Banking Industry in Bangladesh: Its Contribution and Performance

Journal of Business Research, vol. 3, 2001 This article is brought to you by www. bdresearch. org Banking Sector in Bangladesh: Its Contribution and Performance Sharif Rayhan Siddique* A F M Mafizul Islam** Abstract: The paper attempted to highlight the prospects and opportunities of banking sector in Bangladesh. Like other economic sector in the country, Banking is one of major sectors which contribute to the national economy. The study tried to furnish the overview of the performances of banking sector and also find out the comparison among the various categories of banks with respect to the Profitability.Finally, the paper tried to establish the linear relationship among the various variables and net profit of the banking sector. 1. Introduction Banking sector of Bangladesh is one of the major sectors, which contributes significantly to the national economy. The sector comprises a number of banks in various categories. Considering ownership the sector can be classified in to four major categories – such as Nationalized Commercial Banks (NCBs), Specialized Banks (SPBs), Private Commercial Banks (PCBs), and Trans-National Banks (TNBs). The list of banks under different categories is furnished in the appendix – A.The study has been initiated to analyze the contribution of this sector and its profitability. This paper attempts to provide an overview of the contribution of the sector in national economy. The paper also analyzes the profitability of different categories of banks. Finally a regression analysis has been done to examine the relationship between the profitability and other variables. 2. Contribution of the Banking sector in National Economy Economic development – of the country is executed by the contribution of various economic sectors. Like agriculture, industries, power, transport, rade service, etc. , banking sector also has a contribution to the economic growth. In mid 80s Banking and Insurance contributed 1. 69% of GDP and g radually the figure was increasing. The maximum contribution was 2. 09% of GDP in the year 1993 and it was 2. 00% in 1996-971 Average growth rate of this contribution was 1. 51% of GDP, which shows a positive trend. Again, the sector makes a positive impact on the economic development by generating employment. In the year 1980 total number of employees in this sector was 59,235 but with in 15 years of time the figure shoot approximately double to 101,444. The average growth rate of employment generation was 3. 76% (1980-1995). Countries like Bangladesh have a burden of its unemployment, where as banking sector still keep certain impact on employment generation. __________________________ * Assistant Professor, Institute of Business Administration, University of Dhaka. ** Associate Professor, Institute of Business Administration, University of Dhaka. 1 Calculated from the data collected from Economic Trend, December 1997. 2 Ibid. 2 Banking Sector in Bangladesh: Its Contribution and P erformance Branches of the banks were also growing significantly.Increasing branches indicate a wide service provider to the population of Bangladesh. Overall growth rate of the bank branches was 2. 11% (1980-1995). But before 1990 the rate was 3. 00% and after 1990 it was 0. 92%. In early 80s for the first time Government of Bangladesh (GOB) allowed private sector to operate commercial banks. At that time number of bank branches was growing rapidly. In the early 90s this growth rate was reduced, which may be because of the saturation stage. Individuals and business organizations used to deposit their savings in the bank and borrow money form it.More the bank branches more people can be covered to avail them in banking services. Average population per branch was 19,875 during the period from 1984 to 1995. Because of the higher population growth rate (2. 22%),3 in spite of increasing branches, the population per branch was also increasing. Commercial banks are one of the profit makin g organizations, they are also making money by investing their deposits to the profitable venture through lending to the entrepreneurs. Commercial banks earn money from interest for loan and commissions and service charges for the services and it incurred expenditure as well.Average profit per taka of expenditure was 0. 10. Before 1991 this figure was quite good, but after 1991 the ratio was negative up to 1993. Maximum figure was in the year 1982 that was 0. 23 and minimum was -0. 04 in the year 1991. Recently the ratio became 0. 07 in the year 1995. During 1991 to 1993 net profit was negative. i. e. commercial banks spent more than earning but again they improved the situation by reducing their expenditure compared to income. Banks' income generated by the positive efforts of their employees.Efficient employees can earn more which observed a positive impact to profit generation. Income per employee can be one of the indicators of commercial banks' performance. Average income per e mployee from 1980 to 1995 was Tk. 227,046, i. e. per employees' contribution to income was more than Tk. 2 lacs. The ratio was increasing significantly with the average growth rate of 12%, to Tk. 371,297 in the year 1995. A country leads itself to the economic development by investing and producing more in the local area. Investment can be ensured through increased savings rate.Monetization ratio indicates a positive impact to the economic growth. This ratio is Broad Money to GDP. Average monetization ratio was 28% of GDP, and it was growing significantly from 17% in the year 1981 to 35% in the year 1995. 4 Commercial banks, as a whole, performing well and contributing to the economic development of the country. The average profitability of all banks collectively was 0. 09% during 1980 to 1995, which means profit Tk. 0. 09 earned by utilizing assets of Tk. 100. In every aspect of profit, banking sector contributes to national economy as well as to the individual organization.Despite overall growth of the banking sector was positive, but the performances of different categories of banks were not equally attractive. Following section would compare analytically the performances of various categories of banks. _____________________________________________ 3 4 Calculated from the data collected from Statistical Yearbook, 1996. Ibid. Journal of Business Research, Vol. 3, 2001 3 3. Profitability of the Different Categories of Banks: A Comparative Analysis Main focus of this comparison on net profit earned by the banks.Profit ratio, profit per taka of expenditure, profit per employee, profit per branch, profit per advance account, profit per taka of investment, profit per taka of deposit (savings), and per capita profit earned by the banks will be the variables for this analysis. Various groups of banks have different performances in terms of profit. Average measures were calculated for different categories of banks over the period from 1980 to 1995. 3. 1 Profit Ratio In case of profitability, i. e. amount of profit per Tk. 100 of asset. The ratio indicates the effective utilization of assets.Performance of the organization can be expressed by this ratio. Average profitability ratios for the various categories of banks during 1980 to 1995 were exhibited in the table below: Table 1: Profit Ratio for Various Banks Banks Profit Ratio (%) NCBs 0. 08 SPBs -0. 32 PCBs 0. 13 TNBs 0. 71 Over all 0. 09 Source: Adopted from data in Appendix – B. The table indicated the performances in terms of utilization of assets in generating profit TNBs were the best. Specialized Banks had a very worst situation in utilizing of their assets, by showing negative average net profit.Though as of 1990 net profits were increasing positively, but from 1991 to 1995 these net profit were gradually decreased to negative because of their declining income. On the other hand TNBs performance was excellent as compared to overall banks performance. Average growth rate of net profit for TNBs was 39%, which was extremely good. 3. 2 Profit per Taka of Expenditure Banks earned profit by incurring expenditure for their operations. Effective usage of financial resources led to a commendable profit situation. â€Å"How much profit earned by spending one taka† is the measure of efficiency of an organization.Following table shows net profit per taka of expenditure for the different banks Table 2 : Profit per Taka of Expenditure for Various Banks Banks Profit per taka of expenditure (Tk. ) NCBs 0. 029 SPBs -0. 092 PCBs 0. 033 TNBs 0. 307 Overall 0. 10 Source: Adopted from data in Appendix – B. 4 Banking Sector in Bangladesh: Its Contribution and Performance Over all average profit was Tk. 0. 1 by incurring expenditure of Tk. 1. i. e. average return on expenditure was 10%. But in case of individual performance SPBs had negative average return on expenditure (-9. %), on the other hand TNBs performance (30. 7%) was above the industry average. Other th an these two NCBs and PCBs both had vulnerable situation. 3. 3 Profit per Employee Effective utilization of human resources produces higher return. Earned more profit by few numbers of employee indicates commendable performance of the banks and human efficiency. Since the nature of the industry is service oriented, so human efficiency depends on intellectual abilities of the employees. Following table shows the comparison among various banks Table 3 : Profit per Employee for Various BanksBanks Profit per employee (Tk. ) NCBs 4,538 SPBs -34,216 PCBs 9,659 TNBs 285,659 Over all 12,88 Source: Adopted from data in Appendix – B. Over all profit per employee was Tk. 12,880, i. e. each employee's average contribution to the net profit was Tk. 12,880 in a year. TNBs as compared with overall, the figure was extremely good (Tk. 285,659). There are two indications for this picture, one is TNBs had highly efficient employees, and other is less number of employees. On the other hand excep t SPBs (which had negative figure), NCBs average profit per employee was Tk. ,538, which was far below from TNBs, even below from overall performance, which shows un-utilized human resources. 3. 4 Profit per Branch All categories of banks have numbers of branches covering wide range of the population of the country. To provide service to the wide range of people, banks have to establish multiple branches. Contribution to the total profit of different branches was varied, depending on the amount of deposits and advances. Table below expresses average profit contribution by the branches. Table 4 : Profit per Branch for Various Banks Banks Profit per branch (Tk. ) NCBs 6,205 SPBs -491,827 PCBs 181,548 TNBs 13,171,737 Over all 210,481 Source: Adopted from data in Appendix – B. 5 Banking Sector in Bangladesh: Its Contribution and Performance Considering all commercial banks in Bangladesh, these were earned on an average Tk. 0. 064 from investing one taka. The average Return on Inv estment (ROI) was not inadequate (6. 4%) as compared to any business. In case of TNBs this rate was very attractive (12. 7%), but except SPBs, both NCBs and PCBs had 1. 2% and 2. 5% respectively. 3. 