Prepare a persuasive speech on the importance of alcoholism Essay

Prepare a persuasive speech on the importance of alcoholism prevention. your audience is a group of 20 high school students and their parents - Essay Example Chemical properties of alcohol are such that it affects your Central Nervous System (CNS) which includes the â€Å"brain.† Alcohol in your blood decreases the brain activity and depresses the expression of certain anxieties. As a result, you feel better about yourself and less worried. Therefore, you feel more socially skilled. Even the physicians prescribe CNS depressants such as alcohol to treat anxiety, muscle tension, pain, insomnia and panic attacks. There are many other drugs that have similar effects to alcohol, example: narcotics, barbiturates, benzodiazepines and chloral hydrate. We need to understand why people crave for alcohol. It is not merely a person’s fault. Alcohol has the â€Å"addicting effect† on human beings due to its chemical properties. And also, individuals under the influence are usually violent. You may feel tough after you have had a beer. But the sad truth is â€Å"alcohol is controlling you†, not the other way around. Intoxicated individuals may neglect and abuse children, harm women and disabled or put their lives at risk. In many cases people have confessed that they were under the influence when behaving violently. Alcohol related violence is a severe social problem in the world. Over 100,000 students of age 18 to 24 are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or rape. Another 400,000 students had unprotected sex while too intoxicated to know if they consented to having sex. If you are not concerned about the society at large you should be concerned about your own well being. Alcohol impairs your judgment, creates beer bellies and leads to hangovers. One day you might wake up from hangover to find out that you are a teenage mother, single parent, need an abortion, having AIDS or sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Alcohol consumption weakens the immune system. In other words alcoholics are more likely to die from AIDS, tuberculosis and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) compared to the

Examining The Pop Art Movement

Examining The Pop Art Movement In attempt to bring art back into American daily life, the Pop-art movement depicted elements of popular culture by using common everyday objects, chiefly advertising and product packaging, television and comic strips. The images are portrayed with a blend of humour, criticism and irony. Through this, the movement ascertained the position of art into everyday and contemporary life. It assisted in decreasing the gap between high art and low art and abolished the distinction between fine art and commercial art methods. The Pop-art movement rebuffed the abstract style because of its cultured? And aristocratic nature. (World Wide Art Resources 2009) It was during the 1980s that there was a renewal of interest in the Pop-art of the well known Andy Warhol and contemporaries, this resurgence of interest was known as neo-Pop. Adapted from its forefathers, contemporary Pop-art consists of a reworked form; a revival of identifiable celebrities and objects from popular culture with icons and symbols of the current times. (Art History Archive n.d.) Contemporary Pop-art lends from the past, maintaining the critical evaluation of Western culture, relationships, values and interactions. It frequently satirises celebrities and candidly embraces ideas that are challenging and controversial. Although the bombardment upon society of Popular culture and advertising has become significantly greater since the Pop-art movement began, I believe that the critiques of Pop-art are not appropriate to the original nor the contemporary Pop-art scene. Pop-artists artists have continually been engaged in a crucial dialogue with mass culture. They are noted for exploiting these increasingly despised images of mass culture in order to facilitate the critical examination of the effects of consumerism on human thought, emotion and creativity and challenging our assumptions about the purpose and identity of art in a world inundated with media images and messages (University of Virginia 2006), as the following examples by contemporary artists will demonstrate. (expand on this?) Jeff Koons is perhaps the most renowned Pop-artist of the current day. He addresses societys fixation with Pop culture and counteracts the division between appearance and reality, surface and depth, and art and commodity (reword more?)Koons forms his art pieces on consumer products and manipulates everyday objects in order to overemphasise mass-produced cultural objects while uncovering the nuances of marketing. In difference to his 1960s forbearers, Koons desire is to remark on societies psychological investment in consumerism and how these consumer products are fabricated to allure. (Art Knowledge News n.d.) Jeff Koons first exhibition was titled Equilibrium, which was displayed in 1985. One of the defining features of this decade was the forceful growth of consumerism. For this exhibition he produced a series of works displaying consumer items in glass cases. In Three Ball Total Equilibrium Tank (Fig 1), three basketballs were suspended in a glass case, surrounded by authentic Nike posters displaying basketball players in positions of power. The posters in the work represent sport as a means to achieve fame and fortune for young working-class Americans. The posters almost exclusive use of black athletes not just as stars, but in roles associated with elevated power and respect is a comment on the traditional social system that in reality refutes this power or respect to a large majority of African-Americans. According to Koons, the suspended basketballs also suggest death and fame, the ultimate states of existence. (Tate Collection n.d.) Koons Made in Heaven (Fig 2) series is a collection of overtly sexually explicit photographs and sculptures featuring the artist in moments of sexual passion and intimacy with his then pornstar wife Cicciolina. The exuberant images were first displayed during the 1990 Venice Biennale, among more conventional forms of expression. The series produced both shock and excitement among audiences, and stirred much controversy in the art world with a scandalous subject matter that pushed the limits of twentieth century censorship. Although pornography has been a widely acknowledged aspect of society, it deemed controversial because it is a form of Popular culture that was and still remains taboo in polite company. Koons is notorious for testing the boundaries of acceptable taste; his intention in Made in Heaven was to critically examine love, romance and sexual desire, involving the viewer by making them a contributor to the artwork, as most pornography necessitates an outside viewer to be c lassified as such. (Christies 2009)The Made in Heaven series was also in part a response to The Expulsion from the Garden of Eden, by the fifteenth century painter Massacio. Koons remarks, In The Expulsion, theres all this guilt and shame that were on Adam and Eves faces, and I wanted to make a body of work that was about guilt and shame and the importance of removing that, so that people could have transcendence over guilt and shame in their own history. (Nance 2010) Made for part of his Banality series, is Michael Jackson and Bubbles (1988) (Fig 3), a six feet long ceramic gilded white and gold statue depicting mega Pop-star Michael Jackson with his pet monkey Bubbles, immortalised as cultic and sacred personalities in an idealised state. Its initially blatantly kitsch appearance gives way to reveal its hyper-realistic approach to evoke the fragility of modern days most eminent star. The situation illustrated in the piece deals with societys idolisation and the ever more bizarre media narrative of Michael Jacksons life. Koons states, It really wasnt so much about Michael Jackson. It was about celebrity status, and about hopes, ideals, hierarchies that are placed on structures which take human form. (Nance 2010) Michael Jackson is the archetype of the glamorous, eccentric tragic and ambivalent and Koons encourages numerous interpretive possibilities. (Astrup Fearnly Museum n.d.) An additional example of a contemporary Pop-artist is American sculptor, Daniel Edwards. His sculptures deal with celebrity and Pop culture in a manner that frequently rouses controversy. The release of his works are usually paired with a press release. (Capla Kesting Fine Art n.d.) While frequently denigrated for his use of celebrity, Edwards artwork are also acknowledged as prophetic and consistent in their capacity for humanising social issues that the media and public have difficulty addressing. Autopsy of Paris Hilton (2007) (Fig 4) was produced as a confrontational and graphic interactive display to communicate to the young the dangers of drink driving. The sculpture is life-sized and depicts Paris Hilton sprawled on a bench with her legs splayed. In one hand she clutches her mobile phone whilst in the other is a glass of wine, in this sculpture she has supposedly died as a result of her drink driving, in which in reality she has been convicted of on numerous occasions. The public are encouraged to remove her innards through a cavity in her abdomen, giving a coroners perspective. Contained within this cavity is also her uterus containing twin dead foetuses, which Edwards says is to bring attention to the teen pregnancy crisis. The sculpture is an attempt to de-glamorise the life of a diva and partier which Hilton is renowned for.(Rayme 2007) The sculpture perhaps also alludes to the cult which is celebrities and their every occurrence and the media and publics unquenchable hunger to get as close as possibly to their idols. Daniel Edwards Monument to Pro-Life: The Birth of Sean Preston (2006) (Fig 5), portrays celebrity Britney Spears in a position of natural birth, whereas in fact she gave birth to her son via c-section and was heavily drugged. The piece created much political debate. According to Edwards it promotes pro-life. At its reveal he called his piece an image of birth and mentioned that it was a new take on the pro-life perspective. He states that pro-lifers generally endorse bloody images of abortion and his aim is to generate debate about a topic that is as he states greater than either pro-life and pro-choice advocates. (Rayme 2007) Japanese artist Masumasa Morimura is a well-known example of appropriating worldwide recognised images taken from mass media and popular culture In my view, there can be no generalisation about the quality, meaning and social significance of works of art, given the discrepancies of aesthetic responses and interpretations. Furthermore, Donald Kuspits view expressed in his article suffers owing to the fact that he assumes that artists should be critics of society rather than witnesses or simply narrators of it. Kuspit is an example of a critic who universalises his personal opinion of Pop-art and delivers his judgement whilst ignoring other responses to Pop. (Walker 2009) Pop art was and still remains one of the most popular styles of art, it was successful in communicating to the general public in a mode in which few art movements did or have since done. (Encyclopedia of World Art n.d.) The reality that Pop-art is effective in generating such a broad range of responses is a tribute to its at first seemingly ambiguous character, a testament that it is more complex and diverse than some critics have accepted, and an indication that it is not as trivial and straightforward as some commentators believe. (Walker 2009)

