Mercury Drug Macro Environment Essay

Demographics Mercury Drugstore’s Primary Target Market Demographics : Ages ranging from 18 to 65 years old who may be male or female that belong to any social class – B, C, D, and E Marital status – no specific status. The available market size using research data show that 6 out of 10 Filipinos are now opting for generic medicines over the more expensive branded counterparts. For a $2 Billion Pharmaceutical market in the Philippines $1.2 Billion (60%) – Generics Medicines $800 Million (40%) – Branded Medicines. Affordable generic medicine more available to a greater number of the population at the soonest possible time since generic medicines are 30% to 80% lower than the branded medicines Economic Data from researches show that out of every 10 Filipinos, 6 Filipinos are now opting to purchase generic medicines over the more expensive branded counterparts. For a $2 Billion Pharmaceutical market in the Philippines $1.2 Billion 60% for Generic Medicines $800 Million 40% for Branded Medicines. The rate of affordability of generic medicines is higher to the greater portion of the Filipino population. This is due to the price of generic medicines which are 30-80% lower than the branded ones. Natural Increase of cold months in the country caused increase of incidences of pneumonia. Pneumonia involves inflammation of the lungs and leads to hospitalization. Foreigners, especially those from non-tropical regions, are most susceptible to this in the Philippines because they have to adjust to the weather patterns. Diarrhea outbreaks have been consistently on the rise in Philippine soil, especially with the recent aftermath of Typhoon Ketsana (Ondoy in local name). Physical, emotional and social factors contribute to this prevalent problem of Filipinos. More underweight than overweight, Filipinos often have to consider societal gaps as a primary factor. The ill distribution of wealth in the country attributes to most Filipinos having less food to eat on their plates. Many Filipinos continue to fall victim to drug addiction. There are over 3.5 million habitual drug users in the country, and some of the national scandals in the past have been linked to illegal drug use. The ongoing struggle against illegal drug addiction is an uphill battle. A more recent DOH problem involved the hyper increase of cases of leptopspirosis in the Philippines, particularly in La Union and other flood-stricken areas. The onset of consecutive floods from the string of typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng caused contaminated water to fill the urban and rural areas. Technological Improvements in the field of computers have made operations in the stores more efficient and less time consuming and as well as having a more organized system of recording purchases. Mercury drugstore now is on the verge of implementing an online purchasing system in which customers may order medicines through the internet and then picking up the goods at the store of purchase. This will help the store reduce the number of people in queue and as well as offer customers a better way to purchase their items. Technological advancements have now brought about better medicines and as well as a larger variety of medicines giving the company a chance to broaden their stocks as well as the number of their consumers. The 3g system of the current netphones are now able to give people an opportunity to get in contact with the store so that their concerns can be acknowledged as well as any order of goods. Political Mercury drugstore now implies the senior citizen discount which is mandatory according to the laws of the Philippines. Mercury drug has also been able to adopt a senior citizen lane in their stores nationwide. Cultural/Sociological The need to be healthy is highly needed in the Philippines especially with poverty on the side. Most Filipinos that belong to the lower class tend to over exert themselves and end up with exhaustion, which has a high probability of leading to sickness. So daily supplements are needed to be able to sustain a healthier body while facing harsh working conditions.

Benefits and Risks of 3D/4D Ultrasound Essay

Non-invasive method of producing pictures of parts of the body by exposing them to high-frequency sound waves is known as ultrasound imaging or sonography or ultrasound scanning. The images obtained thus are captured real-time, thus showing the movement, structure and blood flow of the internal organs. The equipment used for this purpose is known as ultrasound scanner which consists of a console, a video display screen and a transducer. The console contains a computer and electronics. High frequency, inaudible sound waves are sent into the parts of the body through the transducer in small pulses. These waves bounce off the tissues producing a change in the pitch and direction of the sound. This change is again picked up by the transducer and then based on these echoed waves, the shape, size and consistency of the part of the body is deducted and a real-time image is created on the monitor (radiology info, n. d. ). Until recently only the conventional 2 dimensional images were being produced. However recent advances have led to the development of 3-dimentional and 4-dimentional images too. Such images are very popular in obstetric scanning and are being used to view the baby in the pregnant mother. The 3D/4D images allow physicians and mothers to look at the features of the baby and also watch the baby move and grow (Wood, 2008). 3D pictures are produced by storing the echoed waves digitally and shading the life-like images of the baby. Adding element of movement to 3D pictures produces 4D pictures. However, the clarity and activity of the images depends on the gestational age and the position of the fetus at the time of scanning (Wood, 2008). Benefits of 3D/4D ultrasound The most relieving benefit of the modern 3D/4D ultrasound is that there is no preparation needed prior to scanning. The conventional 2D ultrasound demanded full-bladder causing discomfort to the patient. Also, certain parts of the body like the arms, face, legs, toes and fingers are seen more clearly in the 3D/4D. Thus conditions like cleft palate are more easily detected in the modern ultrasound. Various movements of the fetus like smiling, crying, yawning, blinking, and moving fingers can be seen with 4D ultrasound. Another benefit with this type of scanning is that the type of display is multiplanar allowing visual cut through of structures and organs in any plane. Thus even the fetal brain and its cavities can be studied (Wood, 2008). Studies have reported that 3D ultrasounds were much superior in determining fetal weight more appropriately. Also, 3D ultrasounds require lesser views, are easier to use, are more efficient and produce much clearer image when compared to 2D scanning (Wiseman and Kiehl, 2007). Thus, 3D ultrasounds are able to analyze fetal abnormality in a better way. 3D ultrasound is superior to 2D in nuchal cord identification at term (Wiseman and Kiehl, 2007). 3D ultrasound can identify women who have chances of delivering early by measuring cervical length. 3D is also superior in gender identification, even in the first trimester (Wiseman and Kiehl, 2007). There is lot of potential to study neurological behavior of the fetus using 4D ultrasound (Wiseman and Kiehl, 2007). On the whole, 3D/4D ultrasound gives an opportunity to expectant mothers to know and familiarize their babies much before they are born, thus creating bondage between mother and baby. The technology also allows visual confirmation of pregnancy and reassurance of well-being of the fetus. Risks of 3D/4D ultrasound Although no obvious risks have been identified with 3D/4D scanning as is the case with 2D scanning, the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine warns against the possibility of biological effects of scanning which may be identified in future (Wood, 2008). Even the American College of Radiology and The United States Food and Drug Administration warn against casual exposure to ultrasound especially during pregnancy. This warning comes in the light of shooting baby photos in malls using scanning machines. There are also concerns about possible thermal and mechanical damage to the fetus caused by sound waves which has led to the ALARA principle of exposure, meaning, the sonologists expose the fetus to ‘As Low As Reasonably Achievable’ doses of sound waves (Wiseman and Kiehl, 2007). Conclusion 3D/4D ultrasound scanning is a wonder technology which is gaining lot of importance in obstetric medicine. This method of scanning allows better visualization of the fetus and its parts, early and proper identification of anomalies and establishment of bond with the baby much before the baby is born. However, though there are no reports of side effects of these non-invasive procedures, researchers warn against the possibility of thermal and mechanical damage to the fetus, thus discouraging unnecessary exposure during pregnancy. Research is warranted to discover the side effects of these wonder technologies. References RadiologyInfo. Obstetrical Ultrasound. Retrieved on 21st Feb. , 2009 from http://www. radiologyinfo. org/en/info. cfm? PG=obstetricus Wiseman, C. S. , and Kiehl, E. M. (2007). Picture Perfect: Benefits and Risk of Fetal 3D Ultrasound. MCN, The American Journal of Maternal and Child Nursing, 32(2), 102- 109. Wood, D. (2008). New Dimensions in Prenatal Ultrasound: 3D and 4D. Retrieved on 21st Feb. , 2009 from http://www. swedish. org/17337. cfm

Integrated marketing strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Integrated marketing strategy - Essay Example ecognize the proper media option in relation to communication objectives in order to facilitate customers with the actual information regarding the products and services (Percy, 2008) Contextually, the competitive market of automobile industry reveals that companies are currently facing various problems while launching new products in the market. In relation to this aspect Zamada Motor Company from Japan should consider certain strategies prior to the final launch of its products in Eastern region of Canada in relation to IMC. It is in this context that adequate significance towards the IMC approach shall enable Zamada in obtaining greater competitive advantages when introducing its â€Å"2.2† model car in Eastern Canada over its major rivals including Mini, Fiat, Ford and Toyota among others. With the intention to gain competitive advantages and better return from its diversity planning, i.e. the launch of â€Å"2.2† model car, Zamada has been targeting customers aged between 22 years to 34 years, irrespective of their gender based classification. However, for female customers, the age bar has been relaxed upto 45 years. Hence, it can be affirmed that Zamada has been primarily targeting towards the female group of customers belonging to the age group of 22 years to 45 years in order to gain competitive advantages over the available substitutes. Hereby, the sole intention of this particular marketing approach should be augmenting customer awareness regarding the brand and subsequently, increase their preferences towards Zamada through effective IMC strategies. It is worth mentioning in this context that IMC is a multidimensional approach which functions on the basis of various channels, such as direct selling, audio-visual communication channels, personal selling, and public relations among others. However, concerning the objectives of Zamada in launching a new car model as well as its targeted market segment, the channels that can be beneficial f or its IMC program are advertizing, public relation and interactive marketing (RD Marketing, 2011). With the help of the selected communication channels, Zamada shall be able to develop adequate awareness among the potential customers. Stating precisely, advertising through print, audio and audio-visual media is considered to reward better accessibility to the potential customers in the modern day context which certainly increases the chances of generating increasing sales through effective brand awareness. Similarly, effective concern towards public relation has often been regarded to be virtuous in yielding satisfactory customer loyalty towards the brand developing effective customer relationship. Nevertheless, interactive marketing assists in obtaining an in-depth understanding of the requirements and perceptions of the customers which further assists in

