Analysis of Major Characters Hannah Jarvis

In the struggle between emotion and reason in Arcadia, Hannah Jarvis acts as the voice of reason. Hannah is the academic, feminist researcher who prides herself on thorough and well-thought research and sacrifices human contact for it. Hannah, like Thomasina's description of Queen Elizabeth, is able to separate sex from intellectual power and, in her case, push sex from view. Hannah resists carnal knowledge with effort: she doesn't like the idea of having her picture taken or submitting to a kiss, she refuses Valentine's idea of calling her his fiancee, and she scorns Gus's flirtation. Most of all, Hannah rejects Bernard's proposal that Lord Byron would have been silly enough to kill someone out of love. It seems that Hannah did, at one point, know love but has decided to pursue better things (â€Å"I don't know a worse bargain. Available sex against not being allowed to fart in bed†). Hannah's rejection of love or knowledge of love has left her unaware of her own self. It appears as though she has deluded herself into academic sterility. Bernard tells Hannah that, if she understood herself a little better, she wouldn't have written her first book about Caroline Lamb, a romantic â€Å"waffle. When Hannah storms into Bernard's lecture and interrupts his speech about Lord Byron killing someone for love, Chloe turns psychologist for Hannah and politely asks her if she has been deeply wounded in the past. Hannah cannot, however, reject the love of the shy Gus. The mute boy and mystery of the modern Croom household is able to crack Hannah, he is able to get her to dance with her. Gus's genius qualities, much like Thomasina before him, make him not only mentally like the subject of Hannah's studies, but give him an intuitive sense of history. Read also Analysis of Characters in Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"The Life You Save May Be Your Own† As a silent messenger and connection to the past of Sidley Park, Gus gives Hannah the apple Septimus will eat and whose leaf Thomasina will describe. Gus also dresses Augustus in Regency wear, finds the foundation for the destroyed outbuilding, reveals the identity of the Sidley Park Hermit and asks Hannah for a much needed dance and embrace. Hannah accepts Gus's invitation for unknown reasons, but possibly his relevance and help with her own research play into the mix and certainly a real need for carnal embrace. ThomasinaThomasina is the girl genius of epic proportions. Thomasina intuitively knows the second law of thermodynamics and can refute determinism based on her ideas. Thomasina is a typical thirteen and then sixteen-year-old girl, except for the fact that she is unusually privileged and is given unusual educational opportunities. Although Lady Croom tells Thomasina that she must wed before she is overeducated, Lady Croom seems unconcerned at the intensity of her child's work until Thomasina nears the age of seventeen. Thomasina is clearly driven not only by academic zeal but also by a desire for sexual knowledge. In the first scene, during her lesson with Septimus, Thomasina asks Septimus to tell her what a â€Å"carnal embrace† is. From the first pages of the book, Stoppard makes clear a duel purpose within Thomasina's character—to discover the rules of life and love while also working out the rules of mathematics. Thomasina's approach, including both carnal and academic knowledge, leads her to great success because she understands the principles of heat. Heat, which becomes equated with sexual knowledge, is the key to Thomasina's theory. Specifically articulated by Chloe, Thomasina's modern day counterpart, Thomasina's theory holds that sex messes up the Newtonian Universe because it is completely random. Thomasina is ironically engulfed in the flame that she once seemed to understand better than anyone. Her tragic death, at the eve of her womanhood, drives Septimus to spend his lifetime tragically attempting to prove Thomasina's hypothesis. The final waltz that Thomasina and Septimus share at the end of play reveals a necessary urgency for sexual knowledge between all people. While the two talk about the end of the Earth, it seems Thomasina knows her end will be near. There is an understanding between tutor and student in the conclusion of the play; Thomasina and Septimus both understand the limits of and the ultimately unfulfilling nature of academic knowledge. Septimus and Thomasina dance and embrace to revel in the mystery they will never solve. Bernard NightingaleBernard, the modern and foppish academic, reveals the danger of allowing present motivations to leap ahead of historic truths. Bernard's theory, that Lord Byron killed Mr. Chater in a lover's duel, is the product of his lust for fame and recognition. The evidence that Bernard puts together seems sketchy at best and the result of his theory and publication of his results is clear from the outset. Bernard never brings the platonic, third letter on stage, and it remains unclear how Byron got a hold of Septimus's book. Nevertheless, Bernard can't restrain himself. Undoubtedly reflecting Stoppard' s own commentary on academic eagerness, Bernard ignores Hannah's objections to his theory in favor of quick fame. Bernard has little interest in the Croom family besides an opportunity to bring him recognition. But Bernard, despite his mistakes, is essential to Hannah finding the identity of the hermit. While seducing Chloe in the library stacks, Bernard notices â€Å"something between her legs,† a contemporary account of the hermit's identity that describes the hermit's turtle, Plautus. This is Bernard at his best, his sole constructive contribution into the Croom mystery. Bernard is one character who is not aided by his sexual knowledge, despite his discovery while supposedly having sex (the modern day account of the hermit). Bernard's forthright proposal to Hannah and seduction of Chloe do no more than win him a loyal teenage fan. Bernard does, however, seem to know a bit more than Hannah because of his supposed knowledge. Bernard tells Hannah that she wouldn't have written a book about Caroline Lamb if she had known herself better. Yet, it remains unclear why Bernard didn't know himself better than to publish his results about Lord Byron before having more concrete proof of the theory. It is evident that neither academic nor canal knowledge alone will do. Themes, Motifs, and SymbolsThemesEmotion versus IntellectThere are two sorts of knowledge in Arcadia: the knowledge of love and academic knowledge. These two types of knowledge are in constant conflict throughout the text. It is only the proposition of marriage, the intellectual justification for sex, which allows a resolution between the two forces. The theme of love vs. intellect is touched upon in the first pages of the play. Thomasina interrupts her lesson with Septimus by asking what carnal knowledge is. Sexual knowledge always acts in conflict with intellectual knowledge, and here it gets in the way of the lesson. Thomasina also remarks on the conflict between emotion and intellect in her history lesson. Her question is prompted by Septimus himself who was found having sex with Mrs. Chater in the gazebo the day before. Thomasina describes Cleopatra as making â€Å"noodles of our sex† because Cleopatra was weakened by love. Thomasina heralds Queen Elizabeth who would not have been tempted by love to give away land or power. The great Hannah Jarvis is, like Thomasina's Queen Elizabeth, unswayed by romantic passions. She believes, as does Thomasina, that romantic inclinations would destroy or distract her from her work. Hannah refuses warmth or emotion: she refuses a kiss, denies Bernard's propositions, laughs at Valentine's proposal, and brushes off Gus's flirtation. Nonetheless, Hannah, like Thomasina, Septimus, and Gus all waltz at the conclusion of the play. Hannah cannot refuse emotion or the bashful Gus by the end of the play and is drawn into an uncomfortable and uneasy dance. The conflict between emotion and intellect is resolved because Hannah suddenly understands that the two are inseparable. Hannah is unlike Thomasina, who unconsciously understands this, driven forcefully by the mystery of both. The Mystery of SexSex remains the final mystery of Arcadia. Septimus, in the conclusion of the play, reveals the final sadness and emptiness of an academic life: â€Å"When we have found all the mysteries and lost all the meaning, we will be alone, on an empty shore. † Septimus implies that the mysteries of mathematics will someday be solved. As if knowing his own fate, Septimus embraces and kisses Thomasina in earnest, finally indulging in the mystery of his attraction and love. Septimus will not go to Thomasina's room, although she asks him, but he is restrained for a reason that remains unknown. Septimus realizes the ultimately unfulfilling nature of academic progress but will only tragically experience the fulfilling nature of love for a brief moment in a waltz and kiss with Thomasina. In the same manner, Hannah Jarvis submits to a dance with Gus. She, like Septimus, has solved her mystery and now looks to Gus for fulfillment and new mysteries. The Path of KnowledgeSeptimus describes to Thomasina the path of knowledge, a humanity that drops knowledge and learning as it picks up new ideas and developments. Septimus tells Thomasina she should not be upset at the loss of the library of Alexandria because such discoveries will be had again, in another time and possibly in another language. This story is ironic to the fate of Thomasina's own discoveries that aren't unearthed until 1993 by Valentine. Thomasina's discoveries are made again: chaos theory and thermodynamics are formal concepts by the time her primer is found and analyzed. Arcadia works as a description of humanity's own progression of knowledge. While Thomasina and Septimus make new discoveries, Hannah and Valentine work to find their discoveries. The work of Thomasina and Septimus is lost but later found again. MotifsFireFire takes on multiple meanings in the play, but it most strongly symbolizes death and the eventual and inevitable end of the human species. Like Thomasina's diagram of heat exchange, as exemplified by Mr. Noakes's steam engine, all will eventually end. As the law of thermodynamics prescribes, we will all eventually burn up. Fire is destruction and death happening over and over again. Septimus burns Lord Byron's letter, unread, a rare and valuable piece of historical literature. Fire is also sexual, the burn that keeps bodies in motion. Septimus observes that Mrs. Chater is in a state of â€Å"tropical humidity as would grown orchids in her drawers in January†. Thomasina and Valentine wish to describe and analyze the universal laws of heat and destruction. The final scene is the greatest culmination of the fire motif. While Valentine and Hannah discuss the meaning of Thomasina's heat-exchange diagram, Thomasina holds the flame that will eventually cause her own destruction. As Thomasina and Septimus waltz, the audience is aware of Thomasina's fate. We can see the workings and progress of the heat diagram before our eyes. SexSex persists as the anti-academic driving force in Arcadia. Academic knowledge is never separated far from carnal knowledge—academic knowledge somehow equating sexual prowess. For example, when Bernard makes his great discovery he immediately propositions Hannah, indicating how academic knowledge gives Bernard sexual confidence. Sex is also equated with heat, making it the eventual objective and need of all humans. The relationship between Thomasina's theory of heat exchange and sex is clearly articulated by Chloe who tells Valentine that Newton forgot to account for sex in his deterministic universe. Heat, like sex, is unchangeable, persistent, and random. MathematicsMathematics and â€Å"Simple English Algebra† is the foundation ofArcadia. The mysteries of math reveal greater truths about humanity and the family as a whole. Mathematics is also a source of pride within the play. Valentine, as a chaos mathematician himself, is reluctant to share Thomasina's theory and fractal with Hannah. Thomasina's algebra and geometry lessons culminate into her genius understanding of the laws of thermodynamics and chaos theory. The laws of thermodynamics dictate the fate of all the characters on stage, and the realization of such fate eventually conclude the play (most tragically, Thomasina's own ironic death by fire). Septimus and Thomasina, along with Gus and Hannah, succumb to the law of thermodynamics by coming together in a waltz. The couples know their mathematical, unstoppable fate and embrace each other in spite of it. SymbolsGardenThe Gardens of Sidley Park symbolize the transformation and transition between romanticism and classicism. Mr. Noakes wishes to alter the gardens into the picturesque and thoroughly romantic style and means to tear out the gazebo in favor of a hermitage and drain the lake with a newly improved steam engine. Lady Croom accuses Mr. Noakes of reading too many novels by Radcliff, such as The Castle of Otranto (actually written by Horace Walpole, as Mr. Chater points out), and The Mysteries of Udolpho. Mr. Noakes means to transform the green, lush perfect Englishman's garden into an â€Å"eruption of gloomy forest and towering crag,† Lady Croom describes it as a haunt of â€Å"hobgoblins. As Hannah describes it, the garden is a classical painting imposed on landscape or â€Å"untamed nature in the style of Salvatore Rosa †¦ everything but vampires†. The garden represents romanticism, (for Hannah) a decline from thinking to emotion, and the need for â€Å"false emotion† and â€Å"cheap thrills. † Regency ClothesThe modern day characters wear the Regency Clothes or clothes that would be worn to a fancy dress ball in Thomasina's time. Regency Clothes symbolize high society and privilege. The dress not only links the two generations and time periods, but it reve als the hay day of the English aristocratic family. Chloe, Gus, and Valentine wear the outfits to have their pictures taken and dress for the annual dance. The dress reestablishes their power as a family and role in the community, seemingly diminished in modern times. PrimerThe Primer is the symbol of learning and academia. Thomasina is the first to use the primer, which once belonged to Septimas; however, at the conclusion of the play, Septimus has taken back his primer. Septimus's use of his the primer once again symbolizes his return to being a student; this time he is a student of Thomasina, who has surpassed his knowledge and teachings Scene OneSummarySeptimas Hodge and Thomasina Coverly sit in the front room of an old estate in Derbyshire, England. The house is surrounded by beautiful, traditional park-like landscape, which is lush and green. Thomasina, a curious and rather impetuous girl of thirteen, is the student of Septimas, who is twenty-two. Each is working on separate problems when Thomasina asks Septimas what â€Å"carnal embrace† might be. Thomasina overheard Jellaby, a servant at the estate, telling the cook that Mrs. Chater, wife of the poet Ezra Chater, had been found in carnal embrace in the gazebo. Jellaby had heard the story from Mr. Noakes, gardener of the estate, who had actually witnessed the event. Septimas tells Thomasina that the act of â€Å"carnal embrace† is throwing ones arms around a side of beef. Thomasina, quite perceptive, tells Septimas that a gazebo is not a â€Å"meat larder† and asks if carnal embrace is kissing. Thomasina demands that Septimas tells her the tr uth, and so Septimas gives her the true scientific meaning: the insertion of the male genital into the female. Uncomfortable with this disclosure, Septimas quickly returns to work. Thomasina pesters Septimas to tell her more about sexual intercourse. Jellaby, the butler, interrupts the conversation. Jellaby brings a letter to Septimas from Mr. Chater. Septimas reads the letter and tells Jellaby to tell Mr. Chater that he will have to wait until the lesson is finished. After Jellaby leaves, Thomasina asks Septimas if he thinks it is odd that when one stirs jam in his or her rice pudding into swirls in one direction, the jam will not come together again if they swirl the pudding in the opposite direction. In other words, she asks why one cannot stir things apart. Thomasina's question leads to a discussion about Newton's Law of Motion. Thomasina believes that if one could stop every atom in motion, a person could write a formula for the future. Mr. Chater suddenly swings the door to the room open. Septimas bids Thomasina to leave the room. Chater accuses Septimas of â€Å"insulting† his wife in the gazebo. Septimas tells Chater that he is wrong and that he made love to Mrs. Chater in the gazebo the day before at Mrs. Chater's request. Chater challenges Septimas to a duel, but Septimas declines. Septimas tells Chater that he cannot shoot him because there are only two or three first rank poets living, Chater apparently one of them. Septimas distracts Mr. Chater by complementing him on his new poem, â€Å"The Couch of Eros,† and tells Chater he will write a good review of the work. Chater, flattered, forgives Septimas for his indiscretion and even offers to sign Septimas's copy of â€Å"The Couch of Eros. † Septimas only means to distract Chater. Noakes enters the room, soon followed by Lady Croom, mistress of the estate, and Captain Edward Brice. Lady Croom is very upset by Noakes's plans for the landscaping of Sidley Park. Lady Croom thinks that Noakes's plans are too modern, Sidley park is beautiful and an â€Å"Arcadia† as it is. The sound of hunting fire outside the window precedes Lady Croom's exit. Lady Croom, in the style of a grand general, orders Noakes, Brice, and Chater to follow her. As Mr. Chater leaves, he shakes Septimas's hand in friendship. Thomasina and Septimas are again alone. Thomasina remarks that she has grown up with the sound of hunting guns and that her father's life is recorded in the game book by the game he has shot. Thomasina delivers a secret note to Septimas from Mrs. Chater. AnalysisIt has been suggested that one of Tom Stoppard's favorite ideas is â€Å"all men desire to know. † This seems particularly evident in Arcadia, a play obsessed with knowledge of many kinds. The characters in Arcadia seek three different sorts of knowledge: mathematical knowledge, historical knowledge and sexual knowledge. The play opens with the problem (quite literally) of mathematical knowledge. Septimus has given Thomasina the challenge of finding a proof for Fermat's Last Theorem (more to keep her occupied than in hopes of her solving it). At the time the play was written Fermat's Last Theorem was, indeed, a great mathematical task. Thomasina proposes her own original solution to the theorem: Fermat's marginal note was an eternally tormenting joke to drive posterity mad. It is ironic that in real life, shortly after the play opened, Andrew Wiles announced a proof of Fermat's theorem that has, after subsequent amendments, been accepted as correct. But the quest for mathematical knowledge persists within the play. Thomasina is the genius girl who can miraculously understand the foundations of thermodynamics and chaos theory a century before their formal definition. Thomasina's algebra lesson is interrupted by her own search for another type of knowledge. Thomasina asks Septimus what â€Å"carnal embrace† is. Septimus's characteristically witty reply, that it is the act of throwing one's arms around a side of beef, does not deter Thomasina from her desire to know about sex. Chloe, Thomasina's modern counterpart, has less desire for formal, mathematical, or book knowledge but craves sexual knowledge. For Thomasina, the desire for sexual knowledge is a juvenile curiosity;emdash more a means to marriage and a first waltz. On the other hand, for the modern hormonal Chloe, sex is real sex; Chloe persuades Bernard to go up into the library stacks with her for what may be real sex. Until Thomasina is sixteen, she only desires the waltz and kiss. While Thomasina asks Septimus to come to her room after they waltz in the conclusion of the book, he refuses, and she is content. Thomasina studies history with disdain and boredom. As she tells Septimus, she is bored with and hates Cleopatra. Thomasina abhors Cleopatra's weakness for men and sex, as she complains Cleopatra makes â€Å"noodles of our sex. † Thomasina has seemingly distinguished between sex that is exciting and sex that weakens women and destroys knowledge and progress. Thomasina, herself, seeks sexual knowledge and mathematical knowledge but does not sacrifice one for the other. Historical knowledge is also sought after more urgently in the present. In scenes depicting modern-day Sidley Park, historical knowledge is rewarded by great fame and possibly sexual prowess. The modern characters value historical knowledge foremost. Bernard, of course, lusts after historical knowledge most of all, intent on receiving any and all fame it may bring. Hannah, with more reserve, also looks among the books of Sidley Park for a glimpse into the past and writes bestsellers on her findings. The intertwining past and present of Sidley Park provides commentary on the progression of knowledge or quest for knowledge in modern times. The modern day characters are concerned with the workings and findings of the past, while Thomasina and Septimus work to make new discoveries. The quest of all of the scholars thus forms a sort of loop; what is undervalued in one generation is greatly revered in the next. The state of inquiry revolves and evolves from an interest in the future to that of the past. And, like Septimus's apt description of humanity's quest for knowledge, the modern day continues to pick up what has been lost in the past, while simultaneously finding new ideas and formulas.

