Florida National University Research Project - Strategic Management Paper

Florida National University Project - Strategic Management - Research Paper Example It has other of its campuses located in different regions, mostly the second floors of shopping centers, to take into consideration the ease of accessibility of the facilities by the physically challenged (Alonso, 2013). The Florida National University has a mission of contributing to the education of a diverse population, which is made up of a large percentage of Hispanic culture. In doing this, the University seeks to ensure that students are well prepared for gainful employment, through assisting them advance in the careers of their interest, while at the same time ensuring that the requisite skills and knowledge is imparted on the students, to enhance their competitiveness in the world of employment. To achieve this, the University has worked to control the size of the classes, while also providing the necessary facilities that will not only facilitate the attainment of quality education by the students, but also foster advancement in modern technology (Alonso, 2013). In line wit h serving the interest of the society, the Florida National University also offers cultural programs that develop the societal-cultural values of the community. SWOT analysis for Florida National University Strengths Despite having started two decades ago, Florida National University was declared a fully fledged University only early last year. This notwithstanding, there are several strengths that are associated with Florida National University. First, the University has equipped itself with the state of the art facilities, which enables students to undertake their learning in a favorable environment (Alonso, 2013). This does not only serve to support the students in their career development, but also serves to enhance their competitiveness in the world of employment, since they are taught under a modernized technology environment. The University has several vital educational facilities, which include a language lab, a media center, dental lab, an X-ray lab, a computer lab and a me dical lab (Alonso, 2013). These facilities are aimed at facilitating the smooth and effective learning of the students, while also ensuring that they are well equipped with sufficient knowledge and skills that make them competent professionals in the fields of their careers. Another of the strengths of Florida National University is the fact that it specializes in small class teaching (Alonso, 2013). This is vital since it ensures that the students are well attended to by their lecturers, since the lecturer is not overburdened and overwhelmed by the class population. This is a major milestone towards ensuring that the University produces competent graduates, since they have had sufficient assistance from the lecturers during their tenure at the university, and thus are well imparted with the requisite career knowledge and skills. Additionally, the Florida National University has a strength in the fact that it seeks to enrich the society which it serves, through developing cultural p rograms that are aimed at fostering the cultural values of that society (Alonso, 2013). This becomes one of the strengths of the University, since such an initiative reinforces the relationship existing between the institution and the surrounding

Management of Change and Organisational Development Essay

Management of Change and Organisational Development - Essay Example In our discussions, we realized that change means a variation or the altering of the established way of life or how we live and which people in an organization or an entity are accustomed to normally. We also concluded that the change that we required for organizational development could be affected by the internal or external environment in which we functioned and the change occurring in that environment. Change is usually premeditated, natural or imposed upon the persons it is likely to affect. Every person in a particular group is often required to participate in change by waiting till the change occurs naturally or may take necessary steps that are preventive that can strengthen the group. Change may be external whereby it affects the development of a group and may include educational or cultural forces, social and economic forces while internal forces may include composition and policy of those involved, changes in the personnel, attitudes and feelings of those involved and the work involved amongst other factors. McLean 2006 (p25) argues that change theorists such as Lewin argue that if you want to understand properly a system, it is important that the person first seek to change it in one way or the other. Therefore, a person must be part of the system that he is seeking to change in order to attain the best results. In the research by Lewin about management change and organizational development, he has found that every action research initiative is distinct from the other and that in finding the solution to each, each player must be taken to be unique and understanding the culture of the system. Due to changes in organizations either through different phenomena such as technology and globalization, there has been a necessity for change management plans and strategies for their implementation. Therefore, as a group we were forced to effect change management and organizational development in order to keep in line with the need for improvements in the grou p environment and to remain aligned to the external influences of the organization. Organizational Development in the Group Organizational development is an effort aimed at improving the ability of a group or an entity to solve problems and renew itself through an effective management of the culture of the organization while emphasizing the culture of formal work force from the whole team as involved (McKinney and Howard 1998, p.167). It is always in a planned manner, identifies the problems in the group or organization, and develops strategies for solving the problems and improving on them, and seeks to change the system of particular entities as a whole for example the development of teams and strategy for management. In order to achieve organizational development, there must be a strong desire in change from both the change initiator or the change agent and the person whom the change focuses on, which we tried our best to foster in the group by employing different strategies. Due to the changing face or dynamism of the environment in which an entity exists there are efforts made as a response known as organizational development. The factors that caused the need for organizational development in our group included rapid and unexpected changes and the sustained growth of organizations. The other changes that necessitated the need for organizational development are increased diversity and change in managerial behaviour

Philosophical Issues in Business and Management Essay

