Biography of John Ford, Oscar-Winning Film Director

John Ford (February 1, 1894 - August 31, 1973) was one of the greatest film directors of all time. He won four Best Director Academy Awards, more than any other director. He is best known for his Westerns, but multiple of his novel adaptations stand among the best films of all time. Fast Facts: John Ford Full Name: Sean Aloysius FeeneyOccupation: Film directorBorn: February 1, 1894 in Cape Elizabeth, MaineDied: August 31, 1973 in Palm Desert, CaliforniaSpouse: Mary McBride SmithSelected Films: Stagecoach (1939), The Grapes of Wrath (1940), How Green Was My Valley (1941), The Searchers (1956)Key Achievements: 4 Academy Awards for Best Director and the Presidential Medal of FreedomNotable Quote: It is easier to get an actor to be a cowboy than to get a cowboy to be an actor. Early Life and Education Born into an Irish immigrant family in Maine, John Ford (born Sean Aloysius Feeney) grew up in a moderately prosperous environment. His father owned saloons in Portland, Maines largest city. Ford was one of eleven children. Many of John Fords subsequent film projects related to his Irish heritage. The young John Ford played football in high school. He earned the nickname Bull for his habit of lowering his helmet as he charged the line. Fords older brother, Francis, left Portland to seek a career in New York in the theater around the year 1900. He was successful and took the stage name Francis Ford. By 1910, Francis moved to California to seek a movie career. After high school graduation, in 1914, Francis younger brother, John, moved to California with the hope of launching his own career. Silent Films John Ford got his start in Hollywood as an assistant in the production of his older brothers movies. He served as a stuntman, handyman, double for his brother, and occasional actor. Despite a contentious relationship between the two, within three years, John was his brothers primary assistant and often operated the camera. By the time John Ford made his debut as a director in 1917, Francis Fords career was on the decline. Between 1917 and 1928, the younger Ford worked on more than 60 silent films. However, only ten of them survive fully intact. For his entire career, John Ford was one of the busiest directors in Hollywood, but the silent years were unusually productive even by his standard. The Lottery Man (1919). Corbis Historical / Getty Images John Ford had his first significant success as a director with the 1924 epic The Iron Horse, about the building of the First Transcontinental Railroad. He filmed it on location in the Sierra Nevada mountains with 5,000 extras, 2,000 horses, and a cavalry regiment. Among the props used were an original stagecoach used by newspaper publisher Horace Greeley and Wild Bill Hickoks pistol. The movie earned an estimated $2 million on a budget of $280,000. Westerns John Ford is best remembered for his Westerns. From the 1930s through the 1960s, he helped design the look and feel of classic Western film. One of his favorite actors, John Wayne, appeared in more than 20 of his films as a featured actor. Wayne was in countless more projects near the beginning of his career performing as an extra. Stagecoach (1939). Moviepix / Getty Images Despite his early success with The Iron Horse, Ford didnt direct any Westerns between 1926 and 1939. However, when he once again returned to the frontier, Ford created what many critics consider one of the best films of all time. Stagecoach appeared in 1939, and the story of mismatched strangers thrown together in the vast emptiness of the West while riding through dangerous Apache territory thrilled audiences. It earned seven Academy Award nominations including Best Picture and Best Director. Thomas Mitchell won for Best Supporting Actor. Orson Welles reportedly studied Stagecoach in his preparations for making Citizen Kane. During World War II, John Ford served in the U.S. Navy Reserve creating wartime documentaries. He won Oscars for two of his films. He was with the U.S. military on D-Day and filmed the beach landing. He was recognized for his bravery during the war after suffering injuries while documenting attacks. American film director John Ford (1894 - 1973) in uniform as a Rear Admiral in the United States Naval Reserve, circa, 1957. Â  Pictorial Parade / Getty Images John Fords first movie after his service in World War II was 1946s My Darling Clementine, a Western featuring another of the directors favorite actors, Henry Fonda. He followed it with the so-called cavalry trilogy of movies starring John Wayne. They included 1948s Fort Apache, 1949s She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, and 1950s Rio Grande. Fords next Western didnt appear until 1956. Starring Jeffrey Hunter and rising star Natalie Wood, The Searchers quickly became a classic. In 2008, the American Film Institute named it the Greatest Western of All Time. In 1962, John Ford released The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance starring James Stewart and John Wayne. Many observers consider it the last great Ford film. It was a major success and one of the top 20 moneymaking films of the year. Cheyenne Autumn, the final John Ford Western, appeared in 1964. Unfortunately, it was not a success at the box office and was the most expensive film of the legendary directors career. John Ford directing My Darling Clementine (1946). Bettmann / Getty Images Classic Novel Adaptations Despite his association with Westerns, John Ford didnt win any of his Best Picture Oscars for them. Three of the four awards came with novel adaptations. The fourth wove the feature-length film The Quiet Man out of a short story. The first John Ford film to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture was the 1931 adaptation of Sinclair Lewiss novel Arrowsmith. Ford won his first Oscar for Best Director adapting Liam OFlahertys The Informer in 1935, a tale of the Irish War of Independence. In 1940, Ford took on John Steinbecks Great Depression novel The Grapes of Wrath. It was the directors third consecutive film working with the young actor Henry Fonda. Coming shortly after the end of the Great Depression, the movie was a huge success. It earned Ford his second Best Picture Oscar, and The Grapes of Wrath is often included on lists of the best films of all time. John Fords third Best Director Oscar came a year later with his adaptation of the Welsh mining saga How Green Was My Valley. It famously beat out Citizen Kane for the 1941 Best Picture Academy Award. The movie is a classic working-class drama in the spirit of Fords previous Oscar-winning efforts. How Green Was My Valley (1941). Corbis Historical / Getty Images Fords final Academy Award for Best Director came with a film that his movie company didnt want to make. With pressure from Ford, they funded 1952s The Quiet Man, a short story adaptation set in Ireland starring John Wayne. The worry was unfounded. In addition to winning John Ford an unprecedented fourth Best Director nod, it was one of the top ten moneymaking films of the year. Later Career Despite being dogged by ill health and declining eyesight, John Ford worked well into the 1960s. He completed Donovans Reef, his last film with John Wayne, in 1963. It was Fords final major commercial success, earning over $3 million at the box office. His last feature film, 7 Women, appeared in 1966. It was a story about missionary women in China trying to protect themselves from a Mongolian warlord. Unfortunately, the movie was a commercial flop. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962). Corbis Historical / Getty Images John Fords final completed project was a documentary on the most decorated U.S. marine titled Chesty: A Tribute to a Legend. It featured narration by John Wayne. Though filmed in 1970, it wasnt released until 1976. Ford died in August 1973. Legacy John Ford continues to hold the record for the most Best Director Academy Awards won with four. He also earned Oscars for two wartime documentaries. In 1973, he was the first recipient of the American Film Institutes Life Achievement Award. In the same year, Ford received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He wasnt the only person winning awards for his films. John Ford directed a total of four Academy Award-winning acting performances, and ten appearances in his movies earned nominations. Source Eyman, Scott. Print the Legend: The Life and Times of John Ford. Simon Schuster, 2012.

Supply Chain Risk Management Plan - 1299 Words

Uta Jà ¼ttner, (2005),Supply chain risk management, The International Journal of Logistics Management, Vol. 16 Iss 1 pp. 120 - 141. â€Å"Supply chain risk management is the process of identifying, assessing and controlling threats to an organization s capital and earnings that are caused by the organization s Supply Chain. Companies with supply chain risk management plans in place typically place a chief risk office(CRO) in charge of overseeing the effectiveness of the organization s supply chain management strategy. An effective plan reduces supply chain risk whenever possible and anticipates how the organization could swiftly respond to supply chain disruptions. Supply chain risk management plans should address the many different†¦show more content†¦The issues of Supply chain risk management are derived and structured along three conceptual levels of â€Å"philosophy†,† principles† and â€Å"processes†. The methodology used in the paper is rather still on its conceptual level. The assumptions made in the paper are based on the research that was followed by statistical review of 8 companies that they researched to actualize their assumptions. The paper will be critically evaluated on the basis of methodology, research methods, findings and analysis and the data used to statistically prove the findings. This is a perspective based journal article which revolves around the understanding of business requirements. The journal article basically formulates the research with mixed method research, which means the author has used both qualitative and quantitative research methods to conclude its findings. The findings show a survey to back the assumptions of the author, but still the concept is in vague understanding leaving the researcher difficult to analyze. The paper has an integrated approach to SCRM which could still create research and have further findings on this vast topic. â€Å"Supply chain management (SCM) is the oversight of materials, information, and finances as they move in a process from supplier to manufacturer to wholesaler to retailer to consumer.† The literature review used in this paper is focused on supply chain management and risk management though the business side of the

