Telecommunication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Telecommunication - Essay Example Today communication is carried out over long distances using pictures and audio, which compromises of music and voice. The sound at present, transfers throughout the world through electricity. Electricity is, therefore, an important part of communication. Radios and television produce the output of various visual and audio signals. They act as the final point where the data that has been transferred from the stations offering audio and video. The audio and video are transmitted through equipment that helps in converting to electrical signals, which are then transferred over long distances (Noll, 1995). Signals are an important part of communication. They are classified according to the frequencies they have. The various signals are used in radios and television where audio and video are transmitted over different frequencies. UHF and VHF are the frequency bands related to television. The transmitter sends the audio and video through the communication channel. Signal carry visual and audio through transmission channels to the point of final output. The radios and television receiver the signals from the receiver and a person can tune to get the audio or videos. Spectra helps to differentiate between the various waves and the frequencies of the waves. Different electromagnetic waves characterize the signals transmitted over a communication channel. They are used in delineating the various media and communication channels and signals. Bandwidth is usually allocated to communication channels depending on the different frequencies in the signal. Electricity plays an important part in communication since in the modern world signals transmitted with the help of electricity. Power circuits are affected by inductance and capacities, which helps in filtering the various signals. Inductance and capacitance play a greater role in differentiating the signals into the different frequencies and thereby enabling the transmitted message to reach the intended point. The

This is Dead Ringer by Dennis Hamley Essay Example for Free

This is Dead Ringer by Dennis Hamley Essay Giles Conover also disguises himself as a cleaner and a scholar of great age. Naomi Drake disguises herself as a match seller, shop assistant and one who washes up. The atmosphere throughout the film is sinister and clouded due to special effects and the black-and-white photography. The use of light and shade is great and adds tension to the audience and this is great for a movie of this age. And also when the Creeper moves there is a sound track that is very scary and this gives a feeling of; Something is going to happen for sure. I cannot miss this. It grabs attention!!! My favourite scene was when the Creeper broke the back of Giles Conover and then tried to kill Sherlock Holmes. We see the Creepers face for the first time and he is hideously ugly. Of course Sherlock Holmes kills him, with a snub-nose Bulldog revolver. Holmes then smashes the final bust of Napoleon and recovers the valuable Borgia pearl. This was an exciting and dramatic ending to the film. Dr Watsons comic acting was humorous. When he hid the pearl in his mouth for protection of the precious stone it was amusing because no one noticed where it had gone. The original story, The Adventure of the Six Napoleons, did not have the Hoxton Creeper in it. Beppo is the killer in the original story but using Rondo Hatton as the Creeper was brilliant idea by the film studio and made people even more interested in the movie. I feel The Pearl of Death was a success basically because of the impression that was given by the Creeper. In The Scarlet Claw, another film starring Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes, disguise is also used. The murderer is a master of disguise and uses five disguises, including that of a woman! The postman called Potts, who is the murderer, dresses up as Judge Brissons maid and tears out the judges throat with a garden weeder. This is the weapon he uses to kill all his victims. The film is set in Canada in the lonely village of Le Mort Rouge. The setting is misty and creepy. There is a marsh next to the village where Sherlock Holmes chases the murderer, but does not catch him. This is a vivid scene which I enjoyed. In the end though, Holmes foils the villain who is a mass murderer and master of disguise. Miles Mander plays two roles that are very different in the two films I have watched. Firstly, he acts as a villain on the loose: Giles Conover, and then he acts as a man totally scared and out of his wits: Judge Brisson. I like his role as Conover; it suits him because he looks a very mean man who will do anything for his needs. To conclude, I have enjoyed these films. But I was not scared by them. My English teacher says the Creeper is very scary but I think differently. I believe Rondo Hatton would have been scary to those watching in the cinemas half a century back. I think these films are not scary to a modern audience because there are far scarier horror films these days due to modern technology and special effects. I personally feel Basil Rathbone is an excellent actor; he was very good for the era he was in. I feel more tension is needed to make it up to the scratch of standard films today. I feel that some of the characters are too one dimensional and they need a little bit more feeling in their acting, but still the camera work is excellent for a film of this age. The films seem very old fashioned. I think improvements are needed to make them a bit more modern. There is fog, a lonely marsh, a bell ringing, and a monster on the loose. This creates a creepy, sinister atmosphere. But this gives me an impression that these were stories of many ages back. These days films are more interesting but these films are ace because of their many turns and twists. 1125 words Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Arthur Conan Doyle section.

