Pro and Anti Social Behaviour Essay

a) Outline two psychological theories of aggression (12 marks) b) Evaluate two theories of aggression that you outlined in part a) in terms of relevant research studies (12 marks) a) Outline and evaluate two psychological theories of aggression (24 marks) Aggression is an example of anti-social behaviour. It has been defined as ‘any form of behaviour directed towards the goal of harming or injuring another living being who is motivated to avoid such harm’. Social Psychological theories of aggression These explain aggression as a result of social interactions Social Learning Theory (SLT) One of the most influential theories of aggression is the Social Learning theory put forward by Bandura (1973). The nature of the theory suggests human aggression is learned either through direct experience or by observing aggressive behaviour in other people i. e. indirect experience. Bandura produced two assumptions in relation to the social learning theory. He stated that if a child acts aggressively against another child and as a result gets what they want, their aggressive behaviour has been reinforced. This is an example of learning by direct experience, derived from the principles of the traditional learning theory; operant and classical conditioning. Secondly, he stated that if a child observes another person behaving in an aggressive manner, they may imitate that behaviour them selves, particularly if they see the model reinforced for behaving in that way. This is an example of vicarious experience. Results from Bandura’s studies have shown that children are more likely to imitate models if they are similar to themselves, have some kind of status or who are seen to be rewarded for their actions. He also applied these factors to his Social Learning theory. Bobo Doll study Bandura (1961) Support for the Social Learning theory comes from studies using Bobo dolls (an inflatable toy). This was conducted by Bandura et al (1961). He carried out a study where Nursery school children watched a film where an adult model behaved aggressively or non-aggressively towards a Bobo doll. The adult model displayed some distinctive physical acts of aggression, for example kicking it and using verbal aggression such as Pow! Following this, the children were taken to a room and shown attractive toys that they were forbidden to play with. This created a sense of frustration within the children. They were then taken to a room containing a Bobo doll and other toys and were then rated for the amount of aggression they showed. Bandura found that children in the aggressive condition reproduced the physical and verbal behaviours modelled by the adult. In contrast children in the non-aggressive condition showed very little aggression towards the doll. This shows that children can acquire aggressive behaviours from watching the actions of others. Evidence that supports the Social Learning Theory Further research evidence has been carried out in relation to aggression which supports Bandura’s theory. Silvern and Williamson (1987) investigated the effect video games have on aggression. They found that aggression levels in children increased after playing violent games. This suggests that this was due to imitation or modelling. However, the study lacks validity because it only identifies short term aggression, not long term aggression therefore, it does not prove any permanent effects. Furthermore, Margeret and Mead (1935) studied aggression in relation to cross cultural differences. She studied three New Gunea tribes and found that each tribe behaved different in terms of aggressive tendencies. This suggests that the fact that some societies were more aggressive than others supports the role of social learning in aggression. However, the fact that the men were relatively more aggressive in each society suggests that some aspects of aggression are biologically determined. Evidence that challenges the Social Learning Theory However, this theory has been challenged by a number of psychologists. Johnston et al (1977) carried out another study in which he found that children who behaved most aggressively towards the doll were the ones rated by the teachers as most violent generally. Also, Durkin (1995) suggested that Bandura made no distinguish between aggressive behaviour and play fighting. These studies therefore suggest that the findings from the Bobo Doll study lack reliability. In addition, the study has ethical issues as it encourages aggression in children. Furthermore, the situation is unlike a lot of ‘real-life’ modeling as hitting a doll is no the same as hitting a person. This leads to the assumption that Bandura over exaggerated the extent to which children imitate the behaviour of models. This also leads to the criticism that the study lacks ecological validity due to its artificial setting; therefore the results may not apply to real life. Also, some critics argue that the children were manipulated into responding to the aggressive movie. This was because the children were teased and became aggressive because they could not touch the toys. Finally, there is a problem that the study suffers from high demand characteristics due to the children being given cues how to behave, resulting in the participants to behave in certain predictable ways. Alternative theories Alternative social psychological theories of aggression have also been produced, challenging the idea that aggression is solely based upon imitation, modelling and reinforcement. Deindividuation theory One of these is the Deindividuation theory proposed by Zimbardo (1969). Deindividuation refers to the loss of a sense of personality identity that can occur when we are for example, in a large crowd or wearing a mask. We then become more likely to engage in anti-social, un-socialised behaviour. Zimbardo (1969) distinguished between individual behaviour, which conforms to acceptable social standards, and deindividuated behaviour, which does not conform to society’s social norms. He claimed that people don’t normally act aggressively because they are easily identifiable in societies that have strong norms against aggressive behaviour. Being anonymous (and therefore effectively unaccountable) in a crowd has the consequence of reducing inner restraints and increasing behaviours that are usually inhibited. According to Zimbardo, being in part of a crowd can reduce awareness of our own individuality. In a large crowd, each person is faceless and anonymous (so the larger the group, the greater the anonymity), reducing the fear of negative evaluation of our actions and a diminishing the sense of guilt. Therefore, individuals feel less constrained by the norms of social behaviour and as a result, they may be more inclined to act in an anti-social way. This is supported by Mann (1981) who found evidence of Deindividuation in the ‘baiting crowd’ (crowds who frequently baited a potential suicide victim to jump). Mann found that baiting increased under conditions which increased the anonymity of the crowd (e. g. numbers, darkness and distance from the victim). This therefore supports the claim that deindividuation increases aggressive behaviour. The deindividuation theory is also supported by Zimbardo (1969) who left ‘abandoned’ cars in New York and a small town in California. He found the ‘abandoned’ car in the big city was stripped and vandalised very quickly whereas the one in the small town was left alone. This suggests that the larger the group, the more anonymous the individual is and, consequently, the more extreme the antisocial behaviour becomes. Futhermore, Zimbardo (1963) conducted a study specifically to demonstrate the effects of deindividuation on aggression. Participants were asked to shock a confederate. Some were deindividuated (wore a hood, no names were used and they sat in a dimly lit room) and others were easily identifiable (they wore name tags and sat in a bright room). The findings showed that the deindividuated students administered the most shocks, i. e. were most aggressive, suggesting that deindividuation plays a role in producing anti-social behaviour. However, the major difficulty with using Deindividuation as an explanation for aggression is the fact that it does not always lead to aggression. In some circumstances it can lead to high levels of pro-social behaviour, for example wearing a nurse’s uniform. Overall Evaluation Overall, the Social learning theory can account for the fact that a person’s aggressive behaviour may not be consistent across different situations. It may be reinforced in some situations, but punished in others (context-dependant learning). Furthermore, studies carried out into video games and aggressions are consistent with the Social Learning theory. However, alternative explanations such as the biological explanation (e. g. levels of testosterone are linked to aggressive behaviour) challenge the view that social learning is the primary causal factor in aggression. In addition, the social learning theory is limited in scope because aggression doesn’t just depend on observational learning. This is supported by cross cultural evidence which demonstrates that some aspects of aggression are innate. Effects of environmental stressors on aggressive behaviour Use for: Describe and evaluate research (theories or studies) into the effects of two or more environmental stressors on aggressive behaviour (24 marks) A number of environmental factors have been identified as triggers for aggression. Some of these possible environmental features are temperature, overcrowding and noise.

Hr a Short Briefing for New Hr Colleagues to Help Them Perform Effectively and Efficiently in Their Roles. Essay

HR Professionals must understand the business and culture for which they serve and the HR strategy must be aligned to this. As shown in the map above, there are ten professional areas in which as a HR Professional you should strive to demonstrate the highest achievable level of competence. As a new member of the HR Team at YWP, we expect you to support the improvement of HR processes and policies. This includes continuously looking at opportunities in which to improve the HR Function and its implementation within the organisation. You will act as a sounding board for employee relations, feeding back information to your HR Manager and facilitating change initiatives when required. You will be responsible for your own personal continuous professional development and as such will record and plan your development during your time at YWP. You will work with the HR Team to ensure you are well versed with the organisation and its context to ensure all decisions made within the HR Function a re in alignment with this. You will keep up to date with developments in the HR industry and implement and analyse how these will affect our organisation as they arise. You will be expected to act as a role model and deliver and exceed objectives and expectations. Showing courage to challenge, you will act as a driver for operational excellence within the organisation. http://www.cipd.co.uk/NR/rdonlyres/48FF823A-1A33-4C90-8B9B-B691D9130C01/0/AssociatemembercriteriaAug11.pdf The four concentric circles of HR Professionalism The four concentric circles of HR professionalism comprise of managing self, managing groups/ teams, managing upwards and managing across the organisation. These are all areas which you will demonstrate at some point during your career at YWP. As a HR Professional, you are responsible for the management of your own skills, knowledge and development. Use of a development plan and record will go some way to help you achieve this. However you must also be open to feedback from others and undergo frequent self evaluation in order to identify development areas and review set objectives. By undertaking this not only will you develop as a HR Professional but you will also add value to the organisation for which you serve. Effective management of a team or group requires effective leadership. Management and leadership can exist independently from one another however to be fully effective must co-exist. Leadership is something which must be worked towards and is not inherited automatically with the assignment of a managerial task or role. How you manage your team will ultimately determine how you are perceived as a leader in that team. (Selden, 2010) Effective delegation, motivation, development, communication, discipline and conflict management are all aspects of team management and how you manage these aspects will have a direct influence on the dynamics and success of your team’s outcomes. http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMM_92.htm Managing upwards is an important aspect of a successful HR Professionals’ management strategy. It is essential to ascertain the key factors which your manager expects you to deliver, how they expect you to deliver them and to what standard. Analyse what is expected from you by your line manager and seek regular feedback to ensure you consistently meet their objectives. Seek new responsibilities and provide regular updates to your line manager on your achievements and successful project outcomes. http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2006/11/03/7-ways-to-manage-up/ Collaboration across the organisation is imperative to ensure the full impact and implementation of any HR initiative. Managing HR across the organisation involves maintaining inter-department relationships and alliances, facilitating communication channels, ensuring credibility and the positive perception of the HR Function. Managing across the organisation by using its line managers to implement HR initiatives will ensure the HR Functions objectives are much more likely to be realised. Adding Value to the Organisation The HR Function drives performance and provides line managers with the tools and resources to increase the performance of the organisation’s employees. It must do this by identifying the business values and formulating a strategy in line with these. This strategy must then be effectively implemented at all levels. You will work with your HR colleagues to identify the business values as they evolve and formulate a strategy in line with this. In order for HR to add value in any organisation, the team members of that HR Function must align their goals to that of the organisation. You will work with the HR team to design strong policies and procedures which encourage managers and employees to focus on the growth of the company and maintain the competitive edge. http://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/pm/articles/2010/05/add-value-to-hr-not-spin.htm The behaviours you demonstrate on a daily basis will have an impact on the credibility of the HR Function, it is therefore essential to demonstrate operational excellence, stewardship, insight and influence in line with the business values in every action you undertake. Conclusion Your actions to influence the efficiency, relevance, effectiveness and credibility of the HR Function have the potential to affect the bottom line of the business. The effectiveness of the HR Function within the organisation is largely dependent on its perception within the organisation and we hope you will join us to ensure the HR Function continues to act effectively and in line with the organisational goals and business values. We look forward to a long and fulfilling partnership with you here at YWP. We hope you will use the time not only to develop the organisation but also your own professional skills, attributes and knowledge.

