Review of related literature Essay Example for Free

Review of related literature Essay This chapter covers a review of related literature which is pertinent to the study. The literature reviewed here provides three different but equally relevant insights on how to approach benefits realization. A. Literature Review The Continuing Role of IS The study Show Me the Money: Advanced Practices in Benefits Realization (2005), by Dave Aron, Chuck Tucker, and Richard Hunter, is a piece of related literature that is particularly relevant to the present research paper. Aron et al.’s work provides for a comprehensive analysis of the benefits realization life cycle, and provides for five key characteristics for effective benefits realization. Show Me the Money discusses how the benefits realization life cycle should actually be divided into three phases: 1) planning; 2) execution; and 3) harvesting. Advanced practices, according to Aron et al. , lead to increased business benefits, higher IS credibility, and improved learning which can be applied to an organization’s subsequent projects. An organization should focus on participating fully on each of the three cycles. The focus on benefits planning allows an organization’s portfolio to be maximized in terms of benefits potential. The work for the organization’s IS does not stop at the execution stage of benefits realization, but must continue on until the harvesting phase in order to optimize benefits. In Table 1 below, the advanced practices for each phase of the benefits realization life cycle is outlined by Aron et al. : Table 1. Advanced Practices in the Benefits Realization Process Source: Aron, Dave, Chuck Tucker, Richard Hunter. (December 2005). Show Me the Money: Advanced Practices in Benefits Realization. http://www. gartner. com/DisplayDocument? doc_cd=137020 The significant difference between basic practices and advanced practices in benefits realization, as seen in Table, shows the continued participation of IS in each and every stage of the cycle. During execution, in the advanced practices row, in particular, IS should contribute to change management. This means that information services’ role do not stop after delivery of the technology. The practices outlined in Table 1 can be summed up in the five characteristics for an effective benefits realization program as provided by Aron et al. in their research: Benefits realization is an end-to-end discipline The business should focus on the benefits life cycle. The organization should expand its focus from the systems development life cycle in order to enhance IS contribution to change management. Some factors to consider (Aron, Tucker Hunter, 2005): Benefits realization is a persistent need of every organization. ? Shifting IT portfolios make the benefits realization challenge even more pressing. ? Improving benefits realization goes hand in hand with closer business alignment. ? Benefits of IT-intensive initiatives are realized through three phases (planning, execution, and harvesting) ? Advanced practices deliver optimum benefits realization. ? Planning practices lay the foundation Benefits-focused planning will make sure that an organization’s portfolio is maximized regarding benefits potential. Advanced practices should include: use of benefits framework to define benefits; build results chains to identify all the activities needed; integrate benefits into management processes; synchronize all stakeholders around benefits commitments; make benefits coaching a part of the governance team’s role (Aron, Tucker Hunter, 2005). ? Execution practices get the business ready IS execution should involve helping the organization to get ready for change in terms of process, culture, and addressing issues that arise. Focus however should remain on the end results or benefits the organization wants to achieve, with IS continuing to contribute to its implementation beyond delivery of the technology. Some recommendations provided by the Show Me the Money study on this are include: providing support to the organization with change management capabilities; use of empowered problem-solving teams; and adapting project governance in response to issues (Aron, Tucker Hunter, 2005). Harvesting practices ensure that expected benefits are reaped The role of IS should not stop after execution and implementation of the benefits realization program. It should continue on to what Aron et al. have coined as the â€Å"harvesting† phase. This phase involves measuring the benefits that the project is expected to achieve. The organization, business and IS alike, must: manage the entire harvesting phase; run benefits-focused post-implementation reviews; evolve the project governance team into a harvesting steering group; and conduct an independent harvesting audit (Aron, Tucker Hunter, 2005). In this way, the benefits may be quantified, measured, and valued. At the same time, IS and business learning must be analysed and reviewed at this phase. Evaluate and improve benefits realization practices The organization will have a better understanding IS contribution to benefits and how to improve such contribution when they evaluate its benefits realization practices. An understanding of the organization’s benefits realization readiness, an evaluation of its benefits realization risk, and implementation of benefits-focused pre- and post-implementation review tools will result in better business benefits, higher IS credibility, and improved learning for the entire organization (Aron, Tucker Hunter, 2005). In sum, Aron et al’s critical analysis seeks to redefine and emphasize the role of IS in benefits realization. That role should not be limited to the planning and execution stage but must continue on to the harvesting phase. This analysis is in keeping with the â€Å"concept-to-cash† framework of an ideal and effective benefits realization process. In such a framework, Show Me the Money reminds us, IS, and not just business, plays an important role from start to finish.

Teacher-Student Interaction In Classrooms

Teacher-Student Interaction In Classrooms The education system in Pakistan depicts an undesirable situation, especially the classroom environment. Teaching learning process in the country at secondary and tertiary level is too weak and our classroom environment is totally based on rote memorization. There is no provision for the development of intellectual and thinking skills among students who are given very less time for active participation and interaction. The teacher seems to be in a very dominant role in the class. Unfortunately, poorly structured classroom quickly deteriorate into a vacuous waste of time. Recent research on teaching effectiveness based on large-scale meta-analysis conducted by Walberg (1986) indicates that the seven factors are key elements of effective teaching: engaged academic learning time, use of positive reinforcement, cooperative learning activities, positive class atmosphere, higher-order questioning, cues and feedback and use of advance organizers. The system of interaction developed by Flander shows how these elements fit together in actual classroom interaction. Role of the teacher in making classroom climate conducive for learning is highly crucial. The classroom climate is built up by the pattern of interaction between teacher and students verbal exchanges, asking questions, responding and reacting. The most important factor in a classroom situation are the interactions and exchanges initiated by the teacher and students. Jackson (1968) reports that teachers are typically involved in more than 1,000 verbal exchanges with their students every day. There is a lot of talking; enough to give even the strongest vocal cords a severe case of laryngitis. Count the number of verbal exchanges teachers have with their students and the count during a classroom scene will give an idea of how much teachers talk. The present study will be designed to investigate the patterns of classroom interaction at Elementary level in the light of Flanders interaction analysis system in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan. The study will be further delimited to cities of Kohat and Peshawar. Statement of the Problem The problem taken up for investigation can be stated in precise term as à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"A Study of Teacher Student Interaction in Classrooms at Elementary Level in Khyber Pakhtunkhwaà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ . Objectives The objectives of the study will be To explore the patterns of classroom interaction at elementary level in the light of Flanders interaction analysis. Hypothesis About two-third of classroom time is devoted to talking at s elementary level. About two-third of the talking time, the person talking is the teacher at elementary level. About two-third of the teachers talk is direct (that is, lecturing, directing and controlling) at elementary level. Review of Related Literature Interaction between teacher and students is essential in the teaching learning process. Teacher and student both are the key elements of this process. Different educationist like Good lad, (1984) Bellack (1965) and Jackson (1968) conducted researches studies. Among these researchers, Flander (1963) conducted research on classroom interaction and developed an instrument called Flanders interaction analysis with which he was able to categorize student and teacher verbal behavior. The system tells a great deal about the nature and quality of classroom verbal interaction. As a result of applying his interaction analysis system in Classroom settings involving teachers, Flanders came up with the rule of two third. lie found that someone is talking during two third of the Classroom time. Approximately two-third of that time, the person doing the talking is the teacher. Two-third of the teachers talk is what Flanders calls direct talk. Flander suggests that this two third pattern has unfortunate