Appealing Research Essay: Mortal Kombat Armageddon Essay

  I struggled all semester with using the right amount of information to include about the video games. Mr. Laskowski made it clear that my audience would be unfamiliar with the game’s context, so I needed to make sure I include (1) use the ideas of others as a critical lens to interpret other texts, (2) articulate/present a controlling purpose, and (3) use correct citations to summarize, paraphrase, and quote as well as incorporate the ideas of others accurately, fairly, and grammatically.   Mr. Laskowski’s observations were very correct in developing my essay’s overall structure. In response, my essay has followed these guidelines in order to gather the audience’s attention. Readers can readily identify the outline of my argument by reading the first two pages.   In my first argument, I state that, â€Å"Gerade Jones believes that violent emotion and tension in children’s lives actually play a beneficial role in their development ([inert your name] 1).† This introduction leads my readers into the path of my essay’s purpose. Essay provides an example such as my nephew and his cousin throughout the enactment of violent behaviors towards others. I introduce my resource’s position within each example to establish rapport between the comparisons. a. Identified Key Argument   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Readers are introduced to the complete elements of the paper:   Mortal Kombat Armageddon and Street Fighter as the video game examples, my nephew’s interactions, and expert opinions that guide a reader’s identification with my thesis statement ([insert your name] 1). These factors contributed to the basis of my essay by emphasizing the relationship to reality and fantasy.   My essay establishes its credibility by referencing readers to further materials covered in the topic of game violence’s affect on young children and teens. I consider this very important because plagiarism does not exist within my paper. Articulates Controlling Purpose Although I agree that I did not overwhelmingly, my essay implements proper practices of argument formation. I believe I satisfy the basic requirements of English 102 and I should receive a passing grade for my efforts. My essay presents a circumventive argument – begins telling story by detailed background analysis then moves into facts and statistics verifiable by sources. A strong introduction regarding violence and video games states the purpose of my essay and teases readers of its context. My portfolio’s lack of logic may have distracted an audience at first, but its development revamps the basis of my argument. Cited Expert Sources I stated,†Jones (2002) believes that violent emotion and tension in children’s lives actually play a beneficial role in their development (p.6) ([insert your name] 1).† This gives my audience an introduction to an expert’s opinion of my essay regarding Mortal Kombat’s affect on your children.   This argument penetrates a reader’s guess on the information I was preparing to direct them into a psychological sphere regarding video game violence. My strengths lied in readily identifying experts, quoting, and backing their claims with my evidence. This portfolio generates a reader’s interests by highlighting the issues at hand; readers can envision or feel as if they are a part of the argument by relying on facts ([insert name] 6). My essay’s credits are listed in MLA format of in-text citations as you can see in the second paragraph of the first page. Readers can readily identify the outline of my argument by reading the first two pages.   This introduction leads my readers into the path of my essay’s purpose. My essay provides an example such as my nephew and his cousin throughout the enactment of violent behaviors towards others. I introduce my resource’s position within each example to establish rapport between the comparisons. The comparison continues to highlight the injustices placed on young gamers by ___’s argument of Mortal Kombat Armageddon’s gruesome acts. My vivid details of the enhanced visualizations in the games create an edge for readers to feel a part of the argument. I motion a call of action towards further investigations regarding the likelihood of their copying Taven’s behavior in real life: â€Å"†¦Taven has to kill many enemies to get through his conquest journey and try to find his brother Daegon.   This shows good against bad.   This is a good example for children and young adults to choose who they want to be when they are grown.   If they choose to be bad, then they should know how bad people always end up dying or get defeated at the end.   If they choose to be good, then good people always end up with a happy life and succeed in whatever they end up doing â€Å"†¦research has shown that we experience the lack of a consequence as a reward† (Jones 51).â€Å" – Excerpt from Mortal Kombat Armageddon ([insert your name] 4).    Conclusion With this example, Jones’ acknowledgements round the whole argument into a circumventive placement. An audience of inductive thinkers may have noticed this clear, yet clever organization of thoughts. My essay should receive another review by a different community so their angles can be addressed as well. In conclusion, I believe my essay holds credible by following my guide list in creating its sequence as well as its outline for my audience. Furthermore, my citations are in the proper format of MLA, authors have received their credits for expert opinions, and the articulations of my thoughts were suited for my readership.

The Masque of the Red Death

â€Å"The Masque of the Red Death† Literary Analysis: A Look at Imagery We continue our literary analysis of â€Å"The Masque of the Red Death† by Edgar Allan Poe with a look at the graphic imagery in the short story. players †¢ slide 1 of 4 Imagery is the use of figurative or descriptive language to create a vivid mental picture. It involves at least one of the five senses–sight, sound, touch, feel, taste. Imagery in â€Å"The Masque of the Red Death† is ghastly. †¢ slide 2 of 4 Example of Imagery – â€Å"There were sharp pains, and sudden dizziness, and then profuse bleeding at the pores, with dissolution.The scarlet stains upon the body and especially upon the face of the victim, were the pest ban which shut him out from the sympathy of his fellow men. † (145). Senses – Sight, Touch Analysis – Poe establishes the mood and setting of the story with the vivid description of the Red Death. The passage establishes the h orror of the disease and explains why the guests would react to the blood stained intruder at the end of the story. †¢ slide 3 of 4 Imagery in the 7th RoomExample of Imagery – â€Å"The seventh apartment was closely shrouded in black velvet tapestries that hung all over the ceiling and down the walls, falling in heavy folds upon the carpet of the same material and hue† (146). Senses – Sight, Touch Analysis: The oppressiveness of the 7th room contrasts the gaiety of the previous six. The darkness of the room and the heaviness and darkness of the curtain symbolizes death. No wonder none of the guests wish to come near it. Note the pun on â€Å"shroud. † Example of Imagery – â€Å"The panes here were scarlet–a deep color†¦.In the corridors that followed the suite, there stood, opposite to each window, a heavy tripod, bearing a brazier of fire, that projected its rays through the tinted glass and so glaringly illuminated the room. And thus were produced a multitude of gaudy and fantastic appearances†¦ The effect of the firelight that streamed upon the dark hangings through the blood tinted panes was ghastly in the extreme† (146-7) Senses – Sight Analysis – So much for peaceful death. The images created by the brazier of fire and blood tinted glass give the room of death a ghastly appearance.The gaudy and fantastic appearances, the blood tinted panes, and the fire create an image of hell, hinting that perhaps the guests and the Prince fear not just the Red Death, but their eternal fate. †¢ slide 4 of 4 More Examples Example of Imagery – â€Å"Its pendulum swung to and fro with a heavy monotonous clang; there came from the brazen lungs of the clock a sound which was clear and loud and deep and exceedingly musical† (147). Senses – Sound Analysis – No wonder the musicians stopped when this clock struck.Poe uses personification–brazen lungs–to em phasize the deepness of the â€Å"heavy monotonous clang,† a clang that serves as an hourly reminder to the guests that death is approaching. Example of Imagery – â€Å"The figure was tall and gaunt, and shrouded from head to foot in the habilments of the grave†¦ His vesture was dabed in blood and his broad brow, with all the features of the face was besprinkled with the scarlet horror. † (149). Senses – Sight Death – The personified Red Death strikes fear and anger in the hearts of Prospero and his guests.Once the Red Death appears, it never leaves. Symbolism in â€Å"The Masque of the Red Death† Why are there seven rooms in â€Å"The Masque of the Red Death†? Learn all that and more with this guide to symbolism. latest †¢ slide 1 of 6 Edgar Allan Poe's â€Å"The Masque of the Red Death† should be studied at many levels: (1) the literal level – the literal level is a study of the events that actually take plac e in the story; (2) an allegorical level – an allegory is a story in which the objects, characters, and events are symbolic of something grander in scale.In order to understand the story allegorically, one needs a firm understanding of symbols in â€Å"The Masque of the Red Death. † †¢ slide 2 of 6 Symbols ; Analysis The Red Death symbolizes the inevitability of death. Although there is no specific disease with the exact symptoms described in the story, critics believe the disease's description has elements of tuberculosis, a disease which killed many of those close to Poe. It also brings forth memories of the Black Death which depopulated much of Europe during the Middle Ages.The Castle represents man's efforts to prevent death. Regardless of wealth, social position, or popularity, death arrives as an uninvited guest. Prince Prospero symbolizes the end of feudalism. Prospero's inviting only wealthy knights and ladies to his castle at the expense of peasants and c ommoners represents the socioeconomic divide between landowners and peasants that existed during the feudalistic period. It is not coincidental that the Black Death, which reduced the number of workers, led to a demand for labor and played an important role in ending feudalism in Europe.The Ebony Clock is a constant reminder of death and symbolizes the inevitability of it. The revelers could neither stop its pendulum from swinging nor could they prevent its ominous tones from dampering their enthusiasm. †¢ The Seven Rooms represent the stages of life. More on this later. The Masqueraders symbolize all humans and gives creedence to the interpretation that the seven rooms represent the seven ages of man (covered further in the next section). †¢ slide 3 of 6 Color Symbolism Colors play an important role in this story:Red – The most obvious color symbolism in â€Å"The Masque of the Red Death† is in its title. Red symbolizes death and blood. The gruesome descript ion of the Red Death gives the color a ghastly connotation, especially in light of the red window panes contained in the death room at the far western end of the imperial suite. Black/Ebony – The seventh room was â€Å"closely shrouded in black velvet tapestries that hung all over the ceiling and down the walls, falling in heavy folds upon a carpet of the same material and hue† (146).This seventh room contains â€Å"no light of any kind† and represents the darkness of death. In this room stands the ebony clock. Upon hearing its chimes the guests were reminded of death: â€Å"the giddiest grew pale, and the more aged and sedate passed their hands over their brows as if in confused reverie or meditation† (147). Blue/Purple/Green/Orange/White/Violet – These are the colors of the first six rooms in the imperial suite. I will address them together insomuch that they represent a prism and therefore reflect a progression, lending creedence to the interpre tation that the story is an allegory for life.This interpretation, however, is complicated by the fact that the color of Prospero's room do not occur in the same sequence as they do in a prism, possibly reflective of Prospero's twisted sense of fairness or an attempt by the author to associate particular colors with a specific period in life. †¢ Others interpret the 7 rooms in â€Å"The Masque of the Red Death† as a symbol of Prospero's indulgence in the seven deadly sins: 1. Pride/Vanity – Pride is the excessive belief in one's own abilities, similar to vanity, which is setting one's heart on things of little value.Prospero's belief that he is more powerful than death is a vivid demonstration of pride. 2. Envy – It is unclear who the Prince might envy, but he sure is trying hard to impress someone. 3. Gluttony – Gluttony is the act of consuming more than one is required. Instead of using his means to protect more people, something he is obligated to do as prince, he lavishes his guests with â€Å"ample provisions† and â€Å"the appliances of pleasure. † 4. Lust – Lust is an excessive craving for the pleasures of the body, usually associated with sex. The era in which Poe wrote prohibited he explicit or implicit description of sex, but what do you think was going on at an anything goes party? 5. Anger – The Prince becomes angry with the uninvited guest and attacks it. 6. Greed – Although it is apparent Prince Prospero shares his wealth with a thousand guests, he helps those who need it least and withholds his substance from those in need. 7. Sloth – Sloth is the absence of work. The prince seems like a hard worker; his work, however, is on the physical realm not the spiritual realm. †¢ slide 6 of 6 What do you think they mean? If you have an alternate interpretation, let me know in the comments.

