Health and Stress Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Health and Stress - Essay Example However, this paper aims to discuss gender differences and racial differences in terms of health behaviors. It has been observed that various races face identical stress and health problems. White and black are the most common and the basic classifications of races. However, in proper classification several names come. There are quite a few studies on stress and health behaviors and its impact on stress and health. This paper aims to find out if the gender and racial disparities exit. In case these do, what are the consequences? This paper also tends to identify if group of black citizens are healthier or stronger than the group of white people or vice versa. Does a race or gender impact one’s health behavior? If not, then what could be the reason behind such differences? Older Hispanics and Asian Islanders came across cultural blend by the mean of cross cultural weddings. Health behavior and stress impact on individual are based on different patterns where age, race, mental level, education and gender. It is said that black mortality curve crises over whites (Martin & Soldo, 1997). Different races have different health states. As per an investigation, inferior mental health and self perceived health have been reported in African Americans. Research found out that health and stress are not directly linked to race; however, it depends on the body strength, age, gender and in many cases, marital status also impacts the health behavior. Research clearly indicated that if the earnings and studies are managed, robust racial changes in health and stress are not observed (Williams, Yu, Jackson, & Anderson, 1997, pp. 243-250). Several studies have been conducted to find out the disparities among races, behaviors, genders, ages, physical progress, educational level, job descriptions, income and their body and mental behaviors. The term health and stress disparities remained hot topic for researcher throughout in differentiating the

Principles of Healthcare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Principles of Healthcare - Essay Example Equitable access to healthcare is an important health parameter. The government and the healthcare sector have been making sincere efforts to deliver quality healthcare to all socio-economic groups. However, there is no proper definition of this concept. Most often, the principles of ethics and universal access are collectively used to define it as the provision of equal treatment to patients with the same medical requirement, regardless of all other factors including origin, ethnicity and income levels. Ashcroft (2007) terms this as the ‘horizontal equity’ in the healthcare system. Although universal and equitable access to healthcare is professed widely, patients often face numerous obstacles in benefiting from this policy. Goldsmith (2011) notes that the only way to overcome these barriers if by transcending beyond the assumptions made under universal access and coverage. He further suggests that these barriers result due to inefficiencies in the supply chain within t he healthcare system. For instance, there are wide variations in the levels of insurance coverage, cost sharing, geographical limitations and the maximum utilization capacity of hospitals and clinics. The primary objective of community participation is to ensure the involvement of everyone in the process of delivering universal healthcare (Pointer, 2009). Often, this is achieved through the promotion of public support for relevant policies and programs and also through compliance with the applicable legislation. Several governments around the world have initiated healthcare programs to engage the active participation of the people and improve transparency across the whole system. However, there are issues in policy definition and the operational methods that are used to facilitate such involvement.

Social constructionism and its effects

Social constructionism and its effects Social constructionism is a general term sometimes applied to theories that emphasize the socially created nature of social life. Social Constructionism is something that a group in society has constructed, for example brotherhood is a social constructionism. It is something that is created socially but happens because society supports it and encourages it to occur. It is something that has been created at some point, but may be considered a social norm now. It has a label and continues if people continue to talk about and put time into it. Social constructionism is regularly traced back to the works William Isaac Thomas and the other Chicago sociologists, as well as the phenomenological sociologists and philosophers such as Alfred Schutz. Such approaches emphasize the notion that society is actively and imaginatively produced by human beings. They describe the world as made or invented rather than simply given or taken for granted. In social theory, constructivists stress the social construction of reality. This is the philosophically idealist component of constructivism which contrasts with the materialist philosophy of much social science positivism. According to constructivist philosophy, the social world is not a given: it is not something out there that exists independent of the thoughts and ideas of the people involved in it. It is not an external reality whose laws can be exposed by scientific research and explained by scientific theory. (Marshall, 1998) The political and social world is not part of nature. There are no natural laws of society or economics or politics. History is not a developing external progression that is autonomous of human thought. (Hacking, 1999) One of these socially accepted norm is racism , although much of society believes that racism does not exist in a modern society whoever there is many circumstances that differ from this and prove that in todays society there is still many forms of racism and it has become one of these social norms . Racism is the term used to explain the hostile or negative feelings of one ethnic group towards another and the consequential actions from such attitudes, but sometimes the hostility of one group toward another is expressed and acted upon with a single-mindedness and cruelty that goes far beyond the group centred prejudice that seem to constitute an almost universal human failing. Racism is not just xenophobia, a phrase invented by the ancient Greeks to describe impulsive feelings of hostility to another, xenophobia may be the preliminary point upon which racism can be constructed but it is not the actual thing itself. Racism has two components power and difference; it originates from a state of mind that regards them as dissimilar from us in ways that are stable and unbridgeable. (Fredrickson, 2002) In Australia racism is still evident although much of society believes that racism does not exist in a modern society however there is many circumstances that differ from this and prove that in todays society there is still many forms of racism and it has become one of these social norms. The nature and frequency of Australian racism varies over time and across space: it is not a static phenomenon (Vasta and Castles, 1996)pp. 5, 20 There are many different terms that are currently used to describe racism which include intolerance, ethnocentrism, prejudice, racialism, bigotry and discrimination all to describe racism. (Vasta and Castles, 1996) The increased exposure of individuals to cultural variation gradually improves individuals tolerance of a cultural dissimilar to their own. Therefore, the residents of areas that have a strong established cultural diversity may be expected to develop greater admiration of cultural difference, and have a lesser dependence upon cultural similarity if they are exposed to other cultures, the preliminary stages of contact between different cultural groups are likely to involve racisms. There are a variety of theories that attempt to explain the geographical discrepancy of racisms. These range from the traditional urbanists through neo-Marxist explanations, Social Construction approaches. Social constructionism about race more politically correct than essentialism. Existentialism, can form a picture of a self with absolutely no centre, a self that constructs itself by free acts of will. The constructed self must, however accept agonizing responsibility of what which it has constructed, later thought of the self as being constructed in a social matrix .this suggest a genuine distinction in which some constructions of the self are social ,and some are not ,This is called Social existentialism and is worth reviving. One which sees the self as a social of people , an attitude which is strongly reinforced by cultural background ,This psychological essentialism is proposed , in part ,to explain the prevalence of concepts of race and the ease with which they can be conscripted for racism (Hacking, 1999) Social constructionism is often contrasted with essentialism because it moves away from the ideas of the naturally given or taken for granted and questions the social and historical roots of phenomena Most anti racialist writing denounces essentialist attitudes to race. They may not use the label social construction, much but they are regularly grouped among social constructionist about race. (Hacking, 1999) This theory suggests that race is a socially constructed category rather than a natural order. (Jackson and Penrose , 1993) (Vasta and Castles, 1996). These races are constructed in different ways, these way are reliant upon the specific location and the identity of the specific place. Jackson and Penrose stated that place contextualises the construction of race, generating geographically specific ideologies of racism. (Jackson and Penrose , 1993) Place is significant in the construction of race and therefore it is imperative in the construction of racism. The precise forces that determine race in any location will also strengthen racism. Constructivism has become the dominant approach for geographical study of racisms. (Bonnett, 1996) A social construction approach should be predominantly positive for unscrambling the geographies of racism. It would definitely be crucial for formulating place-sensitive anti-racism interventions. A constructivist theory of the geographies of racism has both explanatory and policy contributions. Constructivism clearly allows for a more spatially sensitive understanding of the construction of race and the development of racisms. Theorising the causes of spatial variations in racism is not straightforward. Nevertheless, some of the established theories of racism can be of assistance in understanding the geographies of racism. There is some evidence of a rural and urban variation in ethnocentrism. The uneven tolerance of cultural diversity could be explained in part by the differing experiences and expectations that arise from an urban way of life. As in Chicago School thinking, the assumption is that the long-term exposure to otherness or difference eventually spawns an accommodation, or tolerance, of at least the cultures that are encountered. This model is confounded, however, by the persistence of racism against some minority groups. The most remarkable such persistence in the Australian case is the racism long endured by Indigenous peoples. (Dunn and McDonald, 2001) Australia is known as a multicultural country with many foreign individuals making Australia their permanent residence. As Australia is a multicultural society the idea of racism is minimal, however this is not the case. The highest form of racism in Australia is that of the indigenous people not only the majority of white society also by the government policies that the leaders that approve these policies. Since the colonization of Australia the Indigenous population have been disadvantage in all aspects of life. This can be due to many different forms of racism from the white population and the Australian Government that have left Aboriginal people in this disadvantaged state. Aboriginal people up to the twentieth century were not constitutes as Australian citizens .They had no rights compared the white population ,they were not allowed to owned land or were not about to vote in national elections .It was this that continued to reinforce that the white society was superior to the Indigenous population These racist beliefs restricted the Aboriginal peoples from achieving the same basic rights as white Australians and it was not until the 1960s that all Aboriginal people around Australia were able to vote in State and federal elections. (Lyons, 2005) The main form of racism by the Australia Government was the creation of the white Australian policy. The White Australia policy arose from a Commonwealth government objective of creating and maintaining a mono racial Australia, termed racial integrity. Although there were other racist policies in the earlier years, by the 1950s, this usually meant only restrictions on immigration. It was the most significant and lasting policy adopted in 1901, described as providing an impetus to our national life. White Australia was not some strange abnormality for Australias rulers. This policy of institutionalised racism had deep roots in the interests of Australias ruling class. (Lyons, 2005) Racism against Aboriginal people helped open the door to other forms of racism especially for the Chinese immigrants during the gold rushes of the 1850s, they were treated as appalling as the indigenous population they were segregated onto protectorate camps these camps were modelled on previous colonial experience including the protectorate camps that had recently been imposed on the survivors of the wars of extermination against Aboriginal people. (http://www.sa.org.au/component/content/article/126-edition-48/1069-100-years-or-racism-federation-and-the-white-australia-policy) This Racism towards Aboriginals in Australia is widespread and the effects of racism affect the lives of Indigenous people in their day to day lives. This is due to the continuing effect of White invasion and the dispossession that followed. These effects have resulted in low socio economic status and therefore leading to poor health, higher rates of imprisonment and less job opportunities then the rest of white society within Australia. (Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission 1991, p. 72) The level of intolerance differs between cultural groups in Australia. White society from varies backgrounds suffer majority less ethnocentrism or racism compared to other ethnic groups. The groups, who suffer from racism and the relative follow on effects of racism, could therefore be expected to differ in each locality. It can therefore be assumed that racism will differ across space according to the presence of different cultural groups. There are substantive strands of racism running throughout Australian society. (Dunn and McDonald, 2001) Research into racism in NSW found that results shows there is consistent racism still in Australian society .The results suggest that for the Australians shows that a large majority of respondents in NSW felt that Indigenous Australians were treated over generously by the government names such as dole bludgers have stemmed from this in regards to the Centrelink payments , almost a quarter of those respondents were supportive of calls for the scrapping of multiculturalism, the majority of respondents felt that migrants should learn to live and behave like the mainstream Australians do, therefore returning to racial Government policies of the past , such as assimilation and the white Australia policy .Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (2000) Although the Past Government policies have excluded the beliefs and the wellbeing for Aboriginal peoples , current Government policies are beginning to bridge the gap between the Indigenous and non indigenous population .These policies included improved policies on health and education , this improved policies are important in lessening the effects of colonisation and the racism felt by the Indigenous population. This policies however has not improved the health socio economic status of the Indigenous population, it is only recently that these policies are inclusive of the cultural beliefs of the indigenous society. (Dunn and McDonald, 2001) The effects of racism by Europeans through assimilation, the stolen generation, white Australian policies and other non cultural appropriate policies have been Aboriginal Australian health, education and law have been horrific and destructive to the Indigenous population. The Aborigines peoples face problems in their struggle for equality of opportunity and toleration. Generations of Europeans have attempted to exterminate the Aboriginal Australians or to exclude them the rest of Australian society. The Aboriginal people have showed considerable resistance and cohesion and laws introduced by Europeans has helped to create and preserve the present condition of Aborigines, and changes to that condition depend largely on changes to the law and its administration. Social construction exists in Australia in the form of racism however there are acts to try and correct some of the socially constructed issues. Apologies to the stolen generation, the possibility of a referendum to recognise the aboriginals as rightful owners of the land are both steps to address the issues that aboriginal people face, however it is still not enough. Racism is feed by those who have fear of others and accept stereotypes as being fact. Unfortunately in order to change a social construction there needs to be a complete change of society and that takes time.