consequences in that students are forced into a passive role that eventually results in negatives attitudes, lower achievement, and a general dependency on the teacher. To use the Flanders Interaction Analysis, one codes the verbal interaction in 1 in 10 categories, plots the coded data onto a matrix, and analyses the matrix. Categories for Interaction Analysis: Indirect Teachers Talk Accepts feelings. Acknowledges student-expressed emotions (feelings) in a non threatening manner. Praises or encourages and provides positive reinforcement of student contribution. Accepts or uses ideas of students and clarifies, develops, or refers to student contribution of ten non evaluative. Asks questions, solicits information or opinion (not rhetorically) Lectures, presents information, opinion of orientation; perhaps includes Gives directions supplies direction or suggestion with which a student is expected to comply. Criticizes or justifies authority and offers negative evaluation of student contributions or places emphasis on teachers authoritative position. Student talk-response, gives a response to the teachers question, usually a predictable answer. Student talk-initiation initiates a response that is unpredictable or creative in content. Silence or confusion leaves periods of silence or inaudible verbalization Pedagogical Game Bellack (1965) has analyzed verbal exchanges between teacher and student and likened them to a pedagogical game. The game is so cyclical and occurs so frequently that many teachers and students do not even know that they are playing. There are four moves: The teacher provides information, directions and introduces the topics. The teacher asks a question. The students answers the question, or tries to The teacher reacts to the students answer and provides feedback. These four steps make up a pedagogical cycle. Teachers initiate about 85 percent of the cycles, which are used over and over again in classroom interaction. Although these cycles can be found in a majority of classrooms, the quality and effectiveness of these four steps vary widely. When teachers learn to enhance and rune each of the moves of the pedagogical cycle, student achievement is increased. Doland (1985) asks Have you ever been to a class where the teacher is bombarded with the question? `I dont get what you mean. When such complaints are constant in a class, it is a sure sign that the teacher is not making effective use of an essential teaching skill: clarity and academics structure. A growing body of research makes it clear that these skills are related to student achievement. Students, therefore, need a clear understanding of what they are expected to learn and they need to be motivated to learn it. Effective structuring sets the stage for learning and typically occurs at the beginning of the lesson. Although the length of structure will vary depending on the age, ability and background of the students and difficulty of the subject matter, the following components are usually build in an effective academic structure. a. Objectives. Let the students know the objectives of each lesson. They, like the teacher, need a road map of where they are going and why. Review. Help students review prior learning before presenting new information. If there is confusion, correct each. Motivation. Create an anticipatory set that motivates students to listen to the presentation. This can be done through an intriguing question, an anecdote, a joke or interesting teaching materials. Transition. Relate new information to previously attained knowledge and experience. Provide ties and connections that will help students integrate old and new information. Clarification Break down a large body of information. Do not inundate students with too many facts. Ibis is particularly true for young children and slower learners, although it also applies to older and faster learners. Examples. Give several examples and illustration to explain main points and ideas. Directions. Give directions distinctly and slowly. If students are confused about what they are supposed to do, repeat or break information into small segments. Enthusiasm. Demonstrate personal enthusiasm for the academic content. Make it clear why the information is interesting and important. Closure. Close the lesson with brief review or summary. The majority in academic structuring takes place at the beginning of the lesson, but there may be several points throughout the lesson where sub-structuring or brief presentation of information are also necessary. Substructures initiate new pedagogical cycles and allow the discussion to continue. A clear summary or review is also important at the close of the lesson. Good questioning is at the very core of good teaching. As John Dewey (1933) said. To question well is to teach well. In the skilful use of the questions more than anything else lies the fine art of teaching. Since questioning is a key element iii guiding learning, all students should have equal access to classroom questions and academic interaction. If you want all students, and not just the quickest and most assertive, to answer questions, establish a protocol for participation and interaction. For example, make a rule that students must raise their hands and be called on before they may talk. (Donald, 1985). Although it is important to keep classroom discussion moving at a brisk pace, sometimes teachers push forward too rapidly. Slowing down at two key places during classroom discussion can usually improve the effectiveness and quality of classroom responses. In the research on classroom interaction, this slowing down is called wait time. Mary (1986) research shows that after asking a question, teachers typically wait only one second or less for a student response (wait time 1). If the response is not forthcoming in that time, teachers rephrase the question, asks another student to answer it, or answer it themselves. If teachers can learn to increase their wait time from one second to 3-5 seconds, significant improvements in the quantity and quality of student response usually will take place. There is another point in classroom discussion when wait time can be increased. After students complete an answer, teachers often begin their reaction or their next question before a second has passed (wait time 2). Once again, it is important for teachers to increase their wait time from one second to 3-5 seconds. Based on her research, Mary (1986) has determined that increasing the pause after student gives an answer is equally as important as increasing wait time. Resultantly, classroom interaction is changed in several posit ive ways. Recently, attention has been directed not only at how teachers ask questions, but also at how they respond to student answers. A study analyzing classroom interaction in more than 100 classrooms in five states found that teachers generally use four types of reactions. Praise. Positive comments about student work, such as Excellent, good job. Acceptance. Comments such as Uh-huh and Okay which acknowledge that student answers are acceptable. Remediation. Comments that encourage a more accurate student response or encourage student to think more clearly, creatively, logically. Sample remediation comments include Try again, Sharpen your answer, Check your addition, Criticism. A clear statement that an answer is inaccurate or a behavior paper) as well as comments that simply indicate an answer is not correct (Your answer to the third question is wrong) Good lad (1984) said that a snapshot of classrooms taken at random would in all likelihood show teachers talking and questioning and students listening and responding. Further, observations in 1000 classrooms showed that teachers interact less and less with students as they go through the grades. The elementary classroom is more interactive than the high school one; the high school classroom is more interactive than college. Most students play a more passive role in classroom interaction at the end of the schooling process than at its beginning. Ironically, interviews with students show that they are happiest when they are actively involved in their learning. Communications and Interaction Education with its correlated activities of teaching and learning involves communication as well as reciprocal interaction between the teacher and pupils, as channels of realizing its objectives. Communication is a Latin word, meaning common. Hence communication implies having common experiences with other people. The word communication means a wide variety of things to different people. The following are some of the widely accepted definitions for communication. Communication means sharing of ideas and feelings in a mood of mutuality. Communication involves interaction which encourages give and take. This provides feedback to persons involved in exchanging ideas. Communication is a process of sharing of experiences till it becomes a common possession. Effective communication is a two-way process including feedback and interaction. It is rather difficult, if not increasingly impossible, to provide children with actual first-hand experiences as the world becomes increasingly complex. Obviously, some substitute experience must be evolved and used to enable children to understand and conceptualize their world. This is the essence of communication as an integral part of teaching. Teachers Behavior and Classroom Interaction Teaching behavior is an act of the teacher which occurs in the context of classroom interaction. Teachers behave in different ways and therefore there are different types of classroom interactions. Some teachers are very strict and some are very kind and lenient. Some are witty and humorous and some are dull. There are some who are very stern and serious all the time. Certainly, the teachers behavior pattern sets the pattern of pupil behavior in a classroom. The teachers behavior tends to create an atmosphere which is described as classroom climate. We may classify