Gatsbys Mysterious Nature in The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald :: essays research papers

The 1920’s was a time of prosperity, woman’s rights, and bootleggers. F. Scott Fitzgerald truly depicts the reality of this era with The Great Gatsby. Jay Gatsby, an enormously wealthy man, is famous for his extravagant parties and striking residence. However, this is all that is known about Gatsby. Even his closest friends continue to wonder what kind of man Gatsby actually is. The mysteriousness of Gatsby is demonstrated by conceivable gossip, his random departures, and the missing parts of his past. It is human nature for people to question the character of those around them, and in Gatsby’s case, his friends did not have much information about him. Since little is known about Gatsby, his neighbor, Nick, must depend on misleading rumors about the man of mystery. At one of Gatsby’s glamorous parties, a group of women gossip, â€Å"One time he killed a man who had found out that he was the nephew to Von Hindenburg and second cousin to the devil† (61). Other guest place Gatsby as an illegal bootlegger or as a German spy during the war. While some of these stories may be true to his past, most are the outcome of society’s ignorance of Gatsby. As Nick and Gatsby become more acquainted, Nick is invited to dine with Gatsby for lunch. They arrive at the restaurant, and eat while engaging with one of Gatsby’s business partners. After the three enjoy their lunch, Nick bumps into Tom Buchanan, the husband of Nick’s cousin, Daisy. Attempting to introduce Gatsby to Tom, an â€Å"†¦unfamiliar look of embarrassment came over Gatsby face†¦ I turned towards Mr. Gatsby, but he was no longer there† (74). The reason for his disappearance is unknown, thus adding to the ambiguity of Gatsby. Throughout the book, Nick strings together pieces of Gatsby’s past. However, his uncertainty grows as Gatsby reveals himself one day while driving to town, â€Å"[Gatsby] hurried the phrase ‘educated at Oxford,’ or swallowed it, or choked on it, as though it had bothered him before. And with this doubt, his whole statement fell to pieces, and I wondered if there wasn’t something a little sinister about him, after all† (65). With hesitation in his voice, Gatsby is surely not revealing the truth. The many holes in his storyline can certainly lead one to question the validity of his past.

Reopening Old Wounds :: Personal Narrative, Autobiographical Essay

Reopening Old Wounds Professor’s Comment: Bob’s essay is an intensely personal, admirably honest introspective examination of his repressed emotions concerning his parents divorce. I would cry, but that would be a pointless waste of energy. It’s one of those things that I envied my mother. In a flash she could go from the stoic lady of the house to a sobbing goose. I never understood how. I’d go from astonishment to disgust to envy. I take more after my old man. I’ve never seen him shed a single tear. Then again I’ve never really seen him smile either. I grin a lot. I was supposed to be in my home town right now, tossing back cold ones and laughing with my best and oldest friends. My schedule wouldn’t permit it, however. It’s probably for the best. It’s never a good idea to hit one’s home town in a poor mood. I’d probably just end up hanging around the main drag, pissed off my ass and yelling at cruisers. Chances are I would end up in jail, or calling an old girlfriend and reopening old wounds that should have healed years ago. I wonder which of those two prospects is worse. Instead of expressing my emotions as I should, I have withdrawn them and locked them away deep inside me. Rather than call a friend and talk, or go walking, or listen to records, or break things, I am in front of the computer, writing. It is a safe form of expression; if this gets too revealing or too corny, I can always delete the file, or password protect it, restricting access to me alone. So the question on my mind lately has been why. What happened and when that has left me so numb to my feelings? I’ve tried countless times to trace it back and pin it down to an event, to that key moment when I started down the path of self-imposed isolation. Of course, Freud would insist I failed the oral stage, the stage where trust and security develop. It occurs usually around the second year of life, when parents wean their child. If all goes well—according to Freud—the child tastes for the first time independence from his or her mother and begins to explore that independence.

Do The Right Thing Essay -- essays research papers

Director and actor Spike Lee presents his "truth" about race relations in his movie Do the Right Thing. The film exhibits the spectacle of black discrimination and racial altercations. Through serious, angry, and loud sounds, Lee stays true to the ethnicity of his characters, all of which reflect their own individualism. Lee uses insulting diction and intense scenes to show how severe racism can lead to violence. The disturbing scene where different nationalities badger their opinions on each other shows poor communication and horrible stereotyping. This is an example of antilocution. Pino's Italian slang, Mookies black talk, and Korean obscenities are all mixed together to show how communication grows impossible among different ethnic groups. Spike Lee is trying to show how nonsense language results in a snowball effect which worsens any situation. The theme of trust appears in scenes involving the same race or color. In the same way, distrust shows among people of different backgrounds. Radio Raheem and Mookie engage in a significant conversation of love and hate. Raheem tells, "Right hand is for love, left for hate. One is always fighting the other." Through Raheem's character, Lee expresses black brotherhood and trust between people of the same ethnicity. In the present, people still carry that close bond within their own nationality. If Radio Raheem as well as the people of today open a hand with trust in someone of different origin from themselves, ... Do The Right Thing Essay -- essays research papers Director and actor Spike Lee presents his "truth" about race relations in his movie Do the Right Thing. The film exhibits the spectacle of black discrimination and racial altercations. Through serious, angry, and loud sounds, Lee stays true to the ethnicity of his characters, all of which reflect their own individualism. Lee uses insulting diction and intense scenes to show how severe racism can lead to violence. The disturbing scene where different nationalities badger their opinions on each other shows poor communication and horrible stereotyping. This is an example of antilocution. Pino's Italian slang, Mookies black talk, and Korean obscenities are all mixed together to show how communication grows impossible among different ethnic groups. Spike Lee is trying to show how nonsense language results in a snowball effect which worsens any situation. The theme of trust appears in scenes involving the same race or color. In the same way, distrust shows among people of different backgrounds. Radio Raheem and Mookie engage in a significant conversation of love and hate. Raheem tells, "Right hand is for love, left for hate. One is always fighting the other." Through Raheem's character, Lee expresses black brotherhood and trust between people of the same ethnicity. In the present, people still carry that close bond within their own nationality. If Radio Raheem as well as the people of today open a hand with trust in someone of different origin from themselves, ...

Change and Culture Essay

A merger is the combining of two or more corporate entities to create one new organization with one licensure and one provider number for reimbursement purposes (Lielber & McConnell, 2008). Mergers occur for the following reasons; a desire to increase size to gain clout for negotiations with managed care providers, the desire to penetrate new markets to attract additional customers, the need for improved efficiencies resulting from centralized administrative practices, and the desire to express overall value of promoting readily available comprehensive care (Lielber & McConnell, 2008). Mergers occur on a daily. Mergers are a type of horizontal integration. Horizontal integration combines two or more corporations together through mergers and acquisitions (Borkowski, 2005). Horizontal integration increases the merged organization market base (Cai & Obara, 2009). Competition plays a huge role in business. In each industry, organizations compete against one another to get a foothold in the market. Competition can be beneficial and detrimental to the success of organizations. Competition benefits organizations in that it keeps organizations current on the latest trends in technology and equipment. It can be detrimental in that it can cause organizations to take shortcuts in procedures that can be harmful to patients and consumers. Competition can cause management to only focus on being number one and maintaining that spot at whatever cost. Customers are left holding the bag when and suffer when organizations focus solely on competition instead of focusing meeting the needs of the customer. Some organizations and industries strive on competition. Their goal is to be the best in their field and industry. In the health care industry, competition can be beneficial if organizations maintain their focus on providing quality patient care. This paper will focus on the effects of merging a healthcare organization with a competitor. Discussions will focus on the impact the sale will have on the culture of the new organization, what I can do as a middle manager to ensure the combined staff will work together to provide quality care without taking on a competitive stance, and describing what the organization will look like in terms of systems and shape. I will begin by looking at the organization in terms of systems and shape. Description of the Organization When merging organizations, the systems and shape of the organization will change to reflect the combining of the organizations. When merging organizations you have to create a perfect blend of the two organizations to create the new organizations. The best qualities of the organizations need to be combined to make the new organization a success. The goal of a merger is to â€Å"achieve mutual benefits through synergies of mission, strategies, operations, and ultimately competitive and financial position† (Kaufman & Grube, p. 46, 2009). The new organization will combine the best assets of both organizations. Services not previously offered at one or the other organization will be offered at the new organization as a result of the change. The new inpatient and outpatient services offered will increase our patient base. Although we will be offering new services, we will also have to eliminate some services offered that are not used on a consistent basis. We will have to make cuts that will help sustain the new organization. We will also make cuts to staff. When combining organizations, some departments will have to be downsized and combined to meet the needs of the new organizations. The new organization will be structured in a way that we provide efficient quality care to our patients. Providing Quality Care â€Å"Mergers require a significant commitment on the part of leadership to understanding and addressing the challenges and potential risks inherent in such an undertaking—to both the acquiring entity and the acquired/partner-seeking organization† (Kaufman & Grube, p. 46, 2009). We have to work to find a balance between providing the new inpatient and outpatient services, while maintaining quality care. Management has to review the strengths and weaknesses of both organizations and apply the strengths to the new organization. As a middle manager, it is my job to ensure that the combined staff works well together. It is my job to listen to any concerns that staff may have about the merger and answer their questions to the best of my ability. I think the key to getting the combined staff to work together without taking a competitive stance is communication. To eliminate the competitive stance, I would hold a meeting with the new staff and give them an opportunity to discuss their concerns about working together. I would also have training seminars to make sure everyone is working to the best of their abilities and providing quality care. By realizing that there will be some minor hiccups caused the by the change, I am better prepared to handle the problems. When implementing a change to any aspect of the daily functioning of an organization it is important to realize that there will be some degree of uncertainty with the effectiveness of the change. This degree of uncertainty will be caused by the newness of the change and getting use to retiring the old operating standard (Hauptman & Tyre, 1992). It is important to face these uncertainties head-on in order to implement the change successfully. The competitive stance is caused by the degree of uncertainty, employees are unsure of how the merger will affect their job. They are afraid that the new staff will come in and take pushing them out of the way. I have to ensure the staff that we are a team and that we are all working toward the same goal of providing quality care to our patients. Providing quality care is the goal of the healthcare organization, the needs of the patients has to come first. Although healthcare organizations are a business and it is important that the business aspects of the organization are met, patient care is the main goal of healthcare organizations. The focus has to be on what is best for the patient, not how much business or publicity the organization will receive from being competitive. The merger will change every aspect of the organization; it is my job to bring unity to the new organization. The Culture of the New Organization The sale will have a huge impact on the new combined organization. Changes have to be implemented to support the new organization. Staffing and budget cuts have to be made in order to make the merger a success. The new organization has to combine the best aspects of both organizations to fill the void of what each organization was lacking. The new organization will focus on providing efficient quality services to their patients. The new organization will provide a competitive edge to the organization while maintaining quality care. The new organization will provide more services to patients that each organization could not previously provide. The combined organization will be able to create a stronger brand and reach more people. The new organization will be able to reach a larger patient base. More revenue will be gained by combining both organizations. The new organization will be able to provide care to more people in the community and surrounding communities. Conclusion In conclusion combining health care organizations will affect a larger number of people. Mergers require a commitment from both the acquiring organization and the acquired organization to work together to mutual benefits. Each organization enters into the merger to receive benefits they were not able to receive by themselves. Whether it is for financial reasons or to gain a competitive advantage, mergers are necessary for healthcare organizations to survive in today’s industry. â€Å"The healthcare industry has started to experience a musical chair situation. When the music stops, certain hospitals are going to find themselves without a chair† (Kaufman & Grube, p. 50, 2009). The hospitals without chairs have to merge in order to stay in the game. When merging, it is important to analyze the risks and benefits to ensure the success of the merger. To ensure success, the merger has to be mutually beneficial for all parties involved.

