The Level of Effectiveness of Crisis Management Team in Dealing

I. INTRODUCTION The Manila hostage crisis, officially known as the Rizal Park hostage-taking incident, occurred when a dismissed Philippine National Police officer took over a tourist bus in Rizal Park, Manila, Philippines on August 23, 2010. Disgruntled former senior inspector Rolando Mendoza of the Manila Police District (MPD) hijacked a tourist bus carrying 25 people (20 tourists and a tour guide from Hong Kong, and four Filipinos) in an attempt to get his job back.He said that he had been summarily and unfairly dismissed, and that all he wanted was a fair hearing and the opportunity to defend himself. Negotiations broke down dramatically about ten hours into the stand-off, when the police arrested Mendoza's brother and thus incited him to open fire. As the shooting began, the bus driver managed to escape, and was shown on television saying â€Å"Everyone is dead† before being whisked away by policemen. Mendoza and eight of the hostages were killed and a number of others in jured.The MPD's failed rescue attempt and gun-battle with the hijacker, which took around 90 minutes, were watched by millions on live television and the internet. The Philippine and Hong Kong governments conducted separate investigations into the incident. Both inquiries judged that the victims had been unlawfully killed, and identified the Philippine officials' poor handling of the incident as the cause of the eight hostages' deaths. The assault mounted by the MPD, and the resulting shoot-out, have been widely criticized by pundits as â€Å"bungled† and â€Å"incompetent†, and the Hong Kong Government has

Build a Bear, Build a Memory

Universidad Latinoamericana de Ciencia y Tecnologia San Jose, Costa Rica Facultad de Ciencias Empresariales January, 2010 Bilingual Business Administration Principles of Marketing Cesar Eduardo Gonzalez Company Case Build-A-Bear, Build-A-Memory Examples of needs, wants, and demands that Build-A-Bear customers demonstrate, differentiating each of these concepts. What are the implications of each on Build-A-Bear actions. Needs: Understanding needs as states of felt deprivation, not created by marketers but basic parts of the human makeup, we can say that Build-A-Bear customers demonstrate the individual need of self-expression, authenticity, creativity, empowerment, choice, individuality, freedom. They also demonstrate the underlying need that people have to entertain themselves. Wants: Although Build-A-Bear clients need to find a way to self-express and entertain themselves, they want to â€Å"step into a (†¦ genuine fantasy world organized around a child-friendly assembly line comprised of clearly labeled work stations†, where they can choose unstuffed animals from a bin, stuff them, include voice boxes, stitch them, dress them, name them, and even receive a birth certificate for their creation. This example is aligned with the idea that wants are the form human needs take as shaped by culture and individual personality. Demands: Giving their wants and resources, Build-A-Bear customers demand specific products that add up to the most valuable and satisfaction. Among the most relevant examples we can mention are both new store locations and accessories. â€Å"Mini-scooters, Hello Kitty bears, mascot bears at professional sport venues, and sequined purses† are also specific ideas that were interpreted as customers? demands by the company. Implication of each (needs, wants, and demands) on Build-A- Bear actions Needs, wants and demands have huge implications on Build-A-Bear actions. Not only by walking where customers walk, periodically checking its stores and assessing its customer service, but also by employing a mix of low-tech and high tech communication methods to interact with customers, Build-A-Bear demonstrates it is a truly customer-centric organization. This allows the company to fulfill their customers? needs, wants, and demands through successful market offerings, orchestrating several products and services to create brand experiences for customers. In detail, describe all facets of Build-A-Bear? product. What is being exchanged in a Build-A-Bear transaction? In my opinion, Build-A-Bear? s product has two different facets. There is a main facet formed by the intangible â€Å"experience of participating in the creation of personalized entertainment† and there is also a second facet formed by a tangible bear that â€Å"children clutch as they leave the store†. The main facet begins when children step into a â€Å"cartoon land† and interact with the different stations of the â€Å"child-friendly assembly line†. The second one, in turn, has the distinctive sign of being unlike any they other object Build-A-Bear customers have ever bought or receive, â€Å"they have a product that they have created†. Identifying these two facets helps us determine what is being exchanged in a Build-A-Bear transaction. Base on the idea that an exchange is the act of obtaining a desired object from someone by offering something in return, we can say that Build-A-Bear presents both an experience and a tangible object to fulfill its customers? needs, wants, and demands. In return, the company receives an average of 25$ per built bear. However, it goes beyond simply attracting new customers and creating transactions. It truly builds and maintains desirable exchange relationships with its target audiences, retaining customers while growing their business. Which of the five marketing management concept best describes Build-A-Bear workshops? In my opinion, The Marketing Concept is the one that best describes Build-A-Bear workshops. By looking for innovative ways to interact with customers and using both low-tech and high-tech methods, Build-A-Bear? s demonstrate that knowing its customers? eeds, wants and demands and then delivering the desired satisfaction are key activities within the organization. As stated before, Build-A-Bear is a truly customer-centric organization. Discuss in detail the value that Build-A-Bear creates for its customers. Because customer-perceived value is the customer? s evaluation of the differences between all the benefits and all the costs of a marketing offer relative to those competing off ers, we will use the marketing offer of Vermont Teddy Bear Company to discuss the value that Build-A-Bear creates for its customers. On the one hand, Vermont Teddy Bear Company promotes its product as the only hand-made bear in America that is guaranteed for life. Thus, it is safe to assume that high quality is an important element of their market offer. On the other hand, Build-A-Bear value for customers comes not only from the tangible object, the bear, but also from â€Å"the experience of participating in the creation of personalized entertainment†, which led us to the following conclusion: Although bears are final outcomes for both companies, Build-A-Bear is giving more at a lower price. And that is why an average of 25$ for a customized product and for the experience of participating in the creation of personalized entertainment is perceived as a marketing offer that gives more value to the customer compared with to the 50$ to 100$ that customers of Vermont Teddy Bear Company have to pay for a high quality bear. Is Build-A-Bear likely to be successful in continuing to build customers relationships? Why or why not? In my opinion, Build-A-Bear is indeed likely to be successful in continuing to build customers relationships. Why? Because behind the actions the company? is taking to: (i) further expand the Build-A-Bear experience beyond the retail stores using its new website, and (ii) entering into new markets by opening at least 350 stores in the US, 120 stores in Europe, and 300 stores in other parts of the world, are two underlying efforts: build a personal connection with customers, and at the same time understand is clients needs, wants, and demands. Universidad L atinoamericana de Ciencia y Tecnologia San Jose, Costa Rica Facultad de Ciencias Empresariales January, 2010 Bilingual Business Administration Principles of Marketing Cesar Eduardo Gonzalez My needs, wants and demands. As the title suggests, the purpose of this paper is to set forth my needs, wants, and demands. Because a common conceptual framework is very useful in every analysis, the first thing I? m going to do is refer to a brief definition of those terms. I will then explain what my needs are, dividing them into three categories: Physical needs, individual needs, and social needs just to make it easy for my readers. Right after, I will take a look at my wants. And I will finish with my demands. Common conceptual framework: Throughout this paper, I will understand needs as â€Å"states of felt depravation† and stick to the idea that they are not â€Å"created by marketers† but â€Å"a basic part of the human make up†. Wants, in turn, will be treated as â€Å"the form human needs take as they are shaped by culture and individual personality†. They will also be described in terms of objects that will satisfy them, focusing only on those objects I can`t afford. I will do this to distinguish my wants from my demands. This means that I will understand demands as those wants that are actually backed by my purchasing power. My needs: Let? s start with the physical ones. Definitively, food and water are on the top of the list. As every human being, I need food to provide my body with the energy it will use each day. I need also to provide it with water to hydrate it properly. But there is a key point here. I? m just referring to limited portions of food and water or let`s say those that are essential for the human body to work. Thus, a 5. 000-calories-per-day diet seems either as a want or as a demand for average people but not as a need. Maybe not behind but next to food and water I would put air and sunlight. Definitively, those two are also among the essential physical needs every human has; and because I? m not the exception, I thought it was important to include them in my list of needs. I understand, though, that in the world not everyone is satisfying this need at a 100%-rate. Good examples of that can be found just by thinking of really air-polluted cities, such as Mexico DF, or thinking of those countries that receive little or no sunlight during several month every, such as Russia or Canada. But let`s thank we are not in any of those groups and move forward. After food, water, air, and sunlight, I would put cloth and shelter. As I mentioned before, I am just talking about basic stuff. Some examples could be a couple of pants, shirts, and sweaters to protect me from the weather and to cover the cloth section. A small house or flat, in turn, will be sufficient to cover the need of shelter. Thus, design cloth and luxury properties would be definitively in people? s wants or demand section, depending on his or her purchasing power. To finish with my physical-needs section, I would mention not only rest but movement and exercise. As every human being, I need to safe hours every day to sleep and rest. I understand the number of hours needed vary from one person to another, but in my case, 7 to 8 hours work perfectly well. Movement and exercise are important needs too. And although it seems that there are a lot of people out there that are not really aware of that, for me, 4 to 6 hours of exercise per week also work for me. Looking now at my individual needs, I would say that freedom and independence along with creativity and self expression are among the top of this list. As most human beings, I need to feel I can express my ideas and take my own decisions without having someone else telling me what to do or how. Here, I am not talking about homework or other duties at work; I am talking about more deep things, such as having someone telling you what to buy, sell, study, or work, where to live, with whom, or how. Sadly, if we look at political extremists, such as communist, not only in history but around us, we could find good examples of that. I consider that having the possibility of learning new things is also an important need, and as such, I included in my list. Here I am not talking about schools or universities, because, in my opinion, those would be wants or needs depending on everyone`s purchasing power. I am talking about learning in general terms. Last but not least, I would include having fun in my individual-need list. I think this is important in people`s life, and for me is not the exception either. I understand of course that for some people more than for others, this could be tough. But even under the worst circumstances people should try. Now, I will proceed with my social needs. In this category I would include affection, sense of belonging and friendship. For me and for every person I know all of them are very important needs that must be somehow satisfied. I would add to this point that satisfying them is not a matter of quantity of friends or people sharing your thoughts and ideas but a matter of quality and how strong are the bounds that you can create with others. Right after I would add respect. For me, this element plays a key role; and just as others, I need to be treated with respect. Acceptance, communication and understanding are also social need. My wants As everybody else, I have different wants. What interested me the most about them is that, apparently, they have no limits; or at least, that seems to be the consensus among most of the economist, especially when they give a look at the principles of the economic problem. Starting with food, and thinking about it not only in terms of tangible products but also in terms of services that would satisfy my wants, I would say that (at least for weekdays) a varied, healthy, home-style menu of food delivered right to my office would be great would probably satisfy my wants. For weekends in turn, I would say that Gourmet restaurants would also be on the list. In terms of cloth and shelter, my wants are also relatively big and considered as a group, they are also unaffordable, at least at this point. I can start by mentioning some tailored suits, long-sleeve shirts and a couple of pair of Italian shoes that match them would also be included. I would also add several ties, made of silk could be included to finish with the formal outfit. Then, for a more casual look, I would by tens of Hollyster & Co. hirts. The reason why I want them is because they have a special fabric that makes it VERY easy to iron them, which safe me a lot of time. Some expensive, and durable black, beige, blue, and brown cotton pants, and jeans could be also on the list. This way I would leave Zara? s cloth behind, which is nice made to last just for a few months. Moving to the sport section, I would include special tennis for runners and several sport outfits. At this point Addidas or new balance will be on the top of the list. Why? Again, is a matter of the perceived quality of fabrics, those brands (and of course others) have invested huge amounts of money to create high-tech cloth that regulate your internal temperature while you are performing any physical activity. Taking about shelter-related wants, I would put a 3 bedroom flat with a nice view, pool, and a tennis court. I can be here in Costa Rica or anywhere else, for example, at Vancouver, Toronto, London, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, etc. At the end it will depend on where job opportunities are. But now, a flat with this description will fit perfectly well with my wants because I would have a room for me and my girlfriend, a room to use as a private office/library, and finally a guest room for family living overseas. Talking about the possibility of learning new things, I want to start a master program in a European university, especially if it is located in the UK or in the Netherlands. Why? Because I really like those countries and their universities are ranked among the top of the list. I would also add many books to my wants list, and here I? talking about really expensive ones. And finally looking forward to satisfy my both social needs of communication and individual needs of creativity, I would definitively add a Mac book air to my list of wants. The reason I choose this product is because it will give me not only the built-in camera and microphone that I use to call them through the internet (because today almost every computer include this feature) but because it wi ll give me the mobility and flexibility I need due to its light weight. Carrying my laptop at the airports won’t be a nightmare. And finally I will be more efficient at one of my hobbies, which is creating graphic material using Macromedia `s programs, because I will not have to wait for my slow PC. My demands: Sticking here to the idea that demands are the type of needs backed to my purchasing power, I have to admit that my list of demands has been self-limited almost to the basics. This means I have voluntarily decreased my level of consumption because I am a point where the act savings became a necessary step to achieve some of the goals I have set. For example, I would definitively include access to sport facilities to train between 3 to 4 times per week (or even more in those weird cases that I have the time and the will) to my list of demands. A gym membership, for example, could work perfectly well. Products and services that give me more useful time and increase my efficiency are also on my demand list. Here I`m talking about a Smartphone and the Voice & Data packages that are offered by the phone company, which gives me exactly what I? looking for: High-speed internet access, interconnected email accounts, access to overseas radio stations, maps, calendar, address book, alarms, cameras, videos, the etc. Even though it is absolutely not among my favorite demands, gas is also on this list. I understand that public transport represent an alternative. But sadly it is slow and time-consuming, so to my regret public transportation services do not work for me. I also demand ingredients to prepare easy-to-cook, home-style food. Let`s say, fruits, frozen vegetables, chicken breasts, meat, milk, cereal, bread, cheese, juice, etc. Thinking about my individual need of learning new things, I demand related products and services that help me to satisfy it. Among the products, books usually play a central role. When it comes about services, in turn, high-speed internet access and being enrolled in university studies are crucial for me. To finish with my demand list, I would include my apartment, which is rented, and all the related public services. Water, light, land phone, is what I? m talking about here.