7 Per Capita Profit Commercial banks are operating countrywide by offering services.Accumulating funds and distributing them to entrepreneur was the main function of commercial banks. Wider area coverage makes the commercial bank more comfortable in terms of operation. Per capita profit earned by the commercial bank would indicate overall economic strength of banking system. Average profit gained per head can be expressed in the table below: Table 7 : Per Capita Profit for Various Banks Banks Per Capita Profit (Tk. ) NCBs 2. 53 SPBs -5. 25 PCBs 1. 46 TNBs 2. 51 Over all 10. 66 Source: Adopted from data in Appendix – B. Average profit per individual in the country for all banks was Tk. 0. 66, i. e. banking sector earns over Tk. 10 per head. But using same coverage for different cat egories of banks, the picture would be different. In case of NCBs operation they gained on an average Tk. 2. 53 per individual, where as TNBs earned Tk. 2. 51 per head. Apparently these two figures were same but considering the coverage in terms of number of branches, NCBs have 170 time more branches than TNBs. 3. 8 Overall Situation Considering all variables regarding profit, TNBs were doing extraordinarily good operation in this sector. Because of the policies and managements TNBs performance was better.Keeping TNBs aside, PCBs performance comparatively better. As far as the ownership was concerned both NCBs and SPBs were same. PCBs started their operations in 1982, before the Government of Bangladesh controlled that total financial sector. But after allowing private sectors to operate commercial banks, PCBs were gradually capturing the market share. Surprisingly SPBs had negative performances in every aspect because of their negative net profit. 4. Relationship of Profit With Oth er Variables In the above section comparison of profitability among various groups of banks has been discussed.But it was desired to know about the sensitivity of profit on various variables. Journal of Business Research, Vol. 3, 2001 6 Multiple regression analysis has been done to analyze the relationship between net profit as dependent variable and asset, expenditure, number of employees, number of branches, number of advance accounts, investment, time deposit are as independent variables. In this paper it was assumed that the relationship among the variables was linear, which is ? = A + B? + C? + D? + E? + F? + G? + H? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. i) where, ? is net profit ? is number of employees ? is amount of expenditure ? is number of branches ? is amount of investment ? is amount of asset ? is amount of time deposit ? is number of advance accounts A is constant The following section e xpressed the determination of coefficient of the independent variables, which indicate the degree of influences on net profit by corresponding variables. 4. 1 Regression Result Based on data provided in appendix – C, the values of coefficients and constant were calculated and also found the relationship among them.Multiple linear regression equation is expressed in equation (ii). ? = – 68459+0. 002 ? -0. 186 ? +0. 159? -0. 084? +0. 003? +0. 133 ? -1. 03Ãâ€"10-6?†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. (ii) Above linear equation shows that some of the independent variables have positive relationship and others have negative. Amount of expenditure, amount of investment and number of advance accounts all have negative relationship with net profit. On the other hand amount of asset, number of employees, number of branches and amount of time deposit have positive relationship with net profit.Further, the strength of the relationship among the variables measured by the coefficient of determination (r2). The value was calculated as 0. 89, indicating very strong relationship. Therefore, the independent variables collectively may play important role on earning net profit in the banking sector as a whole. 4. 2 Scope to Improve of Profit In the equation (ii), it was evident that some of the independent variables have positive impact on net profit, though the degree of influences was very low. Net profit may increases by increasing values, which have positive relations.From equation (ii), it was 7 Banking Sector in Bangladesh: Its Contribution and Performance clear that number of employee, number of branches, amount of asset and amount of time deposit have positive relations with net profit. From above relationship, it can be explained that if number of employee increased by one, the net profit will increase by Tk. 0. 002 crores, i. e. every 1,000 employees can contribute Tk. 2 crores to net profit. This indicated that there might be still opportunities to generate employment in th is sector and can contribute to the national economy.Again number of branches has also positive impact on net profit. Equation (ii) reflects that increase in one branch may increase net profit by the amount of Tk. 0. 159 crores, which also testifies that there was still scope to increase branches. In Bangladesh there were opportunities to establish branches in the rural areas where lots of business potentials were looking for the banking service. Another variable the amount of asset has positive relationship with net profit. Even it has very little influences on profit; every Tk. 1,000 crores of assets would increase net profit by the amount of Tk. 3 crores.Therefore, it was apparent that there was still room to increase the amount of asset to earn more profit. Finally, the amount of time deposit was other variable, which has positive influences on net profit. Coefficient of this variable in equation (ii) was 0. 133, this indicated that every Tk. 1,000 crores increase in time deposi t would increase profit by the amount of Tk. 133 crores. Analyzing above relationship, time deposit has stronger influences on net profit. Therefore, banking sector as a whole may increase their contribution to national economy if the amount of time deposit was increased.Analyzing the regression equation it was clear that some of the independent variables have positive control over the generation of net profit, and also might increase the contribution of the banking sector to national economy by increasing the values of those variables. 5. Conclusion The performance of the banking sector in terms of net profit varies in various groups of bank. The study revealed that in every aspect, TNBs had a commendable performance. But comparing among other groups of banks (NCBs, SPBs, and PCBs), PCBs had preferred achievement aiming profit. On the other hand Specialized Banks in Bangladesh had a very poor performance.This meager activity affected the overall banking sector's performance. The co mparison among various categories of banks has been done on the basis of the profit with respect to some other variables. The study also revealed the relationship among the dependent variable and independent variables. The equation (ii) shows the weights of the independent variables that influences net profit of the banking sector. Finally, the paper intended to identify the scopes and opportunities of the factors by which over all net profit might increase, and contribute to the national economy.Journal of Business Research, Vol. 3, 2001 8 References 1. Mohammad Moqbul Hossain Bhuiyan. (1995). Managerial Effectiveness of Private Commercial Banks : A Comparative Study. Journal of Business Studies, Vol. XVI, No-1, June. 2. Sujit Ranjan Saha. (1996). Ancillary Business and Profitability of Banks : Trends and Prospects. Bank Parikrama. Vol. XXI, Nos – 1 & 2, March & June. 3. Taufic Ahmad Choudhury and others. (1994). Comparative Characteristics of Profit Earning and Loss Incurri ng Rural Bank Branches in Bangladesh. Bank Parikrama. Vol. XIX, Nos – 3 & 4, September & December. 4.Abdul Ghafar Ismail. (1993). Deregulation and Bank Behaviour in Mixed markets. The Asian Economic Review. Vol. XXXV, No – 2, August. 5. Dipendra Sinha. (1996). Savings and Economic Growth in India. The Asian Economic Review. Vol. XXXVIII, No – 3, December. 6. Amar Chand Kaushik. (1996). Impact Study of Regional Rural Bank's Credit on Income Generation an d Poverty Alleviation in Rural Haryana. The Asian Economic Review. Vol. XXXVIII, No – 1, April. 7. David Lynch. (1996). Measuring Financial Sector Development : A Study of Selected Asia-Pacific Countries. The Developing Economics. Vol.XXXIV, No – 1, March. 8. Schiller, Bradley R. (1994). The Macro Economy Today. Sixth Edition. McGrawHill Inc. , New York, USA. 9. McConnell, Campbell R. and Brue, Stanley L. (1993). Macro Economics. Twelfth Edition. McGraw-Hill Inc. , New York, USA. 10. Fischer, Stanle y. , Dornbusch, Rudiger. And other. (1988). Introduction to Macroeconomics. 2nd Edition. McGraw Hill, New York, USA. 11. Department of Statistics. (1997). Monthly Economic Trends. Bangladesh Bank. December. 12. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. (1997). Statistical Yearbook of Bangladesh 1996. Seventeenth Edition. November. 9Banking Sector in Bangladesh: Its Contribution and Performance Appendix – A List of Banks: [a] Nationalized Commercial Banks (NCBs) Agrani Bank Janata Bank Sonali Bank Rupali Bank Ltd. [b] Specialized Banks (SPBs) Bangladesh Krishi Bank Bangladesh Shilpa Bank Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank [c] Private Commercial Banks (PCBs) Arab Bangladesh Bank Ltd. Islami Bank Bangladesh Ltd. National Bank Ltd. The City Bank Ltd. IFIC Bank Ltd. United Commercial Bank Ltd. Pubali Bank Ltd. Uttara Bank Ltd. Al-Baraka Bank Bangladesh Ltd. BSIC Bangladesh Ltd. Eastern Bank Ltd. National Credit and Commerce Bank Ltd.Prime Bank Ltd. Southeast Bank Ltd. Dhaka Bank Ltd. Al-Arafah I slami Bank Ltd. Social Investment Bank Ltd. Dutch-Bangla Bank Ltd. [d] TNBs Hanil Bank Hongkong Bank Society General Bank American Express Bank Ltd. ANZ Grindlays Bank Plc. S tandard Chartered Bank State Bank of India Habib Bank Ltd. Citi Bank N A Banque Indosuez National Bank of Pakistan Muslim Commercial Bank Ltd. J ournal of Business Research, Vol. 3, 2001 10 Appendix – B Various Data for PCBs Year 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 Advance Assets Net Profit Expenditure Employees BranchesAccounts (cror (cror Tk. ) (cror Tk. ) (no. ) (no. ) (no. ) Tk. ) 82 2132 1877 8 173 11562 628 8429 5202 14 245 11813 653 283320 6381 16 281 12756 693 267393 7768 22 366 13552 715 178460 7208 25 438 14810 771 160220 9072 14 594 16107 824 160834 9514 2 682 16916 865 165290 11059 (11) 765 17486 902 169549 12445 (8) 886 18034 942 84913 15502 12 819 17826 943 90599 15783 16 865 18806 1000 102055 24190 72 907 19777 1047 117985 26794 Various Data for TNBs Net A dvance Expenditure Employees Branches Year Profit Accounts (cror Tk. ) (no. ) (no. ) (cror Tk. ) (no. ) 1980 3 20 912 21 1882 1981 8 25 984 21 542 1982 11 32 999 21 2910 1983 12 45 1061 20 2888 1984 15 62 1042 20 3098 1985 18 77 1051 20 3610 1986 14 98 1064 22 3929 1987 22 119 1114 22 4144 1988 21 146 1124 22 4887 1989 7 147 1123 22 3971 1990 18 154 1135 22 3890 1991 25 99 789 18 2355 1992 38 65 826 18 2463 1993 54 92 826 18 3969 1994 68 106 888 19 6329 1995 90 146 926 23 9215 Investment (cror Tk. ) 76 293 346 327 396 506 554 787 750 653 879 1266 1439 Assets Investment (cror Tk. ) (cror Tk. ) 757 1280 1526 1476 1848 2281 2887 3245 4330 4697 4694 5575 4297 4377 5832 7111 51 70 109 118 156 163 177 196 300 279 358 340 228 203 260 266 Related article: Padma Bridge