Mother-tongue Education in South Africa Essay

Introduction The question of mother-tongue education in South Africa remains a vexed one. On the one hand, it seems reasonable and desirable that learners should be able to receive education in their mother-tongue, if they so wish. On the other hand, there are some very real difficulties involved in the implementation of this ideal. The purpose of this paper is to clarify what these difficulties are, and then to suggest what needs to be done to overcome them. The intention is neither to argue for or against the notion of mother-tongue education in the South African context, nor to consider whether its implementation is practically possible, but simply to spell out what courses of action need to be undertaken if the idea is to be seriously pursued. Background The South African Constitution guarantees learners the right to receive education in the language of their choice1. Most current research suggests that learners entering school are able to learn best through their mother-tongue, and that a second language (such as English) is more easily acquired if the learner already has a firm grasp of his/her home language. Furthermore, the poor throughput rates in South African schools at the moment, where barely a quarter of African language learners who enter the schooling system are likely to reach Matric2, seems to indicate that the current practice of using English as the initial language of learning and teaching is at least one contributing factor to this problem. 1 This right is, however, qualified by the consideration of reasonable practicability, which is defined in the Language in Education Policy of 1997 as occuring when 40 learners in a particular grade in a primary school, or   35 learners in a particular grade in a secondary school, demand to be taught in their mother tongue. 2 As a number of newspapers reported, of the number of learners who entered Grade 1 in 1994 only 21.9% wrote the 2005 Matric examination. Even taking into account such factors as the repetition of grades or learners leaving to study at FET Colleges, the percentage cannot be much higher than 25%. 1.  For some years now, educationists have proposed that African language learners should be taught in their mother-tongue for at least the first three years of school before switching over to English. More recently, the Minister of Education, Naledi Pandor, speaking at a Language Policy conference at the end of 2006, intimated that this initial period of mother-tongue instruction would be extended to six years, that is, both the Foundation Phase (Grades 1 to 3) and the Intermediate Phase (Grades 4 to 6). If this proposal is to be taken seriously, there are a number of questions which need to be clarified and considered. The rest of this paper will be devoted to this task. These questions may be divided into four main headings, although, as will become evident, there is much overlap between them: language development, curriculum development, teacher education and school implementation. Language Development The nine official African languages are certainly able to function as media of communication at such levels as interpersonal conversation, narrative and cultural practice. As they currently exist, however, the standard written forms of the languages have not yet been developed to the point where they are able to carry academic discourse effectively and therefore function as full-fledged languages of learning and teaching, even at the Foundation Phase. For the most part, they are based on particular rural dialects in conservative contexts, having been standardised in the nineteenth century by missionaries for such specific purposes as proselytisation, and later by the apartheid era Language Boards at least partly as a mechanism of social  control. As such, these standard written forms remain in many ways archaic, limited and context-bound, and out of touch with the modern scientific world. In addition, these  standard forms are often quite different from the various dialects spoke n by the actual language communities, even to the point in some cases of mutual incomprehensibility (see Schuring 1993; Herbert and Bailey 2002:59f). Nevertheless, it is axiomatic, as the Canadian linguist, William F. Mackey (1992:52), has pointed out, that â€Å"the lack of standardisation jeopardises the potential status of a language† and that a language which lacks a well- established written form cannot become empowered. 2.  If they are to be implemented as academic languages of learning and teaching, therefore, the standard written forms need to be modernised, regularised, codified and elaborated. This entails a number of large-scale projects: the revision of the spelling and orthography rules of the languages; the elimination of dialectal variation in the writing of the languages; the enlargement of their vocabulary, especially though not only in the fields of science and technology, together with the creation of modern dictionaries; and the codification of their grammars, based on the actual current practices of their speech communities, rather than on otiose cultural norms. It is clear that this is a very large undertaking, which will require the provision of very large resources, both material and human. Of course, in theory it can be done, and the example of Afrikaans in this country is often cited as evidence for this. It must be remembered, however, that the development of Afrikaans was made relatively easy by the fact that it emerged out of Dutch, an already fully functional scientific language; that enormous resources were made available through the National Party government; that it was fuelled by an intensely nationalistic political will; and that it was whole-heartedly supported by a community seeking exclusivity and autonomy from English. None of these conditions obtains in the case of the African languages in the present context, which makes the  possibility of their development into academic languages far less certain. And it must be realised that all the investment put into the elaboration of Afrikaans would have to be increased at least ninefold if all of the official African languages are to be developed to the same degree. It must be noted, furthermore, that the development of the indigenous languages into academic media of communication cannot be achieved merely through the endeavours of a few scholars working in isolation, however industrious and well-intentioned they may be. This technicist and artificial view of language development is plainly insufficient. Instead, what needs to occur is that the entire intellectual speech community of each language becomes actively involved in the development of the language as academic discourse by strenuously attempting to use the language to write scholarly articles, give formal lectures, present conference paSouth Africa uses English and Afrikaans as the languages of teaching and learning.pers, produce textbooks and scientific manuals, and the numerous other activities which require a rigorous academic register. It is only when co-ordinated and 3. To give but two lexical examples, there is no equivalent in isiZulu for the word â€Å"hypothesis†, while in  systematic linguistic research is able to draw on, and feed back into, an actual, developing discourse of practice in a mutually enhancing relationship, that a language can begin to evolve into a functioning mode of academic and scientific expression. After a period of some inertia, a number of projects have recently been undertaken to develop the African languages by both the university sector and the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB). These include the establishment of research centres at some universities, as well as the creation of new courses in translation and terminography. The nine African National Language Bodies (under the aegis of PanSALB) have initiated projects aimed at orthographic standardisation; lexicography and terminology  development; and the promotion of literature in the indigenous languages (see, for example, Webb, Deumert and Lepota, 2005). It remains true, however, that progress has not been rapid and that a very great deal more needs to be done if the ideal of the African languages functioning fully as academic and scientific media of instruction in South Africa is to be actualised. Curriculum Development If the African languages are to be used as languages of learning and teaching in the classroom, the first and most obvious step that must be taken is to translate the Revised National Curriculum Statement (the RNCS) into these languages. At the moment, the only subject curricula which appear in the indigenous languages are the African languages as subjects themselves. The rest are available in English and Afrikaans only. It is plainly unjustifiable to propose that subjects be taught in the African languages when the RNCS – the very basis of all subject content and methodology – is not available to teachers in the putative languages of learning and teaching. In the Outcomes Based Education system which South Africa has adopted, there are three Learning Areas in the Foundation Phase: Literacy, Numeracy and Life Skills. The subjects making up the Literacy Learning Area – the eleven official languages as subjects – are obviously written in the particular languages themselves. But the Numeracy and Life Skills Learning Areas have not yet been written in the nine African languages. Now, for this  Sotho one term is used for the quite distinct scientific notions of â€Å"force†, â€Å"power† and â€Å"energy†. 