Strategic Management Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Strategic Management Analysis - Assignment Example Virgin Holiday is a UK based company. It is also considered as one of the market leaders that arrange travel trips to the USA along with Caribbean. From the year 1985, the company is arranging the entire holiday travels and has customized the experiences of holiday all throughout the world. Besides the two places it also offers holiday packages to other places such as Canada, Australia, South Africa, Far East, Middle-East, Indian Ocean, New Zealand, and Mauritius. The prime objective of the company is to provide customers with best holiday destination so that they can take pleasure of the place (Virgin Holidays, 2011). 1.2 Brief Introduction of Package Holiday Sector The package holiday industry in the UK is one of the largest as well as fastest emerging industries. The industry provides various holiday destinations to the customers. Besides other kinds of holiday packages, the package holiday is also arranged which provides customers with numerous destinations both internationally a s well as nationally. In the package holiday industry, tour operators perform as ‘wholesalers’ as they are entitled to bargain with the travel agencies regarding the commission for selling to the customers (Rowe & Et. Al., 2002). 1.3 Reason of Choosing the Company Virgin Holidays has been chosen because it is the successful ‘transatlantic tour operator’. The company is much efficient to arrange holiday programs for the travellers as it is operating in the market since the year 1985. It also possesses excellent customer service with unique travel intelligence (Virgin Holidays, 2011). 2.0 Task A 2.1 PESTEL Analysis The PESTEL analysis will analyse the political, social, economical, technological, environmental and legal factors that have impact on the package holiday industry in the UK. Political The political insecurity has an impact upon the selection of tourist destination of a traveller. The political conflicts in various countries have restricted the pac kage holiday destination for visitors. From the UK, trip towards Croatia and Serbia has seen improvement as the political situation has re-established, particularly in Croatia. The different political scenario in various countries may decrease the package holiday trips to the attractive destinations, which may result in low demand of the tourism packages in the UK (Philip Allan, n.d.). Economic The tourism industry has faced challenges due to the fluctuation of economy in the UK. The economy of the country is rising; as a result it will result in growth of the service industry such as tourism sector. The changes in the GDP rate and wage will have an impact on the tourism industry in the UK. In the UK the NMW (National Minimum Wage) rate is as follows: Rate (per Hour) Age ?5.93 Greater than 21 ?4.92 18 - 20 ?3.64 16 - 17 ?2.50 Apprentice under 19

Oculocutaneous Albinism Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Oculocutaneous Albinism - Literature review Example Albinism is a typical hereditary skin disease with varied clinical presentation and inheritance. It is mostly present from birth and increases the risk of cancer. It is not curable and there is no specific treatment. It can be a part of syndromes which cause bleeding diathesis and recurrent infections (Okulicz, 2002). In this article, a specific type of albinism, the oculocutaneous type will be discussed. Albinism Albinism is a group of disorders that are hereditary in nature and are related to abnormality in the synthesis or distribution of melanin (Okulicz, 2002). The abnormality of pigmentation manifests in eyes with or without involvement of skin and hair (Park et al, 2012). Thus, clinically, there are 2 categories of albinism. They are ocular albinism where in eyes are involved and skin involvement is either absent or minimal, and oculocutaneous albinism in which skin and eyes are involved. Oculocutaneous albinism may be defined as "a group of congenital heterogeneous disorders in which there is either complete or partial absence of pigment in the skin, hair and eyes because of the absence of or a defect in an enzyme involved in the production of melanin" (Park et al, 2011). In both the conditions, the primary morbidity is related to the eye. The pattern of inheritance in albinism is variable. While the ocular albinism is through autosomal recessive or sex-linked inheritance, oculo-cutaneous albinism is autosomal recessive (Park et al, 2012). ... In patients with Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome, easy bruising is seen and in those with Chediak-Higashi syndrome, recurrent infections are noted. In X-linked ocular albinism, decreased hearing is seen (Okulicz, 2002). As far as discoloration of eyes, skin and hair is concerned, the range of depigmentation is variable and depends on the type of albinism. The color of the iris is usually blue and can even be brown. The iris will have transillumination defects. The fundus also, in general, is hypopigmented. To broadly classify, there are 2 forms of albinism. The classification is based on the tyrosinase hair bulb incubation test which differentiates between the tyrosinase-positive and tyrosinase-negative forms. In those who are tyrosinase-positive, some degree of production of pigments occurs. In those who are tyrosinase-negative, there is absolutely no pigment production (Okulicz, 2002). Oculocutaneous albinism There are four types of oculocutaneous albinism or OCA (Okulicz, 2002). OCA typ e 1A is the classic tyrosinase negative type of OCA. In this condition, the infant is born with blue-grey irides, pink colored skin, white hair and predominant red reflex (Wei et al, 2011). The individuals have manifestations of the defects of eye as discussed above. They never develop pigmented lesions like freckles, naevi or lentigines. Hair becomes yellow with age due to denaturation of the keratin following exposure to ultraviolet light. In type1B, the presentation features at birth are similar to those in type 1A. However, as the age advances, the hair color darkens to brown color. The skin can get tanned on exposure to sunlight and can even develop pigmented lesions like naevi and freckles. The

