Tips for Understanding Spoken French

There are dozens of French phonetics exercises  for letters, words and expressions on ThoughtCo.com. Entries on these exercises lead to pages with  more and more detailed explanations, so keep on clicking through when prompted. They can be excellent resources for learning the basics of understanding spoken French. Also highly recommended are  the many  self-study French audio magazines and audiobooks  on the market. These tools contain extensive longer texts with audio files and English translations that are excellent resources for understanding spoken French. For either phonetics lessons or French audio magazines and books, will you get better results if you listen first and then read the words, or is it better to listen and read at the same time? In fact, both of these methods are fine; its just a matter of deciding which one works best for you. Weve thought about how to make this process most effective and offer a few ideas here aimed at helping you make the most of audio exercises. Each of the sites oral exercises includes at a minimum a sound file and a translation. There are a few possible scenarios for using these to boost your oral comprehension; its up to you to decide which one to adopt. 1. Listen First If you want to test your aural comprehension and/or you feel comfortable with your listening skills, listen to the sound file one or more times  to see how much you understand. Then to fill in any gaps, read the words, either before or while listening to the sound file again. 2. Read First Students who dont feel up to the challenge of listening first might be better off doing just the opposite: Read or skim through the words first to get an idea of what its about, and then listen to the sound file. You can listen while reading, or just listen and then go back to the words to see how much you were able to pick up. 3. Listen and Read This third option is best for students who have a hard time understanding spoken French. Open up the words in a new window, and then start the sound file so that you can follow the words as you listen. This will help your brain make the connection between what you are hearing and what it means. This is similar to watching a French movie while reading the English subtitles.   You Decide Which Method Works Best for You The listen first technique is the most challenging. If you feel confident that  your listening skills are strong or youd like to test them, this method will be effective for you. Less advanced students, however, may find that listening first is too difficult and possibly frustrating. Thus, reading the words first will help you connect concept (the meaning) to sounds (the spoken language). If your listening skills are weak, you will probably find it helpful to see the words before or while youre listening.   No matter which method you choose, your goal here is to improve your listening comprehension. Just keep listening and checking the words as many times as it takes until you understand the sound file without looking at the words. With all three techniques, also try speaking the words yourself as you read the words. Why? Because the more senses you engage when youre learning, the deeper the memory pathways youll be etching in your brain and youll learn faster and retain longer. If you do these kinds of exercises regularly, your understanding of spoken French is bound to improve. Improve Your Comprehension of French You might decide that you need to improve in one, or more likely, several areas of French comprehension. Learning a language, after all, is a long process strewn with subtleties, one that even native speakers contend with. Theres always room for improvement. So decide which area you want to focus on and study a little more to refine your French. Do you want to: Improve your comprehension of spoken French, as weve been discussing hereImprove your French pronunciationImprove your French reading comprehensionImprove your French verb conjugationsImprove your French vocabulary

Essay on Being Different in A Cage of Butterflies - 790 Words

What Does Brian Caswell want to tell the reader about Being Different In the novel, A Cage of Butterflies? What Does Brian Caswell want to tell the reader about Being Different? In the novel, A Cage of Butterflies, by Brian Caswell, he explores many themes, the most important being the theme of being different. I believe that Brian Caswell is very passionate about this topic and that he wants to explore what being different and an individual really means. This topic is very relevant in todays society. Being drastically different is a burden because you will never be or feel accepted. Many of the kids at the Think-Tank had felt this way before they came to the institute when they were in the outside world and at school.†¦show more content†¦This would have been very difficult for the kids to deal with. The Kids at he institute all have special gifts. For starters they all had extremely high I.Qs. For example Grettel is a whiz with multi-dimensional maths, Gordon and Lesley have eidetic memories and Mikki has unlimited knowledge. On page 17 it says Every kid on the bus had some special gift. Abilities beyond the understanding of most people. But what had it gained them? Rejection by kids their own age, Freak status with those adults who werent actually scared of them. And a home away from home with Larsen and MacIntyre and the other researchers who set them tasks, monitored the results and generally used them as guineapigs. In this we can see that because they are different, they have been isolated and confined to be treated like guineapigs and many of the researchers dont even treat them or regard them as human beings. It tells us that basically the negative effects of being different heavily outweigh the positive effects. The Babies are also very different. They had all the symptoms of autism yet they can communicate telepathically. We later discover that this was all part of the shield which helps the overcome the noise. The shield is like a protective barrier that the babies have created around their minds in order not to hear the uncontrolled thoughtsShow MoreRelatedOverview: The Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez1153 Words   |  5 PagesIn the Time of the Butterflies, by Julia Alvarez, takes place in the Dominican Republic during Trujillo’s control of the country. Dedà © and Minerva are two extremely different Mirabal sisters, shown by how they respond to Trujillo taking over their country. Dedà © and Minerva are only two of the sisters. There are four in total: Minerva, Dedà ©, Patria and Marà ­a Teresa. The four sisters take turns throughout In the Time of the Butterflies telling their stories from the 1940s while living in the DominicanRead MoreThe Murder Of The Maribal Sisters By Julia Alvarez1241 Words   |  5 Pagessisterhood. This is prevalent throughout the novel by pervading two story lines and the lives of the Maribal sisters. The novel also highlights restrictions t hat are placed on women in the Dominican Society. In Julia Alvarez’s novel, In the Time of the Butterflies, she demonstrates the theme of freedom and imprisonment. The women are restricted to their decisions and actions by Trujillo’s dictatorship and the society’s confinement. â€Å"Three years cooped at home since I d graduated from Inmaculada, and IRead MoreAnalysis Of In The Time Of The Butterflies1050 Words   |  5 Pages In the Time of the Butterflies during the 1940s, in the Dominican Republic, the ruler or dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo punished people if they didn’t do as he told them and plenty of other cruel things. He ruled for about 30 years, so the people were tortured for quite a long time. He became the dictator by eliminating everyone who had power above him. He even married his wives just to use them to get the the top and control everyone. It was just an unfair way to handle things and an unfairRead MoreInwalter MosleyS White Butterfly, Mosley Uses The Detective1161 Words   |  5 PagesIn Walter Mosley s White Butterfly, Mosley uses the detective genre to counter stereotypes and myths regardin g black masculinity. The book was published in 1992 and the story takes place in 1952 in Watts, Los Angeles California. The main character of the story is Ezekiel Easy Rawlins and he is the main resource used by Mosley to redeem the image of the black man. Easy Rawlins is a hard-boiled detective which means he is a cynical investigator with pejorative tendencies. It is an analogy madeRead MoreKatherine Mansfield s The Garden Party1770 Words   |  8 Pagesstrategies you’ve picked up from this book or elsewhere, Employ no outside sources about the story, No peeking at the rest of this chapter , and Write down your results† (Foster 139). Foster uses his previous and current college students to show the different levels of analysis. The college freshman stated The Garden Party was about â€Å"the rich family that lives up on a hill and has no clue about the working class that’s trapped down in the valley† (Foster 139). He explained the obvious, overall m essageRead MoreI Can Remember Mine With Perfect Clarity Essay983 Words   |  4 Pagesfriends to have the day out at the spa on me. Picking them up in my little Nissan Sentra, I would look at my hand on the steering wheel and think of what color I would get to paint my nails today. After arriving at the spa, I know I would feel butterflies with the cutest manicure of my life waiting for me. I’ve never been able to get my nails done without feeling self-conscious about my left hand. Having to awkwardly tell the nail lady that, no its okay it doesn’t hurt, yes you can just paint itRead MoreChildren From Picture Books1258 Words   |  6 Pages Children like to read picture books. Many different types of books exist, and reading books could influence children. There are many research topics about how picture-book reading affects oral and written skills, or how reading affects parent-child relationship. The article is different from the majority of research that relates t o picture books. The research is about how young children transfer information from picture book to real world. Three researchers, Patricia Ganea, Lili Ma, and Judy DeLoacheRead More Comparison of Miracle on St. Davids Day by Gillian Clarke and Daffodils by William Wordsworth1989 Words   |  8 Pagescannot allow for simplicity or a light-hearted tone. Clarke uses enjambment to allow the poem to flow and make it appear more like narrative prose, than poetry. This allows her more freedom in writing the poem to give any desirable effect with different poetical techniques such as onomatopoeia and alliteration, whereas rhyming poetry which end-stops has a set structure which is hard to manipulate as the words must follow the rhyming structure and rhythm. Discordantly, Wordsworth uses rhyme andRead MoreThen the Dry Leaves Rustled1652 Words   |  7 Pagesclass, when her teacher found out that the story she read out was not com- pletely original. Though she knew her English teacher was very strict, she had taken the liberty of borrowing a few ideas from the internet. She silently cursed herself for being imbecile. When her teacher warned her of the severe consequences, she had begged her for an another chance. She had a weekend ahead to come up with a compelling story. The Morans were going to Dallas that evening to visit their friends. Cit- ing theRead MoreLiving with the Extreme Fear Created by Anxiety Disorders Essay3389 Words   |  14 Pagesanxiety often caused by overwhelming worries, fears, and stress. Phobic disorder, commonly known as phobia, is a type of anxiety disorder wherein the individual acquires an excessive and irrational fear of a particular object or situation, with the fear being out of proportion to the real threat. â€Å"The word [phobia] is derived from Phobos, the Greek god of fear, whose likeness was painted on masks and shields to frighten enemies in battle.† (Passer and Smith 537) Jennifer Ong defines phobia as a heightened

