Why is there a Price Tag on My Back Professor Ramos Blog

Why is there a Price Tag on My Back I had just gotten off of my closing shift at work and headed to the local Wal-Mart to pick up some cereal to satisfy my late-night cravings. I was driving a 2007 Ford Focus that continuously was always dying on me, partially because I hadn’t yet mastered how to drive a manual transmission. As I arrived at Wal-Mart, I chose to park underneath one of the lights about halfway through the parking lot and picked up my phone to call my mom to see if she needed me to pick up anything for her. While the phone was ringing, I noticed a white van, rusting along the corners with the windows blacked out and the sliding door or the right pull up directly in the parking spot to the left of me and four middle aged Hispanic men got out. I knew that something wasn’t right, and uneasiness engulfed my entire mind and body. As they surrounded my car, my mom answered the phone. My heart pounded and my adrenaline began to rush through my veins like lightning. They surrounded my car when who a ppeared to be the oldest began to speak to me. â€Å"Hey beautiful, you got a lighter?†. At this same time, he reached for my door. I quickly pushed the clutch down, shifted my car into reverse and prayed that my car didn’t die on me. My mom answered the phone at the same time and said, â€Å"hey honey, what’s up?† and I stumbled for my words. â€Å"Mom, I almost got kidnapped†. Human trafficking is the fastest growing crime in the United States and is one of the most popular reasons why somebody can go missing. Millions of people go missing year and hundreds every day. We are presented with an immense problem that devalues each and every single last drop of our own self-worth and many of us are completely unaware that the problem even exists. I myself was only placed in this situation for a couple minutes, but this is a memory that is and forever will be engrained within my memory until the day that I die. How would you like to be forced to do whatever somebody tells you to, never being able to tell somebody no and not having the right to think- or much less act for yourself? The Oxford dictionary defines human trafficking as â€Å"the action or practice of illegally transporting people from one country or area to another, typically for the purposes of forced labor or sexual exploitation.† According to the International Labor organization, forced labor creates an annual amount of $150 Billion in a year through illegal profits. Those who are forced into labor suffer extreme and inhumane work conditions, most frequently in agriculture, mining or manufacturing jobs. Victims are threatened if they show any disagreement with the traffickers and can be physically abused or even killed if they do not comply. The victims of human trafficking have no say as to whether or not they are trafficked and have no freedom to oppose such abuse. They themselves become the victims of modern-day sla very. Studies now show that oftentimes traffickers are motivated because human trafficking is extremely profitable, and it is very low risk because many people are unaware that they might be trafficked (NHTH). I myself was one of those people who had no idea that sex trafficking was as popular as it is. Growing up, I would watch a lot of crime shows occasionally seeing episodes based off of sex trafficking rings and would think to myself â€Å"Man, I’m so happy that doesn’t happen anywhere around here.† I have never been more wrong. In 2018, 14 people were rescued in Hemet, CA from a sex trafficking ring. The three traffickers would physically, emotionally and sexually abuse their victims and forced them to endure horrific sexual exploitation. Of the 14 people who were rescued, 10 of them were minors (Riverside County News). Upon finding this out, I was completely shocked and disgusted. But what surprised me more was that the average age somebody enter human trafficking is between the age of 11-14 (AHC). I thought of myself at the age of 11 when there seemed to be no cares in the world- no bills, no drama or no work to go to. All I cared about was finishing up my homew ork in enough time to go play outside with my friends. How is it fair that children, in the most innocent years of their lives are forced to sell their body’s out to other people when they should be having the time of their life? Without a doubt, the answer to the question is that it isn’t fair. Nobody should be stripped of the right to tell people no and nobody should be forced to do something that they don’t want to.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Never would I have ever realized that craving a bowl of cereal would open my eyes to the world that we live in as much as it has. I was one of the many people in the world who didn’t realize how common and local human trafficking really is. Traffickers don’t value their victims’ lives- and much less their opinions. They will devalue you in any way that they can as long as it benefits them in any way possible. Anyone, including yourself can be forced into human trafficking- whether it be through sexual or forced labor. Even though human trafficking is as rampant as it is, we still can’t live our lives in fear. It is important that we all pay attention to our surrounding environments while enjoying the life that we have. We’re only given once chance- so let’s make the most of it while we still can.  

Tlaloc the Aztec God of Rain and Fertility

Tlaloc the Aztec God of Rain and Fertility Tlaloc (Tl-lock) was the Aztec rain god and one of the most ancient and widespread deities of all Mesoamerica. Tlaloc was thought to live on the top of the mountains, especially the ones always covered by clouds; and from there he sent down revivifying rains to the people below. Rain gods are found in most Mesoamerican cultures, and the origins of Tlaloc can be traced back to Teotihuacan and the Olmec. The rain god was called Chaac by the ancient Maya, and Cocijo by the Zapotec of Oaxaca. Tlalocs Characteristics The rain god was among the most important of the Aztec deities, governing the spheres of water, fertility, and agriculture. Tlaloc oversaw crop growth, especially maize, and the regular cycle of the seasons. He ruled over the 13-day sequence in the 260-day ritual calendar beginning with the day Ce Quiauitl (One Rain). Tlalocs female consort was Chalchiuhtlicue (Jade Her Skirt) who presided over freshwater lakes and streams. Archaeologists and historians suggest that the emphasis on this well-known god was a way for the Aztec rulers to legitimize their rule over the region. For this reason, they built a shrine to Tlaloc on the top of the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan, just next to the one dedicated to Huitzilopochtli, the Aztec patron deity. A Shrine in Tenochtitlan Tlalocs shrine at the Templo Mayor represented agriculture and water; while Huitzilopochtlis shrine represented warfare, military conquest, and tribute... These are the two most important shrines within their capital city. The shrine of Tlaloc featured pillars inscribed with symbols of Tlalocs eyes and painted with a series of blue bands. The priest who was tasked with tending to the shrine was the Quetzalcoatl Tlaloc tlamacazqui, one of the most highly ranked priests in the Aztec religion. Many offerings have been found associated with this shrine, containing sacrifices of water animals and artifacts such as jade objects, which were related to water, sea, fertility, and the underworld. A Place in the Aztec Heaven Tlaloc was assisted by a group of supernatural beings called Tlaloques who supplied the earth with rain. In Aztec mythology, Tlaloc was also the governor of the Third Sun, or world, which was dominated by water. After a great flood, the Third Sun ended, and people were replaced by animals such as dogs, butterflies, and turkeys. In the Aztec religion, Tlaloc governed the fourth heaven or sky, called Tlalocan, the Place of Tlaloc. This place is described in Aztec sources as a paradise of lush vegetation and perennial spring, ruled by the god and the Tlaloques. The Tlalocan was also the afterlife destination for those who had died violently of water-related causes as well as for new-born children and women who died in childbirth. Ceremonies and Rituals The most important ceremonies dedicated to Tlaloc were called Tozoztontli and they took place at the end of the dry season, in March and April. Their purpose was to assure abundant rain during the growing season. One of the most common rites carried out during such ceremonies were sacrifices of children, whose crying was considered beneficial for obtaining rain. The tears of new-born children, being strictly connected with the Tlalocan, were pure and precious. One offering found at the Templo Mayor in Tenochtitlan included the remains of approximately 45 children sacrificed in honor of Tlaloc. These children ranged in age between two and seven years of age and were mostly but not entirely males. This was an unusual ritual deposit, and Mexican archaeologist Leonardo LÃ ³pez Lujn has suggested that the sacrifice was specifically to appease Tlaloc during the great drought that occurred during the mid-15th century C.E. Mountain Shrines Apart from the ceremonies carried out at the Aztec Templo Mayor, offerings to Tlaloc have been found in several caves and on mountain peaks. The most sacred shrine of Tlaloc was located on the top of Mount Tlaloc, an extinct volcano located east of Mexico City. Archaeologists investigating on the top of the mountain have identified the architectural remains of an Aztec temple which seem to have been aligned with the Tlaloc shrine at the Templo Mayor. This shrine is enclosed in a precinct where pilgrimages and offerings were carried out once a year by each Aztec king and his priests. Tlaloc Images The image of Tlaloc is one of the most often represented and easily recognizable in Aztec mythology, and similar to rain gods in other Mesoamerican cultures. He has large goggled eyes whose contours are made of two serpents which meet at the center of his face to form his nose. He also has large fangs hanging from his mouth and a protuberant upper lip. He is often surrounded by raindrops and by his assistants, the Tlaloques. He often holds a long scepter in his hand with a sharp tip which represents lightning and thunder. His representations are frequently found in the Aztec books known as codices, as well as in murals, sculptures, and copal incense burners. Sources Berdan FF. 2014. Aztec Archaeology and Ethnohistory. New York: Cambridge University Press.Millar M and Taube KA. 1993. The Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya: An Illustrated Dictionary of Mesoamerican Religion. London: Thames and HudsonSmith ME. 2013. The Aztecs. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.Van Tuerenhout DR. 2005. The Aztecs. New Perspectives. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO Inc.

Sociology can be a potent tool for the emancipatory youth worker Essay

Sociology can be a potent tool for the emancipatory youth worker discuss - Essay Example "It is never localized here or there, never in anybody's hands, never appropriated as a commodity or piece f wealth" (1980a, p. 98). Although discourse and practice pre-exist us, we learn to harness them to our own end. The notion f power being located within rules and regulations which are continually adopted and transformed by individual agents is central to Giddens' structuration theory f power (1984,p. 14). Foucault is known for his work analyzing changes in the discourse and practice f discipline and punishment, particularly in relation to education (1977a) but, with the exception f Dwyer's (1995) study f post-compulsory education in Australia, his theories have not had any major impact in adult education (Westwood, 1992). To understand the notion f empowerment and emancipation, we must begin with an analysis f power. This leads immediately to a fundamental problem: If power dictates or produces truth, how do we recognize true statements about power More fundamentally, is truth possible beyond power We may believe, with Habermas, that there is a realm f truth which exists beyond power and which is central to authentic human being, communication, and voluntary social order. Habermas (1984) argues that the "orientation to reaching understanding" is a universal feature f human communication which is central to overcoming self-interest and the domination f economic and political power in our lives (p. 286). This is also the fundamental assumption underlying Mezirow's (1994; 1995) theory f adult learning. Foucault, however, insists that there is no truth without power (1980a, p. 131). It is in and through power that what is known, what is said, what is taken for granted, and what is regarded as the truth a re constituted. The tensions between these two positions are central to the following discussion. It is argued that for people to become emancipated it is important first to be able to distinguish social action deriving from power as opposed to, for example, love and affection. It is also important to distinguish different types f power. This is something which is missing in Mezirow's work. Within a Habermasian framework, understanding how power works is crucial if people are to prevent the colonization and technization f the lifeworld by power and money and develop a society based on free, undistorted communication (Habermas, 1987, p. 183). It is argued here, that for emancipatory learning to reach its full potential, there is a need to go beyond an analytical realist typology f power to a Foucauldian structuralist analysis which helps people understand how they are limited and controlled by discourses and practices (Honneth, 1993; Kelly, 1994). The central tenet f this paper is that empowerment involves people developing capacities to act successfully within the existing system and structures f power, while emancipation concerns critically analyzing, resisting and challenging structures f power. The first section begins with an analysis f empowerment. Empowerment used to be associated with a wide variety f radical social movements (Bookman, 1988; Davis, 1988; Hanks, 1987; Inglis, 1994; Kieffer, 1984; O'Sullivan, 1993; Solomon, 1976; Villerreal, 1988). In more recent years, however, it has been appropriated by organizational

