Theme & Introduction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Theme & Introduction - Essay Example The theme "How well do you know the people around you' will help to create a special context of communication because all communication is context bound. We can think of spatial, temporal, relational and sometimes organizational frameworks within which it is embedded. Employees will be divided into several families (mothers, fathers and children despite of their sex and age). The imagined place is a countryside; event - holidays, a picnic. 'Plunged' into this situation, the personal characteristics of the participants together with features of the shared situation act to shape the interaction that transpires and both may be influenced, to some extent, in consequence. Likewise, goals pursued are determined by personal and situational factors (Beebe, Masterson 2000). This theme was selected for training program because many employees lack knowledge and practice of interpersonal communication. The goals people pursue are not always conscious, and indeed one feature of skilled performance is that behavior is often executed automatically. Once responses are learned they tend to become hard-wired or habitual. When employees know how to interact, they no longer have to think about actions such as how to start a talk and how to behave. Skilled behaviors must be interrelated, in that they are synchronized in order to achieve a particular goal.

Evolution of the relationship between the EU and China Research Paper

Evolution of the relationship between the EU and China - Research Paper Example Sino-European relations, during the era of the Cold War, were generally derivative of the imperatives of the cold war as well as the broader associations with the superpowers. Because of the ideological and political constraints of this era, the development of commercial and economic relations took the precedence (UN 7). On April 3, 1978, a trade agreement was signed between China and the European Community (EC). This agreement was extended in 1985 to a wider Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA). China got the status of Most Favored Nation (MFN) from the EC and embraced Beijing in the GSP (Generalized System of Preferences) provisions from 1980 (Stepan & Ostermann 20). These European Union-China relations, in the past few years, have been growing gradually. Since 2004, the People’s Republic of China has become EU’s second largest trading partner, with the Chinese customs claiming that EU is the biggest trading partner of China. An annual summit between the EU and China’s state/government heads is held, since 1998, to discuss the bilateral and global issues. Moreover, since October 2003, China and EU have recognized each other as effective ‘strategic partners’. The idea that the relations between China and EU have acquired a fresh strategic significance and gained momentum remains fundamental to their strategic partnership (Pastor & Gosset 1). According to the European Union External Service Action, the two sides commenced their relationship in 1975 and the 1985’s Trade and Cooperation Agreement came into force to govern their relationship (Para 1). EU remains the largest trading partner of China, while Chin a is its leading supplier of imports and the second biggest 2-way trading partner (European Union External Service Action Para 2). Therefore, EU and China have had bilateral relationship since 1975. The purpose of this paper is to examine the evolution of the relations between them with the main objective being examining the development of their relationship since 1975 by looking at various aspects of their association. The two sides hold annual summits as well as frequent trade, economic, and political dialogues, including more that 50 sectoral agreements and dialogues, which range from industrial policy to environmental protection, culture or education. Human rights are regularly discussed as a part of the regular political dialogue and during specific dialogues on human rights, held twice a year since 1995. This paper will also clarify that EU and China are allies but not competitors. Events (Economic and Political) Dictating their Relationship and the Key EU Policies The relatio ns between China and the EU have faced some hardships since 2005 with some scholars expressing their deep

The poems of Seamus Heaney and D.H.Lawrence Essay Example for Free

The poems of Seamus Heaney and D.H.Lawrence Essay The poets Seamus Heaney and D. H. Lawrence frequently describe their own childhood memories in their poems. Mid-Term Break and The Early Purges by Heaney, both show great examples of the way Heaney felt about many things, like death and relationships, as do the poems Piano and Discord in Childhood by D. H. Lawrence. Lawrence was born in 1885, the fourth child of five. His father was an irresponsible alcoholic, and Lawrence was born hating his father and shivered at his touch. Heaney, however, loved and hugely respected his family and especially his father. Heaney was born in 1939 at the start of WW2. He, unlike Lawrence, was the eldest of nine children, and was brought up and worked on his fathers farm, before being sent to a boarding school when he was twelve. Lawrences parents had a violent relationship one big bloody fight, because of his fathers temper. Lawrence was much closer to his mother because she was highly educated and they understood each other. Heaneys poem Mid-Term Break is all about the death of one of Heaneys younger brother. Heaney conveys many feelings in this poem, like growing up, childhood, memories, and death. He uses many modern techniques in this poem: caesura for emphasis on certain things, enjambment to create a sense of continuity running through the poem, alliteration, imagery and many more. Heaney also portrays a lot of memories in this poem. First the title: Mid, implies an interruption in his life and childhood, and an early introduction to adulthood, but also Break, is a harsh, tough word, that could mean the break in his brothers life and childhood. In the first stanza he mentions sitting all morning in the college sick bay. This was when he was awaiting to be driven home to his brothers funeral from his boarding school, and was feeling isolated and loneliness from the rest of the world. Heaney sees his father crying in the second verse. In the porch I met my father crying, this is also the first implication that the funeral is that of a member of the Heaney family. He also mentioned Big Jim Evans another big, strong role model, affected by the death. The next verse says: The baby cooed and laughed and rocked the pram, which is incongruous and doesnt fit in with everything else. Later, Heaneys hand was shaken by old men, and Heaney was embarrassed, because he should have been showing them respect. He was told: they were sorry for my trouble, which is clichi , and he felt a huge amount of responsibility when whispers informed strangers I was the eldest. Heaneys mother coughed out angry tearless sighs because she was either angry with herself for not looking after her son, or angry with the driver of the car that knocked him clear. In the poem, Heaney felt many things: embarrassment, sadness, and awkwardness. The last verse of the poem reveals the age of his dead brother. The alliteration and sharpness of the last line, really makes you realize how young he was, and how hard it must have been for the Heaney family. The last verse is also set apart from the rest of the poem, because it has only one line. This makes it even more important, because the reader will notice it more, and also pay more attention to it, and what it means. Heaneys other poem The Early Purges focuses on Heaney growing up through his childhood, and his journey to becoming an adult, and obtaining a different perspective on certain things. The Early Purges, is very significant. Early implies something that happened to Heaney when he was young early on in his life, and Purge means to rid yourself of impurities and sin. It also makes the poem sound as if it wont be endurable. This poem is about bad things that have happened to Heaney. It is all about death. As a young boy, Seamus Heaney helped to work on his fathers farm, and during that time he saw farm workers killing lots of defenceless, innocent animals. This is also bluntly written. Heaney was only six when he first saw kittens drown. He makes this very bold at the beginning of the poem. It is hard-hitting and appeals to the hearts of the readers, because kittens are, young, cute and vulnerable animals. Dan Taggart pitched them, the scraggy wee shits. The worker, Dan Taggart is the one doing the killing. He calls the kittens scraggy wee shits, which shows how little he cares about them. The kittens are described as making a frail metal sound, which again shows how young and weak these animals are. The sound also appeals to the aural senses, because the reader can easily imagine the sound and how horrible it must have been.

