The system of Assessing for Elementary School Essay

The system of Assessing for Elementary School - Essay Example This was treated as a successful method to make them enjoy the essence of the classroom. One more thing is that children are attracted towards colors, so they take special attention in listening, and even those who do not pay attention will try to concentrate a little than what they had been doing before.Recommendations for the pictographic test:1. It should be noted particularly that a classroom is composed of all levels of students starting from dull to brilliant students, so any system, for instance, should be implemented with the notion to improve the quality of learning of all levels of students. In the case of dull students, the standard of understanding and remembering becomes quiet doubtful.Because not all the dull students will have benefits from this method. 2. The teacher should concentrate more on the performance of dull students than those who show considerable improvement.3. The choice of colors could be more of a bright nature.4. When the teacher asks the question in t erms of showing a picture and guessing, he or she should come voluntarily and help the students till they get accustomed to this method.5. This method could also be applied while conducting tests for higher class students but they should be given a partial picture so as to enhance their reasoning power and ideas.6. Finally, if a student fails even in this method the teacher should find out the spot where the student has the difficulty. Because while analyzing this test method it is comparatively an easy one to understand the lessons.

Researcch paper on human geography topic Olympic tourism and economics Essay

Researcch paper on human geography topic Olympic tourism and economics - Essay Example When tourists return home from Olympics, people back home hear stories of their experiences from them and form opinions or change their existing opinions about these countries, which may motivate them to visit these countries. Foreign tourists create an impact of major economic significance. The greater the facilities in anticipation of the Games, the greater will the number of tourists who visit the country to watch the Games. A city gains an awareness and an image by virtue of hosting the Games, which "is a very important Olympic legacy" (Preuss, n.d., p.3). The transfer of a city's image occurs through information from media reports, direct communication from tourists, advertisements and personal visits. There is also some negative impact of Olympics on tourism which is more often than not overlooked. The Games may persuade a certain group of tourists to stay away from the host city. Preuss (n.d., p.7) classifies them as avoiders, time switchers, changers, and runaways. Avoiders a re tourists who would have visited the city but for the Olympics. Time switchers are tourists who want to visit the city but would choose another time. Changers are residents who would prefer to take their holiday and leave the city at the time of Olympics. Runaways are residents who leave the city at the time of Olympics for a holiday elsewhere. On the contrary, "home stayers" are residents who opt to stay back and spend their money in the host city during Olympics, "Olympians" are tourists who travel to the host city because of the Olympics and "extentioners" are tourists who are already in the host city and who stay on longer because of the Olympics (Preuss, n.d.. p.7). Mega-sports events like Olympics, projected for their immense tourism and economic potential, have also great potential for corruption for selfish political gains. The bidding process itself poses immense scope for corruption. "Bribery, first-class travel, showers of gifts, credit cards for IOC member shopping sprees and IOC hostesses are some of the costs incurred by bidding cities" (Higham, 1999, p.82). According to Jennings (as cited in Higham, 1999, p.83), the bidding process is "a most effective means of transferring money from the public purse into private pockets." Mega events like the Olympics needs huge infrastructural facilities and the large-scale developments that a host city undertakes in anticipation of such an event ensures large-scale economic benefits to the private sector rather than economic opportunities for the residents of the host city. The intervention of business and commercial interests through Olympic sponsors has led to such dramatic expansion of Olympic s ports that "no single city now can provide sufficient urban infrastructure" (Higham, 1999, p.84). Sports of a lesser label is not associated with these problems, as they are hosted in a city within its existing infrastructure and capacity thresholds, with the atmosphere promoted due to the subculture of supporters. This might enhance the image of the host city, as the sport becomes one of its cultural attractions. This form of sport-motivated tourism brings economic benefits to the local community without causing a strain on its public

The Relationship of Social Class and Educational Attainment in the US Essay Example for Free

The Relationship of Social Class and Educational Attainment in the US Essay Introduction Social class typically refers to an individual’s position in an established hierarchy in a particular society. Classifications of people have been established in all societies since the dawn of civilization. The hierarchy may be based on wealth, ability, education, occupation, even geographical location. Historically, social class pertains to groupings to refer to occupation or role, i.e. landlord or tenant. Each grouping is accompanied by privileges and responsibilities, with varying levels of control and power within the society.   It also generally carries some type of class identity, so while it applies to individuals, it is not merely a personal characteristic, but exists within a certain context that applies to groups of people. This shared identity is affected by attitudes and lifestyle of its members, and thus establishes a â€Å"culture† or a set of values and practices. (â€Å"Social class†)   The purpose of this paper is to consider current research   that deal with the degree of correlation, if any, between social class and educational attainment in the United States. Review of Literature Education is considered the most widely used aspect that determines social position together with occupational status and income, but none of these factors are pure concepts to be taken in isolation. They are each affected by other social factors such as race and ethnicity.   