Information technology Essay

The number one benefit of information technology is that empowers people to do whatever they want to do. It lets people to be creative. It lets people be productive. It lets people learn things they didn’t think they could learn before, and so in a sense it is all about potential. Today Domenic and I are going to talk to you and inform you how information and technology empowers people. There are lots of places where i. t empowerment takes place. There is the workplace, your home, the hospital, and the classroom. Empowering the frontline employees cannot work in vacuum. Empowerment of employees, while very important, requires an important requirements and conditions. Information and information technology are predicted to act as the most important requirements and qualities for empowering 21st century workforce. Advances incommunication and information technology have created new opportunities for organizations to build and manage empowerment process where members collaborate utilizing technology across space and time to accomplish important organizational tasks. One of the ways that Information Technology empowers people in their own home is through communication. Now i. t is empowering people a lot through communication because communication is a big part of our lives. Communication through i. t takes place on many devices such as, mobile phones, computers, iPods, Television and many more devices. Having i. t which enables you to do these amazing things is incredibly empowering towards us. This is because communication is something everybody uses in their everyday lives and without having i. to communicate to others throughout our world; it would make it a lot harder for us to function with everyday life. Information technology has a major impact on online shopping because online shopping takes place upon hundreds of millions in our world and every second of the day items are being purchased and sold through online shopping. This is majorly empowering us to go online shopping because it makes it a lot easier for us because we can purchase our stuff from home which means it takes a lot less time and effort to go online shopping and buy the certain items which you need with just a click of a button. Because online shopping is a positive thing throughout our lives, this shows that information technology is empowering us to go online shopping because of how simple and helpful it is throughout our lives. One of the ways that Information Technology empowers people in their own home is through communication. Now i. t is empowering people a lot through communication because communication is a big part of our lives. Communication through i. t takes place on many devices such as, mobile phones, computers, iPods, Television and many more devices. Having i. t which enables you to do these amazing things is incredibly empowering towards us. This is because communication is something everybody uses in their everyday lives and without having i. t to communicate to others throughout our world; it would make it a lot harder for us to function with everyday life. Information technology has a major impact on online shopping because online shopping takes place upon hundreds of millions in our world and every second of the day items are being purchased and sold through online shopping. This is majorly empowering us to go online shopping because it makes it a lot easier for us because we can purchase our stuff from home which means it takes a lot less time and effort to go online shopping and buy the certain items which you need with just a click of a button. Because online shopping is a positive thing throughout our lives, this shows that information technology is empowering us to go online shopping because of how simple and helpful it is throughout our lives. In the class room i. gives students and also techers the ability to learn many incredible things behind a computer, example us, we learn how to understand and operate computers in this class and to a point that is empowering us. Advances in technology have expanded the classroom walls well beyond school grounds and into the Internet. Allowing students access to more than pen, paper and textbooks empowers different types of learners. Teachers can differentiate between their students, providing resources that m eet their needs. These resources can vary from hardware, like tablet computers, to Internet-based solutions, like teacher websites. Middle school students can engage with content and classmates through technology, giving them more ownership of their learning. Using i. t in a meaningful way is now the golden key to success for youth. The â€Å"e† of â€Å"electronic† that we put in front of so many words today also denotes other vital â€Å"e† words, such as education, employment and entertainment. It is therefore crucial to empower youth through I.  T, especially in the developing world. There are sick and disabled people all over the world and hospitals are the main place where these patients are treated hospitals need advanced information and technology to help cure people and save lives there are numerous machines that lots of people just can’t live without like the the DynaVox EyeMax system which gives individuals with paralysis, cerebral palsy and stroke victims the ability to participate in spoken communication using only their eyes. Using an eye tracking system, users can interact with an on-screen keyboard, allowing them to enter words and phrases, which are then translated into spoken text via the device’s text-to-speech mechanism. That is incredible, it empowers patients to allow them to communicate with just their eyes. Now some of these are people who wouldn’t be able to so much as open their mouths or raise a hand. Empowering the blind; I think this is a very important thing to do. These are people who can’t see, so how do they live ordinary lives? They Don’t. i. t empowers the Blind with new tech that allows them to communicate and interact easier with society. Example; A scientist Dennis Hong is developing a car that can actually be driven by the blind. The aim is to integrate several computer systems, sensors and cameras to observe the environment around the vehicle and provide alternate forms of sensory input, including sound and vibration. This may include seat vibrations of various strengths and locations, pulsing vibration signals in gloves worn by the driver. That right there is very empowering. To conclude this argument I would like to tell you,its just so simple, Information and technology has empower people in ways beyond describing and hopefully ramone and I gaiven you a good understanding on how such different people are empowered through i. t. With our research we have shared with you today we hope you understand and agree with us that information empowers people.

The impact of Dizzy Gillespie on the development of modern jazz Essay

The impact of Dizzy Gillespie on the development of modern jazz - Essay Example In addition, the paper aims to bring a close understanding of need of revolution and development in the jazz genre of music. In-depth highlights will be provided in the paper regarding the collaborations that helped Dizzy Gillespie in bringing developing or positive impact on jazz music. It should be noted that Dizzy Gillespie was able to work in collaboration with Charlie Parker who was a saxophonist. The collaboration of both the musicians was able to introduce be-bop revolution. As a matter of fact, the revolution was not just limited to sleek and high speed musical addition as the style of jazz music but also intensified tune (Crow). This duo was widely famous around the world because they rather made it easier for the musicians to follow jazz music. In other words, Dizzy Gillespie along with Parker redefined jazz music. To them, it was extremely needed that musicians were playing an easier music so that the audiences can also follow the beats. In addition, the reach of jazz music, back in 1960s, was limited to certain regions (Shipton). Therefore, it was the need of the time to spread the music to different parts of the world so that people could follow differing tunes and tempos that were being provided by jazz music. Notwithstanding, there were many critical appraisals that were received by the jazz music (Crow). One of the vibrant changes that he successfully brought in jazz music was the inclusion of Afro-Cuban music (Davenport). Most of the music analysts claimed that the inclusion of the combination music allowed jazz music to develop as it needed resolution. Also, analysis and music critics claimed that Dizzy Gillespie was able to undertake such a huge change within the jazz music because he had a very entertaining approach towards music-making. A lot of people claimed that he had very fun techniques to produce music that ultimately made him work with many musicians (Crow). As a matter of fact, there was a huge fight between Mr.

The Research Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Research Project - Essay Example By identification, the group members are proud to be associated with the group, are willing to inform people from the outside that they are participants of the group, and perceive the goals and purpose that the team or the group pursues as their own. Cohesive teams or groups have minimal turnover in membership. A group becomes more cohesive when it can maintain the core members for a long time compared to a group with high member turnover. Participant’s membership detainment may translate to satisfaction in the group. It shows that the members value the association, are receiving benefits from group’s participation, and have invested money or time significantly in the group (Hunziker et al., 2011). When a group is cohesive, there is effective attainment of goals, high quality and quantity of communication and the group exerts significant influence over its members. Conformity, defined as going along, is demonstrated when members neglect a particular position opposed to other team or group members to the advantage of the view of the majority. The abandonment, also called conforming, can happen due do a variety of reasons including emotional or logical persuasion, time constraints, perceiving that continued argument is futile and coercion. If members of the group conform to group’s greater benefits, then the group’s potentials are reached with minimal resistance (Hunziker et al., 2011). Hunziker, S., Johansson, A. C., Tschan, F., Semmer, N. K., Rock, L., Howell, M. D., & Marsch, S. (2011). Teamwork and leadership in cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 57(24),

Russia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Russia - Essay Example Russia's transition from communism to capitalism has been a slow, albeit a positive, step. And while Russia is experiencing the pains of creating a new economic system, some progresses are already underway. It was in 1991 that the communist Soviet Union was dismantled and the Russian government proposed numerous radical reforms designed to transform the economy from one that was centrally planned and controlled to one based on capitalist principles. The Encyclopdia Britannica (2007) summed up that the major components of the reforms included establishing privately owned industrial and commercial ventures (using both foreign and Russian investment) and privatizing state-owned enterprises. Furthermore, the Russian government issued vouchers to citizens that enabled them to purchase of shares in privatized firms to promote privatization, though in practice these vouchers frequently were sold for cash and were accumulated by entrepreneurs. Moreover, a commodity- and stock-exchange system was also established to uplift the economic transition of a country fraught in political instability. Dolinskaya (2002) maintained that Russia's growth performance had already worsened before the beginning of economic transformation. The fundamental reason for the slowdown was the nature of Soviet economic growth, which was based on mobilization of resources rather than increases in productivity. However, at present, is Russia still struggling to get its economy on the right track How does Russia cope with the onset of globalization Does Russia deserve the attention of international investors This paper will attempt to find answers to these questions by sifting through current economic data and analyzing the potentials of the Russian market. II. Environmental Overview A. Economic Factors During the 1990s, the Russian economy experienced severe disruption as it moved from a centrally-plannedmodel to a free market system. Difficulties in implementing fiscal reforms aimed at raising government revenues and a dependence on short-term borrowing to finance budget deficits led to a serious financial crisis in 1998. In addition, lower prices for Russia's major export earners (oil and minerals) and a loss of investor confidence exacerbated the financial problems (Spulber, 2003, p. 206). The result was a rapid and steep decline in the value of the ruble, the flight of foreign investment, a breakdown of commercial transactionsvia the banking system, and the threat of runaway inflation. Nevertheless, Russia weathered the crisis well. Russia's economic performance has been strong in recent years, reflected in robust Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, strong external and fiscal positions, and growth in productivity and consumption. These achievements are attributed not only to favorable commodity prices, especially high oil prices, but also to generally prudent macroeconomic policies. In fact, Russia is presently in its eighth year of strong growth and now has the world's fifth largest foreign exchange reserves (Euromonitor International, 25

What existentialist artists attempt to communicate through their Essay

What existentialist artists attempt to communicate through their respective work - Essay Example After thinking about my own thoughts and reading Waiting for Godot and watching Garden State, I believe that existentialist artists are attempting to communicate the message of how people let others control their decisions instead of deciding for themselves what to do in the future. In Waiting for Godot, the story revolves around the life of Vladimir and Estragon who undergo strange experiences as they seek to wait for entity identified by the name Godot whose arrival is long awaited, but not forthcoming. Vladimir and Estragon are waiting for Godot to make the decisions for them; however, they lose track of time and self awareness of their lives. â€Å"Let’s go. We can’t. Why? We’re waiting for Godot†¦ What did we do yesterday,† (Beckett, 8-9). They are so dependent on Godot to make the decisions for them that they can’t even remember the events that happen yesterday in their lives. Through this scene, Samuel Beckett is trying to tell his readers that if they rely too much on others, then they will lose the precious memories they made throughout their life because they lost track of time of waiting for someone to forge their future. In addition, Samuel Beckett wants his readers to know how people have the strength to make their own decisions. For example, when Pozzo is trying to ask for help, Vladimir says, â€Å"Let us not waste our time in idle discourage! ... Let us make the most of it, before it is too late,† (Beckett, 90). Every individual has the choice to make an impact on other people’s daily lives. It is not up to others to make the decisions for us, but for us to. Beckett wants his reader there are many opportunities, such as saving someone, that we can take and make impact on history. Another example of individual decision making is when Vladimir realizes that Godot has not greeted them. The experiences of Vladimir and

Environmental Threats in Order of Decreasing Importance Assignment

Environmental Threats in Order of Decreasing Importance - Assignment Example The increase in temperatures is also linked with unsolicited changes in global climate, resulting in natural calamities such as floods, tsunamis, and hurricanes. This problem is very important to consider because global climate change not only results in natural calamities that damage human properties, lives, and agriculture but also results in damage to the ecosystem. Many areas have reported a loss of biodiversity and imbalances in ecosystems because even subtle changes in the natural climate cycles cause immense damage to many ecosystems and the species that thrive in them. The problem of global warming and its associated global climate change can be eliminated if we live a responsible lifestyle by minimizing our carbon footprint and adopt technologies that have minimum fossil fuel usage, and carbon and greenhouse gas emissions. II - Loss of species and ecosystems Pollution by humans and human activities, and encroachment of natural lands for human settlement and other purposes ha s caused severe losses to ecosystems and species. Loss of many species and, their ecosystems has resulted in a great loss of biodiversity. Many species are currently under threat of extinction. The loss of species and ecosystems is very dangerous as it directly affects the survival of life on the entire planet. Sometimes the loss of a single important species may damage the entire ecosystem. Such losses have global implications. In order to avoid loss of species and ecosystems, it is important to avoid pollution and land encroachment that destroys species habitats and negatively affects natural ecosystems. Better preservation strategies should be employed for species protection and everyone should be made aware of the importance of protecting vulnerable ecosystems and organisms. III - Global overpopulation Human population is multiplying rapidly and the resultant drain on earth’s natural resources is increasingly becoming a cause of concern.  

Loius XIV Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Loius XIV - Essay Example for the reconstruction of the whole apparatus. Furthermore, the influence of church was also weakening, so the crown was losing its allies and had to adjust to the new circumstances. The saddening experience of three-wave Fronde played its role during Louis's reign, and his first steps and goals were gaining control over French financial lifeblood and restricting alleged freedom of aristocracy. 2) Louis XIV dealt wisely with aristocracy. First of all, he waged numerous wars, in which noble classes were to participate (in order to demonstrate loyalty and obedience) - otherwise they wouldn't receive promotion and new government offices. Louis refused to distribute power among less significant feudalists, but he attempted to win their devotion he brought them to his court for a kind of probation term and then rewarded aristocrats with titles or pensions. Nevertheless, Louis never stopped controlling the number of aristocrats at highest hierarchical positions, so their number was always limited. Another Louis's direction was the establishment of strong sustainable military apparatus headed by the most loyal and industrious aristocrats.

