Neurobiology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Neurobiology - Essay Example In this article, two types of behaviors, classical conditioning, and instrumental conditioning will be analyzed with the use of an example to enhance the understanding. Classical conditioning which is also known as Pavlovian conditioning was named after the person who made it famous. It is a type of conditioning which relates a stimulus that initiates the response known as unconditional stimulus with a response that does not initiate stimulus known as the conditional stimulus. Several articles have been written regarding this topic with scientists such as John Watson concluding that the conditioning explains every aspect of the human psychology. Classical conditioning became the basis for the development of the famous behaviorism theory used to explain different phenomena in the field of psychology to date. The theory of behaviorism has several assumptions that are all based on the classical conditioning. The first assumption is that the acquisition of behavior or rather learning takes place due to existence and interactions in a particular environment. The assumption contradicts the biological opinion that some characteristics of an individual or animal, in general, might be inherited from the parent. Shaping of the behavior takes place due to environmental forces. It is a point that can be related to adaptation for survival in a particular environment that is evident from the various examples if comparisons of behaviors of people in different parts of the world. The third assumption based on classical condition is that mental thoughts and emotions of an animal have nothing to do with behavior and character. A closer look at the three assumptions and one can clearly see the similarity whereby they all try to relate behavior and the environmental factors likely to affect the behavior of the animal. The classical conditioning theory can be divided into

Strategic management (Fujifilm case study) Study

Strategic management (Fujifilm ) - Case Study Example Al., â€Å"Fujifilm: A Second Foundation†). The paper deals with the business plan of the company for the future five years. The marketing projection is done by taking into consideration the entire products of Fujifilm and its market growth in the past years. The operational estimation is conducted by considering the set marketing plan. The outer and inner environment of the company and the competitors’ strength as well as weakness facilitates to estimate the operational prediction. The financial analysis is done by examining the marketing and operations of the company and their performance along with income statement of the previous years. The paper also covers the process of implementation of major objectives in order to achieve success. Finally, the paper is completed with a brief conclusion. 2.0 Marketing Projection The sales projection relates to the estimation of potential sales of a company at a certain time period. The sales projection of Fujifilm’s produ cts and services can be prepared for the coming five years. The marketing projection of Fujifilm for successive five years from present scenario is based on several factors. There may be external or internal factors that affect sales projection (Sane Jose State University, â€Å"Process for Sales Projection†). The marketing and sales of the product of Fujifilm have helped to increase its market share and proper planning will enhance its growth in the coming years. The various factors that are responsible for Fujifilm’s future projection are seasonability aspect prevalent in business, comparative situation of the economy, fashions of new products, changing population and productivity, income of consumer, present market share, innovative product lines, inventory shortage, recent trend in sales and price changes among others (Sane Jose State University, â€Å"Process for Sales Projection†). The various marketing products of Fujifilm are ‘electronics productsà ¢â‚¬â„¢, ‘highly functional materials’, ‘medical imaging’, ‘life science’, ‘graphic arts’, ‘optical devices’ and ‘documents’. These products are expanding globally and are in huge demand in market. To maintain its demand in future, the company needs to develop various marketing techniques. The market share of LCD FUJITAC in global market is 80% and for WV film it acquires 100%. Thus, in the coming years the growth will be high as a result production capacity need to be raised (Fujifilm, â€Å"Highly Functional Materials†). To enhance production as well as growth it needs to develop innovative marketing techniques. The diagnostic materials acquired the top market share; therefore it must be provided prior importance. Due to recession, gradually revenue from medical imaging has lowered down. The forecasting can be done by taking into consideration the various aspects of customers and market and their demand for more innovative products (Fujifilm, â€Å"Highly Functional Materials†). The three sections of products that are manufactured in the company throughout the year are imaging solution, information solution and document solutions. The business growth of these products under these sections varies considerably. By examining the revenue of business trend from the year 2007 to 2011, it is possible to predict the revenue from the

Kleins Theory Of The Paranoid Schizoid Position

Kleins Theory Of The Paranoid Schizoid Position Through this essay, I am going to discuss Melanie Kleins theory of the Paranoid-Schizoid position, referring to some of the defence mechanisms which the infant uses. I will also illustrate how parts of the Paranoid-Schizoid position are conveyed through Ridley Scotts film, Alien (1979). Melanie Klein believed the first object which the infant relates to in the external world is its mother. During the Paranoid-Schizoid position, the infant sees objects around it as either good or bad, according to its experiences with them. The objects are felt to be loving and good when the infants wishes are gratified, leaving them feeling happy and satisfied. Conversely, objects are seen as bad when the infants wishes are not met adequately and thus frustration prevails. At the beginning of life, the infant does not have a perceptual image of its mother, but sees her in part-objects; the most important part-object being the breast. Klein referred to the good breast, which represents the good mother who feeds the infant on demand and gives them attention, and the bad breast, representing the bad mother who says no