Greek Rationalism and Philosphies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Greek Rationalism and Philosphies - Essay Example Research by different history scholars including Duikar and Andrea, irons out various factors to be responsible for the early golden wisdom. Some of the reasons get related to the religion while other relates to various traditions of the Greece. Medieval philosophy and the scholasticism relies on logical reasoning manifested by ancient Greeks, which had the capability to apply various principles and concepts of different field to come up with solutions and inventions in life2. Rationality and philosophy of the Greek is an extremely imperative subject that should be addressed with considerable concern. It is, therefore, vital that reliable and up to date sources are used. The sources must have data well presented and historical in nature without alteration in favor of the author. It is for this reason that I chose sources such, as Duiker’s world History and Andrea’s Human record, as well as other sources in the reference list. The references offered valid information, wh ich helped me in coming up with a proficient and a well-detailed paper. The ability to read and write is one of the factors attributed to the ancient rationality of the Greeks. This is related to the discovery of Alphabet letter system, which enabled joining of the letters, to form words. This became part of history when ideas could get recorded and be relied on for reference. Buddhism, for instance, neglected reading and writing after some time, until they Developed, Brahmi alphabet. This marked the beginning of their spreading to other parts of Asia from Greece. Alphabets used to date by different people, were invented by the Semites of the Mediterranean coast; not forgetting the Phoenicians and the Hebrews. This was due to natural drawings and practice that later led to representations of consonants as an alternative to words. This was raw ideas and further improvements and modifications were needed. It is at this point that the Greece invented vowels, which could make meaningful words. Reading and writing was, therefore, a common activity to scholars and certain people that enabled developing of ideas and rational thinking. In addition, it facilitated communication while at the same time enabling sharing of ideas by people from different calibers. This further pushed for the earlier rational philosophy in Greece3. The earlier rationalism also gets attributed to involvement in trade by the Greece in the ancient time. Their closeness to Mediterranean ocean for instance facilitated international trade. Moreover, the Greece used the presence of sea winds to motivate trade. Oversea trading enabled interaction with people from different regions a factor, which added more ideas to the Phoenix, which were downright traders and at the same time inventor of alphabets4. The role of religion in the ancient rationality is also not forgotten as it influenced enormously to the general shrewdness. The logics and reasoning from Christian cultural masters, for instance, con tributed to the scholarly nature of the ancient Greece. In their teachings, they differentiated their methods were derived from Greek’s natural reasoning and not from any other source. This could confirm the church Dogma at that time as prime philosophical

Osmosis Case Study Essay Example for Free

Osmosis Case Study Essay These two Case Studies come from a National Center on Case Studies. I think that a case study approach is very useful in applying knowledge and this is what makes you learn it better. They may be a little daunting when you read them but I will help you go through them. Please ask for help so this topic becomes more enjoyable for you. Part I—Too Much of a Good Thing Times were difficult in Habersham County. The skyrocketing prices of fuel and food were threatening to bankrupt the Johnson family’s small farm, which was no match for the multi-million-dollar mega-farms that had been popping up all over the southeast. Joseph, the family patriarch, was especially troubled by the farm’s financial circumstances. He knew that this year’s corn crop was his best chance to save the farm, and his distress was evident to his family as they sat around the dinner table. â€Å"Michael, I’m going to need your help tomorrow,† Joseph said to his eldest son. â€Å"I have to go into town to pick up a part for the combine so I can fix it before it’s time to harvest in a few months. I need you to spread the potash and phosphate on the corn because we’re expecting some rain by the end of the week. † Michael, his mouth full of fried chicken, nodded in agreement. He wasn’t all that interested in farming, which over the years had been a point of contention between him and his father. At the moment Michael was thinking more about the time he’d be missing with his friends, but he also realized how vital this chore was to his father and the farm. â€Å"I’ll do it right after school, Dad,† he replied. The following afternoon, Michael was loading heavy bags of fertilizer into the drop spreader on the farm tractor. His father’s cheerless demeanor the previous evening weighed heavily on him. Michael knew that 25 bags of the potassium and phosphorous-based fertilizer was the normal load to cover the 40 acres of corn the family had planted that spring. But as he was emptying the 25th bag into the spreader, an idea flashed through his mind: â€Å"If we need a good corn crop to make it, maybe I should add a little extra fertilizer. † Michael decided that some extra fertilizer couldn’t hurt, so he quickly loaded 15 extra bags. He was certain that adding the extra fertilizer would produce a massive crop when it came time to harvest in a few months. Michael hadn’t told his father about the extra fertilizer he’d added to the corn, wanting to see his father’s surprise over the size of the harvest in a few months. As expected, the rain started Friday afternoon; Michael was certain it would start an incredible growth spurt in the newly fertilized, young corn plants and that his family would hit pay dirt in a few months. He was out of bed early on Saturday morning, taking his four-wheeler down to the cornfields. He expected to see a vibrant green sea of young corn, extra healthy due to the fertilizer â€Å"boost† he had given them. His stomach dropped a bit as he stared out at a field of sickly looking corn plants, their leaves pale green and slightly wilting. â€Å"Maybe it rained too hard and that beat the plants up a little,† thought Michael, trying to be optimistic. â€Å"I’ll check on them again in a few days. I’m sure they’ll have perked up by then! † The next few days didn’t bring the results Michael was hoping for. The corn plants looked even worse! The leaves were beginning to yellow significantly and were continuing to wilt. Having watched his father grow corn for most of his 14 years, Michael knew this crop wasn’t going to make it. A lump was forming in his throat as he made his way back to the house, not sure how to tell his father about the corn. Questions 1. What sort of environment (hypotonic, hypertonic, isotonic) did the extra fertilizer create around the roots of the corn? 2. Keeping in mind your answer to the previous question, what do you believe caused the corn plants to wilt and eventually die? 3. If Michael’s mistake had been caught earlier, is there anything that could have been done to prevent the corn from dying? 4. Generally, people water their plants with 100% H2O—no solutes added. What sort of environment does this create around the roots of the plant? Part II—Too Little, Too Late Meanwhile, elsewhere in Habersham County, Tom was feeling slightly nervous as he exited the staff lounge and entered the hustle and bustle of County Hospital’s ER to begin his first shift as an RN. The first few hours of his shift passed slowly as Tom mostly checked vital signs and listened to patients complain about various aches, pains, coughs, and sniffles. He realized that the attending physician, Dr. Greene, who was rather â€Å"old  school† in general about how he interacted with nursing staff, wanted to start him out slowly. Tom knew, though, that the paramedics could bring in a trauma patient at any time. After his lunch break, Tom didn’t have long to wait before the paramedics burst in through the swinging double-doors of the ambulance bay wheeling in a young man on a gurney. Edward, a veteran EMT, recited the vital signs to Tom and Dr. Greene as they helped push the gurney into the trauma room, â€Å"18-year-old male, GSW to the right abdomen, heart rate 92, respiratory rate 22, blood pressure 95/65, no loss of consciousness. † A gunshot wound! Tom knew that gunshot wounds were sometimes the most difficult traumas to handle. Once inside the trauma room, Dr. Greene began his initial assessment of the patient while Tom got busy organizing the things he knew would be needed. He attached a pulse-ox monitor to the patient’s index finger so Dr. Greene could keep an eye on the O2 levels in the patient’s blood and he inserted a Foley catheter so the patient’s urine output could be monitored. After finishing his initial duties, Tom heard Dr. Greene saying, â€Å"It looks like the bullet missed the liver and kidney, but it may have severed an artery. That’s probably why his BP is a bit low. Tom, grab a liter of saline and start a fast IV drip †¦ we need to increase his blood volume. † Tom grabbed one of the fluid-filled bags from the nearby shelf, attached a 12-gauge IV needle to the plastic tubing, and gently slipped the needle into the patient’s antecubital vein. He then hung the plastic bag on the IV stand and let the fluid quickly start to flow down the tubing and into the patient’s vein. The reaction was quick and violent. The patient’s heart rate began to skyrocket and Tom heard Dr. Greene shouting, â€Å"His O2 saturation is falling! Pulse is quickening! What is going on with this guy?! † Tom stood frozen in place by the fear. He heard Dr. Greene continuing, â€Å"Flatline! We’ve lost a pulse †¦ Tom, get the crash cart, we need to shock this guy to get his heart going again! † Tom broke free from his initial shock and did as Dr. Greene had ordered. He then started CPR as Dr. Greene readied the cardiac defibrillator to shock the patient. They continued to alternate between CPR and defibrillation for almost an hour, but to no avail. As Dr. Greene announced the time of death, Tom felt a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach. He couldn’t believe that he had lost his first trauma patient! Then Tom noticed that the fluid in the Foley catheter bag was bright red. â€Å"Dr. Greene, there’s hemoglobin in the Foley bag,† he said. â€Å"How could that be? † responded Dr. Greene. Tom began to trace back over his steps in the trauma, trying to think of anything that could have caused the hemoglobinuria. His mounting fear turned to outright terror as he looked at the now empty bag on the IV stand. Its label didn’t read â€Å"Saline,† but rather â€Å"Distilled Water. † He looked at Dr. Greene, his heart quickly sinking, and said, â€Å"I think I may have killed the patient. † Questions 1. What problem did the distilled water in the patient’s bloodstream create? 2. What happed to the patient’s blood cells as a result? 3. Considering the function of red blood cells, why did the patient’s oxygen levels fall? 4. After Tom made his error, is there anything that could have been done to save the patient’s life?

