Module Title Introduction to Nursing Essay

With reference to credible and relevant evidence, discuss your accountability as a student nurse. Learning outcome 3 will be demonstrated by your use of credible and relevant evidence. My accountability as a student nurse is to be accountable to the patients, families and the general public to which I am caring for. Student nurses must adhere to the guidelines set out by the nursing and midwifery council (NMC) which states â€Å"As a professional, you are personally accountable for your actions and omissions in your practice and must always be able to justify your decisions†. Accountability is integral to professional practice. (NMC) Nurses make judgements in a wide variety of circumstances, and use their professional knowledge, and skills to make a decision based on evidence for best practice and the person’s best interests. Nurses need to be able to justify the decisions they make. Student nurses also have a duty of care which means they have a legal liability with regard to the patient. They must ensure that they perform competently. They must also inform another when they are unable to perform competently (RCN). This means that the task is necessa ry and delegation is in the patient’s best interest, the student nurse must fully understand the task and how it is to be carried out, they must also have the skills and abilities to perform the task competently and also must accept the responsibility to perform the task  competently. The oxford dictionary 2008 defines accountability as â€Å"The obligation of being answerable for one’s own judgements and actions to an appropriate person or authority recognized as having the right to demand information and explanation according to the terms of the NMC code of conduct. A registered practitioner is accountable for his/her own actions as a professional at all times, on or off duty , whether engaged in current practice or not. As a student you are not yet ‘accountable’ as you are not a qualified nurse although a qualified nurse is accountable under the NMC code of conduct, however a student nurse is still responsible for their own actions and behaviour and must act in a professional manner and uphold the profession of nursing, by behaving in a responsible manner and being thoughtful and respectful. A qualified nurse must act to the highest of standards, although as a student you are also still expected to act to the highest standard , as a student nurse you will be provided with support from senior staff and from your mentor because you are still learning and mistakes can happen that’s why support will be provided to allow you to be more confident and learn, as students learn new things everyday as do nurses because the nursing profession is a life-long learning experience. (Bethann Siviter 2013) Nurses and midwives hold a position of responsibility, as patients rely on them. They are professionally accountable to the NMC, as well as having a contractual accountability to their employer and are accountable in the law for their actions. Nurses must act in the best interest of the patients in their care at all times. As a student nurse you are also accountable to the NHS and must report any inappropriate care that is being delivered to a patient if you think that it is not acceptable or appropriate to that particular patient, as the NMC 2008 states that You must inform someone in authority if you experience problems that prevent you working within this Code or other nationally agreed standard. Part 2 Learning outcome 2 With reference to credible and relevant evidence, discuss the principles and importance of good record keeping. Learning outcome 3 will be demonstrated by your use of credible and relevant evidence. The importance of good record keeping is to ensure that you back up everything you do in practice within your nursing profession, as records are legal documents for patients, if anything had to go wrong and was taken to a court of law if the treatment or care that was carried out had not been recorded the court of law would see it, that if it was not recorded it did not happen. The NMC 2008 states that You must ensure any entries you make in someone’s paper records are clearly and legibly signed, dated and timed so that you can provide any evidence that may be needed for a patient to show what treatment you have carried out towards that patient. It is a legal requirement for nurses to fill out records as soon as they possibly can after the treatment or care has been carried out on a patient, as the NMC states that You must complete records as soon as possible after an event has occurred. Good record keeping and documentation can be a vital means of recollection for nurses face d with litigation. Having detailed and substantial evidence is likely to be influential in such circumstances. Record keeping is an essential part of good nursing practice. and is considered to be a basic nursing tool when caring for patients. It is important that nurses and also student nurses carry out good practice and adhere to the guidelines regarding record keeping, ensuring it is up to date and an accurate account of treatment, care planning and delivery which is appropriate to each patient. The Code of Professional Conduct (NMC,2002) states that good note-taking is a vital tool of communication between nurses. Wherever practicable should be written with the involvement of the patient and completed as soon as possible after an event has occurred. Having clear accurate records to refer back to enables the nurse having evidence to relate to, this allows the nurse to have an accurate account of what happened. According to The Nursing and Midwifery Council (2009) good record keeping is an integral part of practice and is essential to be able to provide safe and effective care to patients. They highlighted that good record keeping is highly important to improve communication between healthcare professionals. It helps to support the delivery and continuity of patient care, It helps to demonstrate clinical judgements and decision making and identifying any possible risk for patients. Good record keeping is also very important when giving over a handover to nurses without having  records, the handover would be incomplete and the next team of nurses would not know what had been going on with the patients, which could possibly affect the wellbeing of patients. Records that are not accurate or incomplete can highlight that poor care has been provided towards a patient. Neat and up to date accurate records indicate a caring and responsible nurse , good record keeping also allows for good communication between colleagues. Part 3 Learning outcome 4 The care of people with dementia is a significant contemporary issue. A key standard of care for people with dementia in Scotland is that people â€Å"are able to be as independent as possible.† (Scottish Government, 2011, p. 10). With reference to credible and relevant evidence, discuss ways in which the student nurse can support this standard. Learning outcome 3 will be demonstrated by your use of credible and relevant evidence. It is the responsibility of a student nurse to be aware of dementia and know about the illness and how it affects people in different ways. A student nurse can support this standard â€Å"people are able to be as independent as possible† by treating patients with dementia as individuals and allowing them choices as this helps to promote dignity to a person and seeing them as a â€Å"person† and not looking at their illness. Student nurses should allow patients choices when carrying out personal hygiene and allowing them to choose their meals as this allows a patient to be able to remain independent and allows them to feel that they are being treated with dignity and respect , sometimes it might be difficult to allow a patient with dementia to remain fully independent as depending on the progression of their dementia will mean what kind of support they will require, however it is important for a student nurse to promote independence at all times whenever possible to allo w the patient to be able to achieve their potential. It is important for a student nurse to provide individualised care to patients with dementia as no two patients will ever be the same and will have different needs. Communication is a fundamental and key skill when caring for dementia patients and is important to try to engage and interact with dementia  patients so that they can be fully understood. Memory aids are a very good way to facilitate communication towards a client with dementia such as memory books can which can help them to remember about their past and families, snap cards and picture books are also a very good way to communicate with patients when allowing them to make choices as this helps to facilitate their communication if they have problems with their speech. The Alzheimer’s society (2013) states that by remaining involved and active, a person with dementia can maintain their skills and independence for longer. Activities can also help people to express how they are feeling and relieve the symptoms of anxiety and depression and can increase social interaction and reduce isolation, as a person with dementia can often feel isolated and alone so it is important for them to get some cognitive stimulation to allow them to feel happy within their environment. A student nurse can support patients with dementia by arranging various activities that are appropriate to clients with dementia as this would help them to remain independent and be able to realise potential in clients with dementia. The Scottish government (2010) has set standards of care so that people can remain as independent as possible to be able to live as normal a life as they possibly can without their illness affecting them in a way that they that they are not able to, as they have the same rights as everyone else and should be treated as an individual. It is very important for a student to support a person with dementia and keep to their daily routine to prevent the patient becoming stressed or anxious as most patients with dementia have a routine as this can help them to remember their daily tasks which helps them to be as independent as possible. References Bethann Siviter The Student Nurse Handbook 3RD Edition P.193 Accountability (Accessed 10.11.13) Elizabeth A. Martin The Oxford Dictionary of Nursing Fifth Edition 2008 P.3 (Accountability) Market House Books Ltd (Accessed 12.11.13) NMC Code of Conduct 2008 (Accountability) http://www.nmc-uk.org/Nurses-and-midwives/Regulation-in-practice/ (Accessed 10.11.13) NMC Code of Conduct 2008 (good record keeping) http://www.nmc-uk.org/Publications/Standards/The-code/Provide-a-high-standard-of-practice-and-care-at-all-times-/ (Accessed 12.11.13) Royal College of Nursing 2011 (The principles of accountability and delegation) http://www.rcn.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/381720/003942.pdf (Accessed 13.11.13) Duffin C .(2013) raising awareness to support people with dementia in hospital nursing older people vol. 25(5) p 14-16 (Accessed 15.11.13) The Scottish Government (2011) standards for care for dementia in Scotland Edinburgh Scottish government (Accessed 12.11.13) Nursing and midwifery council (NMC) 2008 The code: standards of conduct. Performance and ethics for nurses and midwifes London: nursing and midwifery council (Accessed 10.11.13) NHS Code of Accountability first published 1994 third revision 2013 http://www.ntda.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/CODE-OF-CONDUCT-AND-ACCOUNTABILITY-FOR-NHS-BOARDS.pdf (Accessed 15.11.13) Nursing Times.net published April 2003 VOL: 99, ISSUE: 02, PAGE NO: 26 â€Å"The importance of good record keeping for nurses† (Accessed 14.11.13) Nursing times.net published 13 December, 2007 Record keeping http://www.nursingtimes.net/whats-new-in-nursing/record-keeping/360932.article (Accessed 14.11.13)

Philippines and International Trade Essay

What is International trade? International trade is defined as trade between two or more partners from different countries in the exchange of goods and services. In order to understand International trade, we need to first know and understand what trade is, which is the buying and selling of products between different countries. International Trade simply globalization the world and enable countries to obtain products and services from other countries effortlessly and expediently. International trade has been in existence throughout history and has an economic impact on the articipating countries. Trade in most countries has a share of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and helps to boost the countrys overall economy on a yearly basis. International Trade for the Philippines is available only to chosen business and companies and is declining, because we import more goods than we export, which affects our country’s economy. Economic development in Philippine economy has been because of high government spending. A hard working service sector and large allowance from millions of Filipinos working abroad played an important role in Philippine economic development. Since the former president Macapagal-Arroyo came into power in 2001 there has been an economic growth of 5%. Still, the Philippines need a further increase in growth rate in order to sustain economic growth. More economic development is required to lessen poverty in the country and address imbalances in distribution of income. It also stresses on high population growth. This paper discusses the uncertain economic status of the Philippines, in terms of its stand in the world market, and its relationship with other countries. The need for new investors and lessen unemployment will be the point of discussion.