Has football become a global sport Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Has football become a global sport - Essay Example The ball itself has developed from just a ball of pig’s bladder to hi-tech balls with impregnated microchips used to check if the ball has crosses the goal line. Increasing popularity of the game and number of international fixtures forced English football association and football associations from France, Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland to form an international association Fà ©dà ©ration Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) on May 21, 1904.Today football is a national sport in many countries and is officially the most popular sport in the world. Sport in modern days has become a global phenomenon. There is a number of literature works is available which tries to relate a sport with various social, political, economical and environmental factors on a global scale. Today, in globalized, world where communication technology has grown leap and bound, all major sporting events are organized and watch on a global scale. The impact of sport is also global, as it affects political relations, national prestige, and policies on education and health. Contrasts between sports across different societies have diminished, yet a growing diversity of sports cultures are available to people of different nations (Maguire). Giulianotti examines systematically footballs key social aspects: the supporter cultures, the development of stadia, the business and television revolution, professional football players and the diversity of playing styles. Sport, in particular football, constitutes one of the most dynamic, sociologically illuminating domai ns of globalization (Giulianotti and Robertson). The speed of spread of football or soccer has been truly astonishing. It has successfully overcome various hurdles of ruthless commercialization, skyrocketing player fees, and salaries to emerge as a most popular game. It has survived faithlessness of players, red-tapes in

What, in todays conditions, appear to be the greatest limitations of Essay - 1

What, in todays conditions, appear to be the greatest limitations of the classical organisational theories - Essay Example This marked the start of a series of inputs from various management gurus presenting their viewpoints for improving the organizational and management practices (Juralewicz, pp. 14-25). Students who study management science and organizational behavior, discuss these theories and developments comprehensively, to not only show a sign of respect and value for their work with limited resources but also to widen one’s own perspective of looking at various management issues. However, it is also important to note that those theories do not have their relevant applications in today’s world with altogether different circumstances. This paper aims at looking at the same, the limitations of classical organizational theories, and the reasons for the same. The world of organizational behavior and management agrees on the fact that it was the idea of Henry Towne to establish organizational management as a separate field of inquiry. We can divide the classical theories of organizational management into three major categories of scientific, bureaucratic and administrative (Juralewicz, pp. 14-25). Amongst the experts who viewed organizations from a scientific point of view, the most well known of them are Frederick Winslow Taylor, Frank and Lillian Gilbreth and Henry Gantt. Amongst them, Taylor remains as the â€Å"father of scientific management† (Robbins, Judge & Campbell, pp. 52-59). He was amongst the first ones to notice the practice of â€Å"soldiering† amongst the workers, which refers to the deliberate working of the workers under their full capacity. Despite the fact that the workers had some strong reasons in their mind for doing it so but it decreased the overall productivity and output of the organization, which was the biggest concern of Taylor at that time. He came up with his idea of scientific management based of our important principles. Firstly, scientific study of each task important to come up with the most efficient

Achieving Cultural Change Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Achieving Cultural Change - Research Paper Example In a workplace it is necessary to work in harmony and in tandem with the co-workers. The success of any organization depends on the performance of the team. OB helps to provide guidelines for effective team management. The motivation among team actually results in delivery of better work in organization and OB helps to focus on the issue (Mcshane & VonVonGlinow, 2010, p.1) The problems of Bull information can be solved by the help of OB. In the case of Bull information, the new director arriving in the company had to deal with critical problems of the organization. The organization was facing problem in proper human resource management. The most important thing the new director noticed that there was no effective communication among the employees. Most of them were hardly had any commercial awareness regarding the working of the business (Allen and Thatcher, 1995). The top managers were only involved in the decision making process and many crucial decisions were unnecessarily delayed and fudged. The management was extremely task oriented and isolationist and there was the need for development both in the middle and upper level of management. The managers did not deploy any proper risk taking skills and absence of flexibility was evident in the overall working of the business. Proper knowledge of Organizational Behavior is helpful in managing such situations confronted by the company. The field of OB stresses on coordination, collaboration and proper communication between employees for attainment of the objectives specified by the company. The problem with the management team can be dealt by inculcating the ideas and values of leadership. Collective sense of purpose needs to be built among the team leaders, managers and executives to achieve the organizational goals. B. Systematic Research. The importance of systematic research is noteworthy in the process of decision making. The process of systematic research involves framing of research questions and collectio n of data and analyzing the data to reach a conclusive decision. The process of research instigates a confidence in the decision making and provides meaningful results (Mcshane & VonVon Glinow, 2010, p.24). During the change management of Bull information the, stress was provided on building up of an effective team. In order to find out the deficiency of the present working team in the organization and to prescribe the necessary remedial measures, an overall feedback from the rest of the organization was collected in the form of a questionnaire and was followed by a detail probing of the answers through personal interview (Allen and Thatcher, 1995). The general questions which were asked in the feedback included the understanding of the role play of the management team. The transparency in the responsibilities and authorities of the management team were questioned. General idea regarding the functioning of the group as a team was also considered and views of employees relating to th e strength and weakness were also derived from the questionnaire. General recommendation for enhancing the performance of the team was also taken from the employees in the interview process. The result derived from the survey reflected on the fact that there was no presence of unity among the groups and the group members carried on with conflicts against each other. From the result derived it became evident that plans and strategies need to be developed regarding building up relationship within the team and event was organized to inculcate values and setting up basic rules for the team to work in future. C Knowledge management Practice of efficient knowledge management

Automotive Production Levels Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Automotive Production Levels - Research Paper Example The quantity demanded for Toyota’s automobiles depends firstly on the price, but also on the consumer preferences, prices of other automobiles’ manufacturers, and income (Gravelle & Rees, 2004). As it can be seen from the graph, where the relation between quantity demanded and price is represented, a higher price tends to reduce the quantity people demand, whereas a lower price tends to increase it. In what concerns the quantity produced, it is a function of the price, factors of production, e.g., capital, labor, technology, and number of competitors (Gravelle & Rees, 2004). As the graph presents, there is a direct relation between price and quantity produced so a higher price tends to increase the quantity produced, whereas a lower price tends to decrease it. The equilibrium price and quantity occurs when the quantity demanded and the quantity supplied are equal. On the graph, it is the point of intersection of Qd (quantity demanded) and Qs (quantity supplied). Solving the two equations for Qd and Qs we obtain the following equilibrium point: The equilibrium point is above the current production level and price charged by the company, which are Q= 2236162 units and P=2.43 million yen. Taking into consideration that the level of production has increased compared with the quarter of the previous year (as shown in Fig. 2), the management of Toyota should continue this trend of increasing the number of units produced in order to arrive at the equilibrium point. As it can be seen, this coefficient is higher than one so it can be said that demand for Toyota’s vehicles is elastic. Taking this into account, management of the company should analyze many factors before considering increasing the price of its products because the demand for the automobiles is very sensitive to price changes. Let us assume that the elasticity of demand calculated above

Recognizing Women artists Essay Example for Free

Recognizing Women artists Essay Linda Nochlin’s article tries to bring to light the differences that exist between men and women art and how this disparity has been linked to the distinct nature of men and women. However, Nochlin believes that the differences that may exist in art do not come about as a result of ones gender but rather these discrepancies are influenced by particular social institutions. This, Nochlin says, is because art develops in a specific social situation and that it is usually a fundamental component of that social structure. Nochlin further explains that art can not be considered a free self-directed activity that can be influenced by social forces since it crops up in a social situation, gender, previous artists and other things normally considered influential notwithstanding (Nochlin, 1988, pp. 147-158). As a result therefore, Nochlin states how feminity does not count when it comes to evaluation of great artists. Therefore Nochlin defines the background of some of the great artists like Picasso who came from already artist families. Nochlin also cites how the works of Redon and Corot, both male, had a feminist touch thus it could not be concluded that women art should be classified according to its own standards. This argument makes sense because art is not gender based; rather it is learned through teaching, apprenticeship or even from a long experience period (Nochlin, 1988, pp. 147-158). I agree with Nochlin’s reasoning because one can not classify art as masculine or feminine. When one sees a piece of art, what comes out is the expression captured in that piece of work and not the masculine or feminine touch in it. Therefore Nochlin’s argument is sound because even if it is assumed that women artists are inward-looking, delicate and nuanced in their art pieces, other male artists also exude such characteristics in their work. For instance Redon’s pieces were inward turning and Corot’s art was also delicate and nuanced (Nochlin, 1988, pp. 147-158). Nochlin’s position relies upon the assumptions that great art is a result of intelligence and talent. It is not merely influenced by gender, social class or any other social forces. This is true because great artists like Michelangelo produced exemplary pieces because of the talent they had and not because of social influences. Further still, artists such as Giotto became great artists even though he started off drawing on stone. It is the intelligence and talent that he had in art that elevated his work to great art (Nochlin, 1988, pp. 147-158). Besides, Nochlin’s position also relies on the assumption that the creation of art entails its own form of language. What is more, this language comes to life in paper and not in a mere story that could be told to another party thus disregarding the feminist notion in art. This argument is true because art is learned and perfected through experience and this means that regardless of gender artists with the experience can bring out great art work (Nochlin, 1988, pp. 147-158). Therefore this means that women can produce great art as much as men because art is not gender based. Art is learned and comes to perfection from a period of experience. Besides, great art is also primarily a result of an individual’s intelligence and talent therefore other social forces are just secondary factors in the creation of great art. This therefore implies that women art can be accorded much attention and appreciation if only people could get a deeper insight into what art really entails (Nochlin, 1988, pp. 147-158). Reference Nochlin L. (1988). Why have there been no great women artists? Women, Art and Power and Other Essays. Westview Press.