Body Art and Ornamentation Essay Example for Free

Body Art and Ornamentation Essay There is no culture in which people do not, or did not paint, pierce, tattoo, reshape, or simply adorn their bodies (Schildkrout, 2001). Throughout history, body art and ornamentation has become a worldwide phenomenon and has played a key role in our lives, yet there is a social stigma which we cannot seem to rid ourselves of. It is most commonly misunderstood and misinterpreted which can be attributed to the fact that the symbolism and significance of the body art and/or ornamentation doesn’t always translate the same among the cultures. Although Western culture views body art and ornamentation as being associated with mischief and rebellion, Japanese and African cultures use it as a way of expressing spirituality as well as cultural expression. The existence of body art and ornamentation can be traced all the way back thirty thousand years or more back to when cavemen drew pictures on the cave walls. According to Kuhn Stiner (n.d.), the alteration and enhancement of one’s body originated from the Kapthurin formation in Kenya. Anthropologists even believe that body art and ornamentation was present during the Middle Pleistocene in both Eurasia and Africa. Expression and art are two factors that play a fundamental part in African culture. According to Clarke (2006), many African societies symbolically view body art and ornamentation as a special role in guiding one’s destiny and success, mediating between world of the living as well as the spiritual world, expressing community ideals, defining power and leadership, protecting and healing, and celebrating or commemorating the cycles of life, human and agricultural. African culture uses a variety of ways to display their body art and ornamentation depending on which society they live in. These ways include: incorporating shells, teeth, or claws into their clothing or jewelry, wearing colored body paint, exaggerating human features (i.e. elongation of the neck), gauging piercings in the ears and/or lip, scarification, and tattooing. Looking from another culture’s perspective, the various forms of African body art and ornamentation are seen as being weird, out of the ordinary, and we don’t understand the importance they hold within these African cultures. On the other hand, there are other cultures such as the Japanese, who instead of outwardly portraying their body art and ornamentation will instead conceal it so it won’t be visible at all. The first signs of body art and ornamentation which appear in the Japanese culture were first noted as originating all the way back to AD 297 (Rapp, 2010). Back then, tattoos would signify which occupational group certain men belonged to and men, both young and old, would get tattoos all over their bodies including their faces. Men would even go as far as getting full body tattoos which could be found on laborers, firemen, and gangsters (Hopkins-Tanne, 2000). The Chinese considered all Japanese tattoos an act of barbarism and was perceived as being extremely negative. The body art and ornamentation that exists and has existed within the Japanese culture spreads beyond just tattooing and there are a few other methods that they used. First, many married Japanese women or courtesan in the 10th through 19th centuries would apply a paste to their teeth which would blacken them (Schildkrout, 2001). This was considered as being beautiful as well as sexually appealing to where as we would vi ew that as abnormal and ugly. Secondly, they would bind the women’s feet in order to make them smaller and the process was extremely excruciating, but again, it was considered as being beautiful. The pain that was felt and the blood that was shed served as an offering to the gods, ancestors, and spirits (2001). On the other end of the spectrum, culture within the United States has a split view regarding body art and ornamentation. In the United States, forms of body art and ornamentation can include: tattoos, piercings, branding, corseting, scarification, gauging the earlobe, make-up, plastic surgery, and dental implants (Schwarz, 2006). We live in a society where we idolize and preach the importance of physical attractiveness. In doing so, there is the separation of individuals into five different groups that exist within the social structure. The five groups include: the conformist group, the innovators, ritualists, retreatists, and the rebellion group (Rapp, 2010). The conformist group consists of individuals who understand and accept the emphasis on the beauty of the body in its natural state and the only type of body art or ornamentation that’s used is superficial . On the other hand, the individuals who are classified as innovators accept the whole concept of the beauty of the natural body, but go to the extremes to achieve this. The individuals who refuse to conform to what society has deemed as beautiful yet maintains a natural body and stays within certain bounds regarding body art and ornamentation. Retreatists include individuals who don’t abide by the guidelines of proper hygiene as well as body art and ornamentation and won’t acknowledge the beauty of the natural body. Lastly, there are individuals who are set out to change the social structure and bring about a new phase of body art and ornamentation and they make up the rebellion group (2010). Nowadays, in American culture we see body art and ornamentation, such as tattoos and piercings, as being acceptable as well as fashionable. It’s not uncommon to see people have a variety of body art, ornamentation, and body modification performed. The majority of people go and get tattoos when they experience a pivotal point in their lives as well as trying to create a sense of identity for themselves. Everyone tries to be original in their own way, but the end result is the creation and growth of conformity. By this, I mean that everyone is going out and getting tattoos, piercings, or plastic surgery and they’re trying to be â€Å"original†, but when all is said and done, they begin to blend in with one another. No matter what people say or do, a stigma has remained attached to all the various kinds of body art and ornamentation. According to Schwarz (2006), tattoos continue to not be entirely accepted and are a barrier to the economic success which is central to the â€Å"American dream†. For example, most employers have rules for their employees stating that they cannot have any visible tattoos and/or piercings that are visible to the public. This could be partly because there are individuals that could be offended and businesses could suffer from a loss of customers and sales. In the American culture, tattoos are not acceptable in a number of situations esp ecially when it has to do with the general public (2006). The highest percentage of the American culture that has body art and ornamentation can be found in the younger generations. Many teens go through a period in their lives where they feel the need to rebel against the social norm especially to spite their parents. Their choices of body art and ornamentation are indicative of their attitudes and values (Crapo, 2013). Attitudes are statements of one’s preferences while values are what we consider good or bad (2013). This plays into why certain individuals look down upon body art and ornamentation and end up enforcing the negative stigma. In conclusion, the implementation of body art and ornamentation is a designated way of indicating the various cultural differences that exist within cultures worldwide. The main reason there has been the rise in the popularity of body art and ornamentation is a result of cultural commercialism. Despite how hard we try to eliminate the soci al stigma of body art and ornamentation, it will never completely be gone. Unfortunately, we can’t have everyone’s personal opinion be the same as one another, but there is one thing that we can do. We can make the effort to educate the various cultures on one another so that we are able to comprehend the vocabulary that is used, the meaning of symbols, myths and legends, and social values. People in different cultures continue focusing on the negative aspects of body art and ornamentation, but if we were able to understand one another, the idea of peace on earth isn’t that far out of reach. References Clarke, C. (2006). The art of africa: A response for educators. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved from Ebscohost database Crapo, R.H. (2013). Cultural anthropology. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education Hopkins-Tanne, J. (2000). Body art: Marks of identity. British Medical Journal. doi: 320(7226):64 Kappeler, P., Stahl, J., Wohlrab, S. (2006). Modifying the body: Motivations for getting tattooed and pierced. Science Direct: Body Image 4, 87-95. Retrieved from http://www.sociodep.hku.hk/bbf/BBF%20Readings%20W12/W12%20Modifying_the_Body.pdf Kuhn, S.L. Stiner, M.C. (n.d.) Body ornamentation as information technology: Towards an understanding of the significance of early beads. Retrieved from http://courses.washington.edu.archyaec/archy401/readings/kuhn-beads.pdf

