Roles of the Medieval Queen Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Roles of the Medieval Queen - Assignment Example Regent Queens participated in the feudal assemblies of the kings together with some of the vassals (Shahar 146). In addition, they also made judgments in their area of governance and discussed both economic and political issues. Various conditions certified a medieval queen role during the period the fall of the Roman Empire end (476 AD) and approximately (1500 AD). The specific conditions included being a king’s wife, the position of a retired queen and as an heiress with specific birthrights. Additionally, the one would ascend to the position of medieval ruler given the relationship with the king and his advisers. A queen or empress consort was a wife to a reigning emperor or king. A queen consort shared the king’s social status and rank, which allowed her to exercise feminine powers over servants in the palace. She supervised the servants to ensure that they performed their chores (Shahar 151). The consort queen also had a role in a dowry to the king and, acting as his helpmate. A consort queen would also play a part in the church by raising money to build them. A consort queen also motivated church reforms and gave moral support to people in the kingdom. However, the roles of a queen consort in the kingdom were limited because she did not usually share king’s full Regent military and political powers (Lecture notes). A Queen Regent was a monarch who ruled a kingdom in her rights. She was not a wife to the king. The Queen Regent acquired and exercised sovereign powers over the Kingdoms she inherited from the previous king (lecture notes). She ordered the military, got into negot iations and partook agreements with other kingdoms as she deemed fit. The Queen also took charge of the throne through primogeniture. As the firstborn daughter without brothers in the royal family, she had rights to inherit the kingdom from her parents. For instance, Queen Melisende born in 1105 acquired the kingdom of Jerusalem from her father, King Baldwin II, during her early 20s.   The queen died in the year 1161 at the age of sixty years after serving on behalf of her father.

Cultural Diversity Presentation Essay Example for Free

Cultural Diversity Presentation Essay This presentation that I will be displaying is to demonstrate the schools, parents and teachers the importance of English language learners and to encourage all parents to get involved and be part of the school culture activities. The involvement is important in assisting students in the schools. Also these courses and affiliations to include families, parents are to value the support and raise the level of their participation, whereas students progress their accomplishment, way of thinking, and manners. Seeing as parent taking part is so significant, the presentation symbolizes a way to aid parents and to become more effective member in their children’s schooling, as well as maintaining their educational accomplishment, and support them to take the most thorough educational programs offered by their schools they go to. The three activities in which I will be displaying is based on the belief that actual parental participation schooling must present families useful guidance to brace their kid’s learning. Throughout these presentations, families will discover the choices and openings obtainable to students from all social factors and cultural groups and realistic approaches to persuade and encourage their kids as they take on the challenging school classes in elementary, middle or public high school. Goals: The major aims of the parent’s participation and training are to: 1. Improve teachers’ understanding of ideas to better intersect cultural interaction with families; 2. Improve family’s understanding on the advantages of parental participation in their kid’s education. 3. Present family with data about cultural diversity and the vital importance of their kid’s involvement in such program as this; 4. Make available to families certain ideas to assist their kids to sign up in cultural programs. Diversity and Cultural Contact Communication: Discovering and understanding more about each other and our students as associates of an exclusive cultural and verbal population is an essential idea of raising the value of interaction among educators, classmates, parents, and schools. Families who are not customary with the United States instructive academic procedure are confronted with extra disputes in their specific school participation. For example, families who were raised in different nations might act in a way steady with the means they were proposed to conduct in the lands where they were raised. In various nations/ethnicity, families are not likely to participate in the school learning activities other than assist with research and go to irregular celebrations. The American school method believes that families will take some accountability for their kid’s achievement in proper learning by fitting energetically drawn in with the school and assisting their kids. The probability is that families will be occupied not only with the obligation of homework but also with particular assignments and other linked interest. In several nations the task of the families and the task of the school are harshly outline and separated. Close relative have an important obligation to implant manner and correct conduct in their kids. It is the school’s task to implant educational understanding. Teachers may be alleged as possessing not only the accountability but also including the right to make all instructive choices about their learners. In adding together, numerous linguistically and settler families are not alert of their human rights and the dissimilar function that they can have in their own school structures. Once the parents of migrant youths have no comprehension of the learning procedure, they might sense that they are leaving behind their kids to the big, unfamiliar planet that their kids now fit in to, other than families do not. They might turn out to be puzzled, alarmed, and irritated. These arguments can generate a meaning of anguish and stress. Schools can assist parents in the course of shifting into the United States typical ethnicity by making them sense that they are wanted and worthy. While parents comprehend how they can maintain their kid’s schooling and once schools discover the means to lecture to and integrate these parents’ cultural offerings, every person gains. Activity 1 The participations of families Aim Activity one: Recommend families with information about the encouraging influence of parental participation. Estimated time involves: One hour and a half Supplies: Indicator Marker and White board Topic Number one: When families get concerned in their kid’s schooling. Your best course of action: Warm-up Activity number one (15 minutes): Previous to opening the activity make clear the specific grounds of this gathering. Then have every single close relative present him or herself and speak for a moment about his or her point of views of the value of teaching in their kids’ lives. Carry a Full Group Activity: Give a (15 minute). For a little time explaining the vital stages of family participation and the way in which they can encouragingly influence their kid’s schooling. Group Activity number one (30 minutes): Include close relatives to play a role in the next task. Split the close relatives into little groups of four. Request the families to consider the way in which they can help their children to perform better in school. Persuade them to give examples of ideas they presently use to help their kids. Include the group to take a public official and a host. Include every single group to list their own individual ideas on the white board. Make certain that the families believe and feel happy with these functions. But if required, you or a school spokesperson may need to assist them to proofread and offer their strategies. Group Activity number two (30 minutes): To track the action, asking families to go in return to their previous role and place their ideas in conditions of their usefulness. â€Å"Which of these ideas has been generally most victorious? † Include the group to rephrase the ideas in class society. When this activity is finished, include dissimilar groups to split their ideas. It is essential to allow the families to present their own individual grades. There are no right or incorrect answers. If families talk in dissimilar languages, attempt to have families who converse the identical language in the matching group to permit them to talk in their natural language if they desire. Also adding on, it is vital to have translators to assist affiliates of the group converse with one another if various affiliates of the group are not English skilled. Activity 2 Make a Change in your Kid’s Life! Aim Activity two: To give emphasis on the strength that parental might have in their kid’s educational lives when they get included. Estimated time involves: One hour and a half Supplies: Indicator Marker and White board Your best course of action: Carry a Full Group Activity: Give a (15 minute). To recite it out loud or you might have one of the close relatives read it to the group. Group Activity number one (30 minutes): Make it possible to facilitate a conversation between families. Offer and help to facilitate conversation on the inquiry: â€Å"like having you encountered similar related circumstances? What would you do or say? What was the response of your act? † Write down family’s answers on the white board. Group Activity number two (30 minutes): Split the group into little bunches. Request every single group to talk about the following inquiry: (A) what type of input or means of the school should you require to turn into a good supporter for your kid? Have the group write down their strategies on a single sheet of paper. Then share those thoughts with the whole group. Evaluating the answers to the inquiries – (15 minutes) Closing the comments – (15 minutes) The instructor will momentarily outline the ideas and the data presented to him or her from the groups and persuade the families to use the offerings and ideas to make certain that their assistance to their kids will be successful. Activity 3 Encouraging Your Kid’s School Accomplishment Aim Activity three: The aim of Activity three is to offer families truthful aims and actions that will allow them to support their kids to start setting up for university at a young age. Estimated time involves: One hour Supplies: Indicator Marker and White board Your best course of action: Carry a Full Group Activity: Give a (30 minute). To explain the importance and demands of a university and the difficult activities they may encounter. How to gain college credits in the period time there are in high school. What type of classes will assist them to be successful at a university and finish a degree? What guidance counselor they should speak to about workshops, financial aid document for students. Educators need to also explain to the parents about the amount time and work that their kids have to do and how they are being graded. Introductory Activity: Give a (30 minute). Welcoming an ex-former successful student to a meeting classroom to share his or her progress experiences in the university with present students which are also helpful. Expending families’ supportive and assistance is also very vital to students’ accomplishment. Together the parents and students ought to study about the significance of get ready for a university while in high school and the necessity of a college learning to accomplish a profitable career. Conclusion: Educators need to present families with necessary educational material on hand to support functioning school meetings and high educational prospects. We need to increase parent participation and expectations that way they can really and openly influence the progress of a stressed student. These classes are offered to parents as an important offering tool which is at their access. Educators need to supply the information, instruction guidelines and at home tactics. Families also need to work with their kids at home at a suitable time. If mutually families and educators play their task in this affiliation, they can develop a beneficial relationship where the child obtains the gains. This activity, which provides a cultural diverse program which can be utilized as a method of interaction between families and educator. The presentation provided as well the information and methods to families to allow them to become more concerned in their kid’s schooling. The presentation will determine the changes in families handling and insight of the activity establish on study and discussion. Reference: Syrja,R. C. (2011). How to reach and teach English Language Learners: Practical Strategies to ensure success. San Francisco,CA: Jossey-Bass. Increasing Student Achievement by Increasing parent Involvement By Dr. Cynthia fusilier Director of Curriculum New Brighton area School District http://www. slideshare. net/NBASD/parent-involvement-presentation Graves, S. L. (2007). Influences on preservice teachers beliefs about family involvement and cultural diversity: An exploration of mentoring relationships. (Order No. 3393768, The Pennsylvania State University). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, , 233-n/a. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com/docview/304840371? accountid=32521. (304840371). Sturz, D. L. , Kleiner, B. H. (2005). Effective management of cultural diversity in a classroom setting. Equal Opportunities International, 24(5), 57-64. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com/docview/199537956? accountid=32521

Art and Nature in Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale Essay -- Shakespeare