Internet Convenience Essay

The Internet has shaped and has an excellent impact on politics. It has helped politicians to be more known all over the world. They are able to get information across now faster than ever and more effectively. The Internet offers a quick response and plays a role in the way politics are factor in to people’s lives. Many do not watch and feel strongly on their views about politics and have negative perceptions on this subject matter. I feel the Internet has caused an excessive amount of controversy about politics and people are involved now more than earlier decades. Politicians can get their views across on media websites or through emails. The Internet is known to get views across more profoundly and faster for people to communicate. They are able to reach a wider audience because this is where the people can be reached. Most people spend most of their day online at some point. The Internet is useful to get the views heard straight from the person this helps people get their voice heard. We learn the facts on the issues most people are online with this new generation no one really reads the paper or watches the news anymore because; they can receive updates to their cell phone at an instant. What people put on the Internet about the campaign determines the success of the politician. Bloggers can be rude; But the Internet helps the politician see people stand points and viewpoints on the issues. The internet is easily accessible from smart phones to computers it also helps Americans to be informed on the issues in the world. You can take your cell phone almost anywhere so from a political point the Internet helps because, how fast information is accessed it makes things more convenient. Politicians find this convenient and helpful for their campaign. The Internet has shaped and has an excellent impact on politics. It has helped politicians to be more known all over the world. They are able to get information across now faster than ever and more effectively. The Internet offers a quick response and plays a role in the way politics are factor in to people’s lives. Many do not watch and feel strongly on their views about politics and have negative perceptions on this subject matter. I feel the Internet has caused an excessive amount of controversy about politics and people are involved now more than earlier decades. Politicians can get their views across on media websites or through emails. The Internet is known to get views across more profoundly and faster for people to communicate. They are able to reach a wider audience because this is where the people can be reached. Most people spend most of their day online at some point. The Internet is useful to get the views heard straight from the person this helps people get their voice heard. We learn the facts on the issues most people are online with this new generation no one really reads the paper or watches the news anymore because; they can receive updates to their cell phone at an instant. What people put on the Internet about the campaign determines the success of the politician. Bloggers can be rude; But the Internet helps the politician see people stand points and viewpoints on the issues. The internet is easily accessible from smart phones to computers it also helps Americans to be informed on the issues in the world. You can take your cell phone almost anywhere so from a political point the Internet helps because, how fast information is accessed it makes things more convenient. Politicians find this convenient and helpful for their campaign.

The Theory of Value Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Theory of Value - Term Paper Example This will include the critique of the neoclassical economists and their theories and concepts. It will critique the marginalists and what they put forward in their theorization of Economics. Adam Smith & The Theory of Economics Adam Smith is widely accepted as the â€Å"father of Economics†. However, it appears that his view of Economics was steeped in a culture of treatises that were being written by philosophers and theorists who sought to explain how a modern and â€Å"civilized† nation should behave. This include a generation of writers who came before him like Hume, Locke and several others who put forward theories and views about various aspect of social organization. Adam Smith defined the theory of value and the creation of wealth in his book Wealth of Nations. In the book, he primarily defined the division of work as a fundamental element of creating value for nations and societies in his era (Smith, 2000a). According to Adam Smith, the division of work theory was meant to harness and bring together skills, dexterity and judgment to produce goods and services for consumers who needed them in the modern society. This was to involve the break down of manufacturing into separate parts. Thus, the production cycle was to be divided into different units whereby people would take up various duties, specialize and produce to meet specification. This proposition inevitably sought to promote an improved quality of work. Adam Smith's value creation system was to be controlled by individuals who would have access and control of the various production systems and factories. These entrepreneurs would seek to increase the quality of work and create value by breaking down work and allowing people to do it as jobs or employment rather than as slaves (Smith, 2000a). Instead of slaves being kept and fed, people would be allowed to work in exchange for wages and there could be a public sector that regulated some universal aspects of life. This include politi cs and government that would run the society and help things to run well. However, individuals had to do things in the right way and manner. According to Adam Smith, (2000b), the society with a private and property owning ideology had to be regulated with some degree of moral philosophies which he classified in four main classes: 1. Ethics of Virtue 2. Private rights and national liberty. 3. Familial rights (Economics) and 4. State and Individual rights (Politics) These systems could be said to have influenced the conceptualization of private enterprises, the public sector, rule of law and politics/government. Adam Smith's theories were the actualize and rationalize the concepts of Reverend Thomas Malthus which were primarily related to the need for some kind of controls and checks to promote humanity. In Malthus' theories and ideas, the world was on the verge of seeing a crisis. Until checks and controls were put forward, people were likely to suffer severely. Adam Smith's work was one of the first works that sought to provide a logical and structured view of how to deal with the impending social disasters with the rising numbers of people. The Classical Theorists David Ricardo read about Adam Smith's concepts and theories from his book Wealth of Nations in the late 1700s and he embraced his ideas systematically. Ricardo's book, Principles of Political Economy and Taxation released in 1817 was a

How each film uses aesthetics to offer a truth about the world Essay

How each film uses aesthetics to offer a truth about the world - Essay Example There are some documentaries that unsettle you to the deepest core of your being, putting you right off your brunch. I'm looking at you, capturing the Friedman’s. There are others that remind you that though the world can be a place fraught with suffering, it is also replete with miracles. Searching for Sugar Man is definitely in the latter category. The 2012 film (and that year's Best Documentary Feature winner) chronicles the rise and fall and unexpected re-rise of a Mexican-American singer-songwriter with all of Bob Dylan's poetic lyricism and righteous anti-establishment rage and none of his success: Rodriguez. After a couple of years in the late 60s and early 70s playing gigs in places named thing like, unironically, The Sewer, Rodriguez returned to a job in construction and a brief flirtation with local politics, surrendering his hopes of a musical career. Haven't heard of him? You must be American. What neither he, nor his producers, nor (probably) his record label knew was that while he was demolishing buildings and doing whatever one does with drywall, his music was fueling the anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa, and the artist himself had become a quasi-mythical figure around whom rumors of a spectacularly gruesome onstage suicide were as widely and ferociously traded as the bootleg copies of his two albums. Because of the nature of a dictatorship, South Africans had very little unsanctioned information about the world outside their borders. But even though his fans (which, it seems important to note, seem to be largely white) didn't know who or where Rodriguez was, they did know that his lyrics criticizing unjust economic and social practices (inspired by his native Detroit) gave them a vocabulary with which to resist and begin to dismantle the cruelties and perversions of human dignity they were witnessing. And when a couple of musicians and writers try to hunt down the true biography of their poet and prophet, a pretty magical reunion t akes place. One of the journalists interviewed by the filmmaker describes this unlikely series of events as sounding like "a bad PR campaign" because it was so unlike how he understands the world to work, and Searching for Sugar Man feels like a myth while watching. Rodriguez remains an elusive figure throughout, even after he is rediscovered. He slides through different names and identities as purposefully and smoothly as he walks through the largely abandoned streets of the working-class neighborhood where he still lives in Detroit, and is clearly uncomfortable talking about his remarkable story. But it's a story that makes poets of his fellow construction workers and family as they marvel at how their unassuming friend and father live a dual life as a South African rock star. Though not quite reaching the heights of exuberant aesthetic grace achieved by man wire, Searching for Sugar Man will make you believe in fairy tales. Bernie is a 2011 black comedy film directed by Richard L inklater, and written by Linklater andSkipHollandsworth. The making of the film, based on an article in Texas monthly magazine by Skip Holland worth, whom also co-wrote the comedic film with Linklater, divided citizens ofCartharage, Texas, the small town in East Texas where the Nugent murder occurred. In the film, Linklater includes interviews with several Carthage residents about

Financial Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Financial Crisis - Essay Example This essay stresses that the impact of the failure in the arena of management of risk and the procedures of estimation became apparent after the financial crisis. In order to analyze the effects of the financial crisis the experts took the help of the mathematical as well as sophisticated techniques. The mortgage backed securities failed to measure the associated risk and so the risks regarding the securities intensified. The World is becoming increasingly unpredictable. The World witnessed overnight contraction of the capital market resulting in credit crisis and lending became difficult. There are possibilities as well as challenges for the decision makers. But since the financial crisis is still a fresh in the mind of the decision makers they are probably taking a safer path that will cement the growth curve. The governments of almost all the nations had to come up with packages that are required to move out from such a situation. As the paper declares the shortages triggered a recreation in the commodity market as well as in the oil market. The situation asked for financial assets from the United States as there was an increase in petrodollars. The flows of petrodollars became an important source of stability while the capital outflows played the role of destabilizations. The impact of the crisis was felt in the second phase when it could be anticipated that the economic growth is likely to get slowed sharply. The slowdown contributed to reverse the commodity market conditions which paved the way for the bubble to develop and ultimately destroyed the bubble. The situation

Understanding of the Mind and Its Processes Essay

Understanding of the Mind and Its Processes - Essay Example This paper illustrates that our vision is based upon a two-dimensional image despite the fact that it is attempting to perceive a three-dimensional world. As a result, we depend to a great extent upon our imaginations to fill in any missing elements of the visual puzzle we are confronted with, which may be accurate or inaccurate and it is up to other areas of our mind to decipher the truth. Perception, then, is what we first believe we have seen and then becomes adjusted as we begin to process this information through other areas of the mind based on information we remember or understand from previous experience. In addition to what we perceive through our fallible senses, we are also struggling to understand the world around us through what we can pay attention to, which has been proven to be limited, and what we are able to remember, which is limited by what we can imagine and further shaped by our perception of the event. As if this wasn’t enough information to try to juggl e around, how our perceptions are governed by our sensations and our memories and how these interact and combine to reshape our perceptions, there is another element that must be considered in cognitive science regarding what it means to be conscious and where the link is between the biological, material processes of the brain and the immaterial untraceable processes of the mind. Many people have made the connection between the brain and the computer and the mind and the software that runs the computer, but science has demonstrated that these processes are much more complex than the relationship between the newest Dell model and Windows Vista. While we attempt to define what it means to be conscious, we realize that we are only aware of ourselves as conscious because we can compare ourselves to something else – we are like something.