Hrm Practice in Banking Sector

[pic] Faculty of Business BBA Program A Thesis on Human Resource Management Practices in Banking Sector: On Southeast Bank Limited Submitted to Md. Ashraful Haq Chowdhury ASA University Bangladesh (ASAUB) Submitted By Mir Tasnuva Tanzin BBA (Major in HRM), Batch #2nd ID: 073-12-0137 Date of Submission August 20, 2011 Submission Report Dear Sir, With due respect I would like to inform you that I have successfully completed my Thesis Program from May 15, 2011 to August 15, 2011 at Southeast Bank Limited and conducted the study on â€Å"Human Resource Management Practice in Banking Sector† A case Study on Southeast Bank Ltd. Thesis Program works as a bridge between the academic and the practical knowledge. I am very much fortunate that I got the opportunity to work with some experienced and devoted professionals. As recommended my work is based on the functional procedure of different desks and different departments of the Bank. I tried my best to put meticulous effort for the preparation of this report. Any shortcoming or flaw may arise. I will welcome any clarification and suggestion regarding this report. Sincerely Yours, Mir Tasnuva Tanzin ID 073-12-0137 Batch #2nd Student of BBA ASA University Bangladesh August 20, 2011 Md. Ashraful Haq Chowdhury ASA University Bangladesh. Reference : Letter of Transmittal Dear Sir, Here is the report that fulfills the partial requirements of Thesis program, which is very helpful for a student to know the activities of an organization. This kind of report also gives an important guideline to do research in the future. Thank you very much for your kind supervision and cooperation without which I could not be able to complete this report. I take every opportunity to express my gratitude to you. Thanking you Mir Tasnuva Tanzin ID 073-12-0137 Batch #2nd Student of BBA ASA University Bangladesh Acknowledgement All commendations go to Almighty Allah, the most merciful, most benevolent to man and his action. I would like to express my gratitude to Mr. M. A Mohit the Deputy Managing Director (DMD) of Southeast Bank Ltd. for giving an opportunity to work on the topic as student. I am greatly indebted to Mr. Md. Hamidul Islam Mia HOB of Dhanmondi Br. And HRD of Southeast Bank Ltd. for providing excellent working environment and his full time assistance in preparing this report. I extend my thanks to Mr. Saidul Islam, Mr. Reza, and Mr. Humayon of Southeast Bank Ltd. Dhanmondi Br. Who have their well hearted cooperation and valuable time in completing this report I am also grateful to all the employees of Southeast Bank Ltd. Of Dahnmondi Branch as they helped me out in explaining the work practice and accompanied me through my research period. Finally, my thanks to ASA University (ASAUB) authority for sincere ooperation and all the faculty members whose integrated effort made me capable of conducting this Thesis. Executive Summery This report is an effort to reflect a clear idea about the Bunker-Customers Relationship, strategies, activities and performance of Southeast Bank Ltd. The researcher was assigned it in the Dhanmondi Branch of Southeast Bank Limited (SEBL) as an intern. The researche r presents this report on the basis of the knowledge and experience gained during the research period. The research report is a partial fulfillment of BBA program. In the report on HRM practices in banking sector: A case study on Southeast Bank Ltd. the overall role of HR managers in a bank and how they play their role is presented. Human resource managers perform an identifiable set of activities that affect and influence the people who work in an organization. These activities include HR planning, job analysis, recruitment, selection, placement, training and development, designing performance assessment and compensation systems, and labor relation Since, the HR department plays a support role within the organization; it interacts with a variety of constituencies. TABLE OF CONTENTS |Page# | |Prefatory parts | | |Title Fly | | |Title Page | | |Later of Submission | | |Acknowledgement | | |Executive Summery | | |Table of Content | | | | | |Report proper | | |Chapter One- Introduction | | |1. 1 Background of the study | | |1. 2 Objective of the report | | |1. Methodology of the report | | |1. 4 Scope of the report | | |1. 5 Limitation of the repo rt | | |Chapter Tow – Overview | | |2. 1 Historical Background of Southeast Bank Ltd. | | |2. 2 Special Features of the Bank | | |2. Board of Directors | | |2. 4 Management of the Bank | | |2. 5 Capital Structure of the Bank | | |2. 6 Deposits Status of the Bank | | |2. 7 Profit and operational results | | |2. 8 Selection Process | | |2. Mission, Vision and Objective of SEBL | | |Chapter Three – Understanding the HRM | | |3. 1 General Concept of HRM | | |3. 2 Objectives of HRM | | |3. 3 Basic Principles of HRM | | |3. Approach of HRM | | |3. 5 Philosophy of HRM | | |3. 6 Standard Organ gram of HR Department in a large organization | | |3. 7 Responsibilities of HR Department in a large organization | | |Chapter Four – HR Planning & Forecasting | | |4. Concept of HR planning & forecasting | | |4. 2 Steps of HR planning | | |4. 3 HR planning and the strategic planning process | | |4. 4 Forecasting HR needs | | |4. 5 Forecasting the Internal HR Supply | | |4. Foreca sting the External HR Supply | | |Chapter Five – Recruiting & Selection | | |5. 1 Concept of Recruiting & Selection | | |5. 2 The Recruiting and Selection Process | | |5. 3 Job Analysis | | |5. Job Analysis Methods | | |5. 5 Steps in job Analysis | | |5. 6 A Comparative Discussion between Job Analysis, Job Description, Job Specification, and Job Evaluations. | | |5. 7 Sources of equipment | | |5. 6 Internal sources | | |5. 7 External sources | | |5. 8 Methods of recruitment | | |5. Advantages & disadvantages of internal recruitment | | |5. 10 Advantage & Disadvantage of external recruiting | | |Chapter Six – Training & Development | | |6. 1 Concept of Training & Development | | |6. 2 Need and important of training | | |6. Objectives of Training | | |6. 4 Guidelines and Framework to Design a Training and Development Plan | | |6. 5 Training method | | |Chapter Seven – Compensation & Employee Benefits | | |7. 1 Concept of Compensation & Employee Benefits | | |7. Co mponents of the compensation system | | |7. 3 Wages vs. Salary | | |7. 4 Establishing Pay rates | | |7. 5 Importance of Job Evaluation | | |7. 6 Types of Employee Benefits | | |7. Employees Benefit Programs initiated by HRM | | |7. 8. Employee Services | | |7. 9 Incentive Plans | | |Chapter Eight – Employee Relationship | | |8. 1 The Meaning of Ethics | | |8. 2 Organizational culture | | |8. Employee Discipline and Privacy | | |8. 4 Types of Disciplinary Actions | | |8. 5 Disciplinary Proceeding | | |8. 6 Disciplinary Appeals Processes | | |8. 7 Disciplines without Punishment | | |8. Managing Dismissals | | |8. 9 Grounds for Dismissal | | |Chapter Nine | | |Conclusion | | |Bibliography | | Chapter 1 Introduction 1. 1 Background of the study There is no doubt that the world of work is rapidly changing. As part of an organization then, HRM must be prepared to deal with the effects of the changing world of work. For them, this means understanding the implications of globalization, technology changes, workforce diversity, changing skill requirements, continuous improvement initiatives, contingent workforce, decentralized work sites and employee involvement. We should look how this change is affecting HRM goals and practices. The current challenge of HRM is to integrate programs involving human resources with strategic organizational objectives. More and more, organizations are under tremendous competitive pressure worldwide. HR managers must find ways to develop effective programs to meet this challenge. Another important aspect of HRM is the need to ensure cost effectiveness of programs and policies through the optimal utilization of human resources. 1. 2 Objective of the report The broad objective of the report is to co-ordinate classroom knowledge with practical situation. Specific objectives of the report are: ? To fulfill the course requirement of MBA program; ? To acquire practical knowledge about HRM practices in banking sector’ ? To have practical exposure in banking environment that will help a lot of to understand the future work life; ? To analyze HRM practices in Southeast Bank Limited with classroom (theoretical) knowledge; ? To recommend for improvement of existing HR policy of Southeast Bank Limited. 1. 3 Methodology of the report Methodology includes direct observation, face-to-face discussion with respective executive of the bank, study of files, circulars etc. and practical work. In preparing this report, only secondary data have been used. The required data have been collected from following sources- ? Employees service book of the bank; ? Annual report of the bank; ? Different publications regarding banking function; ? Reference books from library of Stamford University Bangladesh. 1. 4 Scope of the report This report covers only human resource practices is Southeast Bank Limited. It focuses on overview of the bank including a comparative study about standard theoretical aspect of HRM and the existing banking practices. The report also investigates the perceptions of employees of the bank toward employee benefits and development policy. 1. 5 Limitation of the report In spite of hearted cooperation from the bank officials, I faced some limitation in preparation the report. The major limitations are as follows: Learning of overall HRM practices in banking sector within just three months was really tough. Another limitation of this report is bank bank’s policy of not disclosing some data and information for obvious reason, which could be very much useful. Chapter 2 An Overview of Southeast Bank Ltd. 2. 1 Historical Background of Southeast Bank Ltd. Southeast Bank Limited is a scheduled Bank under private sector established under the ambit of bank Company Act, 1991 and incorporated as a Public Limited Company under Companies Act, 1994 on March 12, 1995. The Bank started commercial banking operations effective from May 25, 1995. During this short span of time the Bank had been successful to position itself as a progressive and dynamic financial institution in the country. The Bank had been widely acclaimed by the business community, from small entrepreneur to large traders and industrial conglomerates, including the top rated corporate borrowers for forward-looking business outlook and innovative financing solutions. Thus within this very short period of time it has been able to create a image for itself and has earned significant reputation in the country’s banking sector as a Bank with vision. It has been growing faster as one of the leaders of the new generation banks in the private sector in respect of business and profitability as it is evident from the financial statements for the last 4 years. The Company Philosophy – â€Å"A Bank with Vision† has been preciously the essence of the legend of bank’s success. 2. 2 Special Features of the Bank a) It has been performing conventional commercial banking activity and striving to introduce Islamic Banking functions. ) It is the pioneer in introducing and launching different customer friendly deposit schemes to tap the savings of the people for channeling the same to the productive sectors of the economy. c) For uplifting the standard of living of the limited income group of the population the Bank has introduced Consume r Credit Schemes by providing financial assistance in the form of loan to the consumers for procuring household durables, which have had encouraging responses. d) The Bank is committed to continuous research and development so as to keep pace with modern banking. e) The operations of the Bank are fully computerized so as to ensure quick, prompt flawless and services to the customers. 2. 3 Profile Southeast Bank Limited was established in 1995 with a dream and a vision to become a pioneer banking institution of the country and contribute significantly to the growth of the national economy. The Bank was established by leading business personalities and eminent industrialists of the country with stakes in various segments of the national economy. The incumbent Chairman of the Bank is Mr. Alamgir Kabir, FCA, a professional Chartered Accountant. Mr. M. A. Kashem a member of the Board and Mr. Yussuf Abdullah Harun were past Presidents of the Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FBCCI). Southeast Bank is run by a team of efficient professionals. They create and generate an environment of trust and discipline that encourages and motivates everyone in the Bank to work together for achieving the objectives of the Bank. The culture of maintaining congenial work – environment in the Bank has further enabled the staff to benchmark themselves better against management expectations. A commitment to quality and excellence in service is the hallmark of their identity. 2. 4 Board of Directors In SEBL the board of directors has been conceived as the sources of all power headed by its chairman. It is legislative body of the bank board can delegate its power and authority to professionals, but can not delegate, relinquish or avoid their responsibilities. The board of directors of the bank consists of 13 members who are reputed business personalities and leading industrialists of the country. 2. 5 Management of the Bank The management team headed by the CEO, Shah Md. Nurul Alam, the President and Managing Director has to take full loan of carrying out the guidelines, rules and regulations and directions given by the board from time to time and provide all the vital information to the BOD for their knowledge and effective decision making. A graphical representation of the hierarchy of the bank is in point. 2. 6 Capital Structure of the Bank The Authorized Capital of the Bank remains unchanged at Tk. 500. 00 million. The Bank went public and floated shares of Tk. 150 million in December of the previous year which was fully subscribed, thereby raising the issued and paid-up Capital to Tk. 330 million. With the increase of paid up capital, the capital base of the Bank has become stronger. 