What is the Importance of Animals and Symbolism in Ancient...

The ancient Egyptians are known for many of the incredible aspects of their culture and everything they have produced. Some of the well known ancient Egyptian relics are the ones like the ancient pyramids, the Great Sphinx of Giza, mummies, and their many forms of art. Ancient Egyptian art is one of the most recognized styles of art. The most commonly known types of ancient Egyptian art are types like paintings, ceramics, and sculptures. Not only is Egyptian art beautiful, but it carries a huge deal of value and significance with it. A great portion of the time, the art has some kind of religious meaning to it. Consequently it is very difficult to discuss the art itself without delving into the various gods and goddesses presented in it.†¦show more content†¦I will see what the artworks mean to me, and I will make my own interpretations as to why their art is this way. Moreover, I expect look at many of their varying art forms and see how the use of animals differs between t hem. This is because I believe different kinds of art are able to impact people in different ways, and have an implication that is unlike the other. I plan to analyze the assorted characteristics and traits of the various art forms the ancient Egyptians practiced to see similarities and differences, and consider in what way this influences the meaning of the works. Characteristics and Traits of Different Types of Ancient Egyptian Art Just from looking at a few pieces of the art of the ancient Egyptians, you begin to notice many defining characteristics about it that make it unique and different from other styles of art. There are an ample amount of recurring features in the art, so this must mean that these traits and aspects are noteworthy. This next section of the essay will go into detail about a few of the many types of art and the stylistic elements that define ancient Egyptian art and make it special and distinguishable from other types of art, and why some particular aspects of the art are important. Distinguishable characteristics are things about a subject that makes it unique and unlike other things.Show MoreRelatedThe Importance of Animals and Symbolism in Ancient Egyptian Art1611 Words   |  7 PagesThe Ancient Egyptians are known for many of the incredible aspects of their culture and everything they have made. Some of the well known ancient Egyptian relics are the ones like the ancient pyramids, the Great Sphinx of Giza, mummies, and their many forms of art. Ancient Egyptian art, most commonly the paintings, are one of the most recognized styles of art. Not only is Egyptian art beautiful, but it carries a huge deal of value and significance with it. A great portion of the time, the art hasRead MoreThe Art of Akhenaten - Paper1698 Words   |  7 PagesThe Art of Akhenaten A Formal Analysis of House Shrine and Akhenaten Making Offerings The Art of Akhenaten A Formal Analysis of House Shrine and Akhenaten Making Offerings      Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚   One of the most enigmatic pharaohs of Egyptian history, Amenhotep IV, had grown up in the most powerful family in ancient Egypt. Once he became pharaoh and ruler of Egypt’s empire in 1378 BCE, he changed his name to AkhenatenRead MoreEgypts Greatest Art1676 Words   |  7 Pagesbeing King Senwosret III, who was the fifth pharaoh in the line and is said to have ruled for a period of thirty-seven years from 1878 to 1841 BCE. On a recent trip to the Brooklyn Museum, I was fortunate enough to have the chance to witness some of Ancient Egypt’s greatest artistic feats ranging from stelas to limestone heads. Upon entering the gallery, I was immediately greeted by the seated statue of King Senwosret III. While it is one of the more compact statues of the great king, only standing approximatelyRead MoreThe Importance Of Family And Their Legacy1754 Words   |  8 PagesGreece, the other Egypt, but they both recognize the importance of family and their legacy as represented in these funerary structures. The first object is a pseudo-group statue of Penmeru from Egypt, whereas the second object from Greece is a Sarcophagus and lid with a husband and wife. Both of the objects seem to be something placed in a tomb or funerary setting, with the purpose of not only memorializing the tomb owner, but emphasizing the importance of family and their legacy, showing the strengthRead More Ancient Egypt Essay6218 Word s   |  25 PagesAncient Egypt Ancient Egypt is located along the Nile River of Northeastern Africa. More specifically, it is the territory where ancients Egyptians lived in the valley of the delta and the Nile. It was a thriving civilization for more than 3,000 years, from about the time of 3300 BC to 30BC. The culture of Ancient Egypt is identified and very well known for many aspects of their ways of life. Considering the time period, they were very technologically advanced. This can especially be seenRead MoreThe Discovery Of Norwegian Viking Culture1863 Words   |  8 Pagesburial ship we can learn about burial practices, Norwegian Viking diets, Norwegian dress and decoration, shipbuilding practices, arts, and religion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the summer of 1903, a farmer named Oskar Rom, started digging on the farm of   Lille Oseberg at Slagen, Vestford County, Norway.   He was digging in a big mound called a barrow. Mr. Rom hit some woodwork.   Unsure of what he found, and scared that he might do more damage, he decided to stop.   He went to the University of Christiana, called Oslo todayRead MoreIntramuros4927 Words   |  20 Pagesmore purely  abstract  and  conceptual  approaches gained favor. Developments in Eastern painting historically parallel those in  Western painting, in general, a few centuries earlier. African art,  Jewish art,  Islamic art,  Indian art,   Chinese art, and  Japanese art[4]  each had significant influence on Western art, and vice versa. Initially serving utilitarian purpose, followed by imperial, private, civic, and religious patronage, Eastern and Western painting later found audiences in the  aristocracy  andRead MoreA Picatrix Miscellany52019 Words   |  209 Pagescloser inspection reveals that the scope of individual chapters is far wider than appears at first sight. Philosophic doctrines (which, according to the author, are the basis of the talismanic art), theory of magic, astronomical, astrological and physical lore, extensive directions for the practice of the art, and accounts of the peoples by whom it is employed are jumbled together throughout the book, with no discernible guiding principle. If a systematic arrangement is anywhere perceptible, it isRead MoreAnthropological Foundation of Educ.2510 Words   |  11 Pageslinguistics anthropology, and ethnology. The sub-fields of anthropology are shown below. Anthropology * physical anthropology – concerned primarily with humans as biological organism * cultural anthropology – deals with humans as cultural animals; the branch of anthropology that focuses on human behavior * archeology – studies materials remains, usually in order to describe and explain human behavior * linguistic anthropology – studies human language * ethnology or social anthropologyRead MoreExamples of Book Review9130 Words   |  37 Pagespertaining to my paranormal Egyptian fantasy novel, The Ka. You can also†¦ Read and analyze the first chapter of The Ka. Read and analyze the lengthy character list for The Ka. ________________________________________ Some Dos and Don’ts of Writing Book Reviews Do ~ State how you feel about the story overall. Did you get emotionally involved? (Sample: I cried at the ending. What happens to the main character is something I can easily relate to.) Point out what you liked about the plot

