Analyse Nora’s character throughout the play Essay

In ‘A Doll’s House’ Ibsen’s use of language reflects on the dramatic change we see in Nora’s character. Ibsen uses issues that arose during the 19th century to construct themes and most importantly build up characters, all with their own distinctive language. Nora’s character changes from the beginning of the play to the end and Ibsen does this with the use of her change in language. At the beginning of the play, Nora is still a child in many ways, listening at doors and guiltily eating forbidden sweets behind her husband’s back. She has gone straight from her father’s house to her husband’s, bringing along her nursemaid to emphasize the fact that she’s never grown up. She’s also never developed a sense of self. She’s always accepted her father’s and her husband’s opinions. And she’s aware that Torvald would have no use for a wife who was his equal. But like many children, Nora knows how to manipulate Torvald by pouting or by performing for him. In the end, it is the truth about her marriage that awakens Nora. Although she may suspect that Torvald is a weak, petty man, she clings to the illusion that he’s strong, that he’ll protect her from the consequences of her act. But at the moment of truth, he abandons her completely. She is shocked into reality and sees what a sham their relationship has been. She becomes aware that her father and her husband have seen her as a doll to be played with, a figure without opinion or will of her own; first a doll-child, then a doll-wife. She also realizes that she is treating her children the same way. Her whole life has been based on illusion rather than reality. When we first see Nora and Helmer together in the beginning of Act One she is Extravagant and we notice that she is financially reckless; â€Å"Oh yes, Torvald, we can be a little extravagant now can’t we? Just a tiny bit? You’re getting a big salary now, and you’re going to make lots of money†. She uses short phrases within a series of questions and exclamations: this shows her child-like behaviour. She is influenced by money, having no independence and always relying on Helmer, she doesn’t understand the value of it. He gives her status. Nora has a Fast tempo whilst speaking; this shows her excitement and childlike behaviour, â€Å"pooh†. When talking to Helmer Nora is manipulative, she uses his nicknames on herself in order to please Helmer, â€Å"squanderbird†. She is scared of Helmer (as a father figure he may punish her), therefore accepting anything he says; â€Å"Very well, Torvald. As you say†. She is Flirtatious and ‘plays with his coat buttons’ in order to get what she wants. Nora’s domination in the conversation with Mrs Linde and her use of repetition of the word ‘I’ shows that she is in a sense showing off and trying to be superior in front of Miss Linde. We see this in Act One when she meets with Mrs Linde; â€Å"I too have done something to be happy and proud about. It was I who saved Torvald’s life†. Nora is trying to gain respect from her friend by revealing a secret that she thinks will illustrate her practical side, showing that she is a supportive wife and has also had to face troubles. â€Å"Years from now, when I am no longer pretty†, Nora keeps the secret from her husband to maintain status quo. She will tell him in the future when she is no longer pretty and she will need to gain his respect through other means than playing games and dressing up. Ibsen uses Prosodic features: fast tempo, emotional; in order for us to know that that here Nora is erratic. In Nora’s two long speeches, on pages thirty six and thirty seven we learn more about her character through her use of language.

Paragraph Writing Essay

When writing an assignment for my class, I would use what I learned from class. In other words, I will take the tips and strategies that I have learned from the reading and videos in class as the steps to take when writing an assignment. The first step I take when writing for an assignment is to find a topic that interests me. After finding a topic, I will research my topic to get a better understanding of what I am writing. Then I will start my Pre-writing, by organizing my thoughts in an outline form, to help identify my topic sentence, important facts, ideas and a conclusion for my essay. When I have my outline complete, I can start a rough draft from my thoughts and ideas I used to create my outline. With this step, I can construct my rough draft to form an essay that is informative and interesting to my readers. From there, I will begin revising my rough draft. I will do this by going back over my draft to find to see if my ideas supports my thesis statement and that my paper makes sense. The last step in my writing process is editing. Editing gives me the opportunity to look over what I have written, re-read, and I check for spelling and grammar issues. Taking the above steps in writing helps me to finish my final draft and help improve my academic and professional writing in the future.

Benefits of Social Media

In today’s society, communication is somewhat effortless with as much as a cell phone or computer. A text or instant message, via one of the various social networking sites, is how the majority of people today interact with one another. Social media has allowed new unconventional means of education to thrive amongst students of all ages and facilitated new means of easier communication among family and friends. However, along with a broadened network of communication there are precautions and concerns that many have taken in response to the vulnerability of this vast cyberspace. Although social media has its pitfalls, it has also changed the world for the better because it has introduced new innovative methods of education, facilitated easier communication, and has created a new environment for self-expression. Social networking, such as Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Formspring, and Instagram, has virtually enabled students around the world to create online study groups and chat rooms to enhance their learning experience. In an article by Paulette Stewart, an author for Feature magazine, a group of high school library volunteers are brought together by their librarian to test out an online literature study group on Faceboook. The students mingle and begin to become thoroughly engaged as they read one book each month and then converse about the literature they had read. Throughout the simulation, the students begin to come forward and speak more openly about their opinions and literary views of the novels they had read (29). This example shows how Facebook, a social networking site, proved to be a productive educational outlet for students to engage socially with each other in a virtual classroom which resulted in authentic research and easier communication amongst students via a social media outlet. Although social media such as Facebook, has helped broaden education into different outlets other than the traditional classroom, there are some questions many people have about how safe these online environments are. Dr. Stephanie Huffman, an Associate Professor at the University of Central Arkansas with a PhD in Leadership Studies, reveals that â€Å"social networking increases the likelihood of new risks to the self†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and â€Å"†¦loss of privacy† are very prominent aspects of joining a social networking site (154). There are many disputes today that debate whether social networking is safe because it allows, not only friends and family, but an entire network of people, most of whom are strangers, to see personal information, interactions with others, and individual thought. Although there are some risks of putting information on the web that reveals ones identity, as Stewart mentioned in her article previously, there are many privacy settings that are enabled to the user of the account (30). For example, on Facebook there are settings that allow the user to limit their profiles to be viewed by only people that they are friends with, which are called â€Å"Privacy Settings†. Websites, such as Facebook, Twitter, and other social media are very beneficial in many ways that are helpful for education and introduces new styles of education to educators. Even though these new forms of learning are not traditional and physical forms of a classroom setting, these virtual classes still provide all the necessary components of learning. For example, Stewart conveyed activities such as social camaraderie amongst students by working together, researching subjects in more depth due to access to more information, and students having more honest opinions in a non face-to-face environment versus an online group chat (32). However, students are warned to remain aware that â€Å"once information is released into cyberspace, it becomes a part of a global network† (Huffman 155). On the other hand, students do have the choice to take full advantage of privacy settings and monitoring the status of their information that they release to the web, friends, and potentially unknown viewers of their information. Overall, when using social media for educational purposes there are many benefits that, when taken advantage of, enhance educational experiences because of modern-day advancements in social media and networking. Over the last decade, social media has undoubtedly changed the way people communicate. Two people no longer have to be face to face to communicate and can now receive responses within seconds. In an article written by Nafaa Jabeur, Sherali Seadally, and Biju Sayed, authors for the Communications of the ACM journal, called â€Å"Mobile Social Networking Applications†, GPS tracking systems in Mobile Social Networking (MSN) devices allows users to locate other users, areas and amenities nearby that concern the same interests as them (74). Social media has assisted communication by facilitating the means of connecting multiple individuals. Examples include Jabeur, Zeadally, and Sayed’s article’s claim that news is easier spread using the technology of MSN, which helps notify copious amounts of people in an urgent manner, of incidents in their local areas (Jabeur. Zeadally, Sayed 76). However, there are questions about if social media is taking over society in a negative aspect rather than helping it. In a study called â€Å"Problematic Use of Social Networking Sites†, documented by Dr. Parth Singh Meena, Pankaj Kumar Mittal and Ram Humar Solanki, Psychiatrists for the Industry Psychiatry Journal, research shows that social media is greatly increasing in, mainly, teenagers and young adults to somewhat of a dangerous high (94). Studies have shown that â€Å"from April 2008 to April 2009, the total minutes spent on Facebook in the U. S. , in particular, has increased from 1. 7 billion minutes to 13. 9 billion minutes† (Meena, Mittal, and Solanki 95). Although these numbers of the increased amount of social media users is shocking, there are many beneficial reasons for taking advantage of new technology. A positive example of why excessive use of social media may be helpful is received through an article called â€Å"Targeted Social Mobilization in a Global Manhunt† where Alex Rutherford, data scientist at the UN Global Pulse Research Center, and many other researchers followed a simulation to track down five individuals in many different cities and states based on just a headshot, using nothing but social media sites for urgent information (1). Using websites such as Twitter, Facebook, and Google search engine, the simulation found three out of the five individuals only used social media (Rutherford, et. al. 2). This example shows how using social media can be helpful in communicating with people around the world in urgent situations. Social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Formspring, and Myspace make it capable to talk to people’s next-door neighbors or to talk to someone halfway across the world. These sites allow individuals to create profiles and custom pages that showcase personal information, interests and hobbies for virtually anyone to see. For example, Twitter has a certain section of the website that allows users to see â€Å"Trending Topics† around the world that involve the most popular topics of conversation to be shared with the entire Twitter community. By using the Trending Topics the user is connected with, virtually, the entire world by communicating with people from different countries, backgrounds, languages, and cultures. Dr. Stephanie Huffman, as mentioned earlier, believes that social networking allows users to broaden their experiences â€Å"through presentation of self, learning, building relationships, exposure to other diverse groups† and many more valuable attributes (154). An important issue to be made aware of in social media is cyber-bullying. There have been numerous studies and extensive research about the effects of cyber-bullying and speculation of how to put an end to this phenomenon. Neal Geach, a professor and extensive researcher at the University of Hertfordshire, and Nicola Haralambous, a researcher and professor of Criminal Law at Coventry University, produced an article, â€Å"Regulating Harassment: Is the Law Fit for the Social Networking Age? †, that discusses the dangers of cyber bullying and the laws that are being put into place to regulate it. Their article exhibits many laws, some of which do pertain to the Internet and social media. There are laws being put into place specifically dealing with harassment that occurs on online social media sites (Geach and Haralambous 248). Dr.  Peter Kiriakidis, a professor of research at the University of Queens and has a Ph. D. in Educational Leadership, and Dr. Demarques Lakes performed a case study on student-to-student bullying to gain insight from teachers and educational staff on what they have observed about online bullying. Their research found that â€Å" most teachers also reported that they associate academic underperformance of certain students to be the result of some form of cyber bullying† which supports the idea that educator’s are becoming more aware of this issue and it’s side effects and trying to find helpful solutions (Kiriakidis and DeMarques 109). The Internet can be a productive and innovative outlet for positive self-expression if used correctly and cautiously. Social networking sites help users gain insight for themselves and others by discovering new interests and groups of people that enjoy the same pastimes as them (154). Although these freedoms come with a price, there are many ways to cut down online obstacles such as bullying, harassment, and negative pressures of society. There are several privacy settings on sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and Myspace that eliminate the chance of an unknown user viewing your profile and personal information (Stewart 30). Also available to all users on every social networking site is a â€Å"Block Report† button that allows the user to block as many other users as they want from their page so that none of their information, comments, or personal information is released to that certain user. If a certain user is becoming an issue with violent or irrational behavior over the Internet, every user also has the option to report another user for inappropriate behavior to the site to resolve the issue. In conclusion, society has benefitted greatly from social media networks and offers a multitude of advantages for many reasons. Education has been greatly impacted by the numerous and endless possibilities of transforming the concept of learning into a more modern and experimental structure. Social media has facilitated a new form of open communication that has made long distance relationships possible and global communication easier. Social networking has also introduced a new era of presentation of self by allowing online users to share their monumental, life moments through pictures, status’, comments, and interests. When all is considered, social media among children, teens, college students, and other adults is overall beneficial and innovative to society.