Representation Of Women In Advertising Cultural Studies Essay

Representation Of Women In Advertising Cultural Studies Essay Advertisements are one of the most cultural factors which mould and reflect society. They are a ubiquitous and inevitable part of everyones life: even if we do not read a newspaper or watch television, the images posted over our urban surrounding are inescapable. The advertisement translates these statements to us as human statements: they are given a humanly symbolic exchange value. (Wiliamson, 1976)   This paper will discuss the change and contrast or the representation of women in television advertisements. It will deconstruct two British adverts from the 1960s and their contemporary counter parts; as well as examine the idea of different notions of beauty for women and stereotypes relating to these notions and identify stereotypes relating to beauty. It will study the ways in which meaning is communicated through the use of these codes and conventions in television advertisements. Therefore I will look at the visual semiotics in each element of the advert which includes language, image and information and its target market and audience, hence analyzing according to semiotics. This paper will analyze the advertisements use and manipulation of stereotypes relating to beauty, ideas about body image and the maintenance of an ideal standard of beauty. Many theorists believe that perceived gender roles form the bases for the development of gender identity and thus it is vital to study the theories used to enforce these gender stereotypes and their shifts. Eaglys social role theory implies that gender roles based on stereotypes have been developed due to sexual division of labour and societal expectations. Eagly (1987) differentiates among the common and age scopes of gender-stereotyped features. The common character is categorized by elements, such as nurturance and emotional expressiveness, mostly linked with household activities, and thus, with women. The age role is categorized by characteristics such as hostility and sovereignty, mostly linked with communal activities, and thus, with men. Gender roles strongly influence behaviour when cultures support gender stereotypes and build up strong expectations based on those stereotypes (Eagly 1987). According to Deaux and Lewis gender stereotypes differ on four dimensions: traits, rol e behaviors, physical characteristics, and occupations (Deaux and Lewis 1983). This work is further developed by Berm who stated that Gender stereotypes are implanted through childhood socialization and are reinforced in adulthood. This thought is supported by Berms Gender schema theory, which presents the idea that children learn how their cultures define the roles of both women and men and then internalize the knowledge acquired as gender schema. (bem 1993) Feminist legal theory is based on the belief that the law is instrumental in womens historical subordination. There are two elements of the feminist legal theory. First, feminist jurisprudence aims to explain the ways in which the law played a role in womens former subordinate status and in the latter, feminist legal theory is dedicated to changing womens status through a reworking of the law and its approach to gender. According to Gunther women in television adverts prior to 1970s were not shown to be in paid work, and when they were, they would be stereotypical jobs such as a nurse or personal assistant. Housewife culture declined after the 1950s, but it was still common during the 1960s and 1970s (Gunther, 1995 :34). Content analysis of advertising in television during the 1970s provided strong evidence of the existence of stereotyping. All adverts which featured women showed three quarters were for kitchen and bathroom products. Men were viewed with powerful authoritative roles and provided the dependable voice-over (Ibid: 35) Research in the late 1970s and early 1980s reinforced a continuation of these trends, with men shown at work and women as housewives and mothers at home. Nonetheless, it became more common for men to be shown at home as well, in the role of husband or father, and the range of womens occupations increased (ibid : 36, 37). This is reminiscent of the Social Learning Theory. During the late 1970s women in advertising played a central focus on beauty, cleanliness, family and pleasing others. In the 1980s TV advertising started to conceptualize the idea of the busy working women by offering solutions to the working woman, who was assumed, would still perform household tasks such as cooking and cleaning. Pg 55Through the early 1990s, a study was conducted of 500 prime-time TV ads in the UK, by Cumber batch (reported in Strinati, 1995: 86),and it was deduced that advertiser had seemingly become vary of many years advertisers were reluctant to do anything different from the conservative stereotypical gender roles until in the 1970s and 1980s feminists took the protest to roads. Pg 55 Television audience are bombarded with images and slogans through advertisements. In 2000 Nielsen Media Research and Radio Advertising Bureau survey concluded that the average U.S. household, watched more than seven hours of television per day (Albarran, 2000). Audience subconsciously memorize slogans and absorb images without questioning them. This is known as the cultivation effect (Gerbner, Gross, Morgan and Signorieli (1980)) .The effect of this exposure produces cultivation, or teaching of a common worldview, common roles and common values. (Gerbner, Gross, Morgan Signorieli, 1980, p.10). In order to understand the change in female stereotypes we must apply a semiotic analysis to the advertisements in the contrasting time frames.Williamson (1978) stated that semiotics studies looks at any system of signs whether the substance is verbal, visual or a complex mixture of both. (Semiotics and Ideology (n.d) para.2). Ideology is the meaning made necessary by the conditions of society while helping to perpetuate those conditions. (Williamson (1978) p.13). We must first discuss intersubjectivity, (OSullivan, Hartley, Saunders, Montgomery, Fiske, (1994) p.157 158) As the audience In order to understand advertisements we must learn how to read them. It is vital to deconstruct them by the use of encoding and decoding. Encoding is performed by the transmitter of the advertisement message and decoding is a process accomplished by the receiving audience. The visual message is the most important element of a television advert because through it, its semiotic system of codes and co nventions it attracts potential buyers of the product. Most female personal care products target consumers by offering them an idealized reader-image (McCracken (1992 p.20). Thus television advertisements attract the audience by selling them visions of how they would like to see themselves. The codes and conventions on the advert have been transgressed by Dove which as a brand has taken a sharp turn away from traditional conventional ideologies of female perceptions. Advertisements must take into account not only the inherent qualities and attributes of the products they are trying to sell, but also the way in which they can make those properties mean something to usà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The components of advertisements are variable and not necessarily part of one language or social discourse. Advertisements rather provide a structure which is capable of transforming the language of objects into that of people, and vice versa. Judith Williamson, Decoding Advertisements, 1978, p.12 (flake doc) WHAT IS TRYING TO BE SAID HERE!According to Gerbner ; common media learning has increased television viewing is associated with more stereotypical views, especially of gender (Allan Scott, 1996). Gerbner, Gross, Morgan and Signorieli (1980) argued that for frequent heavy viewers, television virtually subsumes and monopolizes other sources of information, ideas and consciousness. Furthermore, the frequent viewers perceive the world as television depictions . (Gerbner, et al., 1980). Dove old advert The advertisements of the early 1960s begin with a male voice over. This man narrates the advert and his claims of Dove being new and revolutionary and this is reinforced through female narration. This can be said to be reflective of male patriarchy dominant at during the late 1950s and early 1960.The key word in the advert is new and is repeated, in each case before the brand name. The readers eye is drawn simultaneously to the models eyes and face, and the text onscreen. The Advert emphasized as the brand name and thus the text anchors the connotative meaning of the product but new is the first word you read. Cosmetics advertisers aim to reduce competition by conveying that their products are the newest product with the latest technological advances. Emphasis in adverts is placed on the new key property of the product. For example, Dove creams and cleanses your skin and boasts that other products only cleanse and dry ; here, there is a strong implication of criticism of other brand s and products and this encourages women to be critical of themselves and their peers in using wearing of out-of-date brands that do not embody the latest key properties or technology. The beginning of the advert contains a picture of the products packaging; this is what the audience is to look for when buying the product. The image of the dove represents Greek connotations of Aphrodite, goddess of beauty and love thus representing traditional female beauty and characteristics. Next the audiences see a perfectly manicured female hand , this continues to reinforce female notions of beauty. Once the product is unpackaged the bar of soap is curvy, this could questionably parallel the unpack aging of the female body which like the soap is also curvy. The words completely new are draw upon the eyes of the audience eye drawn and this point is reinforced by the narrative. The audience is introduced to the product by a male voice over. A Female voice over refers to the cleaning of the product cleaning, a subtle reference to the position of women in the home,  ¼ filling of bar may also be representative of cooking. She continues to talk about cleansing, the product cleans and creams and this is repeated and is reinforced to the audience. The male voice then reinforces the positives of the products; his commentary is similar to that of a scientists new discovery. Its can be argued that the mode in the advert acts as a guinepig for the experimental use of the product, it is her purpose to serve the male voice over. We are only able to view the models face, and towards the end of the advert her makeup changes as if she were ready to go out, for a date perhaps, and in this transformation she is rewarded by an anonymous male, whose hand we see as he caresses her cheek continuing to reinforce the previous Aphrodite notions beauty and love and desire to please in a patriarchal society and fulfill beauty expectations. The ad consists of a visual subject which in this case is the soap and an object, the soap bar, while subconsciously portraying the subject as the women and the object as her Female curves. This reinforces traditional gender stereotypes as the objects beauty is acknowledged by male presence. SANA U relocate this I will now introduce and analyze recent Dove television adverts according to semiotics. I am looking to see how the representation of women is conveyed and to see if the operation of patriarchy is apparent. I suspect that I will be able to deduce that all of these adverts operate patriarchy through similar ideologies presented through, images and articles in magazine about their products. The advert then shows the ordinary women having fun at photo shoot. In the new television advert the models are relaxed and it appears as if they are chatting to their girlfriends. The self-touching conveys the impression of narcissism, admiring ones own body and displaying it to others. Furthermore, in the firming body products campaign we are first introduced to the model via an audition we see real women, wearing ordinary clothing, jeans and simple tops and not glamorous silk gowns. They are all different shapes, sizes and ethnicities. The larger women unconventionally and ironically are wearing lower cut blouses. Next the audience views the women using of products in ordinary household environments. The use of a female voice portrays societal liberisation of women and her voice has a relaxed jovial tone as she refers to size 8 women. The female voice of dove, implies that size 8 women note real women but merely fictional supermodels. She refers to large hips and pear shape, this healthy fruit are Dove a promoting a healthier fuller figure. Women are in white lingerie this mirrors the color of the dove which is free and liberated. A twenty first century interpretation of the dove may be interpreted as the present greater liberation, peace and freedom which is reinforced in Doves new ad campaign. During the photo shoot there is a male voice present in the background. He wears black perhaps because he not as free and liberated as women and is confined to the antiquity of black which contrasts the free soaring spirit of Dove. In comparison to the1960s ad, the earlier is more informative about the product where as the new advert, focuss on the self in comparison to the prior which focuss on the product. In the new advert the narrator only names the products and reinforces that their tested on real women The absence of obvious sex appeal in this ad displaces the use of the product as a method of attracting the male. Instead the womans focus is on attaining for herself the advertised qualities embodied other women shown. The ad uses empowerment to sell the product because the majority of women in their late thirties or early forties who are considering firming products are likely to have already attracted a male. It is the qualities embodied by real women that the ad is making desirable, and then attainable through the product itself. Dove claim they have changed all this by revoloutionalizing societal perceptions of beauty. By presenting real women in their lingerie the brand expresses the societal liberation of female freedom and sexuality. Women in their campaign are not presented with traditional sexual connotations as vixens; hour glass body shapes, long hair, large bust, instead the women in the 21st century ad campaign are perfectly flawed. This campaign broke stereotypical rules and took beauty taboos head on. The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty (CFRB) textually reveals that CFRB employs feminist signs to reference a key binary resistance in feminist politics discussing liberation and oppression; in the presentation of an ideology of real beauty. This message promotes Dove as a mechanism of change to the view of societal perceptions of limiting and unattainable female beauty, a position influential feminists support in mainstream media and through corporate partnership. This analysis suggests that real beauty is a new stereotype within the dominant ideology of female beauty; the attributes of thin, young, and blonde are replaced by many shapes, sizes, colours and ages, yet the real women are presented to arouse public dialogue about their physical beauty while promoting Dove and its products; resulting in sexual objectification of their image. Also as the definition of real beauty embraces self-esteem, CFRB produces a demanding, oppressive beauty stereotype for female consumption than the do minant stereotype which emphasizes only physical standards. Ultimately, CFRB support the patriarchal view of female identity as a consumer through the ideological consumption of real beauty and fiscal consumption of Dove products. This analysis provides a history of the relationships between feminists women in advertising, and the assembly of beauty advertising to observe the construction structure of CFRB. In earlier decades the aim for women was to attract a man and be in a loving relationship. The focus has shifted, however, and the goal now is to be slim, attractive, and happy, regardless of lifestyle, and whether or not an individual is in a successful relationship or not. It is through inter-subjectivity that cultural identity is affirmed. Just as advertising influences culture, so too does it reflect trends and cultural values. Advertising in womens products represents a utopian view of the world and sells the product by selling stereotypical aspirations to attain the lifestyles or the looks represented in their texts. Henceforth, Margaret Duffy claimed that advertising, Popular academics have seen it as anti-humanistic, a creator of unnecessary needs and desires. (Duffy as cited by Manca and Manca, 1994, p.5). Unlike big clothing brands like Gucci or Prada for example, self care products cannot be identified by displaying the brand name in the actual cream or soap bar but instea d, advertisements such as this encourage women to look critically at each others physical appearance and gossip about how other women look. The old dove advert exemplifies elements of both the social learning and the gender schema theory. As we are socialized into our gender roles females traditionally have been concerned about their appearance and focuses on trying to please the opposite sex. This is reiterated by doves ad campaign buy the males reassuring hand of the womans soft beautiful skin. This social acceptance is reinforced by the gender schema theory which describes women as gentile creatures. Thus these two work hand in hand in a repetitive cycle. In contrast to this contemporary dove advertisements are influenced by feminist legal theory. The female voice over mirrors social power acquired by women in the early 20th century and after WWII. This is made even more apparent by the partly dressed models that break traditional gender stereotypes of beautiful pin up women as they appear in all shapes and sizes. FLAKE intro the second ad into the esay Chocolate seems more decadent than other confectionery because we have been sold this myth. The audience treats the signifiers in advertisements as though they are truths rather than our own constructions, which are enabled by refined publicity teams. This tendency to accept signs stems advertising has signified a cultural scepticism which in return has acted as the signifier for a new system of parody in advertisement which humours the system of unconscious connotations whilst achieving the goal of selling the product within the same system of denotations and connotations which it ridicules. The Cadburys Flake television advertisements of the 1970s and 80s depict young, beautiful white women in romantic dreamscapes, i.e. the poppy field, the Victorian-style bathroom, content in their independence, yet eroticised by the sexual relationship they share with their phallic chocolate bars The advert begins with the flake girls licking her lips, she then holds up the erected chocolate bar which becomes the central focal point for the audience. We are given time to read the name of the chocolate which then is followed by music. As the music proceeds the flake girl begins to unwrap the bar and slowly and places it in her mouth not taking a bite this may be interpreted to mirror the sexual acts. The girl presents traditional beauty appearance, her makeup draws attention to her eyes and lips her straight hair also represents phallic images and traditional beauty connotations similar to that in the Dove adverts of 1960s presenting the beauty of Aphrodite. She places the chocolate seductively in her mouth and as the sun shines behind her she enters into her sexual fantasy a beach with a back horse. This stallion may be representative of a man, strong, learn and being lead by a strong female from the 1960s. She finally smiles as she enjoys the creamy chocolate. Most prominent in this advert is the female voice over, this being representative of political change. . These images appeal to the consumer, who makes connections between the visual subject, the chocolate and the visual object the chocolate bar in contrast to the subconscious subject sex and the subconscious object the lack of the male penis. The substitution of the chocolate bar for phallic images is all the more erotic when the audience is exposed to close-up images of white females rouge stained or gloss-laden lips wrapping themselves around the brown bar. The attributes of the chocolate; its distinctive shape and texture are connoted into a meaning of sexual desire and satisfaction. These myths then become the Flakes identity. Flake has removed the idea of the Flake girl who traditionally has sensually nibbled the chocolate bar since 1959. The new campaign aims to focus on the beauty and delicacy of the Flake bar, as opposed to the Flake girl succumbing to the mouth watering chocolate. The ad features Russian model Yulia Lobova and 200 metres of yellow fabric. The fabric twirls around the model as a yellow dress in an analogy of the Flake bar. For the past seven months the UK Cadbury team have been working on creating a new campaign that helps give Flake a fresh, contemporary approach, said Phil Rumbol, UK marketing director at Cadbury. We wanted to focus on the beauty of the product rather than just the sensuality of eating it we consider Flake to be a truly unique product and its still going strong in its 90th year. The signifiers in the new advert are the colours purple and yellow from which the audience picks up on the significant code and recognises the brand. The floating women in the luxurious material signify the beauty and luxury of the brand and product. The material unwraps a woman where s previously it was the ale phallic. This advertisement can be used for a global audience, the lacking of language ad simple images sounds and colours relates to a wider audience. The models makeup is also subtle in comparison to previous flake girls. The traditional beauty and enhancement of eyes and lips is not as apparent. Flake old advert- influenced by feminist legal theory and like women rebels against the societal perception and position of women. This is exemplified by the female voiceover. Ironically this advertisement presents another female stereotype of the sexual women and not a home maker. This is a stereotype which was not taught during the early 1960s however female presence in society was seeing a change, perhaps Cadbury were attempting to create a new stereotype or perhaps trying to break traditional conventions and set new set new social learning theoretical perspectives. New ad- Cadbury has once again created a new stereotype but this time of not gender but of pleasure , presenting their chocolate not with sexual connotations. However Cadbury still use a female who is lost in some form of desire however this advert focuses on the chocolate rather than its The desirable indulgence in this ad is the chocolate itself rather than the subconscious portrayal of a phallic image. The fantasy is constant however the nature of the new adverts emphasizes on the changes of gender stereotypical roles in comparison to the old one. CONCLUSION Having explored the ideals of femininity in television advertisements we can argue that they are revealed to be carefully constructed in their layout, choice of colour, packaging and the product itself, text, language used, and which model has been photographed to represent the brands ideology through the codes and conventions it adheres to. In some adverts consumption of the product is implied to lead to being loved, cared for and protected by a man and this is portrayed as highly desirable in the case of dove. In contrast the new campaign shows a female empowered to stand alone without masculine approval, and to consume the product as a luxury for herself, not to make her more attractive to a man. Flake In conclusion the advertising has evolved from traditional notions of female stereotypes alternative to that of dove to minimalist advertising which is based on consumers socially acquired knowledge for e.g it will be commonly known for all the audiences the colours of flakes packaging similarly to this the logo of dove and the colours of the packaging. Even though gender stereotypical roles in adverts have tremendously evolved since 1960s while performing the semiotics of both the adverts an interesting pattern of similarity lead to decipher a rare connection between the new dove ad and the old flake ad. In the dove new ad the confidence of women to be comfortable with their appearance no matter how they look without male dominance and the confidence of the flake girl in the old advert to have her own fantasy where she leads the masculine horse figure shows power and dominance portrayed by both then dove women and the flake girls. It could be argued that Cadbury has been ahead of times in modern portrayal of gender stereotyping however it still follows the traditional pattern to gender stereotyping showing a stereotypically beautiful white Russian model while Dove has broken this convention and introduced a new form of gender stereotypical role. Creating new stereotypes. In addition, many television adverts carry an implication of women being confident, successful and strong. From closer study it becomes clearer that this masks the operation of patriarchy which uses representations of women in adverts to suppress the empowerment and independence of women in real life. Again Dove differs here from other advertising campaigns by showing positive images of women who do not conform to the unattainable ideal standard of beauty shown in other ads and Cadbury create a new implication of female empowerment. However such implications were evident in adverts during the 1960s. It is obvious that advertising plays a major part in creating and maintaining the consumer culture in which we live. It can be argued that if the public had greater awareness to the negative images in the mass media in reference to women, they would be able to distinguish between their actual needs and those created by factors such as peer pressure, advertising, and low self-confidence. Cash Pruzinsky (1990, p.51) stated two perspectives which form our appearance, one from the inside and one from the outside. The relationship between these perspectives is central when discussing self-esteem and body image, but it is our physical appearance which provides advertisements with their material. Despite this it is our feelings about how we look from the inside and our insecurities which enable adverts to work. Fiske says, An advert is only the inter textual circulation of its meanings, a set of unfinished meanings in process. Texts are not signifying objects but agents, instances and reso urces of popular culture. (1991, p.124 125) It is only when being read or viewed and its meaning interpreted by individuals that the advert becomes whole and performs the function of selling a product. Without human interaction an advertisement can only be looked at as a manifestation of the world surrounding it.