the teachers classroom behavior into two categories (1) Demonstrative and (2) integrative. When a teacher talks, commands, restricts pupils freedom to talk, he is dominative. When he allows pupils to talk, ask questions, accepts their ideas and stimulates their participation in class activities, he is integrative. It is, therefore, the teachers behavior which sets the pattern for learning atmosphere or climate in the classroom. If he is generally dominant, he promotes such a climate in the class. If he is generally integrative, he aids in integrative climate. Techniques of interaction analysis have been helpful in the analysis of teaching behavior. Although only a small proportion of verbal communication is recorded, it is possible to infer about classroom events. It is possible to estimate the initiation and response on the part of the teacher and pupils and a number of other interesting features of teacher- pupils relationship. (Amidon Hunter, 1967). Interaction Analysis Interaction analysis is a process of encoding and decoding the study pattern of teaching and learning. In the coding process, categories of classifying statements are established, a code symbol is assigned to each category and a trained observer records by jotting down code symbols. In the decoding step, a trained analyst interprets the display of coded data even though he may not have been present when the data were collected. Although there are many systems for coding spontaneous verbal communication in classroom, typical system for interaction analysis will usually include: a. A set of categories, each defined clearly. A procedure for observation and a set of ground rules which govern the coding process, Steps for tabulating data in order to arrange a display, and suggestion which can be followed in some of the more common application. Classroom interaction analysis can be used for in service and pre-service education in order to help teachers improve classroom instniction. This requires some kind of objective feedback to the person who is trying to change his behavior. Classroom Interaction Technique Study of classroom had always deserved the attention of research workers and, as a result, it was in the late 1930s that the analysis of teaching behavior was used by Anderson. He was interested in developing a reliable technique for the measurement of domination and of socially integrative behavior in teachers contact with children. Although classroom observation has been there in training programmes for a long time now, objective and reliable scales of observation is of recent origin. Traditional observation relied on subjective estimates and could not be quantified. The observational techniques have mechanical devices against subjective examination by the observer. Some of the popular observation schedules were developed over the past few years (Amidon and Hough, 1970). RESEARCH METHODOLOGY RESEARCH DESIGN The study will focus on patterns of classroom interaction at Elementary level in the light of Flanders Interaction Analysis. This study will be an observational type of the descriptive method. The following procedure will be adopted for studying patterns of classroom interaction. POPULATION As the purpose of the study will be to explore the patterns of classroom interaction at Elementary level in the light of Flanders Interaction analysis, so the target population comprised all the Elementary level classrooms in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. SAMPLE The sample of the study will be consisted of twenty-five classrooms at Elementary level. The number of observed teachers will be twenty five at Elementary level. The number of observed students will be fifteen hundred. All the twenty five classes of the above level will be selected randomly. RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS The research instrument will be Flanders Interaction Analysis for observing and measuring classroom interaction patterns. This instrument was developed by Flander (1970)and has been used extensively in various studies regarding classroom interaction. The items in the Flanders interaction analysis will be converted in an observation sheet called coding chart as illustrated by Gay (2000). The Flanders Interaction Analysis system and specimen of observational sheet is given below. FLANDERS INTERACTION ANALYSIS SYSTEM TEACHER TALK DIRECT INDI RECT Accepts Feelings: Accepts and clarifies the tone of feeling of the students in an unthreatening manner. Feelings may be positive or negative. Predicting or recalling feelings are included. Praises or Encourages: Praises or encourages students action or behavior. Jokes that release tension, not at the expenses of another individual; nodding head and saying um hm? or go on are included. Accepts or uses ideas of students: Clarifies, builds, or develops ideas suggested by a student. As teacher brings more of his or her own ideas into play, shift to # 5. Asks Questions: Asks questions about content or procedure with the intent that the student answers. Lecturing: Gives facts or opinions about content or procedure, expresses his or her ideas, asking rhetorical questions. Giving Directions: gives directions, commands, or orders that students are expected to comply with. Criticizing or Justifying Authority: gives statements that are intended to change student behavior from unacceptable to acceptable pattern; bawling someone out; stating why the teacher is doing in the context of what he or she is doing with extreme self-reference. Student talk-response: Talk by students in response to teacher. Teacher initiates the contact or solicits students statement Studentà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s talk-initiation: Talk initiated by students. If calling on student is only to indicate who may talk next, observer must decide whether student wanted to talk. Silence or confusion: Pauses, short periods of silence, and periods of confusion in which communication cannot be understood by the observer. Subject: The above observational sheet represents 90 seconds for 10 categories of FIA. Each block in observational sheet represents 3 seconds. PROCEDURE The design of the study will be observational, In order to secure data, Flanders Interaction Analysis procedure will be employed to observe classroom interaction patterns in Elementary level classrooms. The following observation procedure will be adopted: 1. In the each class of 45 minutes duration, 13.50 minutes (810 secs) will be used for observation. 13.50 minutes (810 secs) will be divided in to nine observation session. Each observation session will be for the duration of 1 .30 minutes (90 secs). One observation sheet will be used for each observation session of 90 seconds. Each observation session will constitute 30 observation periods. Each observation period will be of 3 seconds duration. The teachers behaviour in each observation period of 3 seconds will be observed, classified and recorded in the relevant block of the observation sheet till the termination of observation session of 90 seconds. Stopwatch will be used to note initiation and expiry of each observation period of 3 seconds. 9. Total time for observation in a single classroom will be 13.50 minutes DATA COLLECTION The observational session will be an interesting stage for the researcher. He will visit different classrooms, with different subject matter and with different teachers. Twenty five classes (as mentioned in sample) will be observed in a period of 3 months. DATA ANALYSIS Data collected through the above mentioned research instrument will be coded in the observation sheets. Each table will be analysed and interpreted by using percentages. In order to calculate, all the categories from category 1 to 10 will be added and the mean and standard deviation of 10 categories for 25 Elementary classes will be calculated. LITERATURE CITED Amidon E. and N. Flanders. 1967. Interaction Analysis as a Feedback System. Theory: Research, and Application. Addison-Wesley Reading, MA, USA Pp.121-140. Amidon, E. and J. Hough. 1970 Interaction Analysis: Theory, Research, and Application. Addison-wesley Reading, MA. USA Ppl 14-1 18. Amidon, E. and E. Hunter. 1967. Verbal Interaction in the Classroom: The verbal interaction category system. Addison-wesley. Reading, MA: USA P 52. Anderson, L. W. and R. B. Burns. 1989. Research in Classrooms: The study of teachers, Teaching and Instruction. Pergamon Press New York. P.101. Bellack, A. 1965. The language of the Classroom. Teacher college press, New York. Bruner, J. 1966 Towards a theory of Instruction. Cambridge, Mass, Belknap Press, Harvard University. Pp 87-99. Dewey, J. 1933. How we think. D.C.I:leath, Boston.P.266 Donald, E. 1985. Applying Research on Teacher Clarity: Journal of Teacher Education, New York.P.44-48 Flander, N. 1963. Intent, Action and Feed back, A preparation for teaching. Journal of Teacher of Education. New York. Pp25 1-260. Flander, N. 1967 Teacher Influence in the Classroom. Interaction analysis: theory, research, and application Addison-Wesley. Reading, MA:USA. Pp 103-116. Flander, N. 1970 Analyzing Teacher Behavior. Addison-Wesley. Reading, Mass: P.171 Flander, N, and G. Morine. 1973 The Assessment of Proper Control and Suitable learning environment. In N. L. Gage (Ed). Mandated evaluation of educators. Stanford California Center for Research and Development in Teaching. Pp 73-78 Gage, N. L. 1978. The Scientific Basis for the Art of Teaching. Teachers College Press. New York: P-287 Gay,L R. 2000. Competencies for Analysis and Application (5h ed). Educational Research. Florida International University. Pp.448-457. Goodlad, J. 1984. A Place Called Classroom. McGraw Hill Publishing Company, New York. P.387-91. Jackson, W. P. 1968. Life In Classroom. Hold, Rinehart, New YOrk.P.69. Medley and Mitzel. 1963. Observational schedule. Interaction Analysis, University Press, New Delhi P.86. Mark N. 1994. Problem Based Learning, McGraw Hill, New York. p 110.

