Natureview Farm Case

Natureview Farm Case Natureview Farm is a small yogurt manufacturer with annual revenues of $13 million. It produces three different size cups – 8 oz. cup, 32 oz. and 4 oz. cup multipack. However, Natureview’s goal is to increase its annual revenue to $20 million in two years. With a solid relationship with its current, successful strategy in the natural foods channel it is considering expanding into the supermarket channel. Conversely, it does not want to hurt the company brand it has created as a premium yogurt brand in the natural foods market and betray those loyal, natural foods customers who made their business what it is today.In the case, Natureview is considering three options to expand its operations to reach its $20 million annual goal:1. Expand six SKUs of the 8-oz. product line into one or two selected supermarkets. The reasons behind this option are:A) Eight-ounce cups represent the largest dollar and unit share of the refrigerated yogurt market, providing significant revenue potential.B) Other natural food brands had successfully expanded their distribution into the supermarket channel. As a leading natural foods brand for yogurt, they can capitalize on the growing trend in natural and organic foods in supermarkets.C) A major Natureview competitor plans to expand into the supermarket channel. Supermarket retailers would likely only have one organic yogurt brand. Therefore, there is a first-mover advantage.2. Expand four SKUs of the 32-oz. size nationally. The reasons behind this option are:A) Currently generated an above-average gross profit margin for Natureview (43. 6% vs. 36. 0% for the 8-oz. line).B) Fewer competitive offerings in this size and Natureview had a strong competitive advantage in their product’s longer shelf life.C) Although slotting expenses would be higher, promotional expenses would be lower since the 32-oz. size was promoted only twice a year.3. Introduce two SKUs of a children’s multi-pack into na tural foods channel. The reasons behind this option are:A) Company had strong relationships with leading natural food channel retailers, and expansion into supermarket channel could potentially jeopardize the relationship.B) Distribution targets were very achievable for the two SKUs.C) Gross profitability of the line would be 37. % while expenses would be lower; quite attractive. This option may even yield the strongest profit contribution of all strategies taken into consideration.D) Natural foods channel was growing seven times faster than the supermarket channel.For each of the alternatives provided above, these are the issues that need to be encountered respectively:1. It has the highest level of competitive trading promotion and marketing spending. It would require quarterly trade promotions and a meaning marketing budget. It would also cost Natureview $1. M per region per year. Its SGA would also increase by $320,000 annually. Therefore, it would be a costly approach. Also, to achieve its target, Natureview needed to take advantage of its relationships with the top 11 supermarket retail chains in the Northeast and the top 9 chains in the West and occupy majority of the retail space.2. The difficulty was that new users would not readily â€Å"enter the brand† and adopt a multi-size product. Furthermore, to achieve full national distribution within 12 months it would be a difficult task in of itself.Natureview would need to hire more sales personnel who had experience selling to more sophisticated supermarket channels and establish relationships with the supermarket brokers. This would increase SGA expense costs by $160,000. To add to the complexity of the decision, a competitor was rumored to be launching a line called Bright Vista, which would directly compete with Natureview. Moreover, supermarkets were considering launching their own private-label versions of organic yogurt. Therefore, launching the 32-oz. has its issues of being less noticed in a myriad of different products available.3. Introducing the multi-packs requires R&D and Operations costs. It also conflicts with the premium brand positioning it had worked hard to establish due to supermarkets’ emphasis on sales promotions and inconsistent prices. There were also fears that Natureview’s marketing department was unprepared to handle the demands on resources and staffing that entering the supermarket channel would impose. Supermarket distributors were more demanding in logistics and technology than what Natureview was familiar with. However, it is thought that soon, natural foods channel would embark on similar demands.After reviewing all the alternatives and its issues and benefits, I found that moving into supermarkets could have both positive and negative repercussions. Refraining to expand into supermarkets could put Natureview at a competitive disadvantage, considering there are rumors of Natureview’s competitors expanding into supermarket channels. Supermarkets are potentially a huge market for organic yogurt, considering 97% of all yogurts were purchased through this channel and 46% of organic food consumers shop at supermarkets. Two natural food companies have already entered supermarkets and in doing so have increased their revenues by over 200%.Executing a first mover strategy would be crucial if this plan were to be implemented in order to gain brand equity from new consumers who are transitioning into the organic food market. Furthermore, because price inhibits 58% of consumers from buying organic products, Natureview would have to execute a competitive pricing strategy against non-organic yogurts. However, the expenses associated with it (i. e. the trade promotions and SGAs) are quite expensive to take in. The goal is to obtain an increase in revenues by at least $7M. Costs incurred would be at least $2. M annually just expanding into two regions. Therefore, if Natureview would expand to all four regions, the y would incur $5. 2M in just marketing and SGAs. It is quite an expensive approach, especially since there is the fear that your current customers may disown your brand and look for others. You’ll be charging less per unit and you lose the distinctive brand value that’s associated with your brand, which is a premium yogurt manufacturer. Alternatively, my recommendation would be to introduce the multi-packs for children. Your current 8-oz. product is a cash cow; leave it that way.The method to expand would be to enter a product development strategy and use the same channels for distribution. You’ve built a strong relationship with natural food retailers; continue it by product differentiating. Implement the multi-packs as an option for consumers in the natural food retailers and continue to keep the premium price brand positioning. The last thing you want to do is enter a price war; therefore, keep the same channel distribution you are using but instead, introduc e new products through product differentiation.

Education Field Observation Report Essay

I have learned a lot about the teaching profession this semester. My dream has always been to become an Elementary teacher. I had the opportunity to observe many classrooms, especially at the Elementary grade levels. Through field experience, I was able to imagine my own classroom and teaching methods. I observed both student-based classrooms and teacher-based classrooms. I even had the opportunity to learn about teaching special education classes, which I never considered teaching until now. This field experience has made me question the level that I want to teach, the methods of instruction I should choose, and the content area on which I should focus. Although my task was to observe for five hours in elementary, five hours in middle school, and five hours in high school, I observed more teachers and classrooms at the elementary level. Starting out, my goal was to teach only grades kindergarten through fifth, but I had the realization that I would not mind teaching at middle grade levels. In some of the student-centered classrooms, I noticed that group work made some of the quieter students feel comfortable speaking in class and engaging in activities. An example is the fourth grade class that worked in groups and rotated stations every few minutes. They enjoyed the subject content more since they had the opportunity to work together. This is something I want to bring to my classroom. I got to see teacher-based classrooms, too. However, I did not enjoy observing these classes as much. I felt like the students were not as engaged, and they just did not want to be there. All of the teachers that I observed this semester welcomed me to their classrooms. They even invited me to visit again. In most of the classes, I noticed that the students felt comfortable around the teacher. One teacher engaged in conversation with her students about their spring break. She was inspiring to watch. She was teaching math while I was there, and every student was engaged. She made the children comfortable yet she had their full attention during the math activity. I am glad I had the opportunity to observe the interactions between the students and teachers, because I was able to realize the importance of the students comfort in class. This was especially true in the co-taught special education class that I observed. For example, the students were allowed to sit on the floor and take their tests to reduce test-anxiety. I was given the chance to really think about how student behavior is influenced by the teacher’s behavior. Before obtaining field experience, I believed that middle school students would be unruly and frustrating to teach. I feel differently now that I have seen the middle grade teachers in action. All of the teachers were helpful and explained their philosophies to make me understand how they have well-disciplined students. Behaviorism was a topic discussed in our textbook, and I was able to see different theories first hand. For example, most of the elementary teachers have reward systems set up to endorse good behavior. Others, start the school year out being very strict and then loosen up as the year unwinds. I want to have a good behavior model for my classroom, so I was glad to observe various techniques. Some of the teachers gave me copies of the lessons the students were doing at the time of my observation. I found these activities useful as they made me think about the curriculum that is used. This was important to me since we learned about curriculum and how it is determined, as well as by whom it is determined. Most of the classes that I observed were my favorite subjects, English, Language Arts, and Math. However, I now feel more comfortable at the thought of teaching other content areas, grade levels, and even special education. I was given the chance to observe an English as a Second Language class at the tenth grade level. When first learning about ESL classes this semester I thought I would never want to teach this type of class. This is one of the classes that I am most interested in now. I enjoyed watching the teachers and students interactions, but I did not care for the method of instruction. Although, the teacher used student-centered instruction, it seemed as though he was unable to relate the vocabulary of the activity to some of the students because of the language barrier. I imagined various technology and resources that the instructor could have used. This is an area that I hope to observe more in the future. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of observation time in the field this semester. I have realized that I am on the right track to a rewarding career. I am still inspired and more determined to become an educator. I am thankful that I had the opportunity to learn from other teachers. Mostly, I was inspired by their patience, innovation, determination, and their compassion for each individual student.

Neoliberalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Neoliberalism - Essay Example At some point, economics advocated for the abolition of government intervention in economic matters and there were no restrictions whatsoever on economic matters. This paved way for free trade and competition allowing capitalists to maximize profits, as they desired. In the US, this type of liberalism prevailed through the 1800s and the early 1900s. US experienced a capitalist crisis much later on that was coupled with shrinking profits rates. This motivated the elite economists to revive economic liberalism hence neoliberalism, which has been met with criticism. In the United States, it has been said to destroy welfare programs, cutting back social problems as well as attacking the rights of laborers (Shah, 2010). The supporters and those benefiting from neoliberalism are a minority, compared to the world’s population and for the majority; it has brought suffering and denied protection of children, youth women as well as the globe itself. The minority who are benefiting from this new liberalism fail to realize that they are contributing to the undermining of the rights and privileges of the majority. Free trade leads to social damages since no restrictions will mean reduced wages following de-unionizing of workers and eliminating their rights. Supporters of this will claim that it will lead to increased growth. They fail to realize that it will not benefit everyone bit will oppress the majority. Expenses for infrastructure and social amenities such as hospitals and schools as well maintenance costs of infrastructure of road is minimised in the name of reducing government role. This is done but benefits received by the government such as subsidies and taxes are not minimised. Privatization of state owned enterprises and services such as banks, key industries, social amenities and electricity as well as fresh water supply. This will of course lead to concentrating the wealth only for the minority and the major populace

