Telecommunication Industry in Bangladesh Comparing Grameen Phone and Mobile Operator Aktel Essay Example

Telecommunication Industry in Bangladesh: Comparing Grameen Phone and Mobile Operator Aktel Essay Executive summery | Telecommunication industry is a booming sector in Bangladesh which is leading by Grameen phone and followed by the some mobile operator like Aktel, Banglalink, Warid telecom, City cell, Teletalk. This study is basically on Aktel; rationally we have taken Grameenphone as a benchmark. Aktel is one of the early comers in the mobile sector but its current position is not satisfactory. Their progress is not significant in comparison to Grameen phone and other existing operator. This study tried to scrutinize the gap between them from the perspective of quality service. We have made this comparison on the basis of some criteria such as customer care center, network capacity, customer satisfaction, corporate social responsibility, internet facility, employee satisfaction, brand image number of subscriber. This study has found some limitations of Aktel on the basis of above criteria, tried to recommend some suggestion to reduce the gap. |Introduction | Aktel is the third largest mobile phone company in terms of revenue and subscribers (8. 59 million as of February 2009). In terms of earning profit, Aktel was the second position in 2008 secured 3rd place in market position. It is the first mobile phone operator in the country to give GPRS service to the subscribers. Aktel launched its operation on the 15th November 1997 in Dhaka and on 26 March 1998 in Chittagong. Aktel started its journey with the earnest efforts of late Mr. Zahir uddin khan. Now Aktel stake is being shared by telecom Malaysia, Axiata, Docomo along with A. K. We will write a custom essay sample on Telecommunication Industry in Bangladesh: Comparing Grameen Phone and Mobile Operator Aktel specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Telecommunication Industry in Bangladesh: Comparing Grameen Phone and Mobile Operator Aktel specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Telecommunication Industry in Bangladesh: Comparing Grameen Phone and Mobile Operator Aktel specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Khan. Though Aktel has started its journey since 1997 it was the 2nd telecommunication company in Bangladesh. But the position the Aktel should be is yet to be achieved. Moreover, some new coming companies are gaining more market share instead of Aktel such as Banglalink, Warid. Though the early comer, Aktel is losing its market position in comparison with other mobile phone operators in Bangladesh. That’s why our survey tried to identify the reasons why Aktel cannot become the market leader. So we have selected a benchmark to make comparison with logically it is Grameen phone. Grameen phone, the giant mobile operator with the largest subscriber, operating in Bangladesh since 1997. At present Grameen phone is the only operator achieving profit and leading the market. Our survey tried to find out the gap between Grameen phone Aktel as well as present some suggestion to overcome the problem. |Objectives limitation | Objectives ? To identify present conditions of AKTEL in mobile phone service sector To identify the key performance variable with benchmark ? Specify programs and actions to reduce the gap with benchmark ? To evaluate the future potentiality of AKTEL to be the market leader ? To ensure proper guideline for strategic advantages. Limitation ? Sources were not enough. ? Unwilling to provide information due to security. ? There are little information regarding this sector ? Shortage of time. ? Lack of secondary data |Scope of the study | This study has showed the significant difference between the Grameenphone and Aktel in the term of their operatio n. †¢ This study has attempted to focus on the qualitative difference between the two companies. †¢ The relative parties can find some view about their current position †¢ This study has provided some suggestion to overcome the current problems. |Methodology | Two types of data are generally used to prepare a research paper such as primary data and secondary data. We have tried our best to collect both data information and have tried firm intention to emphasis on primary data as it is often up to date and more useful than any public information. We have visited both Aktel and Grameen phone center to collect actual and reliable data as we can make the report fruitful. We have also collected secondary data including internet, magazine, journal, periodical, and other publications. |Background of the study | Bangladesh, a country with 150 million people, is a potential market for the mobile phone company. To capture this potential market, some renowned and famous telecommunication companies have immerged in the recent years. From the very beginning city cell was the pioneer of the mobile industry, and then successively Grameenphone and Aktel have commenced their operation. In the course of time, Grameenphone has achieved a significant position leaving the other operator behind. Emergence of the two new companies Banglalink and Warid telecom have made this market more competitive than ever before. At the same time being an earlier mobile operator Aktel position is not expected at all. That why we have chosen Aktel to make the study with. For the logical reasons, Grameenphone is our benchmark. This study tried to find out the significant gap between Grameenphone and Aktel as well as to recommend some suggestions. |1. 1 Aktel in brief | Aktel is a dynamic and leading countrywide GSM communication solutions provider. It is a joint Venture company between Axiata and NTT Docomo, Japan. Aktel was officially commenced its operations in 1997 among the pioneers GSM mobile telecommunications provider in Bangladesh. Covering all 64 districts of the country, Aktel has become the first mobile operator to connect Tetulia and Teknaf, the northern and southern most points of Bangladesh and the first to provide seamless coverage along the Dhaka-Chittagong highway. Aktel supports 2G voice, CAMEL phase 2 and GPRS/EDGE service with high speed internet connectivity. It has the widest International Roaming coverage in Bangladesh connecting 440 operators across 203 countries. Aktel’s GSM service is based on a robust network architecture and cutting edge technology such as Intelligent Network (IN), which provides peace-of-mind solutions in terms of voice clarity, extensive nationwide network coverage, and multiple global partners for international roaming. Aktel customer centric solution includes value added services (VAS), quality customer care, easy access call centers, digital network security, and flexible tariff rates. With its strengths and competencies developed over the years, Aktel aims to provide the best quality service experience in terms of coverage and connectivity to its customers all over Bangladesh. |1. 2 Motto of Aktel | Vision: To be the leader as a Telecommunication Service Provider in Bangladesh. Mission: Aktel aims to achieve its vision through being number ‘one’ not only in terms of market share, but also by being an employer of choice with up-to-date knowledge and products geared to address the ever changing needs. Theme: Aktel always strives to uphold the dictum ‘Customer First’. Quality Policy: Aktel is committed to achieving leadership in customer satisfaction by continually improving its processes, products and services to ensure they consistently exceed customers’ requirements. We will develop and implement technology and infrastructure that enable us to be clearly ahead in Bangladesh and to enhance the mobility experience of our customers. |1. 