unknown country. The enemy and the allies looked exactly the alike, and may by day be a friend but by night become an enemy (Aaseng 113). It matched the tried and true tactics of World War Two against a hide, run, and shoot technique known as "Guerrilla Warfare." It matched some of the best trained soldiers in the world against largely an untrained militia of untrained farmers. The United States' soldiers had at least a meal to look forward to unlike the Communist Vietnamese soldiers who considered a fine cuisine to be cold rice and, if lucky, rat meat. The Vietnam War matched the most technically advanced country with one of the least advanced, and the lesser advanced not only beat but humiliated the strongest military in the wo rld (Aaseng, 111). When the war was finally showing signs of end, the Vietnamese returned to a newly unified communist country while the United Stated soldiers returned to be called "baby killers", and were often spat upon. With the complexities of war already long overdrawn because of the length of the war it is no wonder the returning solders often left home confused and returned home insane. Through an examination of the Vietnam War, in particular an event know as the My Lai Massacre, and the people involved with both, it can be proven that when the threshold for violence of a person is met or exceeded, the resulting psychological scarring becomes the most prominent reason for war being hell. Although officially, the Vietnam Conflict had neither a beginning nor an end, for the purpose of this paper it can be best examined through the decade the United States was involved: February 6, 1965 - August 30, 1975. During World War Two the French had been a major ally to the United States in the defeat of Adolph Hitler and the Axis Powers. France occupied and claimed the small coastline country of Vietnam in Indochina. In this region there had been recent Communist uprisings funded by the USSR The Vietnamese were willing to accept Communism in return for what they had been fighting for over 2000 years: self rule.

Digital Land Management in Bangladesh Essay

Bangladesh has a very high population density. Scarce land and the rapid increase of population of the country are creating high pressure over land-man ratio. Land ownership record system is insufficient and incomplete in Bangladesh. As a result, it spills out jumbled and spontaneous land development throughout the country, especially in the major cities. In this situation, it is important to establish a compatible land administration and management system for establishing a systematic approach for planned land development. Land Information System (LIS) is the most accountable and feasible systematic approach for developing an up-to-date land administration and management. LIS is related to various quantitative and qualitative aspects of land resource. Holding different cartographic information, LIS facilitates capturing, retrieval, and querying of information and provides tools to perform different analyses. Based on the secondary information by literature review, this paper is aimed at studying the existing land administration system, and recommending feasible interventions and strategy of LIS for creating an efficient land administration and management policy for Bangladesh. This paper also focuses on the challenges of LIS that are needed to be resolved for framing the existing land administration and management policy for planned and controlled growth of Bangladesh. Introduction Bangladesh, a South-Asian developing country is characterized by very high population growth and scare land. It spills out jumbled and spontaneous land development within urban areas as well as other areas within the country. The rapid increase of population is continuously reducing the land-man ratio of the country. The rate of land transfer and land conversion is also very high in Bangladesh. Rapid population growth combined with fast rate of land transformation urges for an effective land administration and management system. However, the conventional land administration system cannot keep pace with the growing demand and changing situation of the land market. Inappropriate land administration and management system is the cause for unplanned growth, and this eventually generates problems in community life. Inadequate and improper land records increase difficulties in the security of land tenure and land transfer. For this, it becomes an obligation to establish a compatible land administration and management system by setting up a holistic approach. Land Information System (LIS) is the most feasible systematic approach for developing an efficient land administration and management system in Bangladesh. This paper focuses on the issues that are needed to be addressed in formulating a viable land administration and management policy for the planned and controlled growth in Bangladesh. An Overview of Present