or who is absent when the infant wants something. The infant therefore believes they have two different mothers because they cannot yet tolerate the idea of loving and hating the same object; Klein termed this process splitting. The infants ego splits due to the anxiety it experiences caused by its paranoid fear of annihilation by the bad breast. The splitting process also prevents the bad breast from destroying the good breast because the infant keeps them separated from one another. Thus, the mother must be either good or bad and the feeling directed towards her must be either love or hate; the two cannot yet coincide. The film, Alien, clearly portrays this splitting progress. At the beginning of the film, the alien attaches itself, breast-like, onto Kanes face, and breathes for him in order to keep him alive. In Kleins theory, aggression is directed towards the bad breast due to persecutory fears; they believe the bad breast wants to destroy them. Similarly, in Alien, the creature is seen as frightening and harmful, representing the bad breast which the infant has a desire to destroy. However, the creature also represents the good breast, because it is keeping Kane alive. The infants anxious fears of annihilation cause the ego to develop defence mechanisms, which aim to protect the infant from the bad breast, yet also give them control over the good and bad breast, making sure they are kept separate from one another. The schizoid response to this anxiety is to project and introject the good and bad breast. Projection allows the infant to project their bad qualities outwards, into the bad breast, such as feelings of aggression, hate and envy. An example of projection in Alien can be seen at the end of the film when Ellen blasts the alien out into space; she is ridding herself of the bad object and thus destroying it through projection. The infant also uses introjection to bring the good objects from the good breast inside them. They can then control the good objects through phantasising that the good objects are inside them. The infant thus wants to introject the good breast and project the bad breast, allowing them to make a clear distinction between the good objects, which are now inside them, and the bad objects, which have been split from them. Anal aggression is a further defence mechanism used by the infant to gain a sense of control. Since their anxiety is caused by the threatening bad breast, the infant believes they need to defend themselves using destruction and aggression. The infant does this by entering inside their mother through phantasy to see what harmful objects are within her. They believe there to be faeces, their fathers penis, and other babies inside her and consequently want to rid the mother of these bad objects. They also have the desire to put their own faeces inside their mother, since this gives them a feeling of control. The infant succeeds in this process through unconscious phantasy; they take control by sucking dry, biting up, scooping out, and robbing the mothers body of all its contentparticularly her babiesand expel dangerous substances out of the self and into the mother. The infant thus reduces their feelings of anxiety through aggression, projection and introjection. However, since the infant wants to destroy these objects inside the mother and rob her of them, they automatically feel anxiety that their mother will equally want to retaliate and attack them too. Klein writes, In his destructive phantasies he bites and tears up the breast, devours it, annihilates it; and he feels that the breast will attack him in the same way.Thus, by projecting their bad qualities onto their mother, and through anal aggression, the defence mechanisms rebound, since anxiety and fears of persecution are experienced again. These phantasies of attacking the mother can be seen through Alien when the crew are trying to destroy the creature, which they hate and fear. They project their aggression and hatred onto the creature, which inevitably leaves them believing that the creature is determined to destroy them, along with the disloyal Mother (the spaceships computer). The crew thus want to destroy the creature, whilst at the same time they are being pursued by it. Hanna Segal also notes that there are times when the good object is projected, so it can be kept safe from an overpowering badness which is felt inside. Similarly, bad objects can be introjected and identified with in an attempt to gain control over them. This is because during feelings of anxiety, projection and introjection are used to keep persecutory and ideal objects as distant from each other as possible, whilst still maintaining control of them both. In Alien, during the scene when the crew are all eating around the table, and the creature has appeared to release itself from Kane, he is then literally destroyed from within as the alien rips through his chest. In relating this scene to the Paranoid-Schizoid position, Kane introjected the bad persecutory object, with the unconscious phantasy of gaining control over it. The bad object (the creature) is then re-projected when it rips through Kanes chest. Thus, the creature is again the source of persecutory anxiety because it esca pes. It thus becomes evident that although defence mechanisms initially protect the individual from harm and anxiety, they often rebound, creating further feelings of fear and anxiety. I am now going to discuss the force which is behind the feeling of aggression. Klein is often claiming that the infant has an innate drive to destroy everything that is good. However, David Hiles suggests that this is simply a misunderstanding of the mechanism of envy. Thus, envy is the force which leads to such hatred of an external object, inevitably causing aggression. This envy is a result of the infants ego experiencing a denial of something they want or need. For example, the mother may be possessing yet withholding something which the infant desires, such as the infant wanting to be fed, or to be given attention. Envy is therefore the feeling of conflict that what one desires, and would normally be forthcoming, but is being withheld. The envious impulse within the infant encourages them to attack the very source which they originally relied upon for what was desired. Melanie Klein believed the breast to be the first object envied by the infant. Thus, withholding the breast, wh ich the infant trusts to contain goodness, causes the infant to respond aggressively, often biting the mother physically, or attacking her through