Art and Nature in Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale In Shakespeare’s â€Å"The Winter’s Tale†, we see a jealous king convinced he is search of the truth. He will expose his wife and her alleged philandering, but his determination to prove this actually changes this search from one for truth to one for myths—creations, false truths. In essence. Leontes runs into the conflict of defining art versus nature, where art is the view of the world he constructs to prove his paranoia true. Nature itself can exist without art, but the art here is the mangled perception through which Leontes will seek to define Nature. In summation, â€Å"The Winter’s Tale† investigates the conflict between art and nature—creation versus enhancement—and seeks to find out if art can exist without any consideration to nature. The idea of altering perception is a fundamental one in â€Å"The Winter’s Tale†, and art is seen as the way to make this alteration occur. While it is clear to the reader from the very beginning that Hermione is in fact innocent, Shakespeare introduces the reader to Leontes’s persistence to clearly show the beginnings of the conflict brewing. Despite Hermione’s clear innocence, Leontes has been written as a character so belligerent to ever see what is universally accepted as true in nature. The result is a conflict clear to the reader—a conflict of nature on its own merit, a question of truth, versus art, where perception is inherently flawed. Shakespeare creates a truly paranoid, conflicted character in Leontes, which works to make his objectivity, his desire to make truths out of falsities, even more apparent. Leontes speaks to the audience passionately upon his discovery, but his passion sounds so melodramatic, especially when we as readers a.. . ...years later, it becomes clear that for all the emphasis put on art, on creation, and on mass production—nature is central to our human experience. We can symbolize this natural connection with art—but the art itself always harkens back to something that elicits an emotional response from the viewer. For Leontes, a statue of his presumably deceased wife, Hermione triggers a sorrowful reaction. Art indeed embellishes life as it does with flowers, but we are always working from some perspective, some emotion, before we are merely creating art. â€Å"The Winter’s Tale† takes on the challenge of investigating whether or not art can in fact breathe outside the womb of nature, and as we witness art break down, and nature hold the characters together, it becomes resoundingly clear that art seeks to react to nature, but that it cannot work without maintaining nature at its core. Art and Nature in Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale Essay -- Shakespeare Art and Nature in Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale In Shakespeare’s â€Å"The Winter’s Tale†, we see a jealous king convinced he is search of the truth. He will expose his wife and her alleged philandering, but his determination to prove this actually changes this search from one for truth to one for myths—creations, false truths. In essence. Leontes runs into the conflict of defining art versus nature, where art is the view of the world he constructs to prove his paranoia true. Nature itself can exist without art, but the art here is the mangled perception through which Leontes will seek to define Nature. In summation, â€Å"The Winter’s Tale† investigates the conflict between art and nature—creation versus enhancement—and seeks to find out if art can exist without any consideration to nature. The idea of altering perception is a fundamental one in â€Å"The Winter’s Tale†, and art is seen as the way to make this alteration occur. While it is clear to the reader from the very beginning that Hermione is in fact innocent, Shakespeare introduces the reader to Leontes’s persistence to clearly show the beginnings of the conflict brewing. Despite Hermione’s clear innocence, Leontes has been written as a character so belligerent to ever see what is universally accepted as true in nature. The result is a conflict clear to the reader—a conflict of nature on its own merit, a question of truth, versus art, where perception is inherently flawed. Shakespeare creates a truly paranoid, conflicted character in Leontes, which works to make his objectivity, his desire to make truths out of falsities, even more apparent. Leontes speaks to the audience passionately upon his discovery, but his passion sounds so melodramatic, especially when we as readers a.. . ...years later, it becomes clear that for all the emphasis put on art, on creation, and on mass production—nature is central to our human experience. We can symbolize this natural connection with art—but the art itself always harkens back to something that elicits an emotional response from the viewer. For Leontes, a statue of his presumably deceased wife, Hermione triggers a sorrowful reaction. Art indeed embellishes life as it does with flowers, but we are always working from some perspective, some emotion, before we are merely creating art. â€Å"The Winter’s Tale† takes on the challenge of investigating whether or not art can in fact breathe outside the womb of nature, and as we witness art break down, and nature hold the characters together, it becomes resoundingly clear that art seeks to react to nature, but that it cannot work without maintaining nature at its core.

Extinction Of Dinosaurs :: essays research papers

Could an exploding star have been responsible for the death of the dinosaurs? This idea has become popular again as an explanation for the disappearance of the dinosaurs. An exploding star can blast material enormous distances into space. If this material reached Earth’s atmosphere, changes may have occurred that were harmful to life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We call an exploding star a supernova. Nova is the Latin word for new, and in ancient times, when an exploding star was observed, people often thought a new star was being born. The plural form of nova is novae. So when we talk of more than one supernova, we say supernovae.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When a star has used all it’s nuclear fuel, the gravitational force that pulls the star’s material towards it’s center no longer has an opposing force to act against it. As a result the star collapses. A star that once had eight times as much matter as our sun and was 1,000,000 miles across, becomes a sphere only ten to fifteen miles across. As the star collapses, very small particles (called neutrinos) escape into space. After the star becomes a very small sphere, it explodes like a giant nuclear bomb and becomes a billion times as bright as our own sun. All kinds of matter and radiation are blasted into space. This matter and radiation travels through space at nearly the speed of light (186,000 miles per second)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Now, if one of these supernovae were to occur within about 130 light years of Earth, some scientists feel that life on earth would be drastically affected. Since a light year is the distance light travels in one year, 130 light years is about 760,000,000,000,000 (760 quadrillion miles!).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  So, suppose a supernova had occurred sixty-five million years ago within 130 light years of Earth, how exactly would it cause the death of the dinosaurs? Some scientists think neutrinos and galactic cosmic rays would cause extremely high

Just Lather That’s All

Just Lather, That’s All: principles vs. actions In Hernando Tellez’s Just Lather, That’s All; despite given the opportunity to greatly help the revolutionists, the Barber cannot murder Captain Torres because the act goes against his moral beliefs. Even killing an evil man is beyond his personal principles. On the other hand, Captain Torres is more than capable of killing the Barber, but his arrogance prevents him. His intentional provocation of the Barber tests the revolutionist; he knows the potential danger, but refuses to accept the possibility as he believes he cannot be killed by such a simple man.Morality and arrogance prevent both characters from killing each other; their principles mean more to them than their duties. The Barber cannot kill Captain Torres, because he finds murder ethically ugly. After the horrible hanging of the revolutionists by Captain Torres, he becomes horrified and contemplates killing the man: â€Å"And how easy it would be to kill him. And he deserves it. Does he? No! † (par. 12) The Barber is certain that murdering Captain Torres is â€Å"easy† for him, but his morality puts him in hesitation, which is clearly shown as he contradicts himself: â€Å"[Torres] deserves [to die].Does he? No! † The Barber thinks that â€Å"no one deserves to have someone else make the sacrifice of becoming a murderer† (par. 12), even if that â€Å"one† is a ruthless executor like Captain Torres. The word â€Å"sacrifice† emphasizes the Barber’s hate for murderers, as it shows that someone must give up his moral principles and turn into a monster in order to become a murderer. The Barber has to sacrifice the joy of perfecting his job by committing the most shameful mistake a Barber can make – opening a customer’s pores and emitting blood. Blood† is the word that the Barber doesn’t like: â€Å"out of his neck a gush of blood would spout onto the sheet†¦ the blood would keep inching along the floor†¦ineradicable†¦like a scarlet stream. † (par. 12) The Barber’s disgust for blood, which symbolizes guilt, is manifested as he describes how once â€Å"blood† spouts, it will spread and never stop: â€Å"ineradicable†. In other words, the feel of guilt will be in him forever. The Barber thinks that killing Captain Torres while he is shaving for him and his eyes are closed is cowardly of him: â€Å"Captain Torres’ murderer.He slit his throat while he was shaving him a coward. † (par. 12) The Barber clearly hates blood and murder; he does not even kill the most brutal man. He realizes he will be called a â€Å"murderer†; an awful word that will always haunt him. He will be perceived as a â€Å"coward† for killing a brutal but defenseless man. However he claims that he is â€Å"a revolutionary and not a murderer† (par. 12) which is ironic since revolutionists are known to do anything even if it threaten their lives, in order to stand up for their beliefs.But the Barber is not willing to become a villain like Captain Torres: â€Å"I don’t want to be a murderer, no sir†¦I don’t want blood on my hands. Just Lather, that’s all. † (par. 13) The repetition of the word â€Å"blood† emphasizes how â€Å"blood† (guilt) is the first image that comes to the Barber’s mind when he thinks about murder. His morality makes him take the decision and that is to let the captain go. The Barber doesn’t want guilt or blood. He only wants to do his job: â€Å"just lather that’s all. † Simultaneously, Captain Torres can easily kill the Barber but his conceit tempts him to test the Barber.He can’t stand the idea of a normal man being able to kill him. He taunts the Barber by talking about the people he has captured and how they will all be executed soon. He wants to provoke him to find out if the revolutionist can kill him or not. â€Å"Not one of them comes out them comes out of this alive, not one,† (par. 5) says Captain Torres, knowing that the Barber is sympathetic toward the rebels. Captain Torres repeats â€Å"not one† to indirectly threaten the Barber; he tries to scare the Barber to find out if the man is brave enough to commit the murder or not after this threat.At the end, Captain Torres telling the Barber that he knows his secret shows how arrogant he is; instead of killing or capturing the man after exposing him, he walks away Captain Torres and the Barber fail in killing each other because of the Barber’s ethicalness and Captain Torres’ vanity. The Barber killing someone is out of question even if it is someone ruthless like Captain Torres. Captain Torres’ pride controls his actions to make him not help but test the Barber instead of killing him.

The eNotes Blog Downloadable Shakespeare Map for YourClassroom

Downloadable Shakespeare Map for YourClassroom The settings of Shakespeare’s thirty-seven plays cast a wide net across Europe. The majority are set outside of England, providing his audiences with intriguing, foreign lands and allowing for flexibility in expressing social and political commentary. Our free, downloadable map of Shakespeares plays  features the locations and dates of his comedies, tragedies, and histories across Europe, which can serve as a helpful resource in your classroom to show how each location lends itself to different types of plays. Download the Shakespeare map of works  » Let’s take a look at five ways in which you can reference  our Shakespeare map during your lessons or classroom activities. 1. Explaining Historical Context When teaching Shakespeare’s plays, it’s important to note that Shakespeare wrote to entertain. While many of Shakespeare’s plays feature historical elements, their historical accuracy is often dramatized for the sake of performance. Because Shakespeare’s plays were being performed in public theater, the audience was composed of a wide range of economic, educational, and social levels. Therefore, the characters Shakespeare included in his plays hail from a variety of different backgrounds and social classes to make them relatable to the audience. Additionally, many of the characters are created with stereotypes and prejudices that would fit the audiences understanding of a place and its people. Why exaggerate history? Shakespeare produces a historical bias in his plays that favor the Queen and the Tudor dynasty. Examples of the historical events exaggerated for the stage: Shakespeare’s three Henry VI plays and Richard III were part of â€Å"The War of the Roses,† that portrayed the conflict between the House of Lancaster and The House of York. While the War of the Roses was a real event, historians claim that there were no actual roses involved as symbols for the houses. In fact, The War of Roses was not coined until the 19th century, and the struggle between the two houses had been known as the â€Å"Cousins’ War.† One of Shakespeare’s most monstrous characters is Richard III, who is depicted as a relentless murderer in the interests of his own ambitions. While Richard III was responsible for the execution and murder of several people during his rule, Shakespeare exaggerated the long list of ghosts who haunt him in the play. For example, there is no proof that King Richard III murdered his wife, Anne, or King Henry IV. 2. Analyzing Shakespeare’s Commentary Although Shakespeare’s plays reflect the cultural, social, and political conditions of the Elizabethan Age, Shakespeare could not explicitly critique the monarchy without being accused of treason or slander. Therefore, Shakespeare used foreign settings to mask his criticism of Christian orthodoxies and political ideologies of England. For example, by setting plays in Rome, Shakespeare could discuss sensitive issues like the political assassination of Julius Caesar. Examples of Shakespeare’s commentary: In both Hamlet and Macbeth, Shakespeare depicts murder and regicide as means of obtaining positions of power. Setting these types of violent scenes in foreign countries allowed Shakespeare to criticize powerful leaders without being prosecuted for treason or having his plays censored. In King John, Shakespeare explored the issue of what establishes a â€Å"right† to the throne of England, which alludes to the doubts of legitimacy regarding both King John and Queen Elizabeths reign. 3. Exploring the Setting of Comedies A majority of Shakespeare’s comedies are set throughout contemporary Italy and the Mediterranean. During the 17th century, English writers were fascinated by their Italian neighbors and regarded them as passionate, devious, and often violent people. The Italian stereotype leant itself to the comedic elements in his plays that feature tangled plots of love and mistaken identity. In Shakespeare’s characterization of different Italian cities, Verona became associated with love (Romeo and Juliet and The Two Gentlemen of Verona), while Padua was a place of learning as described in The Taming of The Shrew. Reoccurring themes in Shakespeare’s comedies: Appearance vs. reality Elements of mistaken identity or disguise to advance the plot and characters Fate and fortune The influence of fate, fortune, or some obscure force that changes characters’ course of action Love and romance Characters that fall in love and must overcome various obstacles in order to be together- or die trying 4. Exploring the Setting of Tragedies Shakespeare’s tragedies include a protagonist, or tragic hero, battling internal or external obstacles. A majority of Shakespeares tragedies are based on historical figures, but because the sources of the stories were foreign and ancient, they are almost always classified as tragedies rather than histories. Shakespeare’s best-known tragedies are set in Great Britain and Scandinavia (Hamlet, King Lear, Macbeth) or around contemporary Italy (Julius Caesar, Titus Andronicus, Antony and Cleopatra, and Coriolanus). There were many social and political similarities in classical Rome and 17th century England, in which Shakespeare could reflect familiar stories to his audience that resonated with their experience living in Elizabethan England. The Roman tragedies raise questions about the consequences of political overthrow and the duty of citizens and their government. Reoccurring themes in Shakespeare’s tragedies: Death Conclusions often end in death to comment on human morality or to resolve conflicts in the plot Tragic flaw (hamartia) A character trait that leads to a fall from power or eventual demise Revenge Often motivated by uncontrolled jealousy that leads to tragic consequences 5. Exploring the Setting of Histories Shakespeare wrote ten historical plays that explore political themes of power and divine right with blended elements of tragedy and comedy. All ten history plays are named for and about English monarchs who ruled between the 12th and 16th centuries: Kings John, Edward, Richard II, Richard III, and Henry IV, Henry V, Henry VI, and Henry VIII. The history play explore the nature of kingship and what grounds are justifiable to oppose or overthrow it. While the majority of history plays are set in medieval England, they reflect the contemporary context of Shakespeare’s time and may be perceived as warnings to not repeat mistakes of the past. Reoccurring themes in Shakespeare’s histories: Ambition A motivator for characters to pursue positions of power or to overthrow those who currently possess it Corruption Characters who are corrupted by nature or circumstance that leads them to abandon their moral constraints Succession Who or what dictates kingship and how is one able to obtain that power Want more Shakespeare? Check out our other Shakespeare resources to use in your classroom: How to Understand Shakespeare’s Language †¨ William Shakespeare Lesson Plans and Activities†¨ Shakespeare Annotated Texts