Byzantine and the Impact of Islam

Byzantine is a Roman empire or the empire of Greeks in the Middle East. The history of Byzantine is a continuous line from the latter centuries of Rome to the very beginning of the modern time. It’s about the culture of the Greece and Rome that has a unique cultural history based on synthesis of Roman, European and Islamic elements when it suffered three crisis of external invasion, internal civil war and economy that later made the administrative center less important. (Bury, J. B. 1989).The emperor of Byzantine Empire was Justinian who occupied territories by the Goths and the main occupants of the empire were Christians, but after the fall of Rome; Christians who were horribly persecuted by the Byzantines welcomed the Muslims conquerors with open arms just to tolerate their religion. (Barker, J. W. 1966) By the time justinian resigned Byzantine was in a financial crisis. Later Heraculius succeeded him. When the throne was assumed, a forty-year old Arab named Muhammad swept the streets with messages of Islam across the entire empire.At the end of his regime Muhammad’s message came to pass and Muslims armies emerged and started making raids into Byzantine territory in Syria and began to conquer the Persian territories. (Bury, J. B. 1989) Because of the disaffected populations of Christians and Jews who had been persecuted earlier, the Muslim quickly conquered Byzantine territories in the ninth century. Their victory did not last long because of the Islamic government under Caliph deteriorated and Byzantines started to dominate the Asia Minor and by the tenth century they reconquered most of Syria and became more powerful and influential again.The crusaders The Byzantines however saught help from the Europe against the Muslims conquerors. Europe decided to assist them despite their cultural differences as they shared a common religion with the Byzantines. In 1204 the crusaders attacked the city of Constantinople a goal that the Muslims had been tr ying to conquer for centuries and conquered the Muslims. In 1261 the Byzantine Empire ceased to be an empire and was known as a small kingdom that later in 1453, the Constantinople city was permanently conquered by the Ottoman Turks and was renamed Istanbul.(Diehl, C. (1957) Byzantine Christianity Byzantine Christianity was a different religion from the Latin Christianity, what made it look different was the role of the emperor in matters regarding the faith. While for the Latin Christians the pope in matters of faith was almost solidified. Later the Byzantines inherited the roman idea and practiced a form of Christianity whereby theological authority was vested in the emperor. Through this theological authority it created a permanent breach in the world of Christianity between the west and the east.The breach was to produce iconoclastic controversy that the worship of images and icons was a sign of pagan belief. Only Christ and God should be worshiped this was angulated by Leo the saurian who had turned the tide against the Muslim in 717. The collapse of the Byzantine empire in 1453 saw the Russians believe that they were inheritors of the Byzantine empire and later began the roman empire. (Amis, R1995).Byzantium Empire and impact of IslamThe Byzantine Empire was able to survive for a period of time though not easily achieved through Heraculius some of the empires were kept together despite confrontation on the three sides of empire, and was able to save the empire from the Muslim. (Diehl, C. (1957) His effort worked but his 200,000 troops were killed and a lot of wealth lost during the war with the Persians. After the fight with the Persian he thought of rebuilding the empire but this was not to be as the empire was again attacked by another threat of Islam. The Muslims again got the opportunity to invade Persia and the Byzantine and this surprised both of them.The Persia and the Byzantine Empire did not have strength to fight back the Muslims attacks and th is paved way for Muslims to conquer the eastern provinces of the Byzantines. (Bury, J. B. 1989) The Muslims invasion in the empire weakened the internal division and many Christians wanted to keep their faith and always looked upon religious sects as heretics. Most of them who were persecuted to them life under Islam was good compared to Byzantines because Muslims did not look down upon other religion and this resulted to Muslims being welcomed to Byzantine Empire.Finally when Heraculius died the Muslim got opportunity to conquer the eastern provinces of Byzantine Empire. In the 14th and 15th centuries Islam was already being accepted by the Albanians and later it was in quick acceptance by other nations. . (Diehl, C. (1957) After the death of Mohammed Islam spread very fast and outside Arabia its spread was aided by various political upheavals. The long series of wars between the Byzantine and Persian empires is always credited for this fast spread in the near east especially after the triumph of the Muslims.The Byzantine Empire had the character of imposing Christianity on the population it conquered, for this reason the Syrians and the Egyptians resented and resisted the attempts made by the Byzantine Empire to impose Christianity on them. (Diehl, C 1957) Therefore when the Muslims came to these particular areas they were readily accepted to forestall any attempts that the Byzantine were trying to make, this led to the fall of Syria to the Arab armies to be followed soon by the fall of Iraq and Persia with Egypt falling in 640 AD with very little resistance.With this conquest Islam soon spread to most territories of the Near East and Africa. (Diehl, C. 1957) In the Byzantine Empire there was fierce fanaticism that included interdenominational strife and religious persecution amongst the Christians themselves, compared with the practice and the doctrine of the Islamic faith that tolerated other religions it endeared itself to others. For example the Byzantin es brutally attempted to suppress Christian sects who questioned the established Church.Also there was oppression of the peasants who were heavily taxed. The Empire also suppressed non-orthodox Christian teachings. Opposition to Islam after the conquest was weakened by the fact that under the Muslims, taxes were not very heavy like before and the non-orthodox Christian sects could now operate comfortably. (Diehl, C 1957) The spread of Islam in the better part of Middle East was made possible by Arab victories over Byzantine armies. The Byzantines were the major enemies to be encountered by the Aryans from the Arabian Desert.The encounter with the Byzantines was the first of many major battles between Muslims and Christians. It was Omar who acted as Caliph or head of the Moslem community in 634-44AD that initiated the fast expansion of the Arabs and Islam. Omar achieved the first great successes of Arab armies outside of the Arabian Peninsula when he conquered the Byzantine Empire ru led by the Emperor Heraclius. Omar's armies attacked Syria, seizing large areas. In 636AD at the Battle of Yarmuk the Byzantine Army were greatly humiliated by the Arabs when they defeated them.This saw the Arabs entering Jerusalem and Damascus in 638. It was during these period that it is believed Christianity replaced Christianity in this particular area as a result of the weakness of the Byzantine Empire. Arab rulers imposed a personal tax on all non-Muslims, which encouraged many to convert to the Muslim Faith. In the new Caliphate there was no forced conversions but happened later. At first the Arabs did not consider converting anyone because of the taxes they collected which provided great incomes.(Diehl, C 1957) Cultural and intellectual factor Islam as a religion does not recognize superstitions but is a simple and rational religion that emphasize on knowledge and learning. Through learning as the foremost priority to humankind the Islamic civilization spread through many co untries. The Muslim never destroyed things in middle east as the Christians in Spain what they did was to defend what was positive and eventually embrace it.Political and economic impactIslam was seen as a religion without any political and economic principles. However Islam preached a new concept of human relations avoiding nationalism and class divisions. Islam main concern and interest was humankind’s relations with God. Politically Islam perception was that the supreme power rests with God and equality before the law is a major principle of the political system. (Diehl, C. (1957) In Balkan nations, emergence of Islam was very important compared to the Byzantines Empire.Islam also emphasized on the economic aspect of life and this was clearly shown through justified ways of making profits, possession of property and not overspending and everybody must earn a living in an honest way. Islam came up with obligatory and voluntary laws that have played important roles in the ec onomic system of Islam. Before Islam spread to Balkan nation and Byzantine Empire people who lived there had some kind of social chaos but Muslims brought a new approach to the social lives of the Balkans.For example: Muslim women played a crucial part in the institution of family and were always considered equal in every aspect to her male counterpart. A woman is always the first to show kindness, love, and sincerity and educate. While for Christians, women are seen as devils instrument to harm or hurt people. (Diehl, C. (1957) When they conquered Byzantine Islam played a role in regulating the slavery and sanctioned better conditions for the slaves and even encouraged the prohibition of slavery.Islam also brought together the Middle East and came up with a common language known as Arabic and a common religion known as Islam. After all this positive impact of Islam in Byzantine Empire some of the rules set up are not applicable in the 21st century. At one time there were most power ful, rich and advanced people and today they have created four empires, which include Umayyad, Abbasid, Mogul and Ottoman Empire. Their decline can be traced to about 1700 when the west caught up with the Ottoman the great Muslim empire and started misinterpreting the Koran.(Amin, H. A. 1989).REFERENCESAmin, Hussein Ahmad (1989).The present state of the Muslim umma. Muslim World Amis, Robin (1995).A Different Christianity: Early Christian Esotericism and Modern Thought. Albany: Suny Press, Barker, John W. (1966).Justinian and the Later Roman Empire. The University of Wisconsin Press, Bury, J. B. (1989).â€Å"Roman Emperor from Basil II to Isaac Komnenos,† English Historical Review. 41-64 & 251-286. Diehl, Charles. (1957).Byzantium: Greatness and Decline. Rutgers University Press.

