H.I.V in the Homeless in San Francisco, CA Essay

H.I.V in the Homeless in San Francisco, CA - Essay Example San Francisco is located within California, USA and is one of the leading regions in HIV prevention amongst other services such as, care, and treatment from the initial stages of the epidemic within the United States. The region is recognized for provision of high quality HIV care that also involves administration of antiretroviral therapy (ART). Such healthcare services within San Francisco benefits all residents regardless of their financial abilities. San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) has considered health of the community as priority since such initiatives are crucial in reducing morbidity and mortality in those living with HIV-infections. However, methods of initiating and administering ART have changed over time. Originally, ART was recommendable only for those who were immune compromised (either a CD4 cell count under 200 cells) (Kushel et al., 2006). However, there has been increase towards CD4 count on which ART was recommendable. This was due to availability of information on the adverse effects of HIV even in the presence of moderate immunodeficiency. This was also because of record decline in ART-related toxicity and pill burden. In the year 2011, there was pronounced evidence of the effect of ART on reduced risk of sexual transmission of HIV. The publication of such information triggered debate over the risks involved in delaying therapy. However, in 2012, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) reviewed its policy and advised citizens on recommendations that ART.

Pilgrimage's Role in Development of Buddhism in Japan Essay

Pilgrimage's Role in Development of Buddhism in Japan - Essay Example The Kumano within the Southern Wakayama Prefecture ended up becoming a large center for pilgrims and adherents of Shugendo Sect during Heina Period. Some other significantly important pilgrimages at the time were to Mt. Koya, Hasedera (Kyoto) and Shitenno-ji  (Osaka) (Swanson & Chilson 2006). Between 160 and 1868 AD, during the Edo Period, the number of persons making pilgrimages to Shinto Shrines and Buddhist temples increased rapidly, particularly to the Kotohira Shrine, the Ise Shrine, the 88 Shikoku temples, Zenkoji (Nagano), Mt. Fuji (Shizuoka), and the Kiso Ontake (Nagoya) (Reynolds  2001; Covell 2005). One phenomenon during Edo Era was the special pilgrimage to Ise-Jingu Shrine, known as Okage Mairi. The tradition of Okage Mairi has continued to be unabated even the contemporary Japanese society, with approximately 6 million people paying a visit to Ise Jingu Shrines per annum. Perhaps behind the phenomenon lies some nostalgic past: Resurgent interest in the region and som e desire for a temporary escape from the over-crowded urban settings (Alisal, Ackermann, Dolores 2007). Pilgrimage and Development of Buddhism The history of pilgrimage in Japan could be traced back to the early years, at least by the era of Nara, between 7610-794 AD. The pilgrimages flourished during the initial day, through Heian era (947-1185). At the time, the aristocrats and the imperial family were the most active pilgrims (Kaempfer 1995). During the latter days of the ninth century, the imperial family members took some interest in the religious visits to various shrines in the country and the temples that existed outside Japanese capital of Kyoto. From the late tenth century, the custom became adopted by the aristocrats, to a certain... The development of pilgrimages within Japanese society could greatly be conditioned to geographical, cultural, religious or topographical factors. There were there primary types of pilgrimages among the Japanese: Pilgrimage to the sacred mountains, pilgrimage to the shrines and temples based on the enshrined divinities and pilgrims to the sacred places, which are based on special powers of charismatic persons such as Buddha. The pilgrimages to the sacred mountains were founded on Buddhist notion of jiriki, self power, an idea that made those who are self strong via ascetic practices. Buddhists believed that there was a need of training for one to obtain some special powers, which were acquired through regular visits to the holy mountains. The non-Buddhists specialists like the healers, the ascetics and the shamans as well as the greater public also acquired the special powers. During the Middle Ages (twelfth and eleventh) aristocrats believed in pilgrimages to the sacred mountains to help them experience Pure Land while they were still living. Moreover, it was believed that kami of the mountains were manifestations of the Buddhists divinities; they were merely special ascetics, and would be guided by the aristocrats within the region. By the nineteenth century, there were more that 17,000 senior guides that were familiar with the sacred mountains. Even as the aristocracy and courtship declined during the initial days of Tokugawa era, there was a novel phenomenon emerging in already existing mountain pilgrimage beliefs. There were four major pilgrimage sites that had been recommended by Buddha.