phantasy. However, if a nurturing and loving environment is provided by the mother, and if the Paranoid-Schizoid stage is tolerated and worked through, then normal development will often follow. Excessive envy can lead to a weakened ego, also triggering an intense feeling of guilt. The infant realises that they are destroying the primary good object which is providing them with goodness through their envious attacks. Thus, they are gradually enter the Depressive Position, and slowly begin to realise that the mother is a whole object, and that they love and hate the same object. To conclude, the conflict between love and hate, and experiencing envy, is necessary for the personality to develop, along with the strengthening of the ego. The way in which the infant is brought up and cared for also contributes to the infants happiness and development, helping to reduce their feelings of anxiety and fears of persecution. Klein says that Persecutory anxiety is to some extent counteracted by the infants relation to the good breastthe gratification and love which the infant experiences help to counteract persecutory anxiety. Thus, the relationship which the infant has with the good breast eventually reduces anxiety and the fear of persecution. Trust is also established with the good object as the infant gradually realises that the mother is a whole object. The nature of the relationship between the mother and the infant has a great influence upon the infants future relationships with others and upon their social attitude in general. Word count- 1,540

Lessons Learned at Summer Camp :: Memoir Essays

Lessons Learned at Summer Camp       Gazing up at the clouds, I thought of all the great times I had been a part of. The whole week had been full of excitement. Every day was a payoff of all of the work put into this experience. "Did it have to end so quickly?" I wondered to myself. "Just think of next year", I said to comfort my disbelief, "Its going to be ten times the fun. I'll make sure of that." After what seemed like years of waiting, the day of camp finally arrived. I hastily packed my bags and threw them in my car. My sister on the other hand, was late. She took forever putting her bags together and she walked out of the house as slow as a snail. "Hurry up!" I yelled at her. "I'm sorry." She replied. The only thing I could say was "Sure, whatever." But, I wasn't going to let this get in the way of my excitement. I was so charged with a "rush" as I pulled out of the driveway. I arrived at the guest ranch that we would be staying at around the same time as everyone else. It was later in the evening so the first item on our agenda was to eat supper. After we ate, the seventeen of us students and the six counselors all had a short chapel meeting. Following the meeting, we all played a game of capture the flag out in the trees by the ranch and then hit the sack. The next day I woke up and went through my usual morning strategy of preparing myself for the exciting day to come. I had breakfast with the rest of the group followed by an intense game of horseshoes. Then we had what is called "Quiet Time." It is a time that each of us went off somewhere by ourselves and read our bible or reflected on events that have happened. I went and sat in the shade of one of the trees. It was an incredible half-hour. I took a look at nature and realized how awesome God really is. I saw all kinds of insects and different pieces of life. It was a neat feeling that I had that morning. The rest of the day the group and I played games and had some time to go where we wanted to. During a game of horseshoes, Nathan carelessly threw a horseshoe out of control towards me.

Poverty and Income Inequality in South Korea Essay

South Korea is counted among the world’s leading economies alongside giants such as United States and Germany (Wiseman & Nishiwaki, 2006). Before the financial crisis hit Asia in 1997, South Korea was among the fastest growing economies of the world with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate exceeding 5 percent (Kakwani, Khandker, & Son). Kwack & Lee (2007) report that income inequality had been reduced across the country before the financial crisis. Moreover, between the years 1965 and 2005, income inequality had not significantly increased. All the same, between the years 1998 and 2005, South Korea experienced a rise in income inequality seeing that the Asian financial crisis was massive in its scope (Kwack & Lee, p. 20). Also, between the years 1990 and 1997, the percentage of South Korean people classified as poor had steadily decreased from 39. 6 percent to 8. 6 percent (Kakwani, Khandker, & Son). South Korea was coming to be known as an â€Å"economy with relatively equal distribution of income and with full employment† (Kakwani, Khandker, & Son). But, the Asian financial crisis naturally increased the number of poor people in the country. In fact, the percentage of poor increased to 19 percent in 1998; it was 13. 4 percent a year later (Kakwani, Khandker, & Son). According to a study conducted by Kakwani, Khandker, & Son, the poor of South Korea were disproportionately affected by the Asian financial crisis of 1997. Even though the South Korean economy started to grow again immediately after the crisis, the benefits of growth did not reach the poor as they did the rich. Then again, the government of South Korea introduced new welfare programs for the very poor during that time. The poor people of the country did not benefit from these programs, however. It was only the very poor that were positively impacted (Kakwani, Khandker, & Son). What is more, contrary to the interpretation of income inequality statistics as presented by Kwack & Lee, the International Monetary Fund has expressed great concern over this problem in South Korea during the present era of globalization (â€Å"Widening Inequality: IMF Acknowledges Downsides of Globalization,† 2007). A report published in Korea Times in October 2007 reads: †¦Many South Koreans believe the nation has no other choice but to pursue the international trend in a bid to survive fiercer competition with other countries. Policymakers are trying to open the local market wider to foreign products, while promoting sales of Korea, Inc. , under the spirit of freer trade. They go all-out to attract foreign investment by setting up free economic zones and international business towns. Businesses are also expanding their overseas networks for production, sales and investment under the motto of globalization. †¦In this