Study of Humanitarian Aid Agencies Service Delivery

Study of Humanitarian Aid Agencies Service Delivery CHRISTINA KHOURY Stuck in no mans land:people of nowhere are people of now here A study of humanitarian aid agencies service delivery to residents in Kara Tepe refugee camp in Lesvos. DR Disaster Relief EASO European Asylum Support Office EU European Union FMO Forced Migration Online HA Humanitarian Assistance HSA Humanitarian Support Agency IDPs Internally displaced persons IOM International Organisation for Migration IOs International Organisations IRC International Rescue Committee MSF Mà ©decins Sans Frontiers NGOs Non-Governmental Organisations RCRC International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement ROs Regional Organisations UN United Nations UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees   Ã‚   Since the twentieth century, the migration of refugees has been a significant and constant feature of the world order. There has been several factors causing its occurrence, including international wars, civil wars, the rise of fascism, decolonization, national liberation struggles and the creation of nation states (Bloch, 2002, p.1). During 1914-1918 World War I, millions of people were left homeless, fleeing their homelands to seek refuge, and the international community and governments responded by providing travel documents to those people who were the first refugees of the twentieth century (1951 UN Convention). However the flow of refugees did not stop there, but the numbers drastically increased after World War II (1939-1945), when millions were forced to resettle, be displaced or were deported (Guterres, 2011). While the refugee crisis is a phenomenon that has been around for many years, the ongoing conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Somalia, Afghanistan and other troubled countries have resulted in an unprecedented number of 65.3 million people around the world forcibly displaced from their homes. Among them are 21.3 million registered as refugees under UNHCR and UNWRA mandates, over half of whom are children (under 18 years old) (UNHCR, 2016a). Syrians make up, without a doubt, the largest refugee population in the world. The Syria conflict alone, known to be the biggest humanitarian and refugee crisis of our time (UN High Commissioner for Refugees in UNHCR, 2016b), has spawned 4.8 million refugees in neighbouring countries (predominantly Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan), hundreds of thousands in Europe and 6,6 million displaced inside Syria (Mercy Corps, 2016; UNHCR, March 2016). Figure 1: The increase of registered Syrian Refugees from almost zero in 2012 to 4.8 million in 2016 (source: UNHCR, 2016 Which UNHCR article? You need to specify) According to Amnesty Internationals assessment of October 2016, more than half of the worlds 21 million refugees are hosted in just ten low and middle-income countries in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.[1] Europe, however, hosts a share of 6% of the worlds refugee population (Check percentage of refugees in Europe in 2016, add source). In 2015, over a million refugees and migrants made it to Europe by sea, with a majority arriving via the Aegean Sea from Turkey into Greece (UNHCR, 2015). Responding to the massive influx of refugees, several international humanitarian aid agencies established themselves on the Greek Islands to meet the pressing needs of the novel refugee and migrant population. However, it has been widely debated whether these aid agencies are effective in their service delivery and whether they fulfill the tasks they have set out to do. Despite the allocation of millions of dollars of funds to guarantee a decent living standard for the refugees and migrants in the Greek camps, reports reveal dire conditions, with a lack of the most basic livelihoods, such as edible food, basic sanitation services and education (Strickland, 2016; ?). Deeply moved by the horrifying images of human suffering in these camps, I chose to travel to Greece to volunteer in Kara Tepe Camp in Lesvos in the summer of 2016 to i nvestigate the topic further. It is of great importance to examine the efficiency of these humanitarian aid agencies service delivery on the ground in order to build future humanitarian aid programs which adequately meet the needs of the vulnerable refugees and migrants in Lesvos. 1.1 Question and Motivation of Study This dissertation sets out to answer the following research questions: Primary question: To what extent are humanitarian service providing agencies operating in Kara Tepe camp managing to live up to their stated aims and guidelines? Secondary question: What are the obstacles to effective service delivery? This dissertation is a reflective research based on my time spent volunteering with a humanitarian aid organisation, Humanitarian Support Agency (HSA)[2], in a refugee camp in Lesvos, Greece over the course of summer from June to September 2016. However, the area of research of humanitarian assistance to refugees, sparked my interest already in 2011, when the flow of thousands of Syrian refugees began to Jordan, my home country, following Syrias descent into civil war. Jordan, a small yet strong Kingdom, surrounded by countries undergoing conflict, is a host of over 656,000 Syrian refugees (Amnesty International, 2016). Seeing the difficult suffering faced by the Syrian refugee population in my own region (Middle East) as well as in Europe strongly motivated me to gain a hands on experience of humanitarian aid work with refugees. Following, for my applied field experience[3], I chose to travel to Greece and join HSA as a volunteer in Kara Tepe camp in Lesvos; a refugee camp in the la rgest transit point in the East Mediterranean route, which is the first assistance site for refugees and migrants departing from Turkey to Europe (HSA, 2016). During my time volunteering in Kara Tepe, I had the opportunity to work closely with humanitarian aid agencies operating in the camp, gaining insights into their day-to-day provision of services to the residents. It also allowed me to speak to and get to know several of the camp residents refugees and migrants predominantly from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq who often expressed their concerns and hardships of life in Kara Tepe. In this dissertation, I aim to draw on this experience to investigate the humanitarian aid agencies services to refugees and migrants in Kara Tepe camp. More specifically, by comparing these aid agencies stated aims and guidelines to the real situation of refugees and migrants on the ground, I wish to examine where the agencies are failing at fulfilling their promises in providing adequate assistance to the camp residents. Furthermore, I aim to identify some of the apparent obstacles hindering these agencies effective service delivery. I do not intend to generalise my results regarding humanitarian aid agencies service delivery in refugee camps as it would require a more comprehensive material than what my study is based upon. My ambition is rather to attempt to highlight the humanitarian aid situation in Kara Tepe and voice out the concerns and needs of the residents, drawing on their living situation in the refugee camp. This study will be structured into five chapters. In chapter 2, I will give an overview of the living conditions of refugees and migrants in Greek camps. Here, I will also provide a set of definitions of the key terms adopted in this dissertation. In chapter 3, I will give a review of the existing literature on the humanitarian aid system. In this section, I will outline the theoretical foundations used in this study, including the UNHCR, IRC, Save the Children and HSAs stated aims and guidelines in relation to the factors of water, sanitation, education, food and health care. In chapter 4, I will draw on my first-hand experience in Kara Tepe in order to spot the gaps between the stated aims and guidelines of the aid agencies and the real situation on the ground, based on the stories and interviews with the residents. Furthermore, the analysis will identify some of the apparent obstacles hindering these agencies effective service delivery. Finally, I will conclude by giving a summary of the main findings and their implications, and the possibility of suggesting further research on the topic. 1.2 Methodology Material The choice of method for this dissertation is a mixed study between an autoethnography approach which is a form of qualitative research[4], based on primary qualitative data collection, and a case study using Kara Tepe Camp as the case, in addition to secondary research on academic articles in relation to the humanitarian aid system, UN reports and newspaper articles on the topic. Moreover, I will look at the guidelines, aims and goals of three main agencies operating in camp, namely UNHCR, IRC and Save the Children. The material I have used for my analysis is predominantly based on material gathered through the interviews I have conducted with different refugees from the camp. For their safety and integrity, I have decided to keep their names anonymous and have given them pseudonyms/alias. These interviews that I have conducted are valuable and have provided me with the useful information and insights that are necessary to establish an adequate answer to the question. Moreover, the analysis is also based on my own lived experience through working in Kara Tepe camp. 1.3 Limitations of study When researching the above questions a few limitations had to be considered. First, due to time and space restrains, I had to limit my data collection to the period of my stay in Greece between June and September 2016. The humanitarian assistance keeps developing in camp so there may be new improved services that did not exist back then, which would have been valuable to include in my research. Second, it has to be taken into consideration that the refugees interviewed are in a vulnerable position; hence they may not be able to fully reveal all truths for a public audience, and this is why for some questions, unfortunately, the answers were either very broad or unclearly answered, due to the sensitivity of the matter. Third, there are several possible factors to take into consideration when researching humanitarian assistance provided to refugees living in camps. However, due to space and time restraints, I have chosen to focus on three key humanitarian aid agencies and their service s in Kara Tepe camp, namely UNHCR, IRC and Save the Children. To be called a refugee is the opposite of an insult; it is a badge of strength, courage, and victoryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Tennessee Office for Refugees) 2.1 Definitions of keywords In our current era, more than 65 million people worldwide are displaced by force as refugees, asylum seekers, or internally displaced persons. According to the 1951 Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, to be recognized legitimately as a