How Does Advertising Work? Essay -- Business Management Studies

How Does Advertising Work? INTRODUCTION ------------ Definition  · The original definition of advertising was â€Å"to draw attention to something† or to notify or inform someone of something (Branston 1996).  · A modern definition is the publication (in various forms) of facts or opinions concerning goods or services, to awaken the public’s interest and persuade them to purchase.  · Advertising is now big business – an industry with extraordinary cultural and economic impact.  · This is funded through the cost of the goods that consumers buy.  · Advertising is now the media form most often encountered, and is perhaps the most powerful and pervasive form of propaganda in history.  · It is found in various forms including on billboards, websites, â€Å"junk mail†, and commercially funds most television, newspapers and magazines.  · Advertising has the power to create brand awareness and loyalty as well as stimulating demand. Advertising is not a science  · It is important to realise that advertising is not a science.  · An individual will interpret an advertisement using their own social networks, their own backgrounds and their own motivations.  · The way an advertisement is interpreted cannot be controlled or monitored by an advertiser, therefore it is important to realise that they do not contain a single meaning for all audience members.  · Advertising is much more effective when an advertiser understands their audience’s background and social networks as well as their ability to select media and advertisements that appear in those media.  · Therefore the challenge for advertising is to create a message that ultimately connects with a select group of people. WHAT DOES ADVERTISING DO?  · It has already been stated that advertising is created to help sell something.  · Therefore the ultimate goal of advertising is to increase the advertiser’s sales no matter who the advertiser is or the target audience, what the product is, or how the ad is delivered. Advertising Goals  · The ultimate goal of advertising is to increase sales.  · However, in terms of functional aspects a more specific advertising goal is required.  · There are various advertising objectives, which can largely be generalised into the following eight areas: . To provide ... ...nt methods and models.  · Consumers go through a complicated mental process when they make a decision about even simple purchasing which helps explain why advertising can be such a complicated subject and difficult to perfect.  · Consumers learn from advertising by acquiring knowledge about products that are available and figuring out which products can satisfy their needs.  · Consumers base their decisions on rational, informational aspects of advertising based on logic, as well as emotional aspects based on feelings and attitudes.  · All adverts stimulate these responses to some extent.  · It is the job of the advertiser to create an advert which will make the best use of these possible responses to affect an increase in sales.  · All brands have functional attributes, personality and salience as underlying brand dynamics.  · However, any given piece of advertising will only stimulate one primary response and one driving brand dynamic.  · Methods of and responses to advertising have changed much over the last 100 years and will continue to do so in the future as society continues to change, and new technologies are developed.