The Citibank Strategy Using Ebusiness Marketing Essay

The Citibank Strategy Using Ebusiness Marketing Essay Introduction The Citibank started in 1812 in the city of New York in the United States of America, the bank started with very limited funds selling mostly insurance policies and investments, the bank was one of the first national bank in the US, developed very early in the late 19th century, the bank expanded fast and gain customers confidence quickly which made other banks fear the fast growing Citibank, later became called the Citigroup which involved other financial sectors and joined the integration business operations with other companies. The bank created new business opportunities, for many business by offering loans and shares, the company has created the business cards which made it easy to deal with the money transactions and other payment methods, the credit cards use to be fast for that period of time, but with the fast growing use of the cards, the business boomed and other method for money transactions being required, the Citibank was one of the first banks to create the online e-business solutions to ease the work load on their employees, reduce the cost of papers with paperless statements to customers, and increase the speed of communications. The banks competition has increase in the past few years, the invention of the e-business and software solution has took the banks systems and advanced it for the befits of both the banks and their customers, the innovation resulted in the increase in competition using any methods to win and control the markets, the competition has two ways of competitions, the perfect and the monopolistic, the Citibank used both of them, shared benefits with perfects competition using integrated business plans with other banks and business partners and used the monopolistic to introduce cheaper prices and shared investments with overseas beneficiaries without the concern of the impact on the US markets. The Citibank used many strategies in their plans, using the strategy to compete in the market needs plan to monitor the financial market and the stock market very closely, the bank introduce the prices very carefully when it comes to use the monopolistic approach which gives them the lead in the price manipulation, the other strategy is the marketing which is the most important factor in increasing sales margin in the tangible assets and improving the companys image in the intangible assets, using the e-business for marketing has advanced very much and the online marketing has proofed of its capabilities and worth, using the e-business for marketing needed analysis from the Citibank to evaluate the situation from time to time to manage their marketing operations and strategy. The Citibank after researching, analysing, and deciding to use their plan for all the strategies mentioned which helped them for a century of financial products and services, the company realise that any business will do anything to survive the unexpected, using the perfect theory or monopolistic are the same it does not make them evil or unethical bank, the appearance in the market and the competition comes from nowhere, are the bomb shill of the financial market and any market, the Citibank working according the stock and financial market changes and the variability of the market is controlled by no one except the fear or the stable characters that manage and operate in the markets. E-Business services strategy The computer age, came and change businesses how they functions and run, the invention of the software and other computer solutions made the business life easier and intruded speed at the work place, the new invention has two sides, the first is an advantage for the business around the world for the reason mentioned, the disadvantage is the increasing in unemployment, the more software invented the more people lay back of work and the machines taking over, lots of machinery will be controlled and operated by one employee. The whole software process done automatically, the only time is the bank human resources interfere in human contact when the situation get out of hand and investigation is a must, the bank will launch private investigation for each case, the website of the bank has many features and facilities that allow the clients and customers to brows into their products and services. (Bodily, 2004) Citibank one of many companies who are responsible for making much redundancy around the world and trusted the new world innovation in e-business and its functions, for example in the past anything get to do with bills, paper work, transactions authorisation, companys editing, needs many processor employees to deal with the requirements and the time spending on that job will take months to complete especially if there is mistakes or error by human touch, the new innovation in the software computing system the two most advantages that mentioned, the speed of the process will take few minutes for applications to be filled and the completion of a task will take few days instead of months, if any mistakes occur, the software automatically will fix the error and issue a report for that matter, Citibank has a website that uses very strong encryption database which includes all the work needs and security for protection from any unexpected hackers attack, or competitors trying to invade the Citibank privacy which is common in the monopolistic competition. (Bodily, 2004) Figure 1 the diagram illustrated the e-business operation between individual and the bank / the source Google image. The diagram gives the idea of how the data and information transfer between customers and the bank, the data will go through many authentication procedures before reach the other end with seconds or minutes, the strong and secure database needs more bit encryption codes, the software solutions has only agreed user names and pass words for the companys employees to identify them and allow them to inter the main domain software to be able to manipulate the database and do the work in a safest way, the combinations of the system is very complicated and has millions of different codes and has countless numbers, the other security and safety for the Citibank online services that have been innovated and made dealing with the bank with more confidence is that Citibank introduce the secure online personal accounts for customers which allow individuals to go online and need to put the password then put the various numbers in different page and then ask for the account holder some questions, t hen when all this done in just few seconds the bank account page gives you information of the last time you visited the page, if the user sees it was not him/ her visited, then the bank ask customers to be informed immediately and the bank will freeze the account till further investigation done. (Smart Computing, 1999) The bank also provide credit cards products, the cards would be partnership contract with the VISA, MASTER CARD, AMERICAN EXPRESS, and DINNER, the bank provide these cards to customers through contract done between the Citibank and the cards companies, contract between the customer and the cards companies, and the Citibank and customers, the bank will fill automated application through the safe their database and the cards companies database, the application takes few minutes and the answer will be approved or declined, if its approved, the bank will fill automated application to part that is designed for the bank in the application confirm the authorisations of money and the card, the bank then will issue another automated application between them and the customer for a contract that guarantee the customer will agree to their policies and receive the cash with guaranteed safety, the bank then will try to sell the customer their favourite product which is the insurance for the loan j ust in case of unemployment, sickness, or other reason that will be related to the customer un able to pay the loan back, the card issuer will take few days to process the card and transaction of the cash will be automatically processed, this process in the past would take months to complete. (Daft, 2008) The Citibank products and services, promise that the new innovation way of the bank functions are simple, fast, and secure, so the bank when provide online process of application the promise to ensure the customers service and support through the period which the customer requires, the bank provided claims facilitation for the online support that was designed for communication between the bank and customers, the products such as insurance has various style and designed to different segments, there is life insurance just in case of any deaths in the family, health insurance that designed for reduce the hassle of GBs and hospitals and give peace of mind just in case of health emergency, travel insurance for families or individual just in case flights cancelled or trouble in the process of the airport or anything related to travel, insurance on property includes business and private properties which the bank made it compulsory if the customer took the loan from the Citibank, in some ins urance the Citibank require customers to fill application and provide all the personal data then the insurance will be immediately effective, and other insurance needs to be investigated after filling the online application such as home insurance. (Robbins, 2001) The Citibank with all these e-business products and services, the software companies didnt stop on providing the online services at this point but gone much far than that, the database between them and customers, the use of the mobile phones has increase comparing to the 90s when its first used, in that time such use only for calls and maybe some companies give the customers privilege of SMS in the old encryption data, the calls were too noisy and the and the online or internet werent invented yet, the banks customers would be advised to visit the bank very often to ensure of his/her bank account running smoothly. (Earl, 1999) The software companies has created a system similar to the online on the internet on computers, the use of the internet on mobiles phones has topped the chart for businessmen, students on the go, businessmen needs the internet handy when they travelling and some data to be sent right away and this data sometimes contain important contents, other important use is that sometime some money transactions to be confirmed before deadlines, so some deals to be completed, Citibank asked the software solution company to use their latest innovation in mobiles technology with their bank services by contacting and facilitate the online services with mobile online personal accounts, the contracts set again with two parties, the first one is the bank with data transferred securely online on the mobile, second is the mobile company such as Vodafone, Orange, and T-Mobile and others, the contract will allow the bank to use and manipulate their database online through different encryption that designed solely for the mobile use only and allow Citibank customers only to process their online personal bank, in return for this service the bank will encore little charges that will go to the mobile phones company for their allowing the bank and the bank customers through their technology. In the past the needs for data transfer, information feed, on the go messages between the bank and the customers were not even a dream, people wouldnt believe the idea or someday some technological advancement would get to the point where SMS messages will reach the internet mobile services, but now in the use of the mobile services has reached customers that wouldnt be possible before, the bank provided SMS services that will allow customers to go through their bank accounts online on their mobile phones and check their messages from the bank to inform them of the balance and their