Attributes of a Student Teaching Experience Term Paper

Attributes of a Student Teaching Experience - Term Paper Example For students to learn they must have tutors or teachers to take then through class work and other activities. Student-teacher relationship should be tailored towards improving the current status of the student both intellectually and morally and in a positive way (Hargreaves & Goodson, 2006). Teachers are supposed to prepare their students for the interdependent world that nowadays is a global village. Teachers while preparing students should put in mind that the students they are preparing are to be incorporated in this developing world where development has taken center stage. The theoretical part of the study should be practically practiced. This opens up the mind of students making them able to be open minded in their profession and effectively teach others in any part of the world. Learning is a gradual process which needs time and patience. People are different in understanding and grasping things when being taught. This calls for patience from the teacher. The lessons should b e systematic to avoid forgetfulness and enhance grasping crucial information by students. The teacher should put up a methodology which is applicable to students. This helps the students to move together, if in a group and at almost similar pace. The method being used by the teacher should be aimed at improving the students understanding of the topic or subject being taught. The capability of the teacher is well seen by the way he/she teaches. The method used should be easy to understand by the students. Communication is vital in exchanging information. The way a teacher communicates with the students will eventually make then understand or fail. It’s important for the teacher to ensure that the students do not realize your weak points because that will affect their psychological perception about you and even take you for granted. The seriousness you accord to your work and towards the students will always make students build enough confidence in you. The language being used by the teacher should be understood by the students putting in mind that the teacher should try to elaborate further if a point is not yet home. Students largely depend on their teacher for reliable information since they trust in their teacher and believe that whatever they are taught is true. The learning materials used should also portray the truth and similar information since people today work in different countries and therefore it will be easier for them if the same information is taught all over the world. The relationship between the teacher and the student should be morally upright and essentially meant to improve the student capabilities both in class and extra curriculum activities. There is also evidence in the long run of students studying in other parts of the world having been taught similar things in their respective schools returning and being able to cope well with the of needs and wants of the society experienced in the current job market. Flexibility and opennes s (Eduventures, 2008) and ability to apply creative solutions to classroom conflicts while promoting intercultural interdependence in their classrooms. The teacher should instill self-confidence and honesty to his/her students. Students who wish to be teachers also gain a better understanding of the broader nature of teaching as a worldwide profession and begin to realize that the basic skills and qualities of an effective teacher are universal. Putting

Race, Racism and Critical Thinking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Race, Racism and Critical Thinking - Essay Example In other words, racists always consider people from others as second class citizens. They presumed to be having some kind of privileges in this society. Race is a social construct. In other words, a person belongs to a particular race not because of his activities but because of his genetics. This paper critically analyses the dimensions of race and racism. According to Albert Jacquard racism is an intellectual disease or â€Å"madness† (De Benoist, p,12). It should be noted that majority of the racists are intellectuals and well educated. In other words, racism occurs not because of the lack of awareness about this world or society, but because of the increasing awareness of the people. In fact majority of the uneducated people do not have racism in their minds even if they come from the elite class. That is why Albert Jacquard labelled racism as an intellectual disease or â€Å"madness†. According to Michael Billig: â€Å"The fact that a person expresses prejudicial feelings toward a particular alien group does not necessarily mean that the individual will always react with hostility to a specific member of that group† (De Benoist, p,12). In other words, individual elements have nothing to do with the feeling of racism. For example, Obama became the president of America for the second time. He is a person from black community. The election of Obama doesn’t mean that all Americans have left their racial feelings or black community has equal status with white community in America. In short, racism is a feeling against a particular community; not against any individuals. Pierre Fougeyrollas’ argued that â€Å"The social sciences must study racism as an ensemble of observable phenomena among others and in relation to other phenomena† (De Benoist, p,12). Sexism, stereotyping, colonialism, fascism etc are some of the terms which are similar in nature with racism. One of the peculiar aspects of these terms is the fact that m ost people keep these kinds of beliefs in their mind and it is difficult to observe such things. Nobody will openly declare that he is a racist, sexist, or a fascist. At the same time, their activities may reflect the elements of racism, sexism, and fascism. Therefore, racism or sexism can be studied only with the help of observable behaviours. â€Å"Racist ideology turns into a theory forged to justify an act of aggression or to legitimate a relation of domination from which one would expect to profit† (De Benoist, p,16). Profit’s word making is the motto which encourages racists to spread their ideology. We are living in a world of commercialization. In today’s world, every action is analysed in terms of the profit and loss it made. Only profitable actions are acceptable to the society whereas actions which result in some kind of losses are avoided as much as possible. Racial activities definitely bring more profit to the elite group even though it brings loss es to the underprivileged. Therefore, racists accept racism as an acceptable phenomenon whereas underprivileged or the victims label it as a unacceptable activity. â€Å"More broadly, racism is generated from the â€Å"normalization† of a relation of domination. This idea is frequently espoused by authors who see an intimate relation between racism, colonialism, imperialism, etc† † (De Benoist, p,16). â€Å"The doctrine of colonialism unquestionably mixes racist judgments

Human Resource Management and the Internal Environment Essay

Human Resource Management and the Internal Environment - Essay Example HRM of one form or another are a necessary part of any company as it serves many important needs. HRM management in organisations has an increasing impact on individuals, other organisations and the community. It is important, therefore, to understand how HRM function and the pervasive influences which they exercise over the behaviour of people and organisation. Ulrich and Lake in their book "Organizational Capability: Competing from the inside out" (1990) wrote: Specifically, HRM is concerned with achieving objectives in the areas summarized below. HRM is generally identified therefore as an element or support concept. In certain organisations, however, such as employment agencies, personnel is very much part of the productive process and will be a task function. In other organisations, noticeably in service industries, the role of HRM can also be closely associated with a task function. For example, in the hotel and catering industry many members of the workforce are in direct contact with the customer and are seen as being involved in achieving the objectives of the organisation. People are part of the finished product for which the customer is paying. Customer satisfaction is likely to be affected as much by the courtesy, helpfulness and personal qualities of the staff as by the standard of food and beverage, accommodation or other facilities. This places particular importance on the personnel function. So, different organisations need t o employ different concepts of HRM in order to achieve their goals. In general, Human Resource Management is concerned more with: a long-term rather than a short-term perspective; the psychological contract based on commitment rather than compliance; self-control rather than external controls; an Unitarian rather than a pluralist perspective; an organic rather than a bureaucratic structure; integration with line management rather than specialist or professional roles; and maximum utilisation rather than cost-minimisation. HRM uses different concept providing different models of employees' treatment according to the organizational interests. The hard and soft models of HRM were introduced by John Storey in 1989. He supposes that HRM can be regarded as a "set of interrelated policies with an ideological and philosophical underpinning" (Storey 1989, p.31). The four aspects he underlines are: beliefs and assumptions; a strategic thrust; involvement of line managers; a set of techniques to improve the relationship. John Storey (1989) expresses this as follows: In stereotyped form HRM appears capable of making good each of the main shortcomings of personnel management. Its performance and delivery are integrated into line management: the aim shifts from merely securing compliance to the more ambitious one of winning commitment (Storey 1989, p. 33). Hard and soft approaches are concerned with the business-oriented and human-oriented aspects within an organisational

Business Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business Management - Assignment Example An organization, whether big or small, is defined as a group of people working together to achieve common goals. The top management establishes the organizational goals. These goals are then redefined to obtain measurable performance targets. Such measurable parameters help the management monitor employees and ensure that they are on the right track. The management also develops strategies that will help the organization meet these goals. The implementation of these strategies requires a formal structure of authority and responsibilities. A well designed organization structure facilitates coordination among the activities of employees and enables an organization to accomplish its goals and objectives. Even the culture of an organization is defined by the structure of an organization. The culture of an organization can divided into 4 categories, namely: 1. Hierarchy Culture 2. Market Culture 3. Clan Culture 4. Adhocracy Culture As discussed above that structure, culture, objectives an d effectiveness of an organization are all inter-linked. So an organization needs to define its culture very effectively. ... As discussed above, the organization has proper hierarchical structure wherein there are ground staff that are there at the restaurants, restaurant managers, agency manager, area manager, regional managers and so on. The proper hierarchical structure maintains a proper reporting authority within the organization. Consider the example of McDonalds which has a decentralized structure in the company. Due to the importance of the quality, speed, and cost McDonald adopted decentralization methodology in its supply network, for example McDonald in China deal with over 50 suppliers which covers 95% of the raw materials, another example show the methodology of McDonald supply network is McDonald in United Kingdom, where McDonald rely on the local market for its supply for almost 60% of the raw materials. Although McDonald rely on outsource for most of its supplies but it maintained the quality part with aim to standardize the meal in all its branch locally and globally, thus McDonald spent m illions to found hamburger university, additional to the close training to the franchisers with aim to ensure that its franchisers will provide the oriented level of quality additional to the closely monitoring and supervision. In terms of location of capacity McDonald deal with Egypt Bakery Stores to supply part of African countries additional to Saudi market, Egypt Bakery Stores has selected by MacDonald due to the strong capacity, Egypt Bakery Stores has over 180 stores regionally, in terms of MacDonald in China, MacDonald selected to start its business in China market particularly in Shenzhen the economic zone of China due to the facilitates that Shenzhen offered to the foreign firms such as cheap power, freedom to hire and fire, cheap manpower, low

Building construction for the fire service essay 2 (Brannigan &

Building construction for the fire service 2 (Brannigan & Corbett, 2008 - Essay Example In addition, transporting or moving the fire fighting equipment to the building can be a problem as well (Schottke, 2012, p 34). High-rise fire requires huge resource requirement allocation. This is because a balance has to be achieved among a number of factors at play. For instance, achieving a balance between evacuating the occupants from within the building as well as allocating the necessary resources to curb the fire before it grows and destroys the property or causes loss of life. It is important to acknowledge that high-rise building fire fighting requires a huge number of experienced fire fighting personnel’s as well as sophisticated fire fighting equipment that are very expensive. A lot of coordination between the fire fighting personnel’s is also required (Schottke, 2012, p 35). Time is an important factor in fire fighting. The shorter the time of fire evacuation, the better the result and the vice versa. High-rise buildings pose a challenge to get water on target. This is simply due to the height involved, and in addition, a lot of time is lost when coordinating the various steps before the actual fire fighting commences. This increases the impacts of the fire. It is also important to note that the water is applied vertically in most cases and hence reducing its effectiveness (Schottke, 2012, p 35). Fire fighting in high-rise buildings is a dangerous undertaking. It should be carried out by skilled personnel’s and only after careful planning and consultation. The necessary equipments should as well be at play and should be used by specialized

