J.I. Packer Reflection Paper

Jonathan Gamble Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God Reflection Paper When he sat down to write Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, J. I. Packer sought to explain the incredible importance of understanding the antinomy – or tension, as some call it – between the undeniable sovereignty of God and the free will of men. Throughout the book, Packer puts an emphasis on reconciling these two commonly misconstrued components of Christian doctrine. There are two primary points that the author stresses to the reader: the divine sovereignty of God and the free will of man, and evangelism and what it means for churches and individuals.The first point J. I. Packer makes in his book is the seemingly contradictory doctrine of the divine sovereignty of God and the free will of men. This opposition – as some would call it – is remedied by Packer early on in the book. On page 23 of the text, the author states, â€Å"Man is a responsible moral agent, though he is also divinely controlled; man is divinely controlled, though he is also a responsible moral agent. God’s sovereignty is a reality, and man’s responsibility is a reality too. Though it may seem confusing to unbelievers and believers alike, this statement truly encapsulates Packer’s argument and helps to alleviate doubt toward this apparent opposition in Christian doctrine. Man is a moral being; meaning, he has free will, but was designed (by God) to be virtuous and upright in morality. Humans have the power to do as they please (free will); they can either live according to God’s laws or reject His teaching. God allows man to possess free will because He wants men to choose His teachings willingly and on their own accord, not forced into God’s law against his will.However, Packer states that man is also divinely controlled, which seems to be at odds with the previous statement. Though man has free will, to a certain extent he is still controlled by a div ine being (God). Ephesians 2:10 tells us, â€Å"For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do† (NIV). This proves that, although we have free will and are capable of making our own decisions, God created us to do good works and He knows what we will do before we even do it.Thus, Packer’s argument is that, although we have free will and God allows us to make our own decisions (including accepting or rejecting Him), we are still divinely controlled by Him through the good works we do. Second among Packer’s emphasized points is that of evangelism; not just the act, but what it means for churches and individuals alike. Throughout this portion of the book, the author focuses on several main questions regarding evangelism: what is evangelism, what is the evangelistic message, and what is the motive for evangelizing.Packer uses the following to define evangelism: â€Å"To evangelize is so to p resent Christ Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit, that men shall come to their trust in God through Him, to accept Him as their Savior, and serve Him as their King in the fellowship of His Church† (Packer 38). This definition is superb because it leads into Packer’s next questions of evangelism. The message of evangelism, according to the book, is the message of Jesus Christ’s work, including, but not limited to, his miracles, death, burial, and resurrection.However, Packer warns not to complicate the Gospel message; instead, a simplified version geared toward the target audience is a much more effective means of presenting Christ. The motive for evangelizing is thus: to reach lost and broken souls with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to lead them to a saving faith in Him. Packer makes very good arguments and backs up his stance with solid evidence from both the Bible and extra-biblical sources; because of his logical and straightforward argument, I agree with his presentation of the antinomy of evangelism and the sovereignty of God.In Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, the author argues that men both have free will, yet are divinely controlled. I fully support this viewpoint, from both a biblical and practical standpoint. Throughout both the Old and New Testaments, men demonstrate their free will, for good or ill. For example, the parable of the talents shows how men’s free will – through the illustrations of the three servants – can either bring glory to God or condemn the man. All three of the servants exercised their free will by either doubling the talents entrusted to them (the first two), or by simply hiding their talent (the final servant).Obviously, the first two servants brought glory to their master by earning interest on their talents, while the final servant was condemned as a â€Å"wicked, lazy servant† (Matthew 25:14-30). Thus, despite the outcome, men have been given the free will by God to do as they please. Packer endorses this viewpoint throughout his book, and gives numerous biblical citations to support his doctrinal views. Although men have free will, they are also divinely controlled by God; Packer shows this throughout his book, and I agree with his arguments and evidences.An excellent example of this – and the main reason why I support Packer’s argument for men being divinely controlled – can be found in the book of Exodus. â€Å"Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials so that I may perform these signs of mine among them that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians and how I performed my signs among them, and that you may know that I am the Lord† (Exodus 10:1-2).This event shows that God controls the hearts of man, by his hardening the heart of Pharaoh. So, although we have free will, God is still in control of our h eart, mind, and soul; we are still divinely controlled. If I was to explain to somebody the biblical teaching on the relationship of evangelism Packer’s book and my own understanding of this seemingly contradictory doctrine. I would attempt to explain to them this complex doctrine in simplified terms. To start, I would define sovereignty for them.Sovereignty can be defined as the complete, utter, and undeniable rule of God as King over all creation, including the stars, planets, and man. After establishing the meaning of the basic words for the argument, I would go on to explain about the antinomy of men’s free will and the undeniable sovereignty of God. Men are made with the free will to make their own decisions, and are left to their own devices for the most part. However, with this free will comes responsibility; our actions can either bring glory to God or can bring hardship upon ourselves.Although we are given free will, we are still divinely controlled by God. I would bring about examples from both my own life and the Bible. I would try to relate to them by telling them of my past; I was heavily involved in alcohol and partying in high school (my free will – to reject God and His teaching), until God intervened and brought me to a saving faith in Him, and my life turned completely around (God’s sovereignty over my own life). By drawing events from my own life, it would help to make the confusing doctrine a bit more understandable and relatable to whoever I’m talking to.I would explain the concept of evangelism to them next; evangelism, in my own words, is the act of reaching out to an unreached audience and telling them about Jesus Christ, his miraculous life and works, his death and resurrection, and the saving grace that comes as a result of putting one’s faith in Him. Evangelism is worldly important because it brings sinners to God’s grace; by spreading the Good News to the unreached, we can help turn t he tide of religious apathy into a generation that is in relationship with Jesus Christ.Many would argue that because God is sovereign, evangelism is pointless and a waste of time, resources, and talent. However, both Packer and I would argue that this is completely false. I would explain to my listener that because of the free will God grants us, we should tell others about Him and His great love and mercy. I would go on to quote Ephesians 2:10, which says that we were created to do good works. Because we were created to do good works, it should not feel an obligation to evangelize; rather, it should be viewed a privilege and an honor – a necessity – to spread the news of Christ.Although God is in control of man’s actions and thus already knows who is going to be receptive of the Truth, it is still our obligation and privilege as Christians to spread the Word (evangelize) to any and everybody. Works Cited 1. â€Å"Ephesians 2:10, Exodus 10:1-2. † NIV Bib le. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 2000. N. pag. Print. 2. Packer, J. I. Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1991. Print.

By night in chile

This is the story of a boy who yearned to be a poet but became an Opus Dei priest Father Sebastian Urrutia. His love is for the literary arts and continues writing poems even as he continues his work as a priest. He is challenged to preserve churches in Europe and encounters odd priests who have a prejudice for pigeons, maintaining falcons in order to keep the pigeons away. One of the priests posits that falconry is the destruction of the symbol of the Holy Spirit. Father Urrutia is sent to teach Marxism to General Pinochet and his Junta secretly.He occasionally goes to the house of a literary lady Maria Canales who has a penchant for hosting parties to artists and authors. As the story progresses, it is revealed that the American husband of the hostess collaborates with the Chilean secret service so that they can detain and imprison suspected subversives. They are kept in the basement of the house where his Chilean wife had these parties. The author masterfully weaves the story and exudes the creative and destructive forces of Chilean politics and literature. He uses magical realism in order to stimulate readers’ minds using graphic style of writing as well as satire and sarcasm.This paper looks at the entity of Urrutia who remains indifferent of the plight of man as well as the destructive apathy of Chilean literature amidst corruption and literary collapse. Bolano uses this narrator to point out the air of complacency that pervades the artists, officials and other people who are accountable to history because of the show of indifference. Father Urrutia is not interested in politics at all since he is basically a priest and literary critic and a priest first and foremost but the political events at that present time seem to get a hold at the upper class circles of literati whom he associates with.His has a comical reaction to the election of Allende (and Pinochet's subsequent coup) since as the people of Chile march to the streets in sweeping social ch ange, Urrutia indulges himself in classical Greek literature so that he is able to escape the political confusion that may derail him from his own personal pursuits. Pinochet succeeds and restores some kind of order. Urrutia is able to breathe as he senses peace at hand. Thus the priest seemingly has distantiated himself from this kind of responsibility and escapes in his own world.He thinks that it distracts him from his art. He is of the thinking that he needs to find something if he does indulges in the confusion of politics if he is to pursue it at all. Thus, he is alienated from the times. Basic to being an effective person is the fact that we are able to make decisions and freely choose from among alternatives. One’s likes and dislikes are partly the wisdom of one’s organism, partly the result of helpful learning that protects one and keeps one out of trouble, and partly the result of harmful learning.Harmful learning includes certain kinds of accidental learning brought about by chance circumstances, as well as conditioned responses that were once appropriate but are no longer so. These obsolete ways of thinking and feeling make it hard for one to act in healthy and satisfying ways now. But when one pays attention to one’s liking and disliking, one naturally becomes more fully aware of likes and dislikes of what one wants to do and do not want to do. One discovers that these sometimes contradict with what one should like and dislike, if one is aware of what is happening inside him.As Urrutia refuses to recognize the kind of apathy that he has for being involved with the exigencies of the times then, he cannot identify with the people around him. The author states that Urrutia maintains that â€Å"One has a moral obligation to take responsibility for one's actions, and that includes one's words and silences, yes, one's silences, because silences rise to heaven too, and God hears them, and only God understands and judges them, so one must be very careful with one's silences. I am responsible in every way. My silences are immaculate. Let me make that clear. Clear to God above all.† (Bolano, 1) Thus, his silence can be a kind of cowardice and stubbornness that characterize his motives. Maria Canales’ house is the host of a soiree and a few of Chile’s well-bred and worldly poets gather to drink cocktails. There is a kind of denial about the urgency of the times as one guest accidentally discovers man manacled who has been tortured because he was an anti-Pinochet dissident. The guest discovers this was done by Canales' husband, Jimmy Thompson. Urrutia thus looks deeply at the implications of this and how it reflects on the inappropriate choice of Canales as the party is done in the same house.â€Å"Because, normally, when she had a soiree, the basement was unoccupied. I asked myself the following question: Why then, on that particular night, did a guest who lost his way find that poor man? The answer was simple: Because with time, vigilance tends to relax, because all horrors are dulled by routine. I asked myself the following question: Why didn't anyone say anything at the time? The answer was simple: Because they were afraid. I was not afraid. I would have been able to speak out but I didn't see anything, I didn't know until it was too late. Why go stirring up things that had settled down after a few years? † (Bolano, 122).Every guest in the party ignores and dismisses this as people get to know about the tortured man at the basement of the house where the party was being held. It is a pity that a priest like Urrutia could justify this inhumanity saying that this is some sort of a goal of literary history, â€Å"That is how literature is made, that is how the great works of Western literature are made. You better get used to it. † (Bolano, 128). Urrutia as an indifferent man is like that of the tortured man and the symbolism that this entails is replete all throughout the story because other people are also indifferent to the plight of the people.Bolano is able to create Urrutia as a pessimistic embodiment of the moral apathy of the writers during the regime of Pinochet. The kind of true responsibility is lacking in Urrutia because response-ability according to Perls, is often a misused word that refers to â€Å"the ability to respond: the ability to be alive, to feel, to be sensitive. † (GTV, 100). It does not mean â€Å"obligation. † It does not mean â€Å"duty. † It is actually a trait that directs a person to do a task without asking why. One does it automatically and because he has been committed to doing that no matter what happens.Discretion is a trait that characterizes the career of Urrutia and his views become distorted as guilt overwhelms him. Author Eder of The New York Times maintains that â€Å"His avowals fall suddenly mute; his omissions blare revelation. † (Eder). WORKS CITED Bolano, Robert o. By Night in Chile. New Directions Publishing Corporation (December 2003) Eder, Richard. Books of the Times: A Priest who Lived Trhough the Grim Pinochet Era. The New York Times. Retrieved June 5, 2008 at: http://query. nytimes. com/gst/fullpage. html? res=9B00E2DB1030F935A25752C0A9629C8B63&n=Top%2FFeatures%2FBooks%2FBook%20Reviews