3 Services of Aktel | Prepaid (furti): Prepaid Kingdom of Aktel offers all its Prepaid customers: †¢ Single prepaid package with the best rates in the market †¢ Different tariff plans in one package to meet different types of needs †¢ Instant, easy multiple migration facility from one tariff plan to another   †¢ 5 FnF to any operator mobile with one Aktel partner facility †¢ Full BTCL  connectivity with FREE BTCL  incoming †¢ Economy ISD (EISD) facility to call 55 countries of the world by dia ling 012 †¢ Extended and simplified refill validity for ease and freedom †¢ Nationwide Easy Load facility Nationwide Internet connectivity †¢ All available Value Added Services (e. g. SMS, MMS, GoonGoon, ringtone, wallpaper, games, animation downloads) Prepaid Tariff: |Normal tariff (without VAT) | |Particulars |TK. /min | |Outgoing |12am to 4pm |4pm to 12am | | |To Aktel |0. 8 |1. 48 | | |To other Operator |1. 48 |1. 48 | | |To Aktel FnF |0. 68 |0. 68 | | |To Other mobile operator FnF |0. 68 |0. 68 | | |To Aktel partner |0. 40 |0. 40 | | |To BTCL (Local/NWD) |1. 48 |1. 8 | | |To  International (IDD/EIDD)* |Only IDD/E-IDD Charges | |Incoming | |From  any number worldwide |Free | |Pulse | |Outgoing |60 sec from 1st minute | | |*For IDD E-IDD-15 sec pulse | Get a new connection: †¢ Package price Tk. 98 †¢ Welcome gift of Tk. 25 talk-time upon activation (applicable for any purpose) †¢ 60 days validity on activation †¢ Default tariff plan will be  Simple (with migration facility) †¢ Available at Aktel Customer Care, Aktel Care Point all the mobile outlets nationwide Aktel Postpaid: †¢ Call setup charge applicable for all calls  under simple plan. †¢ Line Rent Waived if monthly usage exceeds TK 500 (excluding monthly subscription fee e. g. Goon Goon subscription fee, Aktel PA etc) or if  customer subscribes unlimited GPRS . †¢ For IDD and E-IDD-15 sec pulse from 1st Minute. †¢   Conditions apply. Postpaid tariff:   Out going Voice Calls |  Any Operator |  BDT 1/min | | |  Aktel To BTCL |  BDT 1/min | | |  Aktel To International (IDD/E-IDD charges) |  Only IDD/E-IDD Charges | | |  FnF: Any Operator |  BDT 0. 68/min | | |  FnF: BTCL |  BDT 0. 68/min | | |  Partner Number |  BDT 0. 5/min | |  SMS   |  Any Operator |  BDT 1/SMS | | |  International |BDT  2/SMS | |  Connection Fee Others |  Connection Price |  BDT 499 | | |  Credit Limit |  BDT 300 | | |  Line Rent |  BDT 100 | | |  Pulse |  30 sec | | | | | |1. 4 Time wise achievement | [pic] 2. 1Grameenphone in Brief [pic] Grameenphone is now the leading telecommunications service provider in the country with more than 20 million subscribers as of June 2008. Presently, there are about 30 million telephone users in the country, of which, a little over one million are fixed-phone users and the rest mobile phone subscribers. Starting its operations on March 26, 1997, the Independence Day of Bangladesh, Grameenphone has come a long way. It is a joint venture enterprise between Telenor (62%), the largest telecommunications service provider in Norway with mobile phone operations in 12 other countries, and Grameen Telecom Corporation (38%), a non-profit sister concern of the internationally acclaimed micro-credit pioneer Grameen Bank. Over the years, Grameenphone has always been a pioneer in introducing new products and services in the local market. GP was the first company to introduce GSM technology in Bangladesh when it launched its services in March 1997. The technological know-how and managerial expertise of Telenor has been instrumental in setting up such an international standard mobile phone operation in Bangladesh. Being one of the pioneers in developing the GSM service in Europe, Telenor has also helped to transfer this knowledge to the local employees over the years. November 28, 1996 Grameenphone was offered a cellular license in Bangladesh by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications. March 26, 1997 Grameenphone launched its service on the Independence Day of Bangladesh. November 5, 2006 After almost 10 years of operation, Grameenphone has over 10 million subscribers. September 20, 2007 Grameenphone announces 15 million subscribers. The company has so far invested more than BDT 10,700 core (USD 1. 6 billion) to build the network infrastructure since its inception in 1997. It has invested over BDT 3,100 crore (USD 450 million) during the first three quarters of 2007 while BDT 2,100 crore (USD 310 million) was invested in 2006 alone. Grameenphone is also one the largest taxpayers in the country, having contributed nearly BDT 7000 core in direct and indirect taxes to the Government Exchequer over the years. Of this amount, over BDT 2000 core was paid in 2006 alone. Since its inception in March 1997, Grameenphone has built the largest cellular network in the country with over 10,000 base tations in more than 5700 locations. Presently, nearly 98 percent of the countrys population is within the coverage area of the Grameenphone network. Grameenphone was also the first operator to introduce the pre-paid service in September 1999. It established the first 24-hour Call Center, introduced value-added services such as VMS, SMS, fax and data transmission services, international roaming service, WAP, SMS-based push-pull services, EDGE, personal ring back tone and many other products and services. The entire Grameenphone network is also EDGE/GPRS enabled, allowing access to high-speed Internet and data services from anywhere within the coverage area. There are currently nearly 3 million EDGE/GPRS users in the Grameenphone network. In addition, the Village Phone Program, also started in 1997, provides a good income-earning opportunity to more than 210,000 mostly women Village Phone operators living in rural areas. The Village Phone Program is a unique initiative to provide universal access to telecommunications service in remote, rural areas. Administered by Grameen Telecom Corporation, it enables rural people who normally cannot afford to own a telephone to avail the service while providing the VP operators an opportunity to earn a living. Grameenphone nearly doubled its subscriber base during the initial years while the growth was much faster during the later years. It ended the inaugural year with 18,000 customers, 30,000 by the end of 1998, 60,000 in 1999, 193,000 in 2000, 471,000 in 2001, 775,000 in 2002, 1. 16 million in 2003, 2. 4 million in 2004, 5. 5 million in 2005, 11. 3 million in 2006, and it ended 2007 with 16. 5 million customers. |2. 2 Services of Grameenphone | Prepaid service of Grameenphone (Smile): †¢ SMILE subscribers will enjoy reduced tariff of only Tk 1. 50/min (8am-12pm and 4pm-12am) for all GP to GP calls and Tk 2/min to any other operator (8 am-12 am). A call to a BTCL number will cost Tk. 2. During 12 pm to 4 pm tariff for any GP-GP call is 0. 49/min. †¢ Under a promotional offer smile subscribers now can talk to any GP number only at Tk. 0. 49/min  from 12 am to  8 am in the morning. At the same time calls to any other operators will cost Tk. 1. 00/min. †¢ SMS to any GP number and to other local operators  number  is Tk. 1 and international operators are Tk. 2. †¢ 15% VAT will be applicable on all tariffs. Post paid Service (Xplore): Xplore  Postpaid has come up with a very attractive and competitive tariff. |GP-GP | Bangladesh has 52. 