Autobiography Example

You have just completed your 300-page autobiography. Please submit page 217. To be honest, I am a really a busy person. I usually stay late at work, and sometimes lose my time with my family because of work. However, there is one event that I always do two or three times in a year. I go to music concerts. Since I was young I always listened to music. I listened while studying, driving, getting ready to sleep. Music, especially the drums, has been my strength and friend all the time. The drumsticks, which have been my hands’ friends since I was in seventh grade, are still the friends of my 47 year old hands.Of course my old sticks from my young age have been broken and changed many times over, but I still consider my new sticks as the same sticks I used to have when I was young. It is rather unusual for people to think that I love playing drums because my job is not a part time job or a freelance, and that they think of me as a reticent, a perceptive, and a sensitive person who only cares about his work. Nine years ago, I organized a band, and since then our band have concerts annually. Of course the proceeds of our concert are not for our own profit making.We have our concerts to help other people through the sales of tickets and donations. I know that I can donate money personally, but I wanted to help others by doing things I enjoy and entertain other people. The audiences know that they not only enjoyed the concert, but also have contributed in aiding the needy. Our band consists of seven people each with diverse jobs; CEO, doctor, engineer, composer. Each member has successful work and is recognized in society, and even has busier lives than mine.We gather together, brought about by sympathy for the underprivileged, and the love for music, reason and freedom, even though we work in different areas. Music does not restrict and discriminate age, position, or appearance. We just enjoy the music with our hearts to forget any problems on our shoulders. We first started the band just to dissolve our stress from work and life, and as time went by, it has expanded. We are now having concerts every year. Even though we are not professional musicians, many people, friends, family, have enjoyed our music for years and come and enjoy the concert.It seems that the audiences share our goals. They also get out the burdens of life and work, to just enjoy. The applause I hear from the stage while I shout, jump, and swing the sticks feels different from the greetings I receive at the hallway at work. I sometimes get very excited as if I was an idol star. Even though I think of myself as a professional drummer once in a while, I am really a businessman deep down. I love my job that and have never regretted my decision for it. I hear about people who chose their careers on the basis of success are the ones that regret their lives.It is different for me. Even though I chose my job to be successful; wealthy and reputable, I truly love my job and do my best. However, I have stacks of documents to go through, phone calls ringing every ten minutes, reprimands from the boss, and the room without windows can sometimes make me stressful and not efficient in work. During those times I grab my drum sticks bag from the third drawer of my desk, and walk out of my office, to head for the studio to swing my stresses away on the drum.

New Product Development Essay

This literature review shall be reviewing journal articles that discuss the importance of the Fuzzy Front End Phase to the processes involving the development of new products. It would first give an overview of the role the Fuzzy Front End Phase has on new product development. The factors and characteristics of the said phase would also be presented to gain a better understanding of the topic at hand. Afterwards, it would review the different articles written about the topic using three perspectives: (1) organizational; (2) environmental; and finally, (3) individual. Of the aforementioned perspectives, this literature review would focus on the third one, the individual. A number of authors have recognized the important role that the fuzzy front end phase has on new product development (Ottenbacher, Shaw and Ermen 2006; Drexkler 2006). The study of Reid and Brenanti (2004) was one of the researches that give importance to the role of the fuzzy front end phase in ensuring the success of the whole process of new product development. In technology-based enterprises, transforming different forms of technologies into new products and processes is one of the greatest challenges. It is then within the said process of innovating these technologies that the early phase of the FFE (Fuzzy Front End) is said to have the greatest impact not just to the process but also to the result as it would significantly affect the design and the costs of the said project. Unfortunately however, this particular stage according to both Herstatt and Verworn (2004) is the least well-structured part of the whole innovation process, looking at both theory and practice. Herstatt and Verworn (2001), Kim and Wilemon (2002) and Kohn (2006) all recognize the fact that the competitive nature of today’s society are pushing for the development of innovative and unique products in a faster pace yet at a lesser cost. Manufacturing firms, without a doubt, are developing new products and it is because of this that they give so much importance to the New Product Development Processes. However, despite the tremendous focus to this particular stage, Herstatt and Verworn (2000) note that failure rates remain high. As a result, many researchers as well as practitioners within the manufacturing industry are in constant search of finding ways by which they could make the New Product Development Process successful. One of the greatest opportunities to improve the stage, as indicated by some of the researchers such as Herstatt and Verworn (2000) is through the fuzzy front end or the pre-development phase. Moreover, Herstatt and Verworn (2000) developed a causal model in order to pave the way for a better understanding of the fuzzy front end phase and its role in ensuring the success of new product development. Figure 1. The Four Important Front End Factors (Herstatt and Verworn 2000) Looking from the model presented above, one could see the four important front end factors that help in the improvement of communication and at the same time, reduce the deviations that the firms may encounter during the execution of their project. In the same manner, the factors could also help in increasing the efficiency and satisfaction of the research and development (R&D) managers with regard to the project. Herstatt and Verworn (2000) list the following as the factors that are very important to the fuzzy front end phase: (1) interdisciplinary idea generation and selection; (2) reduction of market uncertainty; (3) reduction of technical uncertainty; and finally, (4) intensity of initial planning. The first factor mentioned by Herstatt and Verworn (2000) was interdisciplinary idea generation and selection. According to the authors, this includes the process of incorporating different functions into the generation and selection of new product ideas. It is usually a combination of the identification of an organization’s need problem or opportunity together and the purpose they have in order to satisfy these. Afterwards, they go directly to the reduction of uncertainties since these are already usually present with the first factor. The second factor is the reduction of market uncertainty. According to Herstatt and Verworn (2000), this particular factor refers to the knowledge that organizations have about their target markets and customers as well as the needs of their users. Furthermore, Ottenbacher, Shaw and Ermen (2006) assert that this knowledge could help them understand the attractiveness of their new products based on the perspective of their market and how they could continuously develop the said product. Through the fuzzy front end phase, manufacturing firms that are involved in the development of new products are able to reduce the uncertainties of their projects. However, Herstatt and Verworn (2000) stress the need to look into technical uncertainties during the fuzzy front end phase rather than giving too much emphasis on the market. This is because of the fact that it is through this knowledge that they will be able to identify whether or not they have the necessary technology and requirements to make their projects feasible. Lastly, the factor initial planning must be considered in order to guarantee the success of new product development. According to the authors and developers of the causal model, this factor helps in translating the overall project goals into a series of activities, properly allocating the resources for each phase (Belliveau, Griffin and Somermeyer 2007; De Jong and Vermeulen 2006). Likewise, Koen et al (2001; 2002) views the fuzzy front end as a phase wherein a set of activities happen that are essential to the process of New Product Development or NPD. They describe these activities as something chaotic, unpredictable and unstructured, something that Kim and Wilemon (2002) concur with. Kim and Wilemon (2002) describes the FFE phase as something filled with fuzziness, ambiguity and uncertainty. In fact, stages are often performed in an environment where there are many unknown factors. In the same manner, the information to be used for decision making are rather more informal and approximate rather than quantitative, formal and precise. Fuzziness, for Kim and Wilemon (2002) usually comes out from a firm’s uncertainty regarding their technical capabilities in making a certain project or product feasible. It also comes from their lack of knowledge with regard to the requirements of their customers, their markets, the resources required of them, the ability of the company in pursuing this project, taking into consideration their capabilities and limits. Aside from being the phase wherein these uncertainties are identified, the fuzzy front end helps in the elimination of these risks in order to ensure the success of the next development processes. In summary, the fuzzy front end phase of product innovation is generally concerned with the development of certain concepts regarding the product that is essential to its innovation and development (Audretsch and Acs, 1991). The development of a clear product concept during the FFE stage allows the different enterprises to clearly understand factors essential to the development of products which include time, costs, required technical expertise, the formation of the right development team, market potential and positioning, risk and organizational fit. It generally helps in avoiding decisions that are costly and risky (Beck, et al. , n. d. ). Although it generally contributes to the successes of the whole process concerning new product development, the FFE stage is not spared from limitations and advantages. Processes involved in the fuzzy front end phase of product innovation generally face different delays especially those related with costs. During this particular phase, different activities are usually carried out during under different conditions. Unfortunately, there are barriers that exist in every situation, hampering the success of these activities. The following are the barriers to the FFE phase: (1) lack of vision, (2) lack of perceived urgency. (3) lack of formalization, (4) lack of effective project leadership, (4) ineffective communication processes and finally, (5) ineffective people conducting the work associated with the Fuzzy Front End phase of product innovation. The Fuzzy Front End Phase: An Environmental Perspective This part, as the heading implies would discuss the Fuzzy Front End Phase and its importance based on the environmental perspective. It would look into the views and researches conducted by scholars who had been long been respected in the field: (1) Herstatt and Verworn; (2) Khurana and Rosenthal; (3) Kim and Wilemon; (4) Reid and Brentani; (5) Koen; (6) Garcia and Calantone among others. According to Brentani and Reid (2004), the environmental perspective has been one of the most important approaches in studying fuzzy front end as an essential part of new product development and innovation. Brentani and Reid (2004) defines the environmental perspective as that which views three aspects (industry, institutional and country) as impacting innovation. The idea that the fuzzy front end involves processes of information gathering and adoption from the environment is based on the assumption that the environmental external to the firm is the primary source of new ideas for discontinuous innovations that even in-house ideas ultimately have some input from external sources (Brentani and Reid 2004). Eldredge and Gould (1972), on the other hand, note that according to the first perspective, innovation processes fail to continue because of certain phenomena affecting the environmental level. They further state that †¦ While organizational species change little during most of their history, random events can foster rapid speciation, thereby punctuating or interrupting this stability and resulting in concentrated periods of change and new paths of evolution. Authors who come from the environmental perspective of the fuzzy front end phase usually looks into innovation coming from a macro-level. The usually make use of the historical industrial analyses in order to examine the long-run nature and economic impact of failed innovations, Brentani and Reid (2004) mention. Furthermore, the environmental perspective promotes the idea that companies must be able to exhibit an advantage over the other members of the industry in order to stay alive despite the presence of a fierce competition. In order to establish this advantage, they must be able to produce products at a faster rate using technologies that only they have. Moreover, it is also due to this that firms are encouraged to first look into their environment of operation before actually proceeding on to the development of new products (Griffin, Hoffman, Price and Vojak 2007; Montoya-Weiss and O’Driscoll 2007). Because of this, firms once again innovate depending on what their environment requires of them. Quinn (1985, in Brentani and Reid 2004) says: Technology tends to advance through a series of random insights frequently triggered by gratuitous interactions between the discoverer and the outside world. These interactions provide the new combinations of old elements. . . The accelerated world of today demands manufacturing firms to be more competent in terms of the production of new products and at the same time, speed up their development processes (Griffiths-Hemans and Grover 2006; Zhang, Lim, Cao 2004). All organizations nowadays have recognized the importance of innovation in order to become successful today, tomorrow and in the near future (Resources for Success 2006). However, new product development for technologically advanced industries is facing many difficulties and uncertainties. Furthermore, the environment perspective of analyzing the fuzzy front end phase of new product development must also pay attention to what kind of products that a manufacturing firm must be able to produce. The study of Koen (2006) will be presented towards the latter part of this section that could give a better understanding of the different kinds of products and the appropriate FFE process that could be used for this. Garcia and Calantone (2002) and Broring and Leker (2007), on the other hand, note that the different strategies being used by the manufacturing firms must be positively related with their organizational structure which must then be patterned after the competitive environment of the industry to which they belong to. Brentani and Reid (2004) further states that in order to understand the fuzzy front end phase using this perspective, one must understand that the environment plays a very important role in the decisions made by individuals who are exposed to early information regarding technology. It is because of this that Kim and Wilemon (2002) give importance to the introduction of technologically challenging products at the right time as one of the so-called success factor for firms living in today’s world wherein innovation becomes more important. An example of this would be companies that are being threatened by a situation wherein a competitor is on the verge of taking away its business due to the introduction of a new product. Failure to respond to the competitor’s action could mean the loss of a certain firm’s market share and profits. Undoubtedly, the importance of the fuzzy front end phase is once again highlighted. Kim and Wilemon (n. d. ) concur with the claims of various researchers that the fuzzy front end phase is a topic that is usually neglected in the literature discussing new product development. This is because of the fact that scholars would usually focus on the efficiency of the firms’ processes rather than examining the fuzzy front end phase which is said to be important in cutting down cycle time. Thus, the said phase is given much importance in terms of its ability to make a critical contribution to the success of new products (Weissenberger-Eibl and Koch 2007). According to Kim and Wilemon (n. d. ), the following are the prime goals that are usually addressed in the fuzzy front end phase: (1) selecting the right opportunity; (2) producing a well-defined product concept; and finally, (3) clarifying customer and project requirements before the actual development of the new product. It is then because of this that developers who are well experienced in the entire process are becoming more attracted to investing considerable time and money in this stage to ensure that the project is feasible. Kohn (2006) shares the same view with Kim and Wilemon (2002). According to the said author, for members of the mature industries that are exposed to fierce competition, the processes regarding new product development gains tremendous importance. This is due to the fact that they are in faced with challenges of producing new, unique products at a shorter period of time and at lower costs. However, the new product development process fails to guarantee the firms as it is said to cause both time delays and substantial increases in cost. As a result, more and more researchers are giving more importance to an early phase where the functions and other factors related to the development of new products would be examined and analyzed. Khurana and Rosenthal (1997) also mentioned some of these factors in their discussion of the fuzzy front end process in order to give an in depth analysis on how this could help in ensuring the success of new product development. All the activities included in the fuzzy front end phase of product development are individual activities which are logically related to each other. The description provided for the process should be analyzed based on concepts such as product ideas, market analysis and technology options. Because of this, it is but proper to understand the relationships that exist between the different activities involved in the fuzzy front end phase of product development. The main focus should be placed on product strategy and portfolio plans. Focusing on these two would ensure that the development of the product jives with that of the capabilities and competencies of the companies developing them yet at the same time, recognizing limitations such as roles, communications and finally, culture. The aforementioned elements thus can be seen as having played very important roles as they serve as preconditions or foundations for the many activities that a certain enterprise would undergo as part of their new product development process. As a result, companies implemented a phase-review management system to define and serve as guidance for these project-specific activities (Wycoff, 2003). Companies usually begin working on new product opportunities, usually referred to as pre-phase zero when they begin to see an opportunity for their businesses. If they see that the exploration for this opportunity could be beneficial to their businesses, they then assign a small group which may or may not include suppliers to join forces in the development of the product’s concept and definition (this is where phase zero then begins). Phase one immediately happens after phase zero. It is in this particular phase wherein the enterprises examine the feasibility of their project (at the business and technical level). It is also in this particular phase wherein these companies start preparing and planning for their NPD (new product development) project. The development team then identifies the new product, how it could be developed and the rationale for the business proceeding behind it. The fuzzy front end phase then ends upon the completion of this phase wherein the team presents the business case and the business units involve would then choose between the commitment to fund, staff and launch the project or kill it (Montoya-Weiss and O’Driscoll 2007). Khurana and Rosenthal (1997) also give importance to activities which are product-specific and must be present during the fuzzy front end phase. Product-specific front-end activities are essential in making product concepts clear. At the same time, it also gives specific definitions to both product and market requirements; it also aids in the development of plans, schedules and estimates how much resources does one product need. However, the limiting factor that is associated with these elements is the fact that they could not create detailed designs and other specifications for the product and its other parts (Broring and Leker 2007). Generally, Khurana and Rosenthal (1997) defines product concept as one of the basic steps wherein (1) customer needs, (2) market segments, (3) competitive situations, (4) business prospects and (5) alignment with existing business and technology plans are identified. Studies made states that the different product concepts must be clearly defined so that the managers could identify the opportunities that could be beneficial for their companies. They must be able to identify and understand what their consumers need and at the same time, recognize the available technologies and applications that they could use in satisfying these wants and needs. In illustrating intangible products, one could sketch a three-dimensional of such products to be able to understand and identify the wants and needs of the consumers. Herstatt and Verworn (2000) also recognize the presence of these factors as a vital part of the causal model they developed in order to understand the fuzzy front end phase as an essential aspect of the new product development process. As seen from the aforementioned discussion, Herstatt and Verworn adopted the factors of the fuzzy front end phase as presented by Khurana and Rosenthal (1997). According to the authors, these factors are an essential part of the fuzzy front end phase in order to ensure the success of New Product Development. Basically, the identification of these would help the companies pinpoint their needs as an organization and the manner by which these could be achieved. In this manner, they will be able to identify the product that they have to produce in order to stay alive despite being in the midst of competition. Aside from this, the fuzzy front end phase also helps organizations in determining their market and technical uncertainties. This would help them understand their target markets, their customers and their needs, the potential of their products vis-a-vis the market, and finally, the attractiveness of their product when introduced to the market. On the other hand, it could also give them a better understanding of the capabilities and limitations they have as a company. This is because both market pull and technology push are becoming more important to recent times. Traditionally, most products were distinguished as either driven by the customer (or markets), also known as market pull or affected by recent technological advancements, also referred to as technology push. Bretani and Reid (2004) stresses on this matter by identifying two kinds of technology: (1) generic technologies and (2) application technologies. Generic technologies are defined as those required to manufacture the products and are held widely by all participants that get involved in the industry. On the other hand, application technologies are those that distinguish the organization from the competition and that are developed systematically within the firm building on generic technologies.

