Thursday, October 31, 2019

English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 41

English - Essay Example My classes were a lot more difficult, but I appreciated the challenge and for awhile it gave me a real sense of accomplishment and self-esteem. I started participating in class more and found a lot of academic success in my classes. As the year went on and I gradually began to grow a little tired of the routine, I began to wonder if my original exuberance was warranted and slowly an incipient frustration began to take hold within my thoughts. I started to question why I ever had become so self-satisfied with my accomplishments in school and what difference would it even make. I was frustrated and wanted a new path, or at least some deeper answers. This is when things changed. I met a student in the classes when had grown jaded with the program. I became entirely convinced that his outlook on life was somehow more accurate than mine and that the frustration I had with my daily existence could be alleviated if I could only understand things the way he did. We slowly became friends and while I was never able to abandon my attention to school, I did gradually adopt his perspective. I needed to find an end to my frustration with school and find something that really meant something. I became curious as where my friend went when he skipped class, as he oftentimes did towards the end of the day. I once asked him. When Friday arrived, we met outside of class and off I followed him down a path adjacent to the cafeteria, and into the woods. I thought I would feel a lot more scared than I did skipping school and all, but I’d felt so bored and frustrated with my daily life that it really didn’t scare me as glanced around and then stepped into the forest. I followed him through a path for a few minutes and then we jumped over a fence. When we finally got to the destination there were other kids and they were splayed about acting strange, surrounded by a bag of mushrooms they had collected on the ground. I wasn’t about to

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Discussion Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Discussion - Coursework Example In addition, it is better than the parole because statements are allowed at the sentencing hearing. During reporting, the victim impact statements are to be incorporated in the pre-sentence report. Although the statements should be either written or oral, there is room for videotape, audiotape, or any other electronic device. This gives great opportunities for the victim to provide information to the court. The parole board does not guarantee a persons release when summoned for the board scrutiny. The person must be reviewed, and the board must find him worthy being among the people in the society. They are very particular on information concerning the inmate, which range from personal to communal interrelationship. The board must consider the age, mental stability, and remorse for the offence. If an offender agrees to the terms, of these three, they are checked further on the conduct during incarceration, and the time served on the current offence. Lastly, the board confirms on the rehabilitative progress, and guarantees the offender freedom if they have passed all those

Sunday, October 27, 2019

IT Impact on Organizational Performance in Banking

IT Impact on Organizational Performance in Banking Information technology and permeated almost every aspect of business operations and communications technologies. So it is a one of the most exciting research has been focusing on the wide interest in all parts of the world through the decades, but little was devoted to study the impact of information technology to banks in Bahrain. This study examines the impact of information technology on organizational performance in the banking sector during the period from 2005 to 2009. The dependent variable used is return on equity ( ROE) while the independent variables are Hard ware, Soft Ware, System Development Operations, I .T Maintenance, I.T Training , I .T Insurance , I.T Communication, I .T Implementation, I .T Consultancy , I .T Sites and Business Continuity Planning (BCP). Preliminary data collected through in-depth interviews, official documents and surveys of the field through the top 8 banks in Bahrain, this data has been tested by applying different statistical methods and finance. The research results led to the conclusion that information technology has a positive impact on organizational performance in the banking sector. CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION As an emerged business trend, the use of information technology (I.T) in the economic organizations are immense and measureless. Systems of organization and functions are now considered effortless and unproblematic because of I.T. information technology passes to be the most important one for each financial institution and the banks, particularly, they are one of the greater investors in I. T, Ahli united bank one of these banks that costs them around $ 13 millions. It is an enormous cost of this technology for local and international market. The existing studies generally have concluded two positive effects concerning the relationship between IT and the financial performance of banks. â€Å"First, it can reduce operational costs of banks (the cost advantage). For example, the Internet helps banks to conduct standardized, low value transactions (e.g. send the bill payments, balance inquiries, account transfers) through the online channel, while focusing its resources