Thursday, December 26, 2019

Essay about American Exceptionalism and Cross-Cultural...

The study of American exceptionalism and cross-cultural communications has the ability to improve U.S. military effectiveness in USPACOM. Understanding these two cultural principles will improve effectiveness in three ways. First, it allows USPACOM personnel to understand their biases. Second, it gives USPACOM personnel a perspective on how nations in their area of responsibility may potentially view their actions. Finally, cross-cultural communications provides tools for USPACOM personnel to overcome their biases and skepticism from potential partners or adversaries, setting the stage for more effective military engagements. The importance of understanding these two cultural elements will magnify in the future due to the pending shift†¦show more content†¦national interest.† Both the National Security Strategy and USPACOM strategy place strong emphasis on communicating with nations in the region and building partnerships. A sound understanding of the cultural environment is critical in achieving these strategic objectives. Incorporating cultural understanding into the planning process gives military leaders an edge in planning effective engagements that will eventually result in better communication with both adversaries and allies and stronger partnerships across the region. To achieve cultural understanding USPACOM personnel must first exam the concept of American exceptionalism. American exceptionalism has several meanings, which led Ceaser to describe it as not a concept but a family of concepts. However, Ceaser does identify the common denominator of these various definitions as a claim to uniqueness. This uniqueness refers to the idea that there is either something different about America or something special about America. America is different is the notion that compared to other advance societies the United States is different in key social areas like religion, politics, criminal justice, birth rates, belief in personal freedom, etc. Research conducted by social scientist indicates th e United States is an outlier in these areas supporting the idea that America is literally different from other nations. The idea that America is different is a concept embraced by socialShow MoreRelatedNation-State and Transnational Entities1791 Words   |  8 Pagesand a nation; in fact even experts in this matter sometime used the terms synonymously. A state, nation, and nation-state differ from each other in a couple of ways. For starters, a nation is not necessarily political entity. Instead it is a social-cultural entity with a group of people sharing some commonality. Most notably people in a nation speak a common official language (s) and practice a same general culture. It is the shared official language and the culture that unites this people fosteringRead MoreEvil Disney, Research Response to Henry Giroux5383 Words   |  22 Pageshandedly by Walter Elias Walt Disney. He was born on December 5, 1901, one of five children. Walt had a love for drawing cartoons early on and even made money as a child by selling some of them to family and friends. When he was 16 he joined the Red Cross as an ambulance driver for WW1 after being denied service in the army for his young age. This patriotic fervor that would later shape his cartoons. When he returned home from the war he made a few failed attempts at working in different animation companiesRead MoreGoogle Inc. in China Essay7722 Words   |  31 Pagescensorship that I feel are criminal and unethical which should be removed for legal, moral, and ethical reasons. I do not have an ideological belief that everything should be published and protected within free speech. That being said the things that cross that barrier are outlined well in US law and even more harshly abroad (abuses to children, women, etc.). Although many things are horrific, it is a dangerous subject to define what should be censored and not. In this case I understand the Chinese governmentRead MoreA Critical Review of â€Å"the Ambigu ities of Football, Politics, Culture, and Social Transformation in Latin America† by Tamir Bar-on.14147 Words   |  57 PagesTamir Bar-On. Introduction: In Latin America, soccer is not a game; it is a way of life. It is mixed in with politics and nationalism. It defines social classes. How politically influential is soccer in Latin America? It is used by â€Å"various Latin American socio-economic elites in order to retard the acceleration of working class and popular discontent† (Bar-On 1997:1.8). Is it then not intriguing that women play no part in the scheme of things? I can immediately off the top of my head name at leastRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesand Paul Buhle, eds., The New Left Revisited David M. Scobey, Empire City: The Making and Meaning of the New York City Landscape Gerda Lerner, Fireweed: A Political Autobiography Allida M. Black, ed., Modern American Queer History Eric Sandweiss, St. Louis: The Evolution of an American Urban Landscape Sam Wineburg, Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts: Charting the Future of Teaching the Past Sharon Hartman Strom, Political Woman: Florence Luscomb and the Legacy of Radical Reform

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Benefits Of The Salary Costs Paid By The Enterprise

Also work reform should be able to play the maximize benefits of the salary costs paid by the enterprise. While from the perspective of the worker, work reform should establish fair competition and a fair pay system in the labor market according to the needs of different characteristics of worker levels, so that employees will feel comfortable to work and give full play to their talents and potential to improve job satisfaction with a sense of accomplishment. What’s more, workers can improve their quality; the employers care and respect their employees, improve job design, and strengthen the construction of the corporate culture. The role of unions in shaping workplaces is mainly reflected in: first, it should safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of workers, and then unions should represent workers to sign collective contracts with employers. In the implementation process of regulations and decisions on major issues, what the union or employee representatives deemed inappropriate should be put forward to the employer, to be revised and improved through consultations (Law commission of Canada, 2004). The unions also should help to guide workers and employers to enter into and fulfill the labor contract law, and with employers to establish a collective consultation mechanism, protecting the legitimate rights and interests of workers, as well as supervising the implementation of the contract. When employers violate the labor laws, regulations and labor contracts,Show MoreRelatedDirect and Indirect Cost1256 Words   |  6 Pagesindirect cost Direct cost- We can easy compare direct to fixed cost. They are very similar. Direct cost we can name this cost which are directly attributable to the sale of a product. Direct costs can be identified specifically with a particular sponsored project, or that can be directly assigned to such activity relatively easily with a high degree of accuracy.It is necessarily to good understand that cost shared expenditures are considered to be direct costs. We have 3 types of direct cost: †¢ directRead MoreEmployee Turnover And Human Resource Department Essay1567 Words   |  7 Pagesagainst higher paying jobs. Turnover rate costs might be less with the lower paying jobs but if it happens more often this can actually create a greater expense than companies with higher paid employees. The cost of replacing an employee can range as high as 200 percent of an employee’s annual salary. Some of the factors to consider which contribute to the cost of hiring new employees would be job advertisement, hiring agencies, interviewing, on-boarding, benefits offered, training the new hire, specialRead MoreWhy Housing Price Is So High1567 Words   |  7 Pagesin China today. Compare to the high tax rate, low social benefits which high medical cost, and high housing price that described above, salary rate in China today are way too low. Refer to Table II, which shoes the statistics of 2015 average salary rates at four major cities and my hometown in China:  ¥6,688 in Beijing,  ¥6,774 in Shanghai,  ¥6,682 in Guangzhou,  ¥6,634 in Shenzhen, and  ¥5,503 in my hometown – Wuhan. And there are minimum salary rates:  ¥1,720 at Beijing,  ¥2,020 at Shanghai,  ¥1,895 atRead MoreChina Is The Second Large Economy1484 Words   |  6 Pagesliving costs are too high while the salary rate is relatively low. Besides, China is developing rapidly these years, Chinese people are demanding a better life which they want to eat better food, have a better education, and live in a better house. Therefore, people in China today are confronting the problem. Why is this problem occurring? Other than the high population rate of China, there are few more reasons: 1) high tax rate, which cause high living expenses; 2) low social benefits, which mainlyRead MoreWhen One Company Acquires Another One778 Words   |  4 Pagesconsidered in relation to accounting reporting requirements. More specifically, the reporting for defined contribution, defined benefit, and other postretirement plans must be researched and the proper procedure to eliminate the two newly acquired segments must be understood. Pensions are a special category of liabilities, in that the expense for periodic costs is not tied to changes in the balance sheet. Once a pension plan is established, the company must make periodic estimates of futureRead MoreAdvantages And Disadvantages Of Minimum Wage In Taiwan1541 Words   |  7 Pagesmaintaining a reasonable standard of their living. However, some of the economists cannot agree with setting a minimum wage. They advocate that establishing a minimum wage might disrupt the economic system, create unemployment, and reduce other job benefits. In any case, no matter which views people support, establishing minimum wage is the generally implemented policy in many market economic countries (â€Å"11 advantages and disadvantages of minimum wage,† 2016). Literature Review In today’s societyRead MoreBenefits And Benefits Of Ford Motor Company1657 Words   |  7 Pagescompensation and benefits plan to remain competitive. As a result, this study focused on researching the types of compensation and benefits plans Ford Motor Company offered to its employees. The study found out that the company offers compensation and benefits plans such as base pay, variable pay, insurance (health, risk, and life), holiday pay, maternity leave, vacation, and pension. This study also determined the advantages and disadvantages of the above compensation plans and benefits. KeyRead MoreThe Financial Statement Representation of a Transaction1087 Words   |  5 Pagesquarterly financial information can be issued whenever it is convenient for the accounting department, and they published its first three quarterly reports during the 10th month of the year. Consequently the financial statement of Dawn s Data Enterprises violates the timeliness that is one of subsets of relevance. I - D. The financial statement representation of a transaction or event is verifiable if knowledgeable and independent observers would concur that it is in agreement with the actualRead MoreThe Fair Labor Standards Act Essay1747 Words   |  7 Pagesof minors, there are a number of employment practices which FLSA does not regulate. FLSA does not require: v Vacation, holiday, severance, or sick pay; v Premium pay for weekend or holiday work; v Pay raises or fringe benefits; and v A discharge notice, reason for discharge, or immediate payment of final wages to terminated employees. Wage Standards and Exemptions Covered nonexempt workers are entitled to a minimum wage of not less than $5.15Read MorePension Costs1661 Words   |  7 PagesFACT In examining the costs of pension plans, Leah Hutcherson, CPA, encounters certain terms. The components of pension costs that the terms represent must be dealt with appropriately if generally accepted accounting principles are to be reflected in the financial statements of entities with pension plans. DIRECTION AND REQUIREMENTS In this simulation, you will be asked various questions regarding basic pension plan terminology. 1. Discuss the theoretical justification for accrual recognition

Monday, December 9, 2019

Gwhyneth Chen - Piano free essay sample

Gwhyneth Chens 1999 debut recording for Pro Pianodisplays a remarkable affinity for live performance. With a formidablecombination of technical prowess, sheer resonating strength and profoundlyricism, Chen proves that she is more than capable of becoming a successor toRubinstein, Argerich or Richter. This CD presents the works of twotwentieth-century Russian composers, Alexander Scriabin and Igor Stravinsky. Both of the Scriabin pieces need, and could only be performed effectivelyby, Chens fiery and dramatic temperament. Scriabins Fantasy and Sonata No. 3allow Chen to explore her wide range of pyrotechnics, and more importantly, herability to inspire images in the listeners mind. Even through the limits ofrecording, she is able to conjure illusions within yourimagination. Stravinskys Trois Mouvements de Petrouchka opens therecording with striking rhythm and innate pulse. The composer envisioned the workas a puppet, suddenly endowed with life, exasperating the patience of theorchestra with diabolical cascades of arpeggios. Chen brings the puppet tolife, and always manages to include elements of surprise and witty sarcasm to herperformances. We will write a custom essay sample on Gwhyneth Chen Piano or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page She is at her best in the Stravinsky, having a full grasp of thepercussive writing and an amazing array of touch techniques and difficult leaps.Chen captures the vivid images Stravinsky had in mind when he wrote Petrouchka -the quick tempos, concertinas, major keys, smells of Russian food, andsweat and glistening leather boots. At the age of 19, Chen was alaureate in the 1990 Prokofiev International Piano Competition. As the youngestcompetitor in the 1994 Ivo Pogorelich International Piano Competition, Chen wonthe grand prize, and with it, the largest monetary award in the history of musiccompetitions. She then began touring the world, performing in prestigious concerthalls with world-class orchestras. If you havent had the opportunity to hearChen yet, listen to this recording and you will know you are hearing a futurelegend.

