An Analysis Of The Islamic Financial System Finance Essay - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 15 Words: 4544 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Finance Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? Islam considers the problem of economic development very seriously and views this as an important part of total human development. The fundamental aim of Islamic religion is to lead human development in the right direction. Islam deals economic development as part of total human development and never deviated from this perspective  [1]  . Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "An Analysis Of The Islamic Financial System Finance Essay" essay for you Create order Islam does not encourage blockage of wealth and regards circulation of wealth as important to an economy. The proponents of Islamic Banking argue that the system based on interest has resulted in concentration of wealth in a small number of hands thus widening the gap between rich and poor. The fact is that the 10 richest men in the world have more wealth than 48 poorest countries of the world.  [2]  Dr Usmani records, Just as clotting of blood paralyzes the human body; concentration of wealth paralyzes the economy.  [3] 1.1 Islamic Financial System: The Islamic financial system generally refers to an institution for financial market dealings, operations and services that does not conflict with Sharia Law. In Islamic jurisprudence all rules relate to the allotment of resources, rights on property, production and utilization, and the allocation of income and wealth as specified by the shariah (Islamic Law).  [4]  As per the rules and regulations stipulated by Shariah risk or reward can not be prohibited or promoted.  [5]  The Islamic financial system is often referred to as interest-free, but this is not the case. The core values in conventional banking system such as promotion, preservation and sanctity of entrepreneurship, property rights and contractual obligation are also part of the Islamic financial system. It is difficult to measure the actual size and rate of growth in the world wide Islamic financing pool.  [6]  Today, the assets of Islamic financial and banking activities have been estimated to the tune of over US$750bn, which is a sign of the impressive growth in this sector since 1980s.  [7]  The potential and widespread opportunities within Islamic banking are getting attention from market participants and policy makers.  [8]  Although there are no obstacles present to the continued development of Islamic finance, this does not mean an absence of challenges.  [9]  The shortage of investment outlets with profit-loss sharing agreements is one of the main hindrances to the continued growth of this sector.  [10] Islamic finance operates in compliance with Sharia (Islamic Law). It is derived from the Quran (The Holly book of Muslims) and Sunnah (the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad).  [11]  One of the basic pillars of Islamic financial system is economic freedom.  [12]  But it is not the same as under a capitalist economy.  [13]  One of the main differences between the capitalist economic system and Islamic financial system is that while the capitalist sys tem advocates absolute freedom in the market without any moral obligation, the Islamic banks advocates for the morality in the market.  [14]  Islamic finance allows an individual to earn wealth and own it. Even though the individual has absolute discretion to spend his wealth, it should in compliance with Islamic rules that apply to everyone.  [15]  For instance: obligation to pay tax for the poor.  [16] 1.2 Islamic Banks: An Islamic bank is a financial intermediary located in various sectors of an economy that mobilise savings from the public based on different tools within the Islamic financial system and distribute the money to entrepreneurs and other customers by complying with Sharia.  [17]  It is believed that the system of charging excessive fixed-interest debt led to the creation of a poor economic environment that resulted in the recent global financial crisis.  [18]  But risk-sharing instruments in Islamic banking aim to promote economic development.  [19] The following are considered as core values of Islamic banking principles: Interest as a return for saving does not have any moral foundation Self-restraint from spending of present income does not be worthy of a financial reward Revenue is gained only by taking risks so risks have to be incurred to gain money.  [20] The basic principle of Islamic Banking relates to humanity, ethics and morality such as justice, equity, reality and Human nature.  [21]  Islamic law influence the structure and activities of Islamic banks in several ways, the most important being the replacement of Riba (the receipt and payment of fixed or predetermined interest) with profit -loss-sharing arrangements.  [22]  In profit-loss sharing principle, the rate of return on an investment is not fixed or not known prior to the transaction.  [23]  For avoiding Riba, Islamic banks had to develop financial products which were in compliance with Shariah.  [24]  To attain this mission, a number of special Islamic financial products that comply with Sharia have been created by Islamic banks.  [25]  The most widely used products which have been developed by Islamic banks are Murabaha, Musharakah and Mudharabaha  [26]  . 1.3 Conclusion: In a nutshell, Islamic commercial law is a complex system and covers many areas. Islamic banking is just one of the areas within the Islamic financial system. In this chapter only a selective and general overview is given regarding Islamic finance. All rules and regulations of Islamic banking are derived from The Quran and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad. The aim of Islamic financial system is to give economic justice to mankind. Although Islamic finance aims to give economic freedom to the owner of a property it can be argued that the economic freedom is not absolute freedom since there are rules, regulations and moral ethics that are to be observed. Chapter.2 The Nature, Definition and Evolution of Islamic Banking Law Giving an outline of the financial institutions is useful for understanding the concept and operations of Islamic banking. This will help in understanding how financial institutions and products affect and fulfil the needs of various sectors in an economy 2.1 Banking: Let us examine what is banking or a bank? The word bank is derived from the Italian word banco, which means shelf or bench.  [27]  A bank is an institution authorized to take deposits for the purpose of extending long and short-term finance facilities.  [28]  The royal palaces and temples in ancient Mesopotamia were considered as the ancient Banks where the commodities were kept for security.  [29] The modern banking system operates as financial intermediaries between various sectors in an economy and they offer a number of other services such as safe deposits, overdrafts, easy transfer and agency functions etc.  [30]  Historically, banks have carried out all their functions o ­n the basis of fixed interest payment which is the basis of all their dealings.  [31] 2.2 Why Islamic banking? Islamic banking and finance has received attention as an alternative model. Interest or usury is considered as a source of exploitation. Generally the highest rates of interest were charged to lower earners in the case of sub prime lending. Such an unfair attitude by conventional banking was one of the reasons which led to the thought of an alternative banking system.  [32]  More over, the conventional banking system based on interest is incompetent of allocating available liquid funds among the various sectors in an economy irrespective of their efficiency, productivity and growth status.  [33]  It is also presumed that irrespective of rational economic considerations regarding income distribution, conventional banking is biased towards wealthy people. Thus, profit-loss sharing system in Islamic banking is considered as a competent alternative.  [34]  When the banks move forward from exploitation and ruthlessness, the relevance of Islamic banking, which is marked by ki ndness and affection, is increased. More over it is believed that Islamic economy should lead to freedom from economic slavery.  [35] 2.3 Origin of Islamic Banking: According to Lieber Among Muslims, international trade was particularly stimulated by the pilgrimage to the holy places of Arabia, in which a great body of men converged each year from all over the world. Many of these pilgrims fulfilled their religious obligations and at the same time, marketed their local products along the route, returning home with foreign goods on which they hoped to make a handsome profit.  [36]  With the development of trade operations such as lending, borrowing, transferring, guaranteeing and safeguarding comes the development of banking operations in Islamic community  [37]  . The operations of Islamic banking started from the time of the Prophet of Islam who introduced the system  of  Bayt al-Mal (State Bank of Muslims)  for the collection and distribution of revenues.  [38]  The supervisor and director of Bayt al-Mal was called as Khazin al -Mal who was a government officer under the department of central secretariat.à ‚  [39]  The  Bayt al-Mal  was not only  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  the property  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  of the Muslims alone  but of non-Muslims also. It was the duty of the Islamic state to support needy  non-Muslims  as well as indigent  Muslims out of the funds of the  Bayt al-Mal.  [40]  The public treasury of  Bayt al-Mal  played the role of an agricultural  credit bank and also a commercial bank.  [41]  During the period of 844-848 A.D., it lent to the peasants two million dirhams.  [42] From the historical writings of some scholars we can understand that there were bankers in medieval Islamic world called sarraffeen or sayarifah or jahabidhah and banks called dawawin al-jahabidhah.  [43]  It is to be noted that in 913 AD, the state established diwan al-jahabidhah with branches in the main trade cities which were conducting almost all modern banking functions without access to interest.  [44]  After the 13th century a number of Islamic institutions, including the Islamic system of financial intermediation had been displaced by Western institutions due to various internal and external factors.  [45] 2.4 Evolution of Modern Islamic Banking: From the middle of the nineteenth century, nearly every Muslim country, under direct or indirect pressure from the newly dominant west power, adopted laws and legal systems based on Western models in both civil and criminal areas.  [46]  After freedom from colonization, the demand for sharia based economic system had been increased in most of the Muslim dominated countries.  [47]  Because of the increasing demand from the people in many Muslim countries, individual Islamic banks were established.  [48]  They were operating under the economic and legal controls from the governments in the country in which they were established.  [49]  Moreover, they faced competition from already established interest-based banks in the system.  [50] The first modern trial of Islamic banking was established in Egypt at Mit Ghamr without projecting an Islamic image, because of some political reasons, in 1963.  [51]  It was the first interest-free institution with bank, Nasser Social Bank, as its name.  [52]  It was a savings bank based on Profit-Loss sharing established by Ahmad El Najjar.  [53]  This trial lasted until l967.  [54]  Although the first experiment lasted only four years, this idea received attention from rich people with surplus wealth. After four years, in 1975, Dubai Islamic Bank was established in Dubai, UAE.  [55]  Even though it was a private initiative; the governments of UAE as well as Kuwait invested 30% of the total share.  [56]  It is the first full-fledged Islamic Bank in modern history.  [57]  However, in 1975 the IDB (Islamic Development Bank) was established. It is the most important development in Islamic Banking history.  [58] With the development of several Islamic banks and the willingness of some countries like Pakistan, Iran and Sudan to implement the Islamic financial system, has boosted the growth of the Islamic banking sector.  [59]  One of the milestones in the evolution of modern Is lamic banking is that, its products have been recognised as genuine tools of financial intermediation by IMF and World Bank.  [60]  Islamic banking has grown by about 15 per cent a year since its modern initiation in the 1970s.  [61]  Nowadays Islamic financial services institutions have spread worldwide numbering nearly 500  [62]  and the total asset value of Islamic banks have reached about US$750 billion.  [63] 2.5 Definition and features of Islamic Banking: We have already discussed the origin and evolution of Islamic Banking. Let us examine the nature and features of Islamic Banks. 2.5.1 Definition of Islamic banking: An Islamic bank is as an intermediary between the saving surplus and the deficit units like any conventional bank with the difference that the instrument of interest is replaced by a number of other instruments. It mobilizes funds on the basis of a Mudarabha or Wakalah (agency) contract. It advances funds on a profit- and-loss sharing agr eement in accordance with the principles of sharia.  [64]  However in practice, in terms of organisational set-up, Islamic banks hardly look any different from its conventional counterpart.  [65]  An Islamic Bank has been defined in the following way according to general secretariat of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) A financial institution that expressly states its commitment to the principles of Islamic sharia in all of their statues, rules and procedures and that which prohibits receipt and payment of interest in all its operations is an Islamic Bank.  [66]  In simple terms it can be defined as banking operations in accordance with the beliefs that fit with the value system within Islam.  [67]  Ãƒâ€š The Islamic Banking system is based on the concept of sharing profits as well as loss. The general principle of Islamic banking is that only those who are willing to assume risk have the right to get a return on their savings.  [68]  From the above definition it is understood that Islamic banking neither receives nor pays interest in its transactions. Alternatively, this system operates based on Islamic Law of transactions which is promoting profit and loss sharing (PLS).  [69]  Because of Profit-Loss sharing principles in their practice, Islamic Banks are called as PLS-Banks.  [70] 2.5.2 Basic features of Islamic Banking: There are strict rules applying to finance under Islamic law. The economic principle of Islam is based on open markets, without price controls and prohibiting riba, gharar and maysir  [71]  Let us examine the distinguishing features of Islamic banking. A) Freedom from Riba: Riba is an Arabic word that means growth or increase and denotes the payment or receipt of interest for the use of money.  [72]  The prohibition of riba (interest) at Islamic Sharia on monies lent is ordained by the Quran, Sunna, i.e. the prophetic tradition and Ijmma (unanimity of the masses of ancient jurists).  [73]  The Quran expressly forbids riba, and gives warning against those who are not ready to give up riba. The holy quran declares that ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ¦ÃƒÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ¦. if you do not give up your demand for the interest due to you) then take notice of (a declaration of) war from Allah and His MessengerÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ¦Ã‚  [74]  There is a saying from the prophet to prohibit riba even if it is a smaller amount. For example From Abu Burdah ibn Abi Musa: I came to Madinah and met Abdallah ibn Salam who said, You live in a country where riba is rampant; hence if anyone owes you something and presents you with a load of hay, or a load of barley, or a rope of straw, do not accept it for it is riba.  [75] Riba has been interpreted as any predetermined or assured interest payment on cash advances or on deposits.  [76]  One learned companion of Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) was reported to have said He who lends should not stipulate more than what he has lent, even a handful of fodder; for it is riba.  [77] The universal nature of these principles is seen even in non-Muslim literature. Some of the Major religions like Hinduism, Judaism and Christianity have prohibited Usury in principle.  [78]  It is to be noted that both Old and New Testaments in the Bible prohibits Usury.  [79]  For example, The Old Testament clearly says that If you lend money to my people, to the poor among you, you are not to act as a creditor to him; you shall not charge him interest.  [80]  Shakespeare and many other writers have expressed their anger against this unjust practice through their w orks.  [81]  Even though there are no specific verses in the Quran or messages from the Sunna providing reasons for the prohibition of Riba, some studies argue that Riba contradicts the principles of profit/loss sharing which aims to create a proper balance between the lender and the borrower.  [82] Different scholars have given different reasons for the prohibition of Riba; the following reasons given by Siddiqi are noteworthy; Riba is a form of social corruption referred to by Arabic scholars as Fasad. Riba implies the wrongful appropriation of other peoples property without justification. Riba decreases the resources of states through negative effect on the growth of economies. Riba demeans and diminishes the humanity of individuals. Riba leads to money being made from money: an unacceptable practice in Islamic finance. If people mainly depend on interest for their lively hood then they may be discouraged from working to earn money.  [83] Difference between Riba and Profit Ribha Profit Any income or earnings is collected above the principle amount of money lent which is fixed and doesnt involve any risk. The income and earnings are above the principle amount, but is not predetermined and always bear risk. A compulsory predetermined amount has to be paid by the client as interest to the bank for the money lent. No compulsory returns policy exists since profit is not known in advance. Interest is predetermined and so known to both of the parties thus avoiding contingencies. The element of contingency is present since profit from the business activity is not known to the parties until the end of the activity. Losses never occur since returns are pre determined. Losses are likely to occur since returns are post determined. Source: concept and Ideology Islamic banking some conceptual issues. Onlinearticlehttps://www.islamibankbd.com/islamic_banking_some_conceptual_issues.php accessed on 20/05/2011. B) Prohibition of Gharar: Literally Gharar means Risk or Hazard.  [84]  The term Gharar has been defined by many scholars but the following is noteworthy Gharar as the sale of probable items whose existence or characteristics are not certain, due to the risky nature which makes the trade similar to gambling.  [85]  Al-Dareer defines Gharar in jurisprudential terms under the following three headings: First, Gharar applies exclusively to cases of doubtfulness or uncertainty, as in the case of not knowing whether something will take place or not. Thus, Gharar is uncertainty over the existence of the subject matter of sale.  [86] Second view holds that Gharar applies only to the unknown, to the exclusion of the doubtful. Thus, Gharar in sales occurs when the purchaser does not know what he has bought and the seller does not know what he has sold.  [87]  The third view is a combination of the two categories above; as per this view Gharar finds where consequences are concealed. This is the view f avoured by most scholars.  [88]  However Muslim Jurists disagree on the degree of uncertainty in a transaction to be considered Gharar transaction.  [89]  It is noted that there is no explicit statement known in the Quran forbidding Gharar, it is well-accepted that it is forbidden.  [90]  But vanity (albatil) is forbidden in many verses. The Holy Quran says that; And do not eat up your property among yourselves for vanities, nor use it as bait for the judges.  [91]  O ye who believe! Eat not up your property among yourselves in vanities; but let these be amongst you traffic and trade by mutual good will.  [92] There is a consensus among interpreters of these verses that Gharar is vanity. Ibn Al-Arabi explains that vanity (al-batil) is unlawful because it is prohibited by Sharia such as usury and Gharar.  [93]  For avoiding Gharar Islamic Banks shall not to engage in speculative trade of shares, discounting of bills and trading in unidentified items.  [9 4] The underlying principle behind the prohibition of Gharar is to make sure full assent and satisfaction of the parties in a contract. It can be achieved only through full disclosure and transparency. The prohibition of Gharar protects unforeseen losses and the possible disagreements among the parties.  [95] C) Free from Maysir: The term maysir is defined as gambling, bets and wager.  [96]  There is unanimous opinion from Islamic scholars that maysir (gambling) and gharar are inter-related. So, wherever elements of gharar are present then maysir will also be there.  [97]  The essence of gambling is taking a risk deliberately created or invited to gain in that way.  [98]  In simple Maysir is an easy attainment of means by chance.  [99]  The Holy Quran clearly says that They ask you (O Muhammad) concerning alcoholic drink and gambling. Say: In them is a great sin and (some) benefit for men, but the sin of them is greater than their benefit.  [100] The element of Maysir is involved in a number of conventional transactions and bank schemes or products which Islamic banks have to avoid. For example some banks and corporations mobilize resources on the basis of lottery draws and prizes which come under the banner of gambling and are therefore prohibited.  [101]  Moreover for avoiding May sir Islamic banks should not deal with any instrument where coupons or tabs are given and inducement or incentives are provided by an uncertain and unknown event depending on chance.  [102] Islam does not promote a society where gambling and other similar activities support lively hood of the society. Islam aims to promote only a well- developed and healthy society where the hard work and real contributions of the individual in terms of quality, creativity, and service is acknowledged. It is because of the above reasons that Islam prohibits maysir.  [103] D) Prohibition of using or dealing in forbidden commodities: By virtue of Islamic jurisprudence people are allowed to invest money wherever they like subject to compliance with sharia. According to Sharia some commodities are prohibited which is considered as anti-social. So, Islamic financial institutions cannot engage any dealing with these commodities such as alcohol, drugs, pork etc.  [104] The rationale behind this is to promote ethical investments and to prevent the availability of anti-social commodities.  [105] E) Risk and Profit Sharing: The important Shariah maxim : Al Kharaj bi-al-Daman or Al Ghunm bil Ghurm means that one has to be prepared to bear loss if he wants to get any profit over his investment or profit has to be earned by sharing risk and reward.  [106]  The above maxims which legitimize one of the key principles of Islamic banking is known as risk and profit sharing. This principle is unique to Islamic Banking. Under conventional banking systems based on interest, the contracting parties share neither profit and loss nor risk.  [107]  The principle behind this concept is that the risk of related loss can not be separated from the ownership.  [108]  Under this principle transacting parties make a contract and invest their resources in a project in which they share the profit and loss. In most cases the profit shall be shared in a pre-agreed ratio while the loss is borne in proportion to the level of investment by the transacting parties.  [109] The risk-sharing between the investor and entrepreneur is promoted by Islamic Banks.  [110]  Under Islamic jurisprudence investment is considered as a real activity in terms of the profit loss sharing agreement not just confined to a mere financial or monetary transaction in which transfer of funds is the only activity  [111]  . Even though eliminating the risk sharing is prohibited by Islamic Law, it promotes the mitigation of known risk by taking adequate precautions.  [112] One of the main criticisms on profit- loss sharing system is that because of the difficulty to ascertain its asset value the bank can not be quoted by the stock exchanges.  [113]  The other criticism on this principle is that it is impossible for depositors who are indeed investors to assess the outstanding balance of the bank at the time of depositing their money thus exposing them to either profit or loss depending on the banks performance.  [114] The rationale behind this principle is that the results of any project cant be k nown with absolute certainty since there is a risk involved in any project given the uncertain nature of this world. In conventional banking system, whether the project succeeds or fails the owner of capital gets a predetermined return. By virtue of Islamic Law this kind of unjust distribution is not acceptable. In Islamic banking the results of the project shall be shared in an equitable way between investor and entrepreneur.  [115] 2.6 Difference between conventional banking and Islamic banking: Under this heading let us examine the significant features of Islamic banking system compare to conventional banking systems. Major difference between Islamic and Conventional Banking system Conventional system Islamic System The conventional system functions and operates based on secular principles. The Islamic system functions and operates based on Sharia rules. Interest on capital will charged on the basis of time value on capital. Interest is not charged as per Sharia rules. However profit on exchange of goods and services are shared based on a pre-agreed ratio between bank and client. Money is considered as a product. Money is considered as a medium of exchange. Because of non-existence of goods and services inflation may be created. Because of existence of goods and services no inflation is created. Interest will be charged by the bank even if the client suffers loss. When the client suffers loss, the loss will be shared between client and bank. Bridge financing and long-term loans lending are disbursed on the basis of Wando Dressed project feasibility and credibility of the entrepreneur. Before disbursing funds for a capital project, the capital good should come i n to existence. Risk sharing is not available. Islamic banks offer equity financing with risk sharing for a project or venture. Losses are shared on the basis of the equity participation, whereas profit is shared on the basis of a pre-agreed ratio. If the project has failed then the loan may be written off as non-performing loan. If the project has failed then the project can be taken over by the bank for a better management. Conventional banks may finance any lawful product or service. Islamic banks are allowed to participate only in those economic activities which are lawful as per Sharia. Conventional banks normally charge additional money (compound interest) in case of late payments or defaults indiscriminately. Islamic banks are not allowed to charge penalties for late payments or defaults. In conventional banking system the relation between bank and client is that of a creditor and debtor. In Islamic banking the relation between bank and client is that of a partner and investor. Conventional banks dont have any religious supervisory boards. Each Islamic bank must have a supervisory board to ensure that all its business activities are in compliance with Sharia. A conventional bank must be in compliance with the statutory requirements of the central bank of the country in which it operates. An Islamic bank must be in compliance with both the statutory requirements of the central bank of the country in which it operates and Sharia also. Sourceshttps://www.philadelphia.edu.jo/courses/Markets/Files/Markets/a%20(26).pdf accessed on 13/05/2011. 2.7 Conclusion: To conclude, Islamic banking is considered as an alternative to conventional banking system. Interestingly the concept and operations of Islamic banking system originated from 6th century AD however the modern banking system came into existence only 30 years ago. Therefore Islamic banking has shown continued growth since its establishment years ago however the fundamental concept that all dealings are in compliance with Islamic Law remains unchanged. There are some fundamental principles within Islamic banking which should be followed in all dealings. It is a fact that most of the religions and many great personalities clearly opposed the practice of Usury in principle. But it is to be noted here that only Islamic Law is strictly prohibiting Usury both in principle and practice. Islamic finance not only prohibits Usury but it puts forward a concept called risk reward sharing instead. Profit- Loss sharing under Islamic banking system is a unique feature of Islamic banking. Islamic b anking has widespread difference in comparison with the conventional banking system.