Analyses The Authorship Of The Research †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Analyses Authorship Of The Research. Answer: Introduction Nurses are expected to demonstrate the competency of reflecting on different health scenarios and critically evaluating best available evidence pertaining to significant clinical questions emerging from practice. For delivering high quality care, nurse is to make judgements about research quality of evidence-based literature through a critical analysis that later on forms the basis for their practice. Critical analysis is to be done on the basis of a framework that mainly analyses the authorship of the research, research aims, research design, applicability of research findings and most importantly the strengths and limitations of the study (Parahoo, 2014). The present paper aims to reflect on a particular health scenario and undertake an inquiry in healthcare research. The PICO question that is considered for the present research is Do stimulants increase academic performance in university students?. The paper would critically analyse two peer-reviewed articles for this purpose and judge the credibility of each. Barriers for the application of this evidence in practice would be highlighted. In addition, Alignment of the research studies with the PICO question would also be analysed. Authorship The research paper under assessment has been jointly written by three authors, Elisabeth Hildt, Klaus Lieb and Andreas Gunter Franke. While Franke and Lieb are from the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Centre Mainz, Germany, Hildt is from the Department of Philosophy. Lieb is the head of the concerned department and Hildt is an expert in Neuroethics. The authors of the research paper declared that there was no competing conflict of interest related to the study findings. Research Aims The research question was does the use of stimulant drugs enhance the cognitive functioning of individuals in relation to achieving better academic or workplace results as well as other purposes? The aim of the research was to understand whether the use of stimulant has an impact on the users life inside the universe as well as outside the university in a positive manner. The researchers, however, did not come up with any hypothesis that was tested through the paper. The researchers were successful in justifying the need for the present study. According to them, there was a dearth of high quality qualitative research that explained some aspects of the reason for some students to use stimulants in context of academics, the impact of the same on users, the advantages brought about and the side effects experienced. The researchers further highlighted that there was an absence of empirical data on the real-life impacts and contextual factors of stimulant use. Design The study had a qualitative methodology and considered an extensive semi-structured interview as the research method. Face-to-face interviews were carried out with the participants. A psychologist along with three interviewers was trained for the research. Each participant was considered for the interview by two individuals. Tape recording of the interview was done. For avoiding loss of information one interviewer was responsible for asking questions while the other noted down the responses to close-ended questions. Transcribing the records verbatim was the analysis process. The transcriptions were analysed in a systematic process with the help of the qualitative approach of inductive category development. Qualitative research methodology helps in extracting valuable information from participants wherein the experiences and feelings can be highlighted. The research aimed at understanding the perceptions of the respondents in response to use of stimulant drugs and thus a face-to-face interview was suitable. Through face-to-face interviews data, the interviewers can assess nonverbal cues given by the respondents and also guide and support them for responding to the questions (Holloway Galvin, 2016). However, close-ended questions restrict data collection since respondents are not given a chance to provide complete ideas and thoughts. Misinterpretation of a question might be unnoticed (Parahoo, 2014). The inductive approach in data analysis is helpful in condensing raw information and establishing subsequent connections between the research objectives and study findings. The participants were 18 healthy University of Mainz students, without any psychiatric disorder, who reported the non-medical use of illicit stimulants for academic performance enhancement purposes. Findings a.Based on the transcript of the study, six categories pertaining to the life context of use of stimulant for academic enhancement purpose were highlighted: Context of stimulant use beyond academic performance enhancement, Subjective experience of enhancement, Timing of consumption, Objective academic results, Side effects, Pressure to perform. The study revealed that enhancement of academic performance with the use of stimulant is not a segregated phenomena aiming solely at the enhancement of cognitive ability for better academic results. Multidimensional life contexts ar associated with it that is of much relevance. Strengths and weaknesses The study is valuable in providing valuable information on the utilisation of stimulant drugs by university students. Limitations of the study include participant bias leading to the study being not representative for the complete student population. Further, spontaneous answers were received during the interview. Lastly, no particular conclusion was drawn regarding the impact of the intake of stimulant in healthy individuals. Authorship The research article has been penned down by four researchers whose expertise have been mentioned in the paper; however, their qualifications and affiliations have not been mentioned. The authors declared the absence of conflicts of interest throughout the research. Research Aims The research question addressed by the study was what is the relationship between nonmedical use of prescription stimulants, executive functioning and academic outcomes among college students?. The aim of the study was to assess the relationship existing between nonmedical use of prescription stimulants (NMUPS), and executive functioning (EF) and academic outcomes among a population of college students from five different regions of the United States. The two hypothesis for the study were as follows- Students reporting deficits in EF when measured with the Barkley Deficits Executive Functioning Scale (BDEFS) show more chances of reporting nonmedical use of prescription stimulants in contrast to students reporting average EF skills. NMUPS alters the association between academic performance and EF in a positive manner. The researchers highlighted that previous research had pointed out the relationship between individuals with EF deficiencies and intake of prescription stimulants. Research was also present that indicated that a considerable proportion of college students in the US were nonmedically using prescription stimulants. However, there was no significant study that considered carrying out an investigation of the association between NMUPS and EF among the college student population. Design The research considered a quantitative research methodology wherein three measures were addressed. These were the Stimulant Survey Questionnaire (SSQ), Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale (BDEFS for Adults) and Grade Point Average (GPA). Each participant was required to complete a demographics questionnaire in addition to it. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis. For testing the first hypothesis, an independent samples t-test was carried out which had one dichotomous independent variable and one continuous dependent variable. For testing the second hypothesis, the researchers conducted ANOVA test in which two dichotomous independent variables were included along with one continuous dependent variable. For measuring effect size, Cohens d was used. The quantitative methodology considered for the study was justified in alignment with the purpose of establishing the relationship existing between nonmedical use of prescription stimulants (NMUPS) and executive functioning. As opined by Nieswiadomy and Bailey (2017) quantitative research study enables a broader examination of the research topic. In addition, it permits greater accuracy of results and enhanced objectivity. A correlational study design was chosen that has the drawback that it is only effective in uncovering a relationship between the variables and not in coming up with a conclusive reason for the same (Richardson-Tench et al., 2016). The participants were 308 undergraduate students from six different public of diverse regions of the United States. 73.4% of the participants were female. Findings About 18% of the respondents reported that they nonmedically used prescription stimulants, while the rates were similar between that of male and female. The major reasons for NMUPS had a relationship with academics. Moreover, participants reported knowing other individuals engaging in NMUPS for academic purposes. The study proved the hypothesis that students with a considerable level of EF deficit showed more chances of taking NMUPS. Students with EF deficits had lower GPAs than those having normal EF. Strengths and weaknesses The main strength of the study was a large sample population that enhanced the generalisation of the study. However, there were some limitations to it such as convenience sampling technique and gender bias. Further, since there was voluntary participation, the sample might not have been a true representation of the population under scrutiny. Lastly, no causal inferences on the relationship between the variables of interest could be established. Barriers for the application of evidence in practice- In the present case, Wasim is a 29-year-old male university student who has knowledge about the use of stimulant drugs that his peers are known to take for enhancement of academic purposes. His decision is to be guided by the evidence gathered by undertaking the research on the concerned topic. The primary finding from the above pool of evidence is that use of stimulant drugs has no precise impact on the relationship between executive functioning and academic performance. Though the studies have been successful in highlighting that an association exists between intake of a stimulant drug and academic performance, the causal effect had not been established. The study by Hildt et al., (2014) concluded that there lies a substantial amount of discrepancy between objective academic results and subjective experiences of the students in relation to intake of stimulant drugs. The research by Munro et al., (2016) inferred that the intake o f prescription stimulants have no ability to alter the connection between executive functioning and academic performance. The study findings are not to be considered as supreme, and thus the applicability to the present scenario is not justified. Further research is needed for establishing the relationship between stimulant drug intake, cognitive and executive functioning deficiency and academic outcomes. These studies need to be longitudinal is design, and a larger population would be beneficial for generating results that are applicable to the wider population. In addition, further studies must consider data on academic performance gathered from reliable sources and not those that are self-reported. Alignment of research studies with the PICO question- The PICO question being addressed in the present paper is Do stimulants increase academic performance in university students? The first research paper did not address the PICO question appropriately since it only highlighted the existence of multidimensional factors that guided an individual to intake such stimulants in life context. The second study addressed the PICO question appropriately. The research indicated that use of stimulants did not necessarily enhance academic performance in university students. Conclusion It is important to understand the applicability of the research findings in relation to a clinical scenario so that translation of research from theory to practice is prominent. The above critical analysis of evidence was beneficial for adjudging their applicability to real life scenarios. The analysis helped in gaining insights into how research findings are to be considered for application in practice. The present research and critical analysis of articles gave a broader view of the impact of stimulant drugs on lives of university and college students as well as the primary context in which this population consider taking these drugs. Both the studies pointed out the fact that students perceive intake of these drugs for their academic betterment. However, there was no indication of the extent to which these drugs influence academic performance in colleges and universities. The lack of objective data is the drawback. Further research is warranted to establish the truthfulness of the clinical question under evaluation. References Hildt, E., Lieb, K., Franke, A. G. (2014). Life context of pharmacological academic performance enhancement among university students - a qualitative approach. BMC Medical Ethics, 15(1), 23-23. doi:10.1186/1472-6939-15-23 Holloway, I., Galvin, K. (2016).Qualitative research innursing and healthcare. John Wiley Sons. Munro, B. A., Weyandt, L. L., Marraccini, M. E., Oster, D. R. (2017). The relationship between nonmedical use of prescription stimulants, executive functioning and academic outcomes. Addictive Behaviors, 65, 250-257. doi:https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2016.08.023 Nieswiadomy, R. M., Bailey, C. (2017).Foundations of nursing research. Pearson. Parahoo, K. (2014).Nursing research: principles, process and issues. Palgrave Macmillan. Richardson-Tench, M., Taylor, B., Kermode, S., Roberts, K. (2016). Inquiry in health care (5th [ACU] ed.). South Melbourne, Australia: Cengage Learning.

Cost and Overhead Costs free essay sample

Colorscope 1. Why would any customer, let alone large advertising agencies and departmental stores, go to Colorscope rather than go to large printers listed in Exhibit 3? Before desktop publishing became popular, Colorscope had a competitive advantage through its expensive proprietary computer equipment that could produce complicated print special effects. Colorscope had also been able to build strong relationships with valuable customers through the years and had a good reputation for providing high quality work in its field. Another reason why Colorscope could compete with the large printers was the high fragmentation of the pre-press industry. This was due to the fact that most pre-press companies focused on just a few print products (e. g. catalogs, newspapers or coupons) and had strong specialized expertise in these. Because of that, Colorscope could provide higher quality than the large printers in the fields where it had specialized. Before the dawn of desktop publishing, which led to commoditization of the services, competition was more based on quality than on price. We will write a custom essay sample on Cost and Overhead Costs or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page As a small agency, it is also probable that Colorscope could be more flexible in meeting specific demand and provide more tailored services to the few customers it served, compared to the large printers which would have a bigger and more bureaucratic organization. 3. What you have done above is a â€Å"full-cost† analysis. This is in contrast to a â€Å"direct-cost† analysis that ignores overhead costs. Is full cost the right metric for job profitability and customer profitability? What assumptions are we making about the variability of overhead costs when we do a â€Å"full-cost† analysis? By allocating the overhead costs to jobs and customers there is an implicit assumption that these are variable with the cost driver. In reality, some of the overhead costs are fixed, at least in the short run. One benefit of using full cost is that the price charged for jobs needs to recover all costs in order for Colorscope to be profitable in the long run. As overhead costs are incurred to support customer/job activities there is also a benefits received relationship. Finally, revealing the full overhead costs can motivate job representatives to examine how overhead costs are planned and controlled. Even though these costs are fixed in the short run, it is likely that they can be managed in the long run.