Creative use of English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Creative use of English - Essay Example The use of language in Rebecca can be best understood when approached phenomologically as they reflect the perception of the perceiver and seemingly constitutes a prototype that is culturally defined and generated infinitely everytime there is an attempt at understanding it through the process of cognition. Thus cognition and language play are essential categories that wrestle dialogically until a decision in sentence production is taken everytime to fix or anchor authorial intent. But it does not rest there, as cognition is also an attempt to translate all linguistic and communicative possibilities for each level of word play or use at the lexical stage and at the level of poetic metaphor and metonymy at the semantic level. "It is clearly understood that one of the qualities that all languages have in common is their "creative" aspect. Thus an essential property of language is that it provides the means for expressing indefinitely many thoughts and for reacting appropriately in an indefinite range of situations" (Chomsky, 1965) Chomsky unlike Humboldt argues for the necessity of a universal grammar, which must accompany a generative grammar that "assigns to each of an infinite range of sentences a structural description indicating how this sentence is understood by the ideal speaker hearer" and is also "perfectly explicit" (Chomsky, 1965). Humboldt talks about the truly creative aspect of man's cognitive faculty and how man resolves particular creative challenges given to them since language cease to be just syntagmatic and paradigmatic modes of representations and enter the reader's "horizon of expectations" (Jauss, 1982) and self-conscious-ness as Hegel situates it. Thus the cognitive "potentialities" (Jauss, 1982) as per the Reader-response theory are derived out of cumulative responses of readers and hence is rests outside the individual mental struggle with understanding and is thus more result oriented. But cognitive approach concerns itself more with the working understanding of the mind as it tries to derive and synthesize meanings out of language that are creatively distorted beyond their functional and immediate lexical meanings and also not quite semantically or culturally relevant but intertwined with the progress and context or mood of the narrative itself. Thus in Rebecca, word play, unlike say as used in Finnegans Wake by Joyce is less a universalization of the protean qualities of dream. Both the novels use creativity through language to represent the conventions and the workings of the sleeping mind that are communicative but in a many possible ways. Cognition thus comes when language is embedded in a larger social or narrative context and faces danger in a new usage that challenges it to redefine language use and deconstruct all grammatical pragmatism. Thus new semantic domains can be best analyzed through deep introspection and understanding of reader's role in interpreting metaphors while deciphering language. Metaphors are thus the dominant demarcators of new language constructions that lack any objective ready meaning and rests mainly on conceptualization, categorization, grammaticalization and the use of language for communication of meaning. It lacks any older positivist paradigms of linguistics and archetypal expressions. Rebecca uses an archetypal imagery of dream sequence to indulge into creative language play so as to

Beslan Barricade Incident Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Beslan Barricade Incident - Case Study Example When Gorbachev dissolved the communist party and formed the Common Wealth of Independent States (CIS) this gave most of the Soviet Socialists states their independence but the economical relationship still existed. Russia's economy was in a state of total disarray in the mid 90's and the economy almost collapsed in the 1997 when the Russian government had to stop the trading of the rubble on the international market, when the September 11 attacks took place, the United States of America retaliated with attacking Afghanistan and this caused major changes in the world, the oil rich countries received a shock and as if Afghanistan wasn't enough the USA followed it up by attacking Iraq and hence the oil prices rocketed sky high and this is what helped Russia the most because its economy started recuperating on the back of rising oiling prices. This was a major point because Russia is now able to repay debts before time and has since been able to throw around its weight on the political s cenario that is quickly developing and evolving into a multi polar stage rather than being just uni-polar with Britain and Russia being the countries that have been able to voice their concerns and also do something to follow up with those voices. In 1994 the first Chechen war was fought and due to a lack of planning from the Russian military they had to face a lot of casualties and were demoralized very early into the war, it last 2 years and after that a peace treaty was signed. This treaty was not able to guarantee any peace and the second Chechen war started in 1999 with Russia showing its might and bombarding the area using its air force, followed up by a ground attack and hence they were successful this time around in capturing Chechnya. In February of 2000 the Russians were finally able to capture Groznyy but the fighters of different militant groups vowed to keep up the resistance till death or freedom and this is the reason that this issue needs to be resolved and resolved quickly because this could turn into a breeding ground for terrorist organizations and once that happens it would be very difficult to have a secure Russia, that could effect the economy and the bubble might burst on the investments front if this situation is not resolved properly. The capture of Groznyy in 2000 was a political as well as a military victory for a newly appointed president, Vladimir Putin and his stance in this issue was definitive to him being selected as the president of Russia till March of 2008. Russian Point of View: The Russian point of view on this issue is one that can be called rational and irrational both at the same time. Russia fears that if Chechnya is granted freedom then other states would also want a free state and this could refuel rebel movements that have died down in other states because then they would know that if they pursue the course that the chechnyan rebel leaders and people took then they too can have independence. This fear of being disintegrated is a very rational one because Russia is one of the most diversified countries in the world, diversified in language, culture and ethnicity and these are very strong lines along which one can press for freedom because entire countries have been granted freedom before on the basis of religion and language. The other

Major Theological Divisions in the Islamic World Research Paper

Major Theological Divisions in the Islamic World - Research Paper Example The purpose of this paper is to establish the origins and evolution of the major divisions in Islam, and identify their ideologies and historical significance until the period of the Mongol Conquests. The paper argues that the major divisions of Islam were caused by struggles for power and authority, and evolved over a long period of time starting in the eighth century after the death of Prophet Muhammad. The major Islamic divisions include: Sunni, Shiite, Wahhabis, and Suffis. As the discussion stresses Prophet Muhammad had predicted in his ruling time that the Islamic religion would divide into seventy-three sects, which would all go to hell except himself and his true followers. The Islam divisions are now up to 150. The first Islamic group which was a successor of Prophet Muhammad was formed immediately after the death of the prophet in the seventh century. This division is known as the Sunni Muslims. Sunni Muslims are the majority of Muslims in the world, and they follow the four Khalifs who succeeded Prophet Muhammad – Hanifa, Hannibal, Malik and Shafi. This group has evolved to pursue their religion alongside secular societies. Ansary suggests that â€Å"they have followed the three Islamic sources of law namely, Hadith, Quran and Muslim consensus†. They consider themselves as those who have been saved by Allah; hence deriving the title of Najiyah.  

The Art of Persuasion Essay Example for Free

The Art of Persuasion Essay Sometimes you have to work very hard to get people to see that what they are about to do is wrong. At times, you may feel like giving up, but don’t quit. My friend George was about to make a very crucial mistake when we were seniors in high school. He was spending time outside of school with one of our married female teachers and they were getting close to being very intimate. I immediately told him this was a bad idea and decided at that moment that I would do anything to help him from making a horrible mistake. If there’s one thing that I’ve learned from this experience, it’s that persistence pays off. While persistence may get someone to take action, you can’t really get them to change their mind or heart without also being empathetic and supportive. When George told me of his romantic involvement with one of our married female teachers, I decided to help him get away from the situation. To do this, I had to dedicate a lot of time to him. I tried to make plans to keep us busy and to keep him from thinking about her or going to see her. She was married with three children, and there was so much potential for a horrible situation to arise from their involvement. As hard as I tried to talk to George about it, he really didn’t want to hear what I had to say. So I had to learn that in order to persuade someone, you don’t always have to tell them want to do, but you do need be persistent in your plan. My plan was to keep him preoccupied and busy. I knew that I could distract George and possibly keep him away from our teacher long enough for the situation to pass, but he was going to have to be the one to make up his own heart. Trying to change someone’s heart is like trying to grab a bull by its horns; virtually impossible. So I learned that I had to let him talk about his feelings and the situation. I had to try to understand how he could feel such a way about our married teacher. To do this, I had to view her in a different context – as a regular person with her own personality and flaws. I also had to try to see how she could feel this way about George. I still offered my advice, but I mostly listened and let him talk it through. What I needed to do most to persuade George to stay away from our married teacher was to be supportive. When he made tough decisions, I had to stand by him. When he was angry, I had to hang on and let him vent his anger and frustration. When he cried, I had to be there to hug him. If he was going to continued to see her, I still had to support him because I knew that eventually I would be able to help him see all that was wrong in what he was doing. I guess it is true that you can’t help who you fall in love with, and love is a blind and driving force, but when the person you fall in love with is your authority figure, such as a teacher, and is married and has a family, taking action on those feelings is wrong. In order to persuade George to the let flame extinguish in this particular romance, I had to be persistent, empathetic, and supportive.

White Noise Essay Example for Free

White Noise Essay There are certain land marks that if a person where to go to the same image is with them forever. Think about the empire state building, people tend to think about the helicopter view drifting around the building. They could have worked there or just visited it in real life yet the image is kept with them. In the novel White Noise by Don DeLillo it mentions the most photographed barn in the world which murray states that â€Å"it is impossible to see the barn for what it really is. It is impossible to escape it aura. Which can mean that because it has been so photographed it becomes impossible to have a memory about it that someone one hundred percent created, yet only mentally captured the printed image into one’s mind. Also, when such a large amount of people have seen an object, it is impossible to make a unique opinion on it. It would fall into a generic overview of the barn. Then there is the aura of the tourist, which in Murrays opinion â€Å"are taking pictures of taking pictures†(pg12). There is a good chance that they have seen the barn before yet are still taking images of it so they can have their own â€Å"claim† of it which puts them away of the reality of the barn and is in a way a form of voyeurism. Imagine the effile tower or the empire state building, two images that define the city’s which they call home. It is hard to think about Paris or New York City without them located in the city. Most people have never even seen these marvels of modern architecture but the image is seared like a hot iron into ones brain. There is a condition called Paris syndrome (^1) where people who visit the city become psychotic because the city did not meet the image of advertising or perceived ideals. When people come to see the barn Muarry states, they don’t see it. They see the pictures and the t. v adds that have been implanted in their minds. This makes sense from all the advertising in the novel and in real life. When something has the label of being captured by film more than anything in the united states it is impossible for at least one of those images to not be stuck bouncing around in one’s head as they think about the barn. Its â€Å"aura† is that it is captured in a certain way and impossible to overthrow. When people go on vacation they always take pictures. It is claimed that I helps keep the memories of the trip; to capture the moment. Yet, how often do people remember actives on a trip that were not photographed. Murray tries to state that photographs standardize the memory and make it so it is uniform. Which is un-relevant why someone wants to do that? It is unimportant to standardize memories when the unique sensations that people experience are what make the memory great. The photos of the barn only apply to one of the five senses. Being there add’s all of them the smell of the air around it, the sound of the creaking of the wood, the feel of the barn door being opened and if that person is it to it they can even lick the barn to find out the taste. That is what makes the moment of a memory. When something is captures so many times it is impossible to form a unique idea about it or to have a memory. It is thought of the same way for every person. Muary was trying to state that exact idea. What is special about the memory is what makes it a memory.