Biofoam: Not Just Peanuts Essay

Summer Internship Program State bank of India 7/27/2013 [Type the author name] A SUMMER INTERNSHIP REPORT ON Merchant Acquiring Business Point of Sale (P.o.s.) Submitted to L.J. Institute of Management studies In requirement of partial fulfillment of Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) 2 year full time Program of Gujarat Technological University Submitted on: 27th July 2013 Submitted by: Batch No: 2012-14 DECLARATION 1. Objective of the Study 2. Company Profile History OVERVIEW OF SBI PROFILE MISSION VISION ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE BOARD OF DIRECTORS HISTORY ACHIEVEMENTS AND AWARDS SOCIAL ACTIVITIES OF SBI Owners Products Current Scenario 3. Organization Overview a. Organisation Structure b. Employee Profile c. Departmentation Information i. Finance ii. System iii. Marketing iv. HR 4. Strategies Adopted a. Finance b. Operations/ Production c. Marketing d. HR 5. Research a. Problems Identified b. Hypothesis c. Research Methodology d. Data Analysis e. Conclusions / Observations / Findings f. Suggestions / Comments OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY The objective of the study is TOWARDS THE PARTIAL FULFILLMENT FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE IN MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (2ND YEAR, SEM-3) The major objective of the study is : COMPANY OVERVIEW ( study of the various departments of the organization ) & MARKET RESEARCH ON ARE THE CUSTOMERS OF HOME LOAN DEPARTMENT SATISFIED WITH THE PROCESSES INVOLVED IN GETTING LOAN FROM SBI ? HISTORY OF SBI EVOLUTION OF SBI The origin of the State Bank of India goes back to the first decade of the nineteenth century with the establishment of the Bank of Calcutta in Calcutta on 2 June 1806. Three years later the bank received its charter and was re-designed as the Bank of Bengal (2 January 1809), the first joint-stock bank of British India sponsored by the Government of Bengal. The Bank of Bombay (15 April 1840) and the Bank of Madras (1 July 1843) followed the Bank of Bengal. These three banks remained at the apex of modern banking in India. On 27 January 1921,they were amalgamated as the Imperial Bank of India. The three presidency banks came into existence either as a result of the compulsions of imperial finance or by the felt needs of local European commerce and were not imposed from outside in an arbitrary manner to modernise India’s economy. Their evolution was, however, shaped by ideas culled from similar developments in Europe and England, and was influenced by changes occurring in the st ructure of both the local trading environment and those in the relations of the Indian economy to the economy of Europe and the global economic framework. Establishment The establishment of the Bank of Bengal marked the advent of limited liability, joint-stock banking in India. It was the associated innovation in banking, viz. the decision to allow the Bank of Bengal to issue notes, which would be accepted for payment of public revenues within a restricted geographical area. This right of note issue was very valuable not only for the Bank of Bengal but also for the Banks of Bombay and Madras. The concept of deposit banking was also an innovation because the practice of accepting money for safekeeping (and in some cases, even investment on behalf of the clients) by the indigenous bankers had not spread as a general habit in most parts of India. But, for a long time, and especially upto the time that the three presidency banks had a right of note issue, bank notes and government balances made up the bulk of the investible resources of the banks. The three banks were governed by royal charters, which were revised from time to time. Each charter provided for a share capital, four-fifth of which were privately subscribed and the rest owned by the provincial government. Presidency Banks Act The presidency Banks Act came into operation on 1 May 1876. This brought the three presidency banks under a common statute with similar restrictions on business. The proprietary connection of the Government was, however, terminated, though the banks continued to hold charge of the public debt offices in the three presidency towns, and the custody of a part of the government balances. Bank of Madras The decision of the Government to keep the surplus balances in Reserve Treasuries outside the normal control of the presidency banks and the connected decision not to guarantee minimum government balances at new places where branches were to be opened effectively checked the growth of new branches after 1876. The pace of expansion witnessed in the previous decade fell sharply although, in the case of the Bank of Madras, it continued on a modest scale as the profits of that bank were mainly derived from trade dispersed among a number of port towns and inland Centers of the presidency. Bank of Bombay Presidency Banks of Bengal The presidency Banks of Bengal, Bombay and Madras with their 70 branches were merged in 1921 to form the Imperial Bank of India. The triad had been transformed into a monolith and a giant among Indian commercial banks had emerged. The new bank took on the triple role of a commercial bank, a banker’s bank and a banker to the government. But this creation was preceded by years of deliberations on the need for a ‘State Bank of India’. What eventually emerged was a ‘half-way house’ combining the functions of a commercial bank and a quasi-central bank. The establishment of the Reserve Bank of India as the central bank of the country in 1935 ended the quasi-central banking role of the Imperial Bank. The latter ceased to be bankers to the Government of India and instead became agent of the Reserve Bank for the transaction of government business at centres at which the central bank was not established. But it continued to maintain currency chests and small coin depots and operate the remittance facilities scheme for other banks and the public on terms stipulated by the Reserve Bank. It also acted as a bankers’ bank by holding their surplus cash and granting them advances against authorised securities. The management of the bank clearing houses also continued with it at many places where the Reserve Bank did not have offices. The bank was also the biggest tenderer at the Treasury bill auctions conducted by the Reserve Bank on behalf of the Government. The establishment of the Reserve Bank simultaneously saw important amendments being made to the constitution of the Imperial Bank converting it into a  purely commercial bank. The earlier restrictions on its business were removed and the bank was permitted to undertake foreign exchange business and executor and trustee business for the first time. Imperial Bank The Imperial Bank during the three and a half decades of its existence recorded an impressive growth in terms of offices, reserves, deposits, investments and advances, the increases in some cases amounting to more than six-fold. The financial status and security inherited from its forerunners no doubt provided a firm and durable platform. The lofty traditions of banking which the Imperial Bank consistently maintained and the high standard of integrity it observed in its operations inspired confidence in its depositors that no other bank in India could perhaps then equal. All these enabled the Imperial Bank to acquire a pre-eminent position in the Indian banking industry and also secure a vital place in the country’s economic life. Stamp of Imperial Bank of India When India attained freedom, the Imperial Bank had a capital base (including reserves) of Rs.11.85 crores, deposits and advances of Rs.275.14 crores and Rs.72.94 crores respectively and a network of 172 branches and more than 200 sub offices extending all over the country. S B I – THE PROFILE REGISTERED NAME: STATE BANK OF INDIA CHAIRMAN: SHRI ARUN KUMAR PURWAR DATE OF ESTBLISHMENT: 1ST JULY 1955 FORM OF ORGANISATION: NATIONALISED BANK CENTRAL OFFICE: CORPORATE CENTRE APEX ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE, MUMBAI. REGISTERD OFFICE: CENTRAL ACCOUNTS OFFICE Number of domestic branches: 9,177 Number of foreign brances: 70 SYMBOL OF SBI The new symbol of the State Bank of India is circular representing the simplest and the most symmetrical of gometrical shapes. The circular shape of the symbol suggests the continual expansion like the ring in the water, to cover the entire country. From the ancient times, the roundness was considered as the fullness of the man’s being and his growing consciousness. The small circle in the center connotes that despite the SBI’s size it is small man who hold the center of State Bank stage. OVERVIEW OF THE BANK * State Bank of India is the nation’s largest bank, accounting for about 20% of India’s deposit and loan activities. * The bank operates more than 13,500 branches and over 5,000 ATMs within India and more than 50 offices in some 30 other countries. * The bank owns an asset base of $126 billion. * While its size has slowed modernization of both its services and its products, the bank has become more computerized. * Its international banking services include shipping and export financing and merchant banking. * The Reserve Bank of India owns about 60% of State Bank of India. MISSION OF SBI * To retain the bank’s position as the premier Indian financial service group, with the world class standards and significant global business, committed. * To excellence in customer, shareholder and employee satisfaction, and to play a leading role in the expanding and diversifying financial services sector, while continuing emphasis on its development banking role. VISION OF SBI * Premier Indian financial services group with global perspective, world- class standards of efficiency and professionalism and core institutional values. * Retain its position in the country as a pioneer in development banking. * Maximize shareholder value through high sustained earning per share. * An institution with a culture of mutual care and commitment, a satisfying and exciting work environment and continuous learning opportunities. BOARD OF DIRECTORS Directors on the Bank’s Central Board as on 1st July 2006 DIRECTORS Prof. M.S. Swaminathan Shri. Ajay G. Piramal Shri. Suman Kumar Bery Dr. Ashok Junjhunwala Shri. A. C. Kalita Shri. Amar Pal Shri. Arun Singh Shri. Rajiv Pandey Shri. Piyush Goyal Shri. Ashok K Jha Smt. Shyamala Gopinath Shri. O. P. Bhatt Chairman MANAGING DIRECTOR Shri T. S. Bhattacharya PRODUCTS AND SERVICIES OF SBI 1. SERVICES 1. SBI VISHWA YATRA FOREIGN TRAVEL CARD 2. FOREIGN INWARD REMITTANCE 3. ATM SERVICES 4. INTERNET BANKING 5. LOCKER 6. GIFT CHEQUES 7. PUBLIC PROVIDENT FUND (PPF) 2. DEPOSIT SCHEMES 1. CURRENT ACCOUNT 2. BASIC BANKING 3. SAVINGS BANK ACCOUNT 4. TERM DEPOSITS 3. PERSONAL FINANCE 1. SBI SARAL PERSONAL LOAN 2. HOUSING LOAN 3. SHORT TERM HOUSING LOAN 4. EASY TRAVEL LOAN 5. GRAM NIVAS SCHEME 6. CAR LOAN 7. EDUCATION LOAN 8. SCHOLAR LOANS 9. PROPERTY LOAN 10. LOAN TO PENSIONERS 11. LOAN AGAINST SHARES DEBENTURES 12. LOAN FOR EARNEST MONEY DEPOSIT 13. FESTIVAL LOANS 14. MEDI-PLUS SCHEME 15. TEACHERS-PLUS SCHEME 16. SAINIK-PLUS SCHEME 17. TRIBAL-PLUS SCHEME 18. CREDIT KHAZANA 19. RENT PLUS CURRENT SCENARIO * State Bank of India is focusing on internal accruals through competitive and efficient operations to increase profitability in the coming years. * SBI has moved up in terms of processes and technology in working systems. There has been concerted efforts to push up commercial lending, especially credit to SMEs (small and medium enterprises), besides cashing in on real estate boom with focus on improving housing loans. * SBI was focused on deploying capital to improve agriculture sector ‘in a viable way and not as a one-time basis’. * Retail credit alone stood at Rs 50,000 crore for the year ended 31 March 2006. * SBI has teamed up with GE Capital Services to market its credit cards, being showcased as an important product in personal banking. * At present, the bank has over 2.5 million credit cards in circulation * At present, the bank has around 6,000 ATMs across the country with an average disbursement of Rs 10 crore per day. * SBI Life, a joint venture with French company, Cardiff, adopts banc assurance model to expand its business in life insurance. * Through bundling SBI Life with other products, the bank offered protection to customers. Similarly, SBI Mutual Fund through multiple schemes had received overwhelming response from investors. * To facilitate transactions of  salary in labour intensive companies and factories, the bank has introduced Payroll cards, an ATM card for employees to draw salary from banks after the same has been remitted by the employers. They don’t need to have SB accounts for availing Payroll cards. * The bank has targeted 16 per cent growth in deposits and 20 per cent growth in lending for the region in the current fiscal. * Recently, the newly opened branches have received good response from customers as efforts were taken to improve the ambience of banking experience. ORGANISATION OVERVIEW ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE CHAIRMAN (ARUN KUMAR PURVAR) ↓ MANAGING DIRACTOR (SHRI C. BHATTACHARYA) (SHRI K. ASHOK KINI) ↓ DIRACTORS (ED-3, NED-13) ↓ CHIEF GENERAL MANAGER ↓ GENERAL MANAGER ↓ DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER ↓ ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER (MR S. MANKODI, REGIONAL BUSINESS OFFICE, SAURASTRA)↓ (MR. V. SUBRAMAIAN, MAIN BRANCH, RAJKOT) (MR. JAGDISH JOSHI, PFC, RAJKOT) ↓ CHIEF MANAGER ↓ DEPUTY MANAGER ↓ ASSISTANT MANAGER ↓ EMPLOYEES ↓ CLERKS ↓ MASSENGERS DEPARTMENTATION INFORMATION 1. MARKETING DEPARTMENT 2. FINANCE DEPARTMENT 3. SYSTEM DEPARTMENT 4. HUMAN RESOURCE DEPARTMENT MARKETING MDEPARTMENT MARKETING DEPARTMENT 1. MARKETING – AN INTRODUCTION 2. BANKING SECTOR AND THE ROLE OF MARKETING 3. MARKETING IN SBI 4. 