on specialized, high value added transactions (eg small business loans, personal trust services, investment banking) through branches. Second, can facilitate transactions between customers within the same network(the network effect). As an example, let us consider the case of automated teller machines (ATMs) by banks. If ATMs are geographically dispersed areas available largely over, the advantage of using an atmosphere will increase as customers can access their accounts from any geographic location they want. This would imply that the value of the ATM network increases with number of locations available in the atmosphere, and the value of the network of the a bank to a customer is determined in part by the final size of the network effect banks network is important in the adoption of the atmosphere. IT has drawn the attention of many researchers, commissioned to study the impact of IT in the functioning of the bank and that is a goal of many organizations. Some researchers have found positive relationships between IT investment and organizational performance and some of it found it negative. Problem Statement IT investments and its impact on the banking industry is a very important point for both banking managers and IT managers to be able to deal with and justify wither increased spending for investment in IT will lead to increase performance of Bank or not. That will put increasing pressure on managers to asses its business value. In this study we will examine the key components of IT investments (Hard ware, Soft Ware, System Development Operations, I .T Maintenance, I.T Training , I .T Insurance , I.T Communication, I .T Implementation, I .T Consultancy , I .T Sites and Business Continuity Planning (BCP) to see if spending in different IT areas as an impacts on bank performances. Significance and Importance The importance of this project lies in its ability to shed a light on the Impact of Information Technology on The Financial Performance of Bank sector in kingdom of Bahrain. Furthermore, this study would encourage other Banks in the area to benefit from Bahraini Banks experience and therefore follow their lead. Purposes The goal of this study is to: To determine which type of information system leads to high financial performance of the banks. Evaluate in what specific ways and to what extent do information systems could eventually lead to high financial performance. To find out what issues emerges when implementing IT at the bank. Research Hypothesis The main Hypotheses There is no significant relationship between investing in I.T and the financial performance of Banks of Bahrain. H01: There is no significant relationship between investing in HW and the financial performance of Banks of Bahrain. H02: There is no significant relationship between investing in SW and the financial performance of Banks of Bahrain. H03: There is no significant relationship between investing in SDO and the financial performance of Banks of Bahrain. H04: There is no significant relationship between investing in Main and the financial performance of Banks of Bahrain. H05: There is no significant relationship between investing in Trn and the financial performance of Banks of Bahrain. H06: There is no significant relationship between investing in Insu and the financial performance of Banks of Bahrain. H07: There is no significant relationship between investing in Comm and the financial performance of Banks of Bahrain. H08: There is no significant relationship between investing in Imp and the financial performance of Banks of Bahrain. H09: There is no significant relationship between investing in Con and the financial performance of Banks of Bahrain. H010: There is no significant relationship between investing in Sit and the financial performance of Banks of Bahrain. H011: There is no significant relationship between investing in BCP and the financial performance of Banks of Bahrain. Key Words Information technology (I.T): any technology that helps to produce, manipulate process, store, communicate, and/or disseminate information. Information system (IS): is any combination of information technology and peoples activities using that technology to support operations, management, and decision-making. I.T Investment : Banks of Bahrain: Its a financial institution located in Bahrain that deals in money and its substitutes and provides other financial services. ATM: automated teller machine, which allows customers to complete basic transactions without the aid of a branch representative or teller. Financial Performance: is the overall profitability of the insurance firm. Study Outline The paper proceeds as follows: Chapter 2 focuses on the literature review where the work of other researchers and some previous theoretical and empirical studies are mentioned. Chapter 3 is about the methodology used in this study. Chapter 4 discusses the empirical results and findings of the research. Finally, conclusions and recommendations are made in chapter 5. CHAPTER TWO BACKGROUND CHAPTER TWO BACKGROUND Introduction This chapter will specify some aspects of Bahrains economy and what attracts foreign and local investors to invest their capital in this country; along with some important features and statistical data regarding the banking industry, we will try to know why It is necessary for the management of the organizations to measure and to evaluate the organization performance. Finally, the literature review will discuss a number of some previous studies related to this topic. An Overview of Bahrains Economy The economy of Bahrain is mainly