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The new 4Ps for Dasani water - Research Paper Example This paper illustrates that Coca-Cola Company has increased the number of people taking part in the marketing ecosystem of dasani water as the market continues to become more complicated. For instance, its marketing involves the incorporation of Coca-Cola contact center, customers, and field marketing. Workers and other participants in different departments including finance and market research come together to assess marketing solutions for dasani water. Â  Participants are responsible for establishing how to appropriately align individuals and support teamwork across its marketing environment. Additionally, dasani marketers have to deeply understand the lives of consumers before determining their preferences. Â  After aligning people for teamwork and information sharing, the company documents and automates the processes thereby creating an effective coalition. As the market becomes more complicated, process becomes essential in aligning the correct individuals with the appropriat e marketing activities. This would assist in performing close-loop marketing speedily while penetrating new markets. When marketing dasani water, the company employs state-of-the–art marketing ideas by establishment the correct set of processes to control the activities involved. Some of the processes used in marketing the product include execution, operational and analytical processes. During the execution phase, Coca-Cola Company uses both outbound marketing and inbound marketing to introduce this brand into new markets. Â  Dasani is also being marketed digitally through social media.

Co-creating New Social Business Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Co-creating New Social Business - Case Study Example In some countries, legal constraints have been embedded in their laws where companies are held responsible for actions contravening set rules and regulations on social responsibility and sustainability (Brugmann & Prahalad, 2007). Â  In adherence to the above, one of the striking strategies employed by companies is the conceptual analysis. In the conceptual analysis, companies are required to provide quality value based services and sustainability approaches to ecological sense as well as business sense. Provision of value-based services entail responding to customers’ expectations and satisfying their needs. However, this does not necessarily mean companies have to conform to customers’ thoughts, wishes, and perception. Value-based organizations are more attractive to customers and employees are normally motivated (Brugmann & Prahalad, 2007). Â  On the other hand, sustainability approach is in very many dimensions. Some of these dimensions are ethical, economic, nature philosophical, and social. Ethical dimension dictates the moral relationship that is used to define the future ways of doing business and social dimension are geared towards social justice within the society. As for nature philosophical and economic dimensions, the vulnerability of nature is presumed by limiting its degree of interference for future generations while in the economic sense theories and practices are used to create awareness on sustainable development.

The role of construction manager and project manager Essay

The role of construction manager and project manager - Essay Example On the other hand, a construction manager is charged with responsibilities similar to those of a project manager but there are certain distinct aspects in the role of the construction manager. Therefore, a construction manager is charged with the role of specifying project objectives and plans that include the delineation of scope. Thus, it the job of the construction manager to come up with strategies as to how the objectives of the construction work or project is to be carried out. This means that without the construction manager it is virtually impossible to run construction, as there is no distinct plan to be followed to completion of the work at hand. In addition, the manager sets the performance requirement so of the staff, as well as selects the participants of a project Project management is important, as it facilitates and ensures projects run smoothly, since it is the process charged with organizing, motivating, planning and control of resources. As such, I believe project management is the logical part of very project as it serves to hold together a project by having its objectives laid out, as without the objectives, there is no sense in having the project, where it has no goals to achieve. This implies that without project management, the whole deal of having a project is similar to having a building with no contract to have it occupied or even used. Project management is also important in that it acts as the mediatory aspect of having a project and owning it, in which case it is the job of the management to ensure that all issues involving the project reach both sides. This is implies that it is up to management to ensure that should there be a problem with project executioners, management acts as the intermediary to deliver the information to the owner, and the owner uses the management to deliver the solution or suggestion to the executor. This is similar to having project management act as a form of magistrate to resolve disputes between all si des involved, where the project manager is in charge of the management. In addition, I believe project management is the single most important cog in the wheel of a project where it directs all the activities of a project by eliminating confusion. Construction management is important in that it serves the central role of construction work, in which case nothing happens without the approval of management. As per the common description of construction management where the manager oversees the labour part of construction work, I believe that management focuses on the recruitment of workers (Wynn 2012). This implies that without construction management, there is plenty that cannot happen, where qualified members of staff in relation to construction cannot be hired. This translates to the lack of objectives, which the members of staff are supposed to accomplish, which a disaster waiting to happen, as without this administrative post, the meaning of construction is lost. With this in mind , construction workers are directionless, that is if they even are hired because there is no management to ensure that they get the job. Construction management is also important as it sets the budget based on the requirements on the ground as it has first-hand information on the requirements. This is because the management knows the amount of time required to conduct a given amount of work, as well as resources

Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Media - Essay Example the formation of social media and the Internet. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the relationship of Media and Middle East and how it has transformed in the past decades. Furthermore, the paper will discuss the emergence of social media as a major forum that has built people’s perspectives during and after the Arab Spring. In order to understand Middle East (the Arab specifically and comprehensively), the relationship of the media and the state’s culture and its politics should be understood. For more than forty years, mass media authority has built the region. Utilizing the numerous communications models, the centralized government of the region has perfectly ruled the mass media. It is evidenced through history that the Middle East had had rough relationships with its media. The Emirs of different Arab states due to Sharia Laws and other reasons shut down numerous media agencies. Despite the freedom given to the media, different media organizations including BBC were closed down in the Middle East as it was against the laws and Islam (Al-Obaidi). However, over the past few years, it has been noticed that the trend is transforming and the acceptance towards media across the Middle East is increasing. The shift has been observed since the beginning of the Arab Spring (Carrington). The events that took place in various countries of the Middle East from 2010 has transformed the way people think and believe. The role of social media in the Arab spring is dominating and its importance can not be denied as various scholars and researchers have shown that many revolutions started through social media i.e. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. (Gelvanovska, Rogy and Rossotto). Despite the fact that these social media forums were banned in many countries of the Middle East for this particular reason, the Arab Spring continued and many governments were brought down

Managing Shareholder Value Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Managing Shareholder Value - Essay Example For effectively planning and managing the funds, another scorecard of metrics is being developed with the provision of incentives for bettering the budgeted figures being used. All of these elements when considered individually excel with their simplicity. But when the system as a whole is looked at it turns to be complex with a number of "metrics, methods and messages" which makes the understanding of the finance executives of the shareholder value rather difficult. Hence it becomes vitally important that the CFO of any organization coordinates his efforts in designing the systems of the financial management with the CEO and the directors of the company so that the internal corporate governance is strengthened and if necessary modified to meet the firm's requirements. With this background this paper envisages presenting a report on the degree of profit measure of economic surplus and shareholders funds economic value accurate the metrics of the key economic visions of a firm. The shareholder value is represented by the wealth a company creates through its profitability for its shareholders. The shareholder value also includes the broad framework in which the firm operates to achieve the shareholder value and it also includes the organizational culture. ... areholder Value theory works on the premise that the value created by a business is best represented by the change in its economic value that is, the change in the net present value of its expected future cash flows to shareholders."1 There are a number of Shareholder Value measures which are being used for monitoring and evaluating the performance of the organization as well as rewarding the employees. One of the most popular methods of shareholder Value Measure is the Economic Value Added (EVA) approach. 2.1 Rationale behind adopting Shareholder Value Approach: The Shareholder Value approach has increasingly been adopted due to the following factors: The managers always feel that there exist a difference in the value of the firm as perceived internally and by the shareholders and this approach helps them to bridge the gap It is also necessary that the investors should know the true economic value of the firm for making their investment decisions on the basis of the economic profit of the firms. The accounting statements present rather a historic value and analysis of the performance of a company and it is necessary to have information on the future value of the company. Since the shareholder value is based on projected cash flows allowing for the cost of capital which are also discounted are less influenced by accounting rules and hence project the true value of the firm. Due to the globalization there is a delay in accessing the standard measures of performance Due to increased contribution to business by the information technology the expectations of investors has increased to get more clear measures of performance. The above factors necessitate adopting a proper measure for the assessing the value of a firm from a shareholder's perspective and Economic Value

Contracting and Procurement in Project Management College Essay

Contracting and Procurement in Project Management College - Essay Example However, it is also important to understand that the terms of each contract mostly vary from project to project depending upon the requirements of the each project. These terms largely depend upon the preference for quality, economy, flexibility as well as speed with which agreed terms and conditions of the contract can be delivered. Under these contracts, the allowable costs associated with the contract are identified first as these costs would be major costs to make buying and selling on the agreed terms of the contract. All the costs incurred therefore by the sellers are reimbursed by the buyer in the end according to the agreed terms of the contract. This type of contract can be highly risky for the buyer because the total costs associated with the contract always remain uncertain despite they are being identified. Any cost over-runs has to be borne by the buyer if contract terms go awry and does not remain within the control of either the buyer or the seller. However, on the positive side, scope changes in such kind of contracts are easy to make and buyer can do it anytime he wants however, this may increase the total cost of the contract. As discussed above that the cost reimbursable contracts are highly uncertain therefore contractors have very little ambitions or advantage to produce efficiently and productively. However, such kind of contracts helps contractors or sellers to pass on the increasing costs to the buyer. Such types of contracts are used when there is a greater uncertainty associated with the project and are used for projects which involve large investments being made in early part of its life. There are also sub-types of cost reimbursable contracts. These are: 1) Cost plus Fee are contracts where contractors are not only reimbursed of their total cost incurred but also a certain percentage of the overall cost of the contract. The percentages are decided before entering into the contract and are mostly documented in the contract. 2) Cost plus fixed fee are contract where the whole cost is charged back along with certain agreed fixed fee as the contract completion fee. This fixed fee is often considered as the profit of the seller. (contractmanagement.com, 2007). 3) Cost plus incentive is a type of contract where the buyer not only reimburse the total cost to the seller but also provide a certain amount as an incentive fee for exceeding the performance against the agreed contract terms. Such kind of terms may ensure better performance on the part of the seller as it provide them an added incentive to perform and execute the contract in most efficient way. This type f contract can beneficial to both the buyer and the seller if well written and can be a good alternative to the cost reimbursable contract. Fixed Price Contracts Such types of contracts fix a certain specific fee for the goods and services to be rendered before entering