Online Travel Industry And Online Travel Agency Tourism Essay

Online Travel Industry And Online Travel Agency Tourism Essay In Europe, consumers typically have at least 4 weeks of vacation time annually compared to just 1 or 2 weeks for the average American; that spells multiple trips booked every year. It should come as no surprise then that online travel growth rates remain far higher overseas And then theres Asia. Fifteen years ago, few consumers in India and China could afford to travel outside their home nations. But thanks to a rising middle-class consumer, Asians are increasingly traveling both domestically and abroad. In fact, according to the China Daily newspaper, international travel has grown more than 50-fold in the past two decades. Rapid growth in the online travel business has helped fuel impressive sales gains for a handful of online travel companies. But thats only half the story online travel websites are also far more profitable than traditional offline travel agency operations. The reason is simple: scalability. Specifically, when a traditional travel agency wishes to expand, it has to hire more agents. Meanwhile, expanding abroad requires setting up a local office with agents speaking the local language, and that type of infrastructure can get expensive. But in the online world, once a website is designed and set up, it can handle a tremendous number of users. Growth in sales does not necessarily require commensurate growth in the labor force a handful of website designers and technicians can maintain the site regardless of the number of customers served. This scalability is behind the fat profit margins enjoyed by online travel firms. Travel and tourism are among the biggest industries worldwide, and more than 80 percent of the travel sold in the United States is now purchased online. With more consumers using the Internet to plan their vacation getaways, online travel agencies have been growing in popularity, helping to increase business in the travel industry overall. Aside from booking travel packages, many travelers go online in search of travel reviews before making a final decision about their choices. Reports show that more travelers who have traditionally booked trips offline are checking out vacation destinations, as well as travel and hotel rates, online. India Context The Indian Scenario The online travel market in India has witnessed tremendous growth and is attracting large number of national and international players. Private equity players have made huge investments in the online travel agency (OTA) segment in the past few years. Some facts : Total tickets available for sale (Only Domestic) per day are : 275,680 Total Ticket Sold by all OTAs per day =   51,690 Market size for Indian OTA Industry in Domestic Flights:   9000 crores   approximately Nearly 40% of the tickets sold are through OTA. On an average, every aircraft in India does 5.6 flights per day If airlines could further manage route optimization and do 1 more flight per day, at 6.6 flights per day, OTA Industry Sales will be up by 15% The first online portal for India was Indiatimes.com launched in the year 2002. Subsequently the following companies joined the bandwagon. Indiatimes 2002 Make my Trip.com 2005 Yatra.com 2006 Travel Guru 2006 In the pages that follow we will research on one of the most successful company in India in this Industry which is Make my trip.com. About the company and the respective concepts, impact, future Nurtured from the seed of a single great idea to empower the traveller MakeMyTrip went on to pioneer the entire online travel industry in India. MakeMyTrip has revolutionised the travel industry over the years. This is the story of MakeMyTrip, Indias Online Travel Leader. MakeMyTrip.com, Indias leading online travel company was founded in the year 2000 by Deep Kalra. Created to empower the Indian traveller with instant booking and comprehensive choices, the company began its journey in the US-India travel market. It aimed to offer a range of best-value products and services along with cutting-edge technology and dedicated round-the-clock customer support. After consolidating its position in the market as a brand recognised for its reliability and transparency, MakeMyTrip followed its success in the US by launching its India operations in 2005. With the foresight to seize the opportunities in the domestic travel market, brought on by a slew of new airlines, MakeMyTrip offered travellers the convenience of online travel bookings at rock-bottom prices. Rapidly, MakeMyTrip became the preferred choice of millions of travellers who were delighted to be empowered by a few mouse clicks! MakeMyTrips rise has been lead by the vision and the spirit of each one of its employees, for whom no idea was too big and no problem too difficult. With untiring innovation and determination, MakeMyTrip proactively began to diversify its product offering, adding a variety of online and offline products and services. MakeMyTrip also stayed ahead of the curve by continually evolving its technology to meet the ever changing demands of the rapidly developing global travel market. Steadily establishing itself across India and the world, MakeMyTrip simultaneously nurtured the growth of its offline businesses like its franchises and affiliates simultaneously, augmenting the brands already strong retail presence further. Today, MakeMyTrip is much more than just a travel portal or a famous pioneering brand it is a one-stop-travel-shop that offers the broadest selection of travel products and services in India. MakeMyTrip is the undisputed online leader, with its share of the travel market extending to more than 50% of all online sales, a fact evinced by the trust placed in it by millions of happy customers. Remaining reliable, efficient and at the forefront of technology, MakeMyTrips commitment and customer-centricity allows it to better understand and provide for its customers diverse needs and wants, and deliver consistently. With dedicated 247 customer support and offices in 20 cities across India and 2 international offices in New York and San Francisco (in addition to several franchise locations), MakeMyTrip is there for you, whenever and wherever. MakeMyTrip Limited, the parent company of MakeMyTrip (India) Private Limited and MakeMyTrip.com Inc., Indias largest online travel company1, today announced that it has priced its initial public offering of 5,000,000 ordinary shares at a price of USD14per share. The companys ordinary shares will begin trading on the NASDAQ Global Market on 12 Aug 2010 under the symbol MMYT. The companys services and products include air tickets, customized holiday packages, hotel booking, railway tickets, bus tickets, car hire and facilitating access to travel insurance. Through its primary website, www.makemytrip.com, and other technology-enhanced platforms, the company provides access to all major domestic full-service and low-cost airlines operating in India, all major airlines operating to and from India, over 4,000 hotels in India and a wide selection of hotels outside India, Indian Railways and several major Indian bus operator Makemytrip.coms three-month global Alexa traffic rank is 1,823. Visitors to the site spend roughly 51 seconds on each pageview and a total of three minutes on the site during each visit. It is located in India. Approximately 43% of visits to the site are bounces (one pageview only). Makemytrip.com has been online for more than ten years. MakeMyTrips Products: International and Domestic Air Tickets, Holiday Packages and Hotels Domestic Bus and Rail Tickets Private Car and Taxi Rentals MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences Exhibitions) B2B and Affiliate Services Management: A young company that has quickly become the leading travel service provider in India and the most trusted name in the industry, MakeMyTrips spectacular success is in no small part due to the unblinking vision of its senior management team and the dedication of its employees. MakeMyTrip employs over 700 Trippers from the travel, tourism, hospitality and technology industries. Deep KalraFounder Chief Executive Officer Mohit GuptaChief Marketing Officer Rajnish KapurChief Innovation Officer Mukesh SinghSenior Vice President Technology Development Anand KandadaiSenior Vice President Outbound Tours Keyur JoshiCo-Founder Chief Operating Officer Rajesh MagowCo-Founder Chief Financial Officer Amit SomaniChief Products Officer Amit SaberwalSenior Vice President Retail and Business Development Rohit HasteerVice President Human Resources Summary Name Age Since Current Position Kalra, Deep 41 Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer Magow, Rajesh 41 Group Chief Financial Officer Singh, Mukesh 34 2009 Senior Vice President Technology Department Joshi, Keyur 37 Group Chief Operating Officer Gupta, Mohit 36 Group Chief Marketing Officer Somani, Amit 38 2010 Group Chief Products Officer Adusumalli, Ravi 34 2005 Director Aggarwal, Sanjeev 50 2006 Director Guleri, Aditya 45 2007 Director Wolf, Philip 54 2005 Director Gowrea, Gyaneshwarnath 44 2009 Director Janally, Mohammad 27 2009 Director Gour, Vivek 47 2010 Independent Director Lalonde, Frederic 37 2006 Independent Director MakeMyTrip Values We, at MakeMyTrip, abide by our companys core values in our every endeavour. It is these values that have taken us where we have been and will take us where we are going! Excellence: We must strive for excellence in whatever we do. Focus on continuous improvement in interactions with people, efficiency of processes, and the wellbeing of the organization. Customer Centricity: We must maintain focus on our customers, both internal external, by giving them priority. Strive to exceed their expectations in terms of the value and quality delivered. Integrity: We must ensure consistency between our words and actions, always delivering what we commit. We can thereby maintain transparency, trust and accountability. Accountability: We must feel responsible and accountable for the commitments we make and the quality of the results we deliver to all our stakeholders. Innovation: We must continually apply intelligence, reason and technology to our work and environment. This will allow us to take informed risks and champion new ideas to improve our business as well as the community. Teamwork:  We must foster an environment wherein we can efficiently utilise the abilities of all team members to achieve goals. We should work on the premise that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. [emailprotected]: We must create and maintain an atmosphere of fun while at work, making work a happy place we can all look forward to. Empowerment:  We must give fellow colleagues the opportunity and freedom to think and act in ways that will allow them to get the job done, and yet be consistent with the processes laid down. Passion for Winning: We must have a can do attitude, not take no for an answer and believe that nothing is impossible. This will allow us to work relentlessly toward achieving our goals and honouring our commitments. Respect for People: We must give everyone, with whom we interact, respect and consideration. Awards Recognition Not without reason, MakeMyTrip has garnered the trust of over two million satisfied customers as well as the respect and acclaim of the entire travel industry and business world. Travel Business : Great Places To Work 2010 2nd Best Company to Work for #1 in Professional Services Superbrand India 2009-10 Great Places To Work 2009 #2 in Professional Services Best Travel Website CNBC Awaaz 2008-09 Most Visited Travel Website comScore 2005-09 Most Preferred Online Travel Agency Travel Biz Monitor Survey 2008 Number One Online Travel Agency JuxtConsult 2008 Gold and Silver Abby Award 2007-08 Among the Top Ten Websites visited by Indians comScore 2007 Nominated World Travel Awards WTA 2007 Among 100 IT Innovators NASSCOM 2007 Best Online Travel Company Galileo Express Travel World 2007 Emerging India Award ICICI Bank CNBC TV18 2006 Asias Hottest Technology Startup Red Herring 2006 Airline : Air Canada Outstanding Performance 2008 Singapore Airlines Top Passenger Agent 2007-08 British Airways Outstanding Revenue Contribution 2007-08 Air Mauritius All India Top Ten Agent//Top North India Sales Award 2006-07//2007-08 Cathay Pacific Outstanding Performance 2007 Malaysia Airlines Top Agent Award 2007 Lufthansa Outstanding Performance 2006-07 Kingfisher Airlines Outstanding Performance 2006-07 Indian Airlines Achieving Highest Domestic Passenger Sales 2006-07 Air India Outstanding Contribution to Passenger Sales 2005-06 Jet Airways Award of Excellence 2005-06 Gulf Air Continuous Support Impact There was a time when Indian families would plan their annual trip six months in advance, after spending long, sweaty hours queuing up in front of ticket booths. It sure wasnt easy. But in 2005, Deep Kalra, CEO and founder of MakeMyTrip.com, changed all that. He brought the concept of Online Travel