Christmas As I Know It :: Personal Narrative Religion Papers

Christmas As I Know It Christmas used to be a tradition in my family — or at least I thought so. I had always associated Christmas with Storyland, and since we are Jewish, that always pleased my father. I think he felt comfortable labeling his children Jewish, and as long as that didn’t upset my mother, he would take us to Storyland to help us forget Christmas. But we still got to go to Storyland. Storyland was always closed in December. We drove by my favorite summertime childhood experience, and I watched as we sped by, wondering why I couldn't hear about Mother Gooses children. "Storyland is closed now, honey," my mom said as she glanced in my fathers direction. He seemed to hide behind the steering wheel, almost ashamed of telling me where I thought we were going. But I know that deep down, he was satisfied that for at least the rest of the day, I wouldnt ask him about Christmas. Instead, the real purpose of the drive was to go to the Christmas Farm Inn, a quiet, quaint inn in Jackson, New Hampshire. I think I was four years old when my family started coming to the Christmas Farm Inn. I still dont understand why my father agreed to go each year, but I guess it was only fair to my mom. My mom came from a Lutheran household where Christmas trees and Sunday services were the norm. She agreed to give up part of her past to raise my sister and I Jewish, but the Christmas Farm Inn was her way of celebrating Christmas. We may not have had a family tree, but we still woke up on Christmas morning with presents awaiting us. I remember I loved Christmas Eve dinner. But I also remember how I loved it too much. There was turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, you name it (its funny how I only eat that type of meal once a year on Thanksgiving, while most of my friends have it on Christmas and Easter as well). After dinner, my family went to a party with all the Inns guests, and I made sure I was the first to sit on Santas lap when it was time to read The Night Before Christmas. A tall, blond-haired man who looked like my elementary school principal read the story out loud and I spent my time listening attentively.

Parent Child Relationship Essay

Abstract This paper is about showing your children that you love them by promoting boundaries. It will explain what kids really want their parents know and understand. This paper also gets down to the basics of how to be a beacon of hope in this dark world. Show how to help our children maneuver through troubling situations by giving them positive values to fall back on. Love is the common thread which binds us together and without love, boundaries and discipline would not succeed the way it is meant to. This paper looks at different ways to be active at home, how to have a joy-filled home, and how to show the ones who mean the most to you how you feel. It also shows how emotions can affect how we parent. It takes us on a journey through our childhood, so many of our parenting tactics come from how we were parented whether it was good or bad it is what we based our parenting on. How Parents can Better Love & Understand Their Kids In this paper we will be discussing different techniques and methods practiced to make home the safe haven it is supposed to be. Some tips are given on how to bring fun and understanding into the home. Family White (1998) states, â€Å"if your family are the most important people in your life†¦show them, make your family your priority—strip away the non important things that take away time from them (p. 5). Kids just want to be loved and cherished. They need to feel like they belong somewhere and are special. Parents need to slow down and spend time with their children. We need to be good role models for our own kids. We need to have fun households to show the kids there is more to their music and TV, they can have a good time with the family (p. 37-41). Talk about goal setting as a family, â€Å"everyone has an opinion so everyone is included in pitching ideas of they would like to see the family accomplish, positive comments only. Then you need to clarify and organize your agreed-upon goals, and write down ways to accomplish each goal. You should designate a specific time to reflect and reevaluate your efforts as a family† (White, 1998, p. 41-42). White (1998) teaches a listening technique which was taught to him. â€Å"You begin by telling the person you are going to ask three questions and you will repeat them several times, but they need to give a different response each time. The goal is to get them to discover the solution and work toward applying it (p. 60-61). We need to be mindful of how we perceive things each person has his or her own view, and it may not match your personal view but we need to realize there is more than one way to do a task. Also, White (1998) speaks to us about time and how we cherish the moments with our loved ones, making sure our kids are confident & secure in who they are will help them be able to say no to certain things. We need to build up the kids by focusing on the positive and by letting them know they are loved (pp. 85-93). Not only is it our responsibility to build up our children, but we need to help them dream†¦have vision, and help them get to their dreams†¦don’t be a dream crusher. We may not believe what they do but we need to be supportive. How to be Positive â€Å"Your thinking directly affects your performance get rid of negative thinking. â€Å"You are what you are, and where you are because of what has gone into your mind† (Ziglar, 1989, pp. 18-20). Ziglar says, â€Å"When you change the input you change the output. We need to stop being so negative –if a task is too hard we say we can’t do it, we need to encourage our kids and ourselves to push through the tough times† (p. 24). â€Å"A successful life starts with having a loving and stable relationship with our family. Your attitude affects your outlook on life; qualities to strive for to have success in life are: dependability, friendliness, honesty and a sense of humor† (Ziglar, 1998, pp.41-42). Ziglar also said, â€Å"A solid foundation for children involves a solid moral base† meaning†¦you need to practice what you preach. â€Å"You need to look for and expect good from your children, stop looking at the bad and negative things and look for the good and positive in them and they will bloom† (Ziglar, 1998, p. 51). Be specific when you find something good in your child, tell them what it is exactly and continue to lift them up. Being Available as an Emotion Coach According to Gottman (1997), We need to help our kids deal with their emotions by being their emotion coaches and we do that with five steps 1) by being aware of their emotion, 2) recognize the emotion as a time for intimacy and teaching, 3) listen to them and validate their feelings, 4) help label the emotion with words and 5) set limits while finding ways to solve the problem (p.24). In step one, the focus is on recognizing when you are feeling an emotion, you can identify the feelings, and you are able to be sensitive to emotions in others (p. 76). Step two, when parents can use a negative experience to bring forth bonding with their children it builds intimacy and it teaches them how to deal with their feelings (p.93). During step three, two things take place, listening empathetically and validating the child’s feelings. Gottman suggests that this may be the most important step in emotion coaching! Not only are you listening with your ears, but you are using your eyes to look for physical confirmation of the child’s emotions. Parents also use their imagination to see things from the child’s perspective. They repeat back what they hear to help the child put words to his or her emotions. Lastly, they use their most precious gift of heart to feel what their child is feeling (p. 94). Step four is putting words to their emotions. Studies have shown that labeling emotions has a soothing effect on the nervous system, aiding the child to bounce back quicker from upsetting incidents (pp. 99-100). The final step is setting limits and problem solving. This step entails empathizing with the child’s feelings as well as discussing what is right and wrong behavior, and then coming up with alternative ways to handle their emotions (p. 101). Generally speaking, according to Gottman (1997), Children who have parents that practice â€Å"emotion coaching† have better physical health and score higher in academics. They seem to get along better with others and have fewer behavioral problems. Also noted, these children are less prone to act violently and seem to experience fewer negative feelings and more positive ones, and are considered to be healthier on an emotional level (p. 25). â€Å"There are results that show when parents use emotion coaching with their kids; there are buffering effects on children whose families are having difficulty and/or divorce. Another find from research shows that fathers who incorporate emotion coaching in parenting have an extremely positive impact on their children’s emotional development† (Gottman, 1997, p. 26). There are four types of parenting styles; depending on your style as a parent the effects can be detrimental to the child’s well-being. The styles are being dismissive, disapproving, laissez-faire, and the emotion coach. In the dismissive style, the child’s feelings are thought of as not important or trivial. The effect on the child is that he or she learns that their feelings are wrong or not valid. They feel that something is wrong with them as a person because of how they feel (p. 50). The disapproving style, judges and criticizes the child’s emotional expression as well as view emotions as weakness. The effect on the child is that he or she learns that their feelings are wrong or not valid. They feel that something is wrong with them as a person because of how they feel (p. 51). The laissez-faire style, does not teach the child about emotions, and offers little guidance on behavior. The effect on the child is he or she does not learn how to regulate their emotions and they have trouble making friends and getting along with others (pp. 51-52). The emotion coach style, does not feel that they have to fix every problem for the child and they respect the child’s emotions. The effect on the child is he or she can trust their feelings, solve problems, and get along well with others (p. 52). Parents need to take their time with their children, get to know them and understand their point of view. By learning to be empathetic listeners, parents can help their children learn to problem solve for themselves, enable their child to soothe themselves and become more well-rounded individuals. Showing empathy is like showing your child your heart. If you can let them know that you understand how they feel, they won’t feel down and they will feel confident that their parents care about them at the core of their emotions. How Love Heals In understanding the dynamic of parent and child Hendrix & Hunt (1997) use a metaphor describing the relationship as â€Å"a tapestry of life, meaning they are woven together by the threads and stitches of their interactions with one another† (p. 7). They use this to describe the delicate bond between the parent and child. If not careful you can tear and damage that bond. â€Å"These tears happen when you are not paying attention to the moment, or when you are experiencing emotional pain yourself† (Hendrix & Hunt, 1997, p. 8). The focus of the message given by Hendrix & Hunt (1997) is on being conscious in your parenting. This means â€Å"you are to meet the needs of your child by providing safety, support and structure as your child moves through each stage of development† (p. 38). Hendrix & Hunt (1997) mentioned â€Å"most parents are unconscious, but they are still good, kind, caring and committed people. They have been wounded and just have not healed into a greater self-awareness and self-acceptance† (p.45). According to Hendrix & Hunt (1997) there are five characteristics to unconscious parenting, â€Å"it cuts, it cuts the connection between parent and child. It is an inheritance, parents are parenting from their fears and wounds. It is unaware, these parents don’t realize what they do to their kids, and they felt cheated so the cycle continues. It causes exaggerated reactions, parents over or under react to what their child says or does. Lastly, it is ignorance, the parent doesn’t realize he or she is overreacting to the child’s normal behavior† (pp. 48-51). When a parent is ready to become a more conscious parent they need to learn how to listen and talk to their children. Hendrix & Hunt (1997) calls this â€Å"intentional dialogue; this includes mirroring, validating, and empathizing† (p. 106). According to Hendrix & Hunt, mirroring is when you have listened and repeat back what you believe you heard back to the person. Validating is when you let the speaker know that what they are saying makes sense. Empathizing is shown by recognizing the feelings of others as they explain their point of view (1997, p. 107-108). There needs to be a commitment on the part of the parent to be open to conscious parenting. Conscious parenting offers safety, support, and structure. The parent needs to create an environment that 1) is physically safe, 2) is emotionally supportive to the child’s growth, and 3) is structured to limits and boundaries (Hendrix & Hunt, 1997, pp.141-142). According to Hendrix & Hunt (1997), physical safety is the primary requirement of every living thing. The most important way to support a child is by validating how he or she feels. A conscious parent provides clear boundaries and sets limits to reinforce the child’s sense of safety and support (pp. 142-143, 153). No One Gets Me Dr Sachs is corresponding with one of his patients via letters being mailed to one another in, When no One Understands. This book was his response to what his patient wrote to him. This young lady was troubled and had tried a suicide attempt which is how they met. During their sessions she remained quiet she did not like to communicate by talking and because Dr. Sachs knew she was creative and a good writer so he decided to offer an alternative to the typical session. This brought her out of her shell a little to where she would talk to him in some sessions but the bulk of the treatment came through their letters. She did grow to trust him more and opened up to him regarding some things she felt her parents just were not â€Å"getting†. Encouragement and Self Discovery In, Taste Berries for Teens book series, is chock full of very touching letters from different teens going through different emotional trials. Youngs & Youngs do a great job at reaching out to the youth and giving them an outlet to share their feelings. â€Å"The purpose of this series is focused on â€Å"liking† yourself. A chance for getting to know and understand yourself on a deeper level. It tells of change and how one changes from year to year† (Youngs & Youngs, 2000, p.3). Boundaries Cloud & Townsend (1998) brings honest thought to mind when they discuss what kind of future is being created for your child if they are wild and reckless? We are preparing our children for the future (p. 14). There are three roles to being a parent, 1) guardian, 2) manager and 3) source. The guardian is legally responsible for the child and is his or her protector. The manager makes sure things get done and goals are reached, this role is a disciplinarian one. The source, the parent is the source of all good things (Cloud & Townsend, 1998, pp. 19-21). According to Clod & Townsend (1998) parents need to teach reality principle, which introduces true reality consequences such as not going to a movie because the room was not cleaned; it does not include negative relational consequences such as nagging or fussing. The child needs to â€Å"feel† the consequences not the parent (pp. 58-61). Setting Limitations Clinton & Sibcy talk about overprotecting, overindulging and over controlling your kids and how these can harm the child. Parents need to exercise balance we are to protect our children but when we over protect we damage their spirit and deter them from becoming the strong, independent adult they should be. Over controlling parents mean well, they want their child to succeed, but they push them to perfectionism and these children are afraid to fail. The over indulging parent may suffer from feelings of guilt but children need structure and in this case the child can become insecure, irritable and bored (p. 9-13). There is a healthy balance and it is the parent’s job to find it. Honestly it begins with love and respect, some have to learn that but it is give and take. If you don’t show the children these qualities, they cannot give it back to you. Conclusion I would just like to conclude by saying that I enjoyed this research and this topic were fun to delve into and I hope to use some of these techniques in my own home to help improve my relationship with my family communication is so important but the most important thing that I emphasize is that it all must be done in love and with love to work. You can bark orders and commands all day long but you and your children will suffer from the lack of love and respect. References Clinton, T., & Sibcy, G. (2006). Loving your child too much: Staying close to your kids without overprotecting, overindulging, or overcontrolling. Nashville, TN: Integrity Publishers. Cloud, H. & Townsend, J. (2001). Boundaries with kids. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. Gottman, J; (1997). The heart of parenting. New York, NY; Simon & Schuster Hendrix, H; Hunt, H; (1997). Giving the love that heals a guide for parents. New York, NY; Pocket Books. Sachs, B; (2007). When no one understands. Boston, MA; Trumpeter Books. Youngs, B; Youngs, J; (1995). Taste berries for teens #3. Deerfield Beach, FL; Health Communications, Inc. White, J; (1998). What kids wish parents knew about parenting. West Monroe, LA; Howard Publishing Co, Inc. Ziglar, Z; (1989). Raising positive kids in a negative world. New York, NY, Ballentine Books.

