Carl Jung and the Theory of Archetypes Essay Example for Free

Carl Jung and the Theory of Archetypes Essay CARL JUNG AND THE THEORY OF ARCHETYPES Background Carl Gustav Jung was born July 26, 1875, in the small Swiss village of Kessewil He was surrounded by a fairly well educated extended family, including quite a few clergymen and some eccentrics as well. [Jung’s father] started Carl on Latin when he was six years old, beginning a long interest in language and literature especially ancient literature. Besides most modern western European languages, Jung could read several ancient ones, including Sanskrit, the language of the original Hindu holy books. Carl was a rather solitary adolescent, who didnt care much for school, and especially couldnt take competition. He went to boarding school in Basel, Switzerland, where he found himself the object of a lot of jealous harassment. He began to use sickness as an excuse, developing an embarrassing tendency to faint under pressure. Although his first career choice was archeology, he went on to study medicine†¦he settled on psychiatry as his career. †¦Carl Jung was to make the exploration of this inner space his lifes work. He went equipped with †¦ an apparently inexhaustible knowledge of mythology, religion, and philosophy. †¦He had, in addition, a capacity for very lucid dreaming and occasional visions. In the fall of 1913, he had a vision of a monstrous flood engulfing most of Europe and lapping at the mountains of his native Switzerland. He saw thousands of people drowning and civilization crumbling. Then, the waters turned into blood. This vision was followed, in the next few weeks, by dreams of eternal winters and rivers of blood. He was afraid that he was becoming psychotic. But on August 1 of that year, World War I began. Jung felt that there had been a connection, somehow, between himself as an individual and humanity in general that could not be explained away. From then until 1928, he was to go through a rather painful process of self-exploration that formed the basis of all of his later theorizing. He carefully recorded his dreams, fantasies, and visions, and drew, painted, and sculpted them as well. He found that his experiences tended to form themselves into persons, beginning with a wise old man and his companion, a little girl. The wise old man evolved, over a number of dreams, into a sort of spiritual guru. The little girl became anima, the feminine soul, who served as his main medium of communication with the deeper aspects of his unconscious. A leathery brown dwarf would show up guarding the entrance to the unconscious. He was the shadow, a primitive companion for Jungs ego. Jung dreamt that he and the dwarf killed a beautiful blond youth†¦ For Jung, this represented a warning about the dangers of the worship of glory and heroism which would soon cause so much sorrow all over Europe†¦ Jung dreamt a great deal about the dead, the land of the dead, and the rising of the dead. These represented the unconscious†¦a new collective unconscious of humanity itself, an unconscious that could contain all the dead, not just our personal ghosts. Jung began to see the mentally ill as people who are haunted by these ghosts, in an age where no-one is supposed to even believe in them. If we could only recapture our mythologies, we would understand these ghosts, become comfortable with the dead, and heal our mental illnesses. Critics have suggested that Jung was, very simply, ill himself when all this happened. But Jung felt that, if you want to understand the jungle, you cant be content just to sail back and forth near the shore. Youve got to get into it, no matter how strange and frightening it might seem. †¦But then Jung adds the part of the psyche that makes his theory stand out from all others: the collective unconscious. You could call it your psychic inheritance. It is the reservoir of our experiences as a species, a kind of knowledge we are all born with. And yet we can never be directly conscious of it. It influences all of our experiences and behaviors, most especially the emotional ones, but we only know about it indirectly, by looking at those influences. There are some experiences that show the effects of the collective unconscious more clearly than others: The experiences of love at first sight, of deja vu (the feeling that youve been here before), and the immediate recognition of certain symbols and the meanings of certain myths, could all be understood as the sudden conjunction of our outer reality and the inner reality of the collective unconscious. Grander examples are the creative experiences shared by artists and musicians all over the world and in all times, or the spiritual experiences of mystics of all religions, or the parallels in dreams, fantasies, mythologies, fairy tales, and literature. A nice example that has been greatly discussed recently is the near-death experience. It seems that many people, of many different cultural backgrounds, find that they have very similar recollections when they are brought back from a close encounter with death. They speak of leaving their bodies, seeing their bodies and the  events surrounding them clearly, of being pulled through a long tunnel towards a bright light, of seeing deceased relatives or religious figures waiting for them, and of their disappointment at having to leave this happy scene to return to their bodies. Perhaps we are all built to experience death in this fashion. Archetypes The contents of the collective unconscious are called archetypes. Jung also called them dominants, imagos, mythological or primordial images, and a few other names, but archetypes seems to have won out over these. An archetype is an unlearned tendency to experience things in a certain way. The mother archetype The mother archetype is a particularly good example. All of our ancestors had mothers. We have evolved in an environment that included a mother or mother-substitute. We would never have survived without our connection with a nurturing-one during our times as helpless infants. It stands to reason that we are built in a way that reflects that evolutionary environment: We come into this world ready to want mother, to seek her, to recognize her, to deal with her. So the mother archetype is our built-in ability to recognize a certain relationship, that of mothering. Jung says that this is rather abstract, and we are likely to project the archetype out into the world and onto a particular person, usually our own mothers. Even when an archetype doesnt have a particular real person available, we tend to personify the archetype, that is, turn it into a mythological story-book character. This character symbolizes the archetype. The mother archetype is symbolized by the primordial mother or earth mother of mythology, by Eve and Mary in western traditions, and by less personal symbols such as the church, the nation, a forest, or the ocean. According to Jung, someone whose own mother failed to satisfy the demands of the archetype may well be one that spends his or her life seeking comfort in the church, or in identification with the motherland, or in meditating upon the figure of Mary, or in a life at sea. The shadow Sex and the life instincts in general are, of course, represented somewhere in Jungs system. They are a part of an archetype