Why did the Tokugawa permit the 'Floating World' to operate Essay

Why did the Tokugawa permit the 'Floating World' to operate - Essay Example The representative art of the floating world in Japan was the traditional Japanese form of art and showed Japanese cultural influences merged with Western forms to provide originality in form and presentation of such artistic creations. Ukiyo-e is thus a form of Japanese traditional art that used art as a form of social criticism and represents society in all its aspects. In fact Ukiyo-e represented all cultural forms at the time and issues related to social conflicts and cultural changes, sexual taboos and attitudes towards social norms, war and art life. A man’s role in a rapidly changing environment is represented in these art forms and in this discussion I will highlight why the Tokugawa shogunate permit the Floating world to operate within Japan. In this context a novel ‘An Artist of the Floating World’ has been written by K.Ishiguro which represented WWII Japan and showed how the attitudes and paintings have changed in recent times within the limits of Japanese traditional art. The use of Kimono and geisha themes, the popularity of Japanese samurais and sushi are all features of the Ukiyo-e period and the period represents a unique Japanese culture highlighting traditional Japanese forms, arts, food and everything representative of traditional Japan. Ukiyo-e, the traditional Japanese art form came into existence during the Edo period (1615- 1868) along with the emergence of the unified government of Japan and growth of a large urban population. Edo has now been transformed to modern Tokyo and the pleasure quarters of the modern city was known as Ukiyo or the floating world (Yasutaka et al, 2000). Ukiyo is portrayed negatively in Buddhism as the term means ephemereal or worldly and transitory pleasures and gradua lly came to be known as a world of sensual pleasures that are valued in the modern world (Kabayashi, 1992). Ukiyo-e literally means pictures or images of the floating world or the world of pleasures and represents an art form in traditional Japan that highlighted these different dimensions of pleasure, and art that recorded the life vein of Edo at that time - the geishas and courtesans, the kabuki actors, samurais, and the art on these themes was based on the traditional ukiyo-e form of woodblock printing. The kabuki theatre highlighted and patronized the merchant class as well as erotic art and landscape of Japan (Hebbitt, 1975). The representations of Mt Fuji, depiction of waves and scenes of landscapes and seascapes show the views of nature and represents classical style and Japanese emphasis on nature, values and tradition. Some of the main Japanese artists who represented the floating world in their art and paintings are Hiroshige, Kuniyoshi, Hokusai, Kunisada, and Utamaro. The Ukiyo-e artists produced erotic prints, paintings and subjects within the Shunga. Ukiyo-e had a focus on sexual and erotic themes and celebrated sensuality and sexuality and many modern paintings are simply representations of the older ones. The Ukiyo-e artists have used their art to expose political corruption, social disorder, as well as violence and chaos along with gestures of emotion and drama as well as varied sexual and erotic themes. However the Ukiyo-e art was allowed to flourish by the Tokugawa shogunate but in 1850 with the fall of the Shogunate, Japan's politics became enmeshed in a civil war and the Ukiyo-e art at this time lost its patronage of the Tokugawa Shogunate and also highlighted the violence and political disruption of the situation as the Tokugawa shogunate collapsed. In the initial stages of the Edo period, the region had a feudal political system with a

Aztecs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Aztecs - Essay Example Aztecs were ancient Nahuatl-speaking people whose civilization flourished in Central Mexico from the 12th century AD until they were conquered by the Spanish led by Cortes in 1519. Aztec history is one of the best preserved records of the Mesoamericans. The Aztecs were a nomadic tribe living in northern Mexico for centuries before they migrated to the highlands of central Mexico in the 12th century. The power of the Aztecs began to rise in the 14th century, and by the 16th century they were dominating central Mexico and up to present-day Guatemala in the south. Being the last in a series of civilizations in Mesoamerica, the Aztecs had a complex culture that had shades of the cultures of civilizations preceding them such as the Mayan and Teotihuacan. The extensive practice of human sacrifice was a prominent feature of Aztec culture. This essay analyzes the concept of human sacrifice in Aztec culture. Sacrifices were fundamental to most ancient cultures.In fact, all cultures have pract iced sacrifice in some form or other, ranging from food and wine to animals and humans. In our modern and civilized cultures, however, human sacrifice is deemed as a freak and abhorrent cult. Human sacrifice among the Sumerians involved poisoning and burial. The Sumerian civilization that existed on the lower reaches of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers about 4000 B.C., practiced human sacrifice in the form of the burial of a king in a lower chamber, followed by a layering of humans and, finally, the chief sacrifice of the queen in the topmost chamber in a tomb. In the Neolithic or Bronze period in China, in what was possibly the earliest known phase of civilization, the Shang Dynasty (1500-600 B.C.) practiced sacrifices of war captives to the royal ancestors. When a king died, it was customary to bury him along with his sacrificed servants. Thus, human sacrifice among the ancient Chinese was practiced for the sake of ancestor worship. The Celts (400-200 BC) whose territory extended f rom Ireland to parts of Asia Minor, and in the south to parts of Italy, and some regions in Spain, besides the entire Roman empire, also indulged in human sacrifice until the beginning of the Christian era and the act was probably voluntary. Thus, human sacrifice by the Celts was carried out to placate the gods in order to reap benefits for the community. From all accounts the ritual of human sacrifice undertaken by the Aztecs was extremely violent and savage. The most common form of human sacrifice among the Aztecs consisted of blood letting and tearing the hearts out to offer to the gods, in particular, Huitzilopochtli. This involved cutting open the chests of victims at altars on top of temple-pyramids by special sacrifice priests using sacrificial knives carved out of precious stone. A most spectacular yet gruesome event is said to have taken place during the consecration of the temple of Huitzilpochtli, just two decades before Cortes defeated the Aztecs. On this occasion, at le ast 20,000 prisoners are said to have been sacrificed in a marathon session of sacrifice conducted by Ahuitzotl, the then Aztec ruler, and his relatives, acting as the officiating priests (Raggio et al., 2000). The skulls of the sacrificial victims placed on long wooden racks were later displayed to the public. The Aztec empire was a model of administrative regulation and control, and which had implemented many economic and political innovations. The highly successful Aztec society had developed advanced agriculture, mathematics, astronomy and art. Their capital, Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City) established in 1325, developed fast and had a population of more than 100,000 people when it was attacked by the Spanish. The reasons for such a powerful empire yielding so quickly and completely to the Spanish in 1519 beg to be discussed. Religion was a driving force for the Aztecs, Huitzilopochtli being the patron god. Besides this hummingbird-like god, there were several other prominent dei ties, too. Human sacrifices

A Mobile Application for Home Depot Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A Mobile Application for Home Depot - Case Study Example The flow of information within the organization network determines the efficiency of operations and the ease of access of information of customers. Maintaining up to date records and managing inventories is an attribute that allows organizations to remain viable within a competitive economy, for this reason, it is crucial for organizations to manage their information distribution networks and manage the people and their access to information to achieve effectiveness in an organization. Home Depot is an organization that has remained behind in innovation and integration of information technology in their distribution networks. Consequently, the organization has underperformed owing to their old information management systems that are ineffective and poor development of their website. The new CEO of new depot has a vision for the information distribution network of the organization. To start with, he builds a mobile network for information flow within the organizations. First phones wi ll allow the organizations to manage their inventories in real time as the selling operations take place. This real time update of the inventories will ensure that business records are effectively maintained without requiring manual entry of information. In addition, the associates of Home Depot can, through the mobile application, seamless monitor inventories remotely from any store. Resultantly, business operations will be automated, making it easier for even one manager to monitor all business operations remotely. Secondly, the organization strategy to develop an interactive website will form a core part of their information distribution network. Through the website, they can disseminate marketing information to their target customers which is expected to make the public more conscious of their products and attract more online buyers (Reynolds 6). Developing an effective information distribution network will harness more profits for the organization by ensuring that information f lows effectively to the customers, and that business operations are timely and automated. Management of people for retrieval of knowledge is a critical aspect of business organizations. The CEO of Home depot has integrated technology in people management to ensure that both employees and customers are well coordinated. His idea to equip the employees with First Phones is geared towards the development of an effective communication between the employees of Home Depot. As Reynolds (6) points out, communication is a key aspect of the people management in a business environment. First phones will allow employees to communicate effectively from their locations and coordinate with each other without having to respond to the fixed walkie-talkies that demand a fixed employee presence, which will hasten communication. The blogger site will allow customers to post their feedback and receive answers from their questions. In turn, customer feedback can be adopted to develop goods that correspon d to customers’ preferences. Consequently, Management of the information systems will be a customer value approach that will help to satisfy customers better. Case Study, Marketing With Facebook Marketing policy is the vehicle that drives an organization’s products from their point of development to their point of selling at the customer site. Currently, information technology has opened an avenue for organizations to distribute their product information to their customers and allow customers to acquire this information. The internet platform has become a superior strategy for organizations to define the face of the marketing policy and roll out their products more efficiently. Facebook is one of the social media online services that have been embraced for organizational marketing. Organizations utilize

Establishing a Business Continuity Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Establishing a Business Continuity Plan - Essay Example The prioritizations of the services or the products that are initially identified are based on the lower delivery levels and higher time period of the services. In order to conclude the significant ranking related to the services the information is needed for the determination of a distracted impact on the service delivery, loss of revenue, additional expenses and intangible losses. 1.3  Classifying Business Impacts for Interruptions or IncidentsThe disruption impact on significant services or the products helps in the verification of how long functions of an organization can work without services or products. It is essential for the business continuity to find out the time period before major impact on the unavailability product is experienced.1.4  Business Impact Analysis (BIA)The function of the BIA is to recognize the authorization and the significant services or products of the business. In addition, the identification of the internal as well as the external disruption and t he priority services or products ranking for the fast or continuous delivery of the products is identified and controlled by the BIA.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1.5  Classify DependenciesThe delivery of services depends upon internal and external dependencies of significant services or products. The internal dependencies comprise of availability of staff, information, equipment, applications, transport, human resource, security and information technology (IT) support services. On the other hand, external dependencies consist of contractor, management facilities.