Laptops in School Essay Example for Free

Laptops in School Essay Power on the new paper of the future. Students should be able to have a laptop for schoolwork instead of carrying a binder and using paper for everything they are assigned to do. First of all, homework would be more fun to do on a laptop. Students would be able to put more detail into their work as well as show their personality because of all the features and applications within a computer. Paper assignments on worksheets and bookwork don’t provide this opportunity. This would be fun as students would to be able to create, answer questions, and study if students had the access a computer brings. Secondly, students will find that turning in homework on time is easier with a laptop than traditional paper assignments. A college student said,† Using laptops will help students with their grades. † Once a student completes the assignment, he or she can simply email it to the teacher. Students will not have the excuse of losing the assignment, forgetting it or having a dog eat the homework. Using paper means cutting down trees. Laptops should be a student’s friend. Statistics prove a third point. Statistics show that using laptops in school increases students’ grades. Going more in depth in assignments is what students will do if they have laptops. Also, students have a better chance of turning in their work and therefore grades will improve. Teachers and parents continue to complain that grades drop because students are lazy and don’t remember to turn in homework when it is due. Statistics also show that today’s teens are so involved in every aspect of technology, they would embrace the opportunity to simply use their skills with computers and homework. A student at Brigham Young University who uses his laptop daily, said, â€Å" Laptops are required in college. When using laptops, assignments can be graded quickly because of automated grading done by the computer. Turning in homework through a computer would allow quicker feedback to students. The quick feedback would allow a teacher to see what students are struggling with. Plus, a laptop is better than using paper. Paper is a waste of trees. † About 144,000 trees get cut down each day. Cutting down trees is what is done to get paper. The less trees we have, the less oxygen we have. Finally, laptops will reduce that cutting down of trees in the future predicting a longer life for the earth. In college it is required for students to have laptops. So why not start using laptops now? Most of the work we do in middle school and high school is for college and life after college. The laptop will become a student’s best friend, mentor, helper, and environment saver.

Neglecting the Complexities Essay Example for Free

Neglecting the Complexities Essay Global warming is the heating up of the earth’s surface which causes such an increase in the average temperature that sums up to the change in the earth’s climate. This can be attributed to the man-made greenhouse gas concentrations as in the greenhouse effect. The Earths climate changes in response to external forcing, including variations in its orbit around the Sun (orbital forcing), changes in solar luminosity, volcanic eruptions, and atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. The detailed causes of the recent warming remain an active field of research, but the scientific consensus is that the increase in atmospheric greenhouse gases due to human activity caused most of the warming observed since the start of the industrial era. This attribution is clearest for the most recent 50 years, for which the most detailed data are available. Some other hypotheses departing from the consensus view have been suggested to explain most of the temperature increase. One such hypothesis proposes that warming may be the result of variations in solar activity. We can just imagine how much of this heat would come from the environmental pollution as the toxic wastes emitted by factory chimneys, production of plastics, chemicals from hairsprays and the like. These innovations that are both detrimental to human health and environment, especially in times where we have denuded green fields and lack of the maintaining and sustaining of the forestry. The current times would show much indifference from the human population who as learned to embrace the short term aesthetic beauty and comfort that this modernism offers to the industry. This apathy should then be addressed immediately especially at these times when the grave effects and destructions of the global warming are so imminent not only in the human health but most especially with the dwindling of natural resources. Despite the notable efforts of some groups and organizations, one cannot help the passive undertaking of such a serious matter by the higher percentage of the human population. One should realize the horrendous effects that could follow with further negligence to such an alarming state of nature. The anticipated shift of climate because of global warming has the biggest possibility of having irreversible effects at both the continental and global scales which prove to be truly devastating. Though the actual materialization of such projected effects remain controversial, the foreseen outcomes include the impeded ocean circulation which is responsible for the transportation of the warm water to the North Atlantic, The wiping out of Greenland and West Antarctic Ice Sheets, intensification of droughts, the wildfires out of heatwaves, severing storms, the speeding up of global warming brought about by the carbon cycle feedbacks in the terrestrial biosphere, and the exhaust of the terrestrial carbon from permafrost regions and methane from hydrates in coastal sediments. The United States National Academy of Sciences has warned, Greenhouse warming and other human alterations of the earth system may increase the possibility of large, abrupt, and unwelcome regional or global climatic events. . . . Future abrupt changes cannot be predicted with confidence, and climate surprises are to be expected. It was stated that most of the consequences of global warming would result from one of three physical changes: sea level rise, higher local temperatures, and changes in rainfall patterns. Sea level is generally expected to rise 18 to 59 cm (7. 1 to 23. 2 inches) by the end of the century. The extreme weather caused by global warming could lead to effects as that of Extratropical storms which is partly dependent on the temperature gradient that is predicted to weaken in the northern hemisphere as the polar region warms more than the rest of the hemisphere. Because of the warm climate there would be an increase in the evaporation which will then cause heavier rainfall as our world is a closed system, which further leads to erosion. This is very detrimental to tropical areas which may lead to desertification due to deforestation. It was then predicted to have an average of 2. 8% catastrophic storms in every 1% increase in annual precipitation. RESOLUTION Because of this awareness on the projected negative effects of global warming it has brought much concern to the human population which brought certain political advocacies into the proposition of ways to eradicate and alleviate the status of our ecosystem as greatly affected by the global warming. They are now promoting extensive means and way into advocating the social awareness of such horrendous effects to our world. The effects and consequences of present acts my not be super visible or flatly exposed to the human eye, but the projected image of how bad things can turn out to be is now shown through studies such as that of one as reported to UN by Stephen Mwakifwamba, national coordinator of the Centre for Energy, Environment, Science and Technology with regard to the Tanzanian government’s climate change. In the past, we had a drought about every 10 years, he says. Now we just dont know when they will come. They are more frequent, but then so are floods. The climate is far less predictable. We might have floods in May or droughts every three years. Upland areas, which were never affected by mosquitoes, now are. Water levels are decreasing every day. The rains come at the wrong time for farmers and it is leading to many problems. Greg Holland, director of the Mesoscale and Microscale Meteorology Division at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, said on April 24, 2006, The hurricanes we are seeing are indeed a direct result of climate change, and that the wind and warmer water conditions that fuel storms when they form in the Caribbean are, increasingly due to greenhouse gases. There seems to be no other conclusion you can logically draw. Holland said, The large bulk of the scientific community say what we are seeing now is linked directly to greenhouse gases. The Association of British Insurers has stated that limiting carbon emissions would avoid 80% of the projected additional annual cost of tropical cyclones by the 2080s. The cost is also increasing partly because of building in exposed areas such as coasts and floodplains. The ABI claims that reduction of the vulnerability to some inevitable effects of climate change, for example through more resilient buildings and improved flood defenses, could also result in considerable cost-savings in the long term. Most national governments have signed and ratified the Kyoto Protocol aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but there is ongoing political and public debate worldwide regarding what, if any, action should be taken to reduce or reverse future warming or to adapt to its expected consequences. All of these warnings and plans can only be fully realized once each and every individual take a serious look at this alarming earth condition; then personally taking the initiative to involve them selves and act in ways to the promotion of lessening all these harmful sources of global heat. We can take a start from the use of earth-friendly materials such as the recycling method or even the use of healthy vehicular fuels. There are numerous ways to make use of the available alternatives or probably to explore new and better ways of catering materials for human services left to be seen. References Association of British Insurers. (2005). Financial risks of climate change. Brian S. and Gabriel V. (2007). IPCC Projections and Hurricanes. Geophysical Fluids Dynamic Global Warming blog. Global warming behind record 2005 storms: experts. Retrieved on Decmeber 12, 2006, from Reuters. Hoyos, Carlos D. ; Paula A. Agudelo, Peter J.Webster, Judith A. Curry (2006). Deconvolution of the Factors Contributing to the Increase in Global Hurricane Intensity. Science Express. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2007, February 05). Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Retrieved February 02, 2007, from http://www. ipcc. ch/ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Retrieved December 12, 2007. Houghton, J. T. ,Y. Ding, D. J.