The Covenant Between God And The Isrealites

Covenant is a word that seems complicated to analyze and discuss by so many people and this is the reason why many people fail to keep covenant among them, even back in the old testament of the bible written 2000BC, the Israelites often fail in the covenant between them and God and only God who is perfect never fails.â€Å"The distance between God and the creature is so great,† says the Westminster Confession (VII. I), â€Å"that although reasonable creatures do owe obedience unto him as their Creator, yet they could never have any fruition of him as their blessedness and reward, but by some voluntary condescension on God's part, which he hath been pleased to express by way of covenant. † Exactly!So biblical doctrine, first to last, has to do with covenantal relationships between God and man; biblical ethics has to do with expressing God's covenantal relationship to us in covenantal relationships between ourselves and others; and Christian religion has the nature of cov enant life, in which God is the direct object of our faith, hope, love, worship, and service, all animated by gratitude for grace.Our theme is the life-embracing bedrock reality of the covenant relationship between the Creator and Christians, and it is high time we defined exactly what we are talking about. A covenant relationship is a voluntary mutual commitment that binds each party to the other. Whether it is negotiated, like a modern business deal or a marriage contract, or unilaterally imposed, as all God's covenants are, is irrelevant to the commitment itself; the reality of the relationship depends simply on the fact that mutual obligations have been accepted and pledged on both sides.Luther is held to have said that Christianity is a matter of personal pronouns, in the sense that everything depends on knowing that Jesus died for me, to be my Savior, and that his Father is my God and Father, personally committed to love, nurture, uphold, and glorify me. This already is covena nt thinking, for this is the essential substance of the covenant relationship: God's covenant is precisely a matter of these personal pronouns, used in this way, as a basis for a life with God of friendship, peace and communicated love.Going back to the Old Testament of the Bible, when God tells Abraham, â€Å"I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you . . . to be your God . . . I will be their God† (Gen. 17:6-8), the personal pronouns are the key words: God is committing himself to Abraham and Abraham's seed in a way in which he does not commit himself to others. God's covenant commitment expresses eternal election; his covenant love to individuals sinners flows from his choice of them to be his for ever in the peace of justification and the joy of glorification.The verbal commitment in which electing sovereignty thus shows itself has the nature of a promise, the fulfillment of which is guaranteed by God's absolu te fidelity and trustworthiness — the quality that David Livingstone the explorer celebrated by describing God as â€Å"an honorable gentleman who never breaks his word. † The covenant promise itself, â€Å"I will be your God,† is an unconditional undertaking on God's part to be â€Å"for us† (Rom. 8:31), â€Å"on our side† (Ps. 124:1-5), using all his resources for the furthering of the ultimate good of those (â€Å"us†) to whom he thus pledges himself.â€Å"I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God† (Ex. 6:7), the covenant promise constantly repeated throughout both testaments (Gen. 17:6-8; Ex. 20:2, 29:45 Ezek. 11:20, 34:30 f. , 36:28; 2 Cor. 6:16-18; Rev. 21:2 f. ; etc. ), may fairly be called the pantechnicon promise, inasmuch as every particular promise that God makes is packed into it — fellowship and communion first (â€Å"I will be with you,† â€Å"I will dwell among them,† â€Å"I will li ve among you,† etc.), and then the supply of every real need, here and hereafter. Sovereignty and salvation, love and largesse, election and enjoyment, affirmation and assurance, fidelity and fullness thus appear as the spectrum of themes (the second of each pair being the fruit of the first as its root) that combine to form the white light, glowing and glorious, of the gracious self-giving of God to sinners that covenant theology proclaims.The God-given covenant carries, of course, obligations. The life of faith and repentance, and the obedience to which faith leads, constitute the covenant-keeping through which God's people receive the fullness of God's covenant blessing. â€Å"I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession† (Ex. 19:4 f. ).Covenant faithfulness is the condition and means of receiving covenant benefits, and there is nothing arbitrary in that; for the blessings flow from the relationship, and human rebelliousness and unfaithfulness stop the flow by disrupting the relationship. Israel's infidelity was constantly doing this throughout the Old Testament story, and the New Testament makes it plain that churches and Christians will lose blessings that would otherwise be theirs, should covenant fidelity be lacking in their lives.The very first covenant that could be read in the bible is that of our first father and mother who destroyed the covenant just because of a fruit given to them by a camouflaged Satan. This original covenantal arrangement, usually called the Covenant of Works, was one whereby God undertook to prolong and augment for all subsequent humanity the happy state in which he had made the first human pair — provided that the man observed, as part of the humble obedience that was then natural to him, one prohibition, specified in the narrative as not eating a forbidden fruit.The devil, presented as a serpent, seduced Adam and Eve into disobeying, so that they fell under the penal sanctions of the Covenant of Works (loss of good, and corruption of nature). But God at once revealed to them in embryo a redemptive economy that had in it both the covering of sin, and a prospective victory for the woman's seed (a human Savior) over the serpent and his malice.The redemptive purpose of this new arrangement became clearer as God called Abraham, made a nation from his descendants, saved them from slavery, named himself not only their God but also their King and Father, taught them his law (the family code), drilled them in sacrificial liturgies, disciplined their disobedience, and sent messengers to hold up before them his holiness and his promise of a Savior King and a saving kingdom; which in due course became reality.The Westminster Confession summarizes what was going on in and through all this. â€Å"Man, by his fall, having made himself incapable of life by (the first) covenant, t he Lord was pleased to make a second, commonly called the covenant of grace: wherein he freely offered unto sinners life and salvation by Jesus Christ, requiring of them faith in him, that they may be saved, and promising to give unto all those that are ordained unto eternal life his Holy Spirit, to make them willing and able to believe. . .â€Å"This covenant was differently administered in the time of the law, and in the time of the gospel; under the law it was administered by promises, prophecies, sacrifices, circumcision, the paschal lamb, and other types and ordinances delivered to the people of the Jews, all fore signifying Christ to come, which were, for that time, sufficient and efficacious, through the operation of the Spirit, to instruct and build up the elect in faith in the promised Messiah, by whom they had full remission of sins, and eternal salvation; and is called the old Testament.â€Å"Under the gospel, when Christ, the substance, was exhibited, the ordinances in which this covenant is dispensed are the preaching of the Word, and the administration of the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper . . . in them, it is held forth in more fullness, evidence and spiritual efficacy, to all nations, both Jews and Gentiles; and is called the new Testament. There are not therefore two covenants of grace, differing in substance, but one and the same, under various dispensations† (VII. iii. v. vi).So the unifying strands that bind together the books of the Bible are, first, the one covenant promise, sloganized as â€Å"I will be your God, and you shall be my people,† which God was fulfilling to his elect all through his successive orderings of covenant faith and life; second, the one messenger and mediator of the covenant, Jesus Christ the God-man, prophet and king, priest and sacrifice, the Messiah of Old Testament prophecy and New Testament proclamation; third, the one people of God, the covenant community, the company of the elect, whom God brings to faith and keeps in faith, from Abel, Noah and Abraham through the remnant of Israel to the worldwide New Testament church of believing Jews and Gentiles; and fourth, the one pattern of covenant piety, consisting of faith, repentance, love, joy, praise, hope, hatred of sin, desire for sanctity, a spirit of prayer, and readiness to battle the world, the flesh, and the devil in order to glorify God . . . a pattern displayed most fully, perhaps, in Luther's â€Å"little Bible,† the Psalter, but seen also in the lives of God's servants in both Testaments and reflected more or less fully in each single one of the Old and New Testament books.Covenant theologians insist that every book of the Bible in effect asks to be read in terms of these unities, and as contributing to the exposition of them, and is actually misunderstood if it is not so read. Some of the major covenant between God and man in the old testament would be discussed to show the importance and effec t of a covenant as an agreement. THE COVENANT BETWEEN GOD AND THE ISREALITES According to the Bible the history of Israel began when Abraham was called by God to leave his family and his home and settle in Canaan. His son Isaac, and his grandson, Jacob, lived there until Jacob was forced by famine to flee to Egypt with his remaining sons, where one of them, Joseph, already held a position of prominence after a grass to grace encounter. The descendants of Jacob were enslaved in Egypt.God charged Moses with the deliverance of his people from bondage. This he did with the aid of God, who dried up the ‘Red Sea' so that the Israelites could cross in safety, while the pursuing Egyptian army drowned. Moses and his people continued to Mount Sinai, where a covenant was concluded establishing God as the Lord of his chosen people, Israel. The conditions of the covenant were laid down in a law including the Ten Commandments. However, because of the people's disobedience their march toward the Promised Land turned into forty years of wanderings in the wilderness. Finally, after the death of Moses, the people of Israel entered Canaan from the east, crossing the River Jordan.Under the leadership of Joshua they sacked Jericho; after the city walls came tumbling down rather miraculously, and then went on to conquer the rest of Canaan. THE COVENANT BETWEEN GOD AND THE ABRAHAM † Now Sarai, Abram's wife, bore him no children. She had an Egyptian slave-girl whose name was Hagar, and Sarai said to Abram, â€Å"You see that the LORD has prevented me from bearing children; go in to my slave-girl; it may be that I shall obtain children by her. â€Å"And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her slave-girl, and gave her to her husband Abram as a wife. Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram named his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bor e him Ishmael. When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said to him, â€Å"I am God Almighty;† walk before me, and be blameless. And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous. † Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, â€Å"As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you, and to your offspring after you, the land where you are now an alien, all the land of Canaan, for a perpetual holding; and I will be their God. â €  God said to Abraham, â€Å"As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you.Throughout your generations every male among you shall be circumcised when he is eight days old, including the slave born in your house and the one bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring. Both the slave born in your house and the one bought with your money must be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant. † God said to Abraham, â€Å"As for Sarah your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.† Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said to himself, â€Å"Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child? † And Abraham said to God, â€Å"O that Ishmael might live in your sight! † God said, â€Å"No, but your wife Sarah shall bear you a son, and you shall name him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. As for Ishmael, I have heard you; I will bless him and make him fruitful and exceedingly numerous; he shall be the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this season next year. † And when he had finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham.Then Abraham took h is son Ishmael and all the slaves born in his house or bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very day, as God had said to him. Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. And his son Ishmael was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. That very day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised; and all the men of his house, slaves born in the house and those bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him. . The LORD dealt with Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as he had promised.Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the time of which God had spoken to him. Abraham gave the name Isaac to his son whom Sarah bore him. And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. Now S arah said, â€Å"God has brought laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me. † And she said, â€Å"Who would ever have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age. † The child grew, and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, playing with her son Isaac.So she said to Abraham, â€Å"Cast out this slave woman with her son; for the son of this slave woman shall not inherit along with my son Isaac. † The matter was very distressing to Abraham on account of his son. But God said to Abraham, â€Å"Do not be distressed because of the boy and because of your slave woman; whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for it is through Isaac that offspring shall be named for you. As for the son of the slave woman, I will make a nation of him also, because he is your offspring. † So Abraham ros e early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.When the water in the skin was gone, she cast the child under one of the bushes. Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot; for she said, â€Å"Do not let me look on the death of the child. † And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. And God heard the voice of the boy; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her, â€Å"What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid; for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. Come, lift up the boy and hold him fast with your hand for I will make a great nation of him. † Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. She went, and filled the skin with water, and gave the boy a drink.God was with the boy, and he grew up; he lived in the wilderness, and became an expert with the bow. He lived in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt. † THE COVENANT BETWEEN GOD AND THE NOAH Centuries before the time of Abraham, God made a covenant with Noah, assuring Noah that He would never again destroy the world by flood (Gen. 9). Noah lived at a time when the whole earth was filled with violence and corruption — yet Noah did not allow the evil standards of his day to rob him of fellowship with God. He stood out as the only one who â€Å"walked with God† (Gen. 6:9), as was also true of his great-grandfather Enoch (Gen. 5:22). â€Å"Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations† (Gen. 6:9).The Lord singled out Noah from among all his contemporaries and chose him as the man to accomplish a great work. When God saw the wickedness that prevailed in the world (Gen. 6:5), He told Noah of His intention to destroy the ancient world by a universal flood. God instructed Noah to build an ark (a large barge) in which he and his family would survive the universal deluge. Noah believed God and â€Å"according to all that God commanded him, so he did† (Gen. 6:22). Noah is listed among the heroes of faith. â€Å"By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith† (Heb. 11:7).With steadfast confidence in God, Noah started building the ark. During this time, Noah continued to preach God's judgment and mercy, warning the ungodly of their approaching doom. Peter reminds us of how God â€Å"did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly† (2 Pet. 2:5). Noah preached for 120 years, apparently without any converts. At the end of that time, â€Å"whe n †¦ the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah †¦ eight souls were saved through water† (1 Pet. 3:20). People continued in their evil ways and ignored his pleadings and warnings until the flood overtook them.When the ark was ready, Noah entered in with all kinds of animals â€Å"and the Lord shut him in† (Gen. 7:16), cut off completely from the rest of mankind. Noah was grateful to the Lord who had delivered him from the flood. After the flood, he built an altar to God (Gen. 8:20) and made a sacrifice, which was accepted graciously, for in it â€Å"the Lord smelled a soothing aroma† (Gen. 8:21). The Lord promised Noah and his descendants that He would never destroy the world again with a universal flood (Gen. 9:15). The Lord made an everlasting covenant with Noah and his descendants, establishing the rainbow as the sign of His promise (Gen. 9:1-17). Another part of the covenant involved the sanctity of human life, i. e., that â€Å"whoever sh eds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man† (Gen. 9:6). Every time we see a rainbow today we are reminded of that agreement — this covenant has not been done away with. As long as God still sends rainbows after a storm, capital punishment will still be a part of God's law for the human race. THE MOSAIC COVENANT The Israelites moved to Egypt during the time of Joseph. A new Pharaoh came upon the scene and turned the Israelites into common slaves. The people cried out to the God of their forefathers. â€Å"So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob† (Exo. 2:24).After a series of ten plagues upon the land of Egypt, God brought the Israelites out â€Å"of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand† (Exo. 32:11). Three months after leaving the land of Egypt, the children of Israel camped at the base of Mount Sinai (Exo. 19:1). God promised to make a covenant with the Israelites (Exo. 19:3-6). Before they even knew the conditions of the contract, the people agreed to abide by whatever God said (Exo. 19:8). This covenant was between God and the people of Israel — you and I are not a party in this contract (and never have been). The Ten Commandments are the foundation of the covenant, but they are not the entirety of it.After giving the first ten commands, the people asked the Lord to speak no more (Exo. 20:18-20). Moses then drew near to the presence of God to hear the rest of the covenant (Exo. 20:21). After receiving the Law, Moses spoke the words of the covenant to all of the people, and the people agreed to obey (Exo. 24:4). Moses then wrote the conditions of the covenant down, offered sacrifices to God, and then sprinkled both the book and the people with blood to seal the covenant (Exo. 24:8). This covenant between God and the people of Israel was temporary — God promised a day when He would make a new covenant, not on ly with Israel but also with all mankind.â€Å"Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah — not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people† (Jer. 31:31-34). The old testament of the Bible, from Genesis to Malachi, are, as was said earlier, God's own record of the progressive unfolding of his purpose to have a people in covenant with himself here on earth. The covenantal character of God's relationships with human beings, first to last, has already been underlined, and is in fact reflected one way and anot her on just about every page of the Bible.The transition in Eden from the covenant of works to the covenant of grace, and the further transition from all that was involved in the preliminary (old) form of that covenant to its final (new) form, brought in through the death of Jesus Christ and now administered by him from his throne, are the key events in the covenant story. The significance of the fact that God caused his book of instruction to mankind to be put together with the history of his covenant as its backbone can hardly be overestimated. Covenant relationships between God and men, established by God's initiative, bringing temporal and eternal blessings to individuals and creating community among them, so that they have a corporate identity as God's people, are in fact the pervasive themes of the whole Bible; and it compels thoughtful readers to take note of the covenant as being central to God's concern.Finally, with all these examples and explanations on the covenant in th e old testament of the bible, it would be seen that covenant is not just a thing to be handled slightly, if you know you have no capacity to involve in a covenant is better you refrain so that you will not spend years in the wilderness for disobedience. SOURCES Old Testament of the King James Version of the Holy bible. The Five Great Bible Covenant by David Padfield God of Promise: Introducing Covenant Theology by Michael Horton Truman G. Madsen and Seth Ward (2001). Covenant and Chosenness in Judaism and Mormonism. Fairleigh Dickinson University Press. People of the Covenant : an Introduction To the Hebrew Bible (4TH 96 Edition) by Henry J. Flanders and Robert W. Crapps and David A. Smith

