Future Plan Essay Example for Free

Future Plan Essay Hi, my name is Alberto Bazan. I am eighteen years of age. This year, two-thousand-thirteen Im going tom graduate from Alief Hastings High School. Im going to enroll in a community college in fall for my basic course, and later transfer into a university. My majoring plan is to become a Petroleum engineer. Now that I have some type of experience in the oil field, where I started working after I turned eighteen. The important question is : why am I deciding to go to college? First of all, like some people in this world; love making. So I decided to first choose a career I would like, and would make good amount of money. Second reason is because without knowledge, Im not going to have open opportunities for high-payed jobs. Last but not least; I comprehend that college is very important at this point of our lifetime, because it would help my future in where I can live life without worries of not having the knowledge and skills to get a job. Now in days it is not easy obtaining any job where you can live without worries. From my point of view, I personally think Im not a person to be in school. So therefor, my experience in college can be very harsh at times. I might have ups and downs though out my future career. I know for sure Im going to struggle throughout college, but Im not going to give up in achieving my goals, and to finish my major. Thats why Im going to college!

Illustrative Essay Essay Example for Free

Illustrative Essay Essay In society today we look at magazines and movies and strive to be just like the people we see. The guys in these magazines have six packs and arms with muscles the size of Mt. Everest. And the girls are all size double zeros with no meat anywhere on their bodies. A lot of Americans work out and diet to accomplish the goal of having these body types, but some go to drastic measures to get it. Many eating disorders and their side effects are taking over the lives of Americans every day. Anorexia Nervosa is the number one eating disorder in America. One in every one hundred woman suffers from this disorder. Anorexia is where you deprive your body from any food. This can create many problems with the body. In the beginning, minor problems can occur like fatigue, dizzy spells, and weakness. But later on, you can do so much as to give yourself certain heart diseases and some women even lose their menstrual cycles. Anorexia has controlled the lives of many celebrities like Karen Carpenter (who actually died from it), Mary Kate Olsen, and Tara Reid. Another eating disorder wide spread through the United States in Bulimia. Three in every one hundred woman suffer or have suffered from Bulimia. This disorder is where you still eat, but you cause yourself to vomit. Statistics show that many women will turn to this disease because it is â€Å"less threatening† than anorexia. Bulimia can cause slight abdominal pain and bloating. Long term side effects of this disorder can be broken blood vessels in your eyes, rotting of your teeth, and even some types of colon and throat cancers. The last eating disorder that is an issue in the USA is obesity. Many people don’t think obesity is an eating disorder, but in fact it is. Everyone’s standard of obesity is obviously ifferent, but on a national scale PBS says that seventy three percent of Americans are overweight or obese. Obesity can cause diabetes, strokes, heart attacks, and high blood pressure which are all life threatening problems. In conclusion, many eating problems are taking over America. There are healthier ways to get the body image you want. Don’t put your body at risk just to be what society wa nts you to be. You should be healthy, but you should become healthy, in a healthy manner. If you or anyone you know is struggling from an eating disorder, you should seek help as soon as possible.

Employee Motivation and Job Satisfaction in a Bank

Employee Motivation and Job Satisfaction in a Bank Introduction This research is on the effects of employee motivation and job satisfaction to CIMB Bank Berhdad. CIMB Group is the second largest in terms of providing financial services in Malaysia, and is one of the leading banking groups in Southeast Asia today. Listed in the Malysian stock exchange since 1987 the company was formerly known as Bumiputra-Commerce Holdings Berhad. The CIMB Group became the third largest company listed on the Malaysian stock exchange on November 20, 2009. During this time its market capitalisation was listed at about a RM46.6 billion, and it also has substantial investments in Indonesia and Thailand with its Bank CIMB Niaga and the CIMB Thai. The CIMB group gives financial products and services which spans different areas in the banking industry. The company does business through its three corporate entities which are the CIMB bank, its investment arm CIMB Investment and an Islamic bank CIMB Islamic. The company provides services to a very diverse customer base. It actually serves everyone from large corporations in the region, local companies, small entrepreneurs, individuals with high profitability, and it even has savings programs concerning pensions for old people and savings accounts for children. CIMB group is a big company that employs 36,000 banking staff and employees. As an indicator of success CIMB groups earnings amounts to 80% of the gross domestic product of the whole ASEAN region and its operations services about 58% of the population in the region. Its retail banking operations have expanded to 1,150 branches making it the largest banking company operating in the region. Problem Statement This research on CIMB BANK BERHAD will identify the factors that affect the motivation and job satisfaction of employees in CIMB BANK BERHAD. This research also seeks to identify the strategies use to ensure employee motivation and job satisfaction and what is its effects. Objectives of the research These objectives pay attention to the problems and objectives that are selected to clarify the intended information and also be able to derive specific information that are not limited by the previous questions. This study intended to get the suitable data to help in building the proper assessment. This includes: To determine methods that CIMB BANK BERHAD practice to inspire or motivate their employees. To determine the accomplished strategies by CIMB BANK BERHAD in giving job satisfaction to their employees. To create an appropriate solution for CIMB BANK BERHAD problems. Scope of the Study The scope of the study is relied on the employees of CIMB BANK BERHAD. This focuses on determine which factors create desirable influence to their employees towards satisfaction. And to know what factors of independent variables that could have the greatest impact on employees satisfaction.