Friday, December 27, 2019

Racism in “White Like Me” by Tim Wise - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 821 Downloads: 10 Date added: 2019/01/31 Category Society Essay Level High school Topics: Racism Essay Did you like this example? I enjoyed watching this documentary â€Å"White Like Me†, by Tim Wise. What I found most surprising was the fact that Tim Wise was a white male and was the individual in the film talking about the discrimination people of color receive. There were a few other things that surprised me, like the fact that there are more African Americans in jail and than the number of people that were enslaved in 1850. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Racism in â€Å"White Like Me† by Tim Wise" essay for you Create order The movie version of Black Like Me was another thing that surprised me, the main character was a white man that dyed his skin so, he could experience what it was like to be an African American during the pre-1950s. Even back then individuals were trying to open up the eyes of Americans by producing a film like this, and well I am sure the main character must have received a lot of hate from his own race for taking part in the film. Without a doubt people of color face many hardships. Whites, being the dominant group of them all have it easier than all other groups of color. White privilege has always existed, as said in the film the first law to be passed by congress once the constitution was ratified was the naturalization act. Which basically states that in order to become a citizen here in the United States you must be a free white individual, which excluded people of color. This is a very early example of white privilege, where people of color were unable to become legal citizens, but whites were. Which now a day is a huge issue and dilemma with the Trump Administration. Furthermore, white privilege is the benefits that individuals receive simply for being white. I personally believe this is not fair, even though sometimes it is invisible and can slip to become unnoticeable. Many white individuals succeed in life because they work hard but regardless they have some type of white privilege involved that has helped them become successful. Individuals of color s truggle and have to work hard to succeed, they receive no type of privilege like white privilege. Colorblind racism, is the thought that racism is no longer an issue and that every single race has equal opportunities. This type of racism does not want to accept the fact that racial inequality exists based on skin color, that not every race has equal opportunities. This concept is unreasonable, because racism exists because of the color of your skin, you cannot ignore that. If people have this thought of colorblind racism, then you will be unable to foresee the real-life situations that are going on in the world based on skin color. Individuals make assumptions or judge people simply based on their skin color without thinking of it. So therefore, you cannot say that every other race gets treated equally like those who have white skin color. I would like to believe that someday we will be a post-racist society, but we have a long way to go. I believe there will not be a post-racist society, reason being because people of color will always exist, as well as white people. Relatively speaking, America has never really been able to be a post-racist society. It has existed since early years in history; for example, there was discrimination and slaughtering of many Native Americans in early years. Which of course is not talked about and brought up in American textbooks, it has been swept under the rug. A great example of Americans thinking we became a post-racist society was when the first African American President was elected into office in the United States, Barrack Obama. Unfortunately, it was not like that, and has not been like that; today in present day we have a President in office who makes many racist comments towards people of color. Which definitely encourages individuals who agree with his comments to feel superio r and correct, since their own President makes racial comments. This does not help with becoming post- racist. Overall Tim Wise pointed out many things regarding racial inequality that I had not noticed or put much thought into before. It made me remember that racism has existed since many years ago, it is not a new issue we face. Even after abolishing slavery people of color still struggle to be treated equally as a white person. This film made me think why does our skin color matter? What if in the early years of Americas history, color did not matter or if slavery never existed? Would racism exist today if that would have happened? Deep down inside it made me reflect on the acts and comments racist individuals make, making me question why so much hatred is held towards people of color as years go by. I believe we are all human, and that our color should not distinguish how we get treated or what privileges we don’t receive by not being white.