The Character of Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter Essay -- Papers N

The Character of Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter Hester Prynne, a character within The Scarlet Letter, is a prime example of Hawthorne's common transformation of individuals within his books. These mutations involve the qualities and attributes of her physical appearance, feminine emotions, and reputation among the townspeople. Throughout the novel, the mentioned elements of Hester's character develop and change several times, providing the reader with better understanding of the influence that the scarlet letter and other characters have on her. In the beginning of the novel, the reader is presented with a physical appearance of Hester that is pleasing to the visual eye. It is Hawthorne describes his heroine of the book by writing that "She had dark and abundant hair†¦face†¦beautiful†¦features and richness of complexion†¦deep black eyes" (51). Over time, these attributes faded and the "attractiveness of her person had undergone†¦change†¦sad transformation†¦luxuriant hair†¦cut off†¦hidden†¦some attribute had departed from her, the permanence of which had been essential to keep her ...

Project Management Essay

First, develop project selection criteria and a high level process for applying the criteria and managing the portfolio. The criteria should be consistent with the business environment for the industry, consistent with your company’s overall mission/strategies, and consistent with the mission and strategies of your strategic business unit. You are proposing a process, not individual projects. The deliverable for Part 1 is a written proposal for the project selection criteria and a high level description of a proposed portfolio management process. You may also be expected to make an informal presentation of the report in class. The proposal should be in the form of a memorandum to your Vice President (your instructor) outlining your proposal. The memorandum should be no more than 10 pages, including any figures and tables. It should be double-spaced, 10 or 12 point font with one-inch margins. This is a summary for an executive, so be concise, to the point, and leave out the fluff. If you don’t need 10 pages to document your proposal fully, I am sure that your Vice President will be happy with less as long as it is complete. Using appropriate grammar, spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure will be part of your grade. The actual proposal should include the following: 1. A description of the proposed portfolio process. You are explaining it to the executives. 2. The reasons it was selected (tie to strategies as appropriate. ) 3. A description of the proposed selection criteria. How will the process be applied in your SBU? 4. The method for applying the selection criteria, and the justification for both. How are you going to score the projects and evaluate the scores? This is not a complete project proposal or even a complete status report. You are making a specific proposal to management of a â€Å"Project Portfolio Evaluation and Selection Process†. All reports and memos to executives should include an executive summary at the beginning. This one is no exception. The discussion of the organization should be limited to how the SBU organization supports projects and the PPM process. It is not necessary to discuss the total company. Pay attention to the specifics requested in the deliverables. Do NOT make your memo a list of questions and answers. That is not the way a business memo is written. It is easy to select a process that is presented in a reference but you must propose one that works for your SBU. When you think you are finished put yourself in the role of someone who was not working on the solution and read your presentation. You can assume you know the basics of PPM. †¢Does your presentation provide a good description of the process and how it will be applied? †¢Are there obvious questions that it raises that are not answered? This is not a classroom assignment, it is a business memo. Also it is not a research report and you are not trying to demonstrate your academic expertise and how well you are read. Part 2 In Part 1 of the project, the new Vice President (your instructor) of your Strategic Business Unit had asked you to create a portfolio management process and project selection criteria for use by the SBU. It is now time to apply this process in selecting this year’s projects for your portfolio. In the annual budget cycle, your SBU was allocated $24 million dollars of funding uniformly spread over the next year for your portfolio. This means you have $6 million dollars to spend any given quarter. You may select any of the below projects to be included in your portfolio, but you cannot spend more than the allotted dollars allocated to your SBU. Your task is to select those projects, using your selection criteria, that most benefit the overall company without exceeding you quarterly budget of $6 million dollars. You must also lay out a plan for what quarter your selected projects will start in. Below are your possible projects: Project Call Center Currently you have no call center to address customer complaints or accept orders. Customers must use the internet to fill out an online form to address their complaints or service needs. These forms are processed by employees in your department. Currently the turnaround time on any given form is between four to eight hours. This creates a number of other customer complaints. Project Call Center is designed to reduce this turnaround time by 75% by creating and staffing a call center in Tampa. Building acquisition, building renovations, building fit out, IT system upgrades, and hiring and training of staff are estimated to cost $8. 5 million dollars. This $8.5 million dollars can be paid evenly in any two quarters in the next year. In addition, seven new employees will need to be hired at $40,000 burdened labor costs per year to staff the call center. Management of this project could easily be done with the current in-house staff. Most of the work of this project would be outsourced and will have minimal impact on day-to-operations. Project Ordering Upgrade Currently ordering processing is done online. The software and hardware used in this system are about ten years old. As such, order processing is a long, arduous process for the fifteen person staff. Upgrading this process to a state of the art system would cost approximately $2. 5 million dollars, and it is a onetime pay in full internal charge to your SBU. It would also result in a reduction in the fifteen person staff by 7 individuals and reduce order processing time by 50%. Each individual in this department is paid $35,000 burdened labor costs a year. Most of the work of this project could be done internally with existing staff. One weekend of operations will be impacted by the project in its entirety. Project Rocky The Alaskan cruise ship industry is booming. For some reason, people like to look at icebergs. Unfortunately, our company is servicing no cruise ships in Alaska. Project Rocky is to expand into the Alaskan market. This project will require the acquisition of property in Alaska, renovation of that property, and staffing of the facility. This project is seen as a major money maker for the company and has a NPV of $19 million dollars over five years. Its costs would be $13 million dollars to initially set up the project and $400,000 a year to operate the facility. This initial cost can be spread evenly over each of four quarters of the entire year. These initial costs should be recovered within the first two or three years of operation. Most of the work of this project would be outsourced and management of the project would likely be difficult. Project Europa The Mediterranean cruise ship industry is booming. Unfortunately, our company is servicing no cruise ships in the entire European area. Project Europa is to expand into the Mediterranean market. This project will require the acquisition of property in Italy, renovation of that property, and staffing of the facility. The current governmental overspending and austerity issues may impact this project. However, this project is seen as a major money maker for the company and has a NPV of $15 million dollars over seven years. Its costs would be $11 million dollars to initially set up the project and $500,000 a year to operate the facility. This initial cost can be spread evenly over each of the four quarters of the entire year. These initial costs should be recovered within the first three years of operation. Most of the work of this project would be outsourced and management of the project would be extremely difficult. Project Robot Our key distribution center is in St. Petersburg, Florida. It has a staff of 100 individuals to process the linens for the Florida cruise industry. Automation would allow us to reduce staff by 35 individuals. The average burdened labor costs of each of these individuals is $45,000 dollars a year. The cost of such automation would be in the neighborhood of $17 million dollars. This initial cost can be spread evenly over the entire year. This project would also likely disrupt the facility for about 3 months while the work is being done. Upon completion, the newly remodeled facility will be 1/3 smaller allowing our need for warehousing space to be