Mystery Shopping†the Miracle Tool in Business Research Free Essays

VOLUME NO. 3 (2013), ISSUE N O. 01 (J ANUARY) ISSN 2231-5756 A Monthly Double-Blind Peer Reviewed (Refereed/Juried) Open Access International e-Journal – Included in the International Serial Directories Indexed Listed at: Ulrich’s Periodicals Directory  ©, ProQuest, U. We will write a custom essay sample on Mystery Shopping– the Miracle Tool in Business Research or any similar topic only for you Order Now S. A. , EBSCO Publishing, U. S. A. , Cabell’s Directories of Publishing Opportunities, U. S. A. , Open J-Gage, India [link of the same is duly available at Inflibnet of University Grants Commission (U. G. C. ], Index Copernicus Publishers Panel, Poland with IC Value of 5. 09 number of libraries all around the world. Circulated all over the world Google has verified that scholars of more than 2022 Cities in 153 countries/territories are visiting our journal on regular basis. Ground Floor, Building No. 1041-C-1, Devi Bhawan Bazar, JAGADHRI – 135 003, Yamunanagar, Haryana, INDIA http://ijrcm. org. in/ VOLUME NO. 3 (2013), ISSUE N O. 01 (J ANUARY) ISSN 2231-5756 CONTENTS Sr. No. TITLE NAME OF THE AUTHOR (S) HIERARCHY PROCESS MOJGAN RIAZI, DR. YOUNOS VAKIL ALROAIA DR. ALI AKBAR AMIN BIDOKHTI ASSOCIATION OF TRAINING PRACTICES WITH JOB SATISFACTION IN PUBLIC SECTOR ORGANIZATIONS RIZWAN BASHIR FARZANA BASHIR STUDYING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL CAPITAL AND TALENT MANAGEMENT IN IRAN STATE MANAGEMENT TRAINING CENTER (SMTC) SAYED ALI AKBAR AHMADI, MOHAMMAD ALI SARLAK, MUSA MAHDAVI, MOHAMMAD REZA DARAEI SAMIRA GHANIABADI CONTEMPLATIVE SCRUTINY OF THE ADEQUACY OF HERZBERG’S MOTIVATION-HYGIENE THEORY: A VERDICT OF JOB SATISFACTION IN THE MID LEVEL MANAGER IN TELECOMMUNICATION INDUSTRY ABU ZAFAR AHMED MUKUL, SHAH JOHIR RAYHAN MD. SHAKIB HOSSAIN PLANNING AND MANAGING A SCHEDULED SERVICE DR. IGNATIUS A. NWOKORO REAL INCOME, INFLATION, AND INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTIVITY IN NIGERIA (1970-2005) Dr. OWOLABI A. USMAN ADEGBITE TAJUDEEN ADEJARE DEVELOPMENT OF SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES IN NIGERIA: A PARADIGM SHIFT ADEYEMI, A. ADEKUNLE THE EVALUATION OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT’S EFFECTIVENESS ON E-LEARNING: A CASE STUDY ON PAYAME NOOR UNIVERSITY OF IRAN BAHAREH SHAHRIARI KIARASH JAHANPOUR THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE AND JOB SATISFACTION AMONG PROFESSIONAL STAFF IN VIETNAMESE CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES NGUYEN PHI TAN ANALYSIS OF LIQUIDITY OF SELECTED PRIVATE SECTOR INDIAN BANKS SULTAN SINGH, SAHILA CHOUDHRY MOHINA PRODUCTIVITY MEASUREMENT OF PUBLIC SECTORS BANKS IN INDIA DR. BHAVET, PRIYA JINDAL DR. SAMBHAV GARG IMBIBE ETHICAL EDUCATION DR. T. SREE LATHA SAVANAM CHANDRA SEKHAR MODELING INDIAN MONSOON (RAINFALL) VOLATILITY AS AN INDEX BASED RISK TRANSFER PRODUCT D P. SHIVKUMAR, M PRABHU DR. G. KOTRESHWAR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SMALL SCALE INDUSTRIES IN MEGHALAYA MUSHTAQ MOHMAD SOFI DR. HARSH VARDHAN JHAMB REGRESSION MODELS M. VENKATARAMANAIAH M. SUDARSANA RAO EFFECTIVENESS OF EMPLOYEE RETENTION TECHNIQUES ADOPTED BY BPO COMPANIES WITH REFERENCE TO CHENNAI DR. RANJITHAM. D ROLE OF FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT IN EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN INDIA SHABANA, SONIKA CHOUDHARY DR. M. L. GUPTA AN EXAMINATION OF LONG-RUN AND SHORT-RUN RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CRUDE OIL PRICE, GOLD PRICE, EXCHANGE RATE AND INDIAN STOCK MARKET R. KANAKARAJAMMAL, S. PAULRAJ M. V. ARULALAN MYSTERY SHOPPING– THE MIRACLE TOOL IN BUSINESS RESEARCH SHAKEEL-UL-REHMAN A. VELSAMY THE EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION BETWEEN EMOTIONAL COMPETENCE AND WORK PERFORMANCE OF INDIAN SALES PEOPLE DR. RITIKA SHARMA MARKETING OF BRANDED PRODUCT IN RURAL AREA: A CONCEPTUAL BASED STUDY ON RURAL MARKET PANKAJ ARORA AJITHA PRASHANT A STUDY ON EMPLOYEES JOB SATISFACTION WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO COACH FACTORY P. MANONMANI V. UMA E-CRM APPLICATION IN INSURANCE SECTOR AND RETENTION OF CUSTOMERS DASH BISWAMOHAN. MISHRA RADHAKRISHNA THE USAGE OF SIX SIGMA TOOLS IN BRINGING DOWN THE DEFECTS IN THE HR PROCESSES SREEJA K MINTU THANKACHAN WOMEN EMERGING GLOBALLY AS THE POTENTIAL MARKET: REASONS, IMPLICATIONS AND ISSUES DR. JAYA PALIWAL URBAN RESIDENTIAL WATER SUPPLY IN GADAG TOWN IN KARNATAKA STATE DR. H H BHARADI TECHNICAL ANALYSIS: A TOOL TO MEASURE MARKET VOLATILITY G. B. SABARI RAJAN CO-BRANDED CREDIT CARD – A TAILOR-MADE PRODUCT NICHE FOR CONSUMERS DR. A. JESU KULANDAIRAJ A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON CUSTOMER SATISFACTION WITH SERVICE QUALITY IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR BANKS DR. SAMBHAV GARG, PRIYA JINDAL DR. BHAVET EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE (EI): AN IMPERATIVE SKILL FOR MANAGERS IN THE GLOBAL WORKPLACE SMARTY MUKUNDAN Page No. 1. THE EXTENT OF THE IMPORTANCE OF PERSONALITY INDICATORS OF INDEPENDENT ENTREPRENEUR THROUGH USING GROUP ANALYTICAL 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 8 14 21 29 34 40 45 49 54 57 63 66 72 83 86 91 94 101 104 111 120 123 128 136 140 144 150 153 157 160 REQUEST FOR FEEDBACK INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN COMMERCE, IT MANAGEMENT A Monthly Double-Blind Peer Reviewed (Refereed/Juried) Open Access International e-Journal – Included in the International Serial Directories ii http://ijrcm. org. in/ VOLUME NO. 3 (2013), ISSUE N O. 01 (J ANUARY) ISSN 2231-5756 CHIEF PATRON PROF. K. K. AGGARWAL Chancellor, Lingaya’s University, De lhi Founder Vice-Chancellor, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi Ex. Pro Vice-Chancellor, Guru Jambheshwar University, Hisar FOUNDER PATRON LATE SH. RAM BHAJAN AGGARWAL Former State Minister for Home Tourism, Government of Haryana Former Vice-President, Dadri Education Society, Charkhi Dadri Former President, Chinar Syntex Ltd. (Textile Mills), Bhiwani COCO-ORDINATOR AMITA Faculty, Government M. S. , Mohali ADVISORS DR. PRIYA RANJAN TRIVEDI Chancellor, The Global Open University, Nagaland PROF. M. S. SENAM RAJU Director A. C. D. , School of Management Studies, I. G. N. O. U. , New Delhi PROF. M. N. SHARMA Chairman, M. B. A. , Haryana College of Technology Management, Kaithal PROF. S. L. MAHANDRU Principal (Retd. ), Maharaja Agrasen College, Jagadhri EDITOR PROF. R. K. SHARMA Professor, Bharti Vidyapeeth University Institute of Management Research, New Delhi COCO-EDITOR DR. BHAVET Faculty, M. M. Institute of Management, Maharishi Markandeshwar University, Mullana, Ambala, Haryana EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD DR. RAJESH MODI Faculty, Yanbu Industrial College, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia PROF. SANJIV MITTAL University School of Management Studies, Guru Gobind Singh I. P. University, Delhi PROF. ANIL K. SAINI Chairperson (CRC), Guru Gobind Singh I. P. University, Delhi DR. SAMBHAVNA Faculty, I. I. T. M. , Delhi INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN COMMERCE, IT MANAGEMENT A Monthly Double-Blind Peer Reviewed (Refereed/Juried) Open Access International e-Journal – Included in the International Serial Directories iii http://ijrcm. org. in/ VOLUME NO. 3 (2013), ISSUE N O. 01 (J ANUARY) ISSN 2231-5756 DR. MOHENDER KUMAR GUPTA Associate Professor, P. J. L. N. Government College, Faridabad DR. SHIVAKUMAR DEENE Asst. Professor, Dept. of Commerce, School of Business Studies, Central University of Karnataka, Gulbarga ASSOCIATE EDITORS PROF. NAWAB ALI KHAN Department of Commerce, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, U. P. PROF. ABHAY BANSAL Head, Department of Information Technology, Amity School of Engineering Technology, Amity University, Noida PROF. A. SURYANARAYANA Department of Business Management, Osmania University, Hyderabad DR. SAMBHAV GARG Faculty, M. M. Institute of Management, Maharishi Markandeshwar University, Mullana, Ambala, Haryana PROF. V. SELVAM SSL, VIT University, Vellore DR. PARDEEP AHLAWAT Associate Professor, Institute of Management Studies Research, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak DR. S. TABASSUM SULTANA Associate Professor, Department of Business Management, Matrusri Institute of P. G. Studies, Hyderabad SURJEET SINGH Asst. Professor, Department of Computer Science, G. M. N. (P. G. ) College, Ambala Cantt. TECHNICAL ADVISOR AMITA Faculty, Government M. S. , Mohali FINANCIAL ADVISORS DICKIN GOYAL Advocate Tax Adviser, Panchkula NEENA Investment Consultant, Chambaghat, Solan, Himachal Pradesh LEGAL ADVISORS JITENDER S. CHAHAL Advocate, Punjab Haryana High Court, Chandigarh U. T. CHANDER BHUSHAN SHARMA Advocate Consultant, District Courts, Yamunanagar at Jagadhri SUPERINTENDENT SURENDER KUMAR POONIA INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN COMMERCE, IT MANAGEMENT A Monthly Double-Blind Peer Reviewed (Refereed/Juried) Open Access International e-Journal – Included in the International Serial Directories iv http://ijrcm. org. in/ VOLUME NO. 3 (2013), ISSUE N O. 01 (J ANUARY) ISSN 2231-5756 CALL FOR MANUSCRIPTS We invite unpublished novel, original, empirical and high quality research work pertaining to recent developments practices in the area of Computer, Business, Finance, Marketing, Human Resource Management, General Management, Banking, Insurance, Corporate Governance and emerging paradigms in allied subjects like Accounting Education; Accounting Information Systems; Accounting Theory Practice; Auditing; Behavioral Accounting; Behavioral Economics; Corporate Finance; Cost Accounting; Econometrics; Economic Development; Economic History; Financial Institutions Markets; Financial Services; Fiscal Policy; Government Non Profit Accounting; Industrial Organization; International Economics Trade; International Finance; Macro Economics; Micro Economics; Monetary Policy; Portfolio Security Analysis; Public Policy Economics; Real Estate; Regional Economics; Tax Accounting; Advertising Promotion Management; Business Education; Management Information Systems (MIS); Business Law, Public Responsibility Ethics; Communication; Direct Marketing; E-Commerce; Global Business; Health Care Administration; Labor Relations Human Resource Management; Marketing Research; Marketing Theory Applications; NonProfit Organizations; Office Administration/Management; Operations Research/Statistics; Organizational Behavior Theory; Organizational Development; Production/Operations; Public Administration; Purchasing/Materials Management; Retailing; Sales/Selling; Services; Small Business Entrepreneurship; Strategic Management Policy; Technology/Innovation; Tourism, Hospitality Leisure; Transportation/Physical Distribution; Algori thms; Artificial Intelligence; Compilers Translation; Computer Aided Design (CAD); Computer Aided Manufacturing; Computer Graphics; Computer Organization Architecture; Database Structures Systems; Digital Logic; Discrete Structures; Internet; Management Information Systems; Modeling Simulation; Multimedia; Neural Systems/Neural Networks; Numerical Analysis/Scientific Computing; Object Oriented Programming; Operating Systems; Programming Languages; Robotics; Symbolic Formal Logic and Web Design. The above mentioned tracks are only indicative, and not exhaustive. Anybody can submit the soft copy of his/her manuscript anytime in M. S. Word format after preparing the same as per our submission guidelines duly available on our website under the heading guidelines for submission, at the email address: infoijrcm@gmail. com. GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSION OF MANUSCRIPT 1. COVERING LETTER FOR SUBMISSION: DATED: _____________ THE EDITOR IJRCM Subject: SUBMISSION OF MANUSCRIPT IN THE AREA OF . (e. g. Finance/Marketing/HRM/General Management/Economics/Psychology/Law/Computer/IT/Engineering/Mathematics/other, please specify) DEAR SIR/MADAM Please find my submission of manuscript entitled ‘___________________________________________’ for possible publication in your journals. I hereby affirm that the contents of this manuscript are original. Furthermore, it has neither been published elsewhere in any language fully or partly, nor is it under review for publication elsewhere. I affirm that all the author (s) have seen and agreed to the submitted version of the manuscript and their inclusion of name (s) as co-author (s). Also, if my/our manuscript is accepted, I/We agree to comply with the formalities as given on the website of the journal you are free to publish our contribution in any of your journals. NAME OF CORRESPONDING AUTHOR: Designation: Affiliation with full address, contact numbers Pin Code: Residential address with Pin Code: Mobile Number (s): Landline Number (s): E-mail Address: Alternate E-mail Address: NOTES: a) The whole manuscript is required to be in ONE MS WORD FILE only (pdf. version is liable to be rejected without any consideration), which will start from the covering letter, inside the manuscript. ) The sender is required to mention the following in the SUBJECT COLUMN of the mail: New Manuscript for Review in the area of (Finance/Marketing/HRM/General Management/Economics/Psychology/Law/Computer/IT/ Engineering/Mathematics/other, p lease specify) c) There is no need to give any text in the body of mail, except the cases where the author wishes to give any specific message w. r. t. to the manuscript. d) The total size of the file containing the manuscript is required to be below 500 KB. e) Abstract alone will not be considered for review, and the author is required to submit the complete manuscript in the first instance. f) The journal gives acknowledgement w. r. . the receipt of every email and in case of non-receipt of acknowledgment from the journal, w. r. t. the submission of manuscript, within two days of submission, the corresponding author is required to demand for the same by sending separate mail to the journal. 