Educational attainment directly affects social status in the sense that it provides credentials and access to economic benefits as well as establishes social networks.   In the period between 1940 and 1980, the number of persons to have completed higher education has increased to 68.6% of the total US population according to census data. (MacArthur and MacArthur â€Å"Measurement approaches†) The role of education in achieving social status is an important one, and attempts to study the variables that directly affect educational outcomes usually focus on parental education and occupation as well as race, gender and cognitive ability. A study of 1,927 subjects focused on the effect of self-esteem and locus of control (nature of environmental control) on educational outcomes of children net of these other factors. It was found self-esteem and locus of control affect educational outcomes independent of each other and of other variables. (Wang, Kick, Fraser and Burns 288-289) While some people are born into a class, such as royalty, most develop social mobility through shifts in education, occupation or income. There are no tangible measurements to establish social class, but it may be inferred from general guidelines based on achievements. Of the indicators of social status, education is considered the simplest and most universal, although it is limited generally up to early adulthood, when educational activity typically ends. Social class may have significant effects on educational attainment mostly because social class is typically associated with economic capacity. Wealth has a substantial impact on education because it provides access to resources that may not be available to one of lower economic means. Other characteristics of social class include levels of self esteem and locus of control, which also has significant effects on educational outcomes and occupational choice. (â€Å"Social class†) Rouse and Barrow state that students from lower socioeconomic families tend to attain less in education because they have greater psychological costs and less access to good schools that those from families with higher incomes (99). Since higher education attainment translates to occupations with higher earning potential, the long-term effect of this trend is to propagate a cyclical pattern of disadvantaged families producing low-earning progeny who will in turn raise a disadvantaged family. Attempts to break this cycle through programs like the â€Å"No Child Left Behind Act† has met with small success. Many studies conclude that smaller class sizes are the most effective way to improve student achievement. The importance of social class in influencing a person’s life prospects is investigated in the US. The goal of providing equal opportunity for all Americans in achieving success in life solely through their own efforts and skills regardless of social class is as yet not completely in place. Social class still has a great influence on an individual’s chance in leading a productive existence despite efforts to level the playing field. The tendency for parents, even in an open and fair democracy, to extend the advantages which they have to further the interests of their children prevails, resulting in a greater access to opportunities and resources. This is especially true of people from the higher socioeconomic class in the United States. (McMurrer and Sawhill â€Å"Class Still Matters†) Data from following the progress of 20,000 eight graders from 1988 to 1994 from the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS) of 1988 provided a wealth of information about the educational experiences of the subjects. The subjects were divided in four groups based on their socioeconomic status, the first group (Group 1) being the most advantaged and the fourth group (Group 4) the most disadvantaged. Results showed that the average test scores of children from Group 1 were higher that those from Group 4. Group 4 children were more likely to be held back and to drop out of high school than those in Group 1. The results also suggest that parental abilities, which may be hereditary, may account for the economic status of the family, and should also be considered as an influence on educational attainment. (Rouse and Barrow 100-102) A study by Gordon Dahl and Lance Lochner focused on the effect of higher income on academic performance. They found for every $ 1,000 increase in income for a family with two children, math and reading scores also increased up to 5%. (Rouse and Barrow 104) The correlation between fathers and sons in the US with regards to income and occupations is very strong, to a degree of 0.4, which means that there is a significant probability that an adult son will approximate the income of the father, and sons of white collar workers has double the probability than sons of blue collar workers to become a white collar worker. (McMurrer and Sawhill â€Å"Class Still Matters†) Source: http://www.urban.org/publications/307017.html#chart2#chart2 Recent trends suggest that the attainment of higher education has begun to change this pattern of occupational mimicry. This is fueled by the economic boom in the US which has unfortunately slowed down, and the trend of an upwardly mobile labor force has slowed down with it. Overall, upward mobility composition is that of growing individual opportunity (college education) and a lackluster economy. Social class in no longer the force it had been before, which will benefit people from the lower socioeconomic brackets. For those in the upper social strata, the emphasis on individual ability and skills and the decline of social class importance will likely result in a drop in social status. (McMurrer and Sawhill â€Å"The Offsetting Effect of Economic Growth†) One considerable portion of the US population which may benefit from this decline in insular social classification is second-generation Americans, or those who were born in the US of immigrant parents. Nearly one-fourth of young Americans are second-generation immigrants and most are found in the cities like Los Angeles. Recent migration trends in the US have transformed the social character of American society to a marked degree. The long-term effects of these patterns are most evident in the educational attainment profile of the population. On average, these second generation