Philosophical Issues in Business and Management - Essay Example It is essential to present the expression, which can give and explain the principal roots of the strategic management decision making: Thus, the purpose of the given paper is not only to make the taxonomy of the decision making knowledge in strategic management, but to make it simple, understandable and practical for the use in the further similar researches. It is of course possible to develop certain taxonomy in the system of the modern strategic managerial knowledge, but it often difficult or problematic to find the exact borders between various theories, as they often combine common features and share common grounds. Every successful company needs good strategic management and right strategic decision making. The practice must be supported by the corresponding theory and the theory should be prove by practice. That is why it is essential to consider the issue both from the theoretical and practical points of view. The given work will be useful for making the taxonomy of the decision making knowledge in strategic management. It also will help to make this taxonomy simple and comprehensible, so that it may be applied for further investigations. This work has used 16 literary sources, and has chosen various approaches as the basis for taxonomy of the necessary information; it has also made certain suggestions which should be accounted in the further attempts to systematize the notions of the strategic decision-making.  Ã‚   Taxonomy can be defined as a science of classification of any knowledge, and can be applied to any theoretical or practical field of science. Applying taxonomy to the area of strategic decision making has become popular in the recent years, though attempts to systematize the schools of the strategic decision making has been attempted earlier. It was a difficult task to accomplish, as strategic decisions have been described, as being unclear, complex, unpredictable and messy. The first

Helen and Hosea Client Profile Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Helen and Hosea Client Profile - Assignment Example Hosea parents were missionaries in Africa, which was where he was born.   Hosea spent the better part of his childhood and teenage years. He studied in different international schools where he developed a love for sports. He graduated from Africa University in 2001 and went on to work for three years with a Sports organization called â€Å"Cheza† which means â€Å"Play† in the African Swahili dialect where he was paid $ 30,000. He later went to Regent University for his Master's degree, which was fully sponsored by the religious organization that employed his parents. He managed to save $ 10,000 by keeping all his expenses to a bare minimum while at college. He started working as an assistant college coach the month after his graduation earning $70,000 for three years then got promoted and started earning $80,000. He plans to continue working with this club for as long as he can. Hosea has written some books on sporting in Africa, which has brought him quite good reve nue returns. He got 475,000 as net income, which he got after the book sales. He plans to write more books before he retires. Helen originally trained to be a social worker. She worked for the inner city program in Ontario for five years after graduating earning $35,000. The pay was not so good but she liked what she was doing and felt fulfilled. It was while working there that she got involved with her current school that was doing a better job in the inner cities. They offered her a job, which paid better; $55,000 and provided free housing within the school’s grounds. It was during a sports tournament when she met Hosea, and later got married. She decided to further her education by pursuing an online Masters degree in education at Regent University, which confirmed her credentials as a teacher. Helen now earns $73,000 and plans to continue working with the school until retirement. She also just opened up old peoples home in a house she inherited from her maternal grandmother, which has been bringing in $150,000 per year. She had taken out a loan of 300,000 to renovate the property and to hire new staff but she believes she will be able to repay the loan in about three to five years. The house is worth $ 2.5 million, as it is located in the more expensive side of town. Her grandmother had come from old money. Helen though believed in living a modest life.  Ã‚  Ã‚  

International Journal of Accounting and Financial Essay Example for Free

International Journal of Accounting and Financial Essay ABSTRACT The role of Indian mutual fund industry as significant financial service in financial market has really been noteworthy. In fact, the mutual fund industry has emerged as an important segment of financial market of India, especially in channelizing the savings of millions of individuals into the investment in equity and debt instruments. Mutual funds are seemingly the easiest and the least stressful way to invest in the stock market. Quiet a large amount of money has been invested in mutual funds during the past few years. Any investor would like to invest in a reputed Mutual Fund organization. Mutual funds are financial intermediaries concerned with mobilizing savings of those who have surplus and the canalization of these savings in those avenues where there is a demand for funds. These intermediaries employ their resources in such a manner as to provide combined benefits of low risk, steady return, high liquidity and capital appreciation through diversification and expert management. Reforms in the  Indian economic system and the opening up of the economy have been the reasons for the tremendous growth in the Indian capital market. This study analyzes the impact of different demographic variables on the attitude of investors towards mutual funds. Apart from this, it also focuses on the benefits delivered by mutual funds to investors. To this end, 200 respondents of Solapur City, having different demographic profiles were surveyed. The study reveals that the majority of investors have still not formed any attitude towards mutual fund investments. KEYWORDS: Mutual Fund, Investors, Solapur City INTRODUCTION Mutual fund is a pool of money collected from investors and is invested according to certain investment options. A mutual fund is a trust that pools the saving of a no. of investors who share a common financial goal. A mutual fund is created when investors put their money together. It is, therefore, a pool of investor’s fund. The money thus collected is then invested in capital market instruments such as shares, debentures and other securities. The income earned through these investments and the capital appreciations realized are shared by its unit holders in proportion to the no. of units owned by them. The most important characteristics of a fund are that the contributors and the beneficiaries of the fund are the same class of people namely the investors. The term mutual fund means the investors contribute to the pool and also benefit from the pool. The pool of funds held mutually by investors is the mutual fund. A mutual fund business is to invest the funds thus collected according to the wishes of the investors who created the pool. Usually the investor’s appoint professional investment managers create a product and offer it for investment to the investors. This project represents a share in the pool and pre status investment  Pritam P. Kothari Shivganga C. Mindargi  objectives. Thus, a mutual fund is the most suitable investment for a common man as it offers an opportunity to invest in a diversified, professionally managed basket of securities at relatively low cost. EVOLUTION OF INDIAN MUTUAL FUND INDUSTRY The formation of Unit Trust