2. 3. 4. MANUSCRIPT TITLE: The title of the paper should be in a 12 point Calibri Font. It should be bold typed, centered and fully capitalised. AUTHOR NAME (S) AFFILIATIONS: The author (s) full name, designation, affiliation (s), address, mobile/landline numbers, and email/alternate email add ress should be in italic 11-point Calibri Font. It must be centered underneath the title. ABSTRACT: Abstract should be in fully italicized text, not exceeding 250 words. The abstract must be informative and explain the background, aims, methods, results conclusion in a single para. Abbreviations must be mentioned in full. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN COMMERCE, IT MANAGEMENT A Monthly Double-Blind Peer Reviewed (Refereed/Juried) Open Access International e-Journal – Included in the International Serial Directories v http://ijrcm. org. in/ VOLUME NO. 3 (2013), ISSUE N O. 01 (J ANUARY) 5. 6. ISSN 2231-5756 KEYWORDS: Abstract must be followed by a list of keywords, subject to the maximum of five. These should be arranged in alphabetic order separated by commas and full stops at the end. MANUSCRIPT: Manuscript must be in BRITISH ENGLISH prepared on a standard A4 size PORTRAIT SETTING PAPER. It must be prepared on a single space and single column with 1† margin set for top, bottom, left and right. It should be typed in 8 point Calibri Font with page numbers at the bottom and centre of every page. It should be free from grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors and must be thoroughly edited. HEADINGS: All the headings should be in a 10 point Calibri Font. These must be bold-faced, aligned left and fully capitalised. Leave a blank line before each heading. SUB-HEADINGS: All the sub-headings should be in a 8 point Calibri Font. These must be bold-faced, aligned left and fully capitalised. MAIN TEXT: The main text should follow the following sequence: INTRODUCTION REVIEW OF LITERATURE NEED/IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM OBJECTIVES HYPOTHESES RESEARCH METHODOLOGY RESULTS DISCUSSION FINDINGS RECOMMENDATIONS/SUGGESTIONS CONCLUSIONS SCOPE FOR FURTHER RESEARCH ACKNOWLEDGMENTS REFERENCES APPENDIX/ANNEXURE It should be in a 8 point Calibri Font, single spaced and justified. The manuscript should preferably not exceed 5000 WORDS. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. FIGURES TABLES: These should be simple, crystal clear, centered, separately numbered self explained, and titles must be above the table/figure. Sources of data should be mentioned below the table/figure. It should be ensured that the tables/figures are referred to from the main text. EQUATIONS: These should be consecutively numbered in parentheses, horizontally centered with equation number placed at the right. REFERENCES: The list of all references should be alphabetically arranged. The author (s) should mention only the actually utilised references in the preparation of manuscript and they are supposed to follow Harvard Style of Referencing. The author (s) are supposed to follow the references as per the following: All works cited in the text (including sources for tables and figures) should be listed alphabetically. Use (ed. ) for one editor, and (ed. s) for multiple editors. When listing two or more works by one author, use — (20xx), such as after Kohl (1997), use — (2001), etc, in chronologically ascending order. Indicate (opening and closing) page numbers for articles in journals and for chapters in books. The title of books and journals should be in italics. Double quotation marks are used for titles of journal articles, book chapters, dissertations, reports, working papers, unpublished material, etc. For titles in a language other than English, provide an English translation in parentheses. The location of endnotes within the text should be indicated by superscript numbers. PLEASE USE THE FOLLOWING FOR STYLE AND PUNCTUATION IN REFERENCES: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ BOOKS †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Bowersox, Donald J. , Closs, David J. (1996), â€Å"Logistical Management. † Tata McGraw, Hill, New Delhi. Hunker, H. L. and A. J. Wright (1963), â€Å"Factors of Industrial Loc ation in Ohio† Ohio State University, Nigeria. CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOOKS Sharma T. , Kwatra, G. (2008) Effectiveness of Social Advertising: A Study of Selected Campaigns, Corporate Social Responsibility, Edited by David Crowther Nicholas Capaldi, Ashgate Research Companion to Corporate Social Responsibility, Chapter 15, pp 287-303. JOURNAL AND OTHER ARTICLES Schemenner, R. W. , Huber, J. C. and Cook, R. L. (1987), â€Å"Geographic Differences and the Location of New Manufacturing Facilities,† Journal of Urban Economics, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 83-104. CONFERENCE PAPERS Garg, Sambhav (2011): â€Å"Business Ethics† Paper presented at the Annual International Conference for the All India Management Association, New Delhi, India, 19–22 June. UNPUBLISHED DISSERTATIONS AND THESES Kumar S. (2011): â€Å"Customer Value: A Comparative Study of Rural and Urban Customers,† Thesis, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra. ONLINE RESOURCES Always indicate the date that the source was accessed, as online resources are frequently updated or removed. Garg, Bhavet (2011): Towards a New Natural Gas Policy, Political Weekly, Viewed on January 01, 2012 http://epw. in/user/viewabstract. jsp WEBSITES †¢ INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN COMMERCE, IT MANAGEMENT A Monthly Double-Blind Peer Reviewed (Refereed/Juried) Open Access International e-Journal – Included in the International Serial Directories vi http://ijrcm. org. in/ VOLUME NO. 3 (2013), ISSUE N O. 01 (J ANUARY) ISSN 2231-5756 MYSTERY SHOPPING– THE MIRACLE TOOL IN BUSINESS RESEARCH SHAKEEL-UL-REHMAN RESEARCH SCHOLAR ANNA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY CHENNAI A. VELSAMY ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES SONA COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY SALEM ABSTRACT Satisfied customers are an important advantage for almost every company. Every company tries its level best to deliver better services to make the customers satisfied. A customer must be satisfied up to the highest possible level. Mystery shopping is a type of research tool to measure the level of satisfaction, a customer experiences through impartial way. The present paper tries to bring out the conceptual understanding of mystery shopping – tries to explain the openness of mystery shopping to various arenas whether public or private and how it creates attention for improving performance of the company. KEYWORDS Mystery Shopping, Mystery Shopper, Customer Services, Customer Satisfaction, Employee Appraisal, Competitive Advantage. INTRODUCTION nowing the customer satisfaction is always the top prerogative in any business. Getting to know the level of satisfaction and (or) the changing expectations of customers’ is a continuous process. Though there are various methods and tools available for this, mystery shopping is considered as unique and undeniable tool in any organisation. As defined by Wilson (2001), mystery shopping is â€Å"a form of participant observation that uses researchers to deceive customer-service personnel into believing that they are serving real customers or potential customers†. Mystery shopping is a technique that involves looking at your business from outside and measure the efficiency of your own key processes from the view point of customers. Mystery Shopping can be carried out in person, by telephone, or less commonly by email. It can recognize strengths and weaknesses and aid to show exactly where service delivery can be improved. In instances where excellent service is provided, the service may be considered an example of best practice and specific staff members can be singled out for recognition and reward. Initially set up in retail and private sector service industries, now mystery shopping is used increasingly in the private as well as public sector to gain a better understanding of how service users are taken care of when they approach front line offices. Research is the foundation stone of effective marketing planning and is vital for implementing successful marketing strategies. Mystery shopping is a research to know about company in customer point of view. It is the use of individuals, skilled to measure any customer service process, by acting as potential customers and in some way reporting back on their experiences in a detailed and objective way. It is also an act of purchasing goods and services for collecting information for market research. K REVIEW OF LITERATURE Although the concept of mystery shopping is old, there are very less literature available in its field. Since the use mystery shopping as a tool of research has got much concern in the present business competition, investigating through the literature becomes imperative. As the use of mystery shopping is gaining much importance in the present chase of competition. The literature obtained by the investigator, in the form of various reports and research studies is briefly reviewed in this part. Banks and Murphy (1985) have noted that organizations prolong to articulate discontent in performance assessment systems even though advances in appraisal technology. Appraisal reliability and validity still remain a major problem in most assessment systems. Mystery shopping is the collection of facts, not perceptions. The mystery customer questionnaire or checklist should emphasize objective questions with a view to collecting factual data, again negating another weakness of customer surveys, i. e. hat customers only remember their overall impression of a service and not the individual elements or transactions (Wilson, 1998). Finn Kayande, 1999 found that the process mystery shopping uses a form of member observation to observe the behavior of employees, usual ly in the process of providing services; the resulting data are then used for evaluation purposes. The process usually includes a structured interaction between the representative and the service provider; an employee whose behavior is being assessed. It is followed by an evaluation interview in which the manager gives the employee feedback about the data collected during the interaction. This procedure is intended to increase the accuracy of the service provider. Bromage, (2000) found it as an integral training tool in that it can be used to identify training needs. Wilson, (2001) defined mystery shopping as a form of participant observation that uses researchers to deceive customer-service personnel into believing that they are serving real customers or potential customers. Shing and Spence (2002) argue that their use to gather competitive intelligence is parallel to industrial espionage and conclude that in such cases mystery shopping is difficult to defend ethically. Karia, 2005 stated that mystery shopping in India is of not a much scope but some of the big corporate have started to do mystery shopping for increasing their service delivery. Brender-Ilan, B. nd Shultz, T. (2005) found that the procedure of mystery shopping research is intended to increase the accuracy of the service provider valuation, as this type of jobs is considered rigid to appraise impartially. Obviously, the process is used differently in different organizations, an d for different purposes. CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING Mystery shopping is necessary for companies to get an objective opinion on how their business is doing. If they used their own employees to evaluate their service and operations, it would be biased. So mystery shoppers, who don’t already have a connection with the company, are used to provide honest and unbiased feedback. In the UK mystery, shopping is increasingly used to provide feedback on customer services provided by local authorities, and other non-profit organizations such as housing associations and churches. Mystery shopping is a term that describes a field based research technique of using independent auditors posing as customers to gather information about product quality and service delivery by a retail firm. The mystery shopper poses as a customer in order to objectively gather information on the business being INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN COMMERCE, IT MANAGEMENT A Monthly Double-Blind Peer Reviewed (Refereed/Juried) Open Access International e-Journal – Included in the International Serial Directories 01 http://ijrcm. org. in/ VOLUME NO. 3 (2013), ISSUE N O. 01 (J ANUARY) ISSN 2231-5756 studied. Getting a customer’s view of one’s business is a widely recognized tool in both the marketing and customer service arenas. When mystery shoppers are dispatched to vi sit a business, they use criteria developed by the client to evaluate the business and focus primarily on service delivery and the sales skills of employees. Their reports, usually written, are forwarded to the client and can be used in a number of ways. Mystery shoppers can also objectively evaluate competitors and their service delivery and product mix for comparisons and benchmarking. Mystery Shopping is also known as Ghost Shopping where industry serves to evaluate the customer service for any company that deals with customer satisfaction. By sending an anonymous ghost shopper, that forms the base on their