Decision Making in Healthcare Organization Free Essays

Running Head: Decision Making in a Healthcare Organization 1 Decision Making in a Healthcare Organization Xavier Hunt MHA 601: Principles of Healthcare Administration Professor Jack Lazzare December 19, 2011 DECISION MAKING IN HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATION 2 In the health care profession a CEO will be asked to make a lot of difficult decisions. The CEO will not only have to make decisions that fit the ongoing vision of the healthcare facility he/she may work at they will also have to form stable relationships with their peers, media, and staff. Decision making occurs in all organizations. We will write a custom essay sample on Decision Making in Healthcare Organization or any similar topic only for you Order Now The decision-making process begins with identifying a question, problem, or area needing improvement, or an operational issue. Problems, issues, questions, and operational challenges come to leaders and managers from many different people both within and outside the health organization (Pablo, 1996). To make the important decision that was given to us in the case study, I would use the garbage can model and its subsets to help me come to a conclusion. This decision involves a lot of people so the choice that will be made will affect all parties involved. In this paper I will discuss how I would tackle this problem with the various tools of decision making through the readings that we have had. The Garbage Can Model How can the garbage can model help in this situation? The garbage can model was invented to expand the understanding of the organization. It addresses the problem that is going on at that time and accepts confusion as a reality. In the garbage can model loose coupling is required in an organization to understand decision making. The garbage can model has also been introduced as a possible method to understand how an organization learns (Tsang, 1997). In the case study the CEO is faced with a myriad of issues like for instance trying to keep the physicians, and adequate staff at the hospital not only that if they were to leave they have threatened to go to their rivals hospitals across the city. The CEO also has to deal with a possible DECISION MAKING IN HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATION 3 lawsuit because the nurse who possibly has HIV has been asked to leave the operating room to work somewhere else. Would this not spark a fire? Could asking the nurse to leave no matter how they tried to butter the deal up still seem like covert discrimination? So the hospital is about to be hit by a media freight train if they cannot get this under control. The garbage can model allows for the CEO to handle these problems accordingly. â€Å"Garbage can decisions can occur in any organization but are more likely to be found in ‘organized anarchies’ where decisions are made under ambiguity and fluid involvement of participants. † Garbage can models are attempts at finding logic and order in the mist of decision-making chaos. Garbage, defined as sets of problems, solutions, energy, and participants, is dumped into a can as they are produced (streams of â€Å"garbage† in time) and when the can is full, a decision is made and removed from the scenario (Takahashi, 2002). The garbage can model depicts the chaotic nature of decision making. Temporal Order Temporal order is a component of the garbage can model. Temporal order replaces sequential order. Time is spatial in that a multitude of issues, problems, information flows, and sensing mechanisms can bombard decision makers in short or long time blocks. How problems and information to resolve the problems arrives in time has relatively equal priority as the evaluation of their importance. Arrival time and sequence in the current context influences decision makers’ attention to the situation. â€Å"The process is thoroughly and generally sensitive to load. An increase in the number of problems, relative to the energy available to work on them, makes problems less likely to be solved, decision makers more likely to shift from one arena to another more frequently, and choices longer to make and less likely to resolve problems† DECISION MAKING IN HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATION 4 (March, 1996). Individuals in the decision-making process, directly and indirectly, are interconnected and influence the context of the decision at hand. The amount of time that the CEO has to make his decision is limited he has to try to make an informed decision about a very sensitive issue that involves a lot of individuals. His decision also will take an effect on peoples family members that use the hospitals services. If he keeps the man will they still want to use the hospital? Or will they go to the cross cities rival hospital? The CEOs problems increased when the media got involved. The CEO has to find a way to balance his time so no one issue become bigger than the other because if he does this something will be forgotten in the process. To combat these issues the CEO will have to be attentive. Attention demands influence decision making. Time and energy must be allocated to understand, evaluate, and formulate a problem, then synthesize relevant information, evaluate options, and finally choose an alternative to counter or terminate the problem. Individuals focus on some things and do not attend to others in the same space of time. Corporate actions, outcomes, and responsiveness are the results of dynamic organizational processes, not heuristics of individual choice (Swanson 1996). Time and energy combine to form â€Å"attention. † Attention is a dynamic concept that is highly dependent on load (that is the number of decisions that need to be made). Information to Media The information that is conveyed to the media is an important tool in this case study. The way that we receive news has dramatically changed in recent years with the addition of social DECISION MAKING IN HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATION 5 etworking sites. These sites allow us to get information much more quickly, and the way a decision is made and perceived can be misconstrued. Information richness is defined as the ability of information to change understanding within a time interval. The longer the time interval to exchange understanding, the less rich the information. Consequently, the less time required the more rich the information is to the communicators (sender and receiver). The media (such as email, the telephone, or face-to-face conversation) that carries information to intended audiences also has a richness associated with it. A continuum of media richness has been established based on the medium’s capacity for immediate feedback, the number of cues and channels utilized personalization, and language variety. In decreasing media richness, the continuum of richness consists of: â€Å"1) face-to-face, 2) telephone, 3) personal documents such as letters, memos, and emails, 4) impersonal written documents, and 5) numeric documents. † The richer the media, the better equivocality can be reduced; media low in richness is best used when communicating messages that are understood well and possess standard information (Draft, 1986). Simply put, face-to-face interaction works best and bulletin board flyers work the worst in transferring meaning. Leaders and managers must consider what media with which to communicate to ensure the highest probability to transfer meaning to their intended audience. So as CEO he need to make sure that he communicate well with the media saying exactly what he means at all times. My final decision would be to not remove the nurse from the operating room because if he is singled out a lawsuit would ensue and it would be hard to say that he was not removed because it is suspected that he has HIV. He cannot be asked if he has it or not because of HIPPA DECISION MAKING IN HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATION 6 laws prohibit this. As long as everyone followed hospitals protocols such as use of blunt tip sutures as approved by the surgeon, a hands free neutral zone large enough where sharps can be placed and not easily tipped over and the use of double gloves in the operating room if would be okay for everyone to work there. If these procedures were taken lightly whoever did not follow would be reprimanded because there is little room for error in this type of setting. It has already been said that you treat everyone as if they are infected not just certain people. DECISION MAKING IN HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATION 7 References Daft RL, Lengel RH. Organizational information requirements, media richness, and structural design. Manage Sci. 1986;22(5):554–571. March JG, Weisinger-Baylon R. Ambiguity and Command: Organizational Perspectives on Military Decision Making. Marshfield, MA: Pitman Publishing; 1986. Pablo AL, Sitkin SB. Acquisition decision-making processes: The central role of risk. Journal of Management. 1996;22(5):723–747. Swanson DL. Addressing a theoretical problem by reorienting the corporate social performance model. Acad Manage Rev. 1995;20 (1):43–65. Takahashi, N. A single garbage can model and the degree of anarchy in Japanese firms. Hum Relat. 2002;50(1):91–109. Tsang EWK. Organizational learning and the learning organization: A dichotomy between descriptive and prescriptive research. Hum Relat. 1997;50(1):73–90. How to cite Decision Making in Healthcare Organization, Papers