7 PILLARS OF MARKETING 5. CUSTOMER SERVICE AT SBI MARKETING – AN INRTODUCTION Marketing is a multi-faceted subject covering the areas of production, consumption and distribution which can be viewed narrowly as activities that occur in the transfer of services to customers or broadly as all processes  by which the society meets its requirements. Marketing seeks to convert customer deeds into products and offers it to the market so as to fulfill the needs of the customers. Marketing communication is considered as a tool to communicate the benefits of the product to the customer. Marketing management is the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational goals. Marketing department is one of the most important departments of any business organization. Whether its business unit, service unit, manufacturing unit, non government unit, tourism, country etc., competition has left no sector but to push itself to survive. The world has become global village and constant research and development, technology up gradation has made the market full of services and products and new ideas for customers. Scope of marketing is ever changing and everlasting. Brand management, event marketing, e-marketing, relationship marketing etc. are the new jargons in this area. MARKETING IN BANKING SECTOR â€Å"THE ROLE OF MARKETING IS TO DELIVER A HIGHER STANDARD OF LIVING† Marketing in banking sector is expressed as, â€Å"Putting People First† Banking – a word that brings the picture of money, economy cheques, drafts, savings, deposits, investments, and today.. it may bring more pictures of debit card, credit card, ATMs., Mutual funds, loans for 2 wheelers, 4 wheelers, homes, education, traveling, etc. The scope of banking activities has increased and therefore the role of Marketing in banking sector also has undergone rapid changes. Core banking, Net banking, e-banking, mobile banking, phone banking, are the new awtaars of banking today. BANKING ENVIRONMENT IN INDIA The mantra of today’s marketers is â€Å"Catch the customer and cash the customer† â€Å"Love the customer and not the product† The growth in aggregate deposits of scheduled commercial banks at 17.3% in 2003-2004 was higher than 13.4% in 2002-2003, adjusted for mergers. However, scheduled commercial banks’ credit recorded a lower rise of 14.6% during 2003- in food credit following higher off take of food grains. MARKETING IN SBI Marketing activities in SBI are centralized. Basically there are 14 circles all over the country zone wise. Namely, 1. Ahmedabad Circle 8. Hyderabad Circle 2. Banglore Circle 9. Kolkata Circle 3. Bhopal Circle10. Lucknow Circle 4. Bhubaneshwar Circle11. Mumbai Circle 5. Chandigarh Circle12. Delhi Circle 6. Chennai Circle13. Patna Circle 7. Guvahati Circle14. Kerala Circle Under each circle there is one local head office and few Zonal offices which take care of marketing activities of respective local branches of SBI. At L.H.O., there is one marketing head and good staff who plans & executes all the activities of marketing of SBI & its products for that particular region. The Central office at Mumbai decides the budget of marketing for all different circles and according to the allotted budget and requirements, heads at circle designs and develops the needed marketing strategies. So here, at SBI main branch, Rajkot, AGM of Main Branch, PFC & Regional head, carry out marketing functions under the supervision of L.H.O. Ahmedabad. THE CONSTANT MARKETING ACTIVITIES AT SBI MARKET RESEARCH DESIGNING AND REDESIGNING PRODUCTS & SERVICIES PRICING (setting interest rates) PROMOTION DISTRIBUTION AFTER SALES SERVICES etc. MARKETING MIX OF SBI PRICE The second important pillar of marketing or marketing mix of SBI is â€Å"PRICE†. It is important because other P’s are expense making whereas only this P fetches money. Banking sector is a service sector therefore in this sector there is no physical existence of product but here services are delivered and priced. It can be the interest on loan or charges collected for providing different facilities to its customers. Interest rate is the word used instead of price in banking sector. As far as deposits are concerned the public funds are used by bank and interest is paid to the account holders. As far as loans are concerned the interest is paid by the customer to the bank for using the funds of the bank. Interest rates are decided by the corporate office, MUMBAI under the supervision of RBI. In fact, decision regarding interest rates is all affected by monetary policies, capital market, availability of funds to commercial banks and economic conditions of country. PLACE Distribution or execution of products and services at any bank is mostly through its outlets or branches themselves. Yes today, ATMs are the most dynamic retail channel in terms of transformation they are bringing about in banking habits and about popularity with customers and branch staff alike. Depending on the size o market, city, town, state, country and need, the number and place of Zonal offices and branches are determined. As far as SBI is concerned, most of the branches and offices are located at the heart of the city. SBI has huge network of outlets and ATMs through out the world form where it serves its customers. STRUCTURE OF PLANING & EXECUTION PREMISES CORPORATE CENTER (MUMBAI) LHOs ZONAL OFFICE REGIONAL BUSINESS OFFICE BRANCHES Depending on the size of market, city, town, state and country need, the number and place of Zonal offices and branches are determined. As far as SBI is concerned most of the branches and offices are located at the heart of the city. IN RAJKOT THERE ARE 5 BRANCHES OF SBI: 1. RAJKOT MAIN BRANCH 2. BHAKTINAGAR BRANCH 3. JAGNATH BRANCH 4. LAKHAJIRAJ ROAD BRANCH 5. MARKETING YARD BRANCH PROMOTION GENERAL PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES AT SBI: At every branch of SBI they put hoardings of their different products, not only in branches but also on crowded roads of the city. They give advertisement in TELEVISION and NEWSPAPERS for their different products and special schemes if any.  SBI organized WORKSHOPS on securities market awareness campaign (SMAC) at eight centers and educated about 1675 investors in these workshops. They even give advertisement in national level MAGAZINES. PRODUCTWISE PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES 1. EDUCATION LOAN : For advertising at national level SBI put HOARDING and took help of TELEVISION. At local level they give LEAFLET to all the customers that visit the personal finance cell. Recently they have also started giving SEMINARS and PRESENTATIONS in colleges and coaching classes, where potential customers are found. 2. HOUSING LOAN : To increase the sales and for creating awareness about housing loan, SBI conducted a property fair. For that they took help of print media by giving advertisement in local newspapers and by distributing leaflets. 3. AUTO LOAN : As far as marketing of Auto Loan is concerned bank was in general impression that there was no need of doing. But as the time passed SBI started realizing that there rate are little bit higher in market. They decreased their rate & started doing marketing by giving advertising in the in local newspaper. They are doing promotion jointly with the dealers and also keeping stall at fair or other places. FINANCE DEPARTMENT FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE YEAR| 2005- 06| 2004-05| % change| Total Income (Rs. Crore)| 43,184| 39,548| 9.19| Total Expenditure (Rs. Crore)| 38,777| 35,243| 10.03| Net Profit (Rs. Crore)| 4,407| 4,305| 2.37| Earning Per Share (Rs.)| 83.73| 81.79| 2.37| Return on Average Assets (%)| 0.89| 0.99| (-) 10.10| Return on Equity (%)| 15.47| 18.10| (-) 14.53| Profit Per Employee (Rs. Thousands)| 216.76| 207.50| 4.46| AT THE END OF| March 2006| March 2005| (%) change| Paid up Capital andReserves & Surplus| 27,644| 24,072| 14.84| Deposites (Rs. Crore)| 3,80,046| 3,67,048| 3.54| Advances (Rs. Crore)| 2,61,642| 2,02,374| 29.29| BALANCE SHEET OF THE STATE BANK OF INDIA AS ON 31ST MARCH 2006 (Rs. in billion)| MARCH 2005| MARCH 2006| CAPITAL & LIABILITIES| | | Capital| 5.26| 5.26| Reserves & Surplus| 320.26| 366.80| Minority Interest| 13.04| 14.30| Deposits| 5061.05| 5440.24| Borrowings| 229.30| 369.75| Other Liabilities & Provisions| 656.87| 771.96| Total| 6285.78| 6968.32| ASSETS| | | Cash & balances with Reserve Bank of India | 256.16| 311.29| Balances with banks and money at call & short notice | 253.41| 262.08| Investments| 2619.62| 2279.31| Advances| 2869.87| 3743.17| Fixed Assets| 35.74| 39.58| Other Assets| 250.98| 332.92| Total| 6285.78| 6968.32| Contingent Liabilities| 2017.46| 2930.77| Bills for Collection | 316.90| 247.81| STATE BANK OF INDIA MARKET RELATED RATIOS MARKET RELATED RATIOS| MAR 03| MAR 04| MAR 05| MAR 06| Market Price (Rs) (as on last day of the year/quarter)| 270 | 606| 657 | 968 | Price to Book Ratio (%)| 0.83| 1.58| 1.44| 1.79| Market Capitalization (Rs in Billion)| 142.05| 318.78| 345.75| 509.48| Earning Per Share ( Rs)| 59.00| 69.94| 81.79| 83.73| P/E Ratio (%) | 4.58| 8.66| 8.03| 10.40| Analysis of Performance financial * Level of domestic investments remained stable during the half-year of FY 2005-2006. * Investment Fluctuation Reserve amounted to 5.30% of eligible Investments. * During the half-year the Bank divested its stake in (Credit Information Bureau of India Ltd. (CIBIL) from 40% to 10% and booked a profit of Rs.7.50 crores as a result of this disinvestment. * During the period, forex business on account of customers registered a growth of 28.80% on Year-on-Year basis. * NII of the Bank went up by 24.11% from Rs.6,333.89 crore in H1 of 2004-05 to Rs.7,861.19 crore in H1 of 2005-06. * Staff costs registered a growth of 9.11% due to wage revision. Other Operating Expenses of the Bank showed a growth of 10.41% in in H1 of 2005-06 as compared to H1 of 2004-05 * Total provisions made for this half year were higher at Rs.2,984.21 crore as compared to Rs.2,536.02 crore made in H1 of 2004-05. Major provisions are as under: * Provision for NPAs at Rs.246.74 crore for the current half year (as agains t Rs.508.45 crore during H1 of 2004-05). * Higher Provision for depreciation on investment Rs.2,397.07 crore (as against Rs.344.03 crore in H1 of 2004-05). * Provision for tax at Rs.400.09 crore (including deferred tax debit) as compared to Rs.1,449.97 crore in H1 of 2004-05. Provision for tax is lower mainly due to higher provision for depreciation on Investment. * The provision & contingencies for the Current Quarter (Q2 only) stood at Rs.767.56 crores, as against Rs.1,523.04 crores in the corresponding period of the previous year. SYSTEM DEPARTMENT Information Technology ATM Project * The Bank’s ATM network includes 5479 ATMs in India, which is the largest ATM network in the country. The Bank continues to expand this network rapidly. Customers can transact free of cost at the ATMs of the State Bank Group. * The agreement with VISA and Master Card International for acquiring ATM transactions has resulted in another revenue generation stream. Core Banking Solution (CBS) * The Bank is moving towards a centralized database and a Core Banking Solution, with capability for on-line, real-time transaction processing. The Bank has brought 2165 branches at 437 centers under Core Banking Solution in all Circles, covering 38% business. * Implementation of CBS would substantially enhance the Bank’s capability in introduction of new and innovative products at very short intervals across branches and other value-added services to customers on a 24X7 basis, tone up internal efficiency through straight-through transaction processing capabilities on a centralized database and improve operational effectiveness in the areas, such as, integration of multiple delivery channels, single window for meeting all needs of a customer, better MIS and improved security.This will take the Bank to a superior technology platform leading to near-zero branch level system administration, centralized generation of reports and zero-effort reconciliation of inter-branch entries a s more and more branches shift to core banking platform. * Core banking would integrate the trade finance, Treasury and ALM applications enabling efficient funds management and risk management capabilities. Value Added Services * College/Hostel Fee Payment† through ATMs – Covered more than 67 Institutions sunder this scheme. * Topping up of Mobile phones of Idea, Orange and Airtel transactions. * Opening of Internet Banking accounts through ATMs for cardholders. * ATM is increasingly used as cash point for SBI cards. * Issue of monthly/quarterly season tickets for suburban trains of Central Railway at CST Mumbai. * Cash as well as Cheque Deposit on ATM – Facility has been made Operational on a pilot basis. * Temple trust Donation facility now available for Vaishnodevi, Shri Sai Sansthan, Shirdi and Gurudwara Sahib, Nanded.Devotees can now offer their donations to these Temples through ATM. * Online collection of Application fees for GATE & JMET 2006. * MTNL, Mumbai Bill payment through ATM. PERSONAL BANKING FINANCE CELL : To give focused attention to retail loans at branches, cells have been set up at 182 branches with many more to come. BUSINESS PROCESS RE-ENGINEERING (BPR) : The bank has undertaken BPR exercise and has engaged an international consultant as Advisor for the project. The objective of BPR initiative is to strengthen the bank’s ability to acquire new customers, build lasting relationship with existing customers and increase customer satisfaction through world-class service quality. The BPR team is simplifying and redesigning processes to leverage the core banking solution platform. Strategies are being evolved for migrating transactions to full set of alternate channels namely, ATMs, Internet and Call Centers. The objective is to transform branches into sales and service focused outfits with all back-offices, non-customer facing transactions being moved out of branches to central processing cells. SINGLE WINDOW SYSTEM : To improve customer service and to free the staff for marketing, single window delivery system has been introduced at 7446 branches. HUMAN RESOURCE DEPARTMENT HUMAN RESOURCE DEPARTMENT 1. Introduction 2. Human Resource Management at SBI 3. Recruitment 4. selection 5. Promotion 6. Training 7. IMPORTANCE OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT It has become the necessity for the organizations to keep HR Department because EMPLOYEES are the valuable asset of any organization. Each and every organization is concerned with personnel functions and that is the reason for keeping a separate Human Resource Department. The personnel manager has the ultimate responsibility for all personnel and labor polices. This department helps the management in securing, utilizing and developing appropriate manpower to achieve the organizational objectives. For this purpose, it performs several functions like recruitment, selection, compensation, promotion, transfer, training etc. It also relates to the maintenance of industrial peace and harmony, Industrial Relations, labor welfare activities, etc. HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AT SBI The bank proposes to automate its HR processes with business objectives. Thus the bank has decided to implement an HRM solution which would handle all aspects of HRM, including payment of wages and salaries, CTC, performance management, training management, fixed assets etc. STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP PROGRAMMES Such programmes for officers in Senior Management grade, and Strategic HR initiatives were launched, and in addition, Revamping of the Training System It was undertaken to meet future needs of the Bank which is under implementation. INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS: Industrial Relations includes maintaining the relations with the employees and colleague to maintain the industrial harmony and peace. In order to increase the responsibilities of Senior or Special Assistants, their passing powers have been enhanced and duties enlarged. RECRUITMENT AT SBI As SBI is the government oranisation here for higher level of designation or post SBI prefers to follow the internal source of recruitment that is Promotion, Transfers, and demotion within the organization. As far as other clerical job is concerned there is no recruitment going on for the post of officers and middle level jobs. The External source of recruitment is used that is Advertisement in newspapers, magazines and web sites. Here, major decisions regarding recruitment are taken by SBI Central Recruitment Board, Bombay. SELECTION AT SBI RECEIPT OF APPLICATION SCRUTINISING APPLICATIONS RECEIVED INVITING RIGHT CANDIDATES FOR INTERVIEW DIFFERENT TESTS FOR SELECTION SELECTION OF THE RIGHT CANDIDATE PROMOTIONS The usual policy for promotion is to promote the person on the basis of seniority or merit. Length of service, education, training course