regard, a recent IMF report caught the attention of economic policymakers, company executives, citizens and anti-globalization activists. Last week, the international body published its semiannual economic review, the World Economic Outlook, before the IMF and the World Bank meeting scheduled for Oct. 20-21. The IMF said in the report that technology and foreign investment are making income inequality worse around the world. The review tries to figure out why income inequality has widened in both rich and poor countries in the past two decades. It is the first time that the IMF has come up with such a report admitting to the negative effects of globalization. â€Å"Over the past two decades, income inequality has risen in most regions and countries,’’ the report said. We can learn much from the report. We have to admit that South Korea has experienced widening income inequality, especially following the Asian financial woes. The income brackets have already been divided into 20 percent rich and 80 percent poor. That is the nation’s middle class has crumbled because the gap between the rich and poor widened. The 20-80 ratio is on the verge of moving to a 10-90 ratio, further worsening the income gap. In addition, businesses have exploited non-regular workers and migrant laborers from foreign countries who suffer from low wages, poor working conditions and other discrimination. A law protecting non-regular workers took effect in July, but little progress has been made to guarantee their equal rights. Policymakers will have to take bolder measures to narrow income inequality and tackle other negative effects of globalization. (â€Å"Widening Inequality: IMF Acknowledges Downsides of Globalization†) It is oft stated that globalization is accompanied by a widening gap between the haves and have-nots of the world. When a Korean farmer suddenly appeared during a meeting of World Trade Organization and committed suicide, the problems facing the global political economy were highlighted – that, in fact, the interests of the poor must be heeded, better than before. The farmer was wearing a shirt that read, â€Å"WTO KILLS FARMERS† (Cho, 2008, pp. x). After all, it is not uncommon for experts and non-experts alike to claim that the World Trade Organization does not represent the interests of the rich and the poor equally. Nevertheless, there is a limit to how much the World Trade Organization can do for the poorest people of the world. It is, in fact, for the government of South Korea to bear greater responsibility for poor Koreans. According to another news report published in South Korea in the year 2007, The wage disparity of the lower 10 percent of earners versus upper 10 percent rose to a factor of 5. 4 in 2006 from 4. 8 in 2001, meaning that wages for the top decile of earners were nearly five-and-a-half times greater than those of the lowest decile of earners†¦ (â€Å"A Look at South Korean Society, 20 Years after Democracy,† 2007) It is for the South Korean government not only to improve income distribution in the country but also to implement policies to end abuse as well as discrimination of the poorest workers. Individual income in South Korea rose fivefold between the years 1987 and 2007. But, South Korea has not made progress to end income inequality. The Gini coefficient is typically the statistical measure of choice to assess income distribution. A Gini coefficient of zero indicates perfectly equal income distribution, while a coefficient of 1 indicates perfectly inequality. In 1987, the year that South Korea became a democratic country, its Gini coefficient was 0. 31. By the year 1997, South Korea’s Gini coefficient had been reduced to 0. 28 as the country had made strides in reducing the gap between the haves and the have-nots. But then the Asian financial crisis ensued. By 2006, South Korea’s Gini coefficient was back to 0. 31. Although the size of the economy had grown from $500 billion to $800 billion, income distribution had been reduced between 1997 and 2006. Unsurprisingly, the poorest people of South Korea are confronting discrimination and abuse. After all, the rich are getting richer at the expense of the poor. As a matter of fact, exploitation of labor is reality in South Korea (â€Å"A Look at South Korean Society, 20 Years after Democracy†). Robert J. Barro, a professor of economics at Harvard University, explains that living standards across South Korea were raised with its dramatic rise in GDP. As examples, the infant mortality rate fell from 8 percent to 0. 8 percent and life expectancy rose from 54 years to 73 years. Additionally, income distribution in South Korea has been more equitable as compared to the United States and Japan. When individual income rose in South Korea, low-income groups were beneficiaries, too, and poverty was reduced (Barro, 2003). Then again, as we have already discussed, the Gini coefficient of South Korea in 2006 was the same as in 1987. This reveals that although the poor people of South Korea have higher wages now than before, the gap between the haves and the have-nots has not been narrowed. So, Professor Barro suggests that South Korea must work on improving its education system. If the poor people of South Korea have access to good quality education, it would be easier to improve income distribution. Moreover, the country needs to enhance corporate governance (Barro). These changes are sure to enhance working conditions and living standards of poor workers. Then again, South Korea may not be able to support half of its â€Å"elderly households† living â€Å"in a state of ‘relative poverty’† with these improvements (â€Å"Korea Highest in Elderly Poverty,† 2008). In fact, the income of these households is lower than 50 percent of average household income in the country. Although South Korea has a pension scheme for the elderly, the percentage of the poor that may benefit from the scheme is small. Because the traditions of South Korea demanded of children to take care of their parents upon reaching adulthood, the country does not have a developed social insurance system for the elderly. What is more, South Korea is aging fast. At least 7 percent of its poor are over 65 today (â€Å"Korea Highest in Elderly Poverty,† 2008). At the same time as social welfare programs remained underdeveloped, South Korea generated 3100 more people owning at least U. S. $1 million worth liquid assets between the years 2000 and 2001 (â€Å"Asian Millionaires: A Tough Bunch,† 2002). According to Australian Banking & Finance, among the reasons for this rapid production of millionaires is increasing income inequality (â€Å"Asian Millionaires: A Tough Bunch,† 2002). To put it another way, corporate leaders are raising their organizational revenues, thanks in part to globalization, even as the poorest workers of their organizations continue to be paid low wages. In the year 2007, South Korea experienced the widest gap between the haves and the have-nots since the Asian financial crisis. In fact, the annual income of 20 percent of South Koreans earning the highest incomes was 5. 