Marketing Management Commonwealth Bank of Australia

Questions: 1. Focuses on analysingeach relevant P from a theoretical perspective through way of analysis and evaluation of current marketing practices the organisationundertakes across all the relevant P's? 2. Focuses on providing recommendations across each relevant P using both a theoretical and example based approach. You should also consider within these recommendations how contemporaryissues may impact on the delivery of the P'sas well as addressing the 'new ways' to value add to the marketing mix? Answers: Introduction Marketing mix is considered as the foundation for marketing. The concepts that are taken into consideration under marketing mix analysis cover all the attributes of the product that helps in analysing the long run stability and the marketing capabilities of the product (Helm Gritsch, 2014). Professor James Culliton first discovered the phenomenon of marketing mix in the year 1940s. Initially the criteria under marketing mix analysis consist of only 4 Ps, namely, product, price, place and promotion. Later in the year, 1981, the proposal of extending the marketing mix analysis under the attributes of process, people, physical evidence and partnerships were included (Goi, 2005). Hence, the marketing mix analysis could be broadly used in the form of 7 Ps or 8 Ps. By analysing the marketing strategies of a particular product, it could be stated that the organization could improve the brand image thereby raise the value of Branding. It would help in highlighting the unique features of the products that would help in attracting better demand for the products. All these attributes helps in explaining the underlining composition of the product, thereby being beneficial for the organization to create a brand positioning and targeting for the product towards the ideal customers (Baker, 2014). The aim of this report is to analyse the marketing mix analysis for commonwealth bank of Australia. Commonwealth bank of Australia is one of the most important banks of the country that provides a variety of financial services to the economy. This report analyses its marketing mix strategy of 8 Ps with respect product, price, place, promotion, partnerships, people, physical evidence and process. These attributes would clearly demonstrate the marketing analysis of debit and credit cards in adherence with the bank. The second part of the report deals with the ways in which contemporary issues prevailing in the country would affect the marketing analysis of the bank. Recommendations are stated that would help in reframing the marketing analysis thereby reducing the negative impact of contemporary issues on the bank. 1. Part Commonwealth bank of Australia is a multinational bank, which is referred to as commonwealth bank. This bank offers a wide variety of services to the people, which include retail business facilities, financial services, fund management, insurance, investment, broking, etc (Personal banking including accounts, 2017). By considering electronic transactions, the bank has provided the individuals with credit and debit card facilities. The facilities that are provided to the people are of high value with various facilities aligned. In order to analyse the marketing strategies to be associated with such a product of the bank, it is quite vital for the banks to analyse the marketing mix strategy. This marketing mix strategy would help the bank to provide a future projected path to analyse the future prospects associated with the product. An 8 Ps market analysis is conducted below for the commonwealth bank of Australia. Product Product is considered a vital aspect of the marketing strategy. When goods or services associated with the company do not leave an effective remark on the consumers, then it does not help in generating any demand among the customers no matter how much the other aspects of the marketing mix are well executed (Ahmad, Al-Qarni, Alsharqi, Qalai, Kadi, 2013). The product element in the marketing mix analysis is to provide those service values to the consumers that would improve their adaptability and usability. The product aspect needs to be designed using a cluster of different yet mutually reinforced elements available. In order to attain a growth in demand for the products of the organization, there must be some modifications associated to the product. Quality modifications, functional modifications and aesthetic modifications are the three kinds of modification that could have been implemented to modify the features of the product and make it indifferent to the other products in the market. One of the basic benefits that must be analysed by the product launched in the market is that it must adhere to the current wants of the customers. The recent advancement of technologies and dependency on a fast moving life, it is quite easier for the customers of the bank to get hold of a product that could be used efficiently and easily. Debit cards and credit cards are one such products of the commonwealth Australian bank, that helps the customers in making various financial transactions online or with the help of e-money. This reduces the complicacy of carrying money, risk of outrunning the cash in hand and making safe transactions without facing any hassle. Facilities are attached to the people with respect to transaction benefits, credit transactions, usage of the cards overseas, and secured transactions with encryption done to personal mails and messages. It helps in providing flexibility to the customers financial resources. Price Price component of marketing mix strategy plays a dual role for the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. The first role is the ability to attract customers to purchase their credit and debit card facilities and the second rule should be that the product must be capable enough of generating enough revenue for the organization (Davari Strutton, 2014). The pricing decisions for a particular product of the organization is based upon five attributes namely, market share maximisation, profit maximisation, survival, personal objectives and social considerations. Depending upon the pricing attributes of the product, the demand for the particular product could be stated. According to the law of demand, with a rise in the price of the product, the demand for the product falls, whereas, with the fall in the price of the product, its demand increases. Hence, the customers would demand for the product depending upon the price and the value being generated by using the product. Though the pricing strategies play an important role for companies to generate revenue in the economy, banks are accustomed to charge lesser interest rates and provide their customers with larger facilities and provisions. Their revenue depends upon the amount of product bought by the customers that would be accustomed to the minimum balance and interest charges taken for the individuals. Commonwealth bank of Australia has kept the base lending rate for their debit cards comparatively lower than the other commercial banks, hence, it provides them the incentive of attracting better customers. It would be very beneficial for the organization to improve their pricing strategies that would help them implement better availment of customers. Place The element of place in a marketing mix analysis involves the availment of the preferred product to the customers through efficient medium and methods. The delivery of such products might involve both electronic and manual methods (Mansouri, Mehrani, Nargesian, Pour, Bekr, 2016). The failure of making a product available to the customers would provide a severe negativity to the demand for the product towards that firm. Commonwealth bank of Australia is situated in almost 1100 branches all over the country along with 4300 ATMs all over Australia. This improves fluency and availability of services to the customers. The evolvement of the credit and debit cards in the economy would increase the efficiency of the customers to use their cards for money transactions without any glitches. Promotion The element of promotion with respect to marketing mix strategy plays an important role. Three objectives are to be kept in mind while framing the promotional strategies for the particular product (Liu, Li, Chen, Balachander, 2017). These objectives are to gain the attention of the consumers and to provide additional information thereby persuading the customers to purchase the product. The promotional efforts of a product could be coordinated with the help of Integrated Marketing Communication. This phenomenon helps in sending a consistent message to the customer that would help in highlighting the key features of the product. The debit and the credit cards of the commonwealth bank provide a wide variety of services associated with it. These services are always approached to the customers with the help of electronic mails and letters. The facilities are exposed to the customers who are associated with the organization(Hu Scholtens, 2014). Yet, commonwealth bank must promote their facilities more by advertisements and new ways of approaching their customers through social media. Precision and measurability allow advertisers to evaluate advertising success to judge, at the campaigns end, whether the objectives have been met and, if so, how well. People Despite the advances of technology in the market, it is quite important dor the customers to attain human assistance. The interactions of the people belonging to the organization along with their customers help in raising the demand of the firm (Mallin, Farag, Ow-Yong, 2014). It is quite vital for any financial institution to offer a seamless first line of contact to its customers. Due to prime importance of such element in the banks, commonwealth bank offers a wide range of customer assistance, which comprises of various relationship managers. These people are accustomed to provide the best quality service to the customers and are abided to answer all the queries of the customers. They have been trained in such a manner so that while explaining the facilities of the product to their customers in the first instance, they create an effective image on the consumers. Physical evidence The physical evidence associated with the product can be subsidized into two segments, namely, peripheral and essential (Mayes, McDonald, Pini, 2014). Peripheral evidence is possessed by the consumers and has little independent value. On the other hand, the essential evidence cannot be possessed by the consumer yet has independency in it. The peripheral evidence associated with the debit and credit card facilities of the commonwealth bank is the card itself. It provides the customers with the authority of using it in order to make their transactions easier. The essential evidence associated with the banks is their cash machines, brochures and posters. Partnerships Partnerships play an important role in sustaining the brand marketing of a particular organization. Partnerships referred to alliances or arrangements organisations are undertaking with the view to enhance their customer experience. Typically, these partnerships are formed between organisations that offer goods or services that complement each other by offering additional goods and services that will enhance customer experience. Partnerships are carried out at a strategic level, which helps in enhancing the abilities of the particular organization thereby building in more possibilities of further growth. Partnership marketing programs can also create joint sales and distribution opportunities, broader in-store merchandising, more compelling packaging and marketing material and overall offer stronger value to the consumer (Davari Strutton, 2014). Commonwealth bank of Australia collaborates with the other banks to build enduring, multi product reciprocal relationships. The organization has build global partnership relations that helps in developing tailored solution with a wide range of products and services. Process The aspect of process in marketing mix strategy focuses on the various mechanism that is associated with the evolvement of the product. It includes various business policies, which provides the provisions, degree of mechanisms, procedures, etc (Liu, Li, Chen, Balachander, 2017). The debit and credit card facilities provided by the banks involve a greater extent of step by step detailed process that would assist the customers at every step and make their flow of enabling the facilities quite efficient in nature. Commonwealth bank is quite successful in achieving a step-by-step guide to its consumers with the availability of credit and debit cards. They maintain a strategically acclaimed process, which would overcome any hindrances and would improve the service. 2. orporate social responsibility is a form of corporate self-regulation that is integrated into a business model. Corporate social responsibility helps in maintaining the law, ethical consideration and improvement with respect the national and international norms and conditions (Hu Scholtens, 2014). About the banking and financial sector of a country, there is an urgency for the organization to involve themselves into some additional benefits to be provided to the society. As the pricing system and the products offered by the banks of a particular country is considered almost the same, hence, it gets quite indifferent for the individuals to choose a particular company for their respective services. Individuals get attracted to only those banks, those who provide them with extra services and benefits. The bank referred must be able to maintain some amount of uniqueness in the market with the introduction of innovation (Moon, 2014). The bank must be able to generate a positive image as a brand in front of the individuals. To achieve this target, tools of socially responsible business are often used and the choice is determined by financial possibilities of banks, the level of development of the whole system, the requirements of regulators, national peculiarities and differs in many countries. Commonwealth bank of Australia must create a positive impact on the society by implementing strategies and policies that would benefit the people and the society. In order to accomplish their vision of excelling at securing and enhancing the financial wellbeing of people, business and communities, they must actively take part in upgrading the environmental, social and economic impacts(Moon, 2014). This would influence their business and instigate ways to use their unique capabilities and resources thereby creating a positive contribution beyond their core business. The customer focus strategy prevailing in the banks must be focussed on four prime priorities, namely, people, technology, strength and productivity. They must involve integrity, accountability, collaboration, excellence and best services to their customers. The commonwealth bank of Australia must aim at maintain transparency, balance and focus towards the development and implementation of social impact thereby supporting their core business. The organization must invest in education and skills and foster innovation to enhance the financial wellbeing of the people. The bank must sponsor various social and environmental support programs that would help them in gaining a socially acclaimed response (Boulouta, 2014). The effect of lack of corporate social responsibility to be undertaken by the commonwealth bank of Australia would throw a negative impact on the marketing strategies generated by the firm. The marketing strategies consisting of all the 8 Ps would be affected as follows : Product: the debit and credit card of the bank would be no different from that of the other bank, thereby would not be able to generate vast amount of demand towards itself. If the bank involves itself into various social and environmental programs, there would be a remarkable difference in the products and it would be presented to the customers with transparency and balance. Price : the pricing system in most of the banks are considered to be similar. With the objective of attracting the customers and generating more revenue from the products, the commonwealth bank of Australia would be negatively affected if their product would be indifferent to the others. The unique value should be attached to the product in order to generate demand of the consumer. Place: the effect of the corporate social responsibility would not affect the place aspect much. This aspect would remain unchanged and unaffected. Promotion: it is quite vital for the bank to promote their brand and products associated to the brand along with their unique features, benefits and social impact. Commonwealth bank of Australia should be quite efficient in maintaining various social and environmental programs as that would highlight their existence and would attract the people towards themselves and their products. People: the people that are associated with the bank must be quite transparent in nature and provide the best services possible to the customers. This would help them in generating future demands of the products. Maintaining a friendly relation with the society would be regarded as quite beneficial for the bank. Physical evidence: the physical evidence that is associated with the banks would not be affected by the corporate social responsibility scheme as the evidence of the products would be only be considered after the customers have started the use of the product. Partnership: partnership would play a vital role for the bank in relation to their corporate social responsibility scheme. Involvement of the bank into social services would earn them a positive acclamation and response from the society. This would improve their partnership facilities and help them generate more business in the related field. Process: the process that the financial bank undertakes must implement various steps that would be associated with the benefits improvises the society. These steps would highlight their efficiency in stabilising a better social and environmental surrounding of the country. Conclusion Marketing strategies are considered as quite vital aspect of analysing the long run stability and accessibility of a particular organization in a wide range of comparative market structure. Commonwealth bank of Australia is considered as one such bank in the field of financial market that is considered as one of the largest bank in the country. The bank provides a wide variety of services to the individuals among which one such service is the availability of debit and credit cards. The marketing mix strategy consisting of 8 components provides a clear image of how the product of the bank accommodates itself in order to attain stability in the future. Among the various contemporary issues faced by the firm, one of the most important aspects is the issue of corporate social responsibility. Commonwealth bank of Australia needs to improve their corporate social responsibility scheme by sponsoring and taking part in various social and environmental development programs. This would help th em in promoting their products, raising their market share and generating more demand among the customers using their unique value. Reference Ahmad, A. E., Al-Qarni, A. A., Alsharqi, O. Z., Qalai, D. A., Kadi, N. (2013). International Journal of Marketing Studies , 210. Baker, M. J. (2014). Marketing strategy and management. Palgrave Macmillan. Boulouta, I. . (2014). Who needs CSR? The impact of corporate social responsibility on national competitiveness. . Journal of Business Ethics, 119(3) , 349-364. Davari, A., Strutton, D. (2014). Marketing mix strategies for closing the gap between green consumers' pro-environmental beliefs and behaviors. . Journal of Strategic Marketing, 22(7) , 563-586. Goi, C. L. (2005). Marketing Mix: A review of P. The Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce . Helm, R., Gritsch, S. (2014). Examining the influence of uncertainty on marketing mix strategy elements in emerging business to business export-markets. . International Business Review, 23(2) , 418-428. Hu, V. I., Scholtens, B. (2014). Corporate social responsibility policies of commercial banks in developing countries. . Sustainable Development, 22(4),. , 276-288. Liu, Y., Li, K. J., Chen, H., Balachander, S. (2017). The Effects of Products Aesthetic Design on Demand and Marketing-Mix Effectiveness: The Role of Segment Prototypicality and Brand Consistency. Journal of Marketing, 81(1), , 83-102. Mallin, C., Farag, H., Ow-Yong, K. (2014). Corporate social responsibility and financial performance in Islamic banks. . Journal of Economic Behavior Organization, 103 , S21-S38. Mansouri, H., Mehrani, H., Nargesian, A., Pour, T. H., Bekr, S. (2016). Designing Marketing Mix Strategy (4CA) by Using Strategic Reference Points: a case study in PSP Industrial. . International Journal of Humanities and Cultural Studies (IJHCS) ISSN . Mayes, R., McDonald, P., Pini, B. (2014). Ourcommunity: corporate social responsibility, neoliberalisation, and mining industry community engagement in rural Australia. . Environment and Planning A, 46(2) , 398-413. Moon, J. (2014). Corporate social responsibility: A very short introduction. OUP Oxford . Personal banking including accounts, c. c.-C. ( 2017, February 5). Retrieved from https://www.commbank.com.au/.