The ability to distinguish and memorise the items

Abstract The experiment seeks to measure the ability to distinguish and memorise the items one saw. There were sixty-seven participants all of them third year students who take the course Advance Topics in Cognition laboratory. Age and sex were not considered as variables and as such were ignored in the analysis of the results.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The ability to distinguish and memorise the items specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The experiment was to use simple objects that might confuse the participants and be tricky to remember (high in conceptual distinctiveness) and some that would be easier to remember (or low in conceptual distinctiveness). Participants would be presented with items and then they would be asked if they have seen the item before in the experiment (old item) or haven’t (new item). Introduction Human memory accesses or scans items in memory in a short-term old-new r ecognition memory task as proposed by Sternberg in the Sternberg paradigm. Different people scan their memory in different ways with different results with others being better than others in the scanning process (Sternberg, 1966). The participants were presented with list of items and they were to identify if the item presented was from a previously presented list or if it was a new item. This was to give a result and enable a probe on the habits of the human brain in analysis and scanning of items and memory of the same. The standard result having been declared by Stenberg, suggested that the mind scans all items in the mind to figure out whether the new item belongs to an old list of to a new list, hence, the more the items the more the response time needed to figure out. This is whether the target list is new or not. This leads to exhaustion of the brain a factor which further reduces the time needed to respond to the item. Limited capacity parallel access theory and familiarity- based decision making theory have similar results with Sternberg’s RT. The exhaustive search shows consistent results with the mean RT too. Limited capacity parallel access theory however differs in that it assumes that the items are accessed simultaneously but the memory comparison rate decreases as the set size increases. The simultaneous access causes the brain to reduce the effective time taken to compare the item with the items on the other lists.Advertising Looking for research paper on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More On the other hand, the familiarity-based decision making theory the participants compare the target item to a global composite of all the items in memory; if the familiarity or similarity of the target to this composite memory reaches some threshold then the participants will identify whether the item belongs to the old list or it belongs to the new list (Nosofsky, 2011). Should we obtain standard results in the experiment as of the above theories, it will indicate that the basic underlying architecture of memory access does not vary between the different item types (James, 2001). If the slope sizes are different then this means that accessing the different items has different â€Å"costs†, either in terms of the time necessary to scan each item (i.e., a serial exhaustive model account), the capacity limitation placed on the rate of processing (i.e., a parallel model account) or the rate at which memory for individual items decreases with an item’s lag or its position on the list (i.e., a familiarity-based account). Method Participants The total number of participants was 67, that is, all the 3rd year students enrolled in the Advanced Topics in Cognition Laboratory classes. Apparatus Participants were tested in groups on lab computers running a MATLAB-based experiment designed using the Psychophysics toolbox (Brainard, 1997; Pelli, 1991). Stimuli Objects used included items which were low in conceptual distinctiveness [earrings, fish hooks, salt pepper shakers, child sip cups, computer keys, jack-o-lanterns, keyboards, microwaves) or high in conceptual distinctiveness [car fronts, juices, mp3 players, road signs, bill money, cigarette packs, coins, muffins] or ProcedureAdvertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The ability to distinguish and memorise the items specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The experiment started by displaying to the participants the various items of study. They were given 500ms to view the items and scan them in their memory. After that, they would be asked to present the items they had scanned (saw during the first procedure), for this they were given 1000ms with 200ms break after each presentation. The memory set was varying in a range of 1 to 5. After the final study item was presented to the participant, an asterisk was placed fo r 1000ms to signal that the next digit presented was the test probe . The item then had to remain on the screen until the participant made a response. This however was marked by as asterisk to indicate that more time was needed by the participant to identify the item. One was required to identify the item being presented to them if they had seen it before they would press the left button but if they think it was a new item then they would press the right button. Results There were 67 participants but only 53 tests were regarded for analysis. This is because 12 of the data files were lost due to the computer error and 2 of the participants results were cancelled after they were found to be less than the average accuracy of all participants 3 x the standard deviation minus. The major analysis was to focus on size 2 to 5 and as such we had trials which were had RT that were less that 200msec or greater than 3 x the std + the average of each of the investigated conditions. 1.24% of the trials were removed using this method. Within each set size, we then compute the median RT for each set size x condition (high v/s low conceptual distinctiveness) x probe (present v/s absent) condition. Set size 1 was excluded from further analysis due to a lack of meaningful RT differences between the probe present and probe absent trials. Advertising Looking for research paper on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The High CD condition replicates the standard observed lag functions (e.g., Monsell, 1978) The Low CD condition does the same but there is a slight increase in RT for long lists at lags 2 and 3. Note that because the probe’s lag position was not controlled but was just randomly allocated from trial to trial, there are markedly fewer trials at this point (N ~= 85) than at other points (e.g., lag 1, set size 1, N ~= 400). Consequently, the observed lag effect is not significant. Presentation The questions in the questioner were open ended and difficult terms were defined to enhance the understanding of the questions. Simple and easy to conceptualize language was used in designing the questions. This was in a bid to enhance a clear understanding on the side of the respondent regardless of their literacy level. Data obtained from the report was presented in form of tables and graphs. This was done to enhance ease in understanding as well as conceptualization of the results obtain ed. Tables and graphs aided in the summarization of information since they presented them in the simplest form possible (Little, 2011). The briefing of results widened the scope of individuals able to access as well as understands the results. The complexity and tediousness that come with reading large volumes of text is thus reduced. A lot of information can hence be obtained by only a glance at the tables and graphs. Discussion If the experiment gets results that are not concordant with the Stenberg result then this would provide a strong evidence against the above three mentioned theories. The standard Sternberg result is unable to adjudicate between these theories. The slope of the set size function can still provide insight into how different types of stimuli are accessed or into how different clinical populations access items in memory (e.g., people with mental retardation have steeper set size slopes than people without mental retardation, Harris Fleer, 1974). This lab exper iment will focus on the former by comparing lists of items which are conceptually similar and lists of items which are conceptually distinct. In the present experiment, we compare old-new recognition performance for conceptually similar and conceptually distinctive items by using the Sternberg paradigm and varying a) the set size presented on each trial, b) whether the probe is present or absent on each trial and c) the category of items presented on each trial (i.e., either conceptually distinctive or conceptually similar items will be presented on each trial). We are specifically interested in whether a) both types of items result in the standard Sternberg result and b) whether the slope of the set size function is equivalent between both types of items. References Baym, V. (2008). Accurate forced-choice recognition without awareness of memory retrieval. Learning and memory , 454-459. Beins, B. (2004). Research Methods: a tool for life. Michigan: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon. Brandon, K. (2011). Electron Nursing Documentation as a Strategy to Improve Quality Care. Journal of Nursing scholarship , 154-162. Bruke, J. (2009). Report writing. New York: Cengage. Course, O. U. (2008). Thinking Critically. New York: Open University Worldwide. Covey, S. R. (2003). 7 Habits of Highly Influential People. New York: Hay House Incorporated. Daniel, P. (1991). Videotoolbox Software for visual psychophysics. Transforming numbers into movies , 437-442. Government, A. (2000, June 3). Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011 . Retrieved from Comlaw: https://www.legislation.gov.au/ James, W. (2001). Psychology: The briefer Course. New York: Courier Dover Publications. James, W. (2007). The Principles of Psychology. New York: Cosimo. Johnson, T. (1971). A note on the identifiability of parallel and serial precessess. Perception Psychophysics , 161-163. Little, N. (2012). Activation in the nueral network responsible for categorization and reflection parameter. Procee dings of the national Assembly , 333-338. Little, N. (2011). Short-Term memory Scanning Viewed as Exemplar-Based Categorization. Psychological Review , 280-315. Myers, D. G. (2009). Psychology In Modules. New York: Worth Publishers. Nairnei, J. S. (2010). Psychology. Chicago: Cengage Learning. Nevid, J. S. (2007). Psychology: Concepts and Applications. Chicago: Cengage. Patrick Mcneill, S. C. (2009). Research Methods: Third Edition. Chicago: Cengage Learning. Phil, R. (2010). Experiment in Psychology. Chicago: Prentice Hall. Ruth, R. (1978). A theory of Memory Retrieval. Psychological Review , 50-108. Susan, S. (1966, August). High-speed scanning in human memory. Science , 652-654. Weiten, W. (2010). Psychology: Themes and Variations. Chicago: Cengage Learning. White, L. (2008). Foundations of Nursing. Chicago: Cengage Learning. William m., J. P. (2006). Research Methods Knowledge Base. 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East Timor essays

East Timor essays East Timor is located on the small island of Timor (slightly smaller than Maryland). This land is situated between Indonesia and Australia. The other half of the island is Indonesias province of West Timor. This small territory of East Timor is currently under a U.N. transitional government with total sovereignty scheduled for 2002-2003. The past of East Timor has been littered with Imperialism. Starting mid 1500s when Portugal colonized the territory through Japanese occupation during WWII, and again a return to Portuguese rule. Then in the wake of Portuguese de-colonization and civil war, a brutal military occupation by its new neighbor Indonesia. In 1509 the Portuguese arrived in the area of East Timor. They established their first settlements there in 1633. During the time before 1859 these two colonial powers signed a treaty establishing a boundary that divided Timor into the Dutch controlled west and the Portuguese controlled east. During Portuguese control many members of the native population where enslaved. In 1910 a rebellion of native peoples was suppressed after an n 18-month war for independence. During WWII The Empire of Japan occupied the Island of Timor. The Japanese also occupied all of the surrounding islands of Indonesia. During the occupation there was brutal fighting and nearly 40,000 East Timorese where killed in the struggle. After Japanese forces withdrew at the end of the war, rebellion broke out in Indonesia and in east Timor. Indonesias revolt against the Dutch was extremely successful ending in Indonesias independence. While in east Timor the rebellion was quickly and brutally put down by the Portuguese military. The Portuguese would remain in control until 1975 (despite U.N. calls for self-determination) when Portugals government was overthrown by its own military, which began a process of de-colonization. It is during this time that...