Anti-Terrorism as a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy Essay Example

Anti Anti-Terrorism as a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy Essay Anti-Terrorism as a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy Essay Anti Terrorism as a Self fulfilling Prophecy The issue of war against terrorism has been a dominant theme in our media today. Terrorists have been stereotyped as Middle Eastern, Muslim, cold blooded and hard headed suicide bombers who are out to destroy all that standing in the western world. The gargantuan international effort on the War on Terrorism has created a psychological construct where Islamic fundamentalism and the Middle Eastern race are now considered as potential terrorists. There have been numerous circumstances where Muslims and Arabic costume and color precipitated discrimination and hate campaigns. Movies and films of Rambo and Schwarzenegger portray terrorists as Islam fundamentalists triggering a host of discriminatory actions among the populace. Given the billions of dollars spent on the war against terrorism and the widespread and extensive media propaganda campaign, it should be logical to conclude that terrorism has been greatly diminished ten years after the September 11, 2001 tragedy. On the contrary, the War on Terrorism has become a self fulfilling prophecy where terrorist activity exponentially increased. To wit: The Rand Corporation for the National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism (MIPT) reveals that there has been a 250 percent increase in terrorist activity from September 11, 2001 to September 2006 alone. If we divide post 9/11 into two phases until 2006, the first phase has 4772 fatalities from terrorist attacks and the second phase has 5177 fatalities (Conetta, 2006). Thus, all efforts to counter terrorism has only effected in their increase. The US war against Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Libya, North Korea and others in fact encourages ordinary citizens from these countries to launch attacks against the US comparable or even similar to terrorist’s acts. Instead of solving the roots of the problem such as creating an international atmosphere of peace and justice, anti terrorism campaigns have in fact sowed the seeds of war, injustice, and fan the fires of terrorism worldwide. Thus it has become a self fulfilling prophecy. The real proof that the anti terrorism campaign has become a self fulfilling prophecy is when we find ordinary citizens who are not in any way connected to terrorist groups performing terrorist acts. The recent bombing and massacre in an island in Norway killing 92 people did acts similar to the modus operandi of terrorists (bombing and shooting like in Mumbai) but acted alone. The Oklahoma bombing was done by a US soldier but imitated the acts of those who he fought during the Gulf War. The psychological construct created by suicide bombing and rampant shooting has in fact created an image where deluded and frustrated ordinary citizens can really act out their violent fantasies. There have been many cases in school campuses where some student would attack and massacre many students using bombs and high powered weapons. Terrorism according to Zulaika is now the dominant tropic space† in media, government, and all walks of life (Zulaika, 2009). This is further fueled by the imagination of nuclear war initiated by terrorists creating an apocalyptic nightmare that in turn fan the fires of Christian fundamentalists. Note that the â€Å"terrorist† who killed 92 people in Norway was a Christian fundamentalist. In fact the use of torture against suspected terrorists in Guantanamo bay was largely unprotected because of this powerful image against suspected terrorists. The problem with the Anti terrorism campaign is that it was blown too much in proportion so that the US who is supposed to be the champion of democracy and human rights is now seen as a torturer and a blanket bomber of civilians, an illegal eavesdropper of its own citizens, and an espouser of war. Indeed the War against Terrorism has not only been a self fulfilling prophecy but actually created the US as a number one terrorist as some critical groups contend. Bibliography Conetta, C. (2006, September 25). War Consequences: Global terrorism has increased since 9/11 attacks . Retrieved July 24, 2011, from www. comw. org: comw. org/pda/0609bm38. html Zulaika, J. (2009). Terrorism: The Self fulfilling Prophecy. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Free speech or Not Free speech- that is the Question essays

Free speech or Not Free speech- that is the Question essays Free speech or Not Free speech- that is the Question 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. In the United States of America we are gifted with twenty seven amendments. The first of these inherent rights is freedom of speech. Such gifts deserve to be treated with responsibility and gratitude by citizens who appreciate its benefits. However, some people abuse this right when they use sexual, racist, and prejudicial slurs addressing others with hurtful words such as fag and bitch,Unfortunately, such degrading terms are now commonly used in our society (Hate). These very people who claim first amendment rights for racial and sexual epithets are abusing and disrespecting it. The abusers of the First Amendment harm innocent citizens. Bullying,, specifically verbal bullying, is widespread in American schools. Statistics show more than 29 percent of O.S. school children state that they had been bullied (Bullying). This creates an intimidating and hostile environment for the student. As awareness of harassment, intimidation and hate in the school setting has grown, state legis latures have begun to address this problem as well. At least 16 states have passed anti-bullying laws, and similar measures were considered in 23 states in the 2001-2002 legislative sessions. Currently, 14 legislatures are considering bills that address the issue of bullying (Tackling). It is not enough, for only 16 states have these laws in place. Each state in this country needs to have anti-harrasment laws. As I will demonstrate here, it is necessary and critical that each state has anti-bullying laws in place. The dilemma is when these laws may be in conflict with first amendment rights. ...

Starbucks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Starbucks - Essay Example The aim of Starbucks includes providing fresh, high quality teas and coffee products, as well as creating a unique experience in our store by encouraging a positive, safe environment for all. The global customer base of the company provides the opportunities of global expansion for the company wherein Starbucks can pursue the opportunities with it beyond the traditional store experiences for offering its customers new coffee products. Some of the examples of functional tactics of the company include ongoing expansion in the foreign markets, increase in product categories and growth in the distribution channels of the company which has helped Starbucks leverage its strong brand and build a retail store base. The strength of Starbucks is that over time it has continued being a cash cow, generating high operating cash flows with consistent growth rates (Starbucks Annual Report). Due to the recession of the U.S. economy, customers in US have become price sensitive due to their income ran ge, especially students. Therefore, Starbucks utilize making our product quality better. It makes its products, atmosphere, and employees better than its surrounding competitors so that it can meet the needs and ensure that it draws in multiple and diverse group of customers (Starbucks Annual Report).

Empirical research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Empirical research - Essay Example The researcher should test these predictions using appropriate experiments. The results of these experiments will determine whether the conclusions of the empirical research are logically supported or not, depending on whether the theory that informed the hypothesis and predictions is supported by the results or not. In an empirical research, the conclusions are logical if the evidences that support them are logical and there are proper inferences and hypothesis (Goodwin, 2005). Conclusions that are not logically supported do not invalidate the entire study. It is imperative that a conclusion should be arrived at in a logical way, having followed a systematic approach to conduct research, for a study to be fully valid. However, this does not mean that an entire study will be invalid if the conclusions are not logically supported. There will be some confusion because the conclusions are not logically supported, but the study will still be valid to some extent because the research was based on observations and experiences. If these observations and experiences are not logically supported by the theory that informed the research, it does not mean that the entire research is invalid (Becker & Lazaric,

Management Papers (leadership) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Management Papers (leadership) - Essay Example Leadership is the process of motivating the actions of the people or a group in order to achieve the set of goals. There are five vital points that a leader must consider to become a successful leader wherein a leader must develop the trust and reliability of its followers. Moreover, the leader should also have the quality of sharing its vision which is quite clear and concise. A leader also must have a good interpersonal expertise of training, mentoring, interacting and listening. A leader should be responsible enough and liable for the decisions made. Moreover, the leader must have an outlook of accomplishing the desired goals by controlling each and every aspect of goal attainment and moving towards the right path (MasterClassManagement.com, â€Å"Five Key Points to Strong Leadership (thus a Great Manager)†). It has been viewed that both leaders and managers have different qualities. Leaders have an active outlook towards the attainment of goals while managers have a passive outlook. Leaders usually undergo through risk when they understand that the opportunities are prospective but managers have the tendency of avoiding risk (Zaleznik, â€Å"Managers and Leaders Are They Different?†). Steve Jobs has been considered to be one of the most successful leaders in the modern time. He had practiced such leadership that entirely changed the position of Apple Inc. which is regarded as one of the most valuable companies in the present era. As the time passed, I considered him as my role model whose leadership characters had a little similarity with my characteristics of leadership. Consequently, alike my role model, I also found out that I possess certain key strengths and weaknesses within my leadership capabilities. Thus, I revealed the strengths of my leadership quality wherein I found out that I have good communication skills both written and verbally. It has also been found out that I have good multi-tasking

Chapter 13 discussion questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Chapter 13 discussion questions - Essay Example Cases can be used to develop managerial leadership skills such as analytical decision making skills and increased understanding of situations that managers are commonly faced with. This method is good for demonstrating the fact that different people can react to the same situation in a variety of ways and helps trainees understand that there are multiple ways to approach a problem. Large-Scale Simulations allow trainees to analyze a situation and make decisions, however, unlike previous methods; this procedure allows them to experience the consequences of their actions. These simulations combine features of other training methods such as human relations cases, role-playing, in-basket exercise, and group problem solving exercises. They emphasize interpersonal skills, cognitive skills and decision making. The knowledge gained from this exercise can vary from increased individual self-awareness of strengths and weaknesses when working with strangers to reflecting the overall culture and relationships within a company when working with family or coworkers. Overall this method can be very useful in enhancing leadership skills. 2. Effectiveness of training depends on several key factors: clear learning objectives, clear and meaningful content, appropriate sequencing of content, appropriate mix of training methods, opportunity for active practice, relevant and timely feedback, high trainee self-confidence, and appropriate follow-up activities. Clear learning objectives – trainer should not only identify clear learning objectives, but also explain why training will help people improve their leadership effectiveness. Clear and meaningful content – trainer should focus on important things and include lots of examples to â€Å"facilitate comprehension and memorization of material.† Appropriate sequencing of content – should be organized in a way that will help the learning process, process from simple to more complex ideas and there should be a ppropriate intervals for rest between sessions to prevent trainees being overworked. Appropriate mix of training – Methods of training should be customized to compensate for differences in level of skill and knowledge, and should also take into account class size and time available to train Opportunity for active practice – there should be ample opportunity for trainees to practice new skills in order to aid in the remembrance of important points. Relevant and timely feedback – Feedback should be available from several different resources and should be â€Å"accurate, timely and constructive.† Enhancement of trainee self-confidence – trainers should be supportive of all trainees and encourage success and self-confidence. Praise, encouragement, and patience are necessary qualities for the trainer. Appropriate follow-up activities – A couple of options for this portion of training include holding a follow-up session after the training program has been completed or have trainees turn in projects that require them to utilize their recently learned skills. 3. Learning from experience is generally affected by amount of challenge, variety of tasks, and quality of feedback.