reduced by 1/3. This would allow us to sublet this space for an estimated $2 million dollars a year in revenue. Most of the work of this project would be outsourced. Project Tableware In order to become the provider of choice for the cruise industry, our company needs to expand to more than just linens. A suggestion was made to expand into supplying tableware to the cruise industry, as much tableware is lost every cruise to breakage. Currently this need is supplied by a number of smaller companies that we could easily compete with. This project would involve creating a Just In Time process to receive and supply the cruise ships. It would also involve the need for a minimal warehouse facility. This project is likely to cost $5.5 million dollars and have a NPV of $1 million dollars over five years. All initial costs can be spread over any two quarters of the upcoming year. It would likely take four years to recover the initial costs of this project. It would further cost approximately $300,000 dollars a year to operate this facility. All of the work of this project would be outsourced. Your Assignment Your task is to use your portfolio process to determine which of the above projects best fit into your portfolio and create a time based plan by quarters as to when each project selected should begin and be paid for. Once this is accomplished, you need to write an internal memo to your Vice President denoting the projects selected, the time based plan in quarters, and why you chose as you did. The document should be double-spaced, 10 or 12 point font with one inch margins. This is a Recommendation Memo for an executive, so be concise and to the point. If you don’t need more than eight pages to document your plan adequately, I am sure that your manager will be happy with it as long as it is complete. The use of appropriate grammar, spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure is part of your grade. Submit This Document to the Dropbox by the end of Week 5.

Dance Appreciation

Introduction Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev commonly known as Serge outside Russia, was a Russian promoter, ballet impresario and art critic. He was the founder and patron of the Ballets Russes, which is credited with producing many famous dancers and choreographers. Sergei is remembered all over the world as one of the greatest ballet personalities that have ever lived. He was born on March 31, 1872 in Russia in an affluent family with a history in music. He initially studied law at the University of St.Petersburg but would later take singing lessons. However, he never was a big success as a singer as his voice was unpleasant. Though he neither composed nor choreographed, he was extremely able to pick those who had the talent. He died on August 19, 1929 having left an indelible imprint in the world of music and dance. Contributions Sergei cofounded and edited the World of Art, an art magazine, which became extremely popular to the lovers of art in his day.He also edited the Annals of th e Imperial Theatre and transformed it, taking it a notch higher in terms of graphic design and typography though he is criticized for overrunning his budget. However, these two magazines remained very popular in the world of art during his tenure as the editor. His greatest brainchild, Ballets Russes, became instrumental in popularizing ballet throughout Europe. It is through this group’s productions that ballet became a fundamentals part of the European culture.Apart from popularizing the dance, the group brought into recognition some of the greatest choreographers the world has ever seen- Fokine, Nijinsky, Massine, Nijinska, and Balanchine. The composer Stravinsky was also virtually unknown and has Sergei to thank for making his genius known to the world. Conclusion Though Sergei was equally successful in collecting and exhibiting art and his ability to recognize talent in a painter was no less than in recognizing a talent in ballet, his greatest achievements will no doubt remain in revolutionizing ballet.His eye for detail and success in recognize talent will make him remain immortalized through the compositions of the Ballet Russes. The group’s effect is still felt today with former members such as George Balanchine causing ripples in the United States and Serge Lifar being as effective in Paris. Source Citation â€Å"Sergei Diaghilev. † Gay & Lesbian Biography. Ed. Michael J. Tyrkus and Michael Bronski. Detroit: St. James Press, 1997. Biography In Context. Web. 20 Feb. 2013.

The Economic Struggles of Landlocked Countries

The Economic Struggles of Landlocked Countries If a country is landlocked, it is likely to be poor. In fact, most countries that lack coastal access are among the world’s Least Developed Countries (LDCs), and their inhabitants occupy the â€Å"bottom billion† tier of the worlds population in terms of poverty.* Outside Europe, there is not a single successful, highly developed, landlocked country when measured with the  Human Development Index  (HDI), and most of the countries with the lowest HDI scores are landlocked. Export Costs Are High The  United Nations  has an Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries, and Small Island Developing States. The UN-OHRLLS holds the view that high transport costs due to distance and terrain detract from landlocked countries’ competitive edge for exports.   Landlocked countries that do attempt to participate in the global economy must contend with the administrative burden of transporting goods through neighboring countries or must pursue costly alternatives to shipping, such as air-freight. The Wealthiest Landlocked Countries However, despite the challenges that most landlocked countries face, a few of the world’s wealthiest countries, when measured by GDP per capita (PPP), happen to be landlocked, including: Luxembourg ($92,400)Liechtenstein ($89,400)Switzerland ($55,200)San Marino ($55,000)Austria ($45,000)Andorra ($37,000) Strong and Stable Neighbors There are several factors that have contributed to the success of these landlocked countries. First, they are simply more geographically fortunate than most other landlocked countries by virtue of being located in Europe, where no country is very far from a coast. Furthermore, the coastal neighbors of these wealthy countries enjoy strong economies, political stability, internal peace, reliable infrastructure and friendly relations across their borders. Luxembourg, for example, is well-connected to the rest of Europe by roads, railways, and airlines and can count on being able to export goods and labor through Belgium, the Netherlands, and France almost effortlessly. In contrast, Ethiopia’s nearest coasts are across borders with Somalia and Eritrea, which are usually beset with political turmoil, internal conflict, and poor infrastructure. The political boundaries that separate countries from coasts are not as meaningful in Europe as they are in the developing world. Small Countries Europe’s landlocked powerhouses also benefit from being smaller countries with longer legacies of independence. Nearly all of the landlocked countries of Africa, Asia, and South America were at one time colonized by European powers that were attracted to their vast size and plentiful natural resources. Even when they gained independence, most landlocked economies remained dependent on natural resource exports. Tiny countries like Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, and Andorra do not have the option of relying on natural resource exports, so they have invested heavily in their financial, technology, and service sectors. To remain competitive in these sectors, wealthy landlocked countries invest heavily in the education of their populations and enact policies that encourage business. International companies like eBay and Skype maintain European headquarters in Luxembourg because of its low taxes and friendly business climate. Poor landlocked countries, on the other hand, have been known to invest very little into education, sometimes in order to protect authoritarian governments, and they are plagued by corruption that keeps their populations poor and bereft of public services – all of which precludes international investment. Helping Landlocked Countries While it may appear that geography has condemned many landlocked countries to poverty, efforts have been made to soften the limitations posed by a lack of sea-access through policy and international cooperation. In 2003, the International Ministerial Conference of Landlocked and Transit Developing Countries and Donor Countries on Transit Transport Cooperation was held in  Almaty, Kazakhstan. Participants designed a Program of Action, recommending that landlocked countries and their neighbors, Reduce customs processes and fees to minimize costs and transport delaysImprove infrastructure with respect to existing preferences of local transport modes, with a focus of roads in Africa and rail in South AsiaImplement preferences for landlocked countries’ commodities to boost their competitiveness in the international marketEstablish relationships between donor countries with landlocked and transit countries for technical, financial, and policy improvements Were these plans to succeed, politically-stable, landlocked countries could feasibly overcome their geographical barriers, as Europe’s landlocked countries have done. * Paudel. 2005, p. 2.