The Baddest Dog in Harlem

You’ll have to be tough to live in your American skin When we go to school or to our jobs we don’t have many worries. The worries we could have could be â€Å"Oh no, there’s a test today† or â€Å"Oh no, my boss wants me to do some paperwork† but what if we had to live in fear instead of worries? If in the morning we should fear to go to school or job because of the place we are living in, that we had to say properly goodbye to your family every day, what would that do to us? †The Baddest Dog in Harlem† is writen by Walter Dean Myers and it is a fictional short story.The short story takes place in Harlem, at 145th street[1]. It could be in a year not far from the present, because of the technology used in the short story, such as cars[2] and automatic weapons[3] and it’s in the middle of the day. The neighborhood seems rough and seems like a place where you have seen the police often[4] and it seems like people are bored and doesn ’t have many money or jobs[5]. The narrator and his friends are sitting at the rail outside Big Joe’s and talks about who’s the best fighter in the world. The conversation got heated up when Willie Murphy participate in the debate.He is that kind of guy who always thinks he is right just because he is older than the others and when the narrator doesn’t think it can get worse Mr. Lynch, an even older man, joins the debate. Suddenly two polices cars are tearing around the corner. The stops in front of the boys and starts interrogate them and tell them to stay at the rail. Afterwards the cops start crunching behind their cars and look upon a window in the apartment at the other side of the street, pointing with their guns towards it. When the narrator realizes what is going on, he wanders off into a cafeteria nearby.A cop comes into the cafeteria and he says there have been a report about someone with an automatic weapon and tells everybody to drop down on t he floor. A cop trips and he guns goes off, all the cops start shooting and people are screaming and yelling. After a while the cops stops shooting and a girl who lives in the block turns up. The cops want her to go up to her apartment but she wants a black man with her and therefore a cop pulls the narrator with them. In her apartment everything is ruined and her dog is dead. The cops go to the apartment next door but come out in a hurry.The narrator walks into the apartment and sees a boy lying on the bed shot and dead. The narrator is in first person and seems reliable and is also the main character in the short story. We only get to know about the narrators thoughts and feelings but we don’t hear much about them either, his personality is described by his thoughts and actions. The characters in the short story are not described only a little bit about Mr. Lynch and Willie but beside those two, are the character based upon their actions and sayings.The narrator is a black man, because he refers to the black cop as a â€Å"brother†, we don’t know his age or his name but by based on the story I will approximately guess he is in his twenties. Willie is older than the narrator and is in his thirties[6] but the cop chose the narrator to go with Mary to her apartment[7] and therefore I don’t think he is a kid. The story is told in past tense and is chronological. When you read the short story you get a picture in you head of a ghetto and the language in the story is youthful and a bit slang[8].They also leave words out. You get connotations in your head and you think about American movies where you also see the youth talk in this way. The general tone is positive but also a bit cool and laid back. They don’t try to sound smarter or different either when they talk to the police. They talk â€Å"their† language, which make it seem like they are an unity. I think the theme the narrator tries to get through in this short stor y, is the tough life there is in the ghetto. The boy who got shot in the ghetto was just watching television but he wasn’t safe anyway.It’s a harsh environment to live in, an environment where you can be in constant fear of being robbed or shot. The song â€Å"American Skin (41 shots)† by Bruce Springsteen also gives a good perspective of how it is in America. He sings â€Å"No secret my friend, you can get killed just for living in, your American Skin[9]† The ssimilarities in the two texts is the theme. They are both trying to show how the world is every day for some people in America and to have an influence on us, make us think about those who aren’t as fortunate as we are and how we should ppreciate our way of living. I really think the short story and the song as well gives you something to think about. I believe the environment the narrator lives in makes him tough. When you’re living in a ghetto or an environment which is rough, youâ €™ll have to be tough even though you on the inside is falling apart. And I think that’s what the narrator goes through. They are used to guns and crime, therefore are they not so afraid of the police and the situation and also the kids have it like this. But when the narrator sees the boy, he doesn’t want to speak about it. The Baddest Dog in Harlem The owner Of the apartment (Mary) that just got shot up, returns home and begins a debate with the police who are interested in the whereabouts of her boyfriend. Eventually Mary, some cops and the narrator goes together into her apartment. The police suspect is not there, but the place is completely shot up and on the floor Marry dog lays dead from multiple bullet wounds. On the way back down from Marry apartment again, the police take notice of another apartment door and they inspect that apartment also, where they find the body of a young black boy ho has also been shot and killed -? an innocent victim of the earlier police gunfire.Characterization of characters: The main character in the text is the narrator. He is certainly a black man. Do not know for certain the name of the narrator, but it is easy to assume that it may be the author Walter Dean Myers. Readers are not given much information of the about the central character in the text, but it becomes obvious that the main cha racter as well as the rest of his debating group are black people. The main character (Myers) seems to me like a very scared and nervous person. Point of view: The while story is presented with the narrator's eyes. It is a first person narrator.Title: The title ‘The baddies dog in Harlem† stems from Marry poor dog. When Mary, the police and the central character go up to check the apartment, they find the bullet-riddled dog that some policemen thought might have been their suspect (from jumping around in the window during the police gunfire). This leads one of the policemen to ironically say, â€Å"It is the baddies dog in Harlem. ‘ Settings: The setting takes place outside of a cafe or similar place called â€Å"Big Joey's Place†, on 45th Street in Harlem, LISA where the narrator, Willie, Pedro, Tommy, Mr.. Lynch and the others are initially sitting and talking.Harlem, a poor area of Manhattan, is the home to many thousands of black people. Harlem goes und er the term â€Å"Ghetto†. Many people living there do not have jobs, and they live in big, run-down apartment buildings with dilapidated apartments. Harlem is known as a poor slum area, full of gangs and crime. The setting of Harlem is used in this text to help demonstrate how an ordinary day can change in an instant and turn a peaceful conversation teen friends to a police ‘War zone' with shooting all over the place. Tone: The text is written in spoken language, and there are many contraction whispered words.Many words are purposely MIS-spelled to show how they should be pronounced. The narrator's Way to write the story reflects the Way he pronounces the words and he has written the story in a way that you should be able to see themselves within the situation he describes. In this way he made use of different tones of voice and criticism, among other things. He also uses emotions such as humor and compassion. It all fits however, with how the story changes and how he has written the story. Themes: The theme of the text could be meant to demonstrate the (stereotypical) racism, between police and black people.For example, the police asked them to stay where they are outside on the street, instead of helping them to get to a safe place. The text is written down as it has been said, and the tone is very hard when the police talk to the blacks. For example, when they talk to Mary. Another example also, is how they react about having shot Mar's dog. The police only make jokes of it. They seem not so affected that they had shot the little boy, perhaps only thinking they need to find a cover up story about his death. I think that they would have reacted differently if it was a white boy in a better, safer environment.I would say that the author here shows a good example of how a typical â€Å"ghetto† in USA is, and how the police can discriminate against some people. Message: think the writer is trying to tell us that it is tragic but true that b lack men live in a very different risk level than white people. Police in the United States eve easily and quickly are pulling weapons if they do not feel safe – especially when they are in slum neighborhoods like Harlem. Think the narrator is trying to get us to look reality in the eye and he wants us to understand that life is not easy for anyone.Parallels between â€Å"The baddies dog in Harlem† and the song text â€Å"American Skin (41 shots)† by Bruce Springiness: The comparison between the two stories is that they are both talking about how terrible reality can be for African Americans. The song â€Å"American Skin† tells the story of an African American mother, who tells her son to be careful and how he should always e polite to the police he must never do anything to provoke them, because there is the risk that the police may shoot them, as they are African Americans and because they may live in a poor environment.In the text, â€Å"The baddies d og in Harlem† we read about how the police treated the blacks in Harlem, They have no respect for them, but in return they must have respect for the police. Generally, they both warn about how black Americans must be much more careful when around the police. Conclusion: After reading the two texts, was surprised how such things are not just appending in the texts, but also in reality. It is distressing how in some places in the United States, the lives of black people is at risk from the police do to the fact that they look different.