of India marked the evolution of the Indian mutual fund industry in the year 1963. The primary objective at that time was to attract the small investors and it was made possible through the collective efforts of the Government of India and the Reserve Bank of India. The history of mutual fund industry in India can be better understood divided into following phases: Establishment and Growth of Unit Trust of India 1964-87 Unit Trust of India enjoyed complete monopoly when it was established in the year 1963 by an act of Parliament. UTI was set up by the Reserve Bank of India and it continued to operate under the regulatory control of the RBI until the two were de-linked in 1978 and the entire control was transferred in the hands of Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI). UTI launched its first scheme in 1964, named as Unit Scheme 1964 (US-64), which attracted the largest number of investors in any single investment scheme over the years. UTI launched more innovative schemes in 1970s and 80s to suit the needs of different investors. It launched ULIP in 1971, six more schemes between 1981-84, Childrens Gift Growth Fund and India Fund (Indias first offshore fund) in 1986, Mastershare (Inidas first equity diversified scheme) in 1987 and Monthly Income Schemes (offering assured returns) during 1990s. By the end of 1987, UTIs assets under management grew ten times to Rs 6700 crores. Entry of Public Sector Funds 1987-1993 The Indian mutual fund industry witnessed a number of public sector players entering the market in the year 1987. In November 1987, SBI Mutual Fund from the State Bank of India became the first non-UTI mutual fund in India. SBI Mutual Fund was later followed by Canbank Mutual Fund, LIC Mutual Fund, Indian Bank Mutual Fund, Bank of India Mutual Fund, GIC Mutual Fund and PNB Mutual Fund. By 1993, the assets under management of the industry increased seven times to Rs. 47,004 crores. However, UTI remained to be the leader with about 80% market share. 1992-93 UTI Public Sector Total Amount Mobilised 11,057 1,964 13,021 Assets Under Management 38,247 8,757 47,004 Mobilisation as % of Gross Domestic Savings 5.20% 0.90% 6.10% Emergence of Private Secor Funds 1993-96 The permission given to private sector funds including foreign fund management companies (most of them entering through joint ventures with Indian promoters) to enter the mutal fund industry in 1993, provided a wide range of choice to investors and more competition in the industry. Private funds introduced innovative products, investment techniques and investor-servicing technology. By 1994-95, about 11 private sector funds had launched their schemes. Growth and SEBI Regulation 1996-2004 The mutual fund industry witnessed robust growth and stricter regulation from the SEBI after the year 1996. The mobilization of funds and the number of players operating in the industry reached new heights as investors started showing more interest in mutual funds. A Study of Investors Attitude towards Mutual Fund with Special Reference to Inversotrs in Solapur City Investors interests were safeguarded by SEBI and the Government offered tax benefits to the investors in order to encourage them. SEBI (Mutual Funds) Regulations, 1996 was introduced by SEBI that set uniform standards for all mutual funds in India. The Union Budget in 1999 exempted all dividend incomes in the hands of investors from income tax. Various Investor Awareness Programmes were launched during this phase, both by SEBI and AMFI, with an objective to educate investors and make them informed about the mutual fund industry. Growth and Consolidation 2004 Onwards The industry has also witnessed several mergers and acquisitions recently, examples of which are acquisition of schemes of Alliance Mutual Fund by Birla Sun Life, Sun FC Mutual Fund and PNB Mutual Fund by Principal Mutual Fund. Simultaneously, more international mutual fund players have entered India like Fidelity, Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund etc. There were 29 funds as at the end of March 2006. This is a continuing phase of growth of the industry through consolidation and entry of new international and private sector players. Indian mutual fund industry reached Rs 1,50,537 crore by March 2004. It is estimated that by 2010 March-end, the total assets of all scheduled commercial banks should be Rs 40,90,000 crore. The annual composite rate of growth is expected 13.4% during the rest of the decade. In the last 5 years there is an annual growth rate of 9%. According to the current growth rate, by year 2010, Mutual fund  India assets will be double FEATURES THOSE INVESTORS LIKE IN MUTUAL FUND If mutual funds are emerging as the favorite investment vehicle it is because of the many advantages. They have over other forms and avenues of investing parties for the investors who has limited resources available in terms of Capital and ability to carry out detailed reserves and market monitoring. These are the major advantages offered by mutual fund to all investors: Professional Management Mutual Funds provide the services of experienced and skilled professionals, backed by a dedicated investment research team that analyses the performance and prospects of companies and selects suitable investments to achieve the objectives of the scheme. Diversification Mutual Funds invest in a number of companies across a broad cross-section of industries and sectors. This diversification reduces the risk because seldom do all stocks decline at the same time and in the same proportion. You achieve this diversification through a Mutual Fund with far less money than you can do on your own. Convenient Administration Investing in a Mutual Fund reduces paperwork and helps you avoid many problems such as bad deliveries, delayed payments and follow up with brokers and companies. Mutual Funds save your time and make investing easy and convenient. Return Potential Over a medium to long-term, Mutual Funds have the potential to provide a higher return as they invest in a diversified basket of selected securities. Pritam P. Kothari Shivganga C. Mindargi Low Costs Mutual Funds are a relatively less expensive way to invest compared to directly investing in the capital markets because the benefits of scale in brokerage, custodial and other fees translate into lower costs for investors Liquidity In open-end schemes, the investor gets the money back promptly at net asset value related prices from the Mutual Fund. In closed-end schemes, the units can be sold on a stock exchange at the prevailing market price or the investor can avail of the facility of direct repurchase at NAV related prices by the Mutual Fund Transparency You get regular information on the value of your investment in addition to disclosure on the specific investments made by your scheme, the proportion invested in each class of assets and the fund managers investment strategy and outlook Flexibility Through features such as regular investment plans, regular withdrawal plans and dividend reinvestment plans, you can systematically invest or withdraw funds according to your needs and convenience Affordability Investors individually may lack sufficient funds to invest in high-grade stocks. A mutual fund because of its large corpus allows even a small investor to take the benefit of its investment strategy. Well Regulated All Mutual Funds are registered with SEBI