Converting VB6 to VB.NET

Converting VB6 to VB.NET VB.Net has a built-in migration tool, but converting VB6 code to VB.NET isn’t as easy as loading it to the newer software. The migration tool does a lot of the work, especially with syntax, but nowhere near all of it. You must work on your VB6 code before you try to load it in VB.Net. Should You Upgrade the Code? Some types of programs are best left in VB6. If your projects use WebClasses, DHTML pages, and UserControls, the migration to VB.NET may not go smoothly. That isn’t to say you shouldn’t try. The migration wizard will list any critical issues, and you can go back and fix them. Preparing Your VB6 Code for Migration Remove any dead code that your program doesn’t use and join any duplicated code to reduce the code more. You can do this manually if you are patient or your program isn’t lengthy, or you can use a source code analyzer program to locate the duplicated or unused code. Fix Any Data Declarations If you used undeclared variables in your program, you have a lot of work ahead of you. Add proper type declarations to every Dim statement and add Option Explicit statements. This will smooth the import process. Don’t worry, if you miss any, you’ll find out later. VB.NET Wizard Goes to Work Open your program in VB.NET and wait while the migration tool does its work. Expect to receive a lengthy report listing all the upgrade issues- the ones the wizard fixed and the ones it didn’t. There will also be comments in the code near spots that need extra work. Try to Compile Don’t even hope for your code to compile the first time through. It won’t, but you’ll receive a long list of compile errors that you can go back and fix. Work on Your Code Using the reports, return to your code and fix the critical issues. When you’ve done them all, load the code into VB.NET again. You may receive another list of critical issues to fix, but eventually, it will make it through the wizard and the compiler. You’re not done yet. Look for comments the migration tool left in your code and do whatever the comments say. Now, run and test your program in VB.NET.