All About My Mother (Pedro Almodovar, 1999) and The Idiots (Lars Von Essay

All About My Mother (Pedro Almodovar, 1999) and The Idiots (Lars Von Trier, 1998). Compare and contrast how these two movies rep - Essay Example A film can depict what are the morals of the country and what is going on at the moment, and what cultural issues are being addressed by the common public of that nation. As Mohandas Gandhi has said â€Å"A nation's culture resides in the hearts and the soul of its people† (Wederspahn 32). Film is an appropriate medium to portray culture of a nation. Two movies from the European region have been chosen to be compared about how art can depict a nation’s culture, identity and past. First movie All About My Mother (1999) revolves around the norms of Spain where as the second one The Idiots (1998) revolves around the regions of Denmark and Scandinavia. As it is very important to first summarize the whole plot on which the two movies are based upon, a brief summary together with points that have been highlighted in these movies. All About My Mother (Pedro Almodovar, 1999) Summary The main actors in this film are Cecelia Roth and Penelope Cruz. The story starts with a woman n amed Manuela i.e. Cecelia Roth, who is a single parent and a â€Å"medical transplant coordinator†, taking care of his son who is 17 years old named Esteban. She takes him to attend a stage performance on "A Streetcar Named Desire." When the show ended Esbteban expressed the desire to meet his favorite actress, â€Å"Huma Rojo†`, so that he could get her autograph, but as he was going towards his favorite actress a terrible accident happens, Esteban gets hit by a car and is killed, this was the most devastating point of Manuela’s life. In bereavement, for placing her life back in order, Manuela wanted to do certain things which she should have done a long time ago, in which the first thing that she includes is a journey to Barcelona to enlighten the boy's unknowing father about the loss. Later the father, named Lola, was found to be an â€Å"HIV-positive transvestite†. As the story unfolds it is also shown that Manuela runs into an old acquaintance called Agrado, a transsexual who was unexpectedly appointed as Huma Rojo’s personal assistant; the star Esteban had always admired and helps administer her co-actor and lover Nina. Manuela also happened to meet Sister Maria, a young nun role performed by Penelope Cruz in the movie, who works in a nonprofit organization, that helps battered prostitutes, and intends to visit El Salvador, but soon discovers that she is pregnant. Sister Maria came to know that she has also been contaminated with AIDS; Cecilia makes a decision to help the nun by letting her stay in her home. Points About national identity and national past The points which have been highlighted in this movie, that depict the nature of the past and identity of Spain, are as follows (smith 28-30): anti-government strikes the celebration of democracy the spread of AIDS Manuela’s journey in search of herself identifies a great number of things which can be also identified as the national marks of Spain and at the det erritorialized frontier of national identity and sexuality. Manuela finds that a transvestite can bring a lot of things together because he is neither from here nor from anywhere else, he is somebody in between and could help things to reconnect, especially the masculine and feminine sense together. Here, the best

The Great Search for Oil Sources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Great Search for Oil Sources - Essay Example There are also those who, on the other hand, feel that the end result from drilling in the area would be so minuscule in nature, that is would prove to not have any kind of benefit, while in the process having a drastic effect on the ecosystem of the refuge itself. The online Encyclopedia Wikipedia provides a little history on the subject of drilling in the Arctic. It writes that, "The question of whether or not to allow drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) has been a political football for every sitting American president since Jimmy Carter. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is just east of Prudhoe Bay in Alaska's "North Slope," which is North America's largest oil field. Currently, the Prudhoe bay area accounts for 17% of U.S. domestic oil production.[1] In 1987 and again in 1998 studies released by the U.S. Geological Survey have estimated significant deposits of crude oil exist within the land designated as the "1002 area" of ANWR, as well.[2][3][3] ," ("Arctic" p.1). A noticeable action came when, "In 2005, Congress twice affirmed their constituents' belief that America's remaining wilds are important and rejection of claims that Arctic Refuge oil is any sort of answer to the nation's dependence on foreign oil. In November 2005, leaders of the House removed provisions that would have allowed drilling in the refuge from a massive budget bill.

German Economy Essay Example for Free

German Economy Essay One of the major sectors of German economy is the exports of this country that has accounted for a great percentage of financial output. In this regard, more than twenty-five percent of the national German output has been due to the heavy exports that have increased significantly during the last decade. In the year 2004, GDP of Germany was contributed by forestry, mining, and agriculture sector at a very lesser extent, as compared to the other sectors in the country. Despite Germany is going through a high level of industrial revolution, forest has covered more than twenty-five percent of German’s territory. In the year 2003, more than seventy percent of Germany’s gross domestic product was accounted by services sector of the country. In this regard, more than seventy percent of the workforce was employed by this sector. On the other hand, metals, textiles, chemicals, vehicles, foodstuffs, and machinery are major imports of the country, which plays a vital and crucial role in the economy of Germany. In the year 2003, a positive of US$55 billion was the account balance of payments and currency of Germany. The paper will now discuss the abovementioned areas of German economy with detailed analysis, and hope will be beneficial for experts and economists in the better understanding of German Economy. In this competitive era, a number of economies are enjoying a vital position, and Germany is one of the countries that have been able to construct a very important place in terms of its economy. In terms of exchange rate of the United States, the German economy is considered the third largest out of the other major economies of the world. Moreover, the economy of Germany has a very strong power of purchasing, which has resulted in its place as the fifth largest around the globe. In the European continent, the economy of Germany is the largest of all the other economies, which has provided it with a number of opportunities and significance in this economic world. Geographically, Germany enjoys a central place in the continent, which is one of the other reasons behind the significance and exposure of opportunities to the German individuals and businesses. A number of difficulties and confrontations can be observed in the economic history of Germany, such as structural problems related to the East Germany, as well as, different structural problems that have continued since a last decade in the country. (Smyser, 1993) The German government has imposed and implemented a number of policies that have provided significant opportunities for its economy to strengthen in the world. In this regard, one of the major steps taken by the German government is the promotion of establishment of free enterprises, as well as, competition that has provided a competitive and friendly environment to the businesses and individuals in the country. However, various sectors are selected for the distribution of financial support by the state organizations. In the response of such steps taken by the government and related organizations, the economy of Germany has achieved a momentous space in the midst of other economic powers of the globe. In addition, different sectors have achieved strategic importance with the help of different policies by the German government. Thus, a number of factors and reasons are responsible and should be credited for the strengthening and powerful role that has been played by economy of the Germany. One of the major sectors of German economy is the exports of this country that has accounted for a great percentage of financial output. In this regard, more than twenty-five percent of the national German output has been due to the heavy exports that have increased significantly during the last decade. In the result, German economy has expanded traditionally in a macroeconomic manner with the support of heavy exports from different business sectors and industries of the country. Moreover, economic and political incorporation is another basic policy of the German economy, and such policy has been promoted on the continental level in the Europe. In the result, the European Union and its member countries have appreciated and encouraged the introduction and implementation of German economies policies at a higher extent. (Siebert, 2005) Similarly, a number of legislations related to the single markets in the European Union have been established and formulated based on German economic policies. The Euro is the common European currency used by most of the countries in the European continent. In this regard, Germany has implemented the usage of same currency in the country, which has resulted in the exposure of more opportunities related to the strengthened economy of Germany in the region. Frankfurt city in the Germany has the European Central Bank, which is responsible for the formulation of monetary policy of the country, which decides the future prospects for the coming years related to the economy of Germany. (Smith, 1994) Addressing domestic structural problems is another major concern of the German government, which has been agreed and encouraged by most of the German and the foreign experts in the region. In the year 2003, the labor market was deregulated by the gradual steps of German government. In this way, high unemployment rate was tackled in an effective manner. In the West Germany, more than seven percent of fall was observed in the unemployment rate in the country, which was the visible fact of deregulation of the labor market. However, there is still a huge room for improvement in the eastern part of Germany, which has an employment rate of more than fourteen percent in the region. (Scott, 2002) However, the German government is playing a vital role in the addressing of different issues related to the economy of Germany. For instance, high non-wage labor costs have also been addressed by the government with the help of implementation of different policies related to it. Many businesses were burdened due to the imposition of bureaucratic parameters in the past, which was addressed by the present and previous governments during the last decade. Nowadays, it has become quite easy and trouble-free to establish a business in the Germany. New entrepreneurs have been encouraged, especially, in the export sectors of the country. In the result, a major and significant improvement can be observed in the economy of Germany, which is very much export-oriented in nature. (Siebert, 2005) In terms of facts, nine percent of growth was observed in the export year of 2007. In the result, some of the business experts deemed the Germany as the biggest exporter in the world. In the year 2006, more than two percent of growth was observed in the gross domestic product of the country. Moreover, it is estimated that the following years will achieve higher percentage of GDP due to excellent growth in the exports of the country. However, the domestic market of the country is confronting structural problems that can result in some economic issues in the country. Over more than a decade, the labor sector is confronting stagnant wages, which is one of the crucial causes behind the weakness of the domestic market in Germany. In Germany, reunification is financed with the contributions of social insurance companies. Since the 1990s, high wage demands are not observed in unions in the Germany, which has resulted in the conservation of competitiveness among the German workers. Between the years 1990 to 2005, two percent of decline was observed in the net income on an average in Germany, according to the Federal-Statistical Office of the country. However, wage demands from the unions have been raised significantly, as compared with the abovementioned union demands. In the year 2004, GDP of Germany was contributed by forestry, mining, and agriculture sector at a very lesser extent, as compared to the other sectors in the country. Approximately two percent of German population was given employment in the abovementioned sectors. The eastern states of the country have reported to observe a great reduction in the employment rate. After the reunification process, more than seventy percent of workers in the agricultural sector were declined. However, domestic production in the agricultural sector resulted in the fulfillment of more than ninety percent of dietary and food requirements of the country’s population. In the European Union, the agricultural production is being lead by Germany, which has been followed by Italy and France in the European continent. In this regard, wheat, barley, cabbages, and potatoes are some of the major agricultural products in Germany.

