Jamaican Culture Essay

Probably one of the most lively and rich cultures of the world is of the Jamaican culture. It is perhaps due to its exotic surroundings and the various regions of its origin. Today in Jamaica, there are obvious influences of African, English, Spanish, and Indian. Being only the third biggest island in the Caribbean its impact is huge on the rest of the world. The official language of Jamaica is English. However, most civilians in Jamaica speak patois. Think of it as an extremely slurred accented speech of English with hints of African, Portuguese, and Spanish appearing here and there. Most of the time just knowing English will help you understand what people basically are saying. The religions in Jamaica are wide and varied. However, statistics show that over half (61.3%) of all Jamaicans are Protestant. There is also a good deal of participation in spiritual cults of not-really-defined religion (almost 35%). Religion is highly held in Jamaica and can affect from what people where to what they eat. Sometimes cults in Jamaica resort to violence against other cults. The education system in Jamaica has four basic levels: early childhood, primary, secondary, and tertiary. Presently, 703,600 of Jamaica’s estimated 2,650,000 people are enrolled in the education system. About 80% of all teachers are professionally trained. Jamaica currently holds an 85% literacy rate for total population (81% for men alone and 89% for women alone). Currently in Jamaica, only 3% of the enrolled education students are enrolled for college level education, 32% for junior high and high school level, 45% for elementary level, and 20% for ages 3-5 yrs. The majority of the people in Jamaica usually live in or near the cities in low-income housing. However, some still live rurally for agricultural purposes. There are many holidays and festive occasions in Jamaica. Jamaica’s national holiday is its Independence Day on the first Monday every august. Most of  Jamaican culture is expressed through stories, songs, and dances of important figures. Here are just a few examples of Jamaican culture. One old custom now only practiced in rural areas is that of taking the baby’s naval string cord after they are born, waiting 3 days, and burying it in the ground and planting a tree on top of the cord. Another belief is that of a mother cannot get wet the first few days after birth otherwise she will get sick and die. In Jamaica, lavish funerals are required to give respect to the dead for they will rise on the third night after their death. There are also certain characters of folklore. One is Anancy. He is the spider man known for his trickery. There is also the children’s character of Big Bwoy. In Jamaica there is also many festivals. The Gran’ Market is a pre-Christmas celebration. Obeah is a general term for black magic. Kumina is a popular ritual practiced only by certain sects for religion. Dinky-Mini is a dance and song used to help cheer up the family of a dead person. Hosay is a festival particular to Muslim/Indian sects. Most people in Jamaica have somewhat balanced diets and eat depending on religion and season. A typical breakfast is the country’s fruit, the ackee. Lunch is usually light meat or vegetables while dinner consists of goat, pork, seafood, rice, and beans. Skyjuice, coconut juice, and tea are popular drinks. Skyjuice is the American equivalent of a slushy. On average families have about two children in cities but having many more in rural areas, especially on farms. The parents usually work while the children are off attending school. In Jamaica, almost every festival has its own unique dressing design. The most popular and renowned is that of the simple plaid cotton design of Bandana. Women’s dresses are of three tiers (big ruffles) and they are known to be adorned in beads and braid their hair intricately.

The Hunters: Moonsong Chapter Thirty-One

Why do they always want to be on top of buildings? Bonnie thought irritably. Inside. Inside is nice. No one falls to their death if they're inside a building. But here we are. Stargazing from the top of the science building while on a date with Zander was romantic. Bonnie would be al for another little nighttime picnic, just the two of them. But partying on a different roof with a bunch of Zander's friends was not romantic, not even slightly. She took a sip of her drink and moved out of the way without even looking as she heard the smack of bodies hitting the ground and the grunts of guys wrestling. After two days of living with Zander, she was beginning to get the names of his friends straight: Tristan and Marcus were the ones rol ing around on the floor with Zander. Jonah, Camden, and Spencer were doing something they cal ed parkour, which mostly seemed to involve running around like idiots and almost fal ing off the roof. Enrique, Jared, Daniel, and Chad were al playing an elaborate drinking game in the corner. There were a few more guys who hung around sometimes, but this was the core group. She liked them, she real y did. Most of the time. They were boisterous, sure, but they were always very nice to her: getting her drinks, immediately handing her their jackets if she was cold, tel ing her that they had no idea what she saw in a loser like Zander, which was clearly their guy way of declaring how much they loved him and that they were happy he had a girlfriend. She looked over at Zander, who was laughing as he held Tristan in a headlock and rubbed his knuckles over the top of Tristan's head. â€Å"Do you give in?† he said, and grunted in surprise as Marcus, whooping joyful y, tackled them both. It would have been easier if there were other girls around that she could get to know. If Marcus (who was very cute in a giant shaggy-haired Sasquatch kind of way) or Spencer (who had the kind of preppy rich-boy elegance that some girls found extremely attractive) had a regular girlfriend, Bonnie would have someone to exchange wry glances with as the guys acted like doofuses. But, even though a girl would occasional y appear clinging to the arm of one of the guys, Bonnie would never see her again after that night. Except for Bonnie, Zander seemed to travel in an almost exclusively masculine world. And, after two days of fol owing the macho parade around town, Bonnie was starting to get sick of it. She missed having girls to talk to. She missed Elena and Meredith, specifical y, even though she was stil mad at them. â€Å"Hey,† she said, making her way over to Zander. â€Å"Want to get out of here for a while?† Zander wrapped his arm around her shoulders. â€Å"Um. Why?† he asked, leaning down to kiss her neck. Bonnie rol ed her eyes. â€Å"It's kind of loud, don't you think? We could go for a nice quiet walk or something.† Zander looked surprised but nodded. â€Å"Sure, whatever you want.† They made their way down the fire escape, fol owed by a few shouts from Zander's friends, who seemed to think he was going on a food run and would shortly return with hot wings and tacos. Once they were a block away from the rooftop party, the noise faded and it was peaceful, except for the distant sound of an occasional car on the roads nearby. Bonnie knew she ought to feel creeped out, walking around at night on campus, but she didn't. Not with Zander's hand in hers. â€Å"This is nice, isn't it?† Bonnie said happily, gazing up at the half moon overhead. â€Å"Yeah,† Zander said, swinging her hand between them. â€Å"You know, I used to go on long walks – runs, real y – with my dad at night. Way out in the country, in the moonlight. I love being outside at night.† â€Å"Aw, that's sweet,† Bonnie said. â€Å"Do you guys stil do that when you're home?† â€Å"No.† Zander hesitated and hunched his shoulders, his hair hanging in his face. Bonnie couldn't read his expression. â€Å"My dad †¦ he died. A while ago.† â€Å"I'm so sorry,† Bonnie said sincerely, squeezing his hand. â€Å"I'm okay,† Zander said, stil staring at his shoes. â€Å"But, y'know, I don't have any brothers or sisters, and the guys have sort of become like a family to me. I know they can be a pain sometimes, but they're real y good guys. And they're important to me.† He glanced at Bonnie out of the corner of his eyes. He looked so apprehensive, Bonnie felt a sharp pang of affection for him. It was sweet that Zander and his friends were so close – that must have been the family stuff he had to deal with the other night. He was loyal, that much she knew. â€Å"Zander,† she said. â€Å"I know they're important to you. I don't want to take you away from your friends, you goof.† She reached up to wrap her arms around his neck and kissed him gently on the mouth. â€Å"Maybe just for an hour or two sometimes, but not for long, I promise.† Zander returned the kiss with enthusiasm, and Bonnie tingled al the way down to her toes. Clinging to each other, they made their way to a bench by the side of the path and sat down to kiss some more. Zander just felt so good under her hands, al sleek muscles and smooth skin, and Bonnie ran her hands across his shoulders, along his arms, down his sides. At her touch, Zander suddenly winced. â€Å"What's the matter?† she said, lifting her head away from his. â€Å"Nothing,† said Zander, reaching for her. â€Å"I was just messing around with the guys, you know. They play rough.† â€Å"Let me see,† Bonnie said, grabbing at the hem of his shirt, half concerned and half wanting to just check out Zander's abs. He had turned out to be surprisingly modest, considering they were sharing a room. Wincing again, he sucked his breath in through his teeth as Bonnie lifted his shirt. She gasped. Zander's whole side was covered with ugly black-and-purple bruises. â€Å"Zander,† Bonnie said horrified, â€Å"these look real y bad. You don't get bruises like that just messing around.† They look like you were fighting for your life – or someone else was, she thought, and pushed away the words. â€Å"They're nothing. Don't worry,† Zander said, tugging his shirt back down. He started to wrap his arms around her again, but Bonnie moved away, feeling vaguely sickened. â€Å"I wish you'd tel me what happened,† she said. â€Å"I did,† Zander said comfortingly. â€Å"You know how crazy those guys get.† It was true, she'd never known guys so rowdy. Zander reached for her again, and this time Bonnie moved closer to him, turning her face up for his kiss. As their lips met, she remembered Zander's saying to her, â€Å"You know me. You see me.† She did know him, Bonnie told herself. She could trust Zander. Across the street, Damon stood in the shadow of a tree, watching Bonnie kiss Zander. He had to admit he felt a little pang, seeing her in the arms of someone else. There was something so sweet about Bonnie, and she was brave and intel igent under that cotton-candy exterior. The witchy angle added a little touch of spice to her, too. He'd always thought of her as his. Then again, didn't the little redbird deserve someone of her own? As much as Damon liked her, he didn't love her, he knew that. Seeing the lanky boy's face light up in response to her smile, he thought maybe this one would. After making out for a few more minutes, Bonnie and Zander stood up and wandered, hand in hand, toward what Damon knew was Zander's dorm. Damon trailed them, keeping to the shadows. He huffed out a breath of self-mocking laughter. I'm getting soft in my old age, he thought. Back in the old days he would have eaten Bonnie without a second thought, and here he was worrying about her love life. Stil , it would be nice if the little redhead could be happy. If her boyfriend wasn't a threat. Damon ful y expected the happy couple to disappear into the dorm together. Instead, Zander kissed Bonnie good-bye and watched as she went inside, then headed back out. Damon fol owed him, keeping hidden, as he went back to the party where they'd been before. A few minutes later, Zander came down again, trailed by his pack of noisy boys. Damon twitched in irritation. God save me from college boys, he thought. They were probably going to gorge themselves on greasy bar food. After a couple of days of watching Zander, he was ready to go back to Elena and report that the boy was guilty of nothing more than being uncouth. Instead of heading toward the nearest bar, though, the boys jogged across campus, quick and determined, as if they had an important destination in mind. Reaching the edge of campus, they headed into the woods. Damon gave them a few seconds and then fol owed. He was good at this, he was a predator, a natural hunter, and so it took him a few minutes of listening, of sending his Power out, of final y just racing through the woods, black branches snapping before him, to realize that Zander and his boys were gone. Final y, Damon stopped and leaned against a tree to catch his breath. The woods were silent except for the innocent sound of various woodland creatures going about their business and his own ragged panting. That pack of noisy, obnoxious children had escaped him, disappearing without the slightest trace. He gritted his teeth and tamped down his anger at being evaded, until it was mostly curiosity about how they'd done it. Poor Bonnie, Damon thought as he fastidiously smoothed and adjusted his clothing. One thing was abundantly clear: Zander and his friends weren't entirely human. Stefan twitched. This was al just kind of strange. He was sitting in a velvet-backed chair in a huge underground room, as col ege students roamed around arranging flowers and candles. The room was impressive, Stefan would give them that: cavernous yet elegant. But the little arrangements of flowers seemed chintzy and false somehow, like a stage set in the Vatican. And the black-masked figures lurking in the back of the room, watching, were giving him the jitters. Matt had cal ed him to tel him about some kind of col ege secret society that he'd joined, and that the leader wanted Stefan to join, too. Stefan agreed to meet him and talk about it. He never was much of a joiner, but he liked Matt, and it was something to do. It would take his mind off Elena, he'd thought. Lurking around campus – and it felt like lurking, when he saw Elena, with the way his eyes were irresistibly drawn to her even as he hurried out of sight – he'd watched her. Sometimes she was with Damon. Stefan's fingernails bit into his palms. Consciously relaxing, he turned his attention back to Ethan, who was sitting across a smal table from him. â€Å"The members of the Vitale Society hold a very special place in the world,† he was saying, leaning forward, smiling. â€Å"Only the best of the best can hope to be tapped, and the qualities we look for I think are very Wellexemplified in you, Stefan.† Stefan nodded politely and let his mind drift again. Secret societies were something he actual y knew a little about. Sir Walter Raleigh's School of Night in Elizabethan England wrestled with what was then forbidden knowledge: science and philosophy the church declared out of bounds. Il Carbonari back home in Italy worked to encourage revolt against the government of the various city-states, aiming for a unification of al of Italy. Damon, Stefan knew, toyed with the members of the Hel fire Club in London for a few months in the 1700s, until he got bored with their posturing and childish blasphemy. Al those secret societies, though, had some kind of purpose. Rebel ing against conventional morality, pursuing truth, revolution. Stefan leaned forward. â€Å"Pardon me,† he said politely, â€Å"but what is the point of the Vitale Society?† Ethan paused midspeech to stare at him, then wet his lips. â€Å"Well,† he said slowly, â€Å"the real secrets and rituals of the Society can't be unveiled to outsiders. None of the pledges know our true practices and purposes, not yet. But I can tel you that there are innumerable benefits to being one of us. Travel, adventure, power.† â€Å"None of the pledges know your real purpose?† Stefan asked. His natural inclination to stay away was becoming more resolute. â€Å"Why don't you wear a mask like the others?† Ethan looked surprised. â€Å"I'm the face of the Vitale for the pledges,† he said simply. â€Å"They'l need someone they know to guide them.† Stefan made up his mind. He didn't want to be guided. â€Å"I apologize, Ethan,† he said formal y, â€Å"but I don't think I would be an appropriate candidate for your organization. I appreciate the invitation.† He started to rise. â€Å"Wait,† said Ethan. His eyes were wide and golden and had a hungry, eager expression in them. â€Å"Wait,† he said, licking his lips again. â€Å"We †¦ we have a copy of Pico del a Mirandola's De hominis dignitate.† He stumbled over the words as if he didn't quite know what they were. â€Å"An old one, from Florence, a first edition. You'd get to read it. You could have it if you wanted.† Stefan stiffened. He had studied Mirandola's work on reason and philosophy with enthusiasm back when he was stil alive, when he was a young man preparing for the university. He had a sudden visceral longing to feel the old leather and parchment, see the blocky type from the first days of the printing press, so much more right somehow than the modern computer-set books. There was no way Ethan should have known to offer him that specific book. His eyes narrowed. â€Å"What makes you think I'd want that?† he hissed, leaning across the table toward Ethan. He could feel Power surging through him, fueled by his rage, but Ethan wouldn't meet his eyes. â€Å"I †¦ you told me you like old books, Stefan,† he said, and gave a little false laugh, gazing down at the tabletop. â€Å"I thought you would be interested.† â€Å"No, thank you,† Stefan said, low and angry. He couldn't force Ethan to look him in the eye, not with al these people around, so after a moment, he stood. â€Å"I refuse your offer,† he told Ethan shortly. â€Å"Good-bye.† He walked to the door without looking back, holding himself straight and tal . He glanced at Matt, who was talking to another student, as he reached the door and, when Matt met his eyes, gave him a shrug and a shake of the head, trying to telegraph an apology. Matt nodded, disappointed but not arguing. No one tried to stop Stefan as he left the room. But he had a nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach. There was something wrong here. He didn't know enough to dissuade Matt from joining, but he decided to keep tabs on the Vitale Society. As he shut the door behind him, he could sense Ethan watching him.