Overview Of The Firstbank Nigeria Plc

Overview Of The Firstbank Nigeria Plc FIRSTBANK Nigeria Plc is one of the oldest financial institutions and indeed the largest retail lender in Nigeria, its the 1st bank to be established in West Africa. The bank was incorporated in Liverpool as a Limited Liability company in March 1894 with the name Bank of British West Africa. The bank was listed on the Nigerian Stock exchange (NSE) in March 1971 after which it acquired its name First Bank of Nigeria in 1979. Following the CBN induced industry-wide consolidation in 2005 the bank acquired its merchant banking subsidiary, FBN Merchant Banker ltd and MBC intl Bank Plc. FirstBank maintains a subsidiary in United Kingdom which has a branch in Paris, the bank also has representative offices in South Africa, China and Dubai through which it offers offshore financial services. Presently the Banks assets are in excess of N100billion. 1.2 THE NATURE AND SIZE FIRSTBANK as a leading commercial bank has the largest network of branches in the country, over the years the bank has continually reviewed its organizational structure and corporate identity in line with changing financial environment. Known for its uniqueness for being dependably dynamic and stability, 1st Bank has made for its self a name, a brand goodwill associated with fidelity and safety of funds. Being a key player in the nations financial-banking sector, Firstbank delivers a wide range of financial services to its numerous customers; the bank is well known for innovative changes in technological device and service delivery. Being the first bank to introduce a Biometric ATM i.e. an ATM machine that uses both pin no selection and finger prints to identify transaction buttresses this point. The bank through its acquired subsidiaries also provide other financial services and they include, insurance policies, housing schemes, asset portfolio management. 1.3 PRODUCTS AND SERVICES FIRSTBANK offers a wide range of wholesale, retail and consumer banking products and services in ensuring that it keeps true to its name as the 1st bank of choice in the country,. Our products include: Æ’ËÅ" CONSUMER BANKING: Generic Savings Account, Current Account, First Premium Term Deposit, First Savings Plus Account, First Hifi (Children) Account, First Current Plus Current Account(with zero COT), FIRST Current Business Account, First Dom Account, First Instant Savings Account. All accounts have the flexibility of over the counter withdrawals given the new CBN policy, ATM cards, Dividend warrants lodgment and access to E-Banking services. . Æ’ËÅ" WHOLESALE BANKING: The services and products therein are further divided into ASSET PRODUCTS: They include- Term loans, Overdraft, Oil and Gas contract finance(OGCF), Bankers Acceptance, Commercial Papers, Bills Discounting, Project Finance, Equipment Leasing etc, INTERNATIONAL TRADE FINACE: Includes but not limited to- Import finance, Export Finance, Clean lineconfirmation, Letters of Credit, Bills for Collection, Forex Trading Invisible RemittancesPayment for Services. Æ’ËÅ" E- BANKING: First Online which allows you to transact business online at the comfort or your home or offices. First Alert-Instant notification on your account First Mobile-Access to your account through you phone, it includes buying of airtime and payment of utility bills. First Pay and First Collect-effect payment and several collection to and from your merchants. FIRST CARDS : Debit and Credit cards which include- MasterCard, FirstBank Naira MasterCard, First Cash Card, Visa Card (Gold, Classic and Infinite), Visa Credit Card. Notice that all cards issued by the bank comes with FIRSTBANK brand name- FIRST FIGURE 1C:UsersDanielDesktopCYNTHIAFirstBank MasterCard.jpg C:UsersDanielDesktopCYNTHIAVISA_GOLD2.gif C:UsersDanielDesktopCYNTHIAFirstCash Card.jpg Æ’ËÅ" MONEY TRANSFER: FIRSTBANK offers funds transfer services locally and internationally through mediums like- First Domestic Transfer, Western Union, Money Gram and RIA. Æ’ËÅ" OTHER SERVICES: Other services rendered by the bank includes- Agricultural Financing, FIRST Diaspora banking services for Nigerians in Diaspora and Bills Payment for prompt settlement of utility bills(e.g. PHCN, Water and DSTV) 1.4 VISION, MISSION AND ESSENCE Vision: To be the clear leader and Nigerias bank of first choice Mission: To remain true to our name by providing the best financial services possible Essence: The DNA of the FirstBank brand lies in its strength, size and dependability, typified by its brand icon, the African Elephant. Our brand essence is therefore Dependably Dynamic which is a holistic representation of our past, present and the future of FirstBank. 1.5 CORE VALUES The core values of FirstBank are coined in an acronym for quick recall and living by the guiding principle TELL SPIC Team Work Everyday a better way, the team spirit is embedded in our culture as the best possible way to work. Ethics The good will of the bank is to be maintained as you deal with both internal and external customers, ensuring that the client leaves your office satisfied. Loyalty the essence of brand name and its very existence evolves in loyalty to our customers, Firstbank has been in existence for generations and loyalty to our customers is what makes us tick. Superior Performance To strengthen the banks brand, leverage and upscale the customers experience through delivery of excellent services. Professionalism To revolutionize the Banks operations in line with the dynamics of the operating environment while ensuring that we provide the best financial services unmatched. Integrity Adopt high ethical values to guide the conduct of all banking business and transactions in conformity with all relevant regulatory requirements. Customer Centricity The customer is the king and the reason we are in business, their demands should be met in line with banks policy 1.6 OUR BRAND PILLARS LEADERSHIP Our statusability as truly the 1st and No1 SAFETYSECURITY- Security of fundsInvestments, job security, Integrity. ENTERPRISE Resourcefulness, Tenacity SERVICE EXCELLENCE Efficiency, Performance focused, Reliability, Accessibility 2.0 PLANNING This chapter focuses on goal setting, study plan, expected difficulties to be encountered in data collection and plan to overcome these challenges. 2.1 OBJECTIVE OF THE ORGANISATIONAL ANALYSIS The objective of the organizational analysis is to specifically examine the current state of the Banks operational and structural framework, analyse the functional units and the interface relations and also recommend ways of improving the interface relations. 2.2 GOAL SETTING Goals setting involves establishing specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-framed (S.M.A.R.T ) target by an individual or organization. Goal focuses attention towards goal-relevant activities, revealing the objectives and strategies in which the goals can be met. Figure 1 below is the structured project plan for the organisational analysis. Activity Timeline 20-Jun-12 22-Jun-12 24-Jun-12 26-Jun-12 28-Jun-12 30-Jun-12 2-July-12 4-July-12 8-July-12 10-July-12 12-July-12 14-July-12 16-July-12 18-July-12 22-July-12 Review of BSN course material Data Gathering Data compilation Report writing Draft Report Review Sub-set meeting Review Update report Draft submission to set adviser Correction and final submission Figure 2: Project Plan 2.3 PROJECT PLAN Reviewing of the BSN course materials and EBSCO database to understand theory on organisational structures, data collection method and research report writing style. The internet (Google search and Wikipedia) comes in very handy in enhancing project plan. The objective of the data collection stage of the project is to gather relevant and accurate information, to obtain the participation and co-operation of the appropriate target population and to facilitate the collection and analysis of data. The targeted populations are staff of the functional units, staff of hub branches, heads of the functional units (department) and some strategic business units and staff of Human Capital Management- Head Office. The medium to achieve this includes- Informal Interviews, telephone survey, one-on-one chats with some members of the targeted population e.g. the heads of departments and staff of the Human Capital management because of their exigent duties. All perceived sensitive questions would be handled through interviews (which are not formal) and not written questionnaires. The FirstBank Intranet and internet website will be used extensively to gather information on functional units and organizational structure while personal visits to the Head Office and hub branches will be utilized to objectively gather information on functions of various departments, interface relations and recommendations for improvement of the interface relations. Data compilation stage will include analyzing data collected and reviewing information from subset meetings and research report writing. Report writing stage would involve applying the reviewed data gained from the various materials and extraction of relevant information from FIRSTBANK intranet and periodic publications. Data structuring and report preparation will also be done at this stage. Reviewed responses from telephone calls and outcomes of informal interviews Discussed challenges with Set Advisor at subset meeting and via phone calls. Update and revised document with necessary corrections. 2.4 DIFFICULTIES TO BE ENCOUNTERED IN DATA COLLECTION Questionnaires could not be used because of the banks policy on bulk mails or questionnaires related to work and business environment hence adequate data collection seemed impossible. Network challenges when accessing both the internet and the Banks intranet. Time constraint and the busy schedule of visited staff will also be a limitation. Insufficient time due to researchers official duties. 2.5 PLAN TO OVERCOME THESE DIFFICULTIES All perceived sensitive questions would be handled through interviews and not written questionnaires. Extra hours to be dedicated for accessing the Banks intranet while a substitute internet modem was purchased to curb congestion or delays on web hosts. Personal interviews will be conducted for staff with busy schedule, telephone calls and communication chat applications were also utilized for other staff Ensure proper time management. 3.0 ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE AND CULTURE This chapter focuses on the theories of organisational structure and organisational culture. 3.1 ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE Organisations exist to achieve goals; these goals are broken down into tasks as the basis for jobs. The term organisational structure therefore refers to the formal configuration between individuals and groups regarding the allocation of tasks, responsibilities, and authority within the organization (Galbraith, 1987; Greenberg, 2011). Said differently, The framework, typically hierarchical, within which an organization arranges its lines of authority and communications, and allocates rights and duties. Organizational structure determines the manner and extent to which roles, power, and responsibilities are delegated, controlled, and coordinated, and how information flows between levels of management. (Business Dictionary-Google). The structure of the organization can be defined simply as the sum total of ways in which its labour is divided into distinct tasks and the its coordination is achieved among these tasks /(Mintzberg 1983a) Very early organizational structures were often based either on product or function (Oliveira Takahashi, 2012). Others moved beyond these early approaches and examined the relationship between organizational strategy and structure (Brickley, Smith, Zimmerman, Willett, 2002). This approach began with the landmark work of Alfred Chandler (1962, 2003), who traced the historical development of some companies, He concluded from his study that an organizations strategy tends to influence its structure. He suggests that strategy indirectly determines such variables as the organizations tasks technology, and environments, and each of these influences the structure of the organization. More recently, social scientists have augmented Chandlers thesis by contending that an organizations strategy determines its environment, technology, and tasks. These variables, coupled with growth rates and power distribution, affect organisational structure. The Organisational structure as argued by Alfred Chandler can be seen in FIRSTBANK structure which was changed recently to suit the Banks intended strategy. The Bank in Oct 2010 had embarked on a re-structuring of its entire operational system and workforce, we can therefore deduce that Strategy determines organizational structure. A critical review of Mintzberg definition shows that it is not against the aforementioned, the design of every superstructure ends up as a compromise between the objective factors of work flow, process and scale interdependency, and the subjective factors of personality and social need. Organisations may be conceived on paper, but they must function with flesh-and-blood human beings. (Mintzberg, 1983). Hence for a critical analysis of FirstBank OA, the Mintzberg theory will be adopted. 3.1.1 ORGANISATIONAL CONFIGURATION Mintzberg claims that organisations are composed of five basic elements, or groups of individuals, any of which may predominate in an organisation. The design parameters determine individual positions (examples will be shown using FirstBank configuration) Operating Core: Staff or employees who perform the basic work related to an organisations product or service e.g.- Tellers, Customer Service Officer, Foreign Operations Staff Strategic Apex: Top-Management responsible for running an entire organisation. The Executive Directors and Executive Vice President of the bank sit at the Strategic Apex Middle Line: Managers who stand in a direct line relationship between the strategic apex and the operating core. They include the Group Heads, RegionalArea Office Managers. Techno structure: Organisational specialists responsible for standardising various aspects of an organisations activities eg- Internal Control and Audit, Compliance, Credit Risk Management(CRM) AND MANCO Support Staff: Individuals who provide support to an organisation outside its operating workflow.