Lodging in Canada Essay Example for Free

Lodging in Canada Essay Real estate is classified as one of the greatest personal financial assets one can own in Canada. Some statistics have estimated that, more than 70 percent of Canadians posses their own personal homes (Alexander, 2006). The value of all residential homes in the country is estimated to amount to more than 2 trillion dollars. Given the current demand for personal homes, the future financial plans of most Canadians includes the value of owning homes. The increased desire for most people to own personal homes and yards has been attributed to the various demographic and market factors. Some of these factors include; an aging population and a low inflation economy which has been sustained over time. Demographic factors have been cited as the greatest contributors to the current demand for personal housing in Canada. Statistics show that, Canada experiences a medium growth in its population and medium rates of immigration as well. The high number of people who are retiring from their jobs and retracting back to their homes has increased the demand for personal homes in the country. In addition, the demand for residential homes has also risen as a result of the net growth rate of household formation. However, this rate is expected to decline from the current 1. 4 percent to around 0. 8 percent by the year 2030 as a result of an aging population in Canada (Alexander, 2006). As much as these factors have led to an increased growth in the number of personal homes and residential estates, the same factors are likely to result into higher home prices in the near future. For this reason, the average price of personal homes is expected to increase by about 4 percent per annum over the next 20 years or so. The future trend for personal housing is also expected to change in the next few years due to the increased reliance of Canadas population growth rate on immigration. Initially, Canadian immigrants preferred rental accommodation but this trend has recently changed, as most immigrants now seek to own their own personal homes. In this case, the rate of household formation is bound to increase. However, some demographical statistics suggest that, the rate of new homes construction is bound to go down in future as a result of an aging population. In this case, it is predicted that the rate of personal housing is likely to reduce from 175,000 housing units per year as it stands today to around 125,000 housing units per year in the year 2030 (Alexander, 2006). Historically, those Canadian cities with a problem of land scarcity have been found to posses the highest demand for personal housing. These cities which include Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal have hence been found to have the highest price gains in house prices over the past two decades or so. By the year 2030, the housing demand in these cities is expected to increase above the current national average, especially in Toronto and Vancouver, due to the increased rate of immigrant growth. Other cities in Canada which are expected to experience a rise in housing demand in the near future include Edmonton and Calgary, as a result of more stable conditions in the labour market. On the other hand, a few cities are likely to experience lower housing demands than in the past, due to less supportive demographics presented by the low population growth. It can thus be concluded that, though the current demand for personal homes in Canada is quite high, the future number of new housing levels is likely to be moderate the demand for more personal houses is bound to increase, due to the aging Canadian population. The entry of new house levels is largely dependent on the rate of immigration and in this case, any slight increase in the number of immigrants will shift the demand for housing to a high end. Reference. Alexander, C. (2006). Long-term outlook for Canadian homes. Canada Special Reports. Retrieved on 21 November, 2008, from http://www. td. com/economics/special/ca0906_home_prices. jsp.

Strategic Analysis of the Current Status of Aktel Mobile

Strategic Analysis of the Current Status of Aktel Mobile â€Å"Strategic Analysis of The Current Status of AKTEL Mobile Regarding Marketing HR Division† Executive Summary According to the Industry Life Cycle, the operation of TMIB in Bangladesh, as it seems, is still in the growth stage. So the investment of TMIB in the prepaid section has been speculative since the last couple of years. This survey was conducted among the current customers of AKTEL, both pre-paid and post paid. About 10 years back there was only BTTB to offer telecommunication services to the market in Bangladesh. Although there was tremendous market demand, due to the government lack of initiative in this promising sector was not invested enough and the government deprived itself of lots of revenue, which it could have earned easily. In 1990 for the first time the government allowed the private sector to invest in the telecommunication sector especially in cellular, paging, trunk radio and rural telecom services. The early operators skimmed the cream, like City Cell in cellular services, Sheba Telecom in rural telecom and Bangladesh Telecom Ltd. in Pager services for a long time. In 1996 the govt. provided licenses to 3 companies to operate GSM service in Bangladesh. These companies TM International (BD) Ltd. (TMIB), Grameen Phone (GP) Sheba Telecom came in the market with a very competitive tariff structure and the market accepted them very eagerly. Since then TM International (BD) Ltd. TMIB), a joint-venture company formed between Telecom Malaysia Berhad, holding 70% of the equity capital and 30% local shareholding by A. K. Khan Co. Limited, branding its services on the name of AKTEL in Bangladesh. It is a company incorporated in Bangladesh with the objective of offering the state of the art and modern telecommunications services to the People of Bangladesh at competitive price. Keeping this objective in mind, the management of TMIB has been trying to achieve continuous improvement in its product offerings and services. To accelerate this process of continuous improvement and to Know more about the expectations of the market, the