visits to client locations. Ghost shopping helps in evaluating the service provided by the company’s’ channel members to its customers. From this information companies can understand whether it is meeting, or failing to meet, it’s customer’s needs. Ghost shoppers are everyday people who are visiting stores as anonymous customers, and in the process helping these stores to better understand how they can meet customers’ needs. METHODS OF IMPLEMENTATION Mystery shopping can be done by two methods a) A company uses its own employees to perform the mystery shopping, in which company trains its own employees to collect the customer related enquires from the market and b) Some companies can engage marketing research companies to evaluate the superiority of service in their stores; these companies use mystery shoppers to get the information in disguise. They disperse a mystery shopper to make a particular purchase in a shop or store, for example, and then report on the experience and understanding. Typically, the shopper is compensated, and can keep the product or service. Mystery shopping can be used in any industry, with the most common venue being retail stores, hotels, movie theaters, restaurants, fast food chains, banks, gas stations, automobile dealerships, apartments, health clubs and health care services Mystery shopping can allow a firm to create a competitive edge. It can also assist retailers in developing and evaluating strat egies to retain current customers. The first step in mystery shopping is to identify your firm’s important customer service characteristics and objectives often flowing from your strategy and overall goals and objectives. Next a firm uses these variables to develop a mystery shopping questionnaire, either alone or with the help or a consultant or mystery shopping firm. The survey can include a mix of description and check-off questions. WHY WHERE MYSTERY SHOPPING? In this growing severely competitive environment, there is an ever-increasing need for companies to gather evidence on whether their policy initiatives have had the intended outcomes and whether retail firms treat their customers fairly. In particular, the need is to measure and evaluate the impact of company policies, assess levels of firms’ compliance with rules and examine the experience consumers have of the market. Mystery shopping is regarded as a necessary means of gathering such information. This is because of the problems inherent to surveying those who have recently purchased products – consumers don’t always exactly recall all the particulars. Some of the benefits of mystery shopping are; Product Placement, Point of Selling, Visibility, Customer Demand, Repurchases, Brand Recall, Awareness. Mystery shopping is useful to know about the awareness of that brand, how many outlets are having this product? Through it one can get the information about the competitors like their new product launches, market share, new promotions, campaigns, etc. Even you can check the placement of the product in the outlet, whether the product has got right place on shelf, visibility of product, how fast product is moving, impulse buying appeal of the product, etc. A â€Å"conformist† mystery shopper in-person visits more of business locations. The assessments are typically discrete questions along with the correlated point values, as well as some narratives for amplification. However, due to advances in technology as well as evolving customer service requirements, the ability to gather data and other materials relating to a customer’s experience has been significantly increased. Mystery shopping can allow a firm to create a competitive edge. It can also assist retailers in developing and evaluating strategies to retain current customers. Typical areas of assessment are customer service, suggestive selling and up-selling techniques, teamwork, employee and management activities, head-count, store appearance and organization, merchandise displays and stock, cleanliness of the location, signage and advertising compliance, time in line and time elapsed for service, product quality, order accuracy, customer’s preferences, cash handling, and return policies. After pre-testing the questionnaire, mystery shoppers are hired to do an assessment. Assessments can be on-site or via the telephone or even the Internet. A sample size as well as a period of time for the mystery shopping program is determined and results are used for feedback. BENEFITING RANGE OF BUSINESS Mystery shopping is more visible in developing countries and it is mostly prevailing in retail sector. But other sectors also use it as a tool to measure their customer satisfaction, competition, new technology advancements etc. some of the areas where mystery shopping is seen commonly are Banks, Restaurants, Hotels, Supermarkets, Automobile shops, Repair shops, Bars, Clubs, Theaters, Shopping malls, Retail chain operators. FMCG companies, Consumer durable companies, Apparel retailers. Mystery shoppers are professional in this field as he charges a reasonable amount from the companies for doing this service of conducting research. A feedback is given by them to the client whether the services are being performed according to expectations or not and gives a chance for the further improvements that company thinks necessary for its survival. On the other hand they tries to offer a better delivery to the customers to make them satisfied and a company can attract more and more customers if it is efficient in the market USE AND EXECUTION OF MYSTERY SHOPPING Managers can use the reports from mystery shoppers to evaluate their position in the industry, and the results can be used to provide employee recognition and other positive reinforcements of loyalty and morale through incentive programs. Many restaurants, banks, supermarkets, and clothing retailers have used the techniques, along with hotels, furniture stores, grocery stores, gas stations, movie theaters, automotive repair shops, bars, athletic clubs, bowling alleys, and almost any business where customer service is important. As the service sector of the economy has increased, so has the demand for mystery shoppers. Some retailers are large enough to have their own in-house program in place. Other smaller companies who do not have the resources to develop a quality mystery shopping program in-house use mystery shopping contractors. These contractors directly hire and train the mystery shoppers, who work as independent contractors. The reports from mystery shoppers can measure training and levels of customer service pre- and post-training. Mystery shopping allows managers to determine if the services provided by employees are appropriate. Shopping reports can assess promotional campaigns and even verify employees’ honesty in handling cash and charges. Reports over time can give up a longitudinal database of averages. Some industries share findings so that managers can know regional or national averages of the industry. At the Web site Managerspot. com, for example, restaurant owners can compare their numbers from mystery shopping reports with a pool of similar, but anonymous, restaurants. The use of mystery shopping is just one part of a company-wide program to develop and enhance employee performance. The idea is to find out from a consumer’s point of view which areas of service and product quality are most important and what areas need improvement. Data from the shopping results can be used by the company to make necessary changes on a timely basis. The results should be used for developmental and reward purposes and not for punishment. Mystery shopping is a valuable tool to businesses and is especially helpful for small, start-up businesses that need accurate and fast information to assess their employees and compare their products and services to the competition. So mystery shopping is a process for exploring everyday experiences, one person’s view at a snapshot in time, a way of identifying strengths and weaknesses in dealing with customers, a method of measuring employees’ performance against set customer service standards, a useful aid for identifying training needs. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN COMMERCE, IT MANAGEMENT A Monthly Double-Blind Peer Reviewed (Refereed/Juried) Open Access International e-Journal – Included in the International Serial Directories 102 http://ijrcm. org. in/ VOLUME NO. 3 (2013), ISSUE N O. 01 (J ANUARY) ISSN 2231-5756 Mystery shopping can be used for various purposes. Most of the time the goal is to measure the quality of the service delivery to the customer. In this situation the mystery guest can be focused on the compliance to specific standards, guidelines or demands, or the mystery guest can be instructed to position the quality of the service on a scale. If a mystery guest visits locations of competitors, benchmarking becomes a way to judge your own activities against those. GROWING NECESSITY OF MYSTERY SHOPPERS Managers can use the reports from mystery shoppers to evaluate their status among its competitors and the scope of increasing the business. Also this tool is highly reliable, and the results can be used to provide employee recognition and other positive reinforcements of loyalty and morale through incentive programs. The use of mystery shopping is just one part of a company-wide program to develop and augment employee performance. The idea is to learn from a consumer’s point of view which areas of service and product quality are most important and what areas need improvement. Data from the shopping results can be used by the company to make necessary changes on a timely basis. The results should be used for developmental and reward purposes and not for punishment. Mystery shopping is a valuable tool to businesses and is especially helpful for small, start-up businesses that need accurate and fast information to assess their employees and compare their products and services to the competition. MYSTERY SHOPPING IN INDIA Mystery shopping is not much practiced in India; some of the organizations who have initially used this type of research are ICICI Bank, Titan, Arrow and Reliance communications. ICICI Bank used mystery shopping initially in Pune to check the services offered by one of its branches, it conducted survey by telephone through mystery shoppers to find out the different services provided to different age groups by the bank (Karia, P. M. , 2005) CONCLUSION In the present age of competition there are various tools of research available for the companies to measure their service level from the customer point of view. One such efficient tool is mystery shopping, which is also called as ghost shopping. It can be viewed as an efficient tool in measuring the customer satisfaction with the company. No doubt, companies are spending lot of resources in ensuring customer satisfaction and to know what actually customers want. Mystery shopping can be chosen as an efficient tool in knowing the overall details of positive and negative aspects of services provided to customers. It can also be used to rectify the problems a company actually faces in dealing with the customers. REFERENCES Banks, C. G. Murphy, K. R. (1985) â€Å"Toward Narrowing the Research-Practice Gap in Performance Appraisal†. Personnel Psychology, Vol. 38 (2), pp. 335– 345. 2. Brender-ilan, Y. and Shultz, T. (2005) â€Å"Perceived Fairness of the Mystery Customer Method: Comparing Two Employee Evaluation Practices†. Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, Vol. 17(4), pp. 231-243. 3. Bromage, N. 2000) â€Å"Mystery Shopping – It is Research, But Not as We Know It†. Managing Accounting, Vol. 78 (4), pp. 30-35. 4. Cawley, B. D. , Keeping, L. M. Levy, P. E. (1998) â€Å"Partici pation in the Performance Appraisal Process and Employee Reaction: A Meta-Analytic Review of Field Investigation†. Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 98 (4), pp. 615–621. 5. Finn, A. (2001) â€Å"Mystery Shopper Benchmarking of Durable-Goods Chains and Stores†. Journal of Service Research, Vol. 3 (4), pp. 310-320. 6. Finn, A. and Kayande, U. (1999) â€Å"Unmasking a Phantom: A Psychometric Assessment of Mystery Shopping†. Journal of Retailing, Vol. 75 (2), pp. 195–217. 7. Karia, M. P. , (2005) â€Å"Ghost Shopping†. http://www. indiamba. com. 8. Shing, M. N. K. and Spence, L. J. (2002) â€Å"Investigating the Limits of Competitive Intelligence Gathering: Is Mystery Shopping Ethical† Business Ethics: A European Review, Vol. 11 (4), pp. 343-353. 9. Stovall, S. A. (1993) â€Å"Keeping Tabs on Customer Service†. Bank Marketing, Vol. 25 (6), pp. 29-33. 10. Wilson, A. M. (1998) â€Å"The Role of Mystery Shopping in the Measurement of Service Performance† Managing Service Quality, Vol. 8 (6), pp. 414-420. 1. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN COMMERCE, IT MANAGEMENT A Monthly Double-Blind Peer Reviewed (Refereed/Juried) Open Access International e-Journal – Included in the International Serial Directories 103 ttp://ijrcm. org. in/ VOLUME NO. 3 (2013), ISSUE N O. 01 (J ANUARY) ISSN 2231-5756 REQUEST FOR FEEDBACK Dear Readers At the very outset, International Journal of Research in Commerce, IT and Management (IJRCM) acknowledges appreciates your efforts in showing interest in our present issue under y our kind perusal. I would like to request you to supply your critical comments and suggestions about the material published in this issue as well as on the journal as a whole, on our E-mail i. e. infoijrcm@gmail. com for further improvements in the interest of research. If you have any queries please feel free to contact us on our E-mail infoijrcm@gmail. com. How to cite Mystery Shopping– the Miracle Tool in Business Research, Essays