statements, they even give a code to short SMS messages with 52484 which allow the customer to go direct to the page as this code being published on the Citibank website, the other thing that resulted from the contract between the bank and the phone companies is that both companies will have shared advertising, the bank using the phone companies will recommends the contracted phone companies to their cust omers and the phone companies will advertise for free in their phones pages for the bank, in this way both companies using each other customers, the diagram structure illustrated in the next diagram shows the e-mobile new invention of how data and information being used and what structures involved in the data transfer through only mobiles encrypted codes. (Earl, 1999) Figure 2 the diagram illustrates the e-mobile operation structure / the source: Google image. The Citibank also provides online services such as paying the utilities bills such as gas bill, electricity bill, the services will be encrypted to suit the transactions between banks, for example the customers go online and choose the feature that say mange your bills, the page will identify the codes encrypted when password inserted, the page then appears and the customer will be required by the bank to fill some form online, then after the page completed the software automatically asks from the customer to wait for the application process, the page then will appear to confirm the transactions form the bank page to the company that issued the bill and sending email confirm the payments. (Earl, 1999) The bank even invented a saving system plans for their customers using the automatic savings accounts, for example the technology software designed for customers, to deposit a certain amount of money let say $500, the cash in two year will automatically work through very complicated data allow the number work itself through some investments, the calculation data would be inserted in advance into the system so the money will be calculated each month automatically, taking certain percentage from the investments cut despite the investments success or fail, the calculation set to have the cut from the investments automatically to the customers bank accounts, the procedures through the e-business are very complicated, so no one allowed to altered or changed it, other investments that the customer will share the data designed to allow the customers share the loss of some investments if they decline and the contract is very clear about this on the online application, the clients on the othe r hand have different shares and different applications that only allowed clients or companies to enter private domains on the software solution main page. (Handy, 1997) Figure 3 the diagram illustrates the Oracle application server which allow only secure data transfer / the source: Google image. The diagram illustrates the type of server that they use which carry strong bits and security software to enhance the protection of their customers, the software also give customers other benefits such as input and output information without the system break down. One of the biggest Citibank investments products is, the mutual fund investments which the software give customers the challenge to compare their prices online, through their own URL and websites to guarantee the customers the promise of fairness and give customers the taste of the investments that will change their life forever, the bank realise that advertising for their products is not enough, they had to take the challenge with the help of the technology through comparison with other banks or building societies offers online, the offer includes the extra benefits that Citibank willing to give up for their customers for the benefits of both the bank and their customers, the Citibank already researched the use of the comp arison software and understood its methods, the more benefits to customers the more the software will put them on the top of the comparison list, and that how the software has been designed not for specific bank, its mutual contract for the benefit of everybody involved in this equation of cat and mouse, the strategies of the Citibank are differ from country to country and region to the region, the websites are so many and each one has different language and different approach even though the target is the same to increase profit and inter new markets, the use of the online banking has the same benefits for any nationality or culture, and the Citibank has designed many websites for their bank all over the world. (Handy, 1997) Citibank Strategic Methods The Citibank operates using two theories, using the perfect theory and the monopolistic theory, the perfect competition theory when the market is deciding and have prices control, and all companies are happy with it, no one has the power in controlling the prices function, the Citibank perfect competition allow other companies to share the competition, in the other side of the competition theory is the Monopolistic competition which apply its hard line attack on prices, companies who are ready to take this road has opportunities to use the market in an odd way to gain profits dealing in this kind of competition and selling products, the market easy to use one way enter and the other way exit and no obligations, there are many products and consumers in this market but no business has total control as the prices sometimes change according to circumstances such as financial market changing. (Borden, 2009) Since the beginning of the world financial problems few years the Far East governments have a contingency plan to protect their economy by not depending on one sector or one business as they formed a plan of Diversification in both the government and private sector in which made them pass the credit crunch that happened in the US market regarding the Citibank business in which show that the overseas branch has survived the decline stage comparing to the other banks in the US market because of the freedom of ability to change some regulations overseas that depends on the circumstances. (Carr, 2003) Figure 4 the table illustrates the bank balance sheet for internal use by the Company/ the source: Google image The table above illustrates the basic known balance sheets for bank and building societies; the balance sheet help the bank determine the revenue and expenditures for the company annual statements. The Citibank starts to follow the plan in which suits all their market audience mostly new segments and new markets, The banks move was to educate employees, and provide proper training and understanding about the culture of each region, and understanding the laws and legislations of each government separately and make sure that the managers have the right management equipments and tools for running the company overseas. (Carr, 2003) The good strategic move Citibank is to change the image that developed lately about company abroad, the first one is the use an ethical way of supporting some takeaway business with loans that use food processing with chemicals seeds to grow a paltry, without realising that the bank movement has been calculated and monitored from different ethical groups. So Citibank try to change this image by come close to the community and show them how they follow the right way, they only support those who are following the right ethical path, especially the local religion and culture in some Far East countries such as Indonesia about following the ethical ways, introducing HALAL bank account which does not charge interests on any bank account in the Islamic way, on the other side of the world, in the US the plans didnt work the way Citibank hoped, the ethical groups are fiercely attacking the bank plans of supporting companies that uses chemicals and damaging the environments, which resulted in controversy and debates, and that wasnt the only case. (Borden, 2009) The Citibank get involved in many unethical cases such as relying on foreign investments that depends on cash and not involved the concern of the ethical side, the case involved allowing overseas investors who are involved or suspected in wrong doing in the banks shares, and other cases such as running from paying taxes on some secret investments overseas that not has been registered in the US tax department. (Borden, 2009) Marketing Strategies The most aspect of the banks business, or any business for that matter, the company abilities to sell their products and services, the way of represent themselves and how a company can promote themselves with careful approach to the other businesses and the public, the most important thing for the Citibank using the marketing techniques is the use of the HR to control the damage that has been a headache all these years. (Kotler, Keller, Brady, and Goodman, 2009) The Citibank used the strategies such as the four Peas, the strategy which proofed success in the market because of its accurate analysis to identify their assets such as tangible and intangible, the assets have great power impact on any business, when identify what the company as place, product, price, promotion, the company can determine the immediate situation of what they have and compare it to the market and their competitors, the bank will find where they stand in the market, using other analysis such as the market the BCG which means the product life cycle, any company use this matrix can determine their products or service if its worth selling it in the market or its waste of investments in new product or service. (Kotler, Keller, Brady, and Goodman, 2009) Figure 5 the diagram illustrates the 4Ps matrix for the marketing mix/ the source: Google image. The 4Ps in this diagram explain the basic 4Ps matrix and its marketing mix, the Citibank uses this matrix all the time to determine their own marketing mix, start with the products, the bank provided the world with the finest banks services and products which adding new various extra every time the market require the change such as the e-business and update and renewal of the computer systems, if the bank does not use these techniques they wouldnt know that the markets needs the changes and the products will be the same and nothing extra or no variation in products will be added, products and services innovation coming in the same category of the variation which products and services needed to be inspired by the old ones, the inspiration comes also form the customers needs such as the customer easy to use a bank account and the ability to manipulate his/her own bank account which came possible with the e-business. The place or the locations in the marketing mix, suppose to be the first choice for any business the distribution channels which is favourite by any bank around the world to be able to connect with their customers, the Citibank has many locations around the world that enable them to sell direct to customers and increase communications with their clients as well as the public, when talking about the place in the past, someone will understand is only the locations , but with todays technology advancement age, the concept has changed and place in the marketing mix also means the online services which include all the features that are available on sites, everything customers needs it will be on their websites, including choosing of any language, data, design that suit individuals, business 2 business communications, data and cash transfer, and many more. (Li, 2007) The price of the Citibank always using the price elasticity to compete in the market, the hard line prices which force customers to buy the products without compromise is out of the question, the plan of the bank always have variations as well as the products, the prices are different targeting different segments such as students cards which has a different price charges than adults or pensioners, the Citibank uses the penetration price