3 million subscribers in total, (December 2009) |Rank |Operator |Technology |Subscribers |Ownership | | | | |(in millions) | | |1 |GP |GSM, GPRS, EDGE |23. 26 |Telenor (62%) and Grameen Telecom (38%) | |2 |Banglalink |GSM, GPRS, EDGE |13. 87 |Orascom Telecom (100%) | |3 |Aktel |GSM, GPRS, EDGE |9. 29 |Axiata Group Berhad (70%) and NTT DoCoMo(30%) | |4 |Warid |GSM, GPRS, EDGE |2. 9 |Warid Telecom (30%), | | | | | |AIRTEL (70%) | |5 |City cell |CDMA2000 1x, CDMA2000 1xEvDO |1. 95 |Pacific Group, Far East Telecom Limited, SingTel | | | |Rev. A | |(45%) | |6 |Teletalk |GSM, GPRS, EDGE |1. 07 |State-owned | [pic] 3. 1 Comparison between Aktel and Grameen phone profit Grameenphone: Grameenphone is the leader in the market in achieving profit at a high rate. Grameenphone have secured 1st position in earning profit. Aktel: Aktel is at second position in earning profit as if Aktel is more earlier and experienced company but still it is struggling in mobile industry. Entering the share market Grameenphone: Grameenphone has already entered into share market. So people of our country have got a change to invest on share market that is necessary for our economic growth. Aktel: In this case, Aktel is yet to move for share market. We have come to know that there is a possibility to enter into share market in next year but the initiative should have taken early. Advertisement and promotional activities Grameenphone: promotional activities of Grameenphone are far reaching. Grameenphone put emphasis largely on promotional activities that have enhanced its popularity among the people irrespective of age, class personality. Aktel: promotional activities of Aktel are not something special to mention about. Their contribution in this sector is insufficient comparing to other operators. There promotional activities necessaries more attention in this sector to compete in this competitive mobile industry. Network coverage Grameenphone: Grameenphone have strong network coverage that is out of reach than any other operator in Bangladesh. They are covering 98% area of country. Actually general people chose Grameenphone more because of their strong network coverage. Aktel: Aktel network coverage is not so much weak but still insufficient to challenge Grameenphone in this competitive market. Aktel is just covering 65% area of Bangladesh. [pic] Employee Grameenphone: Grameenphone have significant amount of employees. GP has generated direct and indirect employment for a large number of people over the years. The company presently has more than 5,000 full and  temporary employees. Another 100,000 people are directly dependent on Grameenphone for their livelihood, working for the Grameenphone dealers, retailers, scratch card outlets, suppliers, vendors, contractors and others. Aktel: Aktel has also significant number of employees but not sufficient in comparison with the grameenphone. The company presently has approximately 3500 full and temporary employees. Another 7000 people are directly dependent on Grameenphone for their livelihood, working for the Grameenphone dealers, retailers, scratch card outlets, suppliers, vendors, contractors and others. [pic] corporate social responsibility [pic] Corporate social responsibility, as we see it, is a ‘complementary combination of ethical and responsible corporate behavior, as well as a commitment towards generating greater good for the society by addressing the development needs of the country. Our core strategy in this area is to be Bangladeshs partner in developing the country, particularly in its promise, as a United Nations Millennium Declaration signatory, to meet the eight targets known as the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. We have consolidated our social investment initiatives in four core areas related to the Millennium Development Goals namely, †¢ Poverty alleviation, †¢ Healthcare, †¢ Empowerment †¢ Education Grameenphone with Bangladesh cricket: Grameenphone is one of the fanatic patronizes of the Bangladesh cricket team. They have extended their helping hand towards they Bangladesh cricket any time when needed. They have sponsored of many cricket series not only in Bangladesh but also in abroad. As cricket is a popular game in Bangladesh, so Grameenphone is achieving much popularity through sponsoring the cricket team. [pic] Aktel is always committed to the society. In fact, 2005 2006 were a year of exploration into Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for Aktel. To actively identify and start establishing Aktel as a concerned entity devoted to the development of many social interests throughout greater Bangladesh based on four core values. These are enlightened through education, Assure better health, Protect environment and Fight with poverty. In recognition of its CSR effort, Aktel is the first among all mobile phone operators to win prestigious â€Å"Standard Chartered-Financial Express Corporate Social Responsibility Award-2006†. Aktel believes education platform remains the main focus to develop a nation. To ensure an early jump into technology and intellectual transfer, Aktel has established a tradition of providing scholarships every year to three promising individuals to complete their higher studies in Multimedia University in Cyberjaya, Malaysia. To provide a world-class teaching and learning resources for Bangladeshi professionals Aktel joined hand with Chittagong Skills Development Centre (CSDC), Underprivileged Childrens Educational Programs (UCEP-Bangladesh), etc. Aktel also aims to identify and supports indeed those in need of basic infrastructure to practice the fundamentals of Islam. This contribution goes in building orphanages and renovations of mosques all across the Bangladesh. To improve living condition of distressed people; Aktel has always been providing support to them. As a shared concern with the society at large, Aktel also focused towards the roaming street children found throughout Bangladesh. Not only will Aktel continue its thrust towards identifying involving itself with more avenues for CSR activities, we encourage the fellow enterprise of Bangladesh to participate in such activities on a regular basis. By becoming more aware of living social community, Aktel can certainly see so many areas to be involved in. Only through concerted efforts of the private sector, there will be emerged a socially responsible collective consciousness CSR Highlights Aktel –Daily Star EIS (English in School) launched |  [pic] | Aktel The Daily Star have jointly initiated   English in Schools ( EIS), a language learning program   to promote English language learning at secondary schools across the country. Under the three-year programmed, three complimentary copies of The Daily Star will be distributed to around 1,000 schools each in 64 districts five days a week. Every week, there will be a special page containing materials on English language useful for teachers and students in and outside the school. Aktel stands besides cold affected underprivileged people of the city: Aktel, one of the largest cellular phone operators in Bangladesh has joined hands with Anjuman-Mufidul-Islam, a hundred years old civic organization in distributing blankets to the underprivileged people of the city. Aktel joined hands with SEID trust: To rehabilitate children with disabilities especially intellectual