Deadly Unna Essay

Phillip Gwyne’s novel, â€Å"Deadly Unna? † explores how the main character Gary Black, a white boy from the â€Å"Port† also known as â€Å"Blacky† grows up by not agreeing to racism. Blacky experiences prejudice and friendship from both the aboriginal and white communities. Blacky begins to develop a greater tolerance for aborigines and their culture, and then he further attempts to apply this knowledge to the intolerant and prejudiced town in which he lives. The boy who helps him shift in his opinion of aborigines is a local aborigine named â€Å"Dumby Red†, who lives in the aboriginal missionary â€Å"The Point†. Dumby is of Blacky’s Football team and helps Blacky in various ways to become more tolerant. Throughout the book, Blacky learns many things about friendship. Blacky begins to understand the aborigines and their culture, and he then tries to apply it to the intolerant town in which he lives. Blacky’s first step is when Dumby saved him from being beaten up by Mad Dog, giving Blacky a reason to stop hating Dumby. The only reason why Blacky hated Dumby in the first place was because his friends Dazza and Pickles disliked aboriginals. After Dumby said bye to Blacky after a footy game, his Port friends asked Blacky if they were friends. Blacky replies; â€Å"No way. Not him. I hate his guts. (Ibid, p. 25). This shows it is not that Blacky did not like Dumby, it is just that Dazza and Pickles pressured Blacky to dislike Aboriginals and not to befriend them. Blackys friendship with Dumby later develops into Blacky being accepted and befriending Dumby’s family and relatives. Despite his two Port friends Pickles and Dazza. Blacky stays proud of his new friendship with Dumby. Blacky gradually matures by the end of the year learning a lot about himself from the aborigines and his fellow town. At the start of the book Blacky likes an aborigine named Clarence; Darcy (Blacky’s mate) gives him advice about Clarence and other female aborigines, Darcy states; â€Å"Just a word of advice from an old bugger who’s seen a thing or two in his day. You be careful of these gins (Female aborigines) now, lad. Nice girls, but they’ve all got the clap (Gonorrhea). Every last one of ‘em’. † (Gwynne, 1998, p. 122). Blacky thinks about this for a moment and agrees that Darcy is quite smart so decides to be careful of Clarence. Later in the story Blacky is sitting at the bar and Big Mac, the bar tender starts to tell a racist joke. When he finishes and the entire bar starts laughing, Blacky does not, he has heard and told the joke before and laughed at it, but it did not seem funny now because of his new friendship with Dumby and Clarence. This shows how Blacky has grown and how he has no humour for racisms. Blacky’s thoughts about prejudice in the town are confirmed after the football presentations. When the McRae medal was won by Mark Arks (from the white boys footy team), Blacky could not believe that his town could go this far and be so racist, Dumby had contributed so much to the team all season, he had been the true team player and was the best and everyone in the Port new it, but they continued to say nothing, Blacky then became really angry. Blacky states;â€Å"its bullshit, that’s Dumbys trophy,† (Ibid, p. 133). Blacky realized how racist his town was against the Nungas (Aboriginals). This was the turning point of Blacky’s view of the town. Blacky realized how much the Goonyas (white people) in his town hated the Nungas. Another example of Prejudice is when Blacky told Pickles and Darcy about Dumby’s funeral both of them thought Dumby deserved to die just because he robbed a bar. Pickles states; â€Å"The old man reckons he got what he deserved. † (Ibid, p. 205-206) and Darcy agrees. Blacky saw that his friends were being prejudiced towards Dumby and the whole town is prejudiced towards the aborigines and their culture. Blacky’s thoughts and actions on Prejudice, Friendship and Growing up have developed into a more balanced position by the end of the year. Blacky was an immature little boy laughing at racist jokes but now he has matured into a young man driven by the prejudice in the town and his friendship with Dumby. Blacky shows this in his actions by not attending Cathy’s BBQ or going fishing with his dad and attending Dumby Red’s funeral at the Point with all the Aboriginals. This was a hard decision to make as Cathy would hate him and his father would declare him a gutless wonder for the rest of his life. There was a challenge in this as well as the aborigines might not want him there as he was a Goonya. Clarence states;â€Å"Hey, thanks for coming and all, brudda† (Ibid, p. 29). This shows that even though Blacky wasn’t family he was just as close to Dumby as a friend or brother. Gwyne’s novel, â€Å"Deadly Unna? † explores Blacky’s life and how he has made a priceless friendship with Dumby. Blacky mellows throughout the novel by disagreeing with racism and how prejudiced the town is towards Aboriginals. Blacky experiences many emotions throughout the novel and this culminates when Blacky attends Dumby’s funeral, thus showing his friendship with Dumby, Maturing to make his own decisions and how he is not amused by Prejudice anymore.