techniques which allow them to set a price for a market solely for the penetrate the market, for example a basic bank service or product cost a certain amount in the market, to penetrate that market the Citibank as a large experience company set challenging and competitive price known that other banks will not try to do the same, in this case the Citibank penetrate that market in that specific product or service knowing that they won that product or service. Finally the promotion, a technique in the marketing mix that give a chance to the bank to identify the present promotion techniques and what are the new competitive techniques, the first thing this technique depend on is the mass communications, the communication will be between the Citibank and their marketing company that has a complete management system designed especially for this kind of function, for example when the Citibank faced all that unethical fiasco and the controversy that came with it, the marketing team and the PR of the company unit with the marketing company to do damage control and set the right criteria for releasing statement right away, and didnt stop in that, the PR of the company kept appearing in different media channels, a newspapers, magazines and TV shows to calm the press down and proof that the bank actions are ethical and responsible. (Poter, 1998) Conclusion The Citibank as a large corporation, started as an effort of ambitious individuals who saw the future in something that became multinational company later, the company has offered the world many great products and services, created many opportunities and jobs for the public, helped the yearly capitalism to evolve with a system that proofed its success for over a hundred years, the company helped the world of how to create management system, increase communications techniques, helped in many researches and projects that contributed to the world of business of today, each individual in the leading senior management throughout the history of Citibank has created something new for the companys systems functions, walking with the changes and the obstacles that have occurred in the last 100 years has made the company stronger and wiser and that is why the company deserve the praise for success even though their main target is the cash. The company technological advancement and co-ordination in communication, helped the company to maintain the lead in the banking business, when the technology of online business came about in the middle of the twenty century by many Microsoft companies, the computer appears in many companies offices and start to be part of the business, the public then has no idea who information and cash being transferred or market works. The Microsoft companies start to challenge each other in the software technology which transferred the business function forever with the e-business and working online, the future of the e-business the way Microsoft sees it, it depend on the customers demand because the world markets today are leading positions on any business or functions is the (demand word), the businesses realise that the demand age is here and depends on the future customer imaginations and liking, the Microsoft predictions are creating software that calculate for the customer all the banking options and give them the best deals not only what is going on today which present the customers with choice of best deals on comparison sites, the future calculation is counting the person best interest of the charges and the system in the future will force bank system to change to concentrate on the customers interest rather than the cash and sales that generated by venerable customers who are being charged with lots of m oney and they have been cornered by greed of the banks. The Citibank plan is to create a new management system that can monitor changes in the unexpected events that force immediate actions; the plan will includes the increase in partnerships with feared competitors who are causing Citibank money and effort to keep them out of bay, these companies not only in the bank business but also in the other business functions using the help of the US governments senators and other congress Politians power to force laws and regulations to be adjusted or removed to suit few rival companies, the Citibank has their own share in the equation of power but to illuminate the surprises, their plan to come closer to the rival its one of their priorities. The Citibank uses a software system that connect them straight to the financial and the stock markets, using the online e-business has helped them to monitor changes in the rate of exchange and the stock market share, as the Citibank corporation operates overseas, their actions depending on the rate of exchange and enhance their profits and revenues, the bank trying to regulate the e-business system with their overseas rivals in the banking business and create rate exchange monitoring system that will be specialised in the movements of the transactions, rather than the present system that only depends on the market movements and the price that would lead them to follow the market price regardless of their rate exchange concern, even though the Citibank used their tricks in the past, the company fears from the consequences that leading to the media scandals and public mistrust. Finally the Citibank is the company that has contribute for many years, delivered to the public great bank system, introducing e-business cost money, time, and effort to research it and implemented, the future for the bank business is bright and looking rather well, the bank system always will put the revenue ahead of their customers and that is the way business world functions.

Impact of Harriet Beecher Stowes Uncle Toms Cabin :: Uncle Toms Cabin Essays

Harriet Beecher Stowe was born on June 14, 1811, in Connecticut. She was the seventh child of a famous protestant preacher. Harriet worked as a teacher with her older sister Catharine, at the Hartford Female Academy. She was also an established writer. She helped support her family financially by writing local and religious periodicals. Harriet began writing when she was young, beginning with poems, travel books, and children’s books, and eventually writing adult novels. Her first adult novel that she wrote and published was Uncle Tom’s Cabin. She wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin in 1852, after the Fugitive Slave Law was passed. Uncle Tom’s Cabin is a controversial book that Harriet wrote on her feelings of slavery. The story focuses on the harsh reality of slavery and the main character, Uncle Tom, a suffering black slave whose Christian love and faith overcame enslavement. Uncle Tom's Cabin was the best-selling novel of the 19th century, and the second best-selling book of the century after the Bible. 300,000 copies of the book were sold in the first year after it was published. Harriet being a sworn abolitionist, her views and comments written in the book helped start the Abolitionist Cause in the 1850’s. The book also spread many stereotypes about African-Americans, such as Mammy (slang for mother), Pickaninny (slang for a black child), and Uncle Tom (slang for a black servant faithful to his white master or mistress). The impact of the book was so great, that before the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln wanted to meet Harriet. When he finally met her in 1862, he said, â€Å"So you’re the little woman that wrote the book that made this big war!†. Uncle Tom’s Cabin, however, had a greater impact in England than it did in America. The first London edition of the book came out in May, 1852, and sold over one million copies. The biggest reason it was more popular in England than America was because of British antipathy to America. One remarkable writer from England explained that "The evil passions which 'Uncle Tom' gratified in England were not hatred or vengeance [of slavery], but national jealousy and national vanity. We have long been smarting under the conceit of America--we are tired of hearing her boast that she is the freest and the most enlightened country that the world has ever seen. Our clergy hate her voluntary system--our Tories hate her democrats--our Whigs hate her parvenus--our Radicals hate her litigiousness, her insolence, and her ambition.

The Hypocrisy Of Diversity Essay -- essays research papers

'Diversity'. It's everywhere you look these days. When you switch on your TV set, you open up a newspaper, or you just look out your window - it's there. It seems everybody has a lot to say about diversity, but what does it mean, what does it really mean? And what does the future hold for a racially 'diverse' America? Well.. let's look at the fine people who are pushing for the 'diversity' line. Who's opening the borders to hordes of illegal aliens in order to 'diversify' the racial makeup of the United States and allowing these criminals to collect welfare and vote? Who's saying we should have to make way for Blacks and Mexicans in our own society, forcing us to change our ways, our culture, in order to accommodate these people, and their cultures. Who is saying that we should bring these Negroes and Mestizoes into predominantly White places and institutions, and we should have to be 'tolerant' and 'sensitive' to the cultural and racial attitudes of these people. Isn't it mainly the left that's saying we should have to accept more 'diversity', that we should have to change our ways and become more 'sensitive' towards these people when we are dealing with them? Isn't it mainly these leftists, the Marxist-Communists, the professional class- and race-warfare artists, that are always crying out about the 'oppression' of the Negro and the Mestizo, and how we need to help these people by giving them free healthcare, free welfare, free houses. Just last year that proud moral example, that wonderful honest man who's word was his bond, that embodiment of patriotic Americanism, president Bill Clinton stated proudly to a cheering audience that "by 2050, Whites will be a minority in the United States". Yes, it's mainly the left, but most Republicans are not much better as they do a fairly good job of sitting back and watching it happen, since they know that it drives down the cost of labor to have a such a large unskilled population. But really, what kind of benefits do 'diversity' and 'multiculturalism' bring to our society and to the average Joe White guy. After all, it's not at all necessary to bring people from other races and from other cultures to our country just for the sake of having them here, and it's not necessary for us to have to bend our customs, culture and values in order to accomodate these people. This is really only a new trend, I mean... ...could live in a free society with rights above those of the Government. We need your help to awaken more people, to snap them out of this idiotic idea that this 'diversity' is good for our society. We need your help by lobbying your congressmen to restrict border controls, to restrict the rights of illegal aliens, and to abolish this trend for a mongrelized 'diverse' society. We need your help and we need the help of other independently-minded Nordic Aryans like you in stopping 'diversity' from destroying our society and re-establishing America as the home of the American Dream and the land of prosperity and success. We need this help because if we're going to make America a great place to live in twenty or thirty years time, and not the next South Africa, we're going to have to awaken as many people as we can into taking a stand and fighting as well. It's not enough just to say "you know, I agree with what you're saying", you have to say "I agree with what you're saying, and I'm willing to fight to make it happen". To merely believe is not enough, you must have the will to fight, and to fight hard to make this change which will decide the future of our nation.