Critique of British Prime Ministers attack on the free market Essay

Critique of British Prime Ministers attack on the free market - Essay Example The free market theory postulates that there should be numerous participants within the same market engaged in the buying and selling of numerous and varied products. All such producers have the opportunity to take part in production activities Furthermore, it argues that the ultimate gain is to consumers who enjoy the benefits of increased product diversity as well as competitive and affordable pricing on the same; in that the prevailing prices are a consequence of a â€Å"push and pull† forces of demand versus supply respectively. These ideal conditions of the free market form the basis and support for an economic practice that has become synonymous modern day trade under the banner of capitalism. For perfectly competitive markets, the ideal economics of a â€Å"free market† exist. This was the prevailing economic theory of the period of 1960-80. However, the current trends in economics suggest that big markets hardly operate under perfect competitive conditions since primarily; households are conscious about the markets; producers curve out their market shares therein effectively seeking profit and shutting out other competitors. Most markets in both the UK and the US are not â€Å"free markets† but oligopolies where a few firms control a large portion of the market (Hoetzlein).It is however unfortunate that the ideals of the free market are increasingly been used by politicians and technocrats alike as a rallying cry for free healthcare, reduced taxes, unregulated interest rates and deregulation of the aggregate economy. This has led to the erosion of the very fundamentals designed to optimize welfare to the consuming public of which they claim to be pursuant. The basic argument for the proponents of free market policies is in opposition to governmental interference in business operations and instead in favor of a natural restoration of balance within the economy. The ability and willingness to freely engage in exchange of commodities w ould therefore suffice in creating a natural order within the market that favors all parties involved. It is based on such an understanding that the British Prime Minister, David Cameron faults the previous regimes over their apparent apathy in regard to the exercise of free market policies. The prime minister argues that previous regime’s turbo-capitalism policies have turned a blind eye on corporate excesses plunging the economy into anarchy and violating the fundamental purposes for which it (the government) was formulated. Most apparent under his attacks on previous regimes policy of â€Å"letting capitalism rip† is the impact on oligopolies of necessity goods such as healthcare, utilities and housing. Such are the goods that are most pertinent to the civilian population as they are needed to survive; items with which households are unable to exert price elasticity. He condemns the previous regimes for denying the citizenry the enjoyment of these basic amenities at the expense of corporate greed and profit making. The recent global financial crisis has served to further the underlying weaknesses in the free market theory (Kwak). The world financial crisis is viewed as a banking crisis arising from the uncontrolled and misinformed deregulation of the United States’ financial market. This is because the world’s reserves are largely in the US currency (Roberts). Nowhere else than in the developed countries in Western Europe were the effects of the crisis mostly evidenced. However, most unfortunate is the fact that the role of most hard core free market theorists in this collapse seems to have evoked little or no interest. This further evokes questions to mind as to whether the crisis is over and if the supposed recovery is truly on course? Although many point to

Managing across culture-China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Managing across culture-China - Essay Example Cognitively, behavioral differences alone cannot account for culture and this warrants an in depth consideration of the intentions of management across culture. The Impact of Globalization Globalization resulted in the world becoming smaller. One of the main factors specifically driving these changes in China is the Internet. The internet has enabled information to travel far making barriers of distance disappear. Businesses in one country are able to do their business with companies from around the world. A businessperson may communicate with a colleague halfway around the world. This as well as international travel is becoming more common. (Globalization for Business n.d.) Businesspeople form business relationships with people in different countries. However one barrier to this relationship is cultural difference: the values that may be acceptable in one culture may be counterproductive or even unacceptable in another. In the Peoples Republic of China, people have a view of manager s that may differ from other cultures. (Branine 2011,p.226). In China managers in both private and foreign sectors are expected to be entrepreneurial, fluent, pragmatic, and flexible in both their native culture and that of their foreign investors. It is common to find â€Å"benevolent authoritarian† young managers in Chinese companies. Although this would seem as though the managers lack control of their subordinates to people of other cultures, Chinese employees expect their superiors to deploy leadership by living an exemplary life. This means that employees expect managers to lead by example, and managers who take an active role in operations and are hard working earn their employee’s respect and compliance. Generally speaking Chinese organizations tend to embody organizational characteristics which are being irrelevant in a globalized society. (Dumont 2012) Changes in Management across Chinese Culture Management characteristics within the Chinese culture are rapid ly changing especially in the private sector. Traditionally, loyalty remained within families or groups however, this is transforming drastically due to the mobility of labor within foreign firms. Currently once an employee acquires a certain level of experience in a particular field , his or her employment options open up widely especially in the large coastal cities of Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Beijing This shows employment loyalty is no longer as important as experience and labor mobility. (Branine 2011, p.227). How Chinese managers carry out their duties In various cultures and countries managers consistently play different roles. In China, a successful cross-cultural manager needs to realize that every individual has a distinct role to play in the organization. The ability for employees to effectively carry out their roles helps to keep order within the organization. Managers may carry out their duties in their respective manner and even function with unlimited power. In some in stances, they may use an intermediary to solve problems with their staff or do it themselves, speaking to individual employees privately. (Branine 2011, p.247). Due to these cultural aspects, management across such cultures is hectic and requires tolerance and perseverance. Changes in China’s cultural adaptability China’s cultural adaptability is improving rapidly in spite of her traditional medium of cultural

Discussion Responses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Discussion Responses - Essay Example The manager of Human Resources however, failed to implement the changes in accordance with the guidelines. He neglected the most important step – to inform all employees that changes were about to be made – instead he told them when they were being made. Obviously the repercussions were terrible. 3. The manager needs to ensure that decisions are made within certain time lines. I think that like all people working within a schedule they keep working to the limits and constraints provided, so if the manager provides a strict time frame, that is in fact longer than that really required, he/she will attain what he/she wants within the ‘real’ time schedule. I don’t think you will ever come to the situation where you need to consider giving up. 4. Obviously management needs to follow up on the outcomes of made decisions but this should be done in such a way as not to undermine middle management personnel. Feedback should be sought from them rather than embarking on their own inspection. Trust and autonomy are paramount and if not considered by employees as provided, will impact negatively on future decision making. 5. One way to deal with change resistance is to organize a group of personnel to determine who are the protagonists and advocates of the change and to determine who are the most influential among the protagonists. Concentration should then be placed on convincing that person of his/her personal gain with the change and the disadvantages for them without the change. 6. Ethics are in the eye of the beholder. If we believe the decision is truly right then we should have made it in consideration of everyone involved. If there is an employee who stands to lose by that decision then this needs to be acknowledged and dealt with my offering alternatives for that employee. The ethical option is not to lie and deceive but to be honest. 7. I know that business is undertaken in very different ways within

Chain-growth polymerization reactions Lab Report

Chain-growth polymerization reactions - Lab Report Example Chain growth polymerization occurs in distinctive steps. The first step involves chain initiation in which an initiator commences the chemical process. The next step involves chain elongation followed by chain transfer. Chain transfer concludes the chain after which the active site is moved to the new chain. Polymers, solvents and monomers can facilitate this. This processes leads to an increase in the branching of the ensuing polymer. Chain termination occurs as the last step through disproportion or combination. Termination in fundamental polymerization occurs when free radicals combine. The active center for a chain growth polymerization can assume the state of a free radical in the corresponding polymerization. Radical polymerization in this case involves the successive addition of radical building blocks. This can occur through several mechanisms, which involve different initiator molecules (Wünsch 131). After the generation process, the initiating radical adds monomer units, which leads to the growth of the polymer. Chain growth polymerization such as radical polymerization reactions leads to the generation of different material composites and polymers. Radical polymerization involves different initiators such as thermal decomposition in which the bond is homolytically cleaved leading to the production of two radicals. Photolysis involves the use of radiation in cleaving bonds homolytically. The initiation step is followed by the propagation in which the polymer increases its chain length. The termination process follows unless the reaction has contaminants, which can contribute to the addition of monomers (Richardson, and Erik 92). Chain transfer occurs as the last step, which leads to the destruction of a radical and construction of another radical. However, the new radical usually does not have propagation capabilities. Chain growth polymerization leads to the formation of an elevated molecular weight polymer at low conversion. In this case, the

Testing Analog and Mixed Signal Circuits With Built In Hardware Research Paper

Testing Analog and Mixed Signal Circuits With Built In Hardware - Research Paper Example Before beginning definite manufacturing of high-volume products, the testing, designing, assessment of the prototypes are important. Furthermore, the comprehensive inspection of the manufactured products must be done in order to ensure the availability of high quality and defect free product. Eventually the cost of the product can be minimized by providing the required information during the manufacturing process. The fabrication procedure of the integrated-circuit (IC) comprises doping steps, etching, printing and photolithography. The reason for the collapse of an individual integrated-circuit (IC) is the imperfect steps related to the fabrication process. Above all, the mixed-signal ICs are more responsive towards steps imperfections thus, resulting in low performance of circuits. However, these imperfections are insignificant in the digital - circuit domain but as compared to the mixed-signal circuits, imperfections among the traces in structure of small capacitance can cause a significant change in the circuit performance. For this reason, the sensitivity behavior of the circuit also improved due to the reduction of the circuit geometry. Hence, before shipping it to the customers every single IC is being thoroughly checked. This priority testing of ICs enhances the final quality of the product without affecting its brilliance. In addition, this quality check also ensures the excellence of the product and its design, during the key phase of the product development once put into practice. The detailed and long tests are being performed during the process of implementation of the ICs due to the small imperfection of the high sensitivity of mixed-signal circuits resulting in the high testing cost. Now researchers are looking forward to merge the testing process of both analog and the digital-circuit via analog signals to divert digital circuits or by utilizing digital signals for example, serial bit stream in order to divert the analog signals. The analog-test methods are not fully developed, therefore restricted access is suffered by mixed-signal specially; the shrinking dimensions with the high integration densities in the development of semi-conductor technology. On the other hand, the test systems related to the digital devices are well maintained and developed. However, the benefits are taken from the advancement and knowledge of digital-test by the analog and mixe d-signal test, because they are far away from the latest development regarding testing procedures. Another reason for the failure of the analog testing system is the deficiency of the implementation of a testing procedure for example, Standard Fault Model, however, approximately all the digital test methods rely on stuck-fault model thus, with the help of their fault reporting, the test generation algorithms are estimated. This model is simply accepted for the functional test as compared to the performance test, it is not accepted. The sources of complexity during the testing procedures of analog