Motivation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Motivation - Research Paper Example It is the leader’s job to ensure that they understand their fears to be unfounded. With the transition to a big corporate structure from a small organization kicks off, employees naturally respond by making the assumption that they will only be single employees in a company employing thousands of workers. Their belief in making an impact on the new organization’s goals could lead to a reduction in their earlier exemplary efforts (Pritchard & Ashwood, 2008). One of the major changes that the new acquisition brings involves reconfiguration of working spaces that will reduce privacy, which was one of the signature aspects of ZYX Company. For this reason, it will be the manager’s responsibility to ensure they realize the reason for the workspace reconfiguration and that they are set up to continue playing an essential part in the company’s future and retain their motivation. This paper will seek to create a comprehensive plan that will motivate them to coopera te and support the changes. Planning the Project In planning the project, there are various important levers that a manager can use, including coming up with communication, sponsorship, coaching, training, and resistance management plans. Managing the motivation of employees requires a holistic set of components that support the employees as the manner in which they work changes, for example, with the reconfiguration of working spaces (Green & Butkus, 2009). The communication component should recognize how communication will fit in the larger process of change. Used in this context, communication becomes more effective as it gives the employees information in the proper sequence to aid the employees in internalization of the change, while also improving their motivation. With regards to the sponsorship component, the manager should be the sponsor and plays the role of participant, coalition builder, and direct communication. A sponsorship roadmap will include what the sponsor will d o in conjunction with the senior managers, the project teams, and with front line employees, while also breaking down the project into initiation phase, design phase, implementation phase, and closeout phase (Green & Butkus, 2009). Sponsorship of the change is critical to the employees’ motivation to participate, while it also reinforces their belief that the change is there to stay. The planning will also require a coaching component that involves the direct supervisor and employees. The manager will have to play a critical role in communicating the change and ensuring the employees retain their intensity. The coaching plan will outline the steps required to improve skills in relation to change with both individual and group sessions in engaging front-line employees (Green & Butkus, 2009). However, proxies must not be used in coaching as it gives the feeling that the change might not last. Employees will always want to hear about the change from their manager. The managerâ⠂¬â„¢s change desire will have a direct influence on the desire from the employees. The training component will seek to improve capabilities and skills and should be focused on knowledge building. However, training should come with the implementation of sufficient desire and awareness for it to be effective (Green & Butkus,

Chapter 13 discussion questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Chapter 13 discussion questions - Essay Example Cases can be used to develop managerial leadership skills such as analytical decision making skills and increased understanding of situations that managers are commonly faced with. This method is good for demonstrating the fact that different people can react to the same situation in a variety of ways and helps trainees understand that there are multiple ways to approach a problem. Large-Scale Simulations allow trainees to analyze a situation and make decisions, however, unlike previous methods; this procedure allows them to experience the consequences of their actions. These simulations combine features of other training methods such as human relations cases, role-playing, in-basket exercise, and group problem solving exercises. They emphasize interpersonal skills, cognitive skills and decision making. The knowledge gained from this exercise can vary from increased individual self-awareness of strengths and weaknesses when working with strangers to reflecting the overall culture and relationships within a company when working with family or coworkers. Overall this method can be very useful in enhancing leadership skills. 2. Effectiveness of training depends on several key factors: clear learning objectives, clear and meaningful content, appropriate sequencing of content, appropriate mix of training methods, opportunity for active practice, relevant and timely feedback, high trainee self-confidence, and appropriate follow-up activities. Clear learning objectives – trainer should not only identify clear learning objectives, but also explain why training will help people improve their leadership effectiveness. Clear and meaningful content – trainer should focus on important things and include lots of examples to â€Å"facilitate comprehension and memorization of material.† Appropriate sequencing of content – should be organized in a way that will help the learning process, process from simple to more complex ideas and there should be a ppropriate intervals for rest between sessions to prevent trainees being overworked. Appropriate mix of training – Methods of training should be customized to compensate for differences in level of skill and knowledge, and should also take into account class size and time available to train Opportunity for active practice – there should be ample opportunity for trainees to practice new skills in order to aid in the remembrance of important points. Relevant and timely feedback – Feedback should be available from several different resources and should be â€Å"accurate, timely and constructive.† Enhancement of trainee self-confidence – trainers should be supportive of all trainees and encourage success and self-confidence. Praise, encouragement, and patience are necessary qualities for the trainer. Appropriate follow-up activities – A couple of options for this portion of training include holding a follow-up session after the training program has been completed or have trainees turn in projects that require them to utilize their recently learned skills. 3. Learning from experience is generally affected by amount of challenge, variety of tasks, and quality of feedback.

Mentorship in British Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Mentorship in British Nursing - Essay Example This research paper describes the field of nursing and the area of mentor contribution to development of clinical skills in nursing graduates. A mentor is cast in the mold of a teacher. In order to assess the impact of the mentor’s role in enhancing learning, it would be useful to explore how learning actually takes place. Book learning or assimilating theoretical principles are not in question here, since theories and knowledge from textbooks can at best, serve as a general guideline to a nurse faced with real life clinical situations. The ability to perform well in a clinical environment can be grasped only dimly from text book theory and cannot substitute for the valuable experience gained in a working situation under the guidance of a mentor, who functions as a teacher and a role model. The issue to consider here is the manner in which learning takes place and several theories have been presented in this regard. The mentor functions in the role of a demonstrator for a nurs ing student, facilitating learning through real life application of medical principles. But in addition, a mentor also functions as a guide for the nursing student, providing valuable feedback on the actual implementation of nursing principles as practiced by the student. On the job performance appraisals are an important learning tool for a nursing student. Feedback provided by a mentor serves as a valuable tool for the student to understand what he or she is doing wrong or right, so that corrections may be made appropriately.

My Decision Making Model Essay Example for Free

My Decision Making Model Essay My Decision Making Model BY sals39 My Decision Making Model Experience MMPBU500 July 12, 2010 Mr. Chuck Millhollan Abstract Throughout every day of our lives we are forced to make decisions although at times it is not the easiest task. As a result, decision making models are utilized to ease the burden of making the wrong decisions which have lasting effects. There are numerous decision making models and they each function in various ways. However, my most favorable decision making process is the rational decision making process. It helps to me weigh my options as to what is my best possible choice and clearly epicts the consequences of my final decision. The rational decision making process is a six step process that is utilized extensively in many organizations and schools. The process is used so that decisions made are in the best interest of each situation. According to Janis and Mann, in rational decision making: (a) the goals and objectives of decision makers are clear and known in advance; (b) the decision maker chooses the best alternative among all possible courses of action; (c) full information about the consequences of possible courses of action is available; and (d) there is no uncertainty involved(Decision aking, 2001). As an elementary educator, I frequently make decisions and tend to utilize the rational decision making process as I do so. Problem Defining the Prior to any decision making process being used there must be a problem or situation on hand. The first step is defining the exact problem and it can be easily overlooked. It helps to avoid misinterpretations of the problem and uncommon solutions especially when working with others. For instance when we are conducting grade level meetings we normally begin by individual stating problems that we have been encountering individually in the classroom. We then merge those individual issues and find one root that is the cause of those issues and target it as our main problem. Research Pros and Cons In every situation after establish the problem it is then possible to research how to eliminate the problem and the pros and cons of doing such. According to the Macquarie Dictionary, when we evaluate the pros and cons of a decision we are establishing the arguments for and against something (Macquarie, 2010). As a result we then, formulate solutions and the good and bad of each solution. It helps us to consider every possible option and recognize consequences, if any. This in students. Making a Decision and Formulating a Plan When making decisions especially within a group it can be very time consuming and requires a lot of thought. After weighing the pros and cons one should be able to make the best possible choice that is going to benefit the situation. As we progress to making a decision in our grade level meeting we aim to come to once consensus which is normally done by taking a vote based on our findings. When then immediately begin brainstorming ways in which we can get our ideas and decisions into actions by formulating a plan. We establish our weekly plan which is a detailed escription of the daily activities and lessons that is carefully executed by all teachers within that grade level. We then schedule or next grade level meeting to evaluate the outcome of our decisions and plans to solve them. Evaluate Results Why establish a plan and do not evaluate the productivity or outcome? No matter the situation it is always of best interest to evaluate any plan put in place to rectify a problem. It is done by reevaluating the problem, the solutions that were presented, the plan that was put in place, and how well the plan was executed and succeeded in alleviating the problem. At the beginning of our weekly grade level meetings we use the first ten minutes to evaluate prior plans that were put in place and whether they were effective or not. At that point we are able to make the necessary alterations needed or express what portions of the plan was successful. Conclusion The rational decision making model help to ensure order and consistency is established into making your decision. It also provides a well thought-out and orderly approach to decision making. It helps make certain we consider all factors relating to a decision, in the most reasonable manner.