Operations management or Supply Chain Management (Choose One) Research Paper

Operations management or Supply Chain Management (Choose One) - Research Paper Example Supply chain management is in effect a value chain. That is why the research study undertaken in this paper indicates that it is a management of those relations that add value to the supply chain. There are a number of hardships or interruptions that usually occur in such management of supply chains. But strategic approach to supply chain management helps in overcoming such interruptions or limitations. The strategic approach to SCM facilitates the integrated handling of the functions of the business, especially the procurement function and the logistic functions at the front and at the back ends of the business. As a result SCM comes handy in value creation as well as value addition. But supply chain management has a demerit, as SCM gives prominence to materials management and treats the customer requirements of logistic as an appendix to the business. Michael H. Hugos (2) states that â€Å"Supply chains encompass the companies and business activities needed to design, make, deliver, and use a product or service. Businesses depend upon their supply chains to provide them with what they need to survive and thrive. Every business fits into one or more supply chains and has a role to play in each of them.†i In other words every business action is a process in the supply chain of which it is a link somewhere. The objective is to develop relationships of many such actions whereby products or services are developed and delivered to the ultimate consumer. In simple language supply chain is a network of activities that combines the actions from production or procurement of product or services till its delivery to the consumer. Management of such a network is a tricky affair and only experience hands achieve proficiency in the management of supply chains. It must be understood that â€Å"at the end of the day, supply chain management is a relationship management. A supply

Read an article and answer questions Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Read an and answer questions - Article Example Aside from these surveys, researchers used real women and digitally manipulate their overall appearance as the participants watched; researchers can immediately recount their reactions and perceptions to their own bodies. Women are insecure and at times overly degrade themselves because of not achieving â€Å"the look.† Binge eating --- Women feel more satisfied with their bodies when they are not eating and their stomach became flatter. Throwing away the food eaten and followed by eating fruits as subordinate. Time and again, binge eaters or bulimics, in their latter life recorded serious illnesses that include death. Anabolic steroid use – Because of the pressure to keep up with the competition specifically in the body building field, men are taking steroids to further enhance their muscle shapes or bulkiness. This addicting drug use has harmful effects in the body. Through time using this enhancer results in the breaking down of the functions of the kidney and liver. Hypertension, hepatitis and high risk of fan HIV infection for those who uses the injectable that centers on men because they are the ones subjective to body building. Cosmetic surgery – A billion dollar industry and a phenomenon for the society of youth-obsessed society. Commercials dominantly affected the women on how they supposed to look. What is the norm and what is the â€Å"perfect† that pushed them to decide to go on the knives. Cosmetic surgery is not just simply placing make up on and being washed off at the end of the day. This would reverse the natural look of ones’ physical being. This also includes liposuction. Dieting (â€Å"fad† or â€Å"faddy†) --- This is usually a liquid protein diet or fruit diet and a powder mixed with water protein drinks. A person would eat no other than fruit throughout this period. Dieting with only drinks and easily digested fruits tend to make a person hungrier and crave more than ever thus, diverting into another kind

Marketing communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Marketing communications - Essay Example Advertising using these mediums has changed perspectives of brands in our minds. Furthermore, marketing tools such as aiming below-the-line marketing, direct marketing, personal selling, door-to-door selling are now being used to sell customized products to the customers just like the way they want it. Now customers can also enjoy the luxuries just by a click of a mouse or a remote on a TV to shop online, order through the phone or book products through telemarketing. A company can use many different mediums of communicating their intended message to the customers as mentioned in the preceding section. However, due to resource shortage, companies do efficient resource allocation which in the marketing world is known as adopting the right Marketing (Promotion) Mix. The Promotions Mix is the specific mix of advertising, personal selling, sales promotion, public relations, and direct marketing that an organization uses to pursue its marketing objectives. The promotional mix itself is part of the wider marketing mix; it is one of the four P's of marketing, product, price, and place and of course promotion itself. First and foremost it is important to consider the relative strengths and weaknesses of each component/tool of the promotional mix in deciding... Typical advertising media include Yellow Pages, local newspapers, radio, television advertisements, trade journals, exhibitions and websites. The advantage of advertising is that it can reach a large and geographically dispersed audience It has a low cost per exposure, though the overall costs of making advertisements and producing and airing them might be high. Advertising also tends to create brand recognition Reinforces product existence (by consistently repeating key messages) Dramatizes company/brand Builds brand image The disadvantages can be its impersonal outlook lack of direct feedback (one-way communication) As mentioned earlier it is expensive Personal selling Personal selling is a very effective form of promotion since it allows customization according to the needs of the customers. For example it can be a presentation by a company's sales force for the purpose of making sales and building customer relationships Personal selling is very effective marketing tool for building customer relationships as personal interaction allows for feedback and adjustments; Buyers are more attentive; Sales force represents a long-term commitment; Allows for direct and immediate response to customer feedback; Disadvantages are that it is one of the most expensive of the promotional tools both in terms of time and money. But it must be borne in mind that active networking with existing customers, business associations and even suppliers can play an important role in promoting the business to a wider target audience. Sales promotion Sales promotion usually constitutes short-term, specific incentives to encourage the purchase or sale of a product or service. A large variety of sales promotion tools can be used such

Globalization and HRM Strategies Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Globalization and HRM Strategies - Assignment Example Technology is a critical tool in competition as it is essential in ensuring quality of goods and services. Though it means increase in production costs of the company, technology as a tool ensures increase in sales and product quality to meet the ever increasing/ growing consumer expectations and taste. Additionally, globalization has seen that a company like Sony improves greatly on its information and knowledge transfer which, much like technology is important in helping the company stay connected and informed of emerging customer preferences. Information therefore enables adaptation to trends and its quick and effective transmission has become vital in customer retention and growth hence. Different cultures of the world have very little effect and impact on Sony and unlike most other multinational corporations, Sony has managed to break the barriers of culture across the globe by producing a wide range of high quality, sophisticated and culturally acceptable goods and services. In addition, Sony’s policy of recruiting from any culture, age, gender and other such barriers puts it in a favorable position for worldwide appeal and acceptance. However, the financial and credit services offered by Sony, for example, may receive negative and little acceptance in other parts of the world. Islam, for instance, strictly forbids the use of usury. In such areas, the company may be viewed in bad light and rejected altogether. This is highly unlikely however as Sony offers a wide range of services and products and if one of them is found to be unpalatable in a certain culture, other products eventually override this ‘dislike’ altogether and firmly establishes Sony in the area. Just like cultures, labor markets are of very... This paper approves that different cultures of the world have very little effect and impact on Sony and unlike most other multinational corporations, Sony has managed to break the barriers of culture across the globe by producing a wide range of high quality, sophisticated and culturally acceptable goods and services. In addition, Sony’s policy of recruiting from any culture, age, gender and other such barriers puts it in a favorable position for worldwide appeal and acceptance. According to the paper the human resource department spends much time with the new recruits in bid to get them fully on board with the objectives and strategies of the company and is focused on universal standard employment offering superior working conditions and paying employees their locally relevant wages. Sony also offers management training to promising recruits. IHRM plays an important role in ensuring productivity of Sony. There are a series of undertakings that the IHRM could pursue to ensure improved productivity and competitiveness of Sony globally. Seminars that serve to enlighten employees further on consumer needs and improve service delivery could be brought on board. The paper comes to the conclusion that Problem solving groups are essential and swift solution of arising issues or any quarrels act to minimize employee infighting and the distractive and destructive office gossip thus creating the much needed and indispensable harmonious, smooth working environment.

Gerontology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Gerontology - Essay Example It means that, that reliance becomes a way of finessing ethical decision making among professionals and therefore excusing what might a violation of ethics by asserting that there is no definitive standard that has been violated. In gerontology, ethical decision-making, mentoring relationships and ethical behavior is clearly more than just following of minimal law and ethical codes (Hooyman & Kiyak, 2008). It means that, for an instant; in mentoring relationships, one has to be continuously aware that some actions done by a gerontologist may be wrong irrespective of whether the law was broken or code violated. However, it is of much value that one considers professional code of ethics since they might apply during the mentoring of a gerontologist. Codes of ethics for professional gerontologists are the principles and ethical standards that depict the responsibilities and professional conduct of gerontologists. The principles are used to guide a gerontologist while performing their everyday activities and in case issues arise in their professional work. Professional competence is one key principle that gerontologists should observe while working (Wiersman & Dupuis, 2007). A gerontologist should distinguish the limitations that exist in their multidisciplinary expertise and should, therefore, undertake tasks that they are qualified in relation to their training, education and experience. In order to maintain competence at work, gerontologist will continue with their education. Competencies include skill, attitude, knowledge, behavior and judgment of a gerontologist. It is vital for a professional to recognize that most behaviors have cultural meaning; therefore, one needs to view the behavior within contextual issues of the pat ient (Hinrichsen, 2006). One should be able to recognize the communication changes that affect older adults in their care and formulate strategies that will meet the need of the patient for optimum communication

Talktime Inc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Talktime Inc - Essay Example This depicts formal authority and establishes how critical decisions are to be made. As the company has grown over the years, it has added a lot of staff to its teams and majority of them are hired on a permanent basis. This has added to the cost for the organization because of the additional training cost and remuneration of the new employees. Besides that, the permanent employees that have been with the company for many years do not like changes and are extremely resistant if any new change is brought about. This has become extremely detrimental for the company. Talktime also has rigid rules and procedures that have to be followed under all circumstances and deviations from the usual is not encouraged. There is no delegation whatsoever and every action has to be taken with the permission of the boss and the employees are not given the authority to do any thing at their own discretion. The tall structure of the organization also fosters a great degree of centralization where all the power and authority lies with the top management; this has brought about inefficiency and slow decision making. As Talktime is a telecom company, it has to keep abreast with the latest technological advances to be innovative and provide the best to its customers. However in recent years, it has been lagging behind in this department because the top management has huge job responsibilities and it is difficult for them to keep up technologically and make timely decisions. Talktime's organizational structure has brought about an individualistic culture where employees are only concerned with themselves and lack of communication causes a lot of friction and conflict in groups and teams. Employees are usually required to do mundane routine tasks and not empowered to initiate something on their own. There's also workforce diversity that causes jealousy and conflict among them. The reward system is also very rigid; very rarely is an employee rewarded in the form of a bonus or the like for a job well done; they are just paid their monthly salaries. This has made employees extremely de-motivated and frustrated and they feel threatened by any co-worker performing better than them and getting positive feedback from the manager. Conflict often arises when teamwork is essential and difference of opinion surface. This conflict results in poor performance and hampers the growth of the organization as a whole. The departments are inter-related and often two departments are working simultaneously or one department is dependant on the other, to begin work. The goals of each department are different and conflict occurs when the best solution for one department is harming the other department. Other than that, the resources of the organization are also limited and when two departments require the same resources, conflict occurs when one department feels that its needs are more important than the other. All this leads to constant quarreling, anger and bad performance overall. This is the reason why Talktime's performance has been suffering over the recent years and negative word has spread about it in the industry. As a human resource manager, the first thing that needs to done is to restructure the organization. The tall structure has been pre-dominant for many years and it is time now to bring about a change. It will be replaced by a flat structure where there are fewer

Methods Of Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Methods Of Research - Essay Example Horton found out that the treatment was effective in helping the girl to stop her spoon banging behavior (Interpreting, and Draw conclusion) In Project situation 2, Latane & Bidwell used observational method of research. Observational research method was used because Latane & Bidwell observed the number of students who entered the college cafeteria accompanied by student or with out company, and determined the gender differences in need for affiliation. In this project situation Latane & Bidwell determined the gender differences in need for affiliation (Identify the problem, and Gather and observing data). In this situation, Latane & Bidwell decided to prove if females need to have greater affiliation than male students (Formulating Hypothesis and testing the hypothesis). Latane & Bidwell found out that females were significantly more likely than males to be in the presence of another person when entering the cafeteria. (Interpreting, and Draw conclusion) This study basically focused on the number of students who entered in college cafeteria with accompanied student or with out accompanied student by gender. This study was also delimited to one school only. The researcher used correlational research method.