Impact of E-Banking in the UK

Impact of E-Banking in the UK Abstract This research paper will compare and contrast the characteristics of the traditional banking and e-banking. Additionally, research will identify the similarities and differences between the virtual and the real-world banking industry customers. Distinguish the difference between the world of e-banking and the real world in terms of customer communications. Determine which traditional customer communications can and cannot be successfully ported to the world of e-banking. Assess what new communications techniques are uniquely available in the world of e-banking. And demonstrate how the use of multimedia technologies creates effective e-banking websites. Discussion of customer communication strategies and real-world examples will be presented. Chapter 1-Introduction 1.1 Internet Banking in the United Kingdom and Europe In the United Kingdom, Internet banking services are available and provided by twelve Internet banking services providers. The Egg, for example, is an Internet banking service provider (exclude current account features) that has more than 150,000 customers visited their web site during October 1998 to July 1999. The Internet banking services providers in the U.K. have encountered an increasing demand for cross boarder payment transactions for smaller amount of cash and payment over the Internet. Many banks continue to develop and launch new banking services on the Internet in order to satisfy and meet their Internet-based customer requirements in term of time, ease of use, security and privacy in the U.K. (Birch and Young, 1997; Mathew and Dagi, 1996; Gandy and Brierley, 1997). In June 1999, the U.K. and eight other western European countries: France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Switzerland, Holland, Luxembourg, and Scandinavia have become leading nations in providing Internet banking services in Europe. Germany also has been rated as the nation that has the highest number of Internet banking services providers in Europe (Blue Sky International Marketing, 1999). Although the UK has smaller number of Internet banking sites on the Internet than in Germany, but it has been rated as the highest quality and functionality at no additional charges to their customers in Europe. However, there are two banks in the U.K. that charge additional fees for Internet banking services, Nat west and NPBS In Scotland, the Bank of Scotland does not provide 24 hours Internet banking services via the web site. Customers can not access to Bank of Scotland web site between 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. during weekdays and between midnight and 5:00 a.m. during weekends. During the bank web site is not accessible, a daily back office operations and maintenance is performed to assure accuracy and security according to local restrictions, rules and regulations. Most of customers in the U.K. and European countries use Internet banking services to inquire about their outstanding balances in saving and checking accounts, and details about their latest or last transactions for their daily reconciliation. The frequency to access the customers account per day is quite high. Many banks, therefore, have provided many view only features for customers to inquiry and view the information on their accounts as often as they want per day. As a result, the banks have reduced both operating costs and work hours for their staffs at call centers and local branches for frequently asked (FAQ) and repetitive transactions. 1.2 E-banking security provokes fear or indifference for the British public A recent study by analyst Forrester Research has unearthed conflicting views about the safety or otherwise of online banking. The survey of 11,300 UK net users found that while many online banking consumers are complacent about security, a large minority have given up online banking as a direct result of security fears. Most UK net users are aware of security threats like phishing and keystroke logging but are unfazed by these risks and expect their banks to deal with the problem, even though these attacks are thrown against the consumers PCs rather than a banks own systems. Ideally users want banks to supply a blanket guarantee against fraud. Based on responses to its survey, Forrester concludes that an estimated 600,000 from a total of 15m subscribers have ditched online banking as a direct result of security fears. Forrester reckons that users are confused and banks need to step up their efforts to educate customers about online fraud. Measures to restrict the functionality of some accounts (for example controlling how much money can be transferred on any day), stronger internet banking authentication and improved customer profiling are also needed to defend against security threats, it advises. In addition to people who plan to drop net banking accounts as a result of security fears, another fifth of net users say that security fears will stop them ever banking online. 1.3 UK Consumers shy away from e-banking Customers still value direct contact with real people in their bank branch. A vast majority of bank customers thinks that an online banking service is not important for their relationship with a bank. According to a survey one third of customers rate e-banking as an important service, and of those only 22% actually use it. Even more unwelcome news for many banks will be the poll finding that more than 30% of customers do not even know whether their bank provides online services at all. The findings contrast starkly with the market expectations among banking executives. In an earlier Deloitte survey, financial services executives had predicted that customers would be eager to do their banking on the web. 1.3.1 Cutting costs, not customer care Julian Badcock, retail financial services analyst at Deloitte, said customers were certainly not rating the internet or interactive services as a key factor in measuring their satisfaction with their banking service provider. A responsive service and the feeling of being treated as a valued customer were much more likely to make consumers feel happy with their bank. And more than 50% think it is important to have quick and easy access to a local branch. The findings of the report make bitter reading for backers of internet banking pure plays like Virgin and Egg. Julian Badcocks conclusion: 90% of customers at present [are] showing no interest in obtaining financial services from new entrants. Established players, meanwhile, have to worry whether their huge investment in online banking is money well spent. The need for expensive customer care does not sit nicely next to the cost-driven move to online banking. 1.3.2 Educating customers Long-term hopes for cost savings will only materialize, if consumers can be persuaded to use the services. A recent survey by consulting firm Cap Gemini Ernst Young had found that currently just 4% of all bank transactions in Europe are done online, a number expected to rise to 25% by 2003. In the United States just 3% of transactions are done online, and there growth prospects are more modest, with the share of online transactions seen to reach 12% within three years. Such growth rates, however, can only happen if banks begin to educate their customers about the benefits of online banking, Deloittes analysts say. Chapter 2-Literature Review 2.1 Executive Summary How secure is online banking for the regular and not so regular internet user? The internet is becoming a more globally known form of communication around the world these days and its used largely in conjunction with personal/business tools to expand the horizons of e-commerce. As many small to large business follow the trend, looking for soaring profits, by placing their business online, they are left to find a threat in the online world in terms of security issues. This can be extensive in regards to online banks and financial institutions that provide the businesses with their transactions, along with the present threats of personal privacy and protection flaws associated with banking online. Online banking is not just about viewing accounts online, or paying bills. It has more to that, it include transferring of funds, shopping online etc. As a proven fact, felonies consisting of fraudulent behavior have attacked national Australian banks and are currently in legal dilemma over the astounding issue. Presently, uncertain of the root of the crime, banks have been forced into an unacceptable situation in regards to customers bank accounts. With alarming issues of security online, there are a few steps that can be taken in order to prevent such matters from arising or basically in order to avoid hackers into your private life. 2.2 The internet and its benefits As todays busy world is immensely changing in the depth of telecommunications whilst advancing in the technological age, we are left to find minimal time to do the basic necessities such as shopping, banking relaxing. So along came e-Shopping, and e-Banking. Online banking is for you if it will save you time and money. E-commerce plays a major role in how the internet is used in terms of a consumer business, or B2B relationship, but there just isnt enough security online. 2.3 What is online banking about? nline banking may be considered just as a system where you view your accounts and pay bills, but it is not just about that. Online banking is about shopping online, transferring funds, viewing transactions histories, servicing your accounts online and getting in contact with your bank around the clock. As shown by the statistics, lenience to banking online can be proven handy. The convenience can be dominant, since not only is travel time reduced, but ATM machines, telephone banking or banking by mail are often unnecessary. Technology continues to make online banking, easier for the average consumer. Not only regular consumers, but also many small, medium and large businesses are finding it rather efficient. Bankrate.com (28-10-2005) In the past, online banking consisted largely of banks partnering with large software companies such as Microsoft, to provide the online banking services within their personal finance software. Microsoft.com (1996) this led to the first of two approaches referred to as the client-based system, allowing customers to use the money management software and their own computers to access the bank via a modem and a phone line. The second approach is that of the newer Internet-based systems which allow customers to simply dial in using any computer and use the banks software. From a business perspective, they actually have more danger associated to their business, than a consumer may. Home PCs are, as confirmed by all IT Security vendors and specialists, the least protected albassera.com (21-06-2002). Ocp.co.uk (No Date) describes best the implications businesses could face with the threat of online security: Financial savings that online banking has to offer. Increasing supply power by reaching a more global target Attract new customers And therefore the disadvantages that may occur to a business: Level of learning for each customer may vary, or may even be too difficult to do online transactions. There a potential threat of the site being hacked Lost information or errors in banking can lead to a loss of business Not all clientele may be happy with making purchases online. Initial set-up costs and on-going cost can be rather expensive to keep the site up-to-date. Proven by the disadvantages list, there are a lot of threats placed on a business in order to consider a place in the e-market. 2.4 Internet Banking Banks are not the only commercial organizations locked in a love hate relationship with the Internet. On the one hand, cheap and ubiquitous, the Internet offers a potentially attractive way to serve customers without the heavy costs associated with the traditional bricks and mortar business model. On the other hand, the Internet is fundamentally open and insecure. It is the very antithesis of the private networks that industry and commerce have entrusted with carrying transactions and other critical information. Despite the dichotomy, the Net continues to grow ever more rapidly in importance to the commercial world. From books and airline tickets to share trading and the filing of corporation tax returns, new users for the Net are proliferating. In most cases, the incentives of Internet Banking are either the need to meet competitive challenges and customers demand or the need to cut costs. As reported by The Times of UK on Internet banking, a banking transaction action at a Bank costs around $1.07, $0.27 via an ATM and just one-cent on the Internet. The decision to use the net is rarely a technical one. Banks have opportunities in the new payments gateway in areas such as purchasing platforms, certification, trade services and trade finance, electronic bill presentment and payment, consumer Internet payments and also plethora of competition. There are five main reasons for going online. Firstly, Internet banking removes the need for physical presence in new territories a web site gives global presence without in-country set up and ongoing infrastructure costs. Secondly, success carries few penalties because growth can be accommodated centrally, without recourse to building and operating new service centres (bank branches in retail terms). Thirdly, the time to market new products and services is dramatically reduced due to the standardized technology that characterizes the Internet. Fourthly, there is the chance to preach to the converted. Marketing costs in this medium can be concentrated on creating an effective Website that attracts potential clients. Finally, the Internet fits well with the characteristics of Corporate banking where thousands of transactions which can be conducted daily and multiple updates provided, individuals can work easily from different locations and there is a growing belief that security fear s will be resolved by evolving techniques and technology. For internet banking to work effectively, it needs to address the key issue of security. In conventional banking we use written references or prior knowledge to assure ourselves that we know who are doing business with us. We use controls to ensure that non parties are not party to a confidential deal cannot see or tamper with paper based information that is stored and in transit. And we use pen on paper signatures as an irrevocable sign of our agreement. Banks have long used encryption devices to scramble inter-branch links and communications with corporate customers. More recently firewalls and password tokens have been introduced to provide access control. In addition to security, quality of services is another key area in providing successful e-banking. Any customer is only a click away from a competitor elsewhere, so it is imperative that the e-banking experience reflects an optimal encounter each and every time. As simple as this sounds, developing the network management capabilities to assess and respond to the end user experience is no trivial matter. Much of the discussion so far has focused on e-banking as provided over the Web but the Web is only a beginning. The changing shape of Internet banking in the future will be fascinating to watch. Internet banking is a robust and highly practical solution but has delivered something of a surprise too. As Internet banking becomes more common, potential customers have increasing choice. The more informed among them are shopping for service not just on the basis of obvious criteria such as interest rates and functionality, but also on the quality of the security being provided. For those banks still debating the best Internet approach, the advice is to start small but start as early as possible. The number of customers and services should be limited initially while the potential of the technology is learned and the security and services levels are assured. 2.5 Online banking security Nowadays, online banking is used primarily through the internet-based system of customer/business to bank. All online transactions should be governed by an SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encryption. Gelman (1998, pg 39) states that information sent over the internet may pass through dozens of different computer systems on the way to its destination. This basically means the information being sent is to be encoded before transmitted from the destination computer to the banks computer. Knowing that your bank account details are being passed on to many other computers in order to reach its destination, doesnt exactly make you feel safe and sound about using online banking. A customers password or pass code serves as the first level of protection and is digitally sent separately for security purposes. This is also accompanied by the issuing of a Logon ID, which is a unique membership number. Currently online businesses and financial institutions face great danger as online banking can lead to fraudulent behavior. Atansov (2001) Credit card generators are readily available to download The impact of such a fact has left many internet users wondering about the security issues in regards to their personal information, their banking details and most of all their internet surfing privacy. From a recent survey it was shown that a massive 30% of regular internet users were too nervous to use online banking. 2.6 Current online banking security issue As it may have come to recent concern, most of the banks were beaten by an unknown source luring its customers to accidentally reveal their account details. An email was sent out to customers stating that their account details needed renewing and that if they followed simple steps provided they could renew their accounts adequately. Some Net Bank customers have been deceived into providing their Net Bank client number and password as a result of a spam email which was widely circulated in UK. As none of the customers were aware that such a scam could happen, they gave their Login IDs, Passwords and account information away to very deceitful criminals. 2.7 An outcome about online banking security and its future In the analysis for online banking security, many precautions can be taken in order to prevent trouble occurring in regards to account details, personal details and security information. Customers of online banking must play their part in securing online banking by helping to safeguard information, which can be done by protecting their Logon ID and Password from misuses. These may include things like not telling other people their Login ID and/or Passwords, not using public computers to access their bank account information and being able to tell the difference of a secure and non-secure website. The future can only hold a solution for the current problem of online security, which can be solved in many different ways. Its best to avoid internet banking for the current moment and wait until there is an upgrade on its security. As many consumers are still nervous about using the internet for banking, the issue of security will be a thing of the past, just at this particular moment it shouldnt be overlooked. Chapter 3-Research Methodology 3.1 Evaluation of five E-Banking Sites in the UK There are two distinct models of E-Banking sites: Pure Cyber banks; e.g. in the UK, Cahoots, Egg, First Direct and Smile, which only have an Internet presence; Traditional banks that provide E-Banking to complement retail banking, e.g. In the UK, Barclays, Nationwide and HSBC are some of the traditional banks that have an Internet presence to complement their brick and mortar branches. Not all the banks offer the full range of services on the Internet; banks in both the aforementioned groups offer a wide range of services. These include personal banking, commercial banking for both small businesses and large corporations, loan application services. Financial services such as applying for an Individual Savings Account (ISA), opening an E-Account, applying for a mortgage, etc. 3.2 Methodology for Evaluation of E- Banking sites: I chose five E-Banking sites: Egg, First Direct, and Smile in the pure cyber bank variety, and E- banking sites of Nationwide and Barclays, which also have physical branches. Aims and objectives: To determine the ease of applying the evaluation instrument based on the e-SERVICE framework; To demonstrate that an E-Commerce environment should not only have a usable Web site in conventional HCI or Usability terms, but should provide service quality that meets or exceeds the customers expectations. 3.3 Research Method The research method involved conducting heuristic evaluations of the E-Banking sites. Heuristic evaluations involve inspecting the user interface to check its conformance against a set of heuristics or design principles (Nielsen, 1993). The heuristic evaluations involved two steps: 1. First of all I conducted usability heuristic evaluation. We applied an evaluation instrument consisting of several sub-heuristics of the usability heuristics approach. Provide an effective home page are: Ensure intuitive access and logical progression to key user tasks; Integrate clear yet usable branding; Ensure visual elements do not compromise usability; Terminology should relate to the users tasks and not marketing speak; Provide appropriate Metaphor for navigation from the home page; Simplicity or busy is either appropriate? The heuristics in Table 2 and the sub-heuristics in the usability evaluation instrument (which is available from the authors) were derived from several sources in the literature and Web sites (e.g. www.usableweb.com, Nielsens www.useit.com, IBM Web guidelines). The list of heuristics was also refined and updated during the authors experience of conducting usability evaluations of E-Commerce sites as a part of their consultancy activities. 2. Secondly I conducted heuristic evaluations of the five sites with respect to the e-CRM heuristics using the e-SERVQUAL evaluation instrument. (Based on the e-SERVQUAL framework). Table 2: Usability Heuristics Provide an effective home page Design a natural and manageable structure Provide an aesthetic minimalist Design Enable easy and intuitive navigation Ensure Consistency Support the User I considered the customer task scenarios listed in Table 3. The customer task scenarios presented here describe key situations of customers interaction with an E-Banking environment. Task scenarios are realistic, concrete and specific and help to guide the evaluator through heuristic evaluations. The evaluator (usability expert) interacts with the E- Commerce site to role-play a stereotypical customer and conducts the customer task scenario. While walking through the scenario and navigating through the site, the evaluator checks for the sites conformance against the heuristics, and makes a note of situations in the scenario where the E-Commerce environment does not adhere to the heuristics. Chapter 4- Research Findings 4.1 Internet Banking Internet, a global system of computer networks, first appeared in 1969 under the name Advanced Research Projects Agency Network in the United States (PBS Online, 2003). At present, about 13 millions serves are linked to the Internet across the globe, 99 per cent of which are located in advanced countries (CSE Online, 2003). Many banks use the Internet to offer services for both domestic and foreign consumers. At an advanced level, Internet banking is called transactional online banking, because it involves provision of facilities such as accessing accounts, funds transfer and buying financial products or services online (Karjaluoto, Mattila and Pento, 2001, p. 348). The Internet also helps banks penetrate other financial markets without requiring their physical presence in those markets. Miklaszewska (1998) identified four roles for the Internet in a modern banking industry. First, it facilitates financial transactions between banks and their consumers. Second, it gives financial institutions permanent access to financial information. Third, the Internet connects a banks head office to its branches. Finally electronic banking lets customers check their account information, pay bills, transfer funds between accounts, and perform other functions. Customers will soon have access to additional services such as online stock and bond trading (Miklasewska, 1998, p. 283). The Internet gives financial institutions various opportunities to conduct their various financial transactions. It enables banks to introduce international payments. It also helps banks cut time, money and risk. Many transactions can be done through the Internet. Availability of data through the Internet helps both banks and consumers reduce risk-taking in their financial transactions. Usually banks use Internet for publicity purposes, which include informing the public about the characteristics of financial products (e.g., commission rate, type of accounts available within the bank, interest rate on lending and borrowing, etc.). Large banks such as Citibank offer On-line LC issuance services to traders and cross-border finance facilities to foreign investors. Respondents noted that the response to those Internet services is high. Internet improves banks delivery system. But, the branch remains the main channel for delivering banking services in developing countries. Individuals still prefer face-to-face banking rather than buying financial services via the telephone or the Internet. The removal of barriers on the use of new technologies would encourage banks to invest in e-commerce and TV banking. The Internet improves two essential factors in global banking businesses: time and location (Oxford Analytical Citibank, 1999). The time needed to access bank services through the Web is extremely short. The Internet is also available everywhere in the world. As a result, Internet technology has globalised the banking industry; many banks use e-banking to expand their market share abroad. This section has shown that the Internet is a means to penetrate new markets without a physical presence in the host country. It enables banks cut their costs and to provide large packages of services in short space of time. The result is an increase in banks output levels and boost in their profit margin. 4.2 Advanced Information Technology and Banking Efficiency The Internet increases banks efficiency by helping them reduce the cost of producing and delivering financial services. The Internet alters the pricing strategy of the banking product. Banks price their products at the right level for the ‘electronic market. The price of financial services is usually lower via the Internet than in the branch (Jun and Cai, 2001); this has made the Internet an attractive banking environment for clients. As profit margin decreases, new products are delivered through new channels, retail services and securities being the main areas of change. Global banks also use the Internet to expand their activities and to earn new market share (Oxford Analytical Citibank, 1999). The Internet enhances competition in the banking sector as many non- banking institutions offer their services through Internet channels. Banks also face severe competition on the lending side from global markets. Financial service clients have access to all information about products (e.g. pricing and characteristics) through the Web. This has increased transparency and reduced the cost of financial instruments. Therefore, banks have to apply different mechanisms for pricing their products. As shown in Table 1 the number of banks branches will decrease as electronic distribution channels become more popular. Internet also enhances the delivery of large range of financial products. These improve banking efficiency by facilitating payment processing. The goal is to attain high value-added products. The Internet plays a vital role in the key challenges facing Financial Services Institutions today. It provides a tremendous opportunity for Financial Services Institutions to reduce transaction costs, exploit new markets and roll products much faster than was possible via traditional channels (Banker, 2000, p. 4. Bank managers stressed that the Internet enhances the global competitiveness of financial institutions by increasing their output levels.4 The Internet is also a means to manage business-to-business5 or business-to-customers transactions effectively. A strong Internet infrastructure is necessary to allow banks improve their electronic data interchange.6 Co-operation between telecommunication firms and financial institutions facilitate the modernization of online banking. Increased capital investments and clear rules for online banking also fosters the growth of e-business activities and enhance market transparency (interview notes, 2003). Finally, bankers surveyed in this research believe that the Internet is a means to boost the relationship between providers and users of financial services in the marketplace. The Internet allows market participants to access all the standard banking services at a low price. This motivates individuals and investors to purchase large packages of banking services via the Internet. 4.3 Problems Associated with the Advances in Information Technology The major problem facing Internet banking is the physical delivery of cash. Clients regularly receive financial information through banks Web sites. Nevertheless, it is impossible to make a physical delivery of cash through the Internet. Clients also require instant access to products prices and financial information. The very concept of the end-of-day is meaningless in the world of e-commerce, where customers may be anywhere in the world and demand consistent and instant levels of services (Banker, 2000, p. 6). Banks should promote innovation to become more competitive. The Website must also complement branch services, meaning that products offered via the Internet have to describe how they supplement or replace services available inside the branch. Advantages of e-banking: Low costs (particularly fixed costs); Cross-border expansion; High franchise value; Strength link with customers; Market share growth; Financial information potential; Simple to access. Disadvantages of e-banking New competitors; Complicate services valuation; Development costs; Low security. Source: Salomon Smith