Dr. Alex Shigo Biography - Arboriculture

Dr. Alex Shigo Biography - Arboriculture Dr. Alex Shigo was widely considered the father of modern arboriculture and a university trained tree pathologist. Dr. Shigos study of tree biology led to a broadened understanding of compartmentalization of decay in trees. Shigos ideas eventually led to many changes and additions to commercial tree care practices and the now accepted way to prune a tree. Full Name:Â   Dr. Alex Shigo Date of Birth:Â   May 8, 1930 Place of Birth:Â   Duquesne, Pennsylvania Education: Shigo received a bachelors of science degree from Waynesburg College near Duquesne, Pennsylvania. After serving in the U.S. Air Force, Shigo continued his study of botany, biology, and genetics under his former biology professor, Dr. Charles Bryner. Shigo moved from Duquesne and continued his education at the University of West Virginia, where he received a combination Masters / Ph.D. in pathology in 1959. U.S. Forest Service Career: Dr. Shigo started a career with the United States Forest Service in 1958. His earliest assignment was to learn more about tree decay. Shigo used a newly invented one-man chainsaw to open trees in a way no one else had, by making longitudinal cuts along the stem rather than transverse cuts across the stem.His tree autopsy technique led to many important discoveries, some of which were and are controversial. Shigo believed that trees are not made up of mostly dead wood but have the ability to contain disease by creating compartments. Shigo became Chief Scientist for the Forest Service and retired in 1985. Date of Death:Â   Dr. Alex Shigo, 86, died on October 6, 2006 Circumstance Surrounding Death: According to the Shigo and Trees, Associates website, Alex Shigo died on Friday, October 6. He was at his summer cottage at the lake {Barrington, New Hampshire}, going to his office after dinner when he fell going down the steps, landing on the patio, and died from a broken neck. CODIT: Shigo found that trees respond to injuries by sealing the wounded area through the process of compartmentalization. This theory of compartmentalization of decay in trees, or CODIT, was Shigos biological brainstorm, leading to many changes and adaptations in the tree care industry. Instead of healing like our skin, an injury to a tree trunk results in surrounding cells changing themselves chemically and physically to prevent the spread of decay. New cells are produced by cells lining the cut area to cover and seal the injured area. Instead of trees healing, trees actually seal. The Controversy: Dr. Shigos biological findings are not always popular with arborists. Shigo disputed the validity of many techniques that the arboricultural industry has used for over a century. His work proved that old techniques were shown to be unnecessary or, even worst, harmful. In Alex Shigos defense, his conclusions have been confirmed by other researchers and are now a part of current ANSI standards for tree pruning. Bad news is, many commercial arborists continue to perform flush cuts, toppings, and other practices that Dr. Shigos research shows to be harmful. In many cases, arborists perform these practices knowing they are harmful, but believing their business cannot survive by practicing their craft under Shigo guidelines.

Free Essays on Distance Learning

Executive Summary â€Å"Today’s Distance Learning Classroom† The research paper called â€Å"Today’s Distance Learning Classroom† focuses on one of the most crucial questions for colleges today, which is about how far distance learning has come today and how technology has changed the traditional classroom into a computer network of students from around the globe. Distance education is a booming industry that has evolved from a cumbersome and complicated system to one that is unparallel in the history of technological advances in education. Further research into the past 10 years should present findings that will or will not determine if distance education is maintaining a strong growth rate. Research has found that millions more students are getting their education thru the means of distance education, a great money maker for colleges abroad. Has this business continued to see great growth throughout the late 90s to date? Some state that the distance education has found a comfortable niche in society and educational st ructures and will remain where it stands for years. Introduction A working title for the overall research project title is â€Å"Today’s Distance Learning Classroom†. My study is about how far distance learning has come today and how technology has changed the traditional classroom into a computer network of students from around the globe. Also, I will discuss the pros and cons of a student using the distance learning option? I perceive this study worthy because distance education is a booming industry that has evolved from a cumbersome and complicated system to one that is unparallel in the history of technological advances in education. Further research into the past 10 years should present findings that will or will not determine if distance education is maintaining a strong growth rate. Obviously, I’m completing my Master’s Degree through the use of distance learning. I have st... Free Essays on Distance Learning Free Essays on Distance Learning Telecommunication technology has increased greatly in the past ten years causing a tremendous impact on higher education. â€Å"Personal computers and internet connections give residence easy access to literally thousands of distance learning opportunities.† (Illinois Board of Education, 2001). It has caused change in both the learning needs and the way learning opportunities are delivered. Telecommunication technology transforms our needs for education and training. It also expands our capacity to respond to those needs. This technological advance has made distance learning possible. Enabling it to become one of the mainstream methods of instruction for educational institutions. Distance learning is defined as: a separation of place and/or time between instructor and learner, among learners, and/or between learners and learning resources. This way of learning was originally used over twenty-five years ago to serve remote and isolated learners. Since it became popular in the late 1980s, it is now used to provide learning opportunities that are flexible and responsive to the learner’s needs. It â€Å"is now a key component of our new learning society, in which learners must take increased responsibilities for control and direction of the learning process† (Adult Center of Education, 2003). The many benefits of distance learning has made it become of the most advanced method in higher education. Some advantageous qualities include: working around a person’s schedule, saving the person time, and allowing the person to take more classes (if they are in college). Also, distance learning LEE2 allows an older employee to acquire new skills that may allow him or her to better their employment opportunity or skills that may be required for their company. Another advantageous quality would be that it helps develop the student’s learning skills and the person â€Å"becomes more competitive either at their present work or when ap... Free Essays on Distance Learning Executive Summary â€Å"Today’s Distance Learning Classroom† The research paper called â€Å"Today’s Distance Learning Classroom† focuses on one of the most crucial questions for colleges today, which is about how far distance learning has come today and how technology has changed the traditional classroom into a computer network of students from around the globe. Distance education is a booming industry that has evolved from a cumbersome and complicated system to one that is unparallel in the history of technological advances in education. Further research into the past 10 years should present findings that will or will not determine if distance education is maintaining a strong growth rate. Research has found that millions more students are getting their education thru the means of distance education, a great money maker for colleges abroad. Has this business continued to see great growth throughout the late 90s to date? Some state that the distance education has found a comfortable niche in society and educational st ructures and will remain where it stands for years. Introduction A working title for the overall research project title is â€Å"Today’s Distance Learning Classroom†. My study is about how far distance learning has come today and how technology has changed the traditional classroom into a computer network of students from around the globe. Also, I will discuss the pros and cons of a student using the distance learning option? I perceive this study worthy because distance education is a booming industry that has evolved from a cumbersome and complicated system to one that is unparallel in the history of technological advances in education. Further research into the past 10 years should present findings that will or will not determine if distance education is maintaining a strong growth rate. Obviously, I’m completing my Master’s Degree through the use of distance learning. I have st...

Reading Chapter Books for Children

Reading Chapter Books for Children As your children grow in their reading ability, transitioning from sounding out each word and following the sentences with their fingers to reading more quickly on their own, they will need to graduate to more complicated reading material. As they become stronger readers, children develop appetites for richer and more complex stories and can handle multiple characters. Chapter books are an important tool in their development and intellectual abilities. What Are Chapter Books? For young and new readers, books tend to be very short. They are made up of just words or a few short sentences. They are primarily very picture heavy and have a simple, linear story. Chapter books are the next stage for readers. Chapter books are stories that are long enough and complex enough to require chapters to break them up. At a young age, they are not too long; they are shorter than novels but longer than typical picture books. Chapter books often have illustrations, too, but they are not as large or as prevalent as early reading material. In general, children are ready to progress to chapter books around the age of seven or eight. Encouraging Active Readers For children who love to read, they will likely dive into chapter books without much hesitation. Providing them with an assortment of stories and types of books can increase their interest and keep them learning. Taking your child to the library and having him or her pick her own chapter books can be a great way to engage them in reading. As your children read chapter books, resist helping too much. If your child is an independent reader, he or she will likely want to learn on their own. But make sure they know they’re available if they have any questions. Helping Struggling Readers On the other hand, if your children are struggling with reading and resist transitioning to chapter books, you may have to have more of a presence. As reading becomes more difficult, children can become more resistant to it and it can become a chore. You can help by having your children pick books they’re interested in. Actively participate in reading with your child. You can take turns reading chapters to one another; that way, your children get to practice but also get a break while you read aloud. Hearing you and listening to the story can engage them and encourage them to read on their own to get to the next part. Popular Chapter Books To help your child make the transition to chapter books, compelling stories can help pique his or her interest. Popular chapter books include The Boxcar Children, Freckle Juice, Diary of a Wimpy Kid and the Amelia Bedelia series. You can also try different genres, such as adventure stories, animal-centric tales, and fantasy books. Transitioning to Chapter Books Making the switch to chapter books is a big step in your child’s education. With your support and engagement, you can help a lifelong love of reading that can help your child throughout his or her lifetime.