The Philosophy on the Legalization of Drugs Essay Example for Free

The Philosophy on the Legalization of Drugs Essay There are many controversial topics being debated about in the United States. One topic most often debated about is the legalization of drugs. Of course people have their own beliefs and opinions on the subject, but are the arguments discussed about actually valid? Is there enough evidence supporting the premises they claim? These are questions we should ask when observing the arguments people are presenting to defend their beliefs. I believe that drugs should not be legalized for several reasons, but as stated above, different people have different opinions. One of the arguments presented from the people who believe that drugs should be legalized is that the government should not interfere with people’s activities as long as it is not affecting other people’s rights. They state exactly, â€Å"As far as morality is concerned, the decision to use or not use drugs is a personal one that does not directly impinge upon the rights of others, and the government should never forbid activities that do not impinge upon the rights of others. I believe that there are many things wrong with this argument, but the main problem here is that there is no evidence to support the premise, therefore I see it as a false premise. I don’t understand how they can say that drugs doesn’t impinge upon the rights of others when there are drug related crimes happening every day. When people are high on drugs, their minds are altered. Many times while under the influence of an illegal substance, people will commit crimes and put other people’s life in danger. This obviously affects the rights of others because people should not have to be put into danger because of other people’s â€Å"activities†. The legalization of drugs would make it more easily accessible, which in the end would result in more crimes and more people getting hurt. Another argument presented is that everything is dangerous. They state â€Å"Driving on the freeways in L. A. is very dangerous and leads to a good many deaths and injuries; thus, it creates suffering in loved ones, and society as a whole is often called upon to pay for the medical expenses of those injured in accidents. The point is this: if youre going to forbid drugs for the above reason, then you ought to forbid anything which is in the least bit dangerous. † This argument is questionable. Yes, it is true that everything is dangerous, but that is not the part of the argument that is under question. What it is that’s under question in this argument is what they’re saying about forbidding anything that’s dangerous if they’re going to forbid drugs that are dangerous. It is true that everything is dangerous, but drugs are not only dangerous, but they are mind altering. If you go about your day and face dangers, being under the influence of drugs makes your dangers so much higher, because you are not in a stable state of mind. So with this argument we must question the dangers of normal activities versus mind altering activities. The legalization of drugs will definitely result in more danger, and make regular activities dangerous. For example driving, it is illegal for people to drive under the influence, but if people are going to be high all the time, they will most likely not hesitate getting into a car to get to where they need. As they stated, driving is a dangerous activity. The point here is, driving under the influence is an even more dangerous activity. Drugs are not necessities, but in current times, driving is a necessity. We should continue to try and keep people safe by prohibiting the unnecessary dangers.