Brand Audit South India Bank

Through this study an analysis is made on Branding strategies by South Indian Bank, this refers to the communication that is being sent by South India Bank about its product, services and other such attributes and what is being received by the costumers. Banks are coming up with new strategies to market themselves, gone are the days when Banks were an unattractive lot and one stepped foot in a bank as a last resort for financial assistance. Now new strategies are being used by Banks for retaining their customers as well as acquiring new ones. This is where the importance of Brand Management comes in. PORPORTION OF ADVERTISEMENT (EMPLOYEE ) SPONSORSHIP EVENTS (CUSTOMER ) SPONSORSHIP EVENTS (EMPLOYEE) BILLBOARDS (CUSTOMER) BILLBOARDS (EMPLOYEE) SOCIAL MEDIA (CUSOMER OPINION) SOCIAL MEDIA (EMPLOYEE OPINION) CUSTOMER YEARS IN BANK NUMBER OF TRANSCATION ONLINE BANKING MOBILE BANKING PERSONAL LOANS WELCOME 22 29 29 30 31 31 32 35 36 36 37 37 38 5 1,22 1. 23 1. 24 1. 25 1. 26 1. 27 VALUE EMPLOYEE SIB FIRST PREFERNCE CELEBRATEES INDIVIDUALS TEAM SUCCESS ONLINE BANK MOBILE BANKING DATABASE MANAGEMENT 39 39 40 40 41 42 6 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 7 1. INTRODUCTION Brand: â€Å"A Brand is a complex symbol. It is the intangible sum of a product? s attributes, its name, packaging and price, its history, reputation, and the way it? s advertised. A brand is also defined by consumer? s impression of people who use it, as well as their own experience†- David Ogilvy A brand is a Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one sellers good or service as distinct from those of other sellers. Brands are distinguished and this is protected by trademarks or service mark from authorized agencies. Brands are often expressed in the form of Logos, graphic representations, slogan etc. Good and powerful brands drive success in any competitive markets and help achieve company various difficult feats. Proper branding results in higher sales of not only one product, but on other products associated with that brand. Some people distinguish the psychological aspect, brand associations like thoughts, feelings, perceptions, images, experiences, beliefs, attitudes, and so on that become linked to the brand, of a brand from the experiential aspect. Brand Management: Brand management is the application of marketing techniques to a specific product, product line, or brand. It refers to all the strategies that are used for maintaining a particular image of the brand. It involves managing both tangible and intangible characteristic of Brand. In terms of service brands this includes customers? satisfaction, and intangible refers to emotional bonding or connection to the Brand. The success and failure depends on similarity between what is conveyed by the company to what is received by the customers. Branding is based on external experience and internal experience. External experience includes Name, Logo, advertising, Brand Identity and product and services. Internal experience includes Customer relation, brand values, training, quality, staff motivation, technology etc. 1. 1. The Banking Sector The Banking industry plays a dynamic role in the economic development of a country. The growth story of an economy depends on the robustness of its banking industry. Banks act as 8 the store as well as the power house of the country? s wealth. They accept deposits from individuals and corporate and lends to the businesses. They use the deposits collected for productive purposes which help in the capital formation in the country. Today, the Indian Banking System is known the world over for its robustness. The Reserve Bank of India is the central/apex Bank which regulates the functioning of all banks operating within the country. The banking system, largely, comprises of scheduled banks (banks that are listed under the Second Schedule of the RBI Act, 1934). Unscheduled banks form a very small component (function in the form of Local Area Bank). Scheduled banks are further classified into commercial and cooperative banks, with the basic difference in their holding pattern. Cooperative banks are cooperative credit institutions that are registered under the Cooperative Societies Act and work according to the cooperative principles of mutual assistance. Banking with the passing time has gain more importance as human civilization evolved, starting with just a place where to store ones money and for transfer of it. Now banks have developed to different horizons. Indian Banking because of its strict regulation from the Reserve Bank of India has always maintained a world class banking model which was clearly visible in the recession of 2008. A great leap in banking sector in India happened with the revolution in the IT sector which helped in great technological advancements such as online banking, database management, core banking etc. 1. 1. Profile of the Company South Indian Bank Limited (SIB) is a private sector bank headquartered at Thrissur in Kerala, India. The bank was founded in the year 1929. It is headed by Dr VA Joseph, Managing Director CEO of the bank. South Indian Bank has 705 branches spread across more than 26 states and union territories in India. It has set up 683 ATMs all over India. History: One of the earliest banks in South India, â€Å"South Indian Bank came into being during the Swadeshi movement. The establishment of the bank was the fulfilment of the dreams of a group of enterprising men who joined together at Thrissur, a major town (now known as the Cultural Capital of Kerala), in the erstwhile State of Cochin to provide for the people a safe, efficient and service oriented repository of savings of the community on one 9 hand and to free the business community from the clutches of greedy money lenders on the other by providing need based credit at reasonable rates of interest. . 1. 2. Products And Services Personal Banking-Under this bank offers wide range of personal banking products and services such as deposit, saving, loans, internet banking, mobile banking, demat services, credit card, debit card, etc. The bank offers mutual funds products of various funds houses such as ICICI Prudential AMC, Franklin Templeton, TATA Mutual Fund, Sundaram BNP Pariba s, UTI Mutual Funds, Reliance Mutual Funds, HSBC Investments, HDFC Mutual Fund, Fidelity Fund Management, Principal Mutual Funds, Fortis Investments, Birla Sun Life Asset Management Company and DSP BlackRock Mutual Funds. NRI banking- SIB also caters its banking products and services to NRI customers such as deposit, car loans, remittances, investment schemes, insurance are amongst others. Corporate banking- It provides wide range of products and services to corporates. SIB offers working capital finance, project finance, structured finance etc. 1. 2. PURPOSE objective OF THE STUDY †¢The purpose of the study is to analyze the brand value of South Indian Bank stakeholders which include its customers and employees. †¢Through this analysis the weak points in branding strategy will be covered to create a better Brand image of South Indian Bank. Brand Management study is to evaluate whether the South Indian Bank as a brand with its different aspects and qualities stands different from other names. What distinguishing aspects of SIB make it different from others? This includes name, logo, slogan, services, marketing strategies etc. 1. 3. Limitation Of The Study †¢Number of employees covered in the survey is very less because of the difficulty to access them; in the survey employees from only two branches were used. †¢The less number of sample might give a less accurate and imprecise data. 10 Chapter II RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 11 2. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY In general, research can be termed as an inquiry in to the nature of, the reason for, and the consequences of any particular set of circumstances. It is the process of finding solution for the problem after a thorough study and analysis of the situational factors. It tries to solve a complex and complicated problem through use of various tools and techniques. These tools and techniques try to bring out a logical, accurate and scientific solution to the problem. Research methodology is simply a plan of action for a research which explains in detail how data is to be collected, analyses and interpreted. . 1. Research Design Research design is the basic framework, which provides guidelines for the research process. It is a map or blue print according to which the research is to be concluded. Research design ensures that the study will be relevant to the problem and employs economical procedure. The type of research design used in this study is Descriptive Research. Descriptive research is concerned with the research studies with a focus on the portrayal of the characteristics of a group of individuals or a situation. It includes surveys and fact-finding enquiries of different kinds of analysis. The main objective of this descriptive study is to gather knowledge and to find the state of affairs, as it exists at present. 2. 1. 1. Research Instrument A descriptive questionnaire was used to question the awareness, preferences and thoughts of the customers and employees about the Corporate Branding Strategy of South Indian Bank in. The data used in this study is both primary and secondary. 2. 2. Data Collection ? Primary data has been collected through questionnaires prepared for the stakeholders of South Indian Bank, in this case both customers and employees. Secondary data collection includes proprietary databases and search engines. These sources include company websites and reports, books, trade journals, magazines, white papers, Industry Portals, government sources. 12 2. 3. Sampling All the items under consideration on any field of inquiry constitute a „universe? or population?. Sampling is the process of selecting a sufficient number of elements from the population so that a study of sample and on understanding of its properties or characteristics would make it possible for us to generalize such properties or characteristics to the population elements. 2. . 1. Sampling Technique There are various types of sampling techniques classified under probability and nonprobability. In this research, we used convenience sampling which is a deliberate or nonprobability sampling. i. e. , when population elements are selected for inclusion on the ease of access, it can be called convenience sampling. 2. 3. 2. Sample Size The sample size is that of 58 with customers and 15 with employees, making a total sample size of 73. 2. 4. Area Of The Study Employee data has been collected from two branches of South India Bank in Bangalore, Indira Nagar Branch and Cantonment Branch. For customers both data has been collected from these branches as well from other parts, through the accumulation of an online form. It has been made sure that a particular region is not targeted when it comes to collecting data. 2. 5. Analysis Technique The analysis techniques used in this study are ? Charts representing the spread on various variables 13 CHAPTER III FINDINGS AND INTERPRETATION 14 The result of the study will be explained in the following chapters 3. 