2. 7 Deposits Status of the Bank The Bank mobilized a total deposit of Tk. 38,258. 15 million as on December 31, 2005 as against Tk. 27, 930. 8 million as on December 31, 2004 showing an increase of 30%. The combination of competitive interest rates that offered sustained deposit raising efforts of the Bank and confidence reposed by customers in the Bank resulted in this growth of deposits. Steps are being taken to further increase the deposit base continuously at a Reduced average cost of funds. 2. 8 Profit and operational results The operating profit of the Bank increased to Tk. 665. 16 million in 2003 compared to Tk. 492. 56 million in 2002 recording an appreciable increase which was due to prudent lending and optimum management of funds. The Bank participated in the primary and secondary stock markets and made considerable capital gains during the year. Notwithstanding the tough and cutting edge competitiveness prevailing in the market, the business of this Bank has expanded substantially compared to that of the previous year. This year the management team as well as the workforce is confidently poised to take on newer challenges with a view to reach the ambitious level of performance in respect of accomplishment of the total business activities including attainment of higher profitability of the Bank. 2. 9 Selection Process Southeast Bank Ltd recruits employees on the basis of newspaper circulation & by online e-application on Southeast Bank Limited's web site. At the e-application section candidates are obligatory to drop their CV & on the foundation of Southeast Bank Limited's vacancy & precedence candidates are required to follow their selection procedure as follows: Step 1: Completed application: The application form is given in the online and completely filled applications are carried forward for the preliminary test (employment test). Step 2: Employment test: The Human Resource department mails the admit card to the applicants who have completed the online application successfully via post card. The questionnaire of the test is based on mathematics, English and the respective job questions. It is usually held on 100 marks. The employment test typically holds in any government major educational center. Such as teachers training college of Dhaka, etc. Step 3: Comprehensive interview The applicants passed in the employment written test are called by the bank. They are mailed an invitation for the viva-voce for their post. The applicants have to bring their original educational certificates for producing the same before the interview committee. The certificates are tested here with the application form information. And if any disparity is found the applicant is not allowed confront the interview committee. The passed applicants are given conditional job offer. For permanent job offer they have to pass background examination & medical test steps. Step 4: Background examination: The Human Resource Department scrutinizes the background of the applicant and tries to find out all ins and outs of the respective applicant. The applicants are kept unknown about the background enquiry source. Step 5: Medical test: The applicants are to go for a medical check-up to the authorized medical center Southeast Bank Ltd. Southeast Bank Limited does not carry the medical fees. It is to be carried by the applicant himself. The test report directly goes to the Human Resource Department and the applicants are not permitted to see it. Step 6: Permanent job offer If the 6th, Background examination, and the 7th Medical test, steps are passed successfully, Human Resource Department of Southeast Bank Limited sends an ‘Appointment as Probationary Officer' letter. At the amalgamation day, the applicants are bound to sign up a ‘Letter of Undertaking' for five years continuous service to the bank from the date of confirmation. If he leaves before completion of 5 years confirmed service or during the probation period he will have t refund to the bank 50% of total salary and allowances drawn to him 2. 9 MISSION, VISION AND OBJECTIVES OF SEBL Mission The mission of the bank is to become a highly competitive modern and transparent institution comparable to any of this kind at home and abroad. High quality financial services with state of the art technology. ? Fast customer service. ? Sustainable growth strategy. ? Follow ethical standards in business. ? Steady return on shareholders, equity. ? Innovative banking at a competitive price. ? Attract and retain quality human resource. Commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility. Vision A Bank with Vision is the motto of Southeast Bank Limited. The vision is to be the most efficient financial intermediary in the country through reducing the investment and savings gap of the economy by savings mobilizations and encourage the pace of industrialization. The relentles s journey to achieve that vision started in 1995, since the very inception of the Bank. The journey still continues and will never stop. SBL sets a high standard for itself and every achievement of the bank is a striving agent to reach a new height. Objectives Whether in treasury, consumer, or corporate banking, SBL is committed to provide the best. Meeting the demand of discerning customers is not the sole objective. The Bank believes that to provide standard financial services is to deliver a quality that makes every transaction a pleasurable experience. The bank also believes that Customer is always right and in the core of everything. So providing them friendly and personalized service, tailor-made solutions for business needs, global reach in trade and commerce at the doorsteps and high yield on investments are the core objectives of the bank. But the bank also tries to do the best in conjunction with achieving the ultimate objective of a business organization – Wealth Maximization. Chapter 3 Understanding the HRM 3. 1 General Concept of HRM HRM deals with the design of formal system in an organization to ensure effective and efficiency use of human talents to accomplish organizational goals. Human Resource Management (HRM) is to refer to the philosophy, policies, procedures and practices related to the management of people within an organization. Hr management functions through which manager recruit, select, train and develop organization members. HRM is the systematic planning, development and control of network of interrelated processes affecting and involving all members of an organization. These processes include- ? HR planning & forecasting Job & work design ? Staffing/ recruitment & selection ? Training & development ? Performance appraisal & review ? Compensation & reward ? Employee protection & representation ? Organization & improvement 3. 2 Objectives of HRM The objective of HRM can be described as follows- ? To hire the right person for the job ? To reduce emp loyee turnover ? To motive people to perform at high effort levels. ? Not to waste time with useless interviews. ? To remove unfair labor practices. ? To maintain a high morale & better human relations inside the origination. ? To maintain organizational peace. ? To attract competent people and retain them in the organization. To recognize and satisfy individual needs. 3. 3 Basic Principles of HRM ? Treat people with respect and dignity; ? Treat people as adults; ? Deal with people as complete individuals. ? Treat all employees with justice. ? Provide people with justice. ? Provide people with opportunities for growth and development. ? Make people feel that they are most valuable asset for the organization. ? Rewards should be earned, not given. ? Not to underestimate the potentials of people. ? Provide people with all relevant information. 3. 4 Approach of HRM Strategic approach People are the strategic asset of an organization. People have core competency, the basis of competitiv e advantage. Human resource approach People are human beings with a lot of potentials and intellectual abilities. Commodity approach People are commodity. They are viewed as a cog of a machine. Proactive approach Anticipate challenge of problem before they arise. Preventive is better than curative. 3. 5 Philosophy of HRM 1) Labor is viewed as a technical factor of production. They are treated as a commodity and they can be bought and sold. They are hired and fired at will. It is consistent with theory X. 2) Labor is viewed as human factor with a lot of positive potentials, so they must be treated with respect and dignity. This is consistent with theory Y of McGregor. 3. Standard Organ gram of HR Department in a large organization In organizations large enough to have a HR or personnel department, the personal director and his or her staff will play a key role in the designing and monitoring of human resources system. Larger organizations are more likely to help design and implement HR system. A f ull-time specialist tends to emerge when organization have about one hundred employees. A standard structure of HR department in a large company of several thousand employees is shown below: Fig: Structure of HR Department in a Large Organization 3. 7 Responsibilities of HR Department in a large organization |Position |Responsibilities |VP , HR |Executive committee, Organization planning, HR planning, Policy, Organization development | |AVP, Recruitment & Employment |Recruiting, Interviewing, Testing, Placement & Termination | |AVP, Compensation & Benefits |Job analysis and evaluation, Surveys, Performance appraisal, Compensation administration, | | |Bonus, Profit sharing plans, Employee benefits. | |AVP, Training & Development |Orientation, Training, Management development, Career planning & Development. | |AVP, Employee Relation |EEO relations, Contract compliance, Staff assistance programs, Employee counseling. | Chapter 4 HR Planning & Forecasting 4. 1 Concept of HR planning & f orecasting HR planning is the first step in the recruiting and selection process. Human resource planning is the process of assessing the organization’s human resources needs in light of organizational goals and making plans to ensure that a competent stable workforce is employed. † – Wendell French. â€Å"Personnel planning is the process of deciding what positions the firm will have to fill, and how to fill them. â€Å"—Gary Dessler. In the words of Colman Bruce (1997) HRP is the process of determining manpower requirements and the means of meeting those requirements in order to carry out the integrated plan of the organization. According to the above definitions, HRP consists of the following elements: ? Establishing and recognizing the future job requirement ? Identifying deficiency in terms of quantity Identifying deficiency in terms of quality& specification ? Identifying the sources of right type of man ? Developing the available manpower and ? En suring the effective utilization of workforce. 4. 2 steps of HR planning HR planning is a process involving few stages: ? Integrate HR planning with corporate planning The first stage of HR planning is to integrate it with corporate planning. All manpower planning stems from business plans in relation to a corporate strategy. ? Forecasting internal & external environment The second stage in HR planning is to forecast of assess the internal and external environmental factors include government influences economic, geographic and competitive condition. Assessment of internal HR capabilities The next stage is the analysis of internal inventory of HR capabilities. Assessment of internal strengths and weakness as a part of HR planning requires the current job and employees capabilities are audited and organizational capabilities are inventoried. ? Predicting & Forecasting HR demand and supply The information gathered from external environmental scanning and assessment of internal strengt hs and weaknesses is used to predict of forecast HR supply and demand in light of organizational objectives and strategies. ? To locate the required HR Once the demand for HR has been forecasted, then their availability must be identified. The fourth stage of HR planning is to locate the sources from where personnel required will be available. The source may be internal and external. ? Allocation of HR The final stage of HRP is concern with allocation of human resources within organization overtime. 4. 3 HR planning and the strategic planning process HR planning should be an integral part of a firms strategic and HR planning process. The effective HR planning and strategic planning process is shown below: Fig: HR Planning Process 4. 4 Forecasting HR needs When a firm makes a plan for employment requirements, the firm usually needs to forecast personnel needs, the supply of inside and outside candidates. Different techniques like trend analysis, ratio analysis, and scatter plot can be used to estimate staffing needs. ? Trend analysis Trend analysis means studying variation in the firm’s employment levels over last five years. ? The scatter plot A Scatter plot shows graphically how to variables; business activity and firms staffing levels are related. For example, a newly established bank, which has 20 branches, expects to expand to 50 branches over the next five years. The HR director wants to forecast the requirement of manpower. The director can analyse the relationship between size of another 5 well-reported banks (in terms of number of branches) and their existing manpower. |Name of banks |Size (number of branch. |Existing manpower | |Prime bank |41 |1024 | |Dhaka bank |29 |688 | |NCC bank |41 |1000 | |Exim bank |28 |934 | |Southeast bank |38 |765 | If the bank carefully draws in a line to minimize the distances between the line and each one of the plotted points, the bank will be able to estimate the optimum number of staff needed for each bank size. Thus, for a 50 branches bank, the HR director would assume he needs nearly 1100 staffs. ? Ratio Analysis A forecasting technique for determining future staff needs by using ratio between, for example, number of customers and employee needed. 4. 