defined by oil production and refining and production, ship repair, iron pelletization, fertilizers, offshore banking, insurance. The country is trying hard to privatize its economy so that it can reduce the dependence on oil production and that prompted the government to develop other industries as well. For example, in 1970, the government established Aluminum Bahrain (ALBA), an aluminum smelting industry which still remains an important industry. In a further effort at diversification, the government has also promoted tourism. The government controls the oil and gas, most heavy industry, and the bulk transport and communications, but has made efforts to privatize the economy, bank transfer, light manufacturing, and trade in private hands. Listen Read phonetically Dictionary View detailed dictionary Translate any website El Confidencial-Spain Tom.com-China News.de-Germany Nord-Cinema-France Zamalek Fans-Arabic Gotujmy.pl-Polish Vogue-France Arte Toreo-Spain LExpress-France Onet.pl-Polish Pà ºblico.es-Spain Zeit Online-Germany Bahrains economy is strong and always improving their sectors to look for a bright future. It was called the fastest growing financial center in the Arab world by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia in January 2006 by the City of London global financial centers index in 2008. In 2004 it signed a free trade an agreement with United States will reduce the trading Which Barriers between the two countries. Bahrain Was the first Arabian Gulf state to sign such a trading mutual agreement with the United States. http://www.mapsofworld.com/country-profile/bahrain1.html https://www.cia.gov Banking Sector in Bahrain Bahrain is the home of more than 400 the authorized financial institutions, what represents a rich mix of international, regional and local names. They cover all the range of financial products, with private concentrations in sure, wholesale banking and funds / asset management. The financial sector is now the major sector of the economy represents more than the 27% of the GDP. The financial sector is also the major employer in Bahrain for more than the 80% of the labor. The sector is regulated and supervised by the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) (www.cbb.gov.bh), which since 2002 has functioned as a regulator of the entire financial system. Bahrains banking system consists of both conventional and Islamic banks and is the main component of the financial system, which represent over 85% of total financial assets. The conventional segment includes 19 retail banks, 69 wholesale banks, 2 specialized banks and 36 representative offices of foreign banks. The Islamic segment, offering a series of Sharia Conformity of their products and services include 6 retail and 18 wholesale banks, and the numbers are increasing steadily. The banking sector has played a central role in the development of Bahrain as major financial center in the region. As in December 2006, banking sector assets amounted to over U.S. $ 180 billion, more than twelve times annual gross domestic product. The recent increase in the sector has been supported willingly fortune of the industry of the petroleum and the corresponding increases of liquidity. The banks are playing thus a central role in surplus to reinvest the petroleum incomes as well as complying the opportunities of financing in other segments of the economy. http://www.bahrain1.com/banking.html Performance Measures The performance as declared by Wheelen and hunger (2000) is the final result of an activity and a performance organizacional accumulates turned out final of all the organization process and activities. It is necessary for the management of the organizations to measure and to evaluate the organization performance to utilize organizations resources in better form and to win good organization honorableness. Managers measure and to control organization performance, since conducts to a better management of assets, to a greater capacity to provide value of the client, for improve the measures of organization Knowledge and measure of performance organizacional have an impact on an organization reputation. Literature review Many studies had been done in order provide a clear picture of the financial performance of banks. Gupta, Uma and Collins (1997) investigate the impact of information systems on the efficiency of banks. They were centered in determining the relation among the investments in I.T and bank efficiency; they identified an efficiency measures assembly commonly utilized by the banks and they asked to their respondents to specify if these measures were utilized to evaluate the performance of I.T an investment. They found that the companies ensure that the investments in technology are deliberately and in a significant way aligned with achieving the strategic, tactical one, and the operational goals of the business is probable that to see a narrower link among I.T investments and improvements of productivity of the organization. Thus I.T performs an important and valuable role in helping to reach objectives organizational, to enlarge the productivity to improve service to the client, and to utilize fully existing system. Lunardi, Becker and Macada (2003), they evaluated the strategic impact of IT in Brazilian, American, Argentinean, Uruguayan and Chilean banks as perceived by their executives. In order to externally validate the questionnaire, results were analyzed considering, as isolated samples, (a) Brazil, (b) the United States, (c) Argentina, Uruguay and Chile, and, then, (d) as one group merging