Forensic investigation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Forensic investigation - Essay Example Despite this, forensic examiners have to go through many steps to get the valuable information from digital evidence without contaminating it. Therefore, Forensic examiner should have well defined manual that help them to understand the process and procedure that should be followed in order to avoid committing any mistake while they are dealing with the evidence. By protecting the evidences, the examiner builds a strong case and avoids dismissal of the case in the court. Challenges such as lack of sufficient research materials are encountered in the project. Despite this, the available material are sufficient to brainstorm on in order to realize the formation of a manual that will help a great deal in improving digital evidence testing in forensic laboratory. In the preparation of the manual, various contents of the entire project are taken into consideration. In the accreditation of any forensic lab under ISO 17025, the lab should have reliable manual and other facilities to ensure its tests results are reliable. For this to be achieved, the various steps involved in laboratory testing must be clearly outlined in a well understandable manner to ensure that they do not raise any ambiguity. In UAE, there is no international or national stander for manual, which can be used in Digital Forensic Lab. This has necessitated the conduction of such researches. The manual include the process that the examiner should follow when he receives case: check the investigator need, document everything about the case, fill chain of the custody, resized the evidence, and store it, make verification of tools and software. In addition, it analyzes images for the original hard drive by using different software and checks the MD5,... The paper tells that each Digital Forensic Laboratory should have a manual that the examiner can use to be able to handle the digital evidence without causing damage or alteration to the original evidence so that Court cases are rejected based on provision of insufficient digital evidence. The entire process of preparing forensic evidence includes protection, recognition, extraction, understanding, and documentation for computer evidence. To make it a success, examinations in digital forensic need some method and technique to collect the information from the evidence, software, or tools for acquisition and analysis, and protection of the digital device that is used as evidence in a court of law. Lab should create manual for technical procedure, examination, and verification. This has brought forward the need for preparing of a standard manual for use by various forensic investigation laboratories. In the investigations, the original evidence availed should not be altered under any co nditions. This ensures that the evidence provided is able to hold in the proceedings of the cases. To many people, their perspective is that the examiner should carry out his examination using the evidence itself. Contrary to this, the examiner should work on the image not on the original evidence and should protect the original evidence while he is doing the image so the original is not damaged or altered. Therefore, guidelines should be established for the examiner to be able to know how to receive, process, document, and handle evidence and work products associated with the examination.

Answer questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Answer questions - Essay Example Value based pricing focuses on the usability and value a product adds to the life of the consumer. Rather than fixing prices with the intention of covering the cost incurred in production of a product, a company fixes the price depending on the value it adds to the consumer’s life. Value can be measured in terms of increased efficiency in conducting business activities, improvement in general standards of living and other qualitative measures. Examples of businesses that use this strategy include software companies and producers of medical products. Being a computer and electronics company that seeks to solve the computing needs of our clients, we use the value that the product adds to the lives of our clients to determine how much it is worth. The company also produces a number of personalized software products for its clients. This is a good strategy because rather than concentrating on the metrics in terms of cost of coming up with a product, the company is more concerned with the utility that a client derives from it. It makes no sense for a customer to pay for a product just to cover the cost of producing it while it adds no value to his/her life. Traditional approaches of penetrating the market favor charging a low price for a product when a business enterprise is initially entering into a market niche. Chances are high that there were previously existing businesses on the market before it came in and therefore, charging lower prices may capture the attention of the target market. Once it has established a reliable customer base and gained ground in the market, it should take advantage of strategies such as increasing prices or large-scale production to boost profits. This is effective in countering competition especially because of the seemingly low profits. Skimming on the other hand favors charging high prices for products as they are being introduced into the market. The main aim

Social Learning Theory Essay Example for Free

Social Learning Theory Essay Key Figures: Montgomery, Rotter and Bandura Key Concepts: Individuals learn through observing others’ behavior, attitudes, and effects of those behaviors. Explanation of Disorder Personality: overly aggressive individuals (i.e. serial killers) Validity: When individuals observe others engaging in certain behaviors, it does not necessarily mean that they are learning that behavior. People need a good reason to want to learn behaviors through observation. Comprehensiveness: Social learning theory derived from Montgomery’s proposal that social learning occurred in 4 stages: imitation, close contact, understanding of concepts and role model behavior Applicability: This theory is used in television and movie rating systems that in the United States. It informs parents on what their children are watching and the type of content in this medium. The rating system is based on age suitable material to assist parents in deciding if certain content is appropriate for children. It can also be applied through guided class participation seen in schools all across the United States as well as all over the world. Cultural Utility: Guided participation Trait Theory: Key Figures: Allport and Cattell Key Concepts of Personality Formation: The trait theory implies that people personalities are composed of wide temperaments. It focuses on the differences between individuals. Explanation of Disorder Personality: Traits alone do not necessarily determine psychopathologies such as antisocial behavior or bipolar disorder. There are other factors to consider. Validity: If a child is born with a trait for a certain personality characteristic such as shyness it does not necessarily mean they will be shy adults. It would also depend on things such as parental interactions, cultural encouragement and cognitive awareness. Comprehensiveness: In 1936 Allport categorized personality traits into three levels: 1) Cardinal traits, 2) Central Traits and 3) Secondary Traits Applicability: Cattell condensed the number of personality traits from Allports preliminary list of over four thousand down to one hundred seventy one. He then rated a large number of individuals for these one hundred seventy one different traits. Then he started using a factor analysis which is a statistical technique and ultimately reduced his list to 16. Cattell believed that these traits are the basis of all human’s personality. This is one of the most commonly used personality assessments. Cultural Utility: In certain cultures men and women are encouraged to express certain personality traits over others. For example in some cultures men are discouraged from showing vulnerability and encouraged to show more aggressiveness. Women are generally less encouraged to be aggressive.

Priestleys main aim in the Inspector calls Essay Example for Free

Priestleys main aim in the Inspector calls Essay The play An Inspector Calls was written by John Boynton Priestley in the year 1946. The strange thing about this book is that the play was set in the year 1912. I believe that there was a very good reason why this play was set in the year 1912, because the character Mr Birling says to his son and his future son in law dont worry about all of the war scares because they are all bluff and that there wont be any wars; where as us, as the audience, no that there will be future wars for them, because we have passed 2 wars. This is called dramatic irony, because us as the audience no something that the characters dont. The characters in this play dont know that there will be a war; where as us as the audience do, because the play was written after the 2 wars (world wars). From investigation of the Inspector Goole, there were 5 characters who where affected. The affections may have been guilt, sympathy from this girl Eva Smith dieing (most probably to do with emotions), or even from the hope of the whole story getting out to the newspapers. These characters are Mr Arthur Birling, Miss Sheila Birling, Mrs Sybil Birling, Mr Eric Birling, and Mr Gerald Croft. Mr Arthur Birling is a self made man whose priority is to make money, Its my duty to keep labour cost down. Birling is cunning in a way, for he has welcomed Gerald Croft whose dad is a very successful business man, and if he has the Crofts as his family, then he has more change in gaining money by joining the 2 different companies as 1, for he doesnt have to lower the costs of products to gain more customers than the croft company. Mr Birling always thinks for himself, for he doesnt care for Eva Smith, but just wants his Knighthood. The funny thing about Mr Birling is that he thinks the whole world evolves around money and that anyone would accept it and take a bribe, Look, Inspector Id give thousands. I believe that Mr Birling represents Priestleys hatred towards businessmen who are only interested in the money going up. At the start of the play Sheila is very pleased with life. Sheilas response to the tragedy of Eva Smiths death is very sad and she has learned from her behaviour. She is upset for the death of Eva Smiths death, and takes blame for her death. She is very distressed by the girls suicide and thinks that her fathers behaviour was also unacceptable. When Sheila finds out the death of Eva Smith, she says she never meant to harm her, and knows her behaviour was very bad. Not only is Sheila prepared to admit her faults, but she also appears to be keen and anxious to change her behaviour in the future, Ill never, never do it again. Sheila remains calm and mature about the breaking up of her engagement with Gerald. From the inspector hoax, I believe that Sheila has learned her responsibilities to others and the less fortunate than herself.