called the shadow. It derives from our prehuman, animal past, when our concerns were limited to survival and reproduction, and when we werent self-conscious. It  is the dark side of the ego, and the evil that we are capable of is often stored there. Actually, the shadow is amoral neither good nor bad, just like animals. An animal is capable of tender care for its young and vicious killing for food, but it doesnt choose to do either. It just does what it does. It is innocent. But from our human perspective, the animal world looks rather brutal, inhuman, so the shadow becomes something of a garbage can for the parts of ourselves that we cant quite admit to. Symbols of the shadow include the snake (as in the garden of Eden), the dragon, monsters, and demons. It often guards the entrance to a cave or a pool of water, which is the collective unconscious. Next time you dream about wrestling with the devil, it may only be yourself you are wrestling with! The persona The persona represents your public image. The word is, obviously, related to the word person and personality, and comes from a Latin word for mask. So the persona is the mask you put on before you show yourself to the outside world. Although it begins as an archetype, by the time we are finished realizing it, it is the part of us most distant from the collective unconscious. At its best, it is just the good impression we all wish to present as we fill the roles society requires of us. But, of course, it can also be the false impression we use to manipulate peoples opinions and behaviors. And, at its worst, it can be mistaken, even by ourselves, for our true nature: Sometimes we believe we really are what we pretend to be! Anima and animus †¦The anima is the female aspect present in the collective unconscious of men, and the animus is the male aspect present in the collective unconscious of women. Together, they are refered to as syzygy. The anima may be personified as a young girl, very spontaneous and intuitive, or as a witch, or as the earth mother. It is likely to be associated with deep emotionality and the force of life itself. The animus may be personified as a wise old man, a sorcerer, or often a number of males, and tends to be logical, often rationalistic, even argumentative†¦ Other archetypes Jung said that there is no fixed number of archetypes which we could simply list and memorize. They overlap and easily melt into each other as needed, and their logic is not the usual kind. But here are some he mentions: Besides mother, their are other family archetypes. Obviously, there is father, who is often symbolized by a guide or an authority figure. There is also the archetype family, which represents the idea of blood relationship and ties that run deeper than those based on conscious reasons. There is also the child, represented in mythology and art by children, infants most especially, as well as other small creatures. The Christ child celebrated at Christmas is a manifestation of the child archetype, and represents the future, becoming, rebirth, and salvation. Curiously, Christmas falls during the winter solstice, which in northern primitive cultures also represents the future and rebirth. People used to light bonfires and perform ceremonies to encourage the suns return to them. The child archetype often blends with other archetypes to form the child-god, or the child-hero. Many archetypes are story characters. The hero is one of the main ones†¦Basically, he represents the ego we do tend to identify with the hero of the story and is often engaged in fighting the shadow, in the form of dragons and other monsters. The hero is, however, often dumb as a post. He is, after all, ignorant of the ways of the collective unconscious. Luke Skywalker, in the Star Wars films, is the perfect example of a hero. The hero is often out to rescue the maiden. She represents purity, innocence, and, in all likelihood, naivete. In the beginning of the Star Wars story, Princess Leia is the maiden. But, as the story progresses, she becomes the anima, discovering the powers of the force the collective unconscious and becoming an equal partner with Luke, who turns out to be her brother. The hero is guided by the wise old man. He is a form of the animus, and reveals to the hero the nature of the collective unconscious. In Star Wars, he is played by Obi Wan Kenobi and, later, Yoda. Notice that they teach Luke about the force and, as Luke matures, they die and become a part of him. You might be curious as to the archetype represented by Darth Vader, the dark father. He is the shadow and the master of the dark side of the force. He also turns out to be Luke and Leias father. When he dies, he becomes one of the wise old men. There is also an animal archetype, representing humanitys relationships with the animal world. The heros faithful horse would be an example. Snakes are often symbolic of the animal archetype, and are thought to be particularly wise. Animals, after all, are more in touch with their natures than we are. Perhaps loyal little robots and reliable old spaceships the Falcon are also symbols of animal. And there is the trickster, often represented by a clown or a magician. The tricksters role is to hamper the heros progress and to generally make trouble. In Norse mythology, many of the gods adventures originate in some trick or another played on their majesties by the half-god Loki. There are other archetypes that are a little more difficult to talk about. One is the original man, represented in western religion by Adam. Another is the God archetype, representing our need to comprehend the universe, to give a meaning to all that happens, to see it all as having some purpose and direction. The hermaphrodite, both male and female, represents the union of opposites, an important idea in Jungs theory. In some religious art, Jesus is presented as a rather feminine man. Likewise, in China, the character Kuan Yin began as a male saint (the bodhisattva Avalokiteshwara), but was portrayed in such a feminine manner that he is more often thought of as the female goddess of compassion! The most important archetype of all is the self. The self is the ultimate unity of the personality and is symbolized by the circle, the cross, and the mandala figures that Jung was fond of painting. A mandala is a drawing that is used in meditation because it tends to draw your focus back to the center, and it can be as simple as a geometric figure or as complicated as a stained glass window. The personifications that best represent self are Christ and Buddha, two people who many believe achieved perfection. But Jung felt that perfection of the personality is only truly achieved in death. The archetypes, at first glance, might seem to be Jungs strangest idea. And yet they have proven to be very useful in the analysis of myths, fairy tales, literature in general, artistic symbolism, and religious exposition. They apparently capture some of the basic units of our selfexpression. Many people have suggested that there are only so many stories and characters in the world, and we just keep on rearranging the details. This suggests that the archetypes actually do refer to some deep structures of the human mind. After all, from the physiological perspective, we come into his world with a certain structure: We see in a certain way, hear in a certain way, process information in a certain way, behave in a certain way, because our neurons and glands and muscles are structured in a certain way. At least one cognitive psychologist has suggested looking for the structures that correspond to Jungs archetypes! Adapted from Carl Jung. Copyright 1997, C. George Boeree http://www. ship. edu/~cgboeree/jung. htmlÃ'Ž