5 Forecasting the Internal HR Supply Once the demand for labor is predicted, it is necessary to forecast the supply of labor that the organization will already have available to meet the demand. The internal supply of labor consists of all the individuals currently employed by an organization. The internal supply of labor is discharged. To predict the future supply the organization needs to maintain amanagement inventory chart and Human Resource Information System (HRIS). 4. Forecasting the External HR Supply The firms can’t always get all the empliyees they need from their current staff and some time they just don’t want to. So, forecasting the availability of outside supply is extremely important in human resource planning. Bec ause of the need for continuous and adequate staffing, every enterprise depends on the quality and quantity of human resources external to it. Chapter 5 Recruiting & Selection 5. 1 Concept of Recruiting & Selection Recruiting is the process of discovering potential candidates for actual or anticipated organizational vacancies. It involves searching and sourcing for viable job candidates. Recruitment is the process of finding qualified people and encouraging them to apply for work with the firm. On the other hand, selection is the process of choosing among those who do apply. Once an effective recruitment program has supplied enough applicants’ pool the organization faces the task of choosing the best ones for specific jobs. 5. 2 The Recruiting and Selection Process The recruitment process – putting the right people in the right positions at the right times- is one of the most critical tasks any organization faces. Throughout the recruitment process the organization attempts to â€Å"sell† itself to the more promising candidates – that is, to convince them that the organization is a good place to work. The standard recruitment process of a large organization is – Fig: The Recruiting Process Personnel selection is a process of measurement, decision-making and evaluation. The goal of personnel selection system is to bring into organization individuals who will perform well on the job. The standard selection process of large organization typically consist of eight steps : Failed Failedpassed Failed passed Failedpassed passed Problems passed Unfit Fig: The Selection Process 5. 3 Job Analysis A job analysis is a systematic exploration of the activities within a job. It is a technical procedure used to define the duties, responsibilities, and accountabilities of a job. This analysis involves the identification and description of what is happening on the jib – accurately and precisely identifying the required tasks, the knowledge, and the skills necessary for performing them, and the conditions under which they must be performed. 5. 4 Job Analysis Methods The basic methods that HR manager can use to determine job elements and the essential knowledge, skills, and abilities for successful performance include the following – 1) Observation Method Observation method is a job analysis technique in which data are gathered by watching employees work. 2) Individual Interview Method Using the individual interview method, a term of job incumbents is selected and extensively interviewed. The results of these interviews are combined into a single job analysis. 3) Group Interview Method Meeting with a number of employees to collectively determine what their jobs entail. 4) Questionnaire Method Under the questionnaire Method, workers are sent specifically designed questionnaire on which they check or rate items they perform on their job from a long list of possible task items. 5) Technical Conference Method A job analysis technique involves extensive input from the employee’s supervisor. 6) Diary Method The diary method requires job incumbents to record their daily activities. 5. 5 Steps in job Analysis The steps involved in conducting the job analysis include: Fig: Steps in a job analysis 5. A Comparative Discussion between Job Analysis, Job Description, Job Specification, and Job Evaluations. Job Analysis The procedure for determining the duties and skill requirements of a job and the kind of person who should be hired for it. Job Description A job description is a written statement of what the jobholder does, how it is done, under what condition it is done and why it is done. It is a list of job duties, responsibilities- one product of a job analysis. ? Job Specification The job specification states the minimum acceptable qualifications that the incumbents must possess to perform the job successfully. ? Job Evaluations Job evaluation specifies the relative value of each job in the organization. 5. 7 Sources of equipment There are two sources of requirement: internal and external. Deciding whether the position is to be filled internally or externally is often as early task in recruitment planning for a specific vacancy. Entry-level jobs must be filled externally, but for other positions, internal sources are used. Internal sources are as – ? Hiring relative and dependents of the existing employee; ? By promotion and transfer of existing employees; ? From employees on leave, long course deputation of loan from similar other organization. External sources are as – ? New entrants as fresher from school and colleges; ? Educated unemployed due to lack of opportunities elsewhere; Retired hands with experiences; ? Head hunting. 5. 8 Methods of recruitment There are two methods of recruitment this are – ? Method for internal recruitment ? Job position Job position involves announcing job openings to all current employees. The announcement carry information about the nature of the positio n and the qualifications needs and any employee who is interested may did no the job. ? Employee Referrals Another way to find applicants is through employee referrals by other departments. Informal communications among managers can lead to the discovery that the best candidate for a job is already working in a different section of the firm. ? Skills Inventories Information about every employee’s skills, education, work history and other important factors is stored in a data base, which can then be used to identify employees with the attributes needed for a particular job. ? Method for external recruitment Finding qualified applicants from outside the organization is most difficult part of recruitment. Typically, the external recruitment process uses different methods: ? Advertising Advertising is one of the most popular methods. The most useful advertisement is one that specifies the exact nature of the job, the qualifications required and the salary range. The advertising medium should be selected carefully, with the target audience in mind. ? Employment Agencies There are three types of employment agencies: a) Public agencies; b) Private employment agencies; c) Management consulting firm. Educational institutions generally have placement offices to assist their graduates in finding work. Unfortunately, these kinds of agencies are not popular in our country. ? Campus recruitment Sending an employer’s representatives to college campuses to screen potential applicants and create an applicant pool from the recent graduate is called campus recruiting. It is an important source of management trainees, promotable candidates and professional and technical employees. ? Internship Many college students get their jobs through college internship. Internship is important manpower source for the organization. Internship can be win-win situation for both students and employers. ? Professional Organization Many professional organizations operate placement services for the benefit of their members. These organizations publish of job vacancies and distribute these lists to members. ? Employee leasing Individuals who are hired by one firm and sent to work for a specific duration of time are called leased employees. When an organization has a need for specific employee skills, it contracts with the leasing firm to provide a certain number of trained employees. ? Personal contact Another means of recruiting is the personal contact. Some times personal and good communication can provide an opportunity to get experience manpower as well as better job offer. 5. 9 Advantages & disadvantages of internal recruitment When internal recruiting is used, the vacancy is filled by a person of known ability. There are some benefits of internal recruitment: ? Improve goodwill of the organization; ? Improve morale and motivation of employees; ? Improve probability of better selection since the candidate is better known to the organization; ? Less costly. In the case of internal recruitment, the firm also faces some difficulties ? In breeding prevents injection at new blood in the organization. ? Option in limited in locating right talents. Inhibits innovation and creativity. ? Encourage seniority mire then merit. ? Higher probability of likes or dislikes. 5. 10 Advantage & Disadvantage of external recruiting External recruiting can bring in new ideas and viewpoints. Another advantage are – ? Injection of new blood with new knowledge and creativity. ? Economic in the long run. There are some disadvantages of external recruiting – ? External recruiting is the costly; ? Cause brain drain due to fear of lack of growth potential; ? Hanger probabilities of employee turn over; ? Demoralize existing employee. 5. 11 Practices in the Bank Recruitment Objectives of the Bank: ? To build a jubilant worthy cadre of officers. To provide the bank with an efficient and cost effective human resource setup. ? To keep bank free from unhealthy practice of Trade Union. The bank strictly follows all steps of recruiting and selection process to achieve above-mentioned objectives. The bank recruits from both internal and external sources. The bank makes its applicants pool only by newspaper advertising. Some times they recruit from internship student, where foreign banks i. e. HSBC and Standard Chartered bank, recruit major of their fresh executives from internship students pool. But the bank normally does not go f or campus recruitment as well as other methods. Chapter 6 Training & Development 6. 1 Concept of Training & Development Training is a planned effort by an organization to facilitate employee’s learning of job related knowledge and skills for the purpose of improving performance. Training is the process of teaching new employees the vasic skills they need to perform their job. Training is a learning experience that seeks a relatively permanent change in individuals that will improve their ability to perform on the job. The training function, now popularly called HR development. Employee development, by design is more future oriented and more concentrated with education than employee job – specific training. Development therefore, focuses more on the employee’s personal growth. 6. 2 Need and important of training Training is mainly job-oriented; it aims at maintaining and improving current job performance. The need for the training program may arise due to the following: ? Entry of new recruits ? Promotion ? To increase productivity ? To improve quality ? To met organizational objective ? To prevent accident ? To support personal growth and development 6. 3 Objectives of Training 1. Establish a comprehensive understanding of the target audience community in Partner regions, 2. Identify and agree the target group(s) for the training needs analysis (TNA) within partner regions, 3. Design and implement an analysis of training needs questionnaire, 4. Analysis and document perceived training needs 6. 4 Guidelines and Framework to Design a Training and Development Plan 1. Education for Social Change (Popular and Folk Education) Free Online Lesson Plans, Lecture Notes, etc. 2. Online Resources (each having lists of resources) About Training and Development 3. Online Educational Directories, Learning Portals, etc. About T&D 6. 5 Training method Training methods consider the choice of method for employee training. With training objectives defined and learning principles in mind. Methods of training are basically tow types- ? On the job training The initial stages in the planning and design of an on the job training are: a) Refer to the agreed objectives for the training as produced in the TNA or the initial planning stages. ) Consider the identified target learning population and how they might affect the training design. c) List the ways in which each objective might best be met. d) Decide whether the learning might be best achieved by an on the job or off the job training. ? Off the job training Off the job training:- Off the job training is conducted in a location specifically designated for training. It may be near the work place or away form work, at a special training center or a resort. Conducting the training away from the work place minimizes distractions and allows trainees to devote their full attention to the material being thought. Chapter 7 Compensation & Employee Benefits 7. 1 Concept of Compensation & Employee Benefits Once employees have done their jobs and been appraised, they expect to be paid. Employee compensation refers to all forms of pay or rewards going to employees and arising from their employment. It has two main components: (1) Direct financial payments (wages, salaries, incentives, commissions and bonuses), and (2) Indirect payments (financial benefits like employer-paid insurance and vacations, child care facilities). In addition to compensation in the form of wages and salaries, HRM provides workers with various services and programs known as employee benefits. 7. 2 Components of the compensation system Fig:-Components of the compensation system 7. 3 Wages vs. Salary The words wage and salary are sometimes considered synonymous, but they have slightly different meanings. Wage refers to an hourly rate of pay and is the pay basis used most frequently for production and maintenance employees. Salary refers to a weekly, monthly or yearly rate of pay. Clerical, professional, sales and management employees are usually salaried. 7. 