History and Development of Banks in India

History and Development of Banks in India INTRODUCTION: The banking industry in India seems to be unaffected from the global financial crises which started from U.S in the last quarter of 2008. Despite the fallout and nationalization of banks across developed economies, banks in India seems to be on the strong fundamental base and seems to be well insulated from the financial turbulence emerging from the western economies. The Indian banking industry is well placed as compare to their banking industries western counterparts which are depending upon government bailout and stimulus packages. The strong economic growth in the past, low defaulter ratio, absence of complex financial products, regular intervention by central bank, proactive adjustment of monetary policy and so called close banking culture has favored the banking industry in India in recent global financial turmoil. Although there will no impact on the Indian banking system similar to that in west but the banks in India will adopt for more of defensive approach in credit disburs al in coming period. In order to safe guard their interest, banks will follow stringent norms for credit disbursal. There will be more focus on analyzing borrower financial health . A nation with 1 billion plus, India is the fastest growing country in terms of population and soon to overtake China as worlds largest populated country. The discerning impact on the over-stretched limited resources explains why India always tends to be deficient in infrastructure and opportunity. The largest economy of the world often frustrated researchers, as there was no single predictable pattern of the market; the multiplicity of government regulations and widespread government ownership had always kept investors away from exploring the vast Indian market. However, with India being liberalised today, banking intermediation has been playing a crucial role in economic development through its credit channel. Foreign banks have entered the soil but that has not yet posed a threat to the vast network of public sector banks that still conduct 92% of banking business in India. Banking in India has undergone a major revamp. It has come a long way since its creation which dates back to the British era. The present banking systems has come into place after many transformations from the Older systems. Against this background the present chapter deals with the evolution of the Indian Banking systems, the various reforms that has been made to make banks more effective, the role of private and foreign sector banks and last the challenges the Indian banks faces in the New Millennium . The banking system is central to a nations economy. Banks are special as they not only accept and deploy large amounts of uncollateralised public funds in a fiduciary capacity, but also leverage such funds through credit creation. In India, prior to nationalisation, banking was restricted mainly to the urban areas and neglected in the rural and semi-urban areas. Large industries and big business houses enjoyed major portion of the credit facilities. Agriculture, small-scale industries and exports did not receive the deserved attention. Therefore, inspired by a larger social purpose, 14 major banks were nationalised in 1969 and six more in 1980. Since then the banking system in India has played a pivotal role in the Indian economy, acting as an instrument of social and economic change. The rationale behind bank nationalisation has been succinctly put forth by eminent bankers: Many bank failures and crises over two centuries, and the damage they did under laissez faire conditions; the needs of planned growth and equitable distribution of credit, which in privately owned banks was concentrated mainly on the controlling industrial houses and influential borrowers; the needs of growing small scale industry and farming regarding finance, equipment and inputs; from all these there emerged an inexorable demand for banking legislation, some government control and a central banking authority, adding up, in the final analysis, to social control and nationalisation (Tandon, 1989). Post nationalisation, the Indian banking system registered tremendous growth in volume. Despite the undeniable and multifold gains of bank nationalization, it may be noted that the important financial institutions were all state owned and were subject to central direction and control. Banks enjoyed little autonomy as both lending and deposit rates were controlled until the end of the 1980s. Although nationalisation of banks helped in the spread of banking to the rural and hitherto uncovered areas, the monopoly granted to the public sector and lack of competition led to overall inefficiency and low productivity. By 1991, the countrys financial system was saddled with an inefficient and financially unsound banking sector. Some of the reasons for this were (i) high reserve requirements, (ii) administered interest rates, (iii) directed credit and (iv) lack of competition (v) political interference and corruption. As recommended by the Narasimham Committee Report (1991) several reform mea sures were introduced which included reduction of reserve requirements, de-regulation of interest rates, introduction of prudential norms, strengthening of bank supervision and improving the competitiveness of the system, particularly by allowing entry of private sector banks. With a view to adopting the Basel Committee (1988) framework on capital adequacy norms, the Reserve Bank introduced a risk-weighted asset ratio system for banks in India as a capital adequacy measure in 1992. Banks were asked to maintain risk-weighted capital adequacy ratio initially at the lower level of 4 per cent, which was gradually increased to 9 per cent. Banks were also directed to identify problem loans on their balance sheets and make provisions for bad loans and bring down the burgeoning problem of non-performing assets. The period 1992-97 laid the foundations for reform in the banking system (Rangarajan, 1998). The second Narasimham Committee Report (1998) focussed on issues like strengthening of th e banking system, upgrading of technology and human resource development. The report laid emphasis on two aspects of banking regulation, viz., capital adequacy and asset classification and resolution of NPA-related problems. Commercial banks in India are expected to start implementing Basel II norms with effect from March 31, 2007. They are expected to adopt the standardised approach for credit risk and the basic indicator approach for operational risk initially. After adequate skills are developed, both at the banks and at the supervisory levels, some banks may be allowed to migrate to the internal rating based (IRB) approach (Reddy 2005). At present, banks in India are venturing into non-traditional areas and generating income through diversified activities other than the core banking activities. Strategic mergers and acquisitions are being explored and implemented. With this, the banking sector is currently on the threshold of an exciting phase. Against this backdrop, this paper endeavours to study the important banking indicators for the last 25-year period from 1981 to 2005. These indicators have been broadly grouped into different categories, viz., (i) number of banks and offices (ii) deposits and credit (iii) investments (iv) capital to risk-weighted assets ratio (CRAR) (v) non performing assets (NPAs) (vi) Income composition (vii) Expenditure composition (viii) return on assets (ROAs) and (ix) some select ratios. Accordingly, the paper discusses these banking indicators in nine sections in the same order as listed above. The paper concludes in section X by drawing important inferences from the trends of these di fferent banking parameters. The number of offices of all scheduled commercial banks almost doubledfrom 29,677 in 1980 to 55,537 in 2005. This rapid increase in the number of bank offices is observed in the case of all the bank groups. However, the number of banks in the case of foreign bank group and domestic private sector bank group decreased from 42 in 2000 to 31 in 2005 and from 33 in 2000 to 29 in 2005, respectively. This fall in the number of banks is reflective of the consolidation process and, in particular, the mergers and acquisitions that are the order of the banking system at present (Table 1). BANKING IN THE OLDER DAYS Banking is believed to be a part of Indian society from as early as Vedic age; transition from mere money lending to banking must have happened before Manu, the great Hindu jurist, who had devoted a large section of his work to deposits and advances and also formulated rules for calculating interest on both 1. During the Mogul period indigenous bankers (rich individuals or families) helped foreign trades and commerce by lending money to the business. It was during the East Indian period when agency houses started managing the banking business. The first Joint Stock bank India saw came in 1786 named the General Bank of India followed by the Bank of Hindustan and the Bengal Bank. Only the Bank of Hindustan continued to be in the show until 1906 while the other two disappeared in the meantime. East India Company established three banks in first half of 19th century: the Bank of Bengal in 1809, the Bank of Bombay in 1840, and the Bank of Madras in 1843. Eventually these three banks (which used to be referred to as Presidency Banks) were made independent units and they really did well for almost a century. In 1920, these three were amalgamated and a new Imperial Bank of India was established in 1921. Reserve Bank of India Act was passed in 1934 and finally in 1935, the Central Bank was created and christened as Reserve Bank of India. Imperial Bank was undertaken as State Bank of India after passing the State Bank of India Act in 1955. During the last phase of freedom fighting (Swadeshi Movement) few banks with purely Indian man agement were established like Punjab National bank (PNB), Bank of India (BoI) Ltd, Canara Bank Ltd, Indian Bank Ltd, the Bank of Baroda Ltd, the Central Bank of India Ltd, etc.July 19, 1969 was an important day in the history of Indian banking industry. Fourteen major banks of the country were nationalised and on April 15, 1980 six more commercial private banks were taken over by the Indian government. In the wake of liberalisation that started in the last decade a few foreign banks entered the foray of commercial banks. To date there are around 40 banks of foreign origin that are  operating in the market, like ABN AMRO Bank, ANZ Grindlays Bank, American Express Bank, HSBC Bank, Barclays Bank and Citibank groups to name a few major of them. HISTORY OF INDIAN BANKS: We can identify three distinct phases in the history of Indian Banking. Early phase from 1786 to 1969 Nationalisation of Banks and up to 1991 prior to banking sector Reforms New phase of Indian Banking with the advent of Financial Banking Sector Reforms after 1991. The first phase is from 1786 to 1969, the early phase up to the nationalisation of the fourteen largest of Indian scheduled banks. It was also the traditional or conservative phase of Indian Banking. The advent of banking system of India started with the establishment of the first joint stock bank, The General Bank of India in the year 1786. After this first bank, Bank of Hindustan and Bengal Bank came to existence. In the mid of 19th century, East India Company established three banks The Bank of Bengal in 1809, The Bank of Bombay in 1840, and bank of Madras in 1843. These banks were independent units and called Presidency banks. These three banks were amalgamated in 1920 and a new bank, Imperial Bank of India was established. All these institutions started as private shareholders banks and the shareholders were mostly Europeans. The Allahabad Bank was established in 1865. The next bank to be set up was the Punjab National Bank Ltd., which was established with its headquarters at La hore in 1894 for the first time exclusively by Indians. Most of the Indian commercial banks, however, owe their origin to the 20th century. Bank of India, Central Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, the Canara Bank, the Indian Bank, and the Bank of Mysore were established between 1906 and 1913. The last major commercial bank to be set up in this phase was the United Commercial Bank in 1943. Earlier the establishment of Reserve Bank of India in 1935 as the central bank of the country was an important step in the development of commercial banking in India. The history of joint stock banking in this first phase was characterised by slow growth and periodic failures. There were as many as one thousand one hundred banks, mostly small banks, failed during the period from 1913 to 1948. The Government of India concerned by the frequent bank failures in the country causing miseries to innumerable small depositors and others enacted The Banking Companies Act, 1949. The title of the Act was changed as Banking Regulation Act 1949, as per amending Act of 1965 (Act No.23 of 1965). The Act is the first regulatory step undertaken by the Government to streamline the functioning and activities of commercial banks in India. Reserve Bank of India as the Central Banking Authority of the country was vested with extensive powers for banking supervision. Salient features of the Act are discussed in a separate page/article At the time of Independence of the country in 1947, the banking sector in India was relatively small and extremely weak. The banks were largely confined to urban areas, extending loans primarily to trading sector dealing with agricultural produce. There were a large number of commercial banks, but banking services were not available at rural and semi-urban areas. Such services were not extended to different sectors of the economy like agriculture, small industries, professionals and self-employed entrepreneurs, artisans, retail traders etc. DRAW BACK OF INDIAN BANKING SYSTEM BEFORE NATIONALISATION Commercial banks, as they were privately owned, on regional or sectarian basis resulted in development of banking on ethnic and provincial basis with parochial outlook. These Institutions did not play their due role in the planned development of the country. Deposit mobilisation was slow. Public had less confidence in the banks on account of frequent bank failures. The savings bank facility provided by the Postal department was viewed a comparatively safer field of investment of savings by the public. Even the deficient savings thus mobilised by commercial banks were not channeled for the development of the economy of the country. Funds were largely given to traders, who hoarded agricultural produce after harvest, creating an artificial scarcity, to make a good fortune in selling them at a later period, when prices were soaring. The Reserve Bank of India had to step in at these occasions to introduce selective credit controls on several commodities to remedy this situation. Such cont rols were imposed on advances against Rice, Paddy, Wheat, Other foodgrains (like jowar, millets, ragi etc.) pulses, oilseeds etc. When the country attained independence Indian Banking was exclusively in the private sector. In addition to the Imperial Bank, there were five big banks each holding public deposits aggregating Rs.100 Crores and more, viz. the Central Bank of India Ltd., the Punjab National Bank Ltd., the Bank of India Ltd., the Bank of Baroda Ltd. and the United Commercial Bank Ltd. Rest of the banks were exclusively regional in character holding deposits of less than fifty Crores. Government first implemented the exercise of nationalisation of a significant part of the Indian Banking system in the year 1955, when Imperial Bank of India was Nationalised in that year for the stated objective of extension of banking facilities on a large scale, more particularly in the rural and semi-urban areas, and for diverse other public purposes to form State Bank of