Management Information Systems :: Technology, Internet Banking, PDAs

MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS) The most common technology applied by MFIs is the management information system known as MIS. MIS is an integrated computer-based application used to access useful, timely and accurate information to allow the user to make appropriate decisions, and to manage information effectively and efficiently. MIS includes modules such as loans portfolio tracking, human resources, internal control, accounting, and financial analysis (CGAP, 2010). MIS is often one of the major factors that enable MFIs to achieve significant growth. Kashyap (2009) stressed that â€Å"It is difficult for an MFI to upscale significantly and maintain the accuracy and transparency of its loan portfolio without an MIS†.(PAGE?) PERSONAL DIGITAL ASSISTANTS (PDA) A personal digital assistant (PDA), also known as a palmtop computer, is a mobile device that functions as a personal information manager. MFIs employ PDAs to ease loan processing, improve loan officer efficiency, and increase data accuracy and access in the field. To get the maximum benefits from PDAs, MFIs should have a stable MIS, and high speed access to data from their branches (Waterfield, 2004). SMART CARDS Smart Cards are wallet-sized plastic cards have an embedded microchip that allows data storage, and works like an electronic passbook that allows MFI clients to carry all their related information on this microchip. Smart cards are used to manage savings accounts, disburse loans or make transfers (Whelan, 2004). Reliable electrical power for card readers, software integration between card readers and the central management information system, together with processes, policies, and staff resources for handling lost, stolen or damaged cards are required prior to the introduction of smart cards (Whelan, 2004). POINT OF SALE (POS) Point of sale (POS) is a device or system often linked to computers, bank card readers, or even mobile telephones, that is located at a physical location such as a retail outlet, in order to perform an electronic transfer from one account to another or from a customer to a retailer. Some MFIs have implemented this technology in order to increase the security of financial transactions, reduce transaction cost in order to serve clients, and to reach new areas without branch infrastructure (Owens, 2009) MOBILE PHONES Mobile banking is a way for clients to perform balance checks, account transactions, payments, etc. using a mobile phone. Mobile phones provide a new and rapidly developing technological alternative delivery channels to extend financial services to those excluded from formal financial systems. Mobile phones allow clients to call into an automated system to conduct business transactions, and to access and request information. Management Information Systems :: Technology, Internet Banking, PDAs MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS) The most common technology applied by MFIs is the management information system known as MIS. MIS is an integrated computer-based application used to access useful, timely and accurate information to allow the user to make appropriate decisions, and to manage information effectively and efficiently. MIS includes modules such as loans portfolio tracking, human resources, internal control, accounting, and financial analysis (CGAP, 2010). MIS is often one of the major factors that enable MFIs to achieve significant growth. Kashyap (2009) stressed that â€Å"It is difficult for an MFI to upscale significantly and maintain the accuracy and transparency of its loan portfolio without an MIS†.(PAGE?) PERSONAL DIGITAL ASSISTANTS (PDA) A personal digital assistant (PDA), also known as a palmtop computer, is a mobile device that functions as a personal information manager. MFIs employ PDAs to ease loan processing, improve loan officer efficiency, and increase data accuracy and access in the field. To get the maximum benefits from PDAs, MFIs should have a stable MIS, and high speed access to data from their branches (Waterfield, 2004). SMART CARDS Smart Cards are wallet-sized plastic cards have an embedded microchip that allows data storage, and works like an electronic passbook that allows MFI clients to carry all their related information on this microchip. Smart cards are used to manage savings accounts, disburse loans or make transfers (Whelan, 2004). Reliable electrical power for card readers, software integration between card readers and the central management information system, together with processes, policies, and staff resources for handling lost, stolen or damaged cards are required prior to the introduction of smart cards (Whelan, 2004). POINT OF SALE (POS) Point of sale (POS) is a device or system often linked to computers, bank card readers, or even mobile telephones, that is located at a physical location such as a retail outlet, in order to perform an electronic transfer from one account to another or from a customer to a retailer. Some MFIs have implemented this technology in order to increase the security of financial transactions, reduce transaction cost in order to serve clients, and to reach new areas without branch infrastructure (Owens, 2009) MOBILE PHONES Mobile banking is a way for clients to perform balance checks, account transactions, payments, etc. using a mobile phone. Mobile phones provide a new and rapidly developing technological alternative delivery channels to extend financial services to those excluded from formal financial systems. Mobile phones allow clients to call into an automated system to conduct business transactions, and to access and request information.