population, especially those of Asian ethnic origin, exhibit better academic performance than native-born Americans. As an illustration, 32% of all Asian high school graduates who applied for slots in the University of California was accepted, as compared to 16% eligible native-born American, and 7% of Latino-descended applicants. (Feliciano) Feliciano accounts for these disparities by considering two explanations: cultural values, belief systems and attitude differences, i.e. children of Asian families tend to be more successful because of the high currency placed on academic achievement; and structural differences, i.e. accessibility of opportunities and resources. Immigrant social class status may be different before and after migration to the US, which could explain why some groups are more successful at overcoming barriers to educational attainment such as poverty and low socioeconomic status than others. To investigate this theory, relevant pre-migration information on educational levels in 31 immigrant groups was determined by cross-referencing census data in the US and the home country of the immigrant group from 1997 to 2001, using the Net Difference Index. The subjects were second-generation Americans ages 20-40 with at least some college education. Results show that immigrants to the US tended to have attained higher educational levels than those who stayed in the home country, especially those who come from countries remote from the US, such as Asian countries. (Feliciano â€Å"Methodology†) In considering the correlation of pre-migration class status with second-generation educational attainment, a strong positive relationship was revealed.   Regardless to their social status in the US, children of highly-educated immigrants demonstrated the highest educational attainment rates. While pre-migration class status had a significant effect on second-generation educational attainment, economic security in the US as a factor accounted for 41% of the variability. In effect, to accurately account for ethnic variability in academic success among second-generation Americans, social status of the parents before and after migration should be considered. Such cross-referencing adequately explains 60% of the disparity in educational attainment observed in this population segment. (Feliciano â€Å"Pre-Migration Origins and Second Generation Outcomes†) Summary   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Social class is a nebulous concept that dictates the individual’s eventual role in society to a great extent. Educational attainment depends in a significant way on social class because of the socioeconomic factors that influence is such as income, occupation and family values are all related to social class. Individuals from the higher social class are more likely to have parents who possess high cognitive ability, more self-esteem, more money and better access to resources that would enable the attainment of higher education such as college. Second-generation Americans with immigrant parents who have lower social status in the US but higher social status in the home country are more likely as well to complete a college education. However, public policies and other programs aimed at providing higher education access to individuals from lower social classes could help to break the like father-like son trend in educational attainment and occupational choice and facilitate an upwardly mobile majority. References â€Å"Social class.† Encyclopedia of Public Health. 2007. 15 March 2007. http://www.answers.com/topic/class-structure Feliciano, Cynthia. â€Å"Another way to assess the second generation: look at the parents.† Migration Information Source. 1 May 2006. 15 March 2007. http://www.migrationinformation.org/Feature/display.cfm?id=396 MacArthur, John D. and MacArthur, Catherine T. â€Å"Educational Status.† UCSF. 8 August 2001. 15 March 2007. http://www.macses.ucsf.edu/Research/Social%20Environment/notebook/education.html Mani, Anandi and Mullin, Charles H. â€Å"Choosing the right pond: social approval and occupational choice.† Williams College. October 2001. 15 March 2007. http://www.williams.edu/Economics/mani/manimullin.pdf McMurrer, Daniel P. and Sawhill, Isabel V. â€Å"The declining importance of class.† Urban Institute. Number 4 in Series, Opportunity in America 01 April 1997. 15 March 2007. http://www.urban.org/publications/307017.html Rouse, Cecilia Elena and Barrow, Lisa. â€Å"U.S. elementary and secondary schools: equalizing opportunity or replicating the status quo?† The Future of Children 16.2 (2006) 15 March 2007. http://www.futureofchildren.org/usr_doc/06_5563_Rouse-Barrow.pdf Wang, Li-Ya, Kick, Edward, Fraser, James, and Burns, Thomas Jerome. â€Å"Status attainment in America: the roles of locus of control and self-esteem in educational and occupational outcomes.† The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. (2007) 15 March 2007. http://www.unc.edu/~fraser18/publications/Locus_of_Control_SelfEsteem_%20and_Status_Attainment.pdf

The Product In Service Marketing Mix

The Product In Service Marketing Mix The service marketing mix is also known as an extended marketing mix and is an integral part of a service . The service marketing mix consists of 7 Ps as compared to the 4 Ps of a product marketing mix. Simply said, the service marketing mix assumes the service as a product itself. However it adds 3 more Ps which are required for optimum service delivery. servicemarketingmix Service Marketing Mix The product marketing mix consists of the 4 Ps which are Product, Pricing, Promotions and Placement. These are discussed in my article on product marketing mix the 4 Ps. Product The product in service marketing mix is intangible in nature. The product element of the marketing mix includes the tangible good and all of the services that accompany that good to produce the final product. A product is a package, or bundle, of goods and services that comprise the total offering. For example, the purchase of a hotel room includes the guest room, fitness center, pool, restaurants, valet service, concierge, housekeeping service, etc. A restaurant meal consists of the actual food, host/hostess, and waiters, etc. Finally, a travel experience consists of a chain of products and services starting atthe time of purchase and ending upon returning from the trip. Everything in between, such as hotel service, restaurants, and transportation (including taxis and buses), affect