Agents (OTA) to India and revolutionized the way the Indian middle class travels and plans their vacation. Today, the rise of Internet credibility coupled with falling rates of air travel has helped OTAs catapult to glorious success. And with a turnover of Rs 2,200 crore, MakeMyTrip.com has been a pioneer in the OTA success story. With over 50 percent market share, its the single most recognized and trusted player in the OTA industry. Future FUTURE : Focus on Advertising Strategy: Aim of MMT is to establish the brand. The focus is not just to provide cheap tickets. Advertising helps in getting your message across to the target audience more effectively. And with more and more players entering the segment, it is necessary to advertise to ensure you have captured sufficient mind-share. Again, the product basket that MMT offer is growing and our customers have to be updated accordingly. Expansion of Capacity : MMT is trying to expand capacity with caution, especially because the sector is capex hungry for the suppliers. We, at MakeMyTrip, have learnt that our suppliers are very important. Unless we make sure our suppliers business is profitable, we wont be profitable. Revenue breakup between MMT businesses: Between hotel and air, air captures a much higher percentage two-thirds of MMT business. But other product lines are growing fast, especially hotels and buses. The effort is to reduce reliance on a single line of business. While MMT lead the sector in terms of air tickets, MMT are continuously focusing on non-air products to increase their share of revenue as well. competing players Travelguru: A revolutionary online travel solutions destination, Travel Guru India has set the benchmark in the industry. With our affordable plane tickets and air tickets reservations, our travel gurus offer the most economical solution for every travel need. The travel guru mantra is based on the concept of making air tickets reservations an easy and quick process for every traveller. With the help of travel gurus, travellers can access the best fares for Travel Guru India and Travel Guru international holidays, business trips and corporate travel. The Travel Guru signature services guarantee a trip of a lifetime to any destination in India or across the globe! A trendsetter in the travel industry travel guru com offers the benefits of safe, comfortable and convenient travel at affordable fares. At travel guru com travellers can book affordable plane tickets and make domestic and international air tickets reservations. The travel gurus can also assist you with selecting a luxurious hotel to complement the travel guru air booking service. Just log on to travel guru com to book affordable plane tickets and hotel rooms for worldwide destinations. Get all the benefits of the travel guru services with just the click of a mouse! With Travel Guru India and Travel Guru international have a range of unmatched services at your fingertips. The Travel Guru services include: Air ticket Booking: Travellers can search for, compare prices and book affordable plane tickets for their chosen sectors of travel at the website. You have a comprehensive choice of airlines for low-cost, affordable plane tickets as well as for full-service airlines. Once youve made your selection just click for any air tickets reservations. Leave the rest to the travel gurus and get set to take off into the skies. Hotel Reservations: While on holiday come home to a luxurious hotel, at affordable rates. Travel Guru offers include domestic and international hotels at discounted rates with no compromise on quality, services and comfort. Take your pick from the wide selection of premium hotels that include Travel Guru India and Travel Guru International options and get your Travel Guru booking in an instant! Yatra:- Yatra Holiday Lounge is a premium, one-stop-shop for all your travel needs. Located at a convenient point within your city, the Yatra Lounge is where customers can walk in and plan their travel in privacy and comfort. When you visit a Lounge, a trained Yatra Travel Experts assists you with all aspects of your travel: booking flight tickets, hotels, cars, buses or holidays. We can even assist you with travel insurance and visa processing. The Yatra Travel Experts can also help you create customized holiday packages. The Holiday Lounges are open from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm, Monday to Saturday. Cleartrip:- MyTripYatra is dedicated to help customers to build their clear trip and cruise along with their Yatra to nirvana. As our name suggests Yatra we extend our services to provide facility for convenience of our clients to choose gamut of services like cheap air tickets on air Deccan, jet airways, Indian airlines, spice jet airlines, and air India. My Trip Yatra is a unique concept of taking offers from various online travel agents like makemytrip.com, cleartrip.com, yatra.com, travelguru.com to their customers. There are online discounts with cheap flights and hotels across the globe. Here you are free to see cheap fares, discount on airlines, offers on hotel bookings, holidays, at affordable prices for your yatra. For Cheap Air travel trip or planning Goa holidays, or looking a hotel in Goa, our way of make my trip endows you the chance to make your own cleartrip. We will add cheap hotels across the country and keep on adding different destinations like cheap flights from Delhi to Mumb ai, cheap flights from Mumbai to Delhi starting from 500 Indian Rupees.Coimbtaore FlightsAizawl FlightsColombo flights In order to spread wings of My Trip Yatra, we have affiliated ourselves with Yatra.com, one of the leading travel agents of India. Yatra.com provides cheap flights of Air Deccan, Indigo airlines, Spicejet airlines, Jet airways, Kingfisher airlines, paramount airways, go air, jetlite airline (formerly known as air Sahara airlines). Yatra.com provides unique features of At Yatra, we pay for your flights delay offers, thank you coupon code worth RS 250 if you book again with Yatra.com, various cash back offers with ICICI bank, Master Card, etc. Yatra.com also provides Yatra miles a proprietary product to redeem those miles against discount on cheap flights, cheap hotels, holidays and other packages such as Honeymoon packages, adventure packages. Yatra.com has been funded by Network 18 group that operates online websites like Moneycontrol.com, storeguru.com, buzz18.com, josh18.com, ibnlive.com, indiwo.com etc. It has also been funded by Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani group. We are proud to be an affiliate of Yatra online Pvt. Ltd. Yatra online has given us platform to promote their products online. Yatra online makes seamless transaction of products like flights, hotels, holidays, Buses, and cars. Yatra online thru its website Yatra.com makes a perfect partner to any online travel agent. Cleartrip is premier travel company of India that offers exclusive facility to travelers in planning of your trip. You can plan your holiday or business trips with Cleartrip and you will get many advantages over other travel planners. Cleartrip provides many benefits to travelers such as expediency, various options for booking, great competitive prices and in-depth details of many travel options, destinations and support. You can book flights, hotels, train tickets, complete holiday packages, travel insurance and much more from Cleartrip. Cleartrip provides booking facility for over 5,500 domestic hotels and around 109,000 international hotels. Clear Trip was launched on 4 July, 2006 and within a span of 4 years it has established itself as a premier travel planner company. Cleartrip start providing SMS based ticketing service that allows you to book tickets using mobile phones. From 2008, clear trip also started providing rail tickets in India with cooperation with IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation). Clear Trip has won many awards for its great services. It was given best travel website award in 2006 and 2007 consecutively. Clear trip is known as Google of Travel Websites as it provides tons of useful information about travel sector. In 2007 it also won the prize of most user friendly website of travel sector. Since its inception in 2006, Cleartrip has become a market leader in travel sector for providing simplest and most diverse travel planning options and best deals. You can get higher discounts on flight tickets if you choose Clear trip as your travel planner. Getting travel and tourism information had never been so easy before Cleartrip. You can find every specific detail about all cities in India along with travel options available, hotel available in that city, flight services, car rental services and main tourist attractions in that city. Online flight ticket booking is very easy with Clear trip services. You can just feed the departure and arrival destinations and timings and its internal search engine will provide you a detailed list of all flights available for your journey. You can easily compare flights of different service providers such as Jet Airways, GoAir, kingfisher, Air India and many more. If you are booking your tickets well in advance then you can also get many Cleartrip offers that will help you to save huge money on your travel. Cleartrip started its operation with a goal of making journey planning easier and hassle free and with its state of the art services it has surely achieved its goal and continue to growing with a fast pace. use the company balance sheet 3 years for the references and figures figures could be sales volume, business volume, market penetration, product mix, pricing of the product over the years v/s competition Customer Profile end users who are they- customer opinion In a cut-throat industry like OTA, how do you maintain competitive advantage? Deep Kalra, Founder CEO: Creating an experience for the customer is very important. Every OTA player today is focusing on providing more value for the customers time and money. The focus this year for MakeMyTrip is to move beyond customer satisfaction and towards creating customer delight. Also, we take pride in our customer relations; we have customer testimonials that speak very highly of our customer care executives. Being ahead on the technology curve is what gives us an edge. Its very important to keep on upgrading and reinventing new processes to enhance customer experience. Whats behind your advertising strategy? Deep Kalra, Founder CEO: Its very important to establish the brand. For us, the focus is not just to provide cheap tickets. Advertising helps in getting your message across to the target audience more effectively. And with more and more players entering the segment, it is necessary to advertise to ensure you have captured sufficient mind-share. Again, the product basket that we offer is growing and our customers have to be updated accordingly. Whats the revenue breakup between your businesses? Deep Kalra, Founder CEO: Between hotel and air, air captures a much higher percentage two-thirds of our business. But other product lines are growing fast, especially hotels and buses. The effort is to reduce reliance on a single line of business. While we lead the sector in terms of air tickets, we are continuously focusing on non-air products to increase their share of revenue as well. Criticism Some customers complain about Makemytrip not giving the complete terms of ticket (baggage allowed, flexibility to change date of travel or cancel the ticket) before booking the ticket. Some complain about false promises before booking the ticket. They warn potential customers to get the terms of the ticket in writing or email before going ahead with the phone booking. Refunds to credit cards are sometimes delayed. It is believed that calls to customer care in case of booked tickets is low priority in call queues compared to calls to buy tickets. There is undue delay in getting service in case of getting help on already booked ticket. The escalation process in case of complaints is not published on their website. Estimated waiting period or the position in the call queue is not announced. Other customers have warned that the websites Believe It Or Not promotion is indeed too good to be true. While MakeMyTrip promises you free domestic air travel once youve arrived in Inda, all such ai r travel must be booked 21 days in advance of the trip. And even if you attempt to arrange it that far in advance,  Make My Trip  makes this process very difficult, if not impossible. You will be booked on overnight flights, trips that should take three hours will wind up taking two days, and in some cases you will wind up paying taxes and fees that exceed the actual cost of the ticket, had you booked it yourself.   Customer Opinion As per various feeback posted on the website following is the broad feeback given : The call centre agents are well trained and they know their job Phone / Voice Menu is customer friendly Quick Customer responses where required on email

