Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Mechanics of Writing Essays

Mechanics of Writing Essays Mechanics of Writing Paper Mechanics of Writing Paper What is mechanics in writing? The goal of the mechanics of writing is to make the writing precise and grammatically correct. It is directed to make the writing systematic and being concerned about how to be correct in spelling, punctuation, italics and so on. The mechanics of writing are the rules that must be followed while preparing research paper so that the research strategies and the format becomes systematic and consistent in all academic sectors. If one does not follow or if there are no such rules of writing then the writing would be certainly very difficult. Factors in mechanics of writing The important factors in mechanics of writing are: Spelling Punctuation Italics( underlying) Names of persons Titles of works in the research paper Quotations Capitalization and personal names Spelling Spelling in the research work should be consistent, clean and correct expert in quotations. The spelling in the quotation must be the original whether correct or incorrect. If we have to divide any words, we should not do so at the end of the line. If the word does not fit there, we should leave the space and bring the words in the next line. Punctuation The purpose of punctuation is to bring clarity in writing and to make it comprehensible. Punctuation clarifies sentence structure, separating some words and grouping others. It adds meaning to written words and guides for readers to understand as they move through sentences. Commas, full stops, semicolons, colons, dashes and parenthesis, hyphens, apostrophes, quotation marks and exclamation point all serve the function of punctuation and one should take account of all these marks while writing research works. Italics (underlining) In research papers and manuscripts submitted for publication, words that would be italicized in print are usually underlined. In general, we should underline foreign words used in an English text. The name of the book in which a person is doing research is always italicized. Names of Persons Generally, a researcher should state a person’s name in a text of his or her research paper fully, accurately and exactly as it appears in the original source. For example, Martin Luther King, Jr. should be used as it is not as only Martin Luther. A researcher must not use formal titles in referring to men as women, living or dead, such as Prof. Devklota. Dr.Sangita. Instead of it, the researcher should only write Devkota, Sangita and so on. Titles of works in the Research Paper Title of the publication works in the research paper should be cited form the title page not form the cover page. For capitalizing titles, one should capitalize the first words, the last words, the words and the principal words, the last words and the principal words in both titles and sub-titles. Generally title of the works must be underlined or italicized. Title of the names of books, pamphlets, periodicals, films, radio and television programs etcetera should be underlined if hand written or italicized if printed in the research paper. Titles of the names of articles, essays, short stories, short poems, chapters of book and so on should be put with in quotation marks. The same is for the case of unpublished work, such as lectures and speeches. Quotations Only the most important words, phrases, lines and passages should be quoted in the research paper as briefly as possible. The researcher should put them with in quotation mark if they are three lines or less than three lines. If a quotation runs to make than four lines, it should be put under indent. Capitalization and personal names The chief reason to capitalize a word is that the word is proper, not because the word has greater status than other words. A proper noun identiï ¬ es a speciï ¬ c member of a class. A common noun, on the other hand, denotes either the whole class or any random member of the class. For example, King Henry VIII (a particular member of a class) was a king of England (the class itself). Answering the following question can help you determine whether a noun is proper. If the answer is yes, the noun is probably a common noun. References umuc.edu/library/libhow/apa_examples.cfm http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/685/03/ http://viewourperspective.blogspot.com/2010_10_01_archive.html

Friday, November 22, 2019

An Explanation of the Natural Wrist and Hand Posture

An Explanation of the Natural Wrist and Hand Posture Ergonomics is the process and study of peoples efficiency in their workplaces and environments. The term ergonomics comes from the Greek word ergon, which translates to work, while  the second part,  nomoi,  means natural laws. The process of ergonomics involves designing products and systems that best fit those using them. People are at the heart of this human factors based work, which is a science that has a mission to understand the human ability and its limitations. The main goal in ergonomics is to minimize the risk of injury or harm to people. Human Factors and Ergonomics Human factors and ergonomics are often combined into one principle or category, known as HFE. This practice has been researched in many fields such as psychology, engineering, and biomechanics. Examples of ergonomics include the design of safe furniture and easily used machines to prevent injuries and disorders like physical strain, which can lead to disability. The categories of ergonomics are physical, cognitive, and organizational. Physical ergonomics focuses on human anatomy and physical activity and looks to prevent illnesses such as arthritis, carpal tunnel, and musculoskeletal disorder. Cognitive ergonomics is involved with mental processes like perception, memory, and reasoning. For example, decision making and work stress can relate to interactions with a computer. Organizational ergonomics, on the other hand, focuses on structures and policies within work systems. Teamwork, management, and communication are all forms of organizational ergonomics. The Natural Wrist Position in Ergonomics The natural wrist position in the field of ergonomics is the posture  the wrist and hand assume when at rest. The upright position of the hand, like that of the handshake grip, is not a neutral position. When using a computer mouse, for example, the aforementioned position can be harmful. Rather, the position to adopt should be that of when the hand is at rest.  The wrist should also be at a neutral position and should not be bent or tilted. For best results for both your hand and whats happening on the computer screen, finger joints should be placed mid-position with muscles being only slightly stretched. Doctors and professionals assess designs on how to use products, like a mouse, in comparison to the neutral position, in order to meet a standard requirement  that considers the joint motion, physical restrictions, the range of movement, and more. The natural wrist position when at rest is characterized by the following: A straight, unbroken wristThe hand rotated to a relaxed position (30-60 degrees)The fingers curled and at restThe thumb straight and relaxed How the Natural Wrist Position Is Defined Medical professionals have decided on these characteristics as the defining points of the neutral position of the hand  from a functional perspective. For example, consider the mechanics behind placing a hand in a cast when injured.  Doctors place the hand in this neutral position, as it brings the least tension to the muscles and tendons of the hand. It is also in this position due to functional efficiency upon cast removal, as according to biomechanics.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the recent European Union Essay

Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the recent European Union treaties such as the Treaty of Amsterdam, the Treaty fo Nice, and the EU Constitution, which w - Essay Example Membership in the European Union is advantageous to all members because the EU represents the best of the European democratic tradition and is an expression of its constituent members. As a multinational organization, the EU represents various national interests within an overarching political framework. The EU is a multilateral organization which operates on the basis of negotiation between member states and relies on collective decision making to achieve its ends. Members are joined together and bound by treaties signifying their participation within the larger EU political framework. The political decisions of member-states are thus constrained by their allegiance and signatory status to overarching EU treaties (Almond et al. 455-6). Although it has not always been the case, modern-day Europe is characterized by a unifying democratic political culture. While the concept of democracy originated on its shores, the philosophy of democratic governance was challenged in 20th century Europe by authoritarian political movements, including fascism (expressed by Nazi Germany & Mussolini’s Italy), and communism (as exemplified in Eastern Europe during the Cold War). With Allied victory in World War II and the collapse of the Soviet Union, democracy became a universal trend amongst European states. In fact liberal democracy, best expressed by the states of Western Europe with entrenched democratic traditions, is quickly becoming the standard for the continent (Almond et al. 26-53). Democratic norms and rules have subsequently been established through a pan-European legal framework, the European Union. Two early treaties established the normative, and inherently democratic, framework for today’s EU. The Treaty of Rome, signed in March of 1957, proposed a common European economic market throughout the European Economic Community.

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Democratic Deficit in Canada Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Democratic Deficit in Canada - Term Paper Example What and how a country faces democratic deficit is all dependent on the perception of its people towards the government policies, this thinking alone could be as a result of higher expectations of the people from its government or it could very well be because of their objectives. The subjective thinking of the people or the objective thinking is what categorizes a country to be labeled as suffering from democratic deficit or not suffering from Democratic deficit. A system usually falls under the category of Democratic Deficit because as society grows and becomes more complex the needs change and become of different priorities which need to be met by the elected representatives. Failing of which the people see it as not working as a democratic system and hence term the system Democratic Deficit. In a similar manner the democratic institutions have to be in accordance to the changing needs like for example an institution that worked for a few hundred people would not prove successful with the figures of hundreds changing to millions. Hence the Democratic Deficit sets where the government fails to keep up with the growing demand of technology and economic environment. Even the media plays a very important role to the problem of democratic deficit by publicizing one view to the extreme. ... e of the media to project the situation in a manner without thinking up tactics of promoting its own cause only then would the people be able to grasp the deficiencies if any in the government or even the good beneficial effects that the system is affording. The knowledge gain factor is directly associated with the media in the current times and one must ensure that the media plays its vital role fully and duly. What the term democratic deficit implies is that it is the differences of the different people's opinions in the sizing up of their government. We could also put it in this way that basically the people feel that they are being neglected and their needs are not addressed. By Canadian standards the democratic deficit stems from the fact that when a definite gap is seen in the involvement, trust and decision making of its people. The main characterizing point of the system to be in democratic deficit is when there is a low voter turnout; people do not take an active interest in politics and a failure of trust in the democratic institutions. Canada has shown a gradual decline of the voter turnout. This started from the Second World War and was especially marked in the years 1953, 1974 and 1980. If the recent elections were to be accounted for then one would note how the eligible voter's number was by far greater than the number who did vote and the party one. Canada has seen less interest in the Canadian politics and leadership since 1960's. Today Canada suffers from democratic deficit as the people of Canada do not have high opinions about their politicians and they simply don't trust them. They are of the opinion that those who stand to be elected are misfit and will not keep their word and are more after the money than they have any care about the people or

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Aqa Food Anthology Essay Example for Free