1 Marketing strategies by THE Ad agency All the current marketing communications are handled by an independent ad agency Jelitta publicity situated in Thrissur, Kerala. The ad agency was appointed in the year 1994 since then it is exclusively handling all marketing operations except for one year when it was handled by another ad agency FCB Ulka. Through these years the ad agency worked along closely with the SIB management and has contributed towards this brand building effort. The role of agency has included providing 360 degree marketing communication solutions for the bank. Above the line, Below the Line activities, events, PR are all handled by Jelitta. Customer service experience: The whole new approach comes in south Indian bank with its shift to 100 % core (centralized online real-time environment) banking, and banks approach targeting the huge NRI market. The bank needed more visibility and was going to be known as a next generation banker rather than an old generation banker. Technology based products were introduced and the NRI customer base in the Middle East were targeted in large scale. Media mix: Earlier print ads were used more as a medium, but down the years the agency has shifted more towards electronic media and outdoor activities. Now print ads are being more used to communicate the financial achievements, awards accolades, financial notifications like publishing balance sheet other financial results where as electronic media (predominantly TV Radio) is used for visibility, products services communication etc. Outdoor media has also been used simultaneously with the TV campaigns to get more impact and events PR activities are used to create better brand profile. Promotional events: They form the main tool used by SIB for the past several years. One such event was when 80 years of SIB was celebrated by conferring awards to globally acclaimed personalities for their life- time achievement. Dr. K. M. Cherian, the eminent Cardiologist, Mr. Adoor Gopalakrishnan, the film Director, Dr. Verghese Kurien, „the milk man of India? , the music- maestro Padma Bhushan Dr. K. J. Yesudas and Mr. M. A. Yusuff Ali, the prominent NRI. Public Relations: Every result announcement is followed by a press meet in Kochi and interviews one to one interactions are arranged with the press people. Entertainment programmes were organised in every major city in South India for SIB customers. Several 15 CSR activities like sponsoring a whole village in Kerala was done 2 years back. All the product launches are carried out with much fanfare and every new branch inauguration is organised with huge promotional activities. Right from designing a product to its end marketing communication, the agency has an important role in SIB. Ad agency interface: Marketing (Ad evaluation): South Indian bank has used well known personalities such as Mamootty, ZarinaWahab, M. Balamuralikrishnan in their ads with each being well known in their respective fields. The strategy is to use them as a means of reaching different line of customers. While using a brand ambassador it should be considered that the ambassadors suits the image of the bank. A bank which stands for trust and support should keep that in mind 3. 2 Services capes (External Experience) All the physical evidence of South Indian Bank has been evaluated based on the response from customers and employees 3. 3 NAME Bank for South Indians Completely Agree Completely Agree 7% 2% Disagree 23% Undecided 25% Agree 43% Fig 1. 1 Bank for South Indians When asked whether they think that South Indian Bank is a bank for South Indians, a majority of 43% believed it to be so. 16 South Indian Bank was formed in the year 1929 in Thrissur the cultural capital of Kerala, the name derived from being a bank from south India, the name gives the bank a restriction to its idea of spreading its reach all over India. India is a multi-ethnic society being basically categorised into North India and South India. When someone from North India hears of South India Bank the first impression itself goes that it is a bank for south Indians. Here is an evaluation of South Indian Bank brand name based on the standard criteria a brand name should follow. a. Uniqueness: South Indian Bank has a very unique name which easily distinguishes it from other brands b. Pronunciation and Spelling: South Indian Bank has an easily pronounced name which has a short abbreviation of SIB, but this is often confused with the more known SBI, which stands for State Bank of India the oldest commercial bank in Indian subcontinent. South Indian Bank is easily spelled as well because there aren? t any complicated words in it. . Legal Protectability: South Indian Bank has a name which can be legally protected. Having a very unique name to it ensures that other companies cannot take the same name. d. Related to product and service: The name South Indian Bank clearly states that it is involved in banking sector. e. Easily related with: The name South Indian Bank gives it a limitation of being associated as a South Indian Ban 3. 3. 1 Suggestion The b ank should consider in changing its name, the name forms a major constraint for the bank to associate itself with north Indian customers. A proper promotion strategy can be used to convey the change in name and in the long run it will help the bank. 3. 3. 2 Logo It is graphic mark or emblem which is commonly used by enterprises, organisations, and individuals with the purpose of creating public recognition. Logos are either purely graphic or are composed of the name of the organisation and in some cases both. 17 Cant say 4% Logo (Customer Opinion) No 3% Never Noticed 20% Yes 73% Fig 1. 2 Logo When asked about whether the customers like the logo of South Indian Bank, out of the 56 customers, 73 % found the Logo to their liking. South India Bank changed its logo in the year 2007. In the erstwhile logo of the Bank, the unique picture was that of a coconut tree. The fronds of the coconut palm form the basic theme of the new logo. The sharp ends of the fronds are smoothened, thickened and twisted to form a „S? denoting South Indian Bank. Thus the new logo has the continuity from their erstwhile logo. It can also be seen as two hands clinging to a strong pillar in the middle. The pillar is SIB institution; the upper hand represents SIB customers and the lower hand symbolizes SIB staff members. S† also projects a Safe, Solid, Smart, Strong, Secular, Shining, Schooled, Seasoned, Successful and Straightforward Bank. (Source: South Indian Bank website). 3. 3. 3. Evaluation of the logo: Simple: South Indian Bank has a very simple logo with not too many complications, though without reading the details such as what the logo stands for, it is hard to understand the true meaning behind the logo. Effectivenes s: The new logo being adopted only in 2007, need more aggressive marketing for the logo to reach wide coverage. Colour: The new logo is that of cardinal red. Cardinal red forms one of the three primary colours, the important feature of colour red is that it stands out easily from other colours. 18 Cardinal red is often denoted as symbolic of faith an attribute which is very important for a banking institution. Other attributes include that of energy, creativity, warmth and love. 3. 3. 4 Suggestion The Bank should continue with the logo, because of it likability among the customers. Changing the Logo periodically leads to a lot of confusion among the stakeholders. Worldwide companies try to maintain their logo, which is rarely changed except for times of total restructuring. South Indian Bank should maintain and increase the visibility of the logo to such effect that just looking at the logo all aspects and details of South India Bank should be realised. 3. 4 Slogan A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a political, commercial, religious, and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose. Slogans vary from the written and the visual to the chanted and the vulgar. Their simple rhetorical nature usually leaves little room for etail, and a chanted slogan may serve more as social expression of unified purpose, than as communication to an intended audience. Your Perfect banking partner 5% Good people to bank with 5% Sales Pure banking and nothing else 4% Experience next generation banking 86% Fig 1. 3 Slogan Awareness When asked about slogan of South Indian Bank along with some well-known slogans of other Banks a clear ma jority of 86% were able to identify SIB slogan. 19 Your perfect banking partner Good people to bank with Pure banking and nothing else Experience next generation banking Fig 1. 4 Slogan Employee Awareness When asked to identify the slogan all the 15 employees were able to mark the correct option. From both the cases it can be seen that the slogan is well recognised among both the customers and the employees. This helps South Indian Bank in brand recognition. The current slogan of South Indian Bank is â€Å"Experience Next Generation Banking† which signifies the bank? s current vision of making the bank technologically advance such that the services are easily accessible for the customers and easily usable by the employees. Through years the slogan has kept on changing. ? ? ? ? ? The South Indian Bank Ltd. In Step With Progress Growing To Serve You Everywhere Your Interest Above Everything Else A Bank For All Seasons Blending Tradition with Technology 3. 4. 1. Suggestions The present slogan is clearly recognised among the customers and the employees, they are able to distinguish the slogan from other. A slogan should clearly reflect the company? s commitment and intentions. The current slogan presents the Bank? s commitment towards embracing and using technological advancement to form next generation banking. . 5 Analysis of SIB’s Brand Ambassadorship Mammootty became the brand ambassador of South Indian Bank in the year 2007. Though several reasons came up for discussion as brand ambassador, the decision to take Mammootty 20 was unanimous. Decision to take Mammootty had obvious reasons. He was very popular among the target audience of SIB. The new logo of SIB was also launched along with his in troduction and the brand ambassador increased the visibility of the brand and clicked well with the NRI sector too. Mamootty an iconic Indian film actor with three national awards and other accolades is a well-known personality all over India, he is widely recognised among the target customers of South Indian Bank. His image is easily able to connect well with both old generation and new generation, he is known as a custodian of technology products and has a clean image regarding his public persona. Brand Ambassador (Customer Opinion) Mohanlal Don’t know 14% Rajnikanth 0% 4% Amitabh Bachan 0% Mamootty 82% Fig 1. Brand Ambassador (Customer) When asked about who the brand ambassador of South Indian Bank is, a clear majority of 82% mentioned Mammootty as the brand ambassador. Brand Ambassador 0% 0% 0% Amitabh Bachan Mohanlal Mammooty Rajnikanth 100% Fig 1. 6 Brand Ambassador (Employee) 21 Completely Disagree 6% Reflects Values Completely Agree 7% Disagree 14% Undecided 18% Agree 55% Fig 1. 7 Rightly reflects the values It was asked whether Mammootty is the right ambassador for South Indian ban k, 55 % agreed to it. This is a clear reflection of the Brand Ambassadors wide recognition. Various such ads with Mammootty have been made in an attempt to create a more personal and emotional bonding between the customers and Bank. 4. 5. 1. Suggestions Here yet again a small constraint comes to any ambitious strategy of spreading bank? s reach to North India, where Mammootty even with his Pan India recognition fails in identifying with a North India customer. Here South Indian Bank can use dual brand ambassador strategy; one such example is in the case of Muthoot Finance where in Kerala Malayalam moviestar Mohanlal is portrayed for the ads, whereas in north India for the same ads Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar is portrayed. Here both are famous in their respective regions thus they can relate more to the target customers. The lagging part of the ads of South Indian Bank has often been the lack of quality ads with few exceptions and the numbers of ads are less compared to other competitors. The telecasting of these ads should be made during primetime when more people are watching television. The best strategy here is that of telecasting the ad when there are more chances for the customers to view the ad. Showing more humorous and exciting ads there are more chances of the ad getting good coverage. 