refugee, a person must be fleeing persecution on the basis of religion, race, political opinion, nationalityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦etc. However, the present factors around displacement are complex and multi-layered which in turn makes the protection based on a strict definition of persecution increasingly problematic and very challenging to implement (Zetter, 2015). Between asylum seekers, refugees and economic migrants there is an overlap and this can cause confusion; therefore, it is very important to distinguish the difference between the terms, and which term applies on the people in the camps in Greece specifically in Kara Tepe Camp. Asylum seeker is: a person who has applied for asylum under the 1951 Refugee Convention on the Status of Refugees on the ground that if he is returned to his country of origin he has a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political belief or membership of a particular social group. He remains an asylum seeker for so long as his application or an appeal against refusal of his application is pending (Mitchell, 2006). Principally, asylum seekers flee in fear of persecution because of the reasons stated in the definition, so they seek refuge in another country looking for safety, and until their asylum process is ongoing they are called asylum seekers, but once it is processed and the approval is given then they are given a refugee status. In the literature on refugees, there have been many definitions of the term, but I found the following by the UNHCR to be the most inclusive. A refugee is someone who: owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that countryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Article 1, UN Convention, 1951). They also added that the term refugee can be defined as: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ people fleeing conflict or persecution. They are defined and protected in international law, and must not be expelled or returned to situations where their life and freedom are at risk (UNHCR, 2016). But according to migration watch UK, they define a refugee as an asylum seeker whose application has been successful, i.e. that person fleeing war and conflict as defined by the 1951 Refugee Convention. The difference between asylum seeker and a refugee is very difficult to state as they are very similar. Basically, an asylum seeker is someone who is seeking international protection and is waiting for his refugee status, but a refugee is someone who is recognised under the 1951 Convention relating to the status of refugees to be eligible to be a refugee (Phillips, 2011, p.2). Last but not least, migrant, as defined by the UN Convention on the Rights of Migrants is a : person who is to be engaged, is engaged or has been engaged in a remunerated activity in a State of which he or she is not a national. Article 1.1 (a) states that migrants decision to move to these States is taken freely, because of personal convenience and without any external factor that might affect the decision (UNESCO, 2016).Thus, there has been a gap along the lines with the usage of the terminology, especially between the term refugee and asylum seeker. People who have crossed the Mediterranean by paying organised criminals (smugglers) to get them across the borders are known as irregular migrants, because they have not entered the EU legally (European Commission, 2016). Humanitarian aid system (add definition) Humanitarian aid system or humanitarian assistance is intended to save lives, alleviate suffering and maintain human dignity during and after manmade crises and disasters caused by natural hazards as well as to prevent and strengthen preparedness for when such situations occur (Global Humanitarian Assistance, 2016). Humanitarian assistance should be administered by the four key humanitarian principles which are: humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence; these key principles are the fundamental principles of many NGOs including the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (RCRC) (Global Humanitarian Assistance, 2016). Therefore, in the immediate area of conflict, the main goal is preventing human causalities but at the same time assisting displaced people and making sure they have access to the basic needs of survival which are water, sanitation, food, shelter, and health care (Branczik, 2004). 2.2 International and legal framework/ Humanitarian assistance and relief efforts add more info Humanitarian assistance is and has always been an extremely political activity. It always influenced the political economy of the recipient countries, and is influenced by the political considerations of donor governments (Curtis, 2001, p.3). The effect of conflict on civilians can be directly or indirectly through the so called complex emergencies. The primary aim in any immediate area of conflict is preventing causalities and making sure that everyone has access to the basic rights for surviving, which are water sanitation, food, shelter, and health care. In addition, the priority is usually to assist displaced people and try to prevent the spread of conflict, support relief work and create a space for rehabilitation (Branczik, 2004). Complex humanitarian emergencies are defined by five collective characteristics: first, the deterioration or complete collapse of central government authority; second, ethnic or religious conflict leading to human abuse; third, episodic food insecurity that leads to mass starvation; fourth, macroeconomic collapse that involves unemployment and decrease in GDP per capita; last and the most important focal characteristic is having mass population movements of displaced people and refugees that have escaped a conflict or in search for a better life (Natsios, 1995, p.405). Natsios stated that there are three sets of institutional actors that respond to the above emergencies in a so called complex response system that evolved over the years. These institutional actors are NGOs, UN organisations and the International Red Cross movement (Natsios, 1995, p.406). These sets of actors were reckoned in the 1990s; however in the 20th century, the academics understanding and the literature on the main actors have widened, and have included more detailed actors. For example, according to Branczik (2004), there are four main actors that represent the humanitarian aid sector: International (IOs) and Regional Organisations (ROs); the most important actor in the provision of humanitarian aid is the UN. Unilateral assistance, as well as multilateral, i.e. the countries provide direct aid unilaterally through their own foreign-aid or part of their foreign policy. Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), which play a key role in the provision of humanitarian aid, either directly or as being a UN partner. The Military and its main role is to make sure to create a safe environment where other agencies can operate from, they can also directly provide aid when necessary in cases where the IOs and NGOs are unable to perform or deal with security issues, and it can act as a managing body for the humanitarian relief process. It is important to stress that in order to have a successful humanitarian relief effort, effective leadership and coordination should be present to avoid conflicting activities and duplications of projects and so forth. The UN is the agency that acts as the coordinator in most cases (Branczik, 2004). In addition to the UN, there are other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that also respond to complex humanitarian emergencies and work together with the UN. The humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts (HA/DR) had faced a major challenge in terms of that the diverse information and knowledge are distributed and owned by different organisations, and are not efficiently organised and utilized during HA and DR operations (Zhang et. Al, 2002). Obstacle to the humanitarian aid agencies Moreover, there have been other factors that are defined as great challenges that have affected the performance of the humanitarian aid agencies, and two of those are efficiency and effectiveness. For example and according to Branczik (2004), if the assistance is needed in a conflict zone that is located in a poor area of infrastructure then it would be impossible and dangerous for the humanitarian agencies to deliver aid, this leads to some beneficiaries being neglected due to that (Branczik, 2004). Another important point is the increasing number of agencies operating on the ground, this causes the struggle to obtain accurate intelligence, and when it is difficult to obtain accurate intelligence, the unpredictability of humanitarian crises causes effective management and coordination within the agencies to become difficult, therefore, and in order to solve this difficulty, agencies should improve gathering and sharing the information by improving the management and coordination wit hin them (Branczik, 2004). Furthermore, political dilemmas play an important part in influencing the performance of humanitarian agencies. As Branczik (2004) and Stockton (2006) call it, humanitarian alibi, which refers to the fact that most humanitarian crises are caused by bad governance and the bad performance of the humanitarian agencies is also affected by deliberate acts by governments to frustrate humanitarian access to, and deny the existence of the people that are in need of protection. It is therefore defined as: the misuse of the humanitarian idea and humanitarian workers by governments eager to do as little as possible in economically unpromising regions (Branczik, 2004; Stockton, 2006). 2.3 Aims and guidelines of humanitarian aid agencies in Kara Tepe camp UNHCR Legal Framework The Universal Declaration of Human Rights that was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly was published in 1948 and is still used and relevant today as it was back then. The main reason for issuing it was to declare the rights and freedoms to which every human being is equally and inalienably entitled (UDHR, 1948, p. iii). UDHR is a promise to everyone and not country-specific or for a certain era or social group, it is a promise to all the economic, social, political, cultural and civic rights whatever colour, race, ethnicity they are, gender, whether they are disabled or not, citizens or migrants, and no matter what creed, age or sexual orientation (UDHR, 1948, p. v + vi). Abuse of Human Rights did not diminish when the UDHR was adopted, but at least more people have gained more freedom, and violations were not permitted. According to part 1 of article 14 of UDHR: 1. Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution, onwards the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees was adopted and entered into force on 22 April 1954, and is now called the centrepiece of international refugee protection, and its amendment the 1967 Protocol which removed all geographic limitations to include everyone and make it universal (UN Convention, 1951, p. 2). Refugees are considered part of the most vulnerable people in the world; and for that reason, the UN has issued the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol to help protect them (Guterres, 2011). The UNHCR works under the United Nations General Assembly and its goal is to seek international protection and permanent solutions for refugees. It was established in 1950 with a core mandate to protect the refugees. However, nowadays it is responsible for a slightly larger group that does not only include refugees but also asylum seekers, internally displaced persons (IDPs), stateless persons or migrants (UNHCR, 2014). Although the protection of refugees is the primarily the responsibility of States, however the main partner that works closely with the governments is the UNHCR and has been doing so throughout the past 50+ years (Jastram Achiron, 2001, p.5). UNHCR aims Specify here what these conventions say about humanitarian assistance to refugees. And specify what they should do in Greece/kara tepe (Provide legal advice, information about asylum processes, housing tents, medical care). IRC aims and guidelines in lesvos The IRC is the only international aid organization working on all fronts of the crisis. In Europe: The IRC was one of the first aid organizations to assist the thousands of refugees arriving each day on the Greek island, Lesbos. IRC aid workers continue to work around the clock in Greece and in Serbia to provide essential services, including clean water and sanitation, to families living in terrible conditions. And we are helping new arrivals navigate the confusing transit process and understand their legal rights. https://www.rescue.org/topic/refugee-crisis-europe-middle-east http://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/policy_research/the_truth_about_asylum?gclid=CjwKEAiA4dPCBRCM4dqhlv2R1R8SJABom9pH4MUi49WtBBRwl558uk2TDFLSaBVM4B54KIi7rfFL0xoCr1bw_wcB Education is the most powerful tool for children, their families and communities in order to survive and recover from a crisis or a conflict; it enables people to drive their own health, safety and prosperity (IRC, 2016). According to the IRC goals that they have published, they state that poor access to education can affect peoples chance to improve their lives, which is why they provide children, youth and adults with educational opportunities which therefore keeps them safe and learn the skills they need to survive and succeed (IRC, 2016). Moreover, the IRCs main goals in regards to education are the following: Ensure that children aged 0 to 5 develop cognitive and social-emotional skills Ensure that school-aged children develop literacy, numeracy and social-emotional skills Ensure that youth and adults have high levels of livelihood, literacy, numeracy and social-emotional skills Ensure that children, youth and adults have regular access to safe and functional education services (IRC, 2016). Save the children aims and guidelines Save the childrens main priority in Greece and especially in Lesvos is to protect the children that are in refugee camps, and to ensure that most importantly they are physically safe and have enough food and good shelter. Apart from distributing the basics, they claim to have started providing items such as sanitary pads, soap, shampoo, toilet paper and simple food items such as crackers and tea (save the children, 2015). However, since their priority is protecting children, they have also met with national charities in Greece to identify child protection needs, and have worked on transporting the new arrivals to the island to different registration points, to make sure that families and unaccompanied children to do not have to walk 70km to register (save the children, 2015). Food Asylum Process Language Give me the money to pay a smuggler and Ill go back to Syria right now. There the death is quick. Here we are dying slowly. In this chapter, the theoretical foundations of humanitarian aid discussed above will be applied to the case of aid agencies operating in Kara Tepe camp. First I I will give a brief overview of the situation in Kara Tepe according to my own lived experience and reflection there during summer. Second, I will compare and contrast the agencies stated aims and guidelines to the real situation on the ground in Kara Tepe in order to clarify to what extent they manage to live up to their words. I will then underline some of the key obstacles currently hindering the organisations effective service delivery to the residents. Before arriving to Lesvos, I had no expectations of how the situation would be there. All I had in mind was the image often portrayed to us by the media about the refugee camps, which is one an image of violence and chaos, and I thought our task as volunteers would solely be to only distribute food and clothes as it was mentioned on the organisations website. However, when I arrived to the island, nothing was as I imagined it to be. In fact, Kara Tepe was a well-organised camp, and our job as HSA volunteers with HSA was to distribute food and clothes to families in camp, but it was done through a well thought out system. We had the meals delivered to the resident families door- to-door to their housing units in teams. The residents themselves were also part of the distribution teams, depending on what area they lived in as they were more familiar with the people of the camp than the volunteers residents. Moreover, we also distributed clothes by giving the residents tickets for monthly appointments. This system has indeed created a harmony in the camp, and a sense of belonging to a community. A very important factor that played a huge role for me while in Kara Tepe was the language. Arabic is my mother tongue, so it was easy for me to communicate with most of the refugees which had come to Lesvos from Syria and Iraq. Consequently, I therefore created a special bond with them and they turned to me to translate when misunderstandings or problems occurred in the camp. Being the only staff speaking their language, I felt that it became my duty to voice their feelings and opinions in everyday situations, being the only staff speaking their language, and I believe this was why I allocated a leading role in the team from the outset. My boss saw how the refugees turned to me for help as I could voice their concerns, and assigned me as a team leader shortly after I arrived. As I gained an understanding of the familys needs, my duties did not just involve the clothing distribution part, but also comprised on the task of improving the existing system to avoid stress and queues. This project was successful and it led the UNHCR to ask to publish our standard of procedures to the benefit of other organisations operating in the camp, and we got praised by the camp management for increasing the safety and dignity of the refugees residing in there which are referred to as residents of Kara Tepe. It is important to stress that the refugees living in camps are human beings just like everyone else. Fleeing wars and conflicts, being homeless, does not make them any different from anyone. They had normal lives in their home countries when the war forced them to leave everything and flee, and they are often well educated and skilled. Unfortunately, the way the refugees are forced to live in camps portray them in a very bad way, that everyone including myself had our own assumptions towards them due to the situation. It has been my privilege to have known and live among the refugees that I call my friends and family now for three months in Kara Tepe, and therefore I had to give this background of my time spent in camp as a tribute to

The Evolution Of The First Amendment Essay -- essays research papers

The Evolution of the First Amendment The first amendment states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.(encyclopedia) The inhabitants of the North American colonies did not have a legal right to express opposition to the British government that ruled them. Nonetheless, throughout the late 1700s, these early Americans did voice their discontent with the crown. For example they strongly denounced the British parliament's enactment of a series of tax levies to pay off a large national debt that England incurred in its Seven Years War with France. In newspaper articles, pamphlets and through boycotts, the colonists raised what would become their battle cry: "No taxation without representation!" And in 1773, the people of the Massachusetts Bay Colony demonstrated their outrage at the tax on tea in a dramatic act of civil disobedience, the Boston Tea Party.(Eldridge,15) The stage was set for the birth of the First Amendment, which formally recognized the natural and inalienable rights of Americans to think and speak freely. The first Amendments early years were not entirely auspicious. Although the early Americans enjoyed great freedom compared to citizens of other nations, even the Constitution's framer once in power, could resist the string temptation to circumvent the First Amendment's clear mandate. Before the 1930s, we had no legally protected rights of free speech in anything like the form we now know it. Critics of the government or government officials, called seditious libel, was oftenly made a crime. Every state had a seditious libel law when the Constitution was adopted. And within the decade of the adoption of the First Amendment, the founding fathers in congress initiated and passed the repressive Alien and Sedition act (1798). This act was used by the dominant Federalists party to prosecute a number of prominent Republican newspaper editors.(Kairys,3) When Thomas Jefferson was elected president in 1801 they also prosecuted their critics. More than 2,000 people were prosecuted, and many served substantial prison te... ...o preserve freedom of expression have taught us anything, it is that the first target of government suppression is never the last. Whenever government gains the power to decide who can speak and what they can say, the first Amendment rights of all of us are in danger of being violated. But when all people are allowed to express their views and ideas, the principles of democracy and liberty are enhanced. American democracy should mean more than the right to picket when you are really upset or pissed at the system and to vote every four years in elections devoid of content or context. Change will require, as it has in the past, recognition that free speech and democracy are political, not narrowly legal, issues. And it will also require an enlargement of our understanding of such rights to include public access to the various mass media. Bibliography Eldridge, Larry D. A Distant Heritage: The Growth of Free Speech in Early America. New York: New York University Press, 1994. Kairys, David. The Politics of Law In These Times. New York. Patheon Press, 1991. McWhirter, Darien A. Freedom of Speech, Press, and Assembly, Phoenix AZ: Oryx Press, 1994. The World Book Encyclopedia.1995.