-studying the factors that lead to employees loyal with CIMB BANK Significance of the Study This research was created to comprehend the significant factors of employees fulfillment to enable efficiency, quality, service, and loyalty to CIMB BANK. Definition of Terms Job Satisfaction Employee Motivation Herzbergs motivation-hygiene theory Maslows hierarchy of needs Research Hypothesis Hypothesis 1 H1: This study shows that adequate salary or monetary income plays a major role in allowing employees to be satisfied in their jobs. H0: There is no significant relationship between salary and job satisfaction Hypothesis 2 H1: This study shows that work recognition plays a role to have a sense of importance and motivates employees to work diligently. H0: There is no significant relationship between work recognition and job satisfaction. Hypothesis 3 H1: This study shows giving professional growth to employees such as trainings, seminars, etc. allows employees to have mental growth which they apply to their daily duties as employees. H0: There is no significant relationship between professional growth to employees creativity and development. Literary Review Herzbergs Motivation-Hygiene Theory Frederick Herzbergs two factor motivation hygiene theory categorizes incentives as being either hygiene factors or motivators. Hygiene factors are potentially dissatisfiers†factors associated with the job itself but not intrinsic to it. These factors such as salary, job security, administration, interpersonal relations, if not adequate could operate to dissatisfy someone but would not necessarily motivate someone when adequate. On the other hand, motivator-factors are directly intrinsic to the job itself and critical in the process of doing the job, including sense of achievement and recognition by colleagues, level of felt responsibility and empowerment are keys to real motivation (Herzberg, 1959). What is essential to understanding this concept is the distinction made between a motivator and a satisfier. A satisfier is that factor which, when fulfilled, is enough to get the employee to come to work at all. On the upper end, a motivator is that which actively drives the employee to go beyond the minimum standard of simply showing up. Herzberg promoted such concepts as Job Enrichment, Job Enlargement, and Job Rotation as potential motivators that worked well for those operating at the higher levels of Maslows need hierarchy. It is important to keep in mind that once an individual has thoroughly pursued a motivator, it is likely to become a hygiene factor, and the search for motivating factors continues. Herzbergs Motivation-Hygiene Theory According to Herzberg, factors causing work satisfaction (motivators) are rather in connection with the content of work, while those causing dissatisfaction (hygiene) are in connection with work environment. Good examples of the first factors are taking responsibility, career advancement, recognition and the possibility to develop (achievement), while salary, status, inter-personal relations, company policy and administration as well as work conditions are examples of factors of dissatisfaction Hull and Read confirm that quality relationships, that key factor in excellence, are dependent on high levels of trust. Yet building trust is a major challenge for many Australian organisations. Research suggests that a trust deficit has emerged. A loss of trust can be devastating to organisational performance. When people no longer have confidence in management, productivity falls, turnover rises, gossip spreads, cynicism sets in, and initiative evaporates. But trust is a long term proposition, the result of countless management decisions made over a long period that help employees feel secure about their own and the organisations future. Like confidence in the quality of our graduates it can be lost in an instant yet take years to regain. Hull and Read suggest that workplace trust has two dimensions â€Å" our views of ourselves (self worth) and our views of others. Hull and Read believe these were sustained in their research. Hull and Read interviewed hundreds of employees at all levels of the selected organizations. From this one central factor emerged â€Å" the quality of relationships at work, which concretely manifests itself in the bond between co-workers, friends and colleagues. They note that there is a relationship between excellent workplaces and how this is shaped by the trust and respect among the employees. But building and maintaining a good working relationship is not easy and it requires cultivating a long lasting connection between the one supervising the group and the groups members. In examining research from the Australian Quality Agency the authors noted that Australian workplace cultures, in their focus on people, differed from other cultures. High quality workplace relationships were, in turn, supported by a number of other factors. Four factors were particularly important. The first was the quality of leadership. In excellent workplaces leaders at all levels were aware of the impact that their behaviour has on the way people feel about the workplace and their job. They recognise that their behaviour sets the example. Leaders who behaved as a captain/coach were particularly valued. These leaders were available providing support when needed but not getting in the way when they were not. Good leaders choose their approach to suit the different needs of their staff, helping out when there was a crisis and allowing trial and learning when there was not. This is in keeping with Australias egalitarian ethos supervisors in excellent workplaces often choose not to display the trappings of their position. Most importantly they inspired trust. The research demonstrated, too, that essential to quality leadership is the communication of clear values that become intrinsic to the way business is done. They influenced the way people related to each other