Interpersonal Skills for the Digital World free essay sample

It seems everyone you meet these days, from students in elementary school to their great-grandparents, has a cell phone. In addition, most people have other electronic devices as well, including tablets, laptop computers, and MP3 players. These devises have inarguably made worldwide communication much easier. However, as is often the case, convenience has come with a price. I did not grow up in the digital age. When I was a child, the biggest revolution in interpersonal communication was the touch tone phone, and that was greeted with skepticism by my parents (â€Å"What’s so hard about dialing a phone that you need push buttons? †). In the 1970s, however, electronic communication took off. Fax machines were a wondrous invention, as was the clunky â€Å"car phone. † I remember my soon-to-be husband telling me in the late 1970s, that some day I would not only have a computer in my home, but that I would use it to send text, sound, pictures, and video all over the world, virtually instantly. We will write a custom essay sample on Interpersonal Skills for the Digital World or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Frankly, I thought he was a nut. If he had also told me that the computer would be small enough to fit in my pocket or purse, and I would also be able to make phone calls from it, I probably wouldn’t have married him. Yet here we are, and it is indeed a wondrous age. The only problem is that some people don’t seem to know when to unplug. There is nothing more disconcerting to me than when I am talking to someone and they pull out their phone and start checking their messages. I’ve seen couples out on dates paying more attention to their phones than to each other. And there isn’t a teacher or trainer I know who hasn’t had to cope with students taking phone calls during class. In Adult Basic Education, we see another effect of the digital age, especially in our younger students. They are so used to texting, and using the abbreviations commonly used in texts, that they routinely use these abbreviations in all their writing. Teaching the difference between formal and informal writing, or business and personal communication, now must include a lesson on spelling. While using the common abbreviations may be all right when sending a text for business purposes, it isn’t appropriate in all settings. In general, business communications, including e-mails, should have a more formal tone than is appropriate in personal communications. This means the standard rules of language, including proper grammar and spelling, should be applied. In addition, I have found that most of my younger students have never addressed an envelope, much less written a letter by hand. While a case can be made that these skills are no longer necessary in an age where electronic communication is the norm, and everything from banking to writing Grandma a thank you note can be done from a cell phone, we are in fact not a paperless society quite yet. I guess that will happen by the time the Baby Boomers have died off, but for now, these are skills that people still need to have. As for myself, I have the opposite problem. For me it is not a matter of learning how to when to turn off the phone or how to write a business letter. On the contrary, I need to learn how to be more adept at using the latest technology. Because my students and colleagues communicate electronically, I need to be comfortable with that technology as well. However, dedicated cell phone users need to remember that cell phone technology is not available everywhere. In many areas around the world, including rural areas in the United States, there is no cell phone service. I do not have cell phone service at my house; in addition, the only internet option available other than dial-up is a satellite connection, which means I have limited bandwidth. While I can do quite a lot with my satellite internet, I cannot enjoy all the advantages of digital communication that many people take for granted. Conclusion With each generation, digital technology becomes more commonplace. It seems that the latest device is hardly in the market before it is obsolete, and new advances are greeted not so much with amazement but more with annoyance they took so long are still not perfect. Still, we are not yet a completely wireless, paperless society. Without a doubt, anyone doing business in the digital age should be comfortable using electronic communication technology. However, that does not mean that common courtesy should be neglected. In my opinion, the live person in front of you should take precedence over the electronic gadget in your hand. I think if people at least follow this rule, they won’t go too far wrong in either their business or personal communications.

Types of Columns and Architectures Classical Order

Types of Columns and Architectures Classical Order If your architect suggests a Classical order for your new porch columns, theres no need to return a blank stare. Its a good idea. An Order of Architecture is a set of rules or principles for designing buildings - similar to todays building code. Five Classical orders, three Greek and two Roman, comprise the types of columns we use even in todays architecture. In Western-based architecture, anything called classical means its from the civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome. A Classical order of architecture is the approach to building design established in Greece and Rome during what we now call the Classical period of architecture, from roughly 500 B.C. to 500 A.D. Greece became a province of Rome in 146 B.C. which is why these two Western civilizations are grouped together as Classical. During this time period, temples and important public buildings were constructed according to five distinct orders, each using a defined pedestal, type of column (base, shaft, and capital), and a different style entablature above the column. The Classical orders grew in popularity during the Renaissance era when architects such as Giacomo barozzi of Vignola wrote about them and used the design. In Architecture the word Order signifies a composition (in the same style) of a pedestal, a column, and an entablature, together with their ornamentation. Order means a perfect and regular disposition of all the parts of a beautiful composition; in a word, order is the opposite of confusion. - Giacomo da Vignola, 1563 Heres a brief overview of what the orders are and how they came to be written down. The Greek Orders of Architecture When studying an era-by-era timeline of ancient Greece, the height of Greek civilization was known as Classical Greece, from about 500 B.C. The inventive ancient Greeks developed three architecture orders using three distinct column styles. The earliest known stone column is from the Doric order, named for architecture first seen in the Dorian area of western Greece. Not to be outdone, the builders in the eastern Greece area of Ionia developed their own column style, which is known as the Ionic order. Classical orders are not unique to each area, but they were named for the part of Greece where they were first observed. The most ornate Grecian order, the latest developed and perhaps the most well-known by todays observer is the Corinthian order, first seen in the central area of Greece called Corinth. The Roman Orders of Architecture The Classical architecture of ancient Greece influenced the building designs of the Roman Empire. The Greek orders of architecture were continued in Italian architecture, and Roman architects also added their own variations by imitating two Greek column styles. The Tuscan order, first seen in the Tuscany area of Italy, is characterized by its grand simplicity - even more streamlined than the Grecian Doric. The capital and shaft of the Composite order of Roman architecture can be easily confused with the Greek Corinthean column, but the top entablature is much different. Rediscovering the Classical Orders The Classical orders of architecture might have become lost to history if it were not for the writings of early scholars and architects. The Roman architect Marcus Vitruvius, who lived during the first century B.C., documented the three Greek orders and the Tuscan order in his famous treatise De Architectura, or Ten Books on Architecture. Architecture depends on what Vitruvius calls propriety - that perfection of style which comes when a work is authoritatively constructed on approved principles. That perfection can be prescribed, and the Greeks prescribed certain architectural orders to honor the different Greek gods and goddesses. The temples of Minerva, Mars, and Hercules, will be Doric, since the virile strength of these gods makes daintiness entirely inappropriate to their houses. In temples to Venus, Flora, Proserpine, Spring-Water, and the Nymphs, the Corinthian order will be found to have peculiar significance, because these are delicate divinities and so its rather slender outlines, its flowers, leaves, and ornamental volutes will lend propriety where it is due. The construction of temples of the Ionic order to Juno, Diana, Father Bacchus, and the other gods of that kind, will be in keeping with the middle position which they hold; for the building of such will be an appropriate combination of the severity of the Doric and the delicacy of the Corinthian. - Vitruvius, Book I In Book III, Vitruvius writes prescriptively about symmetry and proportion  - how thick the column shafts should be and the proportional heights of columns when arranged for a temple. All the members which are to be above the capitals of the columns, that is, architraves, friezes, coronae, tympana, gables, and acroteria, should be inclined to the front a twelfth part of their own height...Each column should have twenty-four flutes... After the specifications, Vitruvius explains why - the visual impact of the specification. Writing specifications for his Emperor to enforce, Vitruvius wrote what many consider the first architecture textbook. The High Renaissance of the 15th and 16th centuries renewed interest in Greek and Roman architecture, and this is when Vitruvian beauty was translated - literally and figuratively. More than 1,500 years after Vitruvius wrote De Architectura, it was translated from Latin and Greek into Italian. More importantly, perhaps, the Italian Renaissance architect Giacomo da Vignola wrote an important treatise in which he more thoroughly described all five classical orders of architecture. Published in 1563, Vignolas treatise, The Five Orders of Architecture, became a guide for builders throughout western Europe. The Renaissance masters translated Classical architecture into a new type of architecture, in the manner of Classical designs, just as todays new classical or neoclassical styles are not strictly Classical orders of architecture. Even if the dimensions and proportions are not exactly followed, Classical orders make an architectural statement whenever they are used. How we design our temples is not far off from ancient times. Knowing how Vitruvius used columns can inform what columns we use today  - even on our porches.   Sources The Ten Books on Architecture by Vitruvius Pollio, Translated by Morris Hicky Morgan, Harvard University Press, 1914, Book I, Chapter II, Paragraph 5; Book III, Chapter V, paragraphs 13-14 The Five Orders of Architecture by Giacomo barozzi of Vignola, translated by Tommaso Juglaris and Warren Locke, 1889, p. 5

African Americans and the Civil War Essay Example for Free (#2)