Aqa Food Anthology Essay Compare two texts from the Anthology, which present different views about what we should eat. Text 9 is a newspaper article by John Torode on ‘Why we should all eat red meat’ that vibrantly explores the issue of eating red meat and with a ‘meat lover’ perspective fighting a passionate argument against the ‘bad boy of British culture’ reputation meat has. John Torode is a well-known celebrity chef and his picture endorses the article with a sense of knowledge and character smiling for ‘the culmination of his love of beef’. This article is written to reach out to the general public, more so to the health conscious and the skeptics to persuade and guide through to a new way of thinking towards eating red meat and food in general. A very similar purpose is seen throughout text 11, the Vegetarian Society websites ‘Seven simple steps to going- and staying- vegetarian’ which aim to guide prospective vegetarians to the ultimatum of ‘you are vegetarian’ through the use of enabling and reassuring lexis. In text 11 the text is clearly set out into seven steps that are structured to coincide, following an order to which a structured plan flows like a timeline- building up confidence and experience to the reader with the desired effect of easing them in to the direction of becoming vegetarians. This is almost like an instruction manual and by the text being set in steps it is easy for the reader to digest. In comparison the structure of text 9 does not use bullet points but instead is presented in prose, which allows for story telling. Even though the texts are structured differently they are both still informative, instructive and possibly persuasive. Language techniques are chosen carefully to create these types of texts. For instance, Torode uses narrative and inclusive language. Torode begins by using first person pronouns: â€Å"When I first moved†¦Ã¢â‚¬  in his anecdote of his experiences with meat, this creates a personal, colloquial effect almost as if he is revealing himself to you making him more likeable and warm, and this is consistent throughout the text as he carries on telling us how he’d â€Å"been raised on the stuff† making him seem like a ‘down to earth’ guy who the reader can connect with. Later on in the article Torode employs inclusive language: â€Å"Why? Because we eat too much†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , in this example Torode also uses rhetoric possibly with the purpose of persuading as it makes the reader think and is a transition to his argument to why this is true. To end the article Torode slips back into the more personal first person narration much like the formalities of a conversation. There is a change of direction in the text from the anecdotal and friendly tone to where he gets serious and then back to very personal and reassuring- this is all formed to be persuasive as the personal address is comforting and the serious facts are used to further persuade the reader. The â€Å"Seven Steps† lack some of the fore mentioned techniques. What can be seen instead is a third person narrative throughout the article, thus making it sound less personal but more instructive and informative. The writer uses a brisk selection of lexis making the sentences and whole body of text shorter than text 9. Even though this text is significantly shorter it still manages to come across as concerned and helpful: â€Å"or borrow one from your local library†, here its almost like a whisper as if the voice is matched to someone friendly doing you a favor. So even though text 11 is not as colloquial and expressive as text 9 it still uses language in a way that makes it seem slightly informal, neutral and relaxed for the effect of seeming reassuring and therefore persuasive. For example the personal caption under the picture of the woman also uses first person pronoun â€Å"I gave up meat†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and even uses informal language such as ‘veggie’ to seem relatable and also down to earth- just like Torode is trying to sound. This is seen in both texts as a technique to warm to the reader and draw their interest. In text 9 we see a consistent use of expressive lexis which displays passion from the narrator as he tells us ‘we ate platters of it’ and ‘I loved it’. He tells us about â€Å"my love affair with beef† using an array of adjectives (â€Å"large, smoky, well marbled join of beef†) and alliteration (â€Å"succulent steak†) to entice the readers imagination and glorify meat in support of his argument of â€Å"Why we should all eat red meat†. Combined with the use of  hyperballys and negative exaggeration (â€Å"cholesterol overdose†) when speaking of the opposing argument it radiates a consistent sense of passion backed up by authoritative facts. All in all creating a very impressive, persuasive argument. How the Vegetarian Society’s ‘Seven simple steps’ does try to persuade and guide the reader is quite different from the ‘why we should all eat red meat’ article in terms of language use. As it is a step-by-step guide it doesn’t include a personal story or emotive language like in Torodes article. Instead it uses imperatives and suggestions, (â€Å"try something new†) in every step and modal verbs throughout in a simplistic manner. Perhaps because it doesn’t need to be as persuasive since it is aimed at the already prospective vegetarian and therefore it is not opinionated or overly patronizing in any way. The effect of this is that a calm tone is created and each step simply guides the reader- the persuasion is much more subtle. Whilst language is chosen to include and instruct it is also chosen to discriminate against the opposition to eliminate possible doubts and reassure the reader, this is used in both texts. In Torode’s article he declares, â€Å"Uninformed customers still worry that†¦Ã¢â‚¬  here it mocks those who worry about BSE and what it might do. A superior stance is taken here in order to persuade. In text 11 it is strikingly similar as it tells the reader â€Å"don’t be put off by†¦ ill-informed scare stories† from â€Å"people who know very little about their own health†. Both of these bias declaratives are used to- once again- effectively comfort and assure the reader. Although not so inclusively as text 9, text 11 uses celebrity endorsement in the form of a picture of â€Å"Sir Paul McCartney† a ‘musician and vegetarian society patron’ almost like a figure head that is encouragement for readers to think that it is more acceptable to follow the views of what we should eat according to them because these famous people do. The rhetorical question posed by Sir Paul apparently, captioned below the picture is a touch to make the reader think, the words sound wise and are placed there to enliven such thoughts to the reader. This is also seen in text 9 towards the end of the article when Torode very personally tells us â€Å"My family eats†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚  which he makes very personal even telling us his children’s names. Torode is using himself as a figure head to the views on ‘what we should eat’ as after all he is this celebrity chef and if it is good enough for his family- it should be good for us? In conclusion the texts argue completely different views on what we should eat but the sought effect on the reader is very similar and this is why there are similarities in the way the texts both try to persuade. They are both different types of texts and therefore the language, tone and techniques vary- text 9 uses a more personal and complex approach in the form of a personal narrative to persuade the reader and create an impressive argument, whilst text 9 is a much more simplistic and subtle informative text. They are both consistently persuasive and lead to the final purpose- of leading, encouraging and informing the reader through a set of steps or a structured narrative to a new view of what we as the reader should eat. Even though Text 9 is more opinionated both texts are still biased arguments with mainly the purpose of persuasion. I think both texts are very suited to their purpose and although look and are different they interestingly use language for a very similar purpose.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Dell Case Study :: Papers

Dell In its approach, DELL strongly focused on the needs of each particular customer with a special focus government institutions (witch accounted for more than 77%) and large companies. Also, DELL divided its customers into two groups: -Relationship buyers for witch it assigned outside and inside sales representatives. -Transaction buyers were reached via advertisement, catalogues and direct marketing. On the other hand, the rest of the industry focused only on building recognizable brands using advertising. -Operations In the past, Dell’s facilities were organized in assembly line fashion just like the rest of the competitors. However, DELL renewed its manufacturing process in its facilities (Austin). This new technique results in fewer defects and more efficiency. -Outbound logistics While competitors use four kinds of channels in their distribution process (retail stores, distributors, integrated resellers and direct distribution), Dell uses electronic links to direct some suppliers’ shipments straight to its customers. -After sale service in industry surveys, customers rated Dell’s services highly relative to the competition. This ranking was a result of Dell’s online customer support information and also because of the technical support staff representatives via a hotline that was manned 24 hours a day. The support specialists could resolve the problem over the phone in approximately 90% of cases. -Procurement Like all other competitors in the PC industry Dell outsourced its products and also encouraged all suppliers to locate warehouses and production facilities close to its assembly operations. -Firm infrastructure In its early age, Dell had started up with a few formal control systems. Nowadays, Dell hired a number of specialized managers from other major firms (Motorola, apple) focusing especially on operations and manufacturing. As a conclusion, all these activities are major facts that made Dell successful and highly ranked among competitors. Â · In its marketing and sales approach, Dell has the advantage of being close to its customers and in response to their needs. Â · In its operation activity, the new method gave Dell less defectuous products and more efficient ones. Â · In its logistic activity, the electronic links allowed Dell to direct suppliers’ shipment straight to its customers. Â · Because of its online support information and technical support via hotline, Dell built a confident relationship with its customers. Â · The aim of lowering costs pushes Dell to encourage suppliers to locate warehouses close to assembly operations. Â · Organization within Dell was of a great importance, especially after the loss faced in 1993. hiring qualified managers and senior manager helped Dell overcome its crisis. Why has dell been so successful?