IKEA Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

IKEA - Research Paper Example is native land Smaland, south Sweden).IKEA is known for it’s up to date architectural designs that fit various kinds of furniture and appliances, and has got interior design work that is most of the time related with an eco-friendly ease (Baxter, Landry, 2010). Apart from this IKEA is famous for its keenness to cost control, constant product development and operational details, corporate features which permitted IKEA to review its prices downwards by an average of 2 or 3 percent over the ten years to 2010 during an era of global development. As of the beginning of 2014, IKEA proudly owns and operates 349 stores in over 43 countries. In financial year 2010, IKEA sold over US$23.1 billion worth of goods, a sum that signified a 7.7% increase over 2009.IKEA’s website contains over 12,000 products and is the closest depiction of the complete IKEA range. Apart from that there were over 470 million guests to IKEA’s websites from the year September 2007 to September 2008.IKEA spends just about 1% of the world’s supply of wood, making it one of the biggest users of wood as far as retail sector is concerned(Baxter, Landry, 2010). IKEA was formed in 1943, mainly as mail-order sales company. IKEA started selling furniture about five years afterwards. The very first store opened its doors to the public in 1958 at Smaland whereas the first stores outside of Sweden opened their doors in Denmark (1969) and Norway (1963).The stores later on extended to other European parts in the 1970s with the very first store outside of Scandinavia being opened in Switzerland in 1973 and Germany branch opened later in 1974. IKEA’s current products includes furniture, decorative and linen accessories are typified by some exceptional features, for instance, IKEA’s 2013 furniture fabrics are very illustrious with its unique designs;ethnic,romantic,pop and contemporary. Thus IKEA has produced interesting designs which are bound to keep people talking for months. In 2013, IKEA offered

Immigrants and Health Care Access in the United States Essay

Immigrants and Health Care Access in the United States - Essay Example From this study it is clear that  the successive waves of immigration into the country has kept the country demographically young and enriched with a variety of cultures. Consequently, there have been an improved productive capacity throughout the country and this has helped shape the influence and position of the United States in the world. Immigration has always given the United States an economic edge in the global economy. Immigrants have brought the entrepreneurial spirit and innovative ideas into the economy of United States. Through immigrants, the demand for goods and service has increased. It is immigrants who have developed new innovative products such as Java computer language, a programming language that have created a lot of employment for millions of Americans.  This discussion highlights that  the American immigration laws are very complex laws, and for one to become an American citizen there is a long way to go. The immigration policies provide several legal dis tinctions between different types of immigrants, such as naturalized citizens, undocumented immigrants, and noncitizens. Naturalized American citizens are individuals born in foreign countries but have become citizens of the United States lawfully and can enjoy all the rights enjoyed by American born citizens. The non citizens on their parts involve the individuals born in foreign countries but live in the United States lawfully but have not obtained American citizenship. They include the legal immigrants, refugees, asylums, and refugees.

The Arab-Israeli Conflict Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Arab-Israeli Conflict - Assignment Example The importance of the Middle East can hardly be overstated. Spread across North Africa, Asia Minor and Near Asia, the term Middle East' refers to 22 countries. In geographic terms, these countries are the doorways to Africa and Asia. In economic terms, they are the world's largest repositories of oil and natural gas, holding the majority of the world's known reserves of natural energy. Further, in economic terms, the Arab Middle East represents a valuable source of investment capital which has the potential to significantly contribute to the economy of any nation it is even partially diverted to. In political terms, the Arab Middle East has, officially, been the voice of moderate Islam - a force which the Western world can no longer afford to ignore or dismiss as inconsequential, considering that it is the world's second largest religion and it is fastest growing one. At the present moment, the West and the Arab Middle East are engaged in a conflict which, to date... In other words, the protraction and continued intensification of the Arab-Israeli conflict have negatively impacted on the West and on Middle East-West relationships. The West and the international community cannot afford the continued alienation of the Arab Middle East. From the strategic perspective, they can not afford it from the economic, political or security standpoints. At the same time, the international community cannot compromise on the issue of the survival of the State of Israel or on its right to security. The implication here is that the international community has to devise an approach to the conflict which is founded upon international law.  