African Americans and the Civil War Essay African American (597) , African (466) , Civil War (178) , Martin Luther King (60) company About StudyMoose Contact Careers Help Center Donate a Paper Legal Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Complaints ? In the world we live in many people take a lot for granted. Just the small simple things people don’t really appreciate, being ungrateful for the things that have been given to them. Many people and different situations have paved the way for our generation to become much easier to live in. African Americans during the civil rights movement had to face a lot of trills in order to make the world a better place. Many people don’t appreciate that because they are unaware of just how much grief African Americans had to go though to create a path for the upcoming generation. African Americans faced many hardships during the civil rights movement, some of those hardships were segregation, voting rights, and assassination of prominent African American leaders. Segregation was such a big obstacle for African Americans because not only were they not allowed to go certain places it became bigger than that. Everything in African Americans lives were split in half. There were white only signs places all over there towns. White only signs for bathrooms, restaurants, and water fountains. Everything was separated between the two races blacks and whites. One event that really stuck out like a sore thumb was The Montgomery Bus Boycott. During, the time of segregation blacks were allowed to ride the buses, but many rules had to apply. Blacks had a black’s only section on the bus that could be moved in any location of the bus. That means that the blacks’ only sign could be moved in front of two rows on the bus if that’s what the bus driver wanted. Black riders had to pay their bus far on the front of the bus and get off to walk to the back of the bus to ride. Some bus drivers would allow the blacks to pay and when the step off the bus the bus driver would drive away and leave them. When blacks did receive a chance to ride on the bus, if a white person did not have a seat to sit in a black person had to give up their seat. The blacks of Montgomery, Alabama, decided that they would boycott the city buses until they could sit anywhere they wanted, instead of being relegated to the back when a white boarded. On December 1, 1955, Mrs. Rosa Parks, an African American seamstress, was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama for not standing and letting a white bus rider take her seat. The plan to stop the whites from making the blacks move was the boycott. Blacks would no longer ride the buses anymore. That means that the bus companies were losing a lot of money. Blacks would walk to work or school and even carpool, but would not step foot on the buses. The boycott continued for over a year. Eventually, the United States Supreme Court put an end to the boycott. On November 13, 1956 the Court declared that Alabama’s state and local laws requiring segregation on buses were illegal. On December 20th federal injunctions were served on city and bus company officials forcing them to follow the Supreme Court’s ruling. African Americans had to face a lot just so that they could be treated as an equal on the bus. Segregation played a huge role in the school system. In public schools more so than any. That’s what stated the big flare Brown vs. Board of Education. The 1954 United States Supreme Court decision in Oliver L. Brown vs. the Board of Education of Topeka (KS) is among the most significant judicial turning points in the development of our country. Originally led by Charles H. Houston, and later Thurgood Marshall and a formidable legal team, it dismantled the legal basis for racial segregation in schools and other public facilities. Brown vs. Board of Education was not simply about children and education. The laws and policies struck down by this court decision were products of the human tendencies to prejudge, discriminate against, and stereotype other people by their ethnic, religious, physical, or cultural characteristics. Ending this behavior as a legal practice caused far reaching social and ideological implications, which continue to be felt throughout our country. The Brown decision inspired and galvanized human rights struggles across the country and around the world. The U. S. Supreme Court decision in Brown began a critical chapter in the maturation of our democracy. It reaffirmed the sovereign power of the people of the United States in the protection of their natural rights from arbitrary limits and restrictions imposed by state and local governments. These rights are recognized in the Declaration of Independence and guaranteed by the U. S. Constitution. Brown was giving African Americans the opportunity to be accepted as an individual and not just as a race. Now, you would think that after the Brown vs. Board of Education whites would accept African Americans and treat them better. That was not the case and segregation did not stop there. Although, many people had hoped that it would it took the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to really make a change. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a landmark piece of legislation in the United States that outlawed major forms of discrimination against blacks and women, and ended racial segregation in the United States. It ended unequal application of voter registration requirements and racial segregation in schools, at the workplace and by facilities that served the general public. Once the Act was implemented, its effects were far-reaching on the country as a whole and had an immediate impact on the South. It prohibited discrimination in public facilities, in government, and in employment, invalidating the Jim Crow laws in the southern U. S. It became illegal to compel segregation of the races in schools, housing, or hiring. After passage of the law, the NAACP was the only major civil rights organization to maintain a large membership in the South, where it concentrated on organizing the ongoing struggle for black civil rights. During 1965-75, the NAACP remained committed to using litigation to challenge racial injustice. African Americans had to fight hard to get what they deserved and it took a lot of patients and time to receive change but it finally happened. That is we segregation ended and Africans were free to sit, eat, talk, shop, and work anywhere they wanted. Being able to vote is a very important ordeal. Many people in this day and time take advantage of being able to voice their opinions. Not taking advantage of who we desire to have in office is a sign of being ungrateful. African Americans were not given that right years ago. African Americans had to fight just so that they could vote. That’s when the Voting Act of 1965 came in play. Before, this Act was enforced African Americans had to take a literacy tests and pay poll taxes. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 abolished literacy tests and poll taxes designed to disenfranchise African American voters, and gave the federal government the authority to take over voter registration in counties with a pattern of persistent discrimination. Echoing the language of the 15th Amendment, the Act prohibits states from imposing any â€Å"voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure to deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color. The Act was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, a Democrat, who had earlier signed the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law. Being able to vote was an honor and so many people don’t even both to go vote during the elections today. African Americans fought for the right to vote without having to take tests or pay poll taxes and people still don’t go out to vote. That is taking voting rights for granted. Being an African American during the civil rights movement was a challenge, but being an African American woman was even difficult. That’s when the period of women’s suffrage played its role. Women’s Suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or marital status. Being a woman in this time period restricted of many rights. Women’s suffrage has been granted at various times in various countries throughout the world, and in many countries it was granted before universal suffrage. Without women’s suffrage women would still be restricted to make decisions and just be limited to being mothers and wives. The women’s suffrage broke that cycle. The best way to leave a positive mark on the world is being a leader. It takes a lot of heart, courage, and sacrifice, in becoming a great leader. Leaders are persons that people look up to. They depend on a leader to give them hope to carry on and a positive role model to look up to. There were not too many people that wanted to take the position of being a leader, but a few chose to step up to the plate. African Americans needed kind and encouraging words to help uplift them during the civil rights movement. Two great leaders Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Melcolm X took on a job to lead the world into a better place called freedom. The two leaders gave African Americans hope to continue on when they wanted to just give up. African Americans depended on these two prominent leaders to strengthen them. African Americans during the civil rights movement needed to relay on someone and those leaders were the perfect ones. No one would have ever been ready for what was expected to come. For years African American have been told what they could and couldn’t do. They have been talked about, abused, lied on, and have had everything taken from them. But, still they have stayed strong through it all. When all they had were two great prominent leaders and they were taken from them as well they still stayed strong. Two great prominent leaders were assonated. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Martin Luther King Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African American civil rights movement. He was best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. King was often presented as a heroic leader in the history of modern American liberalism. A Baptist minister, King became a civil rights activist early in his career. He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, serving as its first president. King’s efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where King delivered his â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech. There, he expanded American values to include the vision of a color blind society, and established his reputation as one of the greatest orators in American history. But, as people have said â€Å"all things must come to an end. † At 6:01 p. m. on April 4, 1968, a shot rang out. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. , who had been standing on the balcony of his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN, lay sprawled on the balcony’s floor. A gaping wound covered a large portion of his jaw and neck. A great man who had spent thirteen years of his life dedicating himself to nonviolent protest had been felled by a sniper’s bullet. African Americans and the Civil War. (2016, Dec 21).

Fast food case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Fast food case study - Essay Example Furthermore, changing lifestyle of young generations have also played considerable role in the growth of the industry (Report Linker, 2013). Industry growth is characterised by following dominant factors of increasing urbanisation; increasing number of working parents leading to reduced cooking time at home; and changing lifestyle. Mobile foods stalls and fast food service providers are expected to grow with fastest pace mainly due to time and price benefit. Mobile food service is forecasted to outdo $2.5 billion by 2017. Attraction of China to world requires no emphasis. Most recently World Bank has raised the economic growth forecast for the year 2013 to 8.4% as compare to forecast growth of 8.1% issued in Oct 2012 (China Daily, 2012a). Though restaurant industry is not only dominated by the economic growth but the fact remains that growth is highly dependent on the economic as disposable income constituting the main driving factor. China’s full service restaurant industry (expectedly) generated 61.0% or $287.8 billion of the total $471.8 billion of catering subsector in 2012. The restaurant industry reported 16.5% of steady growth in revenue in last five years. Opportunity in Chinese restaurant industry can also be gauged from high fragmented characteristic with 2.8 million above restaurants in this industry in the year 2012. Further, four major players only accounted for 0.7% of total industry revenue while chain and franchising operations accounted only 3.0% of revenue in 2012 (IBIS World . (2012). With above statistics giving highly attractive picture of global growth as well as regional hot cake China in restaurant industry; the underlying report develops assessment of Chinese external environment for restaurant launching. The assessment is aimed to prepare homework grounds for the fast food restaurant to

Print Media Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Print Media Communication - Essay Example Studies conducted in this area of marketing, for instance, have encompassed other areas such as psychology and linguistics, which advanced further the scope and influence of print media advertising. In addition, print media continues to attract attention brought about by the fact that human beings are overly visual, and as aforementioned, the advent of new technology in print, bringing forth innovative approach to printing of full glossy colors, utilization of catchy copy as well as bigger production and wider distribution. Hence, the influence and appeal of print media cannot be discounted even if it faced threats from electronic media, as consumers still read, touch and hold print materials. This paper will analyze theories with regards print media communication and how these appeal to consumers in general. Moreover, three print advertisements from different sources will be evaluated based on the communication theories and psycho-linguistic studies conducted in the recent decades. The effectivity of these materials in attracting audience will also be assessed. The contribution of advertising and promotion in the evolution of language and popular culture cannot be discounted. ... Similar contentions are brought forth by Mitchell (1983) who observes that repetition within the text of a reading improves recollection of the text. Mitchell (1983) contends that a 'rhyme' and other innovations in the use of language strengthen the efficiency of the text as well as increases its memorability. Moreover, Mitchell has shown that specialized language utilized in advertisement is more memorable that literal language. This is supported by the research conducted by Craik and Tulving (1975) on the processing and retention of words. Craik and Tulving (1975) observe that the instruction of the text to 'form images from wordsleads to excellent retention.' The aforesaid is reminiscent of Hall's (1980) theory found in his article 'Encoding/Decoding' in which the author contends that viewers employ the process of 'negotiation' in their treatment of the text. Moreover, Warlaumont (1995) observes that 'ambiguity' 'contributes to involvement, polysemy, and oppositional decoding' which can further aid experts recognize the correlation with regards the design of the advertisement or how it persuades the viewers. The theory on covert and ostensive communications can also be utilized to further assess if the characteristics of the brand contribute in widening its scope and effectuality (Hackley 2006). These theories are crucial in the appraisal of the efficacy of advertising materials. III. CANON CAMERA ADVERTISEMENT Source: National Geographic Magazine, March 2006 Issue Many corporations during the past decades undertook environmental or species protection and awareness project as a part of their advertising policy. Canon employed the same strategy dubbed as Canon Evirothon. The efficacy of