Developing Yourself As A Supervisor Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Developing Yourself As A Supervisor - Assignment Example An excogitation of this notion is imperative to comprehend what is required to develop oneself as a supervisor. Leadership involves much dynamic roles to be played by supervisor in order to achieve the goals both effectively and efficiently. Leadership or leading is more about influencing people through examples rather than merely exercising authority over them. Bateman-Snell (2003, p15) delineate the term as, "Leading is stimulating people to be high performers. It is directing, motivating, and communicating with employees, individually and in groups. Leading involves close day-to-day contact with people, helping to guide and inspire them toward achieving team and organizational goals. Leading takes place in teams, departments, and divisions, as well as at the tops of large organizations". The above definition subtly enkindles an approach towards people-management. It reflects that a leader in true sense is a people-player, being capable of driving people to achieve high standards of performance through proper direction, communication and motivation. In order to be successful as a leader, the supervisor needs to be capable of determining a 'direction' to be followed, 'communicates' the goals to the team members and then 'motivates' them to accomplish those goals in the most desirable manner. Motivation plays a key role in ... He nurtures the environment for development, creates an atmosphere of contribution and drives the willingness of subordinates to work by reconciling the organisational benefits to their personal welfare. Horner (1997, p274) further elaborates this point as, "leaders understand what people value, they can impact people's actions by defining what behaviours will produce desired outcomes". Hence, the leader directs and motivates the people after developing a sound understanding of his team members and their personal desires. Therefore, leadership does not only lie in setting goals, having a vision and identifying direction for competitive advantage, rather in order to be a successful supervisor one needs to identify his people's needs and coordinate their efforts through personal qualities. Mastrangelo, Eddy and Lorenzet (2004, p435) state that, "effective leaders engage in both professional leadership behaviors (e.g. setting a mission, creating a process for achieving goals, aligning processes and procedures) and personal leadership behaviours (e.g. building trust, caring for people, acting morally)". The crux of this concept is that both personal and professional calibres of leadership cannot be termed as innate, as these qualities can be acquired and developed consistently through practice and experience. However, the question lies in a leader's own desire to understand people and exert effort to inspire them. As understood, the focus of leadership is people and an effective management of people is the key to effective leadership. Heifetz and Lauries (1997, 46), "Before putting people to work on challenges doe which there are no ready solutions. A leader must realize that people can learn only so much so

Class student dicussions answers Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Class student dicussions answers - Assignment Example You also provided a simple ‘what to do’ measures in order to eliminate the risk of viruses affecting the computer. It is a good insight that you gave about training the new users on how to detect scam emails and not click on the provided unknown links, and also executing an anti-malware or anti-virus scan whenever accessing an external memory drive. You could have also added not auto-executing flash drive programs or executables. Another thing that I feel should be a part of training for novices should be proper usage of trusted sites for downloads security features available in the browsers. Brain, you defined what Kevin said. You explained how a honeypot is implemented outside the main network and it sacrifices itself for the protection of the main, critical network. The best things that you told about the honeypot networks in general, are the disadvantages of implementing them. Cost was always a default factor but yes it would take more toil on the system administrator to monitor and look after this network’s resources. I would partially agree with the last comment you made on comparing advantages and disadvantages. For critical data organizations, we do need these honeypots but for smaller organizations, we cannot afford to have such a high cost. You also specifically mentioned what intrusion detection systems and firewalls we can use for information security. As opposed to Kevin, you have provided specific details on three main techniques of ensuring information security within the organization. You also made good points on differentiating how software and hardware security systems work in unison to provide maximum security to the organizational data. I completely agree that software based security is either algorithmic or rule based but hardware based security is almost rule based. The explanation of how routers work

Psychology Assessments - Reliability and Validity Essay

Psychology Assessments - Reliability and Validity - Essay Example There are some cases in which an assessment instrument can be reliable but not be valid. Suppose for instance a person used an assessment instrument. There are corresponding results in the assessment using the said instrument. However, the use of the assessment instrument cannot be entirely valid if the person using it is not an expert at understanding the results from the assessment. Thus, this is the same as the assessment instrument is not valid at all considering that it gives results but cannot be acceptable. The assessment instrument therefore has to be used by the right person in order for its result to be valid and in general, it can be reliable. In this case, the reliability and validity of the assessment instrument is associated with its user. Thus, a higher level of reliability cannot be given to the assessment instrument considering that the validity issue is in question. In the above illustration, the entire issue is not a two-way process between the reliability and vali dity issues within the assessment instrument. There has to be another external factor and in this case the level of reliability and validity of an assessment instrument may vary with respect to its user.

The contribution of motherese or child-directed speech

The contribution of motherese or child-directed speech Language is the standard by which higher intellectual processes are revealed. It is important means of social communication and is one of the exceptional systems of habits which distinguish man from the animals. Differences in language account for many of the distinct contrasts between peoples, and to its deficiency may be attributed the differences between intellectual development. As preverbal infant it is important for caregivers to know how to acquire the fundamental aspects of language more efficiently. Motherese or child-directed speech (CDS) is a pattern of speech which is used for communication with preverbal children. Child-directed speech found to draw children attention more decently due to distinctive characteristics (Brand, Baldwin Ashburn, 2002; Bohannon Marquis, 1977; Fernald Mazzie, 1991; Greiser Kuhl, 1988; Hoff-Ginsberg, 1986; Masataka, 1998; ONeill, Bard, Linnel, Fluck, 2005; Rowe, Pan Coker, 2004; Sokol, Webster, Thompson Stevens, 2005; Tamis-LeMonda Borns tein, 1994). In this study we will investigate the aspects of child-directed speech and the contribution of it to infants language development. First, to describe CDS it is important to underline that for occurrence of CDS an infants or young childs presence is required. Adults, especially mothers, use this pattern of communication by adjusting, their linguistic and prosodic aspects of speech which construct the concept of motherese. Child-directed speech is distinctive by its slower production of utterances, and pitch contours are often pronounced more clearly and exaggerated (Brand, Baldwin Ashburn, 2002; Bohannon Marquis, 1977; Fernald Mazzie, 1991; Greiser Kuhl, 1988; Hoff-Ginsberg, 1986; Masataka, 1998; ONeill, Bard, Linnel, Fluck, 2005; Rowe, Pan Coker, 2004; Sokol, Webster, Thompson Stevens, 2005; Tamis-LeMonda Bornstein, 1994). Several studies indicate that prosodic features of child-directed speech are far more important than its syntactic or semantic features (Greiser Kuhl, 1988). Moreover, studies show that the exaggerated prosody of CDS increases the salience of acoustic cues to linguistic structure for the preverbal infant (Fernald Mazzie, 1991). Additionally, the prosodic features of the maternal speech help infant to distinguish the identical syllables (Greiser Kuhl, 1988). The evidence show, that child-directed speech is characterized by perceptual features which are more attractive to children, although it is important to investigate the contribution of motherese on language development. The study of Greiser and Kuhl (1988) provide us with three general explanations of CDS to contribution to language development. Three major characteristics are described in a study of Greiser and Kuhl (1988) consistent of linguistic, attentional, and social/affective constructs. Linguistic explanation is characterized by expanded pitch contours which serve as indication of linguistic boundaries (Greiser Kuhl, 1988). Moreover, by highlighting the linguistic boundaries make the language explanation more efficient (Greiser Kuhl, 1988). In several studies of syntax growth related to maternal speech, the most frequently appearing predictor of syntax growth is the occurrence in input of expansions, reacts, and other sorts of utterances that repeat some or all of the semantic content of the prior utterance while changing the syntactic form of expression (Hoff-Ginsberg, 1986). In addition, positive effects have been found of mothers utterances that repeat part of the childs previous utterance and of utterances in which mothers or experimenters repeat part of their own previous utterance (Hoff-Ginsberg, 1986).Natura listic and experimental studies have also found the occurrence of yes or no questions in input to be positively associated with measure of childrens syntax growth (Hoff-Ginsberg, 1986). The attentional characteristic of CDS contributes to the level of perceived language by the infant, and the level of prominence of perceived language respectively (Greiser Kuhl, 1988). By using high pitch contours combined with deep emotional expressions contribute to the level and prominence of perceived utterances (Greiser Kuhl, 1988). Moreover, Sokol, et al. (2005) proposes that maternal speech patterns is more suitable for the infants immature auditory system. The study shows , that maternal pattern of speech is adjusting to infants auditory and cognitive abilities. By adjusting to infants auditory and cognitive abilities it is credible to draw and maintain infants attention. Social/affective characteristic of CDS contribute to infants language development by regulating infants affective state (Greiser Kuhl, 1988). In a study of Clarck (as cited in Sokol et al., 2005) suggest that salience regulation of infants affective state may sustain language learning at the early stages of development. The use of higher and expanded pitch contours allow mothers to assign important affective discriminative stimuli and information which will be identified by the infant as positive signals regulating the infants affective state (Greiser Kuhl, 1988; Sokol et al., 2005). Child-directed speech serves to adjust the affective states of the infant depending on whether the caregiver encouraging, soothing or just seeking to elicit the infants attention (Sokol et al., 2005). According to developmental psychologists nonlinguistic representations of the world contribute and constrain the structure of child language and the course of its development (Tamis-LeMonda Bornstein, 1994). What is more, when interacting with infants adults alter their movements in ways that increase infants attention to action and highlight meaningful units within the flow of motion (Brand, Baldwin Ashburn, 2002). Mothers shape their language-related gestures to infants, using fewer gestures over all, and more often gestures to reinforce or disambiguate the verbal message, rather than to add new information (Brand et al., 2002). Gestures associated with child-directed speech called motionese are likely to assist infants attention to action (Brand et al., 2002). Such reinforced attention should help infants to learn about action more readily (Brand et al., 2002). Studies show that mothers showed higher level of enthusiasm and interest in the object demonstrating to infants, which is considered reinforcing behavior for the baby (Brand et al., 2002). Additionally, increased gaze from mothers in mothers infant-directed action, help maintain infants attention and thus can benefit in language and cognitive development (Brand et al., 2002). Overall it is important to evaluate gestures as a part child-directed speech because of their attentional and linguistic contribution to infants development. Child-directed speech or motherese is a universal pattern of speech with preverbal children by caregivers independent of language (Greiser Kuhl, 1988). Some aspects of motherese as motionese could be found in different sign languages, whereas sign motherese shares analogous characteristics with maternal speech (Masataka, 1998). In her study Masataka (1998) found that hearing infants exposed to motherese sign language showed more interest and attraction then to adult sign language. This study support that, special properties evident in infant-directed speech may have universal attentional and affective significance (Masataka, 1998). In addition, it is important to investigate the importance of father talk to infants and their contribution to the language development. Several studies demonstrate the difference in the ways fathers talk to their preverbal infants (Rowe et al., 2004). Fathers in Western middle-class produce more directives, more wh-questions, and more frequent requests for clarification in talk with children, thus engaging children in more complex cognitive processes (Rowe et al., 2004).Fathers tend to use directives in their indirect form which may present cognitive/linguistic challenges in interpretation (Rowe et al., 2004). By addressing the wh-questions the conversation becoming more demanding and require child to respond non-imitatively and verbally (Rowe et al., 2004). Although there are only few studies on paternal talk to the infant it is clear that CDS of father contribute to the language development by putting the child in more complex linguistic and cognitive processes. Concluding it is important to underline aspects of motherese contributing to language development. Child-directed speech or motherese, play an important role in language development of an infant. Motherese prosodic characteristics influence directly the language development because of its slower and smooth production, higher and exaggerated pitch contours and sensitive pause distribution in utterances. Additionally, motherese influence the child affective and attentional states, which contributes indirectly to the language development. Although, there is a lot of evidence about child-directed speech positive qualities there should be more investigation about the contribution of child-directed speech to language development. Word Count: 1337