44 times greater than the annual income of the 20 percent that earned the lowest incomes. In 2006, the rich were earning 5. 38 times more than those that earn the least (â€Å"Income Gap at its Widest Point since 1999 Financial Crisis,† 2008). Analyzing the statistics, The Hankyoreh reports that income and wage gaps between 20 percent of the highest earners and 20 percent of the lowest earners had actually widened by 7. 9 percent and 11. 7 percent respectively between the years 2002 and 2007. What is more, statistics on income distribution in South Korea reveal that the richest people of the nation are earning more than the people of developed countries, while the poorest South Korean households have incomes that are equivalent to those of households in less developed countries. Even the World Bank has confirmed that poor South Koreans have the same living standards as those of the citizens of El Salvador or Gabon. Rich South Koreans, on the contrary, have the same living standards as New Zealanders and Australians (â€Å"Income Gap at its Widest Point since 1999 Financial Crisis†). Professor Barro’s analysis of income disparity in South Korea must be considered incomplete for the reason that there is no â€Å"decline in the burden of consumption on low-income households† (â€Å"Income Gap at its Widest Point since 1999 Financial Crisis†). These households pay their cellular phone and Internet bills with twice as much of their incomes as do rich households. Despite the fact that wages have increased – according to Barro – income disparity continues to widen. Son Tae-jeong, one of the researchers at the LG Economic Research Institute in South Korea, stated that salaries increased between the years 2006 and 2007 to boot. However, the poorest workers do not seem to have availed the benefits of the rise in salaries across the country (â€Å"Income Gap at its Widest Point since 1999 Financial Crisis†). South Korea has introduced necessary legislations to strengthen its social welfare programs. There are social security schemes which are insurance based and applicable only to certain occupational groups. These schemes cover pensions and healthcare among other things. The government of South Korea also offers subsidies for housing on a limited basis. But, most social security programs in the country only offer benefits related to earnings. Furthermore, these social security schemes are structured in a way that limits income redistribution from high-income to low-income groups (â€Å"Social Welfare in East Asia: Low Public Spending but Low Income Inequality,† 2008). Even though there are organizations across the country that continue to retain their unproductive workers, there is no way for them to cure the plague of poverty afflicting the elderly poor of South Korea (â€Å"Social Welfare in East Asia: Low Public Spending but Low Income Inequality†). The poor elderly South Koreans cannot be financially supported by their grown up kids because even though labor productivity and GDP have risen together, real wages have lagged behind (Chung, 2007, p. 228). Poor workers have low standards of living in any case, seeing that corporate leaders must focus on raising their own living standards even if they offer support to unproductive workers. Of course, as Barro has stated, education and corporate governance may work wonders in eradicating the problem of poverty facing the worker and his or her elderly parents in South Korea. Uneducated people usually have low living standards (Savada & Shaw, 1990). Moreover, in the workplaces of South Korea, these people are â€Å"treated with open contempt by university graduate managers† (Savada & Shaw). Increasing numbers of South Korean workers have migrated from agricultural farms to industrial establishments in recent years. Nevertheless, poverty has not been eradicated (Savada & Shaw). Rather, the differences between the haves and the have-nots have remained. The Asian financial crisis had negatively impacted both the rich and the poor of South Korea. But, as mentioned before, the poor were disproportionately affected. Poor South Koreans had to reduce their spending by 9. 8 percent in the year 1998. The rich only reduced their spending by 0. 6 percent. Additionally, as soon as the Korean economy was back on its growth track, the rich are known to have greatly increased their spending. In point of fact, the consumption of luxury goods rose to the extent that sales of golf equipment were increased by 357. 6 percent between 1998 and 1999 (Yim, p. 32). The poor South Koreans, on the other hand, were left to their living standards resembling those of people in underdeveloped countries. Of a certainty, the government of South Korea must be formulating and implementing the kinds of policies required to resolve these structural economic issues once and for all. The country possesses the capacity to grow beyond expectations. But, at the same time, income inequality and poverty create such a burden that a South Korean farmer came to commit suicide at a meeting of the World Trade Organization. The rich capitalists of South Korea pay low wages to workers who go on increasing their productivity nevertheless. Furthermore, poor, uneducated workers are abused and exploited in the South Korean workplace. By instituting good corporate governance programs, the government of South Korea may very well correct this problem. After all, it is because of the poor workers’ motivation to increase productivity that has made South Korea one of the most important economies in the world today. The country would not be able to sustain its economic position if it fails to heed its workers’ needs. References A Look at South Korean Society, 20 Years after Democracy. (2007, Jun 8). The Hankyoreh. Retrieved Mar 20, 2009, from http://www. hani. co. kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/214664. html. Asian Millionaires: A Tough Bunch. (2002, Oct 15). Australian Banking & Finance. Retrieved Mar 20, 2009, from http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_hb4849/is_18_11/ai_n28954879. Barrow, R. J. (2003, Jun 9). South Korea: How to Keep the Miracle Going. Business Week. Retrieved Mar 20, 2009, from http://www. businessweek. com/magazine/content/03_23/b3836031_mz007. htm. Cho, Y. (2008, Oct 10). Participatory Democracy in the Global Public Sphere: Scale, Media Events, and the Body. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association, Sheraton New York, New York City, NY Online. Retrieved Mar 20, 2009, from http://www. allacademic. com/one/www/www/index. php? cmd=www_search&offset=0&limit=5&multi_search_search_mode=publication&multi_search_publication_fulltext_mod=fulltext&textfield_submit=true&search_module=multi_search&search=Search&search_field=title_idx&fulltext_search=Participatory+Democracy+in+the+Global+Public+Sphere%3A+Scale%2C+Media+Events%2C+and+the+Body. Chung, Y. (2007). South Korea in the Fast Lane: Economic Development and Capital Formation. New York: Oxford University Press. Income Gap at its Widest Point since 1999 Financial Crisis. (2008, Feb 15). The Hankyoreh. Retrieved Mar 20, 2009, from http://english. hani. co. kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/269809. html. Kakwani, N. , Khandker, S. , & Son, H. H. Poverty Equivalent Growth Rate: With Applications to Korea and Thailand. Retrieved Mar 20, 2009, from http://siteresources. worldbank. org/INTPGI/Resources/13984_Hyun_Sons_paper_pro-poor-final. doc. Korea Highest in Elderly Poverty. (2008, Nov 8). The Korea Times. Retrieved Mar 20, 2009, from http://www. koreatimes. co. kr/www/news/nation/2008/11/113_34066. html. Kwack, S. Y. , & Lee, Y. S. (2007, Dec 31). Income Distribution in Korea in Historical and International Prospects. Retrieved Mar 20, 2009, from http://www. kdi. re. kr/kdi/report/report_read05. jsp? 1=1&pub_no=10341. Savada, A. M. , & Shaw, W. , eds. (1990). Social Classes in Contemporary Society. In South Korea: A Country Study. Washington: GPO Library of Congress. Retrieved Mar 20, 2009, from http://countrystudies. us:80/south-korea/. Social Welfare in East Asia: Low Public Spending but Low Income Inequality. (2008, Jul). Center for Analysis of Social Exclusion. Retrieved Mar 20, 2009, from http://sticerd. lse. ac.uk/dps/case/cb/CASEbrief7. pdf. Widening Inequality: IMF Acknowledges Downsides of Globalization. (2007, Oct 19). The Korea Times. Retrieved Mar 20, 2009, from http://www. bilaterals. org/article. php3? id_article=10033. Wiseman, P. , & Nishiwaki, N. (2006, Jul 23). Income Inequality Shrinks Japan’s Middle Class. USA Today. Retrieved Mar 20, 2009, from http://www. usatoday. com/money/world/2006-07-23-japan-usat_x. htm. Yim, S. Geographical Features of Social Polarization in Seoul, South Korea. Retrieved Mar 20, 2009, from http://www. lit. osaka-cu. ac. jp/geo/pdf/frombelow/0308_frombelow_yim. pdf.

Customer Satisfaction of Banglalink

A report on â€Å"Customer Satisfaction Of Banglalink† Submitted to: Dr. Mamun Habib Course Instructor, Research Methodology; Sec: C; AIUB Prepared BY: GROUP: A ? Huda Md. Nazmul08-11678-2 ? Rahman Md. Masudur08-11030-2 ? Imranuzzaman Md. 08-11471-2 ? Shahzahan Masum Bin08-11636-2 ? Haque Shajabul08-11554-2 ? Munsi Md. Hasan (Sec: E)08-11417-2 ? Hasan Md. Khalid08-11024-2 AMERICAN INERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY-BANGLADESH Date of Submission: April 19, 2011 April 19, 2011 To Dr. Mamun Habib Course teacher, Research methodology; Sec: C; AIUB Subject: Request to accept the research paper. Dear Sir We have the privilege to present our group work set by yourself & permitted by your guidance. We are obliged to you for giving us such an opportunity to make a study on the topic named â€Å"Customer Satisfaction of Banglalink†. Finally we seek your favorable consideration as for permitting us to submit this report before you. Yours truly, Huda Md. Nazmul (08-11678-2) { On the behalf of the Group} Acknowledgement This study is the outcome of a research work. At first we want to thank The Almighty who has created us and gave up ability to do a type of research work. We are thankful to them who have spontaneously assisted us in conduction the research. Specially, we are thankful to our honorable teacher Dr. Mamun Habib course instructor of Research Methodology; Sec: C; AIUB. He helped us in every step of starting and completing our research paper promptly. Without His help it was impossible for us to complete the research. We are thankful to all those people who co-operate us with their kind patience. We are also thankful to all those people who helped us for collecting Information to survey. We are thankful to all the group members of the group. Without their help we would not able to complete our study successfully. We like to thank our friends who directly and indirectly helped us a lot by providing different information. Abstract Banglalink is one of the biggest mobile phone companies at Bangladesh. It started its operation in February 2005. Previously it was known as Sheba telecom Pvt L. T. D that had been GSM (Global Service of mobile) Service in Bangladesh since 1998. Orascom Telecom brought 100% share of Sheba telecom in 2004 & gave it new name as Banglalink. Every company’s existence depends on its customers. So, each and every company tries to satisfy & retain its customers providing attractive services. So, we’ve conducted our research on the customers of Banglalink to find the satisfaction level towards the company. As the satisfaction level indicator we used the following contents: Today’s market is highly competitive. So, every time competitors try to find the weakness & want to beat those points. So, the company should take customer feedback on continuous basis. That’s why excessive market research is required. Finding the customer’s demand & recommendation will help to take right decision. Table of Content . Chapter-1 (Introduction)(6-10) ? Introduction of the study 6 ? Research Objective 7 ? Limitation of the study 8 ? Significance of the study 8 ? Scope of research 8-9 ? Statement of Problem 9 2. Chaptre-3 (Research Framework) 10 3. Chapter-4 (Research Methodology)(11-13) ? Methods of research used 11 ? Respondents & sampling procedures 11-12 ? Researc h Instruments 12 ? Statistical Treatment of Data 13 4. Chapter-5 (Presentation of Data & Discussion of results)(14-17) 5. Chapter-6 (Summary, Conclusion & Recommendation) (18-20) ? Summary of the Findings 18-19 Conclusion 19 ? Recommendation 19-20 Bibliography 21 A. Appendix : (Questionnaire) (22-24) Chapter-1 Introduction Introduction of the study Banglalink is the second largest cellular service provider in Bangladesh after Grameenphone. As of November, 2010, Banglalink has a subscriber base of 12. 