Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Introduction to Tourism Destination Planning & Development Essay

Tourism provides a major economic development opportunity for many countries and a means of improving the livelihoods of its residents. Both the public and private sectors involved in tourism depend on planning to achieve sustainable tourism development that respects the local community, creates appropriate employment, maintains the natural environment, and delivers a quality visitor experience. Tourism destinations that pursue development without proper planning would face several negative impacts upon the community and host region, such as the erosion of the region’s cultural identity as well as the destruction of landscapes. Malaysia is situated in Southeast Asia and consists of 13 states and 3 federal territories, separated by the South China Sea. 11 of Malaysia’s states are located in Peninsular Malaysia and 2 in east Malaysia, situated on the island of Borneo. The capital city of Malaysia is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government and I skandar is known as the administrative center. Tourism is Malaysia’s second largest foreign exchange earner, with a total number of 1,817,061 tourist arrivals in January 2012 alone and 9,438,592 in the following five months[], nearly a hundred thousand more than in the first five months of 2011. Malaysia’s Minister of Tourism, Dato’ Seri Dr. Ng Yen Yen has stated that total receipts from tourism in this period was RM 21.8 billion[] and according to the National Key Economic Area annual report in 2011, the tourism industry is projected to provide and incremental contribution of RM 66.7 billion to the country’s National Gross Income. All these show the very rapid growth of Malaysia’s tourism sector. Moreover, the tourism industry in Malaysia has also been noted to have provided a number of 1.2 million jobs in the country, helping boost the economic and socio-economic development of Malaysia; whether directly or indirectly, tourism has helped generate employment in industries such as agriculture, handicraft, hotel, transport and arts and culture[], while simultaneously conserving aspects of history, culture, heritage and environment of the country. Malaysia’s attractiveness as a tourist destination can be largely contributed by the fact that, in line with its international tagline ‘Malaysia, Truly Asia’, it is a colourful hotpot of cultural diversity. Malaysia’s community consists of not only Malays, Chinese and Indians, but also a number of ethnic people such as the Kadazandusun and Iban in Sabah and Sarawak, as well as the Selatar clan in Johor. With its multi-cultural heritage and ‘exotic’ traditions, food and festivals, many tourists are drawn to visit the country every year. In addition, Malaysia also has the advantage of having a warm, tropical climate all year long, something which many Western travellers look forward to enjoying, as well as having the advantage of being free of major natural disasters such as volcanoes or earthquakes. Malaysia is also proud to have UNESCO-listed World Heritage Sites to its name, primarily the Gunung Mulu Geo-Park in Sarawak[], and the historical sites of Malacca[], with Mulu attracting 15000 tourists annually[] while Malacca welcomed more than four million between January and April this year[]. Recently, it has been revealed that the tourism industry was allocated an RM358 million under Budget 2013 in conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year 2013/2014, in order to reach a target of 26.8 million arrivals for the coming year[]. The Government will also review domestic policies and regulations regarding foreign equity restrictions and limits on employment of foreign talent, as well as rules governing recognition of international qualifications, requirements for commercial presence, composition of board of directors, and residency for expatriates[] in order to assist in liberalising the services sector to reach its full potential in Malaysia. Successful implementation of tourism destination development involves a lot of planning, in terms of the assessment of available resources at the destination, marketing strategies to be undertaken, economic and financial analysis as well as an analysis of the market, the environment and also the social impacts of the development. In this assignment, I will attempt to measure the planning process and effects of it in regards to the state of Pahang in Malaysia. Introduction- Pahang Pahang is the third largest state in Malaysia and is bordered to the north by Kelantan, to the west by Perak, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan, to the south by Johor and to the east by Terengganu and by the South China Sea. Its state capital is Kuantan, and the royal town is Pekan. Approximately 1.5 million people reside in Pahang to date and the ethnic composition is roughly 1,000,000 Malay and Bumiputera, 233,000 Chinese, 68,500 Indians, 13,700 others, while the rest are non-citizens. Geographically diverse, Pahang ranges from mountainous country in its west to one of the longest coastline in the east of Peninsula Malaysia[]. There has been evidence found that indicates the earliest habitation of Pahang leads back all the way to the Mesolithic Era. Once famous for the deposits of tin and gold found along the upper reaches of the Tembeling River, Pahang had attracted the interest of outside powers long before the founding of Malacca in 1400. Under the control of the maritime empire of Srivijaya, Pahang had expanded to cover the entire southern portion of the Malay Peninsula in the 8th and 9th Centuries. With the collapse of Srivijaya power around 1000, Pahang was claimed first by the Siamese and then, in the late fifteenth century, by Malacca. After Malacca fell to the Portuguese in 1511, Pahang became a key part of the territorial struggles between Acheh, Johor, the Portuguese, and the Dutch. Repeated raids, invasions, and occupations devastated the state, until the decline of both Achenese and Portuguese power in the early 17th century allowed Johor to re-establish its influence on the much fought-over state. In the late eighteenth century, Pahang gradually gained autonomy, and in the middle of the nineteenth century it had become an independent state[]. The name ‘Pahang’ has been said to originate from the language of a Siamese ethnic tribe, meaning ‘ore’. The tribe once live there and opened up several mining areas, especially in Sungai Lembing. According to an old Malay story, at the place near the Pahang River, on the opposite side of Kampung Kembahang, a large ‘mahang’ tree fell across the river, thus the name ‘Pahang’ originated. The old name of Pahang is Inderapura[]. Two thirds of this huge state is covered in forest, thus Pahang’s population is dependent mainly on agriculture and natural resources. There is extensive palm oil, cocoa and rubber cultivation. Due to its long coastline, fishing and tourism related activities are prominent in Pahang and there are some small-scale manufacturing and cottage industries which residents are also dependant on[]. The tourism mission of Pahang is: Promoting Pahang as a Major Tourism Destination based on cultural heritage and natural resources for the socio-economic development of the state.[] Resources of Pahang The Arabic honorific of Pahang is Darul Makmur (â€Å"Abode of Tranquility†), an apt description of the state, with its lush tropical forests, cool mountain air, beaches, lakes and waterfalls nestling in the arms of mountain crevices. Pahang is truly a wild land with a picturesque and ethereal natural beauty beyond comparison. However, Pahang has more than that and its resources can be roughly categorized into different classes; natural resources, cultural resources, and manmade resources. Natural Resources of Pahang True to its fame, Pahang is home to many beautiful and breathtaking natural sites and wonders. It is home to unexplored rainforests, carefully preserved wildlife habitats, undisturbed ecological sites and raging, wild rivers and waterfalls. 1. Taman Negara The natural heart of Pahang is unquestionably Taman Negara, Malaysia’s oldest national park, lovingly referred to as â€Å"The Green Heart†. Gazetted as a National Park in 1938, Taman Negara is Malaysia’s largest and oldest natural park, with over 4000 km2 of wild, virgin rainforest. Although it also spans across the states of Terengganu and Kelantan, its largest protrusion is into Pahang. It is carefully conserved and protected due to its status as one of the last remaining frontiers of pristine rainforest, not only in Malaysia, but in the world. Taman Negara has a wide variety of flora and fauna, like the long-tailed macaques and rare Sumatran rhinos, as well as over 250 species of flora. One of the most frequented tourist attractions at Taman Negara is the Canopy Walkway, a suspension bridge of strong ropes, cables, net and wood that hangs 40 metres above the ground from which tourists are able to appreciate the park’s natural beauty without disturbing its resident wildlife. There are also several limestone hills in Taman Negara that have stayed undisturbed since several hundred millions of years ago. Some of the popular caves are Gua Telinga, Gua Kepayang, Gua Daun Menaru and Gua Luas. Visitors also have the chance to take a 40 minute boat trip up the Tahan River to the Lata Berkoh Waterfall, where they can get the invigorating experience of swimming in the cool waters of the deep pool beneath the fall. Adventure-seeking tourists are also able to shoot up the 7 rapids of the Tembeling River, which takes about 5 minutes as it is a 9km ride. With the help of a hired guide, visitors can also go jungle trekking to experience Taman Negara up close along well-marked trails like the Tahang, Terenggan and Neram Trail.   As Taman Negara is so meticulously guarded, tourists need to obtain certain permits or licenses in order to gain access to the park. These licenses differ depending on the tourist’s particular intention and can be applied for at any Department of Wildlife counters located at the Kuala Tembeling Jetty or Kuala Tahan. The permits and respective fares are listed in the following table.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Fool Chapter 17