Fall of Rome - the militarys role :: Ancient Rome Roman History

Fall of Rome - the military's role The Military's Role in the Beginning of the End of Rome The fall of Rome occurred over many centuries and was caused by several factors including military decay, barbarian invasions, and the failure of the government to respond to these problems. While these problems existed to a greater of lesser degree, since the end of the 2nd century, their effects were accelerated by the reforms of the emperors Constantine and Diocletian. These reforms changed Roman life as well as the face of the Roman army, moving it away from its classical infantry-based structure to a more cavalry-based system. The army was reorganized into lightly armed troops called "limitanei" who defended the border, and large mobile armies composed of troops called "comitatenses". The border troops were given land to live on around forts they protected. This structure led to farming becoming the job of the border troops so that they could feed as well as protect those on the frontier. Over time, this in turn led to out of date weaponry and neglect in training. The weakness of these troops meant that more mobile troops were needed to compensate, and an easily penetrable border as a result of the weakness led to the need for highly efficient mobile armies. Since t he cavalry were the most mobile unit of the army, they began to be the favored military unit. With forces strung along the border and concentrated large mobile armies, an increased number of recruits were required; however, land owners were reluctant to let themselves or their kin be recruited because that left less workers for their farms. At the same time, the division of the empire into outer imperial provinces and inner provinces controlled by the Senate had its own effect. Since the armies largely remained in the outer imperial provinces, the people of the inner provinces were out of touch with the army and were no longer attracted to service, again reducing the available pool of recruits. One reason that many avoided Army service was because Roman citizenship was now offered freely, where in prior times military service had been a path to citizenship. The result was less manpower available for Rome. The Roman army was left with no choice but to recruit barbarians, who could in this way both find employment where they had no skills, and hope to obtain Roman citizenship.