4. Translation to be conducted successfully, it is imperative to amplify and clarify the subject- specific terminology in the African languages, as well as to develop their capacity for generic academic discourse. Thus, it is necessary to develop the African languages as academic and scientific  languages, at least to a certain level, before the Foundation Phase curriculum can be translated, and, consequently, before one can expect teachers to begin teaching the curriculum in the learners’ mother tongues with any degree of consistency and precision. In the Intermediate Phase, matters are rather more complex. Here, there are eight Learning Areas: Languages, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, Arts and Culture, Economic and Management Sciences, Life Orientation, and Technology. Moreover, within these Learning areas there may be one or more distinct subjects: for example, Natural Sciences comprises both Physical Science and Biology; Social Sciences includes both History and Geography. As is to be expected, the curriculum for these Learning Areas becomes increasingly detailed and specialised as the learner progresses through the various Grades. In consequence, the translation of the RNCS in this Phase can only proceed successfully if the African languages have been developed to a significantly higher degree as academic languages. And, at the risk of repetition, it is only once the RNCS has been translated that teachers will be able to begin teaching the various Learning Areas effectively in the African languages. Naturally, it is not only the RNCS which must be available in the indigenous languages. All textbooks, readers, support material, teaching aids, guides and literature must be made readily accessible in these languages and kept continuously up to date. This is particularly important in the fields of mathematics, science and technology where an extensive range of new terms and phrases will have to be developed, learnt by the teachers and then communicated to the learners. Apart from the translation of the RNCS and related learning and teaching materials, it is also essential that the curricula for the African languages themselves be revisited and revised. The content structure and methodology for the teaching of the languages remains, like the languages themselves in many ways, rooted in an outmoded and ineffective pedagogic model which hampers learning and diminishes interest. As a result, many learners emerge from the schooling system unable to write their own mother-tongue with  any acceptable level of competence. Moreover, since they have often not been taught English (or Afrikaans)  successfully, they find themselves unable to communicate effectively in their second language, in either oral or written mode. While they may have attained a certain level of basic interpersonal communicative competence, they lack what Jim Cummins (2000, for example) termed cognitive academic language proficiency, and thus they are unprepared for higher education or for training in a sophisticated work environment. At this point, it is necessary to make a distinction between employing the African languages as authentic media of instruction throughout the curriculum and using the languages in the classroom in an informal, ad hoc manner in some or other form of code-switching. Given the diverse linguistic profiles of many South African classrooms, together with learners’ limited grasp of English, it is inevitable that teachers will resort to a mixture of languages for purposes of clarification and explication. In such contexts, code-switching is frequently a vital and indispensable pedagogical tool. Nevertheless, if the goal is to develop the African languages into genuine academic languages, and have teachers use them as such, then code- switching cannot be viewed as anything more than a partial and transitional support mechanism. This becomes ever more apparent as learners move into the Intermediate Phase and beyond, where increasing emphasis is placed on independent reading and writing skills. Learners who remain reliant on mixed-language modes of communication will find it extremely difficult to read texts written in the standard form of a particular language, as well as to write essays and assignments and to answer tests and examinations. Furthermore, given the highly context-specific, personal and arbitrary nature of code-switching, it is impossible to construct generally comprehensible and enduring academic texts in a mixed-language format. Thus, while code-switching practices currently play an important role in many South African classroom environments, they can never be construed as constituting a target language of acquisition, or as representing a viable alternative to the development of formal academic  proficiency in the standard form of a language. It ought to be clear from the foregoing discussion just how much work needs to be done in order for teachers even to begin teaching the first six Grades of school in the indigenous languages. To suggest that such teaching could begin imminently, and to propose rapid policy changes to this effect, is both disingenuous and irresponsible. Teacher Education In addition to language and curriculum development, a crucial aspect of providing mother- tongue education in South Africa lies in the field of teacher education (or teacher training as it used rather inelegantly to be termed). In the early years of this decade the responsibility for teacher education was transferred from the former colleges of education to the universities. During the same period, the numbers of students enrolling for African language courses at universities dwindled, for various reasons, to almost nothing. Even in Teacher Education programmes where an African language is a compulsory credit, the number of students who proceed with the study of an African language beyond the obligatory first level course is negligible. There is, as a result, a real crisis in African language teacher supply. As a first step in addressing this crisis, it is essential that the government offer service contract bursaries for student teachers specialising in African languages. In this scheme, students receive a full bursary (covering tuition, board and living expenses), but then have to pay the bursary back through a year of service for every year of study in which they received the bursary. Over the past few years, such bursaries have been offered for Maths and Science students only. In 2006, however, the Minister of Education announced that such bursaries would be extended to students specialising in Technology and Languages (both African languages and English). It is gratifying to note that this service-linked bursary scheme,  which teacher education institutions have been demanding for some time, has begun to be implemented in 2007, through the Fundza Lushaka project (see Metcalfe 2007). It remains to be seen, however, whether sufficient numbers of student teachers will enrol for and g raduate in African language courses, and then whether the Department of Education has the capacity to ensure that they do actually take up African language teaching posts in the schools. Even this is not enough, however. Incentives must be provided for graduating teachers to accept employment in the rural areas and township schools where the need for teachers qualified to teach in the African students’ mother tongues is most needed. Such incentives could take the form of higher salary packages, performance bonuses and better promotional opportunities. If this does not happen, the current trend of successful black education graduates taking posts in private schools or government schools in the affluent suburban areas will continue. Here it is necessary to remember that the issue is not merely that of teaching the African languages as subjects, but rather the ability to use the African languages as the media of instruction for the entire curriculum. For student teachers to be empowered to achieve this goal, a number of further steps need to be taken. Firstly, as with the African language school curriculum, the African language curriculum at tertiary level needs to be drastically revised and modernised, so that students are enabled to study and learn these languages as effective carriers of academic discourse. Secondly, the entire Teacher Education curriculum (or at the very least the undergraduate Bachelor of Education programme) needs to be translated into each of the African languages. This would include all the official school subjects, but most especially Mathematics and the Sciences. As was noted in the first section of this paper, however, for this to be made possible the languages themselves need to be si gnificantly developed. Thirdly, it will be necessary to provide a very large number of new Teacher Education lecturers who are able to teach the newly translated curriculum in the medium of the African languages. At the moment, a very small percentage of university teacher educators are able to provide quality tertiary tuition  through the African students’ mother tongues, and even fewer in the scientific subjects. Finally, for the requisite development and continuous upgrading of mother tongue tuition at tertiary level to be possible, it is necessary for high level research to be conducted. Thus, optimally, each university’s Faculty or School of Education would need to attract and support top quality education researchers working specifically in the field of African languages in education, whether through research units, centres of excellence or individual fellowships, grants or professorial chairs. In addition to the training of pre-service student teachers, it will also be necessary to upgrade the competence levels of teachers already in the system. Universities will have to provide a range of additional courses for in-service teachers so that they are able to acquire academic proficiency in the newly-developed African languages as well as enhanced methodological skills in utilising the languages as media of instruction in all the various Learning Areas. Such courses would, of necessity, need to be taught part-time (after hours, during the vacations, or as block-release programmes) which would place an enormous burden on both the schools and the universities, and would again require a heavy investment on the part of the State in terms of additional lecturing staff, tuition and transportation costs, and perhaps even temporary teacher-replacements. Such courses would also by their very nature have to be completed over an extended period of time and would thus require a strong co mmitment  on the part of both lecturers and teachers over and above the normal duties which they have to perform in an already highly pressurised work environment. As was the case with language and curriculum development, it is evident that for all of this to become possible, the State will have to make extremely heavy investments in human and material resources far beyond the provision of the limited number of student bursaries it currently offers. Whether the State budget for education can or will ever be enlarged to meet all of these multiple costs remains unclear. Implementation in the Schools The fourth aspect of mother tongue education involves its actual implementation in the schools. Even assuming that at some point in the future the African languages have been effectively developed, that the curriculum has been efficiently translated, and that a full quota of properly trained teachers is available, there is still the question of whether schools will adopt the policy and implement it thoroughly. For this to take place, a number of stakeholders will have to be convinced of the broad benefits of mother-tongue education, not merely in a cognitive sense, but in a much larger socio-economic context. Such stakeholders include government education officials, school governing bodies, principals, teachers, and, most importantly, parents and learners. If learners and their parents do not actively desire mother- tongue instruction, then all the effort in the world will not make the policy viable. And for this desire to be inculcated, parents and their children will have to see that mother-tongue education leads to palpable benefits in such spheres as economic empowerment, social mobility and influence, and pathways to further academic opportunities. All of this raises questions of the instrumental value of the African languages in South African society more generally which, though of interest and importance, lies beyond the scope of the present