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An Ordinary Outlook Essay Example For Students

An Ordinary Outlook Essay The movie Ordinary People directed by Robert Redford is a very real life movie set in the suburbs of Illinois in the late 1970s. The movie begins early December and ends what seems to me like the following spring. I think the significance of the seasons is that December, representing a dreary lifeless mood, at least for the northwest region, symbolizes death. During this time, Conrad experiences many confrontations with this matter. He has recently witnessed the death of his brother and is struggling to make his appearance seem normal. When the weather begins to get warmer, setting a more renewed atmosphere, Conrad begins to understand his emotions and, therefore, deals with the circumstances of his brothers death better. Conrad Jarrett, the protagonist, is a seventeen-year-old student attending a public high school. Conrad represents more of a heroic figure in this story because he has begun to overcome the overwhelming obstacles of life. This complex individual realizes that love gives one the strength to endure life. However, Con must struggle to cope with the drastic changes occurring in his life. His struggle against these obstacles is the antagonist in the story. Other important characters include Cons mother, Beth; Cons father, Calvin; Cons psychiatrist, Dr.Berger; his friend Karen, and his somewhat girlfriend Jeannine. Beth, a determined perfectionist, is constantly concerned with the way people view her and her family. She wishes for everyone to view her family as normal. She buried all her love with Buck and, therefore, neglects Conrad because she no longer understands how to love. Beth feels that Con had intended to hurt her as much as himself when he had tried to commit suicide. She can only see things in terms of how they affect her, a very selfish mindset. Beth thinks that everyone feels this way and that perhaps she is simply more honest about it. At one point of the movie, Beth states that she does not hate Con for what he has done, but she cannot forgive him for it. In a way, it seems she can not forgive him for surviving. On the flip side of the movie, Calvin or Cal, struggles to understand how he should react to his sons feelings and actions. Cal feels as if Beth and Con are drifting away in opposite directions, and he doses not know which direction to follow. Cons self confident psychiatrist, Dr.Berger, helps con to express his feelings and encourages him to do what he wants instead of what people expect him to do. Berger is unorganized and spontaneous which works to the benefit of Conrad. Con finds comfort in Bergers friendship and his willingness to listen. Karen is also a valued friend of Conrad. She was in the hospital at the same time he was, and they helped each other get through the hard times. When Con left the hospital, they lost contact until he called her one-day and they met in a restaurant. When talking with Conrad, Karen displays a false sense of enthusiasm for the coming years. Later on in the movie Conrad is shocked when he finds out Karen has committed suicide. This event causes Con to release all his suppressed anguish and let down his shield to his emotions. Jeannine is Conrads somewhat girlfriend who is there for him and allows him to feel needed, a feeling Con cant seem to find even in his friends at school. She is the only person who really asks Con about what he had felt when he tried to commit suicide. The major conflict in the movie is an internal one between Con and himself. Conrad struggles to cope with the drastic changes occurring in his life. He wants to please everyone. Con will not allow himself to feel or express emotion for fear of becoming vulnerable. There are many other minor conflicts that occur within the story. One example is an external conflict between Conrad and Beth. Con and his mother find it hard to communicate for the fact that both are too unwilling and stubborn to forgive each other. Also, Beth and Calvin experience an external conflict because of the circumstances have caused them to grow apart, and question their love for one another. Conrad also experiences problems with his friends. Conrad, in this external conflict, Discovers that most of his friends are what he calls pricks. They do not understand why Cons actions and reactions toward them have changed. .u55aafa04f153030cbd664541261cf612 , .u55aafa04f153030cbd664541261cf612 .postImageUrl , .u55aafa04f153030cbd664541261cf612 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u55aafa04f153030cbd664541261cf612 , .u55aafa04f153030cbd664541261cf612:hover , .u55aafa04f153030cbd664541261cf612:visited , .u55aafa04f153030cbd664541261cf612:active { border:0!important; } .u55aafa04f153030cbd664541261cf612 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u55aafa04f153030cbd664541261cf612 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u55aafa04f153030cbd664541261cf612:active , .u55aafa04f153030cbd664541261cf612:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u55aafa04f153030cbd664541261cf612 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u55aafa04f153030cbd664541261cf612 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u55aafa04f153030cbd664541261cf612 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u55aafa04f153030cbd664541261cf612 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u55aafa04f153030cbd664541261cf612:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u55aafa04f153030cbd664541261cf612 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u55aafa04f153030cbd664541261cf612 .u55aafa04f153030cbd664541261cf612-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u55aafa04f153030cbd664541261cf612:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Book Brief EssayThese conflicts lead up to the turning point, I believe, in the movie in which Con discovers that he must forgive himself and his mother. During therapy, Con states, I think I just figured something out. Whats that? Berger states. Who it is who cant forgive who. Conrad replies. After Con forgives himself, his days become better and better. He is now stronger and has more control over his emotions. Con allows himself to feel happiness, along with severe pain. At the same, Cal and Beth grow further apart, and Beth eventually leaves the house. They are indecisive about the feelings they have for one another. The high point of the movie begins with Cal telling Conrad, Well, dont admire people too much, they disappoint you sometimes. Im not disappointed, Con says. I love you man. I love you too. Cal returns. The movie ends, and by watching this movie and reviewing it in this sense, I have discovered that no matter how down I may feel, at least I am feeling something, and that means that I can also feel happiness. I have also developed a new appreciation for those who must deal with the conflicts of death and depression. I think that anyone who can hang on to life throughout the difficult times is extremely strong and respectable. I have also come to appreciate the advantages that I have, compared to those who must deal with depression and other misfortune. I think I will always remember Conrads character simply because he eventually came to appreciate the good effects of feelings despite all he has been through.