and multiple disabilities into mainstream society and to facilitate activities directed towards ensuring the rights of such children, Aktel, country’s largest telecom service provider joined its hands with SEID (Special Education for Intellectually Disabled) Trust, a non- governmental voluntary organization. Aktel stands besides SOMA: Aktel commenced for SMS campaign in raising funds for the treatment of Ms. Soma Akter (17), who was suffering from terminal illness of thalasimia (blood cancer). [pic] Aktel in Bishwa Estema 2008 Aktel had taken initiative of executing various activities in Bishwa Estema, the 2nd largest Muslim gathering in the world after Holy Hajj in which millions of people came from different parts of the world to participate in this pilgrimage. Among the initiatives, are to provide instant primary aids to the pilgrims through free medical check-up by a team of certified doctors at the Aktel  voluntary medical service point from morning to night. Aktel also served free pure drinking water for the pilgrims of Bishwa Estema. [pic] Aktel-Debate Championship ’08: The Aktel Debate Championship ‘08 was organized by Drishty Chittagong. In the week long program, 7th inter school English debate competition and 1st Inter university English debate competition were held. [pic] Aktel’s contribution for BRAC’s education programme: Aktel, country’s one of the largest cell phone operators assisted in publishing the book titled ‘Nana Desher Nana Manush’ under the nonformal and continuing education program conducted by Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC). The cheque was handed over to The Book Group, the authorized publisher, Mr. Syed Nazmul Abdal, Executive Director of The Book Group. With this financial aid, about 10000 copies of informative children books will be published for non-formal schools run by BRAC. Employee satisfaction Grameenphone: Grameenphone considers its employees to be one of its most important assets. GP has an extensive employee benefit scheme in place including Gratuity, Provident Fund, Group Insurance, Family Health Insurance, Transportation Facility, Day Care Centre, Childrens Education Support, and Higher Education Support for employees, in-house medical support and other initiatives. Aktel: Aktel has also some employee development plan for its employees. Aktel has transportation facilities, festival bonus, insurance facilities, and medical facilities for its employees but in some case grameenphone is more ahead than Aktel. So grameenphone is achieving more employee satisfaction as well as quality service. Taking quick and revolutionary decision Grameenphone: Grameenphone phone was the first mobile company operating in our country, that’s why they have to face several challenging decisions which they have overcame very successfully by their innovative and snatch decisions. Grameenphone internet facilities, entering share market, vital role in CSR programe that efficiently performed by the grameenphone than any other existing mobile operator in Bangladesh. Aktel: Aktel have also introduced some revolationalry and innovative decision in this sector like 10 sec/pulse, e-fill facility, extended validity of balance, balance transfer, 5 FnF offer, and surprising call rate through introducing Aktel joy. Quality customer service Grameenphone: From the very beginning, Grameenphone placed emphasis on providing good after-sales services. In recent years, the focus has been to provide after-sales within a short distance from where the customers live. There are now more than 600 GP Service Desks across the country covering nearly all upazilas of 61 districts. In addition, there are  72 Grameenphone Centers in all the divisional cities and they remain open from 8am-7pm every day including all holidays. Aktel: Customer Care Centers have been established to meet the customer’s needs and demands, under one roof. Staffed with professionals, these Centers cater to any queries that may have regarding AKTEL and its products / services. Any support regarding AKTEL connection, be it as simple as paying your bills or activating any of AKTEL’s innovative value-added services, is available at these Centers. AKTEL has 19 Customer Care Centers and 200 Customer Service Points in 61 allowable districts all over the country. Aktel has another 670 Aktel Touch Points (ATP) scattered along the most densely populated areas. [pic] Providing internet facility Grameenphone: Grameenphone is one of the mobile phone operators who got the internet facility. Recently the popularity of grameenphone internet is sky reaching. Grameenphone has introduced special modem facility @ 3200 only for availing their internet facility and that’s why, now a day’s grameenphone becoming an untouchable leader in the mobile industry. [pic] [pic] [pic] Aktel: On the other hand, Aktel is yet to introduce any such facility for their valuable customers that may drive their subscriber to depend on any other operators. So it is urgent need to provide this facility to retain their valued customers. Introducing hand set Grameenphone: Recently grameenphone has introduced a hand set of their own including camera, internet facility, MMS, FM radio facilities with a minimum cost. Through introducing hand set, grameenphone have touched a new milestone in this sector. Aktel: Aktel have not launched any such mobile phone yet now. They need to give emphasis on this sector to capture new customers. Brand image Grameenphone: Brand image of grameenphone is far better than other mobile phone operator in Bangladesh. So the company is getting more attention by the general people. Aktel: Aktel brand image is also lucrative to the people but in this term grameenphone has achieved more success whereas Aktel clearly lagging behind. |Recommendation | †¢ Network capacity of Aktel should be enhanced to capture more customers. Customer care center facilities should be developed and available to the existing customers. †¢ Advertisement promotional activities of Aktel should be up to the mark. †¢ Employee satisfaction should be ensured to get quality work. †¢ Corporate social responsibility should be performed more to create a lucrative impression. †¢ Internet facilities should be provided to cope up with this competitive market. †¢ Aktel sh ould take some steps to enter into share market. †¢ Value added services should be increased. †¢ Quality customers’ services must be ensured. |Conclusion | Mobile phone industry has brought about a silent revolution and a radical change in our standard of living. This sector is very attractive to the companies eventually, it is being more competitive day by day. So to survive in this competitive market, the company should be more careful about the satisfying customer needs. This study has showed why a company like Aktel is lagging behind then the leader. So there have a little bit concern for the Aktel to improve their service quality as well as their market position. So it is high time to come forward with the comprehensive movement to achieve the expected position in the current market. [pic][pic]

Washington Irving Essays - The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow, Free Essays