Performance of Telecom Service Provider

ASA University Review, Vol. 5 No. 2, July–December, 2011 Performance of Grameenphone and Robi in Telecom. Sector of Bangladesh: A Comparative Study S. M. Akterujjaman* Md. Rouf Biswas* Md. Nur-E-Alam Siddique** Abstract The last decade has brought the first wave of the truly mobile generation which is built around mobile phones, short messaging service (SMS), and portable electronic assistants. The mobile communications industry has been one of the most flourishing sectors within the ICT industry and, in general, within the economy.Grameenphone and Robi are the biggest mobile phone operators in our country and their contribution is very great to our economy. The prime objective of the study is to compare the performance between Grameenphone and Robi in the telecommunications sector of Bangladesh. This study is based on the basis of both primary and secondary data. The primary data were collected from relative mobile phone companies’ customers from Khulna city. Total 200 customers (100 customers of Grameenphone and 100 customers of Robi) were surveyed through the judgmental sampling method with questionnaire from March to June 2011.The questionnaire consisted of 25 questions. After collection of primary data, hypotheses were formulated and paired samples T-test was used to test the hypotheses with 0. 05 level of statistical significance. The statistical computer package SPSS version 16. 0 was used to analyze the data. The recommendations were provided based on the findings and analysis. Key words: Performance, Telecommunications sector, Grameenphone, Robi, Customer satisfaction, Network, Hypotheses. Introduction The people of Bangladesh are now dreaming of a digital Bangladesh.Faster development of telecommunications network coupled with improved quality of service in line with the national development is a must for the fulfillment of the vision and aspiration of digital Bangladesh and also to take her to a position of honor in the community of nat ions in the 21st century. Mobile phone operators have been playing an important role in this regard (Rahman, 2010). The last decade has brought the first wave of the truly mobile generation which is built around mobile phones, short messaging service (SMS), and portable electronic assistants.But now there is strong evidence to suggest that there is an even bigger wave to come driven by the increasing worldwide technological trend towards mobility and technology integration. This is evident through the plans and strategic directions of many of the major players in this field (Mahmud and Chowdhury, 2010). * ** Senior Lecturers, Department of Business Administration, Northern University Bangladesh Lecturer, Faculty of Business, ASA University Bangladesh 160 ASA University Review, Vol. 5 No. 2, July–December, 2011The telecommunication services in Bangladesh were provided until 1989 by the state-owned monopoly provider Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board (BTTB), telecommunica tions services. In 1989, the Government of Bangladesh opened the telecom sector by awarding licenses to two operators; one to operate fixed telephones in rural areas (Bangladesh Rural Telecom Authority); and the other to operate cellular mobile phone and pager (Bangladesh Telecom LtdBTL) services. In 1992, Pacific Bangladesh Telecom Limited (PBTL) bought the mobile part of the BTL (Khan 2003).The telecommunications market in Bangladesh, particularly the mobile phone sector consists of six mobile phone operators. These are Grameenphone Limited (GP), Orascom Telecom Bangladesh Limited (Banglalink), Robi Axiata Limited, Airtel Bangladesh Limited, Pacific Bangladesh Telecom Limited (Citycell), and Teletalk Bangladesh Limited (http://www. btrc. gov. bd). Since its inception Grameenphone has built the largest cellular network in the country with over 13,000 base stations in more than 7000 locations. Presently, nearly 98 percent of the country's population is within the coverage area of th e Grameenphone network.Grameenphone has always been a pioneer in introducing new products and services in the local market. GP was the first company to introduce GSM technology in Bangladesh when it launched its services in March 1997. Grameenphone was also the first operator to introduce the pre-paid service in September 1999. It established the first 24-hour Call Center, introduced value-added services such as VMS, SMS, fax and data transmission services, international roaming service, WAP, SMS-based pushpull services, EDGE, personal ring back tone and many other products and services.The entire Grameenphone network is also EDGE/GPRS enabled, allowing access to high-speed Internet and data services from anywhere within the coverage area. There are currently nearly 2. 6 million EDGE/GPRS users in the Grameenphone network. Today, Grameenphone is the leading telecommunications service provider in Bangladesh with more than 33 million subscribers as of May 2011 (http://www. grameenphon e. com). The shareholders of Grameenphone contribute their unique, in-depth experience in both telecommunications and development. It is a joint venture enterprise between Telenor (55. %), the largest telecommunications service provider in Norway with mobile phone operations in 12 other countries, and Grameen Telecom Corporation (34. 2% ), a non-profit sister concern of the internationally acclaimed micro-credit pioneer Grameen Bank. The other 10% shares belong to general retail and institutional investors (http://www. grameenphone. com). Robi Axiata Limited is a joint venture company between Axiata Group Berhad, Malaysia and NTT DOCOMO INC, Japan. It was formerly known as Telecom Malaysia International (Bangladesh) which commenced operations in Bangladesh in 1997 with the brand name AKTEL.On 28th March 2010, the service name was rebranded as ‘Robi’ and the company came to be known as Robi Axiata Limited. Robi is truly a people-oriented brand of Bangladesh. Robi, the pe ople's champion, is there for the people of Bangladesh, where they want and the way they want. Having the local tradition at its core, Robi marches ahead with innovation and creativity. To ensure leading-edge technology, Robi draws from the international expertise of Axiata and NTT DOCOMO INC. It supports 2G voice, CAMEL Phase II & III and GPRS/EDGE service with high speed internet connectivity.Its GSM service is based on a robust network architecture and cutting edge technology such as Intelligent Network (IN), which provides peace-of-mind The Performance of Grameenphone and Robi 161 solutions in terms of voice clarity, extensive nationwide network coverage and multiple global partners for international roaming. It has the widest International Roaming coverage in Bangladesh connecting 600 operators across more than 200 countries. Its customer centric solution includes value added services, quality customer care, easy access call centers, digital network security and flexible tariff rates (http://www. obi. com. bd). Robi Axiata Limited is a Joint Venture company between Axiata Group Berhad (70%) and NTT DOCOMO INC. (30%) (http://www. robi. com. bd). Objectives of the Study The prime objective of the study is to compare the performance between Grameenphone and Robi in the telecommunications sector of Bangladesh. The more specific objectives are as follows: 1. To determine the factors that influence consumers to choose a mobile phone operator. 2. To find out different types of facilities that both companies are offering to grasp new customers and to retain the present one. . To know about the specific area where subscribers are satisfied or dissatisfied. 4. To find out the level of customer satisfaction towards the services provided by Grameenphone and Robi. 5. To provide some recommendations to increase the performance of Grameenphone and Robi. Methodology of the Study The methodology adopted for the current study is presented below in a sequential manner: Sour ces of Data: This study is based on both primary and secondary data. Primary data were collected through personal interview with a structured questionnaire and direct observations.Secondary data were collected from the published official statistics, report documents, laws, ordinance, books, articles, periodicals of different domestic and international agencies, annual reports of concerned cell phone operators, ministry of posts & telecommunications, websites etc. Questionnaire Design: The primary data were collected from relative mobile phone companies’ customers from Khulna city. Total 200 customers (100 customers of Robi and 100 customers of Grameenphone) were surveyed through the convenience sampling method with questionnaire from March to June 2011.The questionnaire consisted of 25 questions. The questionnaire was pre-tested (piloted) on a convenience sample of 30 respondents of both cell phone companies from Khulna city. The aim was to check that the issues were pertinen t and the questions were clear, understandable, and comprehensible. The layout of some questions was modified and further improvements were done as a result of the pilot study. Data Analysis Methods: A five-point Likert type scale statements were used to measure the variables where 1 stands for strongly disagreed and 5 stands for strongly agreed effect on the statements (Luthans, 2002).After collection of primary data, hypotheses were formulated and paired samples t-test was used to test the hypotheses with 0. 05 level of statistical significance. The statistical computer package SPSS version 16. 0 was used to analyze the data. 162 ASA University Review, Vol. 5 No. 2, July–December, 2011 Hypotheses Formulation: Research hypothesis is an unproven statement, which helps the researcher to draw the suggestion on his hypothetical assumption whether it is true or false based on some specific statistical test (Alam and Neger, 2009). For the convenience of the study the following hyp otheses are developed which are to be tested.Table 1: Developing Hypotheses for Different Factors Alternative hypothesis Factors Null hypothesis (H0) (Ha) Network Coverage x ncm? 0 x ncm* =0 Effectiveness of Network x enm? 0 x enm=0 Low Call Rate x lcrm=0 x lcrm? 0 Availability of SIM Card x ascm=0 x ascm? 0 Low Price SIM Card x lpscm=0 x lpscm? 0 Solution of the Problems Related to x sprsrm=0 x sprsrm? 0 SIM Replacement Special Offer to the Customers x socm=0 x socm? 0 Free Talk Time & Bonus Facilities x ftbfm=0 x ftbfm? 0 Pulse Facility x pfm=0 x pfm? 0 Availability of Flexi Load/Easy Load x aflelfm=0 x aflelfm? 0 Facility Friends & Family Number Facility x ffnm=0 x ffnm? Internet & GPRS Connection x igcm=0 x igcm? 0 Location of the Service Center x lscm? 0 x lscm=0 Value Added Services Facilities x vasfm? 0 x vasfm=0 *m= Two Mobile Companies (i. e Grameenphone and Robi) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. Empirical Findings and Analysis An analysis is generated from th e questionnaire to fulfill the objectives of the study. In order to analyze the collected data a 5-point Likert type scale has been used. 5 stands for highly satisfied customers, 4 stands for only satisfied customers, 3 stands for neutral customers, 2 stands for dissatisfied customers, and 1 stands for highly dissatisfied customers.Several judgments are being made from the responses of customers to validate the objectives of the study. The results are presented below: 1. Network Coverage Network availability is an important factor to the customers. They give more emphasis in this particular point in purchasing the brand. The Performance of Grameenphone and Robi Table 2: Satisfaction Regarding Network Coverage Options Highly Satisfied Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied Highly Dissatisfied Total Mean Value ( x ) Standard Deviation (SD) Coefficient of Variation (CV) Source: Field Survey, March-June 2011 163 Value 5 4 3 2 1Frequency Grameenphone 34 55 11 0 0 100 4. 23 . 63333 14. 97 Robi 15 46 29 8 2 100 3. 64 . 90476 24. 86 From the above table, it is found that 34% respondents of GP are highly satisfied and 55% respondents are satisfied regarding network coverage. On the other hand, 15% respondents of Robi are highly satisfied and 46% respondents are satisfied and 29% respondents showed their neutrality regarding network coverage. Here mean value of GP and Robi respondents regarding network coverage are respectively 4. 23 and 3. 64 and the coefficient of variation are respectively 14. 97 and 24. 6, which indicate that GP is in a very strong position than Robi. 2. Effectiveness of Network When the customers have the information in their hand about the different network facility of the different cell phone operators then they give the priority to buy the connection of that operator which has the best coverage. Customers also give importance on the effectiveness of the network. Table 3 shows that 62% customers are satisfied and 25% customers are highly satisfied about the effectiveness of network of GP. On the other hand, 32% customers were neutral in their opinion towards the effectiveness of network of Robi.Of whom 26% customers were satisfied and 18% customers were highly satisfied. The mean value of customers response towards the effectiveness of network of GP is 4. 