Structured Systems Analysis And Design Method Information Technology Essay

Structured Systems Analysis And Design Method Information Technology Essay Structured System Analysis and Design method is a framework that adopts Structure approach to the analysis and design of the information systems alike previous structured methods such as Yourdon in 1976,DeMarco in 1979 . It is sequential development process called as waterfall method. It was produced for Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA) and also the UK government now known as Office of Government Commerce (OGC). In 1981 UK government was taken this method as a compulsory for all projects but since then the other countries and some private organization used it greatly (Ashworth et al, 1995).SSADM supports the developers and project managers in understanding four questions they are What is to be done, When it is to be done, How it is to be done, Where the resultant inform is to be documented (Bentley et al, 1995).Some history of this methodology since 1980, Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency determines the analysis and design methods. In the year of 1981 Learmonth Burchett Management Systems (LBMS) method has chosen from shortlist of five. In the year of 1983 SSADM made mandatory for all new information system developments. Version 2 of SSADM was released in 1984. Version 3 of SSADM was released and that was adapted by NCC in 1986. After 1988, SSADM certificate of Proficiency launched, SSADM promoted as open standard. Version 4 of SSADM has released in 1990. (Websites: http://www.dcs.bbk.ac.uk/~steve/1/tsld005.htm). This is a wide methodology and also flexible to apply at any kind of problem situation. It divides the works or projects into distinct units (Downs et al, 1992).SSADM is a basic assumption that systems have an underlying, generic, data structure which changes very little over time (Ashworth et al,1990). The SSADM version 4 has formed five important frames such as, Feasibility Study (FS), Requirements Analysis (RA), Requirements Specification (RS), Logical System Specification (LS) and Physical Design (PD). This five-module framework has seven stages and each stage has explained exactly with their own strategy, controls, and activity, this helps the main purpose of the project management technique (Avison and Fitzgerald, 1995; Downs et al, 1992). Diagram: The Feasibility Study (FS) is first module of the methodology; it holds the position of stage 0, this phase has four steps: First one is prepare for study to know measurement of evaluation of the project; then define the problem by using comparison between requirements with current position; selection of Feasibility from among others; the final one is to submit a report of the Feasibility. Data flow diagram and flow documents are used in this technique (Avison and Fitzgerald, 1995). Requirement Analysis (RA) is one of the most important stages of SSADM. This involved with describing the requirements of information systems. This is a fundamental level for business purpose. It has two stages; a major aim of the first stage is to make understand fully about the system for analysts. Analyst should investigate the feasibility of the project if before stage was not done and also the problem situation should be described by using data models and data flow models; Interviewing to the employees and users also included in this stage. The second one is Business System option; during this stage the analysts would determine such business system options by group actions for their customers. The previous stage has named that, a business system option is a potential solution to the system requirements. This includes boundaries of the solution and inputs and outputs. Requirement Specification (RS) is a single stage and it makes over the description of the current environment and business system option which was made by Requirements Analysis. Clients of this system would select business option at the end of RA. During this stage analysts should combine the investigation of all the stages results from 1 to 3 by keep the business option, to develop a specification of the system. It also describes actual function of the system. Entity-event modelling and rational data analysis are the techniques used in this stage. During the stage 3, various models of the system are being developed such as, Data Flow Model (DFM) and Logical Data Model (LDM).This stage brings details the DFM and LDM. The function definition has unites into one for specification process design at this stage. The next module, Logical System Specification (LS) has two stages in it. Such as stage 4 and stage 5, Technical System Option considered as stage 4 and Logical design as stage 5. Technical System Option is the final stage for analysis phase and conversion to the literal system design. Many execution chances are suggested to select nearly suitable solution similar to stage 2. This technical system options are measured by financial cost and performance of the system and limitations etc. After the stage 4, Logical Design took place as a stage 5, the works and investigation has been done as same like before stage. The main execution of Logical Design is about human factor. It defines dialogue and updates enquiries in non-procedural manner, which is independent of any implementation strategy. Physical Design (PD) is the final module of this system. It is the best choice of possible technical and logical solution, the designer combines the result of the previous stages to build the final aim of the system. This is stage 6 and outcomes in PD for the data and processes (Ashworth et al, 1990, Bentley et al, 1995, Downs et al, 1992). The above essay tells that, SSADM has a well-defined structure and easy to understand by everyone. Many of the UK University has taken this information system in comprehensively and completely. These models and diagrams are giving complete definitions for the final users and developers to understand (Ashworth et al, 1990, Avison and Fitzgerald, 1995). ETHICS (Effective Technique and Human Implementation of Computer-based Systems) Ethics methodology came up out of work started by Enid Mumford at Manchester Business School in 1969. Since then, it has been used in industries and the health services. Much experience gained from these usages (Mumford, 1997). Ethics is acronym, but this approach is to represent the ethical position. This is the information system development, which strongly supports the human participation (Avison and Fitzgerald, 1995). This methodology is well-known for its importance and interest in the human side of systems design (Jayaratna, 1994). It includes the socio-technical view for the system to be effective and this technology should be applicable for social and organisational factors. It also means that a valuable quality of working life and increased job satisfaction of the users is one of the major objective of this system design process. Mumford determines the essential quality of socio-technical approach as one which recognizes the interaction of technology and people and produces the work systems which are both technically efficient and have social characteristics which lead to high job satisfaction; and job satisfaction as the attainment of a good fit between what the employee is seeking from his work-and his job needs, expectations and aspirations-and what he is required to do in his job-the organisational job requirements which mould his experience(Avison and Fitzgerald, 1995). To determine the concept of fit is used to describe the job satisfaction in five fields: Firstly, knowledge fit as a good fit lives when employees should accept that their skills are being adequately utilized and their knowledge being improved to make them efficiently; Physical fit is the second area that means; job must suitable for the employee status, encouragement of the progress and work interest; thirdly efficiency fit, it composed of the effort-reward bargain, work controls and supervisory controls; fourthly the task structured fit, that measures the level to the employees task are considered as being fulfilling and demanding; and the final area is ethical fit, this is also represents social value fit and determines whether the employer organisation be compatible with values of employee(Avison and Fitzgerald 1995). Ethics is a methodology that based on human participation and socio technical character. The Ethics design group consist of users, managers and technical experts. The objective of this methodology helps the design group in the way of identifying and formulating the problem, and also it will set objectives and develop alternatives, and allow other actions like implementing and evaluating new system. It aims to construct the computer based system that provides job satisfaction and achieve the efficiency needs of the organisation (Jayaratna, 1994). During this development, the importance placed on both the human and social and the technical views of the system. Users formulate social alternatives to improve job satisfaction, and experts formulate technical alternatives to improve business efficiency. The above aspects are emphasis to identify the best socio-technical fit under the common cost, resource and other environment constraints (Wong, 2001). Here, the ETHICS steps are executed by the design group: Why change? By enquiring about the problem situation of the current system, design group try to get objective through regular meetings and some discussions to answer the question: why do we need to change. This step gives clear reasons about why the changing system needed (Mumford, 1993). System Boundaries. The design team tries to identify the boundaries of the system and also how it is interfaces with other system. Description of Existing System. This step aims to educate the design group to know how the existing system works. Everyone in this group has more comprehensible of previous system before moving to the new system. 4, 5 and 6 Definition of the key objectives, tasks and information needs. Identify the key objectives for the design groups; the task required to achieve these objectives and information is needed to carry out the tasks. 7. Diagnosis of Efficiency Needs. The design group tries to identify the weak link in the system and that is to be documented. These are main reason for errors. Everyone outside the team help to identify the efficiency need. This could be the opportunity for the team to get involved in the development process. 8. Diagnosis of Job Satisfaction Needs. This is achieved by the standard questionnaire given in the ETHICS methodology. As we know earlier ETHICS is a human-cantered method for others to gain the job satisfaction. The design team tries to identify people needs and also ways to increase satisfaction by using ETHICS questionnaire. This questionnaire covers knowledge fit, physical fit, efficiency fit, task structured fit and ethical fit. 9. Future Analysis The new system need to be designed in the way that apart from just being better from previous system, it should also be able to cope with future changes that may occur in the technological, business and organisation or fashion. 10. Specifying and weighting Efficiency and Job Satisfaction Needs and Objectives Mumford identifies that this is the key step for the whole methodology. Objectives are set according to the diagnosis results of the three previous steps. It can be very difficult task and must involve everyone in the organisation. 11. Organizational Design of the New System. This is the logical and conceptual design of the new system. It should be performed in parallel with next step. The output of this step is detailed about the organizational changes which are needed for the job efficiency and satisfaction objectives. 12. Technical Options. The physical design has been taken by this step for new system. There are some various technical systems like hardware, software and GUI would be investigated and evaluated. By end of this step, most suitable one helps to achieve target of the project and job satisfaction. 13. Preparation of Detailed Design Work. In this step the selected system is designed in detail. The previous documentation is recorded and groups are defined, tasks, responsibilities are allocated and finally relationships are created. 14. Implementation. This is the important step of the development project. The design group now applies the success implementation of design. This connects closely to planning the implementation process in detail. 15. Evaluation. After the successful implementation, the system is assured it is meeting its main objectives, particularly in relation to efficiency and job satisfaction (Avison and Fitzgerald, 1995, Mumford, 1993). Mumford recognizes that implementing this methodology is not an easy one; also she is making the addition point that participative may not work at the powerful situations where the objectives of the system have as a part of the reduction of cost and redundancies. Aylors and Myers suggest that participation may be achieved will be dependent on culture and politics of the organisation more than individuals (Avison and Taylor, 1995). However, many organizations are trying to establish the participation approach in flexible and more useful manner. The comparison between two methodologies (SSADM ETHICS): As we said in the introduction before, we will do comparison between two methodologies mentioned above by using NIMSAD (Normative Information Model-Based System Analysis and Design) framework. These methodologies are compared in detail by using the different steps. This framework consists of three steps and one of the steps contains eight stages fewer than three phases and all the stages steps are correctly evaluated. The steps and stages of the framework will be explained below, The Problem Situation (the methodology context). The Intended Problem Solver (the methodology user). The Problem Solving Process (the methodology). Phase 1- Problem Formation: Stage 1- Understanding the situation of concern. Stage 2- Performing the diagnosis. Stage 3- Defining the prognosis outline. Stage 4- Defining Problem Stage 5- Deriving notional systems. Phase 2- Solution Design: Stage 6- Performing the conceptual/logical design. Stage 7- Performing the physical design. Phase 3- Design Implementation Stage 8- Implementation of design. Evaluation. Problem Situation: This framework will be involved with clients and defines different between the action world and thinking world. This step explains that the problem situation lives in only on action world but the problem solving situation will be in both world. A diagrammatic model cannot catch the elements of an organisation, but they could be used to clarify the concepts and components. This clearly tells that the problem solvers own knowledge and skills will not help to understand the problem situation unless he/she know the organisational language (Jayaratna). In Ethics, the problem situation of the existing system is clearly analysed through the regular meetings and proper discussion. This step could be a main cause for the system change plan. The boundaries of the system have been identified by the design group and also they try to determine how boundaries are connected and communicated with other system (Mumford, 1993).When compare to Ethics, SSADM investigate and study about the problem situation and they will confirm the position from user. These results are explained by the data flow diagram Diagram of problem solving situation: Intended Problem Solver: The intended problem solver is who originate within the organisation or outside of it. We have begun to discuss about the agreement of role and the act of forming relationship to be effective. The NIMSAD framework explains that the intended problem solver adds the single man component to the process and their Mental Construct is used. In Ethics, after the analysis process, this step shows that the design group is been educated about the problem which will make them clear view of the existing problem situation. The main aim of the problem solver is to achieve the job satisfaction and efficiency needs. But in SSADM, the problem solver is fully trained and skilled. They will not get any advice like Ethics and have to understand the problem and find the solution of their own. Diagram for the intended problem solver: Problem Solving Process: NIMSAD defines three important phases and eight detailed stages in this step and can be applicable for any problem solving process. This framework cannot be assumed and this should be achieved at the right time. This methodology could be structured process to alter transformation from current situation to the desired situation. Phase 1.Problem Formulation: Stage1.Understanding the Situation of concern: Understanding the problem is fully based on each one of our mental construct. This stage will build boundaries to determine the field of interest and clear communication of boundaries to avoid danger and this focused on investigation and establish concerned situation. In Ethics as mentioned above, the problem situation is identified. After that the boundaries are set accordingly for evaluating the problem. Then the designer will start gathering the points to solve a problem. In SSADM, the problem is been assumed as a data flow diagram and this will be used to solve the problems. So they will start making points to evaluate the problems. Stage2.Perfoming the Diagnosis: Diagnosis is clearly communicated expression of understanding and that is gained from investigating the problem situation. This is a static expression and also identified by the tool for problem solver or prescribed by the methodology. Mental construct and situation concern are the dynamic process of the expression. Action World cannot be represented by only in diagrammatic way but, it can be a certain priority for the problem solver. In Ethics, diagnosis is to identify the weak link which creates errors and make a document of them for future use. The weak links are the reasons for errors in the system. Everyone from outside can help to determine the efficiency needs. This will be an opportunity for them to get involve. Ethics is human-centered method and its aims to get job satisfaction from each of the employers. A new system should be developed or designed for to cope with the future changes. Diagnosis is a big opportunity for the whole management to get involve for the result (Mumford, 1993). In SSADM, the developers have not been advised or educated to cope the problem situation. The designers should know what the system actually need and they should study and decide about problem. The designers will keep the current records and previous documents Stage3. Defining the prognosis outline: Prognosis pointed a diagrammatically by various outline shape and also it is a desired situation. The prognosis outline compares the current situation with desired situation for to identify the problem. This stays only in outline rather than elaborated. It is presented in few methodologies because, this is an intellectual and political skills. Ethics problem situation has been done in various outlines, and the designers will get feedback from others or inside of the organisation to handle the situation as much as possible. In SSADM, problem elements of the existing system could be chosen by the user among some options like business. Analyst should design the system requirements for how the users exactly want. Stage4.Defining Problem: After clarifying the before stages rationale, the problem solver can look at the system prevention from moving from current to desired state. It will try to find the explanation of problem statements. This process defines that the problem looks at the mapping of two comprehended states. Jayaratna defined that this process is critical and identify the absence of the aspects and this must be based on some form of questions what and why, not how and whom. In Ethics, the design team tries to determine the way to increase the job satisfaction by asking questions. There are some key steps involved in this step as mentioned in before stage. Everyone from the organization must get involve for the development process. In SSADM, the problem cannot be solved by simply looking and thinking as prognosis does. So result of the feasibility study should be combined by the analyst with business option. Stage5.Deriving Notional Systems: Notional system is achieved after completing the Diagnosis to Prognosis as current to desired situation by mapping for to defeat the identified problems and alter the transformation. This model allows the structured problem situation and that can be unstructured or ill-structured and this may be difficult to find. In Ethics, prefers no diagrammatic representation for the changing process. All the design group and analyst will be educated and advised properly for the development process to get good results (Mumford, 1983). SSADM, it is a validating necessary step for the user. The data flow diagrams are used to achieve the actual model of the system requirements. There will be priority for the users need and also feedbacks after increasing prototype for next process. Phase2. Solution Design: Stage6.Perfoming the conceptual/logical design: Diagnosis model is basis for the creation or change of structures, roles, task, functions, information and attitudes of the notional system. This stage is also providing a chance for to re-evaluate the previous stage. In this event, the boundary situation and its contents are considered. In Ethics, the job satisfaction is achieved by the modification from result of this stage. This stage will study that, this is been done by the logical design for developing the system. SSADM use the data flow diagrams for all of the logical design techniques. The designers will perform their operation by changing the diagrams according to the requirements and guidelines. This organisation of system checks the requirements for the system development process. Stage7. Performing the Physical Design: The physical design provides the ways and entails of implementing the logical design. It also points that physical constrains and resources available to implement the logical design. The physical design is regarded with two questions to perform, how it could be done and who is going to do this. The criteria of the physical design determine the decision of the appropriate model, such as Efficiency, Reliability, Security, and Accuracy, upgradeability and Availability, etc. In Ethics, this stage is followed by the logical design. It is investigated and evaluated using the hardware, software, and GUI. In order to achieve the design of the system. In SSADM, the physical design checks whether, it reaches the users specification or the needs of the developing system. Then the system is passed to the programmer from the developer and from here the implementation of the system begins. Phase 3.Design Implementation: Stage8.Implementatoin of the design: It is concerned with the organization of the notional system inside the context of the problem situation. The writing code practice and requiring knowledge and skill in itself, is the component of the implementation process. The competence at translating model from thinking world to action world will be the tested in the implementation stage. Ethics plays vital role in the implementation of the design. The design group complete the entire system and produced to user, then gets the feedback from user. If there are any changes in the developed system, they have to restart the entire system. This is considered as a main drawback in this method (Mumford, 1993). When compare to Ethics, SSADM is well organised, because in this methodology the design group explains the system in each and every stage and then proceed to the forthcoming stages. Evaluation: The entire purpose of NIMSAD framework is evaluating all the methodologies. Evaluation is nothing but asking question, so this framework concerned with the user for to ask questions from the first three steps for the evaluation process. Then the problem solver will ask questions related to the problem situation, then their own the mental construct and experience will be taken for the evaluation. In Ethics, this is the final step of the methodology after completing the implementation part. This evaluation process checks whether the system is achieved the job satisfaction and efficiency needs which is the main objectives of the system. When compare to the Ethics, SSADM does not give more importance to this stage, because it will get feedbacks from the user at each and every stage. Conclusion: There are lot of essential differences between the SSADM and ETHICS as we have looked in the previous sections. The ETHICS methodology aims to attain balance between the designers and available technologies. It provides good opportunity for the developers to work in flexible, highly co-operative environment. Some people believe that ETHICS is impractical because, unskilled cannot design in the right manner and management never take that. The socio-technical approach is the solution for problem situation. As we discussed earlier, ETHICS will not be the right solution like other methodologies, it has both negatives and limitations. The people should trust themselves and try to learn the system to achieve great job efficiency. Every organization attains the profit and business objectives by the combination of job satisfaction and job efficiency. As we discussed earlier, SSADM is a structured subsystem and this will be one of the main reason for easy understanding and studying the system and also causes for well-defined subsystems. The final users and developers can understand the exact definitions through diagrams and models. SSADM is a growing development method and it helps to distinguish the physical and logical parts of the design. The final users of the SSADM involves in the development process. It gives an idea about to use different techniques of this framework such as how, why, when, and where. It gives three various system views for the developers (Ashworth et al, 1990).

The Great Gatsby :: F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby and the 1920’s Alcohol was banned in every state, the Woman’s Right Movement flooded cities and The Great Gatsby was published. What do all of these things have in common? All of these events made up one decade, the 1920’s. None of these ’radical’ events were present during World War 1; life was very different and changed in a short amount of time. The â€Å"20’s† were a time of free will and revolution. Great examples of these events are told in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald which will help to view the differences in the social changes before and after the war. Law enforcement was not stable during the 1920’s. In The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby were on the way to meet Jay’s business partner, Wolfshiem, when they were stopped by a police officer. â€Å"All right, old sport,† called Gatsby. We slowed down. Taking a white card from his wallet, he waved it before the man’s eyes. â€Å"Right you are,† agreed the policeman, tipping his cap. â€Å"Know you next time, Mr. Gatsby. Excuse ME (Fitzgerald 46)!† Before World War 1, Jay would have gotten a ticket. Instead of the policeman giving Jay a ticket, Jay flashed him a white piece of paper and the police officer apologized for interrupting Jay Gatsby and left. This is an example of â€Å"crooked cops† in the 1920’s. The police officer did not fulfill his duties, but instead let Jay go because Jay had some sort of authority over the officer. Police officers often abused their authority in the 1920’s. People were often beat by cops that had a different opinion than others. Police officers broke the law by going to illegal speakeasies and drinking because according to the 21st and 18th amendments, alcohol was prohibited during this time. In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby is a main character. Jay is a man with a lot of money and no one knows how he came to be so rich. Jay claims to have gotten a large inheritance, but most people believe he was a bootlegger. â€Å"He’s a bootlegger,† said the young ladies, moving somewhere between his cocktails and flowers (Fitzgerald 41). A bootlegger is a person who smuggled alcohol around the United States during prohibition. This is how many people made money during this time. Bootlegging and organized crime went hand-in-hand in the 1920’s. â€Å"Finest specimens of human molars,† he informed me (Fitzgerald 48).

Gender and Sport Socialization Essay -- Papers

Gender and Sport Socialization Socialization is a life long process whereby the individual learns the appropriate roles and norms of behaviour within a particular society. From birth, children are socialised into sex-linked roles; in many instances males are expected to behave in a ‘masculine’ way and are encouraged to be involved in activities, such as sport, that are traditionally regarded as male. Women however are usually expected to behave in a ‘feminine’ manner; a vast contrast to the encouragement of males to be strong, powerful, forceful and aggressive. This is reflected in women’s participation in sport, and more importantly, their coverage in the print media, which is minimal in comparison to their male counterparts. Sport holds a significant place in our society. However women’s sport coverage suffers due to the positioning in newspapers, with their sporting stories often placed at the bottom of pages or at the inner, most inaccessible pages of the sports section. Women are often described in ways that stress weakness, passivity and insignificance, and in ways that...