completed, previous work history etc. are factors, which are given weitht while deciding on a operativeness, merit, honesty, many informal influences are powerful determinants of a promotional policy. PROMOTIONS AT SBI There are three types of promotions at SBI : * Fast Track Promotion * Normal Channel Promotion * Seniority Channel Promotion FAST TRACK PROMOTION It is applicable to the employees who have completed 2 years of job. Such employees have to undergo * A written test and * Then group discussion and * Personal interviews respectively. More over, every employee should have secured 90 % and more marks and grade A in confidential performance appraisal report. NORMAL CHANNEL PROMOTION In this channel of promotion employees who have completed four or five years of their job are eligible and they have to udergo written test and group discussion and personal interview. Depending on personal records, performance appraisal, requirement of staff, grades and percentage in test, employees and promoted. SENIORITY CHANNEL PROMOTION It is basedon as the name suggests seniority level of an employee The promotion is given to them. As this type of promotion is only given to senior employees for the higher level of posts and designations, at times they have to also go for written test and at times they have to directly go for oral exams and interviews. Four scale of promotion are there. In this type of promotion, employees who have done 12 years of job are eligible for scale 1 and scale 2 promotion while employees who have completed 14 year of job and carries minimum 50% marks are eligible for scale 3 and scale 4 promotion, Training Bank’s Training Philosophy â€Å"Training in State Bank is a proactive, planned and continuous process as an integral part of organisational development. It seeks to impart knowledge, improve skills and reorient attitudes for individual growth and organisational effectiveness†. State Bank of India†s experience in training spans more than four decades and is based on an in-depth understanding of the business and banking environment, domestic as well as international. TRAINING SYSTEM GOALS * Training * Feedback to corporate office to assist in policy formulation, product development * To act as a think-tank * An internal consultant * Organisational development interventions * To conduct customised on-site programmes at our branches * Interventions at branch level for organisational development * Research & Development TRAINING METHODOLOGY * Knowledge * Lectures * Exercises * Questionnaires * Quiz * Group work * Interface/panel discussions * Skills * Case studies * Exercises * Group work * Attitudes * Small group Work * Role play * Exercises * Interface/panel discussions * Customer interaction * Training media: Audio-visual teaching aids and computer aided learning MARKET RESEARCH -IN HOME LOAN DEPARTMENT VARIOUS STAGES IN RESEARCH Stage-1: PROBLEM IDENTIFIED At the very first stage in research the researcher has to clearly identify and define the problem. A well defined problem helps the researcher in the research. As it said that â€Å"A PROBLEM WELL DEFINED IS HALF SOLVED.† My research problem is â€Å"What are the experiences & difficulties faced by customers in getting Housing loan from SBI?† Stage-2: IDENTIFICATION OF RESEARCH OBJECTIVE Identification of Research objective is very essential in any research because if the researcher fails to identify the research objective he may fail in his research and the researcher can not achieve ultimate results. Research objectives are the end results.It directs and provides the base for the research plan. The objectives of this research are: 1. Primary Objective : To identify the difficulties faced by the customers in getting Housing loan from SBI and to find the gape. 2. Secondary Objective : * To identify the expectations of the loan holders. * Based on the opinions and experiences of the customers, to give suggestions to remove this gape. Stage-3: RESEARCH PLAN For gathering the needed information the researcher needs to draw out the most efficient research plan based on well defined research objective. Designing of research plan includes the following: 1. Data source 2. Research Approaches 3. Research Instruments 4. Research Methods [1]Data Source: In market research data can be of two types: Primary data: In primary data the information is obtained from the original source by researcher. Here, information needed is â€Å"the perception of the loan holders from SBI regarding the processes involved in housing loans†, which is only possible through personal meets with them so it is primary data source. Secondary data: The data, which is already collected and used, previously, is secondary data. For meeting the loan holders I got the personal information like name, address, telephone number etc. from their accounts so that is secondary data. [2]Research Approaches: Primary data can be collected in four ways: Focus groups Surveys Observation Experiments Observational research and survey research are two approaches, which have been used to meet the objectives of research. Observational research has been carried out simultaneously with survey research. [3]Instruments Used in Research : Researchers have a choice of two main research instruments in collecting primary data. * Questionnaires and * Mechanical Devices For surveying the housing loan holders of SBI, the research instrument used is questionnaires for each of them individually. [4]Survey Methods: There are two methods of survey: * Survey of population * Survey of samples selected from the whole To carry out the research, the method adopted here is the survey of the samples. First step to Sample Survey is designing the Sample Plan. Sampling Plan basically deals with the following: * Sample Size * Sampling Method Sampling Plan * Sample size-100 * Sampling method -Simple Random sampling * Instrument used For survey -Questionnaire & Personal Interviews QUESTIONNAIRE Instruction: a) The purpose is to make survey only. b) Information provided will be kept confidential NAME: _________________________________________ CONTACT NO.: _________________________________________ OCCUPATION:ââ€" ¡ Business ââ€" ¡ Profession ââ€" ¡ Service MONTHLY INCOME:ââ€" ¡ 8000 to 15000ââ€" ¡ Above 25000 ââ€" ¡ 15000 to 25000 * Had you visited other banks before taking loan from SBI? ââ€" ¡ Yesââ€" ¡ No * Reason for selecting SBI : ââ€" ¡ Nationalized bank ââ€" ¡ Lower interest rate ââ€" ¡ Good facilities ââ€" ¡ Lower cost ââ€" ¡ Speedy sanction * How you received the related information? ââ€" ¡ In a single piece ââ€" ¡ In bit of pieces * What was the gape between date of application and sanction of loan? ââ€" ¡ 1 to 5daysââ€" ¡ 5 to 10 days ââ€" ¡ 10 to 15daysââ€" ¡ 15 to 20 days ââ€" ¡ More than 20 days * In your opinion, comparatively sanction process is: ââ€" ¡ Speedyââ€" ¡ Moderate ââ€" ¡ Low * Within how many days loan amount was disbursed? ââ€" ¡ 1 to 2ââ€" ¡ 11 to 15 ââ€" ¡ 3 to 5ââ€" ¡ 16 to 20 ââ€" ¡ 6 to10ââ€" ¡ More than 20 * Did you face any difficulty in receiving disbursement? ââ€" ¡ Yesââ€" ¡ No * In comparison with other banks the interest rates of SBI are: ââ€" ¡ Higherââ€" ¡ Lower ââ€" ¡ Equal to other banks * Your suggestion: _______________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ THE RESULTS OF THE SURVEY DEPENDING ON THE VIEWS OF THE HOME LOAN HOLDERS OF SBI BASED ON THE QUESTIONNAIRE PREPARED. OCCUPATION OF DIFFERENT CUSTOMERS The above indicated results shows that more of the home loan holders are Businessmen. There is not much variation between service and profession class as the number of both the class of the customers are nearly similler. CLASSIFICATION OF THE CUSTOMERS ON THE BASES OF THEIR INCOME LEVEL BY DIVIDING THEM INTO SPECIFIC INCOME CLASS The above graph shows that there is not much deviation among the different classes. More of the home loan holders are having the monthly income between 15000 to 25000. Those having monthly income more than 25000 are lesser. But looking to the overall scenario there is equal distribution among all the  three income class. NUMBER OF CUSTOMERS WHO HAD VISITED OTHER BANKS BEFORE TAKING LOAN FROM SBI The graph shows that more of the loan holders had inquired, directly or through other sources like friends or relatives, other banks before taking loan from SBI. THIS SHOWS HOW THEY RECEIVED BASIC INFORMATION To the response of this question, more of the customers replied that they faced a little difficulty in receiving different information regarding basic information or the information about documentation. REASONS GIVEN BY CUSTOMERS FOR SELECTING SBI The above graph looks very unevenly distributed but it is due to the reason that the respondents gave more than one answer to this question. Some told that more than one reason are there for selecting SBI. One of the reasons not mentioned through graph is â€Å"TRUSTWORTHYNESS† stated by some of the respondents. GRAPH SHOWING THE TIME DURATION BETWEEN APPLICATION GIVEN BY CUSTOMERS AND LOAN SANCTIONED BY THE BANK The above result is full of variations. During the survey, It was found that some of the first 22% customers got the loan sanctioned even within one day. On the contradictory part, some of 11% customers did not get the loan sanctioned even after 40 days of application. This was also due to the delay in submission of required documents by customer. IF THE SANCTION OF LOAN WAS SPEEDY FROM THE VIEWPOINT OF CUSTOMERS TIME TAKEN BY THE BANK TO DISBURSE THE LOAN AMOUNT TO THE CUSTOMERS AFTER SANCTIONING Gape between sanction and disbursement is generally found to be 2 to 8 days after sanction of the loan. Some of the customer faced difficulty in receiving the disbursement of the loan. Few got the payment after a long wait of approximately a month. CUSTOMERS WHO FACED DIFFICULTY IN RECEIVING THE DISBURSEMENT OF THEIR LOAN AMOUNT INTEREST RATES IN VIEW OF THE CUSTOMERS OF HOMELOAN DEPARTMENT RESEARCH FINDINGS 1. Liberalization in the loans is needed. 2. It was found that most of the customers who got the loans sanctioned fast, received the disbursement faster and those who got the loan sanctioned late, got the payment late than the average time. Of course, this can be due to unclarity on the part of customer. 3. Customers want that they should be able to get all the information from one person only so that they need not to run here and there. 4. Core banking should be fully helpful to the customers. In spite of core banking customers are still facing difficulty regarding flexibility for payment of installment. 5. Lower documentation should be there for the loans. As per customers view only really needed documents should be asked for. 6. Customers who got delayed sanction or delayed disbursement were dissatisfied and suggested to faster the operations of the bank. 7. Most of the customers expressed view that they prefer SBI more for the home loans as it is very good, as compared to the other private banks also, as far as the home loan’s aspect is considered 8. Dissatisfied customers told that the operations involved in sanction and disbursement needs to be made faster like that of private banks. 9. Fast response to the various inquiries of the customers is needed. Some customers as shown in the results complained that they got the information from more than one person. 10. The infrastructure facilities like good interior and air-conditioned branches should be there. 11. Customers expect to be treated with politeness and respect. 12. Customer care should be given more importance. 13. More attracting facilities are needed. 14. Customers should be given full knowledge about the services inquired. 15. More connectivity with other banks. 16. Better front desk services are yet needed, customers are not yet fully satisfied with it. 17. For all the new coming schemes awareness should be created among people. 18. For entertainment of the waiting customers small T.V., Newspapers, Magazines etc should be there. SWOT ANALYSIS STRENGTHS * Nationalized Bank * Safety and security of money * Highest number of ATMs * Years of experience – Century * Large Network * Government Support * Transparency in charges. * Experienced employees WEAKNESSES * Rigid work culture * Lake of young employees * Excessive Documentation * Bureaucracy * All branches and Head offices are not having fully modern infrastructure. OPPORTUNITIES * Constant fear in the minds of customers towards Private Banks. * Ever expanding rural, urban, and international market. THREATES * Private Banks provides more facilities at low charges. * Shifting customer preference towards private banks. * Dynamic employees and greater technological product of private banks. * Customer satisfaction is high in private banks. SUGGESTIONS 1. PEOPLE : * Good suggestions coming from employees side should be appreciated and implemented. * Motivational package for excellent work at the bank should be offered. * Employee integrity and sincerity should be rewarded. * Make duty a desire of employees through Satisfying sociological, financial, status need of employees. * Work culture of employees should be like that of private banks employees. * Young and enthusiastic employees should be recruited for customer care services. All nationalized bank can join hands in this regard and can even seek approval from RBI. * System of hire and fire should be there for this new young employees up to particular age limit. 2. PROMOTION : * To increase the young customers step-ins, SBI can install in house cyber cafes to attract the young customers in premises of SBI. * New schemes and constant recorded announcement of the products in the bank premises itself can attract the attention of customers visiting the bank at least during peak hours. * SBI is flooded by new generation products but they need intensive marketing especially for products like demat A/c, insurance, mutual fund and e-banking. 3. PRODUCT : * Mobile banking, bill payment services, online tax payments, NRI tax advisory, Investment solutions should be given importance. * SBI should have tie up with big industries, schools, NGOs, hospitals, commercial complex, colleges etc for opening the salary A/C of their employees. * Too much documentation and complex procedure should be reduced to greater extent. For example, if a customer is having A/C with any nationalized bank then a simple check can be used for cross checking of their identity. * Women’s A/C : At SBI study of profiles show that lesser number of women prefers SBI, while the fact is number of working women in Rajkot is improving day by day.  To capture this section of society, saving A/c offering with different schemes for women can be planed out. 4. PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT : * Each and every counter should be named properly above the desk through hanging sign boards and name boards to minimize customer quarries. * Renovation is the need of SBI branches and good interior with pleasing environment is the demand of today’s competitive edge. * Cabin system should be destroyed and customer-employee interaction should be without any glass partition between them. This reduces the status gap and offers warm helping hands to customers’ problem solution. * Departmentation in the banks should be such that customers don’t need to ask anybody to search for required counter. * Chart showing the designation and department of concerned persons should be there inside the bank.