Washington Irving Essays - The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow, Free Essays Washington Irving Washington Irving was the first native American to succeed as a professional writer. He remains important as a pioneer in American humor and the development of the short story. Irving was greatly admired and imitated in the 19th century. Toward the end of his career, his reputation declined due to the sentimentality and excessive gentility of much of his work ("Irving" 479). Washington Irving's time spent in the Hudson Valley and abroad contributed to his writing of The Devil and Tom Walker, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and Rip Van Winkle. Irving was born in New York City on April 3, 1783, the youngest of eleven children in a merchant family. Unlike his brothers, Irving did not attend nearby Columbia College, instead he was apprenticed in 1801 to a lawyer. In 1806, he passed the bar examination, but remained financially dependent on his family until the publication of The Sketch Book. In the meantime, Irving did odd jobs for the family as agent and lobbyist. It seems like he worked as little as possible, and for years pursued an amateur or semiprofessional interest in literature ("Irving" 479). In his free time, he read avidly and wandered when he could in the misty, rolling Hudson River valley, an area steeped in local folklore and legend that would serve as an inspiration for his later writings. ("Washington Irving" DISC) At nineteen, Mr. Irving began writing satirical letters under the pseudonym "Jonathan Oldstyle." He wrote to a newspaper owned by his brother Peter, named the New York Morning Chronicle. His first book, Salmagundi, was a collaboration with another brother, William and their friend James Kirke Paulding. This book satirized early New York theater and poked fun at the political, social, and cultural life of the city. Washington Irving's second book, A History of New York, from the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty, is narrated by the fictitious Diedrich Knickerbocker. This book is a comical, deliberately inaccurate account of New York's Dutch colonization ("Washington Irving" DISC). Knickerbocker History and the almost thirty parts of Irving's next critically acclaimed book, The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., show that his roots in New York and travels abroad gave him the basis for these works. The lively story of "The Devil and Tom Walker" is the story of Tom Walker, his termagant wife, and their separate confrontations with the devil. The New England folk tale is told with very little addition says Sara Rodes: Irving could have heard this tale in New York as well as in new England, for the general picture of the sharp "Yankee" represented by Tom Walker fitted well into the New Yorkers' idea of the new England character. Irving also uses the folk tradition as a base for his own imaginings rather than keeping close to the folk versions for the whole story. However, he always keeps much of the true folk spirit in his stories no matter how much he may add and romanticize. He often eliminates the roughness of the folk version but his folk lore is authentic and his use of it legitimate. (248) In this folk tale we see again that Mr. Irving has used his background to basically retell a story that he might have heard as a child. Also in, "The Devil and Tom Walker," which, despite its wildly improbable plot, foreshadows the best of Hawthornes's fictional exposure of Yankee shrewdness and Puritan hypocrisy (Ferguson 391). The Sketch Book, also contains the classic tale of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." This is the story of Ichabod Crane, which is from Hebrew meaning "inglorious," or literally, "without honor" (Bone 4). Ichabod's encounter with the Headless Horseman is the dramatic climax of the story. In the folktale of German origin Irving has once again transplanted the story to take places in the Hudson Valley of New York and achieved something more than the routine tale of suspense or the bizarre anecdote ("Irving" 480). His descriptions of Sleepy Hollow and the people were so realistic and homey that old timers of the lower Hudson River claimed to have known Brom Bones himself (Rodes 248). ". . . Irving is thoroughly capable of creating pure fiction form

The life of William shakespeare Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The life of William shakespeare - Research Paper Example Of the five siblings, William had two sisters and three brothers. Edmund Shakespeare, the last born in the Shakespeare family was born when William was in his teenage years, and that’s when he lost one of his sisters. John Shakespeare later became the mayor of the town in which William was born. Shakespeare never had an extensive education life. At the age of six or seven, William Shakespeare attended the King’s new school in Stratford (a school that taught children of prominent citizens) where he leant grammar and got the chance of sharpening his writing skills which laid down the foundation of his career in theater. In his secondary, he studied Latin, literature, rhetoric, logic, and ethics. In his work, there is evidence of Roman comedy, classical mythology and ancient history. This is believed to be his only formal education as there is no evidence to suggest he ever received university training. William might have been withdrawn from the school of grammar due to the increased poverty of his father at the age of thirteen. At that time, his father was a butcher, and William joined him in that business for some time. The business of John Shakespeare had gone from bad to worse, and at the time, William Shakespeare was eighteen, his father was deprived of his mayorship. This happened on 6th of September 1586. Not much is known about the life of William Shakespeare in his youth, but it is evident that at the age of eighteen, he got married to a farmer’s daughter known as Anne Hathaway who was eight years older than him. They married when Anne had William’s pregnancy and she gave birth six months later. It is believed that Shakespeare was forced into marriage by the Hathaway family since he wanted to marry one Anne Whateley who was already married to Wm Shaxpere and that he had previously impregnated Anne Hathaway. William Shakespeare never showed affection to his wife. This is evident because in his first draft of his will,

Any article for fitness such as tips for work out o

Any for fitness such as tips for work out o - Article Example Doing exercise in gym on a regular basis is a time consuming task. Nonetheless, it can not be missed. In order to accommodate their exercise needs in a tight schedule, many people tend to do workout at home. Not only does this practice save time, but also becomes quite convenient for people to exercise on a regular basis. In order to workout at home, one would need such exercise equipment that would not only be cheap, but would also accommodate in the space available in home. Different people have different exercise needs. One should buy the machine that would address one’s area of concern. Step bench, balance balls, exercise cycle, dumbbells and weights are common exercise equipments that can be easily accommodated in homes (Jerkins). In case someone is not able to purchase the products of health fitness, then he/she should acquire second hand equipment. With time, more equipment can be gathered. It is not essential to purchase everything at the same time. As one’s nee ds grow, so should the collection of exercise equipment. Works Cited: Jerkins, Hanna. â€Å"Tips To Choose Best Bodybuilding Equipments for Workout.† 25 Mar. 2011. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. .