Relationship between Theory and Practice Essay Example for Free

Relationship between Theory and Practice Essay Cognitive development indicates growth of the ability to reflect and explain. Lev Semionovich Vygotsky and Jean Piaget were greatly contributed to the cognitive development section of Psychology. The way small kids discover surrounding environment and psychologically develop plays a key role in their learning processes and skills. By learning the process of cognitive development supervisors give themselves a chance to great extent meet the requirements of the individual demands of each separate child. Vygotsky and Piaget were considered to be constructivists. Constructivism is a method of training and learning based on the idea that cognition is the consequence of psychological construction. To put it differently, children obtain knowledge making compatible their previous experience and new fresh information. Constructivists believe that learning is influenced by the situation in which a concept is delivered also by childrens attitudes and values. Another common feature between Vygotsky and Piaget is that they both think that the limits of cognitive development were set by societal influences. Unfortunately, this is the point where the correspondence between Vygotsky and Piaget comes to an end. There is a great difference between both theories of highly indicated scientists. Piaget claimed that mental growth came from activity. He believed that students learn by means of communicating with their surroundings and that learning takes place after growth. On the other hand, Vygotsky held that knowledge takes place prior to the growth that can occur and that children learn because of history and symbolism. Vygotsky also claimed that students appreciate effort from their surrounding environment and from other people such as teachers and parents as well. Piaget did not consider the latter to be true. Vygotskys and Piaget concepts on cognitive development also have different attitudes. School systems and teachers have been practicing the cognitive development theories of Vygotsky and Piaget for quite a while. A good illustration of Piagentian training could be arranged in a preschool environment. Through the preschool period Piaget considers students as being at the Preoperational level and as a consequence they are more likely to be self-centered. Consequently, it would be fair to discuss things with preschool age children from their own points of view as they will feel their experiences are unique and precious. During classroom activities one student might say the glass of milk that another student brought to classroom to share is half empty while the student who brought the glass may consider the glass to be half full. Neither student is wrong in this example, the glass can be characterized by both descriptions but they may believe it due to the fact that each accordingly likes or dislikes milk. Application of Vygotskys cognitive development theory could occur in a first grade classroom. First grade children are frequently characterized by having varying stages of knowledge. Some students may already know letters and how to read while others are still making attempt to improve this process. An optimal option to assist the students who are not reading as well as the others includes ensuring these children aid speaking out a word when they get stuck while reading a text. With these preliminary considerations in mind it would be well to conclude that cognitive development plays a central part in learning and thinking approaches of students. Vygotsky and Piaget provide valuable knowledge and data into the possible ways students learn and by employing these concepts it is possible to design a more advantageous learning context for each student. To get deeper understanding of Vygotsky’s theory it would be useful to visit the web-site http://www. newfoundations. com/gallery/Vygotsky. html. It suggests a number of approaches provided by in-depth studies and research of the scientist. Vygotsky tries to find answers to questions such as â€Å"What is a human being? †, â€Å"What is knowledge? †, â€Å"What is learning? †, â€Å"What is society? †, or â€Å"Who is to be educated? †. One more web resource that provides valuable insight into the researches conducted by Piaget is http://webspace. ship. edu/cgboer/piaget. html. To apply theory into practice we may observe that preoperational stage includes symbolism which means that the child already understands parallel notions of objects. For instance, to develop business skills from the early age it would be very useful to set an activity where objects replace real things: paper instead of money, books instead of TV-sets to be sold, etc. These two particular web-sites were chosen because besides the theory itself they also include practice and illustrations. They describe how the results of the studies may be applied in learning and teaching processes.

Big Cats in Asia Essay -- Animal Research

The relationship between human beings and the environment has always been in conflict. Our world these days is based on the economy and the ambitious interest people have in leaving nature behind. Nowadays, business is growing and so is the population, people’s priority is to make as much money as possible, but do they really care about the environment around them? Our greediness for money has led us to destroy forests and animal niches. However, there might still be hope for animals that were taken from their habitat to start over again, in a very slow process by stopping deforestation and increasing conservation areas. This essay is focused on the conflicts between the Siberian tigers human modified environment they now live in, and how this has been affecting them periodically to the point of becoming endangered, and how people around the world are trying to help by restoring their habitat. Tigers in crisis news write â€Å"almost all wild Siberian tigers live in the Southeast corner of Russia in the Sikhote-Alin mountain range east of the Amur River. Their range also includes northeastern of China and the Korean peninsula, and as far west as Mongolia. It is consider critically endangered species with the primary threats to its survival in the wild being poaching and habitat loss from intensive logging and development. It is estimated that the wild population of Siberian tigers at around 350-450 tigers†. (Introduction). Like Ruth Ashby said, â€Å"Once there were eight sub species of tigers today there are three of them†(22) Tigers occupy just 7% of their historic range due to the increase of population over the average global rate across the majority of the tiger’s habitat, therefore current tiger habitat extents through one of the mo... ...rticles/Killed%20for%20Cure%20-%20Trade%20in%20Tiger%20Bone.pdf>. O'Brien, T. G., Kinnaird, M. F. and Wibisono, H. T. (2003), Crouching tigers, hidden prey: Sumatran tiger and prey populations in a tropical forest landscape. Animal Conservation, 6: 131–139. doi: 10.1017/S1367943003003172 Sandberg, L. Anders, and Tor Sandberg. A Practical Environmental Education. Climate Change: Who's Carrying the Burden? : the Chilly Climates of the Global Environment Dilemma. Ottawa, ON: Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, 2010. 195-96. Print. Siberian Tiger at Tigers in Crisis." Tigers in Crisis - Information About Earth's Endangered Tigers. Web. . Wittier, John Greenleaf. "The Worship of Nature." The Complete Poetical Works of John Greenleaf Whittier. H.E.S ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1894. 141. Print. Reprinted