the overall experience. Some of the variables that are part of the product decision include variety, quality, design, features/amenities, brand name, packaging, supporting services, and warranties. As stated earlier, the decision regarding the proper mix of goods and services is based on the wants and needs of consumers (the concept of marketing. Place The place element of the marketing mix includes the distribution and logistics of producing a product or service and making it available to the final consumer. The location of a manufacturing or wholesaling facility is determined by considering the costs of resources such as labor, raw materials, and real estate. In addition, it is necessary to have access to the preferred mode(s) of transportation for delivering the products to wholesalers and retailers. The location of a retail establishment is based mainly on accessibility to the final consumers. Services have relatively short channels of distribution and focus most of their efforts on finding retail locations that are convenient for consumers. For example, restaurants tend to choose high traffic areas close to shopping and other attractions. Similarly, hotels locate their facilities in areas such as airports, urban centers, industrial centers, and tourist attractions that are accessible to their respective target markets. Some of the variables that are part of the place decision include the type of channel, location, assortments, coverage area, inventory, and transportation. Many service providers overlook the importance of this variable in the strategic planning process. The channel of distribution tends to be shorter for the marketing of services than that for goods, and most service providers act as manufacturer and retailer. Many managers in service firms assume that once the initial location is determined this variable diminishes in importance. However, hotels and restaurants do switch their operations to a more favorable location on occasion. This is a major decision involving company time and resources, but it can result in long-term growth and increased profit if handled properly. Another good example of a place decision for a hotel is the Harborside Hyatt in Boston, Massachusetts.. Promotion The promotion element of the marketing mix includes all of the communications associated with marketing a product or service. The promotion mix consists of four elements: advertising, personal selling, publicity, and sales promotion. Advertising and publicity are forms of mass communication using a variety of mediums such as television, radio, newspaper, magazines, direct mail, and the Internet. Advertising is a paid form of mass communication with an identified sponsor, while publicity is a non-paid form of mass communication without a sponsor (i.e., it is free and objective). Personal selling is a form of interpersonal communication sponsored by the firm. Sales promotion is a short-term inducement to purchase a product or service. Some examples of sales promotions are contests, sweepstakes, premiums, and product bundles. Pricing Pricing in case of services is rather more difficult than in case of products. Price. Price is the value placed on a product or service. Other terms that can be used to refer to the price component of the marketing mix are: fee, rate, tuition, premium, and toll. There are non-monetary elements to price as well as the more obvious monetary elements. Some examples of non-monetary price are the time it takes to search and evaluate alternative products or services and the convenience of location. If a consumer drives to several locations to shop for a product or service, then there are costs associated with time, gas, and depreciation on the car. Also, there could be tolls for highways, bridges, or subways. In the end, it is the perceived price or the perceived value the consumer associates with a product or service that influences the purchase and the level of customers satisfaction. Value is the trade off between price and quality the benefits the consumer receives for the pr ice paid. Here on we start towards the extended service marketing mix. People : The role of the service employee becomes much more critical since to a very real extent the employee is the service, given the absence of any tangible artifact. They carry the responsibility of projecting the image of the service firm. Because of the inseparability of production and consumption of services, service delivery is characterized by interactions between customers and service employees. Service employees who experience positive human resource practices can devote their energies and resources to effectively serving their customers. The service firms human resource management practices can create an environment that elicit more positive, courteous and helpful behavior from the employees toward customers. In turn, the behavior that employees display will positively impact on service quality. Physical Evidence : Physical evidence of service includes all the tangible representations of service such as clear signage, good ventilation, adequate space, internet presence, equipment and facility. As services are intangible, customers are searching for any tangible cues to help them understand the nature of the service experience. For example, in the hotel industry, the design, furnishing, lighting, layout and decoration of the hotel as well as the appearance of its employees will influence customer perceptions of the service quality and experiences. For theme parks, restaurants, health clubs, hospitals or schools, the physical facility is critical in communicating the service and making the entire customer experience positive. Ambient conditions include background characteristics of the environment such as temperature, air quality, lighting, noise, music, and scent affect the five senses. Spatial layout of the equipment, and furnishings arranged, the size and shape of these items, and the spatial relationships among them are also crucial to influence customers perception. Process : Process is referred to as the procedures, mechanisms and flow of activities by which the service is delivered i.e. the service delivery and operating systems. Delivering customer expectations depends on how well various steps function together. Highly bureaucratized services frequently follow complicated and extensive series of actions, and the logic of the steps involved often confuse the customer. Customers may complain