Andrew Jackson Essay free essay sample

Was Andrew Jackson really a bad president? He definitely was. Andrew Jackson was the 7th president of the United States. He was a politician and an army general. He was seen as a man of the common people. Some regard him as a good president and some say he was evil. Jackson was definitely evil. He caused the destruction of the National Bank, abused the spoils system, and engineered the Indian removal act of 1830. The first reason Andrew Jackson was a horrible president is that he caused the destruction of the national bank. On September 10, 1833. President Jackson announced the government will no longer use the Second Bank of the United States, the countrys national bank. He then used his executive power to remove all federal funds from the bank. Jackson removed all federal funds from the Second Bank of the U.S., redistributing them to various state banks. They became known as pet banks. We will write a custom essay sample on Andrew Jackson Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He stopped all deposits to the bank. Jackson had succeeded in destroying the bank. Its charter officially expired in 1836. This showed his abuse of presidential power during the Bank War. The second reason Andrew Jackson was a evil president was because of his abuse of the spoils system. The spoils system was giving loyal members of the party federal office positions. Under Andrew Jackson 919 officials were removed from government positions, which was 10 percent of all government postings. He made a clean sweep of federal job holders. The third reason Andrew Jackson was a terrible president was because of the Indian Removal Act. The Indian Removal Act was signed into law by Andrew Jackson on May 28, 1830, authorizing the president to grant unsettled lands west of the Mississippi in exchange for Indian lands within existing state borders. A few tribes went peacefully, but most resisted the relocation policy. During the fall and winter of 1838 and 1839, the Cherokees were forcibly moved west by the government. Approximately 4,000 Cherokees died on this forced march, which became known as the Trail of Tears. You really think a guy that destroyed the national bank, abused the spoils system, and caused the Indian Removal Act was a good a president? How could  a guy that hated and killed Indians be praised. Such a guy should be regarded as one of the worst presidents of the United States. People called him the man of the people but he was no man of the colored people. He contributed many things to American history and all of the good will be outweighed by his evil.

Ethical Behavior Essays - Interpersonal Relationships, Rodham Family

Ethical Behavior Is it fair to measure a politician's public worth by his/her sexual behavior? This a question which has been brought before me and requires an answer, or a position on which I stand, fair or unfair? Well, I think it is fair. After a two-year scandal involving President Bill Clinton and his sexual escapades with different women besides his wife, I can't help but see a direct comparison in this question. Using President Clinton works as an excellent example as to why I take the position I do. For obvious reasons a politician's public worth should not only be measured by his/her sexual behavior, but this should be an important consideration. Every time a new president is elected they are sworn in, they raise their right hand and swear to approximately 272 million people to uphold certain duties as president. Each time a president neglects to uphold one of these duties or if he/she is found to be committing a crime, a process is followed to decide whether or not the president should be impeached. If the act is found to be minor or not an impeachable offense, business continues as usual, but the dignity or public worth of this individual has to be questioned by the public, because as the employers of these po liticians it is our duty. Now even though it might not seem relevant to use the president, or any politician being sworn in as a valid example, in comparison to marriage vows, I think it is valuable. Along with marriage comes a word called fidelity, this is usually touched upon at the ceremony or even before, this means to be faithful and loyal. When a person such as President Bill Clinton, or any politician professes his/her love and fidelity to his/her life partner, which is only one person, then without any regret, completely disregards those promises. How can a politician like this make a promise or swear to uphold certain duties to approximately 272 million strangers and be trusted? In my opinion that is the exact definition of public worth. ? Whatever goes on between consenting adults in private is nobody's business but their own, and that holds for sex as for anything else. Why should anybody even care whether Mary has fifteen lovers or none, whether Jack prefers sex with Bill to sex with Jane, or whether married couples like to ?swing' with other married couples. Just because you personally disapprove of such things doesn't make them wrong. We all have the right to live our lives as we see fit as long as we don't interfere with the rights of others to live their lives as they see fit. Promiscuous people, homosexuals, and swingers don't tell you how to live your life. Don't tell them how to live theirs.?(Olen & Barry pg.82) In essence I completely agree with this statement, but for a politician whose personal life is completely in the eye of the public especially when there is a scandal involving his/her sexual endeavors, this becomes a measurement of their public worth. These politicians are well aware of how their li ves will be affected in the world of politics and this is something they must keep in mind when entering a situation that might compromise their worth to the public which elected them. I feel strong on my position and think if the economy wasn't doing as well as it is the Bill Clinton scandal would have been worse for him. I'm not a political buff or analyst by any means but before the Bill Clinton sex scandal my opinion of his public worth and his principals were much greater than after the scandal. That might not be completely fair but it is my opinion.

Biomedical Ethics and Paternalism Essays

Biomedical Ethics and Paternalism Essays Biomedical Ethics and Paternalism Paper Biomedical Ethics and Paternalism Paper The temptation of paternalism is widely felt in almost all arenas of human life with paternalists advancing other people’s interests like safety, health, or life in general at their liberty’s expense. The idea here is that these paternalists assume or take it for granted that they are more capable of making â€Å"wiser decisions† than those which would be made by people they represent. In the context of health care, paternalism involves any decision, action, policy made by; physician or government or other care giver/s, or rule that overrides the patient’s value system and own beliefs without respect of the patient’s autonomy, as it dictates what should be in the best interests of the patient. There are negative connotations that usually are attached to this concept in the sense that it is only the competent patient’s right to evaluate and determine what is or should be in his/her own best interests (Roberts, 2002, p.18). The authority appeals indicate that this paternalism model is the only realistic and appropriate one that should determine the relationship between the patient and the doctor. The theory goes like the doctor is the medical expert, in which case he should wholly determine the prescriptions for the best interests of the patient, sometimes without any consultation or proper disclosure to the patient. This is, to my opinion, a lit bit flawed because it is not in all circumstances that the patient should be perceived naà ¯ve to such an extent that he/she is denied the fundamental right to know the best interests and decision-making participation necessary for his/her medical welfare (Heta, 1991, p.11).   As far as it is necessary to trust one’s doctor, and as much as the doctor is relatively significant to the patient’s healing process, the patient, if one satisfies the under mentioned legal requirements, should not be denied medical autonomy, but rather be guided in the whole process. Due to the perceived superiority resulting from their medical expertise, which is supposedly not possessed by the patient, healthcare providers and physicians are bestowed with the obligation of acting beneficially on behalf of the patient as they recommend treatments that will truly be beneficial to the patient. Physicians and other professionals in this field are however not allowed any rights to make final decisions on behalf of the patients (Brazier, 1991, p.56). Patients who are competent enough have the provision to provide or withhold informed consent to recommended medical procedures by their physicians, in exercise of their right to advance their individual welfare and health. There are several principles that are associated with paternalism in biomedical realms. The first among these is the principle of competency. On competency grounds, it is presumed every adult has full legal rights to freely exercise responsibilities up and until such a time when he/she is determined in a court of law and declared otherwise. The law presumes all adults to be competent and the proof thereof to discredit their competency is solely the burden of those claiming incompetence of such adults (Buchanan, 1990, p.23). Ordinarily, minors (those under 18) are by legal definition not competent in their own right to give informed consent or make major health care decisions on their own without the consent of the parent/s or their guardians for that matter.

Electromagnetic induction Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Electromagnetic induction - Assignment Example This paper illustrates that in magnetic induction, the induced elctromotive force or emf in a closed circuit would be equivalent to the time rate of the magnetic flux passing through the circuit. Electromotive force, emf is the energy gained per unit charge that passes through an electric conductor such as a generator. Emf in any circuit is measured in Volts, and a source to give the emf is applied to power up the circuit. On the other hand, in magnetic induction, the magnetic flux will refer to the amount of magnetism or the strength of a specific magnetic field.   Two laws are important in understanding and explaining electromagnetic induction. These are the Faraday’s law and Lenz’s law. Farad’s law states that any charge passing through a magnetic field of a coil of wire will produce a voltage (emf) to be induced in the conductor. A voltage will always be produced despite the charge of the conductor or the magnetic field. The figure below summarizes Faradyâ €™a Law by explaining how voltage is generated between a conductor and a magnetic field in what is termed as magnetic induction. On the other hand, Lenz’s law is an important law that explains how magnetic induction occurs, and how flux is generated in a magnetic field. In the definition of Faraday’s law above, any emf generated by a charge in a magnetic flux will have a polarity of the induced emf in a way that produces current, with a magnetic field opposing the charge producing it.... nition of Faraday’s law above, any emf generated by a charge in a magnetic flux will have a polarity of the induced emf in a way that produces current, with a magnetic field opposing the charge producing it. Therefore, Lenz law explains that the induced magnetic field in a loop of wire will at any time act to keep the magnetic flux in the loop constant. That is; an induced field will always act in the direction of an applied field in trying to keep it constant. This experiment was aimed at demonstrating the two laws and their applicability magnetic induction. Aim The aim of the practical was to investigate the behaviors of coils and magnets in a magnetic field created by current, testing Faraday’s and Lenz’s laws, and testing the behavior of a transformer that uses the two laws above to produce electric current. Equipment provided Coils, LV transformer DC voltage source Analogue multimeter/ galvanometer Bar magnets and small compass. Safety Precautions in the Exp eriment Safety shoes were worn throughout the experiment, no damaged equipment or tool was used in the experiment, and all electric connections were ensured to have a grounding connection. In addition, before the experiment, all electrical equipment was well grounded to avoid any shaking, which could affect data collection. Procedure Two magnetic bars were placed and a compass used to trace any presence of a magnetic field and its direction at different points around the two magnetic bars as shown below. In measuring Iin In measuring inductance, an electronic bridge was used to measure the inductance of an air-core coil. The coil resistance was recorded, and the relevant dimensions of the set up measured and recorded. The following formula was then used to detect the number of turns of the coil L =