(I.T support, Security personnels) Mintzberg identified five organisational configurations, they however depend some contingency factors which include Age of the organization, Size Technical System, Environment and Power factors: Æ’ËÅ" Simple Structure is characterized by loose division of labor, relies on direct supervision and finds its key part at the strategic apex Æ’ËÅ" Machine Bureaucracy which relies on standardisation of work process, relatively centralized power for decision making; with its key part in the techno structure where the planners of the organisation reside. Professional Bureaucracy which deals with standardisation of skills and has the operating core as its key part. Divisionalised form -each division has its own structure, it centers on standardisation of outputs. Autonomous units are created to deal with entire product lines, allowing top management to focus on large-scale, strategic decision. The middle line is key part of the organisation. Adhocracy, a highly informal, strong presence of mutual adjustment, organic organisation in which specialists work in teams, coordinating with each other on various projects. FIRSTBANKS structure like most large corporations is characterized by the divisionalised form of Mintzbergs configuration as various divisions (departments) are created by their product lines or end products. The techno structure is located at Head Office to provide services to all divisions; support staffs are located within each division like we have the IT support for each area and marketing assistants who are support staff assigned to each branch. Most of the operational activities are conducted by the middle line managers, department heads or unit heads and they all operate with some form of independence and centralization within their units. They coordinate the output, acting between the strategic apex and the operating core. They also oversee the activities of the operating core and are expected to report back to strategic apex. The typical operational structure in a FIRSTBANK branch is divided into two divisions- i. The Operations Unit who are in charge of the everyday running of branch and attending to customers demand. The head of this unit is called The Branch Operations Manager. ii. The Retail or marketing unit who are in charge of increasing the market size and credit portfolio of the branch. The Business Manager heads this unit of the branch. Each of these units runs independently of each other with separate reporting lines even though they are situated in the same complex ant they form part of the whole group. Given the Banks ever evolving strategy in line with changes in market dynamics and technological advancement, the structure design is determined by the strategic planning and corporate transformation unit through the HCM department, stating unit and individual key responsibilities and the reporting lines. The final structure is then approved by the strategic apex and the statutory regulatory authority (Central Bank of Nigeria). Usually the bank makes the policies available on its local INTRANET and other periodic publications or circulars as organisational changes are initiated. 3.1.2 ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE EFFECTIVENESS EFFICIENCY Effectiveness of a system is about doing the right things. Its about producing the intended or expected result, In measuring organisational effectiveness, the relevant question would be: is the organisational system doing the right thing for its survival?, is it focusing its drive on opportunities to produce revenue? Is it producing the output it needs if it is to survive? Efficiency of a system, on the other hand is about the inputs the system uses in order to produce outputs that is doing things right, accomplishing your tasks with a minimum of time and resource, It centers on performance and cost reduction. To thoroughly examine organizational success, both measures should be considered because productivity is a function of inputs to outputs which is the theme of efficiency and effectiveness. Efficiency should always be the servant of effectiveness.(BSN Phase 1, module IX, p 575) Looking at the Banks history and evolutions, one can boldly say that FIRSTBANK has achieved some level of efficiency and effectiveness. The total assets of the Bank as at Dec 2011 as published equals N,2463,543, total equity was N373,572 while the total Customer Deposits was N1,783,777,(figures are in millions).however there is room and need for improvement, the Bank lacks behind in mobilization of current account deposits and booking of credit facilities. These lapses deny the bank of some benefits which include increase in customer base and collection of float income from these deposits. The FIRST Instant savings account was introduced by the Bank to bridge this gap on deposit mobilization, this product however has not recorded much success because of the strict requirements, the deployment of FINACLE 10 Banking solution which is scheduled to kick off this year July is an Efficiency measure in order to reduce turnaround time, this I believe is coming rather too late. The strategic Apex of the Bank needs to review these points afore mentioned and reach a favorable conclusion so that the Bank can edge forward. 3.1.3 DESIGN PARAMETERS Mintzberg identified nine design parameters. By using these parameters the organisational designer can influence the way individuals are positioned in the organisation and the way groups or departments are formed. The design parameters are Job specialisation; Behavior formation; Training and indoctrination; Unit grouping; size; Planning and control systems; Liaison devices; Vertical and horizontal decentralization. The design parameters predominant in FIRSTBANK are: Job Specialisation: In FIRSTBANK, all job titles are specified, the roles to be performed, the job description, key competences and reporting lines are well explained for staff to understand. Job Specification for each job title is easily accessible on the intranet, it is the banks believe that job specialization increases employee productivity. Æ’ËÅ" Training and indoctrination: In order to carry out task, employees need to possess particular skills and knowledge.(BSN Phase 1 Course Notes, pg 584). In FirstBank its a trend to continuously train staff on a need to know and improvement basis, this exercise forms part of appraisal marks to be awarded during year end performance rating. The heads of branches or departments recommend staff for training if a knowledge gap or improvement need is identified. Educational and career advancement is also encouraged. The Human Capital Management Development anchors this aspect of the bank. Given the ever increasing need for the aforementioned, the Bank has rebranded its HCMD training arm to be called FIRST ACADEMY. The essence is to inculcate the banks values, ensuring that their staffs are well grounded and ever ahead of industry trends. Indoctrination are done upon recruitment of staff be it new or experienced hirees in order to imbibe the banks culture and values into them. The unit grouping is an important design parameter in FIRSTBANK because it creates a system of supervision in which there is a reporting line, departmental, unit or group head for all strategic units of the bank, this encourages standardization of outputs. Firstbank adopts functional grouping Vertical decentralisation: Mintzberg (1983a, p.99) defines vertical decentralisation as the dispersal of formal power down the chain of line authority. FISTBANK adopts limited vertical decentralization. Heads of departments/units are delegated the power to control most of the decisions concerning their line units and such decisions are cascaded down to their subordinates, however they have their reporting lines and various limits. 3.2 ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE Culture refers to the underlying values, beliefs and codes of practice that makes an organisation what It is. The customs of an organisation, the self image of its members, the things that make it different from others are its culture. Culture is symbolic; Culture is unifying and refers to the processes that bind the organization together. Culture is rooted deep in unconscious sources but is represented in superficial practices and behavior codes. Deal and Kennedy (1982) argue that culture is the single most important factor accounting for success or failure in organizations. They identified four key dimensions of culture: Values the beliefs that lie at the heart of the corporate culture. Heroes the people who embody values. Rites and rituals routines of interaction that have strong symbolic qualities. The culture network the informal communication system or hidden hierarchy of power in the organization. Peters and Waterman (1982) suggest a psychological theory of the link between organizational culture and business performance. Culture can be looked upon as a reward of work; we sacrifice much to the organization and culture is a form of return on effort. Schein (1992) says that organisational culture is developed over time as people in the organisation learn to deal successfully with problems of external adaptation and internal integration. It becomes the common language and the common background. Employee values are measured against organizational values to predict employee intentions to stay, and predict turnover. This is done through instrument like Organizational Culture Profile (OCP) to measure employee commitment (OReilly, ChatmanCaldwell 1991). However Daniel Denisons model (1990) asserts that organizational culture can be described by four general dimensions: Mission Strategic Direction and Intent, Goals and Objectives and Vision Adaptability Creating Change, Customer Focus and Organizational Learning Involvement Empowerment, Team Orientation and Capability Development Consistency Core Values, Agreement, Coordination/Integration Denisons model also allows cultures to be described broadly as externally or internally focused as well as flexible versus stable. The model has been typically used to diagnose cultural problems in organizations. 3.2.1 FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE ORGANISATIONS CULTURE (FIRSTBANK) According to Schein (1992), the two main reasons why cultures develop in organizations is due to external adaptation and internal integration. External adaptation reflects an evolutionary approach to organizational culture and suggests that cultures develop and persist because they help an organization to survive and flourish. If the culture is valuable, then it holds the potential for generating sustained competitive advantages. Additionally, internal integration is an important function since social structures are required for organizations to exist. Organizational practices are learned through socialization at the workplace. Work environments reinforce culture on a daily basis by encouraging employees to exercise cultural values. Organisational culture is shaped by multiple factors, including the following: External environment Industry Size and nature of the organizations workforce Technologies the organization uses The organizations history and ownership The external environment to FirstBank includes the ever emerging competitors, the realization of this pushes the Banks management is forge ahead and be innovative. The increasing number of banks offering same products that Firstbank had exclusivity to buttress this point, exceptional service delivery and brand value/positioning are the keys to have an edge over others. Other aspects of FirstBanks external environment include the legal or statutory regulations which the Bank must conform with, the political, socio-economic dynamics of Nigeria. The workforce of the bank is considerably large in comparism to other banks being the bank with the largest number of branch network and emerging diaspora banking through its subsidiaries. Prior to the rebranding of the Banks workforce, 1stBank had a culture of mostly old staff and few young staff, in 2008 the bank retrenched over 900 staff especially those who had spent over 25 years in service, the management immediately embarked on recruitment of new and experienced hirees who were relatively young, in addition to this, salaries were increased to suit the modern banker status. A new culture in that aspect had been achieved as 1stbankers were no longer distinguished by long suits and old staff. 3.2.2 FIRSTBANK CULTURE FIRSTBANK possesses a strong culture which is continually being improved. In the light of Daniel Denisons model of culture dimensions, FirstBanks mission strategic direction, goals and objectives, are clearly understood by members of staff. The Bank strives to make its staff live by its core values and this has so far helped the bank in terms of durability and goodwill. For the importance of the afore mentioned, FirstBank carries periodic mystery shopping exercise and branch spot checks to ensure that we live what we preach, hence staff are enjoined to move with the train. FirstBank adapts quickly to industry changes and are quick to identify a market opportunity hence they are most often the fore most bank for some products or innovations in the banking industry. Its the bank policy for staff to stick to a particular dress code, have the banks premises painted in a particular way and colour, have a products and services delivered to customers with the brand name FIRST and a unique way of service delivery. All this distinguishes the Bank and a Firstbanker from every other bank or person. The Elephant is also a historic symbol of FirstBanks culture which represents stability and strength, like Peters and Waterman (1982) suggests, the strong culture of the bank has positively enhanced its good will and market share, however things can get better. There exist an area of improvement in the Banks culture as it is normally being discussed within its members that staff are not been sufficiently motivated, the slow promotion process is a major aspect of this. A review of the Banks choice to downsize its work force recently by way of retiring (and firing) staff (although with mouth watering incentives) buttresses this point. Firing on the base of culture Usually pointed as a source of creating family like environment, the notion of corporate culture is also used for firing, with this practice started from shoe company Zappos, which granted its fired employees with huge compensations afterwards.(Google- Wikipedia .As the corporate culture may mean almost everything, firing on the base of culture means the employer does not accept and desire to be inclusive for the culture of the employee and thus the employee does not fit in corporate culture, although this may fall in the ground of discrimination, there is still not law or case law resolving or addressing the question making this practice possible and available for businesses for now. Firing on corporate culture is a recent practice, from 2008. 3.2.3 CULTURAL TYPES Handy (1985) identified four(4) types of organizational culture and they include: Power culture: Entrepreneurial in nature, central control, quick to response, built on trust flexible. Role culture: Roles are more important than persons, functional, rule and procedure driven Task Culture: Cross functional, based on jobs and projects, networked, coordinationcombination of jobs around tasks. Person Culture: People are the central focus, controls are only possible where members agree. FIRSTBANK adopts the role culture, this is because the roles are seen before the persons behind it, and the workforce is also driven by rule (policies) and procedure. 3.2.4 THE PROCESSUAL APPROACH The processual approach is a translation model in which movements of ideas or objects reside in the sense maki