John Steinbeck Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

John Steinbeck - Research Paper Example The lower part of the Salinas valley was a shipping center. The demographic and the geographic location characteristics of John Steinbeck’s hometown were great factors that influenced a majority of his novels and indicated his characters had a strong identification with the land. Steinbeck even wrote to George Albee in 1933 telling him that he wanted to write the story of the entire valley, all the small towns and farms and all the ranches located in the wilder hills. Steinbeck had a comfortable childhood period in Salinas, though as a teenager his family faced numerous setbacks. His adorable father who had been working as a manager in Sperry Flour lost his job. He worked out his second option of opening a grain and feeds store, but unfortunately it failed too. Eventually, he was in a position to secure a job in Monterey County as the treasurer. Steinbeck loved his pony, which he named Jill, and this inspired him to write his later novel entitled â€Å"The Red Pony†. His writing career was greatly affected by his childhood even ts. On his ninth birthday, someone gave him a copy of Thomas Malory’s work, and he admits that when he first read it, he was charmed of words because the old fashioned words delighted him (Steinbeck 97). He keenly read the stories of King Arthur, and together with his sister, they would visualize the towers of Camelot amidst the sandstone erosions alongside the Pastures of Heaven where his aunt resided. Twenty years down the line, he adopted Arthurian tropes besides chapter headings of his novel Tortilla Flat. Steinbeck in his career would travel to England to prepare how the Arthurian tales would be updated for modernity. His mission wasn’t complete until his demise but his Noble Knights and Acts of King Arthur were later published posthumously. As a teenager, John Steinbeck displayed a robust interest in writing and in his high school days, he would work until the

The Moral Problem Of The Death Penalty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Moral Problem Of The Death Penalty - Essay Example America has done x amount of damage and must pay Canada for that. There are several problems with this, however. For one thing, the environmental damage will affect people who will never get money from the restitution. Furthermore, environmental degradation can be long term in a way that neither Canada nor the US could predict, so it is possible that any payment that the United States makes would be insufficient. There are several other options, however. Canada has an abundance of hydropower, which is how it can operate more greenly than America. Canada could agree to sell hydroelectricity to American municipalities close to the border, reducing their need for coal. But probably the best solution would be for America to agree to a plan to move away from coal power, avoiding the environmental degradation entirely, while possibly making economic restitution for damage already done.3. The line of thinking that â€Å"If you’re not doing anything wrong, you don’t have anyth ing to worry about† in terms of surveillance is patently ludicrous. There are a wide variety of things that may not be morally or ethically wrong but should not be public knowledge. If, for instance, a high school teacher happens to be a gigantic fan of Justin Bieber, have many of his decorations and listen to his music all the time, this is far from morally wrong. But it is also possible that his high-school teacher’s life would be more difficult if his students found out about his love for Bieber.... But it is also possible that his high-school teacher’s life would be more difficult if his students found out about his love for Bieber. Furthermore, it is not wrong or right to practice any particular religion or align one’s self with any particular political party, but one could face challenges in their personal or professional life because of widespread knowledge of this. 4. The boss is fundamentally assuming that his or her employees are doing things they shouldn’t be at work, and refusing to trust them. This monitoring should usually not be justified and is usually not a good management tool. For one thing, as long as an employee is meeting their job expectations then what else they do at work should not be at issue – if, as an employer, you have a problem with someone’s performance than you address it, as a performance problem, and if there is no problem with their performance you have no reason to have to monitor confidential information. Thi s could even lead to decreased productivity – for some people surfing the internet to give their brain a break might be an important part of what they do, and interfering in that could make them less productive. 5. This is a very interesting question. Seat belt laws from adults are very different than seatbelt laws for infants, because infants are not able to make these decisions for themselves, and society has decided that there are a lot of ways that they need to be protected, even from their parents (for instance you can’t give an infant poison they might eat either). In the case of an adult though, you could say that the adult taking those kinds of risks provides problems for the rest of society (for instance tying up

Statement of purpose Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Statement of purpose - Essay Example Since then I have been interested in the field of business. I take pleasure in gaining knowledge of every aspect of the business world and I am highly eager to learn more and become an expert in the field of business and management. I believe that after completion of a graduation, the certification of post-graduation is essential as it prepares individuals towards achieving their goals in the ever-changing business environment1. During the tenure of my working in the company, I had participated in several presentations based on business related topics. Also my work involved marketing, coordination and booking activities. I also try to update my knowledge by reading business magazines and newspapers to have the knowledge on the current affairs in the business world. I truly enjoy leading and managing teams, a reason why I feel I would perform well in an organization if I am given a chance to lead others in the team. Back in my country, there is a huge competition among males and females for better job and education. My father had always supported me to pursue my career. The course of MBA would provide me with greater opportunities and exposure in the corporate world, and get to meet other managers and different customers, a work life that would make me strong and independent. I believe that the course of Master’s degree from an University abroad to my nation would not only help me to prepare myself further for my career but would also make me capable of managing work and life together being an independent woman having a strong personality which is the manner I always wanted to carry myself. Staying abroad and learning more on the field of business would make me eligible to be successful in my career and life and make my parents proud of me and make me feel special in my country. To end my statement of purpose I would like to present my wish to get certified for the post-graduation course in business and management from the College of Business

Ethical Dilemmas Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ethical Dilemmas - Assignment Example Due to her experience and her reputation on evaluation, Fiona is the best person to deal with the case as she will combine her prowess with the interests of her department and come up with a sound decision. Ethical behavior is not so much a matter of following principles as of balancing competing principles (Stake & Mabry, 1998). I would ensure that ethical values are observed and that they are balanced with the commissioner’s goals. I would critically assess the Human services program, how funds are used, whether there are areas where funds were wasted and if some projects are not benefitting the program. I would then moderate the usage of funds in the projects, ensure that all the resources are used effectively, and get rid of projects that are not important to the program. As a result, I would have cut back on the meaningless projects, retained useful projects, and ensured that there was effective use of resources. Fiona’s benefits after the evaluation process include job security during the commissioner’s period in office. There may also be other advantages such as salary increments and more jobs from the commissioner’s office. She will also able to make decisions based on her principles and the needs of the branch even if she is expected to cut back on the budget eventually. The implications include judgment from her team who may think that she is being influenced when making decisions. They may not trust her decisions in future. She will also start questioning her principles and wondering if she made the right decision. The agency shall benefit because its most urgent needs shall be met during the budget cuts. However, program cuts may lead to the loss of jobs because it may get rid of some projects that would have been important to the program in the long

Final Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Final - Essay Example By not delivering the coffee as stipulated in the contract, Java Distributors has made a material breach of the contract. A material breach of contract comes into effect when a party to a contract substantially and unjustifiably fails to meet their contractual obligation(s). Although Green Coffee can take Java Distributors to court, it is advisable that it pursues a different path of dispute resolution especially considering that it will have to incur a lot of expenses in legal fees and yet it will receive a little compensation in case it wins the case in a court of law. As earlier noted, Green Coffee can pursue an alternative avenue in resolving the dispute at hand, other than going to court. It may engage negotiation, arbitration, and mediation, all of which are less costly and which are known to be faster than litigation. One case in point that involved a material breach of contract is Miller v. Mills Constitutional, Inc. In this case, the district court held that Mills had breach ed the contract by failing to deliver the materials that it had agreed to deliver as stipulated in the contract. In the case of Miller versus Mills, the case rightly ended up in court considering the amount of money involved. This case is quite similar to the case involving Green Coffee and Java Distributors. By failing to deliver the coffee, Java Distributors caused Green Coffee losses. Green Coffee was not able to serve customers and therefore lost business on that day. This being the case, Green Coffee should receive compensation from Java Distributors that equals the amount the Green Coffee normally makes on a Monday, tips included. The best thing for Green Coffee to do is to invoke a dispute resolution method that is less expensive. Since Java Distributors may be unresponsive to a negotiation, the organization would best apply mediation or arbitration to resolve the dispute. If mediation as a process is chosen as a way of resting the case, both parties will have to choose a neu tral party who will suggest ways for resolving the dispute and facilitate communication. Normally, a mediator is knowledgeable in the matters of law. In some cases, mediation may lead to litigation. By opting for arbitration, the parties rely on a neutral party (the arbitrator) who is not necessarily knowledgeable in legal issues. The arbitrator listens to both parties before making a legally binding decision which can be subject to appeal at the district court. Considering the situation, Green Coffee would better go for arbitration and avoid going to court as much as possible. Part B The location of the coffee shop, the environment, the clientele, and the prices of the products on offer determine the kind of table that is suitable. If the coffee shop is located in an upmarket area in Boston visited by high class clients and serves as a place where people meet, then tables with stained glass tops are suitable for purchase. On the other hand, if the shop targets middle class and low class clients and is located in a downscale location, stainless steel tops would be suitable. Whichever the choice between the two, a contact will have to come into effect. The contract will include an offer, consideration and acceptance so as to be valid. When a stained top glass is chosen especially, a warranty should be granted so that in case of any damages, there can be a replacement. Part C The three new workers signed a written contract. However,