The Importance Of Marketing Communication Marketing Essay

The Importance Of Marketing Communication Marketing Essay Introduction In this paper, I would like to discuss the problems associated with marketing communication in international markets. When I proceed with the assignment, with relevant examples, I will examine why an integrated marketing communication is essential to the success of a multinational in a highly competitive international market. Marketing communications in international markets needs to be conducted with care. This paper will consider some of the key issues that businesses need to take into account when promoting products or services in overseas markets with different socio, cultural background. The importance of marketing communication Those who practice advertising, branding, direct marketing, marketing, packaging, promotion, publicity, sponsorship, public relations, sales, sales promotion and online marketing are termed marketing communicators. The communication process is sender-encoding-transmission device-decoding-receiver, which is part of any advertising or marketing program. Encoding the message is the second step in communication process, which takes a creative idea and transforms it into attention-getting advertisements designed for various media such as television, radio, magazines, and others. Massages travel to audiences through various transmission devices. The third stage of the marketing communication process occurs when a channel or medium delivers the message. Decoding occurs when the message reaches one or more of the receivers senses. Consumers both hear and see television ads. Others consumers handle or touch and read a coupon offer. One obstacle that prevents marketing messages from being efficient and effective is called barrier. Barrier is anything that distorts or disrupts a message. It can occur at any stage in the communication process. Marketing Communications are messages and related media used to communicate with a market. Marketing communications is the promotion part of the Marketing Mix or the four Ps: price, place, promotion, and product. The primary goal of marketing communication is to reach a defined audience to affect its behavior by informing, persuading, and reminding. Marketing communication acquires new customers for brands by building awareness and encouraging trial. Marketing communication also maintains a brands current customer base by reinforcing their purchase behavior by providing additional information about the brands benefits. A secondary goal of marketing communication is building and reinforcing relationships with customers, prospects, retailers, and other important stakeholders. Successful marketing communication relies on a combination of options called the promotional mix. These options include advertising, sales promotion, public relations, direct marketing, and personal selling. The Internet has also become a powerful tool for reaching certain important audiences. The role each element takes in a marketing communication program relies in part on whether a company employs a push strategy or a pull strategy. A pull strategy relies more on consumer demand than personal selling for the product to travel from the manufacturer to the end user. The demand generated by advertising, public relations, and sales promotion pulls the good or service through the channels of distribution. A push strategy, on the other hand, emphasizes personal selling to push the product through these channels. Traditionally, marketing communications practitioners focused on the creation and execution of printed marketing collateral; however, academic and professional research developed the practice to use strategic elements of branding and marketing in order to ensure consistency of message delivery throughout an organization. Many trends in business can be attributed to marketing communications; for example: the transition from customer service to customer relations, and the transition from human resources to human solutions. How marketing communication become successful? For marketing communication to be successful, sound management decisions must be made in the other three areas of the marketing mix: the product, service or idea itself; the price at which the brand will be offered; and the places at or through which customers may purchase the brand. The best promotion cannot overcome poor product quality, inordinately high prices, or insufficient retail distribution. Likewise, successful marketing communication relies on sound management decisions regarding the coordination of the various elements of the promotional mix. To this end, a new way of viewing marketing communication emerged in the 1990s. It is called integrated marketing communication; this perspective seeks to orchestrate the use of all forms of the promotional mix to reach customers at different levels in new and better ways. Why integrated marketing communication is important? The evolution of the above mentioned perspective has two origins. Marketers began to realize that advertising, public relations, and sales were often at odds regarding responsibilities, budgets, management input and myriad other decisions affecting the successful marketing of a brand. Executives in each area competed with the others for resources and a voice in decision making. The outcome was inconsistent promotional efforts, wasted money, counterproductive management decisions, and, perhaps worst of all, confusion among consumers. Secondly, the marketing perspective itself began to shift from being market oriented to market driven. Marketing communication was traditionally viewed as an inside-out way of presenting the companys messages. Advertising was the dominant element in the promotional mix because the mass media could effectively deliver a sales message to a mass audience. But then the mass market began to fragment. Consumers became better educated and more skeptical about advertising. A variety of sources, both controlled by the marketer and uncontrolled, became important to consumers. News reports, word-of-mouth, experts opinions, and financial reports were just some of the brand contacts consumers began to use to learn about and form attitudes and opinions about a brand or company, or make purchase decisions. Advertising began to lose some of its luster in terms of its ability to deliver huge homogeneous audiences. Companies began to seek new ways to coordinate the multiplicity of product and company messages being issued and used by consumers and others. Thus, two ideas permeate integrated marketing communication: relationship building and synergy. rather than the traditional inside-out view, integrated marketing communication is seen as an outside-in perspective. Customers are viewed not as targets but as partners in an ongoing relationship. Customers, prospects, and others encounter the brand and company through a host of sources and create from these various contacts ideas about the brand and company. By knowing the media habits and lifestyles of important consumer segments, marketers can tailor messages through media that are most likely to reach these segments at times when these segments are most likely to be receptive to these messages, thus optimizing the marketing communication effort. Ideally, integrated marketing communication is implemented by developing comprehensive databases on customers and prospects, segmenting these current and potential customers into groups with certain common awareness levels, predispositions, and behaviors, and developing messages and media strategies that guide the communication tactics to meet marketing objectives. In doing this, integrated marketing communication builds and reinforces mutually profitable relationships with customers and other important stakeholders and generates synergy by coordinating all elements in the promotional mix into a program that possesses clarity, consistency, and maximum impact. Practitioners and academics alike, however, have noted the difficulty of effectively implementing integrated marketing communication. Defining exactly what integrated marketing communication is has been difficult. For example, merely coordinating messages so that speaking with one clear voice in all promotional efforts does not fully capture the meaning of integrated marketing communication. Also, changing the organization to accommodate the integrated approach has challenged the command and control structure of many organizations. However, studies suggest that integrated marketing communication is viewed by a vast majority of marketing executives as having the greatest potential impact on their companys marketing strategies, more so than the economy, pricing, and globalization. The importance of advertising in marketing communication Advertising has four characteristics: it is persuasive in nature; it is non-personal; it is paid for by an identified sponsor; and it is disseminated through mass channels of communication. Advertising messages may promote the adoption of goods, services, persons, or ideas. Because the sales message is disseminated through the mass mediaà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬as opposed to personal sellingà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬it is viewed as a much cheaper way of reaching consumers. However, its non-personal nature means it lacks the ability to tailor the sales message to the message recipient and, more importantly, actually get the sale. Therefore, advertising effects are best measured in terms of increasing awareness and changing attitudes and opinions, not creating sales. Advertisings contribution to sales is difficult to isolate because many factors influence sales. The contribution advertising makes to sales are best viewed over the long run. The exception to this thinking is within the internet arena. While banner ads, pop-ups and interstitials should still be viewed as brand promoting and not necessarily sales drivers, technology provides the ability to track how many of a websites visitors click the banner, investigate a product, request more information, and ultimately make a purchase. Through the use of symbols and images advertising can help differentiate products and services that are otherwise similar. Advertising also helps create and maintain brand equity. Brand equity is an intangible asset that results from a favorable image, impressions of differentiation, or consumer attachment to the company, brand, or trademark. This equity translates into greater sales volume, and/or higher margins, thus greater competitive advantage. Brand equity is established and maintained through advertising that focuses on image, product attributes, service, or other features of the company and its products or services. Cost is the greatest disadvantage of advertising. The average cost for a 30-second spot on network television increased fivefold between 1980 and 2005. Plus, the average cost of producing a 30-second ad for network television is quite expensive. It is not uncommon for a national advertiser to spend in the millions of dollars for one 30-second commercial to be produced. Add more millions on top of that if celebrity talent is utilized. Credibility and clutter are other disadvantages. Consumers have become increasingly skeptical about advertising messages and tend to resent advertisers attempt to persuade. Advertising is everywhere, from network television, to daily newspapers, to roadside billboards, to golf course signs, to stickers on fruit in grocery stores. Clutter encourages consumers to ignore many advertising messages. New media are emerging, such as digital video recorders which allow consumers to record programs and then skip commercials, and satellite radio which provides a majority of its channels advertising free. Marketing communication and public relations Public relations is defined as a management function which identifies, establishes, and maintains mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and the publics upon which its success or failure depends. Whereas advertising is a one-way communication from sender (the marketer) to the receiver (the consumer or the retail trade), public relations considers multiple audiences (consumers, employees, suppliers, vendors, etc.) and uses two-way communication to monitor feedback and adjust both its message and the organizations actions for maximum benefit. A primary tool used by public relations practitioners is publicity. Publicity capitalizes on the news value of a product, service, idea, person or event so that the information can be disseminated through the news media. This third party endorsement by the news media provides a vital boost to the marketing communication message: credibility. Articles in the media are perceived as being more objective than advertisements, and their messages are more likely to be absorbed and believed. For example, after the CBS newsmagazine 60 Minutes reported in the early 1990s that drinking moderate amounts of red wine could prevent heart attacks by lowering cholesterol; red wine sales in the United States increased 50 percent. The other benefit publicity offers is that it is free, not considering the great amount of effort it can require to get out-bound publicity noticed and picked up by media sources. Public relations role in the promotional mix is becoming more important because of what Philip Kotler describes as an over communicated society. Consumers develop communication-avoidance routines where they are likely to tune out commercial messages. As advertising loses some of its cost-effectiveness, marketers are turning to news coverage, events, and community programs to help disseminate their product and company messages. Some consumers may also base their purchase decisions on the image of the company, for example, how environmentally responsible the company is. Direct marketing and database marketing Direct marketing, the oldest form of marketing, is the process of communicating directly with target customers to encourage response by telephone, mail, electronic means, or personal visit. Users of direct marketing include retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers, and service providers, and they use a variety of methods including direct mail, telemarketing, direct-response advertising, and online computer shopping services, cable shopping networks, and infomercials. Traditionally not viewed as an element in the promotional mix, direct marketing represents one of the most profound changes in marketing and promotion in the last 25 years. Aspects of direct marketing, which includes direct response advertising and direct mail advertising as well as the various research and support activities necessary for their implementation, have been adopted by virtually all companies engaged in marketing products, services, ideas, or persons. Direct marketing has become an important part of many marketing communication programs for three reasons. First, the number of two-income households has increased dramatically. About six in every ten women in the United States work outside the home. This has reduced the amount of time families have for shopping trips. Secondly, more shoppers than ever before rely on credit cards for payment of goods and services. These cashless transactions make products easier and faster to purchase. Database marketing is a form of direct marketing that attempts to gain and reinforce sales transactions while at the same time being customer driven. Successful database marketing continually updates lists of prospects and customers by identifying who they are, what they are like, and what they are purchasing now or may be purchasing in the future. By using database marketing, marketers can develop products and/or product packages to meet their customers needs or develop creative and media strategies that match their tastes, values, and lifestyles. The importance of Sales promotion, sponsorships and exhibitions. Sales promotions are direct inducements that offer extra incentives to enhance or accelerate the products movement from producer to consumer. Sales promotions may be directed at the consumer or the trade. Consumer promotions such as coupons, sampling, premiums, sweepstakes, price packs, low-cost financing deals, and rebates are purchase incentives in that they induce product trial and encourage repurchase. Consumer promotions may also include incentives to visit a retail establishment or request additional information. Sales promotions can motivate customers to select a particular brand, especially when brands appear to be equal, and they can produce more immediate and measurable results than advertising. However, too heavy a reliance on sales promotions results in deal-prone consumers with little brand loyalty and too much price sensitivity. Sales promotions can also force competitors to offer similar inducements, with sales and profits suffering for everyone. Sponsorships, or event marketing, combine advertising and sales promotions with public relations. Sponsorships increase awareness of a company or product, build loyalty with a specific target audience, help differentiate a product from its competitors, provide merchandising opportunities, demonstrate commitment to a community or ethnic group, or impact the bottom line. Like advertising, sponsorships are initiated to build long-term associations. Exhibits, or trade shows, are hybrid forms of promotion between business-to-business advertising and personal selling. Trade shows provide opportunities for face-to-face contact with prospects, enable new companies to create a viable customer base in a short period of time, and allow small and midsize companies that may not be visited on a regular basis by salespeople to become familiar with suppliers and vendors. Because many trade shows generate media attention, they have also become popular venues for introducing new products and providing a stage for executives to gain visibility. When we talk about Personal selling, it includes all person-to-person contact with customers with the purpose of introducing the product to the customer, convincing him or her of the products value, and closing the sale. The role of personal selling varies from organization to organization, depending on the nature and size of the company, the industry, and the products or services it is marketing. Many marketing executives realize that both sales and non-sales employees act as salespeople for their organization in one way or another. Personal selling is the most effective way to make a sale because of the interpersonal communication between the salesperson and the prospect. Messages can be tailored to particular situations, immediate feedback can be processed, and message strategies can be changed to accommodate the feedback. However, personal selling is the most expensive way to make a sale. Marketing communication and Internet marketing Just as direct marketing has become a prominent player in the promotional mix, so too has the Internet. Web sites provide a new way of transmitting information, entertainment, and advertising, and have generated a new dimension in marketing: electronic commerce. E-commerce is the term used to describe the act of selling goods and services over the Internet. In other words, the Internet has become more that a communication channel; it is a marketing channel itself with companies such as Amazon.com, eBay, and others selling goods via the Internet to individuals around the globe. In less than 10 years advertising expenditures on the Internet will rival those for radio and outdoor. Public relations practitioners realize the value that web sites offer in establishing and maintaining relationships with important publics. For example, company and product information can be posted on the companys site for news reporters researching stories and for current and potential customers seeking information. Political candidates have web sites that provide information about their background and their political experience. The interactivity of the Internet is perhaps its greatest asset. By communicating with customers, prospects, and others one-on-one, firms can build databases that help them meet specific needs of individuals, thus building a loyal customer base. Because the cost of entry is negligible, the Internet is cluttered with web sites. However, this clutter does not present the same kind of problem that advertising clutter does. Advertising and most other forms of promotion assume a passive audience that will be exposed to marketing communication messages via the mass media or mail regardless of their receptivity. Web sites require audiences who are active in the information-seeking process to purposely visit the site. Therefore, the quality and freshness of content is vital for the success of the web site. International Marketing Communications and Cultural Issues. There are a whole range of cultural issues that international marketers need to consider when communicating with target audiences in different cultures. Language will always be a challenge. One cannot use a single language for an international campaign. For example, there are between six and twelve main regional variations of the Chinese languages, with the most popular being Mandarin, followed by Wu, Min, and Cantonese. India has 22 languages including Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi, and Tamil to name but a few. Of course language choice could affect branding choices, and the names of products and services. Hidden messages and humor would be especially tricky to convey. Famous examples include the Vauxhall Corsa, which was called the Nova in the United Kingdom of course No VA! Would not be an acceptable name in Spanish. A similar problem was left unaddressed by Toyota, with their MR2 in France (think about it!). Design, symbolism and aesthetics sometimes do not transcend international boundaries. For example Japanese aesthetics sometimes focus upon taste and beauty. Also look at Japanese cars from the front they have a smiling face. The manner in which people present themselves in terms of dress and appearance changes from culture to culture. For example in Maori culture, dress plays a central role with everyday clothing differing greatly from ceremonial costume. Whereas in Western business-culture the standard uniform tends to be a conservative collar and tie. Conclusion From the above discussions we can see that marketing communication has become an integral part of the social and economic system. Consumers rely on the information from marketing communication to make wise purchase decisions. Businesses, ranging from multinational corporations to small retailers, depend on marketing communication to sell their goods and services. Marketing communication has also become an important player in the life of a business. Marketing communication helps move products, services, and ideas from manufacturers to end users and builds and maintains relationships with customers, prospects, and other important stakeholders in the company. Advertising and sales promotion will continue to play important roles in marketing communication mix. However, marketing strategies that stress relationship building in addition to producing sales will force marketers to consider all the elements in the marketing communication mix. I hope, In the future new information gathering techniques will help marketers target more precisely customers and prospects using direct marketing strategies. New media technologies will provide businesses and consumers new ways to establish and reinforce relationships that are important for the success of the firm and important for consumers as they make purchase decisions. In the coming years I believe, Internet will become a major force in how organizations communicate with a variety of constituents, customers, clients, and other interested parties.