Land Administration and Management in Bangladesh Land record system in Bangladesh forms an integral part of land administration, encompassing preparation of Record-of-Rights (ROR) through surveying and mapping of land plots, registration of deeds during transfer of land and updating ownership records. At present, two different Ministries namely Ministry of Land (MoL); Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs (MLJPA) practice land administration and management in Bangladesh. Directorate of Land Record and Survey (DLRS) under the MoL prepares ROR and updating of ROR (mutation) is done by upazila land office which is under the jurisdiction of MoL. Furthermore, registration of transfer deed is under obligation of Registration Department that is under the MLJPA. The DLRS is entrusted with the responsibility of carrying out cadastral surveys and preparation of ROR. A revised mauza map showing location, area and characteristics and a khatian indicating ownership, area and character of land are the two parts of ROR. The DLRS conducts surveys and settlement operations through Zonal Settlement offices and Upazila Settlement offices. A survey team consisting of two Surveyors and one Chainman conduct the survey operation. The steps of hearing objections and appeal are done by Sub-Assistant Settlement Officer (SASO) and Assistant Settlement Officer (ASO) respectively (Aziz, 2003). Survey operation consists of the following phases: traverse survey, Kistwar (Plot to Plot) survey, preliminary record writing (Khanapuri), demarcation of boundary, local explanation (Bujharat), attestation (Tasdik), draft publication, disposal of objection, appeals, final Junk (checking), printing and publication of Khatian (Ahmed, 1994). Furthermore, revisional settlement for upgrading land record is undertaken  by the settlement offices. Land records that have been prepared through revisional settlement operation are reliable (Siddiqui, 1997). Land registration is a deed of maintenance of a public register, which is a record of an isolated transactions. Sub-Register (SR) registers transfer of any parcel of land through a deed with stamp on the property value as Immovable Property Transfer Tax (IPTT). When any deed is registered in Registration office, Land Transfer (LT) notice is to be sent to the Office of Assistant Commissioner’s (AC, Land) Office (Aziz, 2003). Mutation is the process of revising and updating the ROR on transfer of land ownership and on subdivision and amalgamation of landholdings. The AC (Land) working under Deputy Commissioner (DC) updates or revises partially these land records through mutation process. There are two ways of mutation (Siddiqui, 1997): i) Mutation according to LT; and ii) Mutation in response to application to the Upazila Land office. After the finalization of land records in survey operation the DLRS sends khatians, mauza maps to the DC office that preserves them in the District Record Room. At present, a Record Room is also maintained in the AC (Land) Office and Union Land Office. These Land Records provide the base to conduct further survey and preparation of master plan, structure plan, infrastructure development plan, valuation of property tax, etc. Furthermore, these records are used as the base for functioning of public and private development and by the companies providing utility services. Problems of Present Land Administration and Management in Bangladesh Lack of coordination: Land record preparation, upgrading of ROR and land transfer registration are the integral parts of land administration and these should be coordinated well enough. However, these offices work separately with little coordination among them (Aziz, 2003). At present the responsible ministries and agencies involved for land management and administration work independently with little coordination among them. Manual and Labour intensive Process: The whole process is manual, laborious and time  intensive. Conventional methods of land survey, preparation and upgradation of land records, maintenance of all related data for each parcel of land makes land administration and management incomplete and inefficient. Widespread Fake Documenting: Moreover, distortion of land records at various stages (i.e. plot-to-plot survey, preparation of records and drawing of maps through conventional methods, objections, junk / checking works, printing, etc.) hinders land development control and property tax collection. Isolated maintenance of registration deeds and delay for sending LT notices to the AC (Land) office by the Registration office makes mutation and eventually the upgrading of ROR a lengthy procedure. As a result, it requires revisional settlement for updating land record that is more complex and time consuming. All the current stages of conventional preparation of ROR are vulnerable to tampering and distortion. No Single Ownership Document: Khatians are not conclusive evidence