22 3. Advertisements Advertisements (Customer Opinion) Never 0% Always 4% Rarely 21% Sometimes 25% Very often 50% Fig 1. 8 Advertisements (Customer) When asked about how often they see advertisements from South India Bank, 50% of them replied with very often. Very often is a good sign that the companies advertisements are reaching the customers. But the target here should be â€Å"always†, which clearly reflects the effective advertising strategy. Very Dissatisfied 0% Advertisements (Employee Opinion) Dissatisfied 6% Very Satisfied 27% Average 40% Satisfied 27% Fig 1. 9 Advertisements (Employee) 3 When asked about their satisfaction level over the advertisements of South Indian Bank, a majority of 40% found it average while 27% found satisfied and another 27% were very dissatisified. 3. 6. 1. Evaluation of SIB ADS Ad on International ATM ad starring M. Balamuralikrishnan 24 ? ? ? ? ? ? M. Balamuralikrishnan a world renowned classical musician who hails from Andhra Pradesh and a very familiar face in South India. Portrayed as himself, he receives an invite to go to America, where later in the ad he is being given a global ATM card by his son for easy usage in America. The ad has a more personal touch to it with some good background score, along with a good cast of supporting actors. No audio conversation used in the ad Being an 80 year old bank the banks approach during this time period was to show its attachment to traditions. Here again one can see the Bank? s approach of targeting NRI customers. 3. 6. 2 Gold Insurance and Mahila Account AD starring Zarina Wahab ZarinaWahab is an Indian actress and former model is a well-recognised face in India especially in North India, has also represented South Indian Bank in their ads. The idea behind casting her is to reach the north Indian customers. 25 26 ? ? ? In this particular ad she is shown as a housemaker who comes to the market wearing her full array of gold jewellery This causes concern for her friend who is worried about the safety while wearing gold, This is when ZarinaWahab informs her about the gold insurance being provided by South Indian Bank along with benefits of Mahila account in the end a clever mention of junior account by the bank is made. ? ? The ad through one small story line represents three products of South Indian Bank. The language used is Hindi. Here again the ad serves it purpose of informing customers about the services of South Indian Bank. 3. 6. 3 NRI Account Ad: Starring Mammootty Mamootty has acted in many south Indian bank ads with this AD being one noticeable one. 27 28 ? ? ? ? ? ? Shown as South Indian bank manager who gets a call from one of the bank? s NRI customers from Dubai After which Mamootty is shown visiting the customers aging parents Mammootty gives assurance to parents to inform him whenever they need him followed by some scenes of Mamootty? social interactions with the parents In the end the son returns and Mamootty leaves with the message that south Indian bank would always be with its customers The ad is well supported by its cast and the message is clearly shown. One of the better ads from South Indian Bank 29 3. 7 Sponsorship Events Sponsorship Events (Customer Opinion) Never Always 4% 7% Rarely 39% Very often 32% Sometimes 18% Fig 1. 10 Sponsorship Events (Customers) Whe n asked how often customers hear about sponsorship events from South Indian Bank 39% replied with rarely whereas 32% replied with very often. There is not much difference between those who see it rarely and those who see it very often, this is probably because the coverage of a particular sponsorship event is not same in all areas. This is the case where a certain target area is focused upon. Sponsorship Events (Employee Opinion) Very Dissatisfied Very satisfied 0% Dissatisfied 7% 6% Satisfied 20% Average 67% Fig 1. 11 Sponsorship Events (Employee) 30 When asked to respond their satisfaction level about sponsorship events by South Indian Bank, 67% found it average, while 20% were satisfied with it. This shows how communication is well maintained within the organisation, thus employees are aware of the various events being conducted. One aspect where South Indian Bank needs improvement, though South Indian Bank is contributing to sponsorships, with the recent example of Grand Kerala Shopping festival which was yet again a strategy by the bank to target NRI customer market. Sponsorship events loses its purpose if coverage is not enough. But it is clearly not enough more such sponsorship should be given by the Bank. 3. 8. Billboards Billboards (Customer opinion) Always Never 7% 9% Rarely 33% Very often 27% Sometimes 24% Fig 1. 12 Billboards (Customer) When the question of how often the customers see Billboards of South Indian Bank, 33% replied with rarely whereas 27% as very often. Here there is a small difference between rarely and very often, which shows how a certain particular target areas are focused which leads to a certain group witnessing more of it. 31 Very Dissatisfied 0% Billboards (Employees Opinion) Dissatisfied 20% Very satisfied 0% Satisfied 40% Average 40% Fig 1. 13 Billboards (Employee) When asked the same question about the billboards to the employees a majority found it both average and satisfied. Billboards are one of the oldest and still an effective means of marketing. More contribution should be made to placing such billboards in highways and main metro cities this helps in easy coverage of the Brand. 3. 9. Social Media Evaluation Social Media (Customer Opinion) Always 7% Never 10% Very often 22% Rarely 35% Sometimes 26% Fig 1. 14 Social Media (Customer Opinion) 32 When asked about the visibility of South India Bank in various social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin etc†¦ 36% responded with rarely whereas 25 % responded with sometimes. No 7% Social Media (Employees Opinion) No Opinion 0% Yes 93% Fig 1. 15 Social Media (Employee Opinion) When asked to the employees if they would like to see South Indian Bank more active in Social Media a clear majority of 93% responded with yes. This shows that the present level of presence in social media is not to the satisfaction of the employees. Social media is growing at a very fast pace with new mediums coming up day by day through which companies can communicate about their products and increase their visibility in this ever competing corporate world. Having a slogan which clearly states the bank? s commitment to embracing technology SIB should make their presence felt in social media. Here an evaluation is made on South Indian Banks involvement or usage of social media, analysis of South Indian bank? s Facebook, twitter, orkut pages, Linkedin is done. Youngsters like to spend most of their time in social media websites and companies can get the attention of these target customers through regular updates about the product and services and thus spreading awareness among the target customers. Facebook page 🙠 Things to remember: Like on a Facebook Page, in an advertisement, or on content off of Facebook, one is making a connection. A story about ones like will appear on one? s Wall (Wall / timeline- shows what all activities one does in Facebook) and may also 33 appear in one? s news feed. One may be displayed on the Page you connected to, in advertisements about that Page, or in social plugins next to the content you like. Facebook Pages you like may post updates to your news feed or send you messages. Your connection to the page may also be shared with apps on the Facebook Platform) source: Facebook. From the company perspective the morelikes leads to more visibility and thus more awareness about the company? s product and services. SEARCH RESULTS: Three for South Indian Bank were found in Facebook. LIKES: The first page shows the details of South Indian Bank, the source being Wikipedia, the page has 1608 likes and 22 talking about the page. UPDATES: The second page was created in March 2012 it is an incomplete page without any cover photo. There are no updates about any kind of services or info in the page. The page has 13 likes and 1 talking about it. BRAND AMBASSADOR – HIGHEST VISIBILITY the third page is he more active one having cover image of brand ambassador Mammootty along with his signature saying â€Å"My Card My Bank†. The profile image is that of South India Bank with its logo. South Indian Bank started the FB page in September 17, 2010. The page has 256 likes and 5 talking about the page. The page has updates about its services including youth plus, pay mate, puregold etc. It also posted links of the bank receiving awards such as best bank in asset quality among all private sector banks in India, the best â€Å"Asian Banking Web Site† award from the Charlton Media Group, â€Å"Best Bank† in the old generation banks? ategory „fe India? s Best Bank Awards? and others. There is also a link to Wikipedia giving details about South Indian Bank. QUERIES AND SUGGESTIONS were found posted in the timeline of the FB page by customers, but without any reply to them from South India Bank. Twitter: (Twitter is an online social networking service and micro blogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, known as tweets. Twitter has an option of following where twitter account holders can follow the company activities. 34 Twitter is a means of reaching out to the target audience. By tweeting (when you post an update) company? s product and services are communicated directly to the customers. If a company wants to launch a new product it can be made aware to the customers and thus valuable feedback can be gained. Promotion of the upcoming events by South India Bank can also be made through twitter. South India Bank has a twitter account but there haven? t been any tweets or updates from the Bank. The twitter page has 7 followers. Competitors such as federal bank and ICICI Bank have a well maintained twitter account with regular tweets and updates about their services. Federal Bank has 849 tweets 49 following and 221 followers, ICICI bank has 8,894 tweets, 3,556 followers, 5,436 followers much higher and active than South Indian Bank. Dated 15-6-2012 Orkut: Orkut some years ago used to be the most popular social media website in India, slowly and gradually it has lost its attractiveness with less and less people joining or maintaining an Orkut account. South India Bank has an Orkut page which has around 896 members, the page has the last update on March 16, 2012. Going through the website I ound that there had been regular updates earlier, with regular interaction with members, and equal amounts of feedback. But with less usage of orkut among members the updates and discussions have diminished. Linkedin:It is a professional social networking website. It is mainly used for professional networking. One purpose of the site is to allow registered users to maintain a list of contact details of people with whom they have some level of relationship, calle d Connections. Users can invite anyone (whether a site user or not) to become a connection. Source: Wikipedia Here companies make their presence felt with regular updates about their employees and their profile. This includes new recruits, interns etc. This gives a very good transparency among the connections, with better profile of the employee leads to goodwill in the community. South Indian Bank? s Linked In page consists of 318 employees and 888 followers (those who are regularly updated about company? s activities) Date; 15-06-2012 Competitors such as Federal Bank have 690 employees and 916 followers, HDFC has 20,376 employees and 31,364 followers, ICICI Bank has 23,040 employees and 40,729 followers. Date; 15-06-2012. 