Thursday, December 19, 2019

Essay about Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde - 802 Words

Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;In the novel Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by R. L Stevenson, a story of mischief and selfishness occurs. Its like this, there is a man called Dr. Jekyll he doesnt like who he is so one day he thinks of a potion that makes his good part split away from his bad part. That is when Mr. Hyde comes into the picture, he is the bad part of Dr. Jekyll. Mr. Hyde likes to party have a good time and cares less about others, but Dr. Jekyll is a caring Doctor whom everybody adores and loves. Mr. Hyde gets himself into a lot of trouble in this story for example he gets a man killed and pushes down little girls for fun Mr. Utterson, a lawyer and a friend of Dr. Jekylls, finds something peculiar about†¦show more content†¦Utterson reads a letter which says quot;only to be read when Dr. Jekyll is deceasedquot; When he opened it, it had a precise explanation of who Mr. Hyde really was and how everything happened. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;R L Stevensons novel is amazing. The reason being is the explanations he uses like quot;the dreadful face of Hyde put shivers down my spinequot;. Stevenson really gave me a mental picture of a beast and how Mr. Utterson must have felt the first time he saw Mr. Hyde. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;This novel really reminds me of the time when I was playing a game on my computer with all these monsters and images of death and hatred. I remember it being about 10:00 p.m. at night when a thunder storm broke out. I paused and felt the shivers going through my spine and out through my feet. I was horrified I immediately shut off my computer and hid under my covers. I felt like I was being attacked by some beast who had some kind of hatred for me, and took joy in it. I never played that game again, it was to real to be true. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The concerns that arose from this book were: what if it was really possible to split the good and the bad, how would the world be? Would the bad be killing the good or the other way around? Would the society turn all bad and have nothing but hatred in this world? That is how I sometimes feel when I see the hatred going on in our society? Why cant we just get along with each other. It wouldnt beShow MoreRelatedDr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde1887 Words   |  8 Pageshe consumes his particular poison. â€Å"Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde† is the story of an addict whose inebriated self just happens to have a different name. It does not matter what the solution he drinks for his transformation is supposed to represent, whether alcohol, opium, heroin, or some other substance—he checks off every box for addictive and self destructive behavior. There can be no clearer interpretation of â€Å"Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde† than that it is a polemic against the prevalent usageRead MoreDr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde999 Words   |  4 PagesDr. Jekyll vs. Mr. Utterson The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a great science fiction story that was published in 1886. It was written by an intelligent Scottish novelist named Robert Louis Stevenson. He uses technological ideas to develop a plot with powerful and realistic characters. Two main characters that play a major part in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Utterson. They are extremely good friends who live in London during the late nineteenth-centuryRead MoreDr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde1348 Words   |  6 Pagescreative interpretation of the original text. Victor Flemming’s 1941 adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde brings two new female characters to the screen, adding to the duality of the story. The women, Beatrix an Ivy, are opposing figures: Beatrix being Jekyll’s pure and loyal fiancà ©e, and Ivy a strong-willed sexual icon. In this 1941 adaptation of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the characters Ivy and Beatrix ar e not only important allegorical catalysts, but also portray the fightRead MoreDr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde Essay722 Words   |  3 PagesEnglish Essay (Prompt 3) Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, created by famous writer R. L. Stevenson, can be considered one of the most famous 19th century novella in the whole world. The author used quite a lot of diversified skills to create an ambience of suspense and mystery. The perspective of narrative used from Mr. Utterson is one of them. First of all, the usage of the perspective of Mr. Utterson draws out the ‘suspense’ element because he is not actually omniscient. The readers can only decipherRead MoreDr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde1019 Words   |  5 PagesDr. Jekyll and Mary Reilly Robert Louis Stevenson established himself as one of the masters of adventure