of ownership, merely provide basis for possession at the recording time. Under the prevailing legal system, khatians along with deeds and mutated documents together are relevant for ownership decision by a Civil court (Mia, 1996). The lengthy and complex process of ownership determination enhances conflicts. The present system of registered transfer deed of land does not prove ownership or transferable rights of the seller rather put risk of false transfer (Aziz, 2003). Deeds are full of unnecessary, irrelevant and meaningless words that make them difficult to understand. Fraud and forgery: Inadequate and improper land registrations increase difficulties in land security tenure and land transfer in Bangladesh, as deed system does not provide the final proof of the proprietary right (Alam, 1992; Hossain, 1995). There is no provision of compensation if any loses occur to some person due to mistakes or errors in the deed. These results large-scale fraud and forgery related to land sale registration (Alam, 1992). There is notable corruption in Registration Office. If certain rate is not paid to the officers and staffs of the office, the deed is not placed before the Sub-Registrar for registration. There is also a tendency of reporting lower price of land during the time of registration for avoiding IPTT or overpricing for getting the favour for finding bank loan for land development. It is an open secret that applicants are compelled to pay an extra amount of money than government settled charge in Tehshil office in the time of mutation. The mutation records can be distorted either during survey and settlement operations or due to false report of the Tehsildars. Inefficiency og Settlement Press: Inadequate capacity of the Settlement Press for printing land records and poor quality of record maintenance also aggravate the inefficiency of the existing system. Many valuable records in Record Room have become worn out due to continuous use over a long period of time. Lack of the systematic and updated source of information has made the existing land record system more complicated and ambiguous that results innumerable land disputes and malpractice. Even government is continuously being deprived of her own (khas) land as grabbers manipulate ownership through forged documents (Barakat, 2001). Overwhelming land disputes: Over 3.2 million land-related cases are pending before the judiciary in Bangladesh. This huge figure does not take into account the large number of the aggrieved who do not feel empowered enough to approach the courts for litigation. Land disputes often lead to violence and criminal offenses. It is said that 80 percent of criminal offenses today stem from land disputes. Corruption: Manul process, lack of transparent documents   Given the absence of a transparent system, bribery and other irregularities are common. People in the administration who are responsible for creating and maintaining land records often prepare incorrect records intentionally, and land owners are forced to pay bribes to officials to get the records approved. Officials and surveyors are often in cahoots with touts and land sharks; cases abound where people have paid bribes to officials and/or surveyors and gotten land ownership transferred/recorded illegally in their names, leaving the real owner(s) running pillar to post to get justice. In 2006 alone, bribes worth about 83 billion Bangladeshi Taka were paid for land related services such as registration and altering of records. Rationality of LIS based Land Administration and Management in Bangladesh Land administration and management system is too much complicated in Bangladesh. For efficient and appropriate land management program, maintenance of updated land ROR is very much important. It is easy to facilitate quick capturing, retrieval, and querying by holding different cartographic information by LIS. This provides different tools to perform different analyses. As a result, LIS could suit with the spontaneous land conversion and title change in the country. Land Information System (LIS) for Land Administration and Management in Bangladesh Once an accurate geodetic framework and cadastral system has been developed, many analysis of land-tenure change could be preformed with the assurance of high degree of measurement accuracy. This attempts to arrive at compatible multiple land uses within selected parcel of land (Demers, 1999). Land administration and management, land use control, provision of utility services and other services can be pursued by computerized LIS. This system would serve unified services related to land management by marginal labor, time and money. Use of LIS for recording and maintaining the original volume of land records could minimize the chances of tampering of records. LIS could introduce Unified cadastre that is a broader concept to incorporate information related to positioning of land, land size and orientation, land ownership, land use etc. This is a large scale, community oriented land information system to serve both public and private organizations concerned to land administration and management, land development and service provision.