Theories supporting the role of hrm in emerging technologies Dissertation

Theories supporting the role of hrm in emerging technologies - Dissertation Example Institutional theory is somewhat akin to the role theory, which argues that individuals respond to normative pressures as they seek approval for their performance in socially defined roles (Chuler, Jackson and Luo, 2004, pp.15). Institutional theory likens organizations to the individual as they function as social entities that also look for legitimacy and social acceptance. Organizations, in this perspective, are expected to conform because this is the only way that they are recognized and approved – variables that support their survival in environments that have multiple constituencies that control their needed resources (Chuler, Jackson and Luo, pp.15). In applying the institutional theory, there are the cases of multinational corporations and the emergent internationalization of management. This theory is particularly significant in understanding the HRM practices of these organizations because of the view that socially constructed beliefs, rules and norms affect and exert influence over organizations and that, today, organizations (and their suborganizations) are under pressure to align their operations and adapt with their institutional environment (Stahl and Bjorkman, 2006, pp.463). Multinational companies are spread across locations with diverse environments. Institutional theory focuses on the variables that forces HRM practices to adapt to this condition. The institutional variables that exert influence over an organization and its employees come from the institutional factors both from the parent organization and the local environment in which its subsidiary operates. According to Stahl and Bjorkman (pp.465): In the local context, the labour laws and regulations restrict the range of possible HRM practices, local managers have taken-for-granted views about management practices that influences the policies and practices that they suggest for the subsidiary, strong local professional norms may exist, and processes of institutionalization might a lso take place among MNCs (multinational companies) in the local country. Hence, cultural-cognitive and normative institutional processes enfolding in the local context may play important roles in explaining HRM practices. Understandably, numerous studies that cite institutional theory and its relations with HRM practices were undertaken since the 1990s. The body of literature available today demonstrates how the theory supports the role and function of HR for modern organization. For instance, Walter Powell and Paul DiMaggio successfully demonstrated that organizations evolve because they are driven by coercive mechanisms, mimetic and normative forces. Their work argued that these pressures force organization to move to one direction, making them more alike in the process. On the other hand, Greenwood and Hinings used institutional theory to demonstrate the details that were lacking in Powell and DiMaggio’s work. Specifically, they addressed other variables such as the uniqu eness present in organizations as a result of diversity in interests as well as the role of human agency. What they were able to suggest was a condition wherein organizations are embedded in an institutional context. What this means is that institutional pressures such as organizational context, intra-organizational relationships and decision-making of individuals within the organization, makes change difficult. By proposing that organizations remove themselves from their respective institutional con

How does Boxing the Compass engage with Genesis 6-9 Essay

How does Boxing the Compass engage with Genesis 6-9 - Essay Example To solve the cases of idolatry, one needs to love and trust the gift giver with absence of interference from any gift or anything other than God alone. Then people are capable of loving and appreciating gifts accordingly, neither giving them too much strength nor failing to be thankful for them. People are then free indeed, and not in bondage or addiction to anything that cannot satisfy them or give them peace known as shalom. Imagine a novella contagious intimation of the oceans in their fatal fragility as maintenance of life by narrating a daughter in the morning for her mother. Via the grief of the daughter, the novella permits the mourning climate change solicits in language to seek an articulation. The imaginings drive us to the uncanny work of Sandy Florian of mourning in the Boxing the compass novella. Florian’s novella boxing the compass follows a lady through a day into which she awakens. After that, she leaves her house. She heads to buy bread at a local store. She comes back to her apartment, brews tea, takes a shower and leaves again her home. She rides an urban passenger train toward the graveyard where her mother was buried. In fact, the whole of the day confronts the lady with a procedure of rousing. The day is an anniversary of the era the lady’s mother died; the day disoriented the daughter utterly. The conceit of the novella boxing the compass gestures toward the disorientation. That is about the sunless she peers moonless she looks for lifeless. She looks for the mirror yearning for an inside magnetic compass for those little kids who cannot yacht their ships with ease. Peoples’ memories are elusive. It turns and twists, infiltrates and tangles, it shifts and moves smoke-like structure and so foggy, it is the lens via which people see. According to Einstein (1922), memory is deceptive because it is today’s events coloring. From this novella, boxing the compass, give readers an elucidation of what is

All I really need to know I Learned in Kindergarten Essay Example for Free

All I really need to know I Learned in Kindergarten Essay I can remember my mother telling me for a few weeks before the first day how wonderful school was going to be and how I would meet loads of new friends. She also told me that the other kids are going to be scared just like I was. Turning five years old, and knowing that it was time for me to begin school already, was really very scary. The thought of waking up early and going to school and not being with my mom all morning made me feel sick to my stomach, but I just had to suck it up and go. The first day of kindergarten I was sad but also excited at the same time because I was going to meet new friends and I was going to get to play with them during recess. I remember walking into school with my new back pack; they were the ones that had to two little wheels on it so you wouldnt have to carry it. As I was getting dropped off and hearing my mom telling me bye I started to cry. Being really close to my mom I didnt want her to leave me there all alone. So we walked in together and she told me that I was going to be all right. My mom and my new teacher, Mrs. Fossum were having a hard time getting me to stay there. After they saw that I wouldnt stay, my mom had to stay there with me thru out that whole day. As the first day went on I was making a bunch of friends with my new classmates. When the second day came I wanted my mom to stay at school but I realized that she had to go to work. After she had left I saw a table that had some crayons and some paper on it, so I ventured over to it and stood by the seat watching to see if anyone was going to stop me from drawing. No one came so I took a seat, a piece of paper, and of course a blue coloring pencil just like the one I had at home and started to draw. When the other children saw that I was already hard at work with my drawing, which somewhat looked like a cow, they came and sat down with me. Even the child that didn’t want to leave his father noticed me and came over and started to draw. The little boy started to ask me questions and once he started then everyone started to include me into their group. I learned at a young age that I was not very comfortable meeting new people and doing thing on my own. My mother realized that Mitchell School system was too big of a school for my type of personality and that I do better when I don’t have to adapt to much change.

Military appts Essay Example for Free

Military appts Essay Doctors appointments are missed each and every day by people who either forget to show up or choose not to call and cancel their appointment. One of the reasons why it is best to try and keep your doctors appointment is because it is the polite thing to do. Would you arrange a job interview with a company you were serious about working for but then fail to show up? No, not in the civilian world. It is very important to schedule routine doctor appointments regularly to ensure proper treatment as needed to care for my health as an injured soldier. I schedule my appointments so I can work on treating my injuries physically and mentally so when I medically retire I can hope for a better future of recovering and living a healthy life with a greater chance of being alive a lot longer than if I didnt take proper treatment. If I didnt think appointment were important than I would see my health go downhill and the recovery would be nearly impossible. Its very important to be on time to my appointments because if I were late I wouldnt receive the proper treatment I need, I would be taking time away from another soldier that thinks his appointments are just as important for his treatment and it wouldnt be fair to anyone, including myself and my healthy life and another reason is because it is my place of duty while in the military. When scheduling appointments you do not want to miss them for a number of reasons. If you miss the appointment, you are not only wasting your doctors time. You could also place your health at risk if you do not start your treatment as quickly as possible. It is rude to your doctor and you are not following through with treatment thats important for your health. Someone who also needed treatment sooner could have had the opportunity to be seen if I was going to schedule and miss my appointment. One of the primary concerns with missed appointments is that they limit access to care for multiple patients. When patients fail to appear for their appointments or they dont call and cancel in advance, its kind of hard to have enough appointments to meet the health-care needs of other patients. Making an appointment is the same as guaranteeing you will be somewhere at the agreed upon time. Just as you expect a provider to be there as scheduled, the provider expects you to be there as well. The dental office supports hundreds of members a day and works hard to keep the process of seeing Soldiers flowing smoothly. Missing an appointment interrupts that process and creates unnecessary additional work for schedulers, providers, and staff. Our goal is to support the organization that supports us by meeting all appointments. Although I can understand your missing an appointment because of recent distractions, there is no valid excuse for missing an appointment. We must find a way to make sure you dont miss future appointments. People use a variety of methods but they all share one thing in common: they all realize, at the moment they make the appointment, that they have made a promise to be present at a certain time and place and must find a way to make sure they meet their obligation. Some people have established methods that they use over and over such as writing the appointment down in an appointment book and reviewing it daily. Others write it down on a sticky note and put it somewhere where they will see it every day to remind them of the impending appointment. I will not dictate the method you use because our goal is to make sure you meet all future appointments and the method I suggest may not work for you. You must choose a method that works for you and ensure you make all future appointmets because further missed appointments will result in more severe action and affect your career.