4 Establishing Pay rates The process of establishing pay rates while ensuring external, internal and procedural equity consists of five steps: 1) Conduct a Salary Survey The first step of establishing pay rates is to conducting a salary survey of what other employers are paying for comparable jobs. A survey aimed at determining prevailing wages rates. A good salary survey provides specific wage rates for specific jobs. 2) Job Evaluation Job evaluation is a systematic comparison done in order to determine the worth of one job relative to another. It is a formal and systematic comparison of jobs to determine the worth of one job relative to another and eventually results on a wage or salary hierarchy. 3) Group Similar Jobs into Pay Grades Once has used job evaluation to determine the relative worth of each job, the committee can turn to the task of assigning pay rates to each job; however, it will usually want to first group jobs into pay grades. It could, of course, just assign pay rates to each individual job. A pay grade is comprised of jobs of approximately equal difficulty or importance as established by job evaluation. 4) Price Each Pay Grade – Wage Curves The next step is to assign pay rates to the firms pay grades. The firm can use a wage curve to help assign pay rates to each pay grade. The wage curve shows the relationship between the value of the job and the average wage paid for this job. 5) Five – Tune Pay Rates Five – tuning involves developing pay range and correcting out of line rates. Pay ranges is a series or levels within a pay grade, usually based upon years of service. 7. 5 Importance of Job Evaluation Job evaluation is aimed at determining a job’s relative worth. It compares jobs to one another based on their content, which is usually defined in term of compensable factors like skills, effort, responsibility, and working conditions. 7. 6 Types of Employee Benefits a) Mandatory Benefits Organizations are required to pay these benefits to the employees by law, rules, acts or ordinance. Example: Salary, Bonus. b) Non-mandatory benefits Optional programs and services such as tuition refunds, variety of discount programs, day care facilities for children, credit program etc. 7. 7 Employees Benefit Programs initiated by HRM There are many benefits and various ways to classify them. We can classify them as I. Pay for time not worked II. Insurance benefits III. Retirement benefits IV. Service benefits 7. 7. 1 Pay for Time Not Worked Pay for time not worked – also called supplemental pay benefits- is one of an employer’s most costly benefits, because of the large amount of time off that many employees receive. Common time off with pay periods include holidays, vacations, jury duty, funeral leave, personal days, sick leave, sabbatical leave, maternity leave and unemployment leave insurance payment for laid off or terminated employees. The following figure illustrates a wide rage of such benefits: Fig:- Payment for time not worked. 7. 7. 2 Insurance Benefits Most employers also provide a number of voluntary insurance benefits. Medical or health insurance is a major optional protections benefit offered by employers. Insurance benefits include worker’s compensation, group hospitalization, accident, disability insurance and group life insurance. ? Worker’s Compensation Worker’s compensation provides promote income and medical benefits to work related accident victims or their dependents regardless of fault. Worker’s compensation benefits can be monetary or medical. In the event of a worker’s death or disablement, the person’s dependents are paid a cash benefit based on prior earnings. ? Health and Disability Insurance Health and disability insurance helps protect against hospitalization costs and the loss of income arising form off-the-job accidents or illness. Many employers purchase the insurance from life insurance companies. Most health insurance plans provide at least basic hospitalization and surgical and medical insurance for all eligible employees at group rate. ? Life Insurance Group life insurance provides cower rate for the employer of employee and includes all employees, including new employees, regardless of health or physical condition. In addition to hospitalization and medical benefits, most employers provide group life insurance plans. In many cases, the employer pays 100% or 50% of the basic premium, which usually provides life insurance. 7. 7. 3 Retirement Benefits A very important benefit to most employees is a retirement plans. The major retirement benefits are the social security program and pension plans. ? Social Security Most people assume that social security provides income only when they are over 60, but it actually provides three types of benefits: The familiar retirement benefits- provide an income if the employee retire at 60; survivor’s or death benefits payable to the employee’s dependents regardless of age at the time of death; and disability benefits payable to disabled employees and their dependents. These benefits are payable only if the employee is insured under the social security Act. ? Pension Plans Pension plans provide a fixed sum when employees reach a predetermined retirement age or when they can no longer work due to disability. There are many kinds of pension plan: ? Contributory VS. Noncontributory Under contributory plans, both employees and employers are required to contribute to the pension fund, while under noncontributory plan; pension funding is the sole responsibility of the employer. In noncontributory plans where contributions are based on company profits (deferred profit sharing plans), accumulated funds are usually allocated on the basis of salary. ? Defined benefit VS. Defined contribution plan With defined benefit plans, the employee knows ahead of time the pension benefits he/she will receive. The defined pension benefits itself is usually set by a formula that ties the person’s retirement pension to an amount. Defined contribution plans specify what contribution the employee and employer will make to the employee’s retirement or savings fund. Here, in other words, the contribution is defined, not the pension. With a defined benefit plan the employee knows what his/her retirement benefits will be upon retirement. With a defined contribution plan, the person’s pension will depend on the amounts contributed to the fund and on the retirement fund’s investment earning. 7. 8. 4 Employee Services In addition to the benefits describe above, organization’s offer a wealth of services employees may find desirable. These services can be provided to the employee at no cost or at a significant reduction from what might have been paid without the organization’s support. Services provided to employees may be- ? Wellness Program In an effort to stimulate wellness, many employees can provide recreational facilities for employees or reimburse employees for health club memberships. Other companies provide incentives for employees to participate in exercise programs, ‘quit smoking, lower blood pressure or cholesterol or to take similar steps toward good health. ? Educational Assistance Another important benefit is educational assistance. Some times companies offer monthly stipends for students. Typically, employees are reimbursed for tuition and possibly for books or other associated costs. ? Child-care Assistances It is likely that every major company will soon consider offering child-care assistance as an employee benefit. In most recent year this benefit is being popular in our country because of the number of women in the labor market has increased dramatically. ? Another Services are Another important services, that can be provided by the company are: Social and recreational events, employee assistance programs, credit unions, housing, tuition reimbursement, company paid transportation, free coffee, baby-sitting services or referrals. 7. 9 Incentive Plans Manager may offer group and individual incentive plan those ties pay to some measure of he firm’s overall profitability. Several incentive plans are: ? Piecework Plans A system of pay based on the number of items processed by each individual worker in a unit of time, such as items per hour or items per day. ? Merit Pay as an Incentive Merit pay or a merit raise is any salary increase the firm awards to an individual employee based on his or her individual performance. ? Profit Sharing Plans Profit sharing plan is a plan whereby employees share in the company’s profits. There are several types of profit sharing plans: ? In cash plans In cash plans, the firm simply distributes a percentage of profit as profit shares to employees. ? Deferred profit sharing plans The firm places a predetermined portion of profit in each employee’s account under a trustee’s supervision. ? Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOP) ESOPs are company wide plans in which a corporation contributes shares of its own stock or cash to be used to purchase such stock of the firm’s stock tor employees. Chapter 8 Employee Relationship 8. 1 The Meaning of Ethics Ethics refers to â€Å"the principles of conduct governing an individual or a group† and specifically to the standards individual use to decide what he/she conduct should be. 8. 2 Organizational culture Organizational culture is the characteristic values, traditions and behaviors a company’s employees share. A value is a basic belief about what is right or wrong, or about what should or should not do. 8. 3 Employee Discipline and Privacy The purpose of discipline is to encourage employees to behave sensibly at work (where sensible is defined as adhering to rules and regulations). In an organization, rules and regulations serve about the same purpose that laws do in society; discipline is called for when one of these rules or regulations are violated. A fair and just discipline process is based on three prerequisite: rules and regulations, a system of progressive penalties and an appeals process. The four main types of employee privacy violations upheld by courts are intrusion, publication of private matters and disclosure of medical records and appropriation of an employee’s name or likeness for commercial purposes. 8. 4 Types of Disciplinary Actions ? Minor Penalties ? Reprimand / censure; Withholding for a specified period or stoppage of increment, confirmation or promotion; ? Stoppage for a specified period at an efficiency bar in the time scale; ? Any other minor punishment. ? Major Penalties ? Recovery fr om salary of the whole or part of any pecuniary loss caused to the band by the employee; ? Degradation to any lower post; ? Compulsory retirement from service with or without retirement benefits; ? Removal from service; ? Dismissal from service. 8. 5 Disciplinary Proceeding ? Before imposing any penalty as above, the employee concerned shall be informed in writing about the charges and also be given an opportunity to answer to the charges in writing. An inquiry into charges may be held before taking final action in this regard and the competent authority may appoint an inquiry officer senior in rank to the accused to inquire into the charges and to submit his findings before passing final order in the case. ? An employee, against whom disciplinary action is proposed to be taken, may be placed under suspension, or the competent authority may order him to proceed on leave. ? The period of suspension will not exceed 90 days. If an employee, put under suspension, is not found guilty, he shall be entitled to full salary for the period of his suspension. ? If an employee put under suspension, is awarded any penalty in case of compulsory retirement or dismissal from service, the effect shall be from the date of suspension and in the case of any other penalty, the effect shall be from the date of passing of the order by the competent authority. An employee who has been awarded any penalty shall have a right to appeal to the competent authority within 30 days (or any period determined by the authority) from the date of the order. 8. 6 Disciplinary Appeals Processes The disciplinary appeal process consists of following three steps: Steps 1: Management review In step 1, the complainants submit a written complaint to a member of management (e. g. manager, senior manager or managing director) within seven calendar days of the occurrence of the eligible issue. Steps 2: Officer Complaint If not satisfied with that decision in step 1, then in step 2, the complainant submits a written appeal to the vice president or senior vice president of the division within seven calendar days of the step 1 decision. Step 3 Executive appeal Review Finally in step 3, the complainant may submit a written complaint within seven calendar days of the step-2 decision to the employee relations department. This department then investigates and prepares case file for the executive review appeals board. 8. 7 Disciplines without Punishment No one likes being punished. The basic aim of discipline without punishment is to gain an employee’s acceptance of the rules by reducing the punitive nature of the discipline itself. 8. 8 Managing Dismissals Dismissal is the involuntary termination of an employee’s employment with the firm. Dismissal is the most drastic disciplinary step the manager can take. Because of this, special care is required to ensure that sufficient cause exists for it. Managing dismissals is an important part of any supervisor’s job. The best way to handle a dismissal is to avoid it in the first place. Many dismissals start with bad hiring decisions. Using sound selection practices including assessment tests, reference and background checks, drug testing and clearly defined job descriptions can reduce the need for many dismissals. 8. 9 Grounds for Dismissal There are four bases of dismissal – 1. Unsatisfactory Performance Unsatisfactory performance may be defined as persistent failure to perform assigned duties or to meet prescribed standards on the job. Specific reasons include excessive absenteeism, tardiness, and adverse attitude toward the company, supervisor or fellow employees. 2. Misconduct Misconduct is deliberate and willful violation of the employer’s rules and may include stealing, rowdy behavior and insubordination. 3. Lack of Qualification for the Job Lack of qualification for the job is an employee’s inability to do the assigned work although he/she is diligent. 4. Insubordination Insubordination, a form of misconduct, is sometimes grounds for dismissal. It should remember that some acts are or should be deemed insubordinate whe