ACT III Jesters do oft prove prophets. – King Lear, Act V, Scene 3, Regan SEVENTEEN REIGNING FOOLS, HAILING NUTTERS â€Å"Blow, wind, crack your cheeks! Rage! Blow!† thundered Lear. The old man had perched himself on the top of a hill outside Gloucester and was shouting into the wind like a bloody lunatic, even as lightning raked the sky with white-hot claws and thunder shook me to my ribs. â€Å"Come in from there, you bloody decrepit old looney!† said I, huddled under a holly bush nearby; drenched and cold and at the end of my patience with the old man. â€Å"Come back to Gloucester and ask shelter from your daughters.† â€Å"Oh, ye heartless gods! Send your oak-cleaving thunderbolts down on me! Burn me with your sulfurous and life-ending fires! Singe my white head and reduce me to a pillar of ash! Strike me dead! Let your wrath take fiery form and smite me! Take me, spare no violence! I do not blame thee, thou art not my daughters! I've given you nothing and expect no quarter! Do your horrible pleasure direct, To a poor, infirm, despised old man! Crack the sky! Strike me dead!† The old man paused as a thunderbolt split a tree on the heath with blinding fire and a noise that would send statues to shitting themselves. I ran out from under my bush to the king's side. â€Å"Come in, nuncle. Take some shelter under a shrub, if only to take the sting out of the rain.† â€Å"I need no shelter. Let nature take her naked revenge.† â€Å"Fine, then,† said I. â€Å"Then you won't be needing this.† I took the old man's heavy fur cape, tossed him my sodden woolen cloak, and retreated to my shrubbery and the relative shelter of the heavy animal skin. â€Å"Hey?† said Lear, bewildered. â€Å"Go on,† said I. â€Å"Crack the sky, fry your old head, mash your balls, et cetera, et cetera. I'll prompt you if you lose your place.† And off he went again: â€Å"Mighty Thor, send your thunderbolts to cease this weary heart! Neptune's waves, beat these limbs from their joints! Hecate's claws, tear my liver and sup upon my soul! Baal, blast my bowels from their unhealthy home! Jupiter, strew the land with my shredded muscle!† The old man stopped his tirade for a moment and the madness went out of his eyes. He looked to me. â€Å"It's really fucking cold out here.† â€Å"Like being struck by a bolt of the bloody obvious on the road to Damascus, innit, nuncle?† I held open the great fur cloak and nodded for the old man to join me in it under my shrubbery. He crept down the hill, careful not to slip in the rivulets of mud and water that cascaded by, and ducked under the cover with me.† The old man shuddered and put his skeletal arm around my shoulders. â€Å"Rather closer than we're accustomed to, eh, boy?† â€Å"Aye, nuncle, did I ever tell you that you are a very attractive man?† said Jones, poking his puppety head out of the cloak. And the old man began to laugh, and he laughed until his shoulders shook and the laughter broke into a jarring cough, and that continued until I thought he might expectorate vital organs. I caught some freezing rain in my cupped hand and held it for him to sip. â€Å"Don't make me laugh, boy. I'm mad with grief and rage and I've no stomach for jests. You should stand clear, lest a thunderbolt scorch you when the gods heed my challenge.† â€Å"Nuncle, begging pardon, but, you arrogant old tosser! The gods aren't going to strike you down with a thunderbolt simply because you asked them. Why would they accommodate you with a thunderbolt? More likely a carbuncle, festered and gone fatal, or perhaps a thankless child or two, being how the gods love their irony.† â€Å"The cheek!† said Lear. â€Å"Oh yes, cheeky gods they are,† said I. â€Å"And you named off a bushel of them, too. Now if you are struck down we won't even know who to blame unless lightning brands a signature in your old hide. You should have dared one, then waited an hour perhaps before calling fire down from the whole lot at a go.† The king wiped rain out of his eyes. â€Å"I've set a thousand monks and nuns to pray for my forgiveness and the pagans slaughter goats by the herd for my salvation, but I fear it is not enough. Not once did I act in the interest of my people, not once did I act in the interest of my wives or my daughters' mothers – I have served myself as god and I find I am little forgiving. Be kind, Pocket, lest you one day face the darkness as I do. Or, in absence of kindness, be drunk.† â€Å"But, nuncle,† said I. â€Å"I do not need to be cautious for the day when I become frail. I am frail now. And on the bright side, there may be no God at all, and the evil deeds you've done will be their own reward.† â€Å"Perhaps I don't even rate a righteous slaughtering,† sobbed Lear. â€Å"The gods have sent these daughters to suck out my life blood. It is punishment for how I treated my own father. Do you know how I became king?† â€Å"Pulled a sword out of a stone and slayed a dragon with it, didn't you?† â€Å"No, that never happened.† â€Å"Sodding convent education. Buggered if I know then, nuncle. How did Lear become king?† â€Å"My own father, I murdered him. I do not deserve a noble death.† I was speechless. I had been in service of the king over a decade and never had I heard of this. The story went that old King Bladud had handed the kingdom over to Lear and went to Athens, where he learned to be a necromancer, then returned to Britain and died from the plague in service of the goddess Minerva at the temple at Bath. But before I could gather my wits for a reply, lightning cracked the sky, illuminating a hulking creature that was making its way across the hillside toward us. â€Å"What's that?† I asked. â€Å"A demon,† said the old man. â€Å"The gods have sent a monster to take their revenge on me.† The thing was covered in slime, and walking as if it had just been constructed from the very earth over which it slogged. I felt for the daggers at the small of my back and pulled one from its sheath. There'd be no knife throwing in this downpour – I wasn't even sure I could hold the blade steady for a thrust. â€Å"Your sword, Lear,† said I. â€Å"Draw and defend.† I stood and stepped out of the shelter of the shrubbery. I spun Jones so his stick end was at the ready, and drew a flourish in the air with my dagger. â€Å"Come hither, demon! Pocket's got a coach ride back to the underworld for thee.† I crouched, thinking to leap aside as the thing lunged. Although it described the shape of a man, I could see long slimy tendrils dragging from it, and mud oozing off of it. Once it stumbled I'd leap on its back and see if I could cause it to fall and slide down the hillside, away from the old king. â€Å"No, let it take me,† said Lear. Suddenly the old man shrugged off his fur cloak and charged at the monster, his arms wide, as if offering his very heart to the beast. â€Å"Slay me, ye merciless god – rend this black heart from Britain's chest!† I could not stop him and the old man fell into the beast's arms. But to my surprise, there was no tearing of limbs or bashing of brains. The thing caught the old man and lowered him gently to the ground. I lowered my blade and inched forward. â€Å"Leave him, beast.† The thing was kneeling over Lear, whose eyes were rolled back in his head even as he twitched as if in a fit. The beast looked at me and I saw streaks of pink through the mud, the whites of its eyes. â€Å"Help me,† it said. â€Å"Help me get him to shelter.† I stepped forth and wiped the mud away from the thing's face. It was a man, covered with mud so thick it even ran out of his mouth and coated his teeth, but a man just the same, vines or rags, I couldn't tell which, trailed off his arms. â€Å"Help poor Tom bring him out of the cold,† said he. I sheathed my dagger, retrieved the old man's cape, and helped the muddy, naked bloke carry King Lear into the wood. It was a tiny cabin, barely enough room to stand in, but the fire was warm and the old woman stirred a pot that smelled of boiling meat and onions, like breath of the Muses it was, on this dank night. Lear stirred, now hours since we brought him in from the rain. The king reclined on a pallet of straw and skins. His fur cloak still steamed by the fire. â€Å"Am I dead?† asked the old man. â€Å"Nay, nuncle, but ye were close enough to lick death's salty taint,† said I. â€Å"Back, foul fiend!† said the naked fellow, waving at the very air before his eyes. I had helped him wash away much of the mud, so now he was merely filthy and mad, but no longer misshapen. â€Å"Oh, poor Tom is cold! So cold.† â€Å"Aye, we can tell that,† said I. â€Å"Unless you're just a crashingly large bloke what was born with a willie the size of a raisin.† â€Å"The fiend makes Tom eat the swimming frog, the tadpole, lizards, and ditch-water – I eat cow dung for salads and swallow rats and bits of dead dogs. I drink pond scum, and in every village I am beaten and thrown into stocks. Away, fiend! Leave poor, cold Tom alone!† â€Å"Blimey,† said I. â€Å"The loonies are in full bloom tonight.† â€Å"I offered him some stewed mutton,† said the old woman by the fire, without turning, â€Å"but no, he had to have his frogs and cow pies. Right fussy eater for a naked nutter.† â€Å"Pocket,† said Lear, clawing at my arm. â€Å"Who is that large, naked chap?† â€Å"He calls himself Tom, nuncle. Says he's pursued by the devil.† â€Å"He must have daughters. See here, Tom, did you give all to your daughters? Is that what drove you mad and poor even until you are naked?† Tom crawled across the floor until he was at Lear's side. â€Å"I was a vain and selfish servant,† said the nutter. â€Å"I slept with my mistress every night and woke thinking of putting it to her again in the morning. I drank and caroused and made merry, even while my half brother fought a crusade for a Church for which he held no faith. I took all without thought for those who had nothing. Now I have nothing – not a stitch, not a crumb, not a coin, and the devil dogs me to the ends of the earth for my selfishness.† â€Å"You see,† said Lear, â€Å"only a man's cruel daughters could drive him to such a state.† â€Å"He didn't say that, you daft geezer. He said he was a selfish libertine and the devil took his kit.† The old woman turned now. â€Å"Aye, the fool's right. The younger nutter has no daughters, 'tis his own unkindness that curses him.† She crossed the cabin with two steaming bowls of stew and set them before us on the floor. â€Å"And it's your own evil hounds you, Lear, not your daughters.† The old woman, I'd seen her before. She was one of the crones from the Great Birnam Wood. Different togs and somewhat less green, but this was surely Rosemary, the cat-toed witch. Lear slid to the floor and grabbed poor Tom's hand. â€Å"I have been selfish. I have thought nothing of the weight of my deeds. My own father I imprisoned in the temple at Bath because he was a leper, and later had him killed. My own brother I did murder when I suspected him of bedding my queen. No trial, not even the honor of a challenge. I had him murdered in his sleep without proof. And my queen is dead, too, for my jealousy. My kingdom is the fruit of treachery, and treachery have I reaped. I do not deserve to even wear clothes on my back. You are true, Tom, that you have nothing. I, too, shall have nothing, as is my just reward!† The old man began to tear off his clothes, ripping at the collar of his shirt, tearing more of his parchment-like skin than the linen. I stayed his hand, held his wrists and tried to catch his eye with my own, to pull him back from madness. â€Å"Oh, I have wronged my sweet Cordelia!† the old man wailed. â€Å"The only one who loved me and I have wronged her! My one true daughter! Gods, tear these clothes from my back, tear the meat from my bones!† Then I felt claws clamp on my own wrists and I was pulled away from Lear as if I had been drawn by heavy iron shackles. â€Å"Let him suffer,† hissed the witch in my ear. â€Å"But I have made this pain,† said I. â€Å"Lear's pain is of his own making, fool,† she said. With that I felt the room spinning and I heard the voice of the girl ghost telling me to sleep. â€Å"Sleep, sweet Pocket.† â€Å"Who's the muddy naked bloke snogging the king's noggin?† asked Kent. I awoke to see the old knight standing in the doorway with the Earl of Gloucester. The storm still raged outside, but by firelight I could see the naked nutter Tom O'Bedlam had wrapped himself around Lear and was kissing the king's bald head as if blessing a newborn babe. â€Å"Oh majesty,† said Gloucester, â€Å"can't you find better company than this? Who is this rough beast?† â€Å"He is a philosopher,† said Lear. â€Å"I will talk with him.† â€Å"Poor Tom O'Bedlam, is he,† said Tom. â€Å"Eater of tadpoles, cursed and damned by demons.† Kent looked to me and I shrugged. â€Å"Both mad as cat herds,† said I. I looked around for the old woman as a witness, but she was gone. â€Å"Well, snap to, majesty, I bring news from France,† said Kent. â€Å"Hollandaise sauce, excellent on eggs?† I inquired. â€Å"No,† said Kent. â€Å"More urgent.† â€Å"Wine and cheese complement one another nicely?† I further queried. â€Å"No, you rasp-tongued rascal, France has landed an army at Dover, and there's rumor they've forces hidden in other cities around the British coast, ready to strike.† â€Å"Oh, well, that does trump the wine and cheese news, then, doesn't it?† Gloucester was trying to pry Tom off King Lear, but having a hard time doing so while keeping mud off his cloak. â€Å"I've sent word to the French camp at Dover that Lear is here,† said Gloucester. â€Å"I've made the case to the king's daughters to let me bring him in from the storm, but they will not relent. Even in my own home my power has been usurped by the Duke of Cornwall. Regan and Cornwall have taken command of Lear's knights, and with them, my castle.† â€Å"We come to bring you to a hovel at the city wall,† said Kent. â€Å"When the storm breaks, Gloucester will send a cart to take Lear to the French camp at Dover.† â€Å"No,† said Lear. â€Å"Let me talk to my philosopher friend in private.† He pawed at mad Tom. â€Å"He knows much of how life should be lived. Tell me, friend, why is there thunder?† Kent turned to Gloucester and shrugged. â€Å"He's not in his right mind.† â€Å"Who can blame him?† said Gloucester. â€Å"After what his daughters have done – his very flesh rising up against him. I had a beloved son who conspired to murder me, and just the thought of that nearly drove me mad.† â€Å"Do you nobles have any reaction to hardship besides going bloody barking and running off to eat dirt?† said I. â€Å"Hitch up your bollocks and get on with it, would you? Caius, what of Drool?† â€Å"I left him hidden in the laundry, but Edmund will find him when his mind turns full to the task. Right now he is distracted by trying to avoid the sisters and conspiring with Cornwall.† â€Å"My son, Edmund, he is still true,† said Gloucester. â€Å"Yes, right, milord,† said I. â€Å"And mind you don't trip on the honeysuckle sprouting from his bum when you next see him. Do you have means to get me into the castle without Edmund knowing I'm there?† â€Å"I suppose. But I take no commands from you, fool. You are but a slave, and an impudent one at that.† â€Å"You're still angry over my jesting about your dead wife, aren't you?† â€Å"Do the fool's will!† boomed Lear. â€Å"His word is as mine.† A slight breeze then would have knocked me off my feet, so shocked was I. Oh, there was still madness glowing in the old man's eyes, but so was the fire of his authority. A feeble, babbling wretch one moment, the next a dragon deep inside the old man barked fire. â€Å"Yes, your majesty,† said Gloucester. â€Å"He's a good lad,† said Kent, by way of easing the bite of Lear's command. â€Å"Nuncle, bring your naked madman and let us go with Gloucester, to this hovel by the city wall. I'll retrieve my nitwit apprentice from the castle and off we'll be to meet up with the bloody frog King Jeff at Dover.† Kent rubbed my shoulder. â€Å"A sword in support then?† â€Å"No, thank you,† said I. â€Å"You stay with the old man, get him to Dover.† I pulled Kent over by the fire and bade him bend down so I could whisper in his ear. â€Å"Did you know that Lear murdered his brother?† The old knight's eyes went wide, then narrowed as if he were in pain. â€Å"He gave the order.† â€Å"Oh, Kent. Thou loyal old fool.†

