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. Chicago: Cengage. This research paper on The ability to distinguish and memorise the items was written and submitted by user Weston Greene to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

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. Time duration of easy load and scratch card should lengthen.Easy load facility should be made easily available. 3. Charge should be reduced than the existing charge to take a new SIM if it is either damaged or lost. 4. The privilege services of the customer retention scheme of Robi should be launched as soon as possible as ‘djuice’ of Grameenphone has already started to saturate a certain segment of the market through its ‘X-tra Khatir Card’. 5. The Value Added Services (VAS) department should be coming up with more ideas to entertain its customers. This department has its potential but should be using it to the full range to provide more useful services to customers’ needs. . Customer Care has turned out to be one of the most focused points in the telecom industry. Survey results show subscribers expect a l ot of it and would appreciate special care facilities. References Agar, J. 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(2001) ‘Deregulating the local loop: The telecommunications regulation path less chosen as taken by Bangladesh’, International Journal of Technology, Policy and Management, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 100-114. Coldwell. (2001) The Practice of Management, 4th edition, New York: Harper & Row. Gupta S. P. and Gupta M. P. (2006) Business statistics, 11th ed. , New Delhi: Sultan Chand & Sons. Hasan, Mahmud. (2008) ‘Mobile phone operators in Bangladesh’, The Daily Star, 7 January. Heinonen, K. and Andersson, P. (2003) ‘Swedish mobile market: Consumer perceptions of mobile services’, Journal of Service Marketing, vol. , no. 1, pp. 33-36. Hess, D. J. (1997) Science Studies: An Advanced Introduction, New York: New York University Press. Khalil, M. (2000) ‘Ministerial support for mobile: Middle East Times’, Journal of Europ ean Business Management, vol. 25, no. 2, pp. 54-81. Khan, M. A. S. (2003) ‘Privatization in the telecommunication sector: An overview of comparative Bangladesh situation’, The Bangladesh Accountant, 41:14 pp. 29-36. Luthans, F. (2002) Organizational Behavior, 9th edition, New York: McGraw-Hill International Companies Inc. Mahmud, K. and Chowdhury, S. M. R. 2010) ‘Prospects of mobile learning for digital Bangladesh’, Journal of Business and Technology (Dhaka), vol. 5, issue 1, January-June, pp. 50-61. Mitchell, K. and Whitmore, M. 2003. Marketing Management: In Book-Location Based Services, Journal of American Business and Economics, 41(2):85-91. Rahman, M. T. (2010) ‘Making Teletalk a healthy competitor among the mobile phone operators in Bangladesh’, Journal of Business and Technology (Dhaka), vol. 5, issue 2, July-December, p. 133. Silva, H. D. , & Khan, A. S. (2004) ‘Regulation and investment: Case study of Bangladesh’, WDR Dial ogue Theme Discussion Paper WDR 03111-33.Sutherland, E. (2007) ‘The regulation of the quality of service in mobile networks’, Info 9(6), pp. 17-34. Symeou, P. C. (2009) ‘Does smallness affect the liberalization of telecommunications? The case of Cyprus’, Telecommunications Policy 33 (3-4), pp. 215-229. TRAI. (2008) ‘Quality of service assessment: Report of survey for basic service (Wireline)’, Cellular Mobile (Wireless) and Broadband, New Delhi: TRAI. Wang, Y. , & Lo, H. P. (2002) ‘Service quality, customer satisfaction and behavior intentions: Evidence from China's telecommunication industry’, Info, vol. 4, no. 6, pp. 50-60. Yusuf, M. A. and Alam, Q. 2010) ‘The influence of regulatory environment on mobile phone service quality: The case of Bangladesh’, Annual Asian Business Research Conference 2010, p. 5. Web References 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. http://www. grameenphone. com/about-us (Retrieved on 11 August 2011) http://www. gr ameenphone. com/about-us/corporate-information/ownership (Retrieved on 11 August 2011) http://www. btrc. gov. bd/licensing/operators/mobile_operators. php (accessed on 11 August 2011). http://www. robi. com. bd/index. php/page/view/98 (Accessed on 12 August 2011) http://www. robi. com. bd/index. php/page/view/99 (Accessed on 12 August 2011).