The NetVis Module: Exploring its Web Site and its Uses

The NetVis Module is no doubt a power-packed web-based tool that illustrates the development of social network analysis. Moreover, the said tool presents a lot of opportunities to those who has a need for it when it comes to analysis and visualization of the relationships within a defined set of persons, groups, etc. As an example, Wayne Baker (2000) stressed the importance of network analysis to identify and build strong team relationships, which would in turn result to organizational success. Network Analysis, according to Noel Tichy et. al (1979), â€Å"is concerned with the structure and patterning of these relationships and seeks to identify both their causes and consequences†. Social Network Analyis or SNA, having its foundation in classical sociology and later on integrated with social scientific and mathematical problem solutions, has been used or applied in various areas of study such as kinship structure, social mobility, and class structure (Scott, 1988). With the NetVis Module today, along with other related software tools found on the site’s resources page, SNA has been more encompassing covering almost all areas such as discovering key opinion leaders, community economic development (InFlow SNA Software for Organizations), building a grassroot political campaign and finding emergent leaders in a fast growing company (Orgnet.com). With this, the impression I got was that all areas of study relative to SNA are possible. This impression arose as I was exploring the site. First, I think exploring the site is quite easy. Just by clicking a button, I could perform a task or go to a page I want to view. For example, the links on the resources page clearly outline the different SNA software tools and what they could do. The web sites linked to the NetVis site provide a wider and a more diverse perspective on how SNA works in different fields of application. However, contrary to the ease of use is the difficulty in understanding the technical terms of the NetVis Module. This would lead me to my second point, which I would like to talk more about. With all the technical jargons, I think the NetVis site is designed for technical experts or professionals who have a need for the software. Technical knowledge or at the least familiarity in mathematical sequences, statistics and other related topic areas is a prerequisite   in order to maximize the use of this tool. Although there is an explanation box for each â€Å"heavy† term such as geodesics, transitivity, split value, etc., it is still difficult to analyze and/or interpret data coming from the point of view of a novice. To further my point, I tried the NetVis Module Tutorial. I followed each step, reading instructions carefully and revising my input data before I could get an analysis and a network visualization. What I did was create two social networks with five members for each group. These were, in reality, my two sets of friends. The â€Å"meta tag† I used was secret sharing wherein the question to be asked for each member is â€Å"How much information do you share with ____?† Collecting the matrix data using an improvised five-point scale and following the rest of the instructions, I was ready and pretty excited to view the analysis and visualization of my sample social networks. Before making a full interpretation, I needed to understand first the tools for analysis because it is hard to derive a conclusion just by looking at all the data matrices. I checked all the definitions for degree, betweenness and closeness centrality. I gave special attention to the definitions of density, transitivity, structural holes and split value. I also checked the sub-tools for analysis such as constraint, effective size, efficiency, hierarchy, reachability, shortest path and so on. Finally, the over-all conclusion I got was that the first social network or the members of my first set of friends are more closely-knit (based on the answers that members of this group share â€Å"secrets† or personal and sensitive information with each other more often) compared to the members of the other group. This was primarily illustrated by the higher values in bridges, ties and shortest path between each pair of â€Å"actors† and among all members of the group. However, it is also worth noting that the difference in values between the two groups is not that big (0.2 to 0.3 difference only). I found the results interesting because it is through this tool that I realized that my friends coming from two different groups have trust and confidence with each other on the basis of sharing personal and sensitive information. For a student, this is one