that service firms are slow in response and bureaucratic with the many steps involved. They want easy access to the service process, and they want things to be handled quickly, preferably by the first service employee. Customers describe frustrating experiences when they have to run from pillar to post to complete a simple transaction, experience long waiting time, rules and regulations, and personnel who decline to serve them with the excuse Im not allowed to do this or this is against our policy. Service LIC An Ordinance was issued on 19th January, 1956 nationalizing the Life Insurance sector and Life Insurance Corporation came into existence in the same year. The LIC absorbed 154 Indian, 16 non-Indian insurers as also 75 provident societies-245 Indian and foreign insurers in all. The LIC had monopoly till the late 90s when the Insurance sector was reopened to the private sector. History Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) was formed in Sep 1956 after the Parliament of India passed the Life Insurance Corporation Act in Jun 1956. The company was created with the objective of spreading life insurance more widely, especially to reach all the insurable people in the rural areas and provide them with adequate financial cover at a reasonable cost. Apart from its corporate office, LIC had five zonal offices, 33 divisional offices and 212 branch offices in 1956. The nature of life insurance contracts being long-term coupled with the need to provide a variety of services during the term of the policy, LIC re-organised itself by opening a number of new branch offices. After its re-organisation, servicing functions were transferred to branches which were converted to accounting units. Operations As on Mar 2008, LIC had 2,048 fully computerised branch offices, 109 divisional offices, eight zonal offices apart from its corporate office. LICs network connects all the branches through wide area network. The company also has tie-ups with certain banks and service providers to offer on-line premium collection facility in select cities. Besides, ECS and ATM premium payment facility to its customers, the company has also commissioned IVRS and information centres at Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, New Delhi, Pune, amongst other cities. LIC has also launched Satellite Sampark offices in order to provide easy access to its policy holders. The company had 340 such offices as on Mar 2008. LIC also provides housing finance through LICHFL. It has also formed an asset management company known as LICMF AMC. The corporation has also extended its operations to the international arena; through various JVs and subsidiaries it operates in as many as nine countries. Products Services LIC offers a wide array of insurance products to its customers such as insurance plans, pension plans, unit-linked plans, special plans and group scheme. During FY08, the company introduced certain new products such as Profit Plus, Fortune Plus, Jeevan Akshay, Jeevan Amrit Amulya Jeevan. As of Mar 2007, total number of agents of the company stood at 1.1 mn while the total number of policies issued was 38.2 mn. The premium earned by the company reported a growth of 41% in FY07 when compared to the previous year. During the year, the company insured 34.28 mn individuals for the first time 7 P`s of Services Marketing in LIC The marketing mix is the combination of marketing activities that an organization engages in so as to best meet the needs of its targeted market. The Insurance business deals in selling services and therefore due weight-age in the formation of marketing mix for the Insurance business is needed. The marketing mix includes sub-mixes of the 7 Ps of marketing i.e. the product, its price, place, promotion, people, process physical attraction. The above mentioned 7 Ps can be used for marketing of Insurance products, in the following manner: PRODUCT: A product means what we produce. If we produce goods, it means tangible product and when we produce or generate services, it means intangible service product. A product is both what a seller has to sell and a buyer has to buy. Thus, an Insurance company sells services and therefore services are their product. In India, the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) is the leading companies offering insurance services to the users. Apart from offering life insurance policies, they also offer underwriting and consulting services. When a person or an organization buys an Insurance policy from the insurance company, he not only buys a policy, but along with it the assistance and advice of the agent, the prestige of the insurance company and the facilities of claims and compensation. . In short, the formulation of product-mix should be in the face of innovative product strategy. While initiating the innovative process it is necessary to take into consideration the strategies adopted by private and foreign insurance companies through various plans like Endowment plan, pension plan, ULIP. PRICING: In the insurance business the pricing decisions are concerned with: i) The premium charged against the policies, ii) Interest charged for defaulting the payment of premium and credit facility, and iii) Commission charged for underwriting and consultancy activities. . The pricing in insurance is in the form of premium rates. The premium rates are revised if there are any significant changes in any of the below factors. a) Mortality b) Expenses c) Interest PLACE: This component of the marketing mix is related to two important facets i) Managing the insurance personnel, and ii) Locating a branch. . While locating branches, the branch manager needs to consider a number of factors, such as smooth accessibility, availability of infrastructural facilities and the management of branch offices and premises. In addition it is also significant to provide safety measures and also factors like office furnishing, civic amenities and facilities, parking facilities and interior office decoration should be given proper attention. Thus the place management of insurance branch offices needs a new vision, distinct approach and an innovative style. This is essential to make the work place conducive, attractive and proactive for the generation of efficiency among employees. The branch managers need professional excellence to make place decisions productive. PROMOTION: Advertising and Publicity, organization of conferences and seminars, incentive to