The Crucible and explore Essay Example for Free

The Crucible and explore Essay Choose one character from The Crucible and explore how they change throughout the course of the play.  The crucible is a play written by Arthur Miller and was first produced in 1953, during the middle of the McCarthy political witch-trials. The story is set in a little town of Salem, Massachusetts, where a lot of innocent people were wrongly convicted of witchcraft and in the end were hung. Arthur Miller was living through and experiencing this at the time, and wrote this play to try and get across what it was like living through this period of time. Throughout this play you see many characters develop and change as the plot goes on. One of the characters that shows a clear change and development is John Proctor. John Proctor was a farmer in his 30s, he was respected but also feared in Salem, he had a sharp and biting was with hypocrites and came to regard himself as a fraud. In act 1 Proctor comes across as a very flirtatious man. He seems to take a shine to Abigail. We know there has been some history between him and Abigail when he says I will cut off my hand before Ill ever reach for you again. But despite this he is still flirting with her by saying Ah, youre wicked yet, arent y. This shows he is giving her mixed messages and not taking her seriously. He can see that she is not as innocent as she makes out to be, and that he can see straight through her. This tells and shows the audience that the character of John Proctor is a very levelheaded man and talks sense. Unlike other characters such as Parris, he can see through her act. This gives you the impression that Proctor is a very reliable character and that he can be trusted. With Proctors flirtatiousness with Abigail he is also giving off the impression that he is not as much the religious man of Salem they all expect him to be. He broke one of the 10 commandments which says Thou shalt not commit adultery. This would be frowned upon in the town and would have been taken very seriously and may even have led to a hanging. The stage directions used in the first act also help us to visualise his flirty ways. At one stage when he is speaking to her he looks at her with the faintest suggestion of a knowing smile on his face to which he says Whats the mischief here? She replies with laugh. By adding in the stage directions it has changed the way Proctor addresses her while saying his line, it also affects the way Abigail reacts back when told to do so. Stage directions are important to the actor playing the part of Proctor as it tells them him how to say a line, how to react to something that has been said and how to move and interact in general. The stage directions are also to the audience reading the play as it helps them to imagine and visualise what is actually going on and reactions that are made. In act 2 Proctor changes from very flirtatious to very protective over his wife but he also gets very sharp with her and becomes irrational. When Elizabeth says something to her husband about or concerning Abigail he will instantly bite back at her and make sure what he is saying is heard. One example of this is when Elizabeth says to Proctor (with a smile, trying to keep her dignity) John, if it were not Abigail that you must go to hurt, would you falter now? I think not. To which Proctor replies (With solemn warning) You will not judge me more, Elizabeth. I have good reason to think before I charge fraud on Abigail, and I will think on it. Let you look to your own improvement before you go to judge your husband anymore. In a way it gives the impression that he doesnt like the truth and sometimes cant take it very well, so his reaction would be to bite back. As the plot goes on you can see Proctors good side starting to come through, even though he still gets aggressive and ill-tempered and easily provoked, the rest of the village are starting to understand why he retaliates so much and are starting to respect him more for that. In this act, to really get the feeling of Proctors anger and biting nature, the dramatic devices aid you extremely well in getting the full picture in your mind of how he is reacting to the things she is saying. By just reading through the play there is no indication of how the character says what he/she is saying. With Proctor this indication are very useful as his mood changes in different situations and helps you to understand when he is angry like he is in the part of the act. In act 3 Proctor changes dramatically to the way he is with certain characters. In this act you see him becoming very horrible and nasty towards Abigail. There are many ways in which his attitude changes towards her. In the stage directions it states that Proctor leaps at Abigail and, grabbing her by the hair pulls her to her feet. She screams in pain. This shows a change in the way Proctor addresses Abigail. He becomes aggressive towards her and uses forceful actions against her. I think he is fed up with putting up with all of Abigails lies against his wife and Mary Warren and the only way she is likely to listen to him and take in what he is saying is by using such drastic action as to leap at her and grab her by her hair. This, I would assume hurt, so he wants to cause her pain in hoping it will make her listen to what he is trying to tell her. This description being wrote as a stage directions acts as a visual aid for the reader, it helps them to visualise what is going on at that time in the scene and may give you as a reader more of an understanding what the author is trying to get across. Another way in which the author portrays Proctors turn against Abigail is through language. For example, It is not a child. Now hear me, sir. In the sight of the congregation she were twice this year put out of this meetin house for laughter during prayer. Proctor is trying to convince everyone that Abigail isnt as innocent as she makes out to be. The town of Salem is extremely religious and frowns upon anyone going against god or behaving in an unacceptable manner towards the religion. On account of them hearing this they would all immediately agree that it is unacceptable to laugh during prayer in the church and their views of her will turn from good to bad. Along with hearing this they may also believe that she hasnt been telling the truth from the start and that if she has in fact been lying god will see this and provide her with the suitable punishment instead of going about it themselves. In this act proctor also becomes very motivated to try and prove his