need for a research on customers perception towards its present products and services is obvious. By analyzing the consumer perception towards the products and services of AKTELs various Packages of TM International Bangladesh Limited is full of complexity. In the context of a developing country like Bangladesh, the need for marketing of products through consumer perception analysis provides a very important dimension for an organization to improve their services. The policies and practices in the matter of analyzing the behavior of customers, becomes an important factor in this research. And how the employees get aware to achieve the target of AKTEL is the main objective of this report. Thus, the customer perception towards the various packages of AKTEL is very crucial because its a must for the authority of TMIB to know about the customers feedback of their current market activities and its effectiveness. By carrying out this survey the organization will get the opportunity to know the customer feedback as well as how they can modify their present marketing activities. In turn they will be able to formulate some guidelines for modifying the current market mix, and if necessary to make it more effective so that they can attract more customers. 1. AKTEL: An Organizational Profile Overview of the Company AKTEL is a mobile operator, which concentrates on offering GSM communication services for private and corporate customers. Their intention is to promote the wireless lifestyle-the complete mobile society. TMIB is in the GSM Telephony business. With the technological development in future, TMIB will adopt cost-effective and more effective technology to provide a state of the art and comprehensive service to its customers. TMIBs vision is to continuously monitor its customers needs, wants and to plan accordingly. It will monitor the development of the technology and update itself to meet customer needs. Background/Historical Summary TM International (Bangladesh) Limited (TMIB), a joint venture company of Telekom Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., of Malaysia and A. K. Khan Company Ltd. of Bangladesh has started its commercial operation in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh as a GSM 900 cellular phone operator on 15th November, 1997. A tremendous success in Dhaka, TMIB has started its operations in Chittagong on March 26, 1998. TMIB uses the Global System for Mobile (GSM) communications as the digital cellular system, which is fully featured with services like Basic Telephony, Data and Value Added Services, (VAS). TMIB has an integrated and fully computerized Customer Care Billing System (CCBS) which supports virtually all subscriber-related functions. The Company AKTEL of the Telekom Malaysia Bangladesh, with a full title being: Mobil Telecommunications was founded as a joint company of the Telekom Malaysia Sdn. Berhad from Malaysia and the A. K. Khan Co. of Dhaka, Bangladesh. It operates as a Limited Liability Company, w here a founder and a majority shareholder, the TMIB- member of the Telecom Malaysia, owns 70% shares, while the minority shares of 30 % are being controlled by the A. K. Khan Co. Bangladesh. The organization is headed by its Chief Executive designated as the Managing Director entrusted with overall responsibilities of business direction of the organization and leading dynamically towards the attainment of its Vision, Mission and Goal. In attaining the above mission, the MD is assisted by 4 general managers TMIB has established a strong and formidable sales channel, which consists of direct dealers and its own sales force. TMIB is the Digital Cellular Telephony Business. With a technological development in future, TMIB will adopt any cost effective and more efficient technology to provide state of the art and comprehensive service to its customers. TMIBs vision is to continuously monitor its customers needs and to plan accordingly. It will monitor the development of technology and u pdated self to meet customer demand. 2. Mission Statement Of AKTEL AKTELs Vision: To be the most preferred GSM cellular provider in Bangladesh AKTELs Mission: To provide total customer satisfaction the company strives to become the most preferred GSM cellular service provider in Bangladesh. TMIB will achieve this through developing people, products, and services of the highest quality and meeting the needs of its customers, employees, shareholders, and the nation. AKTELs Theme: Customer First 3. The Marketing Strategies of TMIB Marketing Strategies: TM always wants to achieve the desired sales growth and customer base. TM wants to encourage the existing customers to use more of their services. They launched a package called AKTEL EID DOUBLE BONUS which was one of their successful initiatives for obtaining potential customers. Product Positioning Initially TMs target was to reach the top, but other mobile operators are also targeting to the grass roots level and thus increasing their customer base. TM wants to be the leader with good quality and designing products for the middle and lower middle class range too. Marketing Mix: Product  ¨ Continuous improvement of quality  ¨ Repositioning of slow moving products to different target markets  ¨ Always branding AKTEL with all packages with a GSM service Price  ¨ Necessary changes in tariff structure, and changes and terms and conditions.  ¨ Penetration pricing in the face of competition  ¨ Skimming policy possible Promotion  ¨ Brochures with all necessary info  ¨ Press ads  ¨ TV commercials (in future)  ¨ Billboards Place/Distribution  ¨ Make effective use of distribution  ¨ Make product service delivery system more effective and less time consuming  ¨ Wider distribution network to make service more accessible. 