Monday, July 29, 2019

Issues Concerning Economic Inequalities in America Term Paper

Issues Concerning Economic Inequalities in America - Term Paper Example Medina, John, The genetic inferno: inside the seven deadly sins, Cambridge University Press, 2000. Print. His essay apparently provides a lot of parameters that promote greed but does not seem to provide any scientific grounding on why this happens in any society. The element that may support this outlook can be seen from the fact that no real scientific evidence has been established as to why a particular individual, a group, society or even animals succumb to this concept of greed. John Medina, in his book ‘The genetic inferno: inside the seven deadly sins’ specifically focuses on the aspects of greed and the resulting avarice. â€Å"The problem is that no one has ever found a gene for avarice in human beings. No one has ever found a region in the human brain exclusively devoted to greed for that matter† (Medina. 110). Medina is a molecular biologist and hence considered for this paper as an eminently qualified person to provide opinions and suggestions on the t opic under study. The book is published by the Cambridge University Press and one that has an established reputation. The only negative factor seen in the text is that no peer-reviewed work in the book. But even so, the author with his qualifications and the backing of the Oxford University can be seen as a valuable source of secondary literature regarding this study. The lack of scientific evidence as to what constitutes greed has been established in the book. Edney, in his essay also does not purport any claim in this regard.

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Television News Programs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Television News Programs - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that advertisements that are aired during news programs take away one’s attention from the news. In this regard, local channels like 10TV and NBS4i are not any better when compared to national channels like ABC or CBS. The advertisements aired during the news include ads on cars, pharmaceuticals, fast-food chains and personal care products. Most of these advertisements are fast-paced, colorful and sometimes downright funny, while others seem to consolidate a lot of information in their thirty-second slot. Although advertisements can engage the viewers for a while, there are other non-news items aired during news programs that can be irritating. For instance, news programs are often littered with announcements telling viewers what will happen â€Å"at the top of the hour† or provide information on other programs that the channel would telecast later on. Teasers like â€Å"A local high school goes up in flames. Will it affect cla sses on Monday?† is past bizarre. Such announcements and teasers can get particularly frustrating for viewers who want to hear the news and get on with their chores. Even weather forecasters keep their viewers waiting when they mention that later on in the program they would give the weather predictions. The wait for weather predictions would sometimes end up being a good fifteen minutes. As if these announcements weren’t enough to get the viewers on edge, there are times when newscasters try to portray a friendly appearance but end up being downright annoying. In fact, the most irritating aspect of most of the news programs is the frequent friendly chit-chat between members of the news team. Apart from the initial acknowledgment, newscasters often try to make small talks on how their recent vacation had been or convey their opinions and ideas on some of the news that they reported. Although it may be done with the

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Respiratory, pain relief meathods used during chest drain removal. a Literature review

Respiratory, pain relief meathods used during chest drain removal. a - Literature review Example This would enable detection of the levels upon which the tube would be removed from the patient (David 2009, 1). Chest drain systems consist of collection chamber and mechanism that prevents air and fluid from re-entering the pleural cavity. They may have wet or dry properties that are aimed at draining the chest and preventing air from getting into the cavity. The wet system use water while the dry system uses suction mechanism instead of water to seal the opening and prevent air from re-entering the pleural cavity (Brunner and Day, 2009, 716). Patients undergo a lot of pain during cardiac surgeries that involve the chest drain removal from the pleural membrane of the chest. This chest drain removal would be aimed at draining fluids and air form the lungs and subsequent expansion of the lungs. These tubes would be often removed when the condition is better within a period of not less than 3 days after the surgery (SH Sane, 2008, 43). The experience is painful and highly unpleasant to the patients (SH Sane, 2008, 43). This would result in development of negative emotions in the patients. Doctors and medical experts, being aware of this have developed their own procedures and methods of relieving pain in the affected patients. Drugs such as topical Valdecoxib, fentanyl and sufentanil, would be used in curbing the problem of controlling pain (SH Sane, 2008, 43). Most patients have confirmed that chest tube removal (CTR) is a painful experience. This would prompt quick action aimed at reducing complications associated with it and reduction of pain. This would be as a result of inadequate management of pain during recuperation. It has also been confirmed that most countries have not set standards that would be used in pain management (Fischer and Bland, 2007, 769). According to Puntillo & Ley (2004, 294), morphine is the most common drug used in the management of

International Business Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 3

International Business Management - Essay Example Other factors that influence decision making in international business include; differences in legal systems, the existence of trade barriers between nation states and the differences in the distribution of human and natural resources between different countries. Apart from the above factors that limit the free operations and policy making decisions of international business manager, the principles of management remain fairly the same. Factors affecting international business can be classified as cultural, political and economic. Political events are of great concern because they influence; the cost of doing business, the social and economic stability of countries and accessibility to human and non-human resources. Politics also have a safety and security implications and transfer of payments (Whiting 2010). The British monitor manufacturing company under the management of Tony considered factors such as cost but failed majorly in considering the economic stability of Latin America which hugely cost them after the inflation in Latin America. International business may be limited by national economies which are relatively self contained entities isolated from each other by barriers to cross border trade and investment. Other limitations include distance, time zones, differences in national government trade regulations and cultural differences. However, the world is moving towards diminishing trade and investment barriers. This is due to advances in transportation and telecommunication technology. Tony’s company had no challenges in transportation of their goods which enabled easy exports to farther countries. The British company outsourced cheap monitors from Asia which indirectly exploited the cheap labor in Asia. This globalization led to loss of jobs and incomes in Britain evident in the British monitor manufacturing company which reduced its employees in the manufacturing sector. Unstable