Homosexual Indifference :: Free Essays Online

Homosexual Indifference The times seem to be changing in acceptance of homosexual relationships for the better, but many laws as well as society still prohibit gay marriage and adoption. There are two sources which I will use to show different view points on gay marriage and adoption. The first is an article written by Andrew Sullivan, titled â€Å"Let Gays Marry.† This is written as an informal piece to argue that gay people should be allowed to marry one another. The next is also on gay marriage, but in this article, â€Å"Leave Marriage Alone,† author William Bennett writes that it is wrong for gays to marry. These two authors show separate feelings on the issue of gay marriage, while attempting to persuade the readers to agree with them. Each of these articles have valuable arguments, but will they be enough to change people’s views, to benefit their beliefs? Beginning with the topic on gay marriage and the controversial battle between authors, Andrew Sullivan and William Bennett, Sullivan is the gay supporter. In Sullivan’s piece, â€Å"Let Gays Marry,† he opens with a statement by the Supreme Court, â€Å"A state cannot deem a class of persons a stranger to its laws.† He feels that this simple sentence has so much meaning, saying that whatever type of person, male or female, black or white, everyone deserves the same legal protection and equal rights. Therefore, gay marriage should not be excluded from the legal system. He tells that some churches practice different beliefs and may oppose gay marriage but religion has nothing to do with the state appeals. Sullivan explains how the definition of marriage has changed in the past and that it can be done again. Sullivan ends his piece by saying that changing the law would not affect straight couples, so why are they against gay marriage? He believes t he change would allow gay couples to experience what straight couples already have. On the other hand, William Bennett, author of â€Å"Leave Marriage Alone,† feels that the right for gays to marry should not come into effect. He begins by asking if gay marriage will benefit the institution. He fears that if this law was passed the true meaning of marriage would be altered and destroyed.

Mariette in Ecstasy Essay -- Literary Review

In the book Mariette in Ecstasy, Rob Hansen paints a story of the extraordinary happening at a priory in upstate New York. His depiction of life in the priory is centered around the newly inducted Mariette Baptiste, the young and beautiful daughter of a local physician, and the disputed events that threaten to tear the priory apart from within. Rob Hansen does an incredible job of placing the reader in the priory for themselves and allowing them to see just what kind of life the sisters live. On Mariette’s first day, the women rise at five o’clock to a ritualized call and response, where Sister Hermance shouts, â€Å"In Jesus Christ, my sisters, let us rise!† and the sisters respond with, â€Å"His holy name be praised!† (Page 5). The women follow a rigorous and regular schedule for the rest of the day. Embedded in their lifestyle are a lot of rituals and intricate tasks, which have been almost completely legitimized by their repetition. The women of the priory also live a highly ascetic life, believing that the hard work performed and simple living conditions in themselves alone can give rise to an experience that is greater than anything achievable through other worldly goals. Mariette herself writes prayerfully, â€Å"Were it necessary to give up all the worldly pleasures of my life to gain one instant of happiness for you, I would do it without hesitation.† (Page 135). The way the sisters go about living their spiritual life has a touch of Peter Berger’s idea of masochism to it as well. In Mariette’s talks with Pà ¨re Marriott, she says, â€Å"as I began to meditate on the crucifixion and Christ’s own trials in this world, I became rapt in thought and I found myself again before Jesus, who was suffering such terrible pain†¦An unquench... ... common problem of theodicy. If God is good, why would he not help his own followers and prevent them from being led astray? The act of calling in a surgeon implies that religion is not â€Å"good† or â€Å"powerful† enough which calls into question the order of things within the priory and even the plausibility structure that has been securely established for so long. Ron Hansen for the most part avoids directly addressing these religious issues; instead Mariette in Ecstasy aligns more with what Mikhail Bakhtin argues a novel is, a presentation of many perspectives. In the end these two perspectives both have their own idea of what the objective truth of the presented world is, and while Ron Hansen avoids directly presenting one side as the one that’s right, his novel brings up the existence of more than one side, which alone is more than many similar religious works do.