paper. A more specific question related to mother-tongue education in schools concerns the role of English. No matter how rapidly or to what degree the African languages are developed, it is safe to assume that English will continue to occupy a role of crucial importance in South Africa for the foreseeable future. Even if the African languages are utilised as languages of learning and teaching in the first years of school, at some point there will have to be a switch  to English as the medium of instruction, whether this takes place after three years, or, as is now proposed, after six years. Thus, English will have to receive systematic and sustained attention, and will have to be taught  extremely effectively as a subject during the initial years of schooling so that when the transition does take place (be it gradually or immediately) learners will be sufficiently competent in the language to be able to cope with learning through it. Indeed, even if mother-tongue education were one day to be employed right through to Matric level, learners would still need to be proficient in English for the purposes of higher education where, in a globalised academic environment, English is indispensable. At the moment, however, English is, in many cases, badly taught in South African schools. Just as important as the production of large numbers of competent mother-tongue teachers, therefore, is the development of high quality teachers of English who can be deployed in the rural and township schools. Again, a system of service-linked, contract bursaries and incentives to work in areas of greatest need must be implemented immediately for student teachers specialising in the teaching of English. The Minister of Education, as mentioned previously, has included English in the list of priority subjects for student teachers, and this is to be welcomed as a long overdue practical measure. But, as in the case of African language teaching, steps must be taken, over and above this, to ensure the upgrading of in-service teachers in terms of academic proficiency in the language, content knowledge and improved methodological practice. It is a simple truism that any educational system which prioritises the African languages at the expense of English is destined to fail at the levels both of practical reality and educational theory. As even so avid a proponent of heritage languages as Tove Skutnabb-Kangas has observed, in multilingual societies it is essential that all learners are enabled to â€Å"learn enough of the power language to be able to influence the society or, especially, to acquire a common language with other subordinated groups, a shared medium of communication and analysis† (1981:128). In the best of all possible worlds, learners, especially in areas where English is rarely used, would begin their schooling in their mother-tongue and then at some point switch over to English as the medium of instruction, having acquired enough English through subject study to be able to cope with it. At the same time, they would continue to study their home languages as subjects in a model of additive bilingualism. Conversely, in areas where  English is able to be used as the language of learning and teaching from the outset, it is just as important that learners acquire proficiency in at least one official African language. In schools where Afrikaans is the medium of instruction, it is not unreasonable to require that in 10 addition to their mother-tongue, Afrikaans-speaking learners acquire both English (as they invariably wish to do anyway) and an African language. From this it ought to be apparent that there can be no single language policy which would suit every school context in South Africa. The society simply remains too disparate and differentiated for any â€Å"one size fits all† system to be practicable or even desirable.4 What is not unfair to expect, however, is that by the time learners leave school they will all have full academic proficiency in at least one language (for the moment this would continue to be English or Afrikaans) as well as some degree of academic proficiency in one and perhaps two other official South African languages. However, even within this ideal linguistic scenario, there are some possibly unexpected and certainly ironic implications. For schools seriously to implement initial mother-tongue instruction (followed later by English) means that schools would have to be divided into particular language groupings, and learners would have to attend a school offering their particular language. While this does happen informally to a certain degree, a formalised policy would in effect return South Africa (at least in the primary schools) to a kind of linguistic apartheid reminiscent of a former era. Even in the unlikely event of township schools being able to offer parallel medium education in two or more African languages, there would still effectively exist a language apartheid between the various classes within the school. It is not clear whether the current proponents of mother-tongue education in this country have thought through these matters with sufficient care. Finally, there remains the question of individual choice, and this brings the present discussion full circle. In any democracy parental (and learner)  choice is paramount, especially when it comes to such issues as the language in which a child is to receive his or her education. It is no small matter that this right is enshrined in the Constitution. If, after all is said and done, parents continue to insist, as the majority currently does, that their children be educated in  Colin Baker (2006:215f) provides a typology of bilingual education in which ten main models, each with multitudinous sub-varieties, are discussed. Which of these models would be best for any particular South African school is a complex matter, and is clearly best left to each specific School Governing Body to decide.   This is borne out by the FutureFact 2006 survey, which reveals that, â€Å"apart from the Afrikaans community, between 60%-67% of all other language groups feel that English is the preferre d language for education†. Indeed, of the remaining 33%-40% of the sample, less than 20% preferred mother-tongue education (at whatever level); the remainder stating no preference. In addition to this, 82% of the sample claimed to be able to read and understand English, and, again apart from the  English rather than their mother-tongue, then the onus rests on the State to ensure that this is provided as effectively as possible for everyone who wants it. And if this does indeed continue to be the will of the majority, then the State must take far more active and extensive steps to improve the teaching and learning of English in South African schools than has hitherto been the case. No language in education policy which is forced on the majority against its will can ever succeed, and will serve only to perpetuate the unequal and inefficient conditions which currently exist in South African education. References Baker, Colin. 2006. Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism (4th edition). Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, Act 108 of 1996. Cummins, Jim. 2000. Language, Power and Pedagogy: Bilingual children in the crossfire. Clevedon: Multilingual matters. Department of Education. 1997. Norms and Standards Regarding Language Policy; Language in Education Policy. Government Gazette No.685, 9 May. FutureFact 2006 Survey. Languages. (Available at http:// www.futurefact.co.za/ 2006 survey.html.) Herbert, Robert K. and Bailey, Richard. 2002. The Bantu Languages: Sociohistorical perspectives. In Rajend Mesthrie (ed.) Language in South Africa, 449-475. Cambridge: University Press. Mackey, William F. 1992. Mother Tongues, Other Tongues and Vehicular Languages. Perspectives 81 22(1):45-57 (my translation from the French). Metcalfe, Mary. 2007. In Search of Quality Schooling for All. Mail & Guardian (Getting Ahead) January 26 to February 1:4-5. Pandor, Naledi. 2006. Language Issues and Challenges (opening address at the Language Policy Implementation in HEIs Conference, Pretoria, 5 October. Available at http://www.education.gov.za/dynamic/dynamic.aspx?pageid=306&id=2290. Schuring, Gerhard K. 1993. Language and Education in South Africa: a policy study. Pretoria: Human Sciences Research Council. Afrikaans community, between 72%-77% of all other language groups believe that English should be the main official language of South Africa. 12 Skutnabb-Kangas, Tove. 1981. Bilingualism or Not: the Education of Minorities. Clevedon: Multilingual matters. Webb, Vic, Deumert, Ana and Lepota, Biki (eds). 2005. The Standardisation of African

Qualitative Analysis

Qualitative Analysis 1. Abstract Qualitative Analysis helps to analysis the ionic compounds ( cations and anions) which are presented in a salt (solid and in a solution). The experimental procedures show the identity of the substance but not the amount of the present agents. 2. Introduction The construction of ionic salt is based on a certain cation and a certain anion. To get to know the two different agents of the salt, the anions and cations has to be separated.For the separation the ionic salt has to be destroyed by chemical reaction to get the single elements and compounds. A physical reaction can only change the conditions of the salt ( solid or fluid) but not the structure of the educt. Every element and compound has characteristic reactions where the identity can be figured out by analyzing the out coming educt by its color, its odor, its precipitation and its solubility. The following experiment is separated in two parts.In the first part of the experiment, it has to be show n the different characteristic reaction with the cations (Na+, K+,NH4+,Mg2+,Cu2+,Ag+,Ba2+,Sr2+) and the anions ( Cl-, Br-, CO32-, SO42-, F-). In the following part there was an unknown ionic salt to analyze which is built out of one cation and one anion from above. 