thereby in turn helping to generate the quality working relationships. In this environment the inevitable dilemmas, conflicts and competing priorities can be immediately and openly discussed. In excellent workplaces managers really do practice what they preach. Excellent workplaces, too, are marked by a sense of common goals and objectives where workers support each other and show respect for one another. People have the skills to do their jobs and seek to develop these skills further. They have the confidence to have a say about how the work is done. They are encouraged by a management style that is open to new and different ways of working and values diversity. This is not seen as a way to exercise power but rather to add value. People are encouraged to operate with some autonomy. Of course some managers feel uncomfortable with giving their employees a high degree of independence but it is a feature of excellent workplaces. Excellent workplaces are also safe workplaces, where people care for the well being of their colleagues and are committed to safe practices â€Å" not just formal policies and manuals. In such environments a culture of safety, including the psychological safety of a respectful workplace, develops that all staff are able to share. None of these factors operates in isolation. Together they build a culture that further enhances the quality of working relationships. The research suggests that excellent workplaces must have all fifteen drivers present although they combine in unique ways. There is a form of hierarchy with one set of factors building upon. Adult learners are often characterized as learning-oriented and goal-oriented. Based on the results of this study, these characteristics seemed to be related to the satisfaction-dissatisfaction profiles of e-learners. The most frequently stated satisfying factors were learning-oriented factors such as interesting and relevant learning content, effective teaching methods, instructors expertise, and effective learning activities; and the most frequently stated dissatisfying factors were goal-related factors such as unclear directions or expectations that caused confusion or frustration while trying to accomplish their goals. Maslows Hierarchy of Needs Current risk organization theory and standards have the same opinion that risk and taking risk are not necessarily negative for development. Alongside the threat that a risk might entail more often than not this risk situation also provides opportunities. Managing chance through the risk procedure is often seen either as an not obligatory extra, or as only for advanced practitioners, or as just plain wrong. Why is this? This paper draws on human motivation theory (Maslow) and the latest ideas in information science (memetics) to explain the discrepancy. It also proposes practical solutions to promote management of opportunity within the risk process. Maslows hierarchy of needs? seeks to explain human motivation, and proposes a layered series of motivators ranging from survival to self-actualisation. Applying this framework to risk management reveals why individuals and organisations think first about threats, and why they see opportunities as optional extras to be addressed later if at all. Memetics suggests that ideas (or memes?) can be seen as packets of information which self-replicate like genes. According to this theory, the risk is bad? meme appears to be better adapted to the current environment maslows hierarchy of needs diagramthan the risk includes both threat and opportunity? meme. The paper describes how to motivate project teams and organisations to address opportunity based on Maslows theory, and how to enhance the competitiveness of the threat-plus-opportunity meme through memetic engineering. Over ten years ago, a debate arose within the project risk management community concerning the nature of the types of risk to be managed within the scope of the project risk management process (summarised in Hulett etal, 2002). Until then project risk had been seen as exclusively negative, defined in terms of uncertain events which could result in loss, harm, delay, additional cost etc, with risk? being synonymous with threat?. This definition reflected the secular definitions found in non-technical dictionaries (for example Collins, 1979). From the late 1990s project management professionals began to realise that there were other types of uncertainty that mattered. Sometimes good things might occur on a project which would result in saved time or reduced cost, or which would enhance productivity or performance. Such opportunities? could be brought under the existing definition of risk by simply expanding the types of impact to include positive as well as negative effects. This resulted in a change in approach by a number of organisations, including the Project Management Institute (PMI ®). The Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBoK ® Guide, 2000 Edition) adopted a definition of project risk as an uncertain event or condition that, if it occurs, has a positive or negative effect on a project objective.? (Project Management Institute, 2000). This broader definition has been retained in the current PMBoK Guide and PMIs Combined Standards Glossary (Project Management Institute, 2004, 2005). It is also reflected in a number of other leading standards, both in the project management area (for example Association for Project Management, 2004, 2006) as well as in more general risk standards (Australian/New Zealand Standard, 2004; Institution of Civil Engineers et al, 2005; Institute of Risk Management et al, 2002; Office of Government Commerce, 2007). The forthcoming ISO risk management standard is also expected to adopt a similar position. The use of the project risk process to manage both upside and downside risk is not only embodied in a wide range of standards, but it has been described in textbooks as good practice? (for example Chapman Ward, 2003; Hillson, 2004; Cooper et al., 2004; Hillson Simon, 2007). There are a number of benefits available to those who include opportunities in the risk process (see figure 1). The first potential explanatory framework for why organisations might find it hard to address opportunities as part of their risk management process comes from the work of Abraham Maslow on human motivation, as encapsulated in his hierarchy of