Environmental Law of New Zealand

Question: Discuss about the Environmental Law of New Zealand. Answer: Management occupies a central place in order to reduce the pollution levels. This reduction adds to the lifestyle of the public domain. Application of effective management techniques enables the companies and organizations to control the misutilization of the natural resources. Specific example in this direction is the environmental legislations, which makes the personnel aware of the wellbeing of the public domain. The generalization of the issue contradicts the focus of this report on New Zealand. Counter arguing this contradiction, the focus on judicious utilization of water adds to its freshwater. Moreover, it also adds to the existence of the individuals. Fresh water attains an important position within the natural resources of ecological diversity. According to the numerical projection, the fresh water occupies 70% of the natural resources. Attachment of effective management techniques adds firmness in the position of freshwater within the other natural resources[1]. However, due to the increasing pollution levels, the freshness of the water is at stake. This report attempts to speculate the correct utilization of the environmental law policies in terms of judicious utilization of freshwater. One of the other focuses of the assignment is on the regulatory framework towards nitrogen discharge allowances. Water is one of the major requirements for survival. Mere provision of water to the public does not help in the achievement of sustainable growth. Application of management techniques after the provision of resources helps in the evaluation of the exposed performance. This is applicable for every field that offers a quality lifestyle to the public domain. Speculation of New Zealand in particular contradicts the inner essence of the term management[2]. Countering this, focus on New Zealand establishes relevancy with the requirements of the report. The political unrest within the threshold of New Zealand aggravated the complexities of freshwater resource managers in terms of preserving the quality of water. The adoption of Management Act went in vain, which compelled the management authorities to think of something creative, which would support in making judicious utilization of the fresh water[3]. One of such example was the governmental initiative entitled, New Start for Fresh Water. This initiative compelled the management staffs to put on thinking caps as to execute effective trade with fresh water. This issue excavated the need to supervise the catchment area, which resulted in the over allocation of the fresh water resources. Along with this, regulation of the waste discharge is also needed for controlling the pollution levels[4]. Herein, lays the effectiveness of the regulatory framework, which adds to the preservation of the quality of natural resources. A typical example in this direction is the Healthy Rivers Plan. The word healthy contradicts the aspects of waste discharge. This plan was adapted for bringing about changes in the management of the fresh water resources. As a matter of specification, adoption of directives lessened the emission of wastes, which possessed flexibility for preservation of uniqueness of fresh water. Further, optimizing the resources, out of 70% water resources, human get to use only 3% of the waters, which is available in rivers and lakes. Herein, lays the effectiveness of management, which would provide fresh and accessible water for the public usage. Viewing it from another perspective, management of the nitrogen discharge adds to the quality and freshness of the water[5]. Countering this, management in this case comprises of allowances in terms of utilization of fresh water. Regulatory framework acts as a cornerstone for the New Zealand fresh water resources management in terms of adding to the existence of the public domain. Typical example of this is UN convention on the Law of Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses. According to the propositions of this legislation, effective initiatives were undertaken for regulation of the export activities in terms of fresh water[6]. The prefix non contradicts the illegal activities, which resulted in the misutilization of water. Attachment of the rapid population growth in this context, misutilization symbolized deprivation for future generation in terms of using the basic raw materials for survival, of which water attains top most position. Counter arguing this, compliance with the standards and codes of the directive enabled freshwater resource management of New Zealand to provide fresh and accessible water to every corner of the world. Herein, lays a conscious approach towards the wellbeing of the public domain. The attribute of consciousness can be conjoined with the propositions of the directive, UNECE Convention on the Protection and Use of Trans-boundary Watercourses and International Lakes[7]. Delving deep into the directive, many issues are highlighted, most important one is the protection. This issue is crucial in terms of free flow of goods from one part of the country to another. However, protection was on international level as freshwater was exported from New Zealand to the neighboring countries. Adherence to the standards and codes of this legislative enhances the corporate social responsibility of the freshwater resource department of New Zealand. As freshwater possesses collective usage, therefore manage ment of the discharge is an essential factor to gift a life to the public domain[8]. Management here reflected the adoption of proper drainage basins. The integrated structure of the drainage basins mitigated the amount of discharges. The major drive behind this is the presence of advanced technology, which effectively regulated the agricultural wastes, sewerage discharges among others. These machines reduced the pollution levels largely, which simultaneously projected a noticeable decline in the death rates due to lung cancer and other pollutant diseases. Taking into consideration the viewpoints of the stakeholders and shareholders proved beneficial for the freshwater resource department to control the discharge of pollutants in the near future, which preserved the quality and freshness of water[9]. These results made New Zealand a better place to live in for the inhabitants[10]. The name New Zealand is itself an evidence for the earlier sentence. The initiatives undertaken for bestowing clean, hygienic and accessible water to the public domain added a new zeal within the existence of the public domain. This addition resulted in the creation of a different land, which provided an escape to the public domain from the polluted ambience[11]. The new Christianization of New Zealand broadens the scope and arena of the freshwater resource department. This expansion enhances the parameter of corporate social responsibility of the department, which ensures the wellbeing of the inhabitants of New Zealand[12]. In order to maintain pace with the rapid growth of population, New Zealand freshwater resources department adopted effective pollution control measures[13]. Viewing it from the perspective of the report, this approach overpowers the regulatory framework towards utilization of freshwater as compared to the nitrogen discharge allowances. Taking a cue from the discussion, allowances in terms of discharge clears out the bacteria and adulteration, which adds to its quality[14]. Attaching the aspect of allowance in this aspect symbolizes the consciousness of the freshwater resource department managers in terms of providing clean accessible and drinking water to the public domain. Delving deep into the matter of Nitrogen Discharge Allowances (NDA), nitrogen is an essential component for plants and animals for their survival. On the contrary, present of nitrogen in the lakes degrades the quality of water making it unsafe for the public[15]. This crisis necessitates the aspect of management. In view of the earlier sentence, the two aspects of the reports attain equal alignment. Countering this, one aspect leads to another. In order to preserve the quality and freshness of water, effective and judicious utilization is required. Application of effective and efficient management technique results in the judicious utilization of resources, especially water. Mere implementation of the legislations does not serve the actual purpose. Consideration of specifications enables the freshwater resource department of New Zealand to mitigate the illegal activities that deprive the public from acquiring fresh and accessible water[16]. In order to serve the basic needs of the pu blic, export of the available resources and import of the lacking resources is crucial. However, prior permissions safeguard the freshwater resource department to avert situational crisis, such as scandals. Countering this, one aspect is related to another. Coverage of every strata of society for distribution of the natural resources would help the human resource department of New Zealand to prosper. Special focus on the below poverty level people would help in the achievement of positive results. Introduction of policies and legislations towards the upliftment of this particular section would upgrade the status of New Zealand in terms of preserving the ecological diversity[17]. Bibliography Betteridge, K., et al. "Why we need to know what and where cows are urinatinga urine sensor to improve nitrogen models. Betteridge, Keith, et al. "Development of a critical source area prediction model of nitrogen leaching."Accurate and efficient use of nutrients on farms. Eds. Currie, LD(2013).Vol. 75. 2013. Brouwer, Floor.Economics of Regulation in Agriculture: Compliance with Public and Private Standards. CABI, 2012. Caedo-Argelles, Miguel, et al. "Saving freshwater from salts."Science351.6276 (2016): 914-916. Cantonati, Marco, et al. "Crenic habitats, hotspots for freshwater biodiversity conservation: toward an understanding of their ecology."Freshwater Science31.2 (2012): 463-480. Compton, Tanya J., et al. "Predicting spread of invasive macrophytes in New Zealand lakes using indirect measures of human accessibility."Freshwater Biology57.5 (2012): 938-948. Duncan, Ronlyn. "Regulating agricultural land use to manage water quality: The challenges for science and policy in enforcing limits on non-point source pollution in New Zealand."Land Use Policy41 (2014): 378-387. Myers, S. C., et al. "Wetland management in New Zealand: Are current approaches and policies sustaining wetland ecosystems in agricultural landscapes?."Ecological engineering56 (2013): 107-120. Nanda V and Pring G, International Environmental Law And Policy For The 21St Century (1st edn, BRILL 2012) Palmer, Q. C. "Protecting New Zealand's environment: an analysis of the government's proposed freshwater management and Resource Management Act 1991 reforms." (2013). Roygard, J. K. F., K. J. McArthur, and M. E. Clark. "Diffuse contributions dominate over point sources of soluble nutrients in two sub-catchments of the Manawatu River, New Zealand."New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research46.2 (2012): 219-241. Stenger, Roland, et al. "Groundwater assimilative capacityan untapped opportunity for catchment-scale nitrogen management?."Advanced Nutrient Management: Gains from the Past-Goals for the Future(2012).