novels in English literature. His skills as a suspenseful storyteller can be seen in his 1886 novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Stevenson tells the story of the Dr. Jekyll and his murderous alter ego Mr. Hyde, through the eyes of Dr. Jekyll’s lawyer Mr. Utterson. Valerie Martin’s Mary Reilly tells the story of Jekyll and Hyde, but through a very different set of eyes. Martin’sRead MoreDr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde1032 Words   |  5 PagesIn his novella Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson explores the dual nature of Victorian man, and his link with an age of hypocrisy. Whilst writing the story he displays the people of the time and what happens behind closed doors. In Jekyll s suicide note he makes the following observation I have observed that when I wore the semblance of Edward Hyde, none could come near to me at first without a visible misgiving of the flesh. This, as I take it, was because all human beings, asRead MoreDr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde Essay1651 Words   |  7 Pagesworse. The Strange Cases Of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a novel about a man who needs an exit. Dr. Jekyll is a high class man that has an addiction fueled by his desires to become a different man, and to escape his bottled up anger and evil side that he cannot part with as Dr. Jekyll. This pushes him to create a potion that allows him to become this second man. This second man is Mr. Hyde, the evil dark side of Dr. Jekyll. Dr. Jekyll becomes addicted to being Mr. Hyde and wants to be him full timeRead MoreDr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde892 Words   |  4 PagesSuperegos doctor A Man is not truly one but, but two,’’ wrote Robert Louis Stevenson The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Stevenson wrote about a man with two sides of him. The evil side that kill and hurt people, and the good side that his well respected for in his community. But, the evil side seem to be stronger and it’s taking over him. Everyone get their two sides even myself, I got a side that if someone did something unpleasant to me I won’t let it go I feel like I have to do somethingRead MoreDr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde1578 Words   |  7 PagesTed Wayland Essay 1 Roughdraft July/ 15/ 2015 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde story were written in the 19th century in London. In this book we understand the conflict between the good character of Dr. Jekyll and completely evil character from M r. Hyde, who fight for control of their shared body. As the readers, read the story there is a big concern about homosexuality, murder and the duality of human nature. Their personal characters where by Dr. Jekyll is known to be tall and pale gentleman who seemsRead MoreDr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde2521 Words   |  11 PagesUncovering Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was published in 1886 by Robert Louis Stevenson. The story is based on a London lawyer named Gabriel John Utterson, who investigates strange occurrences between his old friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll, and the evil Edward Hyde. This novel was composed as a shilling shocker. A shilling shocker is a short, graphic book. This whole novel is based in Victorian England. Noting the servants, differences between the rich and poor

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Climate Change Impact on Water Resources-Free-Samples for Students

Question: Discuss about the Climate Change Impact on Water Resources. Answer: Introduction The climate change refers to the change in the statistical distribution of the various weather patterns that lasts for an extended period. The climate change is also the change in the average conditions of the weather or the time difference of the weather that occurs in a long-term. The causes of the climate change are the biotic processes and the human activities that are being performed. These factors are called as the climate forcing which are the processes as the radiation from the sun, the variations in the orbit of the earth, the changes in the concentration of the green house gases and the continental drifting (Hagemann et al. 2013). The human activities that affect the change in climate are the called as the anthropogenic factors. These changes are largely irreversible (Change 2014). There is an increase in the carbon dioxide levels due to the emissions from the combustion of the fossil fuels. The other factors responsible for the changes are the depletion of ozone, deforesta tion, and land use and so on. These changes lead to the unprecedented warming of the earth (Klve et al. 2014). The humans are considered the major cause of Global Warming. The water resources are the sources of water that are useful in nature. Water pollution is one of the main concerns. The pollutants threaten the supply of water. Figure1 Source: (Field 2012). Discussion The discussion elaborates on the process of climate change and the factors affecting the changes