Statistics Summary Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Statistics Summary - Research Paper Example Quantitative statistics however defines categorical measures that only identify data but does not induce a numeric value (Mann, 2010). There also exist four levels of statistics, nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio levels. Nominal level only has identity property. Ordinal level of measurement has both identity and dimension properties, interval level identifies statistics and measures dimension with equal distance between consecutive variables while ratio level of measurement has a true zero besides properties of interval level of statistics (Babbie, 2010). The role of statistics in business decision making involve research and evaluation of data on alternatives to a problem with the aim of understanding the alternatives for informed decision (Mann, 2010). Statistics could be used to investigate effectiveness of a marketing strategy on an organization’s level of sales. Identification of significant effectiveness in a pilot study, through test of hypothesis, would suggest implementation the strategy while lack of significant effectiveness would mean that the marketing strategy would not promote sales and should not be implemented (Mann,

No Topic Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

No Topic - Assignment Example The idea behind this sentence means the simple fact that the more we try to develop our society and humanity at large; we are indirectly destroying the future. It was only few years back when we started globally developing ourselves in order to grow. Generally it has been seen that the ways of the humanity actually harms the balance of the nature and impact the environment. Since time immemorial humankind protected itself against nature, now nature must be safeguarded against mankind. Nature is the most important aspect of atmosphere, protecting it should be our foremost responsibility. Specifically risk are the "worldwide house" the Antarctic, sea couches, tropical timberlands, with numerous species debilitated by the insatiable development of interest for new inputs, while earths climate is overburdened with the buildups development deserts. Thus, it was during the 1980s that the ascent of a worldwide environmental cognizance was communicated by numerous voices, all regretting the dangers to the worlds biosphere and the offence to the eras to come. The group obligation to protect the "regular legacy of humanity" was conjured, and "Tending to the Earth" turned into a basic which disturbed spirits worldwide. Regard for the uprightness of nature, autonomously of its esteem for people, and in addition a legitimate respect for the privileges of mankind requested that the global nature should be secured. There have been numerous examples used by the author which shows how efficiently we have been destroying the nature in an irreparable way. All these were given with the sole motive to make us understand that we human beings are gradually destroying the nature and the misbalancing the universe with this act of ours. The in return will try and defend itself in a very ruthless ways. Ways which cannot be sustained by mankind. Until and unless we try and stop ourselves, we will have to face the nature’s fury at some point in future when

Discuss the impact macro factors may place upon your chosen Essay

Discuss the impact macro factors may place upon your chosen organisation in the future (1-5 years) and how the organisation may - Essay Example In business there are different categories of laws, e.g. consumer laws etc. These are new laws set to protect consumers from illegal practices, such as misleading description of the goods offered. TESCO can cope with this rule by ensuring that it offers product of high quality to the customers as this will increase their trust to the company’s products. It should also distribute products which meet the required health standards to the consumers (Cole, 2012). This will ensure they meet customers’ expectations of getting safe and secure product, a factor that plays part in customer satisfaction. Employment laws are set to safeguard employees from getting mistreated by the seniors. The law addresses issues such as the length an employee is supposed to be working and the minimum salaries an employee need to get (Cripps, 2012). As much as Tesco aim to operate at a minimum cost, they have to ensure they give proper remuneration to their employees to enable them operate per th e law. By doing this, they will motivate employees thus increasing the rate of return to the business. Health and safety legislation is also part of the legal laws set to be observed by every company. It states the need of the organization to offer training to it employees (â€Å"Buxton Advertiser†, 2011). ... A competition law encourages government to subsidize the cost of production incurred by these small firms. This will enable them participate in external trade and compete with other established companies. To cope with this TESCO has to come up with effective ways to ensure that they reduce their cost of production. They can invest in other countries and also adopting the most advanced form of technology in writing to reduce their production cost (â€Å"Buxton Advertiser†, 2011). This will enable them compete with the firms getting subsidies from the government. With the expanding markets in the United Kingdom which is the first Tesco base, many new firms are entering the market to take advantage of the high demand thus increasing pressure on TESCO’s management to make necessary changes. Tesco organization can handle this by adopting a high level differentiation of the product in order to continue increasing brand loyalty by customers thus counter checking the thrill of the new entrant in the market (Cole, 2012). This will help Tesco to continue dominating the market. Another factor that may affect the Tesco’s ability to grow is the emerging power of suppliers. With the continued economic growth in the world, many suppliers of both goods and services have seriously been affected by upcoming supermarket chains (Cripps, 2012). This has put Tesco under a constant threat of losing its position in the market to these leading supermarket chains who are offering better prices of products to their suppliers. To avoid losing suppliers, TESCO has to provide better prices to suppliers. This will ensure they contain a significant part of the market. This will make the company the leading

Essay on Egyptian Hieroglyphs Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

On Egyptian Hieroglyphs - Essay Example Hieroglyph is a word coined from a Greek vocabulary â€Å"hieroglyphikos†. This is a compound word that is made up of the words hieros meaning 'sacred' and glypho meaning '? carve or engrave'. The compound word hieroglyphikos, therefore, stands for 'the sacred engraved letters'. Over the years, hieroglyph has officially become a recognized noun that is used in the English language. In English it stands for a single hieroglyphic letter or character. Grammatically speaking, hieroglyphic is an English adjective although every very often, it is mistakenly used as an English noun. Discussion The Egyptians were very artistic people. Even before adopting literacy, they were very artistic. This is attributed to the creation of the Hieroglyphs. They for instance engraved artistic symbols on pottery. These engraved symbols resemble the Hieroglyphs very closely. Excavations in Egypt culminated in the discovery of the Narmer Palette. This was in the late 19th Century. The Narmer Palette w as for a long time over the years the only known hieroglyphic inscription. It was scientifically traced back to 3200 BC. In recent years, around 1998, another major discovery was made. Gunter Dreyer, a German archaeologist uncovered a tomb in which he found three hundred clay labels that had hieroglyphs. These were unbelievably traced back to the 33d century BC. Some scientists have a strong hunch that the Egyptian hieroglyphs were invented a short while after the invention of the Sumerian script. They believe that the Sumerian script directly led to their invention. For instance, some scholars have postulated that it is likely that the technique where by expression of words of a language is done through writing was taken to Egypt hailing from the Sumerian Mesopotamia. Contrary to this, other scholars have postulated that the substantiation of the fact that there was direct manipulation remains rather vague. They remain firm a very plausible argument can be brought forth which suppo rts the independent innovation of writing as a form of communication in Egypt. Owing to the fact that there is still limbo as far as the influence of the two writing methods on each other is concerned, the exact origin of hieroglyphics has not been conclusively determined. Hieroglyphs are made up of three sorts of glyphs. The first one is the phonetic glyphs which include the characters with a single-consonant and function as a distinct alphabet. The second one is the logographs which stand for morphemes. The last one is the determinatives which serves the purpose of streamlining the meaning of words. With the development and extensive spread of the art of writing in the midst of the Egyptian community, easy glyph versions came into being. This led to the establishment of the priestly and popular scripts. These distinct variants became more appropriate than hieroglyphs when used on papyrus. The Hieroglyphic writing nevertheless was never eclipsed. It existed in conjunction with the other forms. This was particularly so in monumental writing as well as other formal writing. During the Persian rule which reigned in the 6th and 5th centuries BC, Hieroglyphs was continuously used. This kept on even during the reign as well as after Alexander the Great. Alexander had conquered Egypt, in the subsequent Macedonian and Roman times. It seems that the deceptive worth of remarks

Starting a Business Online, Part 1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Starting a Business Online, Part 1 - Assignment Example It is composed of data exchange in order to facilitate the payment and financing aspects of business transactions (Robinson, 2010). My local clothing store will obviously fetch me advantages when I turn it into an e-commerce. However, am likely to experience some limitations as well. The invention of powerful online tools and fast and quick internet connectivity has brought about new arena of commerce. This is what my clothing line is turning to when I take it online. From a SWOT analysis I carried out, I will gain various advantages including: Easy to begin and manage the business Easy access of the products as well as faster selling and buying procedures Selling and buying is done twenty four hours No costs of company set ups are incurred Better quality products and services as well as low costs of operation There are no geographical limitations Product or service selection is easily done without physically moving around to providers The visibility of search engine makes it easy to get more customers Cost effective marketing and advertising through social media Virtual store visits by customers eliminating travel cost and time Facilitates comparable shopping by customers Provide for coupons, bargains, deals and group buying Provision for abundant product and service information Targeted communication is created between stores and customers enhancing customer service Niche products can easily be located by the customers Economical in terms of infrastructure and insurance investment Creation of knowledge markets (Olsen, 2010). On the other hand, I am likely to experience specific limitations associated with e-commerce. As a clothing line, I suspect the following disadvantages: Customers have had bad experience with fraudulent site and may not be willing to buy products online. Customers fear lack of guarantee of the quality of the products E-commerce is prone to attack by hackers There may be poor customer loyalty due to minimum company to customer direct inter action Total business processes may be negatively affected by mechanical failures Lack of personal touch with customers and other businesses Delays in products delivery to customers and may result into customers demoralization Customers do not get to experience goods before delivery after purchase Financial security concerns are likely to be experienced by customers paying via credit cards Computer viruses may cause delays, storage problems, and file backups leading to customer inconveniences Stiff competition with the large scale businesses that have brand loyalty may lead to constant losses There may be need for electronic malls as intermediaries to guarantee the legitimacy of transactions since the business will be new online. Poor customer relations leading to poor customer loyalty Corporate vulnerability due to the availability of details and catalogs as well as information regarding the business to the competitors (Olsen, 2010) Electronic commerce faces various issues as it is considered an international commerce regardless of size. Issues to do with trust, language, culture, infrastructure, and government are likely to be faced by my clothing line. I will build trust with my customers through offering quality products to them and discounts on sale. I will also provide genuine websites with http to assure trustworthiness.