Emerson - Self - Reliance :: Free Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Ralph Waldo Emerson’s â€Å"Self-Reliance†, he states that being an individual comes from trusting yourself and being honest with the person you are inside. He describes how a person is and becomes an individual by explaining all the different parts that consist of an individual.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To be an individual you have to have trust in yourself. You need to accept the person that you truly are inside. Everyone is born possessing everything they need to become an individual; you just need to learn how to utilize the things you have. Without trust in yourself you cannot be an individual.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An individual must be a non-conformist. There is no one who can tell you what is wrong or right. What is right, are things that follow your own beliefs and values, and what is wrong are the things that are against them. If the rest of the world sees your actions as wrong, it shouldn’t matter as long as what you do is true to yourself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The actions you take should be the only things your concerned with, and not what other people think around you. Knowing this is the difference from being a great man and an inferior one because there will always be people who think they know what is best for you. It is easy to follow the trends of the world and it is just as easy to be an individual all by yourself. The difficult task to accomplish is to be an individual among the people of the world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ridicule and criticism from others should not affect you. Their ridiculing will come and go, but what you do and what you think will stay with you forever. They are not the ones that need to live with your decisions, so they shouldn’t affect they way you make them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Everyone expects people to be consistent. To be consistent is to be predictable, which is exactly what people want.

The Character of Friar Lawrence in the Drama Romeo and Juliet

In the drama Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Friar Lawrence is a kind, knowledgeable, peacekeeping, and wise character. He also acts as a foil to the Montaques, Capulets, and the nurse. He is a priest to both the Montaque and Capulet houses. He is a well-liked person in the town of Verona. The Friar is a positive figure in the community and serves as a good role model for the children of Verona. Friar Lawrence is wise, educated kind, and peace loving. When Romeo comes to tell Friar Lawrence about his engagement the Friar offers many wise pieces of advice. Such as when he says that young men†s love lies in their eyes he means for Romeo to make sure he loves Juliet for who she is and not how she looks. He also tells Romeo that women may fall when there is no strength in men. This means that if he is not stable and constant Juliet may become inconstant herself. His knowledge of Greek mythology and his great understanding of plants show Friar Lawrence†s high level of education. When he is collecting plants in the beginning of scene three he speaks of the Greek god Titan. His reference to Titan shows he has had some background in mythology. Friar Lawrence also has a vast knowledge of plants and flowers. Friar Lawrence grows a magnificent garden which he tends to during the time in which he is not fulfilling his church duties. He speaks to Romeo about a plant that can be used for healing or as poison. This discussion leads into a speech by Friar Lawrence about people having a good side and a bad side like the flower he spoke of. This suggests that he has a background in philosophy. The friar is also very kind and peace loving. He is speaks to Romeo as if they are best friends and Romeo seems to really enjoy being around the friar. They laugh, joke, and discuss Romeo†s love life showing that Romeo is very comfortable around the friar. The friar is an all-around good guy. In the drama Friar Lawrence acts as a foil to both the Capulets and the Montaques. The two houses show no signs of attempting to make peace with one another they don†t even seem to really know what their feud is about. Friar Lawrence states that he hopes the marriage of Romeo and Juliet will bring an end to their quarrel. Friar Lawrence is happy for the couple and wishes them well, he even agrees to marry them. The two families would have certainly forbid the marriage in the first place. They despise each other and letting their children get married would be the furthest thing from their minds. Every time the Capulets and the Montaques see each other their first impulse is to fight whereas the friar is trying to bring an end to all the bloodshed and turmoil by marrying Romeo and Juliet. The two houses have no regard for public safety or rules they have had three major street brawls, which resulted in injury or death for citizens of Verona. The Friar however is always trying to keep peace in the public. The two families should try to be more like the friar and settle their dispute. Friar Lawrence also serves as a foil to the nurse she has an awful dialect, shoes no signs of high education, and does not discuss proper subjects. The nurse has a terrible dialect. She uses many words to express an idea that could be expressed in one or two. She will add or remove words as she pleases. For example she will say things like cock†rel, fall†st, or rememb†red. The friar on the other hand is very articulate. He can get his message across using few words and he speaks very eloquently. The friar obviously has a huge vocabulary. The nurse†s speech also brings up another issue her lack of education. If the nurse had any form of higher level education she would be much more concise in her speaking. The friar has obviously had some higher education because of his huge vocabulary and his vast knowledge of plants and his philosophical discussions. The nurse does not discuss subjects that would be considered proper. When she is speaking to Romeo she talks about Juliet†s large dowry. This is not something that would be discussed in fourteenth century. Friar Lawrence has never discussed anything that would be considered improper and has always seemed to have a polite manner about him. The difference between the nurse and the friar is like night and day. Friar Lawrence is definitely educated, wise, kind, and knowledgeable. He shows it over and over again in the play. He is undoubtedly a foil to the Capulets, Montaques, and the nurse. The friar is a well-respected member of the community and a spiritual leader. He is a one-of-a-kind character and the town of Verona would indefinitely suffer without him.