3. Materials and Methods 1. Materials †¢ Test tubes †¢ Bunsen Burner †¢ Test tubes rack †¢ Pasteur pipette †¢ Distilled water †¢ Ionic salts †¢ NaOH †¢ SO4-2 †¢ NH4 †¢ HCl †¢ AgNO3 2. MethodsThere are several experiments to analyze the compounds and elements of an ionic salt [1]: †¢ Flame Test (for solid substance): for visually determine the identity of an metallic agent in the ionic salt by the different color †¢ Heating effect ( for fluid substance): heating can cause the separation of a substance included odor development and color changing. This is given by nitrate, carbonade and sulfite ions †¢ Solubility in water: Almost all of the ionic salts ar e soluble in water †¢ Precipitation ( for fluid substance): A precipitate will form with a certain cation/ anion an insoluble substance.Characteristic precipitate will turned out 4. Results 1. Different characteristic reaction with the cations (Na+, K+,NH4+,Mg2+,Cu2+,Ag+,Ba2+,Sr2+, Ca2+) and the anions ( Cl-, Br-, CO32-, SO42-, F-) †¢ Flame test: o Na+: light yellow flame o K+: violet flame o Cu2+: yellow-orange, darker flame than the flame of Na+ o Ba2+: green flame in the beginning, after a little while the flame is turning yellow †¢ Heating effect: NH4+ + OH- ( NH3 (g) + H2O The ammonia (g) smells cautiously and changes the color of a red litmus paper into blue †¢ Precipitation: o Cl- + AgNO3 ( AgCl (s) + NO3, ( white prec. o Br- + AgNO3 ( AgBr (s) + NO3, ( light yellow prec. ) o I- + AgNO3 ( Agl (s) + NO3, ( yellow prec. ) o Ca2+ + CO32- ( CaCO3 (s), ( white prec. ) o SO42- + BaCl2 ( BaSO4 (s) + 2Cl-, (white prec. ) o CO32- + HCl ( CO2 (g)+†¦. , ( bubbel s can be seen) o Mg2+ + 2NaOH ( Mg(OH)2 (s) + Na+, (white prec. ) o Sr2+ + 2NaOH ( Sr(OH)2 (s) + Na+, (white prec. ) 2. Unknown Determination †¢ Look of the salt: o Shape: little grains o Color: white o Smell: no clear smell †¢ Kation: o Flame test: light yellow (= Na) o Control: X+ OH- ( no prec. (Kation: Na+ †¢ Anion: o X + AgNO3 ( white-brown prec. Control: Br-/ I- + AgNO3 ( yellow prec. ( = I- / Br-) o 1. X + SO42- ( no visually reaction o 2. X + SO42- ( CO2 (g) production ( bubbles visual) o X + HCl ( CO2 (g) production ( bubbles visual) ( Anion: CO32- The unknown salt is Na2CO3 5. Discussion The cation Na+ was easy to figure out because of its unmistakable color of the flame by holding into the Bunsen burner flame. It was more difficult to get to know the anion. The experiment with silvernitrat could be leading to a wrong conclusion. In the table [1] is written that there is no reaction ( precipitation) in the experiment with AgNO3 and CO32-.It could be that the test tube wasn’t clean and there was still some undesirable rest of another element or compound. Even a single grain of I- could cause a precipitation. Another problem to find the right anion was that the amount of our unknown salt was too low in our testing solution with acid sulfur. So there was no visual reaction with our unknown solution. But the second time with a higher amount of unknown salt in our testing solution there was a CO2 development. To be sure that this experiment is positive the experiment was repeated with HCl. There was the CO2 development good visible. Thus in the end the anion CO32- was proved. 6.Conclusion To do the right analyses it is very important not to trust a single experiment. Controls are very important to get the right elements and compounds. Also it’s very important to check wheather the equipment is clean. Any single rest of an undesired substance can imitate the result. But these are good experiments to get to known unknown element s and compounds of an ionic salt. 7. References [1] Handout: Medical & Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Analytic Chemistry Laboratory, Winter Semester 2011 [2]J. E. Brandy, F. A. Sense, N. D. Jespersen, Chemistry. The Study of Matters and Its changes, International Edition, 5. Edition 2008 Qualitative Analysis Qualitative Analysis 1. Abstract Qualitative Analysis helps to analysis the ionic compounds ( cations and anions) which are presented in a salt (solid and in a solution). The experimental procedures show the identity of the substance but not the amount of the present agents. 2. Introduction The construction of ionic salt is based on a certain cation and a certain anion. To get to know the two different agents of the salt, the anions and cations has to be separated.For the separation the ionic salt has to be destroyed by chemical reaction to get the single elements and compounds. A physical reaction can only change the conditions of the salt ( solid or fluid) but not the structure of the educt. Every element and compound has characteristic reactions where the identity can be figured out by analyzing the out coming educt by its color, its odor, its precipitation and its solubility. The following experiment is separated in two parts.In the first part of the experiment, it has to be show n the different characteristic reaction with the cations (Na+, K+,NH4+,Mg2+,Cu2+,Ag+,Ba2+,Sr2+) and the anions ( Cl-, Br-, CO32-, SO42-, F-). In the following part there was an unknown ionic salt to analyze which is built out of one cation and one anion from above. 3. Materials and Methods 1. Materials †¢ Test tubes †¢ Bunsen Burner †¢ Test tubes rack †¢ Pasteur pipette †¢ Distilled water †¢ Ionic salts †¢ NaOH †¢ SO4-2 †¢ NH4 †¢ HCl †¢ AgNO3 2. MethodsThere are several experiments to analyze the compounds and elements of an ionic salt [1]: †¢ Flame Test (for solid substance): for visually determine the identity of an metallic agent in the ionic salt by the different color †¢ Heating effect ( for fluid substance): heating can cause the separation of a substance included odor development and color changing. This is given by nitrate, carbonade and sulfite ions †¢ Solubility in water: Almost all of the ionic salts ar e soluble in water †¢ Precipitation ( for fluid substance): A precipitate will form with a certain cation/ anion an insoluble substance.Characteristic precipitate will turned out 4. Results 1. Different characteristic reaction with the cations (Na+, K+,NH4+,Mg2+,Cu2+,Ag+,Ba2+,Sr2+, Ca2+) and the anions ( Cl-, Br-, CO32-, SO42-, F-) †¢ Flame test: o Na+: light yellow flame o K+: violet flame o Cu2+: yellow-orange, darker flame than the flame of Na+ o Ba2+: green flame in the beginning, after a little while the flame is turning yellow †¢ Heating effect: NH4+ + OH- ( NH3 (g) + H2O The ammonia (g) smells cautiously and changes the color of a red litmus paper into blue †¢ Precipitation: o Cl- + AgNO3 ( AgCl (s) + NO3, ( white prec. o Br- + AgNO3 ( AgBr (s) + NO3, ( light yellow prec. ) o I- + AgNO3 ( Agl (s) + NO3, ( yellow prec. ) o Ca2+ + CO32- ( CaCO3 (s), ( white prec. ) o SO42- + BaCl2 ( BaSO4 (s) + 2Cl-, (white prec. ) o CO32- + HCl ( CO2 (g)+†¦. , ( bubbel s can be seen) o Mg2+ + 2NaOH ( Mg(OH)2 (s) + Na+, (white prec. ) o Sr2+ + 2NaOH ( Sr(OH)2 (s) + Na+, (white prec. ) 2. Unknown Determination †¢ Look of the salt: o Shape: little grains o Color: white o Smell: no clear smell †¢ Kation: o Flame test: light yellow (= Na) o Control: X+ OH- ( no prec. (Kation: Na+ †¢ Anion: o X + AgNO3 ( white-brown prec. Control: Br-/ I- + AgNO3 ( yellow prec. ( = I- / Br-) o 1. X + SO42- ( no visually reaction o 2. X + SO42- ( CO2 (g) production ( bubbles visual) o X + HCl ( CO2 (g) production ( bubbles visual) ( Anion: CO32- The unknown salt is Na2CO3 5. Discussion The cation Na+ was easy to figure out because of its unmistakable color of the flame by holding into the Bunsen burner flame. It was more difficult to get to know the anion. The experiment with silvernitrat could be leading to a wrong conclusion. In the table [1] is written that there is no reaction ( precipitation) in the experiment with AgNO3 and CO32-.It could be that the test tube wasn’t clean and there was still some undesirable rest of another element or compound. Even a single grain of I- could cause a precipitation. Another problem to find the right anion was that the amount of our unknown salt was too low in our testing solution with acid sulfur. So there was no visual reaction with our unknown solution. But the second time with a higher amount of unknown salt in our testing solution there was a CO2 development. To be sure that this experiment is positive the experiment was repeated with HCl. There was the CO2 development good visible. Thus in the end the anion CO32- was proved. 6.Conclusion To do the right analyses it is very important not to trust a single experiment. Controls are very important to get the right elements and compounds. Also it’s very important to check wheather the equipment is clean. Any single rest of an undesired substance can imitate the result. But these are good experiments to get to known unknown element s and compounds of an ionic salt. 7. References [1] Handout: Medical & Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Analytic Chemistry Laboratory, Winter Semester 2011 [2]J. E. Brandy, F. A. Sense, N. D. Jespersen, Chemistry. The Study of Matters and Its changes, International Edition, 5. Edition 2008

Pnb Project Report

Research Project on Application & Management of Information System in Punjab National Bank IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF MASTER’S DEGREE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION INDRAPRASTHA UNIVERSITY (2008-2010) Submitted by: Pratik Jain — 0781563908 Northern India Engineering College (N. I. E. C), Delhi Under the valuable guidance of: Mrs. Shaveta Kumar (Faculty, N. I. E. C) Subject: Information System Management Course Code: MS-205 Submitted on: 30 17 November, 2009 AcknowledgementThis formal piece of acknowledgement is an attempt to express the feeling of gratitude towards people who helped me in successful completion of research project. I would like to express my deep gratitude to Mr. B. D Sharma (branch manager, PNB), for his constant co-operation. He was always there with his competent guidance and valuable suggestion throughout the pursuance of this research project. Special thanks to Mrs. Shaveta Kumar, my internal coordinator who guided me to work honestly and to give valuabl e suggestion for improving my work.Above all no words can express my feelings to my parents, friends all those persons who supported me during my project. I would also like to thank almighty God for his blessings showered on me during the completion of project report. INDEX | | | | | |S. NO |Sub Topic |Topic Name |Page Number | | |S.NO | | | |1. |Acknowledgement |2 | |2. |COMPANY PROFILE | | | |1. |Origin – Punjab National Bank |4 | | |2. |Profile |5 | | |3. Vision and Mission |6 | | |4. |Financial Performance Comparison |7 | |3. |INFORMATION SYSTEM IN PNB | | | |1. |History of Information System in PNB |8 | | | |1. 2000- The Beginning | | | | |1. b 2001-2003- Long Term Strategy | | | | |1. c 2004-2007- Growth | | | | |1. d 2008- Rural Initiative | | | | |1. 