Medieval ages and Modern time Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Medieval ages and Modern time - Essay Example However, the period laid most of the foundation in modern time professions and beliefs that still persists in most rural and indigenous societies around the globe. Among the trained people who defended the medieval societies were archers, foot soldiers, and the most explicit group referred as the knights. The knights were ranked the richest of all soldiers in the time, and were equipped with more expertise than others. Any knight had to pass through a session of training, and could only become one through his valor prior or after battles, or if he was a son of a noble family (â€Å"Becoming a knight,† thinkquest.org). This selection criterion is quite different in the modern society for individuals desiring to pursue military. Of course, it did prevent individuals in the society who would have liked to be come one, but since they were not from noble families or could not express their courage, they missed out the chance. The knights dressing code was rather heavy and uncomfortable especially under the hot sun. Apart from their linen shirt and a pair of pants, they wore woolen pads underneath the metal ringed tunic, which was later repla ced with metal plates, covering most of their body parts (â€Å"The Medieval knight,† thinkquest.org). They highly used swords, knives and spears as defense weapons and held tournaments to exercise their loyalty in service while acting as mock battles in front of audience. Basically the knight was purposefully skilled to protect his lord and the castle against external attacks more than the entire society. In the modern society, military selection is open for individuals who qualify to a certain level, without being biased to social status not unless the system is corrupt, it doe not matter whether one comes from poor or rich background, but the procedure follows strictly and individuals who qualify can specialize in the profession. The purpose for the military is to serve the area of jurisdiction by ensuring its

Starting a Business Online, Part 1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Starting a Business Online, Part 1 - Assignment Example It is composed of data exchange in order to facilitate the payment and financing aspects of business transactions (Robinson, 2010). My local clothing store will obviously fetch me advantages when I turn it into an e-commerce. However, am likely to experience some limitations as well. The invention of powerful online tools and fast and quick internet connectivity has brought about new arena of commerce. This is what my clothing line is turning to when I take it online. From a SWOT analysis I carried out, I will gain various advantages including: Easy to begin and manage the business Easy access of the products as well as faster selling and buying procedures Selling and buying is done twenty four hours No costs of company set ups are incurred Better quality products and services as well as low costs of operation There are no geographical limitations Product or service selection is easily done without physically moving around to providers The visibility of search engine makes it easy to get more customers Cost effective marketing and advertising through social media Virtual store visits by customers eliminating travel cost and time Facilitates comparable shopping by customers Provide for coupons, bargains, deals and group buying Provision for abundant product and service information Targeted communication is created between stores and customers enhancing customer service Niche products can easily be located by the customers Economical in terms of infrastructure and insurance investment Creation of knowledge markets (Olsen, 2010). On the other hand, I am likely to experience specific limitations associated with e-commerce. As a clothing line, I suspect the following disadvantages: Customers have had bad experience with fraudulent site and may not be willing to buy products online. Customers fear lack of guarantee of the quality of the products E-commerce is prone to attack by hackers There may be poor customer loyalty due to minimum company to customer direct inter action Total business processes may be negatively affected by mechanical failures Lack of personal touch with customers and other businesses Delays in products delivery to customers and may result into customers demoralization Customers do not get to experience goods before delivery after purchase Financial security concerns are likely to be experienced by customers paying via credit cards Computer viruses may cause delays, storage problems, and file backups leading to customer inconveniences Stiff competition with the large scale businesses that have brand loyalty may lead to constant losses There may be need for electronic malls as intermediaries to guarantee the legitimacy of transactions since the business will be new online. Poor customer relations leading to poor customer loyalty Corporate vulnerability due to the availability of details and catalogs as well as information regarding the business to the competitors (Olsen, 2010) Electronic commerce faces various issues as it is considered an international commerce regardless of size. Issues to do with trust, language, culture, infrastructure, and government are likely to be faced by my clothing line. I will build trust with my customers through offering quality products to them and discounts on sale. I will also provide genuine websites with http to assure trustworthiness.

Concert Critique Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Concert Critique - Research Paper Example There was a small bar at the end of towards the wall. Many people were at the bar and it was nearly impossible to push one’s way through to use the bathroom on the exterior. At the back of the venue there was a variety of different lights that shined on the stage. Below these different lights was a sound system that was managed by an individual sitting behind it. This individual sitting behind the sound system did not move throughout the entire show and he was entirely focused on adjusting the music nobs to ensure that the concert was conducted effectively. In terms of crowd size, there were probably 200-300 people in attendance. The collection of these people increased in attendance from the beginning of the show and by the end of the show the numbers were around the 300 mark. Most of the people in attendance were the same age from their 20s to early 30s; however there were a handful of people in their late 30s that were in attendance. Many different ethnic groups were in att endance, although the main ethnic group in the audience was white Caucasians. The stage for the performance was not decorated for any of the bands that performed. However, there was lighting that occurred for each of the bands. When the final band came on stage, the lighting was coordinated with specific aspects of their performance such that the audience could see these different aspects during specific parts of songs. While the audience did not entirely sell-out, it was close to selling-out towards the end of the concert and there was virtually no room left for people to stand in the auditorium. The acoustics in the concert area depended largely on the band that was performing. In all instances, the sound was loud. However, the opening bands used guitars and the final band was more electronic based. These changes in instrumentation resulted in different levels of sound quality, with the greatest sound