Monday, December 2, 2019

Rhetorical Analysis free essay sample

Mckibben The Case for Single –Child Families. first appeared in the Christian century in 1998. In this essay Mckibben aims to convince his readers that having one child doesn’t mean that you’re child will follow the single child stereotype, and that the environmental status of our planet will worsen if we continue to have a growing population. If we keep heating the planet at our current pace, the seas will rise two feet in the next century. † Personal anecdotes, and using and assertive serious tone are techniques McKibben used to develop a convincing essay. Mckibben begins his essay with a personal anecdote describing his trip to the vasectomy office, where he’s thrown with all these questions about having one child, and the consequences of having only one child. This shows that the essay is very personal and formal. This is also a great to catch the reader’s attention. We will write a custom essay sample on Rhetorical Analysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This anecdote is used as information for the first point that McKibben’s make in the following paragraphs, â€Å"†¦in the last ten or 20 or 30 years, our impact has grown so much that we’re changing even those places we don’t inhabit—changing the way the weather works. † Another anecdote in the essay explains how Mckibben also on how his work on environmental issues brought up population, and the decision he is making might be good for the population. â€Å"I know that by 2050 there will be almost 50 percent more Americans (and nearly 100 percent more human beings) than there are now. † Anecdotes such as these help the reader start to think about the issue that he is bringing to the forefront. The anecdotes in this story also support his main points and ideas. The anecdotes clearly provide evidence and support for the fact that our rapid population could cause many environmental issues. After the catching the reader’s attention with a personal anecdote, he transitions to a more serious tone. His serious tone helps the reader witness how he is seriously concerned about the environment, and how his one child added a lot of waste to the earth. â€Å" Americans may exceed that from the new Indians and Chinese combined. My five-year-old daughter has already used more stuff and added more waste to the environment than many of the world’s residents do in a lifetime. â€Å"When Sue and I faced the issue of how many children to have, these abstract  issues of population became personal and practical. † Mckibben also uses the tone to illustrate the importance of how considering his child is important. Through tone he began to address the cliche stereotypes that people have towards single children â€Å"I explored the myths surrounding the only child, and the cliches about one child being spoiled and overly dependent. Although these questions are emotionally charged and complex, every bit of research in recent decades shows that only kids do just fine† He also questioned if in fact are the parents selfish. â€Å"Along with doing all the research, however, I had to confront the deeply ingrained sense in many of us that there’s something inherently selfish about not being willing to have children. It’s not as strong as the sense of selfishness that can attach itself to abortion, but it’s there nonetheless, and particularly strong, I think, in people of faith. It’s the relic of our long theological wrestle with the issue of birth control. And it is not easily dismissed. Condoms may not be sinful, but selfishness must be, if anything is. The children of small families are no more selfish than any other kids—but are the parents? † The tone in this reading, also helps develop how Mckibben is considering the earth, and if him having this operation is selfish, because he wants to protect the environment. Midway through the essay, Mckibben continues to seriously discuss the controversial topics about having more than one child. â€Å"The beginning of Genesis contains the fateful command, repeated elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible, to be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. That this was the first commandment gave it special priority But there is something else unique about it—it is the first commandment we have fulfilled there’s barely a habitable spot on the planet without a human being; in our lifetimes we’ve filled every inch of the planet with our presence everywhere the temperature climbs, the ultraviolet penetrates more deeply. † This develops the fact that the bible says, be fruitful and multiple however Mckibben is still thinking about how being fruitful isn’t good for the state that our earth is already in. Towards the end of the essay, Mckibben becomes more assertive with his point on population and how it affects the environment, and how even though God said be fruitful its not God’s fault. â€Å"If we keep heating the planet at our current pace, the seas will rise two feet in the next century. Every one-foot will bring the water 90 feet further inland across the typical American beach, drowning wetland and marsh. It’s our lack of planning that changes the rainfall, which means more severe storms and worse flooding. It’s not an act of God. It’s an act of us. † This helps the reader understand that even though Mckibben believes people abided by God’s word people have abused it, by over populating and abusing what God created. More importantly the way Mckibben structured his essay shows that if he hadn’t started off with the personal anecdote, he would lack a connection with the audience instead of just starting with the assertive tone and start stating facts. These specifically designed essays help convince or at least made them think about our planet and the terror we face. Rhetorical Analysis free essay sample Every individual has traditions passed down from their ancestors. This is important because it influences how families share their historical background to preserve certain values to teach succeeding generation. N. Scott Momaday has Native American roots inspiring him to write about his indigenous history and Maxine Hong Kingston, a first-generation Chinese American who was inspired by the struggles of her emigrant family. Kingston and Momaday manipulate language by using, metaphors, similes, and a unique style of writing to reflect on oral traditions. The purpose of Kingston’s passage is to reflect upon her ancestor’s mistake to establish her values as an American immigrant where as Momaday’s purpose is to remember his ancestry through his grandmother to remind future generations of their family’s traditions. In The Way to Rainy Mountain, Momaday used a metaphor comparing his grandmother to the Rainy Mountain. For example, he writes that â€Å"[a]lthough my grandmother lived out her long life in the shadow of Rainy Mountain, the immense landscape of the continental interior lay like memory in her blood (Momaday 131). We will write a custom essay sample on Rhetorical Analysis Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This metaphor compares the immense landscape of the Rainy Mountain’s continental interior to his grandmother’s memory instilled in her bloodstream. By using metaphors, Momaday reminds young individuals of their traditional life by comparing memories with the present. Momaday was inspired by his Kiowa roots and his ancestors to write The Way to Rainy Mountain. In No Name Woman, Kingston uses the same rhetorical device but for a different purpose. For example, she writes that â€Å"[b]ut one human being flaring up into violence could open up a black hole, a maelstrom that pulled in the sky (Kingston 240). † In this quotation, Kingston utilizes a metaphor to compare the village’s violence towards her aunt’s ways of not conforming to the physical representation of their culture as the opening of a state of confusion which is described as a black hole. By Kingston learning from her aunt’s mistake, she can figure out how to set her own value system. Either stick with the traditions from her Chinese culture or conform to different ways in the American society. Another way Kingston and Momaday manipulated language to reflect on oral traditions was by using similes. A simile is a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind. When reading both passages, I came across a number of similes comparing their oral traditions with different purposes. For example in The Way to Rainy Mountain, Momaday wrote â€Å"[g]reat green-and-yellow grass hoppers are everywhere in the tall grass, popping up like corn to sting the flesh (Momaday 130). † In this quotation, Momaday explained how a corn field in the summer time is dry and when walking through the field the stalks of the corn plant may sting you. Therefore, the grass hoppers are acting as the stalks of the corn plant and when grass hoppers jump up they are stinging you, just like the tall stalks of the corn do. This simile compares the harsh conditions of the Rainy Mountains to the memory of his grandmother’s death at the Rainy Mountains during the spring. Momaday remembered his traditions mostly through his grandmother, and he used his memories to remind future generations of their traditions. In No Name Woman, Kingston writes that ‘[l]ike a great saw, teeth strung with lights, files of people walked like zigzag across our land, tearing the rice (Kingston 239). † Kingston is comparing the files of people who raided their property and home to a great saw. The teeth of the great saw strung with lights represent the bright lanterns that the villagers were holding during the dark nights. Finally, the files of people who walked in a zigzag direction across their land, represents how they ruined and destroyed their crops and livestock during the raid. This quotation represents how Kingston used the occasion of when they disturbed her ancestor’s home to kill her aunt as an example of one of her aunt’s mistake. She uses this mistake as a reminder of the establishment of her good morals in America. Despite that both passages use the same rhetorical devices, they establish their purposes using a different style of writing and a different tone. Momaday’s tone was convivial while Kingston’s tone was more stern yet entertaining. Momaday’s style of writing was archival because he spoke often of his grandmother while Kingston style of writing was collective because she spoke of her Chinese village to explain how everyone conformed in the same way. The author’s different styles of writing attract different audiences. Momaday uses a historical approach to storytelling while Kingston uses a personal and social approach. Both authors engage their readers by using metaphors, similes, and an individual style of writing. Yet they use these rhetorical devices to make different points and to draw different conclusions from the past. Ultimately, these rhetorical devices convey the oral traditions in each passage that provide the history of different cultural groups. Rhetorical Analysis free essay sample Rhetorical Analysis of â€Å"Ground Zero† by Suzanne Berne Suzanne Berne, the author and first person speaker in â€Å"Ground Zero,† uses the essay to recount her visit to the site of the horrific attacks on September 11, 2001. The burning information, or exigence, that she must get out is that Ground Zero is vastly different in person than it is in the thoughts of those who have never experienced it. She believes that the empty space is really not empty at all. The primary audience that Berne is trying to appeal to is tourists who are just seeing Ground Zero for the first time. Her purpose for appealing to this audience is to provide a new way of looking at the empty space that is Ground Zero. The secondary audience is those who have never personally experienced the sight of Ground Zero. Berne aims to explain that seeing Ground Zero in person will have a moving effect on them. We will write a custom essay sample on Rhetorical Analysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The final audience is the construction workers at the site. She uses her essay to tell them that their work inspires a sense of hope in those who visit the site. Berne’s ethical appeal includes her credentials. She is a credible because she wrote â€Å"Ground Zero† from personal experience. She saw the empty space first hand as a tourist in Manhattan. She was greatly moved by what she saw on the day she visited. Her logical appeal is to prove that seeing the former site of the World Trade Center in person leads one to believe that it is not just an empty space. The space is filling back up, and hope exists in the vicinity. Berne proves this thesis in paragraph twelve when she writes, â€Å"But it is unbelievable, to stare at so much devastation, and know it for devastation, and yet recognize that it does not look like the devastation one has imagined. † She continues to prove her thesis in paragraph twenty with the sentence, â€Å"Soon I was outside once more, joining the tide of people washing around the site. † This shows that the space is truly not empty. Lastly she proves the thesis further in paragraph twenty by writing, â€Å"And by the act of our visiting–whether we are motivated by curiosity or horror or reverence or grief, or by something confusing that combines them all–that space fills up again. † For emotional appeal, the Berne’s tone throughout the essay is very solemn with an air of amazement. â€Å"Ground Zero† inspires a mood of enlightenment and hope in the reader. Often times, people visit a place with only an idea of what they will experience. Upon arriving, they realize that their assumption was wrong and what lies before them is entirely different from their expectations. â€Å"Ground Zero† is a narrative essay that is organized into both short and long paragraphs. The diction that Suzanne Berne uses is mature and descriptive, but it could be read by eighth grade readers and up. The syntax found in the essay is composed of short sentences, long sentences, some dialogue, and some lists. The imagery presented by Berne is very vivid in the reader’s mind. The most obvious examples are found in paragraph nine with her description of the cemetery. Imagery can also be found in paragraph eighteen throughout Berne’s description of the honor guard removing the dead from Ground Zero. Figurative language, specifically a simile, can be found in the first sentence of paragraph six; it is used to describe the amount of light she sees. The first sentence of paragraph seven contains a metaphor comparing Ground Zero to a bowl of light. Rhetorical Analysis free essay sample Everyone else got to decide what would become of their lives, while she was now going to have everything decided for her. While Kim tells her story, she makes several statements that key on the readers’ emotions and get us to take her side. Kim uses good imagery when she tells about her village being burned down and her clothes scorched off. She says â€Å"I saw an airplane getting lower and then four bombs falling down. I saw fire everywhere around me. Then I saw fire over my body, especially on my left arm. My clothes had been burned off by the fire. Anyone who could imagine this happening to a nine year old wouldn’t be able to help feeling sorry for this person. To make matters for the little girl worse, she was then forced to become a poster child for the Vietnamese government to show the rest of the world. We will write a custom essay sample on Rhetorical Analysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Kim’s freedom to become what she wanted was taken from her. While telling her story, she does a very good job using these rhetorical pathos to make the reader feel sorry for her and take her side. In the story, â€Å"Untold Stories of Kindness†, an American soldier tells about the brutal reality of war.He explains that even though you may not agree with the reason for the fight or even know the truth behind the war, if you are a soldier, you have to do your job and continue fighting. He hits on the point that people want to help each other even in times of war and despair. He says that if everyone will just accept people who are different, the world will be a more peaceful place. His idea that people always want to help each other is supported by an example of a time he remembers people helping each other during his campaign in the Iraq war.After one particular fire fight that lasted nearly eight hours, Iraqi civilians helped the American soldiers clear the streets of wounded men and try to aid their injuries. People would also care for children, rebuild hospitals and schools, and feed the poor. The author of this essay uses strong imagery to make the reader have emotion towards his story. He tells about the time when insurgents detonated several car bombs killing over a hundred people. The number of people killed in this incident helps to emphasize the reality of all the people who dying in this war.He says â€Å"Cars were covered in blood as if they’d been hit with a paint sprayer. † This makes the reader try to imagine what he had to see and tries to make the reader feel the same emotions he has toward the situation. The rhetorical pathos used here are very similar to the pathos used by Kim in her story. Both of these essays made good points support the logic behind the statements and opinions in their stories. They also used good details and imagery so the audience could picture some of the things they had to see. The imagery in these stories tried to make the readers feel emotional and take the authors’ sides. Rhetorical Analysis free essay sample Facebook provides much more information about a person than can be interpreted when first meeting that person. Analyzing George’s Facebook page will give insight on how a struggling college student can keep a smile on their face while dealing with everyday problems. George’s Facebook page consists of a variety of rhetorical tools, such as the language used in status updates, analytical photographs, and interesting background information, in which he uses to explain his life as an inspired film maker/photographer in a college environment. His use of Ethos through his posted videos and background information and Pathos through photographs, unveils the life that he lives. George utilizes many options that Facebook provides to prove that this is his page. He was born on October 11th, 1990. He currently resides in Flagstaff, Arizona but is originally from Lebanon, Pennsylvania. He has listed the two companies that he currently works for, one as a director, the other as Audio Director/Utility. We will write a custom essay sample on Rhetorical Analysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Along with jobs, he has many links to television, music, and movies, some of which he has either participated or helped produce, pointing to his primary role as an amateur college student film maker. The audience that George is targeting is mainly fellow college students, with family as the secondary audience. His page suggests this due to the fact that he posts many statuses relative to fellow college students. Some posts are relative to family members only, and others are to both audiences. Furthermore, his emphasis on links to music videos proves that he is being himself; not trying to be somebody, but showing others his true self. His audience primarily consists of fellow college students, with a mixture of semi-professional film-makers. The purpose that George is trying to present seems to be very foggy. He has listed two emails, his home address, along with his phone number, and various instant messenger screen names. The reason for these listings could possibly be that he is open for contact, a possible job opportunity or he could be open to meet new people. He posts various links to websites, videos, songs, and sometimes to interesting articles. In any given post of his, he includes his thought about the subject at hand, which can be taken as a form of independency. It seems as if he is more informational rather than having a direct and concise purpose. George portrays his ideas in ways that explain his passion for film in general, which can be an example of an inspired college student whom hopes to be widely known one day. As previously mentioned, George emphasizes the media expressed on his page. He lists many movie quotes from popular movies, such as Transformers, Austin Powers, and Batman: The Dark Knight. His music selection varies greatly, from Susan Boyle to Red Hot Chili Peppers even to Lil Wayne. Movies listed are not any different, as he has Public Enemies, Iron Man, The Boondock Saints, Saving Private Ryan, and Rafiki marked as favorites. It is possible that he may not watch much television because he does not have nearly as many television shows listed as he does movies. Heroes, Family Guy, The Colbert Report, and South Park are the only shows listed. Although he does not have any books listed, there are a few that he has recommended to others such as Of Mice and Men, The Giving Tree, and The Harry Potter Series. The activities listed are Broadcasting and eating, in that order. These activities/interests listed can be interpreted as essentials for a college student majoring in Film. He has listed a few family members, his relationship status and political view as well, which can be associated with this author’s Ethos and Logos. George reveals himself as a credible source for many topics. With his employment and education listed, he gains credibility and becomes appealing to others that are in the same boat. Listing only his current employers rather than all of his past employers, he emphasizes his current situation as a part-time worker and a full-time college student. Adding to the fact that education comes before work, he only lists his job titles and not what his job entails, which may add to his credibility as a film student. Many of the videos he posts or talks about are very intriguing. His input about a short film or trailer may suggest his strive for perfection, in terms of film and how it is produced. Serious posts pertaining to ideas ranging from campus food to life in general give him a foundation to which he uses as his credibility as an informative person. George appeals to many people’s emotions through pictures and his economy of words in posts. His profile picture is of him posing in front of a lake in Las Vegas. Most of his pictures are of him only, but some include close friends and/or family members. He has many pictures that are publically viewable, which appeals to his Pathos as a person. It seems that he emphasizes his role as a college student, living with no fear or reprimands. Although his previous profile pictures are of either close friends or himself, on his timeline he has included co-workers, which may emphasize his role as a hard-worker and a college student. The overall page layout