Swot Analysis of Bank Al-Falah Essay Example

Swot Analysis of Bank Al-Falah Essay SWOT Analysis of Bank Al-Falah Here we have applied this very useful technique to identifythe strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats ofBank Al-Falah. Strengths Strengths Strong Financial Position Strong Financial Position As we can see in the financial statements of the bank, the financial position of the organization is very sound and its profitability is in increasing. The Earning per sharehas been increased on a rate of about 50%, which is a verypositive sign. Highly Qualified Employees Highly Qualified Employees The bank has highly qualified and skilled workforceand it has succeeded to attract the best bankingprofessionals from across the country due to its growingpace and sound reputation. Conducive Environment Conducive Environment The management of the bank is very muchconcerned with the development of and improvement of theworking environment. The bank has state of the art andpurpose built branches where all the modern technologiesare provided to get the efficiency of the workforce and thecustomer satisfaction. Govt. Support and Encouragement Govt. Support and Encouragement As the owners of the bank belong to UAE and thetype of their investment in Pakistan is a foreign investment,the govt. is fully supporting the bank management due to itspolicy to maximize the foreign investment in the country, toget the economic prosperity. Fastest Growing Financial Institution Fastest Growing Financial Institution Due to its successful business policies and thestrong financial position the bank has achieved thereputation of fastest growing financial institution in thecountry. We will write a custom essay sample on Swot Analysis of Bank Al-Falah specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Swot Analysis of Bank Al-Falah specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Swot Analysis of Bank Al-Falah specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer It has greatly increased the customers confidencein the bank Huge Expansion Plan Huge Expansion Plan Due to its strong financial position the bank has undergone a huge expansion plan to compete with the existing bank all over the country and with the passage of time the branch network is expanding at a very good pace. Young and Energetic Workforce Young and Energetic Workforce As the bank is a newer one in the country, the bankhas an advantage over its competitors because the majorityof its workforce is young and not very much over aged. Thus the bank is getting maximum out put from its youngand energetic workforce by spending comparatively less ontheir remunerations. Islamic Banking Division Islamic Banking Division The bank is one of the pioneers of the commercialbanks who have started the Islamic Banking along with theirconventional banking. The bank has a separate network ofits Islamic Banking Division which has 16 branches acrossthe country and this network is also expanding at a very good pace. Weaknesses Waiver of charges Waiver of charges Currently the middle management of bank Al-Falah is thebig reason for waiver of charges. Bank Al-Falah loosing alot of its income likes (Cheque book charge, online charges,statement charges, and other things) because ofmanagement. This is a weakness of bank Al-Falah. Inexperienced workforce Inexperienced workforce As the majority of the workforce consists of young professional, they lack in their experience. And sometimes ack of experience becomes a hurdle while serving to thecustomers. It is the point where they feel difficulty whilecompeting the other bank, which have a very experiencedworkforce. Over work Load on Employees Over work Load on Employees It was observed in the branch that as compared tohuge business the bank is dealing in, the no. of employeesis lesser and thus there is an increased workload on theemployees. Due to this the efficiency of the employees isreduced. Employees are not very much Employees are not very much Motivated Motivated As discussed before, the workload is high and theemployees, especially the credit department, have to dolate sittings to complete their tasks. On the other hand thebank has revised its salary increments policy to decreasethe increment rate, as a result a decreased motivation levelof employees is observed Opportunities Rapidly Growing Economy Rapidly Growing Economy At present the Pakistan’s Economy is growing on avery fast pace. The rapid growth of economy has resulted inthe increase in the growth rate of all economic sectorsespecially in the banking sector which is growing at afastest speed than ever and in future the growth is expectedto increase even a higher rate. Increased Interest Rates Increased Interest Rates The SBP has revised the interest policy and theinterest rates have been linked with the KIBOR rates. Dueto which the banks interest rate has been substantiallyincreased which will greatly increase the banks’ profitability. Mega Projects Financing Mega Projects Financing As the increase in overall business activity in thecountry, the investors are launching various types of MegaProjects especially in housing and textile the bank has agreat opportunity to finance these projects at very profitableterm. Huge Demand for Consumer Huge Demand for Consumer Financing Financing The increase in per capita income and overalleconomy has resulted into a great demand for theconsumer financing especially for home finance and carfinancing and it is said that this trend will increase more infuture. The bank can earn a lot by focusing on its consumerfinancing sections. Merger with UBL Merger with UBL After the privatization of United Bank Limited,  themanagement of the BAL has purchased the majority sharesof the UBL, and it is planning to merge these two banks. AsUBL is the second largest bank in the country, this mergercan make the bank the largest bank of the country. Growing Trend of Islamic Banking Growing Trend of Islamic Banking There is a very good growth trend in the Islamicbanking in the country and in the world as well. BAL has theadvantage of having full fledged Islamic Banking networkand the growth in this particular field can be very fruitful forthe bank. Spending Practices of Mass Spending Practices of Mass As the Pakistani’s are known for their extravagantpractices, and to fulfill their funds requirements they don’thesitate from getting loans from banks. Thus there is a verygood scope for the bank to run successful business in suchcircumstances.

English and Spanish Relations With the Native Americans essays

English and Spanish Relations With the Native Americans essays The purpose of this paper is to prove that although both the English and the Spanish saw the natives as uncivilized and vulnerable savages; ultimately, the English, more so than the Spanish, took advantage of these characteristics to lead to bad relations with the Native Americans. Whereas the Spanish settlers, who forced Catholicism on the Pueblos and tried to obliterate Indian practices, ended their problems with hopes of peace, the English took over land with no effort at reconciliation with the Narragansett tribe. When the English first arrived in New England in the mid 1600's, they were much amused at the Indians responses to their European culture. The natives were impressed with European technology and soon expressed a desire to experience the new bits of customs that had arrived on their shores. When the English saw that the natives venerated them for their new and interesting technology as almost supernatural in basis, they perceived this as bond that would be carried throughout settlement. Similarly, good intentions were met in the southwest part of the land where the Spanish sent Franciscan friars into the area of New Mexico to spread the Catholic faith. Beginning their expanse, they were welcomed by the Pueblos mostly because they brought new crops and agricultural technologies that made life much simpler and industrious. Unlike the English Puritans, the Spanish missionaries did not see it necessary to force conversion on the natives. Camaraderie and good associations between the English and Native Americans did not last long. The Indians first noticed that the English had outstayed their welcome when tribes would complain of loss of land, grass, and trees. However, the English reacted no differently to the outlandishly different lifestyle of the natives. Early Massachusetts Bay settler, William Wood, went on to find fault with various aspects of the Indian routine, including treatment of Indian women...