Leadership and governance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Leadership and governance - Essay Example Since the leaders tend to build a group of followers as they set their ideologies, the paper also looks at the characteristics of followers and what their role should be in ensuring that they participate in the organizations’ governance and aide in the achievement of the set goals. The actions of the leaders in governing the organization will mean the difference between the success and the failure of the organization. Due to this fact, the characteristics of good leaders and the management skills that should be applied in governance have been addressed in the paper. The roles f different people in an organization have been discussed in the paper. Among those include the role of executives, managers and other leaders in the organizations. Some of their roles overlap like overseeing the general performance of the organization. Their different roles will therefore be explained in details and what is expected from them both by their subordinates and the organization. Leaders have the responsibility to ensure that an organization succeeds in achieving oits set goals and follow the plans that have been put underway. This paper addresses the relationship between leadership and governance and the roles of different people in an organization in trying to achieve the goals set by the organization. The people in leadership positions have more than a responsibility to lead the organization. They are the role models who set the pace for all the other workers in the organization and help to show them the vision of the organization and strategies that should be used to actualize the vision. This is done by practicing good governance and setting up plans and strategies that can be actualized. The leaders have the role of uniting and motivating the workers in an organization. If they fail in this fundamental role then that could mean the failure of the whole organization in

System Software and Network Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

System Software and Network Security - Essay Example The cloud computing has been surrounded by much hype as well as marketing strategies of how the IT infrastructure will eventually be placed in the â€Å"Cloud† if one needs to keep at pace with the technological advances. It’s widely acceptable that there is a wide array of benefits accruing from cloud computing. This includes fast deployment, scalability, business agility, and lower costs (Hurwitz, 2009). Despite these accruing benefits, there is a great danger to a cloud customer. With new providers emerging each day offering the cloud based services, this makes it very difficult for future cloud adopters to undertake due diligence and proper evaluation of the options. Whenever the company decides on the type of cloud (public, private, hybrid) (Furht, 2010) as well as the cloud service(IaaS, PaaS, SaaS) which best suits its specific infrastructure and the business needs, the next major task should be to choose the one specific vendor who is able to provide the above s ervices putting into consideration both cost and performance. At the moment there are no universal standards with which a user can use to evaluate the different cloud service providers which make the entire process quite challenging. Nevertheless there are a few guidelines that a company should put in place before deciding on the best cloud service provider. Most common reasons why companies are being drawn to this type of cloud service is that it offers good choice for companies having complex applications running on the company-owned hardware infrastructure. The companies’ further benefit by avoiding the upfront capital hardware investments since this... The paper tells that most common reasons why companies are being drawn to this type of cloud service is that it offers good choice for companies having complex applications running on the company-owned hardware infrastructure. The companies’ further benefit by avoiding the upfront capital hardware investments since this particular model is based on the pay-per-use model. Before transferring parts or the entire IT infrastructure to the cloud, companies need to state down the specific service requirements the company needs in terms of support, security, monitoring. Required Storage Space: You need to put into consideration the space you require while you are marketing for a cloud storage provider. This helps you calculate the true cost per GB and this will assist in choosing the best provider as well as the best plan that actually fits your business needs at the most affordable price. If the storage space is a limited one, there are a number of free cloud storage services availa ble and can offer anywhere between 1GB to 500GBs. Pricing: this is always another important consideration. Care should be taken when choosing not only the actual price but also the best pricing model. One need to check if the provider offers the pay as you go plans or the fixed price plans. Compatibility: this is also an important factor to consider. You need to establish the number as well as the various types of platforms that the various providers support. This is very important especially if you will be accessing your files using a variety of different devices and platforms.

Cost eficiency of Opaque Network System, Transient Network System and Research Paper

Cost eficiency of Opaque Network System, Transient Network System and Translucent network system of Mesh Optical Network System - Research Paper Example However, service providers require low cost network to optimize profit. This paper analyzes installation cost of opaque networking system, transparent networking and translucent networking systems as types of optical mesh networks. To examine Optical mesh network types and analyze their installation cost effective factor one needs to base observation on the following basic network service providers concern for a core optical mesh. Cheap network elements that will not cost the operator a lot in procuring and installing or that needs less re-engineering. Non-proprietary constrained network utilities, option of buying from different vendors Scalability with low footing expense Service assurance with capacity and redundancy Fault detection and management beyond installation Transparent network This Optical network sends signal from source to destination in form of light path. The optical information is passed through optical switch and routers from the initial generator to final destinat ion. The wavelength doesn’t undergo optic-electric conversion (O/E), client network element like a router will interface by use of long haul optics to communicate with the wavelength division multiplexer, making it to remain in the same wavelength. Meaning the information remains in optical domain (OOO) and there is no optical-electronic-optical (OEO) conversion, only a small switching fabric is needed to interconnect the wavelength division multiplexers and client element nodes. Remaining in optical domain creates a simple node architecture at its intermediate switch nodes since no electronic switching fabrics is needed to access wave division multiplexers (WDM), this saves cost and space. It employs nodes like directionless / colorless Reconfigurable Optical Add Drop Multiplexers (ROADM) or Optical Cross Connects (OXC). It is also easy to carry out an upgrade of such a network because of insensitivity of data rate change and protocol of light channel. Transparent network ca n also employ another cost effective architecture switch that may include a single large fabric instead of multiple switch matrices of small port counts but this also contributes negatively on lack of flexibility. However it has draw backs. According to Boullet and Ellinas, â€Å"if one is to provide flexibility, such an architecture design would require the use of tunable lasers at the clients and wavelength conversion. Since signal from client remain on the same wavelength when there is no wavelength conversion only a small size switch fabric is needed to interconnect the WDMs and NEs in a node, which translates to switch scalability† (Boullet & Ellinas, p. 5). Inflexibility leads to increased band width and network operational cost. This negates the saving advantage. Transparent networks needs a centralized planning of each link, this is because of disjoint links since no conversion of the wavelength occurs creating a network of n, where n is the number of WDM channels. Th is builds a network for unrestricted routing and redundancy capacity sharing involving only optical but would lead to increased bandwidth and network cost. On regeneration

The House of Commons Essay Example for Free

The House of Commons Essay In the House of Commons on May 27, 1919, Sir Robert stated that the government has taken no sides in that dispute. But he also observed that the government occupied a position different from that of the private employer. He asserted that if the needs of the people as a whole are to be regarded we cannot have in this country a complete dislocation of public services founded upon such reasons as have been put forward by the postal employees of Winnipeg, and he announced with some satisfaction at the close of his speech that seventy of the postal employees have returned to work and no difficulty has been experienced in filling the places of those who have not returned. He made no mention of the cost of living as a cause of the strike but did recognize the necessity of arriving at a definition of collective bargaining acceptable both to capital and labour. The attitude of the central government on this subject is of great importance, as it meant that Ottawa gave wholehearted support to the employers and governments at Winnipeg. On June 6, although there had been no serious violence, Mayor Gray banned all parades and forbade the congregation of crowds. On the same day the Dominion Parliament passed, with a remarkable economy of time, an amendment to the Immigration Act, which extended to British-born subjects the Acts provisions concerning deportation by executive order. This amendment, which was the cause of considerable resentment in organized labour groups across the country, passed all three readings in both Houses and received the royal assent in less than an hour. Its significance lay in the fact that it implied that the leadership of the strike was not in the hands of European-born aliens-an implication now definitely proven correct. This was the stage reached in the development of the strike when Woodsworth arrived in Winnipeg on June 8. As he approached the city across the prairies, stopping frequently to fulfil his speaking engagements, he kept himself as well informed about the strike as was possible from outside. He was anxious to use whatever influence he might possess in the city to further a conciliation move, but discovered that there was, by that time, practically no chance of success, chiefly because of the insistence upon cessation of the strike before further negotiations, and the blunt refusal to admit the right of a general strike on principle. Almost immediately upon his arrival, Woodsworth wrote a letter which was published in the Western Labor News, stating his own position and attempting to define the situation. In this statement he returned with great emphasis to one of his earliest established concepts, the sin of indifference. Learning in more detail the preceding developments of the strike, Woodsworth concluded that the general public, or at least that part represented by the Citizens Committee and the three governments, was not prepared to concede any of the strikers claims. Thus there appeared to be no alternative save for the workers to refrain from work to the limit of their resources, and to educate as many of the people on the sidelines as possible. The governments, he considered, were pursuing a course perfectly incompatible with the traditions of British liberty and, to add to his reasons for supporting the strikers, he was fully in sympathy with the goal of industrial collective bargaining. He immediately threw himself into the fray, appearing with strike leaders and outside sympathizers, to address mass meetings in Victoria Park, and helping to raise funds for strikers families. As he observed at close quarters the evolution of the strike he became increasingly convinced that the real plot was not the revolution allegedly sponsored by the One Big Union advocates, but the concerted actions of the Citizens Committee and the three governments to suppress the whole idea of industrial unionism and the sympathetic strike. Woodsworth continued to support the strike vigorously, speaking both at the Labour Church meetings and those of the soldiers parliament. He had completely identified himself with the movement a week after his arrival. Probably Woodsworth sensed the turn that events were about to take and yet was prepared to maintain his stand, since the conduct of the strike itself was distinctly non-violent. Although startled, he was not bewildered by the sudden descent of the full force of government power upon the strike leaders. In the early hours of June 17, the Royal North-West Mounted Police raided various homes in Winnipeg and made ten arrests. The men thus apprehended were hustled away in motor cars to Stony Mountain Penitentiary, and the books, records, and seditious documents discovered in their homes or at the Labor Temple were stored away for use at the trials. Four of the men arrested were foreigners who were later dealt with summarily by the Immigration Board, and who apparently had no intimate connection with the strike leadership. The arrests constituted a very heavy blow at the strike, robbing it of its most vigorous leadership and depriving it of the directors of its chief source of news and exhortation. As soon as Woodsworth heard of the arrests he conferred with his close friend Fred J. Dixon and the two men decided to undo at least part of the threatened disaster by carrying on the labour newspaper themselves.