and they function within the provisions of strict regulations designed to protect the interests of investors. The operations of Mutual Funds are regularly monitored by SEBI. DISADVANTAGES OF MUTUAL FUNDS Above I have mentioned the various advantages of Mutual Funds but it also suffers from a lot of drawbacks as the market is volatile and it is ever affected by national as well as international factors, these days we can see that crude oil prices in International market has become an important factor  in determining the market movement. Here are some disadvantages as cited by me and by survey: Fluctuating Returns Mutual funds are like many other investments without a guaranteed return: there is always the possibility that the value of your mutual fund will depreciate. Unlike fixed-income products, such as bonds and Treasury bills, mutual funds experience price fluctuations along with the stocks that make up the fund. When deciding on a particular fund to buy, you need to research the risks involved just because a professional manager is looking after the fund, that doesn’t mean the performance will be always good Diversification Although diversification is one of the keys to successful investing, many mutual fund investors tend to over diversify. The idea of diversification is to reduce the risks associated with holding a single security; over diversification (also known as diversification) occurs when investors acquire many funds that are highly related and, as a result, don’t get A Study of Investors Attitude towards Mutual Fund with Special Reference to Inversotrs in Solapur City the risk reducing benefits of diversification. At the other extreme, just because you own mutual funds doesn’t mean you are automatically diversified. For example, a fund that invests only in a particular industry or region is still relatively risky. For example: Sect oral Funds Cash and More Cash As you know already, mutual funds pool money from thousands of investors, so everyday investors are putting money into the fund as well as withdrawing investments. To maintain liquidity and the capacity to accommodate withdrawals, funds typically have to keep a large portion of their portfolios as cash. Having ample cash is great for liquidity, but money  sitting around as cash is not working for you and thus is not very advantageous. Costs Mutual funds provide investors with professional management, but it comes at a cost. Funds will typically have a range of different fees that reduce the overall payout. In mutual funds, the fees are classified into two categories: shareholder fees and annual operating fees. The shareholder fees, in the forms of loads and redemption fees are paid directly by shareholders purchasing or selling the funds. The annual fund operating fees are charged as an annual percentage usually ranging from 1-3%. These fees are assessed to mutual fund investors regardless of the performance of the fund. As you can imagine, in years when the fund doesn’t make money, these fees only magnify losses. Figure 1: Structure of Mutual Fund A mutual is a set up in the form of trust, which has sponsor, trustee, assets management company (AMC) and custodian. Sponsor is the person who acts alone or in combination with another body corporate and establishes a mutual fund. Sponsor must contribute at least 40% of the net worth of the investment managed and meet the eligibility criteria prescribed under the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Mutual Funds) regulations, 1996. The sponsor is not responsible or liable for any loss or shortfall resulting from the operation of the schemes beyond the initial contribution made by it towards setting up of Mutual Fund. The Mutual Fund is constituted as a trust in accordance with the provisions of the Indian Trusts Act, 1882 by the Sponsor. Trustee is usually a company (corporate body) or a board of trustees (body of individuals). The main responsibility of the trustee is to safeguard the interest of the unit holders and also ensure that AMC functions in the interest of investors’ and in accordance with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Mutual Fund) Regulations 1996 the provisions of the Trust deed and the offer Document of the respective schemes. The AMC is appointed by the Trustees Pritam P. Kothari Shivganga C. Mindargi as the investment Manager of the Mutual Fund. The AMC is required to be approved by SEBI to act as an asset management company of the Mutual Fund. The AMC if so authorized by the Trust Deed appoints the Registrar and Transfer Agent to agent the mutual fund. The registrar processes the application form, redemption requests and dispatches account statements to the unit holders. The Registrar and Transfer agent also handles communications with investors’ and updates investor records. REVIEW OF LITERATURE Lenard et., al. (2003) empirically investigated investor’s attitudes toward mutual funds. The results indicate that the decision to switch funds within a fund family is affected by investor’s attitude towards risk, current asset allocation, investment losses, investment mix, capital base of the fund age, initial fund performance, investment mix, fund and portfolio diversification. The study reported that these factors are crucial to be considered before switching funds regardless of whether they invest in non-employer plans or in both employer and non-employer plans. Bollen (2006) studied the dynamics of investor fund flows in a sample of socially screened equity mutual funds and compared the relation between annual fund flows lagged performance in SR funds to the same relation in a matched sample of conventional funds. The result revealed that the extra-financial SR attribute serves to dampen the rate at which SR investors trade mutual funds. The study noted that the differences between SR funds and their conventional counterparts are robust over time and persist as funds age. The study found that the preferences of SR investors may be represented by conditional multi-attribute utility function (especially when SR funds deliver positive returns). The study remarked that mutual fund companies can expect SR investors to be more loyal than investors in ordinary funds. Walia and Kiran (2009) studied investor’s risk and return perception towards mutual funds. The study examined investors perception towards risk involved in mutual funds, return from mutual funds in comparison to other financial avenues, transparency and disclosure practices. The study investigated  problems of investors encountered with due to unprofessional services of mutual funds. The study found that majority of individual investors doesn’t consider mutual funds as highly risky investment. In fact on a ranking scale it is considered to be on higher side when compared with other financial avenues. The study also reported that significant relationship of interdependence exists between income level of investors and their perception for investment returns from mutual funds investment. Saini et., al. (2011) analyzed investor’s behavior, investors’ opinion and perception relating to various issues like type of mutual fund scheme, its objective, role of financial advisors / brokers, sources of information, deficiencies in the provision of services, investors’ opinion relating to factors that attract them to invest in mutual and challenges before the Indian mutual fund industry etc. The study found that investors seek for liquidity, simplicity in offer documents, online trading, regular updates through SMS and stringent follow up of provisions laid by AMFI. Singh (2012) conducted an empirical study of Indian investors and observed that most of the respondents do not have much awareness about the various function of mutual funds and they are bit confused regarding investment in mutual funds. The study found that some demographic factors like gender, income and level of education have their significant impact over the attitude towards mutual funds. On the contrary age and occupation have not been found influencing the investor’s attitude. The study noticed that return potential and liquidity have been perceived to be most lucrative benefits of investment in mutual funds and the same are followed by flexibility, transparency and affordability. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Mutual funds have their drawbacks and may not be for everyone. No investment is risk free. If the entire stock market declines in value, the value of mutual fund shares will go down as well, no matter how balanced the portfolio. A Study of Investors Attitude towards Mutual Fund with Special Reference to Inversotrs in Solapur City Investors encounter fewer risks when they invest in mutual funds than when they buy and sell stocks on their own. However, anyone who invests through a mutual fund runs the risk of losing money. All funds charge administrative fees to cover their day-to-day expenses. Some funds also charge sales commissions or â€Å"loads† to compensate brokers, financial consultants, or financial planners. When he invests in a mutual fund, they depend on the fund’s manager to make the right decisions regarding the fund’s portfolio. If the invests in Index Funds, they foregoes management risk, because these funds do not employ managers. Though these are the problems in the investment of mutual funds, in the recent days most of the investors preferred to invest their funds on mutual funds. In this background, the research has made an attempt to study the investors’ preference for mutual funds in Solapur City. LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY The present study is based upon the results of survey conducted on 200 mutual fund investors. The implications of the study are subject to the limitations of sample size, psychological and emotional characteristics of surveyed population. SCOPE OF THE STUDY This paper provides Future of Mutual Funds industry information as well as awareness level amongst people for Mutual Funds. Also this project report of Mutual Funds gives an outlook to management as to how the mutual funds are performing in the current market situation as a result what may be the future of this industry. This paper on mutual funds is informative the students who want to understand and undertake assignments in the industry. This study also facilitates the general people who can understand the importance and explore the new option for investment in Mutual Funds. Different financial institutions provide services that are both complementary to and competitive with each other. A well built financial system directly contributes to the growth of the country. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY This study is descriptive in nature based on survey method. The study aims at finding out the attitude of the investors towards investment in mutual funds in Solapur city. This study was based mainly on primary sources. The primary data was collected from the investors of mutual funds with help of the questionnaire. The secondary data were collected from the books, records and journals. By adopting convenience sampling, 200 respondents were selected for this study. The essential data were collected with the help of questionnaire. The data collected from the period of January 2011 to April 2011. DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION Figure: 2 Showing Pattern of Investment Pritam P. Kothari Shivganga C. Mindargi From above figure it is clear that 75% investors are invested in open ended schemes where as 15% invested in closed ended schemes in mutual fund. Figure: 3 Reason for Investment in Mutual Fund From above figure it is clear that and 42% investors say that they invested money in mutual fund for tax assumption. 33% investors say that they invested money in mutual fund for higher returns. 16% investors say that they invested money in mutual fund for value creation in fund. 9% investors say that they invested money in mutual fund for other reason. Figure: 4 Showing the Reason of Investors that not Invested Money in Mutual Fund From above figure is clear that 50% investors say that they not interested to invest money in mutual fund. 33% investors say that they have imperfect knowledge in mutual fund, so they are not invested. 8.5% investors say that they invested in govt. bond. 8.5% investors has other reason so they not invested money in mutual fund. Figure: 5 Showing Type of Investment Investors Should be Preferred A Study of Investors Attitude towards Mutual Fund with Special Reference to Inversotrs in Solapur City From above figure it is clear that investors invest money in fixed deposits. 15 25% investors invest money in gold/real estates. 17% investors invest money in mutual fund. 8% investors invest money in bond/debentures. Remaining 17% investors invest money in shares. Figure: 6 Showing Returns Investor get from their Investment From above figure it is clear that 70% investors are gaining 5-15% returns from their investment. 23% are gaining 15-30% returns from their investment. 5% investors are gaining 30-45% returns from their investment. Remaining only 2% investors is gaining above 45% returns from their investment. Figure: 7 Showing Duration of Investment From above it is clear 80% investors are dealing in short term duration whereas 20% investors are dealing in long term duration. Figure: 8 Showing the Investors Experience in Mutual Fund Pritam P. Kothari Shivganga C. Mindargi From above figure it is clear that 73% investors say that they are having bad experience in mutual fund. 12% investors say that they are having good experience in mutual fund. Remaining 15% investors say that their experience is ok. FINDINGS AND SUGGESTIONS Findings †¢The trend for investment is changing rapidly besides the traditional pattern of investment and people today they are ready to undertake risk and also bear the volatility of changing mutual fund market scenario. †¢This shows that people with Middle Income Group are more attractive this market and are ready to bear the risk. †¢It is observed that 75% investors have invested open ended schemes that they want higher returns on their investment rather than investing in closed ended schemes in mutual fund. †¢It is observed that 42% investors have invested money for tax assumption.33% investors have invested money for higher returns in their investment.16% investors have invested money for value creation in fund. And remaining 9% investors have invested money for other reason. †¢It is observed that 50% investors have not interested to invest money in mutual fund.33% investors have imperfect knowledge so they not invested money in mutual fund.9% investors find govt. securities bond is better that’s way they not invested money in mutual fund. And remaining 8% investors have other