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter Essay -- Essays Papers

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers is a novel that takes place in a small southern town during the times of pre-World War II, the late 1930's. McCuller's main characters are misfits, lonely and rejected. They are all looking for a place in the world. The most tragic of the characters is a deaf-mute named John Singer. Singer's life basically revolves around his one and only friend Spiros Antonapoulos, who is also a deaf-mute. Singer "tells" Antonapoulos everything he is thinking or feeling and it seems as though Antonapoulos is interested in everything but what Singer has to say. Antonapoulos only communicates with Singer when he is hungry or sleepy. Singer just assumes he is listening and understanding everything he says. They lived this...

The Authors Sedgwick, Gould, and Otto :: Compare Contrast Comparison

Sedgwick's Hope Leslie, Gould's Dinosaur in a Haystack, and Otto's How To Make an American Quilt The authors Sedgwick, Gould, and Otto use structure in their books to get their points across. Sedgwick, author of Hope Leslie, divides her novel into two parts and chapters. Gould, author of Dinosaur in a Haystack, uses his book to present specific, autonomous essays and state his own views through literary snobbery. Otto, author of How To Make an American Quilt, divides her chapters up by first presenting instructions on how to make a quilt and then a story of one of the ladies of the quilting circle. Each book is structured by division of chapters and individual ideas of characters/essays. Although each author has specific moral ideas, each presents his/her ideas to the reader for the him to analyze for himself. Without this insight into the author's mind, one would not be able to relate to what the author writes about, even in some small way. Through this insight, each author guides the reader in how to think and feel. Sedgwick writes about feelings of love and honor. She describes in her own way what each character believes and how they will respond to changing variables. Gould writes to inform readers about his beliefs. He expresses through "logic and science" how his theories are correct. Otto writes about a quilting circle in a small town, where each individual has an existence comprised of a whole. Telling each feeling that every character has gives the reader a sense of oneness, of openness towards these characters. By writing about these thoughts and feelings, the reader is provided not only with insight into the characters but also insight about the way the author views society. By expressing their views in each book, the authors compel readers to delve deeper into one's soul, to evaluate each part of it. What each author does in his/her own unique way is point out the flaws of society he/she sees and wants to fix. Sedgwick wants the opinion that females have to marry to be reevaluated and also past events researched to discover what happened in the past (ancestry). Otto wants people to learn from past mistakes, because "life is too short to make your own." Gould wants people to be logical and scientific about everything: They [creationists] claim, above all, that evolution generates no predictions, never exposes itself to test, and therefore stands as dogma rather than disprovable science.

The U.S. Contained Communism In Vietnam :: Vietnam War Essays

The U.S. Contained Communism In Vietnam In 1949, Mao Zedong led the Peoples Revolution, which established a Communist State in China. Communism has now been introduced to Asia. In this period, after World War II, Communism was a popular ideology being introduced throughout the world. Vietnam was one of the many countries under the threat of Communism. At this time, Vietnam was a French Colony. As time went on tension started to come between the French and the Vietnamese people. As tension increased so did the fighting between the French and The Vietnamese. Finally in 1954, The French decided that they could no longer withstand the revolts of the Vietnamese. The Vietnamese were now free of French rule. However, many problems still remained in Vietnam. After the war there was a conference to discuss the troubles in Vietnam and all of the other troubles in Asia. That conference was called the Geneva Conference. Vietnam sent two delegations to the conference. One of the delegations represented Viet Minh (which was Communist in their leanings) and the other represented Bao Dia's government, which was backed by the United States. Both claimed to represent all of Vietnam. At the conference there was a discussion about dividing Vietnam at the 17th parallel to solve the troubles between the two delegations. Now there were two Vietnams. One, in the north, was under Communist rule and the other, in the south, was not. While the Geneva Conference was being held, the United States was already concerned about Communism being spread. The United States then decided that the only way to solve the problems would be to contain Communism including in Vietnam. The true answer to why the United States got involved in Vietnam lies in part in the Truman Doctrine. This statement is true for two reasons. First, the Truman Doctrine set forth a policy that was applied the international spread of Communism. Second, the Truman Doctrine was brought up when the conflict in Vietnam was increasing. The first United States involvement in Vietnam began in the late 1940's, long before it escalated to include the United States Military. Because of the basic terms or the Truman Doctrine, the United States was drawn in the Vietnam conflict. The Truman Doctrine dealt with fears of Communism, the domino theory, and a feeling there was a need for containment. All of Vietnam was in danger of falling into the hands of Communism.

Living in the Country

Living in the country has always been considered the healthiest and most relaxing choice one can make. The beauty of the land, open and friendly neighbours, genuine relationships, the tranquil pace of country life are some of the most attractive images that come to people?s minds when they feel tired of the pressures of city life. However, the dreams of moving away to a distant and quiet farm house are many times abandoned, especially by young people, when they come to think about the lack of opportunities that there are in the country. In fact, many young people feel they can not grow as professionals if they choose a quiet life style in the country, due to the poor quality of education and the lack of employment opportunities. The poor quality of education in the countryside can be perceived when one travels along rural roads and sees a few scattered primary schools, hidden among the mountains or in the woods. Children attend those schools only if it is not raining, and they travel long distances on horseback, or even on foot to reach the institution. Since the number of students is not enough to employ an English teacher, a Music teacher, a Sports teacher or a Computing teacher, those subjects are not taught, so children have no additional lessons. Finally, another factor that makes education reach very low quality standards is the fact that in many places there is no electricity, so it is imposible to imagine children from rural areas connected to the Internet, or having the possibility of watching a video or listening to music. To conclude, children from rural areas are not expected to develop their full potential due to the poor quality standard of education. Once young students finish primary school, and some priviledged adolescents can complete secundary education, they have to think about university or work. University is left only to the priviledged students who can afford to move to the city to continue their studies. The rest of the young population have to think about getting a job. And here comes another drawback of living in the country: as regards employment opportunities, there is a narrow range of jobs available for young people, and they are usually badly paid. Young people have to select among venturing into neighbouring towns, working at one of the relatively few jobs available nearby, or working on their own business. Since they have not been properly prepared at school, and employment opportunities are scarce, the joung rural population have relatively few opportunities to grow economically. Many people put forward many good reasons to live in the country and they are right. First, living in the country is safer than living in big cities, since there are less crimes. Second, it is also healthier because there is no pollution and no loud noises. Third, the pace of living in the country is quieter so sountry people’s lifespans are longer. Finally, many people argue that roads and means of communication have improved a lot in the last decades, so today living far away from the city is not so hard. However, for young people who are still trying to find their way to grow professionaly in order to gain economic stability, the city offers much more educational and economic opportunities than the stillness of the countryside.

Principles Of Safeguarding And Protection Essay

The booklet must: Ai Describe in your own words what is meant by the following types of abuse: †¢ Physical abuse Physical abuse is the use of physical force that may result in bodily injury,physical pain or impairment.physical abuse may include but is not limited to such acts of violence as striking ( with or without an object) hitting,beating,pushing,shoving,shaking,slapping,kicking,pinching and burning. †¢ Sexual abuse Sexual abuse is any sort of non consensual sexual contact,sexual abuse can happen to men or women of any age. †¢ Emotional/psychological abuse Any act, including confinement, isolation, verbal assult,humiliation intimidation or any other treatment which may diminish the sence of identity,dignity and self worth. †¢ Financial abuse Misuse of a persons money, property or assets through theft or fraud †¢ Institutional abuse Mistreatment of people brought about by poor or inadequate care or support, or systematic poor practice that affects the whole care setting . it occurs when the individuals wishes and needs are sacrified for the smooth running of a group,service or organisation. †¢ Self neglect Self neglect is any failure of an adult to take care of himself or herself that causes or is reasonably likly to cause within a short period of time serious physical,mental or emotional harm or substantial damage to or loss of assests. †¢ Neglect by others Neglect is the failure to provide necessary care, assistance,guidance or attention that causes, or or is reasonably likely to cause the person physical ,mental or emotional harm or substantial damage to or loss of assets. Read more: Identify national policies and local systems that relate to safeguarding and protection from abuse  essay Aii Identify signs and symptoms of the different types of abuse Abuse can show as physical effects and symptoms.these are likly to be accompanied by emotional signs and changes in behaviour,but this is not alway the case. Signs of physical abuse Frequent or regular falls or injuries Pepperpot bruising – small bruises,usually on the chest,caused by poking with a finger or pulling clothes tightly Fingermarks – often on arms or shoulders Bruising in areas not normally bruised such as the inside of thighs and arms Sighns of sexual Unusal sexual behaviour Blood or marks no underclothes Recurrent gentital/ urinary infections Complaints of soreness or infections in the genital/ anal area Frequent complaints of abdominal pain Change in behaviour Sighns of emotional Loss of interest in appearance Loss of confidence Becoming afraid of making decisions Change in behaviour Sighns of financial Sudden change in attitude to financial matters Sleeping problems Feeling depressed or hopeless Any behaviour changes could indicate that the service user is a victim of some form of abuse, but remember that they are only an indicator and will need to be linked to other factors to arrive at a complete picture Aiii Explain the correct actions to take if you suspect an individual is being abused Report your concerns to your line manager/ supervisor. Aiv Explain the correct actions to take if an individual tells you they are being abused If a client tells you they are being abused,you should stop what you re doing and listen carefully to them.all conversations should be treated with confidence and information only passed on to those who need to know.even if the person speaks in strictest of confidence,line managers must still be informed and the discussion written down.never agree with the client that you wont tell someone who can do something about it. Av Identify how to ensure that any evidence of abuse is kept safe There may be situations where you have evidence of abuse,either because you have witnessed it happening or because you have other evidence such as bank slips, forged pension books,ect. In this situation must be reported immediately to your supervisor,or the person identified in the procedures followed by your workplace for cases of suspected abuse.you make sure that you provide all the evidence in detail with full information about how you found the evidence and how and where you have recorded it.if you have witnessed,or intervened in,an act of abuse that may constitute a criminal offence, you must not remove any possible evidence until the police have examined the scene. Avi Identify the national policies that set out requirements for safeguarding individuals Safeguarding vulnerable groups act 2006 No secrets act 2000 Care standards act 2000 Avii Identify the local and organisational systems for safeguarding Safe guarding vulnerable groups act 2006 cqc Criminal records bureau human rights act 1998 Aviii Explain the roles of different agencies and professionals that are involved in safeguarding individuals Police,- criminal(assult ,fraud, theft domestic violence) Council, – to protect people using their service – make sure they re safe  extend help where needed to support those experiencing abuseand neglect in their own homes Social workers – to investigate actual or suspected abuse or neglect Crb-to check an individuals past to see if they have any criminal convictions Gp,a&e staff,nurses,medical professionals – they can diagnose treat and examine and record any evidence Cqc – to regulate and inspect care providers Aix Identify sources of advice, support and information to help social care workers understand their own role in safeguarding Health authorities, local authority social services My manager, colleagues My companys policies and procedures on safeguarding The internet Cqc Independent safeguarding authority Books Training and advise from training 204 Task B Research and Account Identify two reports on serious failures to protect individuals from abuse. Write an account that describes the unsafe practices in the reviews. Suggested word count: 400 words 204 Task C – Short Answer Questions Ci Explain what a social care worker must do if they become aware of unsafe practice. They must report the matter to their line manager or senior using the whistle blowing policy keeping a recorded document of times,places and events of unsafe practise and any other evidence they are able to obtain. If the unsafe practice is by the manager then must report to a higher member within the company so the matter can be resolved. Cii Describe what a social care worker must do if unsafe practice is reported but nothing is done to ensure it is corrected. if a care worker reported unsafe practise and nothing is done to correct it the social care worker needs to keep recorded documentationof the person who they reported  it to, keep reporting it and keep recording it and keeping recorded documentation as evidence and advise the person performing unsafe practise of what they are doing wrong and work to the best practice you know. If still nothing is done to correct the unsafe practice the social care worker can contact cqc and advise them on the unsafe practice. Ciii Describe three factors that may make individuals more vulnerable to abuse than others. Factor 1; physical disability – physical disabilitynof any form can make individuals more vulnerable to abuse as they often are unable to speak out about who is abusing them or what type of abuse is occurring and makes them vulnerable to abusive attacks. Factor 2; age – age of all types can have an effect both young and old are more vulnerable to abuse. Old people are more vulnerable to financial abuse if they are not in control of their own finances along with physical and mental abuse children are vulnerable to grooming ,sexual, physical,mental and emotional abuse. Factor 3; mental illness – mental illness makes people vulnerable as they may be unable to take care of themselves or protect themselves from significant harm and exploitation Civ Explain how adopting a person centred approach which offers choices and upholds rights can empower an individual and help to reduce the likelihood of abuse. Treating individual with respect, supporting individuals rights to control their lives and make informed choices, promoting individual views, helping individual service users and care workers to make complaint and maintaining confidentialty encourage service users to comment and attend in the meeting.those practices help individuals to aquire their self esteem and recognize their values, rights, and powers what protect them being abused. Cv Explain how encouraging and promoting active participation can help to reduce the likelihood of abuse. Encouraging active participation builds self esteem,and the person will refuse to tolerate abuse and will be inclined to report it, theyre also around other people which will help build friendships in which they can share things they may tell one of them if abuse may happen and one of them may pass it on to help. Cvi Explain how an effective and easy to use complaints procedure can help to reduce the likelihood of abuse.  If it is easy to access the complaints procedure,and anyone willing to complain has no difficulty in doing so, then it makes it harder for abuse to go unreported,and hence less likely to take place . if a victim has difficulty complaining then someone who might abuse them is more likely to do so, as they would be more confident that the victim would not be able to do anything about it.