Majority vs Minorities :: essays research papers

Majority vs Minorities The majority and the minority bring forth change in policy in a democratic society. Majority rule means that, if there were an over whelming amount of support on a issue their voices would be heard by the government. Our government is run on a majority rule. People in our society elect officials and put their faiths in them to make their choices. In a majority rule the basic concept of democracy is that the people ultimately rule. The Government passes laws that appear to be the â€Å"deliberative will† of the people. However, Government doesn’t do everything the people wants. It takes in information absorbs it and comes with a solution for the majority. In order for the people to be heard they have to get out and participate in the political process. It is our constitutional right to vote, speak and contribute in the selection of our representative in a majority. The minority rights in a democratic society appear to even out with the majority rule in an unusual way. There are some incidents where the minority may have loss, but on the other hand won. For example, when Rosa Parks didn’t give up her seat on that hot Alabama day, she stood up to the majority tyranny. The majority won by putting her in jail, however; the minority prevailed by establishing the civil rights movements. There are many differences between majority rule and minority rights. One of the big differences between the two is majority tyranny. This is when the majority violates the rights of minority’s. When the majority thinks they are in the right they may happen to pass judgment or abuse the minorities who opposes them. Majorities for a long time believed that political equality and political liberty doesn’t belong to the minorities. Minorities believed they have the right to speak or participant in whatever function they believed in.

Heart of Dracula Essay -- Character Analysis, Dracula, Hearth of Darkn

Within Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, the reader is introduced to two â€Å"men†, a term that is applied loosely, whom come to represent the realization of the dying days of the Victorian Era. Heart of Darkness’ Kurtz comes to be the representation of the realization in that he sees what is required from him, as well as the rest of humanity, in order for them to survive. Dracula, in contrast, is the idealization of what has to be done in order to survive. Furthermore, Dracula comes to represent the next step, in almost evolutionary terms, in that he starts to attack England on its home soil, going to so far as to transplant his own soil onto England. This reverse colonization by Dracula is the resultant action he takes based on the fact that he was able to do that which Kurtz is seemingly unable to do, sacrifice the last of his humanity to become a monster. By examining the character of Kurtz, we see that he comes to represent the degenerating institution of colonialism. Jonathan Dollimore remarks that Kurtz â€Å"embodies the paradox which degeneration theory tries to explain but only exacerbates, namely that civilization and progress seem to engender their own regression and ruin† (45). We can see this through the fact that Kurtz goes into the Belgian Congo in order to strengthen the European world, yet is ultimately unable to do so as he comes face to face with the realization of what he must do in order to succeed and survive the degeneration of the world he has known. To do this, Kurtz’s monstrosity, or as close as he comes to monstrosity, stems from the fact that the society which he is a part of and represents is dying a slow death. Therefore, his final words of â€Å"The horror! The horror!† can be interpr... ...gue of Vampirism. Stoker plays upon the irony of England, at this time one of, if not the largest, colonizing countries, being colonized, not by another country but by an intangible immigrant. Dracula’s intent is not of material wealth or power, but of controlling the people and using them as livestock. We can see this when Dracula tells Jonathan Harker that he â€Å"[has] come to know your great England, and to know her is to love her. I long to go through the crowded streets of your mighty London, to be in the midst of the whirl and rush of humanity, to share its life, its change, its death, and all that makes it what it is† (Stoker 19). Kane reaffirms this by contending that Dracula is an example of â€Å"invasion literature† acting upon the readers on England by playing with â€Å"a considerable variety of fears regarding the state of England and the English themselves† (9).