Banking Project

INTRODUCTION & HISTORY OF BANKING BANKING [pic] Introduction India cannot have a healthy economy without a sound and effective banking system. The banking system should be hassle free and able to meet the new challenges posed by technology and other factors, both internal and external. In the past three decades, India's banking system has earned several outstanding achievements to its credit. The most striking is its extensive reach. It is no longer confined to metropolises or cities in India.In fact, Indian banking system has reached even to the remote corners of the country. This is one of the main aspects of India's growth story. The government's regulation policy for banks has paid rich dividends with the nationalization of 14 major private banks in 1969. Banking today has become convenient and instant, with the account holder not having to wait for hours at the bank counter for getting a draft or for withdrawing money from his account. Banking in India  in the modern sense ori ginated in the last decades of the 18th century.The first banks were The General Bank of India, which started in 1786, and Bank of Hindustan, which started in 1770; both are now defunct. The oldest bank still in existence in India is the  State Bank of India, which originated in the  Bank of Calcutta  in June 1806, which almost immediately became the  Bank of Bengal. This was one of the three presidency banks, the other two being the  Bank of Bombay  and the  Bank of Madras, all three of which were established under charters from the  British East India Company. For many years the presidency banks acted as quasi-central banks, as did their successors.The three banks merged in 1921 to form the  Imperial Bank of India, which, upon India's independence, became the  State Bank of India  in 1955. 1. History of Banking in India The first bank in India, though conservative, was established in 1786. From 1786 till today, the journey of Indian Banking System can be segr egated into three distinct phases: †¢ Early phase of Indian banks, from 1786 to 1969 †¢ Nationalization of banks and the banking sector reforms, from 1969 to 1991 †¢ New phase of Indian banking system, with the reforms after 1991 Phase1The first bank in India, the General Bank of India, was set up in 1786. Bank of Hindustan and Bengal Bank followed. The East India Company established Bank of Bengal (1809), Bank of Bombay (1840), and Bank of Madras (1843) as independent units and called them Presidency banks. These three banks were amalgamated in 1920 and the Imperial Bank of India, a bank of private shareholders, mostly Europeans, was established. Allahabad Bank was established, exclusively by Indians, in 1865. Punjab National Bank was set up in 1894 with headquarters in Lahore.Between 1906 and 1913, Bank of India, Central Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank, Indian Bank, and Bank of Mysore were set up. The Reserve Bank of India came in 1935. During the first p hase, the growth was very slow and banks also experienced periodic failures between 1913 and 1948. There were approximately 1,100 banks, mostly small. To streamline the functioning and activities of commercial banks, the Government of India came up with the Banking Companies Act, 1949, which was later changed to the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 as per amending Act of 1965 (Act No. 3 of 1965). The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was vested with extensive powers for the supervision of banking in India as the Central banking authority. During those days, the general public had lesser confidence in banks. As an aftermath, deposit mobilization was slow. Moreover, the savings bank facility provided by the Postal department was comparatively safer, and funds were largely given to traders. Phase2 The government took major initiatives in banking sector reforms after Independence.In 1955, it nationalized the Imperial Bank of India and started offering extensive banking facilities, especially in r ural and semi-urban areas. The government constituted the State Bank of India to act as the principal agent of the RBI and to handle banking transactions of the Union government and state governments all over the country. Seven banks owned by the Princely states were nationalized in 1959 and they became subsidiaries of the State Bank of India. In 1969, 14 commercial banks in the country were nationalized. In the second phase of banking sector reforms, seven more banks were nationalized in 1980.With this, 80 percent of the banking sector in India came under the government ownership. Phase3 This phase has introduced many more products and facilities in the banking sector as part of the reforms process. In 1991, under the chairmanship of M Narasimham, a committee was set up, which worked for the liberalization of banking practices. Now, the country is flooded with foreign banks and their ATM stations. Efforts are being put to give a satisfactory service to customers. Phone banking and net banking are introduced. The entire system became more convenient and swift.Time is given importance in all money transactions. The financial system of India has shown a great deal of resilience. It is sheltered from crises triggered by external macroeconomic shocks, which other East Asian countries often suffered. This is all due to a flexible exchange rate regime, the high foreign exchange reserve, the not-yet fully convertible capital account, and the limited foreign exchange exposure of banks and their customers. In ancient India there is evidence of loans from the  Vedic period  (beginning 1750 BC).Later during the  Maurya dynasty  (321 to 185 BC), an instrument called adesha was in use, which was an order on a banker desiring him to pay the money of the note to a third person, which corresponds to the definition of a bill of exchange as we understand it today. During the Buddhist period, there was considerable use of these instruments. Merchants in large towns gave letters of credit to one another. Colonial era During the colonial era merchants in  Calcutta  established the Union Bank in 1839, but it failed in 1840 as a consequence of the economic crisis of 1848-49.The  Allahabad Bank, established in 1865 and still functioning today, is the oldest  Joint Stock bank  in India, it was not the first though. That honor belongs to the Bank of Upper India, which was established in 1863, and which survived until 1913, when it failed, with some of its assets and liabilities being transferred to the  Alliance Bank of Shimla. Foreign banks too started to appear, particularly in  Calcutta, in the 1860s. The  Comptoir d'Escompte de Paris  opened a branch in Calcutta in 1860, and another in  Bombay  in 1862; branches in  Madras  and  Pondicherry, then a French possession, followed. HSBCestablished itself in  Bengal  in 1869.Calcutta was the most active trading port in India, mainly due to the trade of the  British Empire, and so became a banking center. The first entirely Indian joint stock bank was the Oudh Commercial Bank, established in 1881 in  Faizabad. It failed in 1958. The next was the  Punjab National Bank, established in  Lahore  in 1895, which has survived to the present and is now one of the largest banks in India. Around the turn of the 20th Century, the Indian economy was passing through a relative period of stability. Around five decades had elapsed since the  Indian Mutiny, and the social, industrial and other infrastructure had improved.Indians had established small banks, most of which served particular ethnic and religious communities. The presidency banks dominated banking in India but there were also some exchange banks and a number of Indian  joint stock  banks. All these banks operated in different segments of the economy. The exchange banks, mostly owned by Europeans, concentrated on financing foreign trade. Indian joint stock banks were generally under capitaliz ed and lacked the experience and maturity to compete with the presidency and exchange banks.This segmentation let Lord Curzon to observe,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"In respect of banking it seems we are behind the times. We are like some old fashioned sailing ship, divided by solid wooden bulkheads into separate and cumbersome compartments. † The period between 1906 and 1911, saw the establishment of banks inspired by the  Swadeshi  movement. The Swadeshi movement inspired local businessmen and political figures to found banks of and for the Indian community. A number of banks established then have survived to the present such as  Bank of India,  Corporation Bank,  Indian Bank,  Bank of Baroda,  Canara Bank  and  Central Bank of India.The fervour of Swadeshi movement lead to establishing of many private banks in  Dakshina Kannada  and  Udupi district  which were unified earlier and known by the name  South Canara  ( South Kanara ) district. Four nationalised banks started in this district and also a leading private sector bank. Hence undivided Dakshina Kannada district is known as â€Å"Cradle of Indian Banking†. During the  First World War  (1914–1918) through the end of the  Second World War  (1939–1945), and two years thereafter until the independence  of India were challenging for Indian banking.The years of the First World War were turbulent, and it took its toll with banks simply collapsing despite the  Indian economy  gaining indirect boost due to war-related economic activities. At least 94 banks in India failed between 1913 and 1918 as indicated in the following table: |Years |Number of banks |Authorised capital |Paid-up Capital | | |that failed |(Rs. Lakhs) |(Rs.Lakhs) | |1913 |12 |274 |35 | |1914 |42 |710 |109 | |1915 |11 |56 |5 | |1916 |13 |231 |4 | |1917 |9 |76 |25 | |1918 |7 |209 |1 | Post-Independence The  partition of India  in 1947 adversely impacted the economies of  Punjab  and  West Bengal, paralyzing banking activities for months. India's  independence  marked the end of a regime of the  Laissez-faire  for the Indian banking. The  Government of India  initiated measures to play an active role in the economic life of the nation, and the Industrial Policy Resolution adopted by the government in 1948 envisaged a  mixed economy. This resulted into greater involvement of the state in different segments of the economy including banking and finance.The major steps to regulate banking included: ? The  Reserve Bank of India, India's central banking authority, was established in April 1935, but was nationalized on January 1, 1949 under the terms of the Reserve Bank of India (Transfer to Public Ownership) Act, 1948 (RBI, 2005b). ? In 1949, the Banking Regulation Act was enacted which empowered the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) â€Å"to regulate, control, and inspect the banks in India†. ? The Banking Regulation Act also provided that no new ban k or branch of an existing bank could be opened without a license from the RBI, and no two banks could have common directors. Nationalization in the 1960sDespite the provisions, control and regulations of  Reserve Bank of India, banks in India except the  State Bank of India  or SBI, continued to be owned and operated by private persons. By the 1960s, the Indian banking industry had become an important tool to facilitate the development of the  Indian economy. At the same time, it had emerged as a large employer, and a debate had ensued about the nationalization of the banking industry. Indra Gandhi, then  Prime Minister of India, expressed the intention of the  Government of India  in the annual conference of the All India Congress Meeting in a paper entitled  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Stray thoughts on Bank Nationalization. †Ã‚  The meeting received the paper with enthusiasm. Thereafter, her move was swift and sudden.The Government of India issued an ordinance (‘Banking C ompanies (Acquisition and Transfer of Undertakings) Ordinance, 1969')) and nationalized  the 14 largest commercial banks with effect from the midnight of July 19, 1969. These banks contained 85 percent of bank deposits in the country. [5]  Jayaprakash Narayan, a national leader of India, described the step as a  Ã¢â‚¬Å"masterstroke of political sagacity. †Ã‚  Within two weeks of the issue of the ordinance, the Parliament  passed the Banking Companies (Acquisition and Transfer of Undertaking) Bill, and it received the  presidential  approval on 9 August 1969. A second dose of nationalization of 6 more commercial banks followed in 1980.The stated reason for the nationalization was to give the government more control of credit delivery. With the second dose of nationalization, the Government of India controlled around 91% of the banking business of India. Later on, in the year 1993, the government merged  New Bank of India  with  Punjab National Bank. It was the only merger between nationalized banks and resulted in the reduction of the number of nationalized banks from 20 to 19. After this, until the 1990s, the nationalized banks grew at a pace of around 4%, closer to the average growth rate of the Indian economy. Liberalization in the 1990s In the early 1990s, the then  Narasimha Rao  government embarked on a policy of  liberalization, licensing a small number of private banks.These came to be known as  New Generation tech-savvy banks, and included Global Trust Bank (the first of such new generation banks to be set up), which later amalgamated with Oriental Bank of Commerce,  UTI Bank  (since renamed  Axis Bank),  ICICI Bank  and  HDFC Bank. This move, along with the rapid growth in the  economy of India, revitalized the banking sector in India, which has seen rapid growth with strong contribution from all the three sectors of banks, namely, government banks, private banks and foreign banks. The next stage for the I ndian banking has been set up with the proposed relaxation in the norms for Foreign Direct Investment, where all Foreign Investors in banks may be given voting rights which could exceed the present cap of 10%,at present it has gone up to 74% with some restrictions. The new policy shook the Banking sector in  India  completely.Bankers, till this time, were used to the 4-6-4 method (Borrow at 4%; Lend at 6%; Go home at 4) of functioning. The new wave ushered in a modern outlook and tech-savvy methods of working for traditional banks. All this led to the retail boom in India. People not just demanded more from their banks but also received more. Current period By 2010, banking in India was generally fairly mature in terms of supply, product range and reach-even though reach in rural India still remains a challenge for the private sector and foreign banks. In terms of quality of assets and capital adequacy, Indian banks are considered to have clean, strong and transparent balance sh eets relative to other banks in comparable economies in its region.The Reserve Bank of India is an autonomous body, with minimal pressure from the government. The stated policy of the Bank on the  Indian Rupee  is to manage volatility but without any fixed exchange rate-and this has mostly been true. With the growth in the Indian economy expected to be strong for quite some time-especially in its services sector-the demand for banking services, especially  retail banking, mortgages and investment services are expected to be strong. One may also expect M, takeovers, and asset sales. In March 2006, the Reserve Bank of India allowed  Warburg Pincus  to increase its stake in  Kotak Mahindra Bank  (a private sector bank) to 10%.This is the first time an investor has been allowed to hold more than 5% in a private sector bank since the RBI announced norms in 2005 that any stake exceeding 5% in the private sector banks would need to be vetted by them. In recent years critics h ave charged that the non-government owned banks are too aggressive in their loan recovery efforts in connection with housing, vehicle and personal loans. There are press reports that the banks' loan recovery efforts have driven defaulting borrowers to suicide. State Bank of India & Its Subordinates [pic] 1. Introduction State Bank of India  (SBI) is a  banking  and  financial services  company based in India.It is a  state-owned  corporation with its headquarters in  Mumbai, Maharashtra. As of March 2012, it had assets of  US$360 billion and 14,119 branches, including 157 foreign offices in 32 countries across the globe making it the largest banking and financial services company in India. The bank traces its ancestry to  British India, through the  Imperial Bank of India, to the founding in 1806 of the  Bank of Calcutta, making it the oldest commercial bank in the Indian Subcontinent. Bank of Madras merged into the other two presidencies banks—Bank of Calcutta and Bank of Bombay—to form the Imperial Bank of India, which in turn became the State Bank of India.The  Government of India  nationalized the Imperial Bank of India in 1955, with the  Reserve Bank of India  taking a 60% stake, and renamed it the State Bank of India. In 2008, the government took over the stake held by the Reserve Bank of India. SBI has been ranked 285th in the  Fortune Global 500  rankings of the world's biggest corporations for the year 2012. SBI provides a range of banking products through its network of branches in India and overseas, including products aimed at  non-resident Indians  (NRIs). SBI has 14 regional hubs and 57 Zonal Offices that are located at important cities throughout the country. SBI is a regional banking behemoth and has 20% market share in deposits and loans among Indian commercial banks.The State Bank of India was named the 29th most reputed company in the world according to  Forbes  2009 rankings and was the only bank featured in the â€Å"top 10 brands of India† list in an annual survey conducted by  Brand Finance  and  The Economic Times  in 2010. History The roots of the State Bank of India lie in the first decade of 19th century, when the  Bank of Calcutta, later renamed the  Bank of Bengal, was established on 2 June 1806. The Bank of Bengal was one of three Presidency banks, the other two being the  Bank of Bombay (incorporated on 15 April 1840) and the  Bank of Madras  (incorporated on 1 July 1843). All three Presidency banks were incorporated as  joint stock companies  and were the result of the  royal charters. These three banks received the exclusive right to issue paper currency till 1861 when with the Paper Currency Act; the right was taken over by the Government of India.The Presidency banks amalgamated on 27 January 1921, and the re-organized banking entity took as its name  Imperial Bank of India. The Imperial Bank of India remained a j oint stock company but without Government participation. Pursuant to the provisions of the State Bank of India Act of 1955, the  Reserve Bank of India, which is  India's central bank, acquired a controlling interest in the Imperial Bank of India. On 30 April 1955, the Imperial Bank of India became the State Bank of India. The  government of India  recently acquired the Reserve Bank of India's stake in SBI so as to remove any conflict of interest because the RBI is the country's banking regulatory authority.In 1959, the government passed the State Bank of India (Subsidiary Banks) Act, which made eight state banks associates of SBI. A process of consolidation began on 13 September 2008, when the  State Bank of Saurashtra  merged with SBI. SBI has acquired local banks in rescues. The first was the Bank of Behar (est. 1911), which SBI acquired in 1969, together with its 28 branches. The next year SBI acquired National Bank of Lahore (est. 1942), which had 24 branches. Five y ears later, in 1975, SBI acquired Krishnaram Baldeo Bank, which had been established in 1916 in  Gwalior State, under the patronage of Maharaja  Madho Rao Scindia. The bank had been the Dukan Pichadi, a small moneylender, owned by the Maharaja. The new banks first manager was Jall N. Broacha, a Parsi.In 1985, SBI acquired the Bank of Cochin in  Kerala, which had 120 branches. SBI was the acquirer as its affiliate, theState Bank of Travancore, already had an extensive network in Kerala. 