needs? (Maslow, 1943, 1987). He postulated that humans are motivated by the drive to satisfy needs, of which there are a variety of different types. However not all needs are equal, and Maslow arranged the various needs in order of their pre-potence? or influence over people. This ordering is usually represented as a pyramid, with the higher needs? at the top and base needs? at the bottom. There are several alternative versions of Maslows hierarchy of needs, one of which is shown in figure1. A key feature of Maslows hierarchy of needs is his contention that people are driven to satisfy lower needs before higher needs exert any influence. So for example, the most basic needs of air, water, sleep and food must be met first, and are the over-riding concern of each individual, even more important than being safe or feeling self-esteem. Once these are satisfied a person is free to be concerned about other things. As each level of hunger? is met (with literal physical hunger at the lowest level), higher needs emerge which require satisfying. Maslow divided his hierarchy of needs into two groups, with deficiency needs? towards the base, and growth needs? (or being needs?) at the top. Deficiency needs are those which must be satisfied, and without which a person might be said to be deficient or needy?. The individual does not necessarily feel anything positive if these needs are met, but feels anxious if they are not. When these needs are met, they are removed as active drivers of behaviour. Deficiency needs are mostly physical and emotional. Growth needs by contrast are those which add to a person, which are not necessarily required for a healthy existence, but which make a person more fully rounded and complete. This type of need is psychological and spiritual, and they form more enduring and permanent motivators. How is this relevant to the question of why individuals and organisations might find it difficult to implement opportunity management as part of an integrated risk process? Assuming that Maslows hierarchy of needs is as valid for organisational motivation as it is for individuals, this framework would predict a strong preference for actions which satisfy deficiency needs?, and that these would take precedence over actions which target growth needs?. Translating this to the risk domain requires an understanding of which risks relate to the different types of needs. Deficiency needs are about survival, ensuring that the essentials are available to maintain life. In the organisational risk context, this naturally leads to a focus on threats. A threat is any uncertain event or condition that, if it occurs, will have an effect on objectives which is negative, unwelcome, harmful, adverse etc. According to Maslow, both individuals and organisations will be motivated to address these risks as the highest priority. For individuals, the concern is to avoid problems, save face, protect ones reputation etc. At the organisational level, this is the realm of business continuity and disaster recovery, which aim to protect the business and ensure corporate survival. Deficiency needs are also addressed by operational risk management and health safety, since these are also about feeding and protecting the corporate organism. At project and tactical levels, the need to tackle deficiency needs is also likely to be strongly influential, with a focus on dealing with threats to achievement of project objectives. By contrast, opportunities would appear in Maslows hierarchy as growth needs, being those uncertainties that, if they occurred, would have a positive, welcome, helpful effect on achievement of objectives. Such growth needs exist in such areas as marketing and business development, as well as strategic decision-making, and they also exist at project level in the form of project opportunities. While these are undoubtedly good things, and in themselves they are clearly worth pursuing, Maslows hierarchy of needs predicts that there is likely to be less motivation to satisfy these higher needs than there is to address more basic deficiencies. In other words, given a limited amount of time, effort or resources (which is the normal situation in most projects), an organisation will be driven to address threats before opportunities. If the environment is perceived as threatening, then the need to remove or minimise threats will always take precedence over the option of exploiting opportunitie s, since the drive to survive is stronger than the attraction of growth. Maslows hierarchy of needs seems to explain why both individuals and organisations are motivated to deal with threats before opportunities, since threats operate at the lower levels of the hierarchy and threaten deficiency needs, whereas opportunities exist at the higher levels and are seen as lower priority. A second useful framework for understanding the current reluctance to adopt an inclusive approach to risk management is the recently-developed hypothesis of memetics (Brodie, 1996; Blackmore, 2000). This wasintroduced by Richard Dawkins as a development of the selfish gene? approach to biology (Dawkins, 1989). Dawkins proposed an extension of this idea, applying it to information theory, postulating the existence of a hypothetical meme? as a self-replicating unit of information, analogous to a gene, which drives human behaviour and culture. From this initial innovation, the ideas of memetics mirror genetics, with such principles as survival of the fittest, competitive adaptation, mutation, replication, propagation etc. Whitty has applied the memetic approach to project management and found it to be a useful paradigm to generate new insights (Whitty, 2005). A meme is defined as a package of informational content, approximating to an idea or concept, which exists in the human brain or mind, and which seeks to replicate by transfer to other brains or minds. It is the basic unit of cultural transmission, and culture can be seen as the sum total of all memes. Clearly there are very many memes currently in existence, all of which are competing for the limited resources of human attention and absorption into current culture. The most successful memes are those which are best adapted to the environment in which they operate, which leads them to replicate and become dominant. Dawkins argues that dominant memes are not necessarily beneficial to human individuals