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Narrative Essay

Narrative essay Cooking with my mother Some of my fondest childhood memories have been shared cooking with my mother in our small kitchen. Coming from a big family it was always important that there was enough food and food that everybody liked. My mother knew every ones favorite dishes and things that we didn’t like. She is an amazing cook and always had me help especially with holiday dinners one in particular always sticks out in my flood of memories. It was thanksgiving and I was eleven my mother woke me up at seven in the morning and told me I had to help her cook. She never did this before I used to wake up later and maybe cut a few carrots and celery for the stuffing she would make on the stove this was different. I complained like a bratty preteen and asked why I was waking up and she told me that I had to learn to cook one day and why not on thanksgiving. Forcing my self down the staircase into the kitchen and sitting on one of the many stools surrounding the island. She pulled out the twenty-eight pound turkey and rinsed it off and pulled all the giblets out. I remember trying not to grimace because my mother was one to tease you about those types of things. I started cutting up the carrots and celery while my mom got the breadcrumbs and cranberries. I’d occasionally ask why don’t you measure anything and it was always the same answer â€Å"because I know by eyeballing it†. Next she had me stuff this bread crumby mush into the turkey. Then Covered him in butter, salt, and lemon pepper and it was ready to go into the oven. She smiled and said I did a great job. The rest of the stuff was easy squash, potatoes, corn, and green beans. That day I found a new respect for my mom and cooking. She always made every ones plate knowing the portions and dishes we all would want. Now I always help her with the cooking for every occasion and have even tweaked some of he recipes to put my own spin on them. I cant wait for the day that I make my mother a whole dinner and amaze her like she has amazed me through the years.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Awareness and Adoption of E Banking in Pakistan