Carbon Nanotubes for Nano-particle Field Extraction Thruster

Carbon Nanotubes for Nano-particle Field Extraction Thruster Using carbon nanotubes as propellant for nano-particle field extraction thrusters Stefan Seuleanu Introduction Carbon nanotubes have been a research focus for more than two decades due to their unique physical properties and have been used so far in a variety of appli- cations. A possible application of carbon nanotubes is their use as propellant for an electric propulsion prototype, the nano-particle field extraction thruster (nanoFET). The nanoFET accelerates and ejects conductive particles in order to provide thrust1 . Its main advantage over other electric propulsion systems, such as ion or arcjet thrusters, is its variable specific impulse and thrust, while maintaining a high internal efficiency1 . Theoretically, the nanoFET propulsion system can be used for a large range of orbital and deep space exploration sit- uations, offering the possibility of decoupling the spacecraft design from the propulsion system4 . However, to date, nanoFETs have not been researched ex- tensively and much of the experimental work is still to be expected. This paper will investigate the possibility of using carbon nanotubes as nanoFET propel- lant by considering their relevant physical properties. By understanding how the nano-particle field extraction thruster works,this account also motivates the use of carbon nanotubes as propellant, despite their current high price. Properties and characteristics of CNTs Firstly, it is important to understand the relevant characteristics that make CNTs desirable for the nanoFET propulsion system. A carbon nanotube is a tubular/cylindrical structure that can be visualized as a wrapped sheet of graphene (one atom thick, two dimensional carbon based hexagonal lattice). Their size is typically a couple of nanometers in diameter and can span many micrometers in length. Carbon nanotubes can be single-walled (SWNTs) or multi-walled (MWNTs). These two characteristics will determine their aspect ratio (ratio between length and diameter), which is generally very high. As will be explained later on, the aspect ratio is a determinant factor that influences the nanoFET performance2,3 . The geometric structure of the nanotube determines its electrical properties. Based on the chiral vector (n,m), illustrated below, there are three main types of CNTs: zigzag, armchair and chiral. When n − m is a multiple of three, then the CNT is metallic, and semiconducting otherwise. Due to their geometry, armchair CNTs are always metallic, while the other types can be metallic only with the right choice of (n,m). Because there is no exact way to synthesize carbon nanotubes of only one geometry, as expected, generally one third of the synthesized CNTs are metallic and the rest are semiconducting 2,3 . Figure 1: CNT type depends on the chiral vector2 . Regarding the nanoFETs, the desired CNTs are the metallic type which implies the necessity for prior sorting before use. Moreover, the synthesized CNTs can contain geometrical †defects† that can be manipulated to improve the thruster’s performance3 . Due to the fact that the CNTs’ structure/geometry minimizes the collisions between conducting electrons, the resulting metallic tubes are highly conductive. Another characteristic is determined by the strong carbon bonds that allow high current to flow at low resistivity. This properties will become relevant when explaining the charging stage of the nanoFET 2,3 . The stages of a nanoFET The acceleration of a particle by a nanoFET can be divided into several stages. By assuming that the particles have been already sorted for the desired thrust, the first stage is the transportation of the particles to the charging pad. The transportation of the particles can be achieved either trough a dielectric fluid or through back pressure, hence the difference between wet nanoFETs and dry nanoFETs. For the purpose of this paper only the wet nanoFETs will be con- sidered, as the research done into dry nanoFETs has so far been minimal. The transportation liquid used for the proof-of-concept tests was silicon oil. After the particle is transported to the charging pad, the next stage is the charging process . Here the conductive particle is electrostatically charged to a desired level 5,6,8 . Figure 2: Single nanoFET emission channel cross section5 The next phase is the lift-off and extraction, which represents the application of an electric field, a potential bias between the electrode and the acceleration gates, such that the particle leaves the charging pad and moves upwards towards the liquid’s surface. At the surface, the particle must overcome the surface tension and get extracted from the liquid. After the extraction, the next stage is the acceleration of the particle trough several stacked gates. The gates have alternating insulating and conductive layers, each providing in theory an electric potential of 1000V, leading to a total of 10,000V potential that accelerates a particle to approximately 10km/s. The particle is finally ejected out of the nanoFET and thrust is produced5,6,7 . Particle behavior in nanoFETs In order to understand the behavior of the particle in a gravitational setting compared to a micro-gravitational setting, it is important to identify the forces that act on the particle at different stages in the nanoFET. The four main forces acting on a particle in a gravitational setting are the electrostatic force, the buoyant force, gravitational force and the drag force. As the cylindrical particle is transported to the charging pad, the liquid provides a horizontal inertial force. This horizontal inertial force is assumed to be low and therefore ignored in the calculations. After the nanoparticles are transported to the charging pad (electrode), they are electrostatically charged; thus contact with the electrode is necessary. If the contact is horizontal, along the length, then the charge of the particle is described by6 .: q0,cy−h = 2Ï€rlÃŽ µl El However if the contact is at either ends, so the particle is vertical on the electrode, the charge is the following6 .: l2 q0,cy−v = Ï€ ln( 2l ÃŽ µl El When the cylindrical particle is vertical on the charging pad, it gains more charge and it also requires less electric field to move upwards, as seen in the figure below6 . Figure 3: Vertically vs horizontal oriented particles a) ratio of acquired particle charge; b) ratio of required lift-off electric field6 In order to orient a particle from horizontal to vertical on the charging pad, an intense electric field focused only at one of the particle’s ends is applied. The fabrication defects that are usually present at the ends of CNTs may help to change the orientation of the particle on the electrode, requiring less electric field to create a moment that rotates the CNTs vertically. Additionally to the gravitational force, while still on the charging pad, the particle has to overcome the adhesion and electric image force in order to achieve vertical lift-off5,6 . After the particle leaves the charging pad, it has to move vertically trough the viscous liquid to the liquid surface. Therefore, the adhesion force and the electric image are no longer present; however the drag force now slows the particle’s movement. For a cylindrical particle the formula for the fluid drag used in the nanoFET calculations is given by6 : 2π µl lv D = ln( l ) + 0.193 While moving through the liquid, the particle loses charge as described by q(t) = q0 exp(− t ), where Ï„ = ÃŽ µl 5,6 . Because the particle moves fast through Ï„ ÏÆ'l the liquid, the charged loss is overall assumed to be negligible. Generally, the particle’s equation of motion is described by6 : dv (mp + K ml ) dt = q(t)El − D + Fbuoyant − W. The above equation also takes in account the added mass that is accelerated with the particle where K is a coefficient that depends on the geometry of the particle, while mp is the mass of the particle and ml is the mass of the liquid. In a laboratory gravitational environment the gravitational forces are minimal compared to the dominant drag and electrostatic forces. In a micro-gravitational environment the gravitational force and the buoyant force can be neglected5,6 . Performance and particle size For characterizing the performance of the nanoFET electric propulsion system, the space industry uses specific impulse and thrust-to-power ratio as indica- tors of performance. The specific impulse is the impulse delivered per unit of propellant consumed. In order to achieve a certain thrust, the systems that have higher specific impulse consume less propellant than the ones with lower specific impulse. For the nanoFET system the specific impulse increases as the charge-to-mass ratio of the particle increases. Thurst-to-power ratio describes the amount of thrust outputted for a specific power provided4,6 . 1 q 1 T 2 mp 1 Isp = 0 (2Vo p ) 2 ; = ( ) 2 P Vo q Moreover, the internal efficiency is given by4,6 : 1 T ÃŽ ·int = 2 g0 P Isp There are several factors that can influence the performance or the mode of operation of the nanoFET. First of all, the horizontal inertial force that the particle gains from the transportation liquid is assumed to be negligible. How- ever, this is not necessarily the case and further research needs to be conducted in order to determine its influence. Another important factor is the presence of Taylor cones and surface instability when a high electric field is present near the liquid’s surface. These cones can eject droplets and reduce the performance of the nanoFET. In order to mitigate the surface instability and the ejection of droplets, an experiment has been done to analyze how different particle shapes influence the minimum electric field needed for the extraction process. The ex- periment consists of various vacuum electric fields applied to spherical 800 µm and cylindrical 300 µm diameter and 1.5mm length aluminium particles with a total silicon oil fluid gap of 12 .7mm. As seen in the figure below, cylindrical particles can be extracted before the Taylor cones form5,6,7, . Figure 4: Taylor cone formation and particle extraction6 Furthermore, further study into the charge-to-mass ratio revealed that, for cylindrical particles, charge-to-mass ratio increases as aspect ratio increases. Therefore, at large aspect ratios, the needed extraction electric field decreases as seen in the following figure. For this reason increasing the aspect ratio of the particles increases in turn the Isp and the overall internal efficiency6 . A good candidate for further research are the CNTs due to their cylindrical Figure 5: Cylindrical particles’ vacuum extraction field simulations6 shape, high aspect ratio, good charge-to-mass ratio and fast charging. By choos- ing different CNT sizes to be used with variable gate potentials, the nanoFETs’ Isp range is theoretically very large compared to other electric propulsion sys- tem such as ion thrusters or hall thrusters. Similarly, the thrust-to-power varies greatly, which offers the flexibility of using the same propulsion system for mul- tiple missions or to perform unplanned trajectory changes at a low propellant expense. These are theoretically achieved while maintaining a high internal efficiency that is usually above 85%. For the following CNTs: nanoFET par- ticle1 16nm diameter, 3 µm length; nanoFET particle2 4nm diameter, 3 µm length; nanoFET particle3 1nm diameter, 3 µm length, the expected Isp and Thrust-to-Power ratio is illustrated4,5 . Figure 6: Thrust-to-power ratio for large specific impulse range4 Figure 7: Internal efficiency for large specific impulse range4 Discussion Apart from the large specific impulse range at high internal efficiency that pro- vides great flexibility to design a multitude of mission phases based on just one propulsion system and to accommodate for unforeseen scenarios, the nanoFETs have other important advantages over other electric propulsion system, such as potential longer operational lifetime, their geometric scalability and the fact that the system is highly integrated. The longer operational lifetime is due to the fact that the CNT particles or any other conductive particles are charged electro- statically and not ionized which eliminates the need for cathodes and eliminates charge exchange collisions that are the main lifetime reduction factors5,6 . However, there are still a multitude of challenges ahead until a fully functional prototype will be achieved. First of all, the experiments done so far that demon- strated particle transportation, charging and lift-off were conducted using mi- crometer size particles such a s Aluminum, Titanium and Indium. Although theoretically the CNTs can greatly increase the performance, no nano-size par- ticles have been experimentally used so far. Experimenting at the nanoscale might sometime reveal new problems that were not present at the micron level. Also, it is generally desirable that a quantitative experimental analysis is done in order to understand how a multitude of particles with different character- istics perform. In this way it could be determined what particle shows the most promise, although CNTs have a strong theoretical advantage mainly due to their charge-to-mass ratio. Another important factor to investigate is how the charging process changes as the size of the particle decreases to the several nanometers; the main concerns being conductivity and the contact area with the electrode. Furthermore, an investigation should also be conducted regard- ing the transportation liquid. So far, it is uncertain if a fully dielectric liquid is always desired over a slightly conductive liquid. Moreover, different liquids should be tested in order to experimentally understand how the viscosity of the liquid influences the space charge current5,6,7,8 . Finally, from an academic point of view it would be desirable that both the theoretical and experimental papers are published in a peer-reviewed journal. Conclusion Overall, the nanoFET propulsion system shows great promise due to its high specific impulse range and inherent scalability. Although it is a new concept, the most important processes such as particle transportation and charging have been already demonstrated. However, there are still a multitude of experiments that need to be conducted in order to fully understand the behavior of the system under a wide range of factors. Another interesting prospect for the nanoFET technology is their possible use , not only in the space industry, but also in medicine. The nanoFET technology can also be used to accelerate particles and inject them through cellular walls to deliver drugs. For these reasons, the nanoFET technology is an exciting and potentially rewarding research subject. References 1. Gohardani O, Elola CM, Elizetxea C. Potential and prospective imple- mentation of carbon nanotubes on next generation aircraft and space vehicles: A review of current and expected applications in aerospace sciences. July 2014. Elsevier. Progress in Aerospace Sciences 70 (2014): 42-68, ISSN 0376-0421, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.paerosci.2014.05.002. 2. Loiseau A, Launois P, Petit P, Roche S, Salvetat JP. Understanding Car- bon Nanotubes. 2006. Springer. ISBN-I3-978-3-540-26922-9. 3. Dresselhaus MS, Dresselhaus G, Avouris P. Carbon Nanotubes: Synthesis, Structure, Properties, and Applications. 2001. Springer. ISBN 3-540-41086-4. 4. Liu TM, Musinski LD, et al. Nanoparticle Electric Propulsion for Space Exploration. 2007. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Re- trieved from: http://pepl.engin.umich.edu/pdf/STAIF2 007.pdf on1stof J une2015. 5. Liu TM, Musinski LD, et al. Nanoparticle Electric Propulsion: Experi- mental Results. 2007. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Retrieved from: http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/76874/AIAA-2006-4803- 539.pdf ?sequence=1 on 1st of June 2015. 6. Liu TM, Musinski LD, et al. Theoretical Aspects of Nanoparticle Electric Propulsion. 2006. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.Retrieved from: http://pepl.engin.umich.edu/pdf/AIAA-2006-4335.pdf on on 1st of June 2015. 7. Liu TM, Musinski LD, et al. Developmental Progress of the Nanopar- ticle Field Extraction Thruster. 2008.American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Retrieved from: http://www.umich.edu/ peplweb/pdf/AIAA- 2008-5096.pdf on 1st of June 2015. 8. Liu TM, Musinski L, Gilchrist B, Gallimore A. Electrostatic charging of micro- and nano-particles for use with highly energetic applications. 2008. Elsevier. Journal of Electrostatics. doi:10.1016/j.elstat.2008.11.001