or society, and that harmful memes can take root in the same way that viruses can cause pandemics. The important feature which determines the persistence of a particular memeis its competitive advantage when compared to the other memes against which it competes. Having created this hypothetical framework, it is possible to develop an approach called memetics?, analogous to genetics, to describe how memes operate. The term memetic engineering? can be used to describe attempts to manipulate memes in order to produce a desired outcome. While the basis for memetics is challenged by many as entirely hypothetical and unproven, the memetic paradigm offers useful insights into many aspects of human behaviour and culture, including management of risk. Solutions from Maslow Taking Maslows model first, there are three ways in which an organisation might proceed if it wishes to adopt the broader risk approach including management of opportunities equally alongside threats. Ensure effective threat management. The first is simply to make sure that all the lower-level motivators are fully satisfied all the time, allowing the organisation to move on to the higher levels. In other words, a risk process which deals effectively with threats will result in an organisation which is confident and relaxed, and which feels secure in its ability to handle both foreseen and emergent negative events and circumstances. Once these more basic deficiency needs are met, the organisation will feel free to release energy and resources to address the growth needs represented by opportunities. Develop conscious opportunity management. A positive focus within the organisational culture on the benefits available from proactive management of opportunities will create a motivational force to counter that of the lower-level need to deal with threats. If management express a requirement for projects to identify and capture opportunities, and reward such behaviour visibly, then teams will respond appropriately. Making management of opportunities both explicit and required will maximise the chances of this approach being adopted. By emphasising the value of the higher growth needs, their motivational value can be increased, even if the lower-level deficiency needs are not all met. Practice emotional literacy. Maslows hierarchy of needs is not universally accepted, and some researchers and practitioners believe the linear hierarchy oversimplifies human motivation (for example Wahba Bridgewell, 1976). The reality of human motivation is like to be much more complex. Studies of disadvantaged communities where deficiency needs are clearly unmet often find unexpectedly high levels of contentment and fulfilment, indicative of the higher needs being met. For example the Kingdom of Bhutan is renowned for its high Gross National Happiness (GNH), introduced as a key national measure by King Jigme Singye Wangchuck in 1972 (Kinga et al., 1999), despite its low development status. Maslows hierarchy of needs seems to explain why both individuals and organisations are motivated to deal with threats before opportunities, since threats operate at the lower levels of the hierarchy and threaten deficiency needs, whereas opportunities exist at the higher levels and are seen as lower priority. A second useful framework for understanding the current reluctance to adopt an inclusive approach to risk management is the recently-developed hypothesis of memetics (Brodie, 1996; Blackmore, 2000). This wasintroduced by Richard Dawkins as a development of the selfish gene? approach to biology (Dawkins, 1989). Dawkins proposed an extension of this idea, applying it to information theory, postulating the existence of a hypothetical meme? as a self-replicating unit of information, analogous to a gene, which drives human behaviour and culture. From this initial innovation, the ideas of memetics mirror genetics, with such principles as survival of the fittest, competitive adaptation, mutation, replication, propagation etc. Whitty has applied the memetic approach to project management and found it to be a useful paradigm to generate new insights (Whitty, 2005). A meme is defined as a package of informational content, approximating to an idea or concept, which exists in the human brain or mind, and which seeks to replicate by transfer to other brains or minds. It is the basic unit of cultural transmission, and culture can be seen as the sum total of all memes. Clearly there are very many memes currently in existence, all of which are competing for the limited resources of human attention and absorption into current culture. The most successful memes are those which are best adapted to the environment in which they operate, which leads them to replicate and become dominant. Dawkins argues that dominant memes are not necessarily beneficial to human individuals or society, and that harmful memes can take root in the same way that viruses can cause pandemics. The important feature which determines the persistence of a particular memeis its competitive advantage when compared to the other memes against which it competes. Having created this hypothetical framework, it is possible to develop an approach called memetics?, analogous to genetics, to describe how memes operate. The term memetic engineering? can be used to describe attempts to manipulate memes in order to produce a desired outcome. While the basis for memetics is challenged by many as entirely hypothetical and unproven, the memetic paradigm offers useful insights into many aspects of human behaviour and culture, including management of risk. Solutions from Maslow Theoretical framework, population sample, data collection, data analysis The researcher visited the different libraries for journals, articles and studies needed for the research. The researchers gathered time-series data from different Banking institutions to assure of its validity and consistency. The researchers would also gathered different news and articles regarding the past events that involves or has consistent customer interaction as its main issue. It would tackle evidences of how proper services, awareness serves as the means affect the profit and increase the margin for more clients. The researcher has also researched data of the banks that have similar situations with CIMD The researcher would gather data from 2007-2009 to be able to assure