Response to a Personal Narrative on Arranged Marriage Essay

Should your family and cultural background determine who you love? How about who you marry? Sarita James is a South Indian young woman who wrote a personal narrative titled â€Å" let me find my own husband’’. In this story she recounts the pressures placed on her by her family to find a â€Å"suitable boy† for marriage. â€Å"Suitable boy† states Sarita is a term used by Indian families to describe a strong family candidate- someone who comes from the right religion, region, community, and family background. Within my circle of American born-cousins, however, we used the term to tease each other about our parents’ marriage schemes. Arranged marriage is not a romantic ideal. I feel a person’s background or upbringing should not have such a profound effect on whether or not this person is compatible for you. How can you marry someone solely on the basis that they go to the same church as you? Or are members of the same country club? In addition, Sarita says,† our family is both Indian and Catholic. Which was a rarity anywhere and yet I did not want to marry him. I found him to be boring and close minded-he read very little, and claimed he could never have a gay friend. He also did not see why Indian wedding dowries were problematic. I felt my family’s quiet pressure in his presence. I questioned his perennial attendance at our gatherings. â€Å"Do you think we could have just the family visit for Thanksgiving this year?† I asked my mother after two years of his visits. Sarita‘s mother would say, â€Å"But he’s a bachelor â€Å"she would say. â€Å"It’s our duty to host him†. After that he came again. Most of the time in regard to marriage, our concepts are of â€Å"romantic love†. I feel how he can really love you if your family has to pay his family for him to marry you! I don’t think you should marry someone you barely know. How do you commit yourself to someone your family chose for you as a partner? Sarita recalls feeling a deep emptiness she could not explain†¦ she cared for him but was not in love with him. Sarita knew her vision for their shared future had been naively optimistic. The â€Å"suitable boy’s family had accepted a dowry. He was supposed to marry someone else. What hurt most she realized, was the broken trust she had in her parents guidance. Sarita’s parents tended to overprotect and control her. They were denying her of her every wish, even the right to select her own spouse. I think Sarita felt too much pressure from her family. I find it unacceptable to put pressure on a couple involved. Often both partners are reliant on the parents who want them to take part in an arranged marriage for their futures as well as current welfare In conclusion, cultures such as India have had arranged marriages since the beginning of time. In America we have the freedom to make our own decisions on who we marry. Americans would not easily accept the practice of their parents having that much of an influence on who we decide to spend the rest of our lives with.