Hdfc Bank Essay Example for Free

Hdfc Bank Essay The first modern bank was founded in Italy in Genoa in 1406, its name was Banco di San Giorgio (Bank of St. George). Many other financial activities were added over time. For example banks are important players in financial markets and offer financial services such as investment funds. In some countries such as Germany, banks are the primary owners of industrial corporations while in other countries such as the United States banks are prohibited from owning non-financial companies. In Japan, banks are usually the nexus of cross share holding entity known as zaibatsu. In France Bancassurance is highly present, as most banks offer insurance services (and now real estate services) to their clients. 1.2 DEFINITION: The definition of a bank varies from country to country. Under English law, a bank is defined as a person who carries on the business of banking, which is specified as: †¢ Conducting current accounts for his customers †¢ Paying cheques drawn on him, and †¢ Collecting cheques for his customers. 1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY: The Objective of this on the job training is to study the importance of the potential customers and their value to the bank and creating the awareness among them about the importance of current accounts and keep a good relationship with them for the bank’s benefit. 1.4 ORIGIN OF THE BANK: The name bank derives from the Italian word banco desk/bench, used during the Renaissance by Florentines bankers, who used to make their transactions above a desk covered by a green tablecloth. However, there are traces of banking activity even in ancient times. In fact, the word traces its origins back to the Ancient Roman Empire, where moneylenders would set up their stalls in the middle of enclosed courtyards called macella on a long bench called a bancu, from which the words banco and bank are derived. As a moneychanger, the merchant at the bancu did not so much invest money as merely convert the foreign currency into the only legal tender in Rome- that of the Imperial Mint. 1.5 PRESENT STATUS OF THE BANK: Worldwide assets of the largest 1,000 banks grew 15.5% in 2005 to reach a record $60.5 trillion. This follows a 19.3% increase in the previous year. EU banks held the largest share, 50% at the end of 2005, up from 38% a decade earlier. The growth in Europe’s share was mostly at the expense of Japanese banks whose share more than halved during this period from 33% to 13%. The share of US banks also rose, from 10% to 14%. Most of the remainder was from other Asian and European countries. . The US had by far the most banks (7,540 at end-2005) and branches (75,000) in the world. The large number of banks in the US is an indicator of its geography and regulatory structure, resulting in a large number of small to medium sized institutions in its banking system. Japan had 129 banks and 12,000 branches. In 2004, Germany, France, and Italy had more than 30,000 branches each—more than double the 15,000 branches in the UK. 1,6 FUTURE OF THE BANK : The future is integration as people will have less time for banking. People will want to process more transactions on the Internet. There will be more activity in terms of applications and services on the mobile. Geography will not be an inhibitor any more as everything is executable on the Net. Integration is the next real big thing. As a customer you will want a one-stop shop that will take care of all your needs. For instance people will want to buy their mutual funds, redeem their mutual fund, buy insurance policies, renew policies, buy cinema tickets, railway tickets, and numerous similar transactions through the bank. The ATM will still serve as a cash dispensing medium, but the Internet and mobile will be very active. [pic] 2.1 ORIGIN OF THE ORGANIZATION : H.D.F.C was set up on 17th October, 1977 by I.C.I.C.I. out of the consideration that a specialized institution was needed to channel household savings as well as funds from the capital market into the housing sector. H.D.F.C. has emerged as the largest mortgage finance institution in the country. The main objective of H.D.F.C. is to develop significant expertise in retail mortgage loans to different market segments and to have a large corporate client base for its housing related credit facilities. The main aim of H.D.F.C. is to support or aid in the promotion of home ownership. H.D.F.C. is Indias leading housing finance company and for all practical purposes is synonymous with the domestic housing finance industry. The primary objective of H.D.F.C is to enhance residential housing stock and promote home ownership. One of its major objectives is to increase flow of resources for housing through the integration of housing financial institutions with the domestic market. H.D.F.C. has developed a strong market reputation large shareholder base and unique consumer franchise. H.D.F.C. is Indias premier housing finance company in India as well as in international markets. It has maintained a consistent and healthy growth in its operations to remain the clear market leader in mortgages in India. The company has been constantly engaged into innovation and innovative practices since its birth. 2.2 GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE ORGANIZATION: HDFC Bank reported a 43 percent growth in net profit at Rs.75.5 crore for the third quarter ended December 31, 2001, as against Rs 52.8 crore in the corresponding quarter previous fiscal. The jump in net profit was primarily due to other income which almost doubled to Rs 85.5 crore from Rs 47.5 crore. Speaking to analysts at a conference call today, January 15, 2002, Paresh Suthankar, head – credit risk and investments, reiterated the bank’s earlier guidance of a 25-30 per cent compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) in its top line for the next two to three years. The bank does not see any reason to revisit its guidance and stands by it. It expects the projections to hold true as long as the market environment is relatively stable and does not move to an extreme of either a boom or a total bottoming out. The bank is open to acquisitions as a vehicle of growth, but any growth via acquisitions would be over and above its projected growth rate of 25-30 per cent. At present, it is not working on any deal but there are acquisition prospects in the Indian scene, giving rise to opportunities for inorganic growth. The bank’s exposure to capital markets is around 6-7 per cent, against the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) norms of 5 per cent. The bank expects to bring it down to within the stipulated limit by the end of this fiscal. The bank has made a lot of headway in its retail thrust with retail accounts going up to 1.9 million from 1.4 million a year back. The branch network now stands at 147 outlets in 63 cities and the ATM network at 360 compared to 231 ATMs as on March 31, 2001. The debit card base is at six lakh. On the advances side, car loans have really picked up and now form almost 50 per cent of the total retail advances, with the remaining being accounted for by loan against securities and other loans. In fact in case of car loans, the bank now covers around 30 cities against just eight-nine a year back. 2.3 PRESENT STATUS OF THE ORGANIZATION: HDFC Bank Limited provides various financial products and services. It operates in three segments: Personal Banking, NRI Banking, and Wholesale Banking. The Personal Banking segment provides savings, and current and fixed deposit accounts. It also offers personal, home, two wheeler, new car, used car, gold, education, healthcare, commercial vehicle, working capital, construction equipment, and warehouse receipt loans. In addition, this segment provides safe deposit lockers; credit, debit, and prepaid cards; mutual funds, general and health insurance, bonds, and equities and derivatives products; and forex and payment services. The NRI Banking segment’s deposit products include rupee savings accounts, rupee current accounts, rupee fixed deposits, foreign currency deposits, and accounts for returning Indians. Its loan products comprise home loans, loans against securities, loans against deposits, and gold credit cards. The Wholesale Banking segment offers funded services, which consist of working capital finance, short term finance, bill discounting, and export credit; and non-funded services, such as letters of credit, bank guarantees, and collection of documents to corporations, and small and medium enterprises. It also various services to banks, financial institutions, mutual funds, stock brokers, insurance companies, commodity businesses, and trusts. As of March 31, 2008, it had a network of 761 branches and 1,977 automated teller machines in 327 cities in India. [pic] 2.4 FUNCTIONAL DEPARTMENT OF THE ORGANIZATION: HDFC Bank Limited is located in New Friends Colony, New Delhi. This organization Includes functional departments as follows: 1. Current Account Department 2. Saving Account Department 3. Trade Department 4. Salary Department 5. Cash Department 6. Demat Account Department 2.5 ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE AND CHART: [pic] 2.6 PRODUCT AND SERVICE PROFILE OF THE ORGANIZATION: HDFC Bank mainly provides three kinds of banking services: †¢ Personal Banking †¢ NRI Banking †¢ Wholesale Banking The following are the products and services provided by the HDFC bank HDFC Bank provides loans like Personal Loans , Home Loans , Educational Loans , Two Wheeler Loans , New car Loans, Used Car Loans, Overdraft Against Car, Express Loans, etc. HDFC Bank provides Credit, Debit and Prepaid Cards to help you meet your financial objectives. HDFC Bank provides facilities like Mutual Funds, Insurance, General Health Insurance, Bonds, Financial Planning, Knowledge Center, Equities Derivatives, and Mudra Gold bar. If you need to deal in foreign currency and keep tabs on exchange rates every now and then, transfer funds to India, make payments etc., HDFC Bank has a range of products and services that you can choose from to transact smoothly, efficiently and in a timely manner. With HDFC Bank’s payment services, you can bid goodbye to queues and paper work. HDFC’s range of payment options make it easy to pay for a variety of utilities and services. HDFC Bank provides many types of accounts like: †¢ Saving Account †¢ Current Account †¢ Demat Account †¢ Salary Account HDFC Bank has designed two programs to make banking easier for the customers and they are †¢ HDFC Bank Preferred Programme †¢ HDFC Bank Classic Programme. HDFC Bank offers Private Banking services to high net worth individuals and institutions. HDFC Bank offers you quick, economical and convenient options to remit and transfer funds to India. Corporate Banking reflects HDFC Bank’s strengths in providing our corporate clients in India, a wide array of commercial, transactional and electronic banking products. HDFC Bank acts as an active medium between the government and the customers by means of various services. 