policyholders are impersonal communication. Arranging exhibitions, participation in fairs and festivals, rural wall paintings and publicity drive through the mobile publicity van units would be effective in creating the impulse buying and the rural prospects would be easily transformed into actual policyholders. PEOPLE: Understanding the customer better allows designing appropriate products. Being a service industry which involves a high level of people interaction, it is very important to use this resource efficiently in order to satisfy customers. Training, development and strong relationships with intermediaries are the key areas to be kept under consideration. Training the employees, use of IT for efficiency, both at the staff and agent level, is one of the important areas to look into. PROCESS: The process should be customer friendly in insurance industry. The speed and accuracy of payment is of great importance. IT Data Warehousing will smoothen the process flow. IT will help in servicing large no. of customers efficiently and bring down overheads. Technology can either complement or supplement the channels of distribution cost effectively. It can also help to improve customer service levels. The use of data warehousing management and mining will help to find out the profitability and potential of various customers product segments. PHYSICAL EVIDENCE: The physical evidence are includes such as policy document, statements, intimation letter, uniforms of personnel, vending machine of LIC enquiry option , LIC logo and their awards. AXIS BANK Axis Bank Limited was the first of the new private banks to have begun operations in 1994, after the Government of India allowed new private banks to be established. The Bank was promoted jointly by the Administrator of the specified undertaking of the Unit Trust of India (UTI I), Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) and General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC) and other four PSU insurance companies, i.e. National Insurance Company Ltd., The New India Assurance Company Ltd., The Oriental Insurance Company Ltd. and United India Insurance Company Ltd. The Bank today is capitalized to the extent of Rs. 358.56 crores with the public holding (other than promoters) at 57.60%. The Banks Registered Office is at Ahmedabad and its Central Office is located at Mumbai. Presently, the Bank has a very wide network of more than 701 Branch offices and Extension Counters. The Bank has a network of over 2854 ATMs providing 24 hrs a day banking convenience to its customers. This is one of the largest ATM networks in the country. The Bank has strengths in both retail and corporate banking and is committed to adopting the best industry practices internationally in order to achieve excellence. Axis Bank Limited has been promoted by the largest and the best Financial Institution of the country, UTI. The Bank was set up with a capital of Rs. 115 crore, with UTI contributing Rs. 100 crore, LIC Rs. 7.5 crore and GIC and its four subsidiaries contributing Rs. 1.5 crore each. THE SERVICE MARKETING MIX OF AXIS BANK PRODUCT The main products of AXIS Bank are Saving Account, Current Account and Demat Account. The other products are Home loan, personal loan, Insurance, Credit cards, etc. For better marketing of products, the products are categorized under Axis Bank and Axis Sales. Products under Axis Bank are Saving Account Current Account Forex Department Salary Accounts Products under Axis Sales are Home loan Personal loan, Demat Account PRICE The price of the product depends upon the services provided by the Bank on the respective product to the customers. Detailed pricing changes from time to time and the same can be found on the website of Axis bank. PLACE Place plays an important role in tangibilizing service offerings. Quality of service is perceived by many customers in the form of place of delivery- locational appeal, interiors, ambience, etc. If a bank is located in a crowded market the place or location will be a negative tangibilizes. Providing excellent tangibles in the form of place or location and interiors is particularly important for appealing to the customers segment. More recently, some of the private banks in India like AXIS Bank are providing very attractive tangibles in the form of their locations, exteriors and interiors. PROMOTION Promotion can tangibilize services in different forms: Visualization Association Physical representation Documentation. Visualization tangibilizes services through hoardings, TV and print campaigns or advertisements. Physical representation in services has a good promotional appeal to customers like use of colors to symbolize wealth and status. Service providers use documentation in their promotions in support of their claims for dependability, popularity and responsiveness PEOPLE People are a common factor in every service. And people tangibilize services. Good people (means good performance) make good or successful services. Bad performers deliver bad services. PROCESS Customer defined business process- Process innovations and continuous improve- ment through people involvement. Result oriented approach- Each process has been designed by first planning the desired results. Axis Bank is constantly taking initiatives to offer the best in class service that seek to enhance customer experience. PHYSICAL EVIDENCE Reduce paper usage- Due to technological innovations such as use of Finacle software for core banking solutions. It has positioned it self as a bank which gives higher standard of services through product innovation. Satisfies the diverse need of individual and corporate clients. It is customer centric, and service oriented . Now we will compare the strategies of both axis bank and adlabs, LIC provides life insurance policy, like Endowment plan, pension plan, ULIP. Axis bank also offers variety of products like Saving Account, Current Account and Demat Account. The other products are Home loan, personal loan, Insurance, Credit cards In LIC the pricing decisions are concerned with :i) The premium charged against the policies, ii) Interest charged for defaulting the payment of premium and credit facility, and iii) Commission charged for underwriting and consultancy activities. . The pricing in insurance is in the form of premium rates. The price of the product depends upon the services provided by the Bank on the respective product to the customers. LIC consider a number of