consistency and reliability. This study will took place within CIMB BANK BERHAD in Malaysia. Participants will be selected according to their desire to participate in this study. Narrative data will be generated from all researched studies such as journals, articles, academic references, etc. The data analysis will Quantitative research enables the researcher to generate new theories from gathering descriptive data about the research topic. Quantitative research process involves the result of a certain procedure. The type of qualitative research studies undertaken are ethnographical, which refers to the description of a phenomenon from a cultural group or society, grounded theory, which focuses on real life settings and phenomenological which describes different experiences. Quantitative research is used to identify the specific effect which leads to using statistical evidence and appropriate statistical tools. It is also used for intervention studies and randomized control trials, which is the gold standard, ob servational and cohort studies. The quantitative approach is applicable to smaller sample group to generate rich data. Hopkins (2008) defined quantitative research method in the following words, In quantitative research your aspire is to settle on the relationship flanked by one thing (an independent variable) and another (a dependent result variable) in a population. Isolated research design is either evocative (subjects usually measured once) or new (subject for assessment before and after a treatment). A evocative study establish only relations between variables.?Hopkins (2008) defined quantitative research method in the following words, In quantitative research your aspire is to settle on the relationship flanked by one thing (an independent variable) different (a dependent or outcome variable) in a population. Quantitative research design are either evocative (subjects usually measured once) or new evocative study establish only relations between variables.? RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The research methodology used in the study is an analytical survey that measures consumer satisfaction of CIMB BANK BERHAD. The analytical survey through the use of statistics and data measures the correlation of consumer satisfaction with company measures that ensure employee satisfaction and delivers customer service. This research explores the possible correlation of customer satisfaction with factors such as employee motivation, company values, services rendered, and policies affecting its efficiency. In order to carry out the analytical survey, a questionnaire was developed that measures the level of customer satisfaction for CIMB BANK BERHARD, how the company is perceived by costumers, and what factors affect its customer service. The interview recipients of the study were composed of a cross-sectional group that represents different consumers from different age groups, sexes and income level. Interview questions were also distributed among employees and managers of CIMB BANK BERHARD and their response was correlated with the responses culled from the customers of the company. The survey also used open ended questions that is unstructured and which was administered personally by the researcher to ensure rapport, and elicit immediate responses from the interviewees. The data gathered was analyzed by determining the level of customer satisfaction, and what aspect of customer satisfaction cuts across different income and age groups. The survey also analyzed the response of CIMB BANK BERHARD employees and managers to questions pertaining to their role

Economic Impact of Population and Technology on the Environment :: Environment Environmental Pollution Preservation

Economic Impact of Population and Technology on the Environment Ask any economist what two things have changed in the past three or so million years since humans first began appearing in demographically significant numbers and he will tell you with unwavering confidence: population and technology. And that economist would be right. These two factors are the root cause of every change in the standard of living we have experienced since the dawn of humanity. Any anthro-ecologist posed with the same question and will offer up little more than a puzzled look. Only two? The point, here, is that economists have a certain tendency to apply Razor's Axiom to every situation imaginable. Looking at the effect humans have on the environment is most commonly a qualitative exercise. While it may be possible to count sheer number of deer hunted or square miles of forest burned as the result of human involvement in nature, such calculations are more commonly done with anecdotes and broad estimates. Ask an economist to measure the damage done to the environme nt by humans and you will hear about equivalent and compentating differentials two quantitative methods of valuing a qualitative loss. Both neccesitate understanding humans' preferences and values, and take an understandably anthropocentric view of the Earth. Regardless, in absolute, per capita, and relative terms, both of those differentials have increased consistently over the course of human history. The first step in evaluating human impact on the environment is to elucidate what we consider human-caused ecological damage. There are, not surprisingly, a great many approaches possibly in defining such a broad concept, but there are a few basic principles which are nearly universal bads. The damages in this illumination are defined with a Darwinian perspective. One such bad is the loss of diversity among non-human population. This loss of diversity can take the form of extinction of plants or animals, a loss of genetic diversity among one species, or a forced-relocation of an existing population. Another bad is the transformation of terra, whether intentional or unintentional, as the result of human activity. Examples are common think 1930 s Oklahoma Dust Bowl and are often caused by agricultural activities. The next step in evaluating the extent human-caused environmental damages lies in the measurement of such damages. Since no dollar value can be placed on the extinct ion of a species, we must estimate the value that species contributes to the Earth s consumption (evaluating changes in consumption is the only way we can say that one situation is better than another).