American Foreign Policy In The 20th Century Politics Essay

American Foreign Policy In The 20th Century Politics Essay ..every nation which desires to maintain its freedom (and), its independence must ultimately realise that the right of such independence cannot be separated from the responsibility of making good use of it. The 20th century has often been referred to as the American Century. Throughout the last century, the United States of America (USA or US) has been involved in every significant international political event and incident. Despite war having been brought to its shores only once during the Century, with the bombing of Pearl Harbour during the Second World War, the United States, as it is commonly referred to, has participated in several international wars and regional military conflicts during the 20th century, either directly or indirectly. Today American strength, prestige and influence are so great that Washington is inevitably a factor in every international equation and the global dynamics, whether it is nuclear disarmament, combating terrorism, environmental change or economic slowdown. As the sole superpower in the world today, Americas influence in world affairs can simply not be escaped. In achieving such stature, a substantial role has been played by Americas Foreign Policy. Several scholars generally tend to regard the nature of American Foreign Policy to be reactionary. The common refrain that emerges from their studies and analyses is that American Foreign Policy in the 20th century has been primarily a defensive response to the actions of other world powers. They claim that during the initial decades after independence, the United States largely followed a policy of Isolationism and aspired to remain neutral in the international political upheavals of the period. Later, when the United States commenced proactive participation in international affairs, American Foreign Policy, it is claimed, never harboured hegemonic aspirations. On the other hand, a large section of the world considers the United States to be essentially an imperious state. The champion of liberal democracy has often been labelled a neo-imperialist country and its Foreign Policy perceived to be predominantly pursuing parochial and self-seeking agenda. It is claimed by this section that, under the garb of altruistic intent, the United States endeavours to spread its hegemony in the world. Over the decades, American Foreign Policy is seen to have acted purely in response to its own appraisal of emerging international situations and incidents. These appraisals have not been based on a collective assessment by the worlds leading nations but instead have been overwhelmingly based on American thoughts and habits. The Foreign Policy of any nation is indeed pursued to promote its interests and to further its objectives in the international arena. Every nation seeks to engage other nations of the world fundamentally to safeguard its own interests and ensure prosperity, whether economic or political, for itself. It is widely accepted that such engagement must occur in a manner that does not transgress the sovereignty of a nation or violate the accepted norms of civilised existence. American Foreign Policy is commonly perceived to often cast aside these norms and aggressively pursue what is considered by many as a parochial agenda. Even as the sole superpower maintains that its actions are motivated by altruistic intent and benevolence towards the lesser privileged nations, its influence and stature in international affairs has grown over the years which in turn, has apparently intensified the imperiousness and hegemonic attitude of the United States. METHODOLOGY Statement Of The Problem The aim of this research is to study the Foreign Policy of the United States of America and the appraisals that have influenced such policy actions so as to conclude whether the United States has engaged in an imperious conduct in international affairs and pursued a hegemonic outlook. Hypothesis Common beliefs and perceptions predominantly suggest that American Foreign Policy has been a reaction to the developments in the world, implying that the United States had essentially been an innocent victim of circumstances. Such perceptions emphatically harp upon the Isolationism policy and neutral attitude of American Foreign Policy as proof of Americas altruism. This research holds such inferences to be only partly correct, if not completely incorrect. It is maintained that the United States of America has always pursued a foreign policy purely to further its own interests without regard to international norms and opinion. The country has steadily shaped its foreign policy well in anticipation of developments and in some cases even without reasonable instigation. American Foreign Policy is considered to be parochial and imperious in nature. Scope Of The Research The turn of the 19th century was a watershed event in American Foreign Policy. It marked a distinct change from the earlier non-interventionist attitude to an outward looking and global approach. This altered stance has been the essence of the American Foreign Policy ever since. This research will examine the principal episodes and events relating to American Foreign Policy between the years 1900 to 2000. Foreign Policy is a reflection of a nations past as much as it is the response to contemporaneous matters. Therefore, to lend perspective as well as a background to the study, this research will briefly dwell upon Americas historical foreign relations prior 1900. History and past events can be objectively assessed only if they are examined in a detached manner. Their study must not influenced by present happenings and current thoughts or perceptions. This research will therefore terminate with the year 2000 because only a decade has elapsed since, which may not adequate to lend objectivity to the study after that period. Organisation Of The Research Foreign Policy of a nation is invariably an evolutionary process. While being a response to current and likely future issues, it relies heavily on past experiences. It either builds upon and consolidates the past successes or learns from its past mistakes and failures. Foreign policy responses to completely new issues tend to derive lesson from past instances of similar nature. This research has, therefore, been undertaken in a chronological order. The study has been chapterised into periods between key international events that influenced the American Foreign Policy. The study is accordingly divided as follows :- Chapter I Introduction and Methodology. Chapter II Historic Backdrop. (Covers the period from the American Independence to the end of the 19th century.) Chapter III Upto the First World War. (Covers the period from the beginning of the 20th century till the First World War.) Chapter IV Inter War Years. (Covers the period between the two World Wars.) Chapter V Cold War Era. (Covers the period following the Second World War till the fall of Communism in the early 1990s.) Chapter VI Post Cold War. (Covers the last decade of the 20th century.) Chapter VII Conclusion. (Summary and Inferences.) Method of Data Collection The data referred to during the course of this research was obtained from published books on the subject. Opinions, analyses and facts were also obtained from various internet resources, journals, periodicals and newspapers of repute. It was endeavoured to consult material from both sides of the divide. Works of Western as well as non-Western authors were referred, to lend objectivity to the study. All sources used for this research have been listed in the bibliography at the end of the research. Important citations and references for specific parts of the study have also been mentioned in the main part of the study in the form of end-notes after each chapter.