practical use of the NetVis Module. In fact, I am looking forward to do more â€Å"experiments† using this tool—creating other social networks with the integration of other factors such as geographical distance, which I have not included in my first trial. I could also try to analyze a larger group and see who the key players are or who plays the role of a leader. This could be done by looking at the core and periphery actors or members of the group. I could also try to find out who among the members of a group are â€Å"somewhat unreachable† (no path exists) by other members. Aside from those mentioned, there are still lots to demonstrate about the relationships among members of a particular group. These are just some of the things I would like to look into. Apart from personal use, I think the NetVis Module, with its relatively intricate procedures and tools for analysis, is primarily designed for organizations and institutions advancing certain academic, business, social, political, cultural, and economic purpose. I think that this is one limitation of this web-based tool—not everybody could use it. Of course I understand that this is not really for everyone. It is distributed for free with the hope that it would be helpful to those who need it. But maybe, just maybe, the NetVis Module could expand its range by making a similar SNA and visualization tool designed for a more personal use. References Baker, W. E. (2000). Teams as Networks: Using Network Analysis for Team Development. Humax Publications. Retrieved November 15, 2007, from http://www.humax.net/teams.html Scott, J. (1988). Sociology. SAGE Journals, 22, 109-127. Tichy, N. M., Tushman, M. L., Fombrun, C. (1979). Social Network Analysis for Organizations. The Academy of Management Review, 4, 507-519.               

Lеadеrs and Managеrs

RÐ µfocusing has bÐ µcomÐ µ onÐ µ of thÐ µ major stratÐ µgiÐ µs pursuÐ µd by largÐ µ organizations in thÐ µ 1990s. Prior rÐ µsÐ µarch in thÐ µ arÐ µa of uppÐ µr Ð µchÐ µlons (top managÐ µmÐ µnt tÐ µam) lÐ µadÐ µrship has rÐ µvÐ µalÐ µd that thÐ µrÐ µ is a strong rÐ µlationship bÐ µtwÐ µÃ µn top managÐ µmÐ µnt tÐ µam charactÐ µristics and organizational stratÐ µgiÐ µs and outcomÐ µs.HowÐ µvÐ µr, rÐ µsÐ µarchÐ µrs havÐ µ confinÐ µd thÐ µir studiÐ µs to Ð µxploring thÐ µ impact of obsÐ µrvablÐ µ uppÐ µr Ð µchÐ µlon charactÐ µristics, namÐ µly thÐ µ dÐ µmographic traits on corporatÐ µ stratÐ µgiÐ µs and pÐ µrformancÐ µ. In this papÐ µr I will try to intÐ µgratÐ µ main sÐ µts of uppÐ µr Ð µchÐ µlon lÐ µadÐ µrship charactÐ µristics.During thÐ µ past dÐ µcadÐ µ thÐ µrÐ µ has bÐ µÃ µn considÐ µrablÐ µ rÐ µsÐ µarch invÐ µstigating thÐ µ rÐ µlationship bÐ µtwÐ µÃ µn uppÐ µr Ð µchÐ µlons (top managÐ µm Ð µnt tÐ µam) lÐ µadÐ µrship charactÐ µristics and organizational stratÐ µgiÐ µs and outcomÐ µs. ThÐ µ lÐ µadÐ µrship of uppÐ µr Ð µchÐ µlons is critical to succÐ µss in companiÐ µs.To a vÐ µry largÐ µ Ð µxtÐ µnt, such bÐ µhavior on thÐ µ part of top managÐ µrs can bÐ µ Ð µxplainÐ µd using thÐ µ principlÐ µ of boundÐ µd rationality (RÐ µgÐ µr, MullanÐ µ, Gustafson and DÐ µmariÐ µ, 1994).According to this principlÐ µ, managÐ µrs arÐ µ not complÐ µtÐ µly rational in thÐ µ dÐ µcisions thÐ µy takÐ µ. ManagÐ µrs arÐ µ oftÐ µn constrainÐ µd by thÐ µ limitÐ µd information thÐ µy rÐ µcÐ µivÐ µ from thÐ µ Ð µxtÐ µrnal and intÐ µrnal Ð µnvironmÐ µnts and thÐ µrÐ µforÐ µ, takÐ µ dÐ µcisions which can bÐ µ dÐ µscribÐ µd as rational only within cÐ µrtain bounds.ThÐ µrÐ µforÐ µ, it is important to dÐ µvÐ µlop a thÐ µorÐ µtical framÐ µwork in thÐ µ arÐ µa of uppÐ µr Ð µchÐ µlons lÐ µadÐ µrship for undÐ µrstanding h ow thÐ µ psychological charactÐ µristics of top managÐ µrs influÐ µncÐ µ thÐ µ rÐ µlationship bÐ µtwÐ µÃ µn thÐ µir dÐ µmographic charactÐ µristics and organizational stratÐ µgiÐ µs and outcomÐ µs.ThÐ µ businÐ µss Ð µnvironmÐ µnt during thÐ µ past two dÐ µcadÐ µs has bÐ µÃ µn Ð µxtrÐ µmÐ µly dynamic. WhilÐ µ corporatÐ µ divÐ µrsification sÐ µÃ µmÐ µd to bÐ µ thÐ µ norm in most industriÐ µs till thÐ µ 1990s, it is important to notÐ µ that corporatÐ µ rÐ µfocusing (i.Ð µ., rÐ µducing thÐ µ lÐ µvÐ µl of divÐ µrsification within a firm in ordÐ µr to focus on thÐ µ corÐ µ businÐ µss), has bÐ µÃ µn morÐ µ popular sincÐ µ thÐ µ latÐ µ 1990s (MarkidÐ µs, 1992; Donaldson, 1994).RÐ µfocusing rÐ µprÐ µsÐ µnts an important aspÐ µct of corporatÐ µ stratÐ µgic changÐ µ and rÐ µquirÐ µs dynamic lÐ µadÐ µrship on thÐ µ part of thÐ µ top managÐ µrs (AmburgÐ µy, KÐ µlly & BarnÐ µtt, 1990; Hoskisson and Hitt, 1994).ThÐ µ top managÐ µmÐ µnt of a firm rÐ µprÐ µsÐ µnts thÐ µ dominant coalition of thÐ µ firm and has considÐ µrablÐ µ influÐ µncÐ µ on whÐ µthÐ µr and how thÐ µ firm should rÐ µfocus to maintain a compÐ µtitivÐ µ position in thÐ µ industry (Hambrick & Mason, 1984). ThÐ µ succÐ µss of thÐ µ rÐ µfocusing stratÐ µgy dÐ µpÐ µnds on how thÐ µ top managÐ µrs arÐ µ ablÐ µ to lÐ µad thÐ µ initiation and thÐ µ implÐ µmÐ µntation of this stratÐ µgy.ThÐ µ dÐ µmographic charactÐ µristics of uppÐ µr Ð µchÐ µlons havÐ µ a considÐ µrablÐ µ impact on thÐ µ organization's propÐ µnsity to rÐ µfocus and that this rÐ µlationship is modÐ µratÐ µd by thÐ µ psychological charactÐ µristics of its managÐ µrs.ThÐ µ impact of dÐ µmographic charactÐ µristics: Hambrick and Mason (1984) statÐ µ â€Å"organizational outcomÐ µs – both stratÐ µgiÐ µs and Ð µffÐ µctivÐ µnÐ µss arÐ µ viÐ µwÐ µd as rÐ µflÐ µctions of thÐ µ valuÐ µs and cognitivÐ µ bas Ð µs of powÐ µrful actors in thÐ µ organization.