A Soldier :: essays research papers

As I sat and thought about what would catch and hold a reader by the nose, an old picture on the wall distracted me. It's not much of a picture, just a group of guys at work in a rather desolate place. This picture has rather special meaning to me, and carries with it a whole assortment of memories. The unknown is always worse then the known. Don't listen to rumors or try to imagine what it's like here. This is a modern sophisticated, highly technical, well-planned war. One I am sure I will return safely from. This war is not what is seen on television or talked about sitting at your favorite watering hole. This is a war that must be fought here and now, not based on past victories or failures. This truly is a war unlike any ever fought, yet a fight the world cannot turn away or hide from. We are here to insure the right of people to live in peace without fear of a more belligerent nation stripping the thin veneer of civilization away from them. A veneer that has been carefully nurtured for thousands of years to protect us from our more primitive instincts and ourselves. The rights and freedoms of innocent people have been infringed upon and the world..no, I cannot turn my head and walk away. Yes, my chosen profession is that of a soldier. A soldier by definition trains to be proficient in war and in the ability to cause destruction in the most efficient way possible. Perhaps this is why the soldier is also the one who most hates war and fighting. It is he who must carry the burden, endure the hardships, the pain, and the anguish of being the bringer of destruction. This same soldier who after months of living in a hostile environment, surviving the manmade hell of a modern battlefield can often be seen giving food or perhaps his last bit of hoarded chocolate to a small child. A child that has also survived the horror of war. Yet, I go forward in the morning with a light heart. Knowing that what I feel is shared by thousands of other soldiers. These same soldiers that I may be asked to kill in a matter of a few days. For part of a soldier is the bond or link that exists between themselves. For these professionals know each other by sight.

Impact of Innovation Technology in Banking Sector

The impact of IT in efficiency and effectiveness of banking sector in Sri Lanka  the information technology and its impact in efficiency and effectiveness of the banking sector in sri lanka (with refernce to people’s bank and plc commercial bank plc in sri lanka) author: m. r. m. fazmeer 2005/2006 fmc south eastern university of sri lankaWhat is information technology? The study or use of computers and telecommunications for storing and sending Information (Oxford dictionary, 2003) â€Å"The information technology refers to all forms of technology applied to processing, storing, and transmitting information in electronic form.The physical equipment used for this purpose includes computers, communication equipment and network, fax machines, and even pocket organizer. Information on system executes organized procedures and/or communicates information. We define Information as an intangible or intangible entity that severs to reduce uncertainty about some state or event. Data can be originated from the internal operation of the form external entities such as suppliers or customers. Data also come from external data bases and services, for organization purchases a great deal marketing and competitive information.An information technology usually process these data in some way and present the results to users with easy availability of personal computers, users often process the output of formal system themselves in an ad ho manner. Human interpretation of information is extremely important in understanding how an organization reacts to output of system . Different result may mean different things to two managers. A trends or problems with sales. A financial manager may see problems with cash flow given the same sales data, where the marketing manager may use the statistical programs and graphs to look for trends or problems with sales.The recipient of a system’s output 2 1 AUTHOR: M. R. M. FAZMEER 2005/2006 FMC SOUTH EASTERN UNIVERSITY OF SRI LANKA The impact of IT in efficiency and effectiveness of banking sector in Sri Lanka may be an individual, as in the examples of the marketing manager, or it may be a workgroup. Many systems are used routinely for control purpose in the organization and require limited decision making. The accounts receivable application generally runs with little senior management over sight. It is a highly structured application with rules that can be followed by a clerical staff.A department manager handles exceptions. The output of some systems may be used as a part of a program or corporate strategy. The system it self could be implementing a corporate strategy, such as simplifying the customer order process. A system might help manager make decision. Information technology, however, extends far beyond the computational capabilities of computers. Today, computers are used extensively for communications as well as for traditional roles of data storages and computations. Many computers are connected t ogether using various kind of communication line to form networks.Through a network, individuals and organization are link together and these linkages are mass market networks like CompuServe, America on – line, and prodigy are a more recent phenomenon of course, the most famous network of all is the internet and shall explore its potential for business. Today every organization is faced with various information technology architectures. A manager is always concerned with various sources available for product and services. In the technology field. There are options on suppliers for both hardware and software.The area of information technology as an integration of communication technology. (Asoka S. Karunananda,1998) History of Impact of Information Technology In 21st century, the role of information technology is very important in every sector, whether it is agriculture industry and services. The information system’s functions in an organization have expanded significa ntly over the years. Information systems of the 1950’s forecast on reducing the cost of routine paper processing, transaction data processing, record keeping, accounting and other electronic data processing.By the 1960’s organizations started viewing information system differently recognizing that information system could be used for general management support, such system was called as Management Information System (MIS) that collected, stored and processed were seen as providing special purpose, customized management control over the organization, such 2 AUTHOR: M. R. M. FAZMEER 2005/2006 FMC SOUTH EASTERN UNIVERSITY OF SRI LANKA The impact of IT in efficiency and effectiveness of banking sector in Sri Lanka system were called Decision Support System (DSS) and Executive Support System (ESS).Their purpose was to improve and speed up the decision making process. Now information technology has become very important all activities of the organization. On the other hand, service sector more contributes to the economy of the country under the service of the banking sector is very important one. In our country, there are two forms of banks namely, State banks and private banks. The State banks are financed by the government through budget and controlled and managerial functions are carried out by them.On her hand private banks are financed by private sector itself and control and management is in the hand of them. Today we can see the private bank highly use the information technological systems in their every activity rather than in state banks. So, for my research study purpose I’m taking the sample as People’s bank as a state bank and Commercial bank as a private bank. Now information technology is changing day by day. So these two banks introduced system to their organizations. So information technological system has become the one of the important resource of the organization.Today world is globalized. It has startling polemical phe nomenon that brings nations into â€Å"one global village† with â€Å"One broad less economy† so the effective and efficient use of information technology is vital to the organization. Information technology is vital like other resources such as man, money, material, machinery and methods. Without information technological system cannot function in the competitive market. The banking sector is very important to the country because it has contributed lot to the country’s national income.And also each and every bank facilitates to every citizen to maintain accounts and other facilities as well. So there is a need to identify the impact of the information technology on efficiency and effectiveness of banking sector. In the case of Sri Lankan banking sector there are two leading domestic banks one is People’s bank another one is Commercial bank PLC, and IT usage of People’s bank (state bank) in their banking activities are very rare with Comparing with Commercial bank PLC (private bank).So we need to find out the reasons for the varies of IT usage between state banks and private banks. 