The Political Impact on Humans Essay -- History government Historical

The Political Impact on Humans Humans and Nature It is a proven fact that individuals need an organization of a government. Without order, no one would know how to act and how to behave. There are two different types of people; one group takes control of a given situation while the other lets the power be taken away from them. Without any setup of a government, a few people would be making the choices for many and not let everyone be represented in their government. These setups of government include a republic, communistic, fascist, and socialistic. Each of these examples has a central government but the power of the central government distinguishes the differences between them. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels both thought about their current government and how they could create a form of government that would surpass their existing one. The Manifesto of the Communist Party politically influenced the Marxist society, other societies of his time, and our modern day society. Marx and Engels were both reform thinkers and philosophers. They wanted to bring about a radical change; they saw the proletariat working for the bourgeoisie, the capitalists. Marx and Engels did not like the economic gap between the two classes; the richer were getting richer, while the working class remained poor. As humans, there is a want to make more money and live more lavishly. Most people get jealous and want to drive the nicest car, live in the largest house, wear the designer clothing, eat at fancy restaurants, and work at the most respectable job. Who wants to live in a shack, eat meagerly, and wear tattered clothing? No one does, it is human behavior that makes us jealous of what we do not have. ... ...ot compare with Russia or China. As a result, the world has proven that capitalism outperforms communism. The United States leads the world in technology, wealth, and knowledge and without capitalism; our country would be suffering economically. It is important to allow individuals control their own financial means and to give them enough freedom to live out their lives. http://eserver.org/marx/ http://marxists.org/index http://www.marxist.com Notes 1. Michael Lowry, â€Å"Globalization and internationalism: How up-to-date is the communist manifesto,† Monthly Review, 50 (1998): 6. 2. â€Å"Attack on capitalism,† Canada & the World Backgrounder, October 1999, 19. 3. Antonio Gilman, â€Å"The Communist manifesto, 150 years later,† Antiquity 72 (1998): 278. 4. Mark Skousen, â€Å"What’s left of Marxism?,† The Freeman, 48 (1998): 8.