India. SBI was to act as the principal agent of the RBI and handle banking transactions of the Union State Governments throughout India. The step w as in fact in furtherance of the objectives of supporting a powerful rural credit cooperative movement in India and as recommended by the The All-India Rural Credit Survey Committee Report, 1954. State Bank of India was obliged to open an accepted number of branches within five years in unbanked centres. Government subsidised the bank for opening unremunerative branches in non-urban centres. The seven banks now forming subsidiaries of SBI were nationalised in the year 1960. This brought one-third of the banking segment under the direct control of the Government of India. But the major process of nationalisation was carried out on 19th July 1969, when the then Prime Minister of India, Mrs.Indira Gandhi announced the nationalisation of fourteen major commercial banks in the country. One more phase of nationalisation was carried out in the year 1980, when seven more banks were nationalised. This brought 80% of the banking segment in India under Government ownership. The country entered the second phase, i.e. the phase of Nationalised Banking with emphasis on Social Banking in 1969/70. Chronology of Salient steps by the Government after Independence to Regulate Banking Institutions in the Country 1949: Enactment of Banking Regulation Act. 1955 (Phase I): Nationalisation of State Bank of India 1959 (Phase II): Nationalisation of SBI subsidiaries 1961: Insurance cover extended to deposits 1969 (Phase III): Nationalisation of 14 major banks 1971: Creation of credit guarantee corporation 1975: Creation of regional rural banks 1980 (Phase IV): Nationalisation of seven banks with deposits over 200 crores. Shortcomings in the Functioning of Nationalised Banking Institutions However Nationalised banks in their enthusiasm for development banking, looking exclusively to branch opening, deposit accretion and social banking, neglected prudential norms, profitability criteria, risk-management and building adequate capital as a buffer to counter-balance the ever expanding risk-inherent assets held by them. They failed to recognise the emerging non-performing assets and to build adequate provisions to neutralise the adverse effects of such assets. Basking in the sunshine of Government ownership that gave to the public implicit faith and confidence about the sustainability of Government-owned institutions, they failed to collect before hand whatever is needed for the rainy day. And surfeit blindly indulged is sure to bring the sick hour. In the early Nineties after two decades of lop-sided policies, these banks paid heavily for their misdirected performance in place of pragmatic and balanced policies. The RBI/Government of India has to step in at the crisis-hour to implement remedial steps. Reforms in the financial and banking sectors and liberal re capitalisation of the ailing and weakened public sector banks followed. However it is relevant to mention here that the advent of banking sector reforms brought the era of modern banking of global standards in the history of Indian banking. The emphasis shifted to efficient, and prudential banking linked to better customer care and customer service. The old ideology of social banking was not abandoned, but the responsibility for development banking is blended with the paramount need for complying with norms of prudency and efficiency. Composition of Indian Banking System The Indian banking can be broadly categorized into nationalized (government owned), private banks and specialized banking institutions 2. The Reserve Bank of India acts a centralized body monitoring any discrepancies and shortcoming in the system. Since the nationalization of banks in 1969, the public sector banks or the nationalized banks have acquired a place of prominence and has since then seen tremendous progress. The need to become highly customer focused has forced the slow-moving public sector banks to adopt a fast track approach. The unleashing of products and services through the net has galvanized players at all levels of the banking and financial institutions market grid to look into their existing portfolio offering. Conservative banking practices allowed Indian banks to be insulated partially from the Asian currency crisis. Indian banks are now quoting al higher valuation when compared to banks in other Asian countries (viz. Hong Kong, Singapore, Philippines etc.) that have major problems linked to huge Non Performing Assets (NPAs) and payment defaults. Co-operative banks are nimble footed in approach and armed with efficient branch networks focus primarily on the high revenue niche retail segments. The Indian banking has come from a long way from being a sleepy business institution to a highly proactive and dynamic entity. This transformation has been largely brought about by the large dose of liberalization and economic reforms that allowed banks to explore new business opportunities rather than generating revenues from conventional streams (i.e. borrowing and lending). The banking in India is highly fragmented with 30 banking units contributing to almost 50% of deposits and 60% of advances. Indian nationalized banks (banks owned by the government) continue to be the major lenders in the economy due to their sheer size and penetrative networks which assures them high deposit mobilization. The banking system has three tiers. These are the scheduled commercial banks; the Regional rural banks which operate in rural areas not covered by the scheduled banks; And the cooperative and special purpose rural banks. Under the ambit of the nationalized banks come the specialized banking institutions. These co-operatives, rural banks focus on areas of agriculture, rural development etc., unlike commercial banks these co-operative banks do not lend on the basis of a prime lending rate. They also have various tax sops because of their holding pattern and lending structure and hence have lower overheads. This enables them to give a marginally higher percentage on savings deposits. Many of these cooperative banks diversified into specialized areas (catering to the vast retail audience) like car finance, housing loans, truck finance etc. In order to keep pace with their public sector and private counterparts, the co-operative banks too have invested heavily in information technology to offer high-end computerized banking services to its clients. Given below is the total list of banks operating in India. SCHEDULED AND NON SCHEDULED BANKS There are approximately Eighty scheduled commercial banks, Indian and foreign; almost Two Hundred regional rural banks; more than Three Hundred Fifty central cooperative banks, Twenty land development banks; and a number of primary agricultural credit societies. In terms of business, the public sector banks, namely the State Bank of India and the nationalized banks, dominate the banking sector.India had a fairly well developed commercial banking system in existence at the time of independence in 1947. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was established in 1935. While the RBI became a state owned institution from January 1, 1949, the Banking Regulation Act was enacted in 1949 providing a framework for regulation and supervision of commercial banking activity. The first step towards the nationalisation of commercial banks was the result of a report (under the aegis of RBI) by the Committee of Direction of All India Rural Credit Survey (1951) which till today is the locus classicus on the subject. The Committee recommended one strong integrated state partnered commercial banking institution to stimulate banking development in general and rural credit in particular. Thus, the Imperial Bank was taken over by the Government and renamed as the State Bank of India (SBI) on July 1, 1955 with the RBI acquiring overriding substantial holding of shares. A number of erstwhile banks owned by princely states were made subsidiaries of SBI in 1959. Thus, the beginning of the Plan era also saw the emergence of public ownership of one of the most prominent of the commercial banks. The All-India Rural Credit Survey Committee Report, 1954 recommended an integrated approach to cooperative credit and emphasised the need for viable credit cooperative societies by expanding their area of operation, encouraging rural savings and diversifying business. The Committee also recommended for Government participation in the share capital of the cooperatives. The report subsequently paved the way for the present structure and composition of the Cooperative Banks in the country There was a feeling that though the Indian banking system had made considerable progress in the 50s and 60s, it established close links between commercial and industry houses, resulting in cornering of bank credit by these segments to the exclusion of agriculture and small industries. To meet these concerns, in 1967, the Government introduced the concept of social control in the banking industry. The scheme of social control was aimed at bringing some changes in the management and distribution of credit by the commercial banks. The close link between big business houses and big banks was intended to be snapped or at least made ineffective by the reconstitution of the Board of Directors to the effect that 51 per cent of the directors were to have special knowledge or practical experience. Appointment of whole-time Chairman with special knowledge and practical experience of working of commercial banks or financial or economic or business administration was intended to professionalise t he top management. Imposition of restrictions on loans to be granted to the directors concerns was another step towards avoiding undesirable flow of credit to the units in which the directors were interested. The scheme also provided for the take-over of banks under certain circumstances. Political compulsion then partially attributed to inadequacies of the social control, led to the Government of India nationalising, in 1969,fourteen major scheduled commercial banks which had deposits above a cut-off size. The objective was to serve better the needs of development of the economy in conformity with national priorities and objectives. In a somewhat repeat of the same experience, eleven years after nationalisation, the Government announced the nationalisation of seven more scheduled commercial banks above the cut-off size. The second round of nationalisation gave an impression that if a private sector bank grew to the cut-off size it would be under the threat of nationalisation. From the fifties a number of exclusively state-owned development financial institutions (DFIs) were also set up both at the national and state level, with a lone exception of Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation (ICICI) which had a minority private share holding. The mutual fund activity was also a virtual monopoly of Government owned institution, viz., the Unit Trust of India. Refinance institutions in agriculture and industry sectors were also developed, similar in nature to the DFIs. Insurance, both Life and General, also became state monopolies. REFORM MEASURES The major challenge of the reform has been to introduce elements of market incentive as a dominant factor gradually replacing the administratively coordinated planned actions for development. Such a paradigm shift has several dimensions, the corporate governance being one of the important elements. The evolution of corporate governance in banks, particularly, in PSBs, thus reflects changes in monetary policy, regulatory environment, and structural transformations and to some extent, on the character of the self-regulatory organizations functioning in the financial sector. Policy Environment During the reform period, the policy environment enhanced competition and provided greater opportunity for exercise of what may be called genuine corporate element in each bank to replace the elements of coordinated actions of all entities as a joint family to fulfill predetermined Plan priorities. Greater competition has been infused in the banking system by permitting entry of private sector banks (Nine licences since 1993), and liberal licensing of more branches by foreign banks and the entry of new foreign banks. With the development of a multi-institutional structure in the financial sector, emphasis is on efficiency through competition irrespective of ownership. Since non-bank intermediation has increased, banks have had to improve efficiency to ensure survival. REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT Prudential regulation and supervision have formed a critical component of the financial sector reform programme since its inception, and India has endeavored to international prudential norms and practices. These norms have been progressively tightened over the years, particularly against the backdrop of the Asian crisis. Bank exposures to sensitive sectors such as equity and real estate have been curtailed. The Banking Regulation Act 1949 prevents connected lending (i.e. lending by banks to directors or companies in which Directors are interested). Periodical inspection of banks has been the main instrument of supervision, though recently there has been a move toward supplementary on-site inspections with off-site surveillance. The system of Annual Financial Inspection was introduced in 1992, in place of the earlier system of Annual Financial Review/Financial Inspections. The inspection objectives and procedures, have been redefined to evaluate the banks safety and soundness; to appraise the quality of the Board and management; to ensure compliance with banking laws regulation; to provide an appraisal of soundness of the banks assets; to analyse the financial factors which determine banks solvency and to identify areas where corrective action is needed to strengthen the institution and improve its performance. Inspection based upon the new guidelines have started since 1997. SELF REGULATORY ORGANIZATIONS India has had the distinction of experimenting with Self Regulatory Organisations (SROs) in the financial system since the pre-independence days. At present, there are four SROs in the financial system Indian Banks Association (IBA), Foreign Exchange Dealers Association of India (FEDAI), Primary Dealers Association of India (PDAI) and Fixed Income Money Market Dealers Association of India (FIMMDAI). INDIAN BANKS ASSOCIATION The IBA established in 1946 as a voluntary association of banks, strove towards strengthening the banking industry through consensus and co-ordination. Since nationalisation of banks, PSBs tended to dominate IBA and developed close links with Government and RBI. Often, the reactive and consensus and coordinated approach bordered on cartelisation. To illustrate, IBA had worked out a schedule of benchmark service charges for the services rendered by member banks, which were not mandatory in nature, but were being adopted by all banks. The practice of fixing rates for services of banks was consistent with a regime of administered interest rates but not consistent with the principle of competition. Hence, the IBA was directed by the RBI to desist from working out a schedule of benchmark service charges for the services rendered by member banks. Responding to the imperatives caused by the changing scenario in the reform era, the IBA has, over the years, refocused its vision, redefined its role, and modified its operational modalities. FOREIGN EXCHANGE DEALERS ASSOCIATION OF INDIA (FEDAI) In the area of foreign exchange, FEDAI was established in 1958, and banks were required to abide by terms and conditions prescribed by FEDAI for transacting foreign exchange business. In the light of reforms, FEDAI has refocused its role by giving up fixing of rates, but plays a multifarious role covering training of banks personnel, accounting standards, evolving risk measurement models like the VaR