Corporate finance Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Corporate finance - Research Paper Example Here in this paper a critical analysis will be done on whether the financial markets are efficient or not. Different theories will be discussed for further analysis. Additionally future probabilities of global financial crisis will also be discussed. It will be done on a step by step basis. According to the theory of Eugene Fama, markets efficiencies are totally dependent upon information. The hypothesis has mainly three versions. Those versions are Strong, Semi Strong and Weak. Strong form of EMH comments that prices reflect all available public information and also hidden information. Semi strong of EMH states that prices reveal only existing and changing publicly available information. Weak version of EMH tells that prices of traded assets show only publicly available information (Quiry, Fur, Salvi, Dallochio and Vernimmen, 2011). The efficient market hypothesis considers that every investor take all present information in the same manner. This consideration faces lots of oppositions, as stock valuation have some difficulties with this assumption. It is often being noticed that some investors are interested in undervalued stocks and some investors are interested towards growth potentials. It shows that there are huge differences between the ways of thinking of two i nvestors. It is clearly against the theoretical foundations of EMH theory (Ferran and Ho, 2014). It also indicates that with the help of this model ascertaining the worth of stock is impossible under efficient market. As far the efficient market hypothesis, no investor is ever able to gain greater profitability in compared to others, through the equal amount of already invested funds. It further clarifies that equal ownership of information means investors can only achieve same returns. But this assumption is also not true in different cases as there are very wide ranges of returns. It

Competition (BUSINESS 305 CASE ASSIGNMENT MODULE 3) Essay

Competition (BUSINESS 305 CASE ASSIGNMENT MODULE 3) - Essay Example While it may stand to reason that OPEC with its fair share in percentage of global oil production is able to effectively manage prices, it hasn’t necessarily happened that way. Increasing pressure from other factor including competing regions outside OPEC such as North Sea and Central Asian states, has resulted in large fluctuations in oil prices in recent past. Formed primarily to look after the oil exporting interests of member countries, OPEC has a clear set of objectives where it claims to balance member country requirements with needs to stabilize world oil prices. Its charter states that OPEC would strive to â€Å"eliminate harmful and unnecessary fluctuations† in global oil prices and ensure â€Å"efficient, economic and regular supply† to buying nations while at the same time coordinating among member countries to share and â€Å"unify† oil policies to protect their interests (OPEC Statute 1). Even though the oil cartel has been a major force in global economy for over 45 years, it has had its own set of shortcomings in vision. At least twice in the past OPEC tried to raise prices by reducing export of oil. In the first instance, in the early 70’s, the prices spiked by about 50% and in the second case, the maximum increase was 34% in 1980. In each period of OPEC intervention, the price increase was short lived and could not be maintained. The reason for not being able to sustain the price increase is rooted in the simple definition of economy that it is governed by people and its behavior. This behavior then defines the supply and demand relationship that forms the basis for price stability and trends. The sudden rise in oil prices as a result of OPEC’s cutting of exports happened because the supply and demand of oil, like any other commodity, is inelastic in the short term. When the OPEC countries

Program for clients who have an ACL tear Research Paper

Program for clients who have an ACL tear - Research Paper Example The buildup of glucose in blood results in malfunctioning of the body cells. Excess sugar in the blood may also result in damage to the nerves and blood vessels, especially the small vessels supplying the eyes, kidneys, and heart. Damage to these vital connective tissues causes hardening of the arteries and atherosclerosis. Sometimes such patients end up developing a life threatening complication called diabetic coma. Diabetic coma results when the patients become dehydrated and very ill. A rise in sugar level in the blood can result to frequent urination that causes dehydration. Symptoms of type 2 diabetes usually present as excess thirst, constant hunger, and frequent micturation. Type 2 diabetes mellitus is managed through exercise and dietary changes. Metformin is administered in cases where the blood sugar level is not adequately controlled. Type 2 diabetic patients should have a stress-free life. They are to take breaks at their place of work and try doing exercises such as yoga, pranayama, breathing exercise, and other music therapies. Such exercises are essential in the management of stress. Exercise the best decision for a diabetic person. Varieties of benefits achieved from exercising include; control of the sugar level, burning of cholesterol, improving muscle strength, and decreasing the blood pressure. It also boosts energy and control stress. Exercises such as walking make the muscles and heart stronger. Walking or jogging three to seven days a week for 100 minutes or 3 days a week for 80 minutes is recommended. Weight lifting in a gymnasium, three days a week is also effective (Tuomi, p. 20) The patients need to take well-balanced meals and avoid jaggery and sugary meals. The patient should be allowed to carry sweets when out training. Sweets are consumed in situations where the blood sugar level moves below normal. They are not to miss exercise programs. Exercise helps the body to sense

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Essay

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design - Essay Example local community on police and ultimately decrease crime and associated fear, police officers can initiate programs to train local community members to deal with the criminal and crime spot, these programs may also include additional control and improved surveillance over surroundings physically, and implementation of community based policing program (www.publicstrategies.org, 2002). CPTED provides the fundamental principles and guidance with regard to solution of certain problems and determination of potential participants and make them part of problem solving process. It also addresses the fact that crime is associated with the environment and states the possible solution to decrease the probable occurrence of crime prevalence in the local areas. The main agenda of this process is to formulate a tool that will be readily available to police officers and community members in order to cope up with crime situations and combat with resulted fear in the problem areas (Center for Problem Oriented Policing, n.d.). CPTED and SARA both address problem solving techniques in order to prevent crime in problem related areas. CPTED deals with identification of criminal activities with in the local area and factors indicating the prevalence of these activities. SARA is also a crime reduction program that deals with scanning, analyzing, responding and assessing crimes and aims to decrease the impact of crime (SARA model,

Introduction to Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Introduction to Marketing - Essay Example , branding, modifying and  influencing customer behavior and buying decisions.  All of such strategies are used to increase sales of products and services. Marketing has a lot of definitions. One of them defines marketing in a way such that it relates marketing to the way society promotes spending on  particular products and services. Marketing generally targets a specific consumer segment depending on the type of merchandise or service. It is very important for marketing initiatives to focus on customer needs and wants of the specific target audiences. Marketing is such a topic that covers a wide range of  aspects, which includes advertises, public relations, sales, and product promotions. Many people confuse sales with marketing, when the truth is the two are a lot different from each other. Sales involves activities which aim at getting a product or service  into a market, promoting the product, influencing the behavior of consumers, and influencing the consumer buying b ehavior. The actual function of a Sales division is to transfer the ownership of the products or services from the produces to the customers. The marketing and financial results of the companies depend on a number of interrelated internal and external factors. The analysis of these factors has been a constant concern for academicians and practitioners. The very complexity of this subject requires indulging into more narrow aspects of research of the issue. One of the many possibilities is that while seeing through the glass of marketing initiatives of a company, while assuming that such possibilities predetermine any contact between the company and the target market. These initiatives significantly influence overall growth and success of the company. However, the span of marketing initiatives as well as their influences are extremely wide and can hardly be analyzed at once as a single entity. One way to cover logically a part of such a broad picture is through analysis of the marketing division

Financial Managment course project Research Paper

Financial Managment course project - Research Paper Example Discussion of the family riches would involve studying the personal, professional and the financial initiative that makes the family rich. Financial initiative Finance initiative represent a step taken by an individual by showing his willingness to remain strong in gaining market share while trumping the existing competition. The Rothschild family has taken a financial initiative to ensure that they remain economically afloat. One of the major financial initiative taken by the family is the maximizing their concentration in bank investment. Since the foundation by Amschel Rothschild the family has continued, sharpen their ways of bank investment because of the realization that it fetch them more money (Nasar, 2000, p.636). The concentration in banking activities has helped the family in developing better ways of increasing their wealth through their investment. For instance, the family have branches across the UK and US something that has helped in increasing their market share. Esta blishing branches in the richest zones around the world is enough financial initiative that would have acted as a pinnacle for the wealth of the family. The branches helped the family into reaching a wider market thereby raising their acquisition from the market. Another financial initiative witnessed by the family in the early 20th century is their involvement in other investment activities. After the realization that only one type of investment would not serve well, the family went flexible by exploring other investment activities. The family decided to expand their operations by investing in railway, coal, iron working, oil and metallurgical investments (Golden, 2012, p. 67). This change in the strategy assured the family of success since a failure in one activity would have been compensated by the success of another. It is true that diversification in the investment activities helped the family a bid deal especially after the Nazi seized their Austrian banking house. Without the investment in other acitivities, the family would have suffered some sort of downfall. The family has also included in their operation, the provision of government securities. Another financial initiative applied by the family is the expansion of its operation to include government securities and industrial companies. The two, government and industrial companies represent the pillar of any economy; hence, their inclusion means the family has also established themselves as a pillar in the economy. Inclusion of government as one of the clients represents one of the strongest financial initiative that a company can make. It is often difficult for the government to suffer downfalls hence a deal with them is an initiative towards staying rich as long as the government remains in position. The government is the last resort for any activity occurring in a country; hence, including them in investment means the family have strengthened their acquisition in the territory. Further, another fi nancial initiative is the inclusion of the bigger industrial companies in their investment activities. This also assures the family of a lasting wealth since the other big industrial companies would do anything within their effort to avoid downfall. The financial initiative taken by the family, in including the big names in their investment list, means that their downfall would mean the downfall of the global economy. It is difficult for the

Business Decision Making Degree Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Business Decision Making Degree - Essay Example The market research plan needs to clearly state the objectives of the research. In this case the primary reason for which research is being undertaken is to determine that fate of a particular product line. The purpose of the research is to uncover where the product stands in the market with respect to customer preference and based on that information whether it should be marketed further or discontinued. Once the objective is known the second step would be to determine which information is needed and who will provide this information. This research has to unveil what customers think of the product and how well it is doing in the market in terms of reputation and sales. The information will be acquired from both internal and external sources mostly customers, retailers and employees. For this purpose a sample representing all concerned groups will be selected to participate in the research. Each demographic and geographic group will have adequate representation in the sample. For this particular case the females will have a higher ratio than males and likewise the individuals from younger and middle age groups will constitute a major portion of the sample thought the remaining will have significant representation. Secondary research is available from public statistics, magazines, newspapers, published journals, trade associations, annual reports, government conducted researches, other organizations and even the organization's own historical documents. The secondary information for this particular research however, will be collected from internet sources as well as research conducted on similar products or by similar companies. The primary information will be gathered through surveys with the help of structured questionnaires, interviews, focus groups and observation. Data from questionnaires and interviews may be collected at the point of sales and online surveys will also be conducted. The collected information will then be analyzed to reveal statistics, perceptions regarding the product and the product sales trends. All methods used for gathering data will focus on customers, competition and the retailers. Although primary data is both costly and difficult to acquire and is also very time consuming, the information gathered from primary research through questionnaires, interviews and focus groups would provide significant data for the research than the secondary research, since it acquires direct information from the market that is both the consumers as well as the retailers. Understanding the consumers before making product decision is crucial. Primary research is important when making any decisions regarding consumers in order to get specific results. Secondary data is easier to access and acquire and far less costly than primary research, but it will not provide all information necessary for this particular research. The data is insufficient for some aspects of the research and some of it cannot be applied as it is. It will however be acquired to assist in development the questionnaire and sample selection and will also facilitate in making the final decision. Interviews will serves as a means of two way communication between the consumers and the marketers, allowing us to probe deeper to get the information we require.