wifes innocence and also the innocence of his friends. When Danforth takes an interest in Mary Warren and asks what she has to tell, Proctor looks at her to see that she cannot speak so he jumps in to defend her. She never saw no spirits, sir. Proctor does this because he notices that Mary Warren is unable to answer this question by herself therefore intervenes to help her. I think that Proctor has also seen the error of his ways, being the way he acted towards people earlier on in the play, and is trying to make amends for the bad things he has done. The last thing he wants to see happen is his wife and all of his friends being hung for things they have not done therefore does his best to defend them. Proctor also gives evidence against Abigail to change it around so she is the one being asked the questions instead and tries to make her the new subject. Abigail leads the girls to the woods, Your Honour, and they have danced there naked - In act 4 John Proctor becomes silent and wont speak to anyone except his wife, once she is aloud in to try and talk to him, he would only take food and would stay chained to the wall. One way in which we know this is when Herrick says to Danforth, He sits like some great bird; youd not know hed lived except he will take some food from time to time.And again when Herrick also says He cannot, sir, he is chained to the wall now. This is one of the biggest changes Proctor makes throughout the play. From the beginning we got the impression that John Proctor has always been well spoken and likes to have his views heard. Now we are seeing a completely different side to him by him staying silent. It is my personal opinion that Proctor is taking a stand against everything that has gone on in the town of Salem. He doesnt think its right all these judges coming in and accusing people of witchcraft without enough evidence and believing storys of little girls over people of superior like himself. He doesnt think he should have to justify himself when he has done nothing wrong and while no one else has done anything wrong. Later on this act Proctor decides to confess to accounts of witchcraft. While being addressed about this Proctor brakes down into tears and lowers himself for everyone to see. Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!. This shows Proctors delicate side. He feels that he himself should confess to charges of witchcraft in effort to save everyone who has been up for it. This short monologue really hits you hard as a reader. You realise that Proctor isnt all he is made out to be from the start. He is changed man by the end of the play. I think they writer of the play, Arthur Miller, wanted to produce a character who was tough on the outside yet very deep on insecure on the inside, and that is exactly what you see change throughout the course of the play. At the start he tries to make out that everyone in Salem fears him and that he is superior to everyone else, whereas he is just using this to cover up how insecure and fragile he is deep down. I think that Proctor is one of the best and complex characters I have seen in a book. He has a lot of depth to him that you wouldnt be able to tell from just a little section of the book. Right from the start to the end Proctor progressively changes for the better even thought at the end he sadly dies. He gives himself to the court to save others from the tragic fate that would have awaited them, and therefore I think that would make him a hero in the eyes of the people of Salem, putting himself forward for a fate he didnt deserve but still took without complaint.

Employees Perception About Merger Management Essay

Employees Perception About Merger Management Essay The present economic scenario has witnessed a large number of merger and acquisitions in banking industry all over the world. One of the principal objectives behind the merger Acquisition in banking sector is to reap the benefit of economies of scale. The growing competition has compelled banks to expand their size and to penetrate in market place; it indicates the rule of the ocean that big fish will eat small fish. Consequently, one of the most widely used tools is mergers and acquisitions. However, the market situation is such that there is bombardment of many new and divers products from large pool of bankers. For survival, deliberate decisions are required to mitigate the diverse effects of market forces. At the time of taking decision of MAs, generally financial issues are taken care of and HR issues are ignored which is most important issue for success of any merger. Therefore, the aim of this research paper is to assess the level of satisfaction among employees of the merged bank i.e. the erstwhile bank of Rajasthan ltd. This study is based on a pilot survey; small sample of 30 employees, which is taken from the 14 selected branches from Udaipur city, and paired sample t-test, is applied to test the significant difference of the sample along with weighted average method. The results revealed that post merger satisfaction level is low and stress level is high among bank employees after merger. The implication of the study is for policy makers, strategist, bankers, future researchers, and scholars. Key Words: Merger, Acquisition, Bank, Employees, Perception 1. Introduction: In recreation of organizational growth, augmenting geographic networks, to accelerate market share, creating strategic fit and synergy; organizations are adopting strategic tools like Mergers and Acquisitions (MAs). It is evident from the pages of history that MAs is the most widely used inorganic strategic tool for growth. A merger is a combination strategy of two or more organization in which one acquires the assets and liabilities of the other in exchange for share or cash. At this point of time, it becomes imperative for strategist and policy makers to undertake the confidence of their employees, customer, shareholder and subsidiaries and to understand how they perceive any strategic move because this surely affects the image of the company. Kotler (1997, p. 185-86) has illustrated in his book that perception is the process by which an individual selects, organizes and interprets information inputs to create a meaningful picture of the world. Since the world market is shrinking and consumers are becoming aware about various products and services offered by global players due to the emergence of ICT, it has become strategically important for banks to understand the perception of employees under the purview of MAs, this is so, because they deliver the services. Many