2.7 CURRENT ACCOUNT IN DETAIL: Features Benefits: [pic]Free Account to account funds transfer between HDFC Bank accounts Free payment and collection through RTGS. Free payment and collection using NEFT (through Net banking) Free up to 50 Demand Drafts per month and can be issued from any HDFC Bank Branch Free up to 50 Pay Orders (PO) per month and can be issued from any HDFC Bank Branch. Free anywhere collection payment transactions (clearing) within HDFC Bank branch network (except Dahej), up to Rs.100 lacs per month. Convenience to withdraw deposit cash at all our branches* Free 300 At Par cheques leaves per month. Register for InstaAlert service and receive updates on your account as and when the select transaction happens all this without visiting the branch or ATM! HDFC Bank offers you Doorstep Banking*, a channel, which is convenient, secure and hassle-free. Now, you can enjoy the benefits of banking right at your doorstep. The Bank will arrange to render the services like Cash Cheque Pickup and Cash Delivery, through a reputed agency. Enjoy facilities like 24-hour Phone Banking, Net Banking and Mobile Banking that helps you check your balance transaction details, find out the status of your cheque or stop cheque payment. Fees Charges for Plus Current Account: Minimum Balance (Average Quarterly Balance)-Rs. 100,000/- Non-Maintenance Charges per quarterCharge of Rs.6,000/- per quarter, if AQB is less than Rs.50,000/- Charge of Rs.1, 500/- per quarter, if AQB is less than Rs. 100,000/- but = Rs. 50,000/- Cheque Book Charges (Issued by Bank)-Payable-at-par Free 300 cheques leave per month. Charges Rs 2/- per leaf beyond 300 leaves Remittance facility through own Bank: Demand Drafts (DD) payable HDFC Bank Locations (Issued from any branch) / Duplicate DDFree up to 50 DDs per month. Above 50 transactions, charges @ Rs. 25/- per Demand draft Pay Orders (PO) on HDFC Bank Locations (Issued from Any Branch) / Duplicate PO Free up to 50 POs per month. Above 50 transactions, charges @ Rs. 25/- per Pay-order Issuance of DD/ PO through Phone BankingAll standard charges for DD / PO are applicable as above. Only DD / PO amount up to Rs 500,000/- are accepted at Phone banking. DD/PO-Cancellation/RevalidationRs.50/- per instrument NEFT/EFT Transactions: Payments-Free CollectionsFree RTGS Transactions: Payments-Free CollectionsFree Local Transactions (At home branch location) : Local cheques collections paymentsFree Account to Account Fund Transfer within HDFC Bank- Free Anywhere Transactions (except Dahej) Account to Account Fund Transfer within HDFC Bank-Free Payments Collections at HDFC Bank Locations-Free up to Rs.100 lacs per month, beyond which charges @ Rs. 0.50/1000, min Rs. 25 Bulk Transaction ChargesAll transactions are subject to a maximum of 250 transactions per month, beyond which charges @ Rs.5/- per transaction would be levied. Includes all Local / Anyhwere clearing and transfer transactions Remittance facility through other Bank: Issue of Demand Drafts (DD) / Duplicate DD (Correspondent tieup)Rs.2.00 per Rs.1000/- Minimum Rs.50/- DD-Cancellation / Revalidation-Rs.50/- per instrument Cheque Collection: Outstation through own bankCollection: Free, only courier charges of Rs 20 per instrument Outstation through another bank (Correspondent bank locations) : Rs.4/- per Rs.1,000/-, min Rs.50/-For Clean locations (non-correspondent bank locations) Non-MICR Cheques: Rs.6.5/- per Rs.1,000/-, min Rs 50 (inclusive of courier charge of Rs 25) Cash Transactions : 1. Cash Deposit Cash Deposit-Home Branch Location-Free up to Rs.10 lacs per month or 50 transactions which ever is lower, Deposit in excess of Rs.10 lacs or 50 transactions will be charged @ Rs.2/- per Rs.1,000/-, minimum Rs.50/-. (Cash deposit at non-home branches within home-branch city subject to limit of Rs.100, 000/- per account per day) Cash Deposit -Non Home locationMaximum Rs.100, 000/- per day. Charges @ Rs. 3/1000, min Rs. 50 2. Cash Withdrawal Cash Withdrawal-Home BranchFree at Home Branch Cash Withdrawal-Non Home Branch-Intercity IntracityFree up to Rs.50,000/- per day, beyond which charges @ Rs.2/1000, min Rs.50/- (Only for incremental amount), Third party cash withdrawal allowed only up to maximum Rs. 50,000/- per transaction. Features Benefits [pic]Free Account to account funds transfer between HDFC Bank accounts. Free RTGS/NEFT Transactions. Free up to 30 Demand Drafts (DD) per month and can be issued from any HDFC Bank Branch. Free up to 30 Pay Orders (PO) per month and can be issued from any HDFC Bank Branch. Free anywhere collection payment within HDFC Bank branch network (except Dahej), up to Rs.50 lacs per month. Convenience to withdraw deposit cash at all our branches* Free 200 At Par cheque leaves per month. Register for InstaAlert service and receive updates on your account as and when the select transaction happens all this without visiting the branch or ATM! Fees Charges for Trade Current Account [pic]Description of Charges Minimum Balance (Average Quarterly Balance) -Rs. 40,000/- Non-Maintenance Charges per quarterCharge of Rs.1,200/- per quarter, if AQB is less than Rs.40,000/- Cheque Book Charges (Issued by Bank) -Payable-at-par 200 cheques leave Free per month. Charges Rs 2/- per leaf beyond 200 leaves Remittance facility through own Bank Demand Drafts (DD) payable HDFC Bank Locations (Issued from any branch) / Duplicate DD Free up to 30 DDs per month. Above 30 transactions, charges @ Rs. 25/- per Demand draft Pay Orders (PO) on HDFC Bank Locations (Issued from Any Branch) / Duplicate PO Free up to 30 POs per month. Above 30 transactions, charges @ Rs. 25/- per Pay-order Issuance of DD/ PO through Phone Banking All standard charges for DD / PO are applicable as above. Only DD / PO amount up to Rs. 500,000/- are accepted at Phone banking. DD/PO-Cancellation/Revalidation-Rs.50/- per instrument NEFT/EFT Transactions: PaymentsFree CollectionsFree RTGS Transactions : PaymentsFree CollectionsFree Local Transactions (At home branch location) Local cheques collections payments-Free Account to Account Fund Transfer within HDFC Bank -Free Anynhwere Transactions (except Dahej) Account to Account Fund Transfer within HDFC BankFree Payments Collections at HDFC Bank LocationsFree up to Rs.50 lacs per month, beyond which charges @ Rs. 0.50/1000, min Rs. 25 Bulk Transaction Charges All transactions are subject to a maximum of 150 transactions per month, beyond which charges @ Rs.5/- per transaction would be levied. Includes all Local / Anywhere clearing and transfer transactions. Remittance facility through other Bank Issue of Demand Drafts (DD) / Duplicate DD (Correspondent tie up) Rs.2.00 per Rs.1000/- Minimum Rs.50/- DD-Cancellation / Revalidation-Rs.50/- per instrument Cheque Collection Outstation through own bankRs. 0.50/1000, min Rs. 25 per instrument Outstation through another bank-Correspondent bank locations: Rs.4/- per Rs. 1, 000/-, min Rs.50/-For Clean locations (non-correspondent bank locations) Non-MICR Cheques: Rs.6.5/- per Rs.1,000/-, min Rs 50 (inclusive of courier charge of Rs 25) Cash Transactions 1. Cash Deposit Cash Deposit-Home Branch Location Free up to Rs.5 lacs per month or 40 transactions which ever is lower, Deposit in excess of Rs.5 lacs or 40 transactions will be charged @ Rs.2/- per Rs.1,000/-, minimum Rs.50/-. (Cash deposit at non-home branches within home branch city subject to limit of Rs. 50,000/- per account per day) Cash Deposit -Non Home location Maximum Rs.50, 000/- per day. Charges @ Rs. 3/1000, min Rs. 50 2. Cash Withdrawal Cash Withdrawal-Home Branch Free at Home Branch Cash Withdrawal-Non Home Branch-Intercity Intracity Free cash withdrawals up to Rs.50, 000/- per day, beyond which charges @ Rs.2/1000, min Rs.50/- (Only for incremental amount), Third party cash withdrawal allowed only up to maximum Rs. 50,000/- per transaction. HDFC Bank Trade offers you a host of features that sets it apart from regular Current Accounts that most banks offer. They are: Free inter-city clearing between HDFC Bank branch locations (except Dahej) up to Rs.50 lakhs per month. Free Accounts to account funds transfer between HDFC Bank accounts, inter-city. Free up to 30 Pay-orders per month. Free up to 30 demand-drafts per month. Free RTGS NEFT Transactions. Features Benefits Free anywhere collection payment within HDFC Bank branch network (except Dahej), up to Rs.25 lacs per month, incremental amount to be charged @ Rs.1.50 per Rs.1,000/-, min Rs.25/- Free NEFT Transactions. Free RTGS collection. RTGS payment @ Rs.100/- per transaction. Inter-city Account to accounts funds transfer between HDFC Bank accounts at a nominal charge of Rs.15/- per transactions. Free Demand Drafts (DD) above Rs.100,000/-. Demand drafts up to Rs.50,000/- at flat cost of Rs.40/-. DDs above Rs.50,000/- up to Rs.100,000/- at nominal cost of Rs.25/- and can be issued from any HDFC Bank Branch . Free Pay Order (PO) above Rs.100,000/-. Pay Order up to Rs.50,000/- at flat cost of Rs.40/-. POs above Rs.50,000/- up to Rs.100,000/- at nominal cost of Rs.25/- and can be issued from any HDFC Bank Branch . Free 100 At Par cheque leaves per month Register for InstaAlert service and receive updates on your account as and when the select transaction happens all this without visiting the branch or ATM! Fees Charges for Premium C/A Description of Charges Minimum Balance (Average Quarterly Balance) -Rs. 25,000/- Non-Maintenance Charges per quarterCharge of Rs.900/- per quarter, if AQB is less than Rs.25, 000/- Cheque Book Charges (Issued by Bank) Payable-at-par100 cheques leaves Free per month. Charges Rs 2/- per leaf beyond 100 leaves Other Current Account facilities Issue of Duplicate / Adhoc Statement Branch: Rs 100/- per statement * Phone Banking: Rs 50/- per statement (Non IVR) and Rs 30/- per statement (IVR) Net Banking: Rs 30/- per statement ATM Mobile Banking: Rs 50/- per statement. Mode of calculation of minimum average quarterly balance Average of daily closing balances of each day spread over a period of three months. Remittance facility through own Bank Demand Drafts (DD) payable HDFC Bank Locations (Issued from any branch) / Duplicate DD DD Amount Up to Rs. 50,000 charges Rs. 40/- per DD, Above Rs. 50,000 and up to Rs. 100,000- Rs. 25/-, Above Rs. 100,000- Free Pay Orders (PO) -on HDFC Bank Locations (Issued from Any Branch) / Duplicate PO PO amount Up to Rs. 50,000 charges Rs. 40/- per PO, Above Rs. 50,000 and up to Rs. 100,000 Rs. 25/-, Above Rs. 100,000- Free Issuance of DD/ PO through Phone Banking: All standard charges for DD / PO are applicable as above. Only DD / PO amount up to Rs 500,000/- are accepted at Phone banking. DD/PO-Cancellation/RevalidationRs.50/- per instrument NEFT/EFT Transactions: PaymentsFree Collections-Free RTGS Transactions: PaymentsRs. 