Hotel Information System Essays

Hotel Information System Essays Hotel Information System Essay Hotel Information System Essay | IST 419 Final Project| Hotel Information System| | This paper is aimed to conduct a thorough analysis on determining the most appropriate system for the company and how to implement the system best. | | Yuyang Zhang| 12/2/2011| | Identify the Problem A profitable hospitality business not only needs an efficient team of seasoned hotel management professionals, but excellent administration tools as well. An effective hotel management system can go a long way in ensuring efficient management of the complete hotel’s business. Apart from taking care of the administration aspect of the hotel, a hotel management system can assist you in management of inventory, reservation, sales and several other functional aspects of a hotel. Having a software custom-made for your hotel’s requirements can be a very costly affair; the better option is to buy a good off the shelf application which can be operated from multiple locations. However, it is important that the pre-built software application meets the following criterias: * Overall functionality – It is important that the hotel management system is chosen keeping in mind the specific purposes it is going to solve. It can be implemented to either automate one or two specific functions or to perform multiple tasks. Most importantly, the software should be web-based, so that it is able to import/export data from/to different websites/locations. * Ease of implementation – The hotel management system should be compatible with the pre-existing system in the hotel. Moreover, it should have the ability to import data from the old system without any difficulty. Ease of adaptability – The hotel management system should be easy to install and operate. Since the hotel staff is normally not technically qualified, the software has to be easy to navigate and supported by a comprehensive manual. Further, it should also have a help option built into it, which can be referred to instantly, in case of any technical problem. The system administrator should also be provided with proper guidelines for effective troubleshooting. * Vendor’s reputation – The reputation and authenticity of the software manufacturer should be checked and verified properly before making a decision to invest in a particular hotel management system. One should ask the vendor to provide testimonials/references of existing clients, which should then be cross-checked on a random basis. Furthermore, it is extremely important that you take into account the after sales support and terms and conditions of service into consideration as well. * Ease of Scalability – The hotel management system should be easily scalable without having to incur excessive expenditure in the event of future expansions. It should have the features to add and manage multiple properties without compromising on the performance of the system. Third party Integrations- It should have the ability to integrate third party utilities such as video-on-demand, CRM, EPABX, Room Key etc. without incurring any additional expenditure (apart from the utility itself) In the specific case, for a newly-acquired, independent hotel, the very first upgrade required should be implemented on the Property Management System. The reasons are following; the Property Management System (PMS) is the most critical tool and core system in intellectual property, manufacturing and hospitality management. An upgrade on the PMS could bring a significant improvement in management efficiency as well as increase in revenue in a short period. In addition, the new system is designed to better control the properties including equipment maintenance, personal property and personnel. With the data based management system, PMS also provides a more efficient way of guest booking, sales, point of sale and security. After carefully analysis and selection, I have made a list of three system providers among various choices: WinPM, Micros and Auto clerk. In the following article, I will deeply analysis the pros and cons for each vendor. Property Management System Description A. WinPM WinPM is a Windows-based property management system and utilizes Microsoft’s SQL server, which is widely recognized as a scalable and affordable database option for integrated data management. Additionally, WinPM is deployed using industry standard hardware that is easily supported and cost-effective. From a single property to multiple properties, WinPM scales to meet your data and operational requirements, and to deliver the robust functionality and performance required to service demanding hotel guests with optimum speed and efficiency. WinPM quickly and seamlessly integrates with other MSI products and interfaces with a wide variety of third party systems to serve the diverse and dynamic needs of your operation. From web bookings to sales and catering to point of sale and business intelligence, MSI does it all. WinPM even makes it easy to add a peripheral device, including automated self-check-in kiosks and wireless remotes. B. Micros The Micros property management software is designed to meet the varied requirements of any size hotel or hotel chain, OPERA PMS provides all the tools a hotel staff needs for doing their day-to-day jobs - handling reservations, checking guests in and out, assigning rooms and managing room inventory, accommodating in-house guest needs, and handling accounting and billing. The property management software is configurable to each property’s specific requirements and operates in either single-property or multi-property mode, with all properties in a complex sharing a single database. OPERA Property Management Systems is fully integrated with OPERA Sales and Catering, OPERA Gaming and Comp Accounting, OPERA Vacation Ownership System, OPERA Quality Management System, and the OPERA central systems - ORS, the OPERA Reservation System; and OCIS, the OPERA Customer Information System. C. Auto Clerk The AutoClerk Property Management System (PMS) is designed to be the most powerful, intuitive PMS on the market. At the core of