all data. The results indicate that (1) Competition, Products and Services, and Borrowers (customers) are the main strategic variables affected by IT; (2) there are no differences between executives of IT and other functional executives regarding their perception of the impacts of IT in strategic variables; and (3) the impact of IT in Competitiveness is significantly related with the impact of IT in Borrowers, Government and Country Requirements, Products and Services, and Cost Structure and Capacity. This study supported banking executives to plan IT strategies, their implementation and to evaluate their use. Another research had been done by Elena Becalli. (2005) Who investigated whether investment in Information Technology (IT) hardware, software and other IT services influences the performance of banks by Using a sample of 737 European banks over the period 1993-2000 . The study found that the impact of different types of IT investment (hardware, software and services) on banks performance is heterogeneous. Investment in IT services from external providers (consulting services, implementation Services, training and education, support services) appears to have a positive influence on accounting profits and profit efficiency, while the acquisition of hardware and software seems to reduce banks performance. Shaukat and Zafarullah. (2009) made a study examined the impact of IT on organizational performance in quantitative terms of Pakistans manufacturing and banking sectors over period of 1994-2005 and come with the following result. I.T changed the character of so much work for the industries and enlarges its performance. This positive impact has shown in indicators of qualitative performance. Significant improvements with regard to the different qualitative variables as customer satisfaction, client/suppliers links, image of the business, employees interest work, shareholders, confidence and among office links/communication they have been observed in both the sectors and banking in Particular . Akram and Allam. (2010), explored the impression on improving the performance of two forms of matrix. The first is matrix of financial performance which comprises Market Value-Added (MVA), Return on Investment (ROI) and Earning per Share (EPR) and the second is matrix of operational performance, which includes the Net Profit Margin (NPM), Operating Return on Assets (ORA) and the profit value of the employee (PE). Utilizing IT by Jordanian banks which measured by testing the level of investment in Hardware, Software, Internet Banking, Phone banking, number of ATMs, use of Cyber branches and Banking via SMS. The results of measurements indicated that there was an impact on the use of MIS in Jordanian banks in the market value added (MVA), Earnings Per Share (EPS), Return on Assets (ROA), Net Profit Margin (NMP). Keramati, Azadeh and Mehran (2009), discussed and tested empirical to moderate environmental effects of dynamism and branch strategy on the impact of the investment and other efficient variables (number of employees and fixed assets) in the branches. The study sample was comprised of 102 branch offices of the bank Parsian and the empirical results, on the base of a model moderate of decline. Concretely, IT investment seems to have a greater positive impact on performance of the banks when there are greater environmental changes and more proactiva strategy branch. According to their conclusions, the banks considering that the investment should evaluate their performance environmental contexts and the strategic orientation. Another investigation has been carried out for Mallick and Shirley (2006). They examined the effects of the information technology (IT) in the banking industry of United States. They found that IT can improve banks performance in two ways: IT can reduce operational cost (cost effect), and facilitate transactions among customers the clients inside the same network (effect network). They characterized the conditions to identify these two effects and the conditions for the two seemingly positive effects to turn negative in the equilibrium. The results were tested on a panel of 68 US banks over 20 years, and they found that the bank profits decline due to adoption and diffusion of IT investment, reflecting negative network effects in banking Industry. In this study I will use the same factors used by Akram and Allam (2010) to explain the Impact of Information Technology on The Financial Performance of Bank sector in kingdom of Bahrain. CHAPTER THREE METHODOLOGY Introduction In this part of the study, we build the methodology of the study that is characterized in terms of tools and method of measurement and tests for the problem of the study, taking advantage of methods and tools of previous studies, in order to guarantee the access to the methodology to obtain the information more I need and better results. The key variables will be measured in an intent of practice to identify dependent and independent variables and to explain how the independent variable affects the dependent variable. Finally, It will also provide a study model and some specifications of the model used to conduct the research. Population and Sampling Data Collection The data was collected through in-depth interviews with the senior managers of finance , and some mangers from I.T Department of Banks in sample and from official documents plus We used several academic journals and articles which have been downloaded online from various websites to collect data for this study. Updating numerical data about the Banking sector and