Consumer Preferences In The Indian Banking Industry Marketing Essay

Consumer Preferences In The Indian Banking Industry Marketing Essay The Indian banking industry has witnessed a robust growth during the last decade. There are various public, private and multi-national players operating in the industry. Though the importance of better customer service quality is understood in the sector, there exist various other factors that customers consider while evaluating banks. In this paper, the customer preferences in the Indian banking industry are studied using conjoint analysis as a statistical tool. The three product attributes that are analyzed are bank timings, ATM network and customer service reputation. The results show that customers pay a lot of attention to the customer service reputation of the bank. The facilities of the bank regarding branch timings are also looked up by the customers. Adequate recommendations towards gaining competitive advantage are presented at the end of the paper. Key words: Conjoint Analysis, Indian Banks, Consumer Service Introduction Product selection is a complex decision making process involving resolving various trade-offs. For example, a basic trade-off might involve striking balance between better product features and right price. Since an ideal product consisting of the best possible product features is not always feasible, it is important to learn the customer preference for various product attributes. This information can be used by organizations in an industry during product design and improvements in the current product offering. Conjoint analysis is an advanced marketing research tool that finds applications in developing an effective product design. It helps the researcher narrow down the product attributes that matter to the customer and quantify the importance attached to various product attributes. Hence, we can answer which attributes are the most important and which are the least important, as discussed in IBM SPSS (2012). The analysis requires the development of an appropriate questionnaire where in a respondent is required to highlight their preference towards various product attributes combinations. Recently, the technique found applications in various industries to assist product developers and established players towards effective product design. For illustration, Conjoint Analysis is used in Measuring Consumer Preferences for Sales Promotion Schemes in FMCG Sector in Vyas (2005). Hence, any study that contributes in understanding customer preference in an industry is critical towards the development of detailed customer profiles and effective product design. In this paper, we explore the application of Conjoint Analysis in understanding the customer preferences in Indian banking industry. The application of Conjoint Analysis in the banking industry can help us better understand the industry in the following ways: Understanding product attributes relevant to customer- the study helps us understand the attributes that are at top of the priority list of the customers. By analyzing the weights attached to various product attributes, organizations can design their finance products in a better way. Actionable recommendations- The recommendations of the analysis are actionable. For example, issues like interest rate and basic loan terms that are not under the control of bank are not included as a part of actionable and feasible recommendations. However, banks can work towards improving customer service location, attractive location of ATM and comfortable timings of the branches. Applications- The applications of the study could be used in benchmarking Indian customers against their global counterparts in understanding and predicting the next evolution in the Indian banking industry. The results could be used together with Multidimensional Scaling for organizations seeking entrance in the industry or for existing players in understanding brand positioning. Hence, the aim of this analysis is to study the Indian banking customers and find out the utilities of all the product attribute levels and their relative importance. This is done by applying Conjoint Analysis. Due to paucity of time, the study is limited to the bank customers based out of Delhi region. The respondent set is the FMS MBA students. The study aims to find the customer preferences that are important to the customers while evaluating banks. This study is an exploratory research that can be used for future larger studies. Section 1 of the study provides a short introduction of the subject matter along with a brief background. Section 2 delves into the existing literature in the area, which has focused on the same subject matter. Section 3 describes the methodology adopted for the study, including the data collection and analysis. Section 4 discusses the results and findings of the analysis. Literature Review There have been various studies in the past that explore customer preference attributes in various sectors, in India and abroad. We discuss those studies where Conjoint Analysis has been used. ÃÆ'Ã…â€Å"lengi (1998) explored the customer preference in the Turkish Banking industry. They concluded that among other factors, facilities like extended loyalty programs, off-site ATMs, maximum 5-minutes waiting time in the branches are most preferred by the customers. With respect to higher order decision constructs, they also concluded that delivery channels and customer relations have the strongest influence on the respondentà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s preferences. Another study in this domain by Trchrome (2008) also explored the customer preferences in the banking industry. They concluded that customers give importance to type of bank, minimum balance requirements, online banking facilities, customer service quality, and ATM network while evaluating bank options. Of these options, customers give highest importance to balance/fees requirement at the bank (34 %), online banking facilities (24 %) and the type of bank (11 %). In line with this publication, Auruskeviciene, Salciuviene and Virvilaite (2005) explored the banking industry to quantify the marketing image of financial services. There results were as following: service quality (41%), prices of services (26%), convenience and availability (17%), variety of services (13%) as well as bank exterior and interior (3%). As we observe from