Hemingway and Symbolism Essay -- essays papers

Hemingway and Symbolism Ernest Hemingway and Symbolism Ernest Miller Hemingway is a well-known American author who wrote in the twentieth century. He has written several novels such as, A Farewell to Arms, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and The Old Man and the Sea. The Sun Also Rises was finished on April1, 1926 and was published in October of 1926. The Sun Also Rises was Hemingway's expression of his own life. He had changed the names of his friends and some of the details, but the real identities of the characters were obvious to anyone in Paris. The Sun Also Rises encapsulates the angst of the post-World War I generation, know as the Lost Generation. This poignantly beautiful story of a group of American and English expatriates on a sojourn from Paris to Pamplona represents a dramatic step forward for Hemingway's evolving style. Featuring Left Bank Paris in the 1920's and brutally realistic descriptions of bullfighting in Spain, the story is about the flamboyant Lady Brett Ashley and the hapless Jake Barnes. Ernest Miller Hemingway is an American author who has penned several novels and short stories; one of his works is The Sun Also Rises. Hemingway was born on July 21, 1899 in Oak Park, Illinois. Hemingway was raised with the conservative Midwestern values of strong religion, hard work, physical fitness and self determination; if one adhered to these parameters, he was taught, he would be ensured of success in whatever field he chose . As a boy, he was taught by his father to hunt and fish. When he wasn't hunting or fishing his mother taught him the finer points of music. Hemingway never had a knack for music and suffered through choir practices and cello lessons, however the musical knowledge he acquired from his mo... ...ause the baby will ruin both of their lives. Next is the character of the woman who shows contrast, and supports the qualities of â€Å"the girl†. She is called â€Å"the woman† because she is older, and the reader is to assume, wiser, and experienced. The â€Å"girl† talks about â€Å"having a fine time† and â€Å"trying new drinks† which shows that she is still young, living a life of ease, experiencing a lot of things, where as the woman brings these â€Å"new drinks† to the girl. This displays the woman as mature, older, and experienced because she is working instead of â€Å"trying new drinks†, and â€Å"having a fine time.† She is no longer yound leisurely trying new drinks, she is working trying to earn a living. She is an indirect supportive device of the theme in that she the opposite image of what the girl is. The woman further defines the symbolic qualities of the girl, in other words.

Teaching: A Priceless Profession Essay -- Teachers Education Essays

Teaching: A Priceless Profession What if there was a career that not only inspired people to be lawyers and brain surgeons, but was also responsible for motivating the average fast food employee to take just as much pride and initiative in their work? Although most people underestimate the profound role that educators play in today’s society, teachers have a tremendous responsibility. They have the opportunity to not only challenge their students intellectually, but they can teach them how to gear what they have learned toward positive goals and how to use their knowledge for good. As a potential educator, it is my hope I can provide a stronger educational background for my students, but more importantly, they will leave my classroom with a strong sense of who they are. I hope to teach them to have compassion and a regard for others. My goal is to help students understand that it does not matter what occupation they end up pursuing. All that matters is that they do their job to the best of their ability. Although a certain career may not pay as much as another, in many other ways, it can be just as rewarding. I want my students to understand that even though they may be labeled as unimportant by other people, they can still accomplish great things. I have found these principles to be very true after watching the life of my grandfather. He was not a doctor or a great business man, instead, he was a coal miner. In all of the movies, West Virginia’s coal miners are portrayed as leading uneducated and unhappy lifestyles. My grandpa proved that this certainly was not the case. He was one of the smartest men I have ever known and although his job may not have appeared to be of any great importance, he proved that he could acc... ... from experience and the teacher is only a guide or a supervisor of their learning. I prefer progressivism over any other philosophy because education should be geared more towards the needs and interests of the students. My overall teaching philosophy is to be a good role model for the students, to teach them that everybody is unique, and that they are all of equal importance. Teaching may not be the best paying profession, but I feel that if do my best, I can achieve great things. It does not matter how much the salary will be. What matters the most is that teaching can be an everyday adventure and it is extremely rewarding to know that you have made such an impact on someone else. As an educator, I hope to not only prepare students to move on to the next level, but to teach them values and principles that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.

The Environmental Impact of Water Reservoirs Essay -- Environmental Im

[A water reservoir is a human-made lake that is created when a river is dammed to serve one or more purposes, such as to generate hydropower production, provide a water supply for drinking, irrigation, and flood protection] (www.eea.europa.eu). The effects of water reservoirs on the environment have stirred controversy since their introduction. Though water reservoirs can create many sought out improvements for a society it can detrimentally impact natural habitats and spawn a number of environmental complications. The debate on whether water reservoirs are truly beneficial or harmful towards human populations is ongoing as new projects like the Three Gorges in China are concluded. In the following essay I will be giving a critical review on the various negatives that arise from the creation of a water reservoir. The creation of a water reservoir will have a significant impact on the natural habitats that existed prior to its building. The surroundings around the damn will be inundated and reclaimed as part of the newly created water reservoir. The runoff of the initial filling of the reservoir will cause the existing plant life to die and decompose. For the first years stabilization will take place where the rotting plant life releases an abundance of carbon back into the atmosphere. Further on, the decomposing of plant material that settles at the bottom of the reservoir will produce and release large amounts of methane. A weakness to the argument that a water reservoir is green-friendly. Not only does local plant life and animal life suffer from this loss of land, the river itself is affected through vaporization. A water reservoir creates a greater surface area by which more water is evaporated and depleted from the ... ...an produce a pollution factor comparable to that of an oil driven power plant. Works Cited http://dams.org/http www.newscientist.com/article/dn7046 http://www.cdc.gov/hab/cyanobacteria/facts.htm http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/HAC/pha/DonnaReservoir/DonnaReservoirPublicCommentPHA06302010.pdf http://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/water/european-waters/reservoirs-and-dams http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn7046 http://www.internationalrivers.org/en/node/1636 http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:Jkl8Z9b7mFYJ:rdgs.dk/djg/pdfs/103/1/09.pdf+flood+recession+cropping+reservoir&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjo6QDhkvxWgGiBUo92nXL0IwSNtOE_8trCQT_BL5cyXA07KOy-lWH0oV1GNfDtvFH8eYFSww2TwOR2S-ExPDaiUAwpjnLrp1BR00lZKejjXiVrCo8Ee4i9yo9OLSWjFISQ0gGz&sig=AHIEtbRopK9vzHwGeWcwyFlZ-WIkBylIvA (Flood-recession cropping) http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/schistosomiasis/disease.html The Environmental Impact of Water Reservoirs Essay -- Environmental Im [A water reservoir is a human-made lake that is created when a river is dammed to serve one or more purposes, such as to generate hydropower production, provide a water supply for drinking, irrigation, and flood protection] (www.eea.europa.eu). The effects of water reservoirs on the environment have stirred controversy since their introduction. Though water reservoirs can create many sought out improvements for a society it can detrimentally impact natural habitats and spawn a number of environmental complications. The debate on whether water reservoirs are truly beneficial or harmful towards human populations is ongoing as new projects like the Three Gorges in China are concluded. In the following essay I will be giving a critical review on the various negatives that arise from the creation of a water reservoir. The creation of a water reservoir will have a significant impact on the natural habitats that existed prior to its building. The surroundings around the damn will be inundated and reclaimed as part of the newly created water reservoir. The runoff of the initial filling of the reservoir will cause the existing plant life to die and decompose. For the first years stabilization will take place where the rotting plant life releases an abundance of carbon back into the atmosphere. Further on, the decomposing of plant material that settles at the bottom of the reservoir will produce and release large amounts of methane. A weakness to the argument that a water reservoir is green-friendly. Not only does local plant life and animal life suffer from this loss of land, the river itself is affected through vaporization. A water reservoir creates a greater surface area by which more water is evaporated and depleted from the ... ...an produce a pollution factor comparable to that of an oil driven power plant. Works Cited http://dams.org/http www.newscientist.com/article/dn7046 http://www.cdc.gov/hab/cyanobacteria/facts.htm http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/HAC/pha/DonnaReservoir/DonnaReservoirPublicCommentPHA06302010.pdf http://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/water/european-waters/reservoirs-and-dams http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn7046 http://www.internationalrivers.org/en/node/1636 http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:Jkl8Z9b7mFYJ:rdgs.dk/djg/pdfs/103/1/09.pdf+flood+recession+cropping+reservoir&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjo6QDhkvxWgGiBUo92nXL0IwSNtOE_8trCQT_BL5cyXA07KOy-lWH0oV1GNfDtvFH8eYFSww2TwOR2S-ExPDaiUAwpjnLrp1BR00lZKejjXiVrCo8Ee4i9yo9OLSWjFISQ0gGz&sig=AHIEtbRopK9vzHwGeWcwyFlZ-WIkBylIvA (Flood-recession cropping) http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/schistosomiasis/disease.html