Muhammad And Jesus: Compare The Men

Muhammad And Jesus: Compare The Men This essay was kindly submitted by Collins Maritim Thomas Carlyle observed that the history of the world is really the biography of great men. And no two men have influenced our world more than Jesus and Muhammad. Nations have used their words as the foundation of their cultures and laws. Fully half of the worlds inhabitants trace the roots of their beliefs back to Muhammads words in the 7th century and the teachings of Jesus Christ in the 1st century. So who were these men who have changed our world, and how do they compare with one another? We begin with Muhammad. Muhammad didnt appear extraordinary at first. But in time his name became known throughout the Arab lands as the one who united a disparate group of nomad Arabs into a powerful force for their God. And today, nearly 1,400 years later, 1.8 billion Muslims revere Muhammad as the greatest of all prophets. About six hundred years before Muhammad another man appeared on the scene who in three short years changed our world. His name is Jesus Christ. Within a few generations after he left earth, the power and might of the Roman Empire was enveloped by the phenomenon of Christianity, and today it is the worlds largest religion with over 2 billion followers. Although Muslims and Christians both believe strongly in God, their religious differences have changed our 21st century world. But, can their many religious differences be traced back to the teachings of Muhammad and Jesus? If these religious leaders were alive today, would they reflect the divisions of their followers, or would they agree with one another? Perhaps we can answer that question by looking at the similarities and differences of Muhammad and Jesus. Both religious leaders had some similarities, but their differences account for much of the division we see today between Islam and Christianity. In the next several pages, we will look at the: Life of Muhammad Life of Jesus Similarities between Muhammad and Jesus Differences between Muhammad and Jesus After comparing Muhammad and Jesus, we will attempt to draw conclusions about what led to their enormous influence upon our world. We will also examine their messages for essential differences. First lets take a brief look at their lives. Life of Jesus Christ Jesus Christ was born about 6 B. C. in Bethlehem, an obscure village in the Roman province of Palestine. It was a time when many Jews were looking for the long promised Messiah spoken of hundreds of years before by Hebrew prophets. Luke, who documented the life of Jesus, writes that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, and that the angel Gabriel proclaimed him as the Son of the most High, the Savior of men (Luke 1:26-38). Jesus worked as a carpenter in the Galilean town of Nazareth. At age 30 he began his public ministry by teaching Gods Word and performing nature-defying miracles. Jesus words and miraculous deeds attracted huge crowds like a magnet. He spoke of God with an authority that marveled everyone. Jesus sinless life of moral purity amazed both his followers and his enemies. He also astounded them by turning water into wine, walking on water, calming storms at sea, giving sight to the blind, healing paralyzed limbs, and restoring life to the dead. No one had ever demonstrated such power and authority. And his enemies were unable to refute Jesus amazing power over nature. Not only did Jesus perform great miracles, but he also spoke words of such profound wisdom, that it was said of him that no man has ever spoken like this. His words were spoken with authority and revealed remarkable insight about the human condition. In fact, Jesus said his words were the words of God Himself. Although the crowds that followed Jesus loved and accepted him, Jewish religious leaders were jealous of his fame and wisdom. In their envy, they continually sought to trip him up or catch him in a violation of their law. But Jesus life was pure and above reproach. Rather than violating Gods law, Jesus fulfilled every single command by his righteous life. Jesus continually demonstrated heartfelt compassion for the poor and downcast. He looked beyond the outward appearances of men into their hearts. Jesus was always kind, going out of his way to help people, regardless of how important they were. Jesus never boasted about himself. And his humility was blended with incredible courage and strength. He condemned religious hypocrisy, and spoke boldly in the face of overwhelming opposition from the Jewish leaders and Roman rulers. But Jesus also taught forgiveness, and demonstrated it by forgiving his executioners as he hung on the cross uttering, Father forgive them for they dont know what they are doing. (Luke 23:26-49). Jesus made claims that totally infuriated his enemies. Jesus claims make it impossible that he was simply a prophet, a great religious leader, or merely a good man. He was either who he claimed to be, [God] or he was a liar, or a madman, or something worse. Jesus was betrayed by Judas, one of his 12 disciples, and turned over to his Jewish enemies. The Romans then crucified Jesus on a cross and certified his death. After verifing his death, his body was placed into a rich mans tomb in Jerusalem. Jesus had told his disciples he would rise from the grave three days after his crucifixion. His disciples didnt believe his words at first, and they fled the scene, afraid they would be killed like their leader. But three days after Jesus crucifixion, they were suddenly changed. In a dramatic turnaround, they began proclaiming that Jesus had risen, and eventually died as martyrs for what they believed to be true. Before he ascended, Jesus promised that he would return to earth someday as Ruler. His followers conviction spread like a wildfire, consuming the entire Roman Empire. Our world has never been the same. Life of Muhammad Muhammad was born in 570 A.D in Mecca, a city in Western Saudi Arabia. He was an orphan, having lost both parents by the age of 6. After age 8 the young Muhammad was raised by his uncle, Abu Talib. In time he joined the trading caravans as a merchant. At age 25 Muhammad married a wealthy widow by the name of Khadijah, 15 years his senior. The couple had four daughters and two sons who died in infancy. During Muhammads life he had a total of eleven wives. He was described as gentle and humble by nature. He loved children and animals. At age 40, Muhammad fell into a trance in a cave on Mount Hira near Mecca where he claimed to have heard the angel Gabriel speak to him. Muhammad reportedly ran home crying out, O, Kadijah! I have either become a soothsayer or else I am possessed of the Djin [demon] and gone mad. Khadijah and her Christian cousin Waraqah consoled Muhammad, assuring him his vision must be real, and that he was truly Gods prophet. Muhammad had additional revelations of Gabriel speaking to him, but he still had agonizing doubts about their reality. He was even more troubled when the revelations ceased, becoming dejected and entertaining suicide. It wasnt until later when his revelations resumed, that Muhammad finally began proclaiming himself as a prophet, and preaching in the one sovereign God, resurrection, and the last judgment, and the practicing of charity to the poor and the orphans. Muhammad was illiterate and recited his revelations orally. It wasnt until after his death that they were compiled and written down in the Quran. Muslims accept the Quran as a miracle, believing it is 100% inspired with no human error. Much of what we know as Islam the lives and sayings of the Prophet is based on texts from between 130 and 300 years after Muhammads death. In the face of rampant idolatry, Muhammad became zealous for Allah. It was his zeal that led Muhammad to take up the sword for Allah. He would spread Islam by conquering the infidel (unbelieving) peoples, including Christians and Jews. Prior to taking up the sword, Muhammad had co-existed peacefully with the many Jewish inhabitants of Medina. But when he realized the Jews rejected his prophetic calling and radical ideas, he became angry, and began treating them cruelly. As a result, some Jews were driven into exile by his militia, while others were executed with their widows and children being sold as slaves. Prior to his death, Muhammad led several military campaigns. He proved to be a courageous and capable military leader. By the time of his death in 632, Muslims ruled only in Arabia. But within ten years the Arab Muslims conquered Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Iraq, and then Persia (Iran). In one generation Muhammad and his followers had changed the political landscape of the Eastern world. Today Muslims around the world honor Muhammad as Allahs one True Prophet. Similarities between Jesus and Muhammad Before we look at the differences between Jesus and Muhammad, lets identify a few of their similarities. Great religious leaders Jesus and Muhammad established the worlds two largest religions, Christianity with 2.1 billion, and Islam with 1.8 billion people, together half of the worlds population. Monotheism Although their views of Gods nature were different, both men believed in and taught about one true God who is sovereign, infinite, all powerful, all-knowing, and the ultimate judge of all mankind. Old Testament Scriptures Both men accepted the Old Testament as Gods Word, and acknowledged Abraham, as the one through whom God would make a great people. Jews and Christians believe Gods promise is through Abrahams son, Isaac, while Muslims believe it is through Abrahams other son, Ishmael. Written legacy Neither Jesus nor Muhammad wrote a book. However, their respective followers recorded their words that we have today; the New Testament detailing the eyewitness accounts of Jesus life and words, and the Quran, which records Muhammads account of his revelation. Whereas Muslims regard the Quran as a Miracle that must be taken by faith without the necessity of evidentiary support, Christians point to numerous evidences of ancient documents substantiating the reliability of the New Testament. Worldwide influence Muhammads most enduring influence has been his ability to unite disparate groups of Arab peoples under the banner of Islam, primarily by military conquest. This influence spread further by conquests of several surrounding countries. Between the 8th century to the 13th century, Islam was instrumental in several developments in the arts and sciences. This period of cultural advancement is called The Golden Age of Islam During this Golden Age Muslim scholars made contributions to literature, mathematics, astronomy, medicine, and chemistry. Muhammads influence rings loud today through his 1.8 billion followers around the world. Jesus Christ influenced Western Civilization peacefully. He told us that God loves each of us individually and created us for Himself. He taught us to love and forgive each other. Secular world historian Will Durant credits Jesus teachings with the beginning of democracy. Jesus teaching of the high value of the individual resulted in the establishment of schools such as Yale and Harvard, the abolition of slavery, the elevated dignity of women, and countless hospitals charities and humanitarian works. Differences between Muhammad and Jesus Although some similarities exist between Muhammad and Jesus, their differences are far greater. Lets look at a few of the most important. Different Claims Muhammad said he was just a man; Jesus claimed to be God. In fact, Muhammad never claimed to be more than a man, a prophet of Allah. His following prayer reflects that: O Allah! I am but a man. (Ahmed, Musnad, Vol. 6, pg. 103) Although Jesus was fully a man who felt pain, became hungry, tired, and was tempted like us, Jesus also claimed to be fully God, equal with his heavenly Father. He said that prior to becoming a man, he and the father had always existed as one God, and had jointly created the universe. Several popular conspiracy theories, like The Da Vinci Code, have asserted that the church invented Jesus divinity, but historical evidence indicates the earliest Christians believed that Jesus is both Lord and God. Christianity would not be the same if Jesus disciples hadnt truly believed he was God. (The term, Son of God does not mean a biological offspring, or that Jesus is inferior to his Father, it only reflects their relationship with one another within the godhead). All the evidence points to the fact that the disciples totally embraced his deity. Different Character As a mortal man, Muhammad sinned like us. Jesus was said to be without sin (John 8:46). Even his enemies were unable to accuse him of breaking any of Gods Commandments. But Muhammad admitted he had erred, and asked Allah for forgiveness three times (Sura al-Ghafir 40:55; 47:19 al-Fath 48:2). Different Authority Muhammad never performed a miracle (Quran 29:50), but Jesus exhibited complete authority over nature by performing numerous miracles (Mark 3:9,10). Different Credentials Jesus fulfilled ancient Hebrew prophecies; Muhammad did not. Muhammad offered no credentials but his revelation. Yet, nearly 300 Old Testament prophecies with 61 specific details were fulfilled by Jesus Christ. Only God could have brought all those details to pass. Thus, Jesus is a perfect match for each of them. Jesus divine credentials were established by his fulfillment of Gods prophetic Word. Different Power Jesus resurrection demonstrated divine power; Muhammad died and his bones are reportedly within his grave at Medina. Jesus, on the other hand, came back to life three days after he was crucified and confirmed dead by Roman executioners. Both Jesus crucifixion and resurrection are historical facts for which there is compelling evidence. Different Message Jesus taught love and grace; Muhammad taught submission and rules. Muhammad taught that we must attain salvation by adhering to Islams Five Pillars of the Faith. In other words, our salvation depends on our own efforts. Even then, one has no assurance of forgiveness, and must depend upon the mercy of Allah for forgiveness. Some Muslims believe that the Quran teaches that becoming a martyr for Allah will gain them favor and they will be rewarded by a heavenly harem. Jesus said God created us for a relationship with Himself. His plan is to adopt us into His heavenly family as His beloved children. However, we rebelled against Him and broke His moral laws. The Bible calls this sin. Such disobedience against a holy God requires judgment. Our good deeds, money, or prayers cannot take away our sins. The Bible tells us God is a pursuing God who devised a plan to free us from our sin debt. Gods solution was to pay the price Himself. In order to accomplish that, Jesus became a man who would die in our place (Philippians 2:5). Jesus said: God so loved the world that He sent Jesus to die for us (John 3:16). Jesus taught that salvation is a free gift which must be embraced by faith in him alone, not our deeds. It is our choice to accept or reject Gods free pardon. Jesus and Muhammad have at time been confused amongst scholars as being one in the same. Both of these individuals were born at completely separate times; however, both men served very similar purposes while on Earth. Jesus promoted Christianity and Muhammad promoted