Compare And Contast Of Festival Between Bangladesh Tourism Essay

Compare And Contast Of Festival Between Bangladesh Tourism Essay Festival is an event that generally staged by a local community. There is a lot of festival in the world. There are many different festivals and also there are many similar festivals in the world. All of the country has different festival and they observe in different ways. There are many kinds of festival in the world. Historical festival, Social festival. Arts festival, New Year festival, cultural festival, film festival. Music festival. Food festival, folk festival etc. 2. Etymology of festivals: the word festival comes from English word fest, French word festivals, Latin word festivals. After 1580 it was recoded as noun. Before it was used as adjective. In this time it the word feste come form Middle English, from middle French, from Latin. 3. Countries of choice: to compare and contest of festival I have chosen two countries. Among these countries there are many festival observed every year. From these I have chosen two festivals to compare and contest. 5.1 Caribana festival in Canada: Caribana festivals come from Caribbean culture and history which is held in the summer across the city of Toronto, Ontario in Canada. Every year hundreds of thousand visitors from around the world the world come to the Torontos lakeshore. It is the largest festival in the North America. It takes place about three weeks. In this time there held a different kind of event take place. Music festive, folk festive, and many others takes place there in the festival. 5.2 History of caribana festival of Canada: caribana was annually observed from 1967 in Toronto. It is a gift from West Indian community of canards. In the before years the main festival events organised by a nonprofits organisation of Toronto which name was Caribbean cultural committee (CCC). It was establish by the Caribbean organiser living in Canada. In 2006 this origination fall in financial crisis so they fail to arrange this festival at the end Toronto government give financial aid to run this festival from this it named Toronto Caribbean carnival (caribana) festival. 5.3 Events of caribana festival of Canada: the festival start with a massive parade. It took place in the first weekend of August. In this time a dancer called mas player along with live caribana music start from big speakers from 18 wheeler trucks. Calypso Tents Music Series is one of the most attractive events. Story telling is favourite event of this function. Art exhibition held in Royal Ontario museum on July 23 August 15th. Hundred of works shone there. Mainly African-Canadian artists work. Scotia bank Caribana Gala takes place in liberty Grand on July 23rd. an event of arts and festival. King and queen show is another important event of the caribana festival. It held on July 29th in the Lamport Stadium. Another thrilling event is Pan Alive. In this event musical event are shown held on July 30t h. caribana food festival is an exciting new event takes place in the Ontario place on August 1st . There is another programme held in the Ontatia place which is De Scotia bank cariban a Lime where you can take food, watch dance and enjoy live music at the same time. 6.1 Poyela Boishak festival of Bangladesh: poyela boishak is the first day of Bangla calendar. This calendar is followed by the Bangladesh, Assam, west Bangla, and Tripura. This festival is celebrated 14 April of every year. Main festival held in Dhaka the capital city of Bangladesh. About one million people attend this programme. In this day all stage of people attend this festival. In this day Dhaka become festival looks. All roads become colourful. People were colourful dresses in these days. Various types of placates, banners, festoon and many kind of colourful toron are displayed. Government declare holiday in this day. In this day different cultural programme are arranged. A lot of processions are getting out in this day. In this day a lot of fair arranged across the country. 6.2 History of poyela boishak: Hindu Vedic solar calendar is nearly to the Bangla calendar. The Bangla year commences in mid-April of the Gregorian year. At time of moghals period calendar are count for harvest with hijri year. But farmer cannot count this time. Thats why Emperor Akbar ordered to reform the calendar. After this order the famous astronomer Fatehullah Shirazi reformed the Bangla New Year based on Hijri Hindu solar calendars. This New Year (fasli san) thats mean agricultural year first introduce in the 10/11 march on 1584. In this time landlords are arranged different kinds of fair to celebrate this day. In this day Bangali traders open new account book called halkhata in this day traders finish all due with his customers and give them especial sweet. . 6.3 Celebration of poyela boishak: This day are celebrating two ways in the country. One in rural area and another is cities area. In rural area people were new cloths and they keep their home net and clean. In the cities people celebrate this day difference way from rural area. In the cities people observed this day by elaborate programme, Especially in Dhaka. Various kinds of agricultural products, cosmetics, toys, traditional food are sold in the boshakhi fair. This fair provides entertainment, by staging jatra (traditional plays), jari gan, sari gan, murshidi song, bual, arfoti song. Many stage dramas are shone in this day especially Yusuf-Zulekha Radhe- kisno. Events, kite flying in the Dhaka, in the village games are bullfights, flying pigeons, boat racing. In the cities people get up in the morning and ware especial cloths, young women were white saris with read edge, ful(flowers) of their head and, Man were Panjabi(shirt) and lungi (long skirt). In the morning Cities people eat pant-bath (rich with water) with fried hilsha fish. A lot of people gather under the banyan tree at Ramna Park. In this place famous song à  Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ ¸Ãƒ  Ã¢â‚¬ ¹, à  Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ ¹Ãƒ  Ã¢â‚¬ ¡ à  Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ  Ã‹â€ Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ ¶Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ ¾Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¦-, à  Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ ¸Ãƒ  Ã¢â‚¬ ¹ à  Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ ¸Ãƒ  Ã¢â‚¬ ¹ (come, o boishakh, come, come) sing to welcoming New Year. Social cultural organization take out procession and parade around the town, university of Dhaka also take out another procession into the campus, news paper give out especial addition, radio, television broadcast live this function. . 7. Significance: now I will describe about the significance of these festival. 7.1 Significance of caribana festival of Canada: caribana is great festival for the Canada, by this festival Toronto get especial definition because a lot of people around the world come to attend this festival thats why it become familiar to all over the world. This festival is held not only Toronto but also Ontario, province, caribana, festival are also celebrate in the America. Immigrants from Trinidad and Tobago introduced this caribana festival. Now it is the third biggest Caribbean festival in the world. 7.2 Significance of poyela boishak: poyela boishak is now recognized as multicultural because many people around the world attend this programme. In this day all Bengali around the world together celebrated this programme thats why it become famous in the subcontinent, in the subcontinent about 30 core people speak in Bengali so poyela boishak is always a model festival for these huge amount of people. 8. Conclusion: festival is always important for every country, It familiar one countries culture and tradition to the worlds. In the festival people get recreation, there are different types of festival in Canada and Bangladesh. And there is also difference celebrating ways but both countries enjoy this festival with great festive look.

Julie Taymor’s Titus Andronicus Essay -- Titus Andronicus Essays

Julie Taymor’s Titus Andronicus Shakespeare's first tragedy has been a topic of discussion since the day it was written. Titus Andronicus "was staged on 24 January 1594 by the Earl of Sussex's Men at the Rose Theatre" (Welsh 1). Though this tidbit of information seems somewhat irrelevant to Titus, we must note that there are certain standards and practices established by a play from its first performance. It is also important to establish the general attributes that audiences attribute to Shakespearean performance. One of the distinguishing factors in portraying Titus centers in its origin: "Titus Andronicus [...] must be considered as an experimental play" (Bowers 118). Being Shakespeare's first attempt at tragedy, it obviously has room for error. Yet, as some critics and scholars would say, I believe there is a similar element found in all of Shakespeare's works, no matter when they were written: "Shakespeare constantly reminds us that the character's predicament and humanity is very like our own" (Barton 184). No matter what the plot is, or where he chose to set the story, Shakespeare captures a fundamental element of humanity. Within Titus Andronicus, it is undoubtedly humanity's search for revenge: "Titus Andronicus is a play of social piety, outrage, suffering, and revenge" (Barber 133). The first three elements that Barber attributes to the work are consequential to the fourth; it is the revenge and spite of Titus, Tamora, and Aaron that fuel the other three elements. The other distinguishing feature is the blood and gore that pervades the entire work. Numerous people, such as a fellow colleague of mine, actually dismiss the work due to the horrific acts committed by the characters. Yet if ... ...ives/00titus.html Barber, C.L. Creating Elizabethan Tragedy. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1988. Barton, John. Playing Shakespeare. London: Methuen Drama, 1989. Bowers, Fredson. Elizabethan Revenge Tragedy. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1940. Corliss, Richard. "Titus." Time 27 December 1999: 166-170. Granger, Susan. "Titus." www.all-reviews.com/videos/titus.htm. 1999. Karten, Harvey. "Titus." www.all-reviews.com/videos/titus-4.htm. 2000. Lindroth, Mary. "'Some device of further misery': Taymor's Titus brings Shakespeare to film audiences with a twist." Literature/Film Quarterly 29 (2001): 107-115. Travers, Peter. "Titus." Rolling Stone 17 February 2000: 64. Welsh, Jim and John Tibbetts. "'To sup with horrors': Julie Taymor's Senecan feast." Literature/Film Quarterly 28 (2000): 155-156.

GPS Technology Essays -- essays research papers fc

Physics Assignment Global Positioning System GPS, of the Global Positioning System, is a system of satellites that orbit the earth above us that send signals continuously to ground stations that monitor and control GPS operations. GPS signals can be detected by GPS receivers, which by itself can calculate the location of the receiver by around ten metres. Such the accuracy and reliability of the GPS system that its is a required item for a long trip without and contact with humans. The GPS system was originally intended for military use; its use was to track and detect ships and submarines by the US military in the 1960s. As time moved on, and as the development progressed, its use changed, from only a military use to a more civilian use. When the GPS system finally became operational in the 1990s, it has proven itself to be a very sophisticated tool, being very reliable, as shown by the usage of the GPS system by both military and civilians. GPS worked by each satellite that emitted a unique radio wave also known as the ‘Pseudo Random code’, which is basically a series of random radio signals; so random, that there is absolutely no chance that thre would be a matching signal. The signals, which contain the time and the position of the satellite, are then compared by the GPS receiver from four satellites. Considering how extraordinarily sophisticated the technology is, the operating principle of GPS is remarkably simple. Each satellite continuously broadcasts a digital r...

Essay --

After being arrested in downtown Birmingham on a Good Friday, Reverend Martian Luther King Jr. wrote his famous letter, â€Å"A Letter From Birmingham Jail† responding to the criticism demonstrated by eight prominent white clergymen. This letter has been found important through out history because it expresses King’s feelings towards the un-just event and it is an example of a well-written argument. The author, Dr. Martian Luther King Jr., makes a statement â€Å"Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue.† He uses this concept to convey the point of the Negros hard work to negotiate the issue has failed, but now they must confront it. The March on Good Friday, 1963, 53 blacks, led by Reverend Martian Luther King, Jr., was his first physical protest to segregation laws that had taken place after several efforts to simply negotiate. The author uses several phrases that describe his nonviolent efforts and his devotion to the issue of segregation that makes the reader believe his how seriously King takes this issue. â€Å"Conversely, one has the moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.† Dr. Martian Luther King, Jr. explains with this that an â€Å"unjust law is no law at all.† King does not feel like he has broken any laws in hi s protest against segregation. In his eyes, laws are made to protect the people, not degrade and punish. â€Å"The Negro has many pent up resentments and latent frustrations, and he must release them. So let him March.† As far as King is concerned, the Negros will continue to do whatever is necessary, preferably non-violently, to obtain the moral and legal right that is theirs. If they are not allowe... ...to jail. He was beaten and put down in jail, but he never gave up on his idea of God and never once regret they steps he took to spread the work of God, despite where he ended up. â€Å"Whether our dreams have been crushed by forces beyond our control – injustice, disaster, or the death of a love one – or we’ve shattered them ourselves through cowardice, poor judgment, moral laxity, or laziness, hope is not beyond us. Nor are we beyond hope – as long as we press on in Gods direction.† Dr. King uses this powerful statement along with several others like it to really get the point across that you need to fight for what you believe in and don’t lose hope. The process to gain desegregation of African-Americans and whites will be a fight, but they key is to follow in the line of God and keep moving forward, while pushing aside and stepping over any despair you may encounter.