2. Associate banks SBI has five associate banks; all use the State Bank of India logo, which is a blue circle, and all use the â€Å"State Bank of† name, followed by the regional headquarters' name: ? State Bank of Bikaner & Jaipur ? State Bank of Hyderabad ? State Bank of Mysore ? State Bank of Patiala ? State Bank of Travancore Earlier SBI had seven associate banks, all of which had belonged to  princely states  until the government nationalised them between October 1959 and May 196 0.In tune with the first Five Year Plan, which prioritized the development of rural India, the government integrated these banks into State Bank of India system to expand its rural outreach. There has been a proposal to merge all the associate banks into SBI to create a â€Å"mega bank† and streamline the group's operations. The first step towards unification occurred on 13 August 2008 when  State Bank of Saurashtra  merged with SBI, reducing the number of associate state banks from seven to six. Then on 19 June 2009 the SBI board approved the absorption of  State Bank of Indore. SBI holds 98. 3% in State Bank of Indore. (Individuals who held the shares prior to its takeover by the government hold the balance of 1. 77%. ) The acquisition of State Bank of Indore added 470 branches to SBI's existing network of branches.Also, following the acquisition, SBI's total assets will inch very close to the  [pic]10 trillion marks. The total assets of SBI and the  State Bank of Indore  stood at  [pic]9,981,190 million as of March 2009. The process of merging of State Bank of Indore was completed by April 2010, and the SBI Indore branches started functioning as SBI branches on 26 August 2010. Non-banking subsidiaries Apart from its five associate banks, SBI also has the following non-banking subsidiaries: ? SBI Capital Markets  Ltd ? SBI Funds Management Pvt Ltd ? SBI Factors & Commercial Services Pvt Ltd ? SBI Cards  & Payments Services Pvt. Ltd. (SBICPSL) ? SBI DFHI Ltd ? SBI Life Insurance Co. Ltd. ? SBI General InsuranceIn March 2001, SBI (with 74% of the total capital), joined with  BNP Paribas  (with 26% of the remaining capital), to form a joint venture life insurance company named SBI Life Insurance company Ltd. Nowadays, SBI Life Insurance Co. Ltd ranks among the top and most trusted Life Insurance Companies in India and also abroad. In 2004, SBI DFHI Ltd. (DISCOUNT AND FINANCE HOUSE OF INDIA) was founded with its headquarters in MUMBA I, MAHARASHTRA. SBIDFHI Ltd. is a primary dealer that trades in Fixed income securities (treasury bills, state development loans, government securities, non SLR bonds, corporate bonds) and Short Term Money Market instruments (certificates of deposit, commercial papers, inter-corporate deposits, call and money notice deposits).It is an institution formed by RBI to support the book building process in primary auctions of Government securities and to provide necessary depth and liquidity to the secondary market in Government securities. Reserve Bank of India [pic] The  Reserve Bank of India  (RBI) is India's  central banking  institution, which controls the  monetary policy  of the  Indian rupee. It was established on 1 April 1935 during the  British Raj  in accordance with the provisions of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934. The share capital was divided into shares of ? 100 each fully paid which was entirely owned by private shareholders in the beginning. Followin g India's independence in 1947, the RBI was nationalised in the year 1949. The RBI plays an important part in the development strategy of theGovernment of India. It is a member bank of the  Asian Clearing Union.The general superintendence and direction of the RBI is entrusted with the 21-member-strong Central Board of Directors—the  Governor  (currently  Duvvuri Subbarao), four Deputy Governors, two  Finance Ministry  representative, ten Government-nominated Directors to represent important elements from India's economy, and four Directors to represent Local Boards headquartered at Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and New Delhi. Each of these Local Boards consist of five members who represent regional interests, as well as the interests of co-operative and indigenous banks. 1. Structure Central Board of Directors The Central Board of Directors is the main committee of the central bank. The  Government of India  appoints the directors for a four-year term. The Board co nsists of a governor, four deputy governors, fifteen directors to represent the regional boards, one from the Ministry of Finance and ten other directors from various fields. Governors The current Governor of RBI is  Duvvuri Subbarao.The RBI extended the period of the present governor up to 2013. There are four deputy governors. Supportive bodies The Reserve Bank of India has ten regional representations: North in New Delhi, South in Chennai, East in Kolkata and West in Mumbai. The representations are formed by five members, appointed for four years by the central government and serve—beside the advice of the Central Board of Directors—as a forum for regional banks and to deal with delegated tasks from the central board. The institution has 22 regional offices. The  Board of Financial Supervision  (BFS), formed in November 1994, serves as a CCBD committee to control the financial institutions.It has four members, appointed for two years, and takes measures to str ength the role of statutory auditors in the financial sector, external monitoring and internal controlling systems. Offices and branches The Reserve Bank of India has 4 zonal offices. It has 19 regional offices at most state capitals and at a few major cities in India. Few of them are located in  Ahmedabad, Bangalore,  Bhopal,  Bhubaneswar,  Chandigarh,  Chennai,  Delhi,  Guwahati, Hyderabad Jaipur,Jammu,  Kanpur,  Kolkata,  Lucknow,  Mumbai,  Nagpur,  Patna,and  Thiruvananthapuram. Besides it has 09 sub-offices. 2. History 1935–1950 The Reserve Bank of India was founded on 1 April 1935 to respond to economic troubles after the  First World War. It came into picture according to the guidelines laid down by  Dr. Ambedkar.RBI was conceptualized as per the guidelines, working style and outlook presented by Dr Ambedkar in front of the Hilton Young Commission. When this commission came to India under the name of â€Å"Royal Commission on Indian Cur rency & Finance†, each and every member of this commission were holding Dr Ambedkar’s book named â€Å"The Problem of the Rupee – It’s origin and it’s solution. †Ã‚  The Bank was set up based on the recommendations of the 1926 Royal Commission on Indian Currency and Finance, also known as the Hilton–Young Commission. The original choice for the seal of RBI was The East India Company  Double Mohur, with the sketch of the Lion and Palm Tree. However it was decided to replace the lion with the tiger, the national animal of India.The Preamble of the RBI describes its basic functions to regulate the issue of bank notes, keep reserves to secure monetary stability in India, and generally to operate the currency and credit system in the best interests of the country. The Central Office of the RBI was initially established in Calcutta (now Kolkata), but was permanently moved to Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1937. The RBI also acted as Burma's centra l bank, except during the years of the  Japanese occupation of Burma  (1942–45), until April 1947, even though Burma seceded from the Indian Union in 1937. After the  Partition of India  in 1947, the Bank served as the central bank for  Pakistan  until June 1948 when the  State Bank of Pakistan  commenced operations.Though originally set up as a shareholders’ bank, the RBI has been fully owned by the  Government of India  since its nationalization in 1949. 1950–1960 In the 1950s, the Indian government, under its first Prime Minister  Jawaharlal Nehru, developed a centrally planned economic policy that focused on the agricultural sector. The administration nationalized commercial banks and established, based on the Banking Companies Act of 1949 (later called the Banking Regulation Act), a central bank regulation as part of the RBI. Furthermore, the central bank was ordered to support the economic plan with loans. 1960–1969 As a result of bank crashes, the RBI was requested to establish and monitor a deposit insurance system.It should restore the trust in the national bank system and was initialized on 7 December 1961. The Indian government founded funds to promote the economy and used the slogan Developing Banking. The Government of India restructured the national bank market and nationalized a lot of institutes. As a result, the RBI had to play the central part of control and support of this public banking sector. 1969–1985 In 1969, the  Indira Gandhi-headed government nationalized 14 major commercial banks. Upon Gandhi's return to power in 1980, a further six banks were nationalized. The regulation of the economy and especially the financial sector was reinforced by the Government of India in the 1970s and 1980s.The central bank became the central player and increased its policies for a lot of tasks like interests, reserve ratio and visible deposits. These measures aimed at better economic development and had a huge effect on the company policy of the institutes. The banks lent money in selected sectors, like agri-business and small trade companies. The branch was forced to establish two new offices in the country for every newly established office in a town. The  oil crises  in 1973 resulted in increasing  inflation, and the RBI restricted monetary policy to reduce the effects. 1985–1991 A lot of committees analysed the Indian economy between 1985 and 1991. Their results had an effect on the RBI. The  Board for Industrial and FinancialReconstruction, the  Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research  and the  Security & Exchange Board of India  investigated the national economy as a whole, and the security and exchange board proposed better methods for more effective markets and the protection of investor interests. The Indian financial market was a leading example for so-called â€Å"financial repression† (Mackinnon and Shaw). The  Discount a nd Finance House of India  began its operations on the monetary market in April 1988; theNational Housing Bank, founded in July 1988, was forced to invest in the property market and a new financial law improved the versatility of direct deposit by more security measures and liberalisation. 1991–2000 The national economy came down in July 1991 and the Indian rupee was devalued.The currency lost 18% relative to the  US dollar, and the  Narsimahmam Committee  advised restructuring the financial sector by a temporal reduced reserve ratio as well as the statutory liquidity ratio. New guidelines were published in 1993 to establish a private banking sector. This turning point should reinforce the market and was often called  neo-liberal. The central bank deregulated bank interests and some sectors of the financial market like the trust and property markets. This first phase was a success and the central government forced a diversity liberalisation to diversify owner struct ures in 1998. The  National Stock Exchange of India  took the trade on in June 1994 and the RBI allowed nationalized banks in July to interact with the capital market to reinforce their capital base.The central bank founded a subsidiary company—the  Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Limited—in February 1995 to produce banknotes. Since 2000 The  Foreign Exchange Management Act  from 1999 came into force in June 2000. It should improve the foreign exchange market, international investments in India and transactions. The RBI promoted the development of the financial market in the last years, allowedonline banking  in 2001 and established a new payment system in 2004–2005 (National Electronic Fund Transfer). The  Security Printing & Minting Corporation of India Ltd. , a merger of nine institutions, was founded in 2006 and produces banknotes and coins.The national economy's growth rate came down to 5. 8% in the last quarter of 2008–2009  and t he central bank promotes the economic development. Main functions Bank of Issue Under Section 22 of the Reserve Bank of India Act, the Bank has the sole right to issue bank notes of all denominations. The distribution of one rupee notes and coins and small coins all over the country is undertaken by the Reserve Bank as agent of the Government. The Reserve Bank has a separate Issue Department which is entrusted with the issue of currency notes. The assets and liabilities of the Issue Department are kept separate from those of the Banking Department. Monetary authorityThe Reserve Bank of India is the main monetary authority of the country and beside that the central bank acts as the bank of the national and state governments. It formulates implements and monitors the monetary policy as well as it has to ensure an adequate flow of credit to productive sectors. Regulator and supervisor of the financial system The institution is also the regulator and supervisor of the financial system a nd prescribes broad parameters of banking operations within which the country's banking and financial system functions. Its objectives are to maintain public confidence in the system, protect depositors' interest and provide cost-effective banking services to the public.The  Banking Ombudsman Scheme  has been formulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for effective addressing of complaints by bank customers. The RBI controls the monetary supply, monitors economic indicators like the  product and has to decide the design of the rupee banknotes as well as coins. Managerial of exchange control The central bank manages to reach the goals of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999. Objective: to facilitate external trade and payment and promote orderly development and maintenance of foreign exchange market in India. Issuer of currency The bank issues and exchanges or destroys currency notes and coins that are not fit for circulation.The objectives are giving the public adequat e supply of currency of good quality and to provide loans to  commercial banks  to maintain or improve the GDP. The basic objectives of RBI are to issue bank notes, to maintain the currency and credit system of the country to utilize it in its best advantage, and to maintain the reserves. RBI maintains the economic structure of the country so that it can achieve the objective of price stability as well as economic development, because both objectives are diverse in themselves. Banker of Banks RBI also works as a central bank where commercial banks are account holders and can deposit money. RBI maintains banking accounts of all scheduled banks. Commercial banks create credit.It is the duty of the RBI to control the credit through the CRR, bank rate and open market operations. As banker's bank, the RBI facilitates the clearing of cheques between the commercial banks and helps inter-bank transfer of funds. It can grant financial accommodation to schedule banks. It acts as the lende r of the last resort by providing emergency advances to the banks. It supervises the functioning of the commercial banks and take action against it if need arises. Detection of Fake currency In order to curb the fake currency menace, RBI has launched a website to raise awareness among masses about fake notes in the market. [pic] [pic] Policy rates and reserve ratiosBank Rate RBI lends to the commercial banks through its discount window to help the banks meet depositor’s demands and reserve requirements for long term. The Interest rate the RBI charges the banks for this purpose is called bank rate. If the RBI wants to increase the liquidity and money supply in the market, it will decrease the bank rate and if RBI wants to reduce the liquidity and money supply in the system, it will increase the bank rate. As of 25 June 2012 the bank rate was 8. 0%. latest bank rate is 7. 75% as on 29/01/2013. Reserve requirement cash reserve ratio (CRR) Every commercial bank has to keep certai n minimum cash reserves with RBI.Consequent upon amendment to sub-Section 42(1), the Reserve Bank, having regard to the needs of securing the monetary stability in the country, RBI can prescribe Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) for scheduled banks without any floor rate or ceiling rate, [Before the enactment of this amendment, in terms of  Section 42(1) of the RBI Act, the Reserve Bank could prescribe CRR for scheduled banks between 5% and 20% of total of their demand and time liabilities]. RBI uses this tool to increase or decrease the reserve requirement depending on whether it wants to effect a decrease or an increase in the money supply. An increase in Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) will make it mandatory on the part of the banks to hold a large proportion of their deposits in the form of deposits with the RBI. This will reduce the size of their deposits and they will lend less. This will in turn decrease the money supply. The current rate is 4. 75%. ( As a Reduction in CRR by 0. 25% as on Date- 17 September 2012). -25 basis points cut in Cash ReserveRatio(CRR) on 17 September 2012, It will release Rs 17,000 crore into the system/Market. The RBI lowered the CRR by 25 basis points to 4. 