Trifles Essay -- essays research papers fc

Little Trifles Add Up to a Big Case Detectives are always looking for little pieces of evidence when investigating a crime. After all, it is this evidence that can turn a trial around, whether be it for the good or bad. This is especially the case in Susan Glaspell's Trifles. When Mrs. Hale comes across little pieces of evidence, she passes them off as being "trifles", hiding them from the detective. She is the sole reason that very little evidence is collected that would convict Mrs. Wright, and can be believed to have some sort of involvement in the murder of John Wright. Mrs. Hale, being estranged from Mrs. Wright for over a year, had something to prove when she went into the house that day. Whether it is out of guilt from not seeing Mrs. Wright, or because she was actually an accomplice in helping Mrs. Wright get away with the act, we'll never know. However, Mrs. Hale knew what she was doing when she started to dismiss evidence before the detective's eyes had seen it. She was also very committed to showing that Mrs. Wright wasn't a bad homemaker, dismissing most of that evidence also. Mrs. Hale first shows signs of her guilt when she defends some bad housekeeping evidence, blaming it on things that men do. When attention it brought to a dirty towel, Mrs. Hale dismisses it because " Men's hands aren't always as clean as they might be"(1121). Her actions are then...

Feudalism and Capitalism Essay -- Economics Economy Norma Rae Essays

Feudalism and Capitalism Economic processes are those involving the production and distribution of goods and services. However, they do not alone determine this production and distribution. There is an interrelationship of economic, cultural, environmental, and political processes that all help to shape each other. Nothing that we do can be defined as a single process, for it is the interaction itself that helps to produce the final results that we observe. To understand this more fully the following basic definitions may be of use: "Cultural Processes" are those that involve the creation and transfer of knowledge-the production of meaning. "Political processes" are those by which we establish and enforce rules, and they have to be reproduced and communicated by way of cultural processes. And finally, "Environmental Processes" are processes and transformations of matter into other matter or matter into energy through various activities. From this one can see that the "state" of the environment is affected by culture, politics, and economics. To reiterate, we can't talk about economics and the questions that it attempts to resolve, without talking about or at least including these other aspects because they all interact and must be considered as well. There are a number of fundamental questions that economic systems attempt to solve: How does one gain access to the resources needed to produce new and useful goods and services? How does one get humans to perform the labor? How do you organize the production process? How do you get the produced output into the hands of consumers? And finally, who gets the surplus and what do they do with it? Using these questions as a basic framework, one can attempt to dete... ...")] References "Feudalism." http://www.maricopa.edu/academic/cult_sci/anthro/lost_tribes/Feudalism.html Korten, David C. "Life After Capitalism." November 1998. http://www.ratical.org/many_worlds/capitalism.html "Middle Ages: Age of Feudalism." http://www.intelliseek.com/cgi- bin/nphProFusion.pl?queryterm=feudalism&option=all&display=10&totalverify=0&auto=all&engine1=AltaVista&engine2= "Organized Labor." Wysiwyg://16http://www.britannica.com/b†¦article/9/0,5716,115719+1+108786,00.html Professor Gabriel course web page http://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/filmcourse.html Shadab, Houman. "Capitalism: Frequently Asked Questions." 1996. http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~shadab/ "The Rise of Feudalism." http://www.ukans.edu/kansas/medieval/108/lectures/feudalism.html "What's Wrong With Capitalism." http://www.geocites.com/Paris/2159/capindx.html

A word is half the sender, and half the receptor

Today, more than ever, language is an integral part of our existence and survival. We depend on it to think and communicate on a day to day basis from person to person. Language as a basic communication takes the form of: sender, message and receiver, and is said to be highly specialized and sophisticated. Language allows us to communicate an infinite variety of messages; indeed, sometimes messages are unclear or vague because both the sender and receiver might not have the exact same understanding of their language. This last problem of communication that is unclear or vague is one that results from the use of words for which the range of application is not clear. One could also say that something which is vague is that which lacks precision. This type of vagueness results from statements or words which are not quantifiable and therefore lead to misunderstandings between the sender and the receptor. Montaigne said something very true about the term ‘word' as it is very difficult to define. To start, what is a word? What is the definition of the term word? All these deceptively simple questions have led to debate among linguists. At its most simple, according to David Crystal, a word is â€Å"a unit of expression which has universal intuitive recognition by native speakers†. However, a word is so much more than that: a word has to be imaginarily divided into the person who say it and into the person that receives it because these two individual members of communication have their own way to interpret what is the idea within that precise word. In order to know the exact meaning of the term ‘word' we have to take into consideration the fact that some words have a denotation and several connotations. A denotation is the primary or ‘dictionary' meaning; what the word describes precisely, no more no less. On the other hand, a connotation is the ‘added value' to a word; what it implies; what is associated or attached to it by society and/or the individual. Some words, for example expressive words, have much more connotation because they create feelings and atmosphere. The term ‘apple' denotes more than the term ‘food', and yet the term ‘food' connotes more than the term ‘apple'. There are some factors that affect the connotation of a word. For example, the term ‘weekend' has lots of connotations and these will vary depending on the receptor's age, sex, social class, personal interest, past experience, etc. A 16 year old girl can associate the term ‘weekend' with: party, friends, cinema, relax, sleep more, have fun; while a 50 year old man who owns a restaurant will associate the term ‘weekend' with: more customers, more work, more stressful, higher incomes for the company and less time to relax. Communication, that is the â€Å"system of verbal gestures by which a speaker points out a reality to a listener†, requires that the two parties involved have a similar understanding of the language. Such a problem arises when two people speak a different language, but the same thing can occur on a smaller scale if people have a slightly different understanding of the same language. This is because we unconsciously assume that the other person (the receptor) is identical to us in their use of language. This often is as a result of a sender and a receiver (or writer and reader where it happens these same sort of confusions because of misunderstanding of message by problems with their language) who use certain words in a different manner. It is necessary, for communication not to be impeded, that the second individual has the same understanding of a word as the first. That is why it can be said that a word is half the sender and half the receptor as both of them have their own way of interpreting the word and also their own way of recreating it by its meanings in their minds, by all the factors mentioned above. To conclude we can say that language is our most important tool in communication and thus must be employed in order to interact with each and everyone who surrounds us. If it were not employed, communication would be hindered, delayed or even blocked, to a far greater degree than it is due to the problems such as misunderstanding, vagueness or the fact that words have different connotations to everybody. It should be the aim of everyone to, when possible, avoid these problems. The result would be language which is far clearer, precise, and less confusing, that will help both the sender and the receptor in order to transmit a more concrete message and therefore understand themselves in a more optimal way. Language free of most problems would make it an even greater tool, effectively improving the communication between persons and developing better understanding and knowledge through this communication.