Friday, July 26, 2019

Nursing assigment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Nursing assigment - Essay Example Bearing these in mind, the significance of evidence-based practice is highly valuable in proving that health practices are safe for the public and cost-effective. In this paper, barriers and possible resolution of gaps between nursing research and their application are tackled, as well as their utilization through standardized clinical guidelines in relevantly managing smoke cessation in clinical settings. Discrepancies in Evidence-Based Practice Despite the long emergence of concepts in evidenced-based practice in health care sectors, success in fully translating research outcomes into care practices seemed lagging in progress. At large, four main sectors contextually represent the barriers to research employment: â€Å"health-care professional related, organizational-related, research related, and presentation-related† (Chau, Lopez, & Thompson, 2008, p.640). Each division indicates specific areas of clinical problems that probably weaken health professionals in fully respond ing to the positive sides brought about by solid research results. Health-care associated factors may range from personal demographics (educational level, social and economic status), personal characteristics and values, such as knowledge seeking behaviors to further one’s practice. With organizational barriers, these comprise viewpoints of affiliated institutions on its commitment to research adaptation and dissemination, facility maintenance, hierarchical culture and authority for change, administrative support, and lack of opportunities to develop and acquire research resources. As of research-related interference and presentation, types and comprehensiveness of research contents affect professional perceptions, including comparison of previous and present research for results and conflicting thoughts. As such, there is increased tendency to reject research composition and presentation should data fail to meet practical health needs of clinical personnel that research team s aim at satisfying. In more ways, the concerted results of practical nursing barriers create disparities that may unintentionally provide nurses with concrete excuses not to change their old ways. Common among perceived nursing barriers to full research application are said to be generated from organizational, and professionally-related factors. Funk, Tornquist and Champagne (1995, p.397) emphasized â€Å"insufficient authority to (clinical practice) change...and insufficient time to implement new ideas† as primary sources of research to practice discrepancies. The prevailing culture of inflexible organizational structures in most clinical institutions restricts the attitude of change and resource availability in such settings. Elaborately, it also affects sufficiency of time required to search, read, and substantially absorb relevant information from research journals and related materials. To top these off, Cummings, et al. (2007, p.S33) revealed the nature of occupation n urses suffers, where most of the time, exhaustion in both physical and emotional aspects reduce their quality of professional care. There is difficulty, then, to acquire suitable skills in search for relevant studies due

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Law in Practice Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Law in Practice - Case Study Example As you have been convicted of an offence under this section, your driving license will be endorsed with minimum 3 points as per code CD 30. Once the points reach 12, you will be banned from driving for a specified period of time.1 However disqualification is discretionary. The trend now is looking at it as a poor driving as held in R v.Simmons.2 The circumstances under which you ran into traffic lights are quite understandable in that you had been under great mental stress trying to digest the prospect of losing your long held job for no fault of yours. This you confided with your friend Maggie and the fact that you are a quite a responsible person is proved by your conduct of informing your husband on phone that you would late. The breathalyzer test also revealed that there was no abnormal drinking on your part. You stopped by the accident spot without speeding up and that mitigates your offence. More over Roger Cooke who was hit by your car was reported to have not worn his seat be lt and been carrying an expired insurance policy. Had he been careful, accident could have been averted and the damage to the body and the vehicle could have been minimized With these things weighing in your favour, you can appeal against your conviction and have your points further reduced. As for, the personal injury claim from the Cooke, you have to inform your insurers about the accident and face the claim suitably considering the fact the Cooke also contributed to the damage by not wearing seat belt and by not renewing his insurance policy in time. Maggie, who was in the car with you at the time of accident, could testify as to the mental condition you were in because of the impending redundancy threat in your job. All these defences would mitigate the severity of the punishment and also the quantum of the personal injury claim you might expect from Cooke. As he has suffered whiplash injury after effects of which can arise even after many years, the claim is likely to be substa ntial. As he was not in his seat belt, he was thrown out of the car and hence his personal injury claim can be resisted. Much depends on the degree of fault on your side and also on his side as contributory factor. But as you have been convicted under section 3, you can not altogether avoid payment of personal injury claim from Cooke which any way your insurers are going to handle provided your insurance against third party risks was in force at the time of accident. The fact Cooke did not have insurance at the time of accident would be called into question only if he were to meet a personal injury claim from you which is however not the case. You should not ignore the claim when received. You should respond quickly within 14 days of

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Advanced Managerial Accounting Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Advanced Managerial Accounting Report - Essay Example Most Managers inquire before implementing any of these cost systems where ABC is given a first priority due to its production costs that are considered higher to those of conventional banking (Weygandt, Kimmel, and Kieso 56). ABC is a contrast of conventional banking since it helped patients in their treatment when it came to hospitals. Conventional accounting is a simple method for managing costs compared to ABC. However, it is not accurate and most of the time is accompanied by under-costing and also over-costing. ABC is able to capture changes through direct measurement of activity levels thus adjusting from distortions that arise in the conventional cost system (Weygandt 45). However, there exists a similarity among these two cost systems where provision of costs similar to those of ABC can be structured by conventional accounting. In conclusion, both cost systems; ABC and conventional accounting have their place of application and duration of time matters. They all are implemented differently but all of these systems of accounting have a purpose in any business despite of different strengths and weaknesses. ABC works best for most businesses compared to conventional

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Strategic Evaluation of McDonalds Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Strategic Evaluation of McDonalds - Essay Example †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.13 Appendices †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...15 Executive summary Strategy is an essential component in the management of corporate and small enterprises in the current competitive business environment. This paper looks at the McDonalds in terms of evaluating the organization’s strategy. From a national giant in the early days, the company today boats of international presence in about 119 countries and in effect estimated to be serving over 40 million clients daily around the globe. The paper evaluates both the inner and peripheral environments in where the company functions through the use of various evaluation and analysis tools like: PESTEL, SWOT and Porter’s generic forces among others. All these sum up the company’s overall strategic position and what needs to be done to be able to counter the various challenges that it might face in the process of implementing strategy. Strategic Evaluation of McDonalds Introduction Strategy is an essential component of any organization that operates in a highly competitive industry or market. Strategic management can be classified into three broad categories (Lynch 2012). The first category defies the main aims of the organization and the formations it has developed to realize its objectives. The Subsequent category involves the identification of markets and exploring them in a way that guarantees competitiveness. The final classification involves the examination of the organization’s main objectives, purposes or goals and how it intends to achieve them through established frameworks. This paper will examine the various forms of strategic mo dels by using a multi national food service... The historical position of this company has been of great admiration to many upcoming businesses. This is a corporation that has risen from the mid 1950’s to become a valued player in the area of food service. The founder of the restaurant chains, Ray Kroc has an exceptional background and it is through hard work that this venture has become a household name (Waldron 2010). From a national giant in the early days, the company today boasts of international presence in about 119 countries and in effect estimated to be serving over 40 million clients daily around the globe (McDonalds 2012). In addition to this already massive statistics, the company has a net worth estimated to be around 25 billion US dollars. The company has been able to achieve this through properly formulated strategies and one of the organization’s strategies has been the development new dishes and favorite fast foods to suit new tastes. In addition, the corporation has been capable in infiltrating the market by largely using franchises that account for 80% of its operational stores (McDonalds 2012). To have a clear insight of how the company has been able to grow and the strategies it has employed, this paper will analyze the company by use of various strategy evaluation models. Strategic Analysis The approach used in the strategic analysis of the organization will be in terms of four main areas or components of strategy analysis that includes the purpose, external environmental analysis, internal resource analysis and strategic formulation.