Banks have been collected from the annual reports of each Banks which are submitted on their official websites. Population The research population is all locally Banks in Bahrain Ahli United Bank National Bank of Bahrain Bahrain Islamic Bank (BisB) Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait B.S.C . Bank Muscat International (BMI) Standard Chartered Kuwait Finance House Bahrain Citibank Bahrain HSBC Bank Middle East Limited Arab Bank Table 3.1 : Population Source: The Researcher Sample Ahli United Bank (AUB) Bank Muscat International (BMI) were selected as research sample to represent this sector. However these Banks were selected because I found that it was easy for me to collect any information needed for this research from these tow Banks since I am working in Ahli united Bank and I Know Manger of IT in Bank Muscat International (BMI) . Ahli United Bank . Bank Muscat International (BMI) Table 3.2 : Sample Source: The Researcher The first bank is Ahli United Bank, Bahrain (AUB): Ahli United Bank BSC (AUB) formed after the 2001 merger of Al-Ahli Commercial Bank and Commercial Bank of Bahrain, It is a full fledged commercial and investment banking group providing Services of 1. Wealth management 2. Retail, corporate 3. Treasury 4. offshore 5. Islamic banking 6. Real estate fund management 7. Structured finance and private banking services. The Groups businesses consist of the operations in Bahrain, a wholly owned subsidiary in the UK and associates in Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Egypt, Iraq and Libya. Source: http://www.cbb.gov.bh/page.php?p=banking The second bank is Bank Muscat International (BMI) : BMI Bank (previously known as Bank Muscat International), an associate of Bank Muscat the largest financial services provider in Oman today, is a Retail Bank, registered in Bahrain and regulated by the Central Bank of Bahrain offering a full range of retail and commercial banking services. BMI Bank operates in Bahrain through a network of 8 branches and 26 ATMs with net banking for easy access to services. Source: http://www.bmi.com.bh/AnnualReport/images Period covered in this research This research covers the period from 2005 to 2009. Analysis Plan Use Regression method to specify the relationship between the independent variables (HW, SW, SDO, MAIN, TRN, Insu, Comm, Imp, Cons, Sit, BCP) and the dependent variable which is the (ROE). Research Model Model Specification This economic model is used to examine the relationship between Independent Variables and Banks performance. Defining Study Variables The independent variables Hard ware: Which includes spending on data storage devices, terminals, memory, peripherals, workstations, personal computers and data communications devices, So It is the net investment bank in the computer hardware and equipment in the period. (Akram Allam 2010) Soft Ware: which includes spending on packaged software, application Solutions software, application tools, and systems infrastructure software? It is the net investment bank in the software during the period. (Akram Allam 2010) System Development Operations: Which includes spending on Specific activities related to system development and other expenses for operations management during the period like the network, processing services, backup and archiving. ( Elena Becalli. 2005) I .T Maintenance :On going operational support of either hardware or software IT assets of an organization. This can be both preventative as well as reactive support. I.T Training: Includes education used to enhance general knowledge and expand the abilities to use IT during the period. (Elena Becalli 2005) I .T Insurance: The insurer provides protection of IT assets against fire, theft, flood and accidental damage and protects the firms investment from claims arising out of professional negligence or system failure . I.T Communication: Providing effective ways for inter application, inter entity communication. Effective IT communication provides the backbone for the working of any next generation application due to centralized and cloud based roadmap towards Information Technology. I .T Implementation: Which includes spending on a new or changed application systems are needed in order to support the processes, these must first be procured or developed and implemented. I .T Consultancy: Includes all what they spend to provide product-specific consulting during the period. It is one of the independent variables. (Elena Becalli. 2005) I .T Sites: Physical controlled infrastructure support for IT related hardware / data centers. This can be segregated between production and disasters recover sites Business Continuity Planning (BCP): It is the cost of Planning that identifies to the organization, exposition to external and internal threats and synthesizes soft and hard assets to provide an efficient prevention and the recovery of the organization, during the period. It is one of the independent variables. The independent variables ROE: Return on equity  measures a corporations profitability  by revealing how much  profit a company generates  with the money shareholders have invested. So it is the amount of the net incomes returned like a percentage of the capital stock.   