2009- 100% CBS Implementation | | | |2. |Other Banking Applications |12 | | | |2. a Straight to Processing (STP) | | | | |2. b Depository Setup | | | | |2. Bank Mate & EDI | | | |3. |PNB IT Setup |13 | | | |3. a S ystems | | | | |3. b Network Design | | | | |3. Storage, WAN & Connectivity | | | | |3. d Security Systems | | | | |3. e Hardware & Software Resources | | | |4. |Organizations Other Computing Resource |15 | | | |4. Payroll TPS | | | | |4. b Online Assistance | | | | |4. c Account Opening – MIS | | | | |4. d SPNS, RTGS & Mobile Alert Service | | |4. IMPACT OF INFORMATION SYSTEM | | | |1. |Finacle’s Impact |16 | | |2. |Impact on Employees, Customers |17 | |5. |Available Alternatives |18 | |6. |Conclusion |19 | |7. Suggestion |20 | |8. |References |21 | Company Profile – Punjab National Bank Origin Established in 1895 at Lahore, undivided India, Punjab National Bank (PNB) has the distinction of being the first Indian bank to have been started solely with Indian capital.The bank was nationalized in July 1969 along with 13 other banks. From its modest beginning, the bank has grown in size and stature to become a front-line banking institution in India at pre sent. |[p|A professionally managed bank with a successful track record of over 110 years. | |ic| | |] | | |[p|Largest branch network in India – 4668 Offices including 432 Extension Counters spread throughout the country. |ic| | |] | | |[p|Strategic business area covers the large Indo-Gangetic belt and the metropolitan centers. | |ic| | |] | | |[p|Ranked as 248th biggest bank in the world by Bankers Almanac, London. |ic| | |] | | |[p|Strong correspondent banking relationships with more than 217 international banks of the world. | |ic| | |] | | |[p|More than 50 renowned international banks maintain their Rupee Accounts with PNB. |ic| | |] | | |[p|Well equipped dealing rooms; 20 different foreign currency accounts are maintained at major centers all over the globe. | |ic| | |] | | ProfileWith its presence virtually in all the important centers of the country, Punjab National Bank offers a wide variety of banking services which include corporate and personal banking, industria l finance, agricultural finance, financing of trade and international banking. Among the clients of the Bank are Indian conglomerates, medium and small industrial units, exporters, non-resident Indians and multinational companies. The large presence and vast resource base have helped the Bank to build strong links with trade and industry.With over 38 million satisfied customers and 4668 offices, PNB has continued to retain its leadership position among the nationalized banks. The bank enjoys strong fundamentals, large franchise value and good brand image. Besides being ranked as one of India's top service brands, PNB has remained fully committed to its guiding principles of sound and prudent banking. Apart from offering banking products, the bank has also entered the credit card & debit card business; bullion business; life and non-life insurance business; Gold coins & asset managementsbusiness,setc.Since its humble beginning in 1895 with the distinction of being the first Indian ba nk to have been started with Indian capital, PNB has achieved significant growth in business which at the end of March 2009 amounted to Rs 3,64,463 crore. Today, with assets of more than Rs 2,46,900 crore, PNB is ranked as the 3rd largest bank in the country (after SBI and ICICI Bank) and has the 2nd largest network of branches (including three overseas offices).PNB has always looked at technology as a key facilitator to provide better customer service and ensured that its ‘IT strategy’ follows the ‘Business strategy’ so as to arrive at â€Å"Best Fit†. The bank has made rapid strides in this direction. Along with the achievement of 100% branch computerization, one of the major achievements of the Bank is covering all the branches of the Bank under Core Banking Solution (CBS), thus covering 100% of its business and providing ‘Anytime Anywhere’ banking facility to all customers including customers of more than 2000 rural branches.The bank has also been offering Internet banking services to the customers of CBS branches like booking of tickets, payment of bills of utilities, purchase of airline tickets etc. Towards developing a cost effective alternative channels of delivery, the bank with more than 2150 ATMs has the largest ATM network amongst Nationalized Banks. With the help of advanced technology, the Bank has been a frontrunner in the industry so far as the initiatives for Financial Inclusion is concerned. With its policy of inclusive growth in the Indo-Gangetic belt.The Bank has launched a drive for biometric smart card based technology enabled Financial Inclusion with the help of Business Correspondents/Business Facilitators (BC/BF) so as to reach out to the last mile customer. The BC/BF will address the outreach issue while technology will provide cost effective and transparent services. The Bank has started several innovative initiatives for marginal groups like rickshaw pullers, vegetable vendors, dairy far mers, construction workers, etc. The Bank has already achieved 100% financial inclusion in 21,408svillages.Backed by strong domestic performance, the bank is planning to realize its global aspirations. In order to increase its international presence, the Bank continues its selective foray in international markets with presence in Hongkong, Dubai, Kazakhstan, UK, Shanghai, Singapore, Kabul and Norway. A second branch in Hongkong at Kowloon was opened in the first week of April’09. Bank is also in the process of establishing its presence in China, Bhutan, DIFC Dubai, Canada and Singapore. The bank also has a joint venture with Everest Bank Ltd. EBL), Nepal. Under the long term vision, Bank proposes to start its operation in Fiji Island, Australia and Indonesia. Bank continues with its goal to become a household brand with global expertise. Amongst Top 1000 Banks in the World, ‘The Banker’ listed PNB at 250th place. Further, PNB is at the 1166th position among 48 In dian firms making it to a list of the world’s biggest companiesscompiledsbysthesUSsmagazines‘Forbes’. Punjab National Bank continues to maintain its frontline position in the Indian banking industry.In particular, the bank has retained its NUMBER ONE position among the nationalized banks in terms of number of branches, Deposit, Advances, total Business, operating and net profit in the year 2008-09. The impressive operational and financial performance has been brought about by Bank’s focus on customer based business with thrust on SME, Agriculture, more inclusive approach to banking; better asset liability management; improved margin management, thrust on recovery and increased efficiency in core operations of the Bank. Vision and Mission Vision To be a Leading Global Bank with Pan India footprints and become a household brand in the Indo-Gangetic Plains providing entire range of financial products and services sssssssunder one roof† Mission â€Å"Ba nking for the unbanked† Performance Comparison over the years [pic] During the FY 2008-09, the bank achieved a net profit of Rs 3,091 crore, maintaining its number ONE position amongst nationalized banks. Bank has a strong capital base with capital adequacy ratio at 14. 03% as on March’09. As on March’09, the Bank has the Gross and Net NPA ratio of 1. 77% and 0. 17% respectively.During the FY 2008-09, its’ ratio of priority sector credit to adjusted net bank credit at 41. 53% & agriculture credit to adjusted net bank credit at 19. 72% was also higher than the respective national goals of 40% & 18%. Information System in PNB History of Information System at PNB 2000 – The Beginning In March 2000, the penetration and use of IT was not very high at PNB. PNB was relying on manual processes to collect, store, and analyze business data. Its retail branches were not connected and it was difficult for management to understand business drivers and impediment s.This situation made it difficult for PNB to provide optimum customer service and resulted in lost opportunities. Manual operations were also costly to support. The bank used seven different software, which ran on 13 different flavors of UNIX, on standalone PCs. The 500-odd branches were not networked and only 35 percent of the bank's business was computerized. The overall expertise in IT among users was low. The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) issued a directive to the bank to computerize at least 70 percent of its business by December 2000.This prompted the bank to work out a strategy to tackle the daunting task in the short period of time. At that time there were various factors which caused a barrier in implementing an Information System for centralized banking. These weaknesses were:- †¢ Different Unix OS used in different branches. †¢ Different standalone financial applications on PCs at different branches. †¢ Lack of interoperability due to disparity in sys tems. †¢ Limited expertise on the software packages currently deployed. †¢ Most branches did not have a proper LAN in place.PNB hired a consultant and devised a two-pronged plan of action. The plan comprised: †¢ A short term goal – To meet the CVC deadline of 70 percent computerization. †¢ A long term goal – To create a dependable core banking infrastructure and build a nationwide network to connect different branches to the core infrastructure. PNB chose a product from a company called Nelito. It was a DOS-based, ‘Partial Branch Automation' application. Standalone versions were chosen since there weren't LANs in place, and deployment of LANs at branches would take so long that the CVC deadline couldn't be met.The interface was simple in design, and thus easy for the bank personnel to use. The bank requested CVC for an extension of the deadline and was granted time till March 2001. By March 2001, 70. 60 percent of the bank's business was compu terized. 2001-2003 – The Long Term Strategy In the long-term, PNB wanted a technology that would consolidate all its business resources and sustain the bank's future growth. It also wanted to create its own network, which would play a vital role in its success. Three consultants were appointed to review technology options for long-term adoption.The verdict of the consultants was to deploy a centralized core banking architecture. On 30 March 2001, the bank used the services of Infosys for the deployment of Finacle. A core team was selected, which would be the heart of the project. Infosys trained 200-odd personnel from a core team over six months. The core team modified and customized the package according to its specific needs. As the time passed besides making a mark in terms of revenues, the bank— among the few technology-savvy PSUs—set up examples for other banks, especially PSUs in early of this decade.Institute for Development and Research in Banking Techno logy (IDRBT), a division of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), presented PNB with the award for excellence in banking technology in 2002. This was quite an achievement considering that the technology transformation started only two-and-a-half years back at PNB. In March 2000, the bank had only 36 percent of its businesses covered on computers, as against 84 percent in 2002. PNB purchased servers, security infrastructure, and storage equipment and decided to house it in its own central data center in New Delhi.A lot of infrastructure from Cisco has been used to build the data center. In April 2002 the bank rolled-out Finacle in 7 branches as a pilot venture. This was done because the bank had seven different application packages, and it wanted to ensure smooth migration of the data into Finacle. By mid May 2002, all data from other software was successfully migrated into Finacle and by end of year, the number of locations has increased to 12. As far as the centralized core banking syst em is concerned, PNB has a data centre at the corporate office and all these 12 centers have an extension to that data.This system enables an individual having an account in any of our branches to conduct transactions/operate the account from any of these 12 branches. 