Digital Security And Privacy Information Technology Essay

Digital Security And Privacy Information Technology Essay In this essay i will look at the basic fundamentals of security and privacy for users and businesses in the 21st century and what i think the security risks are for them and what the impact the security problems have on our privacy laws, does this controversal access to everybit of information about people actually make system more secure e.g prevent system attacks. I will go indept into what i believe are the main security risks for users and businesses when browsing the internet or shopping and using online banking and also discuse briefly what it would be like to have no privacy. I will also discuses how when a user goes on a scoial networking site or search engine they might be at risk of sharing information unwillingly with the providers. And another topic i will be discussing in this is how humans fail in there bit for security and how to prevent this from happening. Digital security in the 21st century is now more important than ever before, there are many different types of security threats to the average person, business or even government. This is because everything we do on a daily basis can have a security risk, whether it be from online shopping or checking your email. If a users computer has been hacked or has some spyware or malware and they are using it for online shopping, then the attacker may be able to gain access to the users sensitive data which can then be used for fraud or theft or sold on to a third party for marketing data. Shopping in a store using your debit card can also be a risk as debit cards can be cloned by staff and pin numbers stolen using a device that looks the same as the card machine but has been designed or modified to remember pin codes and clone users debit cards/credit card details. Laptops and Mobile phones being stolen can have personal information on them, even losing your universal serial bus storage device or USB pen drive as they are know as for short which can contain all sorts of information because people, businesses and governments all use these devises to move or store data. And if the data is not encrypted then there is always the chance that someone can gain access to it. Security is the main issue when it comes to a persons personal information whether it be from browsing the Internet to online banking there will always be people who want to steal information for an entire range of reasons (eg: phishing and fraud) ! Another thing to be wary of is the topic of Liberty; are security laws infringing on our basic human rights to privacy and our security by allowing corporations and even governments to spy on our Internet communications for what they call  ¿Ã‚ ½anti-piracy ¿Ã‚ ½ or National Security such as the PATRIOT Act in the United Sates of America, and this brings me to conclude, why should the rights of the many suffer because of the actions of a few. And this is being debated everyday of every week by civil rights activists to our own government deciding what they can do and cannot do. Too much information available about anyone to anyone can be dangerous and this topic should be taken extremely seriously. One major impact on privacy is the development of social networking sites and search engine providers that sell the users information to third parties. The quote Privacy is a fundamental human right. It underpins human dignity and other values such as freedom of association and freedom of speech. It has become one of the most important human rights of the modern age. by Marc Rotenberg, Protecting Human Dignity in the Digital Age (UNESCO 2000) 1. And i think that we are heading into a society that does not care about the fundamental human rights we have and how we attained them. For example anti-utopian, dystopian novels of the 20th century, depicted societies where privacy was non existant and an intrusive, oppressive regime denied this fundamental human right as a matter of course. In Yevgeny Zamyatins novel  ¿Ã‚ ½We ¿Ã‚ ½ 2the population lived in buildings constructed of glass, which allowed everyone and anyone to snoop on anyone whom they wished. Opposition is impossible in a society where privacy is non-existant. George Orwells 1984  ¿Ã‚ ½Big Brother ¿Ã‚ ½ and tele-screen are frighteningly similar to todays move towards a 21stcentury society where the Government and corporations have full access to every bit of any citizens digital life. The 19thcentury black champion of civil rights, Frederick Douglass protested that any rights and liberties won by any people were awarded after contesting the power structures of society. He said in 1857 that  ¿Ã‚ ½Power concedes nothing without a demand, it never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to, and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong that will be imposed upon them. ¿Ã‚ ½ 3 Frederick Douglass, speaking on the emancipation of the West Indies, 1857  ¿Ã‚ ½Men may not get all they pay for in this world, but they must certainly pay for all they get. ¿Ã‚ ½ 3 also has meaning to that you can use a search engine for free and also a social networking site, but be careful of your information as they might sell it on to third parties. In the book; The Art of Deception: Controlling the Human Element of Security 4, the authors Kevin D. Mitnick William L. Simon na ¿Ã‚ ½blame the Human individual as the weakest link, the individual is relegated to a position below the security system in question. Page 3, titled in big black letters  ¿Ã‚ ½Securitys Weakest Link ¿Ã‚ ½ states  ¿Ã‚ ½the humanfactor is truly securitys weakest link. ¿Ã‚ ½ In the Computer Security Handbook, John Wiley Sons (2002) 5which some of the top security specialists in the world have contributed to. Donn B. Parker, a retired (1997) senior management consultant at RedSiren Technologies in Menlo Park, Ca, who has specialised in information security for 35 of his 50 years in the computer field and who Information Security Magazinehas identified as one of the five top Infosecurity Pioneers (1998) writes in  ¿Ã‚ ½5.1.3 Functions of Information Security Computer Security Handbook ¿Ã‚ ½ that the complete opposite to the previous paragraph is true, that the current three function security model, (prevention, detection, and recovery) are completely insufficient and that an 11 function model is needed to eliminate or mitigate the security risks in question, which include avoidance, deterrence, detection, prevention, mitigation, transference, investigation, sanctions rewards, recovery, correction, finally; education 5. It is easy to jump to conclusions and intuitively blame the people whom personify  ¿Ã‚ ½hackers ¿Ã‚ ½ or adversaries to computer security professionals, but history shows us that nothing should be taken for granted concerning security. No system will be inherently perfect, and new technologies are continually being created and updated, and most will likely become more secure as time goes on. Human nature on the other hand is a constant and no man or woman should ever denigrate humanity to a role below that of a firewall, for any reason. If a computer security system is vulnerable, patch the system or come up with innovative methods to secure it from outside access, improve on the imperfect and take comfort knowing that you have executed your job successfully, thus without sacrificing your morality. Types of attack  ¿Ã‚ ½ Once a malicious program has been installed on a person or business or governments bodys computer, it can cause harm in many different ways. And the most typical mechanisms for attacks by hackers is:  ¿Ã‚ ½ taking control of a users access and pretending to be that legitimate user. This can be very bad if a hacker gains access to any information as the user might not realise in time for it to be stopped being used eg. bank account or credit card information being stolen.  ¿Ã‚ ½ Stealing or copying secret or confidential data for corporate espionage or other purposes.  ¿Ã‚ ½ Destroying corporate data to do financial damage to a business or government body  ¿Ã‚ ½  ¿Ã‚ ½ Causing network and system shortages to paralyze a company ¿Ã‚ ½s operations eg. Denial of service attack (D.O.S) or Distributed denial of service attack (D.D.O.S). Risks to an Organisation: Security vulnerabilites coming from within an organisation are on the increase in todays businesses and are increasingly the operational risks of any business in todays world, and in a time of recession this is not good because it brings the running costs of the business up and costs to the average person may go up also . so this can lead to a loss of reputation in the regard to customers or partnership in a company or even the share holders of the company. There may also be a risk to the business by interruption to the company and lead to the violation of legal and government reulation requirements to protect sensitive customer information E.G OFCOM if the attack works, some examples are:  ¿Ã‚ ½ Unauthorized access to any information where the access includes disclosure, modification and destruction of any data.  ¿Ã‚ ½ Unauthorized users or hackers, i.e. a person who have not been given the rights by the owner/user to access the system. How do people fail in the line of security? Social Engineering Manipulation: con-artists are being used to acquire confidential information by manipulating genuine users into telling them. It is a new type of insider attack that is on the up trend similar to an attack that is knowm as  ¿Ã‚ ½phishing ¿Ã‚ ½ in which a malicious or hackeris able toget internal access with access to company sensitive information in turn which can lead to other users/customers into providing access to forbiddon information. These con-artists rely and work on the basis that people are kind hearted and not aware of the valuble information they know and are careless about protecting it because they think its irrelevant. These con-artists will search bins or skips or take advantage of people ¿Ã‚ ½s natural ability to choose passwords that are based on what is considered to bemeaningful to the user such as relative ¿Ã‚ ½s, date of birth or pets name etc but can be easily guessed if the hacker learns persoanl information about them. the name they now give the method these con-artists employ is called  ¿Ã‚ ½Social engineering ¿Ã‚ ½ and will always a threat to any security system. More internal threats may be: if there is aloss of data or data is corrupted, and backups fail this will lead to business having a losses of revenu and this in turn may affect the clients and loss of money to a business. There may also be misuse and theft of Call Records and information and also tele-communication center in which, internal breaches my accure by users who sometimes bypass the usage record from billing someone or a subscribers and then bydeleting the call record information from a database or by manipulating a program to overlook simple things to user subscribers. Identity theft: Identity theft of a customer ¿Ã‚ ½s valuable information such as address, security passwords credit card information, and date of birth or in a business ¿Ã‚ ½s sense, ID cards, Access codes . Identity fraud is a term that is used to refer to any type of crime in which any person or business wrongfully gets hold of and uses another person ¿Ã‚ ½s personal data in anyway way that may involves fraud or deception, typically for capital gains eg. giving the business an upper-hand from a competitor. Information used in scanning of biometrics for example of soem (face image scanner, palm print scanner, hand scanner ,handwriting of a person, fingerprints,voice recognition software, iris/retina scaners ) are each unique to every person and cannot be given to another human for their use, but can be faked, well some of them. However, personal data, especially a credit card account or debit card number, and other valuable personal information can be taken advantage of and maybe used by the wrong person for fraudulent purposes and sold to third parties at the cost to the average users. The not so innocent: Browsing the Web and using e-mails can seem a normal exercise in layman terms but may seem na ¿Ã‚ ½ve to the advanced users whom understand the security risks. For the average user however, all their activities can upset business. Some viruses that can do this are ( Worms/trojons/malware/spyware or Choke viruses) that are design and aimed at Instant Messaging systems that people use such as a social networking site and windows live messenger (MSN), the users may use these softwares or websites to talk to their friends online or send information from and each pose their own unique security threats. Anti-virus softwares and other tools may not detect malicious code opening through the font-system 6 or Instant Messaging system, so infected files can infect the desktop and then into the network or a business. If a company ¿Ã‚ ½s usb stick or security cards or notebooks are lost or stolen, important information may be at risk such as id names and Unique Identifier numbers. Outside threats to an organisation: External threats are mixed threats that combine many different ways such as worms, viruss, spam and distributed denial of service (DDOS). Every day, hundreds of new ways are discovered to attack software and security breaches by intruders, hackers and security professionals. There are more than 30k hacking-based Web sites on the internet now so it no longer needs a computer savy person to hack a site, just someone with time and patience. How to keep your computer safe with Virus Counter Measures. Regular Updating of a users Anti-Virus and Anti Spyware Software: This is to protect the user against viruses and malware/spyware and this is why antivirus software should be installed. All user email attachment files should be scanned: This is because computer viruses are most likely to be in an email attachment. just because emails come from your best friends does not mean it is still not important to scan there emails which may contain attachments before opening them as they may contain anything. Key points for handling email attachments:  ¿Ã‚ ½ Be careful when opening email attachments from unknown recipients.  ¿Ã‚ ½  ¿Ã‚ ½ Do not be fooled by the appearance of attachment files always check the extension to make sure its not a .exe, .com or any other  ¿Ã‚ ½executable ¿Ã‚ ½ extension for a word document or image file.  ¿Ã‚ ½  ¿Ã‚ ½ Do not send a plain text that can be included in the body of an email message as an attachment file eg. Encrypt your messages.  ¿Ã‚ ½  ¿Ã‚ ½ Learn about how email attachments are handled by different email programs.  ¿Ã‚ ½  ¿Ã‚ ½ Every file that is should be scanned with a users anti-virus and anti-spyware scanner before opening, because the user will never fully know whats inside.  ¿Ã‚ ½  ¿Ã‚ ½ A lot of files such as image files, .MP3,.MP4 and .avi videos are downloaded from the Internet, but some are notwhat we expect and contain malicious programs embedded in them or in the code of these files to hurt or dammage our computers, and a way to avoid this is to be sure to scan downloaded files before using them or opening them. An example is the font system vulnerability of Windows XP. 6  ¿Ã‚ ½  ¿Ã‚ ½ Take full advantage of the security functions/ settings supplied with any application software  ¿Ã‚ ½  ¿Ã‚ ½ Regulary updates of Security Patches Should be installed: All recent viruses attempt to exploit bug in a software or security holes that a programmer mite not have known about when creating the software to gain access to the operating systems and application software that a current user might be using.  ¿Ã‚ ½  ¿Ã‚ ½ If there is any weakness in your computer it can be and most likely will be infected with viruses or have corporate malware on them and the only way to combat this is by previewing emails or accessing the Internet when all security updates have been applied and clearing your Internet cookies after every session. causes of Virus Infection must not be overlooked. If you have encountered symptoms that you think are a virus you should do a scan, a users computer may have been infected with any sort of virus . so it is very important to watch out for this as it can be a major security flaw and scan your computer for viruses regularly to avoid disapointment. If a users computer system or an application freezes, or the system does not start. Files may be deltes or just become hidden. Unknown icons apear. some programs may make attempts to access the Internet without any notification to the user, this is why a firewall is needed. Emails are sent without the user ¿Ã‚ ½s consent. Scan intuitively to make sure there is no virus or spyware on a users PC. All a users data should backup data regulary in case of of system failure: Data corrupted by a system or hardware failure cannot always be restored by using software. Make the habit of getting use to backing up. Conclusion

Muslim Girls :: essays research papers

The central Bosnian village Dolina is located in a valley north of the Bosnian-Hercegovinian capital, Sarejevo. From a very early age Muslim girls are taught that their role as a female is to assist their mother with household chores and to serve the men. While her male siblings, who spend most of their time playing and walking around the village, are not expected to work around the house (Bringa 106). Muslim boys were given privileges because they were male. Muslim women usually did not leave the household for employment because they maintained the household agriculture, however they could sew and knit for other villagers. Women’s work mainly consisted of tending to the garden where they grew the vegetables for household consumption. The women also did the milking and the processing of cheese (Bringa 52-4). The busiest part of a Muslim woman’s day was in the morning when she did the cooking and the cleaning. A women’s daily routine, which includes social calls t o her neighbors, know as â€Å"coffee visits†, revolves around both her children and husband’s schedule. A woman was expected to be home whenever her husband was home (Bringa 87-8). The daily interaction between neighboring households occurs mainly through the women’s â€Å"coffee visits.† During the â€Å"coffee visits† the women are expected to uphold Muslim community values so as not to damage the reputation of their household (Bringa 91). Tone Bringa wrote: â€Å"as a wife a woman’s behavior was judged in relation to her behavior within the neighborhood and village, and in terms of her critical role as representative of the moral standing of her household on a daily basis†(105). Women determine and maintain the environment that exists within the household while the men are the providers of material substance (Bringa 86). The men spend most of their time working outside the village in nearby market towns or in the industrial suburb s of Sarajevo. Some of the most common jobs include bricklayer, welder, carpenter, electrician, car mechanic, warden, and lorry driver (Bringa 51). Fontana del Re is a poverty stricken neighborhood in Naples, Itlay. Just like in the Bosnian village of Dolina, the women of Fontana del Re, Naples tend to stay close to home while the men leave the area to find work. Life in Naples is focused on the mother. Thomas Belmonte wrote, the mother â€Å"is at the center because she controls and distributes the twin sources of human vitality, food and love† (89).

China’s Reform and Opening-Up Policy Essay

Deng Xiaoping in the eyes of all the Chinese people are very familiar with, because he proposed the reform and opening up policy, China has undergone enormous changes, China not only in the economic, political, cultural, social and other fields, various aspects have made great progress. I will divide my speech into three parts, the first part of the economy, the primary stage of socialism, the basic economic system has been established. Adjust and improve the ownership structure, changes in the ownership structure of public ownership as the main body, and a variety of forms of ownership develop the basic economic system. The reform of state-owned enterprises made ​significant progress. 30 years as the central link of the economic reform, the management system and operation mechanism reform of state-owned enterprises continued to deepen. Most of the restructuring of state-owned enterprises as diverse shareholders corporate enterprises, state-owned economy and structural adjustm ent progresses, greatly stimulate the vitality of enterprises, enhance the control and influence of the state-owned economy. The new macro-control system gradually perfected. Break the traditional highly centralized planning and management system, and gradually establish a macro-control system to adapt to the requirements of the socialist market economy, the transformation of government functions, planning, investment, finance and taxation, finance, foreign exchange, the price system reform has achieved significant progress in the formation of national planning and fiscal , monetary policy and the coordination of macro-control system. The second part, resource allocation, income distribution system is undergoing a fundamental change. Established distribution according to work is dominant and a variety of modes of distribution coexist distribution system, the establishment of the production factors of labor, capital, technology and management system of distribution according to contribution. Emphasis on the treatment of the relationship between the initial distribution and redistribution in the efficiency and fairness, give full play to the enthusiasm. The third part, social security, social security system of Chinese characteristics basically formed. Establishing and continuously improving the urban basic old-age insurance system, the formation of the urban and rural basic medical insurance system, and constantly improve the unemployment insurance, industrial injury insurance and maternity insurance system, generally establish minimum living security system for urban and rural residents, and gradually improve the social assistance system.