Problems and Prospects of MIS in Bangladesh Essay

Dear Sir, I would like to thank you for assigning us this subject to prepare the report. This task has given me the opportunity to explore one of the most important aspects of the MIS field which is its use in the SME activities. The topic of our assignment is â€Å"Problems and Prospects of MIS in Bangladesh† which contains a comprehensive study on the small and medium enterprise activities in BRAC Bank, Dhaka Bank and Mercantile Bank Limited. It was a great pleasure for me to work on the above-mentioned subject. I tried my best to put meticulous effort for the preparation of this assignment. Any shortcomings or flaw may arise as I am very much novice in this aspect. I would be grateful if you consider those from excusable manner. I will wholeheartedly welcome any clarification and suggestion about any view and conception disseminated in my assignment. Sincerely yours, Acknowledgement All praises to almighty Allah who has created us and has given us opportunities and strength to work with people. This report might never have been completed without the necessary practical knowledge, assistance of many books, articles, websites, and primary data. It enhanced our knowledge on SME activities of different banks as well as the problems of implementing MIS in those banks. Thanks to all those persons, who have assisted me, providing me co-operation, books and articles. I would like to express my special gratitude to our Sir, Rahimullah Miah for his supervision, co-operation and advises. The members of BRAC Bank, Dhaka Bank and Mercantile Bank management were very co-operative and helpful. They helped me through providing various data, guidance and direction. I am also grateful to all other employees of SME Reconciliation Department for their support and assistance. I would like to express my gratitude to all the people that were involved both directly and indirectly in the preparation of this report. I apologize to the people whose names that I have not mentioned, and their contribution is highly appreciated by me. Objectives of the study: The broad objective of this study includes the following: * To have a clear understanding about the concept of SME (Small & Medium Enterprises) * To know how SMEs work and operate in Bangladesh * To highlight the use and implementation of MIS (Management Information Systems) in the field of SME * To know and compare how different banks operate SME banking operation around the country though their extensive networks * To articulate major problems and challenges for implementing MIS in the SME sector Limitations of the study: The study has suffered from a number of limitations – * Limited time is a big constraint for this research. The topic of this report is vast in compared to the given time * More relevant data and information could not be collected due to non-availability of sufficient books and journals. Information in websites of banks is also insufficient. * Current and detail information about various SME sectors could not be found * Data from different banks is highly confidential for the outside people and access to software is not provided * Being females, we found many difficulties to gather necessary data and to prepare this report Methodology: Methodology is the process or system through which a study is being carried out for the purpose of collection of information that is required for reaching a conclusion on that study. In our study, information has been collected by using multiple tools. Much necessary information has been collected by from the personal observation and one to one discussion with the relevant officials. A questionnaire was designed to collect information on the use of SME loans, access to SME credit facilities and revenue-expenditure of the enterprises. Focus Group Discussions (FGD) were used to get a broader view of the business environment for SMEs, their major drawbacks, labor market mechanisms, demand for other complimentary services, the strengths and weaknesses of SME services of different banks and a comparison with other players providing similar services. Complimentary information on indirect employment generation, governance problems and the costs of operation for SMEs was put together from in dividual case studies conducted at the branch offices of different banks that offer only SME credit services. Three practical banks, named BRAC Bank, Dhaka Bank and Mercantile Bank Ltd were selected as sample banks purposively considering the amount of loan size, interest rate, loan processing fees, period of loans, mode of finance and management. Policies relating to SME financing such as fiscal policy, monetary policy and internal policies of these banks were examined thoroughly with a view to find out the influence of existing policies on SME financing. Trend and pattern of bank financing to SME was analyzed by classifying the financing in terms of areas, rate of interest, types, category, and banks. The total methodology of the report is shown below for better clarity and easier understanding through flowchart construction. Figure 1: The Flow chart construction Primary data collection: Primary data of this assignment has been collected from: Branch Manager & Second Officer of different banks. Face to face conversation with SME department employees and staffs of different banks. Face to face conversation with clients of SME loans. Secondary data collection: Secondary data of this assignment has been collected from: Annual Reports and published financial statements of BRAC Bank, Standard Chartered Bank and Shahjalal Islamic Bank Limited. Various prescribed forms of bank investment in SME Different Research Paper regarding SMEs, Different Publications on SMEs of different banks Different text books, brochures, leaflets, files, research papers & materials. Official website of the three banks Data Analysis: The whole report is being prepared with the help of different computer applications such as MS Word, MS Excel, MS Access and MS PowerPoint. Data Compilation: The data required for this study were collected from both primary and secondary sources; however, majority of the information was collected from secondary sources. These two methods are discussed below- Chapter One 1.1 Introduction: Today it is widely recognized that information systems knowledge is essential for managers as most organizations need information systems to survive and prosper. An information system has many applications, MIS is one of them. Management information systems (MIS) is a specific category of information system that provides the required information to the management on a regular basis. It can be defined as collecting and processing of raw data into useful information and its dissemination to the user in the required format. In fact a full MIS includes all the systems that are designed to furnish management with information to assist in making decisions and to manage organizations efficiently and effectively. Today, the term MIS is used broadly in a number of contexts and includes decision support systems, resource and people management applications, enterprise resource planning (ERP), enterprise performance management (EPM), supply chain management (SCM), customer relationship managemen t (CRM), project management and database retrieval applications. In Bangladesh, the use of MIS in different organizations can be evidently found. However we will give our special focus on the small and medium enterprises. First of all, we need to know what is meant by an SME. An SME is defined as, â€Å"A firm managed in a personalized way by its owners or partners, which has only a small share of its market and is not sufficiently large to have access to the stock exchange for raising capital†. SMEs ordinarily have few accesses to formal channels of finance and depend  primarily upon savings of their owners, their families & friends. Consequently, most SMEs are sole proprietorships & partnerships. SMEs can be defined against various criteria. The three parameters that are generally applied by the Government of Bangladesh to define SMEs are: Capital investment in plant and machinery ï€  Number of workers employed ï€  Volume of production or turnover of business Again, according to the industrial Policy 1999 (IP- 1999), â€Å"Small Industries† are defined as industrial enterprises employing less than 50 workers and/or having a fixed capital investment of less than Tk.100 million. â€Å"Medium industry† covers enterprises employing between 50 and 99 workers and/or having a fixed capital investment between Tk. 100 and 300 million. â€Å"Cottage Industry† covers household-based industrial units operated mainly with family labour Role of SMEs in Bangladesh: SMEs are recognized as engines of economic growth and employment generation for sustainable industrialization in both developed and developing countries of the world. In context of Bangladesh, there is no alternative of small and medium enterprises for rapid industrialization and national economic growth through lower capital investment and employment generation. The commonly perceived merits often emphasized for their promotion especially in a developing country like Bangladesh include their relatively high labour intensity, dependence on indigenous skills and technology, contributions to entrepreneurship development and innovativeness and growth of industrial linkages. The case for fostering SME growth in Bangladesh is irrefutable as these industries offer bright prospects for creating large-scale employment and income earning opportunities at relatively low cost for the un-and unemployed especially in the rural areas strengthening the efforts towards achieving high and sustained economic growth which are critically important  prerequisites for triggering an exit from endemic poverty and socio-economic deprivation. SMEs in the economy of Bangladesh: In Bangladesh about 90% of the manufacturing and service industries are fallen under SMEs category. SMEs account for about 45% of manufacturing value addition in Bangladesh. They account for about 80% of industrial employment, about 90% of total industrial units and about 25% of total labour force. Its total contribution to export earnings varies from 75- 80% based on the Economic Census 2001-2003 (The New Nation, 2008). According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, SME’s provide about 44 percent employment of the country. It contributes Tk 14,940 crore (149.40 billion) to the GDP during the fiscal year 2006-07. In another statistics we find that the total number of SMEs is estimated at 79754 establishments, of which 93.6% are small and 6.4% are medium. The 2003 Private Sector Survey estimated that about 6 million micro, small, and medium enterprises defined as enterprises with fewer than 100 employees, contributed around 20-25% of GDP (The New Nation, 2008). On the above statistics it is evident that the small business enterprises are very strong in terms of the number and their contributions, thus the overall development of Bangladesh’s SMEs are depending largely on the development of small scale enterprises. Higher growth of the SMEs can help eradicate poverty to a satisfactory level by removing various prejudices against labor intensive approach and creating jobs for the skilled manpower. Uses of MIS in SME: MIS can offer small and medium businesses a number of advantages. Today, leading companies and organizations are using information technology as a competitive tool to develop new products and services, forge new relationships with suppliers, edge out competitors, and radically change their internal operations and organizations. For example, using MIS strategically can help a company to become a market innovator. By providing  a unique product or service to meet the needs of customers, a company can raise the cost of market entry for potential competitors and thus gain a competitive advantage. Another strategic use of MIS involves forging electronic linkages to customers and suppliers. This can help companies to lock in business and increase switching costs. Finally, it is possible to use MIS to change the overall basis of competition in an industry. For example, in an industry characterized by price wars, a business with a new means of processing customer data may be able to create unique product features that change the basis of competition to differentiation. The successful MIS supports a business’s long range plans, providing reports based upon performance analysis in areas critical to those plans, with feedback loops that allow for titivation of every aspect of the enterprise, including recruitment and training regimens. MIS not only indicate how things are going, but why and where performance is failing to meet the plan. These reports include near-real-time performance of cost centers and projects with detail sufficient for individual accountability. Although SMEs have the potentials, at the rapidly increasing age of internet, to utilize the newly emerged technology dependent communication and information mediums, in acquiring their competitiveness, the slow rate of adoption is evident. Great opportunities can be cre ated in the SME sector through the operation and usage of different connected technologies, such as computer, internet and other information and communication technologies. In Bangladesh, the development of effective Management Information Systems holds a number of challenges for small and medium businesses. It is not exercised in these businesses although the technology is existent and the Government of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh has declared the information and communication technology as one of the thirst sectors of the country and taken diversified initiatives to motivate different enterprises to be connected and start operation of the technology. The newly elected government of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh has declared their mission to develop the digital Bangladesh by 2021. On the abovementioned context it is evident that small businesses of our country are slow to apply technology to improve their competitiveness as they are affected by their sheer small size and limited resources Problems of implementing MIS in the SME sector: In a developing country like Bangladesh, building, operating, and maintaining appropriate Management information systems are challenging for a number of reasons. For example, some information cannot be captured and put into a system. Computers often cannot be programmed to take into account competitor responses to marketing tactics or changes in economic conditions, among other things. In addition, the value of information erodes over time, and rapid changes in technology can make systems become obsolete very quickly. Finally, many companies find systems development to be problematic because the services of skilled programmers are at a premium. However, considering the situation of our country, we can summarize these problems in the following points: 1) It is not easy to use workable information systems in the small and medium enterprises and to keep the flow of information system in the right way 2) The body of knowledge in MIS is relatively recent and scarce. Many of the terms used in MIS environments are unpractical, imprecise and controversial. 