Transnational IT Operations Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Transnational IT Operations Paper - Essay Example Moreover, IT operations in America is expensive because of the less number of professionals available whereas it is cheaper in India because of the increasing number of It professionals there. In such a scenario, America would definitely think in terms of exploring the Indian IT market and outsourcing of It business from America to India is a common business activity at present. This paper explores the various aspects of transnational IT operations. â€Å"Technological, economical, political, and socio-cultural developments in the global marketplace have made locating or relocating facilities to other countries profitable and beneficial. Strategies like decentralizing corporate activities have made borders irrelevant and could become even invisible as globalization becomes more prominent† (Smith) The current IT business world is experiencing stiff challenges from all the corners because of the technological advances and wide reach of internet related technologies. Most of the IT companies have reached the saturation level in their country of origin and they need to look for overseas market in order to effectively compete in the market. Transnational It operation or offshoring of IT business is a common business practice, most of the IT firms are adopting at present. The major advantage of transnational IT operations is the reduced cost factor. â€Å"Many of the companies that provide outsourcing services are able to do the work for considerably less money, as they dont have to provide benefits to their workers and have fewer overhead expenses to worry about† (Thompson). IT professionals in America are getting a salary beyond $ 5000 whereas similar services can be obtained from India like countries at an average cost of even below $ 2000 with the help of transnational IT operations. Since all the data can be exchanged through internet and no physical goods needed to be exchanged, transnational IT

I don't care, anything along the lines of engineering. I am doing Annotated Bibliography

I don't care, anything along the lines of engineering. I am doing Industrial engineering if you can find any articles around that - Annotated Bibliography Example I am amazed to see the application of supply chain management in medical and emergency missions, rescue and relief efforts in times of disasters and other societal settings improving the living standards. Thus, I see a great prospect for the supply chain management in the near future. Supply chain management is an important aspect for efficient production because supply chain controls and manages the flow of product. In other terms, supply chain controls the flow of capital in an industrial setting. The title supply chain management encompasses all the activities from planning and control of materials and/or information within different parts of one organization or between different companies. Supply chain management links different portions of industrial activities like manufacturing, purchasing, distribution of commodity and its transportation. Thus, every field of engineering gets integrated with the operation of production efficiency (Reddi and Moon). It is interesting to note that in an industry, important activities like transportation, warehousing, and inventory control, sourcing, procurement and supply management all comes under the single head of supply management. While, outside of the organization, supply chain management includes interactions with suppliers, distributors, carriers, and with customers. Thus, results in increased market share and better competitive advantage. In order to successfully compete in the market company needs two things; first to control the expenditure on the production (i.e., product should be cost effective) and secondly, the product must satisfy the needs or desires of the costumes. In such a way, the company maintains its competitiveness while expanding market share. Pricing, thus, plays an important role in this regard (Zhang, Wang and Li). It’s amazing that the whole world works like a giant supply chain system. Highly developed supply chain necessitates best infrastructures, i.e., roads, railway network,

Rip Van Winkle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Rip Van Winkle - Essay Example ‘Rip Van Winkle’ (Irving, 1996) He was a very productive writer and that is the reason why he was able to become wealthy as a professional writer. As rightly quoted by (Wagenknecht, 1962) Washington Irving was an expert stylist and other writers took him as a model. The mainstay of Irving’s stories lies in the depiction of his characters which draws the reader to identify himself with it, and how he views the world and interacts with it. The character of Rip Van Winkle is unique and brings out the essence of realization that the author tries to bring to his reading audience. â€Å"Rip Van Winkle† sets the terms for what was to come in the following years, especially for male authors (Wagenknecht,1962) Most female writers dedicated themselves to writing sentimental novels, while male writers preferred Gothic and Historical themes (Wagenknecht, 1962) In making a comparison between sentimental and romantic themes (Bryant, 2009) states that the ‘historical romance was fond of setting the Rip Van Winkle marks the ushering in of American literature with a narrative framework and this pattern of masculine fiction is seen crystallized in the story of â€Å"Rip Van Winkle† who goes to sleep for a 100 years, only to wake up and find a very different world around him. This story is also Ð ° reflection of people who lived in Europe and decided to migrate to America, an unknown land – ‘to the savage side’ (Bryant, 2009) Rip is not very comfortable with women and ‘he is unhappy with his wife and decides to live on his own.’ (Irving, 1996) He also takes his dog with him named â€Å"Wolf† (Irving, 1996) The protagonist satisfies two of his desires – escaping from society and also escaping from the institution of marriage. However, the hero comes back to society after Ð ° transforming experience and then we see the characteristic changes in his persona (Wagenknecht,1962) Rip Van Winkle is a well constructed story that opens with a panoramic view of the serene