researchers have proved that human factor is the key element in delivery of services. Thus, we can say that core reason for success and failure of mergers are human resources i.e. personnel and behavioral issues, blends of cultures and sets of policies practices. Therefore, Transferee Company must create an environment where the employees of Transferor Company can project merger as a steps towards growth. Consequently, employees will strive to work with integration of vision and mission of Transferee Company. Thus, this study can contribute in the field of strategic management as a view point of employees and human resource management. Strategist can consider this view as an input in strategy formulation. In this scenario, this study on employees perception may be a modest attempt to trace the hard realities regarding employees perception of ICICI Bank Ltd. It will be helpful for ICICI mangers, executives, and employees, government, banking industry, RBI, research scholar, strategic managers, HR managers and policy makers. 2. Review of Literature: Schneider and Bowen (1985) reported significant relationships between branch employees perceptions of organizational human resources practices and branch customers attitudes about services. Schweiger and Weber (1989) suggested that Mergers and acquisitions (MAs) are corporate events that have the potential to create severe personal trauma and stress which can result in psychological, behavioral, health, performance, and survival problems for both the individuals and companies involved. With the increasing size and number of MAs transacted and the number of employees affected, it is essential that executives and human resource professionals pay greater attention to understanding the sequence of actions and reactions associated with the process. Schweiger and Denisi (1991) conducted a longitudinal field experiment to evaluate the various effects of a communication program on employees of an organization; they called it a realistic merger preview. This study was intended to measure the effects of mergers and acquisitions on employees. Their results suggested that realistic communication during a merger process in the form of a realistic merger preview can help the employees to get through the process of merger. As illustrated by the significantly lower measures on global stress and perceived uncertainty and significantly higher on job satisfaction, commitment and self-reported performance for the experimental group, exposed to the communication program. Schneider and Dunbar (1992) suggest that media plays an important role in shaping the social context for mergers and acquisition. Weber (1996) assessed the role of corporate cultural fit, autonomy removal, and commitment of managers to the merger in predicting effective integration between merger partners in different industry sectors. He found that relationship was very complex; they varied across industries and had different relationships with different measures of performance. Further, he found that cultural differences at the top management level were most likely to influence the merging organizations ability to realize synergies. Literature shows that communication also plays vital role in the success of a merger. Nikandrou, Papalexandris and Bourantas (2000) explored a number of variables which bear an impact on managerial trustworthiness, for example frequent communication before and after acquisition, and already the existing qualities of employee relations seem to play the most important role. Therefore, a carefully planned, employee-centered communication programme, together with a good level of employee relations, seem to form the basis for a successful outcome as far as employee relations in the face of mergers and acquisitions is concerned. Therefore issues related to human resource management are also raised by researchers in articles. Appelbaum, Gandell, Yortis, Proper and Jobin (2000) conclude that communications throughout the MA process plays a crucial role in its eventual success. Providing clear, consistent, factual sympathetic and up-to-date information in various ways will increase the cooping abilities of employees, which will in turn increase their productivity. This increased productivity will positively impact on firms performance and create sustained competitive advantage by achieving the projected strategic fit and synergies. Communication and a transparent change process are important, as this will often determine not only how a leader will be regarded, but who will be regarded as a leader. Leaders need to be competent and trained in the process of transforming organizations to ensure that individuals within the organization accept the changes prompted by a merger. Hurtt, Kreuze and Langsam (2000) suggest that growth is the primary reason for MAs. Panchal and Cartwright (2001) investigated post-merger stress in a sample of field sales employees. A survey methodology was used to examine group differences, comparing those from the two pre-merger companies and those newly merged organization. Results revealed that group differences in both sources and effects of stress existed. Those from the dominant pre-merger company reported the highest stress levels and most negative work attitudes. Lynch and Lind (2002) also suggest that mergers and acquisitions is one of the major tools for organizational growth and on the other hand Dario, Fabio and Carmelo (2002) investigated using Italian data that mergers seek to improve income from services. Bryson, (2003) reviewed the literature around managing HRM risk in a merger. He found that poor merger results are often attributed to HRM and organizational problems, and that several factors related to maintaining workforce stability are identified as important in managing HRM risk. Schraeder and Self (2003) also found that organizational culture is one factor as a potential catalyst to MA success. DeLong (2003) studied sample of 54 bank mergers announced between 1991 and 1995, tests several facets of focus and diversification. The study found that upon announcement, the market rewards the merger of partners that focus their geography and activities and earning stream. Only of these facets, focusing earning streams enhances long-term performance. Shanmugam and Nair (2004) identified factors in their study on mergers and acquisitions of banks in Malaysia like globalization, liberalization and information technology developments have contributed to the need for a more competitive, resilient and robust financial systems. George and Hegde (2004) reported a case for the delicate aspect of employees attitudes, their satisfaction and motivation, which are posited as prerequisites for customer satisfaction, which is, again, sine qua non for the competitive sustenance of the organization. Chew and Sharma (2005) examined the effectiveness of human resource management (HRM) and organizational culture on financial performance of Singapore-based companies involved in mergers and acquisition activities. They used the method of content analysis to collect information on cultural values and HRM effectiveness, using Kabanoffs content analysis. Culture profiles were then assigned to organizations in the sample following the results from cluster analysis. Various financial ratios were used to measure organizational performance. Finally, regression analysis was performed to test various hypotheses. The key finding of the study suggests that organizations with elite and potential leader, when complemented by human resource effectiveness, had a better financial performance as compared to other organizations. At the end it was concluded that to achieve better financial results by undertaking merger and acquisition activities organizations need to have elite or leadership value prof ile. Seo and Hill (2005) identified six theories viz. anxiety theory, social identity theory, acculturation theory, role conflict theory, job characteristics theory, and organizational justice theory to explain problems in managing the merger and acquisition and organizational change process. These theories have implicitly or explicitly formed the basis for the past MA literature. The authors integrate these theories into one conceptual framework that clearly delineates unique sources of problems that can emerge in different stages of MA integration, their psychological and behavioral effects on employees, and prescriptions to address the problems. According to Mylonakis (2006a) an important parameter in the relationship between the number of branches and employment is branch size. He has used most well-known indicators for the evaluation of staff efficiency in banking sector i.e. operating revenue per employee, personnel expenses per employee and pre-tax profits to personnel expenses. He observed that operating revenue either fall or remains stable, administrative expenses per employee increase for every examined bank and pre-tax profits to personnel expenses indicator showed how many Euros are gained by the bank for every euro spent in staff payroll. Mylonakis (2006b) has examined in his article that how bank employees perceive bank MAs and how it is expected to affect their personal and professional career. The results showed that bank employees feel personally threatened by mergers and acquisitions, which are not considered to be justified and necessary entrepreneurial activities conducive to enhanced, quality banking services. Mergers and Acquisitions often have a negative impact on employee behavior resulting in counterproductive practices, absenteeism, low morale and job dissatisfaction. It appears that an important factor affecting the successful outcome of acquisitions is top managements ability to gain employee trust. Wickramasinghe and Chandana (2009) took views of 109 employees of two banks of Sri Lanka, which had undergone an extension merger and a collaborative merger and reported that employee perceptions are affected by the type of the merger and employees are less satisfied in the collaborative merger than in the extension merger. Further findings revealed that age, gender, and marital status influence the perceptions of the respondents and among those age is the most influential. DeYoung, Evanoff and Molyneux (2009) have found in their study that the changes in deregulation, allowed commercial banks and other financial services firms to expand through mergers and acquisition into geographic markets and product markets. Marmenout, K (2010) conducted experimental study to examine how employees make sense of a merger announcement and investigates the relationship between deal characteristics (culture clash potential, degree of integration, position in deal structure) and employee attitudes. As employees make sense of the merger, higher perceived uncertainty is associated with greater dysfunctional outcomes. Calipha, Tarba and Brock (2011, p. 1-24) have reviewed MA motives and success factors in their article such as entering a new market, gaining new scarce resources, achieving synergies and other managerial and organizational factors that are associated with MA i.e. relative size of MA partner, managerial involvement, culture and organizational structural issues etc. Goyal and Joshi (2012a) identified the general sentiments, challenges and opportunities for the Indian Banking Industry. They concluded challenges and opportunities like rural market, transparency, customer expectations, management of risks, growth in banking sector, human factor, global banking, environmental concern, social, ethical issues, employee and customer retentions. They further concluded that banks are striving to combat the competition and the competition from global banks and technological innovation has compelled the banks to rethink their policies and strategies. (2012b) studied the growth of ICICI Bank Ltd. through mergers, acquisitions, and amalgamation. The article concluded that a firm must devise a strategy in three phases i.e. Pre-merger phase, acquisition phase and post-merger phase. 3. Research Methodology 3.1 Objectives of the Study: To identify the factors responsible for employees satisfaction. To assess the satisfaction level of employees, after merger. To assess the stress level of employees (post merger). 3.2 Sampling Distribution 3.2.1 Universe Total 463 branches of BoR were operating across India before merger and out of this total 293 Branches were operating in Rajasthan. Out of these 293 branches, there were total 31 branches operating in Udaipur before merger and merely 14 branches were situated in Udaipur city. 3.2.2 Sample unit There were total 14 branches of erstwhile BoR, which are now functioning as ICICI Banks branches after merger, Employees of these branches are considered for sampling purpose. 3.2.3 Sample Size A small sample of 30 bank employees from erstwhile BoR is drawn by using stratified purposive sampling. 3.2.4 Data Type Primary and Secondary data will be used to achieve the objectives. 3.2.5 Research Instrument Schedules (structured) and personal interviews methods are used for primary data collection. Publications from company, books, journals, magazines and various websites are referred for secondary data collection. 