History and Development of Banks in India History and Development of Banks in India INTRODUCTION: The banking industry in India seems to be unaffected from the global financial crises which started from U.S in the last quarter of 2008. Despite the fallout and nationalization of banks across developed economies, banks in India seems to be on the strong fundamental base and seems to be well insulated from the financial turbulence emerging from the western economies. The Indian banking industry is well placed as compare to their banking industries western counterparts which are depending upon government bailout and stimulus packages. The strong economic growth in the past, low defaulter ratio, absence of complex financial products, regular intervention by central bank, proactive adjustment of monetary policy and so called close banking culture has favored the banking industry in India in recent global financial turmoil. Although there will no impact on the Indian banking system similar to that in west but the banks in India will adopt for more of defensive approach in credit disburs al in coming period. In order to safe guard their interest, banks will follow stringent norms for credit disbursal. There will be more focus on analyzing borrower financial health . A nation with 1 billion plus, India is the fastest growing country in terms of population and soon to overtake China as worlds largest populated country. The discerning impact on the over-stretched limited resources explains why India always tends to be deficient in infrastructure and opportunity. The largest economy of the world often frustrated researchers, as there was no single predictable pattern of the market; the multiplicity of government regulations and widespread government ownership had always kept investors away from exploring the vast Indian market. However, with India being liberalised today, banking intermediation has been playing a crucial role in economic development through its credit channel. Foreign banks have entered the soil but that has not yet posed a threat to the vast network of public sector banks that still conduct 92% of banking business in India. Banking in India has undergone a major revamp. It has come a long way since its creation which dates back to the British era. The present banking systems has come into place after many transformations from the Older systems. Against this background the present chapter deals with the evolution of the Indian Banking systems, the various reforms that has been made to make banks more effective, the role of private and foreign sector banks and last the challenges the Indian banks faces in the New Millennium . The banking system is central to a nations economy. Banks are special as they not only accept and deploy large amounts of uncollateralised public funds in a fiduciary capacity, but also leverage such funds through credit creation. In India, prior to nationalisation, banking was restricted mainly to the urban areas and neglected in the rural and semi-urban areas. Large industries and big business houses enjoyed major portion of the credit facilities. Agriculture, small-scale industries and exports did not receive the deserved attention. Therefore, inspired by a larger social purpose, 14 major banks were nationalised in 1969 and six more in 1980. Since then the banking system in India has played a pivotal role in the Indian economy, acting as an instrument of social and economic change. The rationale behind bank nationalisation has been succinctly put forth by eminent bankers: Many bank failures and crises over two centuries, and the damage they did under laissez faire conditions; the needs of planned growth and equitable distribution of credit, which in privately owned banks was concentrated mainly on the controlling industrial houses and influential borrowers; the needs of growing small scale industry and farming regarding finance, equipment and inputs; from all these there emerged an inexorable demand for banking legislation, some government control and a central banking authority, adding up, in the final analysis, to social control and nationalisation (Tandon, 1989). Post nationalisation, the Indian banking system registered tremendous growth in volume. Despite the undeniable and multifold gains of bank nationalization, it may be noted that the important financial institutions were all state owned and were subject to central direction and control. Banks enjoyed little autonomy as both lending and deposit rates were controlled until the end of the 1980s. Although nationalisation of banks helped in the spread of banking to the rural and hitherto uncovered areas, the monopoly granted to the public sector and lack of competition led to overall inefficiency and low productivity. By 1991, the countrys financial system was saddled with an inefficient and financially unsound banking sector. Some of the reasons for this were (i) high reserve requirements, (ii) administered interest rates, (iii) directed credit and (iv) lack of competition (v) political interference and corruption. As recommended by the Narasimham Committee Report (1991) several reform mea sures were introduced which included reduction of reserve requirements, de-regulation of interest rates, introduction of prudential norms, strengthening of bank supervision and improving the competitiveness of the system, particularly by allowing entry of private sector banks. With a view to adopting the Basel Committee (1988) framework on capital adequacy norms, the Reserve Bank introduced a risk-weighted asset ratio system for banks in India as a capital adequacy measure in 1992. Banks were asked to maintain risk-weighted capital adequacy ratio initially at the lower level of 4 per cent, which was gradually increased to 9 per cent. Banks were also directed to identify problem loans on their balance sheets and make provisions for bad loans and bring down the burgeoning problem of non-performing assets. The period 1992-97 laid the foundations for reform in the banking system (Rangarajan, 1998). The second Narasimham Committee Report (1998) focussed on issues like strengthening of th e banking system, upgrading of technology and human resource development. The report laid emphasis on two aspects of banking regulation, viz., capital adequacy and asset classification and resolution of NPA-related problems. Commercial banks in India are expected to start implementing Basel II norms with effect from March 31, 2007. They are expected to adopt the standardised approach for credit risk and the basic indicator approach for operational risk initially. After adequate skills are developed, both at the banks and at the supervisory levels, some banks may be allowed to migrate to the internal rating based (IRB) approach (Reddy 2005). At present, banks in India are venturing into non-traditional areas and generating income through diversified activities other than the core banking activities. Strategic mergers and acquisitions are being explored and implemented. With this, the banking sector is currently on the threshold of an exciting phase. Against this backdrop, this paper endeavours to study the important banking indicators for the last 25-year period from 1981 to 2005. These indicators have been broadly grouped into different categories, viz., (i) number of banks and offices (ii) deposits and credit (iii) investments (iv) capital to risk-weighted assets ratio (CRAR) (v) non performing assets (NPAs) (vi) Income composition (vii) Expenditure composition (viii) return on assets (ROAs) and (ix) some select ratios. Accordingly, the paper discusses these banking indicators in nine sections in the same order as listed above. The paper concludes in section X by drawing important inferences from the trends of these di fferent banking parameters. The number of offices of all scheduled commercial banks almost doubledfrom 29,677 in 1980 to 55,537 in 2005. This rapid increase in the number of bank offices is observed in the case of all the bank groups. However, the number of banks in the case of foreign bank group and domestic private sector bank group decreased from 42 in 2000 to 31 in 2005 and from 33 in 2000 to 29 in 2005, respectively. This fall in the number of banks is reflective of the consolidation process and, in particular, the mergers and acquisitions that are the order of the banking system at present (Table 1). BANKING IN THE OLDER DAYS Banking is believed to be a part of Indian society from as early as Vedic age; transition from mere money lending to banking must have happened before Manu, the great Hindu jurist, who had devoted a large section of his work to deposits and advances and also formulated rules for calculating interest on both 1. During the Mogul period indigenous bankers (rich individuals or families) helped foreign trades and commerce by lending money to the business. It was during the East Indian period when agency houses started managing the banking business. The first Joint Stock bank India saw came in 1786 named the General Bank of India followed by the Bank of Hindustan and the Bengal Bank. Only the Bank of Hindustan continued to be in the show until 1906 while the other two disappeared in the meantime. East India Company established three banks in first half of 19th century: the Bank of Bengal in 1809, the Bank of Bombay in 1840, and the Bank of Madras in 1843. Eventually these three banks (which used to be referred to as Presidency Banks) were made independent units and they really did well for almost a century. In 1920, these three were amalgamated and a new Imperial Bank of India was established in 1921. Reserve Bank of India Act was passed in 1934 and finally in 1935, the Central Bank was created and christened as Reserve Bank of India. Imperial Bank was undertaken as State Bank of India after passing the State Bank of India Act in 1955. During the last phase of freedom fighting (Swadeshi Movement) few banks with purely Indian man agement were established like Punjab National bank (PNB), Bank of India (BoI) Ltd, Canara Bank Ltd, Indian Bank Ltd, the Bank of Baroda Ltd, the Central Bank of India Ltd, etc.July 19, 1969 was an important day in the history of Indian banking industry. Fourteen major banks of the country were nationalised and on April 15, 1980 six more commercial private banks were taken over by the Indian government. In the wake of liberalisation that started in the last decade a few foreign banks entered the foray of commercial banks. To date there are around 40 banks of foreign origin that are  operating in the market, like ABN AMRO Bank, ANZ Grindlays Bank, American Express Bank, HSBC Bank, Barclays Bank and Citibank groups to name a few major of them. HISTORY OF INDIAN BANKS: We can identify three distinct phases in the history of Indian Banking. Early phase from 1786 to 1969 Nationalisation of Banks and up to 1991 prior to banking sector Reforms New phase of Indian Banking with the advent of Financial Banking Sector Reforms after 1991. The first phase is from 1786 to 1969, the early phase up to the nationalisation of the fourteen largest of Indian scheduled banks. It was also the traditional or conservative phase of Indian Banking. The advent of banking system of India started with the establishment of the first joint stock bank, The General Bank of India in the year 1786. After this first bank, Bank of Hindustan and Bengal Bank came to existence. In the mid of 19th century, East India Company established three banks The Bank of Bengal in 1809, The Bank of Bombay in 1840, and bank of Madras in 1843. These banks were independent units and called Presidency banks. These three banks were amalgamated in 1920 and a new bank, Imperial Bank of India was established. All these institutions started as private shareholders banks and the shareholders were mostly Europeans. The Allahabad Bank was established in 1865. The next bank to be set up was the Punjab National Bank Ltd., which was established with its headquarters at La hore in 1894 for the first time exclusively by Indians. Most of the Indian commercial banks, however, owe their origin to the 20th century. Bank of India, Central Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, the Canara Bank, the Indian Bank, and the Bank of Mysore were established between 1906 and 1913. The last major commercial bank to be set up in this phase was the United Commercial Bank in 1943. Earlier the establishment of Reserve Bank of India in 1935 as the central bank of the country was an important step in the development of commercial banking in India. The history of joint stock banking in this first phase was characterised by slow growth and periodic failures. There were as many as one thousand one hundred banks, mostly small banks, failed during the period from 1913 to 1948. The Government of India concerned by the frequent bank failures in the country causing miseries to innumerable small depositors and others enacted The Banking Companies Act, 1949. The title of the Act was changed as Banking Regulation Act 1949, as per amending Act of 1965 (Act No.23 of 1965). The Act is the first regulatory step undertaken by the Government to streamline the functioning and activities of commercial banks in India. Reserve Bank of India as the Central Banking Authority of the country was vested with extensive powers for banking supervision. Salient features of the Act are discussed in a separate page/article At the time of Independence of the country in 1947, the banking sector in India was relatively small and extremely weak. The banks were largely confined to urban areas, extending loans primarily to trading sector dealing with agricultural produce. There were a large number of commercial banks, but banking services were not available at rural and semi-urban areas. Such services were not extended to different sectors of the economy like agriculture, small industries, professionals and self-employed entrepreneurs, artisans, retail traders etc. DRAW BACK OF INDIAN BANKING SYSTEM BEFORE NATIONALISATION Commercial banks, as they were privately owned, on regional or sectarian basis resulted in development of banking on ethnic and provincial basis with parochial outlook. These Institutions did not play their due role in the planned development of the country. Deposit mobilisation was slow. Public had less confidence in the banks on account of frequent bank failures. The savings bank facility provided by the Postal department was viewed a comparatively safer field of investment of savings by the public. Even the deficient savings thus mobilised by commercial banks were not channeled for the development of the economy of the country. Funds were largely given to traders, who hoarded agricultural produce after harvest, creating an artificial scarcity, to make a good fortune in selling them at a later period, when prices were soaring. The Reserve Bank of India had to step in at these occasions to introduce selective credit controls on several commodities to remedy this situation. Such cont rols were imposed on advances against Rice, Paddy, Wheat, Other foodgrains (like jowar, millets, ragi etc.) pulses, oilseeds etc. When the country attained independence Indian Banking was exclusively in the private sector. In addition to the Imperial Bank, there were five big banks each holding public deposits aggregating Rs.100 Crores and more, viz. the Central Bank of India Ltd., the Punjab National Bank Ltd., the Bank of India Ltd., the Bank of Baroda Ltd. and the United Commercial Bank Ltd. Rest of the banks were exclusively regional in character holding deposits of less than fifty Crores. Government first implemented the exercise of nationalisation of a significant part of the Indian Banking system in the year 1955, when Imperial Bank of India was Nationalised in that year for the stated objective of extension of banking facilities on a large scale, more particularly in the rural and semi-urban areas, and for diverse other public purposes to form State Bank of