in the climate have been discussed in this report. The report also discusses the various issues surrounding this topic. There are a few challenges that are faced due o the climate change and its impact. The ways to overcome the challenges that arise from this climate change has been discussed in this report. The review paper shows an in-depth understanding of the climate change and its impact on the water resources. The report concludes with the knowledge and the future research direction. Water cycle response mechanism of the climate change The water cycle is the theoretical basis of the study of affects of the climate change o the water resources. The hydrological cycle is restricted by the climate. The climate change causes a change in the water cycle due to the climate conditions. The climate change directly or indirectly affects the process of the circulation of water by temperature, humidity, sunlight, wind and precipitation (Field 2012). The system of natural water cycle is affected by the sun radiation and earths gravity. The water on the earth absorbs the solar heat energy and spreads everywhere in the appropriate conditions and the environment. The climate change has directly led to the precipitation and the runoff process that relates to the water cycle. The continuous change in the human society and the activities performed by the humans influences the evolution process of the water cycle. This water cycle system is called as the natural artificial binary water cycle system. This influence of the activities o f the humans on the hydrologic cycle has two types of situations mainly; the direct intervention of the humans that cause the change changes in the hydrologic cycle and the other is caused due to the part change because of the human activities (Velzquez et al. 2013). The Impact of Climate Change on Water Resources The relationship between water energy and the climate is an important one. The climate change is the phenomenon that leads to the rise in the temperature of the earth. This rise in the temperature causes the glacial ice to melt at an unparalleled rate. The glaciers are an important source for the freshwater worldwide. Once these have meted these glaciers cannot be restored. The increase in the temperature also causes in the increase in the rate of the evaporation that may result in droughts. This warming of the environment will cause the increase in rainfall and reduce the amount of snowfall (Schewe et al. 2014). This in turn may cause frequent water shortages. The climate change affects the water resources with the impact on amount, changeability, form, time and the intensity of precipitation. The rise in the temperature of the surface increases the proportion of the precipitation during the winters. The climate change affects the water quality in both the inland and the coastal are as (Taylor et al. 2013). The high intensity rainfall will cause an increase in the runoff and erosion. There will be thus the impairing of the quality of the water due to the transportation of sediments and chemical runoff in huge amounts into the streams and the groundwater systems. Figure Source 2: (Kates, Travis and Wilbanks 2012). Climate Change Impacts on Natural Water Systems The climate has an effect on the water resources. This comprises of the melting of the glaciers and its influence on the river flow patter, variability of the rainfall and impact on the monsoon system that affects the availability of the water and the rise in the seas level. The current and the future scenarios of the climate predictions and variability in the different hydro-geological system is also a challenge. The status of the glaciers and their influence has an impact on the natural water system. Impact on the Ground Water Resources The climate change affects the groundwater recharge rates that are the renewable groundwater resources and the depth of the table of groundwater (Trenberth et al. 2014). The increase in the variability of precipitation may decrease the recharge of groundwater in the humid areas as the heavy precipitation may cause excess infiltration capacity of the soil. The depletion of the ground water may be a threat the irrigated agriculture that may exceed the level of salts in the soil. The rise in the sea levels may also cause the increase of the saline intrusion in the coastal and the inland aquifers (Dai 2013). The increase in the regularity and rigorousness of the floods may have an affect o the ground water quality in the alluvial aquifers. The warm air keeps the moisture and tends to increase the evaporation of the surface moisture. If there is, no more moisture in the soil to evaporate the solar radiation causes the rise in the temperature. That may cause severe droughts (Luo et al. 201 5). The research methods of the impact of climate change on water resources The research of the impact of the climate change on the water resources systems is with the help of the basin temperature, precipitation and the evaporation change that is caused by the climate change that predicts the increase and decrease of the runoff and