these studies, customers see a lot of factors while evaluating banks. Of these, branch timings, customer service quality and ATM positioning were explored in the present study. There have been other studies in the sub-segments of the banking industry. Cai and June (2001) analyzed the Internet banking industry to study the change in customer preferences in this sub-segment of the industry. They found out that customer service reputation, banking service products and online systems quality matter the most to the customers in online banking. Kubica (2011) used conjoint analysis to segment young clients in the banking industry. They concluded that profiling young customers is a complex process. Png (2003) explored the specific problem of the amount that could be charged to customers for waiting time. While it can be seen that conjoint analysis has been applied in the global banking industry, its applications in the Indian context is limited. Conjoint analysis application in Indian sectors such as tourism, private label brands (apparel), air freshener and automobile sectors is present. There have been a few studies that explore the consumer preferences in the Indian banking sector. Ananth, Ramesh and Prabaharan (2011) analyze the service quality gap analysis (structured questionnaire) for Indian private banks. They conclude that there are some dimensions in the service quality that are lacking (empathy and accessibility). Komal and Rani (2012) also explore the customer preferences in the domain. The key results are that ATM service quality, internet banking services, credit cards portfolio are important factors considered while evaluating banks. Ananth and Arulraj (2011) measure the banking service quality in Tamil Nadu. They concluded that credit facility (interest rate), Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives and deposit schemes are the most appealing to the Indian consumer. As we see, there is no significant study in the application of conjoint analysis in the Indian banking sector. Hence, the motivation behind this study to explore the consumer preferences in the Indian banking industry through Conjoint Analysis. We intend to understand the product attributes that a prospective bank customer considers while evaluating an Indian bank. Methodology This is an exploratory study. Hence, no hypothesis is formulated. After the results of the analysis are obtained, hypothesis can be developed. Convenience sampling is used for the study. The sample size for the study is 51 respondents. The respondents are from the Full Time and Part Time course of the MBA program at FMS Delhi. The respondents were provided with the questionnaire that requires them to rate the various product-attribute combinations on a scale of 0 to 10. The average age of the respondent set is 29.9 years (standard deviation: 6.98 years) and the average work experience of the respondents is 6.53 years. After carefully reviewing the contemporary literature, the following factors were found relevant to our study: Branch Hours: The time duration for which the branch is open ATM Network: The location of the ATM network with respect to positioning near the branch or at other places Customer Service Reputation: The customer perception of the quality of services offered to customers. The level of these product attributes are as following: Factor Description Levels 1 Branch Hours Weekdays 9-4 The branch timings are from 9 AM to 4 PM Weekdays 9-7 The branch timings are from 9 AM to 7 PM Weekends also The branch is open on weekdays as well as weekends 2 ATM Network At branches The ATM is available only at branches At branches others The ATM is available at branches as well as at other locations 3 Consumer Service Reputation Good The consumer perception of the consumer services is good Average The consumer perception of the consumer services is average Poor The consumer perception of the consumer services is poor Table 1: Product Attributes and Levels As we observe, there are 18 possible combinations out of these product attributes and levels. The 18 combinations or profiles are presented to the respondents in a survey. Beside the responses, other information like respondentà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s age, work experience, sex and absence/presence of a bank account is also collected. Based on the collected responses, conjoint analysis is applied to find out the part worth estimates of the various product attributes. Since the number of attributes is 3, traditional full-profile methodology of conjoint analysis is used. Based on the responses, dummy variable regression is used to find the respective part-worth functions for each respondent. These results are then aggregated to find an overall result. Findings The data from the 51 respondents is analyzed to find out individual, unique part worth functions. The utilities of the various product attributes are as follows: Attribute Level Aggregate Utility Standard Deviation Branch Hours Weekdays 9-4 -1.01 1.18 Weekdays 9-7 0.96 1.02 Weekends also 0.05 0.53 ATM Network At branches -0.38 0.44 At branches others 0.75 0.88 Consumer Service Reputation Good 1.59 0.86 Average -1.62 1.10 Poor 0.03 0.65 Table 2: Aggregate Utilities of Product Attributes and Levels As we observe, the utilities have comparable standard deviations to the aggregate value. The importance of the various product attributes are as follows: Product Attribute Part Worth (%) Branch Hours 34.2 ATM Network 17.1 Customer Service Reputation 48.7 Table 3: Part Worth of Product Attributes As we observe, the customer service reputation (48.7 %) is the most important product attribute among the three product attributes. This reinforces the pre-existing perception that customer service reputation is a key factor that is evaluated by the prospective customers. Second, branch hours (34.2 %) as a product attribute is another important attribute that is evaluated by the customers. Positioning of ATMs is the third parameter that is used during customer evaluation (17.1 %). These results highlight the importance of customer service reputation in the Indian banking industry. Indian banks must attempt to improve the customer perception to gain a competitive advantage. An improved service reputation assists the bank in improving the competitive position of the brand. For a new player that is seeking entry in the industry, investments must be directed to improving the customer experience and customer perception about the same. Next important parameter is the timings of the branches. As seen, usual timings from 9-4 PM are the least preferred. Customers look forward to some sort of facility in this regard. It can either be related to longer branch timings like 9-7 PM or branches being open on weekends. Since the respondent set had people with and without work experience, option of branch hours extending after the usual 4 PM is useful to the working professional. Finally, the positioning of ATM is another important parameter evaluated by the customers. ATM location at the branches and at other places is an attractive preposition. Since it is an exploratory study, there is a further need for a study with a bigger respondent set and product attributes that would throw deeper insights into the importance of other product attributes to the Indian consumers.