supports his purpose of primarily informing others of himself as a person. George effectively presents himself as a college student by offering insight into his own life as if you were one of his friends. He presents his personal information as if he were going to a career interview. By being himself and not trying to be someone, he appeals to many as a friendly person who takes pride in himself and everything he does. He keeps the inspiration included by the numerous posts about various topics, from film trailers to interesting articles to everyday happenings. If he was more conservative and professional, he would lose the vast majority of his audience; fellow college students. Including short films he may have participated in and films he is deeply interested in learning about, he keeps his credibility as a film student. In combining his serious opinions about various film topics and his humorous approach, George presents himself as himself; a person who is striving to be the best, by taking it one college day at a time. Rhetorical Analysis free essay sample Life or graduation as the author describes it is advancement to the next distinct level of growth. Sometimes it can be sudden and many times a soft and natural process. In the autobiographical essay, The Graduation, Maya Angelou applies three rhetorical strategies an expressive voice, illustrative comparison and contrast, and flowing sentences full of imagery to show personal growth of being caught in the adversity of racial discrimination. In an expressive voice, Angelou paints a vivid picture of a little black community anticipating graduation day in your past. Visibly with anticipation She describes the children and the teachers as being respectful of the now quiet and aging seniors. Even though it is autobiographical, an unforgettable voice in the first six paragraphs describes how they, the black children in the town, felt and acted before the voice changes to a narration in the seventh paragraph. Her meaningful voice builds the tension as she demonstrates racism destroying t he undeserved. We will write a custom essay sample on Rhetorical Analysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The same consistent, voice introduces Angelous strategy of comparison and contrast. By comparing what the black schools dont have, such as lawn, nor hedges, nor tennis courts, nor climbing ivy, reveals not only a clear illustration of what luxuries the white schools in the forties had but also how unjust the system was. The adults at the graduation focus on the differences that were previously left unspoken. This is a dummy paper. It was taken from an essay website. The black principals voice fades as he describes the friendship of kindly people to those less fortunate then themselves and the white commencement speaker implies that the white kids would have a chance to become Galileos. nd our boys would try to be Jesse Owenes The authors emotions vary from the first proclamation that I was the person of the moment to the agonizing thoughts that it was awful to be a Negro and have no control over my life to the moment of epiphany: we are on top again. Angelous rhetorical strategy of comparison and contrast serves as effectively as her brilliant, flowing sentences sprinkled with colorful simile and imagery. Poetic phrases describing a voice like a iver diminishing to a stream, and then a trickle or the audiences conditioned responses as Amens and Yes, sirs began to fall around the room like rain through a ragged umbrella paint vivid images. This is a dummy paper. It was taken from an essay website. In long flowing sentences, unspoken emotions are revealed in phrases such as lost tears were pounded to mud, and then to dust and passions expressed in the climactic denouement phrase the depths have been icy and dark, but now a bright sun spoke to our souls, as the black society rises, or graduates, above the ignorance and ugliness of discrimination. Angelou succeeds in portraying personal growth under the guise of a childs memory by using a strong expressive voice, striking examples of comparison and contrast, and long flowing sentences. Red-ribboned diplomas are not awarded at every stage of growth; more often our hearts just soar when our wings take flight above adversity. Rhetorical Analysis free essay sample Haven’s purpose in writing about this seems to be to show how much this generation does write compared to what others have said in articles and research papers. While talking about the impact that the young generation of today has on society, Haven seems to have a respectful tone for what they’re doing, as a young generation, in their writings in order to make her audience feel as though they should respect this generation’s work as well. At the very start of the article, Haven writes, â€Å"Today’s kids don’t just write for grades anymore. They write to shake the world. † In those two sentences alone there is a lot of power and it immediately grabs ones attention and forces them to question,† What is she talking about? † As you continue to read, you get a sense of who her target audience is for this article. We will write a custom essay sample on Rhetorical Analysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page â€Å"The study [of writing] refutes conventional wisdom and provides a wholly new text for those who wonder ‘whether Google is making us stupid and whether Facebook is frying our brains,’ said Lunsford. Just from reading that you know Haven wants the stigma that this generation is going to shreds through technology to stop and she seems to be addressing those that have so much to say about the young generation taking advantage of the social media available to them. Also, because this article is about technology and its effect on this generation, it could also be addressing people both young and old. After expressing opinion on how today’s children write, Haven starts providing proof to back her statements up. The place she’s getting her evidence from is a study done at a prestigious university known as Stanford University. In the study 189 students were to gather all the writing they did and out of 15,000 pieces gathered, only 62 percent of the writing was for their work. This is how she proves that the kids of today â€Å"write to shake the world. † To even further prove her point she uses one of the students that participated in the study as an example and almost a symbol for today’s young generation. She also uses the fact that the student went to get a Stanford’s master degree in modern thought and literature and a master’s degree from the University of Sussex in artificial intelligence to make him seem as though he is qualified to speak on behalf of an entire generation so that the audience feels as though he is qualified to speak on this topic, but are her sources good enough to prove her opening statement? The fact that most of her paper only talks about positive things coming from this generations writing makes paper seem a little less convincing that the stigma shes writing against is false. However, there were a few things that were from a negative point of view about this argument discussed in the paper along with evidence to back up why one shouldnt go against her point of view. For example, in the section about redefining â€Å"writing† Haven writes, â€Å"Some nevertheless insist that writing today sub-standard, littered with too many LOLs and OMGs. However, Lunsford noted that Stanford students were adept at different writing for different audiences. She addresses the critics that complain about the new text terms of this day and age with the fact a specialist in this area says that this generation is able to distinguish between different audiences. So with the question being does Haven tactics work on her audience when trying to convince them that this generation is equipped with great writers, the answer is yes. Her sources come from a liable, trustworthy, well credited place and the evidence she grabs from her sources backup her argument very well. If anything shouldve been changed about this essay, its the amount of arguments she rebuttals. She couldve found some stronger points that have been made on the other side of the argument, which would have definitely made her a lot more convinced that the source she is using is correct. Overall, as a reader, I am quite convinced that the young generation of today does shake the world through their writing due to the fact they are well adapted to the technology today and the teachings of the past. Rhetorical Analysis free essay sample Rhetorical Analysis: Dave Chappelle Dave Chappelle returns to his hometown of Washington D. C. in the year 2000, during his tour around the country, to perform for the people of D. C. During his show Killin Him Softly Chappelle effectively uses rhetorical strategies by engaging his audience, understanding the culture he is addressing, as well as exemplifying the problem with racial stereotypes and the disparity of police brutality between the African American community and the white community. As Chappelle walks out onto the stage the crowd whoops and hollers as he takes his place in front of the microphone. As the camera scans over the audience it becomes distinct that the demographic for this show is African American. Chappelle knows that his Jokes are appropriate only to this audience because of the way the jokes push boundaries. He understands that his audience will be able to understand his Jokes because most of them grew up in the same neighborhood and experienced the same racial stereotypes that he did. We will write a custom essay sample on Rhetorical Analysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page For example during his performance he commonly refers back to the audience and waits for their agreement. When talking about a very good friend of his who is white he Jokes about how this friend of his would be constantly under the influence when he would cross paths with a police officer. Chappelle then turns to the first row audience members and says now we all now what would happen if one of us walked up to a police officer high continuing on to make a Joke about police brutality. Now if the audience had been predominantly hite then they would have not been able to relate to that Joke as well. This shows that Chappelle understood whom his audience was and how to engage them because of his prior experience growing up in a predominantly African American community. Also, because of where he grew up Chappelle understood which racial slurs and stereotypes were commonly used again African Americans. He makes several Jokes about the stereotypes he has come up against while eating chicken. He comments on when he went to a restaurant and the server made a comment on what Chappelle as going to eat. This shows that because Chappelle is from an African American decent he can connect with the demographic in his audience. He identified that the majority of his audience was of African American decent as well, so he tuned his jokes to connect with them. He can also connect with the African American males in the audience because he has experienced racial profiling with police officers. He knew that the majority of the men in his audience have gone through profiling while driving on the street. That is why when he cracks the Joke the audience goes crazy ith laughter because they realize how true the statement is because they themselves have experienced this many times. He knows the context and the culture that is in his audience making him successful as comedian. Chappelle is very clear on what his message is throughout the routine because he knows exactly what he wants to say about society. Most of his Jokes focus on police brutality and profiling as well as making fun of the African American society itself. several of his Jokes he refers to his white friend. In all of the Jokes he contrasts the ifference between the way his white friend is treated and the way he himself is treated. Now although he is using humor and the audience is laughing they reside with an uneasy feeling of how true the statements and Jokes actually are. He doesnt always talk about his stories; throughout the show he mixes it up to keep the audience interested. For example after telling three hilarious stories about racial issues he started talking about Sesame Street and how mean they are to Oscar, the character who lives in a garbage can. By taking a break from the bigger social issues and talking about smaller issues for a small amount of time as well as incorporating real life stories, Chappelle is able to effectively get his purpose across. Chappelles stand up routine was a credible and entertaining way in which someone is able to identify the rhetorical situation. Chappelle was able to address the rhetorical situation effectively because of his ability to analyze the demographic of his audience, understand the community and the context of his Jokes, and by being extremely clear on his purpose. Rhetorical Analysis free essay sample By summarizing his childhood experiences, Cooper is able to clarify that being a teenager and being attracted to the same sex is not an easy obstacle to overcome. Cooper is able to draw the reader in with personal and private life experiences from his early teenage years. In the first paragraph, Cooper expresses his infatuation with his ninth-grade classmate Theresa Sanchez. Every week he evaluates with curiosity the new books she hides under her copy of Today’s Equations and he is intrigued with the fact that she is more mature than everybody else. However, as the reader moves through the body paragraphs, the subject shifts from Theresa to Cooper’s personal experiences with his friends. Cooper intentionally organizes the essay between the two characters to show contrast, to keep the reader entertained and interested, and to also provide the reader with consistency while reading the essay. Even though Cooper jumps back and forth between characters, it is effective because interchanging between the two characters keeps the reader entertained and at ease. We will write a custom essay sample on Rhetorical Analysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Behind his writing, Cooper retells the untold story of every boy who has ever had trouble accepting their selves. Throughout his writing, Cooper introduces a variety of different rhetorical devices. First he starts with detailed imagery while describing scenes as he saw them in his childhood whether they are about his mom, or his peers. Then he moves on to anecdotes that are so in depth that he leaves the reader blushing in embarrassment, and that leave the audience not only wanting, but yearning to read on. And then he moves on, using diction that is both attention grabbing and interesting, even while describing the simplest scenes. Grady Rogers, one of Cooper’s good friends, was the first person that he knew he was attracted to. While describing him, Cooper uses words like â€Å"sturdy (Cooper 121)† and â€Å"boisterous (121)† or â€Å"gapped-toothed (121)† to illustrate how he sees his close friend. This use of imagery provides an illustration for the reader to distinguish how deep Cooper’s feelings are for his friend. In addition to using a vivid use of imagery, Cooper also uses anecdotes to portray what his friend was really like. By using impacting anecdotes such as when the author describes Grady coming out of the pool, the reader is able to infer Cooper’s astonishment when he discovers he was attracted to his close friend. â€Å"The instant Grady shot from the pool, shaking water from his orange hair, freckled shoulders shining, my attraction to members of my own sex became a matter I could no longer suppress (121). † The personal anecdotes were more meaningful, and more moving, than the use of plain descriptions Cooper uses while describing his experiences at school. Throughout the essay, Cooper is also able to use a diverse choice of words. He uses words like â€Å"akimbo (122)† and†iridescent (122)† or â€Å"barbaric (127)† to illustrate what he was seeing as a young teenager. His use of diction reflects not only what he saw as a teenager, but also how he sees the scenes looking back at them as an adult. These uses of brilliant word choice is able to keep the reader interested in the story, illustrate his personal experiences with exactness, and is also able add to the use of imagery used in his essay. By using all of these elements, Cooper ties in a conclusion flawlessly. In the end, Cooper is able to find himself and he is happy about the person who he was turned out to be. He is able to justify that nobody should be afraid of admitting they like the same sex, because in the end, no one else’s happiness matters. Overall, Bernard Cooper’s essay:†A Clack of Tiny Sparks† features great promise to anyone and everyone who is fortunate enough to read it. Works Cited Cooper, Bernard. A Clack of Tiny Sparks: Remembrances of a Gay Boyhood. Cohen, Samuel. 50 Essays. Boston: Bedford St. Martins, 2007. 487. Rhetorical Analysis free essay sample Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth: Rhetorical Analysis In Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, he focuses on the harm global warming does to our planet. He wants to persuade people that global warming is real, and that they should contribute to the effort of slowing, even completely stopping, global warming. Gore uses a variety of ways to appeal to pathos and logos. One of the first things he does, is explain global warming, he them proceeds to show a short, funny cartoon to describe global warming.While this short is not exactly accurate, and looks like it is taken from The Simpsons cartoon, it is comical, and he uses this short to intrigue his audience. After drawing us in, he keeps us attentive by sprinkling these little emotional holds into his argument. Gore tells us in the beginning about his son being hit by a car when he was five years old. We will write a custom essay sample on Rhetorical Analysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This anecdote causes an overwhelming sense of sympathy and alarm but also wonder of how this relates to the argument.Then, Gore tells us tells us that the awful accident made his realize he wanted to do something important, wanted to do something to change the world, and that something was to spread the â€Å"global warning. † Almost fifty percent of the facts Al Gore uses also carry an emotional appeal, but they also are appealing to logos. Such as, if only half of Greenland and half of Antarctica melted water would cover so much land, including the 9/11 memorial, that the world maps would have to be redrawn, and he also tells us that global warming causes intense weather conditions, including hurricanes.Gore provides an audio track of a man describing hurricane reports that were coming in after making this point, and in the track the unknown man repeats â€Å"I can’t take it anymore, the water is up to my neck,† creating guilt in the audience. We contributed to that. Al Gore does a great job of presenting an appeal to pathos and logos. Al Gore uses more than just humor and anecdotes to relay information, however. He also uses expert testimony, and quantitative data by presenting a variety of charts, graphs, and pictures created by scientist, to prove his point.Gore uses a chart that shows how carbon dioxide and temperature correlate. When carbon dioxide rises, so does the temperature. At the time of the documentary, the carbon dioxide level was higher than it has ever been. He also uses a chart to show the ten hottest years in history, at that point in time, they all occurred within 14 years before. He places a higher thought of the two charts and other unmentioned, by saying that they were before unseen by the public.In addition to humor, anecdotes, expert testimony, and quantitative data to prove his point, he also throws just a few plain old facts at us. For example, Gore tells us that 200 towns and cities in the west have broken temperature records, and that science textbooks have had to be rewritten because it was before thought impossible for a hurricane to take place in the South-Atlantic, but then there was one. The hurricane was caused by warming of waters ocean wide. Al uses his variety of vehicles to present information to his advantage.While Al Gore does do a nice job of making his point, it would all be somewhat of a waist without established ethos. If he had no ethos, we would not take anything he said into consideration. When Gore introduces himself, he says, â€Å"I’m Al Gore and I used to be the next president of the United States. † Some people think that this may hurt him, but it is very untrue. He has to be a highly intelligent and well thought of man to run for president, and the votes were said to be â€Å"too close to count. Gore also establishes ethos through his dress; he is very well put together and professional. Al Gore has also written a book about global warming, and he would not be well enough equip to do so if he did not know a vast amount about it. This little piece of ethos helps him most to be taken seriously and for his audience to know that he knows what he is talking about. His audience is almost important to his ethos, and his audience is simply everyone in the world. Global warming is an issue for everyone who lives on this planet and Gore makes sure that he gets the word out. He even said that he knows that he has given his speech over one thousand times worldwide. Al Gore’s high level of ethos helps him to better appeal to the people of the world to spread the word on global warming. Al Gore was highly successful in furthering his message. When you take everything that he says and the methods he used to relay information, there is no doubt that he did.If he tells a small, or large, group of people about global warming, they are going to tell people they know about it and the word will spread. The way Gore gives his message was key. Everything he says is easy to follow and understand. He avoids anything that could cause confusion and backs up everything he says with something that correlates. For instance, the frog animation. Some people do not believe in global warming because it is gradual, but when you put a frog in water and slowly raise the temperature it also is unknowing.This example can turn skeptics into believers. Everything Al Gore says and does in his documentary adds to the success in thoroughly presenting his message. In Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, he uses an appeal to people’s logos and pathos through various techniques to persuade his audience that global warming is here and harming. His high level of ethos and knowing his audience well helps him to be taken seriously on this matter and over all being successful in giving his message to the world.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