Abstract: This study aims to understand customers’ perception towards adoption and awareness of electronic banking in Pakistan. The outcomes would help the policy makers to develop effective strategies for future outlook of electronic banking in a country. The results suggest that banks’ customers in Pakistan perceive electronic banking as a tool for minimizing inconvenience, minimizing risk of carrying cash and time saving. Customers further believe that electronic banking increases chances of government access to public data, increases chances of fraud and data losses. It reduces cost and save our precious time. There are also some limitations of e-banking as it requires skills to operate it and passwords can be hacked. This research paper discussed that people of Pakistan are well aware of electronic banking but they are not satisfied with the services provided by the bank and they also feel risk in that service that’s why they trust more on employees. It contains different demographics and their association with research questions. The results conclude that various customers segments do not differ in opinions towards benefits and risks associated with e-banking. This paper also includes recommendations in which it describes that what strategies the banks should choose to increase the satisfaction of customers Keywords: electronic banking; e-banking; customers’ perception; adoption; Pakistan, e-banking in Pakistan, e-banking, SMS banking, ATM I. INTRODUCTION The developments taking place in information and communication technology are increasing competition in financial institutions worldwide. Development of electronic distribution channels in financial industry has completely transformed the traditional bank–customer relationship in recent years. It has reduced personal contacts between the service providers and the customers (Barnes and Howlett, 1998). The scenario is further changed with increased competition among banks and non-bank financial institutions (Zineldin, 1996). Thus an enhanced understanding of why some people adopt one distributional channel and others do not, alongside an identification of the factors that may influence this decision is vital to investigate (Patricio, 2003). Thus, the deployment of advanced technologies is essential to achieve a competitive edge. In the world of banking, the development of information technology has an enormous effect on development of more flexible payments methods and more-user friendly banking services. Recently, the banking industry was highly affected by the technology evolution that transformed the way banks deliver their services, using technologies such as automated teller machines, phones, the Internet, credit cards, and electronic cash. In line with global trends, electronic banking in Pakistan has been undergoing many changes. Electronic banking is a term for the process by which a customer may perform banking transactions electronically without visiting a brick-and-mortar institution. Electronic banking refers to systems that enable bank customers to access accounts and general information on bank products and services through a personal computer (PC) or other intelligent device. There are many benefits of e-banking as it provides easy way to monitor an account, we can shop, pay bills, buy items at auction, and transfer money from anywhere at any time, it reduces costs, it saves time, and vice versa. Objectives This study focuses on awareness and adoption of electronic banking in Pakistan. Our objectives of this research were to: 1. Check awareness of electronic banking in Pakistan. 2. Check why people are not aware of electronic banking. 3. Know if the people are aware of electronic banking then to how much extent. 4. Check whether banks of Pakistan are providing electronic banking or not. 5. To find the critical attributes that customers expect important while using electronic banking. 6. To find the key variables that affect customers’ evaluations towards risk associated with electronic banking. 7. To understand the relationship between demographic characteristics of customers and their perceptions towards electronic banking. 8. To present results and implications which are insightful to researchers and banks interested in electronic banking. This research is important because it tells bankers that how much people in Pakistan are aware of and adopt the electronic banking and to how much extend. It also tells them to improve their e-banking services in Pakistan. Electronic banking in Pakistan State-owned banks dominated the Pakistani financial market before 1990. The government introduced economic liberalization policies in 1991 when two smaller banks, Muslim Commercial Bank and Allied Bank were privatized. Since then, the government continuously advocated the privatization of existing state-owned enterprises and encouraged the private and foreign banks to setup their businesses in the country. Recent acquisition of locally owned Union Bank by Standard Chartered Bank indicates foreign interest in domestic financial market. According to State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) annual report (2005), there were 35 commercial banks, including 16 private banks (with 797 branches), 11 foreign banks (with 82 branches), 4 privatized banks (with 4,141 branches) and 4 public banks (with 1,543 branches), respectively. Electronic banking is an innovation in the series of technological wonders. Automated teller machine (ATM), telephone banking, internet banking, credit cards and debit cards, etc. have emerged as effective delivery channels for traditional banking products. In Pakistan, foreign banks took a lead by introducing ATM and credit cards in mid-1990s followed by domestic banks in late 1990s. Annual Report of SBP (2003, p. 110) explained this delay in electronic banking largely by regulatory hurdles, higher startup costs, an ongoing banking sectors reforms and lack of technical skills. The government also introduced Electronic Transaction Ordinance in 2002. This ordinance provides legal recognition to digital signatures and documentation. Thus reducing the risks associated with the use of electronic medium of business. At present, almost all commercial banks in Pakistan have setup their ATM networks, issuing debit and credit cards and have joined one of the two operating ATM Switch Networks. According to Kolachi (2006) Pakistani banks provide the following online banking services and products. 1. Enquiry, account statement enquiry, account balance enquiry, check statement enquiry, fixed deposit enquiry 2. Payment, funds transfer, credit card payments, direct payments, utility bills payments 3. Request, checkbook request, stop payment request, demand draft request, new fixed deposit request 4. Download, customer profile, statement download, other information and guidelines downloads. 4 Literature review Consumers’ perceptions towards adoption of electronic banking have attracted many researchers in recent years. Thornton and White (2001) who compared seven distribution electronic channels available for banks in US concluded that customers’ orientation such as convenience, service, technology change, knowledge about computing and availability of internet affected the usage of different channels. According to Hagel and Hewlin (1997) the Internet banking became very attractive to customers and lots of banks because the technology is being accepted by them and they can now understand and have information about the complex products. Nowadays banks are also facing a lot of competition and need a high market share and provide better services to its customers so that they can attract the new customers and old customers do not try to leave them. Howcroft et al. 2002) found that the most important factors that have encouraged consumers to use online banking are lower fees followed by reducing paper work and human error which subsequently minimize the human disputes (Kiang et al. , 2000). Byers and Lederer, (2001 ) concluded that it was changing consumer attitudes rather than bank cost structures that determines the changes in distribution channels; they added that virtual banks can only be profitable when the segment that prefers electronic media is approximately twice the size of th e segment preferring street banks. Decrease in percentage of customers visiting banks with an increase in alternative channels of distribution will also minimize the queues in branches (Thornton and White, 2001). Internet banking increases power of the customers to make price comparison across suppliers quickly and easily, which subsequently pushes the price and margins downwards (Devlin, 1995). Although, electronic banking provides many opportunities for the banks, it is also the case that the current banking services provided through Internet are limited due to security concerns, complexity and technological problems (Sathye, 1999: Mols, 1999). Risks associated to electronic banking Although internet provides many opportunities for banks but it is the case that current banking services through internet are limited due to security concerns, complexity and technological problems (Mols, 1999; Sathye, 1999). Hewer and Howcroft (1999) referred the term trust to measure a risk. While, Suganthi et al. (2001) viewed risk in context of security concerns and risk in context of trust in one’s bank. Finally, a number of studies also found trust and perceived risks have a significant positive influence on ommitment (Bhattacherjee, 2002; Mukherjee and Nath, 2003) and ultimately leads towards overall satisfaction (Rexha et al. , 2003). Reputation of a service provider is another important factor affecting trust. Doney and Cannon (1997) defined reputation as the extent to which customers believe a supplier or service provider is honest and concern about its customers. Tyler and Stanley (1999) argued that banks can build close and lo ng-lasting relationship with customers only if trust, commitment, honesty and cooperation are developed between them. Nancy et al. 2001) study found that customers’ complaint about computer logon time which are usually longer than making a telephone call. Further, the respondents felt that they have to check and recheck the forms filled online, as they are worried about making mistakes. Frequent slow response time and delay of service delivery causes customers to be unsure about the completion of a transaction (Jun and Cai, 2001). Min and Galle (1999) found crashes in operating systems and disruption of information access as common factors related to unwillingness to use internet channels for commerce. Liao and Cheung (2002) found that individual expectations regarding accuracy, security, transaction speed, user friendliness, user involvement and convenience are the most important attributes