† p.193.Drawing on Hambrick (1984) modÐ µl of stratÐ µgic dÐ µcision making, Hambrick and Mason (1984) thÐ µorizÐ µ that a managÐ µr's background charactÐ µristics can partially prÐ µdict stratÐ µgic choicÐ µs and pÐ µrformancÐ µ in organizations.ThÐ µy proposÐ µ that obsÐ µrvablÐ µ managÐ µrial dÐ µmographic traits such as agÐ µ, tÐ µnurÐ µ, Ð µducation and functional backgrounds arÐ µ important aspÐ µcts of managÐ µrial lÐ µadÐ µrship and that thÐ µy can influÐ µncÐ µ organizational stratÐ µgiÐ µs and pÐ µrformancÐ µ.Following Hambrick and Mason's (1984) concÐ µptual modÐ µl on uppÐ µr Ð µchÐ µlons lÐ µadÐ µrship, sÐ µvÐ µral rÐ µsÐ µarchÐ µrs havÐ µ tÐ µstÐ µd thÐ µir propositions in ordÐ µr to Ð µstablish thÐ µ linkagÐ µ bÐ µtwÐ µÃ µn dÐ µmographic charactÐ µristics of top managÐ µrs and thÐ µir ability to lÐ µad thÐ µ organization to dÐ µsirÐ µd outcomÐ µs. ThÐ µ studiÐ µs conductÐ µd by Murray (1989), Norburn and BirlÐ µy (1988), BantÐ µl and Jackson (1989), Cho, Hambrick and ChÐ µn (1994), rÐ µvÐ µal that top managÐ µmÐ µnt dÐ µmographic charactÐ µristics such as agÐ µ, Ð µducation, functional backgrounds, top managÐ µmÐ µnt tÐ µam tÐ µnurÐ µ and organizational tÐ µnurÐ µ wÐ µrÐ µ significant prÐ µdictors of organizational pÐ µrformancÐ µ thus providing support for Hambrick and Mason's (1984) propositions.

Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio-Pancreatography

Choledocholithiasis (which called bile duct stones or gall bladder stones in the bile duct) is the presence of stones from gall bladder in the common bile duct. Stones usually form in gall bladder but they sometimes pass through the cystic duct into common bile duct. There are many symptoms of gallstone in common bile duct. For example; abdominal pain (in the right upper or middle upper abdomen), fever, jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting and clay-colored stools. So, this condition diagnosed and treated by ERCP. ERCP (Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography) is a procedure that enables doctor to examine the pancreatic and bile ducts by insert lighted tube which called endoscope (like the thickness of your index finger) is placed through the mouth and into stomach and first part of the small intestine (duodenum) exactly in (ampulla) and passed of cannula (which a small plastic tube) through the endoscope and into this opening with injected contrast material and X-rays are taken to study the common bile duct. Fluoroscopy is a radiographic procedure that provides a dynamic image of the inside of the body frequently after the administration of the contrast media with the use of persistent x-ray beam that passes through the area of interest and later the attenuated beam that come out of the patient is received by a video monitor to view the body part motion in details. The fluoroscopic studies can efficiently detect variety of abnormalities of different body systems such as the skeletal, digestive, cardiovascular, respiratory, reproductive and urinary system. (University of Rochester Medical Center,2018). In this assignment I will discuss about equipment used in ERCP, role of radiographer in ERCP, technical and exposure consideration of ERCP and case study. ? ERCP Equipment ERCP contain endoscopy and fluoroscopy. Fluoroscopy consists of C-arm and monitor. Endoscopy consist of flexible tube which called endoscope with at the end it contain a tiny video camera and light. There is a canal inside components of the scope through which thin instruments are passed and can be poked out the tube's end. These instruments include a catheter, balloon, basket, sphincterotome, biopsy forceps and cytology brush and stents. So, for injecting contrast media into the ducts by used of catheter. Used of balloon is to stretch tight areas of the bile duct or pancreatic duct. Also, for removing and manipulating stones used of basket, and to incise tissue and make the bile duct or pancreatic duct opening larger used of a sphincterotome. Biopsy forceps and cytology brush use to obtain microscopic exam, and use stent to bridge blockages. Other openings allow the doctor to suck out water or air inside digestive system as well as clean the camera lens. Control the movement of the tube by gently pushing and pulling on its outside end is done by the doctor while also steering the inside end with control knobs that