The Invention of M Ms Candies

The Invention of M Ms Candies M Ms chocolate candies are one of the most famous treats in the world, the most popular movie treat next to popcorn, and the most consumed Halloween treat in America.   The well-known slogan by which M Ms are marketed - The milk chocolate melts in your mouth, not in your hand - is very likely a key to the candys success, and its origins date back to the 1930s and the Spanish Civil War.   Forest Mars Sees an Opportunity Forest Mars, Sr. was already part of a family-owned candy company in conjunction with his father, having introduced the Milky Way candy bar in 1923. However, father and son disagreed on plans to expand  to Europe, and in the early 1930s, estranged from his father, Forest moved to Europe, where he saw British soldiers fighting in the Spanish Civil War eating Smarties candies - chocolate candies with a hard shell, which were popular with soldiers because they were less messy that pure chocolate candies. M MCandies Are Born Upon returning to the United States, Forest Mars began his  own company, Food Products Manufacturing, where he developed, among other things, Uncle Bens Rice and Pedigree Pet Foods. In 1940 he began a partnership with Bruce Murrie (the other M) and in 1941 the two men patented M M candies. The treats were initially sold in cardboard tubes, but by 1948 the packaging changed to the plastic pouch we know today.   The enterprise was a rousing success, and in 1954, peanut M Ms were developed - an ironic innovation, since Forest Mars was deathly allergic to peanuts. In this same year, the company trademarked the familiar Melts in Your Mouth, Not in Your Hand slogan.   Forest Mars Later Life Although Murrie soon left the company, Forest Mars continue to thrive as a businessman, and when his father died, he took over the family business, Mars, Inc, and merged it with his own company. He continued to run the company until 1973 when he retired and turned the company over to his children. In retirement, he started yet another company, Ethel M. Chocolates, named after his mother. That company continues to thrive today as a maker of premier chocolates. Upon his death at age 95 in Miami, Florida, Forest Mars was one of the wealthiest men in the country, having compiled a fortune estimated at $4 billion. Mars, Inc. Continues to Thrive The company begun by the Mars family continues to be a premier food manufacturing corporation, with dozens of manufacturing plants in the U.S. and overseas. A great many name-recognized brands are part of its portfolio, not only candy brands, but also pet foods, chewing gum, and other consumables. Among the brands you may not have realized were related to M M candies and that live under the Mars umbrella include:   Three MusketeersSnickersStarburstSkittlesBountyDoveUncle Bens  Seeds of ChangeKudosBig RedDoublemintFreemintAltoidHubba BubbaJuicy FruitLifesaversWrigleysIamsCesarMy DogWhiskasPedigreeEukanuba

Saturday, November 23, 2019

paralogism - definition and examples

paralogism - definition and examples Definition Paralogism is a term in logic and rhetoric for a fallacious or defective argument or conclusion.In the field of rhetoric, in particular, paralogism is generally regarded as a type of sophism or pseudo-syllogism.In the  Critique of Pure Reason  (1781/1787), German philosopher  Immanuel Kant identified  four paralogisms corresponding to the four fundamental knowledge claims of rational psychology: substantiality, simplicity, personality, and ideality. Philosopher  James Luchte points out that the section on the Paralogisms was . . . subject to differing accounts in the First and Second Editions of the First Critique (Kants Critique of Pure Reason: A Readers Guide, 2007). See Examples and Observations below. Also see: FallacyInformal LogicLogicSophistry EtymologyFrom the Greek, beyond reason   Examples and Observations [Paralogism is illogical] reasoning, particularly of which the reasoner is unconscious. . . .Ex: I asked him [Salvatore, a simpleton] whether it was not also true that lords and bishops accumulated possessions through tithes, so that the Shepherds were not fighting their true enemies. He replied that when your true enemies are too strong, you have to choose weaker enemies (Umberto Eco, The Name of the Rose, p. 192).(Bernard Marie Dupriez and Albert W. Halsall, A Dictionary of Literary Devices. University of Toronto Press, 1991)Paralogism is either Fallacy, if unintentional, or Sophism, if intended to deceive. It is under the latter aspect particularly that Aristotle considers false reasoning.(Charles S. Peirce, Qualitative Logic, 1886) Aristotle on Paralogism and PersuasionThe use of psychological and aesthetic strategies is based, first, on the fallacy of the linguistic sign, for not being the same thing as the reality it names, and, secondly, on the fallacy of what follows somethin g is the effect of this. Indeed,  Aristotle says that the reason why persuasion derives from psychological and stylistic strategies is a paralogism or fallacy in both cases. We instinctively think that the orator that shows us a certain emotion or trait of character through his speech, when he employs the appropriate style, well adapted to the emotion of the audience or the character of the speaker, can make a fact credible. The hearer, indeed, will be under the impression that the orator is speaking the truth, when his linguistic signs correspond exactly with the facts they describe. Hence the hearer thinks, consequently, that in such circumstances his own feelings or reactions would be the same (Aristotle, Rhetoric  1408a16).(A. Là ³pez Eire, Rhetoric and Language.  A Companion to Greek Rhetoric, ed. by  Ian Worthington. Blackwell, 2007) Paralogism as Self-DeceptionThe word paralogism is taken from formal logic, in which it is used to designate a specific type of formally fallacious syllogism: Such a syllogism is a paralogism insofar as one deceives oneself by it. [Immanuel] Kant distinguishes a paralogism, thus defined, from what he calls a sophism; the latter is a formally fallacious syllogism with which one deliberately tries to deceive others. So, even in its more logical sense, paralogism is more radical than that mere sophistry which, directing others into error, still reserves the truth for itself. It is rather self-deception, inevitable illusion without reserve of truth. . . . Reason entangles itself in paralogism in that sphere in which self-deception can assume its most radical form, the sphere of rational psychology; reason involves itself in self-deception regarding itself.(John Sallis, The  Gathering of Reason, 2nd ed. State University of New York Press, 2005) Kant on ParalogismToday the term [paralog ism] is associated almost entirely with Immanuel Kant who, in a section of his first Critique on Transcendental Dialectic, distinguished between Formal and Transcendental Paralogisms. By the latter he understood the Fallacies of Rational Psychology which began with the I think experience as premise, and concluded that man possesses a substantial, continuous, and separable soul. Kant also termed this the Psychological Paralogism, and the Paralogisms of Pure Reasoning.(William L. Reese, Dictionary of Philosophy and Religion. Humanities Press, 1980) Also Known As: fallacy, false reasoning

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Construction Management Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Construction Management - Coursework Example Different sizes of projects require different services, and so before one makes a decision on the system to use to require the services, size is one of the basic things to consider. This report is about the construction project that we undertook. Being the four of us, each member was given a different role and each member had to closely work together with the other members of the group in order to succeed. Negotiation was very important in the whole process as every member of the group had to convince the other three members of the group to sign the given roles assigned to each member. Since this was a small project, we used the contract management procurement system to come up with the roles and services that each group member was supposed to perform (Rodgers, 2000, p. 87). This procurement system is very efficient in gaining greater visibility for the whole project. With the use of the procurement lifecycle, the system is able to appropriately assign different roles to different co ntractors without being unfair to one party. The procurement system A construction project requires different parties, each playing different roles in the project. In contract management procurement system, each member of the project is given a specific role to play. The members have to agree to the given task by having a head of terms which both parties have to sign. In our project, the main contractor assigns roles to the different stakeholders of the project. Each member has the power to accept the roles or refuse. The roles are then put down in a heads of terms in which each stakeholder has to sign to show compliance to the given tasks. Contract management has a strict measure of negotiation. This means that before the members agree to the given roles, they have to come together and negotiate the roles. This will ensure that both parties avoid exploitation from the other members (Walker, 2008, p. 45). Being the head of the procurement process, I had to set up a lot of terms for the whole project. It was agreed that 50% of the payments were to be given before the start of the project, and the other half to be given when the project was completed. Changes to the heads of terms had to be done through the person affected through a signed new heads of terms. This will ensure that the project management does not change the terms during the project. During the formation of the roles, each member of the project sat with the other party who was to perform the given roles; then, they started the negotiation process, and this is where each heads of terms were made. Each member gave the other member the task that they were to perform and instructed how the payments will be given out. In case of a disagreement, the project manager had to get in to consult the problem. The members then drafted the heads of terms which each one of them had to sign to show compliance to the given task (Green 2010, p. 89). After the signing process, it is assumed that each member is satisf ied with the given terms and that in case of any changes, then they had to communicate with the management, and the terms can be changed only with the agreement of the other member of the team. This type of contract management is very crucial in the definition and management of risk. Each member clearly understands the risks they are getting into and what is totally required from them. They do not therefore rise complains later. In our project, this stage was

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

An Effect of Unemployment to rape Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