4. The Company in Bangladesh Chain of Command The organization is headed by its Chief Executive designated as the Managing Director entrusted with overall responsibilities of business direction of the organization and leading dynamically towards the attainment of its Vision, Mission and Goal. In attaining the above mission, the MD is assisted by 4 general managers TMIB has established a strong and formidable sales channel, which consists of direct dealers and its own sales force. The way TMIB Defines Business TMIB is the Digital Cellular Telephony Business. With a technological development in future, TMIB will adopt any cost effective and more efficient technology to provide state of the art and comprehensive service to its customers. TMIBs vision is to continuously monitor its customers needs and to plan accordingly. It will monitor the development of technology and updated self to meet customer demand. Long-Term Vision of the Company: AKTEL strongly believes that subscribers are their most valuable assets. They have a strong Customer Service Center. To always be with their customers the AKTEL Help Line is there. AKTEL has successfully migrated to a new switch with higher capacities in terms of accommodating higher customer base and as well as to let them use all the basic supplementary services under GSM technology. TMIB expertise and experience are acknowledged throughout the industry. Demand is growing all the time, not simply for the services it already provides, but for greater and more diversified services and even higher quality performance. Its pace is fast, rewards are high and work is of constant challenge. They introduced the both-way national roaming all through their network coverage. The Prepaid services with enhanced features have been commercially commenced successfully and now they are taking some projects to accumulate more advanced technological features in their network. In terms of Network Qual ity, the company will ensure not only the equipment are of world class standard but more importantly its size or capacity is catered to the right dimensioning of customer base, in order not to face the problems of drop calls or congestion. All these are done through proper planning, control and schedule maintenance program. They maintain the benchmark for providing the quality services. They monitor these through generating regular reports and on site survey. If there are any weak signals or a call drops, the skilled engineers are providing services round the clock to resolve the problem instantly. The most important key resource factor in TMIB is its efficient human resource. Moreover, its decisions are based on facts from market research and coverage survey. Moreover, the above objectives can only be achieved through the right people. AKTEL has put its keen eyes in developing its employees through proper training, as they believe that the most important asset for TMIB is its staff members. So they are ensuring quality services by quality people. TMIB has the plan to give opportunity to every household in using cellular service in the country at the competitive price providing unparalleled quality service and customer care. In achieving this goal, they cant wait for more interconnection facilities with the fixed network. TMIB is planing to enforce their strong efforts to create their own independent network. They have already started the Dhaka-Chittagong AKTEL backbone. The future plan is to vigorously expand the network, which was called cell to cell expansion, covering almost all the regions of Bangladesh within the year 2005. Global Mission of the Company: AKTEL wants to provide its customers the best quality service in terms of: Trusted technology around the world Wide coverage with digital clarity Digital security with peace of mind Various choices of value-added features Better customer service-not just promised, but delivered Competitive rate and better billing Objectives of the Company: Total commitment to the needs of customers To follow the highest ethical standards Continuous improvement of all work processes Permanent improvement of all the employees knowledge and skills Securing the quality of the service to match the quality of service offered by the worlds most successful companies in the field Preserving the companys leading position in the national market of mobile Telecommunications. 5. Mission In Bangladesh TMIB as a Venture TMIB is a company incorporated in Bangladesh with the objective of offering the state-of-the art and modern telecommunications services to the people of Bangladesh at competitive prices. TMIB is a joint venture company formed between Telecom Malaysia Berhad and A.K Khan Company Ltd. The Business Slogan -Clearly Ahead The whole is the sum of parts and when the best come together the results can be truly spectacular. TMIB brings AKTEL Mobile phone service, a digital cellular phone service, which will prepare better for life in the fast lane. AKTEL GSM always keeps so near even when so far. AKTEL GSM wants to provide the following in order to ensure that they can gain potential customers as well as market share: The technology trusted around the world Wide coverage with digital clarity Digital security with peace of mind Various choices of value added features Better customer care not just promised, but delivered Competitive rate and better billing. 6. The Marketing Area of TMIB Advertisement and Promotion: AKTEL GSM are trying to convert non users to mobile phone users stressing the benefit of GSM services, and with the service benefit of AKTEL that will make their life easier. To serve the market more accurately their target market will be further segmented based on psychographics and business sites. The strive to develop a better product will be a continuous process. Conducting of market research will be held every 3 months. They will use their import to develop new products based on the data they will get from survey. Thus the product will be designed to meet the customers need. AKTEL has a wide variety of promotional activities. The promotional mix includes T.V., radio, newspapers, magazines, flyers, brochures, etc. AKTEL has also put up billboards at certain strategic locations in order to attract customers as well as give their products and services a boost so that they can increase their customer base. AKTEL branding has been carried in order to bring about its brand awareness. They are trying to identify AKTEL as a unique product so that it can be differentiated from its competitors. Billboards are there to attract attention and appeal to customers so that they are aware of AKTELs products and services. Mostly billboards have been put on main roads and some major