3 AUTHOR: M. R. M. FAZMEER 2005/2006 FMC SOUTH EASTERN UNIVERSITY OF SRI LANKA The impact of IT in efficiency and effectiveness of banking sector in Sri Lanka The Importance of information technology Organizations have various managerial levels. These all managerial levels have different managerial functions, such as planning, organizing, staffing, and controlling. These functions are necessary for successful organizational performance.To support these functions, especially planning and controlling systems for supping information to managers are of special importance. Only with accurate and timely information can managers monitor progress toward their goals and turns plans into reality. (Peter Drucker, 2000) The manager must handle the information system effectively and efficiently to achieving their goals of an organization. Therefore we have seen information, requirement of information organization characteristics of information and information system of their types.Information is not natural resources. Data are facts, events, transactions and soon witch have been recorded. They are input raw materials from which information is produced. Briefly data is pool of observation . Information is data that have been processed in such a way as to be useful to the recipient, in another view the information is a statement about the structure of an entity that enables a person to make a decision or commitment. System is a group of components that interact to achieve purpose.Commonly, system 3 basic components they are inputs, output and processing. In this way information system is a group of components that interacts to produce information. Here data or raw materials as input information as output is gotten and processing component help to change the inputs to outputs. Briefly the minimum information system consists of people, proced ure and data. People follow procedures to manipulate data to produce information. The following figure explains it. Impact of Information Technology (Henry C. Lucas. 998) Many times information technologies have failed because the reactions of users were ignored or because designers did not consider the impact of the system on the organization. A technology elegant system is successful only it is used. Most 4 AUTHOR: M. R. M. FAZMEER 2005/2006 FMC SOUTH EASTERN UNIVERSITY OF SRI LANKA The impact of IT in efficiency and effectiveness of banking sector in Sri Lanka early studies of the import of computers were completed after the systems had been installed. These studies were broad not are and in general were not oriented toward the design of better information system.More recent research has leg to the development of a mode of information systems in the con text of the organization, that describes how in formation systems impact and in tract with organizations. From this mode it shou ld be possible to predict the impact of systems in advance and plan for a successful inter face with the organization Best – known sets ore dictions for the impact of computers on organizations (Leavitt and whistler 1998) These authors sequester that firms would recentralize as a result of new computer technology, the availability of more information than previously possible would allow management centralize.The trend until the development of computer technology to word decentralization because centralization. Management could not cope with the amount of information and number of decision required in lounge organization. Computers offer the power to make centralized management possible so the organization can be tightly controlled by a group of top managers.Little evidence supports this early redetection (Lucas 1975) another problem in validating precisian of computer impact occurs in defining variables such as centralization and decentralization (Information systems concepts for management Moreover, early predictions assumed that decentralization is negatively motivator there make other reasons to decentralize In other hand the information technology effect the distribution of power among the department of the organization. Different departments in organization have different levels of power and a theory proposed by Hick son et al (1971) offers some insight into these power relationships.As were shall see, the information services department meets conditions that are describes by the Hick son et al for high power, and by its activities, this alters the distribution of power in the baking sector. There are four major conditions describes by the several researchers. The one hypothesized determinants of power is the extent to which the department copes with uncertainty for other departments. Uncertainty is destined as the lack ok information about future events that make their outcomes less predictable. An information services 5 AUTHOR: M. R. M. FAZMEER 2 005/2006 FMCSOUTH EASTERN UNIVERSITY OF SRI LANKA The impact of IT in efficiency and effectiveness of banking sector in Sri Lanka department cope swath aureate deal of uncertainty for user departments. When a new system is designed the user often yields control over an operation to the information services department. For example consider the department that used to prepare budget statements manually but that has just implemented a computer system to process budgets. Before the information technological system. When a gluepot clerks and analysts prepared the budget the manager of the department had complete control.If the department was behind schedule the manager could arrange over time or employment help to see that job was completed. A solution to most problems wow within the manager is own department Now, with the computer system, the manager has added uncertainties about whether the information services department will finish processing on time and with acceptable accuracy. The development of this computer system has created uncertainty for the manager where non existed before. Interesting enough, only the information services department can cope with this new uncertainty.The information department of every organization is very important in every organization. So the uncertain ting also controlled by the information services department. A second hypothesized department of high power is whether or not a department can be replaced easily. These are a few alternatives to mature information services department. Dissatisfied company management could hire an entirely new computer staff, but this would create chaos during the transition period. One can also turn to service bureau for processing, but it would be difficult and expensive to covert all present applications.Another alternative to the information services department is a facilities management arrangement in which a consultant contracts to run an information service services department. However, most f acilities management contractors hire proportion of the people currently working in the information services department. A facilities management agreement also meets hesitance form management, which is often uneasy about hexing another organization responsible for the processing of vital information. These for a mature information services department, there are not many possible substitutes. AUTHOR: M. R. M. FAZMEER 2005/2006 FMC SOUTH EASTERN UNIVERSITY OF SRI LANKA The impact of IT in efficiency and effectiveness of banking sector in Sri Lanka A third proposed determinant of high power for a department is the number of links between other department, the great its power clearly, here is another situation where the information services department has the potential for becoming quite powerful. The information services department may accept input from a wide variety of departments in the organization and provide the all with some type of service.The importance of each link also must be considered in assessing departmental power. It a link were separated, how long would be only an in convenience; In most organizations the final output would no the affected drastically. For the information services department, the number of links and the importance of out put depend on the type of applications developed. Transactional and operational control systems are usually associated with greater power since these systems have immediate impact on workloads in the company.Most organizations, For an examples, are heavily dependent or on line transactions processing systems. The degree of interdependence between the department of interest and all other departments in the organization is a final condition for power, The greater the dependence of department marketing on department human resources department, the greater is department Marketing's power. The information services department tends to exhibit reciprocal interdependence with user departments. That is the information se rvices department and user departments mutually depended each other to process work, and unfortunately.This type of mutual dependence is the most demanding An information services department depends on users during systems design to supply information and provide and understanding of what is needed. On the other hand, the user is dependent on the information services department for the technical aspects of design and for seeing that a system is implemented. During operations, the user must supply input and help maintain the database. The user in turn is dependent on the information services department to provide processing services.Information Technology (IT) refers to hardware, software, procedures, personnel, and data employed in the production, dissemination, and utilization of information, both formal and informal, in an organization (Davis and Olson, 1985). While traditionally IT has been 7 AUTHOR: M. R. M. FAZMEER 2005/2006 FMC SOUTH EASTERN UNIVERSITY OF SRI LANKA The impact of IT in efficiency and effectiveness of banking sector in Sri Lanka defined to include only â€Å"formal† information systems, such as reporting systems generated by a database, increasingly IT is utilized to facilitate informal interpersonal communication.The key technologies include computers, computer-controlled devices, and telecommunications networks; we also include electronic mail, teleconferencing, voice mail, and facsimile transmission as part of IT. IT consists not only of tangible pieces of equipment and programs; it represents the capacity of the organization to produce, disseminate, and digest information. IT has been used in a number of ways