3.2.6 Research Tools Paired sample t-test and is used to test the hypothesis and process the data. Data processing is done by SPSS 13 software (student version) and weighted average method is used. Where; d = x -y 3.2.7 Limitation of the Study The limitation of the study is that it is based on small sample size with geographical constraint and time. The respondents were contacted at the respective bank and appointments were taken. Then, they were contacted as per their convenience and ease. The budget was a major constraint for this study. 3.2.8 Hypotheses H01: There is no significant difference between employees satisfaction level (pre-merger and post merger). H02: There is no significant difference in stress level of employees between pre-merger and post-merger. 4. Conceptual Framework: Mergers and acquisitions is a phenomena which has been used as a tool for growth and a tool for survival of sick units in banking industry. There are certain provision in the Banking Regulation Act 1949, which helps us to understand the basic concept of mergers and acquisition. 44A of Banking Regulation Act 1949 clearly defines procedure for amalgamation of banking companies. According to it a draft of amalgamation scheme should be produced before shareholders of each banking company. If the scheme of amalgamation is approved by the requisite majority of shareholders in accordance with the provisions of this section, the sub-section (4) states that it shall be submitted to the Reserve Bank for sanction and shall, if sanctioned by the Reserve Bank by an order in writing passed in this behalf, be binding on the banking companies concerned and also on all the shareholders thereof. Section 45 of the act defines the power of Reserve Bank to apply to Central Government for suspension of business by a banking company and to prepare scheme of reconstitution of amalgamation in certain condition like public interest, depositors interest, for the interest of banking system and reconstruction of the banking company. 5. Conceptual Analysis of Merger of the Erstwhile Bank of Rajasthan Ltd. and ICICI Bank Ltd. 5.1 Historical Background: The Bank of Rajasthan Ltd. (BoR) was incorporated on May 7, 1943 as a Company defined under the Companies Act, 1956 and has its Registered Office at Udaipur, Rajasthan. The Bank of Rajasthan had a network of 463 branches March 31, 2009. The primary object of the Transferor Bank was banking business as set out in its Memorandum of Association. For over 67 years, the Bank of Rajasthan had served the 24 states with 463 branches as a profitable and well-capitalized Bank in India. It had a strong presence in Rajasthan with branch network of 294 which is 63 percent of the total branches of BoR in India. The men power strength of BoR was more than 4300 employees across India. The balance sheet of the Bank shows that it had total assets of Rs. 173 billion, deposits of Rs. 150.62 billion and advances of Rs. 83.29 billion as on March 2010. The profit and loss account of the bank shows the net profit as Rs. -1.02 billion as on March 2010, which shows that bank, was not in good financial condition. On the other hand The ICICI Bank Ltd. was incorporated on January 5, 1994 under the Companies Act, 1956 and has its Registered Office at Landmark, Race Course Circle, Vadodara, Gujarat. The Transferee Bank, as on May 21, 2010, has a network of 2,000 branches and extension counters and has over 5,300 automated teller machines (ATMs). At present the bank has 79,978 employees with strong financial position like total assets of Rs. 3634 billion, total deposits of Rs. 2020.16 billion, advances of Rs. 1812.06 billion and net profit of Rs. 42.25 billion as on March 2010. 5.2 Scheme of Amalgamation: According to the scheme of amalgamation of the Transferor Bank with the Transferee Bank, it is clearly stated that the Scheme was formulated as per the Section 44A of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, as per the guidelines of Reserve Bank of India for merger/amalgamation of private sector banks and in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Companies Act, 1956, and the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Transferor Bank and the Transferee Bank and other applicable provisions of laws. 5.3 Strategic Intent: The objectives and benefits of this merger are clearly mentioned in the scheme of this merger by ICICI Bank that its customer centric strategy which places branches as the focal points of relationship management, sales and service in geographical micro markets. As it is evident that the BoR had deep penetration with huge brand value in the State of Rajasthan where it had 294 branches with a market share of 9.3% in total deposits of scheduled commercial banks. It was presumed that the merger of BoR in ICICI Bank will place the Transferee Bank among the top three banks in Rajasthan in terms of total deposits and significantly augment the Transferee Banks presence and customer base in Rajasthan and it would significantly add 463 branches in branch network of ICICI Bank along with increase in retail deposit base. Consequently, ICICI Bank would get sustainable competitive advantage over its competitors in Indian Banking. 5.4 Issues Emerged: When the information about this merger was communicated to the employees, they did not accept this merger. All the employees were against this merger as it was evident from the strike and agitation by all the three major employee unions i.e. All India Bank of Rajasthan Employees Federation, All India Bank of Rajasthan Officers Association and Akhil Bhartiya Bank of Rajasthan Karmchari Sangh, subsequently demanding the immediate termination of the ICICI-BoR merger proposal. It is a very strong phenomenon from the behavioral aspects of employees in the growth strategy like mergers and acquisitions. It is quite possible that this human aspect may hamper the whole strategic challenges of the bank or any other organization adopting the strategic tool. 5.5 Future Implication: The issue of employees perception towards mergers needs special attention from researchers and thinkers in order to convert mergers as synergy. At this juncture, the prevalent challenge for ICICI Bank Ltd. was to encounter the agitation from the 4300 BoR employees. Now, since the merger has taken place the critical issue for discussion is the management of Human Resources in the course of Mergers and Amalgamation. The mist of human aspect in the process of MAs can be removed by the turning the pages of available literature for better vision in strategy formulation. 