shopping centers around Dhaka city like Eastern Plaza, where mostly the younger generation hang out. This in turn would attract that segment of customers within a specific age group, i.e. teenagers and people in their early twenties, as this generation has the urge to communicate frequently and be up-to-date on recent events. Thus, by promoting their products and services through these various media, electronic as well as press advertisements, AKTEL can well be in the way of obtaining its vision and so resulting in a higher subscriber base and in turn a higher potential market share. The marketing division distributes leaflets or brochures so those new customers can find out information about AKT ELs various packages and choose from among them. The Promotional Activities of AKTEL: Cellular phone service: TMIB brings customers the AKTEL mobile phone service. Fully digital cellular phone services that will prepare customers better in their day-to day activities, thus making their lives easier. AKTEL has been successful in bringing together the world leaders in various technologies, giving Bangladesh world class cellular phone service. Better Billing: Always keeping customers so near even when they are so far. AKTEL has been successful in bringing together the world leaders in various technologies. Better Switching: AKTEL cellular switching system provides the customers the state-of-the-art GSM technology, which will give customers the winning edge all the way. SIM-Card Identity Number: With the AKTEL Cellular Phone service, customers will have more than just a number. Simply because the GSM lays emphasis on the subscriber identification module (SIM) card, a key component of the whole process. It is computer chip card, which is highly secured against fraud. A microchip embedded in the plastic card stores PIN (Personal Identification Number), code personal phone directory, and details of call made. As a result, the customers can use a SIM card on any GSM 900 phone. So, even if the customers cellular phone is not handy, the customer borrows another one, insert their SIM card and its business as usual. This electronic smart card also contains a unique PIN just as an ATM card does in order to prevent misuse as it can fall into wrong hands. Consistent and High Voice: People who listen to music on CD are aware that digitized music may result in sharper and clearer audio quality. With GSM too, digitization of voices is done, therefore maintaining high quality. Security: It is almost impossible for anyone to tap or listen in on a conversation in the AKTEL cellular network. Digitization encodes speech and dynamic allocation of frequency makes it impossible for outsiders to enter a call. Incidentally, the technology that makes it possible for individual to talk better also makes it for anyone to intrude on their privacy audio quality. With GSM it is also possible for digitization of voice so that high quality is maintained. Exciting AKTEL Service: AKTEL offers a very comprehensive range of value added services for those on the move. Each service is designed to help the customers in specific frequently encountered solutions. Services like these will surely revolutionize the way customers communicate. AKTEL Itemized Billing: This service entitles the customers to a detailed bill with an accurate breakup of the call charges, including the date, duration and numbers of incoming and outgoing calls. This is extremely handy in cases where the customers wish to keep track of expenses, or even to find out whether their card is being misused or not. International Roaming: The AKTEL mobile service will provide the customer with contractibility and the freedom to make and receive telephone calls to those GSM networks all over the world that have roaming agreements with AKTEL. So whenever a customer is within the service areas of these GSM networks, they will still be able to keep in touch with friend and family around the world. Choice of Handset: The AKTEL network has a chain of outlets where all the leading models makes accessories of GSM compatible mobile phones available. However, subscribers are free to procure their GSM cellular phones from any other source within the company or abroad provided these are duly paid and would connect to the AKTEL network. Distinctive Competence: The most important key source factor of TMIB is its efficient human resource. It is using the state-of-the-art GSM technology and continuously monitoring its network traffic to ensure network quality. Moreover, its decisions are based on facts from market research and coverage survey. The company also monitors its competitors activities and is proactive in marketing decisions. 7. Summary of the Case The author had a chance to work at the Human Resources Division of TMIB. As the division has played a vital role to achieve the companys goal, it is yet to develop its role. It has many projects on hand and yet it also has been monitoring various projects that have been implemented in the past. So the task was to delve deep into the present marketing scenario and conduct an in-depth analysis of the HR activities, i.e., their recruiting process, candidate selection, organize the interviews by preparing the evaluation sheet, compile each individuals file after joining the employees, updating the database after every recruitment. About 10 years back there was only BTTB to offer telecommunication services to the market in Bangladesh. Although there was tremendous market demand, due to lack of initiative on part of the government, this promising sector was not invested enough and deprived itself of lots of revenue, which it couldve earned easily. In 1990, for the first time the government allowed the private sector to invest in the telecommunication sector especially in cellular, paging, trunk radio and rural telecom services. The early operators skimmed the cream, like Citycell in cellular services, Sheba Telecom in rural telecom and Bangladesh Telecom Ltd. in Pager services for a long time. In 1996 the government. provided licenses to 3 companies to operate GSM service in Bangladesh. These companies which are Telekom Malaysia International (BD) Ltd. (TMIB), Grameen Phone (GP) Sheba Telecom came into the market with