in the perceived usefulness of internet-based e-retail banking. Confidentiality of consumer data is another important concern in adoption of online banking (Gerrad and Cunningham, 2003). Customers fear about someone’s unlimited access to personal financial information. White and Nteli (2004) focused on why the internet usage has not been increased in UK as compared to internet usage for banking purposes? Results found that the customers still have concerns about the security and safety aspects of the internet. Lack of internet accessibility and a provision of documentary evidence for all transactions are found important hurdles in the development of electronic banking in Thailand (Jaruwachirathanakul and Fink, 2005). Laforet and Li (2005) found that habit of carrying cash, less accessibility of internet and documentary proof of financial transaction as important hurdles in adoption, in case of China. Lack of specific laws to govern internet banking is another important concern for users. It covers issues such as unfair and deceptive trade practice by supplier, unauthorized access by hackers. Larpsiri et al. (2002) argued that it is not clear whether electronic documents and records are acceptable as sufficient evidence of transactions. Another issue is the jurisdiction of the courts and dispute resolution procedures in case of using internet for commercial purpose. Dispute can arise from many issues. For instance, websites is not branch of the bank. It is difficult for the court to define location of branch and decide whether they have jurisdiction (Rotchanakitumnuai and Speece, 2003). Other risks associated to electronic banking are job losses, lack of opportunities to socialize and development of lazy society were mentioned by (Black et al. , 2001). Demographic factors Gender alone is not a significant factor, affecting adoption of technology in general (Gefen and Straub, 1997). However, Kolodinsk et al. (2004) found that married couples are more likely to adopt the new technology than either single males or females. Research has also linked age and adoption of technology, as young people are more likely to adopt technology (Lee et al. , 2002). Maturity in population in terms of knowledge, confidence and comfort in computer usage also increase influence towards online banking (Karjaluoto et al. , 2002). Increase in income and education have found positive effects on adoption (Lockett and Littler, 1997; Sarel and Marmorstein, 2003). Mattilia et al. (2003) indicated that young, educated and wealthy consumers are most likely to adopt internet banking in Finland. Mature customers prefer personal service and a printed receipt of their transactions. Mature customers also perceive internet banking to be more costly than paying bills over the counter. Methodology The study was conducted in Lahore city which is the second largest city of Pakistan and represents almost 20% of all branches network. Branches for survey were selected on convenience basis but after the permission of respective branch managers. Survey covered both residential and commercial areas. In this research data is conducted by using questionnaire as a data collection instrument, in which questions were asked starting from their command on computer and internet usage, following with the awareness of electronic banking and its types, about the benefits of e-banking and then some questions regarding their bank services and the security provide by these banks. The questionnaire includes close-ended questions and they were on liker scale of utilizing a five point categorical. IV. EMPIRICAL RESULTS There is â€Å"table † which shows gender wise association with research questions No. Question| Gender| | Total| P – values| | | | Male| Female| | | | | | | | | | | 1| Aware of electronic banking| 196| 200| 396| 0. 011| | 2| Your bank provides electronic banking facility| 190| 195| 385| 0. 000| | | | | | | | | 3| Aware of SMS banking| 196| 195| 391| 0. 036| | | | | | | | | 4| Aware of INTERNET banking| 189| 198| 387| 0. 010| | | | | | | | | 5| Aware of ATM card usag e| 193| 198| 391| 0. 054| | | | | | | | | 6| Aware of PHONE banking| 193| 199| 392| 0. 272| | | | | | | | | 7| Satisfied with the E-banking services provided by| | | | | | | bank| 192| 198| 390| 0. 08| | | | | | | | | 8| Satisfied with the security of E-banking provide by| | | | | | | bank| 191| 195| 386| 0. 068| | | | | | | | | 9| Want to use e-banking facilities in future| 194| 197| 391| 0. 000| | | | | | | | | Table shows the different questions and their association with gender. First question is about awareness of electronic banking. Total respondents who answered this question were 396 in which 196 were male respondents and 200 were female respondents. Its result shows that awareness of electronic banking is dependent on gender. Next question was answered by 385 total respondents from which the amount of male and female were 190 and 195 respectively. Its results show that providing e-banking services by banks were highly dependent on gender. Third one is about awareness of SMS banking which was answered by 196 male and 195 female respondents. Its result shows that awareness of SMS banking is also dependent on gender. Now the next question is about Internet banking awareness which was answered by 189 male respondents and 198 female respondents and its result shows that awareness of internet banking is dependent on gender. Next question is about awareness of ATM card usage. Total 391 respondents answered that question from which the amount of male and female were 193 and 198 respectively. It results shows that awareness of ATM card usage is not dependent on gender. Now there is a question about Phone banking awareness so total 392 respondents answered that question from which 193 were male and 199 were female and its result shows that phone banking awareness is not dependent on gender. Now the seventh question was asked by respondents about their satisfaction about e-banking services providing by their banks and total 390 answered that question and its result shows that satisfaction about e-banking services providing by banks is depends on gender. Now there is second last question which was answered by 191 male and 195 female respondents and its result shows that satisfaction about security of e- banking providing by banks is not depends on gender. Last question is about the using e-banking service in future and its results are highly dependent on gender. | | Aware of electronic banking| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | strongly| | | | | | | | | disagree| disagree| neutral| agree| strongly agree| Total| | Gender| Male| 13| 28| 46| 64| 45| 196| | | | | | | | | | | | Female| 31| 32| 53| 57| 27| 200| | Total| | 44| 60| 99| 121| 72| 396| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Now there is a table which shows the description of the question, â€Å"Aware of electronic banking †. It shows the amount of respondents from strongly disagree to strongly agree. The highest figures of people are agreed about awareness of e-banking. In male respondents 64 were agree which is 33% of total male respondents. Likewise, in female respondents 57 were agreeing about it which is 29% of total females. | | | High| | | Post| | | | No. | Question| Primary| School| Secondary| Graduate| Graduate| Frequency| P-values| | 1| Aware of electronic banking| 8| 7| 10| 195| 164| 384| 0. 000| | | | | | | | | | | | 2| Use debit or credit cards for| | | | | | | | | | online transactions| 8| 6| 8| 191| 163| 376| 0. 008| | | | | | | | | | | | 3| Aware of ATM card usage| 8| 7| 10| 193| 163| 381| 0. 030| | | | | | | | | | | | | Aware of PHONE banking| 8| 7| 10| 194| 161| 380| 0. 155| | | | | | | | | | | | 5| Feel risk about hacking of| | | | | | | | | | passwords| 8| 7| 10| 192| 161| 378| 0. 555| | | | | | | | | | | | 6| Satisfied with the E-banking| | | | | | | | | | services provide by bank| 8| 7| 9| 191| 163| 378| 0. 269| | | | | | | | | | | | | More trust on the bank| | | | | | | | | 7| employees with communication| | | | | | | | | | tha n E-banking| 8| 7| 10| 191| 163| 379| 0. 680| | 8| Want to use e-banking facilities| | | | | | | | | | in future| 8| 7| 9| 192| 163| 379| 0. 69| | | | | | | | | | | | In this table there is a demographic of education whose relationship with research questions is given in above table. No. | | | | | | | | | Age| | | | | | | | Question| | | Below| 20 -| 30 -| 40 -| 50 -| Above| Frequency| P-values| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 19| 29| 39| | 49| 59| 60| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1| Have full command on computer| | 91| 241| 30| | 16| 10| 3| 391| 0. 034| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2| Involved in banking transactions| | 91| 239| 30| | 14| 14| 3| 391| 0| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Awareness of usefulness of| | | | | | | | | | | | | electronic banking| | | | 91| 238| 30| | 16| 14| 3| 392| 0. 004| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 4| Your Banks provides online technical| | | | | | | | | | | | assistance or 24 helpline| | 88| 240| 30| | 16| 14| 3| 391| 0. 002| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 5| Use debit or credit cards for online| | | | | | | | | | | | transactions| | | | 90| 237| 30| | 16| 14| 3| 390| 0| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 6| Aware of INTERNET banking| | 91| 238| 29| | 14| 14| 3| 389| 0. 443| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Aware of PHONE banking| | 91| 240| 30| | 16| 14| 3| 394| 0. 105| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 8| It provides| easy| way| to monitor| a| | | | | | | | | | | | account| | | | | 91| 242| 30| | 16| 14| 3| 396| 0. 019| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 9| Feel risk about hacking of passwords| 91| 239| 30| | 16| 13| 3| 392| 0. 089| | | | | | | | | | | | | | 10| Have easy access to ATM machine| | 88| 240| 30| | 16| 13| 3| 390| 0| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 11| Satisfied| with| the| E-banking| | | | | | | | | | | | services provide by bank| | 90| 240| 30| | 16| 13| 3| 392| 0. 47| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 12| Satisfied| with| the| security| of| | | | | | | | | | | | E-banking provide by bank| | 89| 239| 28| | 16| 13| 3| 388 | 0. 004| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 13| More trust on the bank employees| | | | | | | | | | | | with communication than E-banking| 90| 241| 30| | 16| 13| 3| 393| 0. 036| | | | | | | | | | | | | | Above table shows the relationship of research questions with age. In first question it is asked about command on computer. This question was answered by total 391 respondents from which from which 91 respondents had age less than 19.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