including the mechanization of information processing, the augmentation of knowledge work, and for supporting coordination in the organization.A significant amount of investment in IT is for basic mechanization of the records of production and distribution of goods and services (e. g. , invoices) or the actions themselves ( e. g, electronic money transfer). A centralized database makes it possible to produce and disseminate information for management control as a by- product of mechanization. This category also includes technology used for manufacturing such as CAD/CAM and computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM). Information technology also contributes to the support of individual workers.Drucker (1964) identified â€Å"knowledge work as a specifically human activity, distinct from physical labor which could be automated. The notion of augmentation was first defined by Englebart (1963) as â€Å"increasing the capability of a man (sic) to approach a complex problem situation, gain comprehension to suit his particular needs, and to derive solutions to problems† (p. 1). Today, personal computers are used widely by individuals to augment knowledge work. Increasingly IT is being used to increase the ease of connection between individuals, organizational units, and even different organizations.Applic ations such as electronic mail, voice messaging, and facsimile transmission facilitate the communication and coordination of information required for organizational Processing. Some terms used for this class of applications are: interpersonal computing (Goldberg, 1987), coordination technology (Holt, 8 AUTHOR: M. R. M. FAZMEER 2005/2006 FMC SOUTH EASTERN UNIVERSITY OF SRI LANKA The impact of IT in efficiency and effectiveness of banking sector in Sri Lanka 1988; Malone, 1988), groupware (Richman, 1987a), and computer supported groups (Johansen, 1988).Efficiency and Effectiveness of Information technology Advances in information technology and intensified competition in the marketplace have contributed to the timely delivery of products and ser- vices. This in turn has contributed to increased benefits and reduced costs of IT project management. Depending on the size, scope, and complexity of a project, a number of conflicting elements challenge IT project management. Project deliver y may address the equally important need for reliability in delivering the project as promised, as well as its cost and benefits. equirements for effectiveness and efficiency in IT project management. Given the critical importance of project delivery and reliability as well as the economic rationale in project planning and implementation, the future of any business will be determined by how well projects are managed today. In general, short period cycle times may lead to substantial incremental earnings while the penalty for long project cycle times may mean missing market opportunities al- together. In addition, multi-project organizations may often tend to launch projects as soon as they are understood.These organizations launch the projects concurrently with existing projects, simultaneously with other new efforts, or without sufficient regard to the capacity of the organization. This would commonly lead to an array of projects with conflicting priorities. Project resources and m anagers are responsible for sorting these priori- ties. Of particular concern in this regard is that the priorities established within a functional area may not be in synchrony with other areas, or more importantly with the company-wide priorities.It can be argued that smaller projects are more manage- able and it is usually easier to ensure their success, and thus, smaller projects are more likely to succeed than large projects. On the other hand, one can argue that larger projects would have more funding and resources and therefore should have a higher probability of success. However, 9 The recent developments in IT have also brought significant ramifications with regard to the critical AUTHOR: M. R. M. FAZMEER 2005/2006 FMC SOUTH EASTERN UNIVERSITY OF SRI LANKAThe impact of IT in efficiency and effectiveness of banking sector in Sri Lanka we argue that while the smaller projects may be more manageable, project management can be the critical factor in ensuring the success of the p rojects, regardless of the size. Some of the critical factors to project success are user involvement, executive support, and a clear statement of business objectives In this context, SWOT analysis and the Theory of Constraints provide a comprehensive framework that can address the effectiveness and efficiency of project planning. (Sabbaghi and Vaidyanathan, EDSIG, 2003, p. 2) (Wei, et al. 2002) proposed a resource con- strained-based project management model for project planning, implementation and control. The research does not include Theory of Constraints as a tool for effective project selection. Another model used SWOT analysis to make decisions on effective use of resources for housing projects (Ziara and Ayyub, 1999. ) The methodology considered both the options and constraints of relevant socio-economic factors in the planning and construction of urban housing-project developments. A selection of R&D projects models consist of integer decision variables for both the number of researchers allocated nd project selection. Re- searcher allocation and project selection are subject to several linear and nonlinear goal constraints (Taylor, et al. , 1982). In this study, we have pro- vided a framework for effectiveness and efficiency of IT project planning using SWOT analysis and Theory of Constraints. There is a potential for further research using both these tools to address the selection of projects in a more efficient and effective manner. (Sabbaghi and Vaidyanathan, EDSIG, 2003) 10 AUTHOR: M. R. M. FAZMEER 2005/2006 FMC SOUTH EASTERN UNIVERSITY OF SRI LANKAThe impact of IT in efficiency and effectiveness of banking sector in Sri Lanka Information Technology in Banking Sector (Ranee Jayamaha, 2008) The rapid advancement in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has had a profound impact on the banking industry and the wider financial sector over the last two decades and it has now become a tool that facilitates banks’ organizational structu res, business strategies, customer services and other related functions. The recent â€Å"IT revolution† has exerted far-reaching impacts on economies, in general, and the financial services industry, in particular.Within the financial services industry, the banking sector was one of the first to embrace rapid globalization and benefit significantly from IT development. The technological revolution in banking started in the 1950s, with the installation of the first automated bookkeeping machines at banks. This was well before the other industries became IT savvy. Automation in banking became widespread over the next few decades as bankers quickly realized that much of their labor-intensive information-handling processes could be automated with the use of computers. The first Automated Teller Machine (ATM) is reported to have been introduced n the USA in 1968, and it was only a cash dispenser. The advent of ATMs helped both to improve customer convenience and reduce costs, as before ATMs, withdrawing funds, accounts inquiries and transferring funds between accounts required face-to-face interaction between bank staff and customers. :-Rapid advancement and gains to the banking sector Overall, technological innovation has brought about the speedy processing and transmission of information, easy marketing of banking products, enhancement of customer access and awareness, wider networking and, regional and global links on an unprecedented scale.IT development has thus changed the product range, product development, service channels and type of banking services, as well as the packaging of such services, with significant efficiencies not only in the banks, but also the ancillary and feeder services to banks. The financial services industry has thus become virtually dependent on IT development. Most banks make visible efforts to keep up with new systems and processes. 11 AUTHOR: M. R. M. FAZMEER 2005/2006 FMC SOUTH EASTERN UNIVERSITY OF SRI LANKA The impact of IT in efficiency and effectiveness of banking sector in Sri LankaThe development in ICT has enabled banks to provide more diversified and convenient financial services, even without adding physical branches. The present day ATMs are more sophisticated machines that can scan the customer and a bank teller, accept cash or cheques, facilitate customer application for loans and allow for face-to-face discussion with a service representative via video. The development of Internet services, which is an extensive, low-cost and convenient financial network, has facilitated banking services to customers, anywhere and anytime.Along with Internet and Web-based services, a need for changing core banking architecture has emerged. The introduction of new core banking systems by some banks and their links with the improved telecommunication network has enabled banking transactions to be done on-line, in contrast to the batch-processing mode used earlier. The integration of etrading with internet banking and banks’ websites is also a notable feature. These IT advancements have enabled banks to gradually replace manual work by automated procedures with on-line real time processing. -Adoption of Information Technology in Sri Lankan Bank industry The banking sector in Sri Lanka has undergone a rapid transformation with the adoption of IT-based banking solutions. The widespread usage of IT in Sri Lanka’s banking sector began only in the late 1980s with the introduction of the first ATM by HSBC Bank in 1986. The introduction of ATMs and automated processes has reduced the cost