Organisational Structure And Cross Cultural Management Icici Bank Commerce Essay

Organisational Structure And Cross Cultural Management Icici Bank Commerce Essay This paper explores the linkage between organizational structure and cross-cultural management. It suggests that a fluid and continuously evolving structure enables effective cross-cultural management. In support of this, the paper reports on the experience of the second largest bank in India and the largest private sector bank in India by market capitalization. The Bank has a network of 2,509 branches and 5,808 ATMs in India, and has a presence in 19 countries, including India. ICICI Bank offers a wide range of banking products and financial services to corporate and retail customers through a variety of delivery channels and specialization subsidiaries and affiliates in the areas of investment banking, life and non-life insurance, venture capital and asset management. ICICI Bank is also the largest issuer of credit cards in India. ICICI Banks shares are listed on the stock exchanges at  BSE,  NSE,  Kolkata  and Vadodara (formerly Baroda)  ; its  ADRs trade on the  New York Stock Exchange  (NYSE). The Bank is expanding in overseas markets and has the largest international balance sheet among Indian banks. ICICI Bank now has wholly owned subsidiaries, branches and representatives offices in 19 countries, including an offshore unit in Mumbai. This includes wholly owned subsidiaries in Canada, Russia and the UK  offshore banking units in Bahrain and Singapore, an advisory branch in Dubai, branches in Belgium, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka, and representative offices in Bangladesh, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Africa, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and USA. Overseas, the Bank is targeting the NRI (Non-Resident Indian) population in particular. ICICI reported a 1.15% rise in net profit to  Indian rupee1,014.21 crore on a 1.29% increase in total income to  Indian rupee9,712.31 crore in Q2 September 2008 over Q2 September 2007. The banks  CASA ratio  increased to 30% in 2008 from 25% in 2007. ICICI Bank is one of the  Big Four Banks  of India, along with  State Bank of India,  Punjab National Bank  and  Canara Bank   its main competitors. Introduction International business houses are increasingly operating with multicultural work forces. One key to competitive advantage for these business houses is effective cross-cultural management. Even conservative business houses such as traditional banks are finding that the thrust of competition requires them to manage diversity in their workforces. An example of one such traditional bank is ICICI Bank. ICICI Banks performance and aspirations are underpinned by a strong organizational culture of dynamism, meritocracy, excellence in execution and high standards of professional integrity that have helped us become an industry leader. The bank runs a leadership development program which aims to build leadership talent within the organization. The program attempts to tap into the potential of employees and develop them into global leaders. It has also extended its role beyond economic growth concerns to directly participate in the pursuit of human development.   CROSS- CULTURE MANAGEMENT Smiths Work View Smith (ICICI MD) and his original team did well. ICICI prospered. Their 8-8 banking service set a new benchmark in the industry BUT its grown too vast. Smith is surrounded by people who do not present the true status of the crippling retail dissatisfaction Smith has become risk averse and has appointed people whove been around him for years, as heads of divisions. They do not have the same drive and enthusiasm as Smith and hence the stagnation. The need of the hour is to expand infrastructure, bring in younger people in the top management (people in 30s and early 40s). and ofcourse until then, ICICI can be avoided. Work culture at ICICI Bank It is a tech-savvy, non-hierarchical, work environment where early responsibility and independent decision-making enable each employee to reach his/her potential. Coupled with this is a strong performance management system that has built a meritocracy where high performing-high potential individuals are duly rewarded. Employees Satisfaction Even during recession ICICI Bank did not cut back on employees But instead announced a policy of No promotion No bonus but no attrition too!! This policy is serving two purposes for ICICI bank, cutting down employee cost and employee retention. Employees also feel that as an employer the bank extends a lot of authority along with justified accountability. Employees perceived the working culture at ICICI bank to be very collaborative in nature. It can be owed to the fact that the bank is highly segmented with a lot of overlapping and mostly distinct roles and responsibilities. The Employees also considered that ICICI bank offers them with a lot of financial benefits ranging from your family health insurance to your kids school donations. But certain concerns in terms of Lack of time for fulfilling social responsibilities And more sales oriented culture are there. Dress Code ICICI Bank would issue dress to be worn by all Progamme Participants. This dress, as laid down, would be worn for all classes and other organised activities. Till the time the participants are issued with the dress they would abide by the following dress code: (a) Gentlemen (i) Formal office trousers and shirts with a tie. Most acceptable colours for trousers would be black, brown, blue and grey. Preferable pastel colours for shirts. (ii) Suits for formal occasions. (iii) Formal footwear (iv) Well groomed. (b) Ladies (i) Silk or cotton (starched) sari (ii) Formal western wear (formal trousers/skirts with a top or a jacket) or salwar kameez. (iii) Formal footwear. (iv) Well groomed. Role Of Women In ICICI Bank Chanda Kochhar knew nothing about retail banking when she took over ICICI Banks fledgling retail operations in 1998 at the age of 36. That made Citibank and others think ICICI was only doing a small flirtation, she says, and they underestimated the growth in the market. They also underestimated this smart, assertive woman, known for her colorful saris and carefully matched jewelry. Today ICICI, Indias second-largest and fastest-growing bank, is the market leader in retail banking, with more than 15 million customers, accounting for more than a third of Indias total retail credit. And Kochhar No. 37 on this years list of the worlds most powerful businesswomen added corporate banking to her portfolio in April and is a leading candidate to become managing director and chief executive of the Mumbai bank when the job becomes vacant at the end of 2008. That a woman should achieve such success in a male-dominated industry, in an economy where women often play subservient roles, might be a surprise at any other Indian bank. But  ICICI  (Charts) has made a name for itself by recognizing female talent. Three of the five members of the banks executive board are women, as are 13 of its 40 top managers and one of Kochhars two rivals for the chief executive job Shikha Sharma, the 47-year-old managing director of ICICI Prudential. Once dubbed the petticoat brigade by Mumbais chauvinistic banking fraternity, these highly competitive women have helped build a business known for its aggressive, risk-taking attitude and its growth from a sleepy, bureaucratic development institution into Indias most diversified and customer-oriented bank. Almost all the leaders we have picked have succeeded, and most have been women, says K.V. Smith, ICICIs CEO, who has been responsible for empowering them. Kalpana Morparia, a lawyer and the other joint managing director, retires next May. Her peers at other banks say she has been the backbone of ICICI for the past ten years, looking after the raising of funds and the regulatory environment. She says she stayed at ICICI, when she could have earned far more elsewhere, because the empowerment gives an entrepreneurial framework, where you have all the support systems. Sharma, another early achiever and fast learner, admits she is fiercely competitive. When she was 33 she headed ICICIs side of a securities joint venture with J.P. Morgan, initially knowing little about markets. That led to a two-year stint at Morgan, after which she ran ICICIs corporate planning department and started its retail banking operation. In 2000, knowing nothing about insurance, she set up the joint venture with Britains Prudential, which is restricted by government policy to a 26% equity stake and has only a minimal management presence. That leaves Sharma in charge of Indias largest private-sector insurance company, with 12.5% of the market. She says women are good at succeeding without prior experience because they have smaller egos [than men], and its easier for me to say, Hey, I know nothing about this. Technology Department Very aggressive Bank in terms of adopting the best practices, technology and takng business for a young entrant a very good opportunity to learn and grow Extreme work pressures makes one to learn to respond quickly and efficiently and absorb pressure a trait useful for the future Senior management backing for new initiatves Fairly transperant Performance Appraisal system Open to changes in department for employees, allowing employees to grow Very professional, Good place to work It need only to sell product, brand awareness is high, very strong in systems, minimum paperwork, good training opportunities, opportunities given to do different things other than the regular job. Excellent place to learn marketing and strategy. Unearthly working hours usual. Less involvement from HR regarding welfare of employees, some established managers tend to push down people who dont perform instead of hand holding them, demotions in roles very common, even if you are a good performer. Senior Management care more for your employees, they are more than just another email id! Find ways to understand whats happening on the field, its very different from whatever impression you have! Flexibility in terms of changing job profiles; power and authority assigned at each level is very motivating; employees feel very powerful in ICICI as compared with other organisations. Literature Review The author reviews the theoretical and empirical literature to examine the traditional perception that the following trade-off exists between economic efficiency and stability in the banking system: a competitive banking system is more efficient and therefore important to growth, but market power is necessary for stability in the banking system. That this trade-off exists is not clear. Market power can have positive implications for efficiency, and the potentially negative implications of competition on stability may be manageable through prudential regulation. Neither extreme (perfect competition nor monopoly) is likely ideal. Rather, it may be optimal to facilitate an environment that promotes competitive behaviour (contestability), thereby minimizing the potential costs of market power while realizing benefits from any residual that remains. It can be very difficult to assess the contestability of a banking market. Recent work suggests that the number of banks and the degree of co ncentration are not, in themselves, sufficient indicators of contestability. Other factors play a strong role, including regulatory policies that promote competition, a well-developed financial system, the effects of branch networks, and the effect and uptake of technological advancements. Classical views of organizational structure have emphasized the durable arrangements within an organization. Jackson Morgan (1982) define organizational structure in line with the classical view as: the relatively enduring allocation of work roles and administrative mechanisms that creates a pattern of inter-related work activities, and allows the organization to conduct, coordinate, and control its work activities. This definition of organizational structure with the caveat that work arrangements need not always be relatively enduring. Early writers on the subject, including Taylor (1911), Fayol (1930), and Weber (Gerth Mills, 1958), had stipulated an ideal-type of organizational structure for all situations. In the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s, the one best form fits all view was replaced by the contingency approach. A contingency perspective such as that of Lorsch Morse (1974) prescribes that an alignment should exist between structure, task, technology, the environment, and people. This approach takes into account that structures can be flexible and responsive to change. Contingency theorists such as Duncan (1977), Lawrence Lorsch (1967), Burns Stalker (1961), Minzberg (1979), Miles Snow (1978), and Galbraith (1973) recommended that organizational structure should be either organic or mechanistic depending on the nature of the external environment. A stable external environment called for a mechanistic structure, while a turbulent environment required an organic structure one flexible enough to evol ve. The power of the contingency theory was validated in two countries from the non-English speaking world by Boseman Simonetti (1975), indicating that non-traditional notions of structure apply in a variety of cultural contexts. In the past twenty-five years several researchers have made a case for viewing organizational structure in terms of transient features rather than durable ones. Duncans work (1977) was among the earliest in this genre. Duncan advocated a bifurcated initiation and implementation structure for creative organizations. It then became possible to envisage structures that were bifurcated in other ways, such as those that have organic and bureaucratic structures existing conterminously as described by Peterson (1981). Here, the segment of the organization that engages in creative activities is separated from the rest of the organization, which is essentially bureaucratic. Just as creativity exerted a pressure for organizations to adopt transient structures, lately, knowledge generation and transfer in high information-intensity and velocity contexts have likewise exerted pressures for looser structures. Miles Snow (1995) have argued for flexible networked structures for such organizations. In their literature review piece, Child McGrath (2001) too note how continuously changing structures, are de rigour in knowledge based organizations. Coulson-Thomas (1991) has predicted that corporations dealing with complex operations would opt for flatter and more fluid organizational structures that can develop into networks, as well as have greater flexibility and responsiveness to customer needs. This would be accompanied by a management approach which pushes organizational hierarchy to individuals, who require access to expertise and specialists. Pepper (1995) advanced an even more dynamic perspective on structure, which incorporated such elements as working relationships, actual experiences of members, and interpretations of occurrences. Pepper suggested that structure should be treated like a document that is authored by organizational members. Weick (1995) also postulated a dynamic view of structure. Weick talked about enacting organizations which are a function of organizational members preferences. He observed, Organizing is a continuous flow of movement that people try to co-ordinate with a continuous flow of input. Taking off from the notion of enactment, is that of inverted firms. Anderson, Finkelstein, Quinn (1996) have recommended that hierarchies be dispensed with in certain contexts; instead, structures be organised in the form of patterns tailored to specific needs. Also closely related to the notion of enactment is that of improvisation. Improvisation connotes flexibility of form, an area a few contemporary researchers are currently discussing. Volberda (1999) holds that the extent of flexibility of a firms structure should be aligned to the extent of turbulence prevalent in its environment. Additionally, a firm may on the whole be averagely flexible but have both a unit that is extremely flexible and a unit that is extremely rigid, functioning within it. Gold Hirshfeld (2005) have demonstrated how the principles of improvisation underlying jazz music can be used to promote strategic renewal within organizations. McHugh Wheeler (1995) described a particularly fluid structure called holonic network. This is a set of companies that acts integrated and organically; it is constantly re-configured to manage each business opportunity a customer presents. Each company within the network provides a different process capability and is called a Holon. This capacity for frequent re-configuring has been termed more recently by Eisenhardt Galunic (2001) as architectural innovation. Here, the different capabilities of an organization, including its structural components are re-combined in various ways to enhance performance. Table I: Consider how our view of structure has changed over time I From durable structures to flexible structures Theorist Essence of Theory Period Weber, Taylor, Fayol One best form of structure that is largely unvarying, durable and bureaucratic. Focus was on establishing order and maintaining predictability Early 20th Century Duncan, Lawrence Lorsch, Burns Stalker, Minzberg, Miles Snow, and Galbraith Structure should not be consistently unvarying. A stable environment necessitates a mechanistic structure, while a turbulent environment calls for an organic and flexible structure. The type of structure adopted should be contingent on the nature of the environment. 