An Effect of Unemployment to rape - Essay Example Alternative Hypothesis: There is a statistically significant relationship between the rates of rape and unemployment Research Design and Sample The aim of this study is to test for a significant relationship between the rate of rape and rate of unemployment. To do this rape and unemployment data from each of the 50 states will be analyzed for the year 2010. Data Collection The independent variable for this study was the unemployment rate. This is a percentage value calculated from the division of the number of unemployed people by the labor force. Someone is considered to be unemployed if they are above 16 years of age who had no employment during the period but was available and desired to work. In contrast an individual is employed if they are over 16 and worked for at least one hour during the reference period. In general the reference period is one week. The labor force is the total number of people considered to be unemployed or employed, For this study statistics on the unemplo yment and employment levels for each of the 50 states were analyzed for the 2010 period. Information was gathered from the Business First database (available at: http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/datacenter/state-employment-2010.html). The database gave the average number of people employed and unemployed for the year 2010; this was derived from information collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics how were the data collected? be more specific here and as a consequence represented the mean value from 12 months of data. As a consequence, the unemployment rate could be calculated by adding the employment and unemployment levels together (to provide the labor force value) and then dividing the unemployment level by the labor force to give a percentage of the labor force which was unemployed. This value is the unemployment rate. The unemployment rate was determined independently for each of the 50 states. The dependent variable for this study was forcible rape per 100,000 population. For this, the FBI crime statistics from 2010 were used (available at: http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2010/crime-in-the-u.s.-2010/tables/10tbl05.xls). These statistics considered many different types of crime including forcible rape in each of the states and included the number of reported incidences of rape as well as the estimated total of rape cases. The estimated total number of rapes was used for this study. Aggravated rape is defined as is the forcible sexual penetration of a woman as well as assault with this intent or attempted but not successful rape. Each incident of either rape or attempted rape was recorded as an offense within the database. Statutory rape was not included in the database and as a consequence was not part of this study. Analysis As there is no experimental manipulation of either variable, cause and effect cannot be directly tested, consequently, the analysis needs to test for correlation. In order to do this, a statistical test for correlation needs to be undertaken. To test whether there is a significant relationship between rape and unemployment rate a Pearson Product-Moment Correlation will be conducted. This test looks for a linear relationship between two variables and can describe a positive relationship, negative relationship or absence of relationship. The Pearson correlation coefficient is known as r and is a measure of how closely the data points are to the line of best fit that is described by the Pearson Product-Moment Correlation. A value of below zero indicates a negative correlation between the two variables (in this case rape and unemployment), a value above zero indicates a positive relationship, and a value close to zero indicates an absence of relati

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Bachelor Degree Essay Example for Free

Bachelor Degree Essay The need for competent bedside nurses has drastically increased and so will it continue in the future. The level of basic education that a nurse should have has always been an issue of debate and controversy. The ADN program is shorter and more concise which focuses on the clinical skills and is more tasks oriented. It lacks the theory and science behind nursing as a profession. ADN nurses usually have 2-3 years education and are focused to provide individualized care to their patients based on their diagnosis. The BSN program is a four-year degree, which is knowledge, theory and research based and the emphasis is on the entire picture of the field of nursing. The BSN nurse would use the researching and critical thinking background of her education to care for patients. Many do not realize there is a difference between the two. Both associate degree graduate and baccalaureate degree graduates take the same NCLEX board exam for licensing and enter the same job. Unlike associate-degree nursing programs where the nurses function primarily at the bedside in less complex patient care situations, the BSN program prepares the nurse to practice in all health care settings critical care, outpatient care, public health, and mental health. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing has posted a detailed position statement (2000) and fact sheet (2010) on their websites endorsing the position that the minimum entry level requirement for nurses be a BSN degree. The BSN nurse is well-qualified to deliver care in private homes, outpatient centers, and neighborhood clinics where demand is fast expanding as hospitals focus increasingly on acute care and as health care moves beyond the hospital to more primary and preventive services throughout the community. At increasing numbers of hospitals nationwide, baccalaureate-prepared nurses are being utilized in ways that recognize their different educational preparation and competency from associate-degree nurses. In these differentiated practice models, BSN nurses not only provide more complex aspects of daily care and patient education, but also design and coordinate a comprehensive plan of nursing care for the entire length of a patients stay from pre-admission to post-discharge including supervising nurse’s aides and other unlicensed assistive personnel, designing discharge and teaching plans for patients, and collaborating with patients, physicians, family members, and other hospital departments and resource personnel. Evidence shows that nursing education level is a factor in patient safety and quality of care. As cited in the report When Care Becomes a Burden released by the Milbank Memorial Fund in 2001, two separate studies conducted in 1996 – one by the state of New York and one by the state of Texas – clearly show that significantly higher levels of medication errors and procedural violations are committed by nurses prepared at the associate degree and diploma levels as compared with the baccalaureate level. These findings are consistent with findings published in the July/August 2002 issue of Nurse Educator magazine that references studies conducted in Arizona, Colorado, Louisiana, Ohio and Tennessee that also found that nurses prepared at the associate degree and diploma levels make the majority of practice-related violations. AACN and other authorities believe that education has a strong impact on a nurse’s ability to practice, and that patients deserve the best educated nursing workforce possible. A growing body of research reinforces this belief and shows a connection between baccalaureate education and lower mortality rates. Baccalaureate nursing programs encompass all of the course work taught in associate degree and diploma programs plus a more in-depth treatment of the physical and social sciences, nursing research, public and community health, nursing management, and the humanities. The additional course work enhances the student’s professional development, prepares the new nurse for a broader scope of practice, and provides the nurse with a better understanding of the cultural, political, economic, and social issues that affect patients and influence health care delivery. Throughout the last decade, policymakers and practice leaders have recognized that education makes a difference. (http://www. aacn. nche. edu/media-relations/fact-sheets/impact-of-education. References http://www. aacn. nche. edu/media-relations/fact-sheets/impact-of-education. (n. d). The Impact of Education on Nursing Practice . Retrieved May 21, 2013, from http://www. aacn. nche. edu/media-relations/fact-sheets/impact-of-education.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Free College Essays - Character Analysis in The Portable Phonograph :: Portable Phonograph Essays

The Portable Phonograph - Character Analysis    Walter Van Tilburg Clark's short story, The Portable Phonograph, is a tale about the last survivors in the world after the total destruction of a war. The author gives clues and hints of this throughout the beginning by writing in a narative voice and describing the scene in dark war-like terms. The characters are then introduced as a group of men huddled around a fire. The older of the men, Doctor Jenkins, is the leader and his character is full of personality that can be analyzed by the reader. He is the owner of the shelter that they meet in. This paper will point out the different aspects of the old man in this story and state conclusions that can be drawn from them. The men in this story are obviously amused by the slightest little things. They occupy themselves through book readings from a collection that one man has. Each of the men has their contribution to the group and together they endure a time of devastation by entertaining each other. The older man has a record player that he brings out once a week for the listening pleasure of the group. He is very proud of this treasure. It has sustained through these hard times just as he has and he limits his use of it to make it last. He owns only three steel needles and he gets one out to use because on this particular occasion, their is a musician visitor with them. The other men act as excited as children. They listen to the record and then leave the doctor's house. Doctor Jenkins is nervous and suspicious at the end of the story when the other men leave. "With nervous hands he lowered the piece of canvas which served as his door, and pegged it at the bottom. Then quickly quietly, looking at the piece of canvas frequently, he slipped the records in the case..." (Clark, page 241). He feels that "everything he has" is at risk with the greed that a time like this could produce in the other men. He is secure and comfortable with the things that he has and he doesn't trust the others. He then hides his treasures away in a safe place after they leave. As he gets into his bed he feels the "comfortable piece of lead pipe" with his hand.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Prime Bank