per transaction significantly, as staff overhead costs have decreased. Initially, the banks adopted systems developed in-house or used vendor provided systems on a decentralized basis, thus transforming manual systems to automated processes.However, most of the core-banking systems provided by different vendors were ad hoc solutions and on piecemeal basis, i. e. separate modules and technology platforms for key operations such as deposit mobilization and lending, trade finance, treasury operations, and more recently card transactions. Those who opted to implement new core-banking systems together with other sub systems and integrations may have made relatively large 12 AUTHOR: M. R. M. FAZMEER 2005/2006 FMC SOUTH EASTERN UNIVERSITY OF SRI LANKA The impact of IT in efficiency and effectiveness of banking sector in Sri Lanka investments with sustainable gains to compensate costs.The arrival of new foreign and private banks with state-of-the-art technology-based services pushed other banks in Sri Lanka to move towards the latest technologies so as to retain their customer base and meet competition. The increasing competition in Sri Lanka’s banking industry has widened the scope of the IT infrastructure development to meet diversified demands made by numerous users. Today, customers of some banks enjoy services through Internet banking, Tele banking, Mobile telephone banking and Visa/Master Credit and Debit card facilities.The growing competition and expectations have also increased awareness amongst banks of the role and importance of technology in banking. ; -Information Technology of Commercial Banks. The Bank has vital information system to their organization activity. They have invested more and more on new information technology. Last year they have received the edge over other banks and they will continue to invested in information in order that they to stay ahead. Last year they invested Rs. 302. 13million in IT. Two new cutting edge products they rolled out.In partnership with Dialog. They enabled the customers to top up their pre-paid mobile phones by way an SMS to the Bank. The SMS debits the customer’s Bank account and tops up his/her pre-paid mobile phone account. Intermediary truncation are eliminated truncation costs reduced and a win-win scenarios is created for the services provided, the customer and the Bank This year th ey will clinch deals with other operators as well and offer the product to abroad group of the customers. This new product has concept of â€Å"pre-paid† telephone cards.A similarly facility has now been extended to customers who have obtained â€Å"Pahan† personal loans obtained those eligible to get their loans immediately topped up merely by sending SMS to the Bank. Thorough the Mobile ATM process the collective wealth of the Bank is enhanced enabling the previous of superior potations to our customers. They have several electronic products which are operating using an information technology; they are e-Exchange, e-load, Com Tel, Mobile ATM operating on GPRS Technology, Online banking, Telephone Banking and etc. 13 AUTHOR: M. R. M. FAZMEER 2005/2006 FMCSOUTH EASTERN UNIVERSITY OF SRI LANKA The impact of IT in efficiency and effectiveness of banking sector in Sri Lanka They have giving several facility and technology to their customer to attract the customer and impr ove the efficiency and effectiveness as well in the committee market. So they have use effective information technological system to their function. ;-Information Technology of the People’s bank. Having worked on a revolutionary IT platform last two years, 2005 become the year in which information Technology became the platform, for People’s Bank to drive its business. he strategic plan 2005-2008 maps out of the years, in which the bank will create a business responsive IT culture, built on an anytime anywhere sever ice; where Information is available at the click of button- easily accessible and very comprehensive; where knowing their customers empowers employees to develop the required business Through the responsiveness, and where carrying for customers become priority integrated banking solutions and multi-channeled delivery systems, the Bank will be able to deliver a complete range of banking services .This will enable to the Bank to earn revenue which turn contri butes to the business performance that makes it a vital financial instate. The implication of Bank’s Core Banking solution vital for the enhancement of the function and severances which the management and the employees could extent to provide excellent customer service e core Banking salutation will also bring in effective control, policies and dissiliences in providing a customer centric knowledge based cultural which enhances productivity and competitiveness.The Core Banking salutation was rolled out to 37 branches including corporate Banking division, trade finance division, overseas customer services unit, central clearing and cash and the finance and MIS division of the bank during2005. During the year 2006, the Bank copes to roll out the salutation to 200 branches. This would enable all the main branches of the bank to use the Core Banking salutation. The Bank has also installed a central Archiving system and the MIS / Data Ware house system during 2005.The effectivenes s and productivity relating to the MIS / Data ware house system and the Central Archiving system would be important areas to fours during 2006. The linguini of the credit card center, FCBU and the corporate II system would be some of the key areas of the Core Banking implementation other than the automation of 14 AUTHOR: M. R. M. FAZMEER 2005/2006 FMC SOUTH EASTERN UNIVERSITY OF SRI LANKA The impact of IT in efficiency and effectiveness of banking sector in Sri Lanka the 163 branches during 2006archiving system.The It personnel of the Bank attached to the Data Center, operating IBM e Server I Series system have also been provided with specialized training from IBM, their partners Blue Chip Customer Engineering Lanka (Pvt) Ltd. And silver lake. The training provided covers the technical aspect and operational aspect of IBM e Server I Series, the Archiving system together with the application system in use (SIBS). Training was also provided to the team managing the Central switch with regard to the operation and technical aspect of the Central switch system and its connectivity.The PABS team was provided with advance SCO – UNIX, training conducted by SCO- UNIX. USA in Sri Lanka. The IT department staff continues a process providing training to branch uses using the PABA system and the ATMs in odder to the tramline the operational efficiency and support to the branch. This training program was conducted through out the year. The offices attached to the IT department continued to receive training areas of technical Development, Management, Management Development and Leadership. The aim of developing their skills in adaptation to technical skill has been constantly addressed.During 2005 the bank has strengthen its control with regard to IT operations and Viruses protection, relating to all system used by the Bank. The Bank is continue sly working on improving its vigilance process and maintains stringent security with regard to all its system. During 2006 se tting up of firewalls will be given priority consideration. 15 AUTHOR: M. R. M. FAZMEER 2005/2006 FMC SOUTH EASTERN UNIVERSITY OF SRI LANKA The impact of IT in efficiency and effectiveness of banking sector in Sri Lanka REFERENCES 1.Abdul QawiAthman & Lynn Owen, â€Å"Adopting and Measuring Customer Service Quality (SQ) in Islamic Banks: A case study in Kuwait Finance House†, International Journal Of Islamic Financial Services Vol. 3 2. Banking Journal, 1996-2000, Institute of Banks of Sri Lanka. 3. Copeland and Mc Kenney, 1985 the impact of information technology in air lines industry 4. Haron. s, Ahamad. N and Planis . S (1994), â€Å"Bank patronage Factors of Muslim and NonMuslim customers†, International Journal Of Bank Marketing Vol. 12,No. 1 PP. 32-40 5. Hentry C. LUCAS, JR. 1982, â€Å"Information Systems For Management† Edition O- O7- O36924 -1.McGraw- Hill series in management information system. 6. Lears Silver and Fatima Vegholm â€Å"The impact of t he enabling organization on customers Satisfaction: Banks and their small business customers† (KTH-DrottningKristinalVag 30,SE- 10044 Stockholm, Sweden, 1996) 7. Peter F. Drucker, (2000). The importance of information technology ,ISBN 8. Rosenblatt. J Laroche. M. Hochstein. A. Mehlavish. R and Sheahan. M (1998), â€Å"Commercial Banking in Canada: A study Of the selection criteria and service expectations of treasury Officers†, International Journal Of Bank Marketing Vol. ,No. 4, PP. 20-30 9. Website i. Outer Banks website http:/www. outer banks . org. ii. Using. ch website http:/www. using. ch. /org. iii. http://www. statistics. gov. lk iv. http://www. wikipedia. org 16 AUTHOR: M. R. M. FAZMEER 2005/2006 FMC SOUTH EASTERN UNIVERSITY OF SRI LANKA The impact of IT in efficiency and effectiveness of banking sector in Sri Lanka BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Chorofas, D. , Steinman, H. (1991) Expert systems in banking – A guide for senior managers, UK, Macmillian. 2. Gandy, T. , ( Jan. 1996) Big picture, Banking Technology 3.Gardner, P. (1994) Electronic trading – A practical handbook, UK, Butterworth Heninemann 4. Mckenzie, H. , (Mar. 1995) Attack of the hackers, Banking Technology 5. Mills, A. ,( Mar. 1996) At your service, Banking Technology 6. NatWest Group, Perspectives on technology(1995). 7. Norton, J. , Reed, C. , Walden, C. ,(1995) Cross-border electronic banking 8. Websites: i. ii. iii. http://www. wikipdea. org http://www. 123journals. com http:www. emaraldinsight. com 17 AUTHOR: M. R. M. FAZMEER 2005/2006 FMC SOUTH EASTERN UNIVERSITY OF SRI LANKA