Problems and Prospects of MIS in Bangladesh Essay

Dear Sir, I would like to thank you for assigning us this subject to prepare the report. This task has given me the opportunity to explore one of the most important aspects of the MIS field which is its use in the SME activities. The topic of our assignment is â€Å"Problems and Prospects of MIS in Bangladesh† which contains a comprehensive study on the small and medium enterprise activities in BRAC Bank, Dhaka Bank and Mercantile Bank Limited. It was a great pleasure for me to work on the above-mentioned subject. I tried my best to put meticulous effort for the preparation of this assignment. Any shortcomings or flaw may arise as I am very much novice in this aspect. I would be grateful if you consider those from excusable manner. I will wholeheartedly welcome any clarification and suggestion about any view and conception disseminated in my assignment. Sincerely yours, Acknowledgement All praises to almighty Allah who has created us and has given us opportunities and strength to work with people. This report might never have been completed without the necessary practical knowledge, assistance of many books, articles, websites, and primary data. It enhanced our knowledge on SME activities of different banks as well as the problems of implementing MIS in those banks. Thanks to all those persons, who have assisted me, providing me co-operation, books and articles. I would like to express my special gratitude to our Sir, Rahimullah Miah for his supervision, co-operation and advises. The members of BRAC Bank, Dhaka Bank and Mercantile Bank management were very co-operative and helpful. They helped me through providing various data, guidance and direction. I am also grateful to all other employees of SME Reconciliation Department for their support and assistance. I would like to express my gratitude to all the people that were involved both directly and indirectly in the preparation of this report. I apologize to the people whose names that I have not mentioned, and their contribution is highly appreciated by me. Objectives of the study: The broad objective of this study includes the following: * To have a clear understanding about the concept of SME (Small & Medium Enterprises) * To know how SMEs work and operate in Bangladesh * To highlight the use and implementation of MIS (Management Information Systems) in the field of SME * To know and compare how different banks operate SME banking operation around the country though their extensive networks * To articulate major problems and challenges for implementing MIS in the SME sector Limitations of the study: The study has suffered from a number of limitations – * Limited time is a big constraint for this research. The topic of this report is vast in compared to the given time * More relevant data and information could not be collected due to non-availability of sufficient books and journals. Information in websites of banks is also insufficient. * Current and detail information about various SME sectors could not be found * Data from different banks is highly confidential for the outside people and access to software is not provided * Being females, we found many difficulties to gather necessary data and to prepare this report Methodology: Methodology is the process or system through which a study is being carried out for the purpose of collection of information that is required for reaching a conclusion on that study. In our study, information has been collected by using multiple tools. Much necessary information has been collected by from the personal observation and one to one discussion with the relevant officials. A questionnaire was designed to collect information on the use of SME loans, access to SME credit facilities and revenue-expenditure of the enterprises. Focus Group Discussions (FGD) were used to get a broader view of the business environment for SMEs, their major drawbacks, labor market mechanisms, demand for other complimentary services, the strengths and weaknesses of SME services of different banks and a comparison with other players providing similar services. Complimentary information on indirect employment generation, governance problems and the costs of operation for SMEs was put together from in dividual case studies conducted at the branch offices of different banks that offer only SME credit services. Three practical banks, named BRAC Bank, Dhaka Bank and Mercantile Bank Ltd were selected as sample banks purposively considering the amount of loan size, interest rate, loan processing fees, period of loans, mode of finance and management. Policies relating to SME financing such as fiscal policy, monetary policy and internal policies of these banks were examined thoroughly with a view to find out the influence of existing policies on SME financing. Trend and pattern of bank financing to SME was analyzed by classifying the financing in terms of areas, rate of interest, types, category, and banks. The total methodology of the report is shown below for better clarity and easier understanding through flowchart construction. Figure 1: The Flow chart construction Primary data collection: Primary data of this assignment has been collected from: Branch Manager & Second Officer of different banks. Face to face conversation with SME department employees and staffs of different banks. Face to face conversation with clients of SME loans. Secondary data collection: Secondary data of this assignment has been collected from: Annual Reports and published financial statements of BRAC Bank, Standard Chartered Bank and Shahjalal Islamic Bank Limited. Various prescribed forms of bank investment in SME Different Research Paper regarding SMEs, Different Publications on SMEs of different banks Different text books, brochures, leaflets, files, research papers & materials. Official website of the three banks Data Analysis: The whole report is being prepared with the help of different computer applications such as MS Word, MS Excel, MS Access and MS PowerPoint. Data Compilation: The data required for this study were collected from both primary and secondary sources; however, majority of the information was collected from secondary sources. These two methods are discussed below- Chapter One 1.1 Introduction: Today it is widely recognized that information systems knowledge is essential for managers as most organizations need information systems to survive and prosper. An information system has many applications, MIS is one of them. Management information systems (MIS) is a specific category of information system that provides the required information to the management on a regular basis. It can be defined as collecting and processing of raw data into useful information and its dissemination to the user in the required format. In fact a full MIS includes all the systems that are designed to furnish management with information to assist in making decisions and to manage organizations efficiently and effectively. Today, the term MIS is used broadly in a number of contexts and includes decision support systems, resource and people management applications, enterprise resource planning (ERP), enterprise performance management (EPM), supply chain management (SCM), customer relationship managemen t (CRM), project management and database retrieval applications. In Bangladesh, the use of MIS in different organizations can be evidently found. However we will give our special focus on the small and medium enterprises. First of all, we need to know what is meant by an SME. An SME is defined as, â€Å"A firm managed in a personalized way by its owners or partners, which has only a small share of its market and is not sufficiently large to have access to the stock exchange for raising capital†. SMEs ordinarily have few accesses to formal channels of finance and depend  primarily upon savings of their owners, their families & friends. Consequently, most SMEs are sole proprietorships & partnerships. SMEs can be defined against various criteria. The three parameters that are generally applied by the Government of Bangladesh to define SMEs are: Capital investment in plant and machinery ï€  Number of workers employed ï€  Volume of production or turnover of business Again, according to the industrial Policy 1999 (IP- 1999), â€Å"Small Industries† are defined as industrial enterprises employing less than 50 workers and/or having a fixed capital investment of less than Tk.100 million. â€Å"Medium industry† covers enterprises employing between 50 and 99 workers and/or having a fixed capital investment between Tk. 100 and 300 million. â€Å"Cottage Industry† covers household-based industrial units operated mainly with family labour Role of SMEs in Bangladesh: SMEs are recognized as engines of economic growth and employment generation for sustainable industrialization in both developed and developing countries of the world. In context of Bangladesh, there is no alternative of small and medium enterprises for rapid industrialization and national economic growth through lower capital investment and employment generation. The commonly perceived merits often emphasized for their promotion especially in a developing country like Bangladesh include their relatively high labour intensity, dependence on indigenous skills and technology, contributions to entrepreneurship development and innovativeness and growth of industrial linkages. The case for fostering SME growth in Bangladesh is irrefutable as these industries offer bright prospects for creating large-scale employment and income earning opportunities at relatively low cost for the un-and unemployed especially in the rural areas strengthening the efforts towards achieving high and sustained economic growth which are critically important  prerequisites for triggering an exit from endemic poverty and socio-economic deprivation. SMEs in the economy of Bangladesh: In Bangladesh about 90% of the manufacturing and service industries are fallen under SMEs category. SMEs account for about 45% of manufacturing value addition in Bangladesh. They account for about 80% of industrial employment, about 90% of total industrial units and about 25% of total labour force. Its total contribution to export earnings varies from 75- 80% based on the Economic Census 2001-2003 (The New Nation, 2008). According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, SME’s provide about 44 percent employment of the country. It contributes Tk 14,940 crore (149.40 billion) to the GDP during the fiscal year 2006-07. In another statistics we find that the total number of SMEs is estimated at 79754 establishments, of which 93.6% are small and 6.4% are medium. The 2003 Private Sector Survey estimated that about 6 million micro, small, and medium enterprises defined as enterprises with fewer than 100 employees, contributed around 20-25% of GDP (The New Nation, 2008). On the above statistics it is evident that the small business enterprises are very strong in terms of the number and their contributions, thus the overall development of Bangladesh’s SMEs are depending largely on the development of small scale enterprises. Higher growth of the SMEs can help eradicate poverty to a satisfactory level by removing various prejudices against labor intensive approach and creating jobs for the skilled manpower. Uses of MIS in SME: MIS can offer small and medium businesses a number of advantages. Today, leading companies and organizations are using information technology as a competitive tool to develop new products and services, forge new relationships with suppliers, edge out competitors, and radically change their internal operations and organizations. For example, using MIS strategically can help a company to become a market innovator. By providing  a unique product or service to meet the needs of customers, a company can raise the cost of market entry for potential competitors and thus gain a competitive advantage. Another strategic use of MIS involves forging electronic linkages to customers and suppliers. This can help companies to lock in business and increase switching costs. Finally, it is possible to use MIS to change the overall basis of competition in an industry. For example, in an industry characterized by price wars, a business with a new means of processing customer data may be able to create unique product features that change the basis of competition to differentiation. The successful MIS supports a business’s long range plans, providing reports based upon performance analysis in areas critical to those plans, with feedback loops that allow for titivation of every aspect of the enterprise, including recruitment and training regimens. MIS not only indicate how things are going, but why and where performance is failing to meet the plan. These reports include near-real-time performance of cost centers and projects with detail sufficient for individual accountability. Although SMEs have the potentials, at the rapidly increasing age of internet, to utilize the newly emerged technology dependent communication and information mediums, in acquiring their competitiveness, the slow rate of adoption is evident. Great opportunities can be cre ated in the SME sector through the operation and usage of different connected technologies, such as computer, internet and other information and communication technologies. In Bangladesh, the development of effective Management Information Systems holds a number of challenges for small and medium businesses. It is not exercised in these businesses although the technology is existent and the Government of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh has declared the information and communication technology as one of the thirst sectors of the country and taken diversified initiatives to motivate different enterprises to be connected and start operation of the technology. The newly elected government of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh has declared their mission to develop the digital Bangladesh by 2021. On the abovementioned context it is evident that small businesses of our country are slow to apply technology to improve their competitiveness as they are affected by their sheer small size and limited resources Problems of implementing MIS in the SME sector: In a developing country like Bangladesh, building, operating, and maintaining appropriate Management information systems are challenging for a number of reasons. For example, some information cannot be captured and put into a system. Computers often cannot be programmed to take into account competitor responses to marketing tactics or changes in economic conditions, among other things. In addition, the value of information erodes over time, and rapid changes in technology can make systems become obsolete very quickly. Finally, many companies find systems development to be problematic because the services of skilled programmers are at a premium. However, considering the situation of our country, we can summarize these problems in the following points: 1) It is not easy to use workable information systems in the small and medium enterprises and to keep the flow of information system in the right way 2) The body of knowledge in MIS is relatively recent and scarce. Many of the terms used in MIS environments are unpractical, imprecise and controversial. 3) MIS problems often are not easy to define or structure 4) MIS implementation and installation can be very expensive for small size companies looking to manage their operations more effectively. 5) Properly trained employees are a critical part of an MIS. New employee hiring or employee training related to the MIS function adds to the implementation costs. 6) The online services of MIS are absent in the small and medium enterprises. For example, there is no scope for transferring accounts online or through ATM booth. 7) A lack of rapport often exists between MIS personnel and management and also between MIS personnel and users of an organization 8) Once an MIS is created and installed in a company, it may prove to be an inflexible system. Making changes quickly to reflect fluctuating business operations may not be possible depending on the MIS style and functionality. 9) Major business changes will require major changes to the MIS, leading to increased costs and downtime of information reporting. 10) The biggest flaw an MIS can have is pulling incorrect or inadequate information for management. This problem results in wasted time and money for the small and medium enterprises. SME in banking: Most SME ventures in Bangladesh depend on personal savings, family or other informal credit sources. In recognition of this failure of the financial market, attempts have recently been made to cater to it. Financial and development assistance designed specially for small and medium enterprises in Bangladesh is a new and upcoming trend. After the surge of micro-finance in the last two decades, small and medium enterprises have come to the limelight in the financial sector on account of their contribution to economy and yet limited access to finance. It was not until 2010 that the government and policymakers recognized the importance of providing extensive credit facilities to small and medium sector entrepreneurs to promote various initiatives, especially start-up enterprises as well as ones looking to scale up. The banks and other financial institutions, however, have been providing loans to such enterprises for long, though not in the nomenclature of SME Financing. Both micro-financ e institutions and banks are beginning to realize the potential of this market and designing new financial products for it. Now a days the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Financing has become an important area for Commercial Banks in Bangladesh. To align its corporate policy with the regulation of Central Bank, banks have become more concerned about SME and opened windows to conduct business in this particular area. Today, almost all banks and non-bank financial institutions (NBFI) in the country are providing loans to the sector, under different governmental schemes as well as through their own product portfolios. Some specialized financial organizations such as Basic Bank are also providing financial services to the SME sector. Since this segment of the market is relatively underserved, a number of formal financial institutions (e.g. Exim Bank, Islami Bank, NCC Bank) are gradually scaling down and designing financial products for them. In the financial sector reform program of Government of Bangladesh, increased financing for SMEs by banks is a major component. Bangladesh Bank, the national bank, has introduced $16 million  refinancing scheme to promote lending to SMEs by banks and financial institutions. In January 2005 , the bank had agreement with six banks and eight financial institutions and about 2,000 SMEs have benefited from the scheme upto the end of January (Bangladesh Bank). ‘Small and Medium Enterprise Sector Development Programme’, a $30 million project of Government of Bangladesh and ADB, is also in progress. However, these initiatives are still quite inadequate. Moreover, being an overlooked market for long, there is lack of knowledge about the clients and their needs reflecting in absence of appropriate lending methodology. Chapter Two Literature review: * In Bangladesh about 90% of the manufacturing and service industries are fallen under SMEs category. SMEs account for about 45% of manufacturing value addition in Bangladesh. They account for about 80% of industrial employment, about 90% of total industrial units and about 25% of total labour force. Its total contribution to export earnings varies from 75- 80% based on the Economic Census 2001-2003. (The New Nation, 2008). * According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, SME’s provide about 44 percent employment of the country. It contributes Tk 14,940 crore (149.40 billion) to the GDP during the fiscal year 2006-07. In another statistics we find that the total number of SMEs is estimated at 79754 establishments, of which 93.6% are small and 6.4% are medium. The 2003 Private Sector Survey estimated that about 6 million micro, small, and medium enterprises defined as enterprises with fewer than 100 employees, contributed around 20-25% of GDP – (The New Nation, 2008). * Today, the term MIS is used broadly in a number of contexts and includes decision support systems, resource and people management applications, enterprise resource planning (ERP), enterprise performance management (EPM), supply chain management (SCM), customer relationship management (CRM), project management and database retrieval applications. –Kenneth C. Laudon & Jane P. Laudon. Now in this part, we will discuss about the SME services of three different banks that operate within our country. 