Literature Review About E Banking In India Finance Essay

Literature Review About E Banking In India Finance Essay Abstract Due to increase in use and popularity of internet, E-banking has contributed in economic growth to a large extent. E-banking is a modern service provided by banks all over the world (Poon, 2008). E-banking came into existence from the use of Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs), telephone banking, direct bill payment, electronic fund transfer (EFT) and the revolutionary online banking (Poon,2008). E-banking refers to banking through internet. Indian customers are slowly and steadily moving towards Internet Banking. E-banking services constitute ATMs, Electronic data interchange, MICR, Cash dispensers, Automated ledger posting system, Electronic clearing system, Tele banking, Anywhere Anytime Banking, Plastic money, E-cash, Smart cards etc and various processing systems such as Real time processing, Batch processing system, Desktop publishing etc. The Research paper is intended on understanding and identifying the products of e-banking its trends, advantages and disadvantages as well of g rowth of e-banking in India. Researcher also intends on providing suggestions after analyzing the various other research papers, articles, journals etc. Firstly, emphasis is made to define the term e-banking followed by literature review and methodology planned. Literature review Introduction E-banking in todays scenario is a very dynamic concept. It is a kind of self service technology (Dixit Datta,2010). Competition is the pushing force for the introduction of e-banking. (Ziqi Liao and Michael Tow Cheung, 2003) .E-banking is delivery of new and traditional banking products and services straight to customers using electronic, interactive communication channels using computers. At a fundamental point, E- banking means setting up of a web page by a bank to provide information about its products and services their features, advantages, disadvantages, prices , duration and other details. On the other hand, at an advanced level, it refers to providing facilities such as accessing accounts, transferring funds, and buying financial products or services online, Making payments et which is known as transactional E- banking (Sathye, 1999). E-banking includes the systems that enable financial institutions, customers, individuals or businesses whether small or big or medium scale t o access accounts, carry out transactions or obtain information on financial products and services through a public or private network using Internet. (Vasanthakumari and Sheela rani, 2010) The conception of electronic banking has been defined in a number of ways (Daniel, 1999). According to Karjaluoto (2002) electronic banking is a construct that consists of several channels of distribution. Daniel (1999) has defined electronic banking as providing banking information, products and services by a bank to customers using a number of different delivery platforms that can be used with different terminal devices such as a personal computer, mobile phone, desktop software, telephone or digital television. Electronic banking is also frequently known as internet banking or e-banking or PC banking or Home banking or Phone Banking or tele banking. The first java based 24 hours electronic banking services were started by the first direct and Fujitsu cooperation. (Fujitsu, 2008).It is a new and innovative banking channel for Indian Banks. (Vasanthakumari and Sheela Rani, 2010). E-banking is both transactional as well informative medium. (Vasanthakumari and Sheela Rani, 2010). E-banking involves customers using Internet to operate their bank accounts and obtain information without visiting a bank branch. (Vasanthakumari and Sheela rani,2010).Internet banking involves providing information about bank products as well carrying online transactions such as transfer of funds, setting up direct debit, buying and selling of products etc. It involves computer networks and telecommunication networks. The basic aim of e-banking is to provide services to end consumer so that they can carry out banking transactions through PC or mobile. e-banking has attracted attention of banks, securities trading firms, individual businesses, insurance com panies, medium and large scale businesses etc. e-banking is growing because e-commerce has grown at a rapid rate. Internet banking can help in building sound strategies as its impact on cost savings, revenue and satisfaction of customer is tremendous (Gupta, 2008). e-banking influences business models of various banks, insurance companies, brokerage houses etc. Internet banking has changed the banking industry as well as banking relationships in a positive way. E-banking provides banking products using internet including e-mails, modems and various networks other networks like RBINET, NICNET, BRISKNET, RBINET, BANKNET. E-banking services includes ATMs, Electronic data interchange, MICR, Cash dispensers, Automated ledger posting system, Electronic clearing system, Tele banking, Anywhere Anytime Banking, Plastic money, E-cash, Smart cards etc and various processing systems such as Real time processing, Batch processing system, Desktop publishing etc. However it is very complicated for banks as well as customers to decide a best and appropriate approach to E-banking. (Dixit Datta,2010) History Of E-banking In India Before E-banking In India came into existence the dealings between customers and banks was on one on one basis. The bank branch was involved in dealing with customers, payments, clearing, loan applications, opening accounts etc but the head office was involved in overall clearing, size of branch, training, sanctioning of loans, keeping track of accounts of customers and it does not deal directly with customers. In the last 5 decades banking in India has evolved through various phases. Due to Globalization and Liberalization a new environment was seen in banks in the whole of the world. Banks offered new services with latest technologies such as anywhere and anytime banking, Tele banking, Internet banking etc The entry of foreign banks has pushed Indian banks to follow the path of latest technologies so as meet threat of competition and to retain their customer base. The growing competition and increased expectations has led to increase in awareness among banks on and role of internet banking. E-banking has revolutionized banking industry and is a product of innovation. There is a prototype change in different parameters of transformation. Many factors both internal and external are responsible for this shift. Competition from other bank group and other global factors are forcing Indian banks to make these changes in their functioning. E-banking services have replaced traditional services. (Uppal, 2008). The process of E-banking started in 1980s when RBI had set up two committees in a sequence in order to step up the pace of automatic operations in the banking sector. A high-level committee was formed under the chairmanship of Dr. C. Rangarajan, then Governor of RBI, to plan out phased computerisation and mechanization in the banking industry over period five-years from 1985 to1989. The main aim was to improve customer service and two models of branch automation were developed and were in practice. The second committee was Rangarajan committee which was formed during this five year time frame in 1988 to make a detailed perception plan for Computerization of banks and for extension of automation to other areas such as funds transfer, e-mail, BANKNET, SWIFT, ATMs, E -banking, etc. The Government of India enacted the Information Technology Act, 2000 (generally known as IT Act, 2000), with effect from 17 October 2000 to provide legal status to electronic transactions and other electronic commerce. RBI had set up a Working Group on e-banking to examine different aspects of e-banking. This Group mainly focused on three major areas of E banking (1) Technology and security issues, (2) Legal issues and (3) Regulatory and supervisory issues. RBI accepted the recommendations of the Working Group, and issued guidelines on internet banking in India for implementation by banks in accordance with those recommendations. The Working Group also issued a report on e-banking covering different aspects of E-banking. (Vasanthakumari and Sheela Rani, 2010) In 1980s internet developed rapidly. In early 1980s customers had access to their accounts through computers of banks. Later internet developed as a network of communication and E-commerce came into existence. In May 1995, Wells Fargo which was the first bank in world to provide access to accounts over internet allowed its customers to see their accounts online. In India, ICICI was the first bank to begin internet banking in early 1997 with the name of Infinity. Later ICICI bank terminated online banking services but 1996-1998 for Internet it was the adoption phase but its usage increased in 1999 because of lower online charges, increase in PC penetration and Technology friendly atmosphere. E-banking started with use of ATMs and later included telephone banking, electronic fund transfer, direct bill payments and online banking. Present Status of E-banking In India E-banking is a banking business approach. Banks nowadays know that internet opens up new horizons and is a major factor in success of a bank and helps a bank to grow internationally. Therefore, a number of banks in India have either adopted E-banking or are in the process of adopting and using it. (Malhotra Balwinder, 2009). E-banking provides right to use to worldwide connection from anywhere in world. Products presented by banks are offered all over internet due to which internet has become an important channel for delivery for banks. (Rahmath Safeena Hema Date Abdullah Kammani, 2011). India being a developing country has weak infrastructure, low PC penetration, developing security protocols and consumer reluctance in rural sector. But many banks are offering e-banking services. In a study conducted by Rao and Prathima (2003) it was revealed that India still has long way to go in online banking services in comparison to other countries. e-banking is becoming popular in India(Gupta, 1999; Dasgupta, 2002). Internet is cheapest channel of delivery for bank and financial products as it reduces the branch networks and scales down the number of service staff. E-banking has also improved performance of banks. E-banking has also emerged as planned source for achieving higher efficiency, control of operations and reduction of cost by replacing paper based and labour exhaustive methods with automatic processes which thus lead to higher productivity and profitability and efficiency. (Malhotra Balwinder, 2009) E-banking has led to increase in speed of communication and transactions for clients. E-banking is offering wide range of services to its customers. Customers can communicate with banks and carry out transactions from anywhere in the world. Due to E-banking customers have changed their traditional way of banking to modernised banking i.e self service system by use of internet. (Curran and Meuter, 2007). Fast and furious growth of technology has affected lives of millions of people from all over the world. There are a large number of factors which influence the consumers attitude towards e-banking such as persons age, income, family size, inspiration and behaviour towards different banking technologies and attitude of every individual towards the new technology (Laforet and Li, 2005). But Many people do not use Internet banking in India due to security reasons, lack of knowledge and also due of user friendliness. Protection and confidentiality are the most challenging problems faced by customers who aspire to operate in the e-commerce. Perceived risk was also one of the major factors affecting consumer adoption, as well as customer satisfaction, of E- banking services (Polatoglu and Ekin, 2001). The Banks in India started E-banking initially with uncomplicated and simple functions such as getting information about rate of interests, checking account balances, clearing and calculating loan eligibility. Later on the services were extended to online bill payments, electronic transfer of funds between accounts and Management of Cash for businesses. Nowadays the banks are using E- banking technology to meet the increased competition. Some new services are also being offered by e-banking such as payment of taxes, railway ticket booking etc (Malhotra and Singh, 2010).But The banking sector in India was not willing to use e-commerce applications as according to them the transactions which are conducted electronically were open to hackers and viruses, which were not in their control. Also e-banking became unattractive because online services were a mixture of insecurities, technology investment costs and a lack of market-readiness. (Abdulwahed and