Neo Behaviorism

Consumer behaviourFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to: navigation, search This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2011) Psychology Outline History  ·Subfields Basic types Abnormal  ·Biological Cognitive  ·Comparative Cultural  ·Differential Developmental  ·Evolutionary Experimental  ·Mathematical Personality  ·Positive Quantitative Social Applied psychology Applied behavior analysis Clinical  ·Community Consumer  ·Educational Environmental  ·Forensic  ·HealthIndustrial and organizational Legal  ·Military Occupational health  ·Political Religion  ·School  ·Sport Lists Disciplines  ·Organizations Psychologists  ·Psychotherapies Publications  ·Research methods Theories  ·Timeline  ·Topics Psychology portal v  ·t  ·e Consumer behaviour is the study of individuals, groups, or organizations and the processes they use to select, secure, and dispose of products, services, experiences, or ideas to satisfy needs and the impacts that these processes have on the consumer and society. [1] It blends elements from psychology, sociology, social anthropology and economics.It attempts to understand the decision-making processes of buyers, both individually and in groups. It studies characteristics of individual consumers such as demographics and behavioural variables in an attempt to understand people's wants. It also tries to assess influences on the consumer from groups such as family, friends, reference groups, and society in general. Customer behaviour study is based on consumer buying behaviour, with the customer playing the three distinct roles of user, payer and buyer. Research has shown that consumer behaviour is difficult to predict, even for experts in the field. 2] Relationship marketing is an influential asset for customer behaviour analysis as it has a keen interest i n the re-discovery of the true meaning of marketing through the re-affirmation of the importance of the customer or buyer. A greater importance is also placed on consumer retention, customer relationship management, personalisation, customisation and one-to-one marketing. Social functions can be categorized into social choice and welfare functions. Each method for vote counting is assumed as social function but if Arrow’s possibility theorem is used for a social function, social welfare function is achieved.Some specifications of the social functions are decisiveness, neutrality, anonymity, monotonicity, unanimity, homogeneity and weak and strong Pareto optimality. No social choice function meets these requirements in an ordinal scale simultaneously. The most important characteristic of a social function is identification of the interactive effect of alternatives and creating a logical relation with the ranks. Marketing provides services in order to satisfy customers. With th at in mind, the productive system is considered from its beginning at the production level, to the end of the cycle, the consumer (Kioumarsi et al. 2009). Contents [hide] 1 Black box model 2 Information search 3 Evaluation of alternatives 4 Purchase decision 5 Postpurchase evaluation 6 Other influences 7 See also 8 References 9 Further reading 10 External links [edit] Black box modelENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS BUYER'S BLACK BOX BUYER'S RESPONSE Marketing Stimuli Environmental Stimuli Buyer Characteristics Decision Process Product Price Place Promotion Economic Technological Political Cultural Demographic Natural Attitudes Motivation Perceptions Personality Lifestyle Knowledge Problem recognition Information searchAlternative evaluation Purchase decision Post-purchase behaviour Product choice Brand choice Dealer choice Purchase timing Purchase amount The black box model shows the interaction of stimuli, consumer characteristics, decision process and consumer responses. [3] It can be distin guished between interpersonal stimuli (between people) or intrapersonal stimuli (within people). [4] The black box model is related to the black box theory of behaviourism, where the focus is not set on the processes inside a consumer, but the relation between the stimuli and the response of the consumer.The marketing stimuli are planned and processed by the companies, whereas the environmental stimulus are given by social factors, based on the economical, political and cultural circumstances of a society. The buyers black box contains the buyer characteristics and the decision process, which determines the buyers response. The black box model considers the buyers response as a result of a conscious, rational decision process, in which it is assumed that the buyer has recognized the problem. However, in reality many decisions are not made in awareness of a determined problem by the consumer. edit] Information searchOnce the consumer has recognised a problem, they search for informat ion on products and services that can solve that problem. Belch and Belch (2007) explain that consumers undertake both an internal (memory) and an external search. Sources of information include: Personal sources Commercial sources Public sources Personal experience The relevant internal psychological process that is associated with information search is perception. Perception is defined as â€Å"the process by which an individual receives, selects, organises, and interprets information to create a meaningful picture of the world†.Consumers' tendency to search for information on goods and services makes it possible for researchers to forecast the purchasing plans of consumers using brief descriptions of the products of interest. [5] The selective perception process Stage Description Selective exposure consumers select which promotional messages they will expose themselves to. Selective attention consumers select which promotional messages they will pay attention to. Selective comprehension consumer interpret messages in line with their beliefs, attitudes, motives and experiences.Selective retention consumers remember messages that are more meaningful or important to them. The implications of this process help develop an effective promotional strategy, and select which sources of information are more effective for the brand. [edit] Evaluation of alternativesAt this time the consumer compares the brands and products that are in their evoked set. The evoked set refers to the number of alternatives that are considered by consumers during the problem-solving process. Sometimes also known as consideration , this set tends to be small relative to the total number of options available.How can the marketing organisation increase the likelihood that their brand is part of the consumer's evoked set? Consumers evaluate alternatives in terms of the functional and psychological benefits that they offer. The marketing organisation needs to understand what benefits con sumers are seeking and therefore which attributes are most important in terms of making a decision. It also needs to check other brands of the customer’s consideration set to prepare the right plan for its own brand. [edit] Purchase decisionOnce the alternatives have been evaluated, the consumer is ready to make a purchase decision.Sometimes purchase intention does not result in an actual purchase. The marketing organisation must facilitate the consumer to act on their purchase intention. The organisation can use a variety of techniques to achieve this. The provision of credit or payment terms may encourage purchase, or a sales promotion such as the opportunity to receive a premium or enter a competition may provide an incentive to buy now. The relevant internal psychological process that is associated with purchase decision is integration.Once the integration is achieved, the organisation can influence the purchase decisions much more easily. There are 5 stages of a consumer buying process [6] they are: The problem recognition stage, meaning the identification of something a consumer needs. The search for information, which means you search your knowledge bases or external knowledge sources for information on the product. The possibility of alternative options, meaning whether there is another better or cheaper product available. The choice to purchase the product and then finally the actual purchase of the product. 6] This shows the complete process that a consumer will most likely, whether recognisably or not, go through when they go to buy a product. [edit] Postpurchase evaluationThe EKB (Engel, Kollat, Blackwell) model was further developed by Rice (1993) which suggested there should be a feedback loop, Foxall (2005) further suggests the importance of the post purchase evaluation and that it is key because of its influences on future purchase patterns. [edit] Other influencesConsumer behaviour is influenced by internal conditions such as demographi cs, psychographics (lifestyle), personality, motivation, knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and feelings.Psychological factors include an individuals motivation, perception, attitude and belief, while personal factors include income level, personality, age, occupation and lifestyle. Behaviour can also be affected by external influences, such as culture, sub-culture, locality, royalty, ethnicity, family, social class, past experience reference groups, lifestyle, market mix factors. [edit] See alsoFood and Brand Lab Consumer socialization Art ; Copy Window shopping Consumer confusion [edit] References1. ^ Kuester, Sabine (2012): MKT 301: Strategic Marketing ; Marketing in Specific Industry Contexts, University of Mannheim, p. 10. 2. ^ J. Scott Armstrong (1991). â€Å"Prediction of Consumer Behavior by Experts and Novices†. Journal of Consumer Research (Journal of Consumer Research Inc. ) 18: 251–256. http://marketing. wharton. upenn. edu/documents/research/Prediction%20of%20 consumer%20behavior. pdf. 3. ^ Sandhusen, Richard L. : Marketing (2000). Cf. S. 218 4. ^ Sandhusen, Richard L. : Marketing (2000). Cf. S. 219 5. ^ J. Scott Armstrong and Terry Overton (1971). â€Å"Brief vs. Comprehensive Descriptions in Measuring Intentions to Purchase†. Journal of Marketing Research 5: 114–117. http://marketing. wharton. upenn. edu/ideas/pdf/armstrong2/brief. df. 6. ^ a b Khosla, Swati (2010). â€Å"Consumer psychology: The essence of Marketing†. International Journal of Educational Administration 2 (2): 220-220. http://web-l4. ebscohost. com. ezproxy-f. deakin. edu. au/ehost/detail? vid=5;hid=106;sid=4657a35a-29b0-4753-b833-46a39c374718%40sessionmgr113;bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=ehh;AN=60641974. Retrieved 2012-05-16. [edit] Further readingBlackwell, Miniard and Engel (2006). Consumer Behaviour (10th Ed. ). Thomson Learning. Deaton, Angus; Muellbauer, John, Economics and consumer behavior, Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 1980.ISBN 0-521-22850-6 Foxall, G. (2005. ) Understanding Consumer Choice. Baingstoke. Palgrave Macmillian. Howard, J. , Sheth, J. N. (1968), Theory of Buyer Behavior, J. Wiley ; Sons, New York, NY. Kardes, Frank R. ; Cronley, Maria L. ; Cline, Thomas W. , Consumer Behavior, Mason, OH : South-Western, Cengage Learning, 2011. ISBN 978-0-538-74540-6 Laermer, Richard; Simmons, Mark, Punk Marketing, New York : Harper Collins, 2007. ISBN 978-0-06-115110-1 (Review of the book by Marilyn Scrizzi, in Journal of Consumer Marketing 24(7), 2007) Loudon, D. L. 1988), Consumer Behavior: Concepts and Applications, McGraw Hill, London. McNair, B. (1958), Retail Development, Harper ; Row, New York, NY. Packard, Vance, The Hidden Persuaders, New York, D. McKay Co. , 1957. Schiffman, L. G. (1993), Consumer Behavior, Prentice Hall International, London. Schwartz, Barry (2004), The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less, Ecco, New York. Shell, Ellen Ruppel, Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture , New York : Penguin Press, 2009. ISBN 978-1-59420-215-5 Solomon, M. R. (1994), Consumer Behavior, Allyn ; Bacon, London. edit] External linksThe Society for Consumer Psychology [hide]v  ·t  ·eConsumer behaviour Concepts Consumption (economics)  ·Consumer spending  ·Autonomous consumption  ·Induced consumption  ·Consumer debt  ·Consumer economy  ·Consumer culture theory Research types Consumer behaviour  ·Consumer sovereignty  ·Marketing research  ·Consumer neuroscience  ·Consumer choice  ·Consumer product  ·Consumer economics  ·Consumer basket  ·Consumption function Consumer attributes Consumer confusion  ·Consumer's risk  ·Consumer confidence  ·Consumer socialization  ·Consumer ethnocentrism  ·Cultural consumer  ·Homo economicusProcesses Consumer cooperative  ·Consumer-to-business  ·Factory-to-consumer  ·Consumer service  ·Consumerization Retrieved from â€Å"http://en. wikipedia. org/w/index. php? title=Consumer_behaviour&oldid =532422664† Categories: Consumer behaviourMarketing analyticsHidden categories: Articles needing additional references from April 2011All articles needing additional referencesNavigation menuPersonal tools Create accountLog inNamespaces ArticleTalkVariantsViews ReadEditView historyActions Search Navigation Main page Contents Featured content Current events Random article Donate to Wikipedia InteractionHelp ï » ¿Neo Behaviorism Neo Behaviourism is a branch of psychology that draws its principles from behaviourism. Neo Behaviourism is a more flexible concept and seeks to analyze and understand phenomena that cannot be measured or observed such as stress, love, trust, empathy or personality. â€Å"Neobehaviorism departs from classic behaviorism in that while the latter is concerned exclusively with observable behaviors, the former acknowledges the importance of also understanding elements that are internal to the individual. Thus, whereas classical behaviorism is only concerned with the environment as a determinant of behavior, neobehaviorism stresses the interaction of the individual and environment.†Neo Behaviorism: Tolman and BanduraNeo Behaviorism – Transitional group, bridging the gap between behaviorism and cognitive theories of learning.Tolman’s Purposive BehaviorismPurposive Behaviorism:it is also been referred to as Sign Learning Theory and is often unite between behaviorism and cognitive theory. Tolman believed that learning is a cognitive process. Learning involves forming beliefs and obtaining knowledge about the environment and then revealing that knowledge through purposeful and goal directed behavior.Tolman’s Key ConceptLearning is always purposive and goal- directedCognitive MapLatent LearningThe concept of interesting variableReinforcement not essential for learningALBERT BANDURA’S SOCIAL LEARNING THEORYSocial Learning Theory focuses on the learning that occurs within a social context. People learn from one another such as observational learning, imitation and modeling.GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY1. Learn by observing. 2. Learning can occur through observation alone, without a change in behavior. 3. Cognition plays a role in learning. 4. Transition between behaviorism and cognitive learning theory.ENVIRONMENT REINFORCES MODELINGIn several Possible ways:By the model.By the third person.By the imitated behavior itself pro duce satisfying.By the vicarious reinforcement.Contemporary Social Learning Perspective of Reinforcement and PunishmentContemporary Theory purposes that reinforcement and punishment have indirect effects on learning.Reinforcement and Punishment influence the result of individuals’ behavior that has been learned.The expectation of reinforcement influences cognitive processes.Cognitive Factors in Social Learning TheoryLearning Without PerformanceCognitive Processing DuringExpectationsReciprocal causationModelingConditions necessary for effective modeling to occurAttention.Retention.Motor reproduction.Motivation.