100/- per transaction Collections-Free Local Transactions (At home branch location) Local cheques collections payments-Free Account to Account Fund Transfer within HDFC Bank -Free Anywhere Transactions (except Dahej) Account to Account Fund Transfer within HDFC Bank Rs.15/- per transaction Payments Collections at HDFC Bank Locations Free up to Rs. 25 lacs per month, Charges at Rs.1.50/1000, min Rs. 25 Bulk Transaction Charges: All transactions are subject to a maximum of 100 transactions per month, beyond which charges @ Rs.5/- per transaction would be levied. Includes all Local / Anywhere clearing and transfer transactions. Remittance facility through other Bank: Issue of Demand Drafts (DD) / Duplicate DD (Correspondent tie up) -Rs.2.00 per Rs.1000/- Minimum Rs.50/- DD-Cancellation / Revalidation-Rs.50/- per instrument Cheque Collection: Outstation through own bank Rs.2.50 per Rs.1, 000/- for Cheques drawn on HDFC Bank Locations, min Rs. 50 per instrument. Outstation through another bank Correspondent bank locations: Rs.4/- per Rs.1, 000/-, min Rs.50/-For Clean locations (non-correspondent bank locations) Non-MICR Cheques: Rs.6.5/- per Rs.1, 000/-, min Rs 50 (inclusive of courier charge of Rs 25) Cash Transactions 1. Cash Deposit Cash Deposit-Home Branch Location Free up to Rs.3 lacs per month or 25 transactions which ever is lower, Deposit in excess of Rs.3 lacs or 25 transactions will be charged @ Rs.2/- per Rs.1,000/-, minimum Rs.50/-. (Cash deposit at non-home branches within home branch city subject to limit of Rs. 25,000/- per account per day) Cash Deposit -Non Home location Maximum Rs.25, 000/- per day. Charges @ Rs. 3/1000, min Rs. 50 2. Cash Withdrawal Cash Withdrawal-Home Branch-Free at Home Branch Cash Withdrawal-Non Home Branch-Intercity Intracity Free cash withdrawals up to Rs.25,000/- per day, beyond which charges @ Rs.2/1000, min Rs. 50/- (Only for incremental amount), Third party cash withdrawal allowed only up to maximum Rs.50,000/- per transaction. With HDFC Bank Flexi Current Account your Cash Deposit and Anywhere Transaction limits are a multiple of the balance you maintain in your Current Account. So, during peak seasons, you get the benefit of higher transaction limits due to the higher average balances maintained in your account. What’s more, during lean seasons, you need not bother about maintaining huge balances to enjoy high transaction limits, which you anyway may not need. Flexi Current Account requires you to maintain a minimum Average Monthly Balance (AMB) of just Rs. 75,000. Features Benefits Enjoy dynamic free limits on Intercity Payments, Collections Funds Transfer as well as Cash Deposit at home location branches based on the AMB maintained* For example, you maintain an AMB of Rs.2,00,000/- in a particular month. Your dynamic free transaction limits for that month would be as per the following table: [pic] TransactionDynamic Free Limits* Cash Deposit at Home Branch Location Anywhere Payments, Collections Funds Transfer (except Dahej) Free up to Rs.1, 00, 00,000/- in that particular month Pay your vendors on a real time basis using Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) available across 23,000 Bank Branches*. What’s more, payments and collections through RTGS are completely free! Make and receive remittances to from your vendors customers across 20,000 + Bank Branches of more than 50 Banks through Net Banking using National Electronic Fund Transfer (NEFT), Absolutely Free! Free 40 Demand Drafts Free 40 Pay Orders issued from any HDFC Bank Branch* Convenience to withdraw and deposit cash at all our branches*. Competitive pricing on Demand Drafts drawn on Correspondent Banking Locations as well as Outstation Cheque Collection at HDFC Bank Locations InstaAlert service receive updates on your account as and when the select transaction happens – all this without visiting the Branch or ATM! The top position is always the coveted position. With the Apex current account, take your business to a new high. On maintaining an average quarterly balance of Rs. 10 lakhs, this account makes sure you make the most of every business opportunities coming your way. Unlimited, free, anywhere Banking experience at the APEX is reserved for you. Features Benefits Maximum transactional benefits with faster mobilization of funds Average quarterly balance requirement of Rs. 10, 00,000/- Access to more than 750 branches Huge cost savings in inter-city transactions for payable-at-par cheque issuance, funds transfers, NEFT, RTGS or Demand Draft / Pay Order Faster collection of outstation cheques Free Intercity Cheque Collection Payments within HDFC Bank Network (excluding Dahej). Free Account to Account funds transfer between HDFC Bank accounts. Free payment and collection through RTGS Free payment and collection using NEFT (through NetBanking) Free Demand Drafts which can be issued from any HDFC Bank branch Free Pay Orders which can be issued from any HDFC Bank branch Convenience to withdraw and deposit cash at all our branches* Free Cash Deposit up to Rs. 100 lacs per month across all home branches (subject to a maximum of 50 transactions per month and a per day limit of Rs.1,00,000/- on cash deposit at a non home branch) Choice of local / Payable at Par Cheques. Free 500 leaves per month Register for InstaAlert service and receive updates on your account as and when the select transaction happens – all this without visiting the branch or ATM! . Fees and Charges for Apex Current Account:[pic] Minimum Balance (Average Quarterly Balance)Rs. 10, 00,000/- per quarter Non-Maintenance Charges per quarter:Charge of Rs.5,000/- per quarter if AQB is less than Rs.10,00,000 but greater than or equal to Rs. 5,00,000/-; Rs.10,000/- per quarter if AQB is less than Rs. 5,00,000/- Cheque Book Charges (Issued By Bank) Payable-at-par 500 cheque leaves free per month. Charges Rs 2/- per leaf beyond 500 leaves Other Current Account Facilities Issue of Duplicate / Adhoc StatementRs. 100 at Branch, Rs. 30 per statement through Net Banking and Phone Banking (IVR), Rs. 50 per statement through Phone Banking (non-IVR), ATM and Mobile Banking Mode of calculation of minimum average quarterly balanceAverage of daily closing balances of each day spread over a period of three months Remittance facility through own Bank Demand Drafts (DD) Payable at HDFC Bank Locations (Issued from Any branch)/ Duplicate DDFree without limit Pay Orders (PO) – on HDFC Bank Location (Issued from Any branch)/ Duplicate PO Free without limit Issuance of DD / PO through Phone Banking-Free without limit Only DD amount up to Rs. 5, 00,000 for Current Apex Account holders accepted at Phone Banking DD/PO-Cancellation/RevalidationRs.50/- per instrument NEFT/EFT Transactions: Payments-Free CollectionsFree RTGS Transactions: Payments-Free CollectionsFree Local Transactions (At home branch location) Local cheques collections paymentsFree Account to Account Fund Transfer within HDFC Bank-Free Anywhere Transactions (except Dahej) Account-to-Account Fund Transfer within HDFC BankFree Clearing Transactions-Collections Payment at HDFC Bank locations-Free Bulk Transaction Charges: All transactions are subject to a maximum of 500 transactions per month, beyond which charges @ Rs.5/- per transaction would be levied. Includes all Local / Anywhere clearing and funds transfer transactions. Remittance facility through other Bank Issue of Demand Drafts (DD) / Duplicate DD (Correspondent tie up)-Free up to Rs 15 Lacs per month, beyond which charges of Rs. 1.50 per 1000, Minimum Rs. 50/- per instrument DD-Cancellation / Revalidation-Rs.50/- per instrument Cheque Collection Outstation Cheque collection on HDFC Bank Locations-Free Outstation Cheque Collection on non-branch locationsCorrespondent bank locations: Rs.3/- per Rs.1, 000/-, min Rs. 50/-. For Clean locations (non-correspondent bank locations) non-MICR cheques: Rs 4.5/- per Rs 1000/-, min of Rs 50 per transaction (includes courier charges) Cash Transactions 1. Cash Deposit Cash Deposit-Home Branch CityFree up to Rs. 100 Lakh per month or 50 Transactions whichever is lower. Deposit in excess of Rs. 100 Lakh per month or 50 transactions will be charged @ Rs.1/- per Rs. 1000/-, minimum Rs.50/-. (Cash deposit at non- home branches within home branch city subject to limit of Rs.1,00,000/- per account per day) Cash Deposit Non Home Branch City Charges @ Rs 3 per Rs 1000/-, minimum of Rs 50 per transaction. (Maximum deposit allowed up to Rs 1, 00,000/- per day) 2. Cash Withdrawal Cash Withdrawal-Home BranchFree. Cash Withdrawal-Non Home Branch-Intercity IntracityFree cash withdrawals up to Rs.2,00,000/- per day, beyond which charges @ Rs. 2/- per Rs.1000/-, min Presenting maximum benefits and minimum hassles for you with Max Current Account! With a Rs. 5 lakhs average quarterly balance requirement, we present to you a world of privileges that helps your business expand and grow. Features like maximum free transaction limits including other beneficial features on this current account truly enhances your business potential to the Maximum. Features Benefits Maximum transactional benefits with faster mobilization of funds Average quarterly balance requirement of Rs. 5, 00,000/- Access to more than 750 branches Huge cost savings in inter-city transactions for payable-at-par cheque issuance, funds transfers, NEFT, RTGS or Demand Draft / Pay Order Faster collection of outstation cheques: Free Account to Account funds transfer between HDFC Bank accounts Free payment and collection through RTGS Free payment and collection using NEFT (through Net Banking) Free Demand Drafts which can be issued from any HDFC Bank branch Free Pay Orders which can be issued from any HDFC Bank branch Free anywhere collection payment (clearing) up to Rs. 5 Crore per month within HDFC Bank branch network (except Dahej) Convenience to withdraw and deposit cash at all our branches* Free cash deposit up to Rs. 50 Lakh per month across all home branches (subject to a maximum of 50 transactions per month and a per day limit of Rs.1, 00,000/- on cash deposit at a non home branch) Choice of local / Payable at Par cheques. 