Branding, Pricing and Distribution Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Branding, Pricing and Distribution - Assignment Example Therefore, to gain their trust the company shall reveal information about their product, and the vision of the company about their customers will entice them to learn more about the company and their products (Okonkwo, 2007). Competitive Pricing In developed countries such as United Kingdom, the competition is very high because many companies are trying to satisfy their customers with discounted prices. Therefore, the company has to make their pricing according to the market price and similar to competitors pricing (Okonkwo, 2007). Global Strategy Brand Architecture and Differentiation It is very important for the company to differentiate its product with competitors and create uniqueness in their product which shall entice customers in repeat purchases. The clarity of the brand message and values are of great importance to the company to avoid confusion in the mind of consumers (Gelder, 2005). Focus on Consumers The company’s strategy should be aligned with the needs of consu mers because after all because consumers are at the heart of everything a company does. In order to achieve long term success UW shall develop products that are globally accepted by consumers of different country. The trends of clothing is different for consumers living in United Arab Emirates and different for European consumers (Gelder, 2005). Strategic Partnerships The company shall build strategic partnership with retailers and suppliers to make their products available and easily reached to customers. Co-branding strategies shall also be practiced by making strategic alliance with competitors to offer unique products for kids less than 3 years of age (Gelder, 2005). Optimum Pricing Strategy Penetration Pricing UW clothing shall set special introductory offer while penetrating the market of United Arab Emirates to gain market share. The particular pricing strategy is focused upon setting the price lower initially than intended price established in the market. It will encourage c ustomers to shift to a new product and to make them realize about new competition in the market and to increase sales volume. However, once the desired target is achieved by the company then the prices shall be increased and maintained with the market price. It shall be very damaging for the competitors to cope up with the lower price set by UW clothing which will exploit their market position (Aaker, 2004). According to the long term goals of the company, it shall increase its product line by offering products category which will be priced lower than the market. Therefore, a particular brand extension will be focused upon serving different market segment which has lower spending power under a different brand name. This will provide an opportunity to target each customer base with an intention to increase company’s revenues and to exploit the market of UAE (Aaker, 2004). Pricing Strategy Supports Branding Strategy As initially the pricing strategy will be focused upon offerin g lower priced products than the established market price, the strategy will support its global branding strategy. The idea is to differentiate its product with respect to competitors by offering a price which makes significant impression in the minds of consumers and will attract

Specialist Provision BA Child and Youth Studies Essay

Specialist Provision BA Child and Youth Studies - Essay Example The last in my discussion is the medical and health conditions that may slow down the learning progress of a child or treatment that affects his or her education. I propose that a parent interacts with the child on daily basis so as to identify some of these difficulties. For example, talk often to the nursery school teacher to know the progress of your child. In case of the above signs you should talk to the teacher in charge of special educational needs referred to as SEN or SENCO, and if your child is not in school then you have to inform a doctor on the same (COHEN, 2009). On the other hand, in my opinion it is the responsibility of the school and other organizations in the society to help children overcome barriers and difficulties in their education, quickly and with ease. This is because not all children will need help all through their school life. However due to different progress rates among children, teachers should organize their lessons so as to assist those who have unique difficulties. For example, children showing slower progress when learning different educational concepts should be put as a group so as to offer extra help or even offer different lesson to help the children succeed in their education. Dominant culture in a given society is the established language, religion, behaviour, values, rituals and social customs. These traits make norms of a society. This culture achieves its dominance through the control of social institutions such as communication, educational institution, artistic expression, law, politics and business. In fact, different people in the society view children and young people in need of special educational needs differently depending on their norms and culture (STONE, 1995). All children in the society have the right to be educated and they be given tools to help them develop