1) BRAC Bank: BRAC Bank, being the youngest bank, took a step to break away from usual tradition and tapped into the true suburb entrepreneurial initiatives. Today, with over 14,500 crores of loans disbursed till date, BRAC Bank is country’s largest SME financier that has made more than 320,000 dreams come true. SME Products of BRAC Bank: Name of Bank Product Loan size BRAC Bank Prapti account Any institution can open this account in the name of the Institution Opening balance only BDT. 10,000.00 & BDT. 5000 Anonno Rin From BDT 3 lac to BDT 9.5 lac Prothoma Rin From minimum BDT 3 lac up to maximum of BDT 9.5 lac Digoon Rin Minimum of 5 lac to maximum of 30 lac BDT Apurbo Rin Starting from BDT 8 lac to maximum of BDT 30 lac Pathshala Rin Minimum BDT 3 lac to maximum BDT 30 lac Aroggo Rin Minimum of 3 lac to maximum of 30 lac Anonno Rin: This is a small scale loan designed to finance small scale trading, manufacturing and service ventures, especially to aid the purchase of fixed assets and to finance working capital. Eligibility Entrepreneurs aged between 18 to 60 years Entrepreneurs with minimum 2 years experience in the same line of business A business which must be a going-concern with more than 1 year in operation Maximum Amount From minimum BDT 3 lac up to maximum of BDT 8 lac Features Loan without mortgage For excellent borrowers who have paid or paying in due times, we offer discounted rates Quick, quality banking throughout the country Potential women entrepreneurs will also get the facilities of this loan Apurbo Rin: In order to help our SME borrowers for financing working capital or to purchase fixed assets, BRAC Bank offers APURBO. It caters to the need of entrepreneurs who are operating in trading, manufacturing, service, agriculture, non-farm activities, agro- based industries and other sectors of our economy. Eligibility Entrepreneurs having a minimum of 3 years of some business activities A business which must be a going concern for 3 years Age minimum 25 years and maximum up to 60 years Maximum Amount Starting from BDT 8 lac to maximum of BDT 30 lac Features Without mortgage loan below 10 lac Simple loan processing for expanding your business Quick disbursement Disbursement in one or two installment Flexible monthly repayment loan Pathshala Rin: This is a loan designed to meet the needs of small and medium sized private educational institutions, such as kindergartens, schools and colleges etc. Eligibility A small & medium educational institute that is in operation for minimum 3 years The institution should be sole proprietorship, partnership, private limited company or society The educational institute must be a profit making concern Maximum Amount Minimum BDT 3 lac to maximum BDT 30 lac Features Without mortgage for loan below 10 lac Laon for fixed assets purchase & civil construction Loan repayment can be spread up to 4 years Minimum documentation Monthly repayment loan Quick disbursement Flexible interest rate based on security Aroggo Rin: This loan is suitable for private clinics, diagnostics centers and doctors’ chambers to purchase fixed assets under equated monthly installments. Eligibility Institutions with at least 2 years in operation & profit making concern Doctors having 5 years of experience Maximum Amount Minimum of 3 lac to maximum of 30 lac Features Loan without mortgage up to 8 lac Easy loan processing Loan repayment schedule is spread up to 3 years 1% loan processing fee Flexible interest rate based on security Digoon Rin: It is a loan facility for Small and Medium enterprise. This product’s main objective is to help various Small and Medium entrepreneurs to meet their short-study cash flow shortages or bridge the fund-flow gaps. Eligibility Entrepreneur having minimum 2 years of business activities he business which must be going concern for 2 years Aged between 18 years to 55 years Maximum Amount Minimum of 5 lac to maximum of 30 lac BDT Features Double amount of loan on your deposit Attractive return against the deposit Flexible repayment plan monthly installment and single installments Quick disbursement Highlights of SME Banking Division of BRAC Bank Number of Unit offices 429 Number of Staff 2,104 No of Loan disbursed (cumulative) 202,101 Cumulative Disbursement (in million BDT) 84,170.31 No. of outstanding Account 120,685 Portfolio in amount (in million BDT) 32,996.18 Amount of Deposit (in million BDT) 3,352.6 No of SME Sales & service Center 30 Sector wise Distribution of SMEs 2) Dhaka Bank Ltd: Since inception, the Dhaka Bank has held socio-economic development in high esteem and was among the first to recognize the potentials of SMEs. Dhaka Bank’s Involvement: Recognizing the SME segment’s value additions and employment generation capabilities quite early, the Bank has pioneered SME financing in Bangladesh in 2003, focusing on stimulating the manufacturing sector and actively promoting trading and service businesses. Story of a successful Branch in SME Financing: The Bank started branch operations at Belkuchi Sirajgonj in April 2003. Prior to the Bank’s intervention, the weaving community did not have the financial strength to stock their products till â€Å"Eid ul Fitr† when the annual sale takes place. Traders were taking advantage to the situation by buying up entire productions at low prices and liquidating stocks just before â€Å"Eid†. With financial services from Dhaka Bank Limited, the weavers have converted to power looms, significantly increased profitability and reduced the involvement of middlemen. The bank is now working on institutionalizing the learnings and applying them in other areas across Bangladesh, particularly in textiles, light engineering and other manufacturing clusters. Already it has identified several clusters and is working on improving access to finance within these clusters. Experience & Learnings A problem behind the lower end of the SME sector of Dhaka Bank is that it is unable to fully understand its needs. Even if these needs are understood, they are seldom met with the right product mix. Small business owners are unable to provide banks with required information of the right type and quality. This has created a gap between the borrower and the banks and has served to limit the outreach of SME financial products. In order to overcome this obstacle, Dhaka Bank SME Unit provides comprehensive support to prospective clients in evaluating their business and preparing the required documents in acceptable formats. In this regard, the Dhaka Bank SME Unit has been working in close collaboration with the USAID, the South Asia Enterprise Development Facility (SEDF) an International Finance Corporation (IFC) managed multidonor facility and the World Bank. The bank has recently been provided technical assistance by the World Bank and is also working with other development agencies and donors for continuous improvements in the products and services it offers. SME Transactions of Dhaka Bank: Product Cash Credit Eligibility All SME businesses where the key personnel have 2 years experience in the line of business. Satisfactory credit report Method of Appraisal The clients business experience, expertise, business volumes and monthly cash flow are used in the assessment process. Margins (indicative) The quality of receivables would be of importance in fixing margins up to which working capital is made available. Tenor Maximum 12 months (renewable) Pricing Risk based pricing strategy, in line with the market rates. Security Primary: †¢ Charge on the inventory and receivables. †¢ Charge on other current assets †¢ Personal guarantee of proprietor /partners/ directors. †¢ Charge on fixed assets. Secondary: †¢ Collateral security on a case-to-case basis. Interest Fixed Rate, typically for 12 months. Review Facility terms & pricing are both reviewed at least annually Processing fee Processing fee of 1% is generally charged on small loans. Actual fee charged is determined on a case-to-case basis. 3) Mercantile Bank Ltd : Mercantile Bank Limited provides Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) loan facilities to experienced and inexperienced entrepreneurs located in the urban and sub-urban areas to encourage new and educated young entrepreneurs to undertake productive ventures, to assist them to take part in the economic activities. A special credit scheme under the name and style â€Å"Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Scheme† has been introduced to extend credit facilities to the small and medium entrepreneurs of the country. It’s SME products are: CHAKA (Term Loan). ANANYA (Women Entrepreneur’s Loan). CHALTI MULDHAN (Continuous Loan). SINGLE PAYMENT LOAN (Short Term Seasonal Loan) Subject SME Products CHAKA ANANYA CHALTI MULDHAN SINGLE PAYMENT LOAN Size Tk 0.50 -50.00 lac for SE Tk 0.50 -50.00 lac for SE Tk 0.50 -50.00 lac for SE Tk 0.50 -50.00 lac for SE & ME Tk 0.50 -500.00 lac for ME Tk 0.50 -500.00 lac for ME Segment SE & ME SE SE & ME SE & ME Tenure 1 – 5 years 1 – 5 years 1 year Maximum 9 months Grace period Maximum 6 months Maximum 6 months for term loan Nil N/A Interest rate 13%-15% p.a applicable as per mode of financing. 10% p.a 13% p.a 15% p.a Penal interest 1 % higher on overdue amount 1 % higher over the usual rate on overdue amount. 2 % higher on overdue amount. 1 % higher on overdue amount. Repayment EMI or at lum sum on or before expiry as applicable EMI or at lum sum on or before expiry as applicable At lum sum on or before expiry At lum sum on or before expiry Security PG, Cheques plus others as applicable PG, Cheques plus others as applicable PG, Cheques plus others as applicable PG, Cheques plus others as applicable Ù ­SME = Small & Medium Enterprise Ù ­SE=Small Enterprise Ù ­ME=Medium Enterprise Ù ­EMI=Equal Monthly Installment Ù ­ PG = Personal Guarantee Repayment of Loan: 1. Term Loan: Maximum 60 installments. 2. Working Capital: Maximum 12 installments, 40% of the loan amount should be recovered within 1st 6 months and remaining 60% should be recovered within next 6 months. At maturity the loan will be fully adjusted. After repayment of 75% of the loan the customer may apply for new credit facility. Selection of Borrower: 1. Small and medium enterprise financing, like other credit facilities must be subject to the Bank’s management process setup for this particular business. The process may include, identifying source of repayment and assessing customer’s ability to repay, expected future cash flows, his/her past dealings with the bank, the net worth and information from CIB. The bank must identify the key drivers of their borrowers business, the key risks to their business. 2. At the time of sanctioning facility under various modes of SME financing, a written declaration shall be obtained from the borrower disclosing details  of various facilities already obtained from other institutions to ensure that the total exposure in relation to the repayment capacity of the customer does not exceed the reasonable limits as laid down in the approved policies of the bank as well as to help avoid exposure having multiple facilities. 3. Age limit: The age of the proprietor / partners / directors must range between 21 years to 60 years. Fees and Charges of SME Financing: 1. Interest Rate: 15% (for women entrepreneur 10%) 2. Risk Fund: 1% 3. Service charge: 1% 4. Application Fee: Tk. 200.00 5. Loan Processing Fee: Tk. 500.00 Limit for Loan: Maximum Limit for small enterprises is Tk. 20.00 lac (Term loan and Working Capital) and Medium Enterprises is Tk. 50.00 lac (Term Loan and Working Capital). ATM Booth and SME Service Centre: The bank serves the customers by providing ATM Booth and SME Service Centre facilities. A number of ATM Booths and SME Service centers have been unlocked at different commercially significant places of the country to serve the customers, to save their time, consequently, to make them free from hassle. Target Segments for SME Financing: 1. Hospitals and Clinics 2. It related business 3.Agricultural and Agricultural Development items 4.Fishing and fishing business promotion 5.Transportation and Communication 6.Forestry and furniture 7.Construction business and housing development 8.Leather marketing and leather goods 9.Knitwear and ready made garments 10.Plastic and other synthetics 11.Entertainment 12.Photography 13.Hotel and tourism 14.Warehouse and container services 15.Printing and packaging 16.Gunning and Bailing 17.Pathological Laboratories 18.Cold Storage 19.Horticulture- Flower growing and Marketing 20.Food and oil processing plants 21.Higher education and expertise knowledge society 22.Telecommunication 3.22. Portfolio of SME Loan Sector Amount % of total disbursement Manufacturing 44,584,784 5.05% Service 57,562,928 6.52% Trading 780,719,288 88.43% Total disbursement 882,867,000 1000% From this above diagram we can say that, of SME loan mercantile bank give more preference in trading sector but they can finance over manufacturing and service sector to expand service and Manufacturing sector. Manufacturing sector is very important for a country to improve economic growth and as well as service generation and create employment. Chapter Three Result and Discussion: In this part, we will make a comparison of the SME activities of the three selected banks as shown below: Comparative analysis of SME loans of three different banks The banks for comparative analysis have been chosen in the basis of the following criterion: * Loan Size: BRAC Bank Limited Dhaka Bank Limited Mercantile bank Limited 3lac – 30 lac 1 lac- 50 lac 2lac – 50 lac Among the banks, Mercantile bank offers the highest loan amount to customer where as BRAC Bank offers the lowest loan to its customer. * Rate of Interest: BRAC Bank Limited Dhaka Bank Limited Mercantile bank Limited 15% 17% 15% In terms of interest rate, Mercantile bank and BRAC bank offer the lower rate of interest to its customers. The highest rate is charged by Dhaka bank limited. * Loan Processing Fee: BRAC Bank Limited Dhaka Bank Limited Mercantile bank Limited 0.50% of the loan amount Free TK 500.00 The BRAC Bank limited only charges .50% as loan processing and Mercantile Bank charges TK. 500 for loan processing. * Period of loan: BRAC Bank Limited Dhaka Bank Limited Mercantile bank Limited 1 year to 3 years 1 year to 3 years Upto 2-5 years Among the banks, the highest loan maturity date is offered by Mercantile bank Limited. * Mode of Finance: BRAC Bank Limited Dhaka Bank Limited Mercantile bank Limited Only Term loan Term loan and working capital loan Only Term loan All the banks provide SME financing facilities but do not provide long term loan to its customers. Among the banks Dhaka bank provides both term loan and working capital loan to their customer. Other banks provide only term loan to its customers. Portfolio size of different banks in SME sector: name of Bank Portfolio Size BRAC Bank Limited 25.72 Dhaka Bank Limited 18.00 Mercantile Bank Limited 16.38 From the table we can see that BRAC bank has the highest investment in the SME sector. Overall Comparison of three banks Particulars BRAC Bank Limited Dhaka Bank Limited Mercantile Bank Limited Loan size 3lac-30lac 1ac-50lac 2lac-50lac Rate of interest 15% p.a 17% p.a 15% p.a Loan processing fee .50% of the loan amount —— TK 500 Risk fund —– 1%-2% of loan amount 1%of loan amount Supervision fee —– 1%-2% of loan amount 1%of loan amount Utilization fee —– 1.5% quarterly —– Period of loan 1yr – 3 yr 1yr – 3 yr Upto 2-5 yrs Mode of finance Term loan Only term loan Term loan as well as working capital Security primary Personal guarantee Personal guarantee Personal guarantee secondary Upto 8 lac collateral free & above 8 lac collateral is mandatory Upto 5 lac collateral free(case to case above 5 lac and collateral mandatory ) Above 10.00 Lac Collateral security mandatory Table: Comparative analysis of SME loan of different bank: Comparative performance analysis of SME loan of different banks: Performance BRAC Bank Limited Dhaka Bank Limited Mercantile Bank Limited Year of operation 2009 2009 2009 Disbursement 950 crore 115.72 crore 127.70 crore Rate of recover 92% 87% 87% From the above analysis and findings of the study, it is obvious that there is a lot of market potential for Mercantile Bank Limited in SME loan. As we came to know from the analysis that BRAC bank is the most dominant player in the market and except BRAC bank other players are more or less similar category. But since the market yields a high growth potential and BRAC bank having basic infrastructure and a larger customer base it is very difficult for the other bank to cope with BRAC bank unless they build some alliances to develop such infrastructure to serve the client at better service. Initially, it will require a huge concentration, but the bank is financially sound to incur such amount of investment in new line of business. Other than the investment Mercantile Bank Limited should improve their credit facilities, customer service, and add attractive features to the product to attract every class of people. Chapter Four Recommendations: Considering the existing situation, the following suggestions are put forward for present and future sustainability of the Management Information Systems in the SME sectors of Bangladesh: * The modern computer technologies should be used appropriately to develop the Small & Medium Enterprises of the country * Information systems designers, whether internal to the company or part of an outside firm should assure the technical quality of the MIS system and the ease of the user interface. * System designers must oversee the process of system design and implementation, assess the impact of the new system on the organization, and develop ways to protect the system from abuse after it is installed. * Small business owners and managers must plan what type of MIS systems to implement and to ensure that the underlying data are accurate and useful. * Selection, acquisition and application of the appropriate technology should be ensured that would enable production of goods of competitive quality and competitive price, maintaining optimum productivity, while environmentally  not injurious. * People of our country should be provided with adequate education, training skill and technical knowledge of the field of MIS so that they are unable to implement it in the SME sector. * Better and improved MIS facilities must be provided in the SME sector * SME Loan sanctioning and disbursement procedure should be easy and flexible being considered the requirements of different classes of people. * Bottlenecks or barriers should be removed by taking advanced steps in mode of disbursement, charge documents and approval process. * Business Power for sanctioning loans and advances can be increased at branch level. * The use of MIS should be extended to the rural areas of our country. * The Government of the country should ensure the use and implementation of MIS technology in order to develop the SME sector * More SME service centers need to be added to fully take the advantage of the huge potential customer segments. Conclusion: In the conclusion, we can state that, SME is the most emerging sector to expand the scientific and technological capabilities of an organization. However such SMEs should be equipped with better computer facilities and implementation strategies like the MIS. The opportunities of using the appropriate Management Information Systems are not sufficient considering the small and medium enterprises of our country. Many small and medium enterprises are using this technology, but the scope  is very limited. It is thus very clear that MIS development should proceed hand in hand with micro enterprise development. It is interesting to observe that the conditions for small industry development that we find today, being at the threshold of total globalization, are very much the same as observed several-decades ago. In spite of the criticism and neglect of the SME sector on the grounds of inefficiency and non-optimal use of productive factors compared to larger industries, SMEs are beginning to be extolled for their greater dependence on labour-intensive production techniques, lower requirements of imported inputs and better geographical dispersion. So, proper initiatives should be taken in order to develop the flow of Management information system it the small and medium enterprises of our country. References: 1. Laudon, K., & Laudon, J. (2010). â€Å"Management Information Systems†- Managing the Digital Firm, 11th Edition. Prentice Hall/CourseSmart, 12/30/2008.) 2. Hossain, N. (1998), â€Å"Constraints to SME development in Bangladesh), Jobs project, USAID 3. Meagher, P (1998), â€Å"Secured Finance for SMEs in Bangladesh†, Jobs project, USAID 4. Ahmed, Z. U. (1999), â€Å"Problems of Access to Credit for Small and Medium Enterprises in Bangladesh†, Jobs project, USAID 5. Baldwin, J. and Picot, G. (1994), â€Å"Employment Generation by Small Producers in Canadian Manufacturing Sector†, Journal for Small Business Economics 6. CPD (2003), â€Å"Industrial Policy, Privatization and SME†, National Policy Review Forum, Centre for Policy Dialogue, Bangladesh 7. SEAF (2004), â€Å"The Development Impact of Small and Medium Enterprises: Lessons Learned from SEAF Investment†, Small Enterprise Assistance Fund, Washington. 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