1. 1 Introduction of the Report In the modern competitive environment, the pursuit of service quality is now considered to be an essential strategy. Offering a superior product is no longer sufficient, as firms in the 21st century economy compete on a much broader platform. In terms of the banking sector, service quality has become an increasingly important factor for success and survival (Cui, Lewis, & Park, 2003).Provision of high quality service aids in meeting several requirements such as customer satisfaction and its consequent loyalty and market share, soliciting new customers, improved productivity, financial performance and profitability (Collet, Lancier, & Olliver, 1990; Julian & Ramaseshan, 1994; Lewis, 1989, 1993; Llosa, Chandon, & Orsingher, 1998). It has also become an important research topic because of its important relationship to corporate marketing and financial performance.In the current study the researcher intends to find out the customer service performance of P rime Bank Limited and also compare the performance with other private sector banks. The Prime Bank Limited is a national banking group that is incorporated on the 12th February, 1995 as a consequence of relentless and decided efforts of a group of entrepreneurs having excellence of experience exposure in the different fields of industry, trade and commerce of Bangladesh.To prepare a specific and precise analysis on service quality performance, the researcher will consider the SURVQUAL model proposed by Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and Berry (1988) which consists of five key dimensions like reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, and tangibles. 1. 2 Origin of the Study This report has been prepared as a requirement of the internship program of School of Business, North South University (NSU). The organization attachment started on 24 January 2010 and ended on 24th April 2010.This project on â€Å"Comparative Analysis of Customer Service Quality of Prime Bank Limited with other Pr ivate Commercial Banks† is assigned by Kazi Tozammel Huq, Assistant Vice President, Motijheel Branch, Prime Bank Limited (PBL) and it was approved by institution supervisor Mr. Muntasir Alam, Lecturer, School of Business, North South University (NSU). 1. 3 Purpose of the Study The purpose of the study is to make a comparative analysis of customer service quality of Prime Bank Limited with other private commercial banks.This study attempted to understand the customer perceptions on different service quality dimensions while dealing with these banks. The purpose is also to make recommendations for improving the quality and soundness of different services provided to the customers by Prime bank Limited. 1. 4 Statement of the problem In the current study, the researcher will use five important dimensions like reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, and tangibles to find out the customer service quality of Prime bank Limited and thus compare the service quality with other private commercial banks in Bangladesh.The problem statement, then, is stated as follows: The current study will identify the customer service quality of Prime bank Limited considering key dimensions such as reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, and tangibles and compare the performance with other private commercial banks in Bangladesh. 1. 5 Research Methodology 1. 5. 1 Research design As the purpose of this study is to make a comparative analysis of customer service quality of different private commercial banks, therefore descriptive research was undertaken to fulfill the main purpose of the study.The current study will compare the customer perceptions of service quality of Prime Bank Limited with the private commercial banks such as Dhaka Bank Ltd, Southeast Bank Ltd and Mercantile Bank Ltd under five key dimensions like tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. This research will use a descriptive study to discover the ideas and insights of these different service quality dimensions. Therefore, the current study will be characterized as a descriptive study. 1. 5. 2 Sampling method For the current study, the researcher will use the customers of four ifferent private commercial banks such as Prime Bank Limited, Dhaka Bank Ltd, Southeast Bank Ltd and Mercantile Bank Ltd as the sample for the study. For this proposed study, the population will be the customers of different private commercial banks in Bangladesh. The researcher will use stratified random sampling to collect the sample for this study. In a recent study Sureshchandar, Rajendran, and Anantharaman (2003) have also utilized this sampling method to make a comparative analysis of customer perceptions of service quality in the banking sector.The stratification will be done based on the four different banks. From each of the banks, about 20 customers will be randomly selected and thus the sample size will be 80. Data have been collected using the â€Å"personal-contactâ €  approach, i. e. the respondents have been approached personally and given a detailed explanation about the survey. 1. 5. 3 Survey Instrument In the current study, the researcher will use a questionnaire to collect the data from the sample. Structured questionnaire will be used in this research. The questionnaire used in this study is comprised of two parts.The first part contains questions about personal profiles of the respondents including age, occupation and types of accounts currently holding. Then the next and final part includes expectations of respondents according to five dimensions. These dimensions are reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, and tangibles. A seven-point Likert scale ranging from â€Å"strongly disagree = 1† to â€Å"strongly agree = 7† was used to measure the 21 items. This 21-item SURVQUAL scale is developed by Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and Berry (1988). Since Parasuraman et al. 1988) introduced the SERVQUAL instrument, many rese archers have also used, extended and developed this scale to study service quality in different sectors of the services industry (Fick & Ritchie, 1991; Babakus & Mangold, 1992; Coyle & Dale, 1993; Cronin & Taylor, 1992; Lewis & Pescetto, 1996; Smith, 1995; Buttle, 1996; Lam, Wong, & Yeung, 1997; Lim & Tang, 2000; Oldfield & Baron, 2000; Gounaris, Stathakopoulos, & Athanassopoulos, 2003). 1. 5. 4 Data Collection The study was conducted on the basis of both the primary and secondary ources of information. Primary data Primary data were collected through questionnaire from the customers of Prime Bank Limited, Dhaka Bank Ltd, Southeast Bank Ltd and Mercantile Bank Ltd. Secondary data Annual reports of PBL, Instruction circular of Head Office, Brochures of different Banks, online articles. 1. 5. 5 Data analysis procedure In the current situation, the proposed study is a comparative study which intends to analyze the customer service quality of Prime Bank Limited with other Private Commer cial Banks.As a result, after collecting the data the researcher will use Mean value to make the comparison among the banks considering the five dimensions of service quality measurement. Several studies have utilized the mean value to analyze the service quality dimensions (Joseph & Stone, 2003; Dotchin & Oakland, 1994; Cuthbert, 1996; Allred & Addams 2000). In this study, the researcher will also use factor analysis to analyze the data for the proposed study.The researcher intends to check if the scale items included in the questionnaire constituted a single dimension in the specific context of the different private commercial banks and then make a comparison between the banks. Some previous studies have also utilized factor analysis to study service quality of different service organizations (Cui, Lewis, & Park, 2003; Cuthbert, 1996; Arasli, Mehtap-Smadi, & Katircioglu, 2005). To analyze the data gathered from the survey Microsoft Excel 2003 and SPSS 12. 0 is utilized. 1. 5. 6 Su rvey Time The survey time for the current study is April, 2010. 1. 6 Limitations of the StudyThe major limitations of this study are given as follows a. There were some restrictions to have access to the information confidential by concern authority. b. For the comparative analysis only the branches of the four private commercial banks which are located in Gulshan, Banani and Mohakhali areas are selected to collect data for the research. c. In the current study only the perceptions of the customers regarding the service quality is measured. The expectations of the customers regarding the five dimensions of service quality could be measured in such study to evaluate the gap score between perceptions and expectations. . Sufficient records, publications regarding customer service were not available as per requirement. e. Non-cooperative behavior of some officials from few branches. 2. 1 Introduction of the Organization The Prime Bank Limited (PBL) is a national banking group that is in corporated on the 12th February, 1995 as a consequence of relentless and decided efforts of a group of entrepreneurs having excellence of experience exposure in the different fields of industry, trade and commerce of the country. It started operation as a commercial bank on the 17th April 1995 with a branch at Motijheel.At present the bank has 36 branches spread all over the country. It renders all types of commercial banking services to the customers of all strata in the society within the stipulations laid down the bank company act 1991 and rules and regulations formed by Bangladesh from time to time. Diversification of products and services and innovation of products suited to the needs of the customers in keeping with relevant rules and laws have made it different from other commercial banks of the country. PBL’s national business in personal banking, corporate banking and its markets are its special strengths.It maintains correspondent relationship with all over the bank s in countries. Prime Bank Limited is a forward looking and modern local bank with a record of sound performance. It is discarding its erstwhile conservative mould and in response to the current dynamic trends in locally financial activities, adopting an aggressive customer focused system. The effort that Prime Bank makes in order to portray the bank as a brand image is very strong and successful. The general image is that it is â€Å"trustworthy, efficient, helpful and committed†. The logo of the bank depicts the merger of confidence.Prime Bank Ltd. has already made significant progress within a very short period of its existences. The bank has been graded as a top class bank in the country through internationally accepted CAMEL rating. The Bank made satisfactory progress in all areas of business operation in 2004. Prime Bank offers all kinds of commercial corporate and personal banking services covering all segments of society within the framework of banking company Act and rules and regulations laid down by our central bank. Diversification of products and services include Corporate Banking, Retail Banking and Consumer Banking.Prime Bank Ltd. was designed to provide commercial and investment banking services to all types of customer ranging from small entrepreneur to big business firms. Besides investment in trade and commerce, the Bank participates in the socioeconomic development through the participation in priority sectors like agriculture, Industry, housing and self-employment. Prime Bank Ltd. want to establish, maintain, carry on transact Undertake and conduct all types of banking, financial all investment and trust business in Bangladesh and abroad. 2. 2 Mission of PBLTo build Prime Bank Limited into an efficient, market driven, customer focused institution with good corporate governance structure. Continuous improvement in our business policies, procedures and efficiency through integration of technology at all levels. 2. 3 Goals and Objectiv es of PBL Maximization of Profit through customer satisfaction is the main objective of the Bank. In addition, the others relevant objectives are: ? To be market leaders in high quality banking products and services. ? Active excellence in customer service through providing the most modern and advance technology in the different spheres of banking. To participate in the industrial development of the country to encourage the new and educated young entrepreneurs to under take productive venture and demonstrate their creativity and there by participate in the national development ? To provide credit facilities to the small and medium size entrepreneur located in urban & sub-Urban area and easily accessible by our branches. ? To develop saving attitude and making acquaintance with modern banking facilities. ? To inspire for undertaking small projects for creation employment through income generating activities. To play a significant role in the economic development of the country. 2. 4 Organogram of Prime Bank Limited 2. 5 Hierarchy of Prime Bank Limited 2. 6 Business Activities of PBL Prime Bank Limited provides a full range of products and services to its customers, some of which are mentioned below with a brief overview of the major business activities. Consumer Finance There are branches and finance centers under this division with a qualitative workforce of employees. Some of the services provided by this division are unsecured personal loans, credit cards, and vehicle related lease etc.Personal Banking There are branches with highly qualified workforce provide various kinds of loans, various types of accounts, cheques, card money etc. Corporate Banking & institutional Banking There are some branches under this division. The services provided by this division are International Trade Management, Institutional Banking, Custody and Cash Management. Custodial Service PBL equator fulfills its strategic commitment to provide custody and clearing services. Equatorâ €™s main focus is on the following: ? Commitment to quality ? Dedication to customer needs Sustained investment in people and systems International Trade Management This division is operational throughout the group and PBL’s core strength is trade finance and services. With an experience Prime Bank has developed knowledge of trade finance, which is world class. Principle services to importers include imports letter of credit, import bills for collection and back to back letters of credit facilities. Services provide to exporters include export letters of credit, direct export bills for collection, bulk letter of credit collection, bonds, and guarantees.Cash Management Prime Bank recognizes the importance of cash management to corporate and financial institutional customers, and offers a comprehensive range of services and liquidity management. Institutional Banking Through Prime Bank it is very well positioned to provide a wide range of services to institutional clients, commercial, merchant and central banks; brokers and dealers; insurance companies; funds and managers, and others. It provides relationship managers who are close to their customers and speak local language.This wide network of institutional banking facilities includes transaction, introduction, problem solving and renders advice and guidelines on local trading condition. Treasury Treasury operations had been consideration as an important avenue for income generation purpose within Head Office. In fact, in the past, income from treasury operation was quite sizable and significant to the total income generated by the bank. The treasury division publishes daily and weekly currency news letters, which provide analyses of currency trends and related issues.Seminars and workshops are conducted for customers from time to time on foreign exchange related topics. Customers can also have access to bank’s information database round the clock through phone banking. Prime Bank is one of t he first local banks in Bangladesh to integrate treasury dealings of local money market and foreign currency under one Treasury umbrella. The bank has handled significant volumes of treasury over the last several years. Prime Bank's Dealing Room is connected with automated Reuters Terminal facility thus enabling the bank to provide forward/future facilities to its corporate clients at a very competitive rate.In 2004 the treasury operation recorded an income of TK 180. 12 million excluding money market income of TK 72. 