Is It Possible for Organizations Operating in Dynamic Environments to Achieve Person-Organisational Fit to Improve Organizational Effectiveness?

Today we live in a world where change is inevitable. Organisations today face dynamic environments characterized by substantial and often unpredictable technological, political and economic changes. The key to survival and succeeding is adaptation, in dynamic environments often an organisations only option is to literally â€Å"do or die† with regard to change. Tyagi & Gupta (2005) indicates that the central point of personal and organisational effectiveness is a sense of being able to make contributions and make somewhat of a difference in any way possible. As individuals we feel content and fulfilled when we make positive contributions to our communities, families and organisations. Similarly organisations can only achieve their potential when they positively impact the lives of various stakeholders and related entities. However the opportunity to contribute only arises if there is a fit between what people want to achieve and what the organisation wants to achieve. Thus creating a fit between the person and organisation allow both to be effective. In the past few years the concept of Person-Organizational fit (P-O) has been in a state of flux, with many theorists putting forward conflicting views on the conceptualization of fit, its measurements and its boundaries. In the broad sense of the word it is defined as the compatibility between the person and the organisation (Li, 2006). As many organisations operate in dynamic environments; many changes take place and organizations have to cope with these changes by adapting their business and strategies to the turbulent environments. This essay goes on to explore the effects the changes mention have on the P-O fit and if dynamic environment allow organisations to achieve person-organisational fit in order to enhance and reach organisational effectiveness. According to evidence it can be seen that it is possible to achieve P-O fit in dynamic environments however it would not be the ideal tool to implement to improve effectiveness due to the evolving nature of the environment as it hinders growth and discourages innovation which would not lead to organizational effectiveness (Tyagi & Gupta, 2005). P-O fit refers to the extent to which and individual and the employing organization are compatible. There are however many definitions that have been put forward over the years such as value congruence (O’Reilly et al. , 1991), Goal congruence (Vancouver et al. , 1994), needs and supplies demand abilities (Edwards,1991) in addition a personality-climate fit (Ryan and Schmit, 1996). However the most commonly used definition is the value congruence perspective. Verquer et al (2003) value congruence as the extent to which individual and organizational values match. Rynes and Gerhart have gone a step further and pointed out that the P-O fit is more than a mere match, as it usually implies a sense of chemistry (Bellou, 2009). Another way of conceptualising the compatibility between the person and organisation uses the distinction between supplementary and complementary fit. Supplementary fit occurs when a person supplements or possesses characteristics that are similar to other individuals in an environment. This congruence can be differentiated between complementary fit, which occurs when a person’s characteristics make whole the environment or add to what is missing (Tyagi & Gupta, 2005). Further more Cable and Parsons (2001) states that P-O fit is a crucial factor in maintaining a flexible workforce and creating a high degree of organizational commitment in a tight labour market and a competitive business environment. Supporters of P-O fit state that the construct is crucial in the study of organizational effectiveness because it has made improvements to the traditional view of matching skills, knowledge and abilities in predicting if an individual will be successful in a particular organization (Chuang & Sackett, 2005). Ambrose et al, 2008 posit that individuals whose values will result in positive contributions to organizational effectiveness and lower turnover. These models may be under the assumption of static environments; one must apply the dynamic nature of the current environments organisations operate in today. Kammeyer-Mueller (2007) proclaims that even though static and dynamic perspectives are portrayed as mutually exclusive alternatives, they need not be opposed to one another. Research goes on to show that constant external shocks injected into the organisations may result in changes been implemented that affects the P-O fit. These changes may sometimes lead to negative results such as turnover and intention to leave as the employees feel they no longer â€Å"fit† with the organisation. In addition Chatman et al (2008, p. 64) notes that, because a lack of congruence is aversive, â€Å"misfits† are unlikely to remain with that organization. There are also instances when individuals no longer are compatible or unhappy with the fit between the organisations and themselves due to adaptations the company undergoes however choose to remain with the organisation solely because they have no other job options. In instances where â€Å"misfits† remain as they perceive that it is their only choice they bring about many negative aspects into the organisation such as demotivation, low commitment, this is mainly because they try to overcompensate and manipulate the work input output equation to fill the missing void. On the other hand the Social identity theory suggests that another mechanism by which individual dispositions might influence fit within a dynamic context. The social identity argues that the self-concept is a patchwork of various identities, such as demography, occupation, organization, department and workgroup which provide proscriptions for behaviour (Ashworth & Johnson, 2001). It also states that depending on the pressures applied the identity a person adopts will differ. This however does not change the fact that the individual still has within himself or herself, the same core set of identities. Interestingly at least in Oriental Chinese societies, leaders or managers may change their leader behaviours to create a better person-organisation value fit. This study shows that behaviours have positive effects on person-organisational fit. A crucial finding in this study was that even among employees who have been below average O-P fit can be influenced in terms of motivation commitment and trust in their leader by leader behaviours. For example employees working under high team oriented leaders had higher motivation and commitment and trust compared to those under low team oriented leaders. This goes on to show that even though the dynamic environment may affect and the person-organisation fit and sometimes lowers the P-O value fit , organisations can still effectively operate and manage those employees with the proper management and leadership methods (Li, 2006). However this method might not an appropriate universal method to implement as business environments vary across nations due to cultural, legal and other aspects that are followed. However the P-O fit may not be in the best interest of the organization at times and lead to negative results. For example, extremely high levels of person-organization value fit may lead to high levels of conformity and homogeneity. High levels of conformity and homogeneity will bring about a range of adverse effects which may hinder the success of the organisation, by making the organisation and its members far less adaptable to the changes surging in the dynamic environment as well as less innovative (Li, 2006). Some evidence even go to the extent of pointing out that organisations with slight internal variation in employees perspective lead to better performance in the short run but worse in the long run , presumably as a result of inferior adaptation (Li, 2006). Person-Organisation Fit in theory sounds like a tool that should be implemented by every organisation. Taking a closer look one can see that even though initially achieving a fit will lead to organisational effectiveness in the long run it will cause the organisation more harm than good. This is due to the fact that organisation operating in dynamic environments thrives on adaptability and innovation which is opposed by the negative by products of long term P-0 which include homogeneity and high levels of conformity. This does not mean that the concept of P-O should be completely ignored as evidence shows that it has a greater impact on individuals in an organisations resulting in positive results in comparison to organisations as a whole. In an ideal situation the individuals should adapt with the environment and perceive the changes as a learning experience to mould them to achieve the best, keeping in mind that sometime change is the key.