Obsessive love in Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Essay

In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby is portrayed as a naive and heartbroken man who will do anything to revive his relationship with the love of his life; even if it means reliving the past. Gatsby is a victim to temptation, manipulation, society and obsessive love. However it is because of this obsessive and incessant love that the rest of his problems unfold. He is so blinded and determined to gain the approval of his former lover, he allows himself to be made a mockery by society. It is made clear that Gatsby moved to West Egg for the sole reason that the love of his life, Daisy Buchanan, lives with her husband Tom in a house within sight of Gatsbys mansion. I think he half expected her to wander into one of his parties, some nightbut she never did (Fitzgerald.4.84). As Daisys friend Jordan explains the situation to the narrator and Daisys cousin, Nick Carraway, she notes that although Gatsby threw countless parties that were no interest of him in hopes that Daisy would one day stumble in, she was clueless to how very close Jay Gatsby was to her. Gatsby lacked the courage to approach Daisy, even though he worked his life around his dream of seeing her again. Gatsby was referred to by the socialites as new money. Living in West Egg was less respectable then living in East Egg. The social structure was not of much concern to Gatsby and he paid little attention to etiquette or class. His obsession with Daisy took top priority, and while his intentions were sincere, Gatsby put himself in positions to be made a fool. My God, I believe the mans comingDoesnt he know she doesnt want him?(Fitzgerald.6.109). When invited by the Sloanes, a wealthy couple from East Egg, to eat dinner with them, Gatsby innocently accepts, not realizing it was merely a formality. His pure love for Daisy shows through in all aspects of his life, affecting his judgment and ability to see through those with less than genuine intentions. One of the main themes throughout The Great Gatsby is Gatsbys attempt to turn back time and relive what he had in the past with Daisy. Cant repeat the pastwhy of course you can!(Fitzgerald.6.116). It is clear that the relationship between Gatsby and Daisy remains only in the past, and it is  apparent to all but the two that their relationship ended many years ago. Since the five years they last saw each other, Daisy moved on with her life; although neither she nor Gatsby are willing to admit to it. Gatsbys love for Daisy affects every aspect of his life, and when he is finally able to reunite with her, it is hard to believe that nothing has changed in their relationship. Almost five years! There must have been momentswhen Daisy tumbled short of his dreamsbecause of the colossal vitality of his illusionNo amount of freshness can challenge what a man will store up in his ghostly heart(Fitzgerald.5.101). Nick cannot imagine that Daisy could possibly live up to the goddess-like vision Gatsby has stored up and embellished on for five years. However, once again blinded by love, he ignores Daisys flaws, and attempts to rekindle their former life. Gatsby is aware that Daisy is a very superficial woman and he knows the only way he could possibly have her love is through wealth and status. Gatsby turns to shady and possibly illegal means to attain the money that he knows will win Daisy over. His obsessive love is his chief vice that causes all his others. Her voice is full of money (Fitzgerald.7.127). Gatsby doesnt see Daisy as shallow or consider her a gold digger, he thinks it is he who must progress and become wealthy in order to satisfy her lavish lifestyle. After a confrontation with Daisys husband, Tom, Gatsby expects nothing less of Daisy than for her to tell Tom that she never loved him. He couldnt possibly leave Daisy until he knew what she was going to do. He was clutching at some last hope and I couldnt bear to shake him free (Fitzgerald.8.155). Gatsby refuses to give up his dream that Daisy will leave everything behind to live with him and start their life together. Until he hears it from Daisys mouth, and maybe even after that, Gatsby will always have faith that she will come back to him. Much of this false hope can be attributed to Daisy and her manipulation, which leads Gatsby to think that he may get his wish. Nick was forced to watch every encounter between Daisy and Gatsby, and witness Daisy lead Gatsby into thinking she would leave her husband for him.  Nick knows that nothing anyone can say could change how Gatsby feels about Daisy and stop him from trying to win her over. And he stood on those steps, concealing his incorruptible dream (Fitzgerald.8.162). Gatsbys intentions with Daisy were nothing but pure and his dream in life was for her to return his love that he liked to believe existed. Gatsby was aware that his friends used him and until Nick came along, there may not have been a soul who truly cared for him. He made a fool of himself in society, but he is not concerned in the least. Gatsby had a dream and nothing could deter him from achieving it. His obsessive love for Daisy caused many problems in his life, and eventually lead to his death. However, Gatsby would most likely take this punishment in return for the time he was finally able to spend with his one true love. Works Cited: Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Macmillan Publishing Company. New York. 1992.

Mythological Language Essay

â€Å"Mythological language raises very difficult if not impossible problems.† Discuss this statement by examining both verification and falsification. â€Å"A myth is a symbolic approximate expression of truth, which the human mind cannot perceive sharply and completely, but can only glimpse vaguely, and therefore cannot adequately or accurately express.† – Millar Burrows. In the context of religion, myths can be taken to mean stories about God which have vital meanings for an individual, a community, a nation or the cosmos. Myths embody and express claims which cannot be expressed in any other way. Myth is the most complex type of symbolic language because it uses symbols, metaphors and imagery. They use them to explain the unexplainable and to give insights into human existence. Mythology does not convey information that isn’t true. They convey concepts that go way beyond the true/false descriptors. They express stories that are â€Å"other worldly†. They allow humans to gain insight into two very important questions; the cosmological question about the meaning of life and the existential question about emotions, feelings, believing etc. Mythological language was used a lot by the biblical writers. They have been included in the ideas such as creation, the fall and the flood. Within the Bible myths also attempt to explain the mystery of human origins and human nature. There have been a brave set of people over the last forty years, who have chosen to say a lot of religious statements are myths – which has challenged existing beliefs. There are of course many examples of religious myths and there are tree ways in which the word myth can be used in religious language: * The myth could be a story which isn’t true, but has some other value. Braithwaite believed that they were inspirational as they make us motivated. * It could be a literary device. Ineffable, i.e. beyond language, unexplainable. * A method of interpreting â€Å"ultimate reality†. They open up like symbols, they have new levels of reality or as Randal argues their purpose is to bind communities together. Biblical stories which seem meaningless to scientists are more understandable if you think of them as another language. Myths are extremely powerful in their metaphor or symbolic meanings. If you don’t take a literal view, and you consider the Bible is supposed to be recording history or science then yes, a lot of the Bible is false. For example, can you calculate the age of the world from the Bible? Yes, if you take it literally, but that would be wrong because scientists have enough evidence to prove that the world is much older than that. What one does, if we interpret the Bible in a mythological sense, is side step the facts to make them more meaningful i.e. â€Å"the world is a few thousand years old,† could just simply be saying God made it. So referring to the statement, â€Å"mythological language raises very difficult if not impossible problems† It is clear that even more than symbols, myths seem outdated. In the 19th century, D.F. Strauss suggested that we need to shift the focus of myth from â€Å"the story of a miraculous occurrence, to the story of a miraculous occurrence.† This basically means in the first case, it is assumed that an objective true narrative about a miracle is being expressed, in the second, that an embodied religious truth is being conveyed in a story form and isn’t necessarily true. Another critic of the use of mythological language was Rudolph Bultmann who said that we must not take myths literally. The Bible should be seen as a myth and only by reading the Bible as mythological text can we fully understand it. The Bible was written in a pre-scientific age when mythological language had a lot of meaning, i.e. the three levels of Hell, Earth and Heaven. Now that the world view has changed we have got to strip the Bible of its myths so that we can understand it again. Bultmann doesn’t mean cut them out, he means re-interpret them, demythologise them. He believed that it is impractical for humanity in modern times to believe such outdated stories: â€Å"It is impossible to use electric light and the wireless and to avail ourselves of modern medical and surgical discoveries and, at the same time, to believe in the New Testament of demons and spirits.† â€Å"The real point of a myth is not to give an objective world picture; what is expressed in it, rather is how we human beings understand ourselves with the world.† Bultmann’s main example of a myth was Luke’s explanation of Jesus being born in a stable. Strip away the myths and you see that it’s saying God can be found in the most humble and excluded parts of the world. Also the resurrection, he suggests is showing the re-invention of the people as they become Christians. Bultmann claims myth made it harder to grasp the Biblical truth. However, if you start doing this, then you end up saying that mythical language is meaningless, which is wrong because you shouldn’t underestimate myth and its power. However it undermines their status as true accounts and events. Yet some believers take them to be true which of course gives them meaning. Another philosopher to agree with the statement is Richard Dawkins, who commented in ‘The God Delusion’, â€Å"†¦much of the bible is†¦ just plain weird, as you would expect of a chaotically cobbled-together anthology of disjointed documents, composed, revised, translated, distorted and ‘improved’ by hundreds of anonymous authors..† He could also have added that this was put together during the course of many centuries. Significantly the difference between Bultmann and Dawkins is that Bultmann still maintained that there was truth to be extracted from the mythological narrative once the myth was stripped away. However, those who are in support of myth, claim that, since religious language is anti-realist, it is not concerned with making true or false statements. J.W. Rogerson wrote: â€Å"Because myths have their birth not in logic but in intuitions of transcendence, they are of value to traditions that seek to describe the action of the other worldly in the present world.† So in conclusion, it is important to understand how myths should be interpreted rather than being concerned to establish what the facts of the matter actually are. We have to remember how these stories were heard, i.e. in the context of simple people. This was a language they could understand and images and pictures that related to ordinary readers and listeners to religious works. This allowed the underlying meanings to be absorbed without needing a great education.