factors, such as smooth accessibility, availability of infrastructural facilities and the management of branch offices and premises Quality of service is perceived by many customers in the form of place of delivery- locational appeal, interiors, ambience, etc. If a bank is located in a crowded market the place or location will be a negative tangibilizes. AXIS Bank are providing very attractive tangibles in the form of their locations, exteriors and interiors. Advertising and Publicity, organization of conferences and seminars, incentive to policyholders are impersonal communication. Arranging exhibitions, participation in fairs and festivals, rural wall paintings and publicity drive through the mobile publicity van. Visualization tangibilizes services through hoardings, TV and print campaigns or advertisements. Physical representation in services has a good promotional appeal to customers like use of colors to symbolize wealth and status. Service providers use documentation in their promotions in support of their claims for dependability, popularity and responsiveness .LIC being a service industry which involves a high level of people interaction, it is very important to use this resource efficiently in order to satisfy customers. Training, development and strong relationships with intermediaries are the key areas to be kept under consideration. In axis bank Good people (means good performance) make good or successful services. Bad performers deliver bad services. The process should be customer friendly in insurance industry. The speed and accuracy of payment is of great importance. IT Data Warehousing will smoothen the processflow. IT will help in servicing large no. of customers efficiently and bring down overheads Customer defined business process- Process innovations and continuous improve-ment through people involvement.Result oriented approach- Each process has been designed by first planning the desired results.Axis Bank is constantly taking initiatives to offer the best in class service that seek to enhance customer experienc The physical evidence are includes such as policy document, statements, intimation letter, uniforms of personnel, vending machine of LIC enquiry option , LIC logo and their awards In Axis bank physical evidenceReduce paper usage- Due to technological innovations such as use of Finacle software for core banking solutions.It has positioned it self as a bank which gives higher standard of services through product innovation. CONCLUSION There is littile bit similarity in the service marketing mix of LIC and axis bank but there is difference in the marketing strategy of the both companies

Landfills in Indiana :: essays research papers

Dear City Council, The purpose of this letter is to ensure that the City Council has the most current information regarding municipal landfills. This information is critical in our efforts to maintain the integrity of our city. As the mayor of this fine town, I feel it is my duty to keep the citizens of Sullivan up to date with the most current information with regards to our city; as such I have researched landfills and compiled my findings here for your consideration. First and foremost, the construction of a new landfill is a decision which must not be entered into lightly. Many of our citizens may not even fully understand what a municipal landfill is, let alone the pros and cons of allowing the construction of one in our city. Most people, when thinking of something such as a landfill may envision what is more accurately called a dump. A dump is a place where people randomly and carelessly throw unwanted debris without regard to consequence. I, for one, would never allow a dump in Sullivan. Thankfully, there is a stark difference between a landfill and a dump and I would like to begin with a discussion of what a landfill is. A landfill is a carefully designed cavity in the ground into which wastes are deposited. The design is implemented in such a manner that there is no connection between the waste and the environment surrounding the waste. The greatest focus of the design of a landfill is placed on the avoidance of any hydrologic connectivity between the waste and the environment, or, more precisely, the groundwater. Another highlight included in the careful design is that municipal landfills are specifically cared for so that odors do not permeate the area, and so that rodents and the like are not drawn. Another important aspect of what a municipal landfill is would be what can be contained in it. According to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, Municipal Solid Waste Landfills (MSWLFs) accept the majority of items that we commonly throw out and place on the curb for daily trash pickup, yard debris, construction/demolition materials, and some non-hazardous waste produced industrially. This definition is supported by Indiana’s Title 329 IAC 10-2-115 â€Å"Municipal Solid Waste† and Title 329 IAC 10-2-116 â€Å"Municipal Solid Waste Landfill.† It is not uncommon for advocates of a landfill to claim that â€Å"no ill effects will occur as a result of the landfill† or that â€Å"the landfill will not pollute our natural resources.

Verbal Reaction Times Experiment Essay -- Stroop 1935 experiment

This report aimed to replicate Stroop's (1935) experiment. Using the repeated measures design and a sample of 20 students, differences in verbal reaction times on two tests were observed. The one-tailed hypothesis predicted that it would take longer to say words in the Cc, this is the conflicting condition where the colour of the word differs from the colour that the word describes. It was found that, using the t-test for related data, this hypothesis could be accepted as the obtained value was much greater then the critical value. It can therefore be concluded that visual interference does affect people's verbal reactions. Introduction In 1935 John Ridley Stroop published his Ph.D. thesis entitled 'Studies of Interference in Serial Verbal Reactions' - the findings of which became known as 'the Stroop Effect'. Stroop mentioned many studies in his work but the two that are most relevant for this report are Brown (1915) and Telford (1930), they conducted very similar investigations into colour associations and colour recognition patterns respectively. This area of research is known as controlled and automatic processing, it involves studies into how humans cope with divided attention such as multi-tasking. This could