Yaqoub, 2006) . But it has been obse rved that Internet banking has changed the banking industry as well as banking relationships in a positive way. The plan of a bank to carry out business online depends on assets of the bank, years in operation, expenses ratio, deposits ratio, urban location, Non- fee income ratio. Internet banking may not have huge effect on the bottom line of most banks except for a few newly born banks. Internet Banking is subject to various statues including Banking Regulations Act, 1949, the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, and the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999, Information Technology Act, 2000, Indian Contract Act, 1872, the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881, Indian Evidence Act, 1872, etc. The effect of E-banking on monetary and credit policies of Reserve Bank of India is a vital area of anxiety. E- banking in India is only at its primitive and is in the growing stage stage which is solely dominated and controlled by both the Indian private and foreign banks. E-banking in India is used only by a few consumer segments. There are a number of risks associated with E- banking which have to be modelled by banks by using sophisticated systems and extensive and proper use of technology. The legal framework should handle the issues associated with E- banking. E-banking phenomenon cannot be avoided by the Indian Banks, but to add a competitive advantage and to succeed, business models must be structured and arranged properly in the long run to suit to Indian conditions. (Gupta,2008). But The factors which influence the adoption of Internet banking in India will probably be a matter of concern to both bankers and policy makers. ( Prakash and Malik, 2008) There are a handful of companies specializing in developing e-banking software, security software and website designing and maintenance, there are few online financial service providers. Nowadays ICICI is also offering wide range of services to customers. According to a number of authors E-banking is becoming popular in India (Gupta, 1999; Pegu, 2000; Dasgupta, 2002). However, it is still in its evolutionary stage. By the year 2006-2007, a large classy and reasonable E -banking market will develop. Almost all the banks operating in India are having their websites. (Vasanthakumari and Sheela Rani, 2010). In India almost 12% of the 38.5 million Internet users use E- banking and it Is expected to increase to 16 million, according to survey by lAMAI. (Prakash and Malik ,2008). In a survey carried out by Malhotra and Singh (2006) it was shown that 48% of the commercial banks in India offer e -banking. Therefore for gaining complete control in present e-markets a purposeful and strategized approach is requisite. Classification of E-banking In India The Reserve Bank Of India (RBI) constituted a functioning group on E- Banking in India. This functioning group further divided the internet banking products in India into the following three types based on the levels of access granted:- Information Only system Electronic information transfer system Fully electronic transactional system More advanced transactions Information Only system It provided general information such as rate of interests, location of a bank branch, products offered, their features, advantages and disadvantages, application forms were available for purpose of downloading. e-mails are used for communication purposes. A Customers and a banks application system do not interact. Customer identification is not done and there is no chance of any unauthorized person getting into a banks production systems via Internet. (Geetika, Nandan Upadhyay , 2008) Electronic information transfer system It provides information about a customer such as account balances, address, details of transactions etc. Customers are identified by their passwords and customers are provided information from banks application system. (Geetika, Nandan Upadhyay , 2008) Applying For New Banking Services Very few banks provide the facility of making an application and enabling new services using internet because the RBI does not allow opening of banks accounts online.(Malhotra Balwinder ,2009) This requires high degree of safety and security. In this, the network server and the application systems are linked over secure communications. (Geetika , Nandan Upadhyay , 2008) More advanced transactions In this system various other services are provided such as insurance policies, Brokerage, investments, demat, Credit card payments, trading, shopping and various other services provided online. Private sector banks are more expected to offer insurance services and covers, brokerage, online trading online and shopping online. Many of the Internet banks have also started offering certain new services through E- banking such as tax payment, charity payment and railway ticket booking. Public sector banks have shown a tremendous performance in the providing the services such as tax payment and railway ticket booking online. (Malhotra Balwinder ,2009) Advantages and disadvantages of E-banking There are a number of drawbacks of e-banking such as it is time consuming, poor network availability, lack of knowledge among people, unsuitable location of ATMs, Lack of infrastructure, high setting up costs, chances of frauds and scams, customers feel e-banking is not secure etc. Apart from above mentioned disadvantages there are a number of other disadvantages of Internet banking. Some of them are survival, accessibility, security, acceptance, infrastructure, perception, etc. Many people do not use internet banking because they do not trust banking services through internet. They doubt that their money is not safe and secure while being processed through internet banking. Many cases of frauds in India have been reported. Another disadvantage of E-banking is when a person has a query or question or faces a problem he/she cannot physically go to the bank and solve it but he/she has to call customer service department to solve it which might take a lot of time. Also some people avoid using E-banking because they do not understand how to use to and what is the procedure of getting started. Internet banking also poses a problem when the network is down and it might cause delay due to server problem when an important transaction is to be made. Starting up of E-banking requires large amount of investment which includes advertising cost, setting up cost, purchasing of technology etc. Many Internet banks dont have ATMs, due to which customers have to pay ATM fees. This costs them more. Lack of literacy and education regarding how to use internet is another drawback of e-banking. Sometimes unknowingly computer system is damaged Also there are a number of benefits of e-banking to both bank as well as customer. For example- Its cheaper to make transactions over internet, it provides satisfaction to customers, it improves the image of the bank, and customers get facility to manage every aspect of their bank account, It makes the transactions paperless, banking services are available round the clock helps customers to save time as they do not have to visit bank branch, customers can check costs of currency. Check stock market, check previous transaction history, transfer money, check which transactions have been cleared. Joseph et al. (1999) studied the influence of Internet on the delivery of banking service. This study identified six dimensions of E- banking service quality i.e. convenience and accuracy, feedback and complaint management, efficiency, queue management, accessibility and customization. While on the other hand Jun and Cai (2001) identified to seventeen service quality dimensions of E- banking service quality which are reliability, responsiveness, competence, courtesy, credibility, access, communication, understanding the customer, collaboration and continuous improvement, content, accuracy, ease of use, timeliness, aesthetics, security and divers features. Services Services are one of the primary benefits which a customer looks for while adopting a new channel. The consumers consider the benefits and weigh them against the costs associated. The Internet offers a lot of benefits to consumers, like any time anywhere banking, updated information, convenience, faster transaction, etc. Future of E-banking In India The large banks in India will find out new and better ways in providing their services. Also they will find out new ways to propose those services which will include use of new technologies. Wireless communication and mobile banking will increase at a very high rate due to which e-banking will become omnipresent. While E-banking will grow at a high rate the current generation of customers will still require face to face interaction with banks due because of feeling of satisfaction and security and some functions like cash withdrawals, checking lockers etc require physical contact with the bank. (Southard Siau, 2004) Keeping In India the benefits of E-banking such as increased efficiency of employees, accuracy etc it is seen that future of E-banking is very bright. The Banks which are fully computerized have gained majority of industrialists, service class, business class, less educated as well as highly educated customers. Most of the customers will favour E-banking because preferences of customers are changing with time and they are becoming more demanding and they will prefer a bank which will provide them quick service. In this era of globalisation only banks which are technologically advanced will survive.(Uppal Chawla,2009) The future of e-banking depends heavily on the future development of technology. The one certainty is that it will continue to offer new delivery methods for banking services. (Southard Siau,2004) Poon W C (2008), Users Adoption of E-Banking Services: The Malaysian P.K. Gupta, (2008), INTERNET BANKING IN INDIA CONSUMER CONCERNS AND BANK STRATEGIES, GLOBAL JOURNAL OF BUSINESS RESEARCH Volume 2Number 1 R.K. Uppal, (2008).Customer Perception of E-Banking Services of Indian Banks: Some Survey Evidence Icfai Journal of Bank Management, Vol. VII, No.1, Ms.H.Vasanthakumari and Dr. S. Sheela Rani (2010 ) ROLE OF E BANKING SERVICES IN THE BANKING SECTOR SRM Management Digest ,vol 8 pg 43 Dasgupta, P. (2002) Future of e-banking in India. Available online at: www.projectshub.com Gupta, D. (1999) Internet banking: where does India stand?, Journal of Contemporary Management, December, Vol. 2, No. 1 Ziqi Liao and Michael Tow Cheung, (2003) COMMUNICATIONS OF THE ACM Vol. 46, No. 12ve. Rahmath Safeena, Hema Date and Abdullah Kammani, (2011)Internet banking adoption in emrging economy International Arab Journal of e-Technology, Vol. 2, No. 1, Laforet, S and Li, X. (2005). Consumers attitudes towards online and mobile banking in China. International Journal of Bank Marketing, Vol. 23, No. 5; pg. 362-380. Pooja Malhotra and Balwinder Singh(2010), An analysis of Internet banking and its determinants in India, Vol. 20 No. 1, pp. 87-106, Emerald Group Publishing Limited pg 94-98, 87-88 Curran, M. James and Meuter, L. Matthew (2007) Encouraging existing customers to switch to self-service technologies: put a little fun in their lives Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 15 (4), 283-298 Polatoglu, V. and Ekin, S. (2001). An empirical investigation of the Turkish consumers JIBC August 2010, Vol. 15, No.2 Abdulwahed Mo. Sh. Khalfan and Yaqoub S.Y. AlRefaei, (2006). Factors influencing the adoption of internet banking in Oman: a descriptive case study analysis. International Journal of Financial Services Management, 1 (2/3), 155-172. P.K Gupta (2008)internet banking in India-consumer concerns and bank strategies Global journal of Business Research vol 2 no 1 pg 6 -8 Sathye, M. (1999). Adoption of internet banking by Australian consumers: an empirical investigation. International Journal of Bank Marketing, 17 (7), 324-34. Dixit M. And Datta S.(2010) Acceptance of E-banking among Adult Customers: An Empirical Investigation in India Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce, August 2010, vol. 15, no.2 pg 1 Daniel, E. (1999) Provision of electronic banking in the UK and the Republic of Ireland International Journal of Bank Marketing, 17(2), 72-82. Ajay Prakash and Garima Malik, (2008) Empirical Study of Internet Banking in India Vol.1 . 3 Geetika, Nandan T Upadhyay A(2008) internet Banking In India-issues and prospects The Icfai Journal of Bank Management, Vol. VII, No. 2, 2008 pg 48-49 IAMAI (2006), IAMAIs Report Online Banking 2006, http://www.iamai.in/, Accessed on May 10, 2011. Uppal R.K Chawla R(2009)E-banking Channel-Based Banking Services:An empirical study The Icfaian Journal of Management Research, Vol. 1 0 VIII, No. 7 pg 21-22 Southhard P.B Siau K (2004)A survey of online E-banking Retail initiatives COMMUNICATIONS OF THE ACM October 2004/Vol. 47, No. 10 pg 102