a very competitive tariff structure and the market accepted them very eagerly. Since then TMIB, a joint-venture company formed between Telecom Malaysia Berhad, holding 70% of the equity capital and 30% local shareholding by A. K. Khan Co. Limited, began branding its services in the name of AKTEL in Bangladesh. It is a company incorporated in Bangladesh with the object of offering the state-of-the-art and modern telecommunications services to the peopl e of Bangladesh at competitive prices. Keeping this objective in mind, the management of TMIB has been trying to achieve continuous improvement in its employee selection process and providing the best services. To accelerate this process of continuous improvement and to know more about the expectations of the market, the company needs to focus its internal resources along with the external. For a research on customers perception towards its present marketing mix it is obvious to take the best product (employees) for providing the best services towards the customers. Taking into account the customer perception of AKTELs various package offers as well as the existing market scenario is full of complexity. In the context of a developing country like Bangladesh, where the need for marketing of products through customer perception provides a very important dimension, the policies and practices in the matter of analyzing the behavior of customers, is a relevant part of this research. Thus , the study on the present marketing activities of AKTEL products and services is very crucial because the company should be aware about the customers feedback of their current market mix in terms of its effectiveness by which, they will get the opportunity to know how the customers feel about their product and service offerings and the effectiveness of the present marketing mix. In turn TMIB will be able to formulate some guidelines for modifying the existing market mix, and if the need arises if try to make it more effective. It has already been mentioned that from the very beginning TMIB has been trying continuously to ensure the effectiveness of their marketing strategies and designing a much precise and concrete marketing mix. And for all these tasks the internal activities in HR division helps a lot to meet the external demand of the customers. Objectives of the Study: The broad objective of this study is to find out the employee perception about the effectiveness of AKTELs various policies and strategies as well as their present marketing activities and promotional tools. In essence the objective of this report would be to: To find out the Employees perceptions and preferences of the various AKTEL packages in terms of their respective features and benefits to achieve the customers goal.. To see whether AKTELs Prepaid and postpaid packages offer the benefits or feature that customers want. To find out if the customer care center offer efficient To see if the promotional activities of AKTEL are gaining customer awareness To see whether AKTELs Prepaid packages are easily available and affordable Methodology of the Study: The methodology of the study was carried out using both primary as well as secondary information. There were some interviews taken from certain personnel in the marketing division as well as the customer acre center, which provided helpful information in regard to the report. There were some telephonic interviews conducted which was very time consuming. Apart from the interviews, various books, journal, brochures, newspaper and previous marketing reports also provided valuable information Limitation of the study: There was certain limitation for which this report had some obstacles. The data collected was based on the HR employees interviews, which was little more time consuming. The report had to be prepared within the daily routine of office work, which resulted in the prolonging or the data collection. Sometimes the data was really confidential for the AKTEL employees to share with the Intern. Thus, the report had to be done in accordance with the daily work activities and of course was constraint. Importance of the subject matter: The importance of the report is reflected in the analysis and findings part. It is very crucial for the organization to know how effective theyve been and what they should launch in the future in order to gain potential customer as well as market share. By conducting this report, it should be clear to the organization whether they are heading the right way and what tactics and strategies they should implement to ensure that their promotional tools are working properly and raising customers awareness. By putting more emphasis on their marketing activities they should be able to come up with and implement strategies that are in alignment with their vision i.e. ‘To be the most preferred GSM cellular provider in Bangladesh Legal Issues: Laws and Policies in Bangladesh There are certain laws and policies that mobile operators have to follow. The government only granted permission to mobile companies to operate in the country. At present they are not allowing any more mobile operators. So the existing mobile companies have to act in accordance with governments rule and regulations. Scope of the Research: The scope of the research was limited to providing a general overview of the marketing division and their present activities, i.e. what kind of promotional tools they are using and what impact id had on the media and the customers. During this -month internship program the major task was to provide an insight into the present market mix and customer perception of AKTELs products. Thus, the scope was limited to analyzing the present market strategies. 