reason so they not invested money in mutual fund. †¢It is observed that more businessmen were inclined towards investing in current account. The ladies were inclined to invest their money in Gold and jewelleries. Service class people and retired class people prefer more saving and fixed deposits People with high income. †¢It is observed that 70% investors have invested to getting returns in the range of 5-15% which shows in short span of time they are getting good returns and more than expectations. †¢It is observed that 80% investors have invested in short term duration which indicates the investors have not ready to invest in long term period due to various risks associated with long term duration of investment. †¢On asking how they get knowledge of mutual fund a large number of them attributed to print media. Even banks today follow the role of the investment advisors. Very few get any information from the e-media or Hence, AMCs must increase the awareness about their product through Electronic media (TVs, Cables, Radios etc.) as well as and should not just constrained itself to the print advertisement those who do not read newspaper. SUGGESTIONS Investor’s Point of View The question that entire customer, irrespective of the age group and financial status, think of is- Are mutual funds are a safe option? What makes them safe? The basis of mutual fund industry’s safety is the way the business is defined and regulation of law. Since the mutual fund invests in the capital market instruments, so proper knowledge is essential. Hence the essential requirement is well informed seller and equally informed buyer who  understands and helped them to understand the product (here we can say the capital market and the money market instruments) is the essential preconditions. A Study of Investors Attitude towards Mutual Fund with Special Reference to Inversotrs in Solapur City Being Prudent Investor One Should †¢Ask one’s agent to give details of different schemes and match the appropriate ones. †¢Go to the company records or the fund house regarding any queries if one is not satisfied by the agents. †¢Investors should always keep an eye on the performance of the scheme and other good schemes as well which are available in the market for the closed comparison. †¢Never invest blindly in the investments before going through the fact sheets, annual reports etc. of the company. Since, according to the Guidelines of SEBI The AMCs are bound to disclose all the relevant data that is necessary for the investment purpose of investors. Company’s (Mutual Fund Companies) Point of View  Following measures can be taken by the company for getting higher investments in the mutual fund schemes: †¢Educate the agents or the salesmen properly so that they can take up the queries of the customer effectively. †¢Set up separate customer care divisions where the customers can anytime pose their query, regarding the scheme or the current NAV etc. These customer care units can work out in accordance with the requirements of the customer and facilitates them to choose the scheme that suits their financial status. †¢Conduct seminars or programs about mutual fund where every information about the product is outlined including the risk factor associated with the different classes of assets. †¢Brokers should reduce the brokerage charges for intra day and delivery based so that the investor can save more amounts to generate extra investment for the investor as well as for the Mutual Fund companies. †¢Mutual Fund companies should try to increase the promotion and advertisement strategies for awareness of Mutual fund in solapur city. CONCLUSIONS The mutual fund industry is growing at a tremendous pace. A large number of plans have come up from different financial resources. With the stock markets oaring the investors are attracted towards these schemes. Only a small segment of the investors still in Mutual Funds and the main source  sources of information still are the financial advisors followed by advertisements in different media. The Indian investors generally invest over period of 2-3 years. Also there is a tendency to invest in fixed deposits due to the security attached to it. In order to excel and make mutual funds a success, companies still need to create awareness and understand the psyche of the Indian customer. REFERENCES Agapova, Anna, 2011, „The Role of Money Market Mutual Funds in Mutual Fund Families , Journal of Applied ‟ 1. Finance, Vol. 21, Issue. 1, pp. 87-102. Agarwal, Vikas; Boyson, Nicole M.; Naik, Narayan Y, 2009, „Hedge Funds for Retail Investors? An Examination of Hedged Mutual Funds , Journal of Financial Quantitative Analysis, Vol. 44, Issue 2, pp. 273-305. ‟ 2. 12 Pritam P. Kothari Shivganga C. Mindargi 3. A. Vennila, R. Nandhagopal(2012) â€Å"Investors’ Preference towards Mutual Funds in Coimbatore City European Journal of Social Sciences ISSN 1450-2267 Vol.29 No.1 (2012), pp. 115-125 4. Binod Kumar Singh (2011) â€Å"A Study on Investors’ Attitude towards Mutual Funds as an Investment Option† JOURNAL OF ASIAN BUSINESS STRATEGY, VOL. 1(2): 8-15 5. Badrinath, S.G Gubellini, S, (2011), „On the characteristics and performance of long-short, market-neutral and bear mutual funds , Journal of Banking Finance, Vol. 35 Issue 7, pp.1762-1776. ‟ 6. Dranikoff L, Koller, T. and Schneider, A, â€Å"Divestiture: Strategy’s Missing Link†, Harvard Business Review, May 2002, 80 (5). 7. Dr.Nishi Sharma (2009) â€Å"Indian Inverstors Perception towards mutual funds† Business Management Dynamics Vol.2, No.2, Aug 2012, pp.01-09 8. Gil-Bazo, Javier; Ruiz Verd, Pablo, 2009, „The Relation between Price and Performance in the Mutual Fund Industry , Journal of Finance, Vol. 64, Issue 5, pp. 2153-2183. ‟ 9. Hansen M and Nohria N, â€Å"What’s your Strategy for Managing Knowledge?† Harvard Business Review, MarchApril, 1999, 77 (2).1 10. Journal of Marketing, 32 (October), 65-68, 1968. 11. Rajeswari, T.R., and V.E. RamaMoorthy, 2001, An Empirical Study on Factors Influencing the Mutual Fund Scheme Selection by Retail Investors . Retrieved on May 2010 http://www.utiicm .com/Cmc/PDFs/ ‟ 2001/rajeswari.pdf. 12. Singh, Chander, 2004, „Performance of mutual funds in India – an empirical evidence , ICFAI journal of applied ‟ finance December, pp. 81-98. 13. Subbash C. Jain, â€Å"Marketing Planning and Strategy†, South Western College Publishing, Sixth Edition, 2000. 14. Singh, B. K. and Jha, A.K. 2009, „An empirical study on awareness acceptability of mutual fund , Regional ‟ Student s Conference, ICWAI, pp. 49-55. ‟ 15. Winer, C. Strategic Thinking: An executive Perspective, Upper Saddle River, Prentice Hall, 2000

Biogeochemical Cycles Essay Example for Free