5 Other notable sites where south Indian bank can make its presence felt is google+, BIGADDA, Ibibo. 3. 10. Suggestion As clearly seen from the survey majority of the customers have not seen much activities of South India Bank in social media websites. A bank which has a slogan of â€Å"Experience next generation banking† should keep this in mind as wide usage of internet as a means of providing services is part of next generation banking. In comparison with competitors such as Federal Bank, HDFC bank, ICICI bank who have dedicated teams to contributing into social media websites, South India Bank does not have such presence in this field. It is high time that South India Bank contribute more into Social media, which can help the Bank in targeting youth market in India which has high potential. For the study it has been made sure that the right sample size is chosen. Customer years in the Bank 10 years 20% 14% 5-10 years 27% 1-5 years 39% Fig 1. 16 Customer Years in the Bank Here it can be seen that the majority of the customers that is 39% in the survey have been customers with South Indian Bank between 1 to 5 years and 27% have been customers between 5 to 10 years and thus the right sample to take for the study. 6 Number of transaction with the bank gt; 6 times a week 9% none 12% 3-6 times a week 25% 1-3 times a week 54% Fig 1. 17 Number of transaction with the bank The majority of customers in the survey make 1-3 times a week transaction with the bank. For any brand it? s all about delivery of the promise which is being given out by all the branding strategies. When the company does its marketing communication a com mitment is being made to the customers about the goodness and wellbeing of the product. Very Dissatisfied 4% Dont know about the service 10% Dissatisfied 2% Online Banking Very Satisfied 10% Satisfied 26% Average 48% Fig 1. 18 Online Banking 37 Asked about how satisfied the customers are about Online Banking 50% found it as average, while another 25% found it satisfied. Dont know about the service 13% Very Dissatisfied 0% Dissatisfied 2% Mobile Banking Very Satisfied 8% Satisfied 19% Average 58% Fig 1. 19 Mobile Banking When asked how satisfied the customers are about Mobile banking 58% felt it was average. Dont know about the service Very Dissatisfied 11% 0% Personal Loan Very Satisfied 3% Dissatisfied 4% Average 18% Satisfied 64% Fig 1. 0 Personal Loan When asked how satisfied the customers are about Personal Loan 64% felt it was satisfied. Suggestions One can see that level of satisfaction is average in terms of technological services whereas service such as personal loans is to the satisfaction of the customers. Thus the Bank really should put some more effort in services which are technologically aided. With the bank? s 38 commitment to next gener ation banking, customers expect the same from the bank, if this is not delivered it would lead to a reduction of brand value 3. 10 Internal Experience 3. 10. Customer Relation The relationship between the customer and the company helps in bridging the gap between the two. Better this relationship is the better the chances of the company surviving in the long run. South Indian Bank being in the service sector must really put a lot of effort into maintaining a healthy customer relationship. Never 2% Welcomed Rarely 9% Always 21% Sometimes 23% Very often 45% Fig 1. 21 Welcomed When asked whether the customers felt welcomed in the Bank, a majority of 45 % responded that they felt so very often, whereas another 21% felt so always. This clearly shows the good customer relationship maintained by the employees which makes the customers more welcomed. Customer relationship forms the tangible part of service brands. This shows that South Indian Bank is putting its strategies right when it comes to maintaining a healthy relationship. 3. 10. 2 Staff Motivation Employees form the driving force of any organisation. Any kind of branding of the company starts with the employees, who carry it and reciprocate it in their interaction while providing services. 39 Completely Disagree 0% Values Employee opinion Completely Agree 0% Disagree 20% Undecided 13% Agree 67% Fig. 1. 22 Values Employee Opinion To the question whether South Indian Bank values employee opinion, the employees responded with 67 % agreeing to it whereas 20% disagreeing to it. This shows the bank? s commitment to its employees. South Indian Bank first preference No Opinion 0% No 7% Yes 93% Fig . 1. 23 South Indian Bank first Preference When asked to employees if South Indian Bank is their most preferred bank for employment, a clear majority of 93% responded as yes, this reflects a good working environment and culture in South Indian Bank which makes the employees favour the bank. 40 Completely Disagree 0% Celebrates individual and team success Disagree 0% Completely Agree 20% Undecided 33% Agree 47% Fig. 1. 24 Celebrates Individual and team success A question was asked to the employees on whether South Indian Bank celebrates individual and team success to which 47 % agree with 33% undecided on it and 20 % completely agreeing to it. Here again the Bank? s commitment to its employees is clearly visible. 3. 11Technology Technology is growing at a very fast pace. With the difference between companies often based on how well they use the technology. In terms of bank currently database management forms on of the most important aspect. South India Bank adopted 100% core banking in the year 2007 making service implementation faster. Very Dissatisfied 7% Online Banking Very satisfied 13% Dissatisfied 13% Satisfied 13% Average 54% Fig 1. 25 Online Banking 41 When asked to rank the satisfaction level 54 % of the employees found the services as average. Very Dissatisfied 0% Mobile Banking Very satisfied 14% Dissatisfied 0% Average 13% Satisfied 73% Fig. 1. 26 Mobile Banking When asked about their opinion regarding mobile banking services provided by the Bank a clear majority, 73 % of employees felt satisfied with the services. 42 Dissatisfied 0% Database Mangement Very Dissatisfied 0% Very satisfied 20% Average 53% Satisfied 27% 1. 27 Database Management When asked about their satisfaction level regarding the database management by South Indian Bank, 53% felt it was average whereas 27 % felt that satisfied with it.. 3. 12 Brand Identity Prism Brand Identity Prism: In 1992 Jean-Noel Kapferer developed the Brand Identity Prism, which charts the brand identity along a constructed source and constructed receiver axis, with externalization on the one side and internalization on the other. On the externalization side brand identity consists of physical facet, relationship and reflected consumer. On the internalization side brand identity consists of personality, culture (values) and self-image or â€Å"consumer mentalisation. In this respect Kapferer positions brand personality as one factor within brand identity. Source:Wikipedia. Brand Personality: This refers to association of human personality traits to a brand to achieve differentiation. This can include many human traits such as, trustworthy, conservative, openminded etc†¦ such differentiation is achieved through continuous marketing of the brand, it gets complicated if a common strategy is not used, this may lead to confusion and no solid image of the brand. This includes character and attitude. 43 Brand Culture: Symbolizes the place of the brands origin and what values it stands for. This forms one of the most important part which helps in differentiating between brands. Self Image: Is what the consumer thinks of himself/herself while using the brand. This can be the internal mirror of customer as user of brand. Brand Physique: it forms the basis of the brand. It can be described as the outline of the brand. The physical aspects are included in this. This is what the brand does. Relationship: This stands for the relationship between the customers and the company. This helps in aiding and creating of the culture. Reflection: Is all about the consumer? s perception for what the brand stands for. It stands for customers? view of the brand. Physique Personality Brand Identity Prism Relationship Culture South Indian Bank Reflection Self Image 44 3. 13 Brand Identity Prism for South Indian Bank Physique: Banking Personality: Trustworthy, friendly, conservative Relationship: Trust and welcoming Culture: Importance to human values Reflection: Supportive and open Self Image: Sense of honesty 3. 14 Web Diagram Bank for South Indians Social Media Brand Ambassador 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% Online Services External Customer Internal Customer Mobile Banking Most Preferred Bank Advertisements Slogan Billboards Sponsorship Events Here an effort is made to find the difference between what the external customers and internal customers (employees) have opinion about South Indian Bank. This analysis is based on the common question asked to both the customer and the employees. The figures are based on percentage as the sample size of Customers and Employees differ. The weightage is given 45 to the customers? opinion based on which the same response from the employee is compared. The questions asked were based on ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Brand Ambassador Slogan Online banking Mobile Banking Most preferred Bank Advertisements Sponsorship Events Billboards Social Media South Indian Bank a bank for South Indians Here one can see a close similarity for the Brand Ambassador, Slogan, online services, mobile banking, and most preferred bank, this shows that what the opinion of external customers and internal customers does not differ much. There is a significant difference in the opinion when it comes to social media exposure of the Bank, and on the opinion if the Bank is for South Indians. When it comes to experiencing Social media the difference in opinion is wide showing that it is not uniform. Having a Bank which has a clear stereotyping name of South Indian Bank, bank should focus on avoiding on creation of such an image, thus here what the external customers perceive of the bank is different from the internal customers. Here the Bank should focus on bridging the gap in order to avoid any complications. 46 CHAPTER IV FINDING CONCLUSION 47 Conclusions and Suggestions South Indian Bank is clearly headed the right way in many aspects such as customer relationship, employee satisfaction etc. But there are certain areas where the Bank must clearly rethink its strategies. With all the good services that the Bank provides there is a limitation as to how much this acts as a marketing strategy. This may help in retaining the customers but when it comes to attaining new ones, a more aggressive marketing strategy must be adopted. With the presence of more than 80 years in the banking field the Bank has enough experience to be the top bank in the country. A rethinking of the marketing strategies should be considered by the Bank. Some suggestions have been given in this study, such as more presence in social media websites, activeness in internet banking and healthy recruitment from all parts of India to avoid any mark of being called a bank for only South Indians. 48 BIBLIOGRAPHY http://www. southindianbank. com http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Brand http://www. slideshare. net/Sarvajeet/brand-management-process-building-big-brandspresentation http://www. managementstudyguide. com/brand-management. htm

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