Cooper Industries Case

Managerial Policy| Cooper Industries Case | By: Aena Rizvi, Anum Rinch & Rafia Farooqui| | Introduction: In 1833, an iron foundry was founded by Charles and Elias Cooper in Mount Vernon, Ohio. Overtime, Cooper became the market leader in pipeline compression equipment. Cooper Industries was around 150 years old and was mostly involved in the manufacturing of engines and compressors to facilitate the flow of natural gas through pipelines. They began expanding it around 1960s and for that, more than 60 manufacturing companies were acquired in the following 30 years.This came to be known as the process of Cooperization and some re-known companies became a part of the Cooper banner to form a highly successful and profitable business. Timeline of Important events for Cooper: Year| Event| 1833| Charles and Elias Cooper founded an iron foundry in Mount Vernon, Ohio| 1900| Switching to the production of natural gas compressors| 1920| Cooper became the leader in pipeline compression equipment | 1957| Gene Miller was elected as the president| 958| Cooper suffered a cyclical downturn and a corporate raider acquired enough shares to elect two board members| 1961| Miller recruited Robert Cizik as chief assistant for corporate development from Standard Oil| 1965| The company formally adopted the name ‘Cooper Industries’| 1967| Headquarters were moved to Houston| | Diversification began and Cooper acquired Lufkin Rule Company| | Bill Rector was appointed as Corporate Vice President and given capital to develop the Tool Group| 1968| Cooper acquired Crescent Niagara| 969| Cizik became Chief Operating Officer| 1970| Cooper acquired Weller Manufacturing Corporation| | Tool Group set up its headquarters in Apex, North Carolina| | C. Baker Cunningham joined the corporate planning department at Cooper| | Cooper purchased Dallas Air Motive| 1970-1988| Cooper Divested 33 businesses| 1971| Cunningham joined the Tool Group as director finance and introduced a new computer sy stem to manage inventories, sales, shipping and billing for all tool products | 1972| Cooper acquired Nicholson Company| 974| Cooper’s acquisitions had relocated their manufacturing operations to new plants mostly in the South | 1975| Robert Cizik became CEO and formed Corporate Level Manufacturing Services Group| 1976| Cooper purchased Superior, maker of engines and natural gas compressors| 1979| Cooper purchased Gardner-Denver| 1981| Crouse-Hinds was acquired| | Cooper acquired Kirsch| | Cooper sold off its Airmotive Division| | Compression, Drilling and Energy Equipment generated 50% revenues and 60% operating profits| 1984| Purchasing council was established| 1985| Cooper acquired McGraw Edison | 987| Cooper expanded its industrial compressor business by purchasing Joy’s air and turbo compressor business for $140 million| 1988| Cooper was a broadly diversified manufacturer of electrical and general industrial products, and energy-related machinery and equipment| | Electrical and Electronic (E&E) became Cooper’s largest segment, generated 50% corporate sales and 57% operating profits | | Acquisitions in the Tool Group were consolidated and new manufacturing facilities were constructed| | Compression Drilling and Energy Equipment accounted for 21% sales and less than 10% of operating profit|Vision, Mission and Corporate Strategy: Cooper’s success lied in making high quality products that become important input for other products such as turbine compressors. They wanted to be a company with a steady stream of income which is why they always went after ventures that were profitable. They made sure they had no cash flow of liquidity issues just to ensure this. Moreover, they were more interested in being an owning company rather than just a holding company.To make sure of this they made their acquired companies adapt to their benefit plans etc so that the whole organization on a whole is consistent in policy making. They even made su re that they were deeply involved in all the acquisitions they made so that they do not end up making mistakes by acquiring a wrong company. Cooper’s President, Gene Miller’s ideology was to not restrict operations to the production of engines only. This was reflected in the business decisions when Cooper began to diversify and widen its product ranges.Cooper’s acquisition strategies were well planned and they were not left to the professional managers on the grounds that they could do justice to any product categories or manufacturing processes. Great importance was given on understanding the culture and customs of the areas in which Cooper operated and diversification only took place when the prospects looked profitable. There was a limit to diversification and special attention was paid to the timing of acquisitions. Most of the companies that Cooper aimed at acquiring were market leaders who maintained records of high quality manufacturing.Cooper’s jo urney was not about acquisitions and additions only. After a business had served its useful purpose, it was divested because clinging to the past would only reduce chances of future success. Between 1970 and 1988, Cooper divested 33 businesses. Cooper also ventured into the aircraft service business by purchasing Dallas Airmotive which was mainly involved in the repair and lease of jet engines as well as the distribution of aircraft parts and supplies. After this, Cooper turned to its Energy Division and concentrated all its efforts there.Energy Divisions’ rising profits made up for the falling sales of hand tools. Cooper’s biggest merger was the purchase of Gardner-Denver, which was equal in size to Cooper and manufactured machinery for petroleum exploration, mining and general construction. One advantage of this merger was that Cooper’s needs of exploration; production, transmission, distribution and storage for oil and natural gas were met. However there were some problems with Gardner-Denver too as it was a company that lacked planning and control and its sales force was not motivated enough to steer the company in the ight direction. Unlike Cooper, the management style at Gardner-Denver was too centralized. Cooper had to change all these things subsequently in order to align Gardner-Denver with the values and business practices of Cooper industries. By late 1970’s Cooper came up with the ‘acquisition by necessity’ idea when it was acquiring Colorado Fuel & Iron (CF&I) which mainly took place because CF&I has stopped producing 1095 Steel and it was really expensive for Cooper to buy it from another German company.Crouse-Hinds was another crucial acquisition in the history of Cooper and in the words of Mr. Cizik, this was a ‘true diversification’ as compared to that of Gardner-Denver which was more of a complimentary nature. However the Crouse-Hinds acquisition was criticized on the grounds that it reduc ed Cooper’s exposure to the booming oil and gas industry. Cooper built a reputation in the electrical industry such that it came under the ambit of one of the best-managed companies. Some of Cooper’s acquisitions looked decisive such as the purchase of Kirsch (world’s largest manufacturer of drapery hardware).But actually they were not based on impulse and such opportunities are normally short-lived. Had Cooper not taken advantage of such opportunities then some other company would have. Cooper had a very flexible management style unlike other companies and it consolidated most of its acquisitions in order to maintain uniformity. Manufacturing Services Group made Cooper a quality conscious company that had state of the art Management Information Systems. It used benchmarking and cross-referencing to improve the production methods.Manufacturing Services Group also initiated training of engineering school graduates and this equipped the employees at Cooper with th e necessary skills. Cooper followed the Hay system for salaries and people with the same ranks throughout the organization had similar salaries. These salaries were at par with the industry average. EVP’s at Cooper had a management-by-exception philosophy and they only interfered in the management of a division if its performance suffered or when the division violated the boundaries set by the strategic planning process.Cooper believed that ‘cash-flow is king’ because a strong cash flow position enables Cooper to pursue acquisitions. SWOT Analysis Strengths| Weaknesses| * Highly diversified hence lower risk * Acquisition of market leaders was done based on research and not on impulse. * It had a flexible management style * Understood the cultures and customs of the areas in which it operated * Divested businesses that served their useful purpose * Focus on profitability led to the success of the firm * Due to numerous acquisitions, $1. 8 billion of Cooper’ s $1. 77 billion stockholder’s equity was goodwill| * ‘Lean and mean’ cost structure due to which many RTE senior managers left within a year after acquisition * Cooper exercised centralized control over corporate policy * Cooper retained too much control with itself which is evident in its control on working capital * Too much focus on profitability| Opportunities| Threats| * Manufacturing Services Group will make Cooper a leader in manufacturing functions. Due to Management Development and Planning, Cooper has a very rich organizational culture and hence more successful market leaders would be willing to merge with Cooper in the future. | * Downturns in industries such as electrical industry can make Cooper resort to cost cutting and layoffs rigidly. * After a merger or acquisition Cooper requires the new company to adopt its benefits package for medical insurance and pensions which leads to dissatisfaction and may make Cooper known as a conservative company|Co nclusion: Cooper remained a market leader in pipeline compressors and engines. It has always focused on being identified as a quality company and pursued only those companies for acquisitions and mergers that were market leaders, had strong core competencies and were successful in their respective industries. It had an eye for rewarding opportunities and took full advantage of them when came across one of these.