Analysis of the Marketing Communications Campaign of your favourite Assignment

Analysis of the Marketing Communications Campaign of your favourite athletic shoe brand - Assignment Example Herein, the decision makers attempt to serve their customers in a way better than its competitors (Payne, p57). In these respect, communication is a vital factor. Communication plays a fundamental role in facilitating the entire marketing plan. Therefore, an organisation must develop ‘two way communications’ with its employees and customers. Proper communication channel helps a company to spread awareness regarding its product among the customers. ‘Integrated Marketing Communication’ is the latest and the most effective way of developing proper planning marketing. This primary objective of this paper is to explain and analyse integrated marketing communication in the context of a shoe brand company. In this respect, it will attempt to deal with various aspects of integrated marketing communication (IMC) and its formulation. At first, a brief description about the concept of IMC will be discussed followed by its implementation process. In order to study the effects of implementing integrated marketing communication, an athlete shoe making company is chosen and is briefly introduced. It will be followed by a comprehensive analysis of Integrated Marketing Communication Model. Finally, the conclusion will present the important findings of this paper. Among the four Ps of marketing, ‘promotion’ is very necessary for spreading awareness and for convincing the customers about the product. The promotional activities deal with adverting, communication and public relation. The integrated marketing communication (IMC) is a concept that helps to formulate the entire promotional planning for a company. Specifically, it can be defined as the ‘marketing mix for communication’. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the role of communication in developing effective and efficient marketing strategies. Marketing communication is important to attract new consumers for new product categories. Consumers’ perception regarding

The Nature of Knowledge Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Nature of Knowledge - Essay Example In the seventeenth century, Western scientists started deeper inquiry into earlier postulates. Thus ,it was only when Copernicus came and gave them proof that the earth goes round the sun , that the scientists' opinion changed into knowledge. America was discovered when opinion that the earth was flat, changed into knowledge that it was round, Epistemology is the study of the nature, origin and limits of human knowledge. We come to the question, "What is Knowledge" Is it something concrete or is it something abstract To define knowledge, we must study the uses of knowledge. Knowledge can be 'know him' or 'know that' or 'know how.' It is the task of philosophy to discuss this question- what is knowledge Is it intuitive or acquired through experience How is knowledge different from opinion While Plato answers the enigma of knowledge in his Republic, Aristotle refutes Plato's theories in his writings. Although Aristotle 's empirical theories have been the basis of modern science, I think that Plato is right when he says that knowledge involves true belief, since no one can know what is false. Now, the question, "What is knowledge " poses a conundrum which needs a lot of thinking. To understand the concept of knowledge, we must look at the language. Language is the medium in which a concept can be formed. By studying how the words are used, we can get a fair idea of a concept. To answer the question 'What is knowledge' , we should go to the uses of knowledge. Knowledge is 'know that', or ' know how' or ' know where'. There is an important difference between ' know that' and ' know how'. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, "'Know that 'denotes the possession of specific pieces of information , and a person who has knowledge of this sort can generally convey it to others."(p. 473) Epistemology is focused on 'knowing that'. On the other hand, 'know how' is knowledge related to a skill or ability. A person can have a knowledge of swimming and be a good swimmer , but he may not be able to convey this skill to others. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, 'know how' is a knowledge or ability, "One can have knowledge without being able to explain to other people what it is that one knows"(p. 473) Plato explains knowledge in many of his books including The Republic and the Theaetetus .His works are in the form of dialogues between the pupil and the preceptor The Republic is the most famous of his works. The Theaetetus is one of Plato's greatest works on epistemology probably written in 369 B.C. In this work which is the form of a dialogue, Plato discusses the question "What is knowledge" The question and answer exchange takes place between Socrates, the main questioner , and two of his young pupils. The key question of the dialogue is "What is knowledge" When Socrates asks this question, the pupils are bewildered. The one of them comes out with the answer that it is a knowing something such as geometry or astronomy. Socrates objects to this saying that examples are not definitions. At Socrates' prompting, the young pupil comes out with a proposal that , "Knowledge is perception". When Socrates criticizes this proposal, the pupil comes up with a second proposal that "Knowledge is true belief"., which provokes Socrates to say "What is false

PEECLAMPSIA Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

PEECLAMPSIA - Term Paper Example The readings have to be at least above 90 for diastolic pressure and more than 140 for systolic pressure for a confirmation of the condition to be made. The HBP readings should at least be accompanied by a confirmatory test of 300 milligrams of protein in urine. As the condition gains severity other symptoms and signs may manifest, and the pressure may reach 160/100. According to evidence based practice these indications do not automatically guarantee the existence of the condition and a measure on platelets has been proposed as a more effective measure (Ekiz et al., 2011). MPV count, which is a platelet measure in predicting the occurrence of preeclampsia is an aspect under debate. This can be seen in the work of Dadeszen who said that the platelet ratio in MPV is more sensitive compared to MPV alone for predicting the adverse maternal outcome related to preeclampsia (Von Dadelszen et al., 2004, p 871-879). Dundar et.al, on the other hand, shows that MPV increases during pregnancy, but is highly prominent during preeclampsia development (Dundar et al., 2008, p 1052-6). As such, MPV provides a good diagnosis tool for the condition. The evidence-based proposal on diagnostics thus implies that MPV is a better measure. This is also cited as a better measure of the condition’s progression-a thing that the other diagnostic measures cannot offer. The evidence-based practice using MPV as a diagnostic measure for the condition is already in clinical practice and has offered a better tool for monitoring the condition. However, it is not widely applicable globally in clinical diagnostics practice. Symptoms: Symptoms of preeclampsia could include irritability, edema, and sudden increase in weight, nausea, decreased urination, belly pain and migraine-like headache. Causes and risk factors: Preeclampsia’s causes are not clearly known, but there are various propositions that point to various probable causes, which include heredity, blood vessel problems, dietar y effects and disorders of the autoimmune system. Factors that predispose pregnant mothers to the problem include advanced age (>35 years), kidney diseases, multiple and first pregnancies as well as pre-existent conditions such as diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Pathogenesis: The etiology of preeclampsia and its development are inconclusive. There is some uncertainty with regard to the development and progression of the condition. However, there is potential explanation on the mechanism of preeclampsia. According to David, Laresgoiti-Servitje and Gomez-Lopez (2010), the limitation of blood flow in placenta is cited as a possible trigger for hormone-based reactions, which cause damage to endothelium that lines the vascular system as well as inflammation that characterizes the condition. Alternative explanations from other studies show that alterations in the immune system and maternal. This research-based proposition is supported by evidence, which shows that shifts occur in the immune system in terms of component cells when the condition occurs. Alterations of allorecognition of the fetus have also been cited as a potential causes of inflammation that accompanies preeclampsia (Fonseca et al., 2007). Management and Treatment: The management of preeclampsia heavily relies on a pharmacologic approach aimed at controlling blood pressure levels (Drife, Magowan & Owen, 2009). This is the current common evidence-based clinical practice that is often put to use in the control of preeclampsia. The aim is to keep high

Online issue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Online issue - Essay Example sing with the advancement in technology and the most common today affect money transactions, social websites, corporate security and personal privacy. When it comes to conducting money transactions online the main challenge is based on password management where the passwords that most people put in place are likely to be broken or hacked easy. However, this is not only an educational challenge but also an administrative one since the company under which a person is doing their transaction should be able to counter this (Bortz, 1). The common issue is that when the transaction is being conducted there is no sure way to determine if it is really that person doing it; additionally, with current authentication standards, often people take on faith that theyre being contacted by the "real" sender the message claims. Concurrently, with social websites becoming more popular day after day, the chances and issues of insecurity continue to pile up too in terms of information and privacy concerns all over the world. Malevolent people have been attracted by the tome and easy access of user’s personal information available on social networking sites; surprisingly, the same technologies that attract users to participate also make the sites prone to infectious malware that can shut down an organizations networks or even steal credentials (Pelgrin 1). Common risks on social websites include phishing, spoofing and web application attacks that attempt to steal a person’s identity; the attacks are often successful due to the assumption of being in a trusting environment social networks create and the more information a person posts, the more information becomes available for a potential compromise by those with malicious intentions. It’s very advantageous conducting business online since it offers entrepreneurs a variety of recompenses and to be more convenient than other methods; despite the advantages, however, there are also some problems that can arise when doing

Clinical objectives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 7

Clinical objectives - Essay Example Patients in the health care system who are at high risk include pediatric and elderly patients. The management should put up safety environment measures such as the orientation of patients and their visitors about the movement in the wards and rooms. Furthermore, the nurses can be within call so that they can respond fast to any fall incidences. These are some of the available safety measures at the disposal of the healthcare givers to achieve fall prevention. The healthcare administrators bear the greatest responsibilities of ensuring that the incidences of falls in their facilities are reduced. For starters, the administrators ensure that all the patients in their facilities are provided with no slip footwear that minimizes incidences of falling down. The administrators should also encourage the healthcare givers such as the nursing staff to keep reinforcing hospital regulation, such as those making sure that they attend to the patients on a continuous basis (Carroll, Dykes, & Hurley, 2010). Moreover, the administrators can influence the design stage of a health facility to ensure that systems that will be used by the patients and the healthcare givers are carefully designed. A suitably designed healthcare facility minimizes the risk of falls and in the end, it reduces the rate of fall occurrences at such

General Manager Essay Example for Free

General Manager Essay 1. Planning administration †¢ Provide leadership and vision to the organization by assisting the Board and staff with the development of long range and annual plans, and with the evaluation and reporting of progress on plans . †¢ Oversee preparation of an Annual Report summarizing progress on short and long range plans. †¢ Research and write discussion papers, analysis documents and proposals as needed to assist the organization in determining and meeting its long and short term goals. 2. HR management †¢ Recruitment and contracting of company and project staff; †¢ Employee development, and training; †¢ Policy development and documentation; †¢ Employee relations; †¢ Performance management and improvement systems; †¢ Employment and compliance to regulatory concerns and reporting; †¢ Company-wide committee facilitation including planning, production, staff and †¢ Board of Directors, including arranging meetings and agendas, attending and minuting meetings; 3. Project management: †¢ Manage hire and distribution of music scores and parts, including any performing rights payments. †¢ Oversee the booking of tours this includes: venue liaison from negotiating the deal to distribution of audience questionnaires, programs and merchandise. †¢ Oversee organization of company transport, subsistence and accommodation. †¢ Liaise with Production Manager to oversee hire and delivery / transport of all technical and production equipment. 4. Marketing and PR: †¢ Manage advertising opportunities in other theatre program, press and at venues. †¢ Organize the availability of company members for media/PR events as necessary. †¢ Oversee content, production and distribution of all marketing and publicity materials (posters, program, flyers, mail outs, brochures etc) with director, designer and project manager. †¢ Manage press development; †¢ Co-ordinate the invitation of potential future promoters and supporters of the company. 5. Financial management †¢ Provide recommendations regarding investments and cash strategies. †¢ Oversee preparation of annual budget, regular variance statements and annual audit. †¢ Provide vision regarding overall financial health of the company. †¢ Provide vision and leader ship in long range fiscal planning to ensure the continuity and solvency of the company. †¢ Provide recommendations regarding effective utilization of long and short term debt, including refinancing and purchasing/sales. †¢ Oversee fundraising efforts. 7. Production/QC: †¢ Insure accurate documentation of production and quality control data and records. †¢ Direct and oversee site production activities and personnel. †¢ Oversee and ensure high safety standards at all times. †¢ Direct production activities to insure safety and compliance with quality control standards, regulatory compliance, and lease agreements. †¢ Oversee and/or ensure good housekeeping at site at all times. 6. Administrative management †¢ Ensure client and vendor file integrity (documents, analytical information where required, communication notations, etc.). †¢ Maintain general oversight and insure accuracy of records including A/R, A/P, Inventory, etc. †¢ Assist in development of forms and tools to increase company efficiency and risk management. III / Job specification of general manager job description 1. A minimum of five years of experience in business management, planning and financial oversight. 2. A minimum of five years of experience in personnel management, including hiring, supervision, evaluation and benefits administration. 3. A minimum of three years of experience working with a board of directors and committees. 4. College graduate or equivalent experience. 5. Proven skills in business and financial management. 6. Demonstrated ability to work with student member owners. 7. Demonstrated ability to work in a proactively diverse and inclusive organization. 8. Excellent, proven interpersonal, verbal and written communications skills. 9. Demonstrated ability to manage and supervise a staff team. 10. Effective problem solving and mediation skills. 11. Demonstrated ability to share skills and knowledge with others. 12. Proficiency with office computer equipment and software. 13. Demonstrated ability to multi task and work in a fast paced office setting. 14. Proven ability to cope with conflict, stress and crisis situations. III/ TYPES OF EXECUTIVE JOB DESCRIPTION Executive job descriptions include JDs as follows: 1. CEO job description 2. Executive Director job description 3. Operations manager job description 4. Executive assistant job description 5. General manager job description Source: Executive job description and interview questions dictionary III / Compensation and benefits Net salary: 2.950 USD/month. Email: [emailprotected]