25% on 30 October 2012, a move it said would inject about 175 billion rupees into the banking system in order to pre-empt potentially tightening liquidity. The latest CRR as on 29/01/13 is 4% Statutory Liquidity ratio (SLR) Apart from the CRR, banks are required to maintain liquid assets in the form of gold, cash and approved securities. Higher liquidity ratio forces commercial banks to maintain a larger proportion of their resources in liquid form and thus reduces their capacity to grant loans and advances, thus it is an anti-inflationary impact.A higher liquidity ratio diverts the bank funds from loans and advances to investment in government and approved securities. IN OTHER WORDS ITS A TOOL SIMILAR TO CRR BUT AT HIGHER RATIO In well-developed economies, central banks use open market operations—buying and selling of eligible securities by central bank in the money market—to influence the volume of cash reserves with commercial banks and thus influence the volume of loans and advances they can make to the commercial and industrial sectors. In the open money market, government securities are traded at market related rates of interest. The RBI is resorting more to open market operations in the more recent years.Generally RBI uses three kinds of selective credit controls: 1. Minimum margins for lending against specific securities. 2. Ceiling on the amounts of credit for certain purposes. 3. Discriminatory rate of interest charged on certain types of advances. Direct credit controls in India are of three types: 1. Part of the interest rate structure i. e. on small savings and provident funds, are administratively set. 2. Banks are mandatory required to keep 23% of their deposits in the form of government securities. 3. Banks are required to lend to the priority sectors to the extent of 40% of their advances. Punjab State Co-Operative Bank [pic] 1. Introduction [pic]Welcome to  The Punjab State Cooperative Bank Ltd. (PSCB) Experience a whole new Era of Banking Technology. Where banking is made easier and convenient for our customers. The Punjab State Cooperative Bank provides you with the New Generation banking architecture to progress in the future in an evolutionary manner. Punjab State Cooperative Bank (PSCB) is customer centric. 2. History The Punjab State Cooperative Bank was established on 31st August, 1949 at Shimla vide registration No. 720 has a principle financing institution of the cooperative movement in Punjab. In 1951 its Head Office was shifted to Jalandhar from where it moved in 1963 to its present building at Chandigarh.In the cooperative Banking structure, the position of the Punjab State Cooperative Bank is extremely important as the whole credit system revolves around it. It has 19 branches and 1 extension co unters in Chandigarh. There are 20 District Central Cooperative Banks having 804 branches all over Punjab, mostly in rural areas of the State. 3. Profile |THE PUNJAB STATE COOPERATIVE BANK LTD. CHANDIGARH | |ORGANISATION | |  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Punjab State Cooperative Bank Chandigarh  was established on 31 August 1949 at shimla vides Registration No. 720 as a | |principal financing institution of the cooperative movement in the state.It has 19 branches and 1 extension counters in the | |city of Chandigarh. 20 Central Cooperative Banks having 786 branches and 18 Extension Counters in the State of Punjab are | |affiliated with the bank. In the Cooperative banking structure the position of the Punjab State Coop Bank is extremely | |important as a the whole short term credit system revolves around it. This bank ensures that its member central cooperative | |banks follow sound banking practices and observe strict financial discipline. The Central Cooperative Banks are financin g the | |farmers through PACS at the village Level. There is no arena of life where this premier institution has not played its part. |From a farmer, artisan to traders/businessman, everybody has been covered in the fold of this institution. The green, white | |and sweet revolutions in the state of Punjab are some of the major achievement in which this institution has plays a vital | |role. | |The Punjab State Cooperative Bank has already been awarded   â€Å"BEST PERFORMANCE AWARD† from NABARD and NAFSCOB. For the year | |2003-04, Punjab Cooperative Bank has been selected for NABARD’s â€Å"Best Performance Award â€Å" which is based on performance of all| |the SCBs in the country. Similarly our Jalandhar DCCB has also been selected for NABARD’s â€Å"Best Performance Award† out of all | |the DCCBs in the country for the year 2003-04. |OBJECTIVES | |To serve as a Balancing Centre for Cooperative Societies in the State for Cooperative Societies in t he State of Punjab | |registered under the Punjab Cooperative Societies Ac, 1961 for the time being in force. | |To promote the economic interest of the member banks and cooperative societies in the state in accordance with cooperative | |principles and to facilitate the development and funding of any cooperative society registered under the said act. | |To carry on banking and credit business. | |MANAGEMENT | |The present Board of Directors was constituted in May 2005. Now the management of the bank is being looking after by the | |elected BOD. | 4.Organization [pic] 5. Board of Directors |SNO |Name |Designation |Contact No. |Address | |1. |Sh. Avtar Singh Zira |Chairman |0172-5067035 |Makhu Road,  VPO: Zira, | | |S/o Sh. Hari Singh | | |  Distt :Ferozepure | | |Zira | | | | |2. |Sh. Milap Singh S/o |Director |98147-83077 |Khajanewala house,Gobind Nagar,SW Road | | |Sh.Jasbir Singh | | |Amritsar | |3. |Sh. Gurpreet Singh |Director |94172-3778 |95, Model Town ,Phase   3 ,Bhati nda | | |Maluka   S/o   Sh. | | | | | |Sikander Singh Maluka | | | | |4. |Sh. Baljit Singh |Director |97803-00916 |VPO Salempur   P. O Bras, | | |Bhutta   S/o Sh Baldev | | |  Distt.Fathegarh Sahib | | |Singh | | | | |5. |Sh. Ravikiran Singh |Director |97804-00002 |H. No 649, Basant Avenue, | | |Kahlon  Ã‚   S/o Sh. | |97819-00001 |Amritsar | | |Nirmal Singh Kahlon | | | | |6. |Sh. Satwinderpal Singh|Director |98761-08332 |Village Ramdaspur,   | | |Dhat  Ã‚   S/o Sh. Mohan | | |  The.Dasuha  , | | |Singh | | |  Distt. Hoshiarpur | |7. |Sh. Harjit Singh |Director |98140-57531 |Khothran Road , | | |Parmar S/o Sh. | | |  Near J. C. T MillPhagwara ,   | | |Gurbachan Singh Parmar| | |  Kapurthala | |8. |Sh. Tajinder Singh |Director |97806-00019 |VPO Mithukhera   , | | |Mithukhera   S/o Sh. | |   Malot, | | |Gurnam Singh | | |  Distt. Muktsar | |9. |Sh. Dildar Singh S/o |Director |95925-83101 |Vill. Majra Kalan,   P. O. Jadlan ,   | | |Sh. Ranjit Si ngh | | |Distt. Nawanshahr | |10. |Sh. Jarnail Singh S/o |Director |97800-32206 |VPO Kartarpur, Charaso, Distt. Patiala | | |Sh. Hajara Singh | | | | |11. |Sh.Baldev Singh S/o |Director |94631-47642 |VPO Chakla, Chamakaur Sahib, Distt. Ropar | | |Sh. Gurnam Singh | | | | |12. |Sh. Baljit Singh |Director |99889-10417 |H. NO. 621,   WardNo. 11    , DerraBassi, Distt. | | |Karkaur S/o Sh. Gurdev| | |Mohali | | |Singh | | | | |13. |Sh. Kanwaljeet Singh |Director |97799-15100 |H.No 7/250, Shastri Nagar , Batala , Distt. | | |S/o Sh. Raghbir Singh | | |Gurdaspur | |14. |Sh. Sukhdarshan Singh |Director |98765-61261 |The Punjab State cooperztive Agriculture | | |Marar, S/o Sh. Narayan| | |Development Bank Ltd. ,   Sec 17 B , | | |Singh | | |Chandigarh | |15. | |CGM, NABARD |5071431,2604608 |Plot No. 3  Ã‚  , | | | | |  Sector-34 A ,   | | | | | |  Candigarh. | |16. | |Financial |2742771 |Cooperation Dept. | | | |Commissioner | |  Civil Sectt ,   | | | |Cooperation, Punjab | |  Punjab Chandigarh | |17. | |Principal Sectary | | | | | |Finance | | | |18. |Registrar, |5046814 |RCS , Punjab , | | | |Cooperative | |  Sector-17 Bays Building , | | | |Societies, Punjab | |  Chandigarh | |19. |Sh. Kamaljeet Singh |Managing Director |5061404 |Punjab State Coop. Bank Ltd. | | |Sangha |PSCB Chandigarh | |  SCO: 175-187,   | | | | | |  Sector-34A, | | | | | |  Chandigarh. | 6. AWARDS & ACHIEVEMENTS AWARDS   | |The Punjab State Cooperative Bank has already been awarded â€Å"BEST PERFORMANCE AWARD† from NABARD and NAFSCOB. For the year | |2003-04, Punjab Cooperative Bank has been selected for NABARD's   â€Å"Best Performance Award † which is based on performance of | |all the SCBs in the country. Similarly our Jalandhar DCCB has also been selected for NABARD’s â€Å"Best Performance Award† out of| |all the DCCBs in the country for the year 2003-04. | |   | |ACHIEVEMENTS   | | | |S. T. AGRI.LOAN | |The Cooperativ e Banks in the State have advanced Rs. 7536. 33 Crores as ST Agri. Loan during the year 2009-10 as compared to | |Rs. 5894. 28 crore during 2008-09. Similarly during 2010-11, Rs 8497. 15 crores stand disbursed. Against the target of | |Rs. 8300. 00 Crores. | | | |R. C. C. LIMIT | |During 2009-10 the Central Coop. Banks in Punjab have sanctioned R. C. C limits worth Rs. 2296. 62 crores  as compared to | |Rs. 2091. 75 crore of 2008-09.During the year 2010-11 the bank has sanctioned RCC limits worth Rs. 2460. 79 crore. | | | |TWO WHEELER LOANS TO AGRICULTURISTS | |Under Two Wheeler Loan Scheme the farmers can take loan up to 75% of two-wheeler’s cost or Rs. 50,000/- whichever is lower | |from the Central Cooperative Banks. During the year 2009-10, the Bank has advanced a sum of Rs. 32. 67 crore. Similarly, during| |2010-11, Rs. 29. 70 crore has been advanced against the target of Rs. 40. 00 crore. | | |HOUSING LOANS | |During the year 2008-09 Central Cooperative Banks in th e State have advanced Rs. 90. 66 Crores against the target of Rs. 80. 00 | |crores. | |During 2009-10, Rs. 86. 64 crores has been disbursed against the target of Rs. 110. 00 crore. During 2010-11 Rs. 84. 56 crore has | |been disbursed . | | | |NON FARM SECTOR LOANS | |During 2008-09 Rs 47. 72 crores were advanced under the scheme by DCCBs in the State of Punjab. | |During the year 2009-10, Rs. 48. 84 crores has been advanced. | |Similarly during 2010-11, Rs. 41. 93 crore has been advanced against the target of Rs. 55. 00 crore. | | |LOAN FOR CONSUMER DURABLES | |Under  Consumer  Durables Loan Scheme, Rs. 79. 62 crores  has been advanced during 2009-10. Similarly, during 2010-11, Rs. 78. 25 | |crore has been advanced against the target of  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Rs. 80. 00 Crores . | | | |PERSONAL LOAN SCHEME | |Under Personal Loan Scheme, the Bank has advanced Rs. 143. 58 crore during the year 2009-10 against the target of Rs. 125. 00 | |crore. During 2010-11, Rs. 62. 41 crore has been disbursed  against the target of Rs. 150. 00 crore. | | | |DEPOSIT MOBILIZATION | |The deposit of Punjab State Coop. Bank and Central Cooperative Banks were Rs. 9819. 09 crores during the year 2009-10. During | |the year 2010-11 the deposits are Rs. 10684. 54 crore. | | | |PROFITS | |During 2010-11, there was a profit Rs. 65. 17 crore whereas 2 DCCB, namely; Faridkot and Mansa were in loss. | | |REDUCTION IN THE RATE OF INTEREST | |Rate of Interest on Crop Loan has been reduced to 7. 00% w. e. f. 01-04-2006. | 7. Future Planning and Vision |  Future Perspective | |Cooperatives are not unaffected by structural adjustments and globalization of commodity market. As a result, Cooperative Banks| |are required to redesign their strategies for sustainability and growth. The economic reforms initiated by the government of | |India in 1991 have affected the Financial Institutions ncluding the Cooperative Financial Institutions. These reforms aim at | |liberalization and deregulati on of Indian economy. | |The Cooperative Banks of Punjab have accepted the reforms in Indian economy, especially, the financial reforms in right spirit. | |Since these Banks have mainly been providing credit to agriculture sector, changes in agricultural economy affect them more | |closely. The Banks envisage following scenario as a result of liberalized agricultural policy : | |Liberalization of agricultural policy would result in greater capital intensity and borrowed capital requirements of | |agriculturists.In order to induce diversification and produce quality products for international market. For this purpose, | |Punjab farmers would need greater credit support for improved technology, seeds and agro-inputs. | |Liberalized agricultural policy would reverse the process of fragmentation of land holdings and would result in exodus of | |employment opportunities from agricultural sector to other sectors of economy. Such as small business enterprises, services and | |industrial se ctor. | |Liberalization of agriculture would professionalize and modernize agriculture, thereby earning a status of industry attracting | |high skilled professionals in agriculture sector. |Liberalized agricultural economy would lead to a greater role of private research and development institutions in improving the | |productivity and quality of agricultural operations. | |The liberalized agricultural policy would result in greater thrust on value addition in agriculture. Therefore, a great deal of | |thrust would be on agro-processing units. | |The liberalized agricultural policy would bring greater thrust on export of raw and value added agro-products. | |The liberalized agricultural economy would lead to sowing/planting of new crops. Leading to a great deal of crop | |diversification. | |With this perspective, the Cooperative Credit Policy, both for short-term and long term requirements of the farmers, needs to | |be restructured.Accordingly, the Cooperative Banks in the State r esolve to pursue credit policy in keeping with the | |following. | Vision ? We will force the future challenges with grit and take every possible step for the development of our institution. ? More steps will be taken to provide efficient services. ? Present customers will be retained and other customers will be attracted to increase market share. ? Bank will attract maximum deposit (especially low cost deposit) to strengthen its financial resources so as to reduce its dependency upon NABARD. ? Bank while diversifying its loan portfolio will provide medium term and long term loans to the maximum extent. Every effort will be made to open account of all the farmers of the State. Bank will receive deposits from Farmers and meet all their credit needs. ? Bank, for the sake of development of State, will strive hard to provide maximum and better services to customers especially farmers and for this wherever necessary, every effort will be made to modify the schemes. ? Bank will prepare it s business plan every year and by implementing it, goals set will be achieved. ? Bank will professionalize and modernize the business. 8. Training Center [pic] Introduction Agriculture  cooperative Staff Training Institute in the State of Punjab was established in 1986 by the Punjab State Cooperative Bank Ltd.With the Financial assistance from National Cooperative Development Corporation Under World Bank –NCDC Project. The main aim of setting up this institute was to provide training to the staff and committee members as well as education to the ordinary members of the Primary Agricultural Services Societies (PACS) during the project period of 5 years. After successfully completion of the Project the institute started catering to the training needs of the whole short term credit cooperative in Punjab [particularly cooperative banks from 2001. The institute is running various training programmed for different categories of staff of cooperative bank.The Punjab State Cooperati ve Bank is giving high priority for the training of its staff as well as staff of its member banks. The institute is getting full support from the bank in the field of training. The institute is acting for the development of a cadre of professional bankers to meet the challenges of changing banking scenario. Since 1991, there has been tremendous change in banking sector which had affected cooperative bank to a great extent. The Tara pore Committee, Narsimham Committee and Vaidyanathan Committee recommendations have put profound challenges to cooperative banks. The technological changes in the banking sector are also affecting these banks.This institute is aware of these transformations and has geared up its training plans. The training institute of Cooperative banks cannot remain passive but must play an active role in providing consultancy, latest knowledge and skills to cooperative banks. Acting as a catalyst in the change process, this institute has decided to diversify its activ ities to face the challenge of time. Objective ? Sensitizing the   banks of the challenges ahead and to prep[are the employees to meet these challenges ? Improving the operational efficiency of cooperative bank. ? Building up the managerial and leadership abilities among the officers for organizational effectiveness. TRAINING NEEDS ASSESSMENTThis institute assesses the training needs of the staff in the following ways. 1. Anticipation of the latest Development –  Latest developments in economic and banking sectors (Capital Adequacy Norms, Asset Liability Management, Prudential Norms, and Recommendation of various Committees) are considered as Training requirement. 2. Demand from Central Cooperative Banks –  Various central cooperative banks at different occasions approach the institute to provide training to their staff in specific area. On the request of those banks the institute conducts field programmers as per the convenience of the client banks. 3. Policy ma tters of Management  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ The institute keeps in touch with the olicy decision of the Reserve Bank of India, NABARD central Government RCS and Apex Bank Management, Institute develops and organizes training programmed for effectives implementation of these decisions. 4. Faculty Members Visit  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Faculty member of this institute frequently visit cooperative banks at different intervals to study operational problems of the banks and to identify the training needs of the staff. 5. Audit Reports and Inspection Reports  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ These reports do provide useful indication for the training needs in banks. We continuously study these reports to find out procedural gaps and problems of the banks. COURSE DESIGN The training programmers are designed by conducting a critical analysis of training needs of Bank Staff.Each member of faculty is advised to design at least two training programmers in a year. The training programmed along with detailed course contents prepared by them is then discussed in a faculty meeting. In this meeting the members of faculty meeting. In this meeting the members of faculty share thei