Biogeochemical Cycles Essay With environmental rhetoric gaining increasing currency in the contemporary zeitgeist, it is commonly supposed that we have a moral responsibility to protect ecosystems and conserve biodiversity, particularly from the ecologically devastating impacts of a human civilization that depends on industrial systems and the capitalization of natural resources. Simply put, conventional thinking suggests that man must protect the environment from his own destructive tendencies, and that this moral responsibility is maintained as the sole reason why governments should implement protective measures on behalf of ecosystems. However, by maintaining that moral and ethical responsibility as the reason behind conservation and biodiversity protection, we also risk overlooking the pragmatic and intelligent justification that provide strong reasons that can harness substantial political will and societal momentum to the environmental movement: That ecosystems provide a variety of services and resources ranging from pollination to water treatment, beneficial to human and non-human life, at little to no expense. (Schroeder, 2007) As Emily Goodwin maintains in a discussion of the importance of natural capital, â€Å"we need to include a very frank discussion of what we get from the Earth,† with a goal of â€Å"[maintaining] the functions and services they provide, such as flood protection, clean water, and clean air.† (Steffen, Levitt Kuck, 2008) Governments should therefore take the initiative to protect ecosystems, simply because it makes good sense to do so, regardless of whether one feels a moral obligation to the planet or one is committed a sublime ethicality in personal impacts. As Tobis (2007) observes, the drive to live sustainably, to protect natural assets and the compulsion to limit consumption, while viewed by some as a negative responsibility and one that has effectively hindered the momentum of the environmental movement, is also a set of principles that makes economic sense. Measures to protect ecosystems means that governments recognize the economic finitude of natural capital, as well as the economic boons that ecosystems naturally provide. REFERENCES Schroeder, K. (2007, August 12) â€Å"Colonizing Planet Earth.† Worldchanging. Retrieved on December 22, 2008 from: http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/007092.html Steffen, A; Levitt, J; Kuck, S. (2008, November 28) â€Å"The Future of Public Lands in the United States.† Worldchanging. Retrieved on December 22, 2008 from: http://www.worldchanging.com/archives//009077.html Tobis, M. (2007, April 30) â€Å"My little world (and yours, too).† Grist. Retrieved on December 22, 2008 from: http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/4/29/195245/792

Dead Poets Society Analysis

Dead Poets Society Analysis The report is a work assigned to deal with the reflection of the movie Dead Poets Society. These couples of pages are based on the organizational culture and different groupings of the boarding school in this movie. Finally evaluate culture of the school and identified group which influence each other and linked to each other. Dead Poets Society presents a representation of an English teacher that is curiously inspiring and at the same time disturbing. This is the story of students as the respected Welton Academy. The plot centers on the influence of Mr. Keating, a young and exciting English and poetry teacher who is determined to teach his students to live life with absolute passion. Mr. Keating was moved his students to a love of poetry and learning that transcends their otherwise structured and controlled academic existence. He perhaps crosses boundaries that probably should not be crossed by someone in a position of authority and respect. This movie is about what happens when these students decide to pursue their own desires and to live life with the passion that Mr. Keating encouraged. Actually it is about what happens when a few idealistic students find themselves confronted against conservative forces that resist all change including the drive for personal self- determination. Source: Carpe Diem; Lessons about Life and Management from Dead Poets Society in the Journal of Management Education, Vol. 16. The organizational style of the boarding school is very traditional, reflecting one of the most significant principles of the school, namely tradition. The idea of the campus along with typical features like the twin-bedded rooms strongly resembles college and therefore hints at where the school finally leads. As a preparatory school, the basic aim is to prepare the pupils for college in the most excellent way. One detail that contributes to this goal is the class size of 16 boys only. The background of the boys is clearly upper class. On the one hand, the school fees demand for an upper class-income. Features like clothes and speech of the boys and their family point to an upper class background. Moreover the culture of the school is closely bound to the student families. Usually, generations and generations of their forefathers have attended the school, which is why the boys automatically have to follow this tradition. The family seems to be obliged to the school both by financial support as well as by sending their sons to the school. Thus, the boys do not have any choice; their career is determined from birth. The school organizational style restricted and directed the behaviors of the boys in one path. Any demonstration of a free thought is strictly prohibited by the school authority. Self-esteem becomes one of the centers of the school. For example Neils low self-esteem reveals itself only in the relationship with Neils father, but leads Neil to his tragic end. On the other hand, Todd, with the help of Professor Keatings, was able to build up his self-esteem. John Keatings wasnt a regular professor: his teaching methods were very different from those of others in the school. The relationship between Todd and professor Keatings is quite interesting because we can see the transformation that Todd went through from being afraid to answer teachers question to being the first one to show his appreciation for Mr. Keatings when doing so could lead to expelling from the school. Considering the facts mentioned above, one can regard the boys as forming a separate society from the school organizational culture, defined by particular principles, location and background. If the emphasis in the definition of class lies on the idea of the same social position, the notion of school as a class of its own can thus be justified. SHEINS LARYERED CONCEPTUALIZATION ON DPS Basic Assumption in the school and Mr. Keatings class The school in the movie is a formally organize settings and all of the student are made to conform to this settings which are classified as tradition, honor, discipline and excellence. This formality is strictly adhered by the authorities of the school and never taking for granted. On the other hand in Mr. Keatings class, it is contrary to the laid settings of the school. He made the student to believe in their self and also walk the path of individualist. Values and Beliefs The values and beliefs in any society is the instrument that shapes individual in that society according to the movie, students are expected to be guided by the beliefs and value of the school. Every Welton students are required to trust the doctrine of the school without any defiant, these have been the normal tradition of the school since its inception. Mr. Keatings in a way did not only help his student with the values and beliefs of the school but he guided his students into an expended awareness of lifes possibilities Artifacts and Creations The school in the movies maintained its old edifice, this kind of depict conformity with the early doctrine of the school. This also explains that even with the dynamic trend in the society, the school authority still cling to the old doctrine of the school. However the style of communication or language exercise by the teachers in the school was more of an authoritative style in