watershed supply influence. Due to the complexity and the uncertainty climate change, it is not easy to predict the future climate change (Kates, Travis and Wilbanks 2012). The climate change will cause global rainfall and change in temperature of time and space distribution that will also cause a change in the river basin runoff. The hydrological simulation technology is used to solve the variables of hydrological information under the climate scenario basin. The scenario is the prediction and the expectation that describe the scene of a series of events and the factors that affect the future emissions (Gosling and Arnell 2016). The experience statistical model is based on the temperature, precipitation and runoff. The climate c hange scene generation technology has changed from simple analysis and transplantation data to considering the development of the green house gas emissions. Challenges to implement the issues There is limited information on the climate change effects. The issues of the climate change are very vaguely available (Marlow et al. 2013). There is an inadequacy in the early warning systems strategy. It is important to share the meteorological information along with the climate change projection that communicates the reliable information on the weather conditions and threats. This is relevant for the monitoring of the climate change stressors as the floods, droughts and enabling the preparation of the warning measures for the people. The climate change furthers the pressure on the water resources but the response to the climate change threats have not been responded to. The adaptation measures that are implemented are reactive and in response to the immediate threats. The fresh water is a scarce resource (Haasnoot et al. 2012). The issues about the availability focus on the water security to satisfy the needs of the humans that refers to the access of the people to safe and affor dable water. The water security can arise due to the physical scarcity that results due to the climatic factors (Bakker 2012). This scarcity and insecurity affects large parts of the world. The water security in the developing world is vulnerable to the impact of the climate change due to the changing water supplies. The change in the climate increases the water management problems through the impact on the melting glaciers, rise in the sea levels, variable rainfall, floods and droughts. The major challenges arise during the management of the natural resources (Teutschbein and Seibert 2012). Then there is the challenges faced by the water resource use and allocation because of the increase in the scarcity of water along with the risks of the climate change. Figure3 Source: (Rahm and Riha 2012). Policy, Governance and Regulatory Framework There has to be effective governance and responsive policies that enable sustainable water management (Qaiser et al. 2013). The issues that are to be highlighted understand the policy implications of the climate change and identification of new adaptive measures to reduce the vulnerability. The emphasis on the climate centric development, strategic development activities and mainstreaming of the change in the climate into the institutional reforms is necessary (Rahm and Riha 2012). The recommendation of the renewed policy priorities for the security of water due to the change in the climate is important (Pereira, Cordery and Iacovides 2012). The water problems arise from the failure to meet the basic human needs and ineffective management (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2014). Hence, the need for sustainable management is necessary. The existing technologies should be used to save the water resources. Thus, there should be conservation of water resources as there is the sc arcity of the water resources due the impact of the change in the climate. Figure4 Source: (Qaiser et al. 2013). Water Conservation The conservation of water is very important due to the rapid changes that have occurred due to the change in the climate. The conservation of water includes the various policies, strategies and the activities that are made for the sustainable management of the natural water resources that are available. This is necessary so that the future generations can also satisfy their needs. The goals for the conservation of water include the ensuring of the availability of water for the future generation where the withdrawal of the freshwater from the ecosystem will not exceed the rate of the natural replacement (Qaiser et al. 2013). There needs to be conservation of the energy because of the management of water. There also has to be the conservation of habitats to enable the minimization of the human water use. Conclusion Thereby, the report concludes the discussion that elaborates on the process of climate change and the factors affecting the changes in the climate have been discussed in this report. The report also discusses the various issues surrounding this topic. There are a few challenges that are faced due o the climate change and its impact. The ways to overcome the challenges that arise