Each banks ROE has been obtained for its annual reports and calculated as: Return on Equity = Net Income/Shareholders Equity CHAPTER FOUR ANALYSIS TESTING HYPOTHESIS Introduction This Section includes tow main topics, the first is about descriptive Analysis of the study variables through various descriptive statistical measures, such as: Central tendency measures, Dispersion measures, Mean, Median, Range and Standard Deviation; to describe the study variables. The Second topic represents testing the study hypotheses, and computing the regression model information. First topic, Descriptive Analysis Descriptive Analysis The descriptive analysis table in the appendix shows the following: From Table 4.1, which illustrates the use of Bahrain banks for I.T, we notes that average cost of H W in Bahrain banks reached the highest average in year 2009 (3,332,204) and this year was the lowest in the standard deviation (323,436), as well as the year that contains the largest cost for investment (3,103,500), which refers to the rise in investment H W by Bahrain banks. The second independent factor is the S W, its mean (medium) started with (1,085,277) and we notice that they are on the increase from year to year until it reaches in 2009 to (3,117,740) While the standard deviation of S W started with 940,060 then decrease to (865,657) and increase later in 2007 and again decreased to (805,459) in 2008 and lowest amount (236,654) in 2009. The minimum S W during the research period was (420,554) while the maximum was (2,950,400). We marked that the third factor which is the S D O had a mean started with ( 627,493 ) and ended with( 525,001 ) and noted that investment in S D O reached the highest value in the years 2005 ( ,000,000) and 2007 ( 720,000 ) while the lowest value was in the year 2008 ( 245,907 ) and the standard deviation started high in first year 2005 ( 526,804 ) and decreased to the lowest in the last year 2009 ( 35,281) . The M A I N mean (medium) started with (930,182) in 2005 and ended with (1,519,138) in 2009. While the standard deviation started with (805,844) and ended with (957,440). The minimum M A I N during the research period was (360,365) and the largest amount was (2,196,150). The fifth factor which is the T R N had a mean (medium) of (133,498), (142,611), (180,363), (147,626) and (94,051) the standard deviation started with 94,048 and ended with (36,697), the minimum T R N during the research period was (66,996) while the maximum was (280,000). The I N S U mean (medium) started with 48,220 in 2005 and ended with 99,966 in 2009 while the standard deviation started with 37,873 and ended with 13,918 the minimum I N S U during the research period was 21,440 while the largest was 109,808. From the previous table we note that the seventh variable COMM, the average cost in Bahrain banks started with 1,124,045 and continue increased upto (1,737,626). In 2009, the standard deviation started with 955,944 and ended with (1,148,871), the minimum rate during the period reached to the lowest of 448,091 and highest was 2,550,000 in 2009. The I M P mean (medium) started with (243,621) in 2005 and ended with (562,749) in 2009. The standard deviation started with (188,627) and ended with the (60,303); the minimum rate during the period was (110,241), while the maximum was (60,303). The ninth factor which is the C O N S had a mean (medium) of (63,192), (32,123), (38,552), (55,051) and (95,053) and the standard deviation started with (52,055) and ended with (35,281), the minimum C O N S during the research period was (14,245) while the maximum was (120,000). The S I T mean (medium) in the beginning 3 years were the same 65,307 years and in the last 2 years increased to (104,500) while the standard deviation started with 49,063 and ended with (21,920). The minimum S I T during the research period was 30,614 while the maximum reached to (89,000). The BCP mean (medium) in the beginning year started with (295,011) and ended in the last year with (430,744). While the standard deviation was beginning with (247,472) and decreased in the last year to (198,759). We note the minimum BCP during the research period was (120,022) and the maximum was (571,288). The dependent variable is the ROE which was marked by the year 2006 the highest revenue between the years of the sample, as it reaches the highest return of 19.230% while the standard deviation was started with 3.606% and decreased later to .495 % in 2009. The year 2009 marked the lowest return on equity, amounting to 9.600%. Regression Analysis I used Pooled Data Regression method because Ive tie series data (2005-2009) and cross-sectional data (2 Banks). I have mathematical model of the study is developed as follows: I used E views program to analyze the data, I also used pooled regression and multi-regression because we have more than one independent variable verses only one variable which is the R O E. The confidence interval is ( 95 %). Testing Hypothesis As stated in the first chapter, these are the null hypothesis for this research The main Hypotheses There is no significant relationship between investing in I.T and the financial performance of Banks of Bahrain. H01: There is no significant relationship between investing in HW and the financial performance of Banks of Bahrain. H02: There is no significant relationship between investing in SW and the financial performance of Banks of Bahrain. H03: There is no significant relationship between investing in SDO and the financial performance of Banks of Bahrain. H04: There is no significant relationship between investing in Main and the financial performance of Banks of Bahrain. H05: There is no significant relationship between investing in Trn and the financial performance of Banks of Bahrain. H06: There is no significant relationship between investing in Insu and the financial performance of Banks of Bahrain. H07: There is no significant relationship between investing in Comm and the financial performance of Banks of Bahrain. H08: There is no significant relationship between investing in Imp and the financial performance of Banks of Bahrain. H09: There is no significant relationship between investing in Con and the financial performance of Banks of Bahrain. H010: There is no significant relationship between investing in Sit and the financial performance of Banks of Bahrain. H011: There is no significant relationship between investing in BCP and the financial performance of Banks of Bahrain. The above hypothesi