African American Musuem Essay

The African Museum in Philadelphia is notable as the first museum funded and built by a municipality to help preserve, interpret and exhibit the heritage of African Americans. Opened during the 1976 Bicentennial celebrations, the AAMP is located in historic Philadelphia, a few blocks away from the Liberty Bell. Charles H. Wesley was a noted African American historian, educator, and author. He was the fourth African American to receive a Ph. D. from Harvard University. An ordained minister, Wesley’s distinguished career included 40 years of leadership with the African Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1976, he served as Director of the Afro-American Historical and Cultural Museum in Philadelphia, now known as the African American Museum in Philadelphia. Programs The African American Museum that is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has some interesting education programs. These education programs focus on arts, culture, and heritage education. They place a major emphasis on the interests of the students, educators, artists, historians, scholars, and community organizations. These programs offer diversity with scheduling. The programs explore various African forms of cultural expressions. In these programs there are literary performances, hands on demonstrations, workshops, and storytelling performances as well. The African American Museum in Philadelphia feels its programs can be a vital link between the permanent and visiting collections for the many communities they serve. Exhibitions The exhibitions in the African American Museum in Philadelphia can some to be pleasing to the eye and stimulating to the mind. According to the African American Museum of Philadelphia these exhibitions invoke a deep collection of emotion ranging from pride and passion to excitement and enthusiasm. When visitors enter the museum they will come to Gallery 1, which includes a interactive timeline, images draw from historical record, that spans 100 years of history. In Gallery 2 there are full size video projections in which visitors can in engage in them. Once they are activated, a monologue about life in Philadelphia will begin. Some other aspects of the exhibit include an experience where you can walk the streets of Philadelphia through a large scale map, which is located between galleries 1 and 2 .