12, which lies in satisfied category, while mean value of Robi is 3. 29 which lies in neutral category of customers opinion. Table 3: Effectiveness of Network Options Highly Satisfied Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied Highly Dissatisfied Total Mean Value ( x ) Standard Deviation (SD) Coefficient of Variation (CV) Source: Field Survey, March-June 2011 Value 5 4 3 2 1 Frequency Grameenphone 25 62 13 0 0 100 4. 2 . 60769 14. 75 Robi 18 26 32 15 9 100 3. 29 1. 19168 36. 22 164 ASA University Review, Vol. 5 No. 2, July–December, 2011 The coefficient of variation of GP and Robi are respectively 14. 75 and 36. 22 which indicate that the opinion of the customers of GP is less deviated than Robi. 3. Call Rate From the table 4 it is found that 48% respondents of Robi showed their neutrality and 31% and 18% respondents were respectively satisfied and highly satisfied. On the other hand, 73% GP customers are dissatisfied and 15% are highly satisfied towards the call rate.Table 4: Satisfaction Regarding Call Rate Options Highly Satisfied Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied Highly Dissatisfied Total Mean Value ( x ) Standard Deviation (SD) Coefficient of Variation (CV) Source: Field Survey, March-June 2011 Value 5 4 3 2 1 Frequency Grameenphone Robi 0 18 0 31 12 48 73 3 15 0 100 100 1. 97 3. 64 .52136 . 81054 26. 46 22. 27 Here mean value of GP and Robi respondents are respectively 1. 97 and 3. 64 indicate that Robi is in strong position than GP regarding call rate. The value of CV of Rabi and GP are 22. 27 and 26. 46 accordingly. It is observed that the CV of Robi is lower than GP.That means the customers of Robi perceived low call rate than that of GP. 4. Availability of SIM Card From the table 5 it is found that GP customers enjoy availability of the SIM card. That’s why about 47% respondents of GP are in highly satisfied level and 38% are satisfied regarding availability of SIM card. On the other hand, 28% Robi customers were neutral and 31% were satisfied towards availability of SIM card. Table 5: Availability of SIM Card Options Highly Satisfied Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied Highly Dissatisfied Total Mean Value ( x ) Standard Deviation (SD) Coefficient of Variation (CV) Source: Field Survey, March-June 2011Value 5 4 3 2 1 Frequency Grameenphone Robi 47 15 38 31 15 28 0 19 0 7 100 100 4. 32 3. 28 . 72307 1. 14662 16. 74 34. 96 The Performance of Grameenphone and Robi 165 Here mean value of GP and Robi respondents regarding availability of the SIM cards are respectively 4. 32 and 3. 28 and the coefficient of variation are respectively 16. 74 and 34. 96, indicate that GP is in a strong position than Robi. 5. Low Price SIM Card Customers al ways expect that when they will feel the necessity for the SIM card of nay mobile phone operators, at that time they will get the SIM card in low price.Table 6 shows that 40% respondents of GP are dissatisfied and 35% respondents are neutral in their opinion regarding low price SIM card. On the other hand, 32% Robi customers were satisfied and 29% were highly satisfied about low price SIM card. The mean value of customers’ response regarding low price SIM card of GP is 2. 57, which lies in neutral category, while mean value of Robi is 3. 79, which falls in satisfied category of customers responses. In this regard, the value of CV of Robi is lower than that of GP. It is found that the opinion of the customers of Robi is less scattered than GP i. Robi offer low price SIM card. Table 6: Low Price SIM Card Options Highly Satisfied Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied Highly Dissatisfied Total Mean Value ( x ) Standard Deviation (SD) Coefficient of Variation (CV) Source: Field Survey, M arch-June 2011 Value 5 4 3 2 1 Frequency Grameenphone 5 9 35 40 11 100 2. 57 . 97706 38. 02 Robi 29 32 28 11 0 100 3. 79 . 98775 26. 06 6. Solution of the Problems Related to SIM Replacement Table 7 shows that 54% respondents of GP are satisfied and 21% respondents are neutral in satisfaction regarding solution of the problems related to SIM replacement.About 54. 00% of the respondents of GP are above the satisfied level. On the other hand, 47% Robi customers are satisfied and 24% customers showed their neutrality. 166 ASA University Review, Vol. 5 No. 2, July–December, 2011 Table 7: Solution of the Problems Related to SIM Replacement Options Value 5 4 3 2 1 Frequency Grameenphone Robi 16 13 54 47 21 24 9 11 0 5 100 100 3. 77 3. 52 . 82701 1. 01980 21. 94 28. 97 Highly Satisfied Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied Highly Dissatisfied Total Mean Value ( x ) Standard Deviation (SD) Coefficient of Variation (CV) Source: Field Survey, March-June 2011Here mean value of GP and Robi resp ondents about satisfaction regarding solution of the problems related to SIM replacement are respectively 3. 77 and 3. 52 and the CV is 21. 94 and 28. 97 accordingly. It is observed that the CV of GP is less than the CV of Robi. So, the researchers can conclude that the customers GP are more satisfied than that of Robi towards satisfaction regarding solution of the problems related to SIM replacement. 7. Special Offers to the Customers: Customers always expect that their operators will give some special offers to them regularly.The operators who are providing special offers to customers, are getting more customers. Table 7 reveals that about 39% respondents of Robi are satisfied and 26% are neutral. On the other hand, 37% GP customers are showing their neutrality and 32% was dissatisfied regarding special offers to the customers. Table 8: Special Offers to the Customers Options Highly Satisfied Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied Highly Dissatisfied Total Mean Value ( x ) Standard Deviat ion (SD) Coefficient of Variation (CV) Source: Field Survey, March-June 2011 Value 5 4 3 2 1 Frequency Grameenphone Robi 9 21 12 39 37 26 32 14 10 0 100 100 2. 78 3. 67 1. 7853 . 96457 38. 80 26. 28 Mean value of GP and Robi respondents regarding special offers to the customers are respectively 2. 78 and 3. 67 and the coefficient of variation are respectively 38. 80 and 26. 28. It indicates that Robi is in a better position than GP in providing special offers to the customers. The Performance of Grameenphone and Robi 8. Free Talk Time & Bonus Facilities 167 Free talk time & bonus facilities are very important for the customers to choose a particular mobile phone service provider. So, they always like to use the connection of that operator who will offer them free talk time & bonus facilities.Table 9: Free Talk Time & Bonus Facilities Options Highly Satisfied Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied Highly Dissatisfied Total Mean Value ( x ) Standard Deviation (SD) Coefficient of Variation (CV ) Source: Field Survey, March-June 2011 Value 5 4 3 2 1 Frequency Grameenphone Robi 0 26 0 39 7 25 51 10 42 0 100 100 1. 65 3. 81 . 60927 . 93954 36. 93 24. 66 Table 9 shows that 51% customers are dissatisfied and 42% customers are highly dissatisfied about free talk time & bonus facilities of GP. On the other hand, 39% customers were satisfied in their opinion towards free talk time & bonus facilities of Robi.Of whom 26% customers were highly satisfied and 25% customers were neutral. The mean value of customers’ response towards free talk time & bonus facilities of GP is 1. 65, which lies in dissatisfied category, while mean value of Robi is 3. 81 which lie in satisfied category of customers’ opinion. The value of CV of Robi is lower than GP and it denotes that the customers’ opinion of Robi is less deviated than GP. So, it can be concluded that the customers of Robi are enjoying more free talk time & bonus facilities than GP customers. 9. Pulse Facilitiy The c ustomers who want to talk in a short time desire for pulse facilities.There are some operators in our country who are providing pulse facilities to the customers. Table 10 reveals that about 49% respondents of Robi are dissatisfied and 22% customers are satisfied. On the other hand, 68% GP customers are dissatisfied and 23% were highly dissatisfied regarding pulse facilities to the customers. 168 ASA University Review, Vol. 5 No. 2, July–December, 2011 Table 10: Satisfaction Regarding Pulse Facility Options Highly Satisfied Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied Highly Dissatisfied Total Mean Value ( x ) Standard Deviation (SD) Coefficient of Variation (CV) Source: Field Survey, March-June 2011Value 5 4 3 2 1 Frequency Grameenphone Robi 0 5 0 22 9 17 68 49 23 7 100 100 1. 86 2. 69 . 55085 1. 05117 29. 62 39. 08 Here mean value of GP and Robi respondents regarding pulse facility to the customer are respectively 1. 86 and 2. 69 indicate that Robi is in a strong position than GP. 10. Av ailability of Flexi Load/Easy Load Facilities It is more important to the customer. Every customer wants these facilities in a convenient location. The operator who provides this facilities the customers are more satisfied on that operator than that of others.Table 11: Availability of Flexi Load/Easy Load Facilities Options Highly Satisfied Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied Highly Dissatisfied Total Mean Value ( x ) Standard Deviation (SD) Coefficient of Variation (CV) Source: Field Survey, March-June 2011 Value 5 4 3 2 1 Frequency Grameenphone Robi 63 12 32 20 5 32 0 29 0 7 100 100 4. 58 3. 01 . 58913 1. 12362 12. 86 37. 33 Table 12 shows that 63% customers are highly satisfied and 32% customers are satisfied regarding availability of flexi load facility of GP.On the other hand, 32% customers were neutral in their opinion towards Easy Load facility of Robi of whom 29% customers were dissatisfied and 20% customers were satisfied. The mean value of customers response towards availabilit y of flexi load/easy load facilities of GP is 4. 58, which lies in highly satisfied category, while mean value of Robi is 3. 01 which lies in neutral category of customers opinion. The coefficient of variation of GP and Robi are respectively 12. 86 and 37. 33 which indicate that the opinion of the customers of GP is less deviated than that of Robi.The Performance of Grameenphone and Robi 11. Friends and Family Number Facilities 169 Every customer has some special number which is very much essential to him. He or she needs to talk with these numbers frequently. So he or she expects a lower tariff for these numbers. Cell phone operators provide some facilities for these FnF number. The operator who provides lower tariff and gives opportunity to more FnF number the customers are more satisfied with that operator. Table 13 reveals that about 53% respondents of Robi are highly satisfied and 28% customers are satisfied.On the other hand, 49% GP customers are highly satisfied and 33% were satisfied regarding friends and family number facilities to the customers. Table 12: Friends and Family Number Facilities Options Highly Satisfied Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied Highly Dissatisfied Total Mean Value ( x ) Standard Deviation (SD) Coefficient of Variation (CV) Source: Field Survey, March-June 2011 Value 5 4 3 2 1 Frequency Grameenphone 49 33 14 4 0 100 4. 27 . 85108 19. 93 Robi 53 28 12 7 0 100 4. 27 . 93046 21. 79 Here mean value of GP and Robi to the customer satisfaction regarding friends and family number facilities are respectively 4. 7 and 4. 27 and the coefficient of variation are 19. 93 and 21. 79 indicate that both the operators are near about equal position. 12. Internet and GPRS Connection Internet and GPRS connection are very important for the young cell phone users. They want to get these facilities within low cost. Table 13: Internet and GPRS Connection Options Highly Satisfied Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied Highly Dissatisfied Total Mean Value ( x ) Stan dard Deviation (SD) Coefficient of Variation (CV) Source: Field Survey, March-June 2011 Value 5 4 3 2 1 Frequency Grameenphone Robi 11 8 28 25 35 31 16 22 10 14 100 100 3. 15 2. 91 1. 2254 1. 16424 35. 64 40. 01 170 ASA University Review, Vol. 5 No. 2, July–December, 2011 From the above table, it is found that 35% respondents of GP are neutral and 28% respondents are satisfied regarding Internet and GPRS connection. On the other hand, 31% respondents of Robi showed their neutrality and 25% respondents are satisfied and 22% respondents are dissatisfied regarding Internet and GPRS connection. Here mean value of GP and Robi respondents are respectively 3. 15 and 2. 91 and the coefficient of variation are respectively 35. 64 and 40. 