Online Banking Advantages and Disadvantages

Online Banking Advantages and Disadvantages Jump to: Advantages of Online Banking | Disadvantages of Online Banking | Types of Online Banking | Findings | SWOT Analysis of Online Banking | Banking Security Systems | Issues of Implementing Online Banking | Government Role in Online Banking | Recommendation | Conclusion OVERVIEW On ONLINE BANKING Information technology has become the platform of banking as a whole, especially of online banking. Though this is an entirely new term for out country, due to the intense competition its application is increasing rapidly. Now a day, it has become almost obligatory on the part of the banks to implement this. The online banking services that we are getting now are limited to some extent in most cases. But it is expected that in near future we are going to get the fullest service from online banking. We are also expecting that the influence of online banking will be greatly upbeat for both the clients and service providers. INTRODUCTION E-Banking is defined as the automated delivery of new and traditional banking products and services directly to customers through electronic and interactive communication channels. Online banking (Internet banking) is a term used for performing transactions, payments etc. over the internet through a banks secure website. This can be very useful, especially for banking outside bank hours (which tend to be very short) and banking from anywhere where internet access is available. In most cases a web browser such as Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox is utilized and any normal internet connection is suitable. It is an umbrella term for the process by which a customer may perform banking transactions electronically without visiting a brick-and-mortar institution. With the help of E-Banking customers can access their banks without having to be physically present at the bank branch. In Bangladesh the idea of online banking was conceived in 1996 but the commercial operation started in 2001. Banks use a variety of services for Online Banking such as PC banking, Home Banking, Electronic Banking or Internet Banking. These systems offer certain advantages over traditional banking methods. Advantages of Online Banking For Consumers: The privacy of customers. Online services are available for consumers 24 hours daily during the whole week. Customers might save time and efforts of doing their finance transactions. It will be easy for them to view all information they need clearly and simply. Searching of any branch of a bank will be accessibly by online users. For Banks: One way of attracting more customers is to use their services. Increasing the banks reputation around the world is well known by many people. It doesnt need to employ lots of suffer or bankers to deal with customers directly. Banks can deal simply with their branches all over the world with one network. Disadvantages of Online Banking For consumers Some people feel uncomfortable to provide their passwords or any kind of information about their funds over the internet. Some websites might be difficult for consumers for the first time to check their finance. It is possible for banks to update their websites, which needs from consumers to type in again their data. It is necessary to have knowledge and skills on using the Internet. For Banks Banks may require big amount of money to establish a website with attractive features. They may lose their information if the network is damaged with other branches. Hacking and viruses will cause problems for online banking, which could brake and damage the information. Types of online banking The common assumption is that Internet banking is the only method of online banking. However, this is not strictly the case, as several types of services are currently available: PC Banking: The forerunner to Internet banking has been around since the late 1980s and is still widely used today. Individual banks provide software which is loaded on to an SMEs office computer. The SME can then access their bank account via a modem and telephone link to the bank. Access is not necessarily via the Internet. Internet Banking: Using a Web browser, a user can access their account, once the banks application server has validated the users identity. Digital TV Banking: Using the standard digital reception equipment (set top box and remote control); users can access their bank account. Abbey National and HSBC services are available via digital TV providers. One of its main selling points is that no account details are transmitted via the World Wide Web. This service is absent in our country. Telephone (Mobile) Banking: It includes the banking through using the Telephone operator whether public or private with wire or wireless. Its a form of e-banking that helps the household who have no facility to access Internet and computer. Now phone and online banking in Bangladesh only offer services such as balance check and request for statement. But the mobile banking allows fund transfer, paving the way for money transaction through cell phones across the country Text phone (SMS) Banking: Many of the national and multinational banks have introduced this service to allow customers with text phones to check their balance, pay bills and transfer money. ONLINE BANKING: Products Services of  Different banks in Bangladesh Eastern Bank Limited Credit Card: The brand name of credit card of EBL is Simple Credit Card. The basic features of EBL credit cards are: its free for its clients for all time, it can be used for balance transfer, mobile alert facilities, it has world wide acceptability, Immediate cash advance service, risk assurance program, convenient payment option and global emergency assistance service etc. Debit Card: EBL has introduced the Debit Card for the savings Account holder who can use it to meet immediate obligation if he/she has enough balance to his/her bank account just after going to their ATM booths available with its each branch and sharing with others. Life-Style Card and Cool Card: These Cards are introduced only for the students for a soft condition but having a great exposure. Phone Banking: EBL Providing Phone Banking facilities to its clients as a part of online banking facilities. SMS Banking: EBL uses the SMS Banking to provide services to the grass-root level customers. Here a fixed SMS code is fixed for each specific service. DHAKA BANK LIMITED Phone Banking: The DBL has brought a great change in Phone Banking. Now this facility is getting so popularity. Internet Banking: All its ATM booths as well as branches are connected through Internet for which the any information among branches can be transferred within a moment. SMS Banking: The DBL is using the SMS Banking to provide services to the grass-root level customers. Here a fixed SMS code fixed for each specific service. International Card: Its a card which is accepted World-wide for Purchase Cash Withdrawals. Its a great service for its customers. Debit Card: It has been providing Debit Card facilities to its customers who can meet their money withdrawal matters at any ATM booths of its own operated or sharing with others to provide the security of its clients money. Credit Card: The Dhaka Bank has been providing the Credit Card facilities to its customers interest. Its named as Dhaka Bank VISA Credit Card. TRUST BANK LIMITED Credit Card: The Trust Bank uses the VISA Credit Card for Local, International and Dual Currencies. Its one of the banks personal banking services. Debit Card: The Trust Bank uses the Trust VISA-Electron Debit Card for local, international and dual currencies. It is one of the banks automated services to the customers. Phone Banking: It has such services for its customers. Internet Banking: It deals all the foreign transactions through the Internet Banking. SMS Banking: It deals with the grass-root clients through providing the SMS Banking services. DUTCH-BANGLA BANK LIMITED Bangladesh Bank data shows that there are about 600 ATMs in the country. The number was less than 300 a year ago. Currently, Dutch-Bangla Bank Limited has the largest network with 260 ATMs, with up to 12 new booths coming every month. Thirteen banks can use DBBL booths. Besides, the bank has an agreement with Q-Cash, allowing ATM cardholders of Mercantile Bank and Trust Bank to take cash from the same booths. Also, Dutch-Bangla Bank clients can use all Q-Cash outlets. The bank has a similar agreement with E Cash that runs 24 booths across the country. Now a day, they are providing truly Online Banking. Credit Card: The Dutch-Bangla Bank is only the bank which has more ATM booths than any other banks operating their business in Bangladesh. The DBBL-Nexus Credit Card is one of the medium which it permits to withdraw a certain limits of money from its booths. Debit Card: It is another product through which the Card holder is able to withdraw the money amount from his/her account. Its known as the DBBL-Nexus Debit Card. Phone Banking: They are very successful with the Phone banking (Telephone and Cell Phone). Internet Banking: About 80% of their e-banking is based on the internet Banking. SMS Banking: They also have SMS banking for the clients who are out of the Internet connection and they can have access to get the immediate service with just an SMS. ARAB BANGLADESH BANK LIMITED Debit Card: AB Bank uses the AB Bank Visa Debit Card. Credit Card: The name of AB Banks Credit Card is the AB Bank VISA EASICredit Card. Phone Banking: It uses phone banking as part of e-banking to run its online banking transactions. Internet Banking: The bank provides this service to its customers with a little limit. Western Union Money Transfer: It is also the member of Western Union Money Transfer for which its able to transfer money from one country to another within a moment. BANK ASIA Credit Card: The name of the Bank Asias Credit Card is Bank Asia Credit Card [MasterCard]. Debit Card: The name of the Debit Card of this bank is Bank Asia Debit Card. Mobile Banking: It uses Mobile banking as part of e-banking to run its online banking transactions. Internet Banking: The bank provides this service to its customers with a little limit. SMS Banking: It uses the SMS banking to deal with its grass-root clients. BRAC BANK LIMITED Mobile Banking: It uses Mobile banking as part of e-banking to run its online banking transactions. Internet Banking: The bank provides this service to its customers with a little limit. SMS Banking: It uses the SMS banking to deal with its grass-root clients. Debit Card: The name of Debit Card of the BRAC BANK is BRAC Bank Debit Card. Its allowed for the customers who have only the savings account and can withdraw only the amount belongs to its account balance. Credit Card: It introduces the 0% Credit Card named BRAC Bank Credit Card [MasterCard] which is undoubtedly an exclusive offer to all which is applicable for first 3 months interest free for all retail purchases. It charges no interest for balance transfer. It also allows 10 more supplementary cards for all the relatives. HONGKONG SANGHAI BANKING CORPORATION (HSBC) Credit Card: Although a limited number, a short listed Credit Cards are using by a few Bangladeshis who have a strong Credit worthiness. It permits a certain limits to withdraw beyond ones balance. Debit Card: Its using very much in Bangladesh. A number of ATM booths are available in Bangladesh including Dhaka and Chittagong. Mobile Banking: It uses Mobile banking as part of e-banking to run its online banking transactions. But its not applicable in Bangladesh yet. Internet Banking: Each and every branch of the HSBC is connected through the internet and about 80% of their e-banking is based on the internet Banking. SMS Banking: They also have SMS banking for the clients who are out of the Internet connection and they can have access to get the immediate service with just an SMS. STANDARD CHARTERED BANK Credit Card: It permits to use the Credit Cards to its customers. Debit Card: The customers are using Debit Cards and having great facilities with international bank. Internet Banking: Most of the services of this bank is operating through the Internet. Findings Analysis INDEPTH SWOT ANALYSIS (S)TRENGTHS: Diversification: These ten banks offer various online banking services as to attract the customers of different groups of people. Lower cost advantage: As the banks bring in bulks of customers, their operational costs go down. Multinational marketing capabilities: Being global bank, HSBC and Standard Chartered Bank enjoys the multinational marketing capabilities. They have been successful in attracting savings of savers and investors and lending a large volume of loans with the help of their online banking facilities. Start-up may take time: In order to register for a banks online program, we will probably have to provide ID and sign a form at a bank branch. If the bank is satisfied after proper scrutiny, the bank will permit us to start internet banking which may take a few days. (W)EAKNESSES: Centralization: These banks managements are mostly centralized follows top-down approach, decisions come form corporate branch and sometimes it takes much time to get the approval for credit card, where it could have been done faster. Since, Its competitive market, competitors can take this opportunity to move ahead of it. Manual works: Although the banking system is computerized of the banks; simultaneously records are kept manually for auditing purpose, such as using rubber chop, giving signatures, writing on forms etc. Therefore, these manual works destroy the value that the organization created significantly. Costly: Still most of the banks online banking facilities are somewhat costly. As a result they are yet to be succeeded to bring a large number of customers under the umbrella of E-Banking. (O)PPORTUNITIES: Many untapped regions over the country: Banks can attract even more customers by expanding its branches to other districts or regions and at the same time ensuring online banking service in Bangladesh, and thereby increase their market share profitability. Innovation: Banks innovative online banking products would be able to satisfy various customers needs thereby would be able to reach different target segments. Credit Card Facility: At present, a particular segment has a potential demand for credit cards, so the banks can utilize this opportunity to drag that particular segment before any of its competitors do. Although few banks already providing this facility, but the demand is still there as the existing facility is not sufficient comparing to the need. (T)HREATS: Duplication of the HSBCs service: Existing multinational local banks could copy the banks financial services, so they have to move ahead of others faster. Emerging Competition: New local and multinational banks or other financial institutions could emerge as the banking industry in Bangladesh is still growing, and become a threat to the existing online banking service providers. Political instability: As Bangladeshs political situation is unstable; it affects banking industry as well. So, it means the banks may face fluctuating demand for their products too. Security System used by the Banks Most of the lading banks follow the following security system for their online banking. Software: Online banking service of these banks employs the 128-bit Secure Socket Layer (SSL), which is one of the strongest encryption technologies; most commonly used by large-scale online merchants, banks, and brokerages worldwide. All online sessions between customers and the banks are protected by up to 128-bit encryption, which best protects customers information against disclosure to third parties. TPII software operates on the UNIX platform, which is known to be the worlds most secure and redundant operating system providing multiple users and multiple tasking facilities and Database is maintained in Oracle (RDBMS), the worlds most secure database system. Encryption is used to protect information: Encryption is a method of scrambling customers information to protect its transmission across the Internet. Encryption transforms data into an unreadable form, and decryption reverses that process. Both encryption and decryption require the use of a special code, usually referred to as a key. The encryption of data provides a strong degree of protection against tampering while data is moving through the Internet.    Cookies are not used for this service: A cookie is information that a web site puts on customers hard disk that it can remember something about customer at a later time. This mechanism allows the server to store its own information about a user on the users own computer. These ten banks do not use cookies for this service. ATM Hardware: a) Racal brand 128 bit Host Security Module (HSM) through which card information is encrypted, decrypted along with PIN generation. This device is used worldwide to maintain and relay highly secure information as an exchange platform. After HSM has verified and authorized the PIN and decrypts it, customers receive funds from ATM. The HSM is also responsible for generating ATM Card PINs for the TPII. b) Each ATM has a built-in 64-bit encryption device for ensuring maximum security during transactions. c) Three different ATM models are currently in use. They are the 1064ix (stand-alone ATM), 1071ix (Through-the-Wall ATM) 1072ix (Through-the-Wall) models. Each of the ATMs can capacitate up to four cash cassettes, of which, each one may hold up to 2,000 cash notes. Cash loading in ATMs are based entirely on usage frequency of the machines. d) All ATM booths have 24/7 CCTV surveillance systems to keep records of transactions taking place for a period of over one year. Moreover, each booth has a hot-telephone link affixed for troubleshooting and instant help-desk services. Problems  of implementating online banking Infrastructural deficiency: [WEAKNESS] To implement online banking in our state, the infrastructure is necessary. For this we need availability of electricity supply and telecommunication. Without developing these we cant develop this online banking system properly. Budget allocation: [WEAKNESS] The software is vary intricate to develop because e lacking of apposite in-house. In this regard, banks are to rely on software developing concerns at extreme costs. Hackers: The hacking, the serious crime of computer causes the injury and hazard to the security and safety of users of computer involved in online technology. As a result, hackers are the influential troubles of users of online business of a bank. Online banking services will not be feasible for an economy as most people are illiterate. They are beyond the scope of normal banking service. Micro-credit industry is now not only providing small credit but also mobilizing savings. The big problems are in the regulatory framework: [WEAKNESS] Lack of full convertibility. Bangladesh citizen cannot have access to the world wide online banking service due to regulatory restrictions. The reserve position will not allow free inter-country fund transfer. Risk: [THREAT] The credit information available for banks is often wrong, so it is very difficult to check whether the customer has difficult on a card issued by another bank. A data bank is required to see the list of the defaulters. More unconventional banks fill that gap in the market, trying to grab a share of the internet money, on the premises that they represent the richest and most educated part of the population. Privacy: Another central issue to the consumer is privacy. Database marketing is nothing but the manipulation of data over which customers feel that they want to have some kind of control. The general rule is that consumer privacy rights should be respected. Individuals should easily opt out of online marketing as an extension of their right to be removed from junk mail lists. Unemployment: [THREAT] One pre-conceived widespread idea is computers will displace labor. This is a matter of empirical study. Productivity and profitability are closely interrelated terms. The experienced excess staffs can be easily absorbed in to the expanding financial market. The unemployment will only be structural unemployment since the displaced labor will sooner have later acquired the necessary computer skills and thus become more efficient. Cost-effectiveness: [Weakness] Another misconception is that it is not cost effective. None of the banks that have designed properly on automation plan and implemented it with proper cost benefit analysis became less superior. Actually the acceptance of financial modernization is a matter of vision to the future. Unless computers become cheaper and online facilities become within the reach of middle class, they will remain unfamiliar with internet, and will thus avert them. Role of Government This is particularly important for countries like Bangladesh where very little has been done in development these technologies and skills to promote and support online banking. The government can take the following policies to promote online banking in our country: The intergovernmental agreement for harmonizing the rules and regulations that can help in smooth transformation of the world economy and expansion of a unified world market. The regulations should simply foster competition, protect intellectual property and privacy, and prevent fraud to do businesses under whatever terms they agree upon. An international uniform commercial code is needed to simplify and encourage electronic commerce under consistent rules and rights. Govt. can undertake perfect initiatives to construct feasible, platform of information technology within affordable capacity. Financial allocation should be more widen for global standard banking technology. Adequate number of bank employee will have both computer and banking aptitude and cognizance, suitable in the banking perspective to improve the banking sector. Tele-communication sector is pre-conditions to make fastest online banking services. Unfortunately a tale-communication service of govt. is yet to reach to remote and rural area. RECOMMENDATIONS These banks should Do frequent marketing research: The management of the banks should regularly administer marketing research activities in order to keep a regular track of satisfaction levels. As customer expectations and satisfaction are not static figures regular research at sufficient intervals should be conducted. Handle complains effectively: The banks should actively manage the complaints of various customers and encourage customers to give feedback about the services. The management should collect document complaints use that information to identify dissatisfied customers, correct individual problems where possible and identify common service failure points. Focus on segmentation strategies: The bank should concentrate on the various demographic segments that are currently not very satisfied with the banks services. Products services should be tailored for these segments. Appropriate research and surveys should be designed to find out the requirements of these dissatisfied segments. Do Relationship Marketing: The banks should focus more on existing customers in order to build strong and loyal relationship with them as the survey showed that satisfied customers more aptly or certainly recommends the bank to friends and relatives. Thus the power of relationship will foster Positive Word of Oral Communication and will attract new customers at a lower cost. Establish more ATM booths: From the survey, it is clear that customers are not very happy regarding ATMs locations. So, sufficient number of ATM booths should be established in different location to reach out the customers even further and thereby satisfying their demand. Introduce Credit Card Facility: While handling customers over the counter also over telephone, a certain demand for credit card facility was noticed strongly. We think, if the banks introduce this facility, more customers will be attracted therefore, they will achieve greater market share. Reduce Manual works to minimum: Although many of the ten banks do automation, still there are many things which are done manually in order to tract any errors or transaction, especially in emergency such as system failure etc. As a result, so much time is spent on this type of manual maintenance, which reduces value on delivering services. Thus, it hampers efficiency on delivering faster services. Educate customers in using Phone banking service: A few banks have introduced phone banking service or automatic telephone banking (ATB) in order to fulfill general customer needs and queries quickly, without interrupting employees. However, customers seemed reluctant to use this facility due to fear of machine usage or difficulty in remembering the seventeen digit numbers. Introduce SWIFT: Autonomous Banking culture, reducing dependence on manual service, should be in abundance irrespective of govt. and non-govt. organization in association with `SWIFT to bring about the whole banking service for massive well being of people. Ensuring proper training to the employees: Training should be imparted to the existing IT personnel. the new recruits for IT personnel should be provided with relevant education background. Conclusion Online Banking sets off the journey with a mission of reaching to target group of people across our country. The globalization facilitates the extinction of untidy and troublesome services in order to consolidate the very variegated, faster as well exquisite services to keep the people in regular touch of modernization. Considering this decision, banks and financial concerns took some welcome move recently. Usually all private owned banks from abroad coupled with a few local banks in collaboration with domestic support launched the trend of on-line banking. The completely refurbished banking sector stresses effort to spread this culture of banking. In this connection, only a few banks establish the timely steps by eradicating all sorts of strains and inconvenience in all respect. Since the financial services needs to be very optimum certain not scattered to foster the belief and reliance of people over banking sector. Thereby, the very exclusive and classic service procedure can be accommodated amidst of integration of joint collaboration with modern system. Alongside, the existing banking sector pays much heed and concentration to the fastest growth and development of Online Banking System. In this regard, Bangladesh is still in the backseat whereas the rest of the world is burning in flame of excellence at large. Despite the ascendancy of irresistible constraints, inconsistency that engulf the origin of the online trading, we are extremely aspiring and sanguine of prompt and illustrious development of online banking as rapidly as possible. Therefore, the banks should move ahead of its rivals by applying the recommendations provided above. Certainly, it will help reducing the gap (or dissatisfaction) retaining existing customers. And, once this dissatisfied customers become satisfied, it will not only help to retain existing customers, but it will also help to drag new customers through positive word-of-mouth communications. Also, it will help to attract new segments with different needs. Many customers are dissatisfied due to some areas of incompetent services. So, in order to sustain in the highly competitive banking industry, the banks should take