Friday, October 25, 2019

Changes in Air Travel Essay -- Logistics

INTRODUCTION The terrorist attack of Sept 11, 2001 significantly changed the landscape of air travel. Congress put in place mandates to screen all checked baggage and improve passenger screening procedures. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was chartered to oversee these changes. The major obstacle was old antiquated equipment that was unable to handle the demand which resulted in a significant delay in time it took to process passengers. With the recovery of the airline industry since the attack the challenge is how passengers move through the airport quickly and efficiently. Through the history of air travel there have been many initiatives attempted to improve the passenger experience. The three I will focus on are the mobile lounge concept implemented in 1962 with the opening of Dulles , and the newer concept of Fast Travel initiated by the International Air Transportation Association (IATA) and the so called â€Å"security checkpoint of the future† also being tested by IATA (Engle, 2011). On the surface the mobile lounges seemed like a solid principle. It kept walking required by the passenger to a minimum as parking and passenger processing facilities were close in proximity. In theory if expansion due to additional aircraft was required you would only need to add additional mobile lounges to support the demand (Young & Wells, 2011). When Dulles International Airport opened in 1962 it was at the cutting edge of technology. It was the first airport with separate buildings to handle people and airplanes. Your processed in the main terminal and then walked to the mobile lounges which could serve as holding rooms or used to transport passengers directly to the aircraft. As the amount of people an... ... the experience much more enjoyable. The so called â€Å"security checkpoint of the future† (Engle, 2011) being developed and tested by IATA could make for an exciting passenger experience. In light of security concerns it could be a few years before we something to this effect in our airports. Works Cited IATA awards Abu Dhabi International Airport for Fast Travel. (2011, December 26). Arabic 2000. Engle, J. (2011, June 7). Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jun/07/news/la-trb-checkpoint-future-iata-20110607 Schvartzman, R. (2011). Fast Travel Maximise Passenger Control of Departure and Arrival Passengers. International Air Transport Association. Schwartz, A. (2007). Transforming Dulles Airport. Air Transport World, 50-52. Young, S. B., & Wells, A. T. (2011). Airport Planning & Management. McGraw-Hills Companies Inc.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

The Magic Finger

The Magic Finger’s exposition is that there was a girl that has super powers. If someone was very mean to her, she pointed her finger at them and they turned into what ever they were mean to her for. This took place near her house like in the backyard. One of the main characters are Mr. and Mrs. Gregg and there two children William and Philip Gregg. In the book the main conflict was that the Gregg family was killing birds and their neighbor’s hated it. One day, the little girl next door put a spell on the Gregg family. They turned into birds. Then they were very sorry for killing innocent birds. The climax of the story was when the Gregg family turned back from being birds to humans. They were very sorry and they proved it by destroying their guns with a hammer. That was the most exciting part in the book. The resolution of the story is the Gregg family did not let anyone kill poor little birds. They buried the sixteen birds that they killed. If they heard a gun shot they would talk some sense into them. That is the end of the book. I think that they changed throughout the book. In the being of the book she was against the Gregg family and now she was not against anyone. Mr. Gregg, William and Phillip changed in a variety of ways. One way is that they were always in the woods and in the end they of the book they refused to go in the woods. I think that the book the magic finger is excellent. It is very interesting. The author’s purpose is to entertain his readers. The author likes to talk in first. I love the book.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Brant Case Analysis