be anything from the simple dishwashing and listening to music simultaneously, to complex shadowing of continuous prose presented in one ear, whilst also typing up a separate prose presented to the other ear via headphones (Shaffer 1975). With their two-process theory, Shiffrin and Schneider (1977) make useful distinctions between controlled and automatic processing. They are as follows: controlled processing... ...1930) 'Differences in responses to colours and their names.' J. Genet. Psychol. An Experiment on the Stroop effect and hearing, http://www.ul.ie/~cscw/mikael/stroop.html British Psychological Society Code of Conduct for Psychologists, http://trapdoor.glos.ac.uk/ess/soss/ethics/appendix4.htm Cognitive Psychology, Wadsworth CogLab online laboratory, http://coglab.wadsworth.com/experiments/Stroop/ Neuropsychological Model of the Stroop Effect, http://www.uwm.edu/~neuropsy/Strpmast.html Neuroscience for Kids - The Stroop Effect, http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/words.html Parametric Assumptions, http://www.sgcorp.com/normality_tests.htm The Stroop Effect - Attention and Memory, http://www.cgl.uwaterloo.ca/~bgbauer/chapters/stroop.html The t-test, http://trochim.human.edu/kb/stat_t.htm

Negotiations: Methodologies for Unilateral and Collaborative Situations

Negotiation is the preferred method of communication instead because conflict creates unwanted effects to a working relationship. The articles outlined three essential uses and/or strategies of three different authors whom approach to negotiation fit their industries as well as their creative abilities. In Resolving Real Estate Issues, Gerald M. Levy (1999) addresses four primary steps of negotiation: pre-negotiation, presentation and negotiation, intense, agreement and closing phrase (p. 2). The outline is understandable and workable in any industry in which negotiation is relied upon for optimal results. Meadow discussed the basis of negotiation being an art and science that mixes a party’s ability to bargain with their opponents. The issues stated within the article addressed the basic needs of any individual involved; for instance, â€Å"skilled negotiators can separate the conceptual part of negotiation (the â€Å"science†) from the behavioral aspects of negotiation (the â€Å"art†) to solve the underlying problem that a lawsuit represents (Meadow 1).† This act of negotiation is very intriguing because you are approaching the aspect of negotiation in a law setting in which rules are outlined by the court, but your use of tactics are up to you and your opponents. In The Art and Science of Problem-Solving Negotiation, Meadow (1999) uses detailed examples to corner a creative negotiator’s ability to overthrow sessions (p.2). These tactics fit their personality and the structure increases negotiator’s chances of success in negotiations. Shaping perceptions of alternatives sets in the pre-negotiation phase of negotiation can lower the limits of acceptable agreements. For example, a web design company needs a copywriter with writing skills to boost their profits. The market price for a freelance writer is roughly $20/article, but they are offering a per project basis. In this negotiation, a copywriter will pull for the market price or higher due to years of professional experience. This is an example of Meadow’s (1999) belief in shaping the competition’s objectives to fit that of one’s intentions (p. 5). Without the proper game plan, the art and science of negotiation goes out of the window once more problems arise. As with my example, a negotiator can make commitments, threats, and focal points stick all irrelevant issues aside for a reasonable bargaining set to continue its process within a negotiation. This follows from their previous example. Their ability to highlight this point will make the company re-arrange their current ideal of what a copywriter should be paid per article. Not that it is a threat, but it is a reasonable explanation of why they need to pay the amount instead of losing the writer. In Resolving Real Estate Issues, Gerald Levy (1999) practices influencing aspirations are higher suggestions in return for a need can generate better results (p.2). Once I understand the dynamics and true market price of a copywriter, I may want more for their work. The web design company is trying to use their talents at a cheap price so I will leave them alone for a set period of time to see if their position changes. By contacting their competition about copywriter salaries, I can gain leverage by addressing it in our next meeting. I am boosting their aspirations to receive the payment I deserve and ‘more’ for their services. After I receive this information, I can develop a stronger position in what I deserve. Meadow (1999) and Levy (1999) believe that taking a position will cause an opponent to withdraw from their first perspective of the situation (p. 1 and 3). If one chooses to use strong positions, they must stand firm within decision making so opponents will understand and not budge from previous arguments. For example, if I were asked to accept a lower salary, I will not agree with the web design company and leave the negotiations. This puts my services as a valuable mean for a company’s success in their market. It is very important to keep this in mind while developing a stronger argument for future negotiations. I believe I must remain strong during these steps into a negotiation because companies try to manipulate prospects. These authors were correct in establishing a strong position for unilateral and collaborative situations. In order to create a better outcome on each end, it should remain essential to practice the art of negotiation without budging to the intense negotiation strategies thrown within the conflict. The preferred methods of Meadow (1999) and Levy (1999) can be implemented in numerous settings; one’s flexibility to establish rapport with an opponent without harming or burning bridges is very important (p.3). Meadow’s (1999) objectives can act as repetitive methodology to instruct new negotiators in the law scene. Many other methods can be helpful, but the ideal argumentation comes from the negotiator’s overall motivations. References Cited Menkel-Meadow, Carrie (June 1999). â€Å"The art and science of problem-solving negotiation.† Trial. Washington, p. 1- 7. Levy, Gerald M. (Fall 1999). Resolving Real Estate Issues. Real Estate Issues. Chicago.   Vol. 24, p.1-8.