6. Data Analysis and Interpretation: Demographics Table 1: Age * Gender Cross tabulation Gender Total Male Female Age 20-30 1 2 3 31-40 2 7 9 41-50 3 5 8 51-60 8 2 10 Total 14 16 30 Table 2: Designation of the Employees * Gender Cross tabulation Gender Total Male Female Male Designation of the Employees Branch Manager 10 0 10 Senior Manager 2 1 3 Manager 2 3 5 Senior Executive 3 4 7 Executive 2 3 5 Total 19 11 30 In analysis, following scale (Table 3) will be used to interpret the mean values of ranks. Results Interpretation 1.00-1.80 Very poor 1.81-2.60 Poor 2.61-3.40 Moderate 3.41-4.20 Good 4.21-5.00 Very good Table 4: Pre-Merger Rank Analysis S. No. Factors Weight Total Weighted Total Weighted Mean Rank 1 2 3 4 5 Very Poor Poor Moderate Good Very Good 1 Satisfaction Pre-Merger 0 8 12 9 1 30 93 6.20 9 2 Work Culture Pre-Merger 0 7 16 6 1 30 91 6.07 12 3 Quality of Management Pre-Merger 0 7 18 5 0 30 88 5.87 17 4 Infrastructure Pre-Merger 0 7 9 12 2 30 99 6.60 2 5 Salary Pre-Merger 0 7 17 6 0 30 89 5.93 16 6 Time Schedule Pre-Merger 0 7 19 4 0 30 87 5.80 18 7 Communication with Senior Pre-Merger 0 4 21 4 1 30 92 6.13 11 8 Authority Provided by the Bank Pre-Merger 0 7 17 5 1 30 90 6.00 13 9 Responsibility Level Pre-Merger 0 9 18 3 0 30 84 5.60 21 10 Designation Provided by the Bank Pre-Merger 0 10 15 5 0 30 85 5.67 20 11 Benefit Provided Pre-Merger 0 7 16 7 0 30 90 6.00 14 12 Involvement In Decision Making Pre-Merger 0 6 22 2 0 30 86 5.73 19 13 Job Security Provided Pre-Merger 0 7 16 7 0 30 90 6.00 15 14 Opportunity for Advancement Pre-Merger 0 3 21 6 0 30 93 6.20 10 15 Working pattern Pre-merger 0 3 18 6 3 30 99 6.60 3 16 Stress Level Pre-Merger 0 4 19 6 1 30 94 6.27 5 17 Ambience Pre-Merger 0 4 20 4 2 30 94 6.27 6 18 Training Development Pre-Merger 0 4 17 8 1 30 96 6.40 4 19 Compatibility Pre-Merger 0 4 19 6 1 30 94 6.27 7 20 Perks Responsibility Pre-Merger 0 4 20 4 2 30 94 6.27 8 21 Redressal Pre-Merger 0 3 14 12 1 30 101 6.73 1 Table 4 reveals the ranks of the variables used in the study and derived by weighted average method. The responses were taken from bank employees on five-point Likert scale and as per the above table it can be observed that the most ranked variables are redressal, infrastructure, working pattern, training and development, stress level, and ambience and so on. Thus, we can say that employees were on the verge of merger and they were in ambiguous situation what to do. On the contrary, in table 5, the employees rated one of the most important factor is Benefit Provided Post-Merger, infrastructure, compatibility, working pattern, stress level, perks and responsibility and so on. Thus, it can be said that financial benefits provided by the transferee banks like salary hike has affected employees. Some more variables rated by employees like working pattern which has also affected the employees. BoR employees were not exposed to high end technologies in banking sector. Stress management in the course of mergers and acquisition is one of the most debatable issue as MAs brings new working culture, new technology, infrastructure, colleagues and peers and it takes time to make adjustments with these. Table 5: Post-Merger Rank Analysis S. No. Factors Weight Total Weighted Total Weighted Mean Rank 1 2 3 4 5 Very Poor Poor Moderate Good Very Good 1 Satisfaction Post-Merger 0 2 8 16 4 30 112 7.47 12 2 Work Culture Post-Merger 0 2 7 14 7 30 116 7.73 8 3 Quality of Management Post-Merger 1 2 11 11 5 30 107 7.13 19 4 Infrastructure Post-Merger 1 1 3 19 6 30 118 7.87 2 5 Salary Post-Merger 1 3 8 14 4 30 107 7.13 20 6 Time Schedule Post-Merger 0 3 8 14 5 30 111 7.40 13 7 Communication with Senior Post-Merger 0 2 11 13 4 30 109 7.27 16 8 Authority Provided by the Bank Post-Merger 0 6 6 6 12 30 114 7.60 10 9 Responsibility Level Post-Merger 0 4 9 12 5 30 108 7.20 18 10 De

One Thousand Paper Cranes -- One Thousand Paper Cranes Short Stories E

One Thousand Paper Cranes Walking toward his mother's bedroom, Mark slowed his pace. His heart ached and felt heavy. His mother's illness hung over him like a shroud, turning his life black. She had cancer in her lungs and he didn't know why and who to blame. She didn't smoke, so why did it have to happen to her. He questioned. He stopped at the door, gathering his thoughts. What would he say to his mother?. He took a deep breath, gathered his strength, and opened the door quietly. "Mom, how are you today? I'm sorry I haven't come to see you for a while." Mark said as he smiled at her trying to be cheerful. "Mom, I have a surprise for you today. I'm sure you will love it." He held his surprise behind his back with his right hand, but was so excited that he couldn't hide his feelings. He imagined her smiling as he revealed his gift. Maggie lay in her bed , lost in thought, and showed little interest. "Mark, is that you? Come close to me." She glanced at her son and tried to move her body to sit up, but she couldn't. She took a deep sigh and said, "I'm sorry, Mark. I don't feel good today." She knew she was dying. She suffered from lung cancer for a year. She had two painful operations in the last couple of months that had drained all of her strength. She was getting weaker and weaker. Now she stayed in bed all day, reading, watching TV, seeing occasional visitors, and remembering her life. She found momentary relief with her visitors, but always she would quickly tire and have to sleep. She smelled death around her. An independent woman all of her life, she wanted to take care of herself, but she was too weak to do so. Her body was dying daily, but her mind remained clear so she started writing her journal. She a... ...cranes and wonder at the folding. I will treasure senbazulu for years. Thank your Japanese friend for me." Mark had forgotten about the thousand cranes since his last visit. That was a wonderful gift for her. He didn't really believe its myth, but he wondered now that maybe it could be true. Summer was over. Four months passed since he had a family reunion at his hometown. He sat on his mother's empty bed in the dimly lit room and looked at the cranes hanging on the wall. His mother had died. He read her last letter to him. For a moment, a cool fall breeze fanned into the room through the slightly opened window. He could hear his grandfather's old clock across the room ticking loudly. He thought that one of the cranes smiled down at him, broke free and flew in the sky. He cried as he watched it fade into the horizon. "Take care of my mom," he whispered.