China online banking development Essay

China is expected to become the largest information technology (IT) market in the world in the next five years, acknowledging that computers will be popular in Chinese families by that time. China now ranks No. 2 in Internet subscribers in the world. Owing to China’s large population, the country’s Internet market still has great potential. Information technology has been utilized in almost all sectors of China’s economy today. E-government, e-business, e-finance, and upgrading of state-owned enterprises will all provide more opportunities for the development of the industry in  China is expected to become the largest information technology (IT) market in the world in the next five years, acknowledging that computers will be popular in Chinese families by that time. China now ranks No. 2 in Internet subscribers in the world. Owing to China’s large population, the country’s Internet market still has great potential. Information technology has been utilized in almost all sectors of China’s economy today. E-government, e-business, e-finance, and upgrading of state-owned enterprises will all provide more opportunities for the development of the industry in China. Read the Memo sent out by Jaime about 2004 Mid-Year Offsite Business-planning meeting conducted by S1 management team, the key topic of â€Å"Perfecting our International and Distribution Business† caught my attention. Learned the news that Macau Tai Fung bank implemented S1 Banking Solution to launched its online banking services, and found out that S1 opened an office in Beijing – China’s capital city, I got a feeling that S1 already turned its eyes to Chinese Market and wonder whether S1’s management would like to make further moves and seize the opportunity. Before left China to immigrant to Canada, I had 6 years working experiences in Beijing-my home city, dealing with Chinese financial agencies and institutions, Chinese and foreign banks as well as other financial institutions and service providers in China, I’m quite familiar with Chinese financial industry structure. I’d like to reuse my knowledge and made this online research report. If S1 is interested in expanding business in China, but not clear what is the situation there and where to start, my research report will, I hope to a certain extent, answer some of your questions. The main purpose of this report is to provide some information and personal suggestions that, I hope, could be helpful for S1’s management or marketing team to better understand Chinese market. This report includes information covering Chinese banking system structure, the emergence and development of Internet banking and online insurance services in China, Chinese governments’ policies and regulations toward online banking and insurance business as well as some prepositional thoughts about how to present S1 and its products to China. Naissance of Online Banking in China In the late 1990s, China began allowing banks to open online businesses. In 1996, China Merchants Bank launched the 1st online financing service in China through â€Å"All in One Net†, an online payment method, which set up the basic operating pattern of China online banking. On October 1997, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) established its own homepage on Internet to promote its financing services and to provide business guide for Internet users. March 1998, Bank of China successfully handled its first e-transaction. To 1999, all major banks in China had sped up their online banking construction. To date, online banking has made good progress in China. According to statistics from the recently seminar called â€Å"International Symposium on the Development of Online Banking and Supervision† sponsored by China Banking Regulatory Commission, China’s online bank transactions are expected to reach 20 trillion yuan (about 2. 4 trillion US dollars) by the end of this year. Currently, China has over 40 million individuals and 60,000 companies and institutions involved in online banking businesses. In 2003, Internet-based banking businesses have witnessed a big step forward, owing to the outbreak of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). Traditionally, Chinese have placed a premium on face-to-face meeting for important business-related matters, but the SARS crisis has forced people to change their attitude. Online Banking Development in China China is in the early stages of a vast transformation – from a traditional â€Å"cash and carry† banking system where customers use the branches for almost every banking activity to a modern Internet banking system. Currently, more than 50 commercial banks (domestic and foreign) and over 200 of their branches in China have opened websites, among which, a total of over 50 banks have launched online businesses. The Growth of Online Banking Customers in China China’s online bank transactions were 14. 3 billion yuan in 2001, increased to 21. 8 billion yuan in 2003, and are expected to reach 20 trillion yuan (about 2. 4 trillion US dollars) by the end of this year. Figure 3. 1: The Growth of Online Banking Customers in China Online Shopping Payment Methods in China. According to a survey made by China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), payment online by credit card and deposit card is becoming the 1st choice for online purchasing. The traditional payment method of payment on delivery by cash and postal remittance decreased 3. 7% this year. Figure 3. 2: Online Purchasing Payment Methods in China An analysis shows that security and service abilities are the main concerns for Chinese to use online banking services, 72. 2% of the people inquired care a lot about whether the banks can guarantee the safety of all transactions in their online services, 60. 6% hope to see more functions and flexibilities. Figure 3. 3: Factors that that will attract Chinese to use online banking services Both Chinese and foreign banks in China realized that the internet solutions provide clients with more channels to communicate with them and allow them to benefit from greater control and cost efficiency, which are top of mind for treasurers today. Domestic Banks and Their Online Banking Services For many Chinese, banking in general is a new experience and in an economy where cash remains important, so bank branches also provide security to customers. However, with accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), China’s major banks having to face competition, the local players are increasingly seeing their extensive and heavily manned branch networks as a liability. More and more Chinese banks seem to have discovered the Internet as new source of revenue and the powerful attraction of Internet banking is reflected an attractive proposition. The Chinese bank that has bee quickest off the mark in building Internet banking is China Merchant Bank, which launched the first online financing service in China in 1996. The four state-owned commercial banks quickly followed and successively began to offer some online services since then. May 2000, the Agricultural Bank of China (ABC) implemented a trial Internet banking service in its Guangzhou Branch, which allowed their customers in Guangdong province to access their account through Internet. December 2000, ABC launched online banking service in Shanghai called 95599 Online Bank. The new service of 95599 Online bank has reportedly attracted a number of large corporate clients, such as China Worldbest Group and Shanghai Volkswagen. The services offered include currency exchange, personal cheque issuance and access to consumer loans. Users can also report the loss of certificates of deposit, bankbooks and bankcards as well as prearrange withdrawals of cash sums. At the same time, China Construction Bank (CCB) announced its plans to extend its online banking services to 15 cities in the mainland as well as simplify the process of related authentication in a bid to boost the number of clients using online services. The bank began offering online services in April 2000 in cities of Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Qingdao. Last year, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) unveiled a new platform for its personal online banking business – BANKING@HOME. ICBC officials said the upgraded e-banking platform could facilitate a key shift of the bank’s outlets from all-round functions to sales-orientated services, and gives it a firmer foothold in a market with intensifying foreign competition. ICBC officials said the 58-function brand-name allows â€Å"almost all services a traditional banking outlet offers† to be processed by the client on the computer, including 24-hour any-amount transfers of funds or remittances, securities and foreign currency trading as well as collateralized loans. Figure 3. 4: Internet Services provided by the 4 state-owned commercial banks Name Website URL Language Internet Services The Agricultural Bank of China (ABC) www. abocn. com – Chinese – Simplified Banking industry news and website news, Regulation for foreign currency deposits Link to online banking Bank of China (BOC) www. bank-of-china. com – Chinese Simplified – English Link to branch offices in other cities and provinces Link to E-banking services Cash management Information on the bank and its activities Information on credit card deposits online and phone banking, loans and remittances. China Construction Bank www. ccb-on-line. com – Chinese Simplified – English Links to exchange rates, stock quotes, deposit rates, loan rates, bank fees. Link to branch offices in other cities and provinces Credit card information. International Operations such as financing, merchant banking, international settlements, currency exchange, treasury services, credit investigations Information on oversea branches and domestic branches that conduct international transactions Foreign currency deposit, multi-currency remittances, account settlement and term deposit. Link to online banking and payment The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) www. icbc. com. cn – Chinese Simplified – Chinese Traditional – English Link to branch offices in other cities and provinces Link to online bank services: personal banking, corporate Banking. Information on E-banking Online financing Links to exchange rates, stock quotes, deposit rates, loan rates, bank fees. Foreign Banks and Their Online Banking Services Citibank claims that they are the 1st foreign bank in China that obtained approval from the People’s Bank of China (PCBC) to offer Internet banking services in China to both domestic and international corporations, as well as consumers. Its Internet banking services provide clients with convenient, easy-to-use, and secure access to banking transactions, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, over the Web. Offering its CitiDirect corporate banking service for cash management, the bank has developed an internet-based payments system specifically for the country. The system enables corporate clients in China to make local currency (renminbi) payment transactions to beneficiaries in over 7000 locations. The system, called Citibank Easy Payments, also delivers various payment and collections reports for clients to view or download into their computers. Its Internet-based banking services available in China for corporate and consumer clients include: CitiDirect(r) Online Banking is Citibank’s Web-based delivery channel for corporate clients, designed to securely deliver online an ever-expanding array of Citibank transaction products. CitiDirect(r) Online Banking provides access to account information, payment initiation capabilities, collections data, trade finance transactions, and import/export file integration capabilities. CitiDirect(r) replaces traditional electronic banking applications with a single Web-based delivery channel, thereby improving efficiency and reducing costs to clients. Available in 90 countries and 20 languages including traditional and simplified Chinese, CitiDirecti Online Banking gives clients the benefits of real-time processing, robust security and integration with their in-house treasury systems. * Citibank Easy Payments, an Internet-based payment system that allows corporate clients in China to make local currency (Renminbi) payment transactions to beneficiaries in over 7000 locations in China. This system was specifically developed for the China market. Citibank Easy Payments also delivers various payment and collections reports for clients to view or download into their computers. Citibank Easy Payments supports interface with all major Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) packages such as SAP, Oracle, BPCS as well as locally developed Chinese accounting packages. Citibank. com. cn, an Internet banking portal that allows corporations and consumers to manage their accounts online, make online enquiries or transactions, view customize and personalize pages as well as get online tools and real-time global market information. Global banking group HSBC, Hang Seng Bank and Bank of East Asia received online-banking license and launched online banking service in China on January 2003. This new service allows their customers to check their balances, transfer funds, make time deposits and account enquiries, check interest and foreign exchange rates, and send remittance instructions through Internet. It is said that more foreign banks, like London-based Standard Chartered Bank, have also received approval to launch online banking services in China, but it is not clear when the emerging market specialist would offer such service. China is expected to become the largest information technology (IT) market in the world in the next five years, acknowledging that computers will be popular in Chinese families by that time. China now ranks No. 2 in Internet subscribers in the world. Owing to China’s large population, the country’s Internet market still has great potential. Information technology has been utilized in almost all sectors of China’s economy today. E-government, e-business, e-finance, and upgrading of state-owned enterprises will all provide more opportunities for the development of the industry in China. Read the Memo sent out by Jaime about 2004 Mid-Year Offsite Business-planning meeting conducted by S1 management team, the key topic of â€Å"Perfecting our International and Distribution Business† caught my attention. Learned the news that Macau Tai Fung bank implemented S1 Banking Solution to launched its online banking services, and found out that S1 opened an office in Beijing – China’s capital city, I got a feeling that S1 already turned its eyes to Chinese Market and wonder whether S1’s management would like to make further moves and seize the opportunity. Before left China to immigrant to Canada, I had 6 years working experiences in Beijing-my home city, dealing with Chinese financial agencies and institutions, Chinese and foreign banks as well as other financial institutions and service providers in China, I’m quite familiar with Chinese financial industry structure. I’d like to reuse my knowledge and made this online research report. If S1 is interested in expanding business in China, but not clear what is the situation there and where to start, my research report will, I hope to a certain extent, answer some of your questions. The main purpose of this report is to provide some information and personal suggestions that, I hope, could be helpful for S1’s management or marketing team to better understand Chinese market. This report includes information covering Chinese banking system structure, the emergence and development of Internet banking and online insurance services in China, Chinese governments’ policies and regulations toward online banking and insurance business as well as some prepositional thoughts about how to present S1 and its products to China. Naissance of Online Banking in China In the late 1990s, China began allowing banks to open online businesses. In 1996, China Merchants Bank launched the 1st online financing service in China through â€Å"All in One Net†, an online payment method, which set up the basic operating pattern of China online banking. On October 1997, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) established its own homepage on Internet to promote its financing services and to provide business guide for Internet users. March 1998, Bank of China successfully handled its first e-transaction. To 1999, all major banks in China had sped up their online banking construction. To date, online banking has made good progress in China. According to statistics from the recently seminar called â€Å"International Symposium on the Development of Online Banking and Supervision† sponsored by China Banking Regulatory Commission, China’s online bank transactions are expected to reach 20 trillion yuan (about 2. 4 trillion US dollars) by the end of this year. Currently, China has over 40 million individuals and 60,000 companies and institutions involved in online banking businesses In 2003, Internet-based banking businesses have witnessed a big step forward, owing to the outbreak of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). Traditionally, Chinese have placed a premium on face-to-face meeting for important business-related matters, but the SARS crisis has forced people to change their attitude. Online Banking Development in China China is in the early stages of a vast transformation – from a traditional â€Å"cash and carry† banking system where customers use the branches for almost every banking activity to a modern Internet banking system. Currently, more than 50 commercial banks (domestic and foreign) and over 200 of their branches in China have opened websites, among which, a total of over 50 banks have launched online businesses. The Growth of Online Banking Customers in China China’s online bank transactions were 14. 3 billion yuan in 2001, increased to 21. 8 billion yuan in 2003, and are expected to reach 20 trillion yuan (about 2. 4 trillion US dollars) by the end of this year. Figure 3. 1: The Growth of Online Banking Customers in China Online Shopping Payment Methods in China According to a survey made by China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), payment online by credit card and deposit card is becoming the 1st choice for online purchasing. The traditional payment method of payment on delivery by cash and postal remittance decreased 3. 7% this year. Figure 3. 2: Online Purchasing Payment Methods in China An analysis shows that security and service abilities are the main concerns for Chinese to use online banking services, 72. 2% of the people inquired care a lot about whether the banks can guarantee the safety of all transactions in their online services, 60. 6% hope to see more functions and flexibilities. Figure 3. 