CASE: BRANT FREEZER COMPANY Question 1: When comparing performance during the first five months of 2004 with performance in 2003, which warehouse shows the most improvement? St. Louis is the only one showing any improvement, using cost per unit shipped as the performance criterion. The cost for the first five months of 2003 was $9. 97 and for the first five months of 2004, it fell to $9. 07. Question 2: When comparing performance during the first five months of 2004 with performance in 2003, which warehouse shows the poorest change in performance?The worst change is the company’s own warehouse (located in Fargo), where costs per unit shipped increased 31%. Among the public warehouses used, Denver was the worst in terms of cost per unit handled. It is also the most expensive public warehouse that Brant uses. Question 3: When comparisons are made among all eight warehouses, which one do you think does the best job for the Brant Company? What criteria did you use? Why? Using the cost per unit handled criterion, St.Louis does the best job, closely followed by Chicago. Question 4: J. Q. is aggressive and is going to recommend that his father cancel the contract with one of the warehouses and give that business to a competing warehouse in the same city. J. Q. feels that when word of this gets around, the other warehouses they use will â€Å"shape up. † Which of the seven should J. Q. recommend be dropped? Why? Denver has the lowest volume and highest unit costs among all the public warehouses used.In addition, it had been closed by a strike which must have inconvenienced the Brant Company. It may be that the warehouse workers’ unions are strong in the Denver area. J. Q. should probably check out rates and productivity measures of other Denver warehouses before deciding to drop its current warehouse there. Question 5: The year 2004 is nearly half over. J. Q. is told to determine how much the firm is likely to spend for warehousing at each of the e ight warehouses for the last six months of 2004.Do his work for him. There is not enough information to do a very precise forecast. J. Q. assumes that the proportion of costs occurring during the first five months of 2003 should be in the same proportion in 2004. (1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (2)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (3)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (4) Warehouse location| % 2003 costs occurring in first five months| Actual costs for first five months of 2004 ($)| Projected total costs in 2004 ($)| Projected costs in the last six months of 2004 ($)| Atlanta| 22. 88| 40,228| 175,822| 116,204|Boston| 44. 00| 29,416| 66,885| 32,085| Chicago| 53. 43| 141,222| 264,312| 105,556| Denver| 35. 00| 14,900| 42,571| 23,714| Fargo| 54. 00| 9,605| 17,787| 7,012| Los Angeles| 72. 20| 93,280| 129,197| 30,781| Portland| 49. 30| 42,616| 86,442| 37,559| St. Louis| 44. 80| 19,191| 42,837| 20,265| The p rojected costs in 2004 (column 3) are calculated by dividing the actual costs for the first five months of 2004 (column 2) by the percent of 2003 costs that occurred in the first five months (column 1).For example, Atlanta’s actual 2004 costs of $40,228 divided by 2003’s 22. 88% yields projected 2004 costs of approximately $175,822. The projected costs in the last six months of 2004 (column 4) are calculated by subtracting the actual costs for the first five months of 2004 (column 2) from 2004’s projected total costs (column 3). This gives us the projected costs for the last seven months of 2004. However, we are only interested in the last six months of 2004, so this number is multiplied by 6/7, or . 857.Continuing with Atlanta, 2004’s projected total costs of $175,822 minus the first five months’ actual costs of $40,228 equals $135,394. Multiplying this by 6/7 yields projected six months’ costs of approximately $116,204. Question 6: When co mparing 2003 figures with the 2004 figures shown in Exhibit 13-A, the amount budgeted for each warehouse in 2004 was greater than actual 2003 costs. How much of the increase is caused by increased volume of business (units shipped) and how much by inflation? There are several ways to approach this question.One involves calculating the volume difference and inflation difference for each warehouse, as follows: Volume difference = 2003 unit costs x (2004 units shipped – 2003 units shipped) Inflation difference = 2004 units shipped x (2004 unit costs – 2003 unit costs) For example, Atlanta’s volume and inflation differences are: Volume difference: $8. 99 x (18,000 – 17,431) = $8. 99 x 569 = $5,115 Inflation difference: 18,000 x ($9. 97 – $8. 99) = 18,000 x $. 98 = $17,640 Question 7: Prepare the firm’s 2005 warehousing budget, showing for each warehouse the anticipated number of units to be shipped and the costs.Again, this can be done in severa l ways. One is to assume that the 2004 to 2005 increases will be exactly the same amount as the 2003 to 2004 increases (with units shipped rounded to the nearest hundred, and costs rounded to the nearest $500). This would yield the following results: Warehouse location| Differences in units shipped b/w 2003 and 2004| Units shipped  in 2004| Projected units shipped in 2005| Difference in warehouse costs b/w 2003 and 2004 ($)| Warehouse costs in 2004 ($)| Projected warehouse costs in 2005 ($)| Atlanta| 600| 18,000| 18,600| 21,000| 178,000| 199,000| Boston| 300| 7,200| 7,500| 9,500| 73,000| 82,500|Chicago| 1,900| 30,000| 31,900| 38,500| 285,000| 323,500| Denver| 100| 3,100| 3,200| 3,000| 31,000| 34,000| Fargo| 0| 2,000| 2,000| 500| 17,000| 17,500| Los Angeles| 500| 17,000| 17,500| 24,000| 176,000| 200,000| Portland| 700| 9,000| 9,700| 12,000| 85,000| 97,000| St. Louis| 2,100| 8,000| 10,100| 4,000| 56,000| 60,000| Another method would use percentage changes. Question 8: While attendin g classes at the university, J.Q. had learned of logistics partnerships. Should Brant Freezer Company attempt to enter into a partnership relationship with these warehouses? If so, what approach should it use? Assuming that a partnership approach was to be used, Brant would have to think of some sort of sharing of potential risks and profits. Offhand, the case does not provide much information to go on, other than cost containment or reduction is an issue.