Feminism of Poverty Essay

The feminism of poverty can be described as a movement in political, economic and social equality for women, and is closely related to Liberalism. Feminism sees discrimination as a distinction of unequal treatment from all social, political and economic access for women. Feminism of poverty reaches all women, Black, White, Asian or English. It has been around since the beginning of time. Women have taken the role of mother, maid, cook and lover. They did not have the right to vote, own property nor work. It was not until 1848, when women demanded the enfranchisement for the ballot (vote), became vociferous. In 1869 2when Black men were given the vote in the 15th Amendment, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton refused to endorse the amendment, because it did not give women the vote and to become equal to their counter parts. http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/suffrage/history.htm Even back then women were reduced to mere servants and those that did not have a family or husband lived in poverty both black and white. Women suffrage and poverty did not only exist here in the United States, these social political and economic inequalities were felt around the world; Such as in Great Britain, Europe, Finland and Africa, other third world countries also had social issues pertaining to poverty. Those most likely to live in poverty in the U.S. are women and children. This is referred to as the feminization of poverty; increasingly the poor included unwed mothers, separated and divorced mothers, serving as the head of households (Basirico, et al, 2010). It is Known that women are much more likely to be poor than men, and that the impact of fiscal policy on the distribution of income is the main reason that women in the U.S. are more likely to be poor than women in other countries www.questia.com/search/feminization-poverty In the United States, in many communities there are individuals who live in poverty and cannot take care of themselves and their children especially women. So they become homeless living in shelters, cars, cardboard boxes, live on the streets, sleep on park benches, doorways or in major cities they may sleep in subways, because they have no income to support themselves. For example women have become prostitutes and shoplifters in order to feed themselves and their family/families. Of the adult poor who do not, about forty percent work at jobs that pay so little that they fall below the poverty line and one-third of their children are poor also. Because they do not have viable jobs they cannot support their children or themselves, so they are still under the umbrella of the feminism of poverty. From 1951-2008 of the women who worked in the U.S. their pay gap was 64-71 cents for every dollar earned by men http://www.infoplease.com Women have fought for equal pay & rights since 1848, and as of 2009, 30 percent of women who are heads of families with no husband present have income below the poverty line. Demographics have shown that these individuals are the most likely group to be chronically poor. The U.S. Census, Labor and the Economics Statistics of the Department of commerce shows in a study that the trends and conditions of women( two to three tim es)are still lower than men and the feminism of poverty is still a growing concern today as of March 2011 (Basirico, et al, 2010). With these continued disparities we will continue to be faced with the Feminism of poverty, because society has turned a deaf ear on the issues of women and children, they look the other way when it comes to providing for those within their own country, but they are quick to jump on the band wagon in the plight for other countries. We as a society have our priorities mixed up; if we are rich the attitude is according to Newt Gingrich â€Å"I don’t care about the poor†. If we are middle class we have the mentality that I’m just surviving myself. And if we are already poor we have the tendency to share. The same can be said about the church every Sunday we go to church and take up a benevolence offering to help the poor and when they need help in most cases they are turned away. The church is supposed to help those in need through the giving of food, shelter, clothes and money. But we have become so modernized and have forgotten to obey God’s laws that we ha ve lost sight of the word give. From the many issues that involve the feminism of poverty the best theory that applies to this particular issue is the conflict theory a social theory that views conflict as inevitable and natural and as a significant cause of social change (Basirico, et al, 2012). The feminism of poverty relates to the two classes that Marx saw those who own the means of product (rich) and those who provide the labor (poor), in an economic system that supports inequality, the exploited eventually revolt. Women were submissive for so long that they began to demand equal rights just as their counter part and black’s had. They had a need to become their own person, but throughout history even though they made progress they still were under played, poor and were listed as most likely to remain that way as they are today. In the scope of feminism of poverty it can be said that society is ion a state of constant change. Male against female and workers against employer, those that have power, wealth and prestige will always be in conflict with others (poor) that do not. Because there are limited commodities and demand exceeds the supply, those that are in control of those desirable goods, services and resources will defend and protect their interest. Those who are poor and living in poverty especially (women & children) are a threat to the rich and middle class. So they are suppressed through the lack of jobs, education, money, welfare and healthcare. Women social status of wages disparities, ownership (men) and motherhood result from degradation and exploitation by men and eventually is/was a cause of the feminism of poverty. If our society (government) do not put in place laws that will protect, serve and help our women and children who live in poverty. Though more workforce programs, jobs, healthcare and education we will eventually become as other third world countries. If Canada can do this why can’t we the riches country in the world do so? Reference Basirico, L.A., Cashion, B.J. & Eshleman, J.R. (2012). Introduction to Sociology. (5th ed). Redding, CA http://www.infoplease.com/html http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/suffarge/history.htm www.questia.com/search/feminization-poverty