Definition Essay - Defining Freedom -- Expository Definition Essays

Definition Essay – Defining Freedom Is it possible to define freedom? To define freedom is more than a difficult task, but perhaps easier than one might imagine if not overanalyzed. Given ample time to consider the task, however, a simple, sufficient definition can present itself: freedom is the ability to choose, for any creature living life in any place in any time. There is no greater truth to the statement, and no underlying meanings; freedom is simply the ability to choose. So one might ask, "If this ability to choose applies to all creatures in all places in all times, why can freedom only be defined in the context of the specific creature whose definition of freedom is concerned?" That is simple. Freedom is something that can only be experienced to some extent; there is no such thing as absolute freedom. However, each varying life form has differing boundaries to which this freedom can conform. If such a thing as absolute freedom were to exist, then those who possessed it could do absolutely anything imaginable. One could then wonder, if there is th...

Legal Progression of Marriage in America :: Essays Papers

Legal Progression of Marriage in America As the British colonies in North America took root, a great part of the economic growth in colonial society was predicated on the labor of imported African slaves. As the number of slaves increased significantly, especially in the southern colonies, a system of separation of the races was established. Since the beginning of the White and Black coexistence in America, Whites have suppressed the rights of Blacks in order to emphasize their racial superiority and to prohibit mixing between the races. In order to maintain their racial purity, Whites established laws making illegal the marriage of Blacks and Whites. Although anti-miscegenation laws were present in early colonial societies, the legacies have continued in the contemporary period. For example, Alabama amended its constitution in 2000 to acknowledge interracial marriages as valid and legal. For over 300 years, anti-miscegenation laws have remained generally the same, outlawing marriages between people of different races. Over time, however, definitions of who is Black have drastically changed, reflecting the status of Blacks’ in society. Anti-miscegenation laws during the era of slavery defined Blacks as having at least one Black grandparent, or one quarter â€Å"Black blood†. Later, these same laws during the Great Migration of the twentieth century, evolved to define Blacks by the â€Å"One Drop Rule,† a rule stating that one was Black if he or she had at least one Black ancestor. These laws, as represented in this paper and based on the policies of the colony and state of Virginia, were used to maintain a separation of races and, thus, to preserve the purity of Whites and to guarantee their system of White supremacy. Sent by King James I, The Virginia Company established the first colony in America in 1607 appropriately named Jamestown (History of Jamestown 1). It is generally accepted that the first Blacks were imported to America in 1619, only twelve years after the colony was established. At this point, no specific laws prohibited interracial relations, but societal taboos and religious doctrines were enough to separate Whites and Blacks from sexual contact. Such beliefs were noted in the proceedings between the governor and his council within the colony: In 1630, a man named Hugh Davis, accused of being sexual involved with a Black, was â€Å"to be soundly whipped before an assembly of Negroes and others for abusing himself to the dishonor of God and the shame of Christians by defiling his body and lying with a Negro† (Hall 602).