The Effects of Colonization on Modern African Cultures Essay Example for Free

The Effects of Colonization on Modern African Cultures Essay In November1884 1885, Europe met for The Berlin Conference in which Africa was sub-divided giving each current European powers a part to govern. This scrabble for Africa was an official degradation of all African future political power and present government. The utilization of African land, resources and people to build European powers was imposing and came with extensive consequences. The new European map sub-divided Africa injudiciously taking no consideration of current languages, traditions or cultures.. The new map brought together different ethnic groups most of which didnt get along leading to wide spread tension. At the time of the Berlin Conference France, Germany, Great Britain, and Portugal were at the height of their power with primary control of Africa. The modern day countries of Africa are based on the politico geographical map drawn up by European powers. The Berlin Conference showed a lack of restraint, morality and comprehension of Africa as a continent. The African people tried to resist the changes with wars that they could not win. The Berlin Conference is better off titled the re-enslavement of the African people. European powers exploited every inch of Land they got their hands on taking natural resources and killing anyone who got in their way. In the scrabble for Africa, Great Britain claimed Egypt, Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, and Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana. The British controlled Nigeria and Ghana as well. France claimed Mauritania, Chad, Gabon and the Republic of Congo. The list continues but among them Belgium and King Leopold II claimed Democratic Republic of Congo. This acquisition was exploitation of Africa at its finest King Leopold II enslaved the Congolese people and used them to mine their natural resources of rubber. This slavery and subsequent abuse led to the death of over 10 million Congolese people. The remarkable part of the Berlin conference are the resulting Berlin Acts Article 34 of the Berlin Act states that any European nation that took possession of an African coast, or named themselves as â€Å"protectorate† of one, had to inform the other powers of the Berlin Act of this action. If this was not done then their claim would not be recognized. Article 34 of the Berlin Act shows Europes blatant superiority complex. At the time of the Berlin conference 80% of Africa was under traditional rule. They took no consideration to even invite any African leaders they simply divided a continent among themselves to avoid blood shed on their side. After the scrabble for Africa there were now 50 countries where thousands of former kingdoms, empires, and states once ruled; the dismemberment of a continent complete. Pre- colonial African government were organized around cultures and ways of life. There were hunter gathers, coastal trading towns and farmers. In that sense few kingdoms grew to be a reflection of Africas old kingdoms like Kemet, Nubia and Mali. In this structure of things lay the problem, Africa was not progressing at the same rate of the European powers the motherland wasnt consumed with ruling the world, it was traditional and modern juxtaposed. This juxtaposition led to Africa being easily divided as there was no centralized scheme of government for the whole continent. Doubting what government could rule an entire continent as varied, and as large as Africa. The European imposition of slicing and dicing was a failure from the beginning for creating an Africa that could stand alone when they had plundered all its resources. Africa has suffered through slavery, civil wars, genocide, apartheid, disease, but its undoing will be the failure to unite while Europe, Asia and America rule the world on its resources. In 2011 the plan for a United Africa has not come through and in light of recent world events will continue to be staled. In 2011 the recolonization of Africa begins again starting with the Paris Conference 2011. In the 2011 Paris conference the Western and European world again came together to discuss matters that affect the African continent. The Paris conference was hosted by the French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron. The American secretary of state Hillary Clinton was also present. The topic of discussion was a plan for Libyas economic and political future post leader Muammar Gaddafi; whom was in hiding at the time. Libya is located in North Africa and was an Italian colony from 1911- 1951. In September of 1969 Muammar Gaddafi led a small group against king Idris launching a Libyan revolution. Under the rule of Gaddafi Libya introduced free health care, education and became one of Africas richest countries based on it own natural resource of oil. Libyan life under Gaddafi was not ideal but he did turn Libya into a self sufficient country. In turn Libya clashed with the west especially in the 70s during the oil embargo when the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC. The oil embargo cut of oil to the United States for supplying the Israeli army with weapons this strategic plan was led by Gaddafi. On October 20, 2011 Muammar Gaddafi was murdered in Libya, ending the war with NATO. Gaddafis body paraded and dragged through the streets with no respect. One can not justify his actions in life but he was the lesser of two evils vying for control. What is to come is not democracy it is recolonization. At the Paris Conference in March of 2011British Foreign Secretary William made this ironic statement the world is coming together to support Libyas future. The world coming together as such, doesnt seem to ever included African leaders. At the Paris Conference Algeria was present although many African leaders were not present and dont recognize the Nato enforced National Transitional Council (NTC) as the new government of Libya. In the corridors of the Paris conference post war contracts were already being drafted about infrastructure, resources and above all the vast resource of oil. The countries who have come together at this conference are the same ones who will lay waste to Libyas independence and with it any hope for African Independence. The recolonization has begun, just as it had in 1884. Currently the countries present at the Paris Conference are the same one feeling entitled to a stake in Libyan oil. Libya has the largest oil reserves in Africa estimated at 44 billion barrels. Before the war, Libya was producing about 1.6 million barrels of oil a day. France was its second biggest market, second only to Italy, with over 15 percent of its imports coming from Libyan oilfields. This sums it up, moving forward there will be no peace or a truly independent, self reliant African country the world powers will not allow it, no other continent makes the rest of the world feel in control and superior the way Africa does. If up against the worlds super powers there will never be a fair chance for Africa to stand as long as there are resources that can be exploited. In 2011 there is no such thing as a fair trial and racial equally, there is no humanity, no progress, no change. Africa again drifts backwards further. As a result of Gaddafi never being put on trial many questions will remain unanswered like what really happened in the 1988 bombing over Lockerbie in Scotland of Pan Am flight 103.