Investment Avenues in India Essay

ABSTRACT:Each investment alternative has its own strengths and weaknesses. Some options seek to achieve superior returns (like equity), but with corresponding higher risk. Other provide safety (like PPF) but at the expense of liquidity and growth. Other options such as FDs offer safety and liquidity, but at the cost of return. Mutual funds seek to combine the advantages of investing in arch of these alternatives while dispensing with the shortcomings.Indian stock market is semi-efficient by nature and, is considered as one of the most respected stock markets, where information is quickly and widely disseminated, thereby allowing each security’s price to adjust rapidly in an unbiased manner to new information so that, it reflects the nearest investment value. And mainly after the introduction of electronic trading system, the information flow has become much faster. But sometimes, in developing countries like India, sentiments play major role in price movements, or say, fluctua tions, where investors find it difficult to predict the future with certainty. Some of the events affect economy as a whole, while some events are sector specific. Even in one particular sector, some companies or major market player are more sensitive to the event. So, the new investors taking exposure in the market should be well aware about the maximum potential loss, i.e. Value at risk.It would be good to diversify one’s portfolio to include equity mutual funds and stocks. The benefit of diversification are that while risk exposure from a particular asset may not be very high, it would also give the opportunity of participating in the party in the equity markets- which may have just begun- in a relatively safe manner(than investing directly into stock markets). Mutual funds are one of the best options for investors to choose from. It must be realized that the performance of different funds varies time to time. Evaluation of a fund performance is meaningful when a fund has access to an array of investment products in market. An investor can choose from a variety of funds to suit his risk tolerance, investment horizon and objective. Direct investment in equity offers capital growth but at high risk and without the benefit of diversification by professional management offered by mutual funds.INTRODUCTION:Savings form an important part of the economy of any nation. With the savings invested in various options available to the people, the money acts as the driver for growth of the country. Indian financial scene too presents a plethora of avenues to the investors. Though certainly not the best or deepest of markets in the world, it has reasonable options for an ordinary man to invest his savings. Banks are considered as the safest of all options, banks have been the roots of the financial systems in India. Promoted as the means to social development, banks in India have indeed played an important role in the rural upliftment. For an ordinary person though, they have acted as the safest investment avenue wherein a person deposits money and earns interest on it. The two main modes of investment in banks, savings accounts and fixed deposits have been effectively used by one and all.However, today the interest rate structure in the country is headed southwards, keeping in line with global trends. With the banks offering little above 9 percent in their fixed deposits for one year, the yields have come down substantially in recent times. Add to this, the inflationary pressures in economy and one has a position where the savings are not earning. The inflation is creeping up, to almost 8 percent at times, and this means that the value of money saved goes down instead of going up. This effectively mars any chance of gaining from the investments in banks. Just like banks, post offices in India have a wide network. Spread across the nation, they offer financial assistance as well as serving the basic requirements of communication. Among all saving options, Post office schemes have been offering the highest rates. Added to it is the fact that the investments are safe with the department being a Government of India entity. So, the two basic and most sought after features, such as – return safety and quantum of returns was being handsomely taken care of. Though certainly not the most efficient systems in terms of service standards and liquidity, these have still managed to attract the attention of small, retail investors. However, with the government announcing its intention of reducing the interest rates in small savings options, this avenue is expected to lose some of the investors.Public Provident Funds act as options to save for the post retirement period for most people and have been considered good option largely due to the fact that returns were higher than most other options and also helped people gain from tax benefits under various sections. This option too is likely to lose some of its sheen on account of reduction in the rates offered. Another often-used route to invest has be en the fixed deposit schemes floated by companies. Companies have used fixed deposit schemes as a means of mobilizing funds for their operations and have paid interest on them. The safer a company is rated, the lesser the return offered has been the thumb rule. However, there are several potential roadblocks in these. First of all, the danger of financial position of the company not being understood by the investor lurks. The investors rely on intermediaries who more often than not, don’t reveal the entire truth. Secondly, liquidity is a major problem with the amount being received months after the due dates. Premature redemption is generally not entertained without cuts in the returns offered and though they present a reasonable option to counter interest rate risk (especially when the economy is headed for a low interest regime), the safety of principal amount has been found lacking. Many cases like the Kuber Group and DCM Group fiascoes have resulted in low confidence in this option. The options discussed above are essentially for the risk-averse, people who think of safety and then quantum of return, in that order. For the brave, it is dabbling in the stock market.Stock markets provide an option to invest in a high risk, high return game. While the potential return is much more than 10-11 percent any of the options discussed above can generally generate, the risk is undoubtedly of the highest order. But then, the general principle of encountering greater risks and uncertainty when one seeks higher returns holds true. However, as enticing as it might appear, people generally are clueless as to how the stock market functions and in the process can endanger the hard-earned money.For those who are not adept at understanding the stock market, the task of generating superior returns at similar levels of risk is arduous to say the least. This is where Mutual Funds come into picture.Mutual Funds are essentially investment vehicles where people with similar investment objective come together to pool their money and then invest accordingly. Each unit of any scheme represents the proportion of pool owned by the unit holder (investor). Appreciation or reduction in value of investments is reflected in net asset value (NAV) of the concerned scheme, which is declared by the fund from time to time. Mutual fund schemes are managed by respective Asset Management Companies (AMC). Different business groups/ financial institutions/ banks have sponsored these AMCs, either alone or in collaboration with reputed international firms.Several international funds like Alliance and Templeton are also operating independently in India. Many more international Mutual Fund giants are expected to come into Indian markets in the near future.Investment alternatives in India * Non marketable financial assets: These are such financial assets which gives moderately high return but can not be traded in market.* Bank Deposits * Post Office Schemes * Company FDs * PPF * Equity shares: These are shares of company and can be traded in secondary market. Investors get benefit by change in price of share and dividend given by companies. Equity shares represent ownership capital. As an equity shareholder, a person has an ownership stake in the company. This essentially means that the person has a residual interest in income and wealth of the company. These can be classified into following broad categories as per stock market:* Blue chip shares * Growth shares * Income shares * Cyclic shares * Speculative shares * Bonds: Bonds are the instruments that are considered as a relatively safer investment avenues.* G sec bonds * GOI relief funds * Govt. agency funds * PSU Bonds * RBI BOND * Debenture of private sector co. * Money market instrument: By convention, the term â€Å"money market† refers to the market for short-term requirement and deployment of funds. Money market instruments are those instruments, which have a maturity period of less than one year.* T-Bills * Certificate of Deposit * Commercial Paper * Mutual Funds- A mutual fund is a trust that pools together the savings of a number of investors who share a common financial goal. The fund manager invests this pool of money in securities, ranging from shares, debentures to money market instruments or in a mixture of equity and debt, depending upon the objective of the scheme. The different types of schemes are* Balanced Funds * Index Funds * Sector Fund * Equity Oriented Funds * Life insurance: Now-a-days life insurance is also being considered as an investment avenue. Insurance premiums represent the sacrifice and the assured sum the benefit. Under it different schemes are:* Endowment assurance policy * Money back policy * Whole life policy * Term assurance policy * Real estate: One of the most important assets in portfolio of investors is a residential house. In addition to a residential house, the more affluent investors are likely to be interested in the following types of real estate:* Agricultural land * Semi urban land * Farm House * Precious objects: Investors can also invest in the objects which have value. These comprises of:* Gold * Silver * Precious stones * Art objects * Financial Derivatives: These are such instruments which derive their value from some other underlying assets. It may be viewed as a side bet on the asset. The most important financial derivatives from the point of view of investors are:* Options * FuturesDirect equity vs. mutual funds1) Equity share/Direct investment 2) Mutual funds, a brief introduction 3) Equity Fund 4) Difference between direct equity and mutual fundEquity share/Direct investmentEquity shares: These are shares of company and can be traded in secondary market. Investors get benefit by change in price of share or dividend given by companies. Equity shares represent ownership capital. As an equity shareholder, a person has an ownership stake in the company. This essentially means that the person has a residual interest in income and wealth of the company. These can be classified into following broad categories as per stock market:* Blue chip shares- Shares of large, well established, financially strong companies with an impressive record of earnings and dividends.* Growth shares-Shares of companies that have fairly entrenched positions in a growing market and which enjoy an above average rate of growth as well as profitability. * Income shares-Share of companies that have fairly stable operations, relative limited growth opportunities, and high dividend payout ratios.* Cyclic shares – Share of companies that have a pronounced cyclicality in their operations.* Defensive shares- Shares of companies that are relatively unaffected by the ups and downs in general business conditions.* Speculative shares- Shares of companies that tend to fluctuate widely because there is a lot of speculative trading in them.Mutual Funds: A brief introductionA Mutual Fund is a trust that pools the savings of a number of investors who share a common financial goal. The money thus collected is invested by the fund manager in different types of securities depending upon the objective of the scheme. These could range from shares to debentures to money market instruments. The income earned through these investments and the capital appreciations realized by the schemes are shared by its unit holders in proportion to the number of units owned by them. Thus a Mutual Fund is the most suitable investment for the common man as it offers an opportunity to invest in a diversified, professionally managed portfolio at a relatively low cost. The small savings of all the investors are put together to increase the buying power and hire a professional manager to invest and monitor the money. Anybody with an investible surplus of as little as a few thousand rupees can invest in Mutual Funds. Each Mutual Fund scheme has a defined investment objective and strategy.INCEPTION OF MUTUAL FUNDS IN INDIAThe history of mutual funds in India can be divided into 5 important phases:1963-1987The Unit Trust of India was the sole player in the industry. Created by an Act of Parliament in 1963, UTI launched its first product, the Unit Scheme 1964, which is even today the single lar gest mutual fund scheme. UTI created a number of products such as monthly income plans, children plans, equity-oriented schemes and off shore funds during this period. UTI managed assets of Rs.6,700 crores at the end of this phase.1987-1993In 1987 public sector banks and financial institutions entered the mutual fund industry. SBI mutual fund was the first non- UTI fund to be set up in 1987. Significant shift of investors from deposits to mutual fund industry happened during this period. Most funds were growth-oriented closed-ended funds. By the end of this period, assets under UTI’s management grew to Rs.38,247 crores and public sector funds managed Rs.8,750 crores.1993-1996In 1993, the mutual fund industry was open to private sector players, both Indian and foreign. SEBI’s first set of regulations for the industry were formulated in 1993, and substantially revised in 1996.Signifficant innovations in servicing, product design and information disclosure happened in this phase, mostly initiated by private players.1996-1999The implementation of the new SEBI regulations and the restructuring of the mutual fund industry led to rapid asset growth. Bank mutual funds were recast according to the SEBI recommended structure, and the UTI came under voluntary SEBI supervision.1999-2002This phase was marked by the rapid growth in the industry, and significant increase in market shares of private sector players. Assets crossed Rs.1,00,000 crore .The tax break offered to mutual fund in 1999 created arbitrage opportunities for a number of institutional players. Bond funds and Liquid funds registered the highest growth in this period, accounting for nearly 60% of the assets. UTI’s share of the industry dropped to nearly 50%.Types of mutual funds:Open ended schemesAn open-end fund is one that is available for subscription all through the year. This type of Mutual funds does not have a predefined maturity period. The key feature is liquidity. Direct dealing is another noticeable feature. One can easily buy and sell units at Net Asset Value related prices.Close ended schemesHere maturity period is predefined usually ranging from 2 to 15 years. Investment can be done directly in the scheme at the time of the initial issue and units can be brought and sold whenever units are listed in the stock exchanges.Types of Schemes1. Equity/growth oriented Funds: Equity schemes are those that invest predominantly in equity shares of companies. An equity scheme seeks to provide returns by way of capital appreciation. As a class of assets, equities are subject to greater fluctuations. Hence, the NAVs of these schemes will also fluctuate frequently. Equity schemes are more volatile, but offer better returns.2. Balanced Funds: The aim of balanced funds is to provide both growth and regular income. Such schemes periodically distribute a part of their earning and invest both in equities and fixed income securities in the proportion indicated in their offer documents. 