According to Cormack

As reflected in his painting `Hay Wain`, Constable had naturalist concerns   as compared to the more romanticist elements of Turners work, as exemplified in his painting The Slave Ship. Constable made all the efforts towards rebellion against the cultures of the artists in the application of imagination for the purpose of representation of their art in favor of nature.He stresses the need to forget having seen any picture in the process of making a sketch. His studies are based on the spot of action in contrast to following any formula. According to Cormack, â€Å"The world is wide†, no two days are similar, nor even two hours; neither were there ever two leaves of a tree alike since the creation of all the world; and the genuine productions of art, like those of nature, are all distinct from each other.† (Cormack, 2006).  In comparison to the work of Turner, he had a less extensive range as well as aspirations. The most suitable definition of Constable is a ‘n aturalist’ which through his correspondence, he has successfully as so. However, the stylistic variety of Constable is marred with instability with regard to the perception of the constituent of nature. Further the sites intimately known to him have been the focus of his paintings.There is no strict uniqueness of the indisputable approach of Constable in as far as the concern of the local scenery is concerned. This is evidenced by the participation of the contemporary artist of the Norwich as well as the conformation to the work of Thomas Christopher, who is an artist of 1777-1843 (Fleming-Williams, 2006). The common practice is the application of oil to sketch from nature.Turner has made his contribution to in the establishment of a landscape to represent a historical painting although he widely disputes the idea. The single mindedness of Constable is responsible for the portrayal of site of limited range in a unique way producing unprecedented oil sketching of a brilliance capacity (Fraser, 2006).On the other hand, Turner has a subjective reflection that surpasses far beyond the romantic contemporaries that he possesses with the capacity to foreshadow an image in dissolution in a painting of the 20th century. According to Bailey, the best description of the work of Turner is â€Å"airy vision painted with tinted steam† (Bailey, 2007).As has been visualized in the Slave Ship in an instance that a description is offered of the sharks following the slave ship in reaction to a storm. The sharks react to the scent crowds that steam due to rank diseases as well as death.There is also an existence of a realistic event involving a slave ship captain dumping human cargo in the sea as result of a disease outbreak below decks. The work of Turner has a clear demonstration of romanticism elements through the employment of disjoint diagonals. The consequence is composition fragmentation (Kelder, 2000).Turner, the terrific creator had the potential for the ap plication of unique invention for the purpose of liberating color from line definition for the purpose of the expression of the natural forces for the purpose of its unity to the stirring response of the artists.This leads to uniting emotions reality to the color reality. Used as an abstract media, the work of Turner was associated with unpredictable effects. This is seen in the nature of ultimate painting element evident in his innovations due to the emotive as well as aesthetic strength of his application of pure color (Leslie, 2005).

How Did Malene’s Arthritis Attacks Impact Her Social Life Essay

Rheumatoid arthritis, shall we say, is a crippling ailment, both literally and figuratively. It is a common ailment and yet there are only few individuals who are willing to admit that they have Rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is also an ailment that can heavily affect the social life of the person who suffers Rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis can also be understandably make the lives of the individuals affected difficult since they can’t be shall we say not fully functional and thus it has certain effects their productivity. But this vicious ailment could be more difficult for people in their prime since there is a common notion that this ailment is for old people only (allaboutarthritis. com). Those individuals in their prime that are affected by Rheumatoid arthritis in many ways could not do certain things that are expected of them because of the ailment. This essay will try to examine and present the impact of the ailment called rheumatoid arthritis on the life, especially on the social life of the fictional character Malene from the novel â€Å"The Exception† by the Danish Writer Christian Jungersen. Her story is somewhat a common case in real life as there are many individuals who suffer from a medical condition that adversely affects the normalcy of their lives. To start off, Rheumatoid arthritis is an ailment that causes the patient constant pain due to inflammation of the joint areas. It is an autoimmune disease meaning the body itself is attacking its own body tissues with its own immune system by mistake. Rheumatoid arthritis is an ailment that is considered a chronic ailment. That just means that rheumatoid arthritis can unfortunately last a lifetime for a patient. Medical practitioners say that the causes of Rheumatoid arthritis are still unknown. The known symptoms for Rheumatoid arthritis can range from joint and swelling of affected the body parts, muscle pains and stiffness, poor appetite, high levels of fatigue, fever among many others. (Medlineplus. gov) Rheumatoid arthritis could have a large impact on the social life of the individual affected just like the case of the character of Malene in the novel â€Å"The Exception† by the Danish Writer Christian Jungersen. The effect of her rheumatoid arthritis is amplified by the fact that she has a lively personality and has a reputation of having an active social and love life. Here is an excerpt from the novel that suggests Malene is quite the social person â€Å"Malene, who has always been brilliant at voices†¦improvising Chris’s words. From time to time she entertains everyone with parodies†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Jungersen 20). Actually. That previous line implies to us that Malene is quite the entertainer, that she is the kind of person who is comfortable of being around other people. It can also be concluded that she is used to that scenario and now her rheumatoid arthritis is affecting her confidence to mingle with other people. In a scene wherein Malene was in a social gathering, she calls on to her best friend Iben to tell her in secret that she has to leave the social gathering because of her rheumatoid arthritis attack â€Å"‘Look, I really came over to tell you that I’d better leave. My feet †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Jungersen 12) She didn’t even finished the sentence because she was quite actually shy about her condition, even to a close friend who she could tell anything. She is still young and it is a common notion that it is unusual for young people to suffer rheumatoid arthritis â€Å"Three years have [just] passed since Malene received her degree† (Jungersen 6). That excerpt from the novel implies to us that Malene is relatively a fresh college graduate. That just means that her age can be approximated from the age of twenty to thirty years of age. Malene may have felt so down because maybe she feels that there are still more to do for people within her age of range. And not that she has the crippling disease of rheumatoid arthritis, her morale could had been dragged down and he confidence to take part in social activities is greatly affected. According to the National Institutes of Health, people suffering rheumatoid arthritis find it difficult to mingle and interact with other people. They say that people that have rheumatoid arthritis are very prone to having low confidence in their self and their ability to socialize. People that have rheumatoid arthritis may feel that they can’t keep up with other people that don’t suffer the ailment, that is why they just stay in a low-profile (National Institutes of Health). That would pose a problem for Malene since she is seemingly always having an above-the-radar profile. She is described in the novel as having a lively personality and attractive physical features as conveyed by Iben’s jealousy to Malene’s physical beauty â€Å"Iben†¦felt envious of her friend, who always met such exciting men through her work,and was good-looking enough to attract many of them† (Jungersen 16). Rheumatoid arthritis would have a big effect on Malene’s confidence since she was described in the novel as rather vain â€Å"Malene comes back, trailing a faint scent of perfume and wearing a flimsy, chocolate-coloured dress†¦ Malene wants to finish her make-up (Jungersen 6-7)†. Her slight vanity would further dramatize her situation of a young woman having rheumatoid arthritis because as we know vain people, they detest having imperfections, even the thought of it. Rheumatoid arthritis could be considered an imperfection because it can cause swellings in affected body parts. These swellings on affected body parts can be considered a quite unattractive feature. Malene is not used to being unattractive, she may have always been a beautiful woman and always attractive to men as explicitly implied by the lines â€Å"Malene, always so sure of being attractive to men, is making a big fuss over nothing† (Jungersen 16). It is just understandable for a young woman, who was always convinced to be always attractive to men, to be questioning her own beauty now that she has an ailment that can deform her beautiful physical features. She may have felt really down when she first heard the news that she was diagnosed to have rheumatoid arthritis in such a young age. That just meant to her that even at her young age, she will be suffering an ailment that only old people should be suffering from. It is not improbable that she may have thought that would look as an old woman and that people in her range of age won’t be comfortable hanging alongside her because she looks more mature. Perhaps the most relevant and dramatic scene that displays Malene’s struggle with rheumatoid arthritis is when she had to change her normal shoes for a pair of shoe especially made for people who suffer rheumatoid arthritis â€Å"In the hall, Malene quickly