The Wife of Bath Essay examples -- Essays Papers

THE WIFE OF BATH In the â€Å"Wife of Bath’s Prologue,† she begins her introduction by telling the other pilgrims that she has experience because she has been married five time. She believes more in experience rather than in written authority (that is , in texts written by men). The Wife of Bath argues with virginity: â€Å"Where can ye saye in any manere age that hye God defended mariage by expres word? I praye you, telleth me. Or Where comanded he virginitee?† [Norton,118] She asks where in the bible is virginity commanded? If God condemned virginity, there would be no children, and no population: â€Å"For hadde God comanded maidenhede, Thanne hadde he dampned wedding with the deede; And certes, if there were no seed ysowe, Virginitee, thanne wherof sholde it growe?† [Norton,118] She then says how she is not jealous of virgin women, and how she always has her man in her bed. The Pardoner, hearing this, interrupts her in disgust and tells her how he has been thin king about marriage but now is glad that he is a single guy. The Wife of Bath then tells the other pilgrims what has happened to her five husbands. She says, â€Å"Tho housbonds that I hadde, As three of hem were goode, and two were badde. The three men were goode, and riche, and olde†[Norton,121]. In other words, the first three husbands were good to her; they were old and had money to take care of her. The fourth husband she had no control over. He was a reveler who loved to party. The Wife of Bath has a problem with him because he has a mistress. To get even with him, she tries to make him jealous. She torments him so much in life that she prays he is now in heaven. â€Å"The fifth husband she truly loved but there was one problem; he was abusive†[Norton,128]. The Wi... ...to pursue the man as well as to divorce him. In many households, you can also see the husband cleaning, cooking, and taking care of the children. Most of the married couples now share chores around the house. They respect as well as help each other during difficulties of life. Women can now raise children, educate them and direct them to a good life without the monetary support of the husband. As we can see, times have changed for the better. I must say some things still need improvement. Some men are still old fashioned and think they can control and look down on their wife. Some men still do not think a woman should have power in court, at home or in the office. Men believe that a woman’s place is in the home. What do you think? Works Cited Abrams, M.H. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. NewYork: W.W. Norton &Company, Inc., 1993

Deconstruction of Trailer †Fight Club Essay

At the start of the trailer for Fight Club it starts with the logo stating â€Å"Regency† and next the trailer introduces the character named Tyler quoting â€Å"I want you to hit me as hard as I can, how much can you know about yourself if you’ve never been in a fight† this showing that Tyler Durden played by Brad Pitt is one of the main characters in the film as he is shown first and with the quote showing that it’s a hard hitting film and that it gives you a rough idea of what’s going to happen. Next would be the mise-en-scene the film starts off with the two main characters standing outside having a conversation. The whole trailer has quite a low saturation of colour so connotes that it a Rolla coaster of a film that includes elements such as dark humour, fights, mental illnesses such as Insomnia, Schizophrenia and multiple personality disorder and inappropriate scenes and also the second main character which would be The Narrator who doesn†™t have his name mentioned played by Edward Norton. In the film, sound plays a big role weather it being the narrator talking or the smashing of glass, shouting, songs it gives the film effect for example let’s start with the narrator and how he speaks it gives a sense of knowing and what the narrator says goes for example with the quote â€Å"This is your life and it’s ending one minute at a time† showing how he see’s things, how things are and that it isn’t all fantasy. Next would be the conversations, arguments and occasional smashing of glass this shows that by all of this being in the trailer it would make people watch from the beginning till the end as audience would want to know more of what they are about to watch. Lastly in the end of the trailer the song by â€Å"The Pixies; Where’s my Mind† this song is fitting to the whole story as the film shows all different mental disorders and how life is. First off I’m going to start off with the editing, with fight club It’s a good example of angels and shots a few I picked out from the film would be Shot Reverse Shot, Cross Cutting, Establishing Shot, Reaction Shot and also a POV Shot. In the first few seconds of the trailer it examples an Establishing shot where the two main characters are talking it’s a wide angled shot where it shows everything on what happening with the characters.