How to Become a Better Negotiator Essays

How to Become a Better Negotiator Essays How to Become a Better Negotiator Essay How to Become a Better Negotiator Essay How to Become a Better Negotiator is composed into 9 chapters. Each chapter contains story examples, questions, tips, and discussion questions at the end of the chapter that serve as a review to help better improve a negotiators abilities. Moreover, Chapter 1: Win- Lose or Win-win, illustrates these types of negotiations. A Win-win resolution would be more effective in the long run. Relationships in this type of negotiation are of high importance as they can help create value through trade as they collaborate with each other on an agreement. Conversely, in a Win-Lose negotiation, the characteristics are hat a relationship with the other party is not of high importance. Each side is focused on a fixed price. The book uses a pie as an example to demonstrate how each party attempts to take as much as they can for themselves leaving the other side with a much smaller slice as possible. In Getting to Yes, they refer this type of negotiation to be Hard. The parties are adversaries and the goal is victory: I win, you lose, it is a type of positional bargaining of that can break the relationship between the two parties. Therefore, it puts the relationship to risk as the conditions of a allegations depend on the concessions being made. Chapter 2: Indispensable Concepts are the importance of having the three concepts of: alternatives and reserve price to prepare you for a negotiation. In reference to Getting to Yes, How to Become a Better Negotiator also introduces the theory of having an alternative called, BATAAN ( Best Alternative to a Negotiation Agreement) which employs the negotiator to bargain in a position with higher strength with confidence. Mutually, both books suggest that you should in advance prepare some alternatives that set a base to now when to walk away from a negotiation if it fails to give you what you want, and or if your alternative is better than the current negotiation being offered. Another concept introduced is to have a reserved price which should be your walk away price to a negotiation if it exceeds your limit. As a seller, you should come up with a numerical number before entering a negotiation that will be the lowest price you would accept a deal and a buyer should know what his highest price paid would be. This gives you an idea of how much you have available to haggle with. In Getting to Yes, they refer this concept as a Trip Wire standard; its like a bottom line which provides you with a margin in reserve. Chapter 3: Communication Styles introduces four different styles of which people usually fall in one or a few depending on the situation. The first style is Listeners theyre people orientated who take their time in making a decisions, good mediators and team builders, but they are not high risk orientated who are very enthusiastic with the concept of ideas. Their good energy is contagious, but they fail to implement ideas as they are impulsive people sidetracked y having fun. They also are known to change the subject when feeling stressed. The third style is Doers are less people orientated. They are very assertive, task orientated, and competitive. Their main problem is that they may be arrogant, not as good of a listener and often forget to reflect of their decisions before implementing them. The last style is Thinkers they are very detailed and take much longer to finalize a decision because they are trying to find the ideal solution. They can be repetitive at times, very serious and inflexible. This chapter helps guide a negotiator o identify what their core style is and how to improve it or tailor it to the competitors style in order to come too wise agreement. Chapter 4: Listening as a Primary Negotiating Skill. Listening is a highly important skill to have . Len order to be good listener, you need to be able to hear, interpret, evaluate and react. The author provides three quizzes that enable you to distinguish what level of a good listener fall in. In Getting to Yes, the author also focuses on listening in the Separate the People from the Problem chapter as their technique of listening permits you to understand here the person is coming from, sympathize with their emotions, and suggests paying attention and hearing what the opposing parties are telling you. They suggest a standard technique of repeating what the other party has shared with you such as, Did I understand correctly that you are saying..? . This demonstrated that they were being heard and understood. In How to Become a Better Negotiator, they too offer the similar technique of listening called Reflective Listening as they advise to paraphrase what the other party is saying to demonstrate that you were hearing them and to how that you understand. You may use reflective listening by stating l understand what you are saying and how you are feeling which not only shows sympathy, but also clears up any misinterpretations. Chapter 5 Managing Conflict illustrates a test in which the reader can identify what type of conflict style they have. The five styles are: 1- Withdrawal / Avoidance, when the issues are serious, 2-Smoothing Accommodations, when the issues are minor and damage to a relationship may be caused, 3-Compromising, ideal solution not needed and both parties have equal power. -Forcing/ Competition, immediate action needed and relationship is not highly important and Problem Solving/ Collaborative, parties have common goals, and a long term relationship is expected. Both books agree on the fact that conflict is a good thing and that it is beneficial as it allows people to speak on behalf of their feelings and leads to solutions in problem solving. Chapter 6 The Importance of Assertiveness starts off with a test to measure the level of assertiveness that you have as a person. This chapter is very important and newly provided information of which Getting to Yes does not touch upon in depth as this book does. It helps you to gather many strategies to work with conflicting people and situations. Confront Gently is the first assertive way to handle gentle confrontation by maintaining control of your emotions, maintain control of non-verbal, listen to your opposing party, and verbalize you future expectations by specifying the term, which Getting to Yes likes to say Be soft on the people and hard on the problem. Another tactic of showing Assertiveness of which Getting to Yes does not touch up on much is Saying ass is asked for unfair, unfeasible expectations by standing up to your interests and saying No. Another tactic that the book touches up on is how to Handle Your Anger and theirs. They suggest listening to the opposing party, allowing them to let off steam, demonstrate empathy, ask open-ended questions and maintain quiet if they are unreasonable. In Getting to Yes they introduce the philosophy of Negotiation Jujitsu, where you avoid pushing back, but instead exert strength by resisting their anger by exploring interests, inventing options for mutual gain along with listening to heir frustrations. The book also touches up on maintaining silence as a tactic for the other party to have the opportunity to recollect and clarify or retract from their unreasonable request or statement. Chapter 7 Prepare to Negotiate allows you to use the skills of negotiation that you have learned so far to prepare for a business deal. To prepare you need to identify issues and interest by Jotting them down on a piece of paper. Getting to Yes also has the similar strategy of writing down interests. The book goes into more detail of when during the negotiation to be clear and firm n your interests and to listen engagingly to the opposing parties interest to understand their needs, hopes, fears, and desires. It also states to ask questions as to why their interests are what they are. The combination of both books on interests is very informative. The other preparation tip that How to Become a Better Negotiator offers is to determine your BATAAN and a reserve price. Chapter 8 Doing the Deal touches up on the steps and tactics of doing a deal. The first step Getting to Know Each Other to take the time before and after to get to know each other to get a better understanding of what their interests may be. Other steps are expressing disagreement and conflict (as was talked about it chapter 6 on how to address), Reassessing, Compromising and Reaching Agreement. A tactic that the book offers during a negotiation process is Framing Issues that people use as a framework to draw out reality. In Getting to Yes they identify this as Using Objectives and Criteria to discuss on the merits. They use a set of standards such as market value, book value, comparative price to make a deal appear fair and reasonable. Another tactic offered by How to Become a Better Negotiator is offering alternative deals of which Getting to Yes also uses as to use collaboration from the opposing party come up with other creative suggestions to finalize a deal. A tactic that I have not read yet in Getting to Yes is how to deal with Using Time to Advantage. If you have taken the time to ask questions and listen to the opposing parties interest and if you know they are in a limited in time to close a deal, you could use that to your advantage. The book uses an example of purchasing a home from a seller who is pressed on time and how o tactically get them to close the deal quickly. The final chapter 9 Common Pitfalls is great ending chapters on how to deal with different types of negotiation you are to encounter and how to deal with typical negotiation mistakes. You have realistic story examples of dealing with The Hardball Bargainer, Take it or Leave it The Temper Tantrum (of which Getting to Yes does as well). One of the many mistakes it points out is having a big ego and when negotiation fails to find and arbitrator or mediator. Getting to Yes also recommends to introduce a third party to focus on interest, options and criteria to help reach an agreement in the What if They Wont Play chapter. In resolution, How to Become a Better Negotiator has been a pleasure to to add to my pallet of preparing for negotiations. The top 3 major lessons that I plan to use in the future are, 1: Plan ahead of time and come up with a BATAAN as well as a reserved price. This will enable me to gain confidence and help me understand exactly where I stand in a negotiation. 2: During a negotiation I want to become a better listener and ask key questions which will help me get to know my opponents interest and understand how they feel. It is key that I maintain quite at all times when the other party is speaking and to paraphrase when they are done so that they know that I heard them so there wont be any misunderstanding. 3-The final lesson I learned was to be more assertive and know how to use it to my advantage. Sometimes paraphrasing what the other party has said or even asking questions as to why they set a price or how they came up with their decision and if their response is unrealistic, unreasonable, or unfair to maintain quiet for a sometime. This is an excellent strategy which I cannot wait to implement.

George Burroughs - Salem Witch Trials

George Burroughs - Salem Witch Trials George Burroughs was the only minister executed as part of the Salem Witch Trials on  August 19, 1692. He was about 42 years of age.   Before the Salem Witch Trials George Burroughs, a 1670 Harvard graduate, grew up in Roxbury, MA; his mother returned to England, leaving him in Massachusetts. His first wife was Hannah Fisher; they had nine children. He served as a minister in Portland, Maine, for two years, surviving King Philips War and joining other refugees in moving farther south for safety. He took a job as minister of the Salem Village Church in 1680 and his contract was renewed the next year. There was no parsonage yet, so George and Hannah Burroughs moved into the home of John Putnam and his wife Rebecca. Hannah died in childbirth in 1681, leaving George Burroughs with a newborn and two other children. He had to borrow money for his wifes funeral. Not surprisingly, he remarried soon. His second wife was Sarah Ruck Hathorne, and they had four children. As had happened with his predecessor, the first minister to serve Salem Villages separately from Salem Town, the church would not ordain him and he left in a bitter salary fight, at one point being arrested for debt, though members of the congregation paid his bail. He left in 1683, moving back to Falmouth. John Hathorne served on the church committee to find Burroughs replacement. George Burroughs moved to Maine, to serve the church in Wells. This was near enough the border with French Canada that the threat of French and Indian war parties was real. Mercy Lewis, who lost relatives in one of the attacks on Falmouth, fled to Casco Bay, with a group that included Burroughs and her parents. The Lewis family then moved to Salem, and when Falmouth seemed safe, moved back. In 1689, George Burroughs and his family survived another raid, but Mercy Lewis parents were killed and she began to work as a servant for George Burroughss family. One theory is that she saw her parents killed. Mercy Lewis later moved to Salem Village from Maine, joining many other refugees, and became a servant with the Putnams of Salem Village. Sarah died in 1689, probably also in childbirth, and Burroughs moved with his family to Wells, Maine. He married a third time; with this wife, Mary, he had a daughter. Burroughs was apparently familiar with some works of Thomas Ady, critical of witchcraft prosecutions, whom he later quoted at his trial: A Candle in the Dark, 1656; A Perfect Discovery of Witches, 1661; and The Doctrine of Devils, 1676. The Salem Witch Trials On April 30, 1692, several of the girls of Salem leveled accusations of witchcraft at George Burroughs. He was arrested on May 4 in Maine - family legend says while he was eating dinner with his family - and was forcibly returned to Salem, to be jailed there on May 7. He was accused of such acts as lifting weights beyond what would be humanly possible to lift. Some in town thought he might be the dark man spoken of in many of the accusations. On May 9, George Burroughs was examined by magistrates Jonathan Corwin and John Hathorne; Sarah Churchill was examined the same day. His treatment of his first two wives was one subject of the interrogation; another was his supposed unnatural strength. The girls testifying against him said that his first two wives and the wife and child of his successor at Salem Church  visited as specters and accused Burroughs of killing them. He was accused of not baptizing most of his children. He protested his innocence. Burroughs was moved to Boston jail. The next day, Margaret Jacobs was examined, and she implicated George Burroughs. On August 2, the Court of Oyer and Terminer heard the case against Burroughs, as well as cases against John and Elizabeth Proctor, Martha Carrier, George Jacobs, Sr. and John Willard. On August 5, George Burroughs was indicted by a grand jury; then a trial jury found him and five others guilty of witchcraft. Thirty-five citizens of Salem Village signed a petition to the court, but it did not move the court. The six, including Burroughs, were sentenced to death. After the Trials On August 19, Burroughs was taken to Gallows Hill to be executed. Though there was a widely held belief that a true witch could not recite the Lords Prayer, Burroughs did so, astounding the crowd. After Boston minister Cotton Mather reassured the crowd that his execution was the result of a court decision, Burroughs was hanged. George Burroughs was hanged  the same day as were John Proctor, George Jacobs, Sr., John Willard and Martha Carrier. The next day, Margaret Jacobs recanted her testimony against both Burroughs and her grandfather, George Jacobs, Sr. As with the others executed, he was cast into a common, unmarked grave. Robert Calef later said that he had been buried so poorly that his chin and hand protruded from the ground. In 1711,  the  legislature  of the Province of Massachusetts Bay  restored all rights to those who had been accused in the 1692 witch trials. Included were George Burroughs, John Proctor, George Jacob, John Willard, Giles and  Martha Corey,  Rebecca Nurse,  Sarah Good, Elizabeth How,  Mary Easty, Sarah Wilds, Abigail Hobbs, Samuel Wardell, Mary Parker, Martha Carrier, Abigail Faulkner,  Anne (Ann) Foster, Rebecca Eames, Mary Post, Mary Lacey, Mary Bradbury, and Dorcas Hoar. The legislature also gave compensation to the heirs of 23 of those convicted, in the amount of  £600. George Burroughs children were among those.