We Are Surrounded By Media Sociology Essay

We Are Surrounded By Media Sociology Essay In todays world, we are surrounded by media. Our lives are saturated by newspapers, radio, books, television, movies, Internet, and many other aspects of media. These can be broadly classified into news media and popular media. In India, both these types provide an insight to Indian life, which is filled with romance, tradition, and all the other day-to-day experiences and situations one might come across. But, even though they might seem the same, they both play very different roles in society. Popular media represents and recounts a vast number of real life stories, and portrays them in a manner enjoyable for the audience. News media on the other hand, provides more facts and gives raw information for the audience to understand, with or without a firm opinion of its own on the matter. Popular media reaches out to a much larger audience, as both literate and illiterate people are able to access it, while news media only reaches out to the literate and wealthy people. This difference can become a problem in certain situations. Both these parts of media reflect society constantly, as they are shaped from and around experiences and stories of the people in the society. Usually, both these types concur with each other in the content and representation of society, but there are specific cases in which this ceases to be true. An example of this is the portrayal of the prominence and effects of the dowry system in India today. For a long time, both popular and news media reflected the aspects of the dowry system in Indian society very vividly and comprehensively, shared the same view about the topic, and thus were in concurrence with each other. But overtime, it was noticed that popular media deviated from this pattern and no longer reflected the prominence of the dowry system in society, while the news media continued to do so, thus creating an ideological difference between the two. The problem of the dowry system is still prominent, and the news media continues to reflect this. But since popular media does not reflect society anymore, a majority of the society comes under the impression that there is nothing wrong in what they are doing. This can cause the dowry system to be persistent in the everyday lives of Indian families. The dowry system is a cultural system in India in which the parents of the bride pay a large sum of money, and give expensive jewelry and other gifts such as cars, to the parents of the groom during marriage. Traditionally, there were many reasons for the establishment of this system. It was a form of inheritance for the bride, since all the family property was inherited by men. It was supposed to be the security for the bride in case any misfortune befell her husbands house. It was also a system of honoring the groom for his willingness to accept the bride as his wife in marriage, and the gifts given could range from anything significant to even a small token of good wishes. However, the greed of dowry has affected almost all ordinary families in India. Nowadays, in marriages between or amongst all hierarchal levels of society, dowry is generally an unspoken requirement. And due to the exposure to mass media, the gifts given in dowry have transformed into a large transfer of wealth, making it an important factor in marriage. The social and cultural effects of the dowry system are devastating to the society as a whole. The system reduced women to a commodity and a source of wealth. Even if the dowry is paid, in most cases, the bride is tortured by her in-laws mentally and physically as they demand for more dowry even after marriage. This torture generally leads to suicide or murder of the bride. The reason why dowry is still persistent in India is not only because it is difficult to enforce the law against it or because the grooms family is very demanding, but also because the brides family continues to bear with it. Despite the widespread awareness of the negative consequences of dowry and the problems cause by it, it is still seen as a way of buying happiness for the bride. Many families believe that giving a large dowry would result in better treatment of the daughter by the grooms family. This has only aggravated the problem as the standard for dowry became high and so marriage was dependent on whether the brides family could reach that standard of dowry or not. A study was done in 1980 which examined students expectations of dowry for people with various education backgrounds. Even though majority of the students viewed the dowry system as an evil in society and considered it unimportant for marriage, most of the brothers of the respondents gave or received dowry for their sisters marriages. Also, depending on the social status and affluence of the family, and the education qualifications of the bride and the groom, the amount of dowry needed to be given varies significantly. There is a positive correlation between a mans education and status to the dowry his family demands. As a grooms educational experience increases, the dowry demanded for the marriage also increases. In 1961, the payment of dowry was prohibited under the Indian Civil Law, and also under sections 304B and 498A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Despite this, this system of dowry has been a continuous and never ending menace in our society. These laws were made in order to make it easier for women to seek redress from the harassment she is under by the mans family. But these laws have been of little help to brides, who are harassed even today by their in-laws. Instances of such situations have constantly been shown to the public by the media. The power of media in todays world is surprising. The media has the freedom to form opinions, and through this they can change the opinions of people. But, people forget that in the end, all media is doing is reflecting society. The stories the media covers, and the plots of the movies that are made (except fantasy fiction of course), all are based on situations which may occur in day to day life, or real life situations. Same was the case with the dowry system. The media clearly depicted the agonies and pain of Indian women as they were suffering from the cruelties of the dowry system. This can be seen from very far back in popular as well as news media. Dowry-inspired murder cases received immense coverage by news media in the late 1970s and 1980s due to the active role played by womens organizations. The womens organizations played a very important role in increasing awareness and coverage of dowry related cases. A study done on the coverage of dowry related cases from 1979-1984 concludes that there was a noticeable improvement in the coverage of dowry in the national papers due to the womens organizations, although the coverage in regional papers remained the same. By 1979, one dowry related death received serious press coverage. A 24 year old bride from New Delhi, Tarvinder Kaur, was set on fire by her mother-in-law and sister-in-law due to the less dowry paid by her. Another significant dowry-related murder case was that of Tripti Sharma, who worked at the Ministry of Defense. She was burned to death by her husband and his family in 1986. A more optimistic and recent case is that of Nisha Sharma. In May 2003, she handed over her future husband to the police on the day of the wedding itself as he was demanding more dowry from her. This example shows what women need to do in cases of dowry abuse. Nisha refused to come under the pressures of the grooms family, and decided that she is not going to sustain it. These examples from news media are clearly reflective of the state of affairs in India at that time, and case with popular media was similar. In 1992, the movie City of Joy depicted a family which had really high dowry demands. In the movie, the grooms father clearly states, I am firm in requiring for my exceptional son the bicycle, 1000 rupees, and one ounce of gold. The brides father responds by saying, The child of a king might be worth that, and Im not even sure of that! Another 2001 movie, Lajja, clearly displayed the consequences of the dowry system, its working, and how it may be a big burden on the brides family. In the movie, Maithili (Mahima Chaudhary) is about to be married to a wealthy man of a family with a high social status. Maithilis parents give away everything they have in the dowry, including their land and saved money. Upon still falling short, they take loans from their friends, but they are still not able to gather the full amount. Maithili requests her future husband to convince his dad to let the rest of the money be, but he is too scared to do so. Seeing this, and seeing her dad beg in front of the grooms father to accept the money he has, she rebels, and calls of the wedding. She was not able to bear to see her father being humiliated in such a manner by the grooms father. Both these movies showed depicted that the brides family has to struggle a lot in order to gather the dowry for the grooms family, and thus is a big burden on them. This depiction of the dowry system by popular media was in concurrence with its reflection in the news media, but as we move ahead on the timeline, this concurrence slowly fades away. The movie Lajja was the last movie to clearly depict the pain inflicted due to the dowry system. The 2006 movie Lage Raho Munna Bhai also had the concept of dowry, but it did not demonstrate the consequences of the dowry system, and only showed that the concept of dowry existed. Since then, popular media has not depicted anything related to cases of dowry related abuse or murder. And this would have been perfectly fine if the society had transformed to this effect and there were no more dowry related crimes taking place. But this was not true, as news media still continued to report about such crimes taking place. Number of dowry cases goes up (The Hindu, January 2008); Dowry death after love marriage (The Times of India, April 2008); Harassed for dowry, teacher ends life (The Indian Express, November 2007). These are just three headlines from three of Indias popular newspapers that show the persistence of the dowry system and its consequences in modern India. Dowry is still prevalent in modern India, in not only the illiterate section of the population, but also the educated elites in Indias major metropolitan cities. Surprisingly in the past decade, the number of dowry related crime cases has actually gone up, despite dowry being banned since 1961 by Indian law. According to the statistics released by the National Crime Records Bereau, a total of 8391 dowry deaths were reported in 2010 itself, which means that a bride was killed every 90 minutes due to dowry related reasons. In 1988, this number was 2209; in 1990 it rose to 4835; in 2000 (a decade earlier), this number was 6995, and in 2007 it climbed up to an astounding 8093. According to other government records, Delhi itself records a few hundred dowry deaths every year, while womens rights groups estimate this number to be at 900 per year. This is a phenomenal increase compared to the number for the 1990s, which is about 300 per year. It is important to note that these are just official records, and are thus immensely under-reported. 90% of the cases in which women are burnt are recorded as accident, 5% as suicides, and only the remaining 5% of the cases are shown as murder. These shockingly high numbers clearly reflect the continuous increase in dowry related crimes and deaths in India. This is due to the continued commercialization of marriages in the modern Indian society. Indias economic liberalization has seen a proportionate rise in the levels of greed as compared to 1990, and a bride is now perceived by her future in-laws as a source of potential cash flow. A famous quote from former Justice Markandey Katju reads, On one hand, people regard women as goddesses, and on the other hand they burn them alive. This is against the norms of civilized society. Its barbaric. This is in response to an appeal filed by a husband who had just been sentenced to imprisonment for life by a Sessions court for burning his wife due to dowry related reasons. The effects of the dowry system are so far and wide ranging, that they can even be traced back to the womb. This system is the primary cause for female feticide and infanticide as poorer parents get to avoid the lifelong burden of saving up for the dowry for their daughters marriage. The commercialization of marriage and female infanticide is clearly reflected in the movie Matrubhoomi, in which a reverse dowry system is depicted. The movie shows a society in which there are no women left due to excessive female infanticide, and the men have grown to be so sexually frustrated, that they are ready to pay large amounts of money to get a wife for themselves or their sons. So as soon as the head of the family finds Kalki, they literally buy her from her father, by giving him five lakh rupees and five cows, and marry her to all five of his sons. Kalki simply becomes a source of money for her father, and a sex object for her husbands. Nowadays, there are famous advertisements which have been put up in many of the rural villages, which read, Spend 500 rupees today, save 5000 rupees later. This is a reference to the cost of abortion compared to the cost of the dowry which they might have to give. It basically encourages the families to come and get an abortion if their child is a girl, so that they dont have the burden of paying the dowry while getting her married in the future. This is the primary reason why India has a distorted sex ratio of 933 girls for every 1,000 boys. As is evident, the problems due to the dowry system have only been rising over the past decade. Despite this, popular media has failed to reflect these problems. News media has continued to keep up with these updates, and report about them, but popular media has deviated into its own path. Since popular media has a much larger audience compared to news media, this results in the society getting a totally different viewpoint of what is happening in their world: a wrong viewpoint in which what they are doing is not wrong. Also, since popular media has a much larger international audience as compared to news media, people from other countries get a totally different view of India: a world in which the dowry system does not exist and is not causing any problems at all. Thus, an untrue version of the society is shown to the world outside, which is not good, as when these people actually come to India and read about the truth, it is a shocking revelation for them. A shift is Indias attitude towards the dowry systems is urgently due. In simple words, dowry is equal to a family paying a man to accept their daughter as his wife, while the man along with his family, tries to get the maximum price out of the womans family. This association of economic gain with women in marriage is something which has long been persistent in India, and needs to stop. Simply making anti-dowry laws has proved to be inefficient. We need to make the society see their mistakes and realize what they are doing wrong, and this can only be done if popular media continues to reflect society as it did before. India must come together to end this practice. This could see couples channel their funds to provide education to their daughters, instead of saving money for years and years for dowry. The days of the persistence of the dowry system in India must be numbered, or Indian societys claim to be progressive is disingenuous.

A Look into the Life of Charlotte Perkins Gilman and ?The Yellow Wall-p

â€Å"The Yellow Wall-paper† is an amazing story that demonstrates how close-minded the world was a little over a hundred years ago. In the late eighteen hundreds, women were seen as personal objects that are not capable of making a mark in the world. If a woman did prove to be a strong intellectual person and had a promising future, they were shut out from society. Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote her stories from experience, but added fictional twists along the way to make her stories interesting. Charlotte Perkins Gilman grew up in a broken home without the presence of her father. Charlotte eventually moved away from her home with her mother and sister. Charlotte tried to keep in contact with her father, but he did not want any part of the contact. Being rejected by her father, and not receiving any affection from her cold-hearted mother set the tone for the way she would live her life. After one failed marriage with a child, Charlotte did not believe that there was much left for her. Charlotte took her emotions and construed them into a positive thing, her writing. Just like the woman in the story, â€Å"The Yellow Wall-paper†, Charlotte was sick. The doctors prescribed the â€Å"rest cure† for Charlotte. This prescription meant that she had to stay in bed for weeks on end, and had to limit her intellectual activities (Gilman 831). Charlotte was also instructed to live as much of a domestic life as she could. The doctors and her husband wanted her to stay home to cook, clean, and tend to their child. Staying in your own house, in your own bed for that long of a time would drive any person the slightest bit of crazy. During this time is when Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote, â€Å"The Yellow Wall-paper†. â€Å"The Yellow Wall-paper† portrays realism in its finest. Realism is defined as the representation in art or literature of objects, actions, or social conditions as they actually are, without idealization or presentation in abstract form (dictionary.com). It must have been easy for Charlotte to write this literary work. Not only did Charlotte have all the time in the world, but she was also a feminist (Hudak). When a person has enough time, and a just cause, wonderful literary works can happen. There is no better way to get emotions, ideas, and worries out into society than writing about what you believe in. This story is almost an autobiographical account of Charlotte Perk... ...estic work when she could. Not being able to express her inner feelings made her want to write everything down so much more. Jane then realized that she was being oppressed by the men in her life. Jane was not a strong woman, so she drove herself insane just to escape the reality that she was in. If the story of, â€Å"The Yellow Wall-paper† would have continued from its finishing point, I believe that Jane would have went even more mad and most likely would have killed herself to escape her own self-torture. Much like how Charlotte Perkins Gilman committed suicide in her own life. â€Å"The next year, suffering from breast cancer and convinced that her productive life was over, she committed suicide with chloroform she had long been accumulating† (Gilman 832). Charlotte Perkins Gilman was a lonely, insane woman, but her creativity got her through some hard times. Writing â€Å"The Yellow Wall-paper† helped to created an outlet for Charlotte’s personal emotions. Charlotte and the main character of the story, Jane, are one and the same. After reading background information on Charlotte and reading â€Å"The Yellow Wall-paper†, it’s obvious that Charlotte was writing about what she knew; insanity.