Southwest case Essays

Southwest case Essays Southwest case Paper Southwest case Paper Southwest stock outperformed all other U. S. Stocks. 7 This and Southwests position as the only consistently profitable U. S. Airliner validated its unconventional methods (see Exhibit 2 for financial performance and Exhibit 3 for comparison of Southwest Airlines to other U. S. Carriers). On the customer service side, Southwest won the airline industry Triple fewest delays, the fewest complaints, and the fewest mishandled bags-?not only for individual months but for entire years-?1992 through 1996. Southwest also prided itself on consistently offering the lowest fares in the industry. The US. Department of Transportation in 1 993 published a report on the so-called Southwest effect, documenting the impact on fares and passenger volumes when Southwest entered a market. According to the report, when Southwest announced service on a new route, other airlines serving that route almost immediately reduced their fares, and moieties increased their frequencies as well. The effect reduced fares by an average of 65%, and increased passenger traffic by up to 500% (Exhibit 4 shows the Southwest effect on the 6 James Highest, Southwest Airlines: 1 993 (A), HOBS case No. 94-023, p. 3. 7 Calculations performed on data supplied by CROPS. 8 Southwest was profitable in all but the first of its 30 years. 3 Baltimore-Providence market). Southwest employees liked to point out that their net impact was to offer the freedom to fly to a larger segment of the traveling public, expanding the overall market rather than just taking market hare. By January 2001 , Southwest served 58 airports in 29 s tates and was the fourth largest domestic carrier in terms of customers boarded. The company operated more than 2,650 flights a day using a fleet of 342 Boeing sass with an average age of 8. 4 years-?one of the youngest pure jet fleets in the domestic industry. Southwests success inspired competitors-?including People Express, Midway, Value Jet, Continental Elite, Delta Express, Metro and the United Shuttle-?to copy elements of its strategy, but none had generated sustainable profits from doing so. Getable was the newest airline to imitate elements of the Southwest model, and though its early performance was impressive, the jury was still out on its longer-term success. Even so, Southwest performance had slipped over time; the company had not earned a Triple Crown since 1996. The Baltimore Station In 1993, Southwest selected the BOW airport in Maryland, 30 miles from Washington, D. C. , as its first East Coast gateway and began service from BOW to Cleveland and Chicago on September 15. One year later, the airport broke ground on a $27. 6 million expansion project to extend the terminal and create six more domestic gates. Southwest signed up for all of them. Through the 1 9905, Southwest added more cities to its non-stop service from Baltimore (see Exhibit 5). After just seven years, Southwest share of BOW passengers reached 34%, displacing the perennial leader, US Airways (28. 5%). Baltimore had become one of Southwest eight mega-stations-?so called because it offered more than 100 flight departures per day. (Exhibit 6 lists all cities served by Southwest. ) Given the continued growth in number of flights projected by management, Southwests Baltimore gates would reach capacity limits later in 2001. Southwests bag sorting area had reached its capacity already. BOW was planning to renovate Concourses A and B to provide more gates for the company. Executive Vice President of Operations Jim Weinberg explained the importance of BOW to Southwest: Baltimore plays an important role in Our system, competitively, given its location in the center of the East Coast. Weve had a lot of serious discussions internally about how much more Baltimore can take given the facility constraints that we have, and the shortage of employees that we have there. Its a customer service issue because we dont want to put our customers through [an] experience in an airport where we cant deliver the type of reduce that our reputation stands on. One specific operational challenge in Baltimore was the volume of connecting passengers and their impact both on station performance and on the customers experience with Southwest. Exhibit 7 compares Bis Southwest passengers to those at other large Southwest stations. Passenger Connections as an Operational Challenge Matt Heaven described the effect of passenger connections on Baltimore operations: Over the past year, 800,000 passengers made connections here-?about 25% of our total passengers at Baltimore-?with probably an equal number of transferred bags. This makes us one of Southwesters biggest transfer stations. Right now, our reservations system generates 4 602-1 56 passenger itineraries with a minimum connecting time of 35 minutes. This means that passengers cant book connecting flights with less than 35 minutes scheduled between the arrival of the first flight and the departure of the second flight. Today, 83% of Southwests revenue is from direct one-stops or non-stop flights. The other 17% of our revenue is from connecting flights. We do not want to leave 17% of our revenue on the table, but these connecting flights have complicated our service design. We might have three people a month going from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Spokane, Washington, yet the computer system carefully adjusts the entire system schedule to make that flight convenient. This is compounded by the fact that we have given our people at individual stations and at customer service in Dallas the authority to make decisions about holding a flight. Our employees want to serve the customer-?thats their job-?so we end up holding flights pretty often. Now we are rethinking the practice of holding the 100 passengers ready to leave Nashville for Spokane-?a hold that will ripple throughout the system-?for the nee person whose flight has not yet arrived from Fort Lauderdale. Jim Weinberg placed Bowls case within the context of the total system: Connections definitely are a challenge. Its not that the percentage of our passengers who connect has changed that much. Overall, for the system as a whole, connections have been relatively constant over the past 10 years, in the 20% range. What has changed is that we have some cities like Baltimore that have a disproportionate number of connecting passengers. So connections have become more concentrated in certain cities than they used to be in our system. For example at Baltimore, I think theyre closer to 30%. Colleen Barrett, Southwests President and Chief Operating Officer, pointed out that any workable solution would have to fit Southwests particular vision: Most airlines schedules are operationally driven. Ours is marketing driven. When we develop a new flight schedule, our first priority from a marketing standpoint is, Where do we need non-stop flights? The second priority is to create the optimum number of one-stop and two-stop direct flights from a marketing standpoint. The last priority is, What can we make from connections? Connections are a significant part of our revenue, but from a marketing standpoint, based on what the customer wants, it is our last priority. Coordinating Southwests Baltimore Operations: Flight 110 Southwests airport operations were unique in the U. S. Industry. Unlike other carriers such as American Airlines, which centralized aircraft turnaround and ground operations and managed each of its daily flights from its headquarters using an integrated computer system,l O Southwest decentralized this coordination, leaving it to employees on site at its airport stations. Coordination had two aspects: the coordination of Southwest flights not and out of a given station, and the coordination of each flight turnaround. Operations coordinators and supervisors managed the former task, and operations agents the latter, as discussed below. Like American, Southwest had managers responsible system-wide traffic flow based at Dallas headquarters. Unlike American, these 9 In which ongoing passengers to a final destination would stay onboard while an aircraft took on additional passengers at an intermediate airport. 10 See Aspen Andersen and F. Warren McFarland, American Airlines: Object Oriented Flight Dispatching Systems, HOBS case No. 195-046. Southwest supervisors on duty (SOD) did not orchestrate local changes from Dallas but worked with the operations supervisors at individual airport stations to manage overall traffic flow. Consistent with its high supervisory ratios, Southwest relied on operations supervisors to look several hours ahead of the course of the daily flight schedule in order to identify potential problems before they emerged. Constant contact with Dallas SOD kept the ops supervisors informed of systemic developments likely to affect traffic in and out of their station, 1 1 and also helped assure that the solutions they reposed did not unduly burden the system beyond their station. The ops supervisors, in coordination with the SOD, would then work to design solutions to these challenges. In practice these included holding planes or resolving delays, coordinating gate usage accordingly, changing planes, and so on. In addition to monitoring the schedule, the ops supervisors also mentored ops agents and were frequently at the gate with them helping with difficult turnarounds created by overbooking, delays, or baggage issues. Southwest staffed its ops agents at much higher levels than other airlines did. Ops agents coordinated all aspects of flight turnaround, effectively span inning the boundaries of the 12 participating groups of handlers, and were empowered to organize and coordinate all aspects of the turnaround, from beginning to end, to maximize speed, productivity, and efficiency. 12 The high staffing levels allowed Southwest to assign a single flight to each ops agent (rather than the industry norm of multiple flights per agent). That agent would begin preparing for and tracking the single aircrafts turnaround an hour prior to its arrival and be totally focused on that flight up through its aperture and the transfer of paperwork and information downstream to the ops agent at the unwounded flights destination. The ops coordinator brought all the strands of activity together from the Coordinators Room, a communications nerve center at the station, managing the execution of decisions made by the supervisory team and communicating with Dallas, ops supervisors, ops agents, and pilots in flight to ensure that all concerned were informed. The ops coordinator role was filled by ops agents on a rotating basis. The following pages recount the how the Southwest team at Baltimore managed the turnaround of Flight 110 on June 7. The Operations Coordinators Alice, the on-duty ops coordinator, and Darlene, her assistant coordinator, worked from the Coordinators Room on the tarmac level to bring in arriving flights and assign them to gates. In the room with them were the ramp coordinator and the customer service coordinator. The ops supervisors worked just outside the coordinators office, and streamed in and out constantly with updates and information. During their 3:00 p. M. To 1 1 p. M. Shift, Alice and Darlene were expecting 63 flights at Southwests 16 gates, a typical evening. Their colleagues on the morning shift had brought in 64 lights to the same 1 6 gates. Alice and Darlene could view two of the gates directly through the large window facing the tarmac, and the other 14 via television screens mounted above and to their right. At a glance they could watch aircraft being marshaled into their gates, getaways being placed into position, and aircraft being serviced by the ramp crew assigned to each gate. They 1 1 Delays caused by weather, or back-ups at particular airports, etc. 12 Jody Hoofer Getting, Coordinating Services Across Functional Boundaries: The Departure Process at Southwest Airlines, in Ron Kemp and John Wood, des. Best Practices in Customer Services: Case Studies and Strategies (Amherst: HARD press, 1999). 6 were in radio contact, through a company specific frequency, with Southwest airplanes arriving or departing Baltimore. 3 Throughout the day, Southwest employees continually updated OTIS (Operations Terminal Information System)-?an internally developed system for tracking flight information. OTIS contained anticipated passenger totals (revenue passengers as well as non-revenue passengers such as Southwest employees), in addition to all the information that each station sent down-line o the ne xt station receiving a flight. OTIS included information pertinent to Southwests operations, such as the weather, system-wide, and particular flight delays. Each delay was tagged with its location and cause-?boarding passengers, late arrival, equipment, radar, and so on. Lices OTIS screen tracked all flights bound for Baltimore. The left side of the screen listed all the incoming flights with their scheduled and expected arrival times. For every incoming flight, the right hand side of the screen listed its outgoing number and the scheduled departure time. Each flight entry had multiple status indicators, and double-clicking on them provided additional information about the flight (see Exhibit 8 for a screen view of OTIS). Flights that were expected to arrive late or early required particular attention, since either event could require changes to gate assignments, with possible repercussions for all departments preparing to turn those flights around. Darlene helped Alice coordinate maintenance responses to requests called in by inbound pilots, and by discussing with the dispatch SOD at Southwests Dallas headquarters any local changes that might affect the scheduling of flights, lanes, or crews beyond Baltimore. Darlene was also responsible for updating the Flight Information Display System (FIDS) that displayed information on gate assignments and arrival and departure times throughout the airport for Southwest employees and passengers. Alice and Darlene had already noticed that Eight 1 10 from Nashville had left 40 minutes later than expected. Regularly scheduled to arrive at 8:15 p. M. , now showed up on OTIS as expected in at 8:55 p. M. Onboard were 33 passengers due to make connections in Baltimore. Six of them were connecting to Flight 232 to Buffalo, departing at 8:40 p. M.