Monday, July 22, 2019

Apple with Porters Model and Core Capabilities Essay Example for Free

Apple with Porters Model and Core Capabilities Essay Introduction Apple Inc was founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak with another 20 employees, the company started in Steve’s garage. Apple inc and its subsidiaries or collectively Apple is a manufactures, design and owner of variety of high technology included media player, portable music player, personal computer, smart phone, tablet as well as selling the related digital products like software, network services, third party digital content and application for Apple’s products. Apple first announced new innovated laptops called the Mac book and the most important step for further success is the accessing the MP3 player with their own iPod in 2001. Moreover, they even entered the recently mobile phone industry with the Smartphone- Iphone in 2008. Apple has been changing the entire of the market with the position of the world’s largest producer of PC’s main marketshare holder. The featured products of Apple in the recent years include Iphone, Ipad, mac, Ipod high reted platform and its application for consumers in the iOs and Mac Os. From being Pc producer at the beginning of 80’s, with controlling a small share of industry, after several circumstances it changed to be the success organisation due to its Mac computers and other products are profitable. But there is only temporary issues for Apple to claim its market lead position in the PC industry. Apple success analysis with Porter’s strategies and Core Capabilities Goal and structure of this report In this report, a review of the current situation of personal computer industry and Apple’s PC Business and discuss: Review the of Apple by giving a brief introduction of the organisation and history of the products that are developed by Apple. Critically evaluate Porter’s five forces model and Porter’s generic strategies and discuss the extent to which these ideas by giving our strategic advice to aid the company in attaining sustainable for competitive advantage within the PC industry. Critically discuss the concept of core competencies and explain how the Apple could build on its core capabilities to enhance their further strategy. We end this report with our recomendation and our conclusion on the subject. Business background Apple several times confirmed to bring the best user experience to their consumers thourgh their innovative products. Besides, Apple’s strategy creates a unique power to develop its own unique platform with superior quality with the simplest design and easy to approach. Apple continues to invest in research and development and marketing to maintain their products’s positions in markets. As a part of plan, Apple has been expanding its platform to delivery of third party digital content and applications via the itune which allows customers to download applications, books, music through either iOs’s products namely iPhone, iPad or Mactonish as well as Windows computers. Apple also has been supporting the information technology community in the world for the development of third party software and hardware products. Apple’s strategies in plan include both expanding its sale market to close reach more consumers and serve a superior before and after purchases su pport experience. Porter’s Five forces Competitive Force 1: Rivalry among Existing Firms Apple mainly get involve two field in the hardware industry are the personal computer and portable devices markets. According to the Credit Suisse First Boston, it is estimated that personal computer growth in 2005 will be approximately 8%, which is 3% lower than 2004. And concentration in this market which is controlled by a few very large competitors who have a great deal of capital invested in the firms, namely, Dell, HP Compaq, Gateway, and Apple. In 2005, Dell and Apple are speculated to have the most potential to increase market share in the PC market due to lack of new product introductions by other firms and the anticipation of Microsoft Longhorn in 2006. If Apple is able to increase its market share by a few percentage points, its profits and ability to spend on marketing, and research and development (RD) could allow them to become a much more serious player. Currently, Apple dominates the portable music industry music market with an estimated 90% for hard disk based players, and 65% of the total portable music market. In both the personal computer and portable music markets, component costs are large part of the total hardware costs, but through Apple’s product differentiation and higher pricing they are able to counteract the price wars that usually ensue under such conditions. Finally, there are little to no exit barriers in either market, which could be advantageous in ousting some of Apple’s competition in the future. Competitive Force 2: Threat of New Entrants There are no many large companies that take the huge shares in market, who these are Dell, Hp, Compaq. There are large economies of scale in PC market, and it limits the new threat of entrants. The threat of entry, therefore, puts a cap on the profi t potential of an industry (Porter 2008 p 4). A new entrant have to create advantages to compare the old strong ones in computer market. And that is not the only one barrie which limits new entrant, patents of forms are legal barriers where late rival can not be competitive giant. The more patents on personal computer designs, the more competitive the leaders can get, which is not an easy for new entrant and get over with out huge amount of start-up capital in the modern market. Moreover, basically, there are two main operating systems for PC: windows and Mac OS X, and the second one is impossible to get license for new entrants. Apple is comfortable with enjoying the one of first starter in hardware manufactors of creating innovative products include Iphone, iPod while numerous portable devices in markets in last five years which are not different from others or the advantages are not enough to controll the market like Apple has been doing. The threat of a counter of consumers who eventually are being shy away from company’s dominace. The fact is the phenomenon when Microsoft is on the top of OS market and some of consumers are heading to another ocean and Mac oS and Linux are samples. Eventhough it is not an immediate threat, Apple could be aware of that. Competitive Force 3: Threat of Substitute Products On the side of PC, Apple’s market contains a huge number of products from above rivals. Especially, each of competitors possess a wide range of products in term of designs, prices, functions. It would seem as Apple PC can be replaced anytime in case of Apple’s products do not against the same level products. When the threat of substitutes is high, industry profitability suffers (Porter 2008 p7). In the last few year, Apple has reduced the concentration in PC and portable music player, it is not only because it do not create economical benefits or lack of competition. Apple recently focus on the smart phone side because it is now more competitive and provide more profit than others. The new smart phones have annouced in every season with new design and function, in term of price and level, Iphone always stays on top luxury phone while Nokia, Samsung or HTC still take pole on the low price phone to get more customers. They could be out of perform of Apple in both speed and quality, the company has set apart from other by keeping core capilities and be unique in the market. Apple would have to stay on the old road to be innovative and price- quality in conscious of loyal users as well as leading the market as the strategy against rivals. Competitive Force 4: Bargaining Power of Buyers Apple since start-up moment, always concentrate on differentiation itself from rivals by keep inside of unique way. Apple’s product represent for the symbol of innovation, luxury and high technology, by the feature of innovation, Apple sets them apart from market. The buyers less concern in term of price when give decision to purchase a product from Apple’s stores. In market, Apple create their own position for their products as it is difficult to get the same products with similar functions as well as stylish look. Moreover, customers of Apple have low relative bargaining power to consider buying a high volume of Apple’s products. Businessess are much more concern bargaining power when it end up purchasing PC or devices of Apple, in the other side, individual buyers are not literally controlling over Apple to their prices. Once Apple sells to end consumer, it has basically secured future purchases of the related products due to a lack of substitutes and third party replacement. It is more likely monopoly and give customers less relative bargaining power and substitutes to shop for better options or their demands of software and hardware upgrade. Competitive Force 5: Bargaining Power of Suppliers The company applied the strategy to take partner with various suppliers for manufacture Apple’s components for their products. In fact, Apple does not apple any limit for single supplier for process of assemble final products. This is an ace for Apple to deal with suppliers and give them less bargaining power concerning price. It is not rare in modern business, Apple used to be an alliance with Foxconn to assemble most of products, especially new Iphone and Ipad. Besides, they uses both Nvidia and ATI for video cards in computers to avoid any negative bargain in price negotiation. According to Apple report, This is the same for its motherboards (ASUSTeK and Ambit Microsystems), Display units (Samsung, Toshiba, International Display Technology), storage devices (Hitachi Global Storage Technologies, Western Digital, Seagate), and CD/DVD drives (Samsung, Hitachi Global, and LG. Phillips Co.). Powerful suppliers capture more of the value for themselves by charging higher prices,limiting quality or services, or shifting costs to industry participants (Porter 2008 p5). Porter’s Genetic Cost Leadership Strategy Cost Leadership corresponds to the â€Å"no frills† experience, like the low-cost airline carriers, who choose the cost leadership strategy to achieve competitive advantage. Differentiation Strategy Apple make differentiation by making products feel uniquely from those companies or more appealing to customer demand. It is count on your several impacts, like industry, market, consumer demand, and the nature of organisation and services. This is known as differentiation strategy (Grant 2005:241-242).The key success factor of the differentiation strategy is to make it either very difficult or high level of price for rivals to replicate Apple’s ones. To achieve that, the companies have to focus on: * Research Development; * Production and delivery of high-quality and unique products or services; * Marketing and sales to create awareness and desire for it’s unique products. Focus Strategies Apple is playing on niche markets. Companies pursuing Focus Strategies have a deep understanding of a particular market and the unique needs of it’s customers. They can therefore develop unique lower cost or differentiated products or services for that specific market. These companies usually have a very strong brand loyalty amongst their customers and tend to monopolize that segment (particularly in smaller markets), making it less attractive to competitors thus mitigating the risk of attack from other niche players, new entrants or broad market competitors looking to enlarge their customer base through product or service specialization. Steve Jobs and Apple’s Core Capabilities Core Strengths For one, Apple has a powerful footing in the personal computer market by being â€Å"different† with its innovative style and ease of use. Its operating system is developed in house, leaving it free from the tangles of the dominant like Microsoft operating systems. Central to an approach to strategy is organisation core capabilities which explains how company creates values and achieves superior performance, it also is the proven strength that it is different from other organisations in the market because of tacit knowledge, historical investments over time, relationships, human capital, and its culture (Lynn Perry Wooten p 7).In most of cases, there are include customer service, brand value, quality of products, organisational culture, human resources, and financial strength. Since the return of S. Jobs, Apple’s core capability approach the definition of innovation and easy to use for every end users, and digital products stick to lifestyle of consumers via functions and designs. Apple concentrate on development and sales of its core products include OS, software to hardware and portable devices. Market Opportunities Since Apple is already recognized as one of the main leaders in the portable music market they have the ability to further increase their company image and quality image reputation. This will allow Apple to maintain their already well established clientele as well as attract new customers. The closed system is sealing the core of Apple’s strategy since Mac Os or iOS will not give license , only accept music and video through iTunes and recently the only partner of Apple in the US is ATT for sale of iPhones. The begin of Apple is starting dominating in the market, it creates a concious in typical consumers’s mind that the design of Apple’s one is technically symbols of art of simple and fashionable. Apple engineers and designers figure that the products shoul have to look like and designate its features, and they bring that to life, wrapped with a user-friendly interface. Recommendation for the company to build based on core capabilities Use SWOT Analysis to determine your company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in each Generic Strategy scenario; Use Porter’s Five Forces to assess the balance of power and how it might affect your company; Use the Congruence Model or the McKinsey 7S Framework to determine what performance drivers your company would have in each scenario; Cross-analyze the results of each finding and work out which Generic Strategy provides the strongest set of options. Reduce cost across the value-chain by engaging with specialist suppliers; Make smart investments in specialized technology to increase production efficiency; Eliminate activities in the value-chain that are superfluous in you target segment; Adopt JIT production; * Limit production to specialized products for your target segment. In a Differentiation Focus Strategy companies can: * Make its products or services increasingly specialized; * Increase differentiation through innovation and your specialized knowledge of your target customers’ needs. Conclusion From our analysis and research we can lead the following statement: eventhough with superior products, Apple still stay on top with a bewared threats from rivals in their sides of markets of high tech products and digital contents. This can be explained by their own success in last ten years with the counters from both consumers and competitors. Futhermore, the bigger the company is, the more innovative and responsible the structure of Apple needs to be maintain the values of culture in organisation as well as speed of growth in development of Apple in future. By being opposite the side of strength inside the company, competitors have been learning from them and concentrate on the weakness of the core capabilities of strategy which Apple stays on the unique nature beyond the market. Reference 1. Building a Company the Steve Jobs’ Way: A Positive Deviance Approach to Strategy- Lynn Perry Wooten, PhD 2. Comprehensive Business Analysis 3. THE FIVE COMPETITIVE FORCES THATby Michael E. Porter SHAPE IN ESSENCE, the job of the strategist is to under-STRATEGY 4. http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2012/09/12/apples-new-foxconn-embarrassment/ 5. http://www.apple.com 6. http://www.forbes.com/markets/2005/01/21/0121automarketscan05.html 7. Porter’s Genetic strategy http://thousandinsights.wordpress.com/articles/on-strategy-planning/porters-generic-strategies/