Richard Florida’s The Rise of the Creative Class and Joy Malnar and Frank Vodvarka’s Sensory Design :: Creativity Sensory Design Rise Creative Essays

Richard Florida’s The Rise of the Creative Class and Joy Malnar and Frank Vodvarka’s Sensory Design Of all my positive attributes, creativity is not one of them. I think of creativity as the ability to come up with new things, using one’s imagination to create beauty, induce laughter, and/or provoke emotion. My jokes are always corny, my drawing skills are comparable to a toddler’s, and I suck at telling stories. â€Å"Creative† definitely does not describe me. Richard Florida, in The Rise of the Creative Class, describes creativity as a separate entity from intelligence, and I totally agree. He also describes it as something acquired through experience. I have always been a nerd, but that doesn’t make me a creative genius—and my tunnel vision hasn’t helped either. Florida mocked me with these words: â€Å"Creativity is favored by an intellect that has been enriched with diverse experiences and perspectives.† I thought that creativity was something you were born with, and that I just wasn’t present when God was giving it out. Florida describes that theory as the â€Å"romantic myth of creative genius,† and says that creativity is inherent in all people. Ordinary abilities foster creativity. I never thought of it that way. Richard Florida also goes on to say that creativity is energy-absorbing, tiring work. To come to think of it, it can be very laborious. My husband likes to design clothing, and sometimes he stares into space for hours daydreaming. Suddenly, he’d sprint into the bedroom, grab his notebook and start drawing. He could eat up a whole pencil, eraser and all, for that one drawing. Beads of sweat would form on his brow, and the nerve in the middle of his forehead would protrude. And I’d know to keep our daughter away and leave him at peace. You see, I think my husband is creative. He’s got a great sense of humor, and he’s an artist. Geniuses like Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison were not only smart, but they also devised new theories, solved mathematical mysteries, and pioneered new gadgets.

Illegal Immigration Essay

What Are The Negatives of Illegal Immigration in The U. S.? 1 . ) What I already know (and don’t know) about my topic I know that illegal immigration is a big topic that is always talked about in the United States. I know that some people believe it is a big problem, but others don’t think it is a problem at all. I know that illegal aliens come to our county for many different reasons. Some of them include work, to get a better life, or to escape a dangerous homeland. These immigrants have to come to this country illegally because the process to come legally is long and they may never be granted citizenship. I know that them coming to our country is hurting our economy. They come here and get jobs that could be going to unemployed U. S. citizens, and since they aren’t citizens they don’t pay taxes that all true citizens have to pay. Also they send a lot of the money they make back to their homeland and it never goes back into the U. S. economy. I know that our government spends a lot of money hiring border patrol and buying equipment to help keep these illegal aliens from getting across the border, and the money that pays for this comes out of the legal citizens taxes. If these illegal mmigrants come to our country and need medical care the hospitals are legally required to give them the medical care they need and hardworking American citizens pay for their care with our taxes. What I don’t know is how much these illegal aliens actually cost the economy. I don’t know much about the immigrant’s trip to get to the United States. I want to know the details about their Journey and how that impacts the legal Americans that live right around the border where these immigrants are crossing, and how it affects people from all over the rest of the United States. I want o know if the Jobs that these illegal immigrants are getting are actually taking them away from legal citizens or are these Just the Jobs that the Americans don’t want to work. Is all the money that they make here illegally being sent back to Mexico or where ever they come from or do they help our economy and spend it here? I want to know if the dangerous trip here is actually worth risking your life to make it to the U. S. 2. ) Why I want to answer this question You hear about this problem being talked about by almost everyone. You can turn on the news and see something pertaining to illegal immigration in our country. They ven have TV shows now that are all about border patrol and catching these illegals. I want to know how it directly affects me, and I want to know what is being done to prevent this and what can be done to make it worth going the legal route instead of sneaking across the border. 3. ) The story of my search I began my research while sitting in my dorm. I was lying around procrastinating and watching TV. The guide channel was on and I saw a show called Border Wars. I thought to myself might as well watch it, it should be an easy way to do research. While watching this show it was amazing to me how many men, women, and children ctually try to cross the border every day. According to the show thousands of illegals attempt to cross the border illegally every day (Border Wars). What I also found so interesting is how they cross. They would come up with some of the craziest ways that I would never think of. One of the ways that this show pointed out was they immigrants over the fence with the crane and set them down on the other side. The show also pointed out that people were digging tunnels that went from the Mexican side of the border under the fence and they would come up in a house on the U. S. side. Most of them however Just walk across the border and try to stay hidden by the cover of darkness. The trip over is no easy one, it is very dangerous and they cross a lot of tough terrain. In the past year there have been over 200 immigrants found dead that were trying to cross the border. Many immigrants try to cross our border illegally every day but how much do the aliens actually cost the U. S. citizens? Many people don’t realize how much money illegal aliens actually cost legal citizens in the U. S. According to the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), illegal mmigration cost tax payers $113 billion a year at the federal, state, and local level (Illegal Immigration). The majority of this goes to paying for the education of the illegals children. Another big part of this number being this high is the medical cost of all the aliens. If they get hurt they can go to the hospital and get treated. Since they are illegal they will most likely not pay their bill, and all the legal citizens are stuck paying for their medical care. Also hiring border patrol and getting high tech equipment is a big cost to the people in America. The government has to get motion ameras, infrared cameras, helicopters, and many other supplies to keep the crossing of illegals to a minimum. The illegals are not helping pay hardly any of this because they don’t pay taxes, and the ones that do pay taxes get most of it back in refunds. According to the Center for Immigration studies illegals pay much less in taxes than do legal citizens. The numbers show that illegals pay around $1 ,3710n average in income taxes while legal citizens are paying o average $7,103 yearly (Camarota, Steven). People always complain about taxes being too high and illegal immigrants play a part in this problem. Immigration is also a danger to people living near the border and to the immigrants themselves. People who live near the border have to come in contact with these illegals who could want to do anything possible to make it into our country; some might even resort to harming them. Also with the illegals coming drug smugglers are also crossing our border to get there drugs sold. These drug runners can be very dangerous and willing to do anything to not get caught. They are willing to do anything because the cartels that are having them bring the drugs could be threatening them or their families to do so. A story of this posted by ABC News said that a border patrol agent was shot in the back and killed during an altercation with drug smugglers. In the article ABC News stated 40 year old Brian Terry was shot in the back and killed while pursuing drug smugglers. He was with a team of three other men when they approached the men and they opened fire. Terry was able to shoot one of the men but then was shot from behind. He was life-flighted to the hospital but had passed away in route. The other border agents were able to apprehend four of the suspects but one of them happened to escape (Hossford, Matt). This Just goes to show you that some of these people crossing our border illegally can be very dangerous. It is dangerous for the immigrants because of the terrain that they have to cross and also because of the cartels. Many of the immigrants that cross the border do so with the help of the cartels. They charge the immigrants a big fee to get them here and if immigrants don’t pay them in full they members of the immigrant. This also causes a big threat to the men and women working for the border patrol, they face dangerous situations every day when dealing with the problem of illegal immigration. How do we solve the problem of our dangerous borders and illegal immigration? One way to help solve the illegal immigration problem is to allow more immigrants to come into our country legally per year. According to the Immigration and Nationality Act the United States allows 675,000 legal immigrants to gain citizenship per year (Wasem, Ruth). If this number was raised then less people would have to cross the border illegally each year. Another way we could prevent this problem is to build a fence that covers the whole border. However this would be a very expensive build and many people don’t think it ould be affective. Part of the border with Mexico already does have a fence and illegal aliens still manage to cross it in various ways. Also a way to solve this problem would be to allow more immigrants to get into the country on work visas. If they would allow more work visas immigrants would be able to make money to send back to their families and they would be paying taxes that could help support the U. S. economy instead of doing all their work under the table. . ) What I learned After completing all my research on the topic of illegal immigration from Mexico I ave learned a lot of valuable information. One of the most valuable pieces of info I learned about was how the immigrants will take any measures necessary to get into our country even if it means risking their own lives. Another thing that I learned while doing my research is the actual number of immigrants that cross the border every year. I believe that this number is so high because there is no real punishment if you get caught crossing the border. All that will happen to you is you will be sent back to your homeland. I learned that the number of legal immigrants allow into the country s kind of a low number so a lot of these immigrants don’t have the chance to be allowed legal citizenship. I also learned that the immigrants that make this effort to cross have a very hard and dangerous Journey. It was surprising to me how many of them died on their trip to the United States. I think this number is probably higher than what we know; there are probably many illegals that die on their Journey and are never found. It was also interesting to me how little illegal immigrants pay in taxes each year compared to legal U. S. citizens.