01, which indicate that GP is in a good position than Robi. 3. Location of the Service Center Table 15 shows that 40% customers are satisfied and 29% customers are highly satisfied 24% customers showed their neutrality regarding location of the servic e center of GP. On the other hand, 37% customers were satisfied towards location of the service center of Robi. Of whom 28% customers were neutral and 26% customers were highly satisfied. Table 14: Location of the Service Center Options Highly Satisfied Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied Highly Dissatisfied Total Mean Value ( x ) Standard Deviation (SD) Coefficient of Variation (CV) Source: Field Survey, March-June 2011Value 5 4 3 2 1 Frequency Grameenphone 29 40 24 7 0 100 3. 91 . 90000 23. 02 Robi 26 37 28 9 0 100 3. 80 . 93203 24. 53 Here mean value of GP and Robi to the customers satisfaction regarding location of the service center are respectively 3. 91 and 3. 80 and the coefficient of variation are 23. 02 and 24. 53 indicate that GP is in a better position than Robi. 14. Value Added Services Facilities Cell phone operators provide some value added services such as SMS, MMS, and VMS etc. which is very important to the customers. The Performance of Grameenphone and RobiTable 15: Va lue Added Services Facilities Options Highly Satisfied Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied Highly Dissatisfied Total Mean Value ( x ) Standard Deviation (SD) Coefficient of Variation (CV) Source: Field Survey, March-June 2011 171 Value 5 4 3 2 1 Frequency Grameenphone 10 45 36 5 4 100 3. 52 . 89307 25. 37 Robi 8 44 39 6 3 100 3. 48 . 84662 24. 33 Table 18 indicates that 44% respondents of Robi are in satisfied level and 39% are neutral in their opinion regarding value added services. On the other hand, 45% GP customers were satisfied and 36% expressed their neutrality.The mean value of customers’ response towards value added services of GP is 3. 52, which lies in satisfied category, while mean value of Robi is 3. 48 which lie in neutral category of customers’ opinion. The value of CV of Robi is lower than GP and it denotes that the customers’ opinion of Robi is less deviated than GP. In fine it can be said both the companies tried to reach their best position by offe ring various opportunities. Both the companies are staying a strong position. But their initial investment, customers, registration number of customers is different from each other.It is also seen that some of the customers are satisfied with the specific sectors of Grameenphone and some of the customers are satisfied with the specific sectors of Robi. Test of Hypotheses and Results Test of hypotheses and results have been presented in the below table 20 by the help of the statistical package SPSS version 16. 0. The interpretations of the hypotheses testing have been given after the table 20. Table 16: Paired Samples Test between Grameenphone and Robi Paired Differences Variables Mean 1. Network Coverage 2. Effectiveness of Network 3. Call Rate 4. Availability of SIM Card . 9000 . 83000 . 50000 1. 04000 Std. Std. Error Deviation Mean . 53362 . 05336 . 73930 . 07393 . 50252 . 05025 . 58465 . 05847 95% Confidence Interval of the Difference Lower . 48412 . 68331 . 40029 . 92399 Upper t df 99 99 99 99 . 69588 11. 057 . 97669 11. 227 . 59971 9. 950 1. 15601 17. 788 Sig. (2tailed) . 000 . 000 . 000 . 000 Cont. Table 172 ASA University Review, Vol. 5 No. 2, July–December, 2011 Paired Differences Variables Mean 5. Low Price SIM Card 6. Solution of the Problems Related to SIM Replacement 7. Special Offer to the Customers 8. Free Talk Time & Bonus Facilities 9. Pulse Facility 10.Availability of Flexi Load/Easy Load Facility 11. Friends & Family Number Facility 12. Internet & GPRS Connection 13. Location of the Service Center 14. Value Added Services Facilities -1. 22000 . 25000 -. 89000 -2. 16000 -. 83000 1. 57000 . 00000 . 24000 . 11000 . 04000 Std. Std. Error Deviation Mean 95% Confidence Interval of the Difference Lower Upper t df 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 Sig. (2tailed) . 000 . 000 . 000 . 000 . 000 . 000 1. 000 . 000 . 001 . 103 .52378 . 05238 -1. 32393 -1. 11607 -23. 292 . 43519 . 04352 . 37322 . 03732 . 16365 -. 96405 . 33635 5. 745 -. 81595 -23. 847 . 58119 . 5812 -2. 27532 -2. 04468 -37. 165 . 77921 . 07792 -. 98461 -. 67539 -10. 652 1. 71451 21. 557 . 05640 . 32517 . 17240 . 08819 . 000 5. 591 3. 498 1. 647 .72829 . 07283 1. 42549 . 28427 . 02843 . 42923 . 04292 . 31447 . 03145 . 24288 . 02429 -. 05640 . 15483 . 04760 -. 00819 Table 16 shows that in case of the factor ‘network coverage’ the calculated value of t (11. 057) is greater than the table value of t (1. 96) at 5% level of significance. So, H0 is rejected. That means, Ha is accepted. Regarding ‘effectiveness of network’ the calculated value of t (11. 227) is more than the tabulated value of t (1. 6) at 5% level of significance. So, H0 is rejected. That means, Ha is accepted. For the factor ‘call rate’ the calculated value of t (9. 950) is higher than the table value of t (1. 96) at 5% level of significance. So, H0 is rejected. That is, Ha is supported. Under the variable ‘Availability of SIM card’ the calculated value of t (17. 788) is greater than the table value of t (1. 96) at 5% level of significance. So, H0 is rejected. That means, Ha is accepted. In case of ‘low price SIM card’ the calculated value of t (-23. 292) is less than the table value of t (-1. 96) at 5% level of significance.So, H0 holds true. That means, H0 is accepted and Ha is rejected. The Performance of Grameenphone and Robi 173 Regarding ‘solution of the problems related to SIM replacement’ the calculated value of t (5. 745) is greater than the table value of t (1. 96) at 5% level of significance. So, H0 is rejected. That is, Ha is accepted. Under the variable ‘special offer to the customers’ the calculated value of t (-23. 847) is less than the table value of t (-1. 96) at 5% level of significance. So, H0 holds true. That is, H0 is supported. In case of ‘free talk time & bonus facilities’ the calculated value of t (-37. 65) is less than the table value of t (-1. 96) at 5% l evel of significance. So, H0 holds true. That means, H0 is accepted and Ha is rejected. Under the variable ‘pulse facility’ the calculated value of t (-10. 652) is less than the table value of t (-1. 96) at 5% level of significance. So, H0 holds true. That means, H0 is accepted and Ha is rejected. For the factor ‘availability of flexi load/easy load facility’ the calculated value of t (21. 557) is greater than the table value of t (1. 96) at 5% level of significance. So, H0 is rejected. That means, Ha is accepted. In case of ‘friends & family umber facility’ the calculated value of t (0) is less than the table value of t (1. 96) at 5% level of significance. So, H0 holds true. That means, H0 is accepted and Ha is rejected. For the factor ‘Internet & GPRS connection’ the calculated value of t (5. 591) is greater than the table value of t (1. 96) at 5% level of significance. So, H0 is rejected. That means, Ha is accepted. Regarding â €˜location of the service center’ the calculated value of t (3. 498) is greater than the table value of t (1. 96) at 5% level of significance. So, H0 is rejected. That means, Ha is accepted.Under the variable ‘value added services facilities’ the calculated value of t (1. 647) is less than the table value of t (1. 96) at 5% level of significance. So, H0 holds true. That means, H0 is accepted and Ha is rejected. Summary of Findings †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Grameenphone spent a large amount of money in the establishment year for the tower purpose and is doing better for the network coverage than that of Robi. Most of the customers of GP have given their opinion in favor of effectiveness of network. The customers of Robi perceived low call rate than that of GP. GP is in a strong position than Robi regarding availability of SIM card.It is found that the opinion of the customers of Robi is less scattered than GP i. e Robi offe r low price SIM card. GP is in a better position in providing solution of the problems related to SIM replacement than Robi. It is observed that Robi is in a better position than GP in providing special offers to the customers. The customers of Robi are enjoying more free talk time & bonus facilities than GP customers. 174 †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ ASA University Review, Vol. 5 No. 2, July–December, 2011 It is found that most of the customers’ of GP and Robi are dissatisfied regarding pulse facilities.But in comparison between these two operators, Robi is in a better position. Flexi load facility of Grameenphone is more available than that of easy load facility of Robi surrounding the country. The performance of both GP and Robi are satisfactory regarding friends and family number facilities to the customers. It is found that most of the customers’ of GP and Robi are showing their neutrality regarding Internet and GPRS connection. But in comparison between these two operators, GP is in better position. The customers of both the operators are satisfied in case of location of the service center.It is found that the customers’ opinion of Robi is less deviated than GP in case of value added services. That is Robi provides more value added services than GP. †¢ †¢ Conclusion Quality of telecommunications service depends on both the telephone network and the supporting services. The first is known as ‘equipment and system oriented quality’ and the second as ‘people and process oriented quality’. Equipment and system oriented quality consists of activities directly related to the network while people and process oriented quality consists of activities provided over the telephone network or face to face (Yusuf and Alam, 2010).The quality of service of mobile telecommunications is usually measured in terms of some common parameters such as call completion rate, call drop rate, voice quality, percentag e of complaints resolved within a stipulated time and customer service etc. (TRAI, 2008, Sutherland,2007, Australian Communications and Media Authority 2008). Accessibility and connectivity needs to be further improved. This can be achieved through the upgrading of technological infrastructure as well as the lowering of the internet usage costs through mobile phones to a more affordable level (Mahmud and Chowdhury, 2010).The research has provided insights like what are positive and negative aspects of both of the operators. For instance, the total number of customers of Grameenphone are very high than Robi. Grameenphone Company spent a large amount of money in the establishment year for the tower purpose and is doing better for the network facilities. On the other hand, Robi is doing better in case of call rate, low price SIM card, friends and family number facilities, bonus system etc.Robi needs to improve its poor network coverage, problem related to SIM replacement, insufficiency of the scratch card and easy load facilities, lack of convenient location of the service center and discount facilities etc. On the other hand Grameenphone is in a better position in comparison to Robi. It is doing better in case of following services like network coverage, effectiveness of network, solution of the problem related to SIM replacement, reconnection and migration, availability of the scratch card and flexi load facilities, location of the service center etc.But it can not be said that its services is much attractive to the customers. It has some other problems like lack of limited friends and family (FnF) number facilities and lack of bonus system (Free talk time, SMS), high call rate, lack of special offers to the customers, lack of pulse facilities etc. If GP takes initiative to remove or reduce these drawbacks, then it will be more successful in the telecommunications industry of Bangladesh. The Performance of Grameenphone and Robi 175 RecommendationsRecommendation s for Grameenphone: The authors have suggested some recommendations for improving the performance of Grameenphone are as follows1. The authority of Grameenphone should reduce its higher call charge. At the same time, the reduced call charge should be applied for all operators, not only for GP to GP, but also from GP to other operators. 2. It should provide more friends and family number facilities with GP to GP and other operators. 3. The Company should focus more to the prepaid subscribers than the post-paid subscribers. 4. SIM replacement (in case of lost or damaged SIM) charge should be reduced. . Most of the value added services (VAS) are not friendly for general handset users. GP should take some steps so that general handset users get an opportunity to have that VAS. Recommendations for Robi: The following are the provided recommendations by the authors to improve the performance of Robi1. Customers have been switching to other operators as a result of their poor network infra structure. So, Robi should have quick expansion in network development all over Bangladesh if it wants to keep its customers to stay with it. 2. 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