Native Americans- Minority Role Essay Example for Free

Native Americans- Minority Role Essay Power and Minority Group Position: The Case of Native Americans Majority/Minority group relations can be illustrated by studying the role of power and how it is distributed between groups. The majority, or group that wields the most power, directly affects the circumstances for the minority. In most cases power struggle leads to racial and ethnic inequality. This scenario describes the case of the Native Americans. Since the arrival of the Europeans in 1492 the Native American has systematically been dehumanized, decivilized and redefined into terms that typify a subordinate or minority role, restricted life opportunities persist today as a result (Farley, 2000). When European settlers arrived on American shores to settle a New World, around 7 million Native Americans had been settled in the wilderness north of present-day Mexico for some time. It is believed that the first Native Americans arrived during the last Ice Age, approximately 20,000 30,000 years ago, by crossing the Bering Strait from northeastern Siberia into Alaska. Over thousands of years, spiritual kin-based communities had survived by living off the land and bartering goods. Their diversity was reflected by their societies, which ranged from small, mobile bands of hunter-gatherers in the Great Basin to temple-mound builders in the Southeast (DiBacco, 1995). The encounter of early explorers with the people of the Americas would ultimately set in motion the destruction of long existing Native American life and culture. Engrained into the minds of the Europeans were prejudiced images and stereotypes of the Native Americans, which we struggle still today to eradicate. From the 1490s to the 1590s, Europeans pushed inward across America from both coasts. Encounters with these settlers attracted many Native Americans toward European goods, but their attitudes toward the newcomers themselves depended greatly on previous experiences (Farley, 2000). In most cases, the early explorers found the Native American peoples to be friendly and generous. Columbus was immediately struck by the peaceful, generous nature of the Taino. The Taino society was highly organized around a patriarchal hierarchy and distinguished by happiness and friendliness. Columbus frankly stated how surprised he had been to make friends with the Indians. He wrote, They are gentle and comely people. They are so naive and free with their possessions that no one who has not witnessed them would never believe it. When you ask for something they have, they never say no. To the contrary, they offer to share with anyone They willingly traded everything they owned (DiBacco, 1995) When the Europeans settlers started to arrive in the 16th- and 17th-centurys they too were met by Native Americans. The Natives regarded their white-complexioned visitors as something of a marvel, not only for their outlandish dress and beards and winged ships, but even more for their wonderful technology steel knives and swords, fire-belching arquebus and cannons, mirrors, hawkbells and earrings, copper and brass kettles, etc. (Jordan, 1991). Increased interaction led to the Indians becoming less self-sufficient and economically dependent on the whites. As the years went on, however, the natives began to realize that the Europeans had much more in mind than a few settlements. They began to realize that their entire way of life was under siege. By the time the truth occurred to them, however, it was probably already too late. Their bows and arrows were no match for the Europeans firearms, and their bodies could not defend against the foreign diseases (DiBacco, 1995). As the encroachment of settlers on Indian lands continued, so did the inevitable conflicts. To the Indians, the arriving Europeans seemed attuned to another world; they appeared oblivious to the rhythms and spirits of nature (Jordan, 1991). Nature to the Europeans was something of an obstacle, even an enemy, and these disrespectful attitudes were quite apparent to the Indians. The wilderness was also a commodity however: a forest was so many board feet of timber, a beaver colony so many pelts, a herd of buffalo so many hides (Jordan, 1991). The Europeans cultural arrogance and ethnocentrism, and their materialistic view of the land and its inhabitants were repulsive to the Indians. Europeans, overall, were regarded as something mechanical soulless creatures wielding diabolically ingenious tools and weapons to accomplish selfish ends (Jordan, 1991). Initial European impressions of the Native American population were formed by the descriptions of Columbus and other explorers. Although Columbus initially praised the Taino, crediting them with a very acute intelligence , he also provided an unfavorable view of Native Americans when he discussed the Carib Indians, who were said to be very fierce cannibals. This description set the stage for the long-enduring image of the hostile, savage Indian (Berkhofer, 1978). Another New World explorer, Amerigo Vespucci further established this imagery in his writings about the natives stating, The nations wage war upon one another without art or order. The elders by means of certain harangues of theirs bend the youths to their will and inflame them to wars in which they cruelly kill one another, and those whom they bring home captives from war they preserve, not to spare their lives, but that they may be slain for food; for they eat one another, the victors the vanquished, and among other kinds of meat human flesh is a common article of diet with them. Nay be the more assured of this fact because the father has already been seen to eat children and wife (Burkhofer, 1978). The recently developed printing press rapidly dispersed such images through both print and picture, and these representations became firmly etched in the minds of the Europeans (Bataille, 1980). Eventually, the Native Americans were considered subhuman and evil. The hope of civilizing the Indian was often expressed, but ultimately religion required the eventual submission of the Indians to white domination (Burkhofer, 1978) When colonies began to form in North America, the colonists wanted to create a world similar to the one they had left. The Indians were a major barrier to this progress and civilization. The colonists hoped the natives would embrace Christianity and become assimilated within the colonist society. When the Native Americans resisted, they, like the wilderness, became merely an obstacle in the colonists path. Because they would not conform to the European way of life, their destruction was inevitable. Because some justification was needed in order to wipe out the entire race, the stereotype of the bloodthirsty savage was solidified (Bataille, 1980). The Europeans were accustomed to owning land and claimed ownership of the new territory, justifying their actions with the fact that the Indians were nomads with no interest in owning any land. The conflicts led to many wars and various actions instituted by the Europeans in order to accomplish their objectives. The Indian tribes were at a great disadvantage during these wars because of their modest numbers, nomadic life, lack of advanced weapons, and unwillingness to cooperate, even in their own defense (Jordan, 1991). During the nineteenth century, the American Indians, by tradition a communal people, were forcibly separated from their native cultures and lands. By the mid-1840s most of the Native Americans east of the Mississippi River had been relocated to Indian Territory, as a result of President Andrew Jacksons Indian Removal Act of 1830. This act gave territory to Native Americans who agreed to reject their ancestral holdings. This act allowed the Indians to live on the declared territory indefinitely. Many refused to leave their homelands, however, engaging in battles destined to end in death and destruction. These Native Americans were subjected to numerous forms of violence, such as raping, scalping and lynching, among other acts (Zinn, 1980). The Europeans eventually stripped the Native Americans of most of their lands, and as the settlers pushed further west, the boundaries of the Indian Territory continued to shrink. As the wandering Indians encountered existing tribes and the designated Indian Territory became more crowded, conflicts over land and hunting rights ensued. The relocated Indians were often struck by famine, as buffalo and other game became scarce. The reduction of the overcrowded Indian reservations was continued as more white settlers arrived in America (Zinn, 1980). The building of the transcontinental railroad allowed for thousands of white setters to make their way across Indian Territory. Native Americans forced off their lands often starved on the poor land or died of diseases brought with the settlers from Europe. Indians were often pressured to sign treaties giving up land and agreeing to live on reservations. In return, the government vowed to provide the Indians with services and supplies (Todd, 1986). The white men did not uphold this promise, however. Most of the Native Americans were nomadic and nonagricultural, and all depended for survival on hunting the buffalo (Jordan, 1991). The settlers realized the usefulness of the buffalo hides and killed an estimated three million buffalo each year over a three-year period. The devastation of the buffalo was also devastating to the Indians (Jordan, 1991). Tensions were increased as Indians traveled outside reservation lines to hunt buffalo for survival. When government attempts at concentrating the Native Americans in reservations proved ineffective, many battles ensued between Indians and Americans. Because their designated land was insufficient, the Indians were forced to revolt in order to survive (Todd, 1986). Terribly disadvantaged, however, the Native Americans were not able to defend themselves against the settlers. Most American Indians saw themselves as citizens of sovereign Indian nations. In fact, during the first half of the 1800s, the U. S. government treated Indians who lived in tribes as members of separate nations. The federal government even negotiated formal treaties with them. All that changed in the latter half of the 1800s. The U. S.government began to look at Indians as wards or dependents instead of citizens of their own sovereign nations or citizens of the United States. In 1870, the Senate declared that the Fourteenth Amendment, which granted citizenship to African Americans, did not apply to American Indians who lived in tribes. In 1871, Congress stated that hereafter no Indian nation or tribe within the territory of the United States shall be recognized as an independent nation (DiBacco, 1995). In 1887, congress passed the Dawes Act, dividing both reservations and families. Indian families who agreed to live separate and apart from any tribe were given their own land to cultivate. After 25 years, the family would be granted both land and U. S. citizenship. This U. S. policy stressed