5 Sentences with Problematic Parallelism in Lists

5 Sentences with Problematic Parallelism in Lists 5 Sentences with Problematic Parallelism in Lists 5 Sentences with Problematic Parallelism in Lists By Mark Nichol It’s too bad you can’t eat grammatical errors or use them to fill your gas tank, because they’re a cheap, endlessly renewable resource. Here’s a five-course meal of sentences with troublesome structure, starting with dessert. 1. â€Å"The writer will sit, eat, and interview the subject.† It seems more logical for the writer to interview the subject after being seated but before eating him or her, but whatever. If the intended meaning of the statement is that the writer will dine with the subject rather than cannibalistically consume him or her, however, the sentence should be revised as follows: â€Å"The writer will sit and eat with, and interview, the subject.† Better yet, for a smoother flow to the sentence, introduce a pronoun: â€Å"The writer will sit and eat with the subject and interview him [or her].† 2. â€Å"The committee consists of the executive directors of the Bay Area Toll Authority, California Transportation Commission, and California Department of Transportation.† Normally, items in a list can share an article (â€Å"the birds, bees, flowers, and trees†), or each can have its own (â€Å"the birds, the bees, the flowers, and the trees†), but when the list items are proper nouns, it’s best to assign an article to each one so that it doesn’t appear that the entities after the first one are erroneously referred to without an article: â€Å"The committee consists of the executive directors of the Bay Area Toll Authority, the California Transportation Commission, and the California Department of Transportation.† 3. â€Å"His contribution to the interior design of the home is his impressive antique musical instruments and modern art collection.† The statement implies that the collection consists of antique musical instruments and modern art, but technically, the reference should be to two distinct collections, described in the plural form and with each description preceded by its own plural pronoun: â€Å"His contributions to the interior design of the home are his impressive antique musical instruments and his modern art collection.† Alternatively, the sentence could be revised as follows, with the collections referred to as a single contribution or a pair of contributions: â€Å"His contribution(s) to the interior design of the home is (or are) his impressive collections of antique musical instruments and modern art.† 4. â€Å"The organization promotes sustainable landscaping practices, green building-construction methods and products, and minimizing pesticide use in the home.† The inconsistency of syntax here is that the first two items are modified with adjectives, while the third is described as an action. Change the verb in the final item to an adjective: â€Å"The organization promotes sustainable landscaping practices, green building-construction methods and products, and minimal pesticide use in the home.† Alternatively, introduce verbs into each of the other items: â€Å"The organization promotes employing sustainable landscaping practices, utilizing green building-construction methods and products, and minimizing pesticide use in the home.† 5. â€Å"Here come the summer movies- the usual formulaic action flicks, dumb comedies, and sequels.† This sentence is not wrong, but the rhythm is off because the first two items are preceded by adjectives but the final element is a bare noun. Introduce an adjective before that item for parallel structure: â€Å"Here come the summer movies- the usual formulaic action flicks, dumb comedies, and weak sequels.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:30 Synonyms for â€Å"Meeting†One Fell SwoopApostrophe with Plural Possessive Nouns