25 million. Electronic Banking Electronic Banking provides various types of support through a wide range of operating systems, sweeping transactions accessions with the provisions of reporting features or other special functions. Foreign Exchange Business Over the years, foreign trade operations of the bank played a pivotal role in the overall business development of the bank. The bank has established relationship with as many as 110 new foreign correspondents abroad t hereby raising the total number of correspondents to 350.The total import business handled by the bank during the year 2004 was tk 19564 million against taka 13428 million of the year 2003. The growth rate was 46%. The bank has also entered into remittance arrangements with several banks and exchange houses and expects to handle increased volume of remittance business over the near future. Online Branch Banking The bank has set up a Wide Area Network (WAN) across the country to provide online branch banking facility to its valued clients. Under the scheme clients of any branch shall be able to do banking transaction at other branches of the bank.Under this system a client will be able to do following type of transactions: ? Cash withdrawal from his/her account at any branch of the bank irrespective of the location. ? Cash deposit in his/her account at any branch of the bank irrespective of the location. ? Cash deposit in other’s account at any branch of the bank irrespective of the location. ? Transfer of money from his/her account with any branch of the bank. SWIFT Prime Bank limited is one of the first few Bangladeshi banks, which have become member of SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) in 1999.SWIFT is a member-owned co-operative, which provides a fast and accurate communication network for financial transactions such as Letters of Credit, Fund Transfer etc. By becoming a member of SWIFT, the bank has opened up possibilities for uninterrupted connectivity with over 5,700 user institutions in 150 countries around the world. Information Technology in Banking Operation Prime Bank limited adopted automation in banking operation from the first day of its operation. The main objective of this automation is to provide efficient and prompt services to the bank's clients. At present all the branches of the bank are computerized.At branch level, the bank is using server-based multi-user software under UNIX operating system to p rovide best security of automation. Profitability and Shareholder Satisfaction The bank had been one of the most profitable in the banking sector. The bank's return on assets (ROA) crossed 3. 75 percent in the year 2004. Even though the capital market of the country has been suffering over the last few years, the good performance of Prime Bank made sure that the banks share price remained in a respectable position. 2. 7 Products and Services of Prime Bank Limited Prime bank Limited offers various kinds of deposit products and loan schemes.The bank also has highly qualified professional staff members who have the capability to manage and meet all the requirements of the bank. Every account is assigned to an account manager who personally takes care of it and is available for discussion and inquiries, whether one writes, telephones or calls. Deposit Products ? Monthly Contributory Savings Schemes(CSS) ? Monthly Benefit Deposit Receipt(MBDR) ? Special Deposit Receipt Scheme(SDR) ? Educ ation Savings Scheme(ESS) ? Fixed Deposit Receipt Scheme(FDR) ? Current Account ? Savings account ? Short Term Deposit ? Multi Currency Account Loan Schemes: ? General Loan Scheme Consumer Credit Scheme ? Lease Finance ? House Building Loan & Apartment Loan Scheme ? Advance against Shares ? Custodial Services for investors (both individual & institutional) investing in through Stock exchange ? One stop services for payment of utility bills. ? Credit card 2. 8 Financial Position of Prime Bank Limited The financial position for the last three years of Prime Bank Limited is given below: (Taka in million) |Particulars |2007 |2008 |2009 | |Total Deposits |16481. 0 |20483. 23 |28069. 24 | |Loans and Advances |12686. 85 |16492. 22 |23219. 67 | |Investment |1996. 23 |2749. 71 |3083. 81 | |Foreign Exchange Business |31753. 70 |41930. 80 |56248. 80 | |Operating Income |1196. 20 |1593. 9 |1970. 37 | |Operating Expenditure |448. 36 |592. 28 |824. 23 | |Operating Profit |747. 84 |1001. 41 |1146. 14 | |Total Assets |19358. 93 |24249. 13 |32361. 62 | |Market value per share |307. 51 |374. 25 |879. 0 | |No of Branches |27 |30 |36 | |No of Employees |730 |777 |894 | |No of Shareholders |1727 |1993 |2620 | |No of Foreign Correspondences |422 |441 |501 | 3. 1 Literature Review . 1. 1 Service Quality Lehtinen and Lehtinen (1982) defined service quality in terms of physical quality, interactive quality and corporate (image) quality. Physical quality relates to the tangible aspects of the service. Interactive quality involves the interactive nature of services and refers to the two-way flow that occurs between the customer and the service provider, or his/her representative, including both automated and animated interactions. Corporate quality refers to the image attributed to a service provider by its current and potential customers, as well as other publics.Lewis and Booms' (1983) definition clearly states that service is a measure of how well the service level delivered matches customer expectations and delivering quality service means conforming to customer expectation on a consistent basis. In some earlier studies, researchers define service quality as the extent to which a service meets customers' needs or expectations (Lewis & Mitchell, 1990; Dotchin & Oakland, 1994; Asubonteng, McCleary, & Swan, 1996; Wisniewski and Donnelly, 1996).Zeithaml (1987) defined that service quality is the consumer's judgment about an entity's overall excellence or superiority. It is a form of attitude, and results from a comparison of expectations to perceptions of performance received. Zeithaml, Berry, and Parasuraman (1990) on the other hand, have chosen to define service quality â€Å"as the extent of the discrepancy between customers' expectations or desires and their perceptions†. Service quality has been also defined as the consumers overall impression of the relative inferiority or superiority of the organization and services (Zeithaml et al. 1990; Taylor & Ba ker, 1994). Christopher, Payne, and Ballantyne (1993) have defined service quality as the ability of the organization to meet or exceed customer expectations. Service quality is believed to depend on the gap between expected and perceived performance (Anderson, Fornell, & Lehmann, 1994). Gitlow, Oppenheim, and Oppenheim (1989) also stated that service quality is the extent to which the customer or users believe the service surpasses their needs and expectations.Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and Berry (1985) proposed that service quality is a function of the differences between expectation and performance along the quality dimensions. Service quality has been also defined as a consumer attitude reflecting the perceived overall superiority and excellence in the process and outcome of a service provider (Parasuraman et al. , 1988). Gronroos (2001) recently defined service quality as a mixture of three elements: quality of the consumption process itself, the quality of the outcome of the proce ss; and image of the provider of the service.Service quality has become an increasingly important factor for success and survival in the banking sector. Provision of high quality service aids in meeting several requirements such as customer satisfaction and its consequent loyalty and market share, soliciting new customers, improved productivity, financial performance and profitability (Collet et al. , 1990; Julian and Ramaseshan, 1994; Lewis, 1989, 1993; Llosa et al. , 1998). Bank Service quality has become an important factor in determining market shares and profitability (Andereson et al. , 1994; Spathis, Kosmidou, & Doumpous, 2002). . 1. 2 Service Quality Dimensions Since a conceptual model concerning perceived service quality was proposed by Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and Berry (1985), service quality dimensions have become an area of interest in marketing research (Bolton & Drew, 1991b; Brown & Swartz, 1989; Carman, 1990; Cronin & Taylor, 1992, 1994; Parasuraman et al. , 1988, 1994 ; Teas, 1993, 1994; Zeithaml et al. , 1996). One of the important issues related to service quality is the dimensions of service quality, and the measurement tool, SERVQUAL developed by Parasuraman et al. 1988) has been the starting point of the controversy in this area. Parasuraman et al. (1988) identify five quality dimensions which link specific service characteristics to consumer expectations of quality. These five basic dimensions are: (1) Reliability: Reliability is defined as the ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately (Parasuraman et al. , 1988). Reliability involves consistency of performance and dependability. It means that the firm performs the service right first time. It also means that the firm honors its promises.Specifically it involves: accuracy in billing; keeping records correctly; performing the service at the designated time. (Parasuraman, Zeithaml, & Berry, 1985) Reliability basically refers to the extent to which the retail service pr ovides what was promised when it was promised (Dabholkar, Thorpe, & Rentz, 1996). Zeithaml et al. (1990) defined reliability as the ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately. (2) Responsiveness: It is defined as the willingness to help customers and provide prompt service (Parasuraman et al. , 1988).It Concerns the willingness or readiness of employees to provide services. Responsiveness involves timeliness of service like: posting a transaction slip immediately; returning a phone call quickly; giving prompt service; setting up appointments quickly. According to Zeithaml et al. (1990) responsiveness refers to the motivation to help (internal) customers and provide prompt service to them. (3) Assurance: Parasuraman et al. , (1988) defined assurance as the knowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to convey trust and confidence.Assurance involves trustworthiness, believability, honesty. It involves having the customer’s best interests at hear t. Contributing to credibility includes company name; company reputation; personal characteristics of the contact personnel; how much a hard sell is employed in interactions with the customer (Parasuraman et al. , 1985). Zeithaml et al. (1990) defined assurance as the awareness and good manners of the employees and their ability to convey trust and confidence to the customers. 4) Empathy: According to Parasuraman et al. , (1988) empathy is defined as caring and individualized attention provided to customers. Empathy refers to graciousness, respect, consideration and friendliness of contact personnel including receptionists, telephone operators, etc. It includes: consideration for the consumers’ property; clean and neat appearance of the contact personnel. (5) Tangibles: Tangibles are the physical facilities, equipment, and appearance of personnel in services (Parasuraman et al. , 1988).It includes all the physical evidence of the service: facilities; appearance of personnel; tools or equipment used to provide the service; physical representations of the services (e. g. statements); other customers. Zeithaml et al. (1990) stated that tangibles are the appearance of physical facilities, equipment, personnel, and communication materials. Tangibles of service are the tangible facets of the service facility (equipment, machinery, signage, employee appearance, etc. ) or the man-made physical environment, popularly known as the â€Å"servicescapes† (Sureshchandar, Rajendran, & Anantharaman, 2003). . 1 Comparative Analysis on Service Quality For comparative analysis, the data retrieved from the perception score given by the customers of Prime Bank Limited, Dhaka Bank ltd, Southeast Bank Ltd and Mercantile Bank Ltd are analyzed in the current study. By analyzing the mean value of the results the researcher intends to find which Bank's customer service quality is more appreciable to the customers. The comparative analysis is based on the mean score of the actual score given by the customers on the items of each of the service quality dimensions. 4. 1. Comparative Analysis on Reliability dimension: In reliability dimension the customers were asked to give score about their perception on the basis of five scale items. The following Table 1 shows the comparative results in the reliability dimension for Prime Bank Limited, Dhaka Bank Ltd, Southeast Bank Ltd and Mercantile Bank Ltd. The result shows that Prime Bank receives maximum scores in four scale items except the one which asks whether the bank provides its services at the time it promises to do so. For that particular scale item Prime Bank receives a mean score of 4. 95 whereas the mean score for Dhaka Bank is 5. . Table 1: Mean Quality Scores of Prime bank Limited, Dhaka Bank Ltd, Southeast Bank Ltd and Mercantile Bank Ltd for Reliability dimension |Perception Statements in Reliability Dimension |Prime |Dhaka |Southeast Bank |Mercantile Bank | | |Bank |Bank | | | |1. When your ban k promises to do something by a |5. 7 |5. 3 |4. 75 |5. 3 | |certain time, it does so. | | | | |2. When you have a problem, your bank shows a |5. 2 |4. 95 |4. 3 |4. 45 | |sincere interest in solving it. | | | | | |3. Your bank performs the right service at first |5. 2 |4. 45 |4. 7 |4. 80 | |time. | | | | | |4. Your bank provides its services at the time it |4. 95 |5. |4. 55 |4. 6 | |promises to do so. | | | | | |5. Your bank keeps you informed about when services |5. 2 |4. 4 |4. 45 |4. 6 | |will be performed. | | | | | In terms of scale item 1 the customers of Prime Bank have relatively high perception than the customers of other banks as the bank does the work within the promised time. Prime Bank receives a mean score of 5. in this aspect while Dhaka Bank, Southeast Bank, and Mercantile Bank receive 5. 3, 4. 75, and 5. 3 respectively. Prime Bank also receives a mean score of 5. 2 as the bank shows sincere interest to solve the problems of the customers than the other banks do. Prime Bank also receives a comparatively high mean score in the aspect of that the bank keeps customers informed about when services will be performed. 4. 1. 2 Comparative Analysis on Responsiveness dimension: The responsiveness dimension consists of three items. The following Table 2 shows the comparative results in the responsiveness dimensions for the banks.The result shows that Prime Bank receives comparatively low scores in all three items of the dimension. The mean score of Prime Bank for scale item 6 is 4. 65 which is lower than Dhaka Bank and Southeast Bank. Table 2: Mean Quality Scores of Prime bank Limited, Dhaka Bank Ltd, Southeast Bank Ltd and Mercantile Bank Ltd for Responsiveness dimension |Perception Statements in Responsiveness Dimension |Prime |Dhaka |Southeast Bank |Mercantile Bank | | |Bank |Bank | | | |6.The employees in your bank give you prompt service. |4. 65 |5. 1 |4. 95 |4. 45 | |7. The employees in your bank always willing to help |4. 8 |5. 15 |4. 05 |4. 55 | | you. | | | | | |8. The employees in your bank are never too busy to |4. 5 |4. 9 |5. 05 |4. 3 | |respond to your request. | | | | The customers of Dhaka Bank perceive more about the willingness of the employees to help them than the customers of Prime Bank do. For the item 8 Prime Bank again receives a mean score of 4. 5 whereas the mean score for Southeast Bank is 5. 05 and Dhaka Bank is 4. 9. 4. 1. 3 Comparative Analysis on Assurance dimension: According to the SERVQUAL scale developed by Parasuraman et al. (1988) the assurance dimension of service quality consists of three items.The following Table 3 shows the comparative results in the assurance dimensions for the preferred banks. The result shows that the customers of Prime Bank have given low score in aspect of employees’ behavior and employees’ courteousness than the score given by the customers of other banks. The customers of Prime Bank perceive that the behavior of the employees does not inspire enough confide nce in them. Thus the mean score of Prime Bank for item 9 is 4. 6 which is lower than all other banks. In terms of employees courteousness Prime bank again receives a mean score of 4. which lower than Dhaka Bank and Southeast bank. Table 3: Mean Quality Scores of Prime bank Limited, Dhaka Bank Ltd, Southeast Bank Ltd and Mercantile Bank Ltd for Assurance dimension |Perception Statements in Assurance Dimension |Prime |Dhaka |Southeast Bank |Mercantile Bank | | |Bank |Bank | | | |9. The behavior of the employees of the bank inspires|4. 6 |5. 35 |5. 25 |4. 8 | |confidence in you. | | | | |10. You feel safe in your transactions with your |5. 35 |5. 25 |4. 25 |4. 25 | |bank. | | | | | |11. The employees in your bank consistently courteous|4. 7 |5. 25 |4. 9 |4. 65 | |with you. | | | | | |12. The employees in your bank have the knowledge to |4. |4. 8 |4. 3 |4. 4 | |answer your questions. | | | | | The customers also perceive that the employees of Dhaka Bank are more knowledgeable (Mean sc ore 4. 7) than that of Prime Bank (Mean score 4. 8). However, in this dimension Prime Bank receives a high score than other banks in terms of safe transactions with the bank. The customers of Prime Bank perceived that they feel safer while transacting with the bank than that of other banks. 4. 1. Comparative Analysis on Empathy dimension: The following table 3 shows the customers’ perception on empathy dimension of service quality which consists of four items. This comparative analysis evaluates that the customers of Prime Bank perceives high individual attention from their bank. In this aspect Prime Bank receives a mean score of 5. 0 whereas Dhaka Bank, Southeast bank, and Mercantile Bank receive 4. 7, 4. 2, and 4. 2 respectively. Table 4: Mean Quality Scores of Prime bank Limited, Dhaka Bank Ltd, Southeast Bank Ltd and Mercantile Bank Ltd for Empathy dimension |PerceptionStatements in Empathy Dimension |Prime |Dhaka |Southeast Bank |Mercantile Bank | | |Bank |Bank | | | |13 . Your bank gives you individual attention. |5. 0 |4. 7 |4. 2 |4. 2 | |14. Your bank has employees who give you individual |4. 75 |4. 9 |4. 35 |3. 65 | |attention. | | | | |15. Your bank has your best interests at heart. |4. 9 |4. 35 |4. 15 |4. 55 | |16. The employees in your bank understand your |4. 65 |4. 8 |4. 