Indian assimilation of the habits of civilized life through citizenship, education, and individual land ownership (DiBacco, 1995). Traditionally, Native Americans owned land through tribes and communities, as opposed to individually. The effort to individualize Indians and force them to forgo their tribal and traditional ways caused strife among tribal communities and provoked a growing Indian opposition (Zinn, 1980). Once again, however, the Indians suffered because the quality of their land was very poor, they were untrained at farming, and they lacked proper tools. Additionally, disease and malnutrition increased as common causes of death. Between 1887 and 1934, American Indian nations lost more than sixty percent of their land to the American federal government (Jordan, 1991). The end of the 19th century marked the end of the Indian Wars with an unprovoked massacre in 1890 during which Indian warriors, women, and children were slaughtered by U. S. cavalry at Wounded Knee (Jordan, 1991). In the end approximately 200 Native American men, women, and children had been killed (DiBacco, 1995). In the early twentieth century Indians continued to be the target of civilized assimilation efforts. In accordance with these efforts, the government funded Native American churches and schools. Education has been regarded as a primary tool in the cultural genocide, or assimilation, of Native Americans throughout history. Its overall effect severely diluted Native American culture with Christian European values and beliefs, but taught no Native American history (Keohane, 2003). The Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania, the Haskell Institute in Kansas, and the Chilocco Indian School in Oklahoma all sought to eradicate Indian languages and lifestyles. Native Americans from various areas were forced to send their children to such schools. Most were boarding schools where students would have no contact with their tribal homeland. Students were forced to adapt themselves to the culture of the colonists under a militarized system that enforced the use of the English language, English names, and Christian religion, while dismissing Native American cultures as uncivilized. Many of the students were even kept from their families during breaks as they were sent off to work under white families, still furthering their cultural immersion and strengthening the American economy. Kill the Indian and save the man was the Carlisle Schools motto (Keohane, 2003). During the first few decades of the 20th century, the gap between Indians and whites widened as Native Americans continued to find the thinking of white Americans illogical, and Federal officials continued to outlaw Indian religious practices. As assimilation efforts began to succeed, American Indians were reduced in the public eye to the status of ancient relics. For example, most citizens were unaware that ten thousand Indian men were serving in World War I or that educated Indians were becoming teachers, farmers, and ministers (Zinn, 1980). Many of the stereotypes of Native Americans originally created in Columbus time have carried over to contemporary society. This only solidified white attitudes about manifest destiny and the role of the Indian in North America. The bloodthirsty savage had become a staple of the popular dime novel and Wild West shows (Bataille,1980). By the time of World War I, the image of the ignorant, savage Native American was firmly established in popular film, which was greatly profitable though historically inaccurate. The generic Indian was portrayed in fringed clothing, communicating through grunts and simple language (Bataille, 1980). Even today, many people overgeneralize about Native Americans, seeing them as one people even though the tribes have always differed in many ways. In 1924, Native Americans were finally given some recognition as a federal law pushed U. S.citizenship upon the remaining Indian population, BE IT ENACTED , THAT ALL NON-CITIZEN INDIANS BORN WITHIN THE TERRITORIAL LIMITS OF THE UNITED STATES BE AND THEY ARE HEREBY, DECLARED TO BE CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES: PROVIDED, THAT THE GRANTING OF SUCH CITIZENSHIP SHALL NOT IN ANY MANNER IMPAIR OR OTHERWISE AFFECT THE RIGHT OF ANY INDIAN TO TRIBAL OR OTHER PROPERTY. THE INDIAN CITIZENSHIP ACT, APPROVED JUNE 2, 1924 Despite their newly gained citizenship, Native Americans were blocked from voting for the next twenty years in Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico. As a result, The Indian Rights Association and The American Indian Defense Association were formed to protect Indian rights, but the two organizations had limited power or impact (DiBacco, 1995). The plight of American Indians attracted little attention until 1928, when a shocking study, the Meriam Report, exposed the frequency of Indian poverty and the failure of government to fulfill allotted promises. The result of this new interest in reform was called the Indian New Deal, a new law that would restructure tribal governments and the administration of federal policies. The bill became the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934. It introduced federal programs to support Indian agriculture, vocational education, and economic development. It included a provision that allowed reservation communities to set up tribal governments patterned after local units of the American government. Despite criticisms of the law being too paternalistic and undermining tribal traditions, the authority of Indian communities actually did expand during this time. The new Indian governments began to assert their rights in order to reverse the loss of tribal sovereignty (Jordan, 1991). Even though American Indians sent twenty-five thousand men and women to World War II, ten thousand to the Korean conflict, and forty-three thousand to Vietnam, their efforts did little to erase negative images of Indians (Zinn, 1980). Such images have also persisted in federal policy. Following World War II the Bureau of Indian Affairs instituted a program to terminate the federal governments trust relations with many tribes. In 1953 government officials passed a bill reducing federal expenditures and shrinking the federal bureaucracy by getting out of the Indian business and setting Indians free from federal support and protection. Poverty and homelessness quickly produced frustration and anger, and these, in turn, produced additional problems: alcoholism, joblessness, and poverty (Zinn, 1980). In the late 1960s, the Civil Rights Movement kicked off a wave of political activism by Native Americans, successfully changing negative policies and views. A new voice began to be heard in 1961 when the American Indian Chicago Conference gathered to present an Indian agenda for the new Kennedy administration. As American Indian youth became more involved in national Indian issues, the National Indian Youth Council formed (DiBacco, 1995). Additional examples of this new activism and militancy would include the founding of the American Indian Movement in 1968, the occupation of Alcatraz Island in 1969, the Trail of Broken Treaties march of 1972, and the armed occupation of Wounded Knee, South Dakota, in 1973 (Farley, 2000). These and other actions produced a national and highly visible call for Native American self-determination. This new campaign also emphasized individual tribal culture and practices. Pro-Indian legislation emerged during the 1970s as a result of activism and self-determination. The Indian Self-Determination and Educational Assistance Act, was passed in 1975 and stipulated that tribes could enter into contracts with the Indian Bureau to administer their own programs, from education to health care to housing. Other new laws included a settlement of land claims in Maine in 1978 and two pieces of landmark legislation passed the same year. The Indian Child Welfare Act established a role for tribes in the adoption of Indian children and the American Indian Religious Freedom Act declared constitutional support for Native American religious freedom (DiBacco, 1995). Despite growing efforts at self-determination, exploitation still plagues the Native Americans. Recent water and energy needs have led to government and industrial encroachment on Native American Land. Native Americans have even seen their reservations recommended as toxic-waste dumping grounds in exchange for much needed money. Discrimination still continues, especially in cities near the reservations. Tribal governments have enormous responsibilities that include the protection of hunting and fishing rights, water rights, religious traditions, and cultural heritage. At the same time, they struggle to develop successful gaming operations, profitable industrial factories, and effective educational and social-welfare programs. The systematic disorganization and dehumanization of their societies have restricted life opportunities. Poor education, low income, bad housing, poor health, alchoholism, and suicides are serious problems facing Native Americans today. They suffer the highest rates of poverty and unemployment among racial minority groups in the United States. Conditions are worse on Native American reservations, where an estimated 1/3 of them still live. According to goventment statistics on income, Native Americans are the poorest of the poor. (Farley, 2000) Today, many people in the United States ignore or are unaware of the problems Native Americans face. Many of those who are aware often stereotype them as backward, drunk, or unmotivated. Relations between Indians and non-Indians in the United States have been marked by an unfortunate series of blunders caused by prejudice and negative stereotypes. Even still, todays 2. 1 million Native Americans have proved their resilience by surviving oppression in a world dominated by other races and cultures. Unlike other minorities who have fought for equal rights in American society, Native Americans have fought to retain their land and cultures and have avoided assimilation, at a hefty cost. Works Cited Bataille, Gretchen. The Pretend Indians: Images of Native Americans in the Movies. Iowa State University, Ames: 1980 Berkhofer, Robert F. The White Mans Indian. Alfred A. Knopf Publishers, New York, 1978. DiBacco, Thomas V. , Lorna C. Mason, and Christian G. Appy. History of The United States. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1995. Keohane, Sonja. The Reservation Boarding School System in the United States, 1870-1928. http://www. twofrog. com. 3/19/2005 Jordan,Winthrop D. and Leon F. Litwack. The United States. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, 1991. Todd, Lewis Paul and Merta Curti. Triumph of the American Nation. Orlando: Harcourt Brace Joranovich, Inc. , 1986. Zinn, Howard. A Peoples History of the United States. New York: Harper-Collins, 1980. Farley, John. Majority-Minority Relations. New Jersey: Prentice Hall,2000.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Vietnam Banking Industry: Customer Satisfaction Analysis