The Triumph of Science Over Religion Essay Example for Free

The Triumph of Science Over Religion Essay In her book, Rapture Culture: Left Behind in Evangelical America, Frykholm (2004) explains her interest in evangelism – that, in fact, her family had converted to evangelical Christianity and she had explored the faith in depth during her teenage years.   However, the author was not able to find the answers to her religious questions.   This made her a skeptic, as religious people would refer to her as. As a matter of fact, Frykholm realizes the differences between her beliefs and those of evangelical Christians.    She mentions, for example, that she was living with her fiancà © before marriage, while Christianity manifestly prohibits fornication.   Moreover, the Left Behind series appeals to people who are homophobic among other things, also according to the author.   Thus, she refers to the rapture culture – of the believers in rapture – as a part of Christian fundamentalism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The book, Rapture Culture, is a qualitative study relating the views of readers of the Left Behind series.   Frykholm seems to have undertaken the project because of her deep interest in evangelical Christianity.   Yet, she has approached the study as a disbeliever in evangelical Christianity.   She criticizes many of the beliefs of Christianity, which practicing Christians might consider as mockery.   It seems, however, that Frykholm would like the readers of the Left Behind series to help her understand the reasons why they believe in the rapture while she does not. She finds that the series strengthens the faith of some of the readers, while others find the series interesting because it allows them to learn what they had never paid attention to.   Frykholm discovers that the readers of the series differ in terms of what they gain from books about rapture.   All the same, it is not only a discovery of their understanding that the author is concerned with.   She describes her own perspective of Christian beliefs at every turn.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Frykholm’s doubts about Christianity are not unique in our time.   There are countless people in the United States and the Western world as a whole who were born into Christian families but have given up the practice of religion.   Fornication is quite common among such people.   Furthermore, it is considered abnormal by them to oppose homosexuality, even though the Bible strictly speaks against it in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. Practicing Christians are of the opinion that this is one of the signs of the end times.   Frykholm, on the other hand, is confident that the rapture culture is the culture of a people that differ from her fundamentally.   Hence, the title of the book sheds more light on the ‘us versus them’ mentality of Frykholm as well as the evangelical Christians.   Needless to say, religion is at odds with the cultural norms of the majority in the West today.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is, therefore, important to understand the history of the division in society as far as the practice of religion is concerned.   Frykholm does not have a problem referring to her book as a qualitative study, which suggests that scientific understanding is easier for her.   But, she is not the only person in the West who finds it easier to respect science as opposed to religion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   By the sixteenth century, the Western experience with religion had turned bitter.   The Catholic Reformation, also referred to as a Counter Reformation, was a response to the great Protestant Reformation in Europe during this period of time.   There were two elements of the Catholic Reformation.   First of all, Catholics were being called for a renewal of piety and of virtue in the form of renewed commitments to prayer as well as mysticism.   This component of the Reformation was particularly evident in the clerical orders.   The ordinary folks had nothing whatsoever to do with this component of the Reformation, seeing that even the clerical orders were not looked upon as worthy guides.   Secondly, the Church was being asked to reform in order to deal with unparalleled as well as swift changes in society, and abuses that accompanied those changes.[1]    There was turbulence witnessed in the societal structure, and one of the reasons why it was necessary to initiate the Catholic Reformation was that the humanists had revived classical pagan philosophy in the fifteenth century, using the new miracle of printing to shift the attention of society from the after life to the present.[2]   At the same time as the classical pagan philosophy was being circulated, the Church was going through a period of decline with a desiccation of scholastic thinking.   Internal abuses at the Church were also well-known, and these involved simony, the sale of indulges, multiple benefices, and much more.[3]   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Church could not be trusted as much as it was meant to be.   As a matter of fact, the condition of religion in the sixteenth century was characterized by turmoil.   King Henry VIII of England created the Church of England in the year 1533 A.D. by splitting from the Roman Catholic Church.   Around the same time, the French Wars of Religion were waged between the Catholics and the Huguenots in France.[4]   How much confusion such chaos would have birthed in the minds of Western Christians with respect to their religion could only be imagined.   Christianity was, after all, supposed to be a religion of peace and unconditional love.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Western religion around 1500 A.D. was chiefly Christian, and the sixteenth century has been described as â€Å"probably the most intolerant period in Christian history.†[5]   It was not the scientists that were killed during this time because they came up with new ideas.   Rather, in the sixteenth century, there were thousands of people that were killed because they were called heretics by religionists.   Michael Servetus was only one such individual.   He was burned in 1553 A.D., alive, on the order of John Calvin in addition to the city authorities, because he had made theological speculations that Calvin believed to be falsehoods.[6]    To put it another way, the religious authorities of the time would not allow people even to deviate in their thinking with respect to religion.   Christians of the West were required to think of Christianity in the way that the religious authorities felt was appropriate.   Critical thinking or questioning was not allowed by any means.   What is more, the religious authorities were known to be corrupt enough for places of worship to be closed down.   Clarke writes:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In January, 1535, the newly appointed Vicar-General of the English Church, Thomas   Ã‚  Ã‚   Cromwell, sent out his agents to conduct a commission of enquiry into the character and value   Ã‚  Ã‚   of all ecclesiastical property in the kingdom.   Overtly, they were reformers, exercising the new   Ã‚  Ã‚   powers accorded to the Crown by the Act of Supremacy: from time to time to visit, repress,   Ã‚  Ã‚   redress, reform, order, correct, restrain and amend all such errors, heresies, abuses, offences,   Ã‚  Ã‚   contempts and enormities . . . which ought or may be lawfully reformed.   But Dr. Richard   Ã‚  Ã‚   Layton, Dr. Thomas Legh, Dr. John London, and the other tough-minded and venal officials   Ã‚  Ã‚   chosen for the job had no doubt what the Crown expected of them.   It took them only six   Ã‚  Ã‚   months to submit for Cromwells scrutiny an accurate and detailed tax-book, the Valor   Ã‚  Ã‚   Ecclesiasticus.   Along with it came evidence of corruption and scandalous immorality in   Ã‚  Ã‚   Englands monasteries.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Such evidence was not hard to find, for by the 16th century many of the religious houses   Ã‚  Ã‚   had long since lost their sense of purpose.[7] The religious turbulence of the sixteenth century was continued into the seventeenth century.   The government of England had become known for its harassment of Catholics as well as Jesuits.   On 20 May 1604, certain religious men began to plot the destruction of the government after having heard Mass.   One priest knew about the plot, and was made to pay the price of this knowledge later on.[8]   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The religious authorities of the Near and Far East were not facing religious turmoil around that time, however.   Nor were the people of the advanced civilizations of the Near and Far East being confronted with religious confusion.   Furthermore, scientists of the Near East were especially involved with their work during the sixteenth century, as for a number of centuries before.   The Ottoman astronomer, Taqi al-Din, created astronomical tables in the sixteenth century.   These tables were considered as accurate as the ones made by Tycho Brahe in Denmark during the same period of time.   All the same, the Ottomans are known to have ceased their support for scientific innovations and research a century later, as their priorities took a shift.[9]   The West, on the contrary, continued scientific explorations even after the sixteenth century. The East had maintained its religions.   It was only the West that had showed immense intolerance toward different religious beliefs and practices, even with respect to its own faith.   Whereas religious authorities stopped Westerners from thinking and reasoning, science opened up a new world for the ordinary people.   They were not called heretics because of their new scientific ideas.   Rather, people who came up with new scientific ideas were in the company of many others who came up with great new ideas in the scientific arena.   Giordano Bruno, Girolamo Cardano, Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, William Gilbert, Johannes Kepler, Paracelsus, John Napier, and Andreas Vesalius are only few of the important Western scientists of the sixteenth century. Besides, the same century saw the birthing of Copernicus’ theory, the import of new plant species from the Americas into Europe, and new inventions that revolutionized manufacturing and other features of living.   The wheel-lock musket, the helicopter, the spinning wheel, the pocket watch, the diving bell, the seed drill, the camera obscura, the knitting machine, the compound microscope, the Gregorian Calendar, and the enameling of pottery were all brought into the world in the sixteenth century.[10]   So, while religion disappointed people, science brought renewed hope of existence through new products and discoveries.   No scientist could be killed in the name of science.   Hence, science was safely meant to stay on in the West despite the good or bad luck of religion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Frykholm seems to have chosen the safe side, although believers in rapture may not believe in her safety in the afterlife.   According to the latter, this division would remain real until final judgment time.   The author of Rapture Culture, on the other hand, does not claim to understand the truth of religion as opposed to the truth of science. Bibliography Clark, L. The Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th Century. Retrieved Nov 16, 2007, from http://www.historynet.com/. Frykholm, A. J. (2004). Rapture Culture: Left Behind in Evangelical America. New York:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Oxford University Press. Hogge, A. (2005). God’s Secret Agents: Queen Elizabeth’s Forbidden Priests and the Hatching of the Gunpowder Plot. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. How the Idea of Religious Tolerance Came to the West. MacroHistory. Retrieved Nov 16, 2007, from http://www.fsmitha.com/review/index.html. Lewis, J. J. (1998). Women Saints: Doctors of the Church. London: Penguin. Timeline 16th Century. Magic Dragon Multimedia. Retrieved Nov 16, 2007, from http://www.magicdragon.com/UltimateSF/timeline16.html. Olin, J. (1990). Catholic Reformation: From Cardinal Ximenes to the Council of Trent, 1495- New York: Fordham University Press. Pollen, J. H. (2004). The Counter Reformation. The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: K.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Knight. [1] J. H. Pollen, â€Å"The Counter Reformation,†The Catholic Encyclopedia (New York: K. Knight, 2004). [2] Jone Johnson Lewis, Women Saints: Doctors of the Church (London: Penguin, 1998). [3] John Olin, Catholic Reformation: From Cardinal Ximenes to the Council of Trent, 1495-1563 (New York: Fordham University Press, 1990). [4] â€Å"Timeline 16th Century,† Magic Dragon Multimedia, available from http://www.magicdragon.com/UltimateSF/timeline16.html; Internet; accessed 16 November 2007. [5] â€Å"How the Idea of Religious Tolerance Came to the West,† MacroHistory, available from http://www.fsmitha.com/review/index.html; Internet; accessed 16 November 2007. [6] Ibid. [7] Lindsay Clarke, â€Å"The Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th Century,† available from http://www.historynet.com/; Internet; accessed 16 November 2007. [8] Alice Hogge, God’s Secret Agents: Queen Elizabeth’s Forbidden Priests and the Hatching of the Gunpowder Plot (New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2005). [9] â€Å"Cutting-Edge Science in the Middle East;† available from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/globalconnections/mideast/themes/science/index.html; Internet; accessed 16 November 2007. [10] â€Å"Timeline.†