75 |4. 45 | |specific needs. | | | | | However when it comes to the aspect of employees’ individual attention towards the customers, Prime Bank receives a relatively low mean score of 4. 5 whereas Dhaka Bank receives 4. 9. The customers of Prime bank also perceive more in the aspect that the bank has their best interests at heart than the customers of other banks do. Prime Bank receives a mean score of 4. 9 in this item. On the other hand, Prime Bank receives a relatively low mean score in case of employees’ understanding of customer’s specific needs. Prime Bank receives a mean score of 4. 65 whereas Dhaka Bank and Southeast Bank receive mean scores of 4. 8 and 4. 75. 4. 1. 5 Comparative Analysis on Tangible dimension: The tangible dimension of service quality consists of five items.The subsequent Table 5 shows the comparative results in the tangible dimension for the private commercial banks that is based on the perceptions of the customers. The result explains that the physical facilities of Prime Bank are more visually appealing than other banks. In this aspect Prime Bank receives a mean score of 5. 35, which is higher than the scores of other banks. The customers of Prime Bank also perceive more that materials associated with the service are visually appealing at the bank than the customers of other banks do.Table 5: Mean Quality Scores of Prime bank Limited, Dhaka Bank Ltd, Southeast Bank Ltd and Mercantile Bank Ltd for Tangibles dimension |Perception Statements in Tangible Dimension |Prime |Dhaka |Southeast Bank |Mercantile Bank | | |Bank |Bank | | | |17. The bank has modern-looking and hi-tech |5. 2 |5. 4 |5. 0 |4. 4 | |equ ipments. | | | | |18. The bank’s physical facilities are visually |5. 35 |4. 6 |4. 25 |3. 85 | |appealing. | | | | | |19. The employees of the bank appear neat. |4. 8 |5. 1 |4. 65 |4. 5 | |20. Materials associated with the service are |5. 45 |5. 35 |4. 8 |4. 5 | |visually appealing at the bank. | | | | | |21. Your bank has convenient business hours. |5. 5 |5. 6 |5. 1 |5. 3 | However Dhaka Bank receives a mean score of 5. 4 in the scale item which refers that the bank has modern-looking and hi-tech equipments whereas Prime bank receives a mean score of 5. 2 in this scale item. The customers of Prime Bank also perceive less about the employees’ appearance than the customers of Dhaka Bank do.In this aspect Prime bank receives a mean score of 4. 8 while Dhaka Bank receives a mean score of 5. 1. 4. 2 The five SERVQUAL dimensions: An overall comparison of bank customers’ perception and grand mean scores The following table (Table 6) represents the Grand Mean scores of Prime bank Limited, Dhaka Bank Ltd, Southeast Bank Ltd, and Mercantile Bank Ltd for the five service quality dimensions. In the reliability dimension Prime Bank obtained the highest grand mean score of 5. 25 as the customers of Prime bank think the bank is highly reliable than the customers of other banks do.However, in responsiveness dimension which refers to the willingness of the employees to help customers and provide prompt service, Prime Bank obtained a relatively low grand mean score of 4. 65. In this dimension Dhaka Bank and Southeast Bank receive 5. 05 and 4. 83 respectively. This result evaluates that the customers of Prime Bank are not getting adequate and prompt response from the employees of the bank. Again in terms of assurance Prime Bank obtained a grand mean score of 4. 82 whereas Dhaka Bank receives a grand mean score of 5. 16.This dimension is defined as the knowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to convey trust and confidence. The customers of Prim e Bank perceive less about the employees’ courteousness than the customers of Dhaka Bank do. The next service quality dimension is empathy which is defined as caring and individualized attention provided to customers (Parasuraman et al. , 1988). Prime Bank obtained a grand mean score of 4. 91 which is relatively higher than the other banks. The customers of Prime Bank also think that the bank has adequate modern looking and hi-tech equipments and the physical facilities are visually appealing.So the bank obtained a grand mean score of 5. 26 in tangibles dimension while in the same service quality dimension Dhaka Bank, Southeast Bank, and Mercantile Bank receive 5. 21, 4. 76, and 4. 54 respectively. Table 6: Grand Mean Quality Scores for five SERVQUAL dimensions |Five Dimensions of Service Quality |Prime |Dhaka |Southeast Bank |Mercantile Bank | | |Bank |Bank | | | |Reliability |5. 5 |4. 82 |4. 55 |4. 75 | |Responsiveness |4. 65 |5. 05 |4. 83 |4. 43 | |Assurance |4. 83 |5. 16 |4. 67 |4. 52 | |Empathy |4. 82 |4. 68 |4. 36 |4. 21 | |Tangibles |5. 26 |5. 1 |4. 76 |4. 54 | According to results of the Grand Mean scores, Table 7 represents the rankings of the banks in five different dimensions and which is prepared on the basis of customers’ evaluation. The result shows that Prime Bank is ranked first in reliability, empathy and tangibles dimensions. However in terms of responsiveness Prime Bank is ranked as third while Dhaka Bank is ranked first. Again in case of assurance Prime Bank is ranked second whereas Southeast Bank is ranked first.Table 7: Ranking of the Private Commercial Banks on the basis of the perception of the customers on five SERVQUAL dimensions |Name of the Private Commercial Banks |Reliability |Responsiveness |Assurance |Empathy |Tangibles | | Prime Bank Limited |1 |3 |2 |1 |1 | | Dhaka Bank Ltd |2 |1 |1 |2 |2 | | Southeast Bank Ltd |4 |2 |3 |3 |3 | | Mercantile Bank Ltd |3 |4 |4 |4 |4 | 4. Factor Analysis on SERVQUAL dimensions The study also includes a factor analysis of the five SERVQUAL dimensions for four different banks using varimax rotation. The factor analysis of five service quality dimensions will help the researcher to check whether the scale items included in the questionnaire constituted a single dimension in the specific context of the different private commercial banks or not. Factor 1: Reliability The data gathered on the scale items for the service quality questionnaire developed by Parasuraman et al. (1988) are factor analyzed to check the component structure of the reliability dimension for four different commercial banks.Appendix 1 summarises the scale items used for the dependent and independent variables used for the study. Appendix 2 represents the total variance for the five service quality dimensions. In case of Prime Bank, two scale items out of five of the reliability dimension appeared to be too generalized in terms of explaining reliability and could be remove from the factor. Scal e Items 1, 2, and 3 could be retained for the final factor structure (Table 8), which resulted in a single factor and explained 30. 36% of the cumulative variation. On the other hand, all the items are grouped into one single factor in terms of Dhaka Bank (Table 9). Table 8: Factor Analysis: Prime Bank Table 9: Factor Analysis: Dhaka BankRotated Component Matrix (a, b) Component Matrix (a, b) | |Dhaka Bank | | |Component | | |1 | |ITEM 3 |. 834 | |ITEM 2 |. 810 | |ITEM 5 |. 758 | |ITEM 4 |. 742 | |ITEM 1 |. 729 | | |Prime Bank | | |Component | | |1 |2 | |ITEM 3 |. 860 |. 186 | |ITEM 1 |. 769 |-. 050 | ITEM 2 |. 428 |-. 153 | |ITEM 4 |-. 024 |. 852 | |ITEM 5 |-. 047 |. 817 | Table 10: Factor Analysis: Southeast Bank Table 11: Factor Analysis: Mercantile Bank Rotated Component Matrix (a, b) Rotated Component Matrix (a, b) | |Southeast Bank | | |Component | | |1 |2 | |ITEM 1 |. 893 |-. 005 | |ITEM 3 |. 827 |-. 237 | |ITEM 5 |. 753 |. 138 | |ITEM 2 |-. 58 |. 881 | |ITEM 4 |. 017 |. 784 | | |Mercantile Bank | | |Component | | |1 |2 | |ITEM 2 |. 850 |. 119 | |ITEM 4 |. 568 |-. 129 | |ITEM 5 |-. 084 |. 857 | |ITEM 3 |. 537 |. 607 | |ITEM 1 |. 533 |-. 534 | However, in case of Southeast Bank two out of three items again seemed too general and thus they could be eliminated from the reliability factor.Table 10 shows that Scale Items 1, 3, and 5 could be retained in a single factor for Southeast Bank and explained 41. 04% of the cumulative variation. For Mercantile Bank, Item 1, 2, 3, and 4 could be retained to construct a single factor, which explained 32. 51% of the variation. Factor 2: Responsiveness The scale items of responsiveness dimension are factor analyzed, which confirmed that the items were grouped into one factor. For Prime Bank the result in Table 12 shows that all the scale items on responsiveness dimension constitute a single factor and explained 45. 21% of cumulative variance. Also for Dhaka Bank all three of the items constituted a single factor however it explained 48. 65% of the variance.Table 12: Factor Analysis: Prime Bank Table 13: Factor Analysis: Dhaka Bank Component Matrix (a, b) Component Matrix (a, b) | |Prime Bank | | |Component | | |1 | |ITEM 6 |. 722 | |ITEM 7 |. 706 | |ITEM 8 |. 580 | | |Dhaka Bank | | |Component | | |1 | |ITEM 7 |. 853 | |ITEM 6 |. 839 | |ITEM 8 |. 170 |Table 14: Factor Analysis: Southeast Bank Table 15: Factor Analysis: Mercantile Bank Rotated Component Matrix (a, b) Component Matrix (a, b) | |Mercantile Bank | | |Component | | |1 | |ITEM 8 |. 903 | |ITEM 6 |. 810 | |ITEM 7 |. 493 | | |Southeast Bank | | |Component | | |1 |2 | |ITEM 6 |. 779 |. 287 | |ITEM 8 |. 772 |-. 296 | ITEM 7 |. 000 |. 937 | In terms of Southeast Bank, two out of three scale items constituted a single factor and thus Item 7 could be removed. The single factor explained 40. 10% of the cumulative variation. However, all the three initial items constituted again a single factor and resulted in 57. 14% of the variance for Mercant ile Bank. Factor 3: Assurance Four scale items are initialized to constitute a single factor for assurance dimension. Table 16 shows that two scale items such as Item 10 and Item 12 have shown the possibility to represent a single factor with a variance of 41. 10% for Prime Bank Limited.Item 9 and Item 11 which represent the behavior of the employees and the courteousness of the employees, seemed weak to fit in the single factor for Prime Bank as they represent only 29. 12% of the cumulative variance. Table 16: Factor Analysis: Prime Bank Table 17: Factor Analysis: Dhaka Bank Rotated Component Matrix (a, b)Component Matrix (a, b) | |Prime Bank | | |Component | | |1 |2 | |ITEM 12 |. 892 |. 171 | |ITEM 10 |. 889 |-. 154 | |ITEM 9 |. 77 |. 750 | |ITEM 11 |-. 159 |. 741 | | |Dhaka Bank | | |Component | | |1 | |ITEM 12 |. 854 | |ITEM 10 |. 711 | |ITEM 9 |. 618 | |ITEM 11 |. 539 | Table 14: Factor Analysis: Southeast Bank Table 15: Factor Analysis: Mercantile Bank Rotated Component Matrix (a, b) Rotated Component Matrix (a, b) | |Southeast Bank | |Component | | |1 |2 | |ITEM 9 |. 811 |. 129 | |ITEM 12 |. 781 |-. 054 | |ITEM 10 |. 163 |-. 830 | |ITEM 11 |. 270 |. 783 | | |Mercantile Bank | | |Component | | |1 |2 | |ITEM 11 |. 910 |. 178 | |ITEM 9 |. 841 |-. 094 | |ITEM 12 |-. 152 |. 871 | |ITEM 10 |. 477 |. 01 | In assurance dimension, three out of four scale items constituted a single factor for Southeast Bank Ltd. Item 9, 10, and 12 represents that single factor and explained 34. 15% of the cumulative variance. Item 11 that represents employees’ consistent courteousness could be removed from the scale of assurance dimension for Southeast Bank Ltd. In terms of Mercantile Bank Ltd, three items could be retained to constitute a single factor and explained 44. 66% of the cumulative variance. Factor 4: Empathy The factor analysis on empathy dimension shows that Item 17 and Item 18 are more likely to constitute a single factor for Prime Bank (Table 16).This single factor represents 37. 52% of the variance. On the other hand, three out of four scale items appeared to constitute a single factor for Dhaka Bank with 42. 08% of the variance. Table 16: Factor Analysis: Prime Bank Table 17: Factor Analysis: Dhaka Bank Rotated Component Matrix (a, b) Rotated Component Matrix (a, b) | |Dhaka Bank | | |Component | | |1 |2 | |ITEM 13 |. 836 |-. 226 | |ITEM 16 |. 828 |. 285 | |ITEM 14 |. 163 |. 875 | ITEM 15 |. 522 |-. 660 | | |Prime Bank | | |Component | | |1 |2 | |ITEM 17 |. 857 |. 312 | |ITEM 18 |. 820 |-. 323 | |ITEM 16 |. 252 |. 830 | |ITEM 15 |. 177 |-. 558 | Table 14: Factor Analysis: Southeast Bank Table 15: Factor Analysis: Mercantile Bank Rotated Component Matrix (a, b) Rotated Component Matrix (a, b) | |Mercantile Bank | |Component | | |1 |2 | |ITEM 16 |. 894 |. 083 | |ITEM 14 |. 878 |. 004 | |ITEM 15 |-. 133 |. 830 | |ITEM 13 |. 237 |. 773 | | |Southeast Bank | | |Component | | |1 |2 | |ITEM 15 |. 883 |-. 135 | |ITEM 13 |. 776 |. 415 | |ITEM 14 |-. 108 |. 891 | |ITEM 16 |. 473 |. 725 |In terms of Southeast Bank, three out of four scale items constituted a single factor and thus Item 14 could be removed. The single factor explained 40. 43 % of the cumulative variance. Again, for Mercantile Bank Item 16 and Item 14 appeared to constitute a single factor and explained 41. 08% of the variance. Factor 5: Tangibles The tangible initially contains five scale items. After factor analysis for Prime Bank Limited, the result shows that two items are too generalized and thus could be removed. Thus Item 17, 18 and 21 constituted a single factor which explained 33. 94% of the variance. Three items also constituted a single factor structure for Dhaka Bank although here the items are 18, 19, and 20 with 32. 3% of the variance. Table 16: Factor Analysis: Prime Bank Table 17: Factor Analysis: Dhaka Bank Rotated Component Matrix (a, b) Rotated Component Matrix (a, b) | |Prime Bank | | |Component | | |1 |2 | |ITEM 17 |. 778 |. 137 | |ITEM 21 |. 772 |-. 499 | |ITEM 18 |. 691 |. 291 | |ITEM 20 |. 048 |. 774 | |ITEM 19 |. 124 |. 736 | | |Dhaka Bank | |Component | | |1 |2 | |ITEM 18 |. 859 |. 048 | |ITEM 19 |. 853 |. 258 | |ITEM 21 |-. 082 |. 776 | |ITEM 20 |. 300 |. 657 | |ITEM 17 |. 224 |. 612 | Rotated Component Matrix (a, b) Rotated Component Matrix (a, b) | |Mercantile Bank | | |Component | | |1 |2 | |ITEM 21 |-. 768 |. 029 | |ITEM 19 |. 687 |. 142 | |ITEM 20 |. 25 |-. 409 | |ITEM 17 |. 269 |. 881 | |ITEM 18 |. 345 |-. 490 | | |Southeast Bank | | |Component | | |1 |2 |3 | |ITEM 18 |. 902 |-. 223 |-. 074 | |ITEM 20 |. 689 |. 427 |. 177 | |ITEM 17 |-. 059 |. 936 |. 067 | |ITEM 19 |. 458 |. 491 |-. 488 | |ITEM 21 |. 069 |. 092 |. 917 |The factor analysis for Southeast Bank in tangible dimension shows that three out of five scale items constituted a single factor which represented 30. 13% of the variance. In terms of Mercantile Bank four items constituted a single factor with 32. 88% of variance. 5. 1 Findings of the R esearch On the base of survey, theoretical analysis and practical experience of 3 months internship program the following findings are identified during the research period: ? The customer service quality of Prime Bank Limited is not satisfactory enough in terms of responsiveness and assurance of the employees in comparison with the studied private commercial banks. Customers perceived a relatively low quality in these dimensions than the customers of other private commercial Banks. The courteousness, promptness, and attitude of the employees towards their work are the critical issues and need to improve significantly to provide better quality service to the customers. ? The Bank has no segmentation to handle different type of customers. They are equally treating of all the customers to provide service. Nevertheless high status clients seek on extra honor from Bank or institution. ? It is found that the recruitment policy of the bank is not always fair. Intelligence and capability a re not always the criteria for selection. People who have good relation with influential persons have the chance to enter through backdoor. Most of the times these people do not have the ability to compete with other banks’ workforce in terms of performance.As a result the service quality and innovativeness of the bank is deteriorating day by day whereas the other private commercial banks that have a good recruitment policy are doing well and are also enhancing their reputation among talented job seekers. ? PBL has a very long hierarchy than other Bank. In some of the bank there are only 9-10 posts before Managing Director but in PBL this number is 15, which might be a cause of demotivation to the employees. ? Most of the customers of the bank ask for more quality service especially quick, accurate service and good behavior from bankers as they think a private bank should provide such quality sufficiently. Lack of Good Cooperation is identified among the work procedures and a lso among the employees of the bank which results in lengthiness and ineffective service. Recommendations As per earnest observation some suggestions for the improvements of the situation are given below: ? Bank is a service-oriented financial organization. Its business profit depends on its service quality. That’s why the authority always should be aware about their service quality and thus should take initiative to measure the service quality of the bank periodically on different dimensions. ? Management should carefully handle the different departments of general banking in regard to provide better quality service. ? The quality of customer service should be considered as absolutely indispensable. In general banking department it is necessary to implement modern banking process instead of traditional system. It should be more computerized to. ? As Prime Bank Limited is the financial institution and one depends to another to complete a process fully. So lack of cooperation should be minimized to provide prompt service