every hotel operator’s business is the guest experience. Because it is important for your front desk staff to be confident and organized, we strive to make the front desk processes as simple and easy to use as possible. Our unique one-step screens are simple to learn and powerful to use. Comparison Table | WinPM| Micros| Auto Clerk| Pros| 1. Condo-Owner Reporting2. Automated Purge Options3. Rate strategies with minimum andmaximum length of stay4. Room Status Discrepancy Reports| 1. Automatically controlling rates2. Demographic records for guests3. Account Receivable integrated4. Back Office Interface5. interfaces to hundreds of third-party hospitality systems| 1. Yield Management Tools2. Room Allotments3. Easy Audit4. Single step check-in5. Single screen reservations6. Group processing7. Guest history| Key feature| Forecasts and Statistics| Scaled-down edition designed for smaller clients| One-step night audit. | Ease of implementation*| 9| 10| 9| Ease of Scalability*| 8| 10| 8| Vendor’s reputation*| 10| 8| 10| Overall functionality*| 9| 8| 9| * Scale from 1 to 10 Detailed Comparison table Vendor| WinPM| Micros| Auto Clerk| Reservations| GroupsOnline Guest and Folio HistoryUnlimited InventoryMulti-Segment ReservationsYield Management ToolsFlexible Share Functionality Reservation Denial TrackingExtensive PBX Operator Search ToolsGuest MessagingPackage SupportSupport for Extended Stay ModelCondo-Owner Reporting| OPERA Reservation features are integrated with other functionality such as profiles, cashiering, and deposits. This property management software module offers a complete set of features for making and updating individual, group, and business block reservations, including deposit handling, cancellations, confirmations, wait listing, room blocking, and sharing| Groups Check InOnline Guest and Folio HistoryUnlimited InventoryMulti-Segment ReservationsYield Management ToolsReservation Denial TrackingSupport for Extended Stay ModelCondo-Owner ReportingRoom AllotmentsAvailability SnapshotCustom PackagesE-mail Option| Accounting| Credit/Debit AgingCity Ledger Dispute TrackingAutomated Purge OptionsQuick Search by AccountsAccount Drill Down FeaturesCompliance with HFTP’s 10thEdition Accounting Standards Journal File Exports to Third-PartyBack Office Software Forecasts and Statistics| Posting guest and passer-by charges (including taxes and other generates), making posting adjustments, managing advance deposits, settlements, checkout and folio printing are a few of the many activities handled b y OPERA Cashiering. Cashiering accommodates multiple payment methods per reservation including cash, check, credit cards, and direct bill. In multi-property environments, guest charges can be cross-posted from any property in the hotel complex. Credit/Debit AgingCity Ledger Dispute TrackingCompliance with HFTP’s 10thEdition Accounting StandardsChannel Auditing| Front Desk| One Screen Check-in/Check-outDrag and Drop CorrectionsTransfer and Charge Routing withGuest SearchMultiple Folios for Each GuestGuest History Log| One-Step Check-in/Check-outDrag and Drop Correctionsinter-department advisories, or traces| One Screen Check-in/Check-outDrag and Drop CorrectionsMultiple Folios for Each GuestGuest History Log| Housekeeping| Drag and Drop Room-to-MaidAssignmentsHousekeeping and Maintenance StaffTrackingRoom Status Discrepancy ReportsMulti-Language SupportPatterned Schedules to ComplementGreen Policies| The Queue Rooms feature of the property management software coordinates Front Office and Housekeeping efforts when guests are waiting for rooms which are not immediately available for assignment | Drag and Drop Room-to-MaidAssignmentsHousekeeping and Maintenance StaffTrackingupdate a single room at a time or work with groups of rooms. | Sales and Marketing| Rate Strategies with Minimum andMaximum Length of StayPackage SupportStatisticsReporting and Export CapabilityGuest Profiles and History| OPERA Property Management System supports multi-currency and multi-language features to meet the requirements of global operations. Rates and revenues can be dynamically converted from the local currency to any other currency. The appropriate language for guest correspondence can be automatically determined by the guest’s profile language; country-specific address formats are supported. | Rate Strategies with Minimum andMaximum Length of StayReporting and Export CapabilityGuest Profiles and History| Key feature description| WinPM automatically forecast the future rates based on current availability and other hotels’ situations. | Micros PM offers a scaled-down edition of our property management systems for smaller properties or properties offering limited services. OPERA property management software product. Nightly audit report is saved on disk, and is available in a variety of formats. Options are available to turn off audit printing to save paper and time. Automatically posts room and tax| Analysis of Cost See the attached Excel Sheet Recommendation From the feature analysis, the three vendor all have different competitive advantages. It is very difficult to select the best one. In this specific case, for a newly-acquired, independent hotel, it has to fulfill the scale requirement, which is relatively small scale. Among the three vendors, Micro is an expert at small scale systems. Micro provides a scaled-down edition of our property management systems for smaller properties or properties offering limited services. According to the balance sheet, Micro provides both the highest ROI AND IRR, which indicates the project is the most profitable one. Based on the above analysis I will recommend ROC to implement the property management system from Micro Co,. Plan of Implementation A. Initiation Identify the problems Prepare project charter and scope statement B. Planning Develop Work break down Structure Narrow the field List potential solutions Budgeting C. Executing Formulate Business requirements Develop Property management system Install Property management system Provide Good Training D. Monitoring and controlling Implement additional modifications Request users’ feedback Test Before launch