The Theme of The Death of Ivan Ilych :: Tolstoy Death Ivan Ilych Essays

The Theme of The Death of Ivan Ilych One Work Cited In "The Death of Ivan Ilych", Leo Tolstoy examines the life of a man, Ivan, who would seem to have lived an exemplary life with moderate wealth, high station, and family. By story's end, however, Ivan's life will be shown to be devoid of passion -- a life of duties, responsibilities, respect, work, and cold objectivity to everything and everyone around Ivan. It is not until Ivan is on his death bed in his final moments that he realizes what will become the major theme of the story: that the personal relationships we forge are more important in life than who we are or what we own. This point of the story is indirectly brought out in the very beginning when Ivan's colleagues, and supposedly his friends, learn of his death. The narrator states in paragraph 5: So on receiving the news of Ivan Ilych's death the first thought of each of the gentlemen in that private room was of the changes and promotions it might occasion among themselves or their acquaintances. This line reveals that among Ivan's peers, he was no more than an obstacle. It also reveals that these men regarded Ivan with the same respect and cold, professional indifference with which he regarded them. Ivan's own wife appears to be just going through the motions of grieving, when in fact she is more concerned with monetary matters. Of all the characters presented in this story, none truly mourns the passing of Ivan Ilych. Of the things Ivan seemed to pride himself on during his lifetime was his professionalism while performing his job at the Court of Justice. The narrator explains in some detail how Ivan was able to detach himself from the emotional turmoil surrounding a case while "eliminating all considerations irrelevant to the legal aspect of the case" (paragraph 65). This portrays Ivan Ilych as a shrewd, calculating, apathetic magistrate, whose only concern was for the process of justice, and not for the people his rulings affected. He is made to realize, too late, the dehumanizing effect his unemotional demeanor has had on others when a physician gives him like treatment. Ivan recognizes that "the doctor put on just the same air towards him as he himself put on towards an accused person" (paragraph 115).

Susan Sontag :: essays research papers

Susan Sontag, in "Against Interpretation," takes a very interesting critical standpoint on the idea of literary interpretation. Unlike most literary critics, Sontag believes that literary criticism is growing increasingly destructive towards the very works of art that they, supposedly, so greatly "appreciate" and "respect." Her standpoint could not be more accurate. Reading her work generates numerous questions, the most important of which is quite possibly, "How are we to take her final statement, ‘In place of a hermeneutics we need an erotics of art.’" In the light of her previous statements, made throughout the work, one could only see this particular statement as an attempt to reach through the fog that blinds the majority of modern critics. According to Sontag, no work of art, especially literature, can escape the surgical eye of the modern critic; therefore, what is to stop her own work from coming under this blade of critic ism? Sontag’s preparation for this criticism shows in the inclusion of her final statement. She has, in effect, laid a trap for the modern critic (who just happens to be you, me, and practically every other reader) with her final statement as the bait. Once the critic picks apart that last sentence, he will see, with greater clarity, the veracity of her work. Throughout this work, Sontag makes many statements that invite interpretation. Critics may analyze her repeated references to Greek literature or possibly her use of sexual imagery, but none could ignore the simplicity, brevity, and word choice that characterize the concluding sentence. The brevity of the final section is what catches the critical eye and the lurid choice of words is what pulls the critic in. The first question that the interpreter finds him/herself asking is, "Why ‘hermeneutics’ and why ‘erotics’? There must be some significance to these terms." Analysis of these terms reveals the two extremes which Sontag has been comparing throughout her piece; "hermeneutics" being an ideal term to describe the type of over-intellectualization that takes place with modern interpreters, and "erotics" being ideal for describing to just what extreme Sontag thinks art should be experienced. When the critics finally "excavates" this statement and, "...digs ‘behind’ the text, to find a sub-text, which is the true one," he finds, low, and behold, the reinforcement of the very statement that Sontag has been inculcating throughout this piece. It does not take long for the critic to re alize that he/she has been duped.