Comparing Power in Browning’s My Last Duchess and Cheever’s The Five-Forty-Eight :: comparison compare contrast essays

Power in Browning’s My Last Duchess and Cheever’s The Five-Forty-Eight  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   "That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall," begins Robert Browning’s "My Last Duchess" (594). The Duke of Ferrara, Italy makes a dramatic monologue to the count’s representative in poetic form. The count, being a friend of the Duke’s, has offered to provide the Duke’s next wife. The Duke informs the representative of all the habits he found annoying in his former Duchess as an instruction of the customs his next wife should and should not do; or she will find the same fate as his previous wife. He found these habits so annoying that he had her killed. The power that the Duke has starkly contrasts with the helplessness Miss Dent feels in John Cheever’s "The Five-Forty-Eight." Blake hires Miss Dent as his secretary, after she has been in the hospital for eight months. She is very grateful to Blake for giving her the position because she has had a difficult time finding a job due to her prolonged stay in the hospital. Miss Dent fo rms an affection for Blake, who uses her vulnerability to carry on a one-night stand with her. The next day he has her fired while she is at lunch and he then takes the afternoon off from work. Miss Dent tries to contact Blake every day for the next few weeks, but he avoids her until she finally confronts him in hostility. The presence or absence of power in Miss Dent’s or the Duke’s lives is the impacting factor in their personalities, "love lives," and the concluding results each of them gains. Power, or the lack of it, forms the Duke’s and Miss Dent’s personalities. The Duke achieves his initial power from his materialistic strengths. A few of these are emphasized in lines 27-29 at which point he states "The bough of cherries some officious fool/ Broke in the orchard for her, the white mule/ She rode with round the terrace" (594). His home life includes an assemblage of servants and maids, whom he passingly refers to as "officious fool[s]." He has an enormous house that extends onto a terrace, where the Duchess rides her white mule, and then on into an array of gardens, from these orchards her cherries are picked. Not so fortunate is Miss Dent who lives in "a room that seem[s]...like a closet" (81). Comparing Power in Browning’s My Last Duchess and Cheever’s The Five-Forty-Eight :: comparison compare contrast essays Power in Browning’s My Last Duchess and Cheever’s The Five-Forty-Eight  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   "That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall," begins Robert Browning’s "My Last Duchess" (594). The Duke of Ferrara, Italy makes a dramatic monologue to the count’s representative in poetic form. The count, being a friend of the Duke’s, has offered to provide the Duke’s next wife. The Duke informs the representative of all the habits he found annoying in his former Duchess as an instruction of the customs his next wife should and should not do; or she will find the same fate as his previous wife. He found these habits so annoying that he had her killed. The power that the Duke has starkly contrasts with the helplessness Miss Dent feels in John Cheever’s "The Five-Forty-Eight." Blake hires Miss Dent as his secretary, after she has been in the hospital for eight months. She is very grateful to Blake for giving her the position because she has had a difficult time finding a job due to her prolonged stay in the hospital. Miss Dent fo rms an affection for Blake, who uses her vulnerability to carry on a one-night stand with her. The next day he has her fired while she is at lunch and he then takes the afternoon off from work. Miss Dent tries to contact Blake every day for the next few weeks, but he avoids her until she finally confronts him in hostility. The presence or absence of power in Miss Dent’s or the Duke’s lives is the impacting factor in their personalities, "love lives," and the concluding results each of them gains. Power, or the lack of it, forms the Duke’s and Miss Dent’s personalities. The Duke achieves his initial power from his materialistic strengths. A few of these are emphasized in lines 27-29 at which point he states "The bough of cherries some officious fool/ Broke in the orchard for her, the white mule/ She rode with round the terrace" (594). His home life includes an assemblage of servants and maids, whom he passingly refers to as "officious fool[s]." He has an enormous house that extends onto a terrace, where the Duchess rides her white mule, and then on into an array of gardens, from these orchards her cherries are picked. Not so fortunate is Miss Dent who lives in "a room that seem[s]...like a closet" (81).

Epic of Beowulf Essay -- Epic of Beowulf Essays

The epic poem, Beowulf, is one of the oldest European epics in existence. When Beowulf was written, the writer incorporated many of the ideals of the Anglo-Saxons. Some of these ideals included loyalty, bravery, selflessness, and justice and were demonstrated in the hero. Both the characters Beowulf and Grendel represent aspects of both good and evil, Christianity and Paganism, and what occurs when they collide with one another. A characteristic of an epic poem is the concern over struggles that humans face, which is presented in a serious manner. The hero often embodies the religious, national, and cultural values of his homeland and abroad. The premise of the story is quite simple: the Danes were in distress because of the great monster Grendel, so Beowulf, a native of the Geats, sails to engage in battle with Grendel and become victorious in saving the seemingly faithless Danes. Throughout the epic, there are many instances where examples of the thirteen epic conventions are used in the writing of Beowulf and in describing both the ideals of the Anglo-Saxons and the underlying challenges with mortal problems, such as good versus evil.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Beowulf, as an epic, can be demonstrated through examples in the writing of the story. Beowulf is often described as a national hero who embodies the ideals of his race or nation. He is referred to as, â€Å"†¦the strongest of the Geats, greater and stronger than anyone anywhere in the world,† and is shown as displa...