The Power of Community Service :: Community Service Essays

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." - Winston Churchill "If you knew what I know about the power of giving, you would not let a single meal pass without sharing it in some way." - Buddha In 2014, I traveled to New Orleans for a National Youth Gathering. Some 30,000 students and advisers donned orange t-shirts and fanned out across the city to serve. Our group was assigned the task of clearing roadsides and medians. We spent the day picking up trash and removing cat claw, an invasive and difficult weed. It was the kind of work most of us took for granted because it was something we would do at home. I remember being shocked at the number of people who stopped, rolled down their car windows, and said thank you. Regular yard work that seemed so insignificant to us made a big difference to them. We all had something to contribute and in turn were transformed by the experience; we gave our labor and the people of New Orleans showed us amazing hospitality. For me this reciprocal effect is the most transformational of community service. The more I give and serve, the more I find my life enriched by sharing with others. Community service is part of my life, something ordinary rather than extraordinary, part of life’s journey rather than a goal, destination or high school graduation requirement. As long as I can remember service to others was modeled and encouraged by my family and teachers. To say how I have been transformed in past tense paints an incomplete picture because I am still learning and growing, both being shaped by the process of service and shaping the process by which I serve. This much I can say with certainty: we all have something to give, and a life of service expands one’s world exponentially and unexpectedly. It is easy to feel too small to make a difference as only one of more than seven billion people on this planet. Even the smallest candle is capable of giving light, and when myriad tiny candles burn together a room, a life or a cause can turn into a conflagration of hope and change. The simplest action can initiate a ripple effect that spreads around the world. What I can never hope to do alone may be possible with the shared efforts of others. The Power of Community Service :: Community Service Essays "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." - Winston Churchill "If you knew what I know about the power of giving, you would not let a single meal pass without sharing it in some way." - Buddha In 2014, I traveled to New Orleans for a National Youth Gathering. Some 30,000 students and advisers donned orange t-shirts and fanned out across the city to serve. Our group was assigned the task of clearing roadsides and medians. We spent the day picking up trash and removing cat claw, an invasive and difficult weed. It was the kind of work most of us took for granted because it was something we would do at home. I remember being shocked at the number of people who stopped, rolled down their car windows, and said thank you. Regular yard work that seemed so insignificant to us made a big difference to them. We all had something to contribute and in turn were transformed by the experience; we gave our labor and the people of New Orleans showed us amazing hospitality. For me this reciprocal effect is the most transformational of community service. The more I give and serve, the more I find my life enriched by sharing with others. Community service is part of my life, something ordinary rather than extraordinary, part of life’s journey rather than a goal, destination or high school graduation requirement. As long as I can remember service to others was modeled and encouraged by my family and teachers. To say how I have been transformed in past tense paints an incomplete picture because I am still learning and growing, both being shaped by the process of service and shaping the process by which I serve. This much I can say with certainty: we all have something to give, and a life of service expands one’s world exponentially and unexpectedly. It is easy to feel too small to make a difference as only one of more than seven billion people on this planet. Even the smallest candle is capable of giving light, and when myriad tiny candles burn together a room, a life or a cause can turn into a conflagration of hope and change. The simplest action can initiate a ripple effect that spreads around the world. What I can never hope to do alone may be possible with the shared efforts of others.