Exorcist essays

Exorcist essays Fear is one of mans most primal instincts; the task of evoking that instinct in a film is not an easy one. In order for a movie scare the people watching it, there has to be a sense of realism in the film, the sets characters and plot have to be believable. This real world on camera is not easily created it involves the sets, and the camera work; it involves the realism of the costumes, and the special effects surrounding the entire film. The horror genre is one of the toughest types of films to create, in horror it is not the extreme special effects that the big action movies possess, but instead a horror movie is all about the sets and costumes. To create a good horror movie you need to make the person watching the film believe it could happen to them, they need to think that they are in the film. To the uneducated film connoisseur the director gets all of the credit for a good film, but it is not just the director that is responsible for a good, or great film. To have a good or great film you need not only the director, but also the photography director, and last but not least the production designer. Although the director may get all the credit in a horror movie like any other movie the director of photography is a very integral part to the film. All of the shots and camera angles are his responsibility. All of the shots used to evoke fear in the viewer are carefully planned and prepared. IF the shots are off even just a little, it could be the difference from a scary part, to that of a terrifying part. The production designer as well as the director of photography is an extremely important role in a horror film. The production director is responsible for all of the people that make the costumes and the sets of the film. The production designer is responsible for the people that create the make up and most times blood and gore involved in a horror film. If the props and sets are not realistic the ...

Describe elements of power and quote work from Weber, Bachrach & Essay

Describe elements of power and quote work from Weber, Bachrach & Baratz & Lukes - Essay Example Power and control are two concepts highly analysed by theorists and researchers. The works that are most known in this field are those of Weber, Bachrach & Baratz and Lukes. Their views on power and control have certain similarities; still, differences exist at the level that each one of these theorists uses different criteria for evaluating human behaviour. In any case, it has been proved that the relationship between power and control is strong at such level that each of these concepts cannot be fully explained without referring to the other. However, there are also cases where the above concepts can be independent, but these cases are rather the exception and not the rule. In order to understand the relationship between power and control, it would be necessary to check the elements of these two concepts, as explained by theorists who studied the particular subject. The view of Weber of power is quite important for understanding the relationship between power and control. In accord ance with Goverde et al. ... The above description of power has been derived by the view of Weber on the specific concept, meaning that the elements of power, as perceived by Weber, could be slightly differentiated from the description given above. In other words, the interpretation of the view of Weber of power cannot be considered as standardized, reflecting the personal view of the theorist who has tried to explain the concept of power using the work of Weber. The definition of power, as given by Weber, is the following one: ‘power is the possibility of imposing one’s will upon the behaviour of other persons’ (Weber 1954, p.323 in Vahabi, 2004, p.2). The approaches used by Weber for interpreting power are analysed in the study of Breiner (1996). The above study helps to understand also the relationship between power and control, as perceived by Weber. Breiner (1996) notes that the view of Weber on power seems to have the following form: power is considered as an advantage of political auth orities; in other words, power is not so much a right of all individuals, but primarily, a right of governors to decide on critical issues of their state. From this point of view, power is depended on control in the following way: the control on the social/ political and economic affairs of a particular state reflects the power of its governor to rule (Breiner 1996(. In other words, control is a means of governors – or politicians – in order to show their power to govern. This power is related not just to various political issues, but it can be expanded on all aspects of citizens’ daily life, including culture, sciences and business activity. In accordance with Vahabi (2004) the above description of power is quite effective, reflecting the characteristics of power when being

JURISPRUDENCE LAW Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

JURISPRUDENCE LAW - Essay Example It’s in here where he also points to this thoughtful philosophy of â€Å"where there is no common power, there is no law: where no law, no injustice.† Generally speaking this statement is a conclusion that can be drawn from the analysis of his two theory â€Å"state of nature† and â€Å"social contract†. This statement means that individuals are equal in all respect. The nature has made them this way that one cannot overpower the other, thus none of them is mighty enough to stand tall out of the mass and declare a certain code of conduct or â€Å"law†. Since there is nothing called law and there is nothing to distinguish right from wrong, everything which men did was right from his subjective opinion and hence no injustice could be done while a man does what he knows not be wrong. Thus in this situation of equality, a mutual consenting common power has to be established to make up law determining a common definition of right and wrong and thus estab lishing a system of justice and injustice. However such concepts of justice, injustice, redressal, damage, right and wrong have no meaning unless there is a proper machinery to define them and implement them. Now in the mass where no one is mightier enough to impose its might, such an institution has to be made by mutual consent of equal forces. Therefore a common power is needed to make law. This statement determines perfectly Hobbes idea on what the state of nature. According to Hobbes, in the state of nature there is no common power and men are at constant war with each other.  In the absence of any common power to awe them all they are in a state of isolation. There is no force, no obligation and no rule to bind them together to follow some discipline and thus there is absolutely no concept of the idea of society and most importantly there is no law. Law is something that is imposed upon people by a government and in the state of