3. Index Funds: An Index Fund is a mutual fund that tries to mirror a market index, like Nifty or BSE Sensex , as closely as possible by investing in all the stocks that comprise that index in proportions equal to the weight age of those stocks in the index.4. Income/debt oriented Funds: These schemes invest mainly in income-bearing instruments like bonds, debentures, government securities, commercial paper, etc. These instruments are much less volatile than equity schemes. Their volatility depends essentially on the health of the economy e.g., rupee depreciation, fiscal deficit, inflationary pressure. Performance of such schemes also depends on bond ratings.1) Equity FundsAs explained earlier, such funds invest only in stocks, the riskiest of asset classes. With share prices fluctuating daily, such funds show volatile performance, even losses. However, these funds can yield great capital appreciation as, historically, equities have outperformed all asset classes. At present, there are four types of equity funds available in the market. In the increasing order of risk, these are:a) Index fundsThese funds track a key stock market index, like the BSE (Bombay Stock Exchange) Sensex or the NSE (National Stock Exchange) S&P CNX Nifty. Hence, their portfolio mirrors the index they track, both in terms of composition and the individual stock weightages. For instance, an index fund that tracks the Sensex will invest only in the Sensex stocks. The idea is to replicate the performance of the benchmarked index to near accuracy. Index funds don’t need fund managers, as there is no stock selection involved.Investing through index funds is a passive investment strategy, as a fund’s performance will invariably mimic the index concerned, barring a minor â€Å"tracking error†. Usually, there’s a difference between the total returns given by a stock index and those given by index funds benchmarked to it. Termed as tracking error, it arises because the index fund charges management fees, marketing expenses and transaction costs (impact cost and brokerage) to its unit holders. So, if the Sensex appreciates 10 per cent during a particular period while an index fund mirroring the Sensex rises 9 per cent, the fund is said to have a tracking error of 1 per cent.To illustrate with an example, assume you invested Rs 1,000 in an index fund based on the Sensex on 1 April 1978, when the index was launched (base: 100). In August, when the Sensex was at 3.457, your investment would be worth Rs 34,570, which works out to an annualised return of 17.2 per cent. A tracking error of 1 per cent would bring down your annualised return to 16.2 per cent. Obviously, lower the tracking error, the better are the index funds.b) Diversified fundsSuch funds have the mandate to invest in the entire universe of stocks. Although by definition, such funds are meant to have a diversified portfolio (spread across industries and companies), the stock selection is entirely the prerogative of the fund manager. This discretionary power in the hands of the fund manager can work both ways for an equity fund. On the one hand, astute stock-picking by a fund manager can enable the fund to deliver market-beating returns; on the other hand, if the fund manager’s picks languish, the returns will be far lower. Returns from a diversified fund depend a lot on the fund manager’s capabilities to make the right investment decisions. A portfolio concentrated in a few sectors or companies is a high risk, high return proposition.c) Tax-saving fundsAlso known as ELSS or equity-linked savings schemes, these funds offer benefits under Section 88 of the Income-Tax Act. So, on an investment of up to Rs 10,000 a year in an ELSS, one can claim a tax exemption of 20 per cent from his taxable income. One can invest more than Rs 10,000, but then he won’t get the Section 88 benefits for the amount in excess of Rs 10,000. The only drawback to ELSS is that one has to lock into the scheme for three years.In terms of investment profile, tax-saving funds are like diversified funds. The one difference is that because of the three year lock-in clause, tax-saving funds get more time to reap the benefits from their stock picks, unlike plain diversified funds, whose portfolios sometimes tend to get dictated by redemption compulsions.d) Sector fundsThe riskiest among equity funds, sector funds invest only in stocks of a specific industry, say IT or FMCG. A sector fund’s NAV will zoom if the sector performs well; however, if the sector languishes, the scheme’s NAV too will stay depressed. Barring a few defensive, evergreen sectors like FMCG and pharma, most other industries alternate between periods of strong growth and bouts of slowdowns. The way to make money from sector funds is to catch these cycles–get in when the sector is poised for an upswing and exit before it slips back.2) Difference between direct equity and mutual fundsA mutual fund is the ideal investment vehicle for today’s complex and modern financial scenario. Markets for eq uity shares, bonds and other fixed income instruments, real estate, derivatives and other assets have become mature and information driven. Price changes in these assets are driven by global events occurring in faraway places. A typical individual is unlikely to have the knowledge, skills, inclination and time to keep track of events, understand their implications and act speedily. An individual also finds it difficult to keep track of ownership of his assets, investments, brokerage dues and bank transactions etc.Investing in Mutual Fund is convenient because of two basic reasons. All investment carry risks, especially equity investment that bears larger risks, their returns are more volatile and uneven. To cut down the risk one needs to put money in several instruments rather than in one or two products. A Mutual Fund can effectively spread its investments across various sectors of the economy and amongst several products. Risk diversification is the Key. Secondly ‘where to invest and where not to’, is a specialized business. One may not have the expertise, time and resources of a well-managed fund.ADVANTAG ES OF A MUTUAL FUND1. Professional ManagementQualified professionals manage money, but they are not alone. They have a research team that continuously analyses the performance and prospects of companies. They also select suitable investments to achieve the objectives of the scheme, so you see that it is a continuous process that takes time and expertise that will add value to investment. These fund managers are in a better position to manage investments and get higher returns.2. DiversificationThe clichà ©, â€Å"don’t put all eggs in one basket† really applies to the concept of intelligent investing. Diversification lowers risk of loss by spreading money across various industries. It is a rare occasion when all stocks decline at the same time and in the same proportion. Sector funds will spread investment across only one industry and it would not be wise for portfolio to be skewed towards these types of funds for obvious reasons.3. Choice of SchemesMutual funds offer a variety of schemes that will suit investors needs over a lifetime. When they enter a new stage in life, a ll needed to do is sit down with investment advisor who will help to rearrange portfolio to suit altered lifestyle. 4. AffordabilityA small investor may find that it is not possible to buy shares of larger corporations. Mutual funds generally buy and sell securities in large volumes that allow investors to benefit from lower trading costs. The smallest investor can get started on mutual funds because of the minimal investment requirements. One can invest with a minimum of Rs. 500 in a Systematic Investment Plan on a regular basis.5. Tax BenefitsInvestments held by investors for a period of 12 months or more qualify for Capital gains and will be taxed accordingly (10% of the amount by which the investment appreciated, or 20% after factoring in the benefit of cost indexation, whichever is lower). These investments also get the benefit of indexation.6. LiquidityWith open-end funds, you can redeem all or part of investment any time you wish and receive the current value of the shares or the NAV related price. Funds are more liquid than most investments in shares, deposits and bonds and the process is standardized, making it quick and efficient so that you can get cash in hand as soon as possible. 7. Rupee Cost AveragingThrough using this concept of investing the same amount regularly, mutual funds give investor the advantage of getting the average unit price over the long-term. This reduces risk and also allows you to discipline self by actually investing every month or quarterly and not making sporadic investments.8. The Transparency of Mutual FundsThe performance of a mutual fund is reviewed by various publications and rating agencies, making it easy for investors to compare one to the other. Once you are part of a mutual fund scheme, you are provided with regular updates, for example daily NAVs, as well as information on the specific investments made and the fund manager’s strategy and outlook of the scheme.9. Easy To AdministerMutual funds units in modern times are not issued in the form of certificates, with a minimum denomination rather they are issued as account statement switch a facility to hold units in fraction upto 4 decimal points.10. Highly RegulatedThe g overning of mutual funds by SEBI ensures that the fund activities are carried out in the best interest of the investors. DISADVANTAGES OF MUTUAL FUNDSThe following are some of the reasons which are deterrent to mutual fund investment: * Costs despite Negative Returns — Investors must pay sales charges, annual fees, and other expenses regardless of how the fund performs. And, depending on the timing of their investment, investors may also have to pay taxes on any capital gains distribution they receive — even if the fund went on to perform poorly after they bought shares. * Lack of Control — Investors typically cannot ascertain the exact make-up of a fund’s portfolio at any given time, nor can they directly influence which securities the fund manager buys and sells or the timing of those trades. * Price Uncertainty — with an individual stock, you can obtain real-time (or close to real-time) pricing information with relative ease by checking financial websites or by calling your broker. You can also monitor how a stock’s price changes from hour to hour — o r even second to second. By contrast, with a mutual fund, the price at which you purchase or redeem shares will typically depend on the fund’s NAV, which the fund might not calculate until many hours after you’ve placed your order. In general, mutual funds must calculate their NAV at least once every business day, typically after the major U.S. exchanges close.Some mutual fund schemes with the point of attractiveness to investors -Comparison of best performing mutual funds with index Equity schemes:Equity schemes are those that invest predominantly in equity shares of companies. An equity scheme seeks to provide returns by way of capital appreciation. As a class of assets, equities are subject to greater fluctuations. Hence, the NAVs of these schemes will also fluctuate frequently. Equity schemes are more volatile, but offer better returns. These can be further classified into three types:1. Diversified Equity schemes:The aim of diversified equity funds is to provide the investor with capital appreciation over a medium to long period (generally 2 – 5 years). The fund invests in equity shares of companies from a diverse array of industries and balances (or tries to) the portfolio so as to prevent any adverse impact on returns due to a downturn in one or two sectors.2. Equity Linked Saving Schemes (ELSS):These schemes generally offer tax rebates to the investor under section 88 of the Income Tax law. These schemes generally diversify the equity risk by investing in a wider array of stocks across sectors. ELSS is usually considered a variant of diversified equity scheme but with a tax friendly offer3. Sectoral Fund/ Industry Specific schemes:Industry Specific Schemes invest only in the industries specified in the offer document. The investment of these funds is limited to specific industries like InfoTech, FMCG, and Pharmaceuticals etc. These are ideal for investors who have already decided to invest in particular sector or segment. Sectoral Funds tend to have a very high risk-reward ratio and investors should be careful of putting all their eggs in one basket.CONCLUSION:In the current scenario, investing is very important and investing in stock markets is a major challenge ever for professionals. The young people should start investing earlier so that they can reap the benefits of investing in future. People should keep their eye open and keep updating themselves about various investment avenues so that they can get safe returns. BIBILIOGRAPHY: 1. Anjan Chakrabarti and Harsh Rungta, 2000, â€Å"Mutual Funds Industry in India :An in-depth look into the problems of credibility, Risk and Brand† ,The ICFAI Journal of Applied Finance, Vol.6, No.2, April, 27-45. 2. Bhalla V.K., Investment Management, S.Chand & Company Ltd., Eleventh Edition, 2004 3. Bodie, Kane, Marcus â€Å"Security Analysis and Portfolio Management†, 5th edition Tata Mc Graw hill publications. 4. Customer Orientation in Designing Mutual Fund Products, -An Analytical Approach to Indian Market Preferences, Dr Tapan K Panda, Faculty Member, Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow. 5. FISHER AND JORDEN (2000): Security analysis and portfolio management, Prentice hall. 6. L.M.BHOLE (2005) : Financial institutions and market, Tata Mcgraw – hill. 7. Preparatory Books For AMFI Exam ;NJ Investment India Pvt. Ltd. Edition June ’09 8. Review Of Marketing Research, Volume 5: K. Naresh Malhotra: 9. V.A.AVADHANI (2006): Security analysis and portfolio management, Himalaya publishing house. 6thEdition. |