Workplace Safety And Health Policy And Objectives

Workplace Safety And Health Policy And Objectives Safety and health issues are critical to every workplace. Regrettably many companies realize the benefits of good safety and health practices only after an accident has taken place. The lessons learnt from such an oversight are often very distressing, painful and costly for any organization. The Workplace Safety and Health Act came into force in March 2006. It requires all stakeholders to take reasonable practicable measures to provide a safe and healthy environment to all workers in a workplace. As a safety and health professional, each candidate is to take the lead in charting the companys safety and health direction. The project requires each candidate to submit a project report based on an organization in one of the following industry: Petrochemical and Chemical Industry Shipyard and ship building Industry Manufacturing Industry Construction Industry Note: All candidates are to show authenticity of their report. Candidates of same organization may have some information and evidences similar. However the report will generally be different to showcase individual work. Candidates are to submit their report using the given templates downloadable from MEL. Task: The project requires each candidate to submit a project report on establishing and reviewing WSH policy and objectives base on an organization of the chosen industry. Project Report: The research project requires each candidate to derive or collect from their workplace a portfolio of evidences on the following items: Data and information collected through research on the internal and external factors that influence the organisations WSH policy. (PC1.1, UK2, 3) Include the factors involved in the establishing of the WSH objectives. (PC2.2, UK9, 12) Analysis on the factors that influence the organisations WSH policy. (PC1.2, UK1) Develop WSH policy statements and objectives. (PC1.3, 2.2, UK9) Recommend the proposed WSH policy and objectives for management approval after consultation with respective stakeholders. (PC1.5) Identify and look into the relevant organisational structure/s essential in the alignment implementation of the WSH policy. (PC2.1, UK11) Organisational programme for stakeholder awareness and involvement. (PC2.3, UK6, 13, 20) Ways to engage and motivate stakeholders in the change process within organisational structure and system. (UK14, 17) Establish the strategies for implementing WSH policy. (UK15) Advantages and benefits of having positive WSH culture in the implementation of WSH policy. (UK18) Establish regular and effective review process of WSH policy and objectives. (PC3.1) Determine the relevant information to be collected for reviewing. (PC2.4, 3.2, UK23, 24, 26) Involve stakeholders in the assessment of necessary changes to existing policy and objectives. (PC1.4, 3.4 UK8, 25) Establish the impact and the resources required for implementation, prior to finalizing the changes. (PC2.5, 3.5 UK27, 28) Document and communicate to relevant stakeholders the changes in policy arising from review. (PC1.6, 3.6 UK16, 30) PROJECT REPORT COURSE Specialist Diploma in Workplace Safety Health Course Run 21 Competency Unit Establish Review WSH Policy Objectives WP-PR-501C-1 Submitted By Name : Kim Huai Qing Student Id : S99911930 NRIC : S8228427C Contact no.: 97360442 Trainer/Assessor Mr. Tan Aik Nan DATE 04032011 Introduction (Brief summary of company profile, background, main business, core values, etc.) Sanofi-aventis in Singapore Sanofi-aventis ranks among the top pharmaceutical companies in Singapore. With the support of more than 200 professionals, we are committed to our mission to improve the health of patients in Singapore through quality medicine and educating healthcare workers, patients, and the general public. Sanofi-aventis Singapore has over 70 products targeted at the seven major therapeutic areas under the Group. At sanofi-aventis Singapore, the key to our collective and individual success is very much driven by these core values: Courage Creativity Integrity Respect Solidarity Audacity Performance In fulfilling our mission, sanofi-aventis Singapore strives to be a performance-driven, innovative, and value-added organisation. Sanofi-aventis Singapore is also home to the regional head office, and a 35-strong Clinical Research Unit, which oversees more than 20 trials conducted in 150 centres across Southeast Asia. Sanofi-aventis manufacturing plant The sanofi-aventis manufacturing facility in Singapore, Aventis Pharma Manufacturing Pte Ltd, is one of the companys primary manufacturing sites under the Group. It is responsible for the global supply of the pharmaceutical active ingredient Nedocromil Sodium, Sodium Cromoglicate and Enoxaparin Sodium used in key products of sanofi-aventis. Our History The US$70 million facility was built in the early 90s by Fisons, a British-based pharmaceutical group, and started operations in 1993, manufacturing nedocromil sodium, the active ingredient of Tilade and Tilavist. In October 1995, Fisons was acquired by Rhone-Poulenc Rorer of France. After the acquisition, the plant was identified as a strategic site and a further US$67 million was invested in 1998 to build a new plant dedicated to the production of Enoxaparin Sodium, and to expand the capacity of the Synthetic Chemical Plant to produce sodium cromoglicate. In 2000, Rhone-Poulenc merged with Hoechst Group of Germany to form Aventis Pharma. The plant was officially renamed Aventis Pharma Manufacturing Pte Ltd in March, the same year. From a small team of only 60 staff members in 1991, the number has now grown to more than 130. Over the years, the plant has been successfully inspected by US FDA, Singapore HSA and France AFSSAPS, and its products are exported to manufacturing sites primarily sanofi-aventis ones located in Continental Europe, UK, USA and Japan. Our Mission and Vision At sanofi-aventis Singapore, we strive to improve health of patients and residents in Singapore through the providence of quality medicine and medical education to healthcare workers and their patients. We are a performance-driven and dedicated team with a vision to: Provide value-added services to healthcare providers and their patients Improve the professionalism of employees through skills/knowledge training development Improve shareholders value by driving audacious sales profit Data and information collected through research on the internal and external factors that influence the organisations WSH policy. (PC1.1, UK2) Include the factors involved in the establishing of the WSH objectives. (PC2.2, UK9, 12) Analysis on the factors that influence the organisations WSH policy. (PC1.2, UK1) Internal Factors (- List at least 3 internal factors. Describe the purpose of each factor and explain how your company manages, administer, or cope with it. Provide evidence such as examples, attachments, appendices, data, or information for each factor with reference to your practice.) 1) New Directives from Corporate Group. (Appendix 1) At Sanofi-Aventis Singapore, not only do we set our own targets and objectives in compliance with the local laws and legislation but also in line with corporate long term plan and targets. For instance, recently our corporate group sends out a new directive on HSE Plan 2015, which requires the entire sites around the world to meet the target set by corporate on issues such as occupational health, accidents/incident, environmental conservation, etc by 2015. Hence, on local front, we are starting to adjust our targets and objectives incorporate with the corporate long term plan. 2) Change in company structure. At Sanofi-Aventis Singapore, the Site Director is not fixed permanently. The life cycle of a Site Director within the Site is around 4 to 6 years. Hence, there will always be a likely minor change of system every 4 to 6 years on site. But the Site Director should not bring in a total new set of system for Health, Safety and Environment as this will cause major issues such as, changes in SOPs, safety practices, employees total inability to adapt to the changes, etc. All this might result in negative impact on the targets and objectives set within the site which will reflect badly on the HSE system. Hence, usually when a new Site Director steps in, he will review the current HSE system and assess the site performance in safety, health and environment together with the HSE Manager. After assessing and interviewing with relevant personnel, he will make minor tweaks to improve the current HSE system to strive for continual improvement. 3) Feedback from audit results. (Appendix 2) At Sanofi-Aventis, we have a constructive attitude of transparency and dialogue with regard to third parties with respect to its safety, health and environmental protection policy, its achievements and its commitment as stated in the policy. Hence, external audit by third party are carried out to find out whether that the site is in compliance with the local laws and legislation. Although, the site has yet to engage a third party to audit the Health and Safety system, other external audit by third party that have been carried out annually include; ISO 14000 to ensure compliance with the environmental legislation; insurance audit by FM Global to ensure that sufficient preventive and protective measures has been carried out to reduce damages should a fire occurs; Fire Certification inspection by Lynwood Engineering to acts as a PE for the company in terms of preventive and protective measures carried out for fire emergency, emergency preparedness audit by SCDF to ensure Company Emergency Response Team is competent to carried out rescue operation during emergency, etc. Action plans will be carried out for any findings and non-conformities by the auditors and the full report sent to corporate for verification. External Factors (- List at least 3 external factors. Describe the purpose of each factor and explain how your company manages, administer, or cope with it. Provide evidence such as examples, attachments, appendices, data, or documentation for each factor with reference to your practice.) 1) Change in legislation (Appendix 3) At Sanofi-Aventis Singapore, we keep ourselves updated on the local legislation by subscribing to third party updating service, EQS Technologies, whereby an updated copy of the legal system will be sent to company on a quarterly basis. From there, we will review what are the updated changes in the legislation that are applicable to the site and update the policy, SOPs, practices, etc. accordingly. For instance, the new regulation for confined space permit, we have done an update on the permit to include the confined space assessor which was originally not required under the old regulation. 2) Trends in the industrial WSH performance (Appendix 4) The trends in WSH performance for various industrial groups (e.g. chemical, pharmaceutical, construction, shipyard, etc.) can be obtained via the annual reports of the companies, data or statistic from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). The figures obtained can act as a benchmark for the company to gauge its safety and health performance and see how it has fared among other companies, both on an overall factories basis and/or on a same industrial group basis. From the comparison, the company will have a clearer view on where it stands in terms of its performance on workplace health and safety. Through this, the company can review their policy to make changes to their current objectives and targets so as to strive for continual improvement. 3) New target set by Government (Appendix 5) Benchmark and target set by government will have an effect on the company health and safety management system. For instance, the Prime Minister has laid down a challenge on the factories to meet the target of 1.8 fatality rate by the Year 2018, which will also to extended more workplaces under the new regulation. When the news of this new target was announced, factories have gradually started to step up and tighten on their safety and health system within their workplaces so as to slowly work toward this target. Develop WSH policy statements and objectives. (PC1.3, 2.2, UK9) Recommend the proposed WSH policy and objectives for management approval after consultation with respective stakeholders. (PC1.5) (- Develop or provide company current policy statements and objectives. Recommend some additions/changes to the policy and objectives.) Current company policy (Appendix xxx) Amended company policy (Additional changes highlighted in bold) The Chemistry Site Singapore hereby adopts the following Corporate Sanofi-Avnetis HSE Policy: The Health, Safety and Environment Policy is based on 9 guiding principles which define a framework of actions with respect to both our Group employees and external partners. It is applied to all of our activities. The Health, Safety and Environment Policy is an integral part of the general policy of the Group. The management and the employees of the group apply this policy at all levels. Each person is aware of their role and their personal responsibilities with regard to the prevention of accidents, risks to health or damage to the environment. The company as whole will continue to ensure the necessary protection and control measures are in place to protect the employees and visitors against potential hazards and risks. In all places in which the group operates, it respects the applicable laws and regulations, applies expert recommendations and uses the best practices. Sanofi-Aventis operates management systems relating to safety, health at work and protection of the environment adapted to each of its activities. These systems are assessed periodically, by measurement of the results obtained, by defining objectives for the progress and by implementing action plans called PASS with associated control systems. This process depends on basic understanding, learning from experience, working together and training. The objectives of the systems and action plans drawn out will be communicated to all employees to ensure they are aware of what their responsibilities and duties are. Every development project and every product launch will be subjected to a safety, health and environmental risk assessment integrating all the scientific and technical knowledge of the Group. Such projects will be developed using the best available technology throughout a products life cycle. Sanofi-Aventis takes care to economies on natural resources, to minimize the residual impact of the atmospheric emissions, of effluents or of waste in all its industrial activities in order to preserve the natural environment. With regard to its supplier, contractors or sub-contractors, Sanofi-Aventis aims to promote the application