Outcomes Based Education Essay

Introduction Galileo Galilee once said a man cannot teach a man anything but rather he can only help him find in within himself. This means that you can only go so far to help someone learn and make the right condition for the learner to discover what already known to be true. The principle of outcome based education relates to this passage from Galilee where Outcome-Based Education means clearly focusing and organizing everything in an educational system around what is essential for all students to be able to do successfully at the end of their learning experiences. This means starting with a clear picture of what is important for students to be able to do, then organizing the curriculum, instruction, and assessment to make sure this learning ultimately happens† (Spady, 1994:1). In this approach learners may identify what are the things which are important and what is essential for them. It is indeed true that learning may not be significant with someone unless it may reflect the importanc e of learning in real life and utilize it in different life roles. OBE has been around for centuries. The origins of modern outcomes-based education can be traced back to the work of Italian educator Maria Montessori, whose teaching theories shaped the development of Montessori schools the world over. Working in the early 1900s, Montessori believed that instead of setting up arbitrary grading systems, tests, and the like and teaching inputs based on them, education was best measured by encouraging individual student achievement, which can occur at different rates for different students. This method would allow students of different skill levels and abilities to learn at their own individual rates (or outcomes), rather than lumping all students together and measuring them at the same standard at the same point in time. In the local setting, government educational bureau, school administrators and educational gurus are continuously seeking ways and means to upgrade the standards and quality of education in terms of its delivery system and other related components of quality education. The continuous growth of population, government budgetary allocation for education, and educational political will have been a great factor in the affects the quality of education one can experience. Other than that, some other problems occurred such as: lack of qualified teachers, inadequate classrooms and ineffective programs. These are more evident to public schools here in the country. Recognizant of this reality, the Commission on Higher Education in pursuit of an ongoing paradigm shift to learning competency based standards mandated all Higher Education Institution to incorporate a Quality Policy utilizing an Outcomes Based Education. This policy-standard, which applies to private and public Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the country, is issued to enhance the quality assurance system of Philippine higher education through learning competency based standards and an outcomes-based system of quality assurance that is differentiated by type of HEI. CHED’s rationale in implementing this policy is very specific as they believe that this mandate will contribute to building a quality nation capable of transcending the social, political, economic, cultural and ethical issues that constrain the country’s human development, productivity and global competitiveness. The commissions focused in mandating all HEI’s underscores a quality assurance that is rooted in research which suggest that there has been a lack of a critical pool of graduates with the necessary thinking, technical and behavioral competencies are among the factors constraining the re-launching of the Philippine manufacturing sector and the achievement of the full potentials of the service sector. Another important ideas of this policy is that change is dynamic the Philippine educational system should adopt with the ever changing climate of systems that Philippine s has been left behind. The reality is that in 2015 where ASEAN community will facilitate the free flow of qualified labor in the region and either open up opportunities for graduates of Philippine HEIs or threaten their employment even in this country. The Philippine educational system should move on this suggest that Philippine should keep on track or be left behind. (CMO No. 2 S. of 2011) This mandate from CHED aims to contribute to building a quality nation capable of transcending the social, political, economic, cultural and ethical issues that constrain the country’s human development, productivity and global competitiveness. The fulfillment of this action entails all HEI to offer quality programs that will meet the national and the international standards of programs for the different professions/disciplines. Quality assurance is viewed as an important ingredient in the social development of the population especially the Filipinos out of the poverty condition. CHED defines quality as the alignment and consistency of the learning environment with the institution’s vision, mission, and goals demonstrated by exceptional learning and service outcomes and the development of a culture of quality. This definition highlights three perspectives of quality. One the quality as fitness for purpose, which is generally used by international bodies for assessment and accreditation, requires the translation of the institution’s vision, mission, and goals into its learning outcomes, programs, and systems. Second quality as exceptional means either being distinctive; exceeding very high standards; or conformance to standards based on a system of comparability using criteria and ratings. And lastly quality underlies CHED’s definition of exceptional; and Quality as â€Å"developing a culture of quality† is the transformational dimension of the CHED notion of quality. Quality assurance utilizing the OBE has been widely argued by educational administrators, though this would impact the educational system of the country where Philippines has been left behind years back by our neighboring ASIAN nations. This paper aims to assess how well the HEI’s administrators’ in Olongapo adapted to the provision of the OBE and the practices of the educators with regards to OBE or are thy well equipped with the knowledge and skills relating to OBE. This issue is very timely and is pressing the education administrators. It is imminent that this policy is another challenge facing the educational sectors to adopt and practice the quality assurance utilizing the OBE principle. There are several questions that determine the direction of this study. What are the best practices of the HEI’s administrators with regards to OBE as well as theory instructors? How well they adopt and practice quality policy as set forth by the CHED? And their reasons in adopting or implanting this quality policy? An explication of OBE will be dealt with this forgoing study this will also illuminate the performance of the HEIs in Olongapo. Review of Related Literature This paper aims to explore the principles of OBE as practiced among the HEI’s in Olongapo. This is intended to explain the principles and how this principle is incorporated in their system. In addition this paper will definitely help teachers and administrators understand the process and practices on OBE among other HEIs in Olongapo which will certainly facilitate other institution to espouse the practices of their counterpart. The Philippine educational system as observed by the researcher has been through a lot of curricular development. Policies and standards have been laid; OBE is one of the recent development to which it has been advocated by some and critics by many. Where will this process lead the curriculum? Outcomes based education is a process that involves the restructuring of curriculum, assessment and reporting practices in education to reflect the achievement of high order learning and mastery rather than the accumulation of course credits (Tucker, 2004). According to Tucker the primary aim of OBE is to facilitate desired changes within the learners, by increasing knowledge, developing skills and/or positively influencing attitudes, values and judgment. OBE embodies the idea that the best way to learn is to first determine what needs to be achieved. Once the end goal (product or outcome) has been determined the strategies, processes, techniques, and other ways and means can be put into place to achieve the goal. The major problem in all curricular frameworks is the outcome or product measurement. Geyser (1999) stated that OBE deals with the product Outcomes are clear learning results that learners have to demonstrate at the end of significant learning experiences: what learners can actually do with what they know and have learned. Outcomes are actions/ performances that embody and reflect learner competence in using content, information, ideas and tools successfully. He further proposed that when learners do important things with what they know they have taken a significant step beyond knowing itself. Vela, Berardinelli & Burrow (1998) reminds us of the importance of accountability mechanisms (learner assessment) that directly reflect student performance and help learners â€Å"know what they know†. Thus outcomes describe the results of learning over a period of time – the results of what is learned versus what is taught. Spady and Marshall (1994:20) an advocate of OBE has explained the meaning and concept of outcomes as: Outcomes are ‘clear, observable demonstrations of student learning that occur after a significant set of learning experiences. They are not values, attitudes, feelings, beliefs, activities, assignments, goals, scores or averages, as many people believe. Typically these demonstrations reflect three things: †¢ What the student knows †¢ What the student can actually do with what he or she knows †¢ The student’s confidence and motivation in carrying out the demonstration. They further state that outcomes are what learners can actually do with what they know and have learnt. In other words they are the tangible application of what has been learnt. That assists the learners to know themselves. OBE compels educators to use action verbs like describe, explain, design or produce. These action verbs are preferred more than the vague and non-demonstration processes like know, understand, believe or think. It should be noted that since outcomes occur at the end of a learning experience, they represent the ultimate result of the didactic situation. In general, OBE standards are clearly defined and are known by all learners. This system allows the learners to reach and receive full credit for achieving any performance standard. OBE focuses on increasing students’ learning and ultimate performance abilities to the highest possible level before leaving school. That means that OBE takes an overview of the students’ learning and achievement. In this situation mistakes are treated as inevitable steps towards development and demonstration of high-level performance capabilities. The traditional system takes the opposite approach where testing and permanently grading of learners is very important and emphasizes on rewards learners for assigned work covered in class. Those who are fast and consistent performers get the best grades and records and those who are slower never get the opportunity to catch up because previous mistakes cannot be erased. Outcome-based methods have been adopted in significant ways in the United States, Australia, South, and Hong Kong to mention a few. Each education agency specifies its own outcomes and its own methods of measuring student achievement according to those outcomes (Goals setting strategies). Though it is claimed the focus is not on â€Å"inputs†, OBE generally is used to justify increased funding requirements, increased graduation and testing requirements, and additional preparation, homework, and continuing education time spent by students, parents and teachers in supporting learning as well as the unit cost of training a student. (European Journal of Social Sciences – Volume 13, Number 2 2010) In the Philippine education system, the quality and quality assurance in education has been the major theme from the past decade not only in the Philippines but from the rest of the world. Valisno (2000) in her presentation at the International Conference on the Quality Assurance in Higher Education: Standards, Mechanisms and Mutual Reorganization. She recognized that more and more people are concerned about the products or outputs of universities and colleges, whether societies are getting the real value for their investments in higher education. Harman(1996) points to the following main concerns on the quality issues that presently dominate the debates on higher education: 1) maintenance and improvement of levels of teaching, learning, research and scholarship; 2) improvement in the quality and adaptability of graduates; 3) how to define and measure quality; 4) whether management approaches of and colleges improve outcomes; 5) the use of benchmarking and performance indicators; and 6)how to convince stakeholders that institutions and systems are doing a competent job in ensuring quality outputs. Valisno further explained that universities and government agencies just used different terms such as academic standards, standards of degrees and diplomas, student assessment, and accountability. But the main issue also was largely about maintaining academic standards according to some national or international norm, the maintenance and improvement of levels of’ teaching and learning, and how to provide sufficient financial and other resources to achieve quality higher education, As can be observed, many of’ these issues are still significant today, but the new quality debate is centered largely on the achievement of quality outcomes; which necessitates the establishment of appropriate internal quality auditing and quality management processes not only to continuously monitor achievement, and to ensure rising achievement developing but also to determine and implement the quality policy and such as the management of’ quality control and improvement. The lesson of the past as understood by the researcher could be the driving force of the educational managers of this country to adopt the process of OBE as an educational process which is based on trying to achieve certain specified outcomes in terms of individual student learning. Malan (2000) affirmed that the shift toward OBE is similar to the total quality movement as it reflects the best way for individuals and organizations to get where they are going is first to determine where they want to be then plan backward to determine the best way to get from here to there. Proponents of OBE assume there are many ways to arrive at the same results. OBE is currently favored internationally in countries such as Canada, South Africa, New Zealand and United States. Qualitative Approach This paper utilized the phenomological approach in research. This will illuminate the issue of outcomes based education concerning the best practices of the HEIs in Olongapo where the particular actors of the present phenomenon are the HEI administrators’ and the instructors. They will be the locus of the study. Personal perspective and personal interpretation of the subjects will be given importance in illuminating the purpose of this study. This approach is very effective in bringing to frontage the experience and perception of individuals their own perspective of OBE and will therefore be used as a basis to inform, be inform and to give support to the surfacing issue on OBE. The strength of qualitative research is its ability to provide complex textual descriptions of how people experience a given research issue. It provides information about the human side of an issue – that is, the often contradictory behaviors, beliefs, opinions, emotions, and relationships of individuals (Qualitative Research Methods p.1-2). Qualitative methods are also effective in identifying intangible factors specifically in the light of OBE utilization in some HEI in Olongapo. The data collected in a qualitative study includes more than words; attitudes, feelings, vocal and facial expressions, and other behaviors are also involved. The data which may consist of interview transcripts, field notes from observations, a wide variety of records and historical documents, and memoranda, are treated to rigorous ongoing analysis. Three processes are blended throughout the study: collection, coding, and analysis of data (Glaser & Strauss, 1967): This approach encourages the kind of flexibility so important to the qualitative researcher who can change a line of inquiry and move in new directions, as more information and a better understanding of what are relevant data are acquired (Blumer, 1999) All the higher educational institution in Olongapo will be covered by this study namely; CELTECH College, Columban College, Mondrian Aura College, Gordon College and the Lyceum of Subic Bay. The school administrator represented by their president or the vice president for academic affairs together with the instructors of the premier or the flagship program of the institution will be utilized as the respondents of this study. Data collection and sampling is an important aspect of any type of research study. Inaccurate data collection can impact the results of a study and ultimately lead to invalid results. A purposive sampling technique will be utilized to depict the purpose of this study. According to Cormack (2000) suggests that qualitative researchers use a small selective sample, because of the in-depth nature of the study and the analysis of data required. The HEI’s administrators as well as the instructor are purposively chosen to provide vital information that will shed light to the foregoing study. An interview will be utilized as the primary data collection technique. Interviewing is widely used in qualitative research. Compared with observation, it is more economical in time. Interviewing is trying to understand what people think through their speech. (www.ssrc.hku.hk/er/qr0204.doc) Prior to gaining consent from participants, letters requesting permission to carry out the study will be sent to the necessary institution. If all permission requests are granted, a letter of invitation will be distributed to all the HEI administrators and instructors of the premier program of the HEI’s inviting them to participate in the study. The researcher will use open-ended interviews as it allows participants to discuss their opinions, views and experiences fully in detail where as perhaps a interview with closed ended questions may inhibit them to express their full opinions and feelings. With the use of semi-structured interviews the researcher will have prepared a topic guide or a certain amount of questions to be covered with each participant (Polit and Beck (2008). A face to face interview allows the researcher to observe any non-verbal communication but also allows both the interviewer and participant to seek any clarification necessary. The interviews will be audio-taped with permission from the participant to ascertain an accurate account of the interview which can be replayed for analytic purposes and anonymity will be assured during the course of the recording. A qualitative research interview seeks to cover both a factual and a meaning level, though it is usually more difficult to interview on a meaning level. (Kvale, 1996). Interviews are particularly useful for getting the story behind a participant’s experiences. The interviewer can pursue in-depth information around the topic. Interviews may be useful as follow-up to certain respondents to questionnaires (McNamara, 1999). A general interview guide approach will be used in this study. This guide approach is intended to ensure that the same general areas of information are collected from each interviewee; this provides more focus than the conversational approach, but still allows a degree of freedom and adaptability in getting the information from the interviewee Participants’ will be reminded of their right to withdraw from the study or terminate the interview at any time before commencing the session. The researcher also vows to ensure the participants anonymity and privacy during the conduct of interview. The purpose of data analysis is to organize, provide structure to, and elicit meaning from research data (Polit and beck 2008). Data analysis will be ongoing in conjunction with data collection as Polit and Hunglar (1999) state as interviews are conducted, gathered data is synthesized, interpreted and communicated to give meaning to it. According to Burns and Grove (1999) qualitative data analysis occurs in three phases: description, analysis and interpretation. The researcher will transcribe the interviews verbatim and analysis of the transcripts will be carried out by the researcher while utilizing Giorgis quality data analyses.