500 leaves free per month Register for InstaAlert service and receive updates on your account as and when the select transaction happens all this without visiting the branch or ATM! Fees and Charges for Max Current Account †¢ [pic]Description of Charges Minimum Balance (Average Quarterly Balance) Rs. 5, 00,000/- per quarter †¢ Non-Maintenance Charges per quarter Charge of Rs.3,000/- per quarter if AQB is less than Rs.5,00,000 but greater than or equal to Rs. 2,50,000/-; Rs.8,000/- per quarter if AQB is less than Rs. 2,50,000/- Cheque Book Charges (Issued by Bank) 500 cheques leave Free per month. Charges Rs. 2/- per leaf beyond 500 leaves †¢ Other Current Account facilities Issue of Duplicate / Adhoc Statement Rs. 100 at Branch, Rs. 30 per statement through Net Banking Phone Banking (IVR), Rs. 50 per statement through Phone Banking (non-IVR), ATM Mobile Banking Mode of Calculation of Minimum Average Quarterly Balance Average of daily closing balances of each day spread over a period of 3 months. Remittance facility through own Bank: Demand Drafts (DD) Payable at HDFC Bank Locations (Issued from Any branch)/ Duplicate DD Free without limit Pay Orders (PO) – on HDFC Bank Locations (Issued from Any branch)/ Duplicate PO Free without limit Issuance of DD / PO through Phone Banking Free without limit Only DD amount up to Rs. 5, 00,000 for Current Max Accountholders accepted at Phone Banking. DD/PO-Cancellation/Revalidation Rs.50/- per instrument NEFT/EFT Transactions: Payments-Free CollectionsFree RTGS Transactions: PaymentsFree Collections-Free Local Transactions (At home branch location) Local cheques collections paymentsFree Account to Account Fund Transfer within HDFC BankFree Anywhere Transactions (except Dahej) Account to Account Funds Transfer within HDFC BankFree Payments Collections at HDFC Bank Locations (except Dahej) Free up to Rs. 500 Lakh per month, beyond which charges @ Rs. 0.50/1000, min Rs.25/-. †¢ Bulk Transaction Charges All transactions are subject to a maximum of 300 transactions per month, beyond which charges @ Rs.5/- per transaction would be levied. Includes all Local / Anywhere clearing and funds transfer transactions. †¢ Remittance facility through other Bank Issue of Demand Drafts (DD) / Duplicate DD (Correspondent tie up) Rs. 1.50 per 1000, Minimum Rs. 50/- per instrument DD-Cancellation / RevalidationRs.50/- per instrument †¢ Cheque Collection Outstation through own bankFree †¢ Outstation through another bank Correspondent bank locations: Rs.3/- per Rs.1, 000/-, min Rs. 50/-. For Clean locations (non-correspondent bank locations) Non-MICR Cheques: Rs. 4.5 per Rs.1, 000/-, min Rs. 50/- (inclusive of courier charge) Cash Transactions 1. Cash Deposit Cash Deposit-Home Branch City Free up to Rs. 50 Lakh per month or 50 Transactions whichever is lower. Deposit in excess of Rs. 50 Lakh per month or 50 transactions will be charged @ Rs.1/- per Rs. 1000/-, minimum Rs.50/-. (Cash deposit at non- home branches within home branch location subject to limit of Rs.1, 00,000/- per account per day) Cash Deposit Non Home City Maximum Rs.1, 00,000/- per day. Charges @ Rs.3/- per Rs.1,000/-, minimum Rs. 50/- 2. Cash Withdrawal Cash Withdrawal-Home BranchFree at Home Branch Cash Withdrawal-Non Home Branch-Intracity Intracity Free cash withdrawals up to Rs. 1,00,00/- per day, beyond which charges @ Rs. 2/- per Rs.1000/-, min Rs.50/- (Only for incremental amount), Third party cash withdrawal allowed only up to maximum Rs.50,000/- per transaction. 2.8 MARKET PROFILE OF THE ORGANIZATION: Company Profile:HDFC Bank Limited Ticker:500180 Exchanges:OTH BOM 2008 Sales:124,140,000,000 Major Industry:Financial Sub Industry:Commercial Banks Country:INDIA Employees:37836 3.1 STUDENT’S WORK PROFILE (ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES): I have completed my summer taining in HDFC Bank Limited as a SALES EXECUTIVE. During this training I played some roles and responsibilities are as: ROLE- I have worked as a sales Executive in sales department in HDFC Bank Ltd. My role was to buildup better relationship with Customers. HDFC Bank expects its employees to take up the work of opening current account in their respective locations. My main role was to contact customers and make deal for opening current account, in meeting with customers I represent a demo to customer for current account, are as: RESPONSIBILITIES- †¢ To generate leads for the Bank. †¢ To buildup better relationship with customers. †¢ To increase the sales of the Bank. †¢ To provide awareness about the current account. †¢ To achieve company’s target. 3.2 DESCRIPTION OF LIVE EXPERIENCE: Working with HDFC Bank It was a nice experience. When I entered into the bank, I was very nerves. However after entering I knew the real mean of working with the big organization. We need to follow the rules and regulations of the company. Coming at the exact time in the bank is very important. These things are very important which we need to learn : †¢ How should behave in the organization? †¢ How behave and coordinate with the customer? †¢ How we need to talk to our Boss, our superior and colleges? Working with the HDFC I increased my communication skills. Also I knew the Importance of the coordination among all the employees. All the employees are working as a team. When I was new, the entire employees helped me to learn the work culture HDFC Bank. In this company my work is to buildup the relationship with customers and to provide leads to the company for opening current account and making relationship with the bank. In present time the customers are not very well aware about the HDFC’s products. 3.3 STUDENT CONTRIBUTION TO ORGANIZATION: In this Company I am working as a Sales Executive. In this Organization my role is to buildup better relationship with Customers, and I promote the current account. My contribution towards this organization like: †¢ I provide leads everyday for opening current account. †¢ I make good relationship between Bank and customers. †¢ I provide awareness about the current account through some demos and calling. †¢ I help in making some useful marketing strategies. 1. RESEARCH INSTRUMENT : A questionnaire was prepared with the relevant questions consisting mainly of closed end questions especially dichotomous type which offered the respondents between only two alternatives either (Yes/No). The respondents were personally met and the collection of information was properly administered to avoid non-respondent error. The primary data is collected by cold calling from respected place of branch. The data is collected by using a questionnaire, which is given as an Appendix at the end of this report. 2. SOURCE OF DATA : The study is based on both primary and secondary data. Most of the findings are based on the data collection through interaction with customers. A structured disguised questionnaire is prepared together the information. Close as well as open-ended questions are asked. Some multiple-choice questions are also included. 3. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY: Main Methodology -: Collection of Primary data (Consumer and Market Research) through Personal Questionnaires Collection of Secondary Data (Study of various Current Account) through Computer Data, Web sites, Books and Magazines. FIELDWORK: The respondents are personally interviewed, for about 3 to 5 minutes on an average to collect the data. The format prepared beforehand was strictly adhered to. Though it was sufficient in itself and could be matched to prospective respondents, personal interviews are conducted to be able to make first hand observation that would reveal some useful information about the subject of study. RESEARCH ANALYSIS: After the collection of data I have categorize the data into – †¢ Primary Data †¢ Secondary Data As we know the data collected in primary mode is more reliable in the comparison of secondary data. So we depend more on the primary data. SOURCES OF PRIMARY DATA: †¢ Survey †¢ Personal SOURCES OF SECONDARY DATA: †¢ Through internet †¢ Branch manager approvals †¢ Personal vehicle dealers †¢ Brochure of the bank 4. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS: The Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited was introduced in 1994, after the Reserve Bank of India approved private sector banking. Operating in over 300 Indian cities, HDFC Bank has over 700 branches and 1600 ATMs. It offers personal, NRI and wholesale banking services. Net profit for the March 2006-2007 reached Rs. 1,141.5 crore. In early 2007, HDFC officially entered the microfinance market and opened branches that provide funding to self-help microfinance group. After finding primary and secondary data I find: 1. Customers don’t know about the advantage of our current account. 2. Customers are less aware about the benefits Providing Company. 3. Customers have no more knowledge about the HDFC Bank limited. 4. HDFC reduces the complexity of current account. 5. HDFC provides best way to earn more profit. 6. HDFC is beneficial for making profit and various types of works. 7. The procedure of HDFC is very easy. [pic] 1. SUMMARY OF LEARNING EXPERENCE: HDFC Ltd has the objective to enhance residential housing stock and promote home ownership. Their offerings range from hassle-free home loans and deposit products, to property related services and a training facility. They also offer specialized financial services to the customer base through partnerships with some of the best financial institutions worldwide. HDFC Bank began operations in 1995 with a simple mission: to be a World-class Indian Bank. We realized that only a single-minded focus on product quality and service excellence would help us get there. Today, we are proud to say that we are well on our way towards that goal. It is extremely gratifying that our efforts towards providing customer convenience have been appreciated both nationally and internationally. So that I learn many important things from HDFC and market are as: 1. I have gained live experience of marketing. 2. I find all types of help from my training in charge. 3. I have gained knowledge in the field of HDFC. 4. I find there are many customers are not aware about the HDFC. 5. I find there are lots of opportunities in the Banking Sector. 2. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: Conclusion HDFC Ltd has the objective to enhance residential housing stock and promote home ownership. Their offerings range from hassle-free home loans and deposit products, to property related services and a training facility. They also offer specialized financial services to the customer base through partnerships with some of the best financial institutions worldwide. HDFC Bank began operations in 1995 with a simple mission: to be a World-class Indian Bank. We realized that only a single-minded focus on product quality and service excellence would help us get there. Today, we are proud to say that we are well on our way towards that goal. It is extremely gratifying that our efforts towards providing customer convenience have been appreciated both nationally and internationally. . Besides we also have a dedicated technical team as well as customer care services and its procedure is also very simple. Recommendations 1. To provides awareness about Current Account and its uses to customers. 2. To open maximum and Big accounts for getting more profit. 3. To target not only metro cities, target all big and small city or village. 4. To build the customer relationship 5. To improve its marketing strategies 6. To improve its selling process [pic] COPY OF QUESTIONNAIRE: 1. Are you aware about Current Account? a. Yes b. No 2. Are you aware about current account providing HDFC Bank? a. Yes b. No 3. Are you aware about HDFC Bank Limited? a. Yes b. No 4. Are you aware about the procedure of Current Account? a. Yes b. No 5. Is HDFC reduces the complexity of Current Account procedure? a. Yes b. No 6. Is HDFC provides you cheap and best way to earn money and to make you a independent owner? a. Yes b. No 7. Are you aware about the profit volume ratio doing business with HDFC? a. Yes b. No 8. Are you interested to open current account in HDFC Bank ? a. Yes b. No BIBLIOGRAPHY: 1. www.hdfcbankltd.com 2. www.hdfc.in 3. www.google.com 4. Business Today 5. India Today [pic] Sales Executive Team Leader Sales Manager Area Sales Manager Area Sales Head Regional Sales Manager Zonal Sales Manager National Sales Manager