of the rules of safety and protection of the environment, and considers the adoption of these rules as a criterion to be applied to suppliers, contractors or sub-contractors. Vice-versa, Sanofi-Aventis will also aims to comply with clients, suppliers, contractors or sub-contractors workplace and health policy. Sanofi-Aventis has a constructive attitude of transparency and dialogue with regard to third parties with respect to its safety, health and environmental protection policy, its achievements and its commitment. Sanofi-Aventis will review the policy periodically to ensure the targets and objectives set remain relevant to the Group mission and vision so as to strive for continuous improvement. Identify and look into the relevant organisational structure/s essential in the alignment implementation of the WSH policy. (PC2.1, UK11) (- Discuss the company WSH organization structure and how it is managed. You can highlight the role of the WSH personnels, the processes and the procedures of WSH operations in the company. Provide a WSH organization chart that shows the companys WSH structure.) Company Health, Safety and Environmental structure. At Sanofi-Aventis, the Site Director is the main person responsible for the site. The HSE Manager will report to the Site Director on the safety, health, and environment and security issues on a periodically period. Under the HSE manager, he is assisted by a HSE Officer, who is in turn assisted by two HSE technicians. The site security issues are being monitored by the in-house and contractual security officers who report directly to the HSE Manger and/or the HSE Officer. Site Director HSE Manager In-house Security Officers HSE Officer HSE Technician Senior HSE Technician Roles Responsibilities Site Director The site Director has the overall responsibility of the effective implementation of the HSE Policy. In compliance with the law, the Site Director shall: Ensure the workplaces entrances and exits and any equipment, machinery, plant, article r substance are accessible, safe and risky-free. Ensure the safety and health of his employees and personnel who may be indirectly affected in the workplace. In particular, the Site Director is responsible for: Setting the Companys HSE Policy and Strategy, in compliance with regulatory and corporate requirements. Providing facilities which are safe to people who use them. Ensuring that HSE activities are regularly reviewed, including HSE measures, instructions and training of all employees on site. Ensuring compliance with legislation relating to health, safety and the environment. Ensuring HSE performance is being monitored and that appropriate actions are taken as necessary to provide a safe working environment. All emergencies on-site are safely and effectively handled with minimum disruption/damage to people, property, process and/or the environment. Ensuring that the HSE policy, objectives and goals are communicated to all staffs and made available to all those who requested them. Ensure that special emphasis is placed on waste minimization, recycling and energy conservation; as these form key elements in the continual environment improvement targets. The Site Director may delegate certain activities within the policy, but he will be responsible for ensuring that a clear line of delegated authority exists. HSE Manager Formulate policies, procedures, programmes, rules and practices, including health and safety strategies in the implementation of health and safety at the workplace, in compliance with regulatory and corporate requirements. Establishing programmes for detecting, correcting, or controlling hazardous conditions, toxic environments, and health hazards. Establishing safety procedures for the purchase and installation of new equipment and the purchase, use and storage of hazardous materials. Maintaining an accident/incident recording procedure to measure the organizations safety performance and encourage the reporting of near-misses. Staying abreast of, and advising management on current laws, codes and standards relating to health and safety in the workplace. Conducting investigations of accidents, near misses, and preparing reports with recommended corrective actions. Conducting safety training and training need analysis for all levels of management, new and current employees; emphasizing the importance of continual training. Maintaining liaisons with governmental bodies and local organizations and taking an active role in the activities of the regulatory bodies. Accompanying relevant management personnel during plant inspections and audits; and reviewing reports; analyzing trends for repetitive problems and analyzing their root causes; with line management initiating action for necessary corrections. Establishing objectives and targets fir HSE performance and communicating them with all levels of management. Responsible for formulating, planning monitoring and reviewing the various activities in the Environmental Programme. Ensure compliance with the local and international laws and corporate requirements. Ensure that development in environmental legislation and regulations environmental issues, concerns and understanding relevant to the organization are monitored, evaluated and appropriately brought into the environmental management system via the Health, Safety and Environment Committee. Responsible for identifying the environment training needs for individuals who are required to monitor and execute the various programmes that is established; and liaises with the Human Resource Manager in identifying the environmental training needs for the site. Provide programmes to maintain and/or increase environmental awareness amongst staffs. Responsible for ensuring that there are adequate written procedures and rules available on-site for all operations and activities where it has an impact on the environment. Responsible for ensuring adequate investigation into the causes of environment incidents/accidents, whether actual or potential, and the introduction of remedial actions to prevent recurrence where it has an impact on the environment. Together with Department managers, set annual objectives and goals for environmental performance, including the accomplishment of specific activities designed to enhance environmental performance. Maintain records of any environmental impact and maintain a register of activities having a significant impact on the environment. The register shall be adequately reviewed and maintained, and shall be made available for inspection and audit. Ensure that all departments are made aware if the policy and understand their obligations for its implementation. This can be performed through line mismanagement. HSE Officer HSE Technician To operate and perform technical work of the WWTP systems and equipment. To perform sampling and analysis of wastewater and ensure that all wastewater discharged are within regulatory consent limits. Responsible for the technical operation of the fire protection system, inspection of emergency response equipment and maintain accurate records of all equipment, security passes, etc. Assist in the handling of emergency/evacuation situations. Ensure that all signage, emergency site plans, emergency floor plans and relevant checklists are updated and kept current at all times. Attend to any alarm activations when on duty and investigate the cause of the alarms. Report any unusual events or matters of safety or security interest to the HSE Manager and/or HSE Officer and record such activities. Observe the security code of conduct and to ensure that instructions, whether verbal or written, are carried out satisfactorily and ensure that all communications concerning security are kept confidential. Carry out checks on contractors and employees to ensure that companys rules, regulations and legislative requirements are followed. Take appropriate action on any violation of safety rules and report to the HSE Manager and/or HSE Officer for his immediate attention. Ensure compliance to all HSE and Quality Policies and defined procedures. Security Officer To conduct safety inspections on plant, equipment and materials and submit relevant reports to the HSE Manager and/or HSE Officer. To conduct safety briefings for incoming contractors and document the briefings. To inspect contractors equipment before their entry into the Plant. Assist the HSE Manager in organising security duties at the companys entrance and to perform such duties with a view to ensure that security procedures pertaining to movement of materials, finished goods, personnel and vehicles are strictly adhered to and enforced in a safe and responsible manner. Check and inform the HSE Manager and/or HSE Officer any unusual deviations in the patrolling log. Conduct systematic patrolling of the company premises and to prevent unauthorised entry. Conduct six-monthly inventory check on first aid stores and guardhouse inventories. Handle emergency/evacuation situations, where real or otherwise, and ensure that such situations are documented. Report any unusual events or matters of safety or security interest to the HSE Manager and/or HSE Officer and record such activities. Observe the security code of conduct and to ensure that instructions, whether verbal or written, are carried out satisfactorily and ensure that all communications concerning security are kept confidential. Carry out checks on contractors and employees to ensure that companys rules, regulations and legislative requirements are followed. Take appropriate action on any violation of safety rules and report to the HSE Manager and/or HSE Officer for his immediate attention. Ensure compliance to all HSE and Quality Policies and defined procedures. Organisational programme for stakeholder awareness and involvement. (PC2.3, UK6, 13, 20) Ways to engage and motivate stakeholders in the change process within organisational structure and system. (UK14, 17) Establish the strategies for implementing WSH policy. (UK15) 14. Establish the impact and the resources required for implementation, prior to finalizing the changes. (PC2.5, 3.5, UK27, 28) Types of Programmes Description of Programmes Implementation of Programmes Short Long Term Impacts (List at least FOURWSH programmes. Eg. Feedback sessions, campaigns, reward and recognition programmes) (Describe about the programme. Such as: Objectives of programme Purpose If the programme is mandatory, highlight the section of the legislation that states it. The resources require eg. Financial, Manpower, External) (- Describe how the programme is implemented in your company. Who is/are overseeing the implementation? Provide evidence such as examples, attachments, appendices, data, or documentation.) (Describe the short long term impact to the company after implementing the programmes.) Scrubber monitoring program and emission limit (Appendix xxx) The purpose of the scrubber monitoring program is to monitor the efficiency of the scrubber system in the production plants to ensure that the limits specified under the National Environmental Agency (NEA) and/or the design limit of the scrubber, whichever is more stringent, is not exceeded. Scrubber monitoring is done to comply with Environmental Protection and Management Act (Cap. 94A) Finance resource- A budget is needed for the monitoring program by external vendor. Manpower resources: Require the chemical technician to carry out the routine testing and sampling. The Production Shift Supervisors are responsible for the operation of the scrubber system. The Production Plant Engineers are tasked with the implementation of the program. The efficiency of the scrubber system in removing a specific substance form the extracted air shall be verified monthly by the production plant crew through the measurement of its emissions at peak discharge from the process. The peak discharge of a process is determined from the system design and operation. A program for monitoring by external vendor shall be established annually. Compliance with the limits by NEA or system design shall be confined to the scrubber discharge. Emissions form other sources may be included where monitoring is practicable. Short term impact Company may be forced to pay a levy or fine if the emission limit is over. This will also result in releasing of additional pollutant into the environment resulting in adverse impact on the air quality. Long term impact Long term monitoring of the scrubber system is beneficial to the company as it allow the company to draw up a trend line in terms of its emission during the process. This will allow the company to put in additional protective and preventive measures to lower the emission. HSE review Meeting The objective of the HSE review meeting is to determine whether the HSE management system is still suitable, adequate and effective in the light of management systems audit results, changing circumstances and commitment to continual improvement and corporate objectives. The purpose of the HSE review meeting is to review the Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) management system to determine its continuing suitability, adequacy and effectiveness in accordance to corporate guidelines, regulatory requirements and to ISO 14000 standards. The review shall be conducted by the management team consisting of the direct reports to the Site Director. The review shall be chaired by the Site Director. The review meeting is carried out on a quarterly basis. The scope of the management review shall cover the whole organization and all of the activities, products and services carried out by or on behalf of the company which include: 1. Achievement against the Objectives and Targets and waste minimization programs. 2. Impact of new significant environmental aspects. 3. Impact of new legal and other requirements. 4. Effectiveness of HSE training, awareness and competence. 5. Effectiveness of internal and external communication. 6. Need for changes to document control, record keeping and procedural documents. 7. Effectiveness of operational controls in view of results of trends, environmental performance indices, number of incidences, complaints, etc. 8. Results of HSE audits. The observation, conclusion and recommendations of the review shall be documented for necessary action. Results will be reported to the HSE committee and made available to all staff to ensure their awareness to changes in the HSE management system. Short term impact Beneficial to the employees in a way that the management is very concern and serious toward the health and safety system. Long term impact It help to improve the HSE system as well as the workplace health and safety of the employee. PASS Plan (Appendix xxx) The PASS Plan, a corporate initiative, is a method to develop a site HSE action plan by involving the whole s