Vietnam Banking Industry: Customer Satisfaction Analysis It can be said that Vietnam is on the way of dramatic development and integration in global economic. Since Vietnam has officially become a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), besides the advantages and opportunities, there have been still many challenges that Vietnam has to overcome. In recent years, Vietnameses banks have achieved many important achievements in innovation have grown larger and stronger than previous time. However, compared to the world, Vietnam banking industry is still small, modest, and inadequate. Undoubtedly, compared to 10 years ago, Vietnam banking industry has really been a remarkable growth. Firstly, banking system has mobilized and provided a large amount of capital to the economy, estimated about 16-18% of annual GDP (Vietnam Head Department Statistic 2008), nearly 50% of social capital. Credit growth has been increased during the year and in 2008 which was estimate to be approximate 24% that is 19% higher than in 2007. The banking system has also contributed to growth, the development, and economic stability in recent years. Secondly, Vietnams banking system had a comprehensive renovation. Many legal documents have been issued comprehensively, the policies about banking activities has been completed and consistent with international practice. Moreover, the discrimination between types of domestic credit institutions and the foreign ones has been gradually eliminated. Banks as well as credit institution have been autonomous and self-responsible. Competitiveness of credi t institutions has been enhanced therefore banking market has been developing safely and effectively. Thirdly, monetary policies have been renovated and operating under market principles with international practice. The indirect operating tools that manage monetary policies have been formed and developed. Interest rate policy and exchange rate flexibility have been adopted by the market mechanism. Credit policies have been expanded and made innovation in the direction of fairness and equality for all economic sectors, business, and all residents. 1.2 Customer satisfaction management in Vietnam Banking Industry Competitive trends in quality of banking product and services on financial and monetary markets increasingly urged Vietnameses banks to renew and continue to have effective customer policies and strategies in order to compete fairly with foreign banks. Thus, Vietnameses banks have ability to overcome the challenges that have been forecasted to be very fierce in coming time. Customer satisfaction management can be considered as an important point in cultural enterprise and cultural care, implementation of banks strategies towards customers in the context of globalization. Undoubtedly, currently when the difference in quality, design of banking services as well as the competitiveness of the products itself is no longer critical among banks, the determined factor is the quality of customer service. Aware of the important of increase customer satisfaction, Vietnameses banks have established customer satisfaction management in order to evaluate customer satisfaction on their products and services. Therefore, banks can improve their operations as well as consolidate their images in customers eyes, and banks can increase sales, market share, and position in the market. 2. Bank management studies on BIDV, Hochiminh City branch (HCMC) 2.1 Performance of BIDV, HCMC branch Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam has a short name is BIDV, was established under the Conference No.177/TTg dated on 26/04/1957 of Prime Minister of Socialist Republic of Vietnam. HCMC branch which is one of the largest scale branches in BIDV system, has estimated assets VND 10,000 billion (BIDV annual reports). HCMC branch has high business performance with ROA ratio always above 1%. There are 313 staffs classified into 4 blocks these are credit, customer services, block of units, and internal management. Founded in 1977, HCMC branch is always pioneer branch and dynamic in BIDV system in development new products and services based on applying modern technology and customer-oriented. Recently, BIDV HCMC branch has been successful in the role of focal bank in arrangement of syndicated loans, co-financed investor in large scale projects. HCMC branchs activities in recent years have been customer-oriented, creating the best conditions for customers to access and use bankin g services more effectively. BIDV is one of four state-owned commercial banks so it is quite easy to understand why customers have high level of trust for bank. Based on the result of survey and research done recently to measure customer satisfaction, reveal that generally bank has been successful in bringing satisfaction to customers through the provision of products and services. The level of customer satisfaction varies from agree to fully agree. The measurement of customer satisfaction is based on the quality of services, number of products and services, and the continuity of using the services. The quality of services brings satisfaction to customers, they use the most services provide to them and they seem to be happier to use more BIDVs services. This result confirms the criteria activities cooperate and succeed that BIDV has done for years. Thus, the bank has been successful in bringing satisfaction to customers through the provision of products and services. However, this is also pressure for the bank f or better improvement what they have achieved. Therefore, the bank should promote further efforts to preserve and bring the highest satisfaction to customers. 2.2 Purpose of the study Nowadays, in the competitive environment, customers are crucial survival of the bank. The banks which are paid attention, interest as well as loyalty of customers, will capture market shares and develop faster. Business strategic direction to customers is becoming the most important strategies of banks. How to give customers the best satisfaction is always the problem that banks try their best to fulfill. Therefore, research customer satisfaction in the bank is an important work that has to be done regularly and continuously in order to meet their needs. Since then, they can serve customers better and make customers always be satisfied when using banks products and services. This study is not out of this purpose which aims to enhance customer satisfactions for BIDV as well as increase the quality of products and services supplied by BIDV. 2.3 Significant of the study The study presents the evaluation of customer satisfactions on products and services provided by BIDV HCMC branch. Thus, bank has a comprehensive glance on the products and services they are supplying to customers. Bank should focuses on business development strategies as well as the quality of products and services. Obviously, if the service quality does not meet customers demand, the customers will no longer to use it. From the evaluation of customer satisfactions, bank can realize clearly their strengths and weaknesses. From there, they continue to promote strengths and overcome weaknesses in order to improve the quality of services, increase customer satisfaction. 2.4 Limitation of the study The study has a positive contribution to the bank in understanding customers and identifying their position in the market, however the study still has some certain limitations as follows: The study focuses on group business customers therefore it cannot be the overview of the entire customers transactions in BIDV HCMC branch. The study only considers about the time used and the number of banks transactions, it does not find out all customer satisfaction in the connection with trading enterprises, financial potential and cultural factors. The study only focuses on evaluation of customer satisfaction of HCMC branchs services so it cannot assess on customers in the city and other locations as well as potential customers who are not using banking services. Based on these findings, this study can be improved with variety customer group, larger number of samples, wider research scale. 3. Model relevant to study 3.1 Introduction of Servqual model Managers in banking industry are under increasing pressure to demonstrate that their services are customer focused and that continuous performance improvement is being delivered. Given the financial and resources constrains under which banks must manage it is essential that customer satisfaction are properly met and measured and that from the customer satisfactions, any gaps in services quality are indentified. This information the assists a manager in identified cost effective ways of closing services quality gaps and of prioritizing which gaps to focus on a critical decision given scare resources. This study involves the use of Servqual model (Parasuraman, 1988) which is a popular model of quality research of services and the most common application in the marketing research. According to Parasuraman, the quality of services cannot be determined vaguely but it depends on sense of belonging to customers for such services and this perception is considered by many factors. Servqual model is built based on the evaluation of quality of services, which is the comparison between the expected value, expectation, and the value customers perceived. Servqual model considers two main aspects of services quality as a result services and the process of services which are studied through 5 criteria reliability, responsiveness, tangibles, assurance, and the empathy. Figure 3.1 SERVQUAL MODEL Reliability Responsiveness Customer satisfaction Services quality Tangibles Assurance Sympathy Sources: International Journal of Business and Management 3.2 Elements of Servqual Model 3.2.1 Reliability Reliability shows the ability to provide services accurately, on time, and credibly. This requires consistency in the implementation of services and respects commitments as well as keeps promises to customers. In the banking sector, this criterion is measured by customers through the following elements. The bank performs the services right from the first time. Banking services are implemented at the time they promise. Banking transactions are done correctly. Banks staffs are always ready to serve customers. There are always banks counselors at the table to help the customers. Banks statements are submitted regularly and promptly. 3.2.2 Responsiveness This criterion measures the ability to solve the problem fast, deal with customers complaint effectively and the willing to help customers as well as meet the customers requirements. In other words, responsiveness is the feedback from banks to what customers want. Banks staffs are available to assist customers. Bank provides services rapid, on time. Bank responses positively to customers requirements. Banks hotline for customer services is 24/24. Bank tries to solve problems for customers. 3.2.3 Tangibles Tangibles are the images of the facilities, equipment, machines, attitude of staffs, materials, manuals, and information systems of the bank. General speaking, anything that customers can see by eyes and feel by senses can impact on tangible. The bank has adequate facilities. Bank has modern equipment and machinery. Banks staffs look professional and dressed. Bank arranges the transaction counters, tables, and shelves scientifically and conveniently for customers. 3.2.4 Assurance This element creates credibility and trust for customers, which is considered through professional services, excellent technical knowledge, attitude courtesy, and good communication skills, so that customers can believe in the quality of banks services. Banks staffs serve customers politely, and courteously. Transaction documents are clear and understandable. Banks staffs always provide necessary services information for customers. Banks staffs answer customers questions clearly and accurately. 3.2.5. Sympathy Sympathy is the caring, consideration, and the best preparation for customers, so that they can feel as guests of the bank and are always welcome at any times, anywhere. Human factors are the core of this success and the more caring the bank gives to customers, the more customer understanding increases. The sympathy of banks staffs for their customers are expressed as follows: Banks staffs notices the needs of each customer. Customers do not have to queue for a long time to be served. The bank has convenience location for customers to have transactions. Banks ATM systems are modern and ease to use. Banks staffs treat customers kindly. 3.3 Summary and limitation of previous research and findings Through journals I have examined, research issues about customer satisfaction can be classified into 3 main categories including factors influence on customer satisfaction, the measurement of customer satisfaction, and the impact of customer satisfaction on business 3.3.1 Research about factors influence on customer satisfaction The research investigates the relationship between services quality, overall customer satisfaction, and behavioral intention across public and banks. The findings indicate that services quality is significant determinant of customer satisfaction in banking industry (Monica Bedi, 2010; M.Jun and S.Cai, 2010). However, different dimensions of services quality were found to be statistical significant across public and banks. The study helps banks to redefine their corporate image to one that is customer-oriented and driven by service quality. Research limitation concern the potential for the data inaccuracies due to item misinterpretation or predisposition to certain responses on the part of the participant does exist (Bedi, 2010). Similarly, the sampled data is one limitation which was collected from one organization (M.Jun and S.Cai 2010). Although, the purchasing department serves a wide range of internal customers and is involved in various purchasing activities, the dataset is limited by the potential lack of generalisability. 3.3.2 Research about the measurement of customer satisfaction The research provides method to measure customer satisfaction based on assessing customer perception of services quality in services and retailing organization. One of the most popular model is Servqual (Parasuraman, 1988) is based on the perception gap between the received quality and the expected services quality, and has been adopted for explaining consumer perception of services quality. In addition, the availability of customer satisfaction data from national indices has also facilitated the examination of the factors associated with aggregate level customer satisfaction (M.Ogikubo et al, 2009). Besides, the research points out the limitation of the Servqual is that the evaluation of services quality evaluated based on the expectation performance gap derived from Parasuraman 1988 is insufficient because much of the empirical research supported performance based measures of services quality (K.Ravichandran, 2010). 3.3.3 Research about the impact of customer satisfaction on business The research presents that customer satisfaction has an important impact on business which is determined factor in customer loyalty as well as customer retention (Harkiranpal S., 2006). Moreover, the research provides an examination of satisfaction-retention relationship, and the development of more comprehensive view of the customers quality perception (Hennig Thurau and Klee, 1997). Customer satisfaction positively affects an organizations profitability. Satisfied customers form the foundation of any successful business as customer satisfaction leads to repeat purchase, brand loyalty as well as positive word of mouth (Hoyer and MacInnis, 2001). 4. Methodology for study 4.1 Research design These terms quantitative and qualitative are used widely to differentiate both data collection techniques and data analysis procedures. Quantitative is predominantly used as a synonym for any data collection techniques or data analysis procedures that generates or uses numerical data. In contrast, qualitative is used predominantly as a synonym for any data collection techniques or data analysis procedures that generates or uses non numerical data. Three types of quantitative studies these include experimental approach, cross-sectional designs, and survey method. Because of limited time to complete collecting primary data, survey is an optimal method to collect research information. When using survey will give more control over the research process and sampling is used it is possible to generate findings that are representative of the whole population at a lower cost than collecting the data for the whole population. 4.2 Data collection Data can be obtained from primary or secondary sources. Data can be collected in a variety of ways, in different settings and from different sources. Data collection methods include interviews, questionnaires, observation, and variety of other motivational techniques. Questionnaire is the best way to collect the data about customer satisfaction because making an appointment for personal interviews or telephone interviews is difficult, even though impossible. Beside the personal information and customer characteristic (open questions), questionnaire is designed including 33 properties (closed questions) that build up the characteristic of banking services. It is presented on scale from 1 to 7 points (from lowest satisfaction to highest satisfaction about the components of banking service). It will help quantify the opinion of customers who were invested and use the questionnaire to verify and analyze the multivariable date in the valuable the satisfaction of customers later. The custo mers are also suggested to evaluate their own overall satisfaction in last question by giving the scores. 4.3 Data analysis After collecting all the data, the process of analysis begins. To summarize and rearrange the data, several interrelated procedure are performed during the data analysis stage. For quantitative data analysis, statistical tools of Microsoft excel and analytical software SPSS are used for data input and analysis. The statistic results were presented by graphical form with detail description. 5. Conclusion Customer satisfaction is not only vital factor but also the target that all banks want to achieve. Along with the increasingly strong competitiveness in banking industry, learning about customer needs as well as the factors affecting customer satisfaction has become essential. Therefore, this study is useful in proposed policies, development strategies of banks. In the service sector in general and banking sector in particular, the role of the meeting customer needs has an important implication that derives from the interaction between banks and customers as well as the positive impact that banks have. More specifically, if banks bring their customers the high customer satisfaction, customers will continue to use their services, support new banks products or services, introduce the bank to other partners, and become loyal customers. From there, they are contributing to increase sales, market share, and position in the market that are the targets any bank wants to achieve. This study researches customer satisfaction with the products and services that banks provide to customers. This thesis is presented through the survey of customer satisfaction. Survey results are reliable input source to marketing strategies and opportunities to help banks better understand customer needs, customers evaluation of quality of banks services. Therefore, banks can improve their operations and enhance customer satisfaction more effectively.