What are the key considerations in branding exercise

What are the key considerations in branding exercise Brands can be defined as the promises that consumers believe in. In general, brand is an image that makes its way into consumers mind to influence how they think and buy. It is based on the promise of the products to the consumers. A brand, in essence, is related to the promise you are going to deliver to the consumers about the products and the benefits after using or purchasing the products. (Keller, 1993) A lot of people have misunderstanding towards concept of brand. They thought changing the logo and company are the complete set of brand exercise. Branding isnt a veneer that you slap on (usually in the form of a new logo) to mask or transform a product offering. Treating branding like some skin-deep solution to your businesss problems is like putting lipstick on a pig: People see through the makeup, no matter how thick the application. According to Aaker, and Keller (1990), branding has to go all the way to the core of everyone and the identity for all. Before starting doing any brand exercise, there are some mindset preparation needs to be established. First when you start building your brand, you must let the whole world to believe and confident towards your promise on your products. The product promises should be unique and represent the values of the products to be delivered to the customers. The promises you have made, should be delivered to your consumers at the same pace in term of name, logo, message and the company name. The consistency of the brand is important especially when doing publicity, advertisements or even maintaining customer relationship. After building up the brand, brand maintenance is very important. (Muniz and OGuinn, 2001). We must reinforce the brand promise. We must have self evaluation on the brand consistency with the message that we hope to deliver. If the brand does not show consistency, you tend to spoil your brand and put your brand at risk because consumer would think that you are breaking your pr omise to deliver the message to the consumers. No branding exercise is going to success if you are rushing for building up the brand. When building up a brand, we must always focus, persistence and put passion into it. Besides, branding exercise needs high investment. The higher the risk, the higher the return. The return on investment for brand exercise is huge because you will increase the involvement of market share at long run. Remember, you would not be able to see the results of branding at short time. Hence, building up branding exercise of a product or company follows the principle of Rome is not built in one day! Time, effort are the success key for building a brand. Brands create consumer trust and emotional attachments. For example, when we think of a convenient store, we will definitely think of 7-11. Why? This can be explained that the store has created the trust and emotional attachments among us. Branding exercise enhances customer loyalty and help the organization to win through even when they are having price war or having new competitors in the market. In consumer behaviour studies, brand actually a perception neurologically. For example, you are able to identify a logo because you believe how and what the logo represents. For example, Coffee Bean sells coffee. It stands for daily respiration. Remember, the brand lives in consumer minds, so branding is the process of development consumer beliefs and perception that are accurate and in alignment with what you want your brand to be. Key Considerations in Branding Exercise There is several keys consideration in branding exercise. It can be described through the diagram when taking action of brand exercise. The first key of consideration is the product definition. According to Balmer (1995) you can actually brand anything that wish to such as services, products, organisation, even people. Complete understanding of the product you would like to brand is the first consideration to be taken into account. The second consideration is the positioning of products. During positioning, we have to find out the is found in the consumers mind. Hence, the positioning should be unique, meaningful, and available spot in the marketplace. The uniqueness of the product that enables the product to stand out from the market is essential to understand your own product before taking the decision to brand the product. Next, the promise is the important element in branding exercise. In fact, the promise delivers by the product is the fundamental of the message to be delivered to the consumers. This promise shows what the product can deliver or how the product does helps the consumer. The key promises actually create the interest among consumers and credibility of the products. Most of the brand consultant would start the branding exercise by giving a fantastic name, creating a nice logo and launch the product to the market place with nice and beautiful packaging. (Keller, 2003). Persistence plays important role in branding. It is the important key consideration during branding. This is the point in the branding cycle where too many brands lose steam. After brands are launched, brand owners often get tired of their own looks and messages and begin to improvise with new looks, new messages, and even new brand personalities and promises. Just when consistency is most necessary in order to gain clarity and confidence in the marketplace, brands that lack persistence go off track. The persistence of the brand can be evaluated through perception analysis. In a consumers mind which is where brands live and thrive a brand is a set of beliefs about what a company offers, promises, and stands for. Great brands continually monitor brand per ­ceptions to see that theyre in alignment with the brand owners aspira ­tions and in synch with consumer wants and needs. Based on the results of perception analysis, brand owners begin their loop around the branding cycle again, this time adjusting their products, fine-tuning their positioning statements, strengthening their promises, updating their presentations, rewriting their brand management rules, and once again monitoring perceptions in order to guide ongoing brand realignments and revitalizations. 2. Never in my life did I think that any of my traditional dishes.. that I cured in my backyard would one day appear in store say Tescos partner Khun Kanungnit. Explain the key benefits of branding and how does branding change the way Tescos partner Khun Kanungnit operate his business? Key Benefit of Branding Most businessmen have the dilemma the statement, To Brand or Not to Brand. The consideration involved of the return on investment (ROI) worth for the value. However, the concept of branding brings more advantages to the business. First, the brands unlock profitability. Doing business in this competitive world creates problems to the new comers. All businesses are focusing on different areas and they are competing with each other. Product differentiation, provide a better service become the competitive key for all business. According to Berry (2000), consumers now are smart to do comparison on the price, quality of the products. Brands provide the platform for the product and business to venture into strategic advantage environment. Second, brands prompt consumer selection. The buying process now has changed. Traditional purchasing behaviour focus on direct selling and also face to face communication. Now, with advancement with internet and wireless connection, people can even use hand phone or ipad to purchase. The change of the buying behaviour breaks the geographic limitation. The boundless marketplace creates more challenge to the business and creates the needs of branding to the businesses. Third brands build name awareness. According to Theory Reasoned and Action (TRA) model awareness is the fundamental of purchase behaviour. Creating a brand can be enhanced through logo trademark registration. According to Ha (1998), there are nearly 99% of the words found in the English dictionary has been registered as the domain name to be used as the marketing strategy. Some of the names even are put as the trademark. Now, a lot of new business created words is not found in the dictionary to be used as their business. Those invented names have strong and diligent word so they create consumer awareness, recall, and meaning. Forth, Park, Jaworski and Maclnnis (1986) reported the brands increase the odds of business survival. When analysing product life cycle, we understand that boost up a product is essential in order to avoid the product reaches saturated stage. Brand helps to break through this barrier. With this strategy, products would continue to survive without having strike by the sinking of consumer awareness, understanding, and preference In fact, brands do not only brings advantages in financial prospective but it also creates non financial benefits such as customer loyalty, words of month marketing strategy and others. Even branding exercise needs high investment but the outcome of successful branding exercise would create unlimited benefit to the products and also organisation in the long run. Change of business operation due to branding There are several changes that were done by Tesco in Thailand in order to win the local market. The following strategies are implemented: Continue to develop market of quality Thai products so that every customer can discover, use the goods that are made for Thailand citizen. Involve in local participation Surin Limited partnership. Continue to maintain quality, cleanliness and general statements of products Continue to work hard to find useful information, and constantly getting advice from Tesco Britain to provide the best service to the consumers Provide strategic differentiation in term of service and product to the consumers. During implementing branding exercise, Tesco in Thailand continue to develop market of quality Thai products so that every customer can discover, use the goods that are made for Thailand citizen. All products that are displayed in Tesco Thailand have undergone product quality assessment. During quality assessment, health, food safety, varieties issues are taken care to ensure customer satisfaction. Besides, marketing research is conducted from time to time in order to know the needs of the consumers in term of price strategy, product range in order to satisfy the customers. The center wants to brand them as the one stop center that the customers can find everything in there. Hence, Tesco Thailand tries to fulfill the quality not only products but also the service. Tesco in Thailand involve in local participation Surin Limited partnership. When implementing branding exercise, culture issues are essential to determine the success in a local market. Internationalization is important when penetrating in new countries (Welch, 1988). Tesco Britain can be successful in their home country, but they have to based on local culture on the concept of do and dont in management so that would not offense local people. For example, certain words can be used in Britain in the advertisement. However, the same words can be offensive in local market. The cultural issue consideration can be achieved with local participation Surin Limited partnership. Tesco in Thailand brand themselves as the quality, cleanliness and general statements of products. They continue to maintain this concept the give comfortable feeling to the consumers. As in ISO 9002 of Tesco, washrooms need to be cleaned every two hours to ensure the cleanliness. (Smith and Sparks, 2004). Besides, the expired date of the products is checked by the stock keepers every month so that the product quality is maintained. Not only that, Tesco works together with local farmers to supply the fresh food, meat and meat to them. This exercise in fact becomes the branding identity for Tesco with the tagline, Fresh vegetable everyday. In order to maximize satisfaction level of customers, Khun Thanyapat always continue to work hard to find useful information, and constantly getting advice from Tesco Britain to provide the best service to the consumers. Thailand has move to knowledge society. Product information is important to ensure customers satisfaction. Leaflets are put on the entrance of the Tesco so the consumer are awared of the product range and also this increase the decision making process of consumers. Hence, this strategy improves and encourages purchase behaviour among consumers. Provide strategic differentiation in term of service and product to the consumers. Tesco Thailand brings all the products into the store. Besides, the center can be an entertainment center for children, shopping gallery for housewife. A business center for businessman and also the family gathering center also. In term of entertainment center for children, they have playground and game center for the children to have joy and fun there. Children would love to visit the place because they are place for them to do some activities. In term of housewives, they can buy groceries, fresh vegetables, meat and others to fulfill the needs of the family. The housewives do not need to travel to grocery to buy a broom and travel to wet market to buy a fish and even to dry market to buy onion. Now, Tesco Thailand gathers all the products according to the household needs. Not only there, bank services are available to help businessman to do their work while their wife are shopping. Besides, these facilities encourage shoppers to buy more because they can withdraw money anytime when they shop. 3. How does Tesco differentiate its brand from the competitors and build brand-loyalty among the consumers in Thailand? After analyzing the case study of Tesco, I have generally identified the brand strength of Tesco Thailand are: Customer Relationship management Commitment to quality Global-local adaptation Breadth of product Service offering Target market strategy. Customer Relationship Management Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a business strategy that aims to understand, anticipate and manage the needs of an organisations current and potential customers (Reinartz, Krafft, Hoyer, 2004). It is a comprehensive approach which provides seamless integration of every area of business that touches the customer- namely marketing, sales, customer services and field support through the integration of people, process and technology It is a shift from traditional marketing as it focuses on the retention of customers in addition to the acquisition of new customers. The expression Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is becoming standard terminology, replacing what is widely perceived to be a misleadingly narrow term, relationship marketing (RM) Tesco Thailand focuses on customer relationship management. They believe that customer satisfaction is the first priority to be set by the organization. Tesco Thailand builds the customer relationship with the consumers. According to research, a lot of consumer purchases a product not because they need the products but it is due to the emotional needs. (Morris, 1998). In relationship management, Tesco wants their clients to achieve highest customer satisfaction. They differentiate themselves by providing the return product policy when they do not feel satisfy with the products. Generally, when a customer satisfies with the products or services, they would tend to repurchase or revisit the store again. Besides, Tesco Thailand understands that it is cheaper to retain the current customers rather than making promotion and advertisements to recruit new customers. Tesco Thailand always put clients as the top priority in all purchasing process. With this policy, the customers would feel more secure to purchase and shop in the shop. Besides, Tesco provides membership for the customers. The clients can accumulate points when shopping in Tesco Thailand. The points can be used to redeem vouchers or products from Tesco. Besides, the members would receive updates of promotion from time to time. These strategies promote the relationship with the customers and this lead to the customer loyalty and brand identity among customers. Not only membership, Tesco Thailand provides exclusive discount for members. Members day are conducted yearly only for members. During the members day, members are given opportunity to shop with higher discount. Each member can only bring a friend to shop on the day. This strategy improves customer relationship and made the Tesco membership to be more exclusive. (Shaffer, 1991). Commitment to Quality Product quality is customers overall evaluation of the excellence of the performance of the good or service. Kellers (1993) 7 basic dimensions of quality Performance Employee Interactions Reliability Durability Timeliness and convenience Aesthetics Brand Equity Tesco Thailand cares of the product quality. They understand price is a factor of decision making but the quality of products is the key element that sustain the customers to stay and can be converted as the customer loyalty in the future. Besides, there is a strong relationship between quality products and customer satisfaction. High customer satisfaction promotes customer loyalty in a long run. As the implementation strategy, Tesco Thailand always maintains the product quality by doing stock check to keep track on the freshness of the products. Besides, Tesco has a computerized system to evaluate the expired date for the products. This strategy maintains the quality of the products. Global-local Adaptation Global-local adaptation is used by the Tesco Thailand to win the market. Manager from Tesco Britain can be familiar with retail business but localization is important based on the culture and taboo. Products that are sold in large quantity in Britain might not be able to win the heart of the local community. As the result, Tesco Thailand takes initiative to set up a production unit (local company Surin Limited Partnership) that has no negative association with quality, premium products. With this strategy, Tesco Thailand actually undergoes internationalization and localization to achieve the support from the local community. Some products sold in Tesco Thailand are only being found in Thailand but you would never find it in the Tesco internationally. These products are specially design for the local community. Salty fish is the best example, Thailand community likes the product and they want to buy it from Tesco Thailand. However, the product might not be accepted by Britain community. The integration of local culture is taken care when providing service to the local community. Not only that, Tesco Thailand employs only local staffs. The managers and CEO are local community. With local management team, they would able to plan effectively. For example, for advertisement and promotion program, the local marketing manager would be able to know the culture in Thailand. The preference of the consumers is identified. The words choice, colours and models used in the advertisement can be localized to increase the acceptance of the local community. Hence, Global-local adaptation in term of staffs is an essential factor to be taken care off. Breadth of product Depth of product line can be defined as the variety of products that are carried by any retails shows such as cloths, electrical products, food, furniture and others. . The breadth of the product is important to ensure Tesco Thailand success in differentiating themselves and to create customer loyalty. As review in the case study, Tesco Thailand can be an entertainment center for children, shopping gallery for housewife. A business center for businessman and also the family gathering center also. In term of entertainment center for children, they have playground and game center for the children to have joy and fun there. Children would love to visit the place because they are place for them to do some activities. In term of housewives, they can buy groceries, fresh vegetables, meat and others to fulfill the needs of the family. The housewives do not need to travel to grocery to buy a broom and travel to wet market to buy a fish and even to dry market to buy onion. Now, Tesco Thailand gathers all the products according to the household needs. Not only there, bank services are available to help businessman to do their work while their wife are shopping. Besides, these facilities encourage shoppers to buy more because they can withdraw money anytime when they shop. With the breath of products, customers satisfaction level increases and this builds the customer loyalty in the long run. Service offering Tesco Thailand has undergone market and product development strategies to provide a better service to the consumer. Tesco has used the Internet to extend its market into new product markets, such as financial services, white goods and DVD rentals. While these are promoted through the store, the web provides a wider choice of products, more detailed information about products and a method of purchase. The internet can also support entry into new geographical markets. New revenue sources are available through extending the product range online as explained above, and also with new digital revenue streams such as those for music downloads and e-Diets. Tesco also supports advertising on its site of related product such as financial services. Differentiation through Target market strategy. Tesco.com has a broad market of customer types, so it is less relevant for them to use online to selectively target these with communications. However, the article explains how Tesco has used the web and e-mail to target more closely through targeting different lifecycle groups these are customers who are grouped according to their level of adoption of online service. Tesco also uses the web to target specific requirements such as Diets and Financial Services through search engine marketing. Not only this, Tesco offers some unique online promotions and lower online prices for select products such as financial services which could attract a percentage discount when purchased online. It appears not to use the service elements of the mix for positioning beyond the slogan You Shop, We Drop. But attention has been paid to improving the customer experience through usability activities and reduction of download times. Conclusion Strong brands never happen by accident. Yet only 53% of firms say they have a long term brand strategy in place. A brand strategy is simply a plan for developing a coherent brand. It provides the means for systematically creating differentiation and consumer appeal by empowering better brand decisions across the organization. An effective brand strategy influences the total operation of a business to ensure consistent brand experiences for the customer. Tesco Thailand has become a successful story of branding that can be learnt by everyone. Differentiation and innovation are important to sustain the success of the brand. Reaching the heart by creating memory and customer loyalty is the final destination for all branding exercise.