Wedding Toasts †Topics to Avoid :: Wedding Toasts Roasts Speeches

Wedding Toasts – Topics to Avoid Don’t Mention Anything About â€Å"Milk† or â€Å"Cows† At the rehearsal dinner, one of the bridesmaids, who had been drinking, gave a toast. It started off just fine, but then she ended it with " thank God, sometimes guys do buy the cow even when they get the milk for free!" Don’t Blasphemy About a year ago, my fiancà © and I attended the wedding of my cousin. She married her college sweetheart, and the bridal party was made up mostly of their college friends. During the toast, the best man decides to talk about when he first knew the groom was going to propose. He says that he and the groom were in New Orleans celebrating Mardi Gras. He was surprised to hear about the upcoming proposal at that time, given that they were surrounded by women taking their tops off to get beads. The conclusion he comes to--and proceeds to tell the whole group of family, friends, and of course the bride's father--is that my cousin "must have better breasts than God." Don’t Comment on the Many Years it took for the Bride to Find a Sucker (Husband) At my wedding a year ago, my father gave a toast that went over like a lead balloon. He said (in paraphrase), "I've seen my daughter grow through the years and have had a few laughs, like the time she fell in the toilet as a small child. She was so mad at me for laughing at her, that I think maybe that's why it took her so long to find a man to marry." (I was 32 when I got married.) Remember, It’s a Wedding Toast, not an Esoteric Diatribe My husband's brother is well known for his selfishness. He was the best man in our wedding and gave the worst toast you could ever imagine. The speech was typed, single-spaced, on 5 pages, front and back. It lasted about 20 minutes and I (the bride) don't recall being mentioned once. The theme of the speech was "I'm losing my brother" and contained gems like "I can't believe he is getting married", "it's going to be so weird" and "we won't be able to hang out anymore". I was not welcomed to the family, not congratulated, not spoken to or looked at. And we get along just fine -- it wasn't intended to be disrespectful.

Success of Mcdonalds

As a husband and Father of two children, I’d like to say I’m an expert on McDonalds, especially the modern day McDonalds which is a lot different than when I was a kid. Today, McDonald’s is practically everywhere in the world and is a part of their cultures. The explanation of McDonald’s success can be derived from many things, but the ones that stand out are first their branding. They have been around for over sixty-five years and that certainly helps with branding. As of today, McDonald’s success in the public’s eye is that they have quality food at a low price that is given to the customer quickly with great service and clean facilities. The planning, organization, leadership and controlling by McDonald’s are about as cutting edge as you can get when it comes to fast food restaurants. I’m going to talk about these four points and they will tell you why McDonald’s is the number one fast food chain in the world. The McDonald’s chain is composed of company owned restaurants as well as franchised restaurants which make up over sixty-five percent of the operating McDonald’s outlets. Now because of this many of the restaurants are controlled and run separate from one another. McDonald’s is not just around to gain profits, but to survive not only the American recession, but also the global market. They strive to be the best employer for people in each community around the world, deliver operational quality to their customers in each and every restaurant and achieve profitable growth by continuing to expand their brand and using their strengths to continue to be innovative and take advantage of modern technology. So yes, McDonald’s knows what they are doing, but that wasn’t always the case. Back when they first opened, they were only open for lunch and dinner. So approximately from 7:00 a. m. to 7:00 p. m. and they did well, but today most McDonald’s restaurants are open twenty-four hours a day. Many fast food chains have copied this idea in order to keep up with McDonalds. From a planning standpoint, McDonald’s is always coming up with innovative ideas to continue to their branding. When you watch a couple hours of television in the evening, no matter what channel, you are going to see a McDonald’s commercial. They are typically very fresh and memorable and that’s without a doubt on purpose. The planning that goes into McDonald’s marketing is to always be two steps ahead of their competition. You also probably can’t help but see at least one billboard from McDonald’s on the way to work. Again, this to McDonald’s in your head for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Another big part of McDonald’s planning is to stay modern. Our American culture has gotten increasingly obese over the decades and McDonald’s takes a lot of heat for this. This is why they came up with their healthy menu a few years back so people had the choice to eat healthy. I believe another big part of McDonald’s planning is to tap into markets that they haven’t reached before. Sure McDonald’s has been serving coffee for years, but who doesn’t like a good cup of Starbuck’s coffee? I know I love my Starbuck’s in the morning and this is where McDonald’s decided to tap into the gourmet coffee drinker market recently by coming up with the McCafe. They now serve frappuccinos, gourmet coffee and iced coffees. This was brilliant in my opinion because now when you go to McDonald’s in the morning for your Egg McMuffin, you can now get a Starbucks quality gourmet coffee. McDonald’s has done very well with this addition to their menu and this is why McDonald’s has been and will continue to be the number one fast food chain in the world. As far as organizing, McDonald’s has franchises all over the world now and they continue to grow at a blistering pace. Their goal is to make sure that globally, each restaurant caters to specific cultures. What is on the menu in my southern California McDonald’s is different that say a McDonald’s in Europe. Having been stationed in Germany, I can definitely attest to this. So organizationally, McDonald’s continues their success by globally rganizing and implementing innovations to each of their franchises all over the world. Even the McCafe, as new as it is, is launching in McDonald’s franchises across the globe. Leadership is vital the McDonald’s success. Without strong leadership, who knows what would have happened to the McDonald’s brand. In 