Steroids and Sports Essay -- Sports Argumentative Drugs Essays

Steroids and Sports Steroids, ever since their introduction into the sports world five decades ago, they have been a controversial issue (WebMD medical news). Anabolic performance dates as far back as the original Olympic Games. Today walking into any gym you will find some one who is using steroids or some kind of enhancement supplement. Anabolic steroids are so popular with athletes from high School level all the way up to the top. For the past fifty years, athletes around the world use steroids to gain muscle mass, and along with regular work-outs try to achieve the results they desire. Kids today using these drugs are getting younger and younger every day. But is it worth the cost? I believe the ban on steroids should be strictly enforced because besides the health risks it provides, it also compromises the integrity of the game in sports. The history of anabolic steroids can be traced back to the 1930's when a team of scientists first produced synthetic testosterone. The purpose of this synthetic steroid was to improve malnutrition and muscle loss in patients. In to the sports arena they were first introduced by the German athletes in preparation for the 1936 Olympic Games (Measles 2). The Russian Weight-lifting team won several metals in 1952 Olympic Games due to the use of "synthetic testosterone (Measles 54). After this American sport's physicians determined the US athletes should have the same completive advantage, and so the Americans started to use steroids. By the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, the debate was not over the ethical or moral use of the drugs, but whether which drug was more effective. By 1969 all was in the open; the talk among users was all praise of the effect steroids had on performance (M... ...ung athletes should be encouraged to rely on their natural talents and strengths for the sake of fair play and medical safety. Anabolic steroids improve strength but that doesn't necessarily make you a better player. Work Cited Anabolic steroids in Sport and Exercise. Second edition. Charles E. Yesalis, MPH, ScD the Pennsylvania State University Editor. Explains the history of Steroids and also talks about how it is used in today's sports, and how steroids can be prevented. www.9NEWS.com/acm_news.aspx?OSGNAME=KUSA&IKOBJECTID=b401471f-0abe-42 In this article they talk about the growing use of steroid in sports. INFOFACTS; Steroids : www.drugabuse.gov In this website they talk about the health hazards of using Anabolic steroids. AMETRICAN COLLEGE of SPORTS MEDICINE Steroid survey reveals dangerous trends among users: June 1, 2005. www.acsm.org

The Atomic Bomb :: history

The Atomic Bomb It is agreed by many parts of our society that one of the main atrocities done by the human being took place on August 6th and 9th, 1945 in the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. Over 170,000 innocent Japanese individuals died due to the dropping of two atomic bombs created in the United States. This transcendent historical event suddenly ended the bloody Second World War and gave the start to a new one, the cold war , which in fact led to an atomic weapons race between the Soviet Union and the United Sates of North America. It is constantly argued if the effect that the mentioned ending of the war had was positive or not to its resolution, and if the entire world got any benefits from it, but the action of dropping the nuclear weapons on the Japanese cities by the American government was completely unjustified, unnecessary, and unfair. Japan was the only nation that was still fighting against the allied countries when Germany surrendered, and its army was in very poor conditions: its troops were considerably weak, its amount of armament was running out, and the government was about to surrender in a matter of months . In addition, the final decision was not informed or warned to Japanese authorities which, in that case, could have probably prevented the catastrophe, the dropping place of the devastating bombs were of limited military value and, finally, the decision was made partly thinking of the value of its development, the political intimidation that it would create on the Soviet Union and the rest of the world, and man’s natural but vicious need of power and leadership. The expensive nuclear attack was an unneeded method to win the war because, at the time, Japan was not strong enough to fight back the allies. More than sixty Japanese cities had been destroyed during the war by conventional bombing, the country lost potential help from Germany, the home islands were being blockaded by the American Navy, and the small islands in the Pacific Ocean once occupied by Japan were now under American control. In addition to its bad situation the Soviet Union declared war against the troubled nation by attacking Japanese troops in Manchuria. The vast majority of the people around the globe knew that Japan had no possible way to win this war. Some people would argue that the bombs were developed to reduce the number of casualties from both sides by giving a quick end to the war.