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

A Beginners Guide to the Neolithic Period

A Beginner's Guide to the Neolithic Period The Neolithic period as a notion is based on an idea from the 19th century, when John Lubbock split Christian Thomsens Stone Age into the Old Stone Age (Paleolithic) and New Stone Age (Neolithic). In 1865, Lubbock distinguished the Neolithic as when polished or ground stone tools were first used but since Lubbocks day, the definition of Neolithic is a package of characteristics: groundstone tools, rectangular buildings, pottery, people living in settled villages and, most importantly, the production of food by developing a working relationship with animals and plants called domestication. Theories In archaeological history, there have been many different theories about how and why agriculture was invented and then adopted by others: the Oasis Theory, the Hilly Flanks Theory, and the Marginal Area or Periphery Theory are only the most well-known. In retrospect, it does seem odd that after two million years of hunting and gathering, people would suddenly start producing their own food. Some scholars even debate whether farming- a labor-intensive task which requires the active support of a community- was really a positive choice for hunter-gatherers. The remarkable changes that agriculture brought to people are what some scholars call the Neolithic Revolution. Most archaeologists today have abandoned the idea of one single overarching theory for the invention and cultural adoption of farming, because studies have shown that circumstances and processes varied from place to place. Some groups willingly embraced the stability of animal and plant tending while others fought to maintain their hunter-gatherer lifestyle for hundreds of years. Where The Neolithic, if you define it as the independent invention of agriculture, can be identified in several different places. The main hubs of plant and animal domestication are considered to include the Fertile Crescent and the adjacent hilly flanks of the Taurus and Zagros mountains; the Yellow and Yangtze river valleys of northern China; and central America, including parts of northern South America. Plants and animals domesticated in these heartlands were adopted by other peoples in adjacent regions, traded across continents, or brought to those people by migrations. However, there is increasing evidence that hunter-gatherer horticulture led to independent domestication of plants in other locations, such as Eastern North America. The Earliest Farmers The earliest domestications, animal and plant (that we know of), occurred some 12,000 years ago in southwest Asia and the Near East in the Fertile Crescent of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers and the lower slopes of the Zagros and Taurus mountains adjacent to the Fertile Crescent. Sources and Further Information Bogucki P. 2008. EUROPE | Neolithic. In: Pearsall, DM, editor. Encyclopedia of Archaeology. New York: Academic Press. p 1175-1187.Hayden B. 1990. Nimrods, piscators, pluckers, and planters: The emergence of food production. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 9(1):31-69.Lee G-A, Crawford GW, Liu L, and Chen X. 2007. Plants and people from the Early Neolithic to Shang periods in North China. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 104(3):1087-1092.Pearsall DM. 2008. Plant domestication. In: Pearsall DM, editor. Encyclopedia of Archaeology. London: Elsevier Inc. p 1822-1842.Richard S. 2008. ASIA, WEST | Archaeology of the Near East: The Levant. In: Pearsall DM, editor. Encyclopedia of Archaeology. New York: Academic Press. p 834-848.Wenming Y. 2004. The Cradle of Eastern Civilization. pp. 49-75 in Chinese Archaeology in the Twentieth Century: New Perspectives on Chinas Past, Volume 1. Xiaoneng Yang, editor. Yale University Press, New Haven.Zeder MA. 2008. Domestication and e arly agriculture in the Mediterranean Basin: Origins, diffusion, and impact. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 105(33):11597-11604. Zeder MA. 2012. The Broad Spectrum Revolution at 40: Resource diversity, intensification, and an alternative to optimal foraging explanations. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 31(3):241-264.Zeder MA. 2015. Core questions in domestication research. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 112(11):3191-3198.Zeder MA, Emshwiller E, Smith BD, and Bradley DG. 2006. Documenting domestication: the intersection of genetics and archaeology. Trends in Genetics 22(3):139-155.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

What kinds of Social control does religion has on an individual Essay

What kinds of Social control does religion has on an individual - Essay Example Death is the fate of all men but the choice of where to spend eternity; either in heaven or hell is left to every individual and the fear of eternal death in hell leads to some social characters exibited by those who practice religion. Religion is an asset to the society which has a great impact and control on the individuals who practice true religion. The practice of religion either fable or geniune helps in governing a society in different aspects. Organization in the setting of democracy or a government by the use of religion in taking an oath of office. While in the rule of law religion plays a vital role in witnessing by swearing by his or her belief. People that practice religion are less likely to be caught up in societal ills such as, crime, addiction, alcohol, drug abuse, suicide, and other bad vices. Religion bring social stability mixed the norms and beliefs from religious beliefs. Patrick(1996), shines more light to the issue of religion on the social status of an individual health thereby promoting longevity, improving the chances of recovery from any sickness, and reduces the probability of being infected by deadly diseases. One of the such deadly diseases is AIDS which is primarily transmitted via sexual intercourse, this is highly prevented not by protection of practicing safe sex but by total abstainance. Total abstainance is mainly practiced by those who have religion and this is one of the many impacts of religion in the society. â€Å"The absence of self-esteem weakens the personality and put the person at greater risk for crimel, addiction and other social maladies.† The absence of self-esteem renders an individual empty, thereby giving room for depression. Depression alone leads to many societal ills which all started from a crippled pesonality. Another point by Patrick is â€Å"†¦ the practice of religion has a significant