from this climate change has been discussed in this report. The review paper shows an in-depth understanding of the climate change and its impact on the water resources. The causes of the climate change are the biotic processes and the human activities that are being performed. These factors are called as the climate forcing which are the processes as the radiation from the sun, the variations in the orbit of the earth, the changes in the concentration of the green house gases and the continental drifting. The research of the impact of the climate change on the water resources systems is with the help of the basin temperature, precipitation and the evaporation change that is caused by the climate change that predicts the increase and decrease of the runoff and watershed supply influence. References Bakker, K., 2012. Water security: research challenges and opportunities.Science,337(6097), pp.914-915. Change, I.P.O.C., 2014. IPCC.Climate change. Dai, A., 2013. Increasing drought under global warming in observations and models.Nature Climate Change,3(1), pp.52-58. Field, C.B. ed., 2012.Managing the risks of extreme events and disasters to advance climate change adaptation: special report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change. Cambridge University Press. Gosling, S.N. and Arnell, N.W., 2016. A global assessment of the impact of climate change on water scarcity.Climatic Change,134(3), pp.371-385. Haasnoot, M., Middelkoop, H., Offermans, A., Van Beek, E. and Van Deursen, W.P., 2012. Exploring pathways for sustainable water management in river deltas in a changing environment.Climatic Change,115(3-4), pp.795-819. Hagemann, S., Chen, C., Clark, D., Folwell, S., Gosling, S.N., Haddeland, I., Hannasaki, N., Heinke, J., Ludwig, F., Voss, F. and Wiltshire, A., 2013. Climate change impact on available water resources obtained using multiple global climate and hydrology models.Earth System Dynamics,4, pp.129-144. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2014.Climate Change 2014Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability: Regional Aspects. Cambridge University Press. Kates, R.W., Travis, W.R. and Wilbanks, T.J., 2012. Transformational adaptation when incremental adaptations to climate change are insufficient.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,109(19), pp.7156-7161. Klve, B., Ala-Aho, P., Bertrand, G., Gurdak, J.J., Kupfersberger, H., Kvrner, J., Muotka, T., Mykr, H., Preda, E., Rossi, P. and Uvo, C.B., 2014. Climate change impacts on groundwater and dependent ecosystems.Journal of Hydrology,518, pp.250-266. Luo, B., Maqsood, I., Yin, Y.Y., Huang, G.H. and Cohen, S.J., 2015. Adaption to climate change through water trading under uncertainty-an inexact two-stage nonlinear programming approach.Journal of Environmental Informatics,2(2), pp.58-68. Marlow, D.R., Moglia, M., Cook, S. and Beale, D.J., 2013. Towards sustainable urban water management: A critical reassessment.Water research,47(20), pp.7150-7161. Pereira, L.S., Cordery, I. and Iacovides, I., 2012. Improved indicators of water use performance and productivity for sustainable water conservation and saving.Agricultural Water Management,108, pp.39-51. Qaiser, K., Ahmad, S., Johnson, W. and Batista, J.R., 2013. Evaluating water conservation and reuse policies using a dynamic water balance model.Environmental management,51(2), pp.449-458. Rahm, B.G. and Riha, S.J., 2012. Toward strategic management of shale gas development: Regional, collective impacts on water resources.Environmental Science Policy,17, pp.12-23. Schewe, J., Heinke, J., Gerten, D., Haddeland, I., Arnell, N.W., Clark, D.B., Dankers, R., Eisner, S., Fekete, B.M., Coln-Gonzlez, F.J. and Gosling, S.N., 2014. Multimodel assessment of water scarcity under climate change.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,111(9), pp.3245-3250. Taylor, R.G., Scanlon, B., Dll, P., Rodell, M., Van Beek, R., Wada, Y., Longuevergne, L., Leblanc, M., Famiglietti, J.S., Edmunds, M. and Konikow, L., 2013. Ground water and climate change.Nature Climate Change,3(4), p.322. Teutschbein, C. and Seibert, J., 2012. Bias correction of regional climate model simulations for hydrological climate-change impact studies: Review and evaluation of different methods.Journal of Hydrology,456, pp.12-29. Trenberth, K.E., Dai, A., Van Der Schrier, G., Jones, P.D., Barichivich, J., Briffa, K.R. and Sheffield, J., 2014. Global warming and changes in drought.Nature Climate Change,4(1), pp.17-22. Velzquez, J.A., Schmid, J., Ricard, S., Muerth, M.J., St-Denis, B.G., Minville, M., Chaumont, D., Caya, D., Ludwig, R. and Turcotte, R., 2013. An ensemble approach to assess hydrological models' contribution to uncertainties in the analysis of climate change impact on water resources.Hydrology and Earth System Sciences,17(2), p.565.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Japan Net Bank Case Analysis free essay sample

The banking market, especially Internet-only bank sector, in Japan was going through a period of rapid growth after the Japanese government initiated the famous â€Å"Big Bang† deregulation of the financial market. JNB, which began operation in October 2000, aimed at winning one million accounts and one trillion yen deposits and becoming profitable by the financial year 2002. However, in order to achieve that long-term success, it needed to resolved a number of issues and strengthen its competitive position in face of stiff competition from brick-and-mortar banks and new Internet-only banks. Therefore, this report focuses on the following three issues: †¢ An assessment of the present situation in Japan   regarding the Internet-only model of retail banking, †¢ An analysis of JNBs competitive advantages, †¢ Recommendations of what alliance strategies to develop to overcome competition from traditional and other online banks. The data in this report was collected by assessing the information of the case â€Å"Japan Net Bank: Japan’ First Internet-only Bank† by Vincent Mark and Pauline Ng under the supervision of Dr. We will write a custom essay sample on Japan Net Bank Case Analysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page AH F. Farhoomand and surveying relevant materials from the Internet. I have divided my report into three main sections. Firstly, we would assess the potential for Internet-only model of retail banking in Japan. Secondly, we present and analyze JNB’s competitive advantages meticulously in this particular Japanese market. Finally, we would suggest some viable propositions of what alliance strategies that JNB should develop to surpass and obtain the market leader. Internet banking in Japan. 4 Conservative consumer banking behavior 5 Low level of credit card usage Japan did not use credit cards a great deal. By 2001, credit card purchases accounted for just eight per cent of consumer spending in Japan, compared with 14 percent in Europe and 21 percent in the US (The Economist, 2001). Borrowing was considered shameful in a culture much bound by traditional concept, so paying by credit card in public could be an embarrassment. In many cases, credit card users could only repay in one-go or in fixed installments. Therefore, such the culture preferred repaying card debt s in one-go quickly if they could afford it. Card companies’ lack of good marketing accentuated the problem: although there were schemes involving credit cards points, customers could only use their points to redeem low-quality gifts. In contrast, the consumer loan market in Japan was doing much better since it was worth 7 trillion yen by early 2001, double the market size of credit card. 6 The availability of ATMs for cash withdrawals Japanese consumers generally preferred to pay by cash or money transfers. A survey conducted in summer 2000 asked respondents which Internet bank they would deposit their money in. The 3,825 respondents were mostly in their 20s and 30s. Figure 1 illustrates the results: the attractiveness of the online banks in Japan in 2000. [pic] The pie chart illustrates that the success of a Japanese bank relied heavily on its ATM services. Determinant included whether the ATMs were conveniently located, whether they charged a small or no handling fee, whether they were open for long hours, etc. That leads to the wide distributions of ATMs services in Japan. We could recognize that the brand equity also played an important role to attract the customers. 7 Internet usage in Japan On-line banking with limited services-as an extension of traditional banking-was already available in Japan in 1997 with Sumitomo Bank. The total number of Internet accounts at major commercial banks reached 1. 4 million at that time. According to a Nielsen/NetRatings report, the Internet population in Japan was some 38 million in January 2001, and 41% of them were active users. However, a study by Yankee Group in early 2001 found out that some 20% of all Japanese households had a fixed line Internet connection at the end of 2000, less than the 50% Internet penetration in the US. Low penetration of fixed line Internet connections had driven a lot of people to use i-mode, which could cost only about several hundred yens a month. I-mode was a cellular Internet service offered by NTT DoCoMo, allowing emails and other Internet functions to be carried out via handsets. It had more than 22 million subscribers by April 2001. In fact, i-mode becomes so popular that Miyai, director of JNB, once said â€Å"Internet banking is really â€Å"cellular banking† in Japan†. 8 The competitive situation Competition from traditional banks JNB nevertheless had to face stiff competition with well-known bricks-and-mortar banks in a crowed banking market even though it was considered as the Japan’s first Internet bank without physical branches. Banking habits and conservative consumer culture in Japan facilitate traditional banks to gain competitive advantage in the market. Furthermore, traditional banks were making their services more convenient by installing m ore and more ATMs and providing a variety of value-added financial services. The most primary factors which make JNB’s competitors pay attention to JNB seemed to be lower overheads, competitive rates