India. SBI was to act as the principal agent of the RBI and handle banking transactions of the Union State Governments throughout India. The step w as in fact in furtherance of the objectives of supporting a powerful rural credit cooperative movement in India and as recommended by the The All-India Rural Credit Survey Committee Report, 1954. State Bank of India was obliged to open an accepted number of branches within five years in unbanked centres. Government subsidised the bank for opening unremunerative branches in non-urban centres. The seven banks now forming subsidiaries of SBI were nationalised in the year 1960. This brought one-third of the banking segment under the direct control of the Government of India. But the major process of nationalisation was carried out on 19th July 1969, when the then Prime Minister of India, Mrs.Indira Gandhi announced the nationalisation of fourteen major commercial banks in the country. One more phase of nationalisation was carried out in the year 1980, when seven more banks were nationalised. This brought 80% of the banking segment in India under Government ownership. The country entered the second phase, i.e. the phase of Nationalised Banking with emphasis on Social Banking in 1969/70. Chronology of Salient steps by the Government after Independence to Regulate Banking Institutions in the Country 1949: Enactment of Banking Regulation Act. 1955 (Phase I): Nationalisation of State Bank of India 1959 (Phase II): Nationalisation of SBI subsidiaries 1961: Insurance cover extended to deposits 1969 (Phase III): Nationalisation of 14 major banks 1971: Creation of credit guarantee corporation 1975: Creation of regional rural banks 1980 (Phase IV): Nationalisation of seven banks with deposits over 200 crores. Shortcomings in the Functioning of Nationalised Banking Institutions However Nationalised banks in their enthusiasm for development banking, looking exclusively to branch opening, deposit accretion and social banking, neglected prudential norms, profitability criteria, risk-management and building adequate capital as a buffer to counter-balance the ever expanding risk-inherent assets held by them. They failed to recognise the emerging non-performing assets and to build adequate provisions to neutralise the adverse effects of such assets. Basking in the sunshine of Government ownership that gave to the public implicit faith and confidence about the sustainability of Government-owned institutions, they failed to collect before hand whatever is needed for the rainy day. And surfeit blindly indulged is sure to bring the sick hour. In the early Nineties after two decades of lop-sided policies, these banks paid heavily for their misdirected performance in place of pragmatic and balanced policies. The RBI/Government of India has to step in at the crisis-hour to implement remedial steps. Reforms in the financial and banking sectors and liberal re capitalisation of the ailing and weakened public sector banks followed. However it is relevant to mention here that the advent of banking sector reforms brought the era of modern banking of global standards in the history of Indian banking. The emphasis shifted to efficient, and prudential banking linked to better customer care and customer service. The old ideology of social banking was not abandoned, but the responsibility for development banking is blended with the paramount need for complying with norms of prudency and efficiency. Composition of Indian Banking System The Indian banking can be broadly categorized into nationalized (government owned), private banks and specialized banking institutions 2. The Reserve Bank of India acts a centralized body monitoring any discrepancies and shortcoming in the system. Since the nationalization of banks in 1969, the public sector banks or the nationalized banks have acquired a place of prominence and has since then seen tremendous progress. The need to become highly customer focused has forced the slow-moving public sector banks to adopt a fast track approach. The unleashing of products and services through the net has galvanized players at all levels of the banking and financial institutions market grid to look into their existing portfolio offering. Conservative banking practices allowed Indian banks to be insulated partially from the Asian currency crisis. Indian banks are now quoting al higher valuation when compared to banks in other Asian countries (viz. Hong Kong, Singapore, Philippines etc.) that have major problems linked to huge Non Performing Assets (NPAs) and payment defaults. Co-operative banks are nimble footed in approach and armed with efficient branch networks focus primarily on the high revenue niche retail segments. The Indian banking has come from a long way from being a sleepy business institution to a highly proactive and dynamic entity. This transformation has been largely brought about by the large dose of liberalization and economic reforms that allowed banks to explore new business opportunities rather than generating revenues from conventional streams (i.e. borrowing and lending). The banking in India is highly fragmented with 30 banking units contributing to almost 50% of deposits and 60% of advances. Indian nationalized banks (banks owned by the government) continue to be the major lenders in the economy due to their sheer size and penetrative networks which assures them high deposit mobilization. The banking system has three tiers. These are the scheduled commercial banks; the Regional rural banks which operate in rural areas not covered by the scheduled banks; And the cooperative and special purpose rural banks. Under the ambit of the nationalized banks come the specialized banking institutions. These co-operatives, rural banks focus on areas of agriculture, rural development etc., unlike commercial banks these co-operative banks do not lend on the basis of a prime lending rate. They also have various tax sops because of their holding pattern and lending structure and hence have lower overheads. This enables them to give a marginally higher percentage on savings deposits. Many of these cooperative banks diversified into specialized areas (catering to the vast retail audience) like car finance, housing loans, truck finance etc. In order to keep pace with their public sector and private counterparts, the co-operative banks too have invested heavily in information technology to offer high-end computerized banking services to its clients. Given below is the total list of banks operating in India. SCHEDULED AND NON SCHEDULED BANKS There are approximately Eighty scheduled commercial banks, Indian and foreign; almost Two Hundred regional rural banks; more than Three Hundred Fifty central cooperative banks, Twenty land development banks; and a number of primary agricultural credit societies. In terms of business, the public sector banks, namely the State Bank of India and the nationalized banks, dominate the banking sector.India had a fairly well developed commercial banking system in existence at the time of independence in 1947. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was established in 1935. While the RBI became a state owned institution from January 1, 1949, the Banking Regulation Act was enacted in 1949 providing a framework for regulation and supervision of commercial banking activity. The first step towards the nationalisation of commercial banks was the result of a report (under the aegis of RBI) by the Committee of Direction of All India Rural Credit Survey (1951) which till today is the locus classicus on the subject. The Committee recommended one strong integrated state partnered commercial banking institution to stimulate banking development in general and rural credit in particular. Thus, the Imperial Bank was taken over by the Government and renamed as the State Bank of India (SBI) on July 1, 1955 with the RBI acquiring overriding substantial holding of shares. A number of erstwhile banks owned by princely states were made subsidiaries of SBI in 1959. Thus, the beginning of the Plan era also saw the emergence of public ownership of one of the most prominent of the commercial banks. The All-India Rural Credit Survey Committee Report, 1954 recommended an integrated approach to cooperative credit and emphasised the need for viable credit cooperative societies by expanding their area of operation, encouraging rural savings and diversifying business. The Committee also recommended for Government participation in the share capital of the cooperatives. The report subsequently paved the way for the present structure and composition of the Cooperative Banks in the country There was a feeling that though the Indian banking system had made considerable progress in the 50s and 60s, it established close links between commercial and industry houses, resulting in cornering of bank credit by these segments to the exclusion of agriculture and small industries. To meet these concerns, in 1967, the Government introduced the concept of social control in the banking industry. The scheme of social control was aimed at bringing some changes in the management and distribution of credit by the commercial banks. The close link between big business houses and big banks was intended to be snapped or at least made ineffective by the reconstitution of the Board of Directors to the effect that 51 per cent of the directors were to have special knowledge or practical experience. Appointment of whole-time Chairman with special knowledge and practical experience of working of commercial banks or financial or economic or business administration was intended to professionalise t he top management. Imposition of restrictions on loans to be granted to the directors concerns was another step towards avoiding undesirable flow of credit to the units in which the directors were interested. The scheme also provided for the take-over of banks under certain circumstances. Political compulsion then partially attributed to inadequacies of the social control, led to the Government of India nationalising, in 1969,fourteen major scheduled commercial banks which had deposits above a cut-off size. The objective was to serve better the needs of development of the economy in conformity with national priorities and objectives. In a somewhat repeat of the same experience, eleven years after nationalisation, the Government announced the nationalisation of seven more scheduled commercial banks above the cut-off size. The second round of nationalisation gave an impression that if a private sector bank grew to the cut-off size it would be under the threat of nationalisation. From the fifties a number of exclusively state-owned development financial institutions (DFIs) were also set up both at the national and state level, with a lone exception of Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation (ICICI) which had a minority private share holding. The mutual fund activity was also a virtual monopoly of Government owned institution, viz., the Unit Trust of India. Refinance institutions in agriculture and industry sectors were also developed, similar in nature to the DFIs. Insurance, both Life and General, also became state monopolies. REFORM MEASURES The major challenge of the reform has been to introduce elements of market incentive as a dominant factor gradually replacing the administratively coordinated planned actions for development. Such a paradigm shift has several dimensions, the corporate governance being one of the important elements. The evolution of corporate governance in banks, particularly, in PSBs, thus reflects changes in monetary policy, regulatory environment, and structural transformations and to some extent, on the character of the self-regulatory organizations functioning in the financial sector. Policy Environment During the reform period, the policy environment enhanced competition and provided greater opportunity for exercise of what may be called genuine corporate element in each bank to replace the elements of coordinated actions of all entities as a joint family to fulfill predetermined Plan priorities. Greater competition has been infused in the banking system by permitting entry of private sector banks (Nine licences since 1993), and liberal licensing of more branches by foreign banks and the entry of new foreign banks. With the development of a multi-institutional structure in the financial sector, emphasis is on efficiency through competition irrespective of ownership. Since non-bank intermediation has increased, banks have had to improve efficiency to ensure survival. REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT Prudential regulation and supervision have formed a critical component of the financial sector reform programme since its inception, and India has endeavored to international prudential norms and practices. These norms have been progressively tightened over the years, particularly against the backdrop of the Asian crisis. Bank exposures to sensitive sectors such as equity and real estate have been curtailed. The Banking Regulation Act 1949 prevents connected lending (i.e. lending by banks to directors or companies in which Directors are interested). Periodical inspection of banks has been the main instrument of supervision, though recently there has been a move toward supplementary on-site inspections with off-site surveillance. The system of Annual Financial Inspection was introduced in 1992, in place of the earlier system of Annual Financial Review/Financial Inspections. The inspection objectives and procedures, have been redefined to evaluate the banks safety and soundness; to appraise the quality of the Board and management; to ensure compliance with banking laws regulation; to provide an appraisal of soundness of the banks assets; to analyse the financial factors which determine banks solvency and to identify areas where corrective action is needed to strengthen the institution and improve its performance. Inspection based upon the new guidelines have started since 1997. SELF REGULATORY ORGANIZATIONS India has had the distinction of experimenting with Self Regulatory Organisations (SROs) in the financial system since the pre-independence days. At present, there are four SROs in the financial system Indian Banks Association (IBA), Foreign Exchange Dealers Association of India (FEDAI), Primary Dealers Association of India (PDAI) and Fixed Income Money Market Dealers Association of India (FIMMDAI). INDIAN BANKS ASSOCIATION The IBA established in 1946 as a voluntary association of banks, strove towards strengthening the banking industry through consensus and co-ordination. Since nationalisation of banks, PSBs tended to dominate IBA and developed close links with Government and RBI. Often, the reactive and consensus and coordinated approach bordered on cartelisation. To illustrate, IBA had worked out a schedule of benchmark service charges for the services rendered by member banks, which were not mandatory in nature, but were being adopted by all banks. The practice of fixing rates for services of banks was consistent with a regime of administered interest rates but not consistent with the principle of competition. Hence, the IBA was directed by the RBI to desist from working out a schedule of benchmark service charges for the services rendered by member banks. Responding to the imperatives caused by the changing scenario in the reform era, the IBA has, over the years, refocused its vision, redefined its role, and modified its operational modalities. FOREIGN EXCHANGE DEALERS ASSOCIATION OF INDIA (FEDAI) In the area of foreign exchange, FEDAI was established in 1958, and banks were required to abide by terms and conditions prescribed by FEDAI for transacting foreign exchange business. In the light of reforms, FEDAI has refocused its role by giving up fixing of rates, but plays a multifarious role covering training of banks personnel, accounting standards, evolving risk measurement models like the VaR