3) MIS problems often are not easy to define or structure 4) MIS implementation and installation can be very expensive for small size companies looking to manage their operations more effectively. 5) Properly trained employees are a critical part of an MIS. New employee hiring or employee training related to the MIS function adds to the implementation costs. 6) The online services of MIS are absent in the small and medium enterprises. For example, there is no scope for transferring accounts online or through ATM booth. 7) A lack of rapport often exists between MIS personnel and management and also between MIS personnel and users of an organization 8) Once an MIS is created and installed in a company, it may prove to be an inflexible system. Making changes quickly to reflect fluctuating business operations may not be possible depending on the MIS style and functionality. 9) Major business changes will require major changes to the MIS, leading to increased costs and downtime of information reporting. 10) The biggest flaw an MIS can have is pulling incorrect or inadequate information for management. This problem results in wasted time and money for the small and medium enterprises. SME in banking: Most SME ventures in Bangladesh depend on personal savings, family or other informal credit sources. In recognition of this failure of the financial market, attempts have recently been made to cater to it. Financial and development assistance designed specially for small and medium enterprises in Bangladesh is a new and upcoming trend. After the surge of micro-finance in the last two decades, small and medium enterprises have come to the limelight in the financial sector on account of their contribution to economy and yet limited access to finance. It was not until 2010 that the government and policymakers recognized the importance of providing extensive credit facilities to small and medium sector entrepreneurs to promote various initiatives, especially start-up enterprises as well as ones looking to scale up. The banks and other financial institutions, however, have been providing loans to such enterprises for long, though not in the nomenclature of SME Financing. Both micro-financ e institutions and banks are beginning to realize the potential of this market and designing new financial products for it. Now a days the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Financing has become an important area for Commercial Banks in Bangladesh. To align its corporate policy with the regulation of Central Bank, banks have become more concerned about SME and opened windows to conduct business in this particular area. Today, almost all banks and non-bank financial institutions (NBFI) in the country are providing loans to the sector, under different governmental schemes as well as through their own product portfolios. Some specialized financial organizations such as Basic Bank are also providing financial services to the SME sector. Since this segment of the market is relatively underserved, a number of formal financial institutions (e.g. Exim Bank, Islami Bank, NCC Bank) are gradually scaling down and designing financial products for them. In the financial sector reform program of Government of Bangladesh, increased financing for SMEs by banks is a major component. Bangladesh Bank, the national bank, has introduced $16 million  refinancing scheme to promote lending to SMEs by banks and financial institutions. In January 2005 , the bank had agreement with six banks and eight financial institutions and about 2,000 SMEs have benefited from the scheme upto the end of January (Bangladesh Bank). ‘Small and Medium Enterprise Sector Development Programme’, a $30 million project of Government of Bangladesh and ADB, is also in progress. However, these initiatives are still quite inadequate. Moreover, being an overlooked market for long, there is lack of knowledge about the clients and their needs reflecting in absence of appropriate lending methodology. Chapter Two Literature review: * In Bangladesh about 90% of the manufacturing and service industries are fallen under SMEs category. SMEs account for about 45% of manufacturing value addition in Bangladesh. They account for about 80% of industrial employment, about 90% of total industrial units and about 25% of total labour force. Its total contribution to export earnings varies from 75- 80% based on the Economic Census 2001-2003. (The New Nation, 2008). * According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, SME’s provide about 44 percent employment of the country. It contributes Tk 14,940 crore (149.40 billion) to the GDP during the fiscal year 2006-07. In another statistics we find that the total number of SMEs is estimated at 79754 establishments, of which 93.6% are small and 6.4% are medium. The 2003 Private Sector Survey estimated that about 6 million micro, small, and medium enterprises defined as enterprises with fewer than 100 employees, contributed around 20-25% of GDP – (The New Nation, 2008). * Today, the term MIS is used broadly in a number of contexts and includes decision support systems, resource and people management applications, enterprise resource planning (ERP), enterprise performance management (EPM), supply chain management (SCM), customer relationship management (CRM), project management and database retrieval applications. –Kenneth C. Laudon & Jane P. Laudon. Now in this part, we will discuss about the SME services of three different banks that operate within our country. 1) BRAC Bank: BRAC Bank, being the youngest bank, took a step to break away from usual tradition and tapped into the true suburb entrepreneurial initiatives. Today, with over 14,500 crores of loans disbursed till date, BRAC Bank is country’s largest SME financier that has made more than 320,000 dreams come true. SME Products of BRAC Bank: Name of Bank Product Loan size BRAC Bank Prapti account Any institution can open this account in the name of the Institution Opening balance only BDT. 10,000.00 & BDT. 5000 Anonno Rin From BDT 3 lac to BDT 9.5 lac Prothoma Rin From minimum BDT 3 lac up to maximum of BDT 9.5 lac Digoon Rin Minimum of 5 lac to maximum of 30 lac BDT Apurbo Rin Starting from BDT 8 lac to maximum of BDT 30 lac Pathshala Rin Minimum BDT 3 lac to maximum BDT 30 lac Aroggo Rin Minimum of 3 lac to maximum of 30 lac Anonno Rin: This is a small scale loan designed to finance small scale trading, manufacturing and service ventures, especially to aid the purchase of fixed assets and to finance working capital. Eligibility Entrepreneurs aged between 18 to 60 years Entrepreneurs with minimum 2 years experience in the same line of business A business which must be a going-concern with more than 1 year in operation Maximum Amount From minimum BDT 3 lac up to maximum of BDT 8 lac Features Loan without mortgage For excellent borrowers who have paid or paying in due times, we offer discounted rates Quick, quality banking throughout the country Potential women entrepreneurs will also get the facilities of this loan Apurbo Rin: In order to help our SME borrowers for financing working capital or to purchase fixed assets, BRAC Bank offers APURBO. It caters to the need of entrepreneurs who are operating in trading, manufacturing, service, agriculture, non-farm activities, agro- based industries and other sectors of our economy. Eligibility Entrepreneurs having a minimum of 3 years of some business activities A business which must be a going concern for 3 years Age minimum 25 years and maximum up to 60 years Maximum Amount Starting from BDT 8 lac to maximum of BDT 30 lac Features Without mortgage loan below 10 lac Simple loan processing for expanding your business Quick disbursement Disbursement in one or two installment Flexible monthly repayment loan Pathshala Rin: This is a loan designed to meet the needs of small and medium sized private educational institutions, such as kindergartens, schools and colleges etc. Eligibility A small & medium educational institute that is in operation for minimum 3 years The institution should be sole proprietorship, partnership, private limited company or society The educational institute must be a profit making concern Maximum Amount Minimum BDT 3 lac to maximum BDT 30 lac Features Without mortgage for loan below 10 lac Laon for fixed assets purchase & civil construction Loan repayment can be spread up to 4 years Minimum documentation Monthly repayment loan Quick disbursement Flexible interest rate based on security Aroggo Rin: This loan is suitable for private clinics, diagnostics centers and doctors’ chambers to purchase fixed assets under equated monthly installments. Eligibility Institutions with at least 2 years in operation & profit making concern Doctors having 5 years of experience Maximum Amount Minimum of 3 lac to maximum of 30 lac Features Loan without mortgage up to 8 lac Easy loan processing Loan repayment schedule is spread up to 3 years 1% loan processing fee Flexible interest rate based on security Digoon Rin: It is a loan facility for Small and Medium enterprise. This product’s main objective is to help various Small and Medium entrepreneurs to meet their short-study cash flow shortages or bridge the fund-flow gaps. Eligibility Entrepreneur having minimum 2 years of business activities he business which must be going concern for 2 years Aged between 18 years to 55 years Maximum Amount Minimum of 5 lac to maximum of 30 lac BDT Features Double amount of loan on your deposit Attractive return against the deposit Flexible repayment plan monthly installment and single installments Quick disbursement Highlights of SME Banking Division of BRAC Bank Number of Unit offices 429 Number of Staff 2,104 No of Loan disbursed (cumulative) 202,101 Cumulative Disbursement (in million BDT) 84,170.31 No. of outstanding Account 120,685 Portfolio in amount (in million BDT) 32,996.18 Amount of Deposit (in million BDT) 3,352.6 No of SME Sales & service Center 30 Sector wise Distribution of SMEs 2) Dhaka Bank Ltd: Since inception, the Dhaka Bank has held socio-economic development in high esteem and was among the first to recognize the potentials of SMEs. Dhaka Bank’s Involvement: Recognizing the SME segment’s value additions and employment generation capabilities quite early, the Bank has pioneered SME financing in Bangladesh in 2003, focusing on stimulating the manufacturing sector and actively promoting trading and service businesses. Story of a successful Branch in SME Financing: The Bank started branch operations at Belkuchi Sirajgonj in April 2003. Prior to the Bank’s intervention, the weaving community did not have the financial strength to stock their products till â€Å"Eid ul Fitr† when the annual sale takes place. Traders were taking advantage to the situation by buying up entire productions at low prices and liquidating stocks just before â€Å"Eid†. With financial services from Dhaka Bank Limited, the weavers have converted to power looms, significantly increased profitability and reduced the involvement of middlemen. The bank is now working on institutionalizing the learnings and applying them in other areas across Bangladesh, particularly in textiles, light engineering and other manufacturing clusters. Already it has identified several clusters and is working on improving access to finance within these clusters. Experience & Learnings A problem behind the lower end of the SME sector of Dhaka Bank is that it is unable to fully understand its needs. Even if these needs are understood, they are seldom met with the right product mix. Small business owners are unable to provide banks with required information of the right type and quality. This has created a gap between the borrower and the banks and has served to limit the outreach of SME financial products. In order to overcome this obstacle, Dhaka Bank SME Unit provides comprehensive support to prospective clients in evaluating their business and preparing the required documents in acceptable formats. In this regard, the Dhaka Bank SME Unit has been working in close collaboration with the USAID, the South Asia Enterprise Development Facility (SEDF) an International Finance Corporation (IFC) managed multidonor facility and the World Bank. The bank has recently been provided technical assistance by the World Bank and is also working with other development agencies and donors for continuous improvements in the products and services it offers. SME Transactions of Dhaka Bank: Product Cash Credit Eligibility All SME businesses where the key personnel have 2 years experience in the line of business. Satisfactory credit report Method of Appraisal The clients business experience, expertise, business volumes and monthly cash flow are used in the assessment process. Margins (indicative) The quality of receivables would be of importance in fixing margins up to which working capital is made available. Tenor Maximum 12 months (renewable) Pricing Risk based pricing strategy, in line with the market rates. Security Primary: †¢ Charge on the inventory and receivables. †¢ Charge on other current assets †¢ Personal guarantee of proprietor /partners/ directors. †¢ Charge on fixed assets. Secondary: †¢ Collateral security on a case-to-case basis. Interest Fixed Rate, typically for 12 months. Review Facility terms & pricing are both reviewed at least annually Processing fee Processing fee of 1% is generally charged on small loans. Actual fee charged is determined on a case-to-case basis. 