Online Banking Advantages and Disadvantages

Online Banking Advantages and Disadvantages Jump to: Advantages of Online Banking | Disadvantages of Online Banking | Types of Online Banking | Findings | SWOT Analysis of Online Banking | Banking Security Systems | Issues of Implementing Online Banking | Government Role in Online Banking | Recommendation | Conclusion OVERVIEW On ONLINE BANKING Information technology has become the platform of banking as a whole, especially of online banking. Though this is an entirely new term for out country, due to the intense competition its application is increasing rapidly. Now a day, it has become almost obligatory on the part of the banks to implement this. The online banking services that we are getting now are limited to some extent in most cases. But it is expected that in near future we are going to get the fullest service from online banking. We are also expecting that the influence of online banking will be greatly upbeat for both the clients and service providers. INTRODUCTION E-Banking is defined as the automated delivery of new and traditional banking products and services directly to customers through electronic and interactive communication channels. Online banking (Internet banking) is a term used for performing transactions, payments etc. over the internet through a banks secure website. This can be very useful, especially for banking outside bank hours (which tend to be very short) and banking from anywhere where internet access is available. In most cases a web browser such as Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox is utilized and any normal internet connection is suitable. It is an umbrella term for the process by which a customer may perform banking transactions electronically without visiting a brick-and-mortar institution. With the help of E-Banking customers can access their banks without having to be physically present at the bank branch. In Bangladesh the idea of online banking was conceived in 1996 but the commercial operation started in 2001. Banks use a variety of services for Online Banking such as PC banking, Home Banking, Electronic Banking or Internet Banking. These systems offer certain advantages over traditional banking methods. Advantages of Online Banking For Consumers: The privacy of customers. Online services are available for consumers 24 hours daily during the whole week. Customers might save time and efforts of doing their finance transactions. It will be easy for them to view all information they need clearly and simply. Searching of any branch of a bank will be accessibly by online users. For Banks: One way of attracting more customers is to use their services. Increasing the banks reputation around the world is well known by many people. It doesnt need to employ lots of suffer or bankers to deal with customers directly. Banks can deal simply with their branches all over the world with one network. Disadvantages of Online Banking For consumers Some people feel uncomfortable to provide their passwords or any kind of information about their funds over the internet. Some websites might be difficult for consumers for the first time to check their finance. It is possible for banks to update their websites, which needs from consumers to type in again their data. It is necessary to have knowledge and skills on using the Internet. For Banks Banks may require big amount of money to establish a website with attractive features. They may lose their information if the network is damaged with other branches. Hacking and viruses will cause problems for online banking, which could brake and damage the information. Types of online banking The common assumption is that Internet banking is the only method of online banking. However, this is not strictly the case, as several types of services are currently available: PC Banking: The forerunner to Internet banking has been around since the late 1980s and is still widely used today. Individual banks provide software which is loaded on to an SMEs office computer. The SME can then access their bank account via a modem and telephone link to the bank. Access is not necessarily via the Internet. Internet Banking: Using a Web browser, a user can access their account, once the banks application server has validated the users identity. Digital TV Banking: Using the standard digital reception equipment (set top box and remote control); users can access their bank account. Abbey National and HSBC services are available via digital TV providers. One of its main selling points is that no account details are transmitted via the World Wide Web. This service is absent in our country. Telephone (Mobile) Banking: It includes the banking through using the Telephone operator whether public or private with wire or wireless. Its a form of e-banking that helps the household who have no facility to access Internet and computer. Now phone and online banking in Bangladesh only offer services such as balance check and request for statement. But the mobile banking allows fund transfer, paving the way for money transaction through cell phones across the country Text phone (SMS) Banking: Many of the national and multinational banks have introduced this service to allow customers with text phones to check their balance, pay bills and transfer money. ONLINE BANKING: Products Services of  Different banks in Bangladesh Eastern Bank Limited Credit Card: The brand name of credit card of EBL is Simple Credit Card. The basic features of EBL credit cards are: its free for its clients for all time, it can be used for balance transfer, mobile alert facilities, it has world wide acceptability, Immediate cash advance service, risk assurance program, convenient payment option and global emergency assistance service etc. Debit Card: EBL has introduced the Debit Card for the savings Account holder who can use it to meet immediate obligation if he/she has enough balance to his/her bank account just after going to their ATM booths available with its each branch and sharing with others. Life-Style Card and Cool Card: These Cards are introduced only for the students for a soft condition but having a great exposure. Phone Banking: EBL Providing Phone Banking facilities to its clients as a part of online banking facilities. SMS Banking: EBL uses the SMS Banking to provide services to the grass-root level customers. Here a fixed SMS code is fixed for each specific service. DHAKA BANK LIMITED Phone Banking: The DBL has brought a great change in Phone Banking. Now this facility is getting so popularity. Internet Banking: All its ATM booths as well as branches are connected through Internet for which the any information among branches can be transferred within a moment. SMS Banking: The DBL is using the SMS Banking to provide services to the grass-root level customers. Here a fixed SMS code fixed for each specific service. International Card: Its a card which is accepted World-wide for Purchase Cash Withdrawals. Its a great service for its customers. Debit Card: It has been providing Debit Card facilities to its customers who can meet their money withdrawal matters at any ATM booths of its own operated or sharing with others to provide the security of its clients money. Credit Card: The Dhaka Bank has been providing the Credit Card facilities to its customers interest. Its named as Dhaka Bank VISA Credit Card. TRUST BANK LIMITED Credit Card: The Trust Bank uses the VISA Credit Card for Local, International and Dual Currencies. Its one of the banks personal banking services. Debit Card: The Trust Bank uses the Trust VISA-Electron Debit Card for local, international and dual currencies. It is one of the banks automated services to the customers. Phone Banking: It has such services for its customers. Internet Banking: It deals all the foreign transactions through the Internet Banking. SMS Banking: It deals with the grass-root clients through providing the SMS Banking services. DUTCH-BANGLA BANK LIMITED Bangladesh Bank data shows that there are about 600 ATMs in the country. The number was less than 300 a year ago. Currently, Dutch-Bangla Bank Limited has the largest network with 260 ATMs, with up to 12 new booths coming every month. Thirteen banks can use DBBL booths. Besides, the bank has an agreement with Q-Cash, allowing ATM cardholders of Mercantile Bank and Trust Bank to take cash from the same booths. Also, Dutch-Bangla Bank clients can use all Q-Cash outlets. The bank has a similar agreement with E Cash that runs 24 booths across the country. Now a day, they are providing truly Online Banking. Credit Card: The Dutch-Bangla Bank is only the bank which has more ATM booths than any other banks operating their business in Bangladesh. The DBBL-Nexus Credit Card is one of the medium which it permits to withdraw a certain limits of money from its booths. Debit Card: It is another product through which the Card holder is able to withdraw the money amount from his/her account. Its known as the DBBL-Nexus Debit Card. Phone Banking: They are very successful with the Phone banking (Telephone and Cell Phone). Internet Banking: About 80% of their e-banking is based on the internet Banking. SMS Banking: They also have SMS banking for the clients who are out of the Internet connection and they can have access to get the immediate service with just an SMS. ARAB BANGLADESH BANK LIMITED Debit Card: AB Bank uses the AB Bank Visa Debit Card. Credit Card: The name of AB Banks Credit Card is the AB Bank VISA EASICredit Card. Phone Banking: It uses phone banking as part of e-banking to run its online banking transactions. Internet Banking: The bank provides this service to its customers with a little limit. Western Union Money Transfer: It is also the member of Western Union Money Transfer for which its able to transfer money from one country to another within a moment. BANK ASIA Credit Card: The name of the Bank Asias Credit Card is Bank Asia Credit Card [MasterCard]. Debit Card: The name of the Debit Card of this bank is Bank Asia Debit Card. Mobile Banking: It uses Mobile banking as part of e-banking to run its online banking transactions. Internet Banking: The bank provides this service to its customers with a little limit. SMS Banking: It uses the SMS banking to deal with its grass-root clients. BRAC BANK LIMITED Mobile Banking: It uses Mobile banking as part of e-banking to run its online banking transactions. Internet Banking: The bank provides this service to its customers with a little limit. SMS Banking: It uses the SMS banking to deal with its grass-root clients. Debit Card: The name of Debit Card of the BRAC BANK is BRAC Bank Debit Card. Its allowed for the customers who have only the savings account and can withdraw only the amount belongs to its account balance. Credit Card: It introduces the 0% Credit Card named BRAC Bank Credit Card [MasterCard] which is undoubtedly an exclusive offer to all which is applicable for first 3 months interest free for all retail purchases. It charges no interest for balance transfer. It also allows 10 more supplementary cards for all the relatives. HONGKONG SANGHAI BANKING CORPORATION (HSBC) Credit Card: Although a limited number, a short listed Credit Cards are using by a few Bangladeshis who have a strong Credit worthiness. It permits a certain limits to withdraw beyond ones balance. Debit Card: Its using very much in Bangladesh. A number of ATM booths are available in Bangladesh including Dhaka and Chittagong. Mobile Banking: It uses Mobile banking as part of e-banking to run its online banking transactions. But its not applicable in Bangladesh yet. Internet Banking: Each and every branch of the HSBC is connected through the internet and about 80% of their e-banking is based on the internet Banking. SMS Banking: They also have SMS banking for the clients who are out of the Internet connection and they can have access to get the immediate service with just an SMS. STANDARD CHARTERED BANK Credit Card: It permits to use the Credit Cards to its customers. Debit Card: The customers are using Debit Cards and having great facilities with international bank. Internet Banking: Most of the services of this bank is operating through the Internet. Findings Analysis INDEPTH SWOT ANALYSIS (S)TRENGTHS: Diversification: These ten banks offer various online banking services as to attract the customers of different groups of people. Lower cost advantage: As the banks bring in bulks of customers, their operational costs go down. Multinational marketing capabilities: Being global bank, HSBC and Standard Chartered Bank enjoys the multinational marketing capabilities. They have been successful in attracting savings of savers and investors and lending a large volume of loans with the help of their online banking facilities. Start-up may take time: In order to register for a banks online program, we will probably have to provide ID and sign a form at a bank branch. If the bank is satisfied after proper scrutiny, the bank will permit us to start internet banking which may take a few days. (W)EAKNESSES: Centralization: These banks managements are mostly centralized follows top-down approach, decisions come form corporate branch and sometimes it takes much time to get the approval for credit card, where it could have been done faster. Since, Its competitive market, competitors can take this opportunity to move ahead of it. Manual works: Although the banking system is computerized of the banks; simultaneously records are kept manually for auditing purpose, such as using rubber chop, giving signatures, writing on forms etc. Therefore, these manual works destroy the value that the organization created significantly. Costly: Still most of the banks online banking facilities are somewhat costly. As a result