99 million. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Orascom Telecom. Banglalink had 1. 03 million connections until December, 2005. The number of Banglalink users increased by 257 per cent and stood at 3. 64 million at the end of 2006, making it the fastest growing operator in the world of that year. In August, 2006, Banglalink became the first company to provide free incoming calls from BTTB for both postpaid and prepaid connections. On August 20, 2008, Banglalink got past the landmark of 10 million subscriber base. Organization overview In Bangladesh, Banglalink aims to understand peoples' needs best and develop appropriate communication services to improve peoples' life and make it simple. All our work is aimed towards meeting our vision. All members of the Banglalink family are highly passionate individuals, fully committed to achieving the vision that we have set ourselves. Our customers' needs matter most to us- making their life simple and improving it is all we want. To ensure our vision is achieved, we have set ourselves a few values, we want to be †¢ Straight Forward †¢ Reliable †¢ Innovative †¢ Passionate All the Banglalink family members have one thing in common- a passion to serve to go that extra mile, so that you can have the best possible service Investing in the future of Bangladesh. The biggest barrier today for people is the cost of handsets. We will strive to lower the total cost of owning a mobile. We are here to make a difference in people's lives by providing affordable and reliable connectivity will strive to connect people and link their lives by listening to them and by understanding their needs. We are here to help you speak your language. Research Objective Our research objective is to find out the satisfaction level of banglalink customer. The purpose of the study is to provide a specific and accurate definition of the overall PR & communication department of banglalink. As a 2nd largest company how they are managing the public relations. †¢ Provide an overview of the banglalink To identify the factors influencing on the marketing plan of the company †¢ To find out the strategies need to implement for achieving its long term goal. †¢ To measure and improve your performance †¢ To know customers are satisfied or not by taking service †¢ To supply products at competitive prices. †¢ To explore public relation activities in the market. Limitatio n of the study: Every work when started that to face some limitations. So in our research we face some problem. Our main limitation is time. Because we do not enough time for make this project but we tried our label best to make this report is a good one. Our second limitation was our different class schedule that why it was creating some problem when we making the survey. Our third limitation was financial fund because we are student. Significance of the study: Our research is based on the satisfaction of banglalink customers. We think from our research banglalink company will get more benefits. From our research banglalink customers relationship management can get some information about their customer’s satisfaction. In sort they can know from our research how they provide their services for their customers and how the customers react their services. So when banglalink management observes our customers satisfaction research result based on this result they can take their decision. Scope of Research: Research type: This research is a type of descriptive study which defines the relationship between the customer satisfaction and the banglalink management. Here the customer’s satisfaction is about the measurement of the wants of banglalink customers. On the other hand, banglalink customers are the population of our project as well the respondent. Those customers who are using the banglalink sim card and use their given services. Sample: Here the sample means the customers of banglalink those who are using the banglalik sim card and use their given services. Measurement: Basically we are come through a solution of our problem with Survey Questionnaire. And we make this Questionnaire to identify how much the customers of banglalink are satisfied. Statement of Problems: We have a solution of our problem by briefly discussed and we conducted a survey on the students group of AIUB. For that, we arrange a set of questionnaire and seeking some help from some loyal customers of banglalink. And those customers are basically ongoing users or once used Baglalink connection and also those customers who are use from their beginning. How is their satisfaction as a customer of banglalink in their real experience? Then we are the seven members work jointly to complete a strong semester project on customer satisfaction of Banglalink whatever we get acquire knowledge from our honorable course instruct Dr. Mamun Habib during this whole semester. Chapter-3 Research Framework Research Hypothesis: Hypothesis means the assumption. We are assuming some questionnaire to our respondents and try to analysis those. This research is coming through â€Å"One-Tailed Test† that is defined as the direction of the project. For example is that (Low/High) HO: Customers satisfaction would be greater than, less than their expectation Ha: Customers satisfaction would be less than, greater than their expectation Chapter -4 Research Methodology Methods of Research Used Difference types of research technique we are selecting descriptive research because we are finding customer satisfaction of Banglalink based on primary data. How many people are satisfied or not. Descriptive: Describes characteristics of a population or phenomenon, objects, organizations. Some understanding of the nature of the problem. Respondents & Sampling Procedures Population is any complete group of people, sales territories, stores . Sample subset of a large population we are select people among university student they are satisfy or not. There are three types of sample size we select formula for known and unknown population because firstly select BANGLALINK service users or not. Probability sampling we use to get our respondents. This process has to each element of population an equal chance to be selected . Known, nonzero probability for every element. Different categories sampling among these category we select simple random sampling. Simple random sampling: A sample procedure that ensures each element in the population will have an equal chance of being included in the sample. Research Instruments: Here different tools for questionnaire survey: †¢ Simple Attitude scale †¢ Category scale †¢ Likert scale †¢ Semantic scale †¢ Numerical scale †¢ Constant sum scale †¢ Stapel scale †¢ Graphical Rating scale †¢ Graphics rating scale stressing visual communication From these survey scales we used Five point Likert Scale for conducting our survey. We asked different questions based on BANGLALINK customer care service and collected answers through likert scale. Statistical Treatment of Data SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences): Based on SPSS we complete our statistical treatment. Descriptive analysis: Demographic information of respondents and estimate proportion among respondents. | | | | | | | | |Valid |52 | | |Missing |0 | Mean |1. 