3: Factors that that will attract Chinese to use online banking services Both Chinese and foreign banks in China realized that the internet solutions provide clients with more channels to communicate with them and allow them to benefit from greater control and cost efficiency, which are top of mind for treasurers today. Domestic Banks and Their Online Banking Services For many Chinese, banking in general is a new experience and in an economy where cash remains important, so bank branches also provide security to customers. However, with accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), China’s major banks having to face competition, the local players are increasingly seeing their extensive and heavily manned branch networks as a liability. More and more Chinese banks seem to have discovered the Internet as new source of revenue and the powerful attraction of Internet banking is reflected an attractive proposition. The Chinese bank that has bee quickest off the mark in building Internet banking is China Merchant Bank, which launched the first online financing service in China in 1996. The four state-owned commercial banks quickly followed and successively began to offer some online services since then. May 2000, the Agricultural Bank of China (ABC) implemented a trial Internet banking service in its Guangzhou Branch, which allowed their customers in Guangdong province to access their account through Internet. December 2000, ABC launched online banking service in Shanghai called 95599 Online Bank. The new service of 95599 Online bank has reportedly attracted a number of large corporate clients, such as China Worldbest Group and Shanghai Volkswagen. The services offered include currency exchange, personal cheque issuance and access to consumer loans. Users can also report the loss of certificates of deposit, bankbooks and bankcards as well as prearrange withdrawals of cash sums. At the same time, China Construction Bank (CCB) announced its plans to extend its online banking services to 15 cities in the mainland as well as simplify the process of related authentication in a bid to boost the number of clients using online services. The bank began offering online services in April 2000 in cities of Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Qingdao. Last year, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) unveiled a new platform for its personal online banking business – BANKING@HOME. ICBC officials said the upgraded e-banking platform could facilitate a key shift of the bank’s outlets from all-round functions to sales-orientated services, and gives it a firmer foothold in a market with intensifying foreign competition. ICBC officials said the 58-function brand-name allows â€Å"almost all services a traditional banking outlet offers† to be processed by the client on the computer, including 24-hour any-amount transfers of funds or remittances, securities and foreign currency trading as well as collateralized loans. Figure 3. 4: Internet Services provided by the 4 state-owned commercial banks Name Website URL Language Internet Services The Agricultural Bank of China (ABC) www. abocn. com – Chinese – Simplified Banking industry news and website news, Regulation for foreign currency deposits Link to online banking Bank of China (BOC) www. bank-of-china. com – Chinese Simplified – English Link to branch offices in other cities and provinces Link to E-banking services Cash management Information on the bank and its activities Information on credit card deposits online and phone banking, loans and remittances. China Construction Bank www. ccb-on-line. com – Chinese Simplified – English Links to exchange rates, stock quotes, deposit rates, loan rates, bank fees. Link to branch offices in other cities and provinces Credit card information. International Operations such as financing, merchant banking, international settlements, currency exchange, treasury services, credit investigations Information on oversea branches and domestic branches that conduct international transactions Foreign currency deposit, multi-currency remittances, account settlement and term deposit. Link to online banking and payment The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) www. icbc. com. cn – Chinese Simplified – Chinese Traditional – English Link to branch offices in other cities and provinces Link to online bank services: personal banking, corporate Banking. Information on E-banking Online financing Links to exchange rates, stock quotes, deposit rates, loan rates, bank fees. Foreign Banks and Their Online Banking Services Citibank claims that they are the 1st foreign bank in China that obtained approval from the People’s Bank of China (PCBC) to offer Internet banking services in China to both domestic and international corporations, as well as consumers. Its Internet banking services provide clients with convenient, easy-to-use, and secure access to banking transactions, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, over the Web. Offering its CitiDirect corporate banking service for cash management, the bank has developed an internet-based payments system specifically for the country. The system enables corporate clients in China to make local currency (renminbi) payment transactions to beneficiaries in over 7000 locations. The system, called Citibank Easy Payments, also delivers various payment and collections reports for clients to view or download into their computers. Its Internet-based banking services available in China for corporate and consumer clients include: CitiDirect(r) Online Banking is Citibank’s Web-based delivery channel for corporate clients, designed to securely deliver online an ever-expanding array of Citibank transaction products. CitiDirect(r) Online Banking provides access to account information, payment initiation capabilities, collections data, trade finance transactions, and import/export file integration capabilities. CitiDirect(r) replaces traditional electronic banking applications with a single Web-based delivery channel, thereby improving efficiency and reducing costs to clients. Available in 90 countries and 20 languages including traditional and simplified Chinese, CitiDirecti Online Banking gives clients the benefits of real-time processing, robust security and integration with their in-house treasury systems. * Citibank Easy Payments, an Internet-based payment system that allows corporate clients in China to make local currency (Renminbi) payment transactions to beneficiaries in over 7000 locations in China. This system was specifically developed for the China market. Citibank Easy Payments also delivers various payment and collections reports for clients to view or download into their computers. Citibank Easy Payments supports interface with all major Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) packages such as SAP, Oracle, BPCS as well as locally developed Chinese accounting packages.   Citibank. com. cn, an Internet banking portal that allows corporations and consumers to manage their accounts online, make online enquiries or transactions, view customize and personalize pages as well as get online tools and real-time global market information. Global banking group HSBC, Hang Seng Bank and Bank of East Asia received online-banking license and launched online banking service in China on January 2003. This new service allows their customers to check their balances, transfer funds, make time deposits and account enquiries, check interest and foreign exchange rates, and send remittance instructions through Internet. It is said that more foreign banks, like London-based Standard Chartered Bank, have also received approval to launch online banking services in China, but it is not clear when the emerging market specialist would offer such service. Read the Memo sent out by Jaime about 2004 Mid-Year Offsite Business-planning meeting conducted by S1 management team, the key topic of â€Å"Perfecting our International and Distribution Business† caught my attention. Learned the news that Macau Tai Fung bank implemented S1 Banking Solution to launched its online banking services, and found out that S1 opened an office in Beijing – China’s capital city, I got a feeling that S1 already turned its eyes to Chinese Market and wonder whether S1’s management would like to make further moves and seize the opportunity. Before left China to immigrant to Canada, I had 6 years working experiences in Beijing-my home city, dealing with Chinese financial agencies and institutions, Chinese and foreign banks as well as other financial institutions and service providers in China, I’m quite familiar with Chinese financial industry structure. I’d like to reuse my knowledge and made this online research report. If S1 is interested in expanding business in China, but not clear what is the situation there and where to start, my research report will, I hope to a certain extent, answer some of your questions. The main purpose of this report is to provide some information and personal suggestions that, I hope, could be helpful for S1’s management or marketing team to better understand Chinese market. This report includes information covering Chinese banking system structure, the emergence and development of Internet banking and online insurance services in China, Chinese governments’ policies and regulations toward online banking and insurance business as well as some prepositional thoughts about how to present S1 and its products to China. Naissance of Online Banking in China In the late 1990s, China began allowing banks to open online businesses. In 1996, China Merchants Bank launched the 1st online financing service in China through â€Å"All in One Net†, an online payment method, which set up the basic operating pattern of China online banking. On October 1997, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) established its own homepage on Internet to promote its financing services and to provide business guide for Internet users. March 1998, Bank of China successfully handled its first e-transaction. To 1999, all major banks in China had sped up their online banking construction. To date, online banking has made good progress in China. According to statistics from the recently seminar called â€Å"International Symposium on the Development of Online Banking and Supervision† sponsored by China Banking Regulatory Commission, China’s online bank transactions are expected to reach 20 trillion yuan (about 2. 4 trillion US dollars) by the end of this year. Currently, China has over 40 million individuals and 60,000 companies and institutions involved in online banking businesses. In 2003, Internet-based banking businesses have witnessed a big step forward, owing to the outbreak of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). Traditionally, Chinese have placed a premium on face-to-face meeting for important business-related matters, but the SARS crisis has forced people to change their attitude. Online Banking Development in China China is in the early stages of a vast transformation – from a traditional â€Å"cash and carry† banking system where customers use the branches for almost every banking activity to a modern Internet banking system. Currently, more than 50 commercial banks (domestic and foreign) and over 200 of their branches in China have opened websites, among which, a total of over 50 banks have launched online businesses. The Growth of Online Banking Customers in China China’s online bank transactions were 14. 3 billion yuan in 2001, increased to 21. 8 billion yuan in 2003, and are expected to reach 20 trillion yuan (about 2. 4 trillion US dollars) by the end of this year. Figure 3. 1: The Growth of Online Banking Customers in China Online Shopping Payment Methods in China According to a survey made by China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), payment online by credit card and deposit card is becoming the 1st choice for online purchasing. The traditional payment method of payment on delivery by cash and postal remittance decreased 3. 7% this year. Figure 3. 2: Online Purchasing Payment Methods in China An analysis shows that security and service abilities are the main concerns for Chinese to use online banking services, 72. 2% of the people inquired care a lot about whether the banks can guarantee the safety of all transactions in their online services, 60. 6% hope to see more functions and flexibilities. Figure 3. 3: Factors that that will attract Chinese to use online banking services Both Chinese and foreign banks in China realized that the internet solutions provide clients with more channels to communicate with them and allow them to benefit from greater control and cost efficiency, which are top of mind for treasurers today. Domestic Banks and Their Online Banking Services For many Chinese, banking in general is a new experience and in an economy where cash remains important, so bank branches also provide security to customers. However, with accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), China’s major banks having to face competition, the local players are increasingly seeing their extensive and heavily manned branch networks as a liability. More and more Chinese banks seem to have discovered the Internet as new source of revenue and the powerful attraction of Internet banking is reflected an attractive proposition. The Chinese bank that has bee quickest off the mark in building Internet banking is China Merchant Bank, which launched the first online financing service in China in 1996. The four state-owned commercial banks quickly followed and successively began to offer some online services since then. May 2000, the Agricultural Bank of China (ABC) implemented a trial Internet banking service in its Guangzhou Branch, which allowed their customers in Guangdong province to access their account through Internet. December 2000, ABC launched online banking service in Shanghai called 95599 Online Bank. The new service of 95599 Online bank has reportedly attracted a number of large corporate clients, such as China Worldbest Group and Shanghai Volkswagen. The services offered include currency exchange, personal cheque issuance and access to consumer loans. Users can also report the loss of certificates of deposit, bankbooks and bankcards as well as prearrange withdrawals of cash sums. At the same time, China Construction Bank (CCB) announced its plans to extend its online banking services to 15 cities in the mainland as well as simplify the process of related authentication in a bid to boost the number of clients using online services. The bank began offering online services in April 2000 in cities of Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Qingdao. Last year, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) unveiled a new platform for its personal online banking business – BANKING@HOME. ICBC officials said the upgraded e-banking platform could facilitate a key shift of the bank’s outlets from all-round functions to sales-orientated services, and gives it a firmer foothold in a market with intensifying foreign competition. ICBC officials said the 58-function brand-name allows â€Å"almost all services a traditional banking outlet offers† to be processed by the client on the computer, including 24-hour any-amount transfers of funds or remittances, securities and foreign currency trading as well as collateralized loans. Figure 3. 4: Internet Services provided by the 4 state-owned commercial banks Name Website URL Language Internet Services The Agricultural Bank of China (ABC) www. abocn. com – Chinese – Simplified Banking industry news and website news, Regulation for foreign currency deposits Link to online banking Bank of China (BOC) www. bank-of-china. com – Chinese Simplified – English Link to branch offices in other cities and provinces Link to E-banking services Cash management Information on the bank and its activities Information on credit card deposits online and phone banking, loans and remittances. China Construction Bank www. ccb-on-line. com – Chinese Simplified – English Links to exchange rates, stock quotes, deposit rates, loan rates, bank fees. Link to branch offices in other cities and provinces Credit card information International Operations such as financing, merchant banking, international settlements, currency exchange, treasury services, credit investigations Information on oversea branches and domestic branches that conduct international transactions Foreign currency deposit, multi-currency remittances, account settlement and term deposit. Link to online banking and payment The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) www. icbc. com. cn – Chinese Simplified – Chinese Traditional – English Link to branch offices in other cities and provinces Link to online bank services: personal banking, corporate Banking Information on E-banking Online financing Links to exchange rates, stock quotes, deposit rates, loan rates, bank fees. Foreign Banks and Their Online Banking Services Citibank claims that they are the 1st foreign bank in China that obtained approval from the People’s Bank of China (PCBC) to offer Internet banking services in China to both domestic and international corporations, as well as consumers. Its Internet banking services provide clients with convenient, easy-to-use, and secure access to banking transactions, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, over the Web. Offering its CitiDirect corporate banking service for cash management, the bank has developed an internet-based payments system specifically for the country. The system enables corporate clients in China to make local currency (renminbi) payment transactions to beneficiaries in over 7000 locations. The system, called Citibank Easy Payments, also delivers various payment and collections reports for clients to view or download into their computers. Its Internet-based banking services available in China for corporate and consumer clients include: CitiDirect(r) Online Banking is Citibank’s Web-based delivery channel for corporate clients, designed to securely deliver online an ever-expanding array of Citibank transaction products. CitiDirect(r) Online Banking provides access to account information, payment initiation capabilities, collections data, trade finance transactions, and import/export file integration capabilities. CitiDirect(r) replaces traditional electronic banking applications with a single Web-based delivery channel, thereby improving efficiency and reducing costs to clients. Available in 90 countries and 20 languages including traditional and simplified Chinese, CitiDirecti Online Banking gives clients the benefits of real-time processing, robust security and integration with their in-house treasury systems. * Citibank Easy Payments, an Internet-based payment system that allows corporate clients in China to make local currency (Renminbi) payment transactions to beneficiaries in over 7000 locations in China. This system was specifically developed for the China market. Citibank Easy Payments also delivers various payment and collections reports for clients to view or download into their computers. Citibank Easy Payments supports interface with all major Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) packages such as SAP, Oracle, BPCS as well as locally developed Chinese accounting packages.   Citibank. com. cn, an Internet banking portal that allows corporations and consumers to manage their accounts online, make online enquiries or transactions, view customize and personalize pages as well as get online tools and real-time global market information. Global banking group HSBC, Hang Seng Bank and Bank of East Asia received online-banking license and launched online banking service in China on January 2003. This new service allows their customers to check their balances, transfer funds, make time deposits and account enquiries, check interest and foreign exchange rates, and send remittance instructions through Internet. It is said that more foreign banks, like London-based Standard Chartered Bank, have also received approval to launch online banking services in China, but it is not clear when the emerging market specialist would offer such service.