8. Situational/Problem Analysis: Macro-environmental factors: Michael Porter has provided conceptual framework for industry analysis. He developed a five-factor model for industry analysis. The model identifies five key structural features that determine the strength of the competitive forces within an industry and hence industry profitability. Though it is often used by organizations for entering new markets, it can also be used to see the competitiveness in the current market. The five-factor model includes the following: a) Bargaining Power of Buyer b) Bargaining Power of Seller c) Competitor d) Barriers to entry e) Substitution effect The following diagram illustrates how Porters five forces affect the industry: Porters Five Forces: A Model for Industry Analysis. The model of pure competition implies that risk-adjusted rates of return should be constant across firms and industries. However, numerous economic studies have affirmed that different industries can sustain different levels of profitability; part of this difference is explained by industry structure. Michael Porter provided a framework that models an industry as being influenced by five forces. The strategic business manager seeking to develop an edge over rival firms can use this model to better understand the industry context in which the firm operates. SUPPLIER POWER Supplier concentration Importance of volume to supplier Differentiation of inputs Impact of inputs on cost or differentiation Switching costs of firms in the industry Presence of substitute inputs Threat of forward integration Cost relative to total purchases in industry BARRIERS TO ENTRY Absolute cost advantages Proprietary learning curve Access to inputs Government policy RIVALRY THREAT OF Economies of scale Switching costs Buyer inclination to substitute SUBSTITUTES Price Performance Trade-off of substitute Capital requirements Brand identity Access to distribution Expected retaliation Proprietary products BUYER POWER Bargaining Leverage DEGREE OF RIVALRY Buyer volume Exit barriers Buyer Information Industry concentration Brand identity Fixed cost/ Value added Price sensitivity Industry growth Threat of Backward Integration Intermittent overcapacity Product differentiation 1. Rivalry: In the traditional economic model, competition among rival firms drives profits to zero. But competition is not perfect and firms are not unsophisticated passive price-takers. Rather, firms strive for a competitive advantage over their rivals. The intensity of rivalry among firms varies across industries, and strategic analysts are interested in theses differences. If rivalry among firms is low, the industry is considered to be disciplined. This discipline may result from the industrys history of competition, the role of a leading firm, or informal compliance with a generally understood code of conduct. When a rival acts in a way that elicits a response by other firms, rivalry intensifies. The intensity of rivalry commonly is referred to as being cutthroat, intense, moderate, or weak, based on the firms aggressiveness in attempting to gain an advantage. In pursuing an advantage over its rivals, firms can choose from several competitive moves: Changing prices: raising or lowering process to gain a temporary advantage Improve product differentiation-improving features, implementing innovations in the manufacturing process and in the product itself. Creatively using channels of distribution: using vertical integration or using a distribution channels that is novel to the industry. Exploiting relationships: with suppliers. The intensity of rivalry is influenced by the following characteristics: i. A larger number of firms increase rivalry because more firms must complete for the same customers and resources. The rivalry intensifies if the firms have similar market share, leading to a struggle for market leadership. ii. Slow market growth causes firms to fight for market share. In growing market, firma are able to prove revenues simply because f the expanding market. iii. High fixed costs result in an economy

Canadian Teenagers Essay -- Drugs and Alcohol, Cannabis, Marijuana

today's society Canadian teenagers are exposed to different pathway involving drugs. The most common drug used among Canadian teenagers is alcohol followed by cannabis.(Leslie, Karen 2008) Canadian teenagers are influenced by drugs and alcohol on a daily based at school and through the media. In Canada the legal drinking age is nineteen in most provinces with the exception of Quebec where it is eighteen years old. Teenagers who have family members with drug and alcohol problem or if they suffer from depression, anxiety or other various forms of mental health disorders are at a higher risk of developing and addiction or experimenting with drugs and alcohol.( Leslie, Karen 2008) . According to Leslie and Karen one in every five students will develop an alcohol dependency; it has an affect on their health, school and other problems. Students in the seventh and ninth grade indicated the average age for their first experience with alcohol is eleven years old (Leslie, Karen 2008). Alcohol intoxication comes along with great responsibilities. Adolescence are not mature enough to handle consequences and do not know the responsibilities thoroughly until they have experienced it. Alcohol plays a huge role in suicide and self-harm particularly among adolescence and young adults (Leslie, Karen 2008). The highest rate for adolescent patients is between the ages fifteen to nineteen years old who sustained unintentional injuries due to the presence of alcohol, which can also lead to violence among themselves (Leslie, Karen 2008). In Leslie and Karen research out of four hundred eight injuries involving violence 22.7 percent were involved in alcohol. Underage drinking can lead to unintentional fatal and non fatal injuries. The most common fat... ...ion during sex compared to females. During oral sex 44.4% of male’s claims to use condoms and 26.8% method only consisted of the female being on birth control. The smarter method using condoms and birth control during oral sex was only 8.1%. Leaving the most lack method, using no protection or any methods consisted 26.8% of males (Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality; 2006). The number of sexually active teens hasn't increased over the past two decades, the percentage of females having sex at a young age has. (Susan McClellan 2001). Having said, female parents disprove of teen pregnancy 56.8% of the time and males parents disprove 44 % of the time. Today in Canadian teen pregnancy and abortion rate are high, but Nunavut consists of the highest rates (McKay, Alexander). To get an abortion in Canada cost 400 dollars and it does not require permission from parents.