Goal statement

I strongly believe that academics should always support the dreams that I carry. And this is the main reason why I opted todo MBA. I felt this very important as management is a field which we must be trained in its right manner and at the best place. Being at the right place, I believe I can get the best training and I can develop my skills. I believe it will help me explore the best in me. Post MBA I aspire to be an Marketing manager in an MNC.I would like to work with top media firms like Fox News, BBC, CNN or MTV. Marketing and Human resource management plays an important role in both the success ofa firm And also its downfall. Being an aspirant of it, I had always tried to develop qualities which should foster it. Active listening . co-ordinating team ,motivation, trustworthy advisor are some qualities which I found in me which could go along with my ambition.To work with media involves a lot of ressure from all sides of the society. Being an arts lover and from former experience s of theatre and short film industry I like to manage and coordinate programs at media firms. Apart from the academics and soft skills I learn, I believe values and ethics have a very important role to play in one's life. To earn good values, to think good and do good, I feel the surroundings where I study and where I live will teach me and help me. Goal statement By kv_ashith

Bug Inc

In both cases BUG is liable for negligence and could pay compensatory and punitive damages. As an employer, BUG is bound to protect its employees. In the case of the vendor, BUG can be considered as owner of the land (dock) while the vendor is a licensee. As such, BUG has a duty of ordinary care to the vendor. In defense of a tort liability filed by the vendor, BUG can use the assumption of risk as its defense. It is a fact that the town is experiencing a crime wave.Knowing that it was lunch time, the vendor should have simply just returned later instead of waiting. Had the vendor done so, it could not have been robbed and the items to be delivered stolen. However, BUG cannot use the same defense against tort filed by employees. As employees, they are required to report for work and go home after. BUG can however use contributory negligence as a defense. BUG can use the fact that the parking lot was originally well lit.As employees, they should have informed the company of the condit ion of the lights in the parking lot. Employees should also have updated the company on whether the lights were already fixed or not. 6) Sally can file negligence suit against BUG. BUG knew that an insulator could prevent shorts from happening but did not do so for business reasons. Sally can also file for misrepresentation since BUG continued to manufacture the product despite knowledge of a problem possibly occurring.Sally cannot file for strict liability since the product was not technically defective. Sally however can also file for failure to warn since BUG should have informed its customers of the possibility of a short. Sally can request for compensatory damages, specifically general damages, since she actually suffered harm on her person. As a result of BUG not including the insulator knowing that it could prevent short, Sally can further ask for punitive damages.

Personal log

If you are a biologist interested in working in the tropical rainforest's, briefly describe a research study you could complete at each level in the biological hierarchy, starting from the organisms level to the biosphere. 2. What are the two biotic variables that dictate type of terrestrial bimbo? Do aquatic and marine systems rely on the same two variables? Why or why not? 3. Which of the terrestrial boomers Is the most vulnerable to anthropogenic (human) Influence and why?What Is being affected? 4. Create a table that lists the bimbo, biotic variables that are elevate, and examples of organisms that would reside there. 5. Why arena species all over the planet? What influences dispersal? 6. What is the value of describing populations using density, dispersion, and demographic information? Be specific and be sure to demonstrate your understanding of the terms. 7. What are the two mall population growth models? What organisms may follow those growth models? 8.What factors influence t he populations described in #6? How do density-dependent and density-independent factors play a role? Chapter 41 1 . What are the five mall types of Interspecies Interactions discussed In the chapter? Describe each. . When Interactions result In a negative outcome for one species (e. G. Parasitism, predation, herbivore), the species that is affected will typically have a response to prevent that negative outcome. Describe examples of how species respond to these effects. 3.How do invasive species affect the natural populations? 4. What is the difference between a food chain and a food web? 5. What type of ecosystems would likely demonstrate bottom-up control? Top-down control? Why? 6. Is ecological disturbance a bad thing? Why or why not? Give an example to support your answer. 7. How did MacArthur and Wilson demonstrate the connection between area and species richness & diversity? Chapter 42 1 . Why do ecologists need to understand the laws of thermodynamics? How do they apply to a n ecosystem? 2.How much energy Is being transferred for each atrophic level? 3. What is primary production? What limits primary production in aquatic ecosystems? Why is primary production so low in the open ocean? 4. Why can we say that biochemical cycles are nature's way of recycling? 5. List the inputs and outputs (to the atmosphere) of each of the following biochemical cycles: a. Water cycle b. Carbon cycle d. Phosphorus cycle Chapter 43 1. What are the three levels of biodiversity? Is one level more important to study than the others?Why or why not? 2. What are the threats to biodiversity? Describe specific examples of each. 3. Why are small populations at risk? Describe specific issues associated with small populations. 4. Should we preserve land in multiple small patches or one large patch (SOLOS theory – single large or several small)? Using your knowledge of landscape structure and biodiversity, how would you establish a protected area and why? 5. How does climate cha nge affect species diversity and distribution? 6. What do we mean by the term â€Å"sustainability'?

“EU Design’s Rise in the Apparel and Fashion Industry Essay

Current Management Style EU Design’s management style was founded in a very small business environment. There was little standardization of individual tasks. In a small business, everyone on staff is expected to be involved in all day-to-day business activities. This creates a very informal relationship between workers and management. In addition to the small business aspect, EU Design is in a creative industry. Many of the people in this industry are not trained or educated in formal business practices. A creative mindset takes precedence over the structure of the business. For EU Design, quality of product is not an issue at the present time. The company is ISO 9000 certified with SA8000 accreditation. However, growing into a larger company requires a more formal management style to ensure this quality is kept up to standard. EU Design needs to develop a mission statement and corporate vision for the employees to have a common goal as a move toward a more formal management style. Without a defined mission statement, employees will have their own ideas of the company’s goals. Once a mission statement and business strategy is established, EU Design needs to identify which performance metric is most essential to the continued growth of the company. Balanced Scorecard While financials such as return on capital and cash flow are imperative to the sustainability of a company, customer-related metrics such as quality and timeliness of delivery are of upmost importance to keep the clients who will provide the profit. Customer feedback and surveys will provide the measurement of the value being created for clients. This will help EU Design’s management focus more on what the client’s actual needs are instead of focusing on what they perceive customer needs to be. An example of the balanced scorecard would resemble the exhibit below: Objectives Measures Financial perspective – Increasing profitability and revenue – Return on assets -Increased sales revenue – Profit ratio Customer perspective – Customer loyalty – Attaining new customers – Orders from current customers – Orders from new customers Internal perspective – Adherence to schedule – Customer driven products – Productivity – Ratio of actual delivery times to planned schedule – Ratio of on time deliveries – Number of new collections and designs added Learning and Growth perspective – Increased communication within the company – Increased education of employees – Number of monthly meetings held – Total budget for education courses – Number of employees attending courses Internal inadequacies need to be pinpointed for optimal efficiency. Formal procedures and work practices should be established and documented. This will highlight aspects such as time management, efficiencies, and employee competency. This will allow management to keep abreast of the working environment and augment employee stability. Fashion trends come and go very quickly, and being able to recognize what is trending and the ability to supply quickly is imperative to success. Management must track trends and concentrate on key suppliers that are providing the product for current trends, and all employee efforts must be directed toward this goal. Establishment of clear-cut goals and procedures is necessary to achieve  this. Formalization of management needs to begin from the top down. Berardi is too involved in day-to-day activities and cannot see the big picture of the company. He is functioning as an account manager and sales representative rather than performing duties of a CEO. He may not be able to make difficult decisions to cut or grow a particular segment because of his close involvement. Berardi needs to bring an employee up to take over his accounts so he can concentrate on his role of CEO. A new organizational structure would resemble the Exhibit 1. There needs to be standardization of communication between the two offices to ensure that all client information and requirements are shared and understood. Regular videoconference meetings with the staff of both offices can be implemented. Given the time difference one office would have to come in very early or the other office would stay late. This may be difficult but should be adhered to so all employees are receiving the same information. This could be tried on a monthly basis. These meetings would help to create a more cohesive environment between New York and Hong Kong. This would also give the Hong Kong office a chance to provide requested feedback to New York. As a supplement, an online open forum for questions from one office can be posted and answered by the other office when it opens. Incentive Systems Currently there is no formal incentive system. Many of the rewards are based on Berardi’s perception of employee performance. If he does not have the opportunity to have direct communication with all employees, it is a possibility that he is not able to appropriately assess individual performances. The employees themselves felt that â€Å"above-standard performance was not always noted.† This sometimes resulted in sub-optimal achievements being recognized while the employee going the extra mile was getting passed over. A new incentive system must include a formal evaluation method of employee performance. In order to evaluate, official job descriptions must be written to use as a benchmark. These descriptions give the employees the framework within which to efficiently perform their duties. The employee’s immediate supervisor must complete this evaluation. This is the person who has direct observance of day-to-day activities. Having the formal evaluation takes out the personal bias of the supervisors. Semiannual reviews will keep employees apprised of their performance and management  expectations. This will benefit both the company and the employees by keeping them both focused on a common goal. To encourage the employees to be sales oriented, a commission system could be introduced. Since company money is already directed toward training courses and classes, offering employees sales training courses will give them the opportunity to take advantage of the new commission system. If funds are limited and an official sales manager cannot be hired, then the classes would be the most efficient way to educate employees. These classes would be directed toward the Junior Merchandisers. The current duties for this position would fit best with the new sales system. Although hiring office managers would be beneficial, in the present financial climate this may not be feasible. However, one employee in each location needs to be responsible for office operations. Both offices have an accountant on staff that report directly to Berardi. This person could take on the role of office manager. Since the accountant would be the most business-minded person, he or she would be most qualified to monitor the costs and inefficiencies within the office. Overall EU Design’s growth has been slow and steady, as evidenced by a five-year gross margin increase of almost 300 percent. This growth has necessitated a change in management style. If Berardi acknowledges that changes need to happen, the implementation should happen rather smoothly.