Of Mice and Men Dreams Essay

Good brainstorming attempt. You have written more than most at your age. Let’s try and clarify the ideas. QUESTION -Many of the characters’ ambitions in ‘Of Mice and Men’ are focused on dreams for a better life analyse the presentation of two of these dreams within the novel. How to Write an Essay 1. Don’t panic 2. Try to follow each of the characters. What would it really be like to be them? 3. Try to develop a short thesis statement. 4. Try not to deviate too far from the thesis statement during the essay. 5. Do you use one or two quotes? I’m from the U.S. We use double quotes first. Then, single quotes. Here are three good ideas you had. Try and develop the dream idea more. Stay away from the death of the dream. The question is really not asking how the dream dies. I have reworked the paragraphs a lot. The American Dream of prosperity and independence fuels Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. The two central characters, George and Lennie, forge a bond to achieve this dream. In the achievement of their dream, they must separate themselves from the masses of itinerant workers whose sweat, grime, and despair become obstacles to dream fulfillment. George feels that their situation is unique in contrast to other ranch workers: they have each other. He boasts, ‘Because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you.’ This shows that George and Lennie share a symbiotic relationship; they depend on each other to provide a sense of hope in an otherwise bleak life. In addition, their wages, food rations, and necessities will be shared. Lennie’s childlike faith in the dream forces the cynical George to confront the dream daily. Lennie’s main objective is to ‘tend the rabbits.’ He constantly looks to George for reassurance that he will be able to tend rabbits in the future. â€Å"Tending the rabbits† is a manifestation of George’s love for Lennie as much as it is Lennie’s dream. George is â€Å"tending the rabbits† already in driving ahead with the dream. Develop this paragraph. Despite the obvious joys of independence and owning land, George longs for freedom, the freedom of not having to work; instead, having the liberty to choose when he will work. ‘And when it rains in the winter, we’ll just say the hell with goin’ to work, and we’ll build up a fire in the stove and set around it an’ listen to the rain comin’ down on the roof.’ Another comparison: Curley’s idea of the dream.

Organizational Impact Paper Essay

Both manufacturing and the service industry drive today’s economy, not only domestically but globally. Innovation, design, and creativity are essential to each organizational type. A company must find its niche and create a name for itself that differentiates itself from all others within its branding. By having the creativity to take another company to the next level all three aspects must be balanced. The restaurant industry is very complex and offers a great variety to customers. Innovation, design, and creativity can be seen in each company. Restaurants include everything from fast food settings to fine dining, inexpensive to expensive pricing, American food to Asian cuisine. The restaurant industry strictly caters to the needs and wants of the public. Fast food has become a necessity with the growing fast pace of life. Companies such as McDonalds, Five Guys, Taco Bell, and Subway have not only created different menus in relation to daily meals but also have created a healthier choice menu. Offering different varieties is a form of innovation. Innovating new concepts and ideas will create a name and buzz that will be beneficial to the company. For example, when Wendy’s created the first value menu in 1989, items were 99 cents (â€Å"Wendy’s â€Å", 2013). This was innovative and created an option for those on a tight budget. With the popularity of the value menu other chains followed suit including, Taco Bell, McDonalds, and Burger King. Designing of a menu, concept, building, even a drive through is important to the restaurant industry. Design goes down to specific details and even reasons why colors are chosen. For example, researchers have discovered the color red makes people hungry (Buswell, 2013). It is very common to drive past several chains and notice they all share some sort of red color in the logo or building structure. Designing a menu that caters to a crowd with dietary restrictions is growing ever more popular. By creating a dietary menu options are given to those that may not usually patron a chain. This creates new customers and more profit for a restaurant. Creativity is also important within the service industry. With a growing list of options to choose from to dine there has to be an element of creativity to attract customers. Restaurants such as Black Angus  Steakhouse offer a mailing club that sends out a free birthday meal up to 20.99 for anyone that signs up for coupons and emails (â€Å"Black Angus†, 2013). Not only does this bring people in that may only go out to a nice sit down steakhouse a few times a year but it also provides an incentive to return, as w ell as spend money in the restaurant. By giving a coupon or free item customers feel as though they are getting a deal and tend to spend more money since they are already saving somewhere else. Restaurants hope that offering deals will not only create a reoccurring guest, but the savings will entice consumers to purchase a dessert, cocktail, or add on item. The same three principles go for manufacturing companies such as General Motors Corporation. General Motors offers a multitude of designs including Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac, and GMC. GM prides itself on being creative and innovative within its industry. According to â€Å"General Motors Corporation† (2014), â€Å"We challenge ourselves to be creative and lead in everything we do† (Our Company). Having a clear innovative approach has shown beneficial throughout the economic struggle. Learning and offering new concepts has helped secure GM within the car manufacturing industry. Listening to consumer’s needs and wants when purchasing a vehicle have been heard. Creating a new design concepts not only in the factory but in the car lots can help with sales. Finding the most cost efficient way of producing a vehicle, marketing to a specific genre of people, and creating life time customers is the goal. Each year new concept cars or upgrades are made to the previous year’s model. By updating and adapting features, consumer interest grows. A new design in Arizona offers clients the opportunity to get a haircut, pedicure, lunch, and offer daycare at no cost when in the market for a new car. The Toyota Company has created a more relaxed approach to the buying of a vehicle. This is an unheard of approach that General Motors could learn from. By providing an environment that is relaxed and enjoyable consumers may be more inclined to visit that dealership. All three concepts can be easily defined in each industry. Although, this is just an overview of how the three principles all work together, the principles run deeply through the core of the company. Creativity, innovation, and design spread throughout each branch within a company. When one department excels within these principles great things can be created, and new ideas can blossom. The future for the restaurant industry and manufacturing industry look bright and promising for years to come, as long as new ideas, and concepts and created.