Super Project

The Super Project Case Study FIN 3717 Braden Eddy, Lauren Gear and Dakota Conravey The Super Project Case Study FIN 3717 Braden Eddy, Lauren Gear and Dakota Conravey Statement of Facts General Foods is a large corporation organized by product lines. They are evaluating Super Project, the manufacture of a new powdered dessert. Crosby Sanberg, a financial analysis manager, must determine the value in accepting the proposal, along with J. C. Kresslin, the Corporate Controller. The Super Project will increase profit with a payback period of less than ten years.The proposed capital investment for the project is $200,000 ($80,000 for building modifications and $120,000 for machinery and equipment) and production would take place in an already existing building in which Jell-O is manufactured using the available capacity of a pre-existing Jell-O agglomerator. Sandberg has analyzed the different investment proposals based on three different capital allocation techniques. The three different cash flow evaluation alternatives (Incremental, Facilities-Used, and Fully Allocated) differ in the way that the cost of existing facilities and future increases in overhead are allocated.The acceptance or rejection of the project relies on the project’s costs. As Sanberg looks to compare Super Project with current profit criteria, recent discussion has brought about what the proper evaluation technique is for their cash flows; specifically, in concern to the relevancy of sunk costs. The problem for General Foods is to decide what the best method for evaluating the Super Project was since each method produced drastically different returns. Issues General Foods has quite a few factors to consider when determining relevant cash flows in their analysis of the project.Multiple factors for consideration are whether or not to account for test market expense, the allocation of overhead expense, the allocation of charges for agglomerator and capacity use, and erosion of Jell-O sales. Under the analysis of an incremental basis, management included the incremental fixed capital of $200,000, which included packaging equipment. Sanberg also advocates that Super should be charged with the â€Å"opportunity loss† of agglomerating capacity and building space that could be used for future production of Jell-O or other products.Management also analyzed the project based on the amount of facilities-used. Recognizing that Super will use half of an exisiting agglomerator and two thirds of an existing building, Sanberg added Super’s pro rata shares of these facilities to the incremental capital. Overhead costs directly related to these existing facilities were also subtracted from incremental revenue on a shared basis. Sanberg felt this analysis was a useful was of putting various projects on a common ground for purposes of relative evaluation.Lastly, management included a fully allocated basis of the project in their projections. They recognized that individu al decisions to expand inevitably add to a higher overhead base and therefore an increase to the costs and investment base were added. Overhead expenses included manufacturing costs plus selling and general and administrative costs on a per unit basis equivalent to Jell-O. Overhead capital also included a share of the distribution system assets. AnalysisUpon review of management’s case, we broke down the relevant cash flows separately according to test-market expenses, overhead expenses, erosion of Jell-O contribution margin and allocation of charges for the use of excess agglomerator capacity. The four capital budgeting techniques appropriate for review are NPV, IRR, ARR and payback period. The accounting for test-market expense yielded the following results: Exhibit 1| Net Present Value| $671. 98 | Internal Rate of Return| 24. 73%| Average Rate of Return| 216. 34%| Payback Period. | 5. 4 years| The accounting for overhead expense yielded the following results: Exhibit 2| Ne t Present Value| $704. 30| Internal Rate of Return| 28. 83%| Average Rate of Return| 207. 70%| Payback Period. | 4. 55 years| The accounting for erosion of Jell-O sales yielded the following results: Exhibit 3| Net Present Value| $182. 33| Internal Rate of Return| 14. 63%| Average Rate of Return| 125. 62%| Payback Period. | 6. 39 years| The accounting for including the excess capacity expense yields the following results: Exhibit 4| Net Present Value| $375. 5| Internal Rate of Return| 16. 11%| Average Rate of Return| 71. 55%| Payback Period. | 5. 80 years| After review of the independent costs, we found that each one produces a positive NPV, an IRR above the discount rate and a payback period within the required ten years. However, it is unrealistic to consider these on an independent basis. For our realistic case, we included overhead expenses and the excess cost of capacity for the agglomerator. We did not include the erosion of Jell-O sales and the test market expense, as this is a sunk cost.Under these circumstances we produced the following results: Exhibit 6| Net Present Value| $350. 32| Internal Rate of Return| 15. 98%| Average Rate of Return| 58. 91%| Payback Period. | 5. 74 years| In this analysis, we included the overhead expense for 1972-1977 because as the project begins to gain a foothold in the market it will acquire a larger market share and will become a larger portion of General Foods’ overall dessert sales. Also, the agglomerator and excess capacity was charged as an incremental investment, which brought the initial investment to $653,000.Since 70% of the initial $200,000 was depreciated over the 10-year period, we applied the straight-line depreciation method to compute 70% of $453,000 that added an extra $32,000 of depreciation to each year. We did not include the erosion of Jell-O sales because an external competitor could easily acquire the 20% of market share currently held by Jell-O in the future. This would take away profit that would hinder Jell-O regardless of whether it is internal or external. Since we also believe this a mature market, it is a cost that seems to be irrelevant in this analysis.We did not include the test market expense as well since this was a sunk cost. It did not seem logical to include, because it was almost double the value of the initial investment of $200,000 and roughly half of our adjusted initial investment of $653,000. Since General Foods has a limited amount of product lines in the dessert market, the test market expense should not be accounted for. Conclusion Under our assumptions, we conclude that General Foods should accept the project due to its positive NPV, IRR above discount rate and the attractive payback period within six years (exhibit 6).When compared to Crosby Sanberg’s view (exhibit 5), which resulted in a negative NPV of -$575. 32, IRR of . 28% and a payback period of just about 10 years, our assumptions lead to a more accurate portrayal of the Super Pro ject. Although we do recommend that General Foods take on the Project, they must be cognizant of increasing test expenses and the initial impact that the addition of Super will have on Jell-O sales. The benefits will be an increase in overall sales for the company, and the chance for General Foods to become a leading producer in the dessert market.