1960s 1970s Duncan, Peterson A creative organization should have certain elements of structure that are flexible. 1970s early 1980s Child McGrath, Miles Snow A knowledge generation and transfer organization should have a flexible structure. 1990s early 2000s Table II: Consider how our view of structure has changed over time II Different imperatives for flexible structures Theorist Essence of Theory Period Coulson-Thomas Complex, high-performance organizations require flat, fluid, flexible structures that enable responsiveness to customer needs. These structures can develop into networks. 1991 McHugh Wheeler Complex, high-performance organizations require a fluid structure that enables re-configuration suited to each business opportunity that arises. These structures can develop into colonic networks. 1995 Pepper High-performance organizations require flexible structures capable of incorporating such features as actual experiences of members, etc. These structures enable employee participation in and ownership of organizational processes 1995 Weick High-performance organizations require flexible structures that enable employees to enact their work-related preferences. These structures promote efficiency and employee participation. 1995 Anderson, Finkelstein, Quinn High-performance organizations sometimes require inverted structures that enable the removal of hierarchies. These structures can be tailored to specific needs. 1996 Volberda High-performance organizations should be internally differentiated so that units have varying extents of flexibility. This promotes efficiency and alignment with the environments demand. 1999 Eisenhardt Galunic High-performance organizations should emphasise the architectural innovation capability of its structure. This enhances performance. 2001 Gold Hirschfield High-performance organizations require structures that are capable of improvisation. This enables strategic renewal. 2005 Looking at organizational structure in terms of a historical perspective is useful, since it underscores the fact that its components do not have to be durable. Thus due to several imperatives, organizational structures are assuming flexible forms. Cross-cultural management can be a further reason why organizations should adopt flexible structures with transient features. That personnel can have preferences for structural forms that reflect their cultural heritage is indicated by the INSEAD study of Stevens (cited in Hofstede, 1991). In this study, MBA students from Great Britain, France and Germany were presented with a caselet about and interpersonal problem in a corporation. The students were requested to present a solution that involved re-engineering the structure. The interpersonal problem was that two department heads could not see eye to eye. The British students diagnosed the problem as being one of poor communication between the department heads. The problem could be resolved, according to the British students, by providing training in interpersonal skills to the feuding department heads. The French students suggested that the problem be referred one level up to the president of the corporation. The German students recommended that there should be greater clarity regarding the roles, responsibilities, and spheres of activity of the two department heads. These roles, etc. the German students opined, should be described and specified unambiguously. Stevens study specifically suggests that flexible structural forms may be appropriate in cross-cultural management contexts. Changs (2002) paper written notes that culture has implications for job design. Thus, managers from individualistic ethnic cultures will value personal accomplishments. Meanwhile managers from collectivist cultures would place a premium on working harmoniously with others. The challenge is to design structures so that managers from both types of cultures can work productively together. We present here the experience of ICICI Bank as indicative that a fluid, flexible structure enables cross-cultural management. The fluid, flexible structure at ICICI Banks enabled managers from different cultures (collectivist and individualistic, high power-distance and low power-distance, etc.) to work synergistically with each other. Flexible structures obviate the sense that a structure or work pattern is being imposed by one cultural group on others. It provides a mechanism whereby culturally different work patterns can be reconciled in a meaningful fashion. (Reconciliation is a term used by Trompenaars (1993) for the process he developed to work through the tensions created by cultural differences.) RESEARCH EFFORT This study constitutes an exploratory effort. Its purpose is to examine how a fluid, flexible organizational structure facilitates cross-cultural management. Huberman Miles (1994) have recommended that when a deeper understanding of management contexts is sought, qualitative research designs may be appropriate. Similarly, organization theorists like Marjoribanks (2000) and Vogel (1996) have deliberately used fine-grained case studies to capture how institutional diffusion occurs. The present study employs qualitative methods and a substantive case study to observe and report the co-evolution of a fluid, flexible organizational structure and cross-cultural management practices. ICICI Bank has a vast and a well-connected network of branches offering incomparable banking and other financial services to its customers. You need not look far for an  ICICI bank branch  and can get all the relevant information regarding the address, phone number and other information about the nearest branch of ICICI bank in your area using an online tool of branch locator to locate an ICICI bank branch. The ICICI bank has established its branches in easily accessible market places across India enabling its customers to avail a variety of retail banking products offered by the bank.   The ICICI bank branches are spread throughout India and the world having  1,488 branches both in India and  18  countries. The customer care executives at branches are willing to help in order to provide assistance in all sorts of bank related products and services. The current office timings of ICICI bank branches are 8AM-8PM which has been proposed to 9AM-6PM. The bank has spread its reach far across the globe with branches in  Canada, USA, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka. It has established its presence in places such as Kuala Lumpur, San Francisco, San Jose, New York, California  etc. As the bank is playing an important role in countrys Political, Socio- economic, Technological environment as it provides many facilities to many customers throughout many countries and future plans are to expand the branches across the borders to meet the pace of Globalization and contribute to maximum Optimum utilization of resources in a well structured manner. ICICI Bankà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Background in brief In 1955, The Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India Limited (ICICI) was incorporated at the initiative of World Bank, the Government of India and representatives of Indian industry, with the objective of creating a development financial institution for providing medium-term and long-term project financing to Indian businesses. In 1994, ICICI established Banking Corporation as a banking subsidiary. Formerly known as Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India, ICICI Banking Corporation was later renamed as ICICI Bank Limited. ICICI founded a separate legal entity, ICICI Bank, to undertake normal banking operations taking deposits, credit cards, car loans etc. In 2001, ICICI acquired  Bank of Madura  (est. 1943). Bank of Madura was a  Chettiar  bank, and had acquired  Chettinad Mercantile Bank  (est. 1933) and  Illanji Bank  (established 1904) in the 1960s. In 2002, The Boards of Directors of ICICI and ICICI Bank approved the reverse merger of ICICI,  ICICI Personal Financial Services Limited  and  ICICI Capital Services Limited, into ICICI Bank. After receiving all necessary regulatory approvals, ICICI integrated the groups financing and banking operations, both wholesale and retail, into a single entity. At the same time, ICICI started its international expansion by opening representative offices in  New York  and London. In India, ICICI Bank bought the  Shimla  and  Darjeeling  branches that  Standard Chartered Bank  had inherited when it acquired  Grindlays Bank. In 2003, ICICI opened subsidiaries in Canada and the United Kingdom (UK), and in the UK it established an alliance with Lloyds TSB. It also opened an Offshore Banking Unit (OBU) in Singapore and representative offices in Dubai and Shanghai. In 2004, ICICI opened a representative office in Bangladesh to tap the extensive trade between that country, India and South Africa. In 2005, ICICI acquired Investitsionno-Kreditny Bank (IKB), a Russia bank with about US$4mn in assets, head office in  Balabanovo  in the  Kaluga  region, and with a branch in  Moscow. ICICI renamed the bank ICICI Bank Eurasia. Also, ICICI established a branch in  Dubai  International Financial Centre and in  Hong Kong. In 2006, ICICI Bank UK opened a branch in  Antwerp, in Belgium. ICICI opened representative offices in  Bangkok,  Jakarta, and  Kuala Lumpur. In 2007, ICICI amalgamated Sangli Bank, which was headquartered in  Sangli, in  Maharashtra  State, and which had 158 branches in Maharashtra and another 31 in  Karnataka  State. Sangli Bank had been founded in 1916 and was particularly strong in rural areas. With respect to the international sphere, ICICI also received permission from the government of  Qatar  to open a branch in  Doha. Also, ICICI Bank Eurasia opened a second branch, this time in St. Petersburg. In 2008, The  US Federal Reserve  permitted ICICI to convert its representative office in  New York  into a branch. ICICI also established a branch in Frankfurt. In 2009, ICICI made huge changes in its organization like elimination of loss making department and re-stretching outsourced staff or renegotiate their charges in consequent to the recession. In addition to this, ICICI adopted a massive approach aims for cost control and cost cutting. In consequent of it, compensation to staff was not increased and no bonus declared for 2008-09. On 23 May ICICI Bank announced that it would merge with  Bank of Rajasthan  through a share-swap in a non-cash deal that values the Bank of Rajasthan at about  Indian rupee3,000 crore. ICICI announced that the merger expand ICICI Banks branch network by 25%. On 18h October 2010, ICICI will inaugurate I-Express, an instant cross-border money transfer option for Non-Resident Indians (NRIs). This service will be available through the ICICI Banks select partners in the  Gulf Cooperation Council. ICICI Bank is Indias second-largest bank with total assets of Rs. 3,634.00 billion (US$ 81 billion) at March 31, 2010 and profit after tax Rs. 40.25 billion (US$ 896 million) for the year ended March 31, 2010. The Bank has a network of 2,509 branches and 5,808 ATMs in India, and has a presence in 19 countries, including India. ICICI Bank offers a wide range of banking products and financial services to corporate and retail customers through a variety of delivery channels and through its specialised subsidiaries in the areas of investment banking, life and non-life insurance, venture capital and asset management. The Bank currently has subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, Russia and Canada, branches in United States, Singapore, Bahrain, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, Qatar and Dubai International Finance Centre and representative offices in United Arab Emirates, China, South Africa, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. Our UK subsidiary has established branches in Belgium and Germany.à ‚   ICICI Banks equity shares are listed in India on Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange of India Limited and its American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Controversies over timeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ ICICI Bank has been in focus in recent years because of alleged harassment of customers by its recovery agents. Listed below are some of the related news links: ICICI Bank was fined  Indian rupee55 lakh for hiring goons (known coloquially as goondas) to recover a loan. Recovery agents had ,allegedly, forcibly dragged out a youth (who was not even the borrower) from the car, beaten him up with iron rods and left him bleeding as they drove away with the vehicle. We hold ICICI Bank guilty of the grossest kind of deficiency in service and unfair trade practice for breach of terms of contract of hire-purchase/loan agreement by seizing the vehicle illegally,No civilised society governed by the rule of law can brook such kind of conduct said Justice Kaleem, who was born in Laddhawala, Muzaffarnagar is the president of the consumer commission. [11], [12], [13], [14], [15], [16], [17], [18] Four ICICI loan employees arrested on theft charges in Punjab. [19] ICICI Bank told to pay  Indian rupee1 lakh as compensation for using unlawful recovery methods. [20] RBI warns ICICI Bank for coercive methods to recover loans. [21] ICICI Bank drives customer to suicide Four men including an employee of ICICI Bank booked under sections 452, 306, 506 (II) and 34 of IPC for abetting suicide. According to the suicide note they advised him, If you cannot repay the bank loan, sell off your wife, your kids, yourself, sell everything at your home. Even then if you cannot n