Reinventing the Starbucks Experience

In his memo to his senior team, Howard Schultz wrote about his visions of Starbucks and his disappointment over what he called the â€Å"commoditization of the Starbucks experience. † He gave a detailed list of the decisions that has contributed to this fate. His visions are clear and the arguments he presented are impeccable but this paper will look at the situation from a different viewpoint. The question is should they stick with the changes or revert to the old ways and preserve tradition? Going Big Howard Schultz mentioned several decisions that that led to the â€Å"watering down† of the Starbucks experience. These are: †¢ Changing La Marzocca machines with automatic espresso machines. †¢ Shifting from fresh coffee to fresh roasted bagged coffee. †¢ Transforming store design. While he believes these changes resulted to the â€Å"commoditization† of Starbucks, he admitted that these were necessary and instrumental in bringing Starbucks from 1000 to more than 13,000 stores (Schultz, 2007). These changes allowed Starbucks to speed up their services, become more efficient, cost-effective and competitive. Starbucks Soul Everything has its own price. Starbucks achieved their business goals but lost sight of their vision along the way. For Howard Schultz, losing their â€Å"soul† for profit was a high price to pay. In his memo, he mentioned that shifting from La Marzocca to automatic espresso machines removed the â€Å"romance and theater† of the process. The height of the machines blocked the view and took away the intimacy of the experience. Shifting to roasted coffee took out the aroma and stripped the store of its tradition and heritage. Lastly, changing store design eliminated the â€Å"warm feeling of a neighborhood store† (Schultz, 2007). Reinventing the Experience Soul, experience, romance, theater, temple- these are some of the words Howard Schultz associated with Starbucks. Reading his memo gives everyone a glimpse of his vision for Starbucks. It shows how passionate he is about his product and his store. It details the experience he envisions customers would feel in going to his stores. To him, it is not just selling coffee, it’s an experience. It is not just a store, it’s a temple. It is not just good customer service, it is romance. For someone who found his â€Å"Mecca† in Starbucks, those things mean a great deal. However, Schultz has to consider the possibility that not all people share that vision. A lot of people love to drink coffee but that does not mean they are as passionate about the experience as he is. Some customers are not as in love with the tradition and legacy as he is. There is nothing wrong about Howard Schultz’s vision and we can not blame him for being alarmed by the changes that happened in his stores. However, Starbucks have to be open to the fact that there might be a big difference between people who hang out in coffee shops in 1981 to the millions of Starbucks patrons around the world today. They have to realize that it is not just a simple case of profit versus soul or efficiency versus tradition. They have to consider what kind of â€Å"experience† people are hoping to get from their stores and work from their. Starbucks are founded by solid visions but that can only take them so far. In the end it is what the customers think that matters. Conclusion Howard Schultz is not just a businessman, he is a visionary. For him, profit is not enough, he want to preserve the tradition and leave a legacy. However, he has to accept the fact that to some people, coffee is just an ordinary drink, a commodity that does not need to be romanticized.