Traditional Family In A Post Modern Society

In a post modern society such as Britain, are traditional family and marriage necessary? This essay will explore whether traditional family and marriage are necessary in Britain today. The change of societal views and attitudes will need to be considered, as well as analyzing statistical evidence. The ideology of the family and marriage will then be discussed and contrasted, in relation to various theoretical perspectives such as functionalism and post modernism.Government views and policies will also be reviewed in order to show how family has evolved for various family types. Before discussing if there is a necessity for traditional family and marriage in Britain today, it only seems logical to first understand what is meant by the term traditional family. A traditional family or nuclear family, as it is sometimes referred to as, consists of a heterosexual monogamous couple that are legally bound through marriage and their healthy, dependent 2. Children, Muncie et al. (1999). There is usually a clear division of labor where the male predominantly plays the instrumental role of the breadwinner and the female predominantly plays her expressive role as the homemaker and care giver, Bernard (1997). This is based on the theory of Functionalism (which has dominated theories until the mid 20th century). They seem to place importance on the division of labor, as they believe that this structure is the most effective way of performing family functions.This image of family would have been very accurate if it was based families around the 20th century as it was considered to be the norm, to get married and have a family with males and females playing their respective biological roles. According to Pascal (1986) in Muncie et al (1 999, pop), the Beverage Report recognized three key characteristics of the associated with the idea of he family; 1 Women are available to do housework and care for children and elderly relatives, without pay. 2 Couples consist of one full-time worker (usually a male breadwinner) and one ‘housewife' whose work outside the home is insignificant†¦ Women look to men for financial support. As time has evolved the idea of what family is has become varied and not quite as meticulous in its structure, although this is still the image of some households. These characteristics that are noted in The Beverage Report may be deemed as dated by most individuals in the 21 SST century, as it is evident that family Structure has changed dramatically. This report would have been disregarded by feminists, as a patriarchal family is not what they believe in. This clearly shows the woman as being dependent on a man.According to data from the Office of National Statistics (2012), it is clear that the nuclear family (married parents with an average of 2 child dependents) has continued to be the most ordinary family type, although this number has slowly begun to decrease as the years have moved on. What can also be identified is that the number of people in other family types, for example single parent families and same-sex families, has begun to increase gradually. This suggests that people are beginning to accept that ‘family' does not have to be the ‘traditional nuclear family.The fact that it is documented at all shows that there is no huge necessity for marriage as there once was. Also there is the opinion as per Duncan and Phillips (2008, up), that ‘marriage and unmarried cohabitation are socially similar (as agreed by two-thirds of individuals when surveyed) and one-third felt that ‘unmarried cohabitation shows as much commitment as marriage'. There is also the suggestion that cohabiting relationships are actually lasting longer, for example in 2006 it was . 9 years, compared to 6. 5 years in 2000.This demonstrates how views and relationship types have changed in Britain, as if this survey Was done in the early 20th century there probably would have been remarkable difference in th e responses and the types of relationship people were part of. Postmodernists such as Bernard (1997) believe that society needs to accept family diversity, as you would accept different classes, ethnicities and sexual orientation. This assumption of their only being one proper family form needs to be eradicated, as anything outside of this form will been seen as inferior. Morocco (1968) cited in Muncie et al. 1999) suggested the idea of the nuclear family as being a universal. The traditional nuclear family is based on the ideology of families. This ideology is shaped by both the state and the media and it seems to be heavily promoted, whereas other family types might be seen as deviant. It could be argued that this idea of a traditional family is becoming less of an option. According to Elution in Fox (2009, IPPP-459) in order for some families to cope with the strain of ‘domestic labor and paid employment', both spouses are having to share the responsibility of reducing a sa lary through paid work.This suggests that in some households the option of a traditional family lifestyle is unavailable to them, based on the way in which this capitalist state has evolved. According to Duncan and Phillips (2008, Pl), ‘Family life is no longer equated with the married couple'. This implies that this model of the family could be seen as unrealistic in this present modern society, as it simply ignores the different variations that we can now expect within a family unit, such as single parent families, same-sex families and step families to name a few.The legislation is that there is no family norm and no definite definition to the term family. ‘Marriage, as a social institution, may have simply been reformed, widened and ‘modernized' rather than being ‘decreed'†¦ If this family form were indeed ‘decreed', we would expect to find that those who live apart from their partners, solo living and same-sex partnerships are seen as equivale nt, rather than inferior family forms', Duncan and Phillips (2008, pop). The Postmodernism approach seems to take this diversity of family types into account and therefore pushes for this diversity to be accepted within society.This could be considered to be a more appropriate observation of British society today. This approach family is characterized by ‘choice, freedom, diversity, ambivalence and fluidity', Harmless and Holbrook (2007, IPPP). This suggests that individuals are more open to live their lives as they please, without judgment and humiliation. According to McNeil et al (2003, up) more and more people delay forming their own families; some may choose to remain Single or childless. This has led some sociologists to argue that there is such a thing as a postmodern family.This is a more modernized term that Seems to embody what British society is like today. Maybe the term traditional family needs to become redundant and replaced by the more flexible term postmodern family? This may be seen as a more appropriate portrayal of family life in a post modern society. Post-war women had the demands of devoting their lives to their men with domestic roles becoming imminent, Muncie et al (1999). The roles of women have now changed, for the majority. They now have more rights which could affect the dynamics of the family.In the past a non married woman might have been considered to be a spinster, but now they tend to be labeled as independent professional women. Some of these changes are down to feminists taking a stand for equal treatment of men and women and eliminating patriarchy, Bernard (1997). This can be evidenced with the Equal Pay Act in 1970, where feminists thought for the right for women to be paid the same salary as their male counterparts, when doing the same role, Lynn Seal in Muncie et al (1997).Another major turning point for women was in 1 918 when they were finally given the right to vote, after years of campaigning from the suffragis ts and suffragettes, Women and the Vote, (no date). It is apparent that feminists have conflicting views to the functionalists ND new right regarding the idea of the traditional nuclear family, as they would possibly prefer a more symmetrical family where the authority is shared. They might argue that traditional family and marriage are not necessary, as traditional family in particular is perceived as more beneficial to men.Gender appears to be Of some importance, as stated by Duncan and Phillips (2008, up), because ‘according to individualistic theory it is women who often lead change, as they break away from traditional and ‘antidisestablishmentarianism and seek fairer and more equal ones'. Feminists Barrett and McIntosh (1 982), maintain that this traditional nuclear family type is anti-social because it exploits women and benefits capitalism, whilst perceiving the more unconventional family types as in adequate.It is evident that societal attitudes have changed over time regarding the acceptance of the various family lifestyle choices. Society has become ethnically diverse and it could be considered as less judgmental. One of the most recent examples of this change is the consideration, by the coalition government, for gay marriages. The bill is to be submitted as early as next ear; with it becoming law by as early as 2015, Hennessey (2012).This insinuates that the coalition government are starting to adopt a more post modern view regarding family and marriage. Although according to McCarthy and Edwards (2011 a more recent concept known as New right, which supports many of the primary functionalist beliefs including the importance of monogamous marriage, the nuclear family and the division of labor in maintaining stability within society, is the view currently held by the coalition government.According to Mainland (2012) Deed Mainland has stated that, â€Å"There are many ay couples of faith and there are many faith groups that embrace gay pe ople and so it's only right for faith groups that wish to conduct same-sex marriages to be allowed to do so under law†. He believes that there needs to be marriage equality for gay couples with the ‘right to marry in churches, synagogues and meeting houses' that are willing to accommodate them.If this bill is pasted it may well be another significant triumph for the equality of gay couples since their right to adopt in the UK in 2005 and being allowed to have civil partnerships in 2005, Ross, Gas and Barrington (2011). These hanged were made through The New Labor Government from 1 997, which seemed to embrace the reality of the diversity of family types. This action can be perceived as necessary as it shows that the government have been taking steps to establishing equality and rights for gay people and regarding them as they would a married couple.They also showed great support for single mothers offering them financial support and paid childcare, Bourbons (2012). This in itself could be seen as evidence of traditional family not being necessary in Britain today and it also shows the support that is been received y these supposed ‘deviant' family types. This illustrates the rights that gay couples are starting to receive which are the same as a married couple and the support that single parents get from the state. Single parent families are becoming more common with the rise in divorce and separation.Since the Divorce Reform Act 1969 there has been a rise in divorce in England and Wales, Bourbons (2009). Also Rodgers (2011) explains how Data published by the Office for National Statistics, indicates that since 2009 there has been a 4. 9% increase from 113,949 to 119,589 in 2010. Single parent families seem o bring about the idea of living in a welfare state, where some individuals are preoccupied by state handouts instead of actually supporting themselves. Margaret Thatcher gave a speech in 1 987, which she clearly shows her condemnation of how society had become.She maintained that some individuals became complacent and dependent on the state to provide for them, because of the benefits that they were permitted to. She suggested that, ‘people have got the entitlements too much in mind without the obligations', Key (1987). This suggests that some individuals take advantage f the help that is offered and decide not to satiate their obligations of I. E. Trying to find a job. It can be considered as an effortless alternative for some, enabling their unwillingness to work.Although the welfare state was initially aimed at tackling poverty, it became apparent to some that it actually created more problems. Locks (2000) stated that the idea of the ‘nanny stats? and a ‘culture of dependency' started to emerge. It seems very fitting that the government is now trying to put a stop to this reliance on the state by capping the benefits that out of work individuals are entitled to (http:// www. Conservatives. Com/ Policy/Where_we_stand/Jobs_and_Welfare. Asps; no date).It will be made law that anyone claiming out of work benefits will not be able to receive more than EWE,OHO per year, which is what the average person earns in employment. By implementing this cap, in 201 3, the government could be seen as trying to create a much fairer system for families and possibly promoting the notion that everyone should work. Although there has been a rise in divorce rates there also seems to be a high level of remarriage, which means that the number of reconstituted families is also on the rise as indicated by Duncan and Phillips (2008).This could signify that marriage and family is still of some importance to most individuals and regarded as necessary, although there is a rise in divorce, these same individuals are still opting to remarry and create their own family form. In conclusion, it is evident that traditional family and marriage are not necessary in a post modern society such as Britain, althoug h it is still considered as important to some individuals. Family in general seems to have some importance to most individuals, regardless of the family form.The rotational nuclear family is still seen as the preferred family type according to New right and Functionalists; nonetheless it seems realistic to accept that society has become more flexible in regards to their views on family due to the changes that have occurred. Looking at family from a postmodernist and feminist view it is evident that society is diverse and it makes sense to adopt an understanding nature towards family situations and types.