Article on Karl Marx and Private Enterprise

Article on Karl Marx and Private Enterprise Karl Marx is the most controversial economist in history. His writings are studied and debated. He is frequently linked with communism and that association has biased many people against him. Marxs link to communism were formed because many of the socialist dictators such as Lenin studied Marx intensively, however it is erroneous to assume that Marx was a proponent of communism. He was however a critic of capitalism. He studied capitalism extensively and much of his writings focus on the problems with capitalism and specifically on the exploitation of the worker. By examining the origination of capitalism and the Marxist critique of capitalism, we can gain a better understanding of Marxs viewpoints and separate Marxs views from many of the misunderstandings surrounding Marx. Marx spent a great deal of time examining the conversion of the feudal society to a capitalist society. Before the conversion to capitalism took place, England experienced an industrial revolution. This revolution took place from the 10th to the 14th centuries. Around this time, the Plaque that wreaked havoc on England and wiped out nearly half of its population was over. After the Plague ended, many people inherited a lot of wealth and spending on extravagant items became very common. Additionally, it was during this time that technological advances moved industry forward. The invention of the loom made it possible to create linens rapidly and inexpensively and Englands textile industry flourished. Soon after that came the invention of the printing press, which changed allowed for the efficient transfer of information. It was no longer necessary to learn how to do things directly through human contact. This spread of information made it possible for the people of England to organize themselves and to expand their knowledge in different areas of industry. During the 16th and 17th centuries England experienced a turning point in its economic history. During the reign of Charles I, England was going through a period of economic shrinkage. Up until this time English monarchy favored an economic system that was monopolistic in nature. The reason for this is that it gave England greater control over profits and taxation. However, as the merchant class began to grow, Englands economic policies began to hinder further growth. The merchant class (referred to by Marx as the bourgeoisie) began to compete with the monopolies and Englands economy grew increasingly unstable. The rising bourgeoisie began to enclose their land and focused their efforts more and more and their own material gain. These economic factors were, in a large part, responsible for the eventual revolution and execution of the King of England, Charles I. The conversion to capitalism took place over a large period of time, but the changes that took place affected every aspect of society. It changed not only industry, but also politics, religion, laws, and peoples social interactions. In feudalism, wealth was tied to the land. Society was based on agriculture and 90% of the people worked the land. If someone owned land they were wealthy; the society was divided into two classes, landowners and non-landowners. In feudalism, wealth was inherited. Land was passed on when the landowner died to his descendants and therefore it was impossible for serfs to move up. With capitalism this all changed. Wealth was linked to trade and production. For the first time, serfs had the ability to acquire some wealth because wealth was no longer based on lineage. Under this new system, owning a business became the major way to generate wealth, which created some opportunity for serfs that had a skill. Furthermore, land became a commodity that could be bou ght and sold. Previously, land did not change hands and the king could seize it at any time. In capitalism property was bought and sold and people could do with it whatever they wished. In feudalism profits were considered immoral, but under capitalism profits became the way to obtain a better life. Capitalism is the separation of the economy and the state. It is a social system based upon private ownership of the means of production, which entails a completely uncontrolled and unregulated economy where all land is privately owned. Capitalism has been described as the a social harmony through the pursuit of self-interest. This is because those who promote capitalism, believe in that by leaving the state of the economy unregulated, and by each individual left in pursuit of his own self-interests, the economy will automatically adjust itself so that is runs with maximum efficiency. Today in the United States we live in a capitalist society (although our economy is not purely capitalistic because it is not completely unregulated). Under this system a large and growing section of the population survives based on the condition that it works for the owners of the means of production. Production became a key component of this new way of life. Marx defines social class as relations to means of production. Society class structure changed. Instead of society being divided into the landowners and non-landowners, it was divided into those the capitalist and the worker. Capitalists built huge factories instead of small workshops and began to employee hundred of workers at a time. The capitalist owned the factory, the land, and the raw materials and instructed the worker on what to do. Then the goods produced were sold and the capitalist paid the worker a wage and kept the profits. At a time when 90% of England were poor, former serfs, capitalists found plenty of people willing to work for almost nothing. Although, a select few of the workers who were skilled earned a slightly higher wage, the majority worked to just enough money to sustain themselves. The capitalist paid as low a wage as possible and tried to sell their products for as high a price as possible. Most cap italists were very successful. They reinvested their money into new ventures and their wealth grew. Marx recognized that Capitalism divides society into classes, whose interests are not only different, but are opposed to each other. According to Marx the relationship between the capitalist and the worker is inherently antagonistic. What one gains is lost to the other. Because of this he felt that it was inevitable that the worker would have to rise up against the capitalist. Lets take a closer look at the capitalist-worker relationship and how workers wages are determined. The same principles that determine the price of goods also determine the wages. Supply and demand and the competition for labor determine wages by the capitalists. This is what causes the cost of labor to fluctuate and the fluctuations revolve around the cost of producing labor. The costs can be described as the cost of maintaining and training the worker. The easier a worker is to replace or the less training required to educate a worker, the smaller his wage. If there is little or no training necessary, a workers wages will equal the subsistence wage (the minimum amount necessary for a worker to survive). In addition the subsistence wage the capitalist must also consider the cost of replacing worn out workers. The addition of this cost to the subsistence wage is the minimum wage. Although many workers do live and work for a wage below this level, the minimum wage correlates to the wa ges of the entire working class and this wage is the point about which wages of the workers fluctuates. Understanding how wages are determined in the capitalist society we can now examine the relationship between labor and capital in more detail. The laborer receives wages in exchange for his labor. The laborer receives this wage which provides him a method of survival in that he can by food, clothes, and shelter. However, the subsistence wage will not provide the worker any means of economic progression. It will not provide him a way of moving up from the lower classes. An example of this would be a factory worker. He works for one day and is paid for his work ten dollars. The factory owner earns twenty dollars for the work put forth by the worker after subtracting the wage that he pays the worker. Therefore, the employer has created for himself twenty dollars by doing nothing more than giving the laborer work. The factory owner can then use the twenty dollars to reinvest in the factory or in another venture, increasing his wealth. The laborer on the other hand, earns his ten dollars a day, which is only sufficient for him to purchase necessities. It is often said that in capitalism it is in the best interest of the worker and the capitalist for the capitalists ventures to succeed. This is true in that if the venture does not succeed, the worker nor the capitalist will reap a reward. However, when it does succeed it is the capitalist who has the opportunity to increase his wealth and it is in the capitalists best interests that the worker not be given opportunity to earn more than the subsistence wage he is being paid. The growth of the business under capitalism will logically benefit a select number of capitalists. The few who are fortunate enough to have wealth have the opportunity for their wealth to grow. However the worker is not as fortunate. Marx knew that a growth in profits for a firm did not help the worker as one might suspect. In fact, a growth in profits would imprison the worker. When profits increase, wages might also increase but not at the same proportion to profit. An increase in profits for a firm of 30 percent could translate roughly to an increase in wages of 5 percent. Even though wages rose, they rose proportionately less that profits. Therefore the relative wage has not increased, but in fact it has gotten smaller. As the few capitalists increase their wealth, the gap between the rich and the poor must widen. The size of the working class (Marx refers to them as proletariats) grows in number, but their individual wealth is stagnant. The relationship between the two classes i s a control relationship of the capitalist over the worker. This is not a great improvement over the relationship between the feudal lords and the serfs. In the best case scenario a capitalist economy prospers to the point that wages are driven up. Even in this case, however, the gap that would develop between the rich and the poor is so unproportional that it would be impossible for the laborer to increase his standard of living in a pure capitalist economy. We can see that even the best possible situation for the working class does not improve their situation. The material position of the worker may rise slightly, but his social position continues to decline. Marx refers to the manner in which a capitalist controls the worker and reaps the rewards of his labor as exploitation of the worker. The capitalist exploits the worker by using him in the production of goods and using the profit that was generated by the workers labor for his own gain. We will look at how this is done, but first we need to understand how the value of a good or a commodity is measured. By gaining that understanding we can then look at the value added to a product by the laborer and what portion of that value is rewarded to him. It had been a problem for economists to determine how the value of a good is derived. It had been determined that prices of all commodities including labor, are continuously rising and falling and that the price of the goods can rise and fall because of factors that had nothing to do with the production of the good itself. The determination of value was a problem that many economists tried to resolve. Marx was the first economist to investigate thoroughly the notion that the value of a good is determined by the labor put into producing the good. He believed that the value of a commodity was based on all labor, past and present, put into creating the good. This established a way of measuring the true value of good. However this theory had some problems. How is the value of labor determined? How do we express the value of labor when labor itself is used to measure value? Classical Economists contrast these problems that were faced by Marx (as well as other economists such as David Ricardo), with another theory. This theory suggests that the value of a commodity is equal to its cost of production. Under this idea, the value of labor can be determined by the cost of sustaining him or the cost of replacing him. Another way of looking at the exploitation of the worker is by examining the number of hours put into producing a product. The value of each product consists of three parts, according to Marx: the first part is the amount of constant capital put into a good, the second part is the amount of variable capital used to create the good (wages), and the third is the surplus value. The surplus value is the value of a good above and beyond the value that was paid to the worker in the form of wages. In fact by dividing the surplus value by the workers wages we are able to derive the Rate of Exploitation of the worker. So for example a workers wage might equal half of the value of the good he produced. The other half of the value that the worker added is the surplus value and the surplus value is taken for profit by the capitalist. By looking at the relationship between the worker and the capitalist one thing is certain. The value of a good is determined either directly or indirectly by the worker. The value is either composed of the actual units of labor used to produce the product or the cost of labor is used as part the valuation of the good (in addition to the other costs such as materials and machinery). Regardless the worker is reduced to a tool used by the Capitalist and he is nothing more than a component in the production process. And that is what Marx felt would cause the strain and the inevitable rebellion of the worker. It is important to note that despite the common misperception, Marx did not feel that Capitalism is all bad. He recognized that it ended feudalism which was far worse. In many ways he looked at Capitalism as a segue to something better. He believed that Capitalism was dynamic and constantly changing and this leads to the promotion of technology and spurs advances in science. He also knew that Capitalism was an efficient way of creating material wealth. However, despite capitalisms advantages, Marx could not over look its disadvantages. It divides people into classes, which in and of itself, Marx believed, creates problems. It produces wealth for few and unhappiness for many. He believed that a worker is not just selling his labor, he is selling his humanness. He believed that a Capitalist economy will grow for decades (although their will be periods of recession and depression), but the capitalist system can not flourish indefinitely because by isolating the worker and creating the tension that must exist between the capitalist and the worker, capitalism must fall. The workers will eventually organize themselves and overthrow capitalism and then capitalism will be regarded as feudalism is now, as a stepping stone to something better.

A Farewell to Arms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

A Farewell to Arms - Essay Example The researcher states that the novel’s plot wholly conforms to the standard pattern of tragedy wherein the start, development, and the conclusion of the plot-structure is marked by the well-known stages of exposition, complication, climax, crisis, anticlimax, and denouement. The 41 chapters of the novel show the rising and falling action running through the various stages; beginning with the introduction and exposition of the action centering on Frederic. It then leads to complication of the action by the new factor of love, which pulls the hero in the direction opposite to that of the war. The rising action reaches a climax in the wounding of the hero in the war front, then the action taking a downward journey leading to the crisis. The turning point in the fortune of the hero is in his desertion of war in the Caporetto retreat, then reaching the anticlimax of the falling action in the hero’s migration along with Catherine from Italy to Switzerland. It ends with the ca tastrophe or denouement in the death of Catherine leaving the hero alone and bitter. Thus, the novel’s patterning is modeled on the plot structure of a classic tragedy. The exposition is in the introduction where we are introduced to the novel’s setting, war-torn Italy, the major characters, their conflicts and the dramatic tensions working against the characters. He builds up suspense through the arousal of the readers’ expectations followed by their ironic reversals.... Frederic’s duty as a soldier and his love for Catherine pull him in separate directions. The activating incident if Frederic’s wounding which makes it possible for Catherine to nurse him and for the couple to fall in love. The rising action is marked by numerous coquettish games that Frederic and Catherine had. These fetish actions foreshadow their affection for one other. This is further demonstrated in their final days together, prior to Frederic’s departure to the front zero by the demands of love in competition with his life beyond their relationship. The rising action is also characterized by complications in the form Frederic’s growing affection for Catherine, his injury and her graveness. By the time Frederic is about to go back to the front, they realize that Catherine is three months pregnant (Hemmingway 149). Frederic sees a life he could have with Catherine as they live in Milan. Catherine’s pregnancy and the call to report to the front, however, divide Frederic’s loyalties, trapping him between two desires. The climax of the novel is the disastrous retreat at Caporetto and Frederic’s near-execution by the carabinieri, which utterly changes his attitude toward the war (Hemmingway 152). Frederic’s action during the Caporetto retreat becomes the turning point of the conflict between war and love. In shooting the Italian sergeant for desertion but then deserting the war himself, Frederic’s disillusionment with battlefield bravery is complete. He commits himself to his love for Catherine. The falling action comes is when Frederic decides to flee and abandon the army marking his farewell to arms. Frederic and Catherine idyllic time together in Stresa, an Italian town, may seem an odd setting for a story’s falling action. Nevertheless, as

Roma (Gypsy) music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Roma (Gypsy) music - Essay Example The attack massacred the people and carried thousands of slaves. Although Rajput fought back, a number of people were displaced. At some point around the eleventh century, the ancestors of Romans made their way into Upper Hindus Valley from Gurjara where they spent some of the time in the region. Thereafter the ancestors of the Romans left India and penetrated into the Northwest China. From there, they followed the ancient trading route which led them to Persia, through Southern Georgia, Armenia and finally reached Byzantine Empire. By fourteenth century, they reached Romania from Byzantine capital (now Istanbul). Some groups also remained in Romania as they moved on both east and west. By the fifteen century, Romanians could be traced in areas such as West, the British Isles and Spain and at the east of Poland and Lithuania. The population is approximately 6 to 10 million people. According to some scholars, they migrated from India changed their original name from Dom (plural) to Rom (singular) and Roma (plural) (Yooors, pg. 14). Roman religious beliefs are deep rooted amongst Hinduism. Romans have a universal believe called Kuntari. On the contrary, everything must have its natural place such as, that birds fly and fish swim. Although hens do not fly, they are considered as not balanced as are frogs. The Romans has believed that there’s a possibility of becoming polluted in a number of ways that included breaking of taboos that involve the upper and lower halves of the body. According to the Romanians, a person who becomes polluted is considered out of balance and need restoration to purity through a trial before a tribunal led by elders. At that instance, one found guilty are isolated from the others and then reinstated. For severe cases of pollution, a Roman could be outlawed from the group forever despite rare nowadays. Exemptions are given to children until they