which student were not free to challenge or question the authority of their teachers. The dead poets society was formed Mr. Keating in his days at Welton, this group then was against the norms of the school that was why its memory was never to be revisited or talked about in the school. Keatings actually made this clear to his student, when he told them not to say or talked about the dead poets society. It is very interesting to see how John Keating establishes the relationship with his students in classroom and outside the classroom. He is quite open with his students about his attitude towards the world and his ideas about the purposes of life, and other general things, however, at the same time he doesnt reveal his personal life. This is very understandable due to the fact that he is a teacher and his role as a teacher prevents him from getting too personal with his students. Moreover, in our opinion, it was very important to keep this barrier between the professor and his students because otherwise they couldve lost their respect for him as a teacher. At the same time, Keating was eccentric and open enough to make his students be interested in him which helped in getting their attention to poetry. A) The different groups in the movie are as follows; I) Teachers these were responsible for the day to day teaching and providing guidance to the students of welt on academy. Ii) Students These were basically teenage boys aged 15-17 who were going to Welton academy as a preparatory school for college. The school was portrayed as being one of the best for producing intelligent students. Iii) DPS abbreviation for dead poets society, this was a literary club formed by eager students who wanted to draw meanings from what life really is all about by reading and reviewing poetry. The DPS recited poetry in two different contexts, romanticism and realism. iv) Parents/guardians these constituted parents who brought their children to welt on academy preparatory school, hoping to prepare a better future for their kids taking into account the reputation the school had. V) Board of regents/ school administration This was a governing body of the school concerned with all matters regarding the affairs of the students and teachers and the organizational protocols of the school. vi) Affiliates these were other people in the movie whom in one way or another made the boys lives what they are or what they ought to become and accomplish. Example Todds brother who was a lawyer what his parents wanted Todd to look up to, Knoxs crush Christine whom in a way helped Knox build his confidence and the list goes on and onà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ vii) Study groups These were studying groups for the students categorized depending on the area of study example Latin, chemistry etc. B) The groups do differ basically in the way they are formed and the purpose from which they were created. Some of them are what are called formal groups while other is informal groups. Starting with the formal groups, these were created by the structure of the organization basing on task needs and were usually involuntary. In this we can include the students themselves, teachers, board of regents/school administration and the parents. The students and the teachers are the key groups in forming the school environment were the actual educating/learning process is takes place. Parents role in all this is to ensure their children get proper education by addressing to their basic needs and wants. Board of regents/ school of administration were there to ensure that the learning process runs smoothly and that the rules and regulations of the school are adhered to by both students and teachers. The informal groups on the other hand were created by the members themselves to cater for particular needs in this case social needs and they were voluntary. In this we can include the dead poets society (DPS) group, affiliates and study groups. The DPS was created by its members led by Neil to try and find true meaning to life and to seize the day making the boys lives extraordinary as inspired by their teacher Mr. Keating. The affiliates existed because in one way or another are what the characters looked up to or tried to associate them with themselves in conquering day to day life challenges as teenage boys. Study groups were formed by the students for the sole purpose of striving to achieve both academically and socially in line with the schools four pillars which were honor, discipline, excellence and tradition. In the movie of Dead Poets Society, we see the culture of the Welton academy had very traditional and reflecting one of the most significant way which was influenced to the student and other social group. However the movie showed that Welton Academy was closely bound to the students families which were usually provided generation to generations of their forefathers had attended the school so that students automatically had to follow their tradition and principle like tradition, honor, discipline and excellence. According to the movie Dead Poets Society, there are some strong groups where culture of the school and those groups are influence each other. Welton Academy was an interdisciplinary foundation where some elements of culture were illustrate to the teachers, students, parents or guardians group, school administration group and affiliates group to symbolic perspective of thinking, established guidelines and structures in their attempts to motivate and inspire each other. At the beginning of the story hallways, dormitories and class room are steadily introduced to the group of students that are at the center of the story. Students group has leadership abilities like Neil, self-confident and about to discover the inspiring power of poetry like Charlie Dalton are individually influences by the teacher group and administration group. Mr. Keating, English literature teacher was explored and motivated some elements of culture and illustrate to the students to desire for charismatic leadershi p, change raises question concerning about literature and real life. In parents group, we see most clearly in the value tight spot faced by Neil Perry and the opposition to his father. Neil and his father relationship were a struggle for control of all disagreements like battles with win-lose outcomes. Neil had wished to be an actor and knew that it would definitely be against his fathers wished. Another linked between parents and students group was Todd and his family. Todds parents had given him the same desk set which he got two following years and that was upsetting him. Instead to administration group, it was encouraging conformity through seduction to the students group. In this movie Students made a group name Dead poets society (DPS) which was insolence and penalize the deviant by the administration. But this group would be continued of some students to take part by all kind of persuade, pressure and negotiate. Neil was a leader in that group activity who praises his accompl ishments and shares personal secrets with others. Moreover, In our view of Dead poets society movie, the dissimilarity of above mention groups like teachers, students, parents, boarding of regents or schools administrators, dead poet society, study groups and also affiliates can be observed in the roles each group plays and we can see they are linked to each other.