Macbeth: Natural Vs. Unnatural :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In different periods of time, the lives of humans and nature were thought to have a connection, and this is emphasized in William Shakespeare's play MacBeth. In this play, unnatural events in nature foreshadow bad or unnatural occurrences in the lives of humans. Through out the play, Shakespeare continuously proves this point.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Ross said "As sparrows eagles or the hare the lion" (I.ii.35), it proves this theory. Common knowledge says that sparrows do not classify as eagles does a hare classify as a lion. They may have similarities, such as they are both birds or mammals, but they are opposites. After the quote is spoken, Ross reveals that the Thane of Cawdor has betrayed his country and Macbeth shall take his place. Macbeth becoming the Thane of Cawdor was an unusual event and not expected.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Macbeth finds the dagger in front of him, it alludes to this point even more. The foreshadowing of Macbeth's choice becomes evident when he says, "Nature seems dead" (II.i.50) For nature to seem dead would be the complete opposite of living because nature is thought to be continuously growing and changing, not dying. This is an unnatural event, that again foreshadows something bad, which is Duncan's death. Other unnatural occurrences happened prior to Duncan's death but were not explained until afterwards. When the old man says "'Tis unnatural / Even like the deed that's done. On Tuesday last A falcon tow'ring in her pride of place, was by a mousing hawk killed" (II.iv.10-13), it also proves the connection between unnatural events and humans. An owl tends to eat mice and hunt at night, a hawk is not it's usual meal. This strange event occurred prior to Duncan's death, which told of things to come. Another quote spoken by Ross, also foreshadows Duncan's death: "And Duncan's horses?. turned wild in nature, broke their stalls, flung out, Contending 'gainst obedience, as they would make way with man kind" And the old man responded with "'Tis said they eat each other'/" (II.

Black Pepper

Characterization and Quantification of Active Compounds of Black pepper (Piper Nigrum): AbstractThe objectives of the study were to investigate the presence of phytochemical compounds from the extract of piper nigrum, using methanolic extraction. It showed the presence of alkaloid, flavanoids, carbohydrates, proteins, phenols, phytosterols, and tannins. The phytochemical compounds were also screened by GC-MS method.A total 21 bioactive compounds were identified in the methanolic extract of Piper nigrum. The identification of phytochemical compounds is based on the peak area,retention time,molecular weight.GC-MS analysis of P.nigrum revealed the existence of major compounds like caryophyllene ,delta.3-carene as well as Cinene. The results will be useful for further study in future to explore the biosynthetic activity of black pepper. Introduction:Black Pepper:Black Pepper, the tropical plant family, Piperaceae is a reliable source of diverse biologically dynamic phytochemicals (Parmar et al., 1997) and food grade spice. Black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) (Piperaceae) celebrated as â€Å"Dark Gold† and furthermore known as â€Å"Ruler of Spices† is one of the vital rural products (Ankegowda and Krishnamurthy 2012). The extracts of Pepper can be viably used as a source of biopesticide material. The most broadly perceived specie of this family is Piper Nigrum or dark pepper which apart from culinary applications is utilized as a part of various ayurvedic details because of its different curative properties (Srinivas et al., 2005). Piperine is one of the significant compounds that is extracted from Piper Nigrum. Many other unsaturated amides have since been distinguished in Piper species from every single tropical locale of the world (Parmar et al 1997). Piperine is the significant compound that causes the impactful and spicy flavor of pepper and has indicated many pharmacological exercises, for example, insecticidal, calming, pain relieving, and so forth. (Khajuria et al., 1989). The wide variety of auxiliary plant mixes found in Piper were recommended as potential leads for novel bug sprays (Miyakado et al., 1989) while numerous mixtures are utilized as a part of conventional control of insecticides that are vectors of ailment (Okorie and Ogunro 1992) and harm stored crops (Sighamony et al. 1986; Baier and Webster 1992; Mbata et al., 1995; Ke'? ¨ta et al., 2000). Early examinations with P. nigrum seed extracts showed that piperamides were in charge of the harmfulness of the extracts to the adzuki bean weevil Callosobruchuschinensis L. (Miyakado et al., 1980). For the treatment of infectious diseses on Earth pharmacologists ,microbiologists and natural products chemists are relying on plant derived dietary supplements as well as phytochemicals.(Pandey et al.,2015).The objective of this research is to identify and characterize the active compounds in crude extract of Black pepper. Key words: Piper nigrum L, Phytochemical Screening,GC-MS.Material and Method:The seeds of Black pepper were purchased from Qissa Khwani Bazar PeshawarExtract of Black Pepper: Seeds of black pepper 10gm were grounded in a blender and then covered with 100 ml of methanol. The grounds and methanol slurry was shaker in a mini orbital shaker for 30 min at 260 rppm and then passed through a Buchner funnel with Whatman No.1 filter paper for removing insoluble material. The methanol fraction was separated and air died ( Jyothiprabha, and Venkatachalam 2016). Identification of Active Compounds: Some plants have more than one chemical as an active principle responsible for their biological properties. Phytochemical tests was done to find the presence of the active chemical constituents such as alkaloid, glycosides, flavonoids, reducing sugars, triterpenes, phenolic acid and tannis. Detailed Phytochemical screening was carried out as per standard methods. (Kokate, 2000; Habone, 1999; Tiwari et al., 2011).