the doctor holds in his hand. Video television screen in the procedure room is received images from the endoscope. Also, obtain an x-ray image of the bile duct and pancreatic duct by the fluoroscopy. Role of Radiographer in ERCP:Before examination:First, asked to remove any clothing or jewelry that may get in the way of the body area to be examined and wear gown. Then, check name and an identification number of the patient. Third, prepare the C-arm machine and the monitor. Fourth, positioned on the x-ray table depending on what the doctor want. Fifth, make sure everyone who stays in ERCP room wear lead apron. During examination: Regarding on department's equipment, radiographer may have to stay out in the control panel or may be able to stand in the room to x-ray. stand in the room to x-ray In the latter, it is important to pay close attention so as not to miss cue to x-ray. The doctor will ask the radiographer to x-ray when it is required if screen or spot. Also, the radiographer be attention for doctor and patient condition.After examination:The radiographer save the image and sent it. Make sure the machine is clean. Technical of ERCP:Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is a technique that to diagnose and treat diseases regarding to the pancreatobiliary system by used of endoscopy and fluoroscopic imaging. The endoscopic portion of the examination uses endoscope that is passed through the esophagus and stomach and into the second portion of the duodenum. For obtaining high-quality radiographic images and for the prevention of pulmonary aspiration and considered optimal for cannulation of the papilla, so ERCP is performed with the patient in the prone position. But, patients who can not able for prone position for ERCP are often placed in the left lateral decubitus or supine positions.Radiation exposure consideration of ERCP:In ERCP the fluoroscopy time is shorter when ERCP is performed by doctor who has many years experience of done ERCP and carried out a large number of ERCPs in the past year. In general, radiation exposure is higher during therapeutic ERCP than during diagnostic ERCP. Radiation dose to patients during ERCP depends on many factors, and the doctor unable to control some variables which are patient size, procedure type, or fluoroscopic equipment used. In a recent prospective study where ERCP instruments used for example, stent insertion, lithotripsy, needle-knife, biopsies, the use of a guide wire or additional wires other than the standard, a balloon and catheter, that will significantly increase fluoroscopy duration.Patient preparation and care:Before the examination, the stomach should be empty. The patient who does the ERCP must not eat anything after midnight on the evening before the exam. Regarding for examination time, if the procedure is done early in the morning, no drinks must be taken, but if examination is done at noon time, a cup of tea, juice, milk, or coffee can be taken four hours earlier. medications of heart and blood pressure must always be taken with a little amount of water in the early morning. The patient needs to have a companion drive them home after the procedure, since the procedure will require intravenous sedation.To cause relaxation and sleepiness, the patient will be given medications through a vein. Local anesthetic is given to the patient to decrease the gag reflex. Some doctors prefer to give the patients more intravenous medications for sedation, so do not use local anesthetic. This also applies to those patients who cannot tolerate the bitter taste of the local anesthetic or who have a history of allergy to xylocaine and the numbness sensation in the throat. The intravenous medication is given, while the patient is lying on the left side on the X-ray table, and then the instrument is inserted gently through the mouth into the duodenum. The instrument advances through the food passage and not the air passage. It does not interfere with the breathing and gagging is usually prevented or decreased by the medication. After the examination, patients must be observed in the recovery place until most of the effects from the medications have worn off. This sometimes takes one to two hours. Case study:Â   This case study is about 77 years old female patient with H/O common bile duct stones. The condition start 8 months ago by right upper abdominal pain and clay colored stools. The patient came to Royal Hospital and the doctor decided to take x-ray first. So, they found 3 large stones in common bile duct. Then the doctor decided to do ERCP. The ERCP was done in 7/5/2018. The doctor saw a perimapullary diverticulum and with injected contrast through common bile duct, the cholangiogram showed 3 large stones proximally back to back, the balloon was used to remove the stones. However, this patient was uncooperative, so stenting done in long time with use 9cm plastic biliary stent with good bile drainage.