2001, the Hu man Resource Design Center for McDonald’s Corporation initiated the development of a special leadership development program for a select number of high potential managers identified as candidates for possible promotion into a key role in its system, that of regional manager. The program was entitled â€Å"McDonald’s Leadership Development Experience†. This program, now twelve years young, is breeding leadership within its own walls. Having read about the program, it’s very extensive and well thought out and this is just one of the reasons why McDonald’s continues to have strong leadership. Now as far as McDonald’s controlling is concerned, they do have very strict controls and guidelines in place to ensure that all of their restaurants are uniform. This is really one of the qualities that separate themselves from the competition. The strict controls in place for each McDonald’s franchise don’t just apply to the ones here in the United States, but all over the world. Things like uniform restaurant hours, quality control standards and strict hiring criteria for employees are just a few of the things that McDonald’s has in place to ensure that all of their restaurants in the world have a high standard of excellence. McDonald’s has been successful for quite some time now and the four points I just wrote about are some of the reasons for their success. McDonald’s will continue to be innovative and hold a high standard of excellence. I be in twenty year there will be new and exciting products from McDonald’s as they continue to be the number one fast food chain in the world. McDonald's 24/7; By focusing on the hours between traditional mealtimes, the fast-food giant is sizzling, by Michael Arndt. Business Week. New York: Feb 05, 2007. , Iss. 4020; pg. 64, retrieved at 07/22/2010 from: http://www. businessweek. com/magazine/content/07_06/b4020001. htm Helm, B. (2010). Ethnic Marketing: McDonalds' Is Lovin' It. Bloomberg Business Week, retrieved May 15, 2011 at http://www. usinessweek. com/magazine/content/10_29/b4187022876832. htm A Golden Recipe for McDonald’s Europe, by Kerry Capell(2010). A Golden Recipee for McDonalds' Europe. Business Week (on line), New York, July 18, 2008, retrieved at 07/200/2010 from: http://www. businessweek. com/globalbiz/content/jul2008/gb20080717_293203. htm Patton, L. (2011). Ronald McDonald Sidelined as Chain Toutes Lattes. Bloomberg Business Week, retrieved May 15, 20 11, at: http://www. businessweek. com/news/2011-03-02/ronald-mcdonald-sidelined-as-chain-touts-lattes. html

Grendel Character Analysis

Grendel character analysis Terrorizing a town for 12 years Grendel kills countless men and woman in the epic of Beowulf. Banished to an underwater dwelling when descendants of Cain were banished and killed, many warriors faced him but few survived. Many have herd of Grendel and his tale of horror, but who is Grendel? Grendel is seen by other people in Beowulf as a monster and a fiend even before his name is mentioned the narrator refers to him as a â€Å"powerful monster, living down in the darkness† (line 1). But the most common thing that comes to mind when most people think of Grendel is fear, it’s what Herot did was fear him.The final opinion I gathered was one of respect, for Beowulf fights Grendel with no weapon or clothes because Grendel doesn’t either showing respect when they do battle. In Beowulf and Grendel, Beowulf shows how he respects him when he does not kill his son after defeating his mother in the cave also in the last scene he creates a memoria l for him in rocks on the beach before going back to his home. In the thirteenth warrior the only feeling I feel they have is fear towards the wendels. The battle between Grendel and Beowulf is one of the last actions he does before he runs home to his cave with no arm to die there.While it is so similar to the first night he came to town â€Å"then when darkness had dropped Grendel went up to Herot. † (Lines 30-32), and also so similar to the hundreds of times he did this before in Herot. Grendel also took and smashed and carried 30 men to his lair beneath the lake he lives â€Å"snatched up thirty men, smashes them unknowingly in their beds and ran out with their bodies† (lines 46-47) showing he has little remorse for life, he is very angry with the people and how strong he is carrying so many people at once.At Grendel’s main traits though he is described as the decedent of Cain on lines 19 to 21, other traits such as human weapons cannot hurt him, and how int elligent he must be to know to go at night and to be quiet while they sleep to not wake them and to not yet get defeated before Beowulf. Also you can sense that he is angered only by jealousy because he cannot participate in the fun being had in the hall by where he lives, and the first time he went to Herot it was not to kill but only to see what the warriors did â€Å"wondering what the warriors would do in the hall when their drinking was one† (lines 33-35) it only turned into a massacre then he had the taste he couldn’t quench, â€Å"no crime would ever be enough, no savage assault would ever quench his lust for evil† (lines 51-53). In Grendel and Beowulf one of his main traits is that he is only mean to those who do wrong to him or his family, also it shows his massive strength when he snaps the warriors neck in the fight scene in the battle in thee mead hall.Grendel stays alive for so long I feel due to his intelligence, showing it by only coming out in th e night in both the book and both movies, also in Beowulf and Grendel, he hides when he hears Beowulf moving in the hall the first time he comes, also later in the movie he talks. In the thirteenth warrior thee wedels are smart enough to use the torches to scare the people and ride horses, and one of the biggest is that they use the bear pelts to make them look more scary and collect bodies after battle to not show there secret. In Beowulf and Grendel the movie he uses his intelligence to only target the one who smashed his father’s skull.The book shows him as having a developed intelligence when he only comes at night time and he always leaves before morning comes to get back to his cave. Above, we explore deep into the character Grendel an epic villain in the story of Beowulf, where he terrorizes Herot for 12 years with his mighty power and intelligence and jealousy, Until Beowulf comes and finally slays him for Herot. I feel that Grendel is a relatable character, showing h ow he is so consumed by jealousy and his actions are so immature and it seems like he does not know better I kind of felt sorry for him through the story.