Influence of Baroque Music to Classical Music Essay

Music of any period reflects, in its own way, some of the same influences, tendencies, and generative impulses that are found in the other arts of that time (Donna, 2005). Thus the word â€Å"baroque,† usually used despairingly by eighteenth-century art critics to describe the art and architecture of the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, came to be applied also to the music of the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. After some years after the death of Johann Sebastian Bach, the ornate, formal and strict form of the High Baroque became â€Å"old-fashion† and lost its favor. Music slowly began to change form the style and forms of the High Baroque to a simpler yet tuneful form around 1750. The period following the Baroque is called the Classical period. The transition to the new styles and forms of Classical music was, like all transitions, rather complicated. The use of the baroque bass figure lost its taste and became obsolete. The preference of a simple structure rather than polyphonic constructions became dominant most especially in secular music. There was also a preference for one clear melodic line without melting with many others. Although baroque music differs greatly from classical music, they have striking similarities as evident in specific styles and forms. Though Classical composers tend to avoid the antiquated Baroque, one cannot fully abandon the styles and forms of the immediate predecessors. Instead, these styles were further developed to form a new meaning and use on the new musical structure. Forms like the opera and orchestra revolutionized—the former branching out from serious to variety, and the latter have a complete upheaval. Moreover, on the late Classical period, great composers such as Beethoven and Mozart studied the works of Baroque composers Bach and Handel. The later works of the classical composers were characterized of having innovative yet powerful polyphony inspired by Bach’s masterpieces, and contrapuntal melodic lines imbued with the oratorios and suites of Handel. General characteristics of baroque music Baroque composers were united in a common goal: to express or represent a wide range of feelings vividly and vigorously. They sought musical means to express or arouse the affections.  Rather than they express their personal feelings, composers wanted to represent human emotions in a generic sense (Norton, 2010). The music is regarded for its distinct, formal compositional styles and forms. Style Various styles laid the foundation of baroque music. Expressive and expansive in melody yet deeply rooted in chordal harmonies, baroque music is typically highly rhythmical and quite easy to listen to. The comfortable regularity and lively rhythmic qualities of much of baroque music have made it appealing to many modern listeners. For more detailed listeners, one can interpret the music having poignant and stirring melodies, engaging conversation-like dialogues in sound, and rich harmonies and textures (Daniels & Wagner, 1975). Modality was replaced by tonality which gave a strong feeling of joy or lament. In 2008, Ferris explains that composers developed and theoreticians articulated the tonal system, in which every note of the major or minor scale bears a specific relationship to every other note, and all of the pitches are more or less similar to the tonic. Composers at that time recognized and utilized triad chords as an entity, which resulted to meaningful and consonant units of sound. The use of triads most especially the three principle chords (tonic, dominant, and subdominant) paved a stable and harmonic direction to tonal music (The Baroque Period). Thus, the tonal system of harmony was wholly adopted during the seventeenth century. In addition, the continuous use of the polyphonic texture during the Early Baroque was revolutionized to form a new texture—the homophony. Imitative polyphony (more than one melodic line) was an extremely important factor in writing and playing music (The Baroque Era, Kamien, 2008). New forms of polyphonic music were developing because baroque composers felt that the art of counterpoint was essential to their artistry. On the other hand, the homophonic method (a musical technique that displays a vast separation amongst the melody line and the accompaniment) was gaining acceptance and use quite rapidly (The Baroque Era). The homophonic musical style played a significant role in opera and solo vocal music because it ocused the listener’s concentration in the poetic melody of the singer. Most pieces in baroque music have the basso continuo which gave way to uniformity and unity. Basso continuo, or figured bass, is an accompaniment which consists of a bass part with numbers which specify the chords to be played above it. Musical works containing a continuo part helped to convey harmonic support of chords under the melodic line (The Baroque Era). Kamien (2008) states that basso continuo is usually played by at least two instruments: an organ or harpsichord and low melodic instrument like the cello or bassoon. Kamien (2008) also adds that â€Å"the organist of harpsichordist plays the bass part with the left hand which is also played by the cellist or bassoonist. With the right hand, the keyboard player improvises chords or melodic line by following the numbers. Because the numbers only indicate a basic chord, the performer has a wide field of freedom. † With continuity of rhythm and melody, baroque music also features continuity of dynamic level. This means that the volume stays the same for a period of time, and then there is a sudden shift to a different dynamic level. There are no gradual changes in dynamics (such as a crescendo or decrescendo). Terraced dynamics were used as the main keyboard instrument was the harpsichord, which could only be played in two modes, either forte (loud) or piano (soft), precluding the ability to accomplish crescendos or decrescendos (Kamien, 2008). Moreover, baroque composers fashion their work with different kinds of ornamentation. For Baroque musicians, ornamentation is not merely decoration that has no intrinsic value but rather the chief way of moving affections. One should, therefore, try in his ornamentation, as in all other aspects of his interpretation, to effectively communicate the sense of the music. In a lyrical movement, baroque performers intensify the expressiveness through the use of smooth melodic ornaments and appoggiaturas, in a brilliant movement, incorporate virtuosic ornaments, and in a movement that seems complete, add almost nothing besides essential cadential trills (www. musebaroque. fr). Eventually, both vocalists and instrumentalists recognized the principal ways of ornamenting a melodic line. First, brief formulas called ornaments—such as trills, turns, appoggiaturas, and mordents—were added to certain notes to emphasize accents, cadences, and other significant points in the melody (Norton, 2010). Second, more extended embellishments—such as scale and arpeggio passages, and other types of flourishes—were added to create a free and elaborate paraphrase of the written line (Norton, 2010). Forms In 1573, a group of musicians and intellectuals came together to discuss various subjects, especially the desire to revive Greek drama. This group of individuals is known as the Florentine Camerata, they wanted lines to be sung instead of simply being spoken (Styles of the Baroque Period). The group developed a new vocal style based on the music of the ancient Greek tragedy. This new style followed the rhythms and pitch fluctuations of speech. It was sung by a soloist with only a simple chordal accompaniment and was, thus, homophonic; the Camerata rejected polyphony because it would obscure the all-important text (Kamien, 2008). Together with the opera, the oratorio stands as a major development in baroque vocal music. Like opera, the oratorio is a large-scale composition for chorus, vocal soloists, and orchestra usually performed during the Lenten season in the oratory, from which its name was derived; it is usually set to a narrative text. Oratorio differs from opera in that it has no acting, scenery, or costumes. Most oratorios are based on biblical stories, but usually they are not intended for religious services (Tovey, 1956) The genre reached its heights in the late baroque period in the works of George Frederic Handel such as the Messiah with its well-known chorus of continuous praise of Hallelujah. Likewise, the baroque mass is an instrumentally accompanied vocal music tended to be a conservative musical form. As the seventeenth century progressed, masses began to incorporate concertato style and to have instrumental accompaniments. These developments led to the five masses of J. S. Bach, whose B Minor Mass is one of the towering monuments of Western music (Daniels & Wagner, 1975). One of the most significant aspects of the Baroque period was the emergence of independent instrumental music. Its development was not entirely what the Florentine composers had intended; â€Å"the new forms†, Kitson (1966) stated, â€Å"were by-products of reform†. The use of the modal system was broken down, and establishment of the major-minor tonality were considered. But, the old contrapuntal style was not abolished entirely. The known form of during the Baroque is the fugue. According to Kamien (2008), a fugue, written for a group of instruments or voices, or for a single instrument, is a polyphonic composition which is based on one theme called subject. Composers wrote fugues both as independent pieces and as sections within preludes or toccatas (Norton 2010). Throughout a fugue, different melodic lines, or â€Å"voices†, imitate the subject. Fugue subjects usually have a clearly defined character and a lively rhythm. Music that had become associated with various social dances began to separate itself and became a type of independent instrumental music. The baroque suite is a set of dance-inspired movements, all in the same key but different in tempo, meter and character. It is performed by a solo instrument, a small group of instruments, or an orchestra (Wright, 2008). The movements of a suite are usually in AABB form. The section A, which starts from the tonic key then shifts to the dominant, is balanced by the section B, which starts from dominant then shifts to the tonic (Kamien, 2008, p. 103). Moreover, the orchestra during the baroque period was a performing group on instruments of the violin family. The baroque orchestra was consisted of ten to thirty or forty players. At its core were the basso continuo and upper strings. The use of woodwind, brass and percussion instruments are variable depending on the demand of the piece to be played. An aria (in English works sometimes called an â€Å"air†) signifies a melody apart from the harmony, but especially a musical composition for single voice or instrument, with an accompaniment of other voices or instruments. The aria in Bach’s suites is a short binary movement in a flowing rhythm in not very slow common or duple meter (Tovey, 1956). Influence of baroque music to classical music In the middle of the 18th century, Europe began to move toward a new style in architecture, literature, and the arts, generally known as Classicism, which sought to emulate the ideals of Classical antiquity and especially those of Classical Greece. Changes in musical perception on style and form are likely caused by a sum of economic, religious, sociological and political factors. It is interesting to examine the music created within the hazy boundaries between the periods. Style Norton (2010) believes that â€Å"at its best, Classical music reached a consistently high standard and possessed the qualities of a noble simplicity, balance, perfection of form, diversity within unity, seriousness of purpose, and use of ornamentation. † The transition to the new style was rather complicated. There was a general relaxation of formality, and for a while nothing much to take its place (Daniels & Wagner, 1975). The relaxation in the court life favored the Rococo (derived from the French word rocaille referring to the artificial rockwork), a reaction to the formalism, rigidity, and seriousness that had become characteristics of the Baroque, and a decorative style that was lighter, smaller in scale, and wittier than the Baroque (Daniels & Wagner, 1975, Kitson, 1966). The melody most typically consisted of a series of a series of short motives, repeated several times and cast in four or eight measure phrases. The melody is also generously supplied with a variety of trills, mordents, and the like. Classical music is basically homophonic. It seemed a proper alternative to the heavy polyphonic textures of the High Baroque. However, texture is treated as flexibly as rhythm. Pieces shift smoothly or suddenly from one texture to another. A work may begin homophonically with a melody and simple accompaniment but then change to a more complex polyphonic texture that features two simultaneous melodies or melodic fragments imitated among the various instruments. In addition, polyphony was piously maintained when it came to church music. It was used for intensification, contrast, and development in the late works of Haydn and Beethoven The most far-reaching event of Rococo music was the development of the simple two-part dance form of the Baroque, through a gradual enlargement and refinement, to the sonata-form of the Classical period. The end result was a form that remained in a dominant position in the field of instrumental music for almost two hundred years (Kitson, 1966). Indeed, it is a marvel of structural flexibility, capable of the greatest conceivable variety of expressive content. By the beginning of the eighteenth century, it was generally cast in a form consisting of three movements arranged in fast-slow-fast sequence. In sonatas and other pieces for violin, gradual increases and decreases of dynamics had long been employed; a theorist addressed the problem of crescendo and decrescendo receiving considerable attention. The Italian opera orchestra, too, had been familiar with swelling of tone. The solution is the borrowing a baroque style. Terraced dynamics had provided composers with one means of achieving contrast. Operas employing this device were widely performed throughout Europe. Form The practice of the baroque era was the standard against which new forms was measured, and there came to be a division between sacred works, which held more closely to the Baroque style from secular works, which were in the new style. A new orchestra developed during the classical period. It was a standard group of four sections: strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion unlike the baroque which could vary from piece to piece. The number of musicians in a classical orchestra was greater than in a baroque group. Classical composers exploited timbres of each instruments. Unlike baroque composers, they did not treat instruments interchangeably. The Classical composers were the first to orchestrate for instruments like clarinet, trombone, and piccolo (Daniels, Wagner, et al, 1975). According to Kamien (2008), â€Å"the classical orchestra had developed into a flexible and colorful instrument to which composers could entrust their most powerful and dramatic musical conceptions. The mass continued to be an important form for Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven. During the Classical period, masses involved orchestra, soloists, and choir in a fully integrated work, using organizational principles derived from instrumental forms (The Classical Period). The majority of Mozart’s masses were in Missa brevis type, the simultaneous setting of several lines of text, or the omission of certain sections of the mass, becau se the Archbishop Colloredo of Salzburg had no patience with long Masses. Effects of the influences of baroque music Long after the Baroque era ended, and their music was all but forgotten, both Handel and Bach were rediscovered in the Classical era. All great Classical composers like Mozart and Beethoven, after Bach and Handel, studied their works and learned from them in grasping and further developing Bach’s and Handel’s science of baroque composition in such a way, that something entirely new emerged, pointing into the future. Proficient Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart The works of Bach, such as the B-minor Mass and the six motets, and Handel, for example, the Messiah had deeply influenced the works of Mozart in his last years of writing music. Mozart was thoroughly familiar with the music of Handel. During his childhood trip to England, he became well acquainted with Handel’s music and he never lost his taste for it. One can hear Handel’s influence in some of Mozart’s early works, such as The Solemn Vespers, and in later works such as the Great Mass and the Requiem Mass in D minor. In fact, the opening page of Mozart’s Requiem, beautiful as it is, is merely a reworking of the opening choral movement of Handel’s funeral music for Queen Caroline (Langlois, 2008). At the age of thirty, Mozart, visiting the St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, upon hearing a Bach motet for the first time, exclaimed â€Å"Now there is music from which a man can learn something. † Then, the choirmaster at Leipzig gave Mozart a copy of the score to all six of the Bach motets. They were a profound influence on his late style. In the last two years of his life, Mozart’s counterpoint became even more exquisite and complex than before (Langlois, 2008). Moreover, Mozart was attracted to the main genres in which Bach excelled—keyboard sonatas, keyboard concertos, symphonies and operas. Bach’s singing-style themes, tasteful use of expressive motives, suspenseful harmonic ambiguities, and consistent thematic contrasts became permanent features of Mozart’s writing (Portowitz). Ludwig van Beethoven Having Mozart as his model for his compositional styles, Beethoven had been familiar to the styles of the works of Bach and Handel. He continuously borrowed ideas, techniques and texture of the music of the baroque in his latter musical career. In his later years, wanting to compose certain pieces in a more contrapuntal style, Beethoven worked hard at mastering counterpoint. He studied the music of Bach, Handel, and even of Palestrina. In his late music, he developed a style of counterpoint that is more reminiscent of Handel than Bach. His fugues in his late period are very rhythmic in nature and quite unique in the history of music (Langlois, 2008). Beethoven showed his constant concern with the work of J. S. Bach. He constantly requested copies of newly published editions, for example, a copy of the B-minor Mass, from the well-known publishers in Leipzig and Zuurich. In Beethoven’s sketchbooks, interspersed among work on his own compositions, there are numerous entries of short or long passages from Bach’s works, among them, the Chromatic Fantasy, and fugues from The Well-Tempered Clavier and The Art of the Fugue (Cramer, 2001). For Beethoven, the sense and aim of the study of his predecessors, was indeed his own further development, toward new ideas. Beethoven described this very clearly in a letter to the Archbishop Rudolph, in which he clearly names Bach and Handel as the only true geniuses, among his predecessors: â€Å"The aim of the world of art, as indeed in the whole creation, is freedom, progress; if we moderns have not the same firmness as our ancestors, yet the refinement of our manners has in many ways enlarged our sphere of action. â€Å"