3) Mercantile Bank Ltd : Mercantile Bank Limited provides Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) loan facilities to experienced and inexperienced entrepreneurs located in the urban and sub-urban areas to encourage new and educated young entrepreneurs to undertake productive ventures, to assist them to take part in the economic activities. A special credit scheme under the name and style â€Å"Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Scheme† has been introduced to extend credit facilities to the small and medium entrepreneurs of the country. It’s SME products are: CHAKA (Term Loan). ANANYA (Women Entrepreneur’s Loan). CHALTI MULDHAN (Continuous Loan). SINGLE PAYMENT LOAN (Short Term Seasonal Loan) Subject SME Products CHAKA ANANYA CHALTI MULDHAN SINGLE PAYMENT LOAN Size Tk 0.50 -50.00 lac for SE Tk 0.50 -50.00 lac for SE Tk 0.50 -50.00 lac for SE Tk 0.50 -50.00 lac for SE & ME Tk 0.50 -500.00 lac for ME Tk 0.50 -500.00 lac for ME Segment SE & ME SE SE & ME SE & ME Tenure 1 – 5 years 1 – 5 years 1 year Maximum 9 months Grace period Maximum 6 months Maximum 6 months for term loan Nil N/A Interest rate 13%-15% p.a applicable as per mode of financing. 10% p.a 13% p.a 15% p.a Penal interest 1 % higher on overdue amount 1 % higher over the usual rate on overdue amount. 2 % higher on overdue amount. 1 % higher on overdue amount. Repayment EMI or at lum sum on or before expiry as applicable EMI or at lum sum on or before expiry as applicable At lum sum on or before expiry At lum sum on or before expiry Security PG, Cheques plus others as applicable PG, Cheques plus others as applicable PG, Cheques plus others as applicable PG, Cheques plus others as applicable Ù ­SME = Small & Medium Enterprise Ù ­SE=Small Enterprise Ù ­ME=Medium Enterprise Ù ­EMI=Equal Monthly Installment Ù ­ PG = Personal Guarantee Repayment of Loan: 1. Term Loan: Maximum 60 installments. 2. Working Capital: Maximum 12 installments, 40% of the loan amount should be recovered within 1st 6 months and remaining 60% should be recovered within next 6 months. At maturity the loan will be fully adjusted. After repayment of 75% of the loan the customer may apply for new credit facility. Selection of Borrower: 1. Small and medium enterprise financing, like other credit facilities must be subject to the Bank’s management process setup for this particular business. The process may include, identifying source of repayment and assessing customer’s ability to repay, expected future cash flows, his/her past dealings with the bank, the net worth and information from CIB. The bank must identify the key drivers of their borrowers business, the key risks to their business. 2. At the time of sanctioning facility under various modes of SME financing, a written declaration shall be obtained from the borrower disclosing details  of various facilities already obtained from other institutions to ensure that the total exposure in relation to the repayment capacity of the customer does not exceed the reasonable limits as laid down in the approved policies of the bank as well as to help avoid exposure having multiple facilities. 3. Age limit: The age of the proprietor / partners / directors must range between 21 years to 60 years. Fees and Charges of SME Financing: 1. Interest Rate: 15% (for women entrepreneur 10%) 2. Risk Fund: 1% 3. Service charge: 1% 4. Application Fee: Tk. 200.00 5. Loan Processing Fee: Tk. 500.00 Limit for Loan: Maximum Limit for small enterprises is Tk. 20.00 lac (Term loan and Working Capital) and Medium Enterprises is Tk. 50.00 lac (Term Loan and Working Capital). ATM Booth and SME Service Centre: The bank serves the customers by providing ATM Booth and SME Service Centre facilities. A number of ATM Booths and SME Service centers have been unlocked at different commercially significant places of the country to serve the customers, to save their time, consequently, to make them free from hassle. Target Segments for SME Financing: 1. Hospitals and Clinics 2. It related business 3.Agricultural and Agricultural Development items 4.Fishing and fishing business promotion 5.Transportation and Communication 6.Forestry and furniture 7.Construction business and housing development 8.Leather marketing and leather goods 9.Knitwear and ready made garments 10.Plastic and other synthetics 11.Entertainment 12.Photography 13.Hotel and tourism 14.Warehouse and container services 15.Printing and packaging 16.Gunning and Bailing 17.Pathological Laboratories 18.Cold Storage 19.Horticulture- Flower growing and Marketing 20.Food and oil processing plants 21.Higher education and expertise knowledge society 22.Telecommunication 3.22. Portfolio of SME Loan Sector Amount % of total disbursement Manufacturing 44,584,784 5.05% Service 57,562,928 6.52% Trading 780,719,288 88.43% Total disbursement 882,867,000 1000% From this above diagram we can say that, of SME loan mercantile bank give more preference in trading sector but they can finance over manufacturing and service sector to expand service and Manufacturing sector. Manufacturing sector is very important for a country to improve economic growth and as well as service generation and create employment. Chapter Three Result and Discussion: In this part, we will make a comparison of the SME activities of the three selected banks as shown below: Comparative analysis of SME loans of three different banks The banks for comparative analysis have been chosen in the basis of the following criterion: * Loan Size: BRAC Bank Limited Dhaka Bank Limited Mercantile bank Limited 3lac – 30 lac 1 lac- 50 lac 2lac – 50 lac Among the banks, Mercantile bank offers the highest loan amount to customer where as BRAC Bank offers the lowest loan to its customer. * Rate of Interest: BRAC Bank Limited Dhaka Bank Limited Mercantile bank Limited 15% 17% 15% In terms of interest rate, Mercantile bank and BRAC bank offer the lower rate of interest to its customers. The highest rate is charged by Dhaka bank limited. * Loan Processing Fee: BRAC Bank Limited Dhaka Bank Limited Mercantile bank Limited 0.50% of the loan amount Free TK 500.00 The BRAC Bank limited only charges .50% as loan processing and Mercantile Bank charges TK. 500 for loan processing. * Period of loan: BRAC Bank Limited Dhaka Bank Limited Mercantile bank Limited 1 year to 3 years 1 year to 3 years Upto 2-5 years Among the banks, the highest loan maturity date is offered by Mercantile bank Limited. * Mode of Finance: BRAC Bank Limited Dhaka Bank Limited Mercantile bank Limited Only Term loan Term loan and working capital loan Only Term loan All the banks provide SME financing facilities but do not provide long term loan to its customers. Among the banks Dhaka bank provides both term loan and working capital loan to their customer. Other banks provide only term loan to its customers. Portfolio size of different banks in SME sector: name of Bank Portfolio Size BRAC Bank Limited 25.72 Dhaka Bank Limited 18.00 Mercantile Bank Limited 16.38 From the table we can see that BRAC bank has the highest investment in the SME sector. Overall Comparison of three banks Particulars BRAC Bank Limited Dhaka Bank Limited Mercantile Bank Limited Loan size 3lac-30lac 1ac-50lac 2lac-50lac Rate of interest 15% p.a 17% p.a 15% p.a Loan processing fee .50% of the loan amount —— TK 500 Risk fund —– 1%-2% of loan amount 1%of loan amount Supervision fee —– 1%-2% of loan amount 1%of loan amount Utilization fee —– 1.5% quarterly —– Period of loan 1yr – 3 yr 1yr – 3 yr Upto 2-5 yrs Mode of finance Term loan Only term loan Term loan as well as working capital Security primary Personal guarantee Personal guarantee Personal guarantee secondary Upto 8 lac collateral free & above 8 lac collateral is mandatory Upto 5 lac collateral free(case to case above 5 lac and collateral mandatory ) Above 10.00 Lac Collateral security mandatory Table: Comparative analysis of SME loan of different bank: Comparative performance analysis of SME loan of different banks: Performance BRAC Bank Limited Dhaka Bank Limited Mercantile Bank Limited Year of operation 2009 2009 2009 Disbursement 950 crore 115.72 crore 127.70 crore Rate of recover 92% 87% 87% From the above analysis and findings of the study, it is obvious that there is a lot of market potential for Mercantile Bank Limited in SME loan. As we came to know from the analysis that BRAC bank is the most dominant player in the market and except BRAC bank other players are more or less similar category. But since the market yields a high growth potential and BRAC bank having basic infrastructure and a larger customer base it is very difficult for the other bank to cope with BRAC bank unless they build some alliances to develop such infrastructure to serve the client at better service. Initially, it will require a huge concentration, but the bank is financially sound to incur such amount of investment in new line of business. Other than the investment Mercantile Bank Limited should improve their credit facilities, customer service, and add attractive features to the product to attract every class of people. Chapter Four Recommendations: Considering the existing situation, the following suggestions are put forward for present and future sustainability of the Management Information Systems in the SME sectors of Bangladesh: * The modern computer technologies should be used appropriately to develop the Small & Medium Enterprises of the country * Information systems designers, whether internal to the company or part of an outside firm should assure the technical quality of the MIS system and the ease of the user interface. * System designers must oversee the process of system design and implementation, assess the impact of the new system on the organization, and develop ways to protect the system from abuse after it is installed. * Small business owners and managers must plan what type of MIS systems to implement and to ensure that the underlying data are accurate and useful. * Selection, acquisition and application of the appropriate technology should be ensured that would enable production of goods of competitive quality and competitive price, maintaining optimum productivity, while environmentally  not injurious. * People of our country should be provided with adequate education, training skill and technical knowledge of the field of MIS so that they are unable to implement it in the SME sector. * Better and improved MIS facilities must be provided in the SME sector * SME Loan sanctioning and disbursement procedure should be easy and flexible being considered the requirements of different classes of people. * Bottlenecks or barriers should be removed by taking advanced steps in mode of disbursement, charge documents and approval process. * Business Power for sanctioning loans and advances can be increased at branch level. * The use of MIS should be extended to the rural areas of our country. * The Government of the country should ensure the use and implementation of MIS technology in order to develop the SME sector * More SME service centers need to be added to fully take the advantage of the huge potential customer segments. Conclusion: In the conclusion, we can state that, SME is the most emerging sector to expand the scientific and technological capabilities of an organization. However such SMEs should be equipped with better computer facilities and implementation strategies like the MIS. The opportunities of using the appropriate Management Information Systems are not sufficient considering the small and medium enterprises of our country. Many small and medium enterprises are using this technology, but the scope  is very limited. It is thus very clear that MIS development should proceed hand in hand with micro enterprise development. It is interesting to observe that the conditions for small industry development that we find today, being at the threshold of total globalization, are very much the same as observed several-decades ago. In spite of the criticism and neglect of the SME sector on the grounds of inefficiency and non-optimal use of productive factors compared to larger industries, SMEs are beginning to be extolled for their greater dependence on labour-intensive production techniques, lower requirements of imported inputs and better geographical dispersion. So, proper initiatives should be taken in order to develop the flow of Management information system it the small and medium enterprises of our country. References: 1. Laudon, K., & Laudon, J. (2010). â€Å"Management Information Systems†- Managing the Digital Firm, 11th Edition. Prentice Hall/CourseSmart, 12/30/2008.) 2. Hossain, N. (1998), â€Å"Constraints to SME development in Bangladesh), Jobs project, USAID 3. Meagher, P (1998), â€Å"Secured Finance for SMEs in Bangladesh†, Jobs project, USAID 4. Ahmed, Z. U. (1999), â€Å"Problems of Access to Credit for Small and Medium Enterprises in Bangladesh†, Jobs project, USAID 5. Baldwin, J. and Picot, G. (1994), â€Å"Employment Generation by Small Producers in Canadian Manufacturing Sector†, Journal for Small Business Economics 6. CPD (2003), â€Å"Industrial Policy, Privatization and SME†, National Policy Review Forum, Centre for Policy Dialogue, Bangladesh 7. SEAF (2004), â€Å"The Development Impact of Small and Medium Enterprises: Lessons Learned from SEAF Investment†, Small Enterprise Assistance Fund, Washington. 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