Japan Net Bank Case Analysis Essay

The banking market, especially Internet-only bank sector, in Japan was going through a period of rapid growth after the Japanese government initiated the famous â€Å"Big Bang† deregulation of the financial market. JNB, which began operation in October 2000, aimed at winning one million accounts and one trillion yen deposits and becoming profitable by the financial year 2002. However, in order to achieve that long-term success, it needed to resolved a number of issues and strengthen its competitive position in face of stiff competition from brick-and-mortar banks and new Internet-only banks. Therefore, this report focuses on the following three issues: †¢ An assessment of the present situation in Japan   regarding the Internet-only model of retail banking, †¢ An analysis of JNB’s competitive advantages, †¢ Recommendations of what alliance strategies to develop to overcome competition from traditional and other online banks. The data in this report was collected by assessing the information of the case â€Å"Japan Net Bank: Japan’ First Internet-only Bank† by Vincent Mark and Pauline Ng under the supervision of Dr. AH F. Farhoomand and surveying relevant materials from the Internet. I have divided my report into three main sections. Firstly, we would assess the potential for Internet-only model of retail banking in Japan. Secondly, we present and analyze JNB’s competitive advantages meticulously in this particular Japanese market. Finally, we would suggest some viable propositions of what alliance strategies that JNB should develop to surpass and obtain the market leader. Internet banking in Japan. 4 Conservative consumer banking behavior 5 Low level of credit card usage Japan did not use credit cards a great deal. By 2001, credit card purchases accounted for just eight per cent of consumer spending in Japan, compared with 14 percent in Europe and 21 percent in the US (The Economist, 2001). Borrowing was considered shameful in a culture much bound by traditional concept, so paying by credit card in public could be an embarrassment. In many cases, credit card users could only repay in one-go or in fixed installments. Therefore, such the culture preferred repaying card debt s in one-go quickly if they could afford it. Card companies’ lack of good marketing accentuated the problem: although there were schemes involving credit cards points, customers could only use their points to redeem low-quality gifts. In contrast, the consumer loan market in Japan was doing much better since it was worth 7 trillion yen by early 2001, double the market size of credit card. 6 The availability of ATMs for cash withdrawals Japanese consumers generally preferred to pay by cash or money transfers. A survey conducted in summer 2000 asked respondents which Internet bank they would deposit their money in. The 3,825 respondents were mostly in their 20s and 30s. Figure 1 illustrates the results: the attractiveness of the online banks in Japan in 2000. [pic] The pie chart illustrates that the success of a Japanese bank relied heavily on its ATM services. Determinant included whether the ATMs were conveniently located, whether they charged a small or no handling fee, whether they were open for long hours, etc. That leads to the wide distributions of ATMs services in Japan. We could recognize that the brand equity also played an important role to attract the customers. 7 Internet usage in Japan On-line banking with limited services-as an extension of traditional banking-was already available in Japan in 1997 with Sumitomo Bank. The total number of Internet accounts at major commercial banks reached 1. 4 million at that time. According to a Nielsen/NetRatings report, the Internet population in Japan was some 38 million in January 2001, and 41% of them were active users. However, a study by Yankee Group in early 2001 found out that some 20% of all Japanese households had a fixed line Internet connection at the end of 2000, less than the 50% Internet penetration in the US. Low penetration of fixed line Internet connections had driven a lot of people to use i-mode, which could cost only about several hundred yens a month. I-mode was a cellular Internet service offered by NTT DoCoMo, allowing emails and other Internet functions to be carried out via handsets. It had more than 22 million subscribers by April 2001. In fact, i-mode becomes so popular that Miyai, director of JNB, once said â€Å"Internet banking is really â€Å"cellular banking† in Japan†. 8 The competitive situation Competition from traditional banks JNB nevertheless had to face stiff competition with well-known bricks-and-mortar banks in a crowed banking market even though it was considered as the Japan’s first Internet bank without physical branches. Banking habits and conservative consumer culture in Japan facilitate traditional banks to gain competitive advantage in the market. Furthermore, traditional banks were making their services more convenient by installing m ore and more ATMs and providing a variety of value-added financial services. The most primary factors which make JNB’s competitors pay attention to JNB seemed to be lower overheads, competitive rates, lower fees and strong alliance backing. 10 Competition from domestic Internet banks Sony Bank JNB also had to compete with new entrants that provided similar services, One of those competitors was Sony Bank, an Internet-only bank with 37. 5 billion capital investment expected to start operation in mid-June 2001. Sony Bank’s strategy was similar to that of JNB in terms of higher interest rates, lower fees, a small workforce and no physical branches. In particular, the new bank’s management stressed customized, one-to-one services. Sony bank took advantage of its strategic stakeholders to deliver high-quality services to consumer. For example, customers of Sony Banks could use SMBC’s ATMs at â€Å"am/pm† convenience store chain as contact point, or J. P. Morgan Chase, one of its important stakeholders, would provide personal financial advice through the Web or Sony Bank obviously benefited from the Sony Empire by utilizing Sony Bank’s settlement service to purchase Sony products online. IY Bank Another Internet-only bank to enter the fray was IY bank, whose â€Å"internet† was predominantly a sprawling ATM network although Internet-based transactions would also be possible. It was expected to install round-the-clock ATMs in 3659s Ito-Yokado supermarkets and Seven-Eleven convenient stores within two years of operation. It had already joined up with a combined network of nine city banks, including one of the Japan’s largest commercial banks Sanwa, and charged commission whenever a customer of another bank in the network withdrew money from an IY Bank ATM. IY Bank intended to be settlement-focused and would develop loan and card business and Internet-based services later. IY Bank planned to install 24-hour ATMs at 3650 stores under the group by spring 2002 and at 7150 stores within five years of operation. Its target seemed to be practical since it could take advantage of the Ito-Yokado group’s existing customer base, which is 10 million customers per day, and its low-cost operation. 1 Competition from international Internet banks Another Internet-only bank, called eBank, was expected to start operation in June 2001. It would specialize in the settlement of payments for small-value online purchases worth up to 100,000 yens and would charge a lower commission than ordinary bank. eBANK was operate by Japan Electronics Settlement Planning Inc and invested by Japan Telecom, Yamato Transport and Ericsson Holding International. Its capital was about US$37 million. Japan Net Bank’s competitive advantages JBN, one of the core Internet businesses of parent company SMBC, aimed to build up its independent, own brand name and aspired to become the de facto standard of the Japanese-style â€Å"Internet Specialized Bank† for 21st Century’s Internet community. Therefore, the bank adopted the customer-centric principle seriously in order to survive and develop. JNB differentiated its financial products and services from those of its competitors by its distinguished characteristics: 3 24/7 availability JNB customers enjoyed seamless financial functions and 24/7 accessibility to their accounts through the Internet. They could carry out transactions or check their accounts through multiple access channels, including physical channels (ATMs or the Head Office) and mobile internet service (i-mode). The interfaces were designed to be very user-friendly. Moreover, JNB began to diversify into services other than basic bank transactions such as ordinary and term deposits. For example, it allowed on-line payment for bills and services of Tokyo Electric Power, Nomura Securities and Nifty Corp. ’s on-line shopping mall. 4 Competitive interest rate JNB offered attractive interest rates and fees compared with conventional Japanese banks [see Exhibit 3]. Its deposit interest rates were more than twice that of the average rates offered by major Japanese banks, and its charges for fund transfer were less than half those of conventional banks. Customized services Every customer had his/her own specific information page on the Web. Customers would receive e-mail notifications of transaction details such as receipt of fund transfers, expiration of term deposits, errors in automatic account debits, etc. 6 Confidentiality of usage The confidentiality of JNB customers’ private information was strictly secured; private information could not be used without customers’ agreement. Information transferred through the network was encrypted by 128-bit SSL (Secure Sockets Layer). The database and servers storing JNB customers’ information were protected by a firewall and an access-surveillance system. All Internet banking transactions could not be processed without a password. Moreover, the last login date and time was always indicated at every login to a JNB account, so customers would know whether their accounts had been accessed illegally. 7 Flexible organization and IT system JNB maintained a flexible, flat, and team-like structure which had a very low cost base. Its management style was different from the top-down approach of traditional Japanese corporations. Its structure allowed for the contingency between different departments in the organization to coordinate and solve problems. JNB also adopted a flexible, open information technology system which is divided systematically and functionally. The building of JNB’s IT application was quite innovative since it is mostly outsourced under the supervision of IT Department staff. Strategic alliances to develop In the face of fierce competition, JNB had the advantage of strong, broad, strategically important and multi-industry alliances. An appropriate strategic alliance would increase its revenues and market share. The advantages of strategic alliance include: †¢ Allowing each partner to concentrate on activities that best match their capabilities. †¢ Learning from partners and developing competences that may be more widely exploited elsewhere †¢ Adequacy a suitability of the resources and competencies of an organization for it to survive. 9 Shareholder alliance JNB has been forming alliances and partnerships with many blue-chip corporations possessing huge customer bases. Since JNB could acquire customers through its shareholder alliances, it had relatively low reliance on mass-media marketing and therefore had low marketing budget. In next five years, it should continue diversifying its alliances from different sectors of economy to broaden its business and utilize its alliance’s customer base. For instance, JNB might negotiate with ORIX Corporation RIX, one of the Japan’s largest leasing and diversified financial services conglomerate, to obtain equity strategic alliance. This alliance will enable the company to capture a larger share of the Japanese consumer finance market, and make consumer finance operations more efficient and responsive to the financing needs of creditworthy consumers. 10 Global strategic alliances SMBC, as a major stakeholder of JNB, signed a memorandum of mutual understanding (MOMU) on a strategic partnership with The Bank of East Asia (BEA) to co-develop their business potentials in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan and other countries. In China, SMBC established a wholly owned subsidiary, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (China) Limited, in April 2009. SMBC has formed alliances with Kookmin Bank in Korea, First Commercial Bank in Taiwan, The Bank of East Asia in Hong Kong, PT Bank Central Asia Tbk (BCA) in Indonesia and other Asian banks. With Barclays, a major British financial institution, the company is exploring venues of cooperation in wealth management, operations in South Africa and other business fields. JNB should take of advantage of this opportunity to establish its relationship with these foreign banks to market and expand its business to international. These strategic alliances would enable the company to expand its market hare and generate incremental revenues. 11 Non-shareholding alliances Ageing population in Japan likely to increase demand for insurance and pension products The Japanese population is ageing fast. The 65 and over age group as a percentage of total population is expected to increase from an estimated 21% in 2005 to 35. 7% in 2050. Moreover pension assets under management in the Asia Pacific region ar e expected to grow from current E1, 100 billion to E2, 900 billion in 2015. Ageing population in Japan would boost demand for the pension products of the company. The bank should cooperate and offer pension plans services, through Japan Pension Navigator Company to gain a certain advantage. Discerning that changing demographic profile of Japan profoundly therefore would increase demand for JNB’s business. Conclusion Japan Net Bank (JNB), Japan’s first Internet bank without physical branches, began operation in October 2000. It attracted mainly young customers looking for convenient, round-the-clock bank services with much more competitive interest rates and transaction charges than traditional Japanese banks. Its access channels included the mobile Internet service i-mode and fixed-line Internet. JNB relied on flexible, open computer systems and a young workforce of only 100 people to minimize operational costs. Its stakeholders, including parent company Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) and NTT DoCoMo (provider of i-mode), were all large companies from different industry sectors. This stakeholder base gave JNB market exposure and access to their established customer bases. By April 2001 JNB had 130,000 customers. It aimed at winning one million accounts and ? 1 trillion deposits and becoming profitable by the financial year 2002. But it needed to resolve a number of issues before it were able to achieve long-term success in the face of strong competition from bricks-and-mortar banks and new Internet-only banks. One of crucial issues was about how to meet with wide fluctuations in usage without over-investing; the other was alliance management, how to co-operate with alliance partners to achieve competitive advantage.