2004-2007 – The Growth Stage In 2004, India's National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) nominated Punjab National Bank (PNB) as the best user of technology in its sector. The bank continued to spread the technology to more of its branches and centers. The adoption of Core Banking Solution not only ensured standardization of products, but also enabled quick launch of the new and innovative financial products ensuring sufficient lead time to market it.The core banking solution offered seamless platform for integrating various such initiatives and also reduces the cost of transaction, thereby offering financial products at an affordable cost. On May 27,2004 Punjab National Bank (PNB) has intr oduced Loans and Advances Data Desk for Evaluations and Reports, (LADDER), a computerized management information system for rationalization of returns, asset classification and provisioning, credit monitoring and NPA management. The implementation of the system comprised two modules. The first module would require branches to capture data on borrowal accounts as a | |one-time activity with transaction updates at periodic intervals. | |   | |The second module for implementation of the software envisages collection of information on the loan accounts from the stage of receipt of | |application to disbursement of sanctioned loans. | | |With the implementation of this system, manual collation of a large number of loan-related returns become redundant and branch staff | |concentrated on business development and objective monitoring of asset quality. | 2008 – Rural Initiative Infosys Technologies Ltd (Infosys) and Punjab National Bank (PNB) in 2008 announced that PNB has chosen Finacle from Infosys to power its core banking initiative for rural banking deploying Finacle across PNB’s six Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) covering 1300 branches.Punjab National Bank took lead in business excellence and commitment to customers by providing core banking coverage to its 4850 service outlets. Due to the remoteness of rural branch locations, there were issues such as connectivity of branches for operational ease, centralization of data, and enhancement of customer service as well as innovation in banking products. Moreover, all this is needed at a substantially lower cost for RRBs as their operations were relatively less complex. Finacle from Infosys recognized this need of RRBs and adapted its industry leading core banking solution to suit the requirements of these institutions.PNB management selected this platform to transform and standardize the operations of its RRBs. A majority of Indian banks were already ahead in terms of adoption of new age technology. Ex tending the benefits of technology to RRBs helped sponsor banks in not just priority sector lending but also present an additional business avenue with tremendous potential. Finacle enabled RRBs to better manage audit processes, adhere to statutory compliance, enhance internal MIS requirements and offer customers competitive services on par with commercial banks. 2009 – 100% CBS ImplementationIn Feb, 2009 India's second largest public sector bank, announced that it has completed 100 per cent core banking implementation at its 4604 branches and extension counters through the FinacleaUniversalaBankingaSolutionafromaInfosys. The bank implemented industry-leading Finacle CBS across its operations running a flexible and scalable database platform from Oracle and innovative and cost-effective Sun SPARC enterprise serversafromaSunaMicrosystems. Finacle has enabled the bank to consolidate and centralize its operations, improving branch efficiency and productivity per employee.Consoli dation has also resulted in reduction of revenue leakage and cost, while increasing ease of technical support and maintenance at branches. The solution's scalability has also enabled the bank's scalability to be the best in the countryawithatheanumberaofapeakatransactionsaata3. 5amillion. Further, the bank has covered all the branches under CBS platform including extension counters. As a result, 38 million PNB’s customers are enjoying the facility of â€Å"one bank – one account†. In addition, the bank has intended to build a data center capable of handling business of 6000 branches and 1 lakh terminals.The bank was awarded â€Å"IBM green award† for adopting environment friendly technology for data warehouse implementation during the year. Other Banking Applications The banking major also introduced a number of value added services like ATMs, Tele-banking, SMS banking, mobile banking and Internet banking, remote access facility through its website, etc. under a license from RBI to launch Internet banking. The bank also enabled customers to avail of the Straight to Processing (STP) facility. The biggest advantage of STP is that if a person with an account in Delhi deposits a cheque in Chennai, his account in Delhi gets updated the same day.PNB’s team has also customized this package to suit the typical requirements of a public sector bank. â€Å"As PNB handles huge number of government accounts—public provident fund, deposit of income tax, deposit of different duties and treasury payments, PNB had to customize it and also built a module for government businesses into this package. The bank also has a depository set-up (to store dematerialized share certificates) at its corporate office in New Delhi and another in Mumbai. Customers owning shares and bonds can deposit them at these depositories after which the hard copies are destroyed.The bank, on the other hand, keeps a digital copy of all these documents. Thus, one d oes not have to bother about the loss of paper, or a signature that does not match and so on. Customers can now instruct the bank at any point of time to transfer these securities. Another very interesting development with PNB is its contract with Indian Railways. It is putting up an ATM machine at the New Delhi station’s reservation office, which is going to be a interface between the Railways’ server and the bank’s server.Once this is functional, customers can collect their tickets from the ATM machine and the payment can be made using credit or debit cards. Once this is successful and the interface is done, the bank plans to enable all their ATMs across the country on this platform. Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is another technology initiative that the bank has taken up. It has entered into an agreement with the Customs department wherein the Customs’ server is connected with the bank’s corporate office server, which is further connected to several branches of PNB and also to importers.Thus, whatever duties are required to be deposited with the Customs department can be debited from the importer’s (read customer’s) account automatically. The pilot project for this has already been carried out and the bank plans to introduce this service soon. The PSU has also introduced bilingual software known as Bank-mate. With the help of this software one can generate reports in Hindi and also can get his/her passbook in Hindi. This is already in operation at around various branches and PNB is also getting orders for this package from other banks. PNB’s IT SetupPNB also has a number of applications running on its network like any other Financial Institution. The bank has standardized all its platforms on UNIX operating system and RDBMS on Oracle. Other OS like Microsoft’s windows 2000/ XP are also enabled in centers. As far as the hardware platform is concerned, PNB has Sun Microsystems’ Web serv ers at the data centre. Apart from this, they are also using Compaq, IBM and Xeon servers. At some locations, the bank is still using DOS machines to run some of their ATMs. Systems Before deploying the core banking architecture, PNB used servers which were NT-based, from IBM, and from other vendors.The bank conducted benchmarking tests for Finacle on various server platforms. And it was satisfied with the performance of Sun's hardware on Solaris. Sun's Fire servers, Solaris OS, and Oracle's RDBMS are now in use. Network design Cisco has tied up with PNB to evolve the network design and implement a nationwide network backbone to connect all its offices. Cisco will assist the bank in understanding and implementing the various technologies associated with the project. The converged network infrastructure allowed PNB to standardize the applications and software needed to provide the banking services.The various branches are connected to the data center using new-world routing and switc hing technologies. Storage systems The bank has followed RBI's storage requirement guidelines. Provisions have been made to store transaction data for around 10 years. In some cases, data is stored permanently. Around 164 Sun enterprise class servers are used in DAS architecture. The total capacity is of multiple TBs. The Sun hardware uses an in-built storage management tool. Later look over a storage management application from VERITAS. WAN and connectivity 101 branches of the bank were on a WAN in 2000.The bank put 500-odd branches on the WAN in 2002, and in three years the WAN had 2000-odd branches. The bank tried a number of connectivity options. 802. 11b wireless connectivity was installed in five branches to begin with. The bank then explored the option of leased lines and used connectivity from MTNL and BSNL. It also used Bharti's leased line between Mumbai and Delhi. The bank also used Reliance Infocomm's fiber optic backbone along with the leased lines in locations where th e optic fiber does not reach. PNB had appointed HCL Com-net to carry out 24Ãâ€"7 monitoring of the countrywide network.There's a live link between HCL and PNB's IT head office. The network is monitored remotely and can also be viewed at the bank's IT facility, where a separate monitoring system is used. Security Systems Security was especially important because the bank could afford no compromise. The security architecture had to be robust, reliable, and scalable to meet current and future needs. Cisco was chosen as the service provider who could meet these stringent requirements. The bank uses a range of security products like Firewalls and IDSs from Cisco for its security needs in its LANs and WAN.All data transactions between its routers and switches are encrypted. It has appointed Ramco Systems as the security integrator. The security integrator is responsible for the complete security infrastructure and is answerable for any security breach or lapse. The bank appointed securit y administrators. VeriSign provided the necessary Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) to the bank for secure transactions. Software Resources PNB is using various software’s for its operational activities for its smooth and efficient running, the Software used by PNB include:-  ¬ Microsoft office 2003 Acrobat Reader  ¬ Bank-mate  ¬ Attack Filters: – Spyware, Trojan, VoIP etc.  ¬ Protocols: – IP, VLAN, DNS, HTTP, FTP, TCP, TELNET, UTP etc.  ¬ Operating System’s:- UNIX, Solaris, Windows NT, 2000 Server, XP etc..  ¬ Databases: – MS Access, MS SQL, Oracle, FoxPro. Hardware Resources To fulfill the requirement and as per compatibility with software these hardware are used:-  ¬ HCL, IBM etc Desktops,  ¬ Printer  ¬ NT Based servers from IBM,  ¬ Sun’s hardware for Solaris,  ¬ Network Cards.  ¬ Routers, Scanners etc†¦ Organizations Other Computing Resources Payroll Transaction Processing SystemPayroll TPS, which is a typical accounting transaction processing system found in PNB. A payroll system keeps track of the money paid to employees. The master file is composed of discrete pieces of information (such as a name, address, or employee number) called data elements. Data are keyed into the system, updating the data elements. The elements on the master file are combined in different ways to create reports of interest to management and government agencies and to send paychecks to employees. Management notices the record of the employee’s efficiency to work and may declare added bonus or other incentive.This report is checked and approved by the branch manager after which cheque is issued to the employee. Online Assistance PNB provides its customers online assistance by providing i-banking, online complaints, providing them information about various products and services. These complaints and assistance are processed by customer care services executive. Account Opening In account opening the MIS is used, every information about the customer is recorded like their name, address, account, type of account, account information, their sample signature, these helps in Identification of customer instantly and creating a database at faster rate.This includes the filling of KYC and AC forms. SPNS (Shared Payment Network System) Swadhan, the first SPNS launched in Mumbai by IBA. The banks that participate on this network could issue the cards to customers for transacting on networks. RTGS (Real Time Gross Settlement) RTGS System is a payment settlement system that minimizes the credit risk in the prevalent cheque clearing system. Under RTGS the funds are settled on a near real time basis across Banks in different locations.Bank offers this immediate electronic fund transfer facility to RTGS enabled bank branches across through the country its designated RTGS enabled locations. Mobile Alert Service The clients now have the facility to subscribe to Mobile Alert Service for receiving alert s on registered mobile phone numbers instantly after the funds are pooled. Impact of Information Systems An information system is there to empower its users. A database simply provides data, but an information system is all about providing the best information the user needs to do their task more effectively.It also takes into account that different users doing their own specific tasks may need to see their information presented in differing ways. The benefits of an information system follow when the user can quickly access, understand and respond correctly to that information. The implementation of Information Systems in PNB and other financial institutions had a vast impact on the Employees (the way they work), Customers, The industry & Government. The system provides information on the past, present and project future and on relevant events inside and outside the organization. Finacle’s ImpactFinacle core banking solution is a comprehensive, integrated yet modular business solution that effectively addresses the strategic and day-to-day challenges faced by banks. It is highly parameterizable providing that much-needed flexibility to adapt to a dynamic environment. The solution has an integrated CRM module enabling banks to offer a rich and differentiated value proposition to customers. The layered Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), STP capabilities, web-enabled technology and 24 X 7 operations ensure multi-channel, multi-country and multi-currency implementations.The functionality-rich modules in the solution provide banks with a varied palette of features to continuously innovate on their product and service offerings. With Finacle core banking solution, banks can meet the challenges of managing change, competition, compliance and customer demands effectively. †¢ Differentiated Product Spread Finacle core banking solution offers an unlimited palette of features for banks to design and deploy products for varying market segments.The product bu ndling capabilities of the solution offers a wide range of possibilities for banks to create products with innovative features. The facilities provided for differential pricing, channel rules and customization through Finacle Studio – the scripting engine, empower banks to continuously innovate and extend their suite of products, across segments. †¢ Agile Operations The Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) enables the IT team at the bank to effect changes without touching the base code, ensuring lesser vendor dependency and faster adaptability to changing business conditions. Robust Cross-sell Framework The CIF and CRM capabilities in Finacle offer a unified view of the customer across the entire solution and across multiple back-end applications, enabling the bank to view the customer from a completely informed angle. This empowers banks to effectively manage customer relationships and aggressively explore cross-sell opportunities. †¢ Increased Operational Efficienc ies and Productivity Finacle core banking solution supports business events automation and process orchestration, thus eliminating manual tasks and reducing process time.The elimination of error and data redundancies also results in increased branch productivity. Straight through Processing (STP) abilities enhance reduction in turnaround and processing time, increasing output and enabling speedy completion of tasks. The multilingual web-based single repository of information enables remotely located bankers to collaborate and transact seamlessly. Impact on Employees Information System serves employees with user friendliness, easy storage and access of data, removal of redundancies, fastening up of the processes and providing up of multiple views at same time.In beginning the issues were mostly cultural. Most staffers were used to working in a manual environment, and some had worked in standalone environments. In the new networked environment, personnel at the node/counter didn't act ually ‘see' the transactions updating in the various account books. This gave rise to a number of queries and suggestions from personnel. It took around six-eight months for the personnel to felt that the environment ‘change' had done them good, and they were used to working on the systems. Other Available AlternativesThe Indian banking sector is slowly coming of age and hand grooming this sector is the banking solution market, which has carved a name for itself in the global arena. Not to forget the pro-active government reforms that are helping the Indian banking market reach greater heights and adding glitz and glamour to Indian economy as a whole. Other then Finacle from Infosys there are various available alternatives for which the banking industry and financial institutions can opt. These are:- †¢ Office Accounting Professional 2009 †¢ SAP ERP Financials †¢ Tally 9: Financial Accounting and Inventory Management Software †¢ Flexcube – â₠¬Ëœi-flex solutions’ Hyperion Financial Management – System 9 While in past i-flex solutions’ flagship product Flexcube has been rated the #1 banking product in the world by UK based IBS, an independent banking solutions rating vendor, but Infosys Technologies’’ Finacle doesn’t took long enough to overtake Flexcube. But now a day’s SAP ERP programmes are giving a tough competition to Finacle. Conclusion A management information system is a system or process that provides the information necessary to manage an organization effectively. MIS and the information it generates are generally considered essential components of prudent and reasonable business decisions.This report starts with the Punjab National Bank with overview of PNB followed by history of information system and the steps taken by PNB to be effective in banking industry by using information’s technology. Information Technology (IT) innovations in the last few years have changed the landscape of banks in India. Today, IT seems to be the prime mover of all banking transactions. Electronic and Information Technology together are bringing a swift change in the way banks operate, especially offering better delivery channels and customers’ friendly services.Anywhere banking, telebanking, mobile banking, net banking, automated teller machine(ATMs), credit cards, debit cards, smart cards, call centers, CRM, data warehousing have totally transformed the banking industry. Today almost all the major banks in India like ICICI Bank, UTI Bank, Citibank, Standard Chartered Bank, ABN Amro, SBI and PNB are offering online services to their customers. ATMs have emerged as the most favored channel for offering banking services to the customers in the world.One of the biggest benefits that the bank has derived out of IT has been the tremendous saving on recruitment front—the bank has not recruited more staff even while the business and work pressure s have gone up five times. Consequently, PNB’s profitability has also increased. To train users the bank has set up more than 15 computer training labs across the country. It explains all the TPS how the transactions are made by the bank, using of these TPS from the new events such as account opening, new allowances etc†¦ to the routine work including cash and payments record, updating of records, payroll and the processing of the complaints.These TPS holds all the activities from the manager and employees to the customers. The report discuses the inbound and the outbound logistics and relate all the processes of TPS used in the bank with the Information System is enabling the bank to provide the quality and satisfactory services to their customers. Suggestions The bank is using information system efficiently and it has increased the customer satisfaction, efficiency, data storage, fast data retrieval. But to improve more and regarding future success of PNB here are the some suggestions. The bank must update Hardware to get maximum performance from Information Systems in order to allow the IS to procure the least amount of system resources it requires for functioning.  ¬ The bank should update all their software, networks etc to keep information system up to date for competitive edge, customer satisfaction.  ¬ Steps should be taken to increase the safety & to avoid the unethical practices like phishing.  ¬ Need for improved training for using Information Technology and tools to employees.  ¬ Intra firm communication should be improved.References Websites:- http://www. networkmagazineindia. com/200305/tech4. shtml http://www. expresscomputeronline. com/20021202/banks7. shtml http://www. business-standard. com/india/news/pnb-to-implement-loan-data-software/151819/ http://www. financialexpress. com/news/pnb-in-networking-pact-with-cisco/64296/ http://www. pnbindia. com/ http://netpnb. com/ Books:- PNB Vision 2007-2008 Zonal Training Centre Gui de. ———————– (The name you can bank upon) All Banks Average Punjab National Bank (Performance Chart) (Amount in Rs Crore)