they are yet to be succeeded to bring a large number of customers under the umbrella of E-Banking. (O)PPORTUNITIES: Many untapped regions over the country: Banks can attract even more customers by expanding its branches to other districts or regions and at the same time ensuring online banking service in Bangladesh, and thereby increase their market share profitability. Innovation: Banks innovative online banking products would be able to satisfy various customers needs thereby would be able to reach different target segments. Credit Card Facility: At present, a particular segment has a potential demand for credit cards, so the banks can utilize this opportunity to drag that particular segment before any of its competitors do. Although few banks already providing this facility, but the demand is still there as the existing facility is not sufficient comparing to the need. (T)HREATS: Duplication of the HSBCs service: Existing multinational local banks could copy the banks financial services, so they have to move ahead of others faster. Emerging Competition: New local and multinational banks or other financial institutions could emerge as the banking industry in Bangladesh is still growing, and become a threat to the existing online banking service providers. Political instability: As Bangladeshs political situation is unstable; it affects banking industry as well. So, it means the banks may face fluctuating demand for their products too. Security System used by the Banks Most of the lading banks follow the following security system for their online banking. Software: Online banking service of these banks employs the 128-bit Secure Socket Layer (SSL), which is one of the strongest encryption technologies; most commonly used by large-scale online merchants, banks, and brokerages worldwide. All online sessions between customers and the banks are protected by up to 128-bit encryption, which best protects customers information against disclosure to third parties. TPII software operates on the UNIX platform, which is known to be the worlds most secure and redundant operating system providing multiple users and multiple tasking facilities and Database is maintained in Oracle (RDBMS), the worlds most secure database system. Encryption is used to protect information: Encryption is a method of scrambling customers information to protect its transmission across the Internet. Encryption transforms data into an unreadable form, and decryption reverses that process. Both encryption and decryption require the use of a special code, usually referred to as a key. The encryption of data provides a strong degree of protection against tampering while data is moving through the Internet.    Cookies are not used for this service: A cookie is information that a web site puts on customers hard disk that it can remember something about customer at a later time. This mechanism allows the server to store its own information about a user on the users own computer. These ten banks do not use cookies for this service. ATM Hardware: a) Racal brand 128 bit Host Security Module (HSM) through which card information is encrypted, decrypted along with PIN generation. This device is used worldwide to maintain and relay highly secure information as an exchange platform. After HSM has verified and authorized the PIN and decrypts it, customers receive funds from ATM. The HSM is also responsible for generating ATM Card PINs for the TPII. b) Each ATM has a built-in 64-bit encryption device for ensuring maximum security during transactions. c) Three different ATM models are currently in use. They are the 1064ix (stand-alone ATM), 1071ix (Through-the-Wall ATM) 1072ix (Through-the-Wall) models. Each of the ATMs can capacitate up to four cash cassettes, of which, each one may hold up to 2,000 cash notes. Cash loading in ATMs are based entirely on usage frequency of the machines. d) All ATM booths have 24/7 CCTV surveillance systems to keep records of transactions taking place for a period of over one year. Moreover, each booth has a hot-telephone link affixed for troubleshooting and instant help-desk services. Problems  of implementating online banking Infrastructural deficiency: [WEAKNESS] To implement online banking in our state, the infrastructure is necessary. For this we need availability of electricity supply and telecommunication. Without developing these we cant develop this online banking system properly. Budget allocation: [WEAKNESS] The software is vary intricate to develop because e lacking of apposite in-house. In this regard, banks are to rely on software developing concerns at extreme costs. Hackers: The hacking, the serious crime of computer causes the injury and hazard to the security and safety of users of computer involved in online technology. As a result, hackers are the influential troubles of users of online business of a bank. Online banking services will not be feasible for an economy as most people are illiterate. They are beyond the scope of normal banking service. Micro-credit industry is now not only providing small credit but also mobilizing savings. The big problems are in the regulatory framework: [WEAKNESS] Lack of full convertibility. Bangladesh citizen cannot have access to the world wide online banking service due to regulatory restrictions. The reserve position will not allow free inter-country fund transfer. Risk: [THREAT] The credit information available for banks is often wrong, so it is very difficult to check whether the customer has difficult on a card issued by another bank. A data bank is required to see the list of the defaulters. More unconventional banks fill that gap in the market, trying to grab a share of the internet money, on the premises that they represent the richest and most educated part of the population. Privacy: Another central issue to the consumer is privacy. Database marketing is nothing but the manipulation of data over which customers feel that they want to have some kind of control. The general rule is that consumer privacy rights should be respected. Individuals should easily opt out of online marketing as an extension of their right to be removed from junk mail lists. Unemployment: [THREAT] One pre-conceived widespread idea is computers will displace labor. This is a matter of empirical study. Productivity and profitability are closely interrelated terms. The experienced excess staffs can be easily absorbed in to the expanding financial market. The unemployment will only be structural unemployment since the displaced labor will sooner have later acquired the necessary computer skills and thus become more efficient. Cost-effectiveness: [Weakness] Another misconception is that it is not cost effective. None of the banks that have designed properly on automation plan and implemented it with proper cost benefit analysis became less superior. Actually the acceptance of financial modernization is a matter of vision to the future. Unless computers become cheaper and online facilities become within the reach of middle class, they will remain unfamiliar with internet, and will thus avert them. Role of Government This is particularly important for countries like Bangladesh where very little has been done in development these technologies and skills to promote and support online banking. The government can take the following policies to promote online banking in our country: The intergovernmental agreement for harmonizing the rules and regulations that can help in smooth transformation of the world economy and expansion of a unified world market. The regulations should simply foster competition, protect intellectual property and privacy, and prevent fraud to do businesses under whatever terms they agree upon. An international uniform commercial code is needed to simplify and encourage electronic commerce under consistent rules and rights. Govt. can undertake perfect initiatives to construct feasible, platform of information technology within affordable capacity. Financial allocation should be more widen for global standard banking technology. Adequate number of bank employee will have both computer and banking aptitude and cognizance, suitable in the banking perspective to improve the banking sector. Tele-communication sector is pre-conditions to make fastest online banking services. Unfortunately a tale-communication service of govt. is yet to reach to remote and rural area. RECOMMENDATIONS These banks should Do frequent marketing research: The management of the banks should regularly administer marketing research activities in order to keep a regular track of satisfaction levels. As customer expectations and satisfaction are not static figures regular research at sufficient intervals should be conducted. Handle complains effectively: The banks should actively manage the complaints of various customers and encourage customers to give feedback about the services. The management should collect document complaints use that information to identify dissatisfied customers, correct individual problems where possible and identify common service failure points. Focus on segmentation strategies: The bank should concentrate on the various demographic segments that are currently not very satisfied with the banks services. Products services should be tailored for these segments. Appropriate research and surveys should be designed to find out the requirements of these dissatisfied segments. Do Relationship Marketing: The banks should focus more on existing customers in order to build strong and loyal relationship with them as the survey showed that satisfied customers more aptly or certainly recommends the bank to friends and relatives. Thus the power of relationship will foster Positive Word of Oral Communication and will attract new customers at a lower cost. Establish more ATM booths: From the survey, it is clear that customers are not very happy regarding ATMs locations. So, sufficient number of ATM booths should be established in different location to reach out the customers even further and thereby satisfying their demand. Introduce Credit Card Facility: While handling customers over the counter also over telephone, a certain demand for credit card facility was noticed strongly. We think, if the banks introduce this facility, more customers will be attracted therefore, they will achieve greater market share. Reduce Manual works to minimum: Although many of the ten banks do automation, still there are many things which are done manually in order to tract any errors or transaction, especially in emergency such as system failure etc. As a result, so much time is spent on this type of manual maintenance, which reduces value on delivering services. Thus, it hampers efficiency on delivering faster services. Educate customers in using Phone banking service: A few banks have introduced phone banking service or automatic telephone banking (ATB) in order to fulfill general customer needs and queries quickly, without interrupting employees. However, customers seemed reluctant to use this facility due to fear of machine usage or difficulty in remembering the seventeen digit numbers. Introduce SWIFT: Autonomous Banking culture, reducing dependence on manual service, should be in abundance irrespective of govt. and non-govt. organization in association with `SWIFT to bring about the whole banking service for massive well being of people. Ensuring proper training to the employees: Training should be imparted to the existing IT personnel. the new recruits for IT personnel should be provided with relevant education background. Conclusion Online Banking sets off the journey with a mission of reaching to target group of people across our country. The globalization facilitates the extinction of untidy and troublesome services in order to consolidate the very variegated, faster as well exquisite services to keep the people in regular touch of modernization. Considering this decision, banks and financial concerns took some welcome move recently. Usually all private owned banks from abroad coupled with a few local banks in collaboration with domestic support launched the trend of on-line banking. The completely refurbished banking sector stresses effort to spread this culture of banking. In this connection, only a few banks establish the timely steps by eradicating all sorts of strains and inconvenience in all respect. Since the financial services needs to be very optimum certain not scattered to foster the belief and reliance of people over banking sector. Thereby, the very exclusive and classic service procedure can be accommodated amidst of integration of joint collaboration with modern system. Alongside, the existing banking sector pays much heed and concentration to the fastest growth and development of Online Banking System. In this regard, Bangladesh is still in the backseat whereas the rest of the world is burning in flame of excellence at large. Despite the ascendancy of irresistible constraints, inconsistency that engulf the origin of the online trading, we are extremely aspiring and sanguine of prompt and illustrious development of online banking as rapidly as possible. Therefore, the banks should move ahead of its rivals by applying the recommendations provided above. Certainly, it will help reducing the gap (or dissatisfaction) retaining existing customers. And, once this dissatisfied customers become satisfied, it will not only help to retain existing customers, but it will also help to drag new customers through positive word-of-mouth communications. Also, it will help to attract new segments with different needs. Many customers are dissatisfied due to some areas of incompetent services. So, in order to sustain in the highly competitive banking industry, the banks should take