31 | | | | | | |N |Valid |52 | | |Missing |0 | |Variance |. 217 | Chapter-5 Presentation of data and discussion of results There are several tools available for data analysis. Like Excel, SPSS, AMOS, LISREL etc. For the collective data analysis we have used MS Excel & SPSS (Statistical Packages for the Social Sciences). The respondents’ percentage based on gender: [pic] â€Å"Banglalink’s call rate is reasonable with compare to other operators†: pic] â€Å"Banglalink provides good services at their customer care centers:† [pic] Banglalink’s network s ystem is very strong: [pic] Banglalink has huge opportunities to become market leader of Telecommunication Industry: [pic] Chapter-6 Summary, Conclusion & Recommendation Summary of the findings: Banglalink is one of the largest telecom companies in Bangladesh. After commencing their operation in Bangladesh, Banglalink captured a large number of customers. So, other mobile operators’ customers switched the brand. But now from our research we are finding a complete different scenario. In person we are the customers of Banglalink. So, we conducted our research on our friends & the different students’ group of AIUB to get quick access to the information. Our research shows that for the last few years Banglalink’s performance is falling gradually & failing to meet the customer’s requirement. †¢ Most of our respondents have agreed that Banglalink’s call rate is not so high with compare to other operators. But there is also a larger group of respondents who didn’t comply with this statement. †¢ Banglalink’s offered packages are somewhat attractive according to our respondents. A major portion of respondents have agreed that Banglalink is good at promotional activities. †¢ Banglalink’s customer care services are satisfactory in the view of the respondents. †¢ Banglalink has developed its internet facility recently. So, the current customers are satisfied with new services. †¢ In terms of network s ystem there are different opinions among the respondents. In the cities & towns the network is good, but at villages or remote places this service is very bad. As our all respondents are from Dhaka city, the respondents are satisfied with the network service. Banglalink has somewhat contribution in social development regarding our respondent’s view. †¢ There are a few large telecom companies in our country. For the last few years GrameenPhone has been holding the market leader’s place. From our research we can see that Banglalink has no possibilities to become the market leader. Conclusion: In the country Banglalink has come with the mission of â€Å"Din Bodoler Pala†. At their market entrance they showed huge possibilities to become the market leader. They captured the most of their customers within their first two years of operation. But with times customers are leaving Banglalink. Recently a new operator has penetrated into the telecom industry. Besides the former operators are diversifying their packages & offerings. But Banglalink had failed to cope up these new changes in the industry. They also offered some new packages, but those are not sufficient to cope up the situation. To attract different group of customers, Banglalink should take different approaches to gain new customers. Recommendations: Banglalink is a large organization & they are skilled & well experienced to take any decision. Our research shows that dissatisfaction is generating among the customers of Banglalink. So, we have come up with some recommendations: Bibliography To prepare our report we took help from several internet based websites. We are cordially grateful to those internet site authorities & author who provides the information. †¢ www. google. com †¢ www. banglalinkgsm. com †¢ www. wikipedia. com A. Appendix: Questionnaire Survey (Banglalink’s customer satisfaction evaluation) 01. Have you ever used Banglalink connection? ? Yes. ? No. 02. Which product did you used or using? ? Pre-paid. ? Postpaid. 3. How long have you used or have you been using Banglalink connection? ? Less than 6 months. ? 6 months – 1 year. ? 1 – 2 years. ? 2 – 3 years. ? More than 3 years. 04. Banglalink’s call rate is reasonable with compare to other operators. 05. Banglalink’s offered packages are very attractive. ? Strongly agree ? Agree ? Neutral ? Disagree ? Strongly disagree 06. Banglalink’s promotional activities are very effective. ? Strongly agree ? Agree ? Neutral ? Disagree ? Strongly disagree 07. Banglalink has its customer care centers at convenient and important places. ? Strongly agree Agree ? Neutral ? Disagree ? Strongly disagree 08. Banglalink provides good services at their Customer care centers. ? Strongly agree ? Agree ? Neutral ? Disagree ? Strongly disagree 09. Banglalink’s employees are skilled & highly professional. ? Strongly agree ? Agree ? Neutral ? Disagree ? Strongly disagree 10. Banglalink provides attractive internet services. ? Strongly agree ? Agree ? Neutral ? Disagree ? Strongly disagree 11. Banglalink’s information is highly available. ? Strongly agree ? Agree ? Neutral ? Disagree ? Strongly disagree 12. Banglalink’s network system is very strong? Strongly agree ? Agree ? Neutral ? Disagree ? Strongly disagree 13. Banglalink has significant contribution towards social develo pment? ? Strongly agree ? Agree ? Neutral ? Disagree ? Strongly disagree 14. Banglalink has huge opportunities to become market leader of Telecommunication Industry. ? Strongly agree ? Agree ? Neutral ? Disagree ? Strongly disagree 15. Your gender: ? Male ? Female 16. Your age: ? Less than 18. ? 18 – 22 ? 23 – 25 ? 26- 35 ? More than 35 17. Your profession: ? Student ? Service Holder ? Businessman ? Housewife ? Unemployed[pic][pic][pic] ———————– THANKS