changes to another pair of her expensive orthopaedic shoes, which she has to wear because of her arthritis. † (Jungersen 8) We should note that she had to change her shoes in a quick manner. The probable reason for her quickly changing shoes is that she is somewhat ashamed to show other people her special condition. In that scene, Malene and Iben were at the hall where there would be other people. Maybe Malene got a little comfortable to change her shoes in the hall because she was with her best friend that could cover for her as she was changing. What is dramatic in that scene was the fact that she was always convinced that she was a beautiful woman. Through that fact we can make an assumption that she was used to wearing fashionable and fancy â€Å"normal† shoes. And now that she has rheumatoid arthritis, she is forced by the crippling pain of the ailment to wear unfashionable-doctor-prescribed shoes. It is just sad to imagine that she may have once wore expensive fancy shoes that were tailored by the likes of Prada, and now she is being forced to wear a more expensive shoe tailored by a doctor specialized in treating joints, not in making women look elegant. As we know it, shoes are probably one of the shortest way to a woman’s heart. And now Malene’s maybe sad because she can’t wear beautiful â€Å"normal† shoes that she was once used to wear. Consequently, setting aside the effects on the social life, rheumatoid arthritis can also have adverse effects on the individual’s love life. This portion of the paragraph is included because love life and relationships can be also considered as a form of the social life. It seems that individuals with rheumatoid arthritis find it difficult to be comfortable approaching other people. They also find it difficult to talk about their condition openly to people, even if they have close relationships. They find it difficult to communicate openly to others because they are having the fear of being judged or rejected. Some even come to the point of being frustrated when they are trying to explain their condition because others without rheumatoid arthritis find it difficult to relate to the patient. (National Institutes of Health) That was the same case for Malene as rheumatoid arthritis had ruined her already fragile relationship with his boyfriend. Malene and her boyfriend were already having fights about the shaky status of their relationship. Malene’s boyfriend was complaining about the lack of time that Malene gives him and their relationship. Malene’s boyfriend had accused her of having so much time worrying other things besides him and their relationship. These things would include her work and unfortunately her condition of having rheumatoid arthritis. In that sense, her ailment was one of the main factors that had caused her a happy relationship with her boyfriend. As if it wasn’t enough that she had worried that her boyfriend won’t like her because her body parts maybe deformed by rheumatoid arthritis. The ailment, rheumatoid arthritis had paved the way for her worst nightmare of being left by her boyfriend. But then again, that just means that her boyfriend doesn’t love her as much or as purely. It would be really quite ironic when eventually they get married and be taking their vows, especially when her boyfriend will say the â€Å"through sickness and in health†¦Ã¢â‚¬  part. He couldn’t even give her girlfriend enough understanding that she has a condition and the kind of work that requires much understanding. Moreover, although it was not explicitly mentioned in the novel, Malene’s sexual relationship/s could have been affected by her condition. Since, rheumatoid arthritis can cause body pains and stiffness, her ability to perform sexually could be put in question. It is just an assumption that this could have been a factor to the weakening of Malene and her boyfriend’s relationship. Almost all the main characters in the story were given their share of respective complications by the author. Iben. Malene’s best friend, had to deal with her horrible past of being abducted by terrorist on Africa, Camilla, the office secretary, also had to deal with his past because her former lover was a terrorist, Anne-Lise had to deal with both her past and present as she was constantly bullied by everyone around her. In the case of Malene, her complication is that she has rheumatoid arthritis. As if the complications were not bad enough, the he complication Marlene and the other characters has to face is also seemingly being affected by their gender as they are working on a male dominated environment. Moreover, it is also seems that the complications that Marlene and the other characters have to face seems to be interfering their work, sort of preventing them not to function well in their work. The previous paragraph was included because work can also be considered a social function. More common than not, people are obliged to sort of mingle and interact with other people, like co-workers, bosses, clients, etc, in their respective workplace. It is a common notion in workplaces that workers should mingle and interact with other workers to form a kind of cohesiveness within the workplace place with the assumption that they would function better together as a team. Another assumption is that that certain cohesiveness among the workers requires camaraderie and trust. In the case of Malene, it seems that that certain trust is being damaged because she constantly keeps a secret from her fellow workers, her rheumatoid Rheumatoid arthritis. As stated earlier in this essay, Malene, just like others who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, find it hard to openly talk about their condition with other people. That is the very reason why she is only comfortable to discuss her situation with her best friend, Iben. It was very admirable of Malene’s best friend Iben to be always there to help her in times of need, or in the case of Malene, times of many needs. Malene’s dependence to her best friend Iben was displayed in pages eighteen to nineteen â€Å"Iben felt like Malene’s squire, always ready to help and support her. Only Iben was allowed to know when Malene wasn’t capable of twisting the lids off jars, of buttoning her shirts, or of unlocking doors by herself. † (Jungersen 18-19). As we can see from that excerpt, Malene was already dependent to her best friend Iben because Malene could no longer perform even the most basic of functions. It is important to take into consideration that these basic functions would include functions from Malene’s work. With that taken into consideration, we can now conclude that rheumatoid arthritis did not only affected and deteriorated her joints and body tissues, but also Malene’s performance at work. And as stated earlier in this paragraph, if her performance at the workplace is being affected, it is just logical that her social life is also being affected by rheumatoid arthritis. Malene’s work was greatly affected because she had to miss several days of work due to rheumatic arthritis â€Å"The diagnosis was a sudden onset of rheumatoid Rheumatoid arthritis and Malene had been kept in hospital for several days† (Jungersen 18). It is not only her work life that was affected by her condition, her social life had also suffered much because of rheumatoid arthritis. Her work and her boyfriend was basically the bulk of Malene’s social life. If she was bedridden for several days in the hospital, that just means several days of only talking to doctors and nurses, that wouldn’t qualify as a social activity at all since she had no choice but to be bedridden and answer the questions of the people from the hospital. The effects to Malene’s social life of rheumatoid arthritis were also surfaced in the most poignant parts of the novel. In the novel â€Å"The Exception† the story revolved around the death threat that the office of Manlene had recived. She may have felt great fear because she knows in herself that she would have a hard time defending herself since rheumatoid arthritis had already weakened her. She may have felt helpless and unable to defend herself. All in all, the ailment rheumatoid arthritis had completely ruined Malene’s social life. The condition had a great effect on her confidence especially because her job was to help people. She may have questioned her ability to help others if she can’t even help herself as she was dependent to Iben to help her in even the most basic of functions. Rheumatoid arthritis had brutally shattered the poor Malene’s relatively small-scaled social life that was mostly consisted of her work and her boyfriend. She had missed several social gatherings, work, dates with her boyfriend, appointments, and other social functions on repeated occasions throughout the novel because of her condition. It was like the ailment rheumatoid arthritis did not only affected and deteriorated her joints and body tissues, but also Malene’s performance at work, relationship with her boyfriend and best friend, reputation as a lively and beautiful lady, basically all of her social life was turned upside down. To end, Malene’s condition is suffered by many people around us. Her story, or rather her tragedy tells us that people that have rheumatoid arthritis requires understanding from people who are fortunate enough to not have suffered the pains of the ailment. Her story tells us that we shouldn’t be like her selfish boyfriend who is devoid of empathy. What we should be is like Iben who is selflessly helpful to these people. Works Cited Jungersen, Christian. The Exception. Orion Publishing Group. 2006 allaboutarthritis. com. Rheumatoid Arthritis. 24 March 2008 http://www. allaboutarthritis. com/AllAboutRheumatoidarthritis/layoutTemplates/html/en/contentdisplay/document/condition/Rheumatoid arthritis/generalArticle/dating_Rheumatoid arthritis_xml. htm Medlineplus. gov. Effects of Arthritis on the Dating Life. 24 March 2008 http://www. medicinenet. edu/rheumatoid_arthritis/page2. htm#2whatcausera arthritis. org . Arthritis and Young Teens. 24 March 2008 http://www. arthritis. org/juvenile- arthritis. php British Society for Rheumatology. Effects of Rheumatoid Arthritis on the Social Life. 24 March 2008 http://rheumatology. oxfordjournals. org/cgi/content/abstract/15/3/156 UW Medicine. edu. Frequently Asked Questions About Arthritis. 24 March 2008 http://www. orthop. washington. edu/uw/livingwith/tabID__3376/ItemID__94/PageID__11 8/Articles/Default. aspx