Communication Challenges in Global Virtual Teams Essay Example for Free

Communication Challenges in Global Virtual Teams Essay Communication Challenges in Building Successful Global Virtual Teams Due to Diversity and Cultural Differences Abstract This paper introduces an approach to effectively communicate within a global virtual team by discussing the challenges faced by them, understanding cultural differences in communicating, diversity within a team, building trust in virtual communication, and communicating across different regions and time zones. This approach appears in many discussions surrounding the difficulties managers and team members have in communicating effectively in global virtual teams. Specifically, this paper evaluates how the diversity of a global virtual team makes it challenging to communicate when members are not present face to face and adhering to the different regions and time zones these members are located. It will also examine the challenges in understanding the different cultures amongst a team and how to effectively build trust by researching, acknowledging, and understanding these cultural differences and communicating them to the team in a virtual environment. Communicating Challenges in Building Successful Global Virtual Teams Due to Diversity and Cultural Differences In today’s economy, many organizations must expand their operations globally in order to remain competitive and to stay afloat. With this business model companies have to develop teams across all functions of the organization and in all regions of the globe in which the company operates. For these companies, many have set up global virtual teams to manage processes and implement any projects or company initiatives with other employees of the organization. However with these teams come many obstacles and challenges definitely in communicating across cultural differences, understanding the diversity of the team and communication management within the different regions and time zones. Various authors (Danielle, 2006; Kayworth, 2000; Lee-Kelley, 2008 to name a few) have noted that these groups consisting of dispersed members across the globe and accumulated from various cultural backgrounds have an impact on how effective global virtual teams can be. Kayworth determines that there are four main challenges that global virtual teams face; which are communication, culture, technology, and project management. This paper observes the difficulties that virtual teams face within their communication efforts, analyzing the diversity of team members and the obstacles of communicating across different regions and times zones. As well as it takes an extensive look at the cultural differences that consists of these virtual teams and the challenge of building trust amongst a dispersed group. And in order for a global virtual team to operate effectively, managers and the members must research the different cultural backgrounds of its members, understand the communication challenges they face, and utilize them accordingly in order to build trust amongst the team to fulfill their goals that they place ahead of them. Defining Global Virtual Teams There are many authors that have provided definitions of global virtual teams, Lee-Kelley (2008) mentions that Towsend along with Lipnack and Stamps define a virtual team as a group that is geographically dispersed and utilize telecommunication and information technology as forms to communicate and perform. Lee-Kelley also refers to Alge, Balosky, Christensen, and Davis’ definition that virtual teams are typically a group that are dispersed who use various sources of information technology to communicate. In the case of these definitions, there is a lack of emphasis on the concept of team, but further definitions tie in this concept and place more value on the aspect of team. Cascio’s and Shurygailo’s mentioning of multiple-relationships in global virtual teams, by referring to the number of manager’s involved, number of team members, and number of locations. Many researchers in this field do not reference a specified distance in which team members must be apart to classify as virtual team, but as Lee-Kelley stated it is a psychological reality versus sociological that team members conceptually define themselves in a virtual team. In sum, there are many definitions that agree on the structure, form and characteristics of a virtual team and the members it consist of, but there is a lack of consensus amongst them. This lack of consensus on the definition of a global virtual team has also brought up the discussions of the challenges in communication that these virtual teams face, thus prompting this research. Time Zones and Work Schedules One of the initial challenges of global virtual teams is the complicated work schedules of its team members in their respective regions. Settle-Murphy (2006) notes when working in a synchronous mode (Instant Message, telephone, video conference), some remote team members are forced to work at awkward times. This alone is one the most consistent challenges that managers and teams have to overcome. When is the optimal time for virtual teams that span across various time zones to meet? A manager and its team have to take in consideration the different work weeks as well as the time difference. Consistently in many western civilizations, the standard work week is predominately Monday through Friday, utilizing Saturday and Sunday as business days off in order to tend to personal matters and observance of the religious day that is most affluent in that region and culture. Where in many eastern civilizations the work week is Sunday through Thursday, and they utilize Friday and Saturday as their days off. This difference is not only restricted to western/eastern civilization, but ultimately applies to the different cultures that make up the team, the different religions, and time of year. Being cognitive of this challenge and addressing it in an applicable manner is crucial to the effectiveness of a global virtual team. It is an evident obstacle in scheduling team meetings via information technology applications (i. e. teleconferencing, video-conferencing, etc). This is one challenge that can easily be addressed by the manager’s and team’s awareness of these work week schedule differences along with the cultural and religious difference of its team members. Another issue that global virtual teams encounter is conducting meetings across the various time zones of its members. There is no exact corporate standard or guidelines on how and when meetings should be conducted in order to accommodate all members of the virtual team. Settle-Murphy states that in order to reduce this challenge as an obstacle to building trust and team success, a team should agree when same time meetings are necessary, and consider rotating the times to share the burden of working during normal sleep time. The managers and team members should also consider which work can be done asynchronously (e. g. via email or a shared workplace) to allow all team members to work at the most convenient times. This approach can be highly effective because it is apparent that the manager and other team members have taken into consideration each other’s differences of location, culture, and business practices, and simultaneously addressing the challenge of building trust. By researching, understanding, and being respectful of the team members and their time, the cohesiveness of the group is established quickly and strengthened, which is also a challenge to overcome in global virtual teams. Communication and Behavioral Differences In the article â€Å"Working Together Apart,† Zakaria, Almelinckx, and Wilemon (2004) state that, â€Å"managers have often under-valued the profound influence of culture on knowledge conceptualization and transfer. Suggesting that knowledge sharing is often facilitated by communication that involves the exchange of meaning and that the process of communicating is dynamic, multifaceted and complex† (p. 17). Zakaria et al. , also suggest that cultural conditioning has a major affect on the evaluation of experience as well as how information and knowledge in global virtual teams is conveyed and learned. In short, cultural influences play a major role in communication and behavioral differences. This concept is another major challenge that global virtual teams face when striving to reach their end goal. Conveying a clear message is only one challenge, the difficult part is conveying that message so that it reaches each individual affectively according to their unique cultural and behavioral background and how to convey organizational messages across global virtual teams has consensually been done through technology. Global virtual teams that use information and communication technologies and exclude social or physical presence and rely on depersonalized forms of communications between its team members (Zakaria et al. ,2007). One can argue that this hinders the creation of a knowledge-sharing culture, yet over time, the exclusion of social and physical presence can possibly strengthen working relationships that normally would not form in a more traditional work setting. Utilizing technology as the form of communication takes out a lot of subtle communication aspects that are experienced when working within a team in a more traditional framework. An example of this is the use of non-verbal communication or cues. The absence of non-verbal communication may cause difficulties for those global virtual team members’ cultures that rely on body language, gestures and facial expressions for vital communication. For example, in high-context cultures, people value these subtle and indirect communications. Visual communication like a nod, smile, posture, voice and eye contact provide important indications and meanings to establish understanding of what is trying to be communicated. The usage of verbal and non-verbal communication is important when working together in a team. Global virtual teams usually lack the ability to rely on these communication manners because of their reliability on technology in order to communicate and therefore it is difficult to build cohesiveness and trust within the team. Zakaria et al. , states that: â€Å"Technology is simply a tool that needs human operations, no matter how sophisticated the technology can be, the implementation of technology has the potential to fail if insufficient considerations are given from the user perspectives† (p. 19). This brings up the topic of what is appropriate and what is not when communicating to and within global virtual teams. In the majority of information and communicated technology-mediated environments where team members are dispersed geographically and are culturally diverse, the usual form of communication is electronically, and the preferred language of use is English. Studies have shown that native and non-native English speakers exhibit culture-based differences in meanings of terminology, structure and format. A key example of this is the usage of terms and slang. When members use terms and slang words, the intended meaning can be obscured due to cultural differences and can hinder knowledge management and effectiveness. Another area for potential conflict in information communication is the actual language itself. For those teams that use English, individuals need to be aware of the English language variation in intra-team electronic communication. This particularly pertains to the tone, style, formality, salutations and closings and that they need to be aware that there are substantial sociolinguistic and grammatical variations within the global English-speaking community and will have a significant impact on intra-team communications. In order to successfully facilitate the cross-cultural collaboration and communication, the team members must be aware of these subtle differences and acknowledge them when relaying organizational messages. Since the use of electronic communication technology has the capacity to reduce or overcome certain cultural challenges within a global virtual team, these forms of technologies can facilitate intra-team interaction. It also introduces a shared-framework, a virtual work setting that can build intra-team respect, trust, reciprocity and positive individual and group relationships. Therefore, understanding the communication and behavioral differences when communicating electronically to the team members can put the team in the position to work through the challenges that lie within a global virtual team. The Importance of Developing Trust For global virtual teams, building trust is one of the essential factors in developing a successful team. Since global virtual teams consist of many cultures that make up the entity as well as a geographically dispersed entity, there is a high risk of potential misunderstandings and mistrust. So the question that many virtual teams face is how to develop trust. Many researchers contend that in order to develop trust, a group must facilitate face to face interactions in order to build trust. These face to face interactions allow people to relate to each other or â€Å"click† as many of the new generation say. However, this may not have enough grounds to develop strong trust within a team if the members do not understand each other and/or the nature of the team itself. As Roberts observed, â€Å"the development of trust, whether on a local or international basis, requires more than face to face contact or its technological and spatially indifferent substitute video-conferencing ellipses, trust depends on the sharing of a set of socially embedded values, cultural institutions and expectations† (Roberts, 2000, p. 6). In order for global virtual teams to be effective, there must be intra-group trust as well as trust between management and team members and vice versa. Jarvenpaa, S. L. , and Leidner, D. E. 1999) infer that virtual teams have no time to gradually develop trust and therefore require a high degree of â€Å"swift trust† to be demonstrated by enthusiastic and proactive team members’ behaviors. So how do cross-cultural members form swift trust? Jarvenpaa and Leidner suggest that the virtual team members would import the expectations of trust from other settings that they are familiar with. It is also important to note tha t if an individual team member’s cultural stereotypes are flawed, biased or incomplete, this technique may be problematic. Once communication is developed between members, trust could be maintained by actions that are highly dynamic, proactive and enthusiastic. Such active communication must be premised on accurate cultural knowledge to be effective. Therefore swift trust is made possible because when cross-cultural teams work in a virtual environment, they bring their knowledge, competence and expertise not only to meet the goals that are set but also about the other team members’ and their cultures in order to ensure the success of the team. Not only is this necessary for the members of the team but it also necessary for the leaders of the team to establish this swift trust. As noted from Zakaria and Leidner, there are two behavioral categories that form cross-cultural trust. First, credibility where one individual believes that the other individual has the capabilities, competence, expertise and resources to make a successful exchange that meets expectations. Note that when working in cross-cultural teams, the work expectation of a person in culture A is different from the expectations of a person in culture B. This can be challenging in implementing swift trust in global virtual teams, but it can be overcome if the expectations are set by the managers or leaders and are clearly communicated to all team members. The second factor that Zakaria and Leidner discuss is benevolence, the beliefs about the emotional aspects of the referent’s behavior like positive intention to exchange. These beliefs include a referent’s good will so that they would participate in the better good of the team rather than jeopardize the exchange outcome. This may result in some challenges to the team because swift trust does not focus a lot on interpersonal relationships. Rather it places more emphasis on the initial broad social structures. Therefore in order for swift trust to be implemented successfully, team members must maintain a high level of actions, regardless of their cultural preferences and differences. But team members should also appreciate, understand and respect the cultural differences that make up the team in order to truly succeed in a global virtual team. Conclusion Through research of many articles and publishing’s regarding the topic of communication in global virtual, building trust has been the one subject that has been consistently addressed. Mockaitis, A. I. , Rose, E. L. nd Zetting, P. (2009) suggest that the development of trust in the context of multicultural global virtual teams is related to aspects of culture, conflict, task interdependence and communication. A team whose members are more collective in nature rather than distant tend to report more positive results of developing trust within the group, this impli es that culture matters. It is important for all team members to understand and respect the cultures of the other individuals. Although team members’ personal cultural values have consistent predictive power it is suggested that it displays very little value in developing trust within the group. Initially since communication amongst the team is done virtually and not face to face, it is important to establish trust among the group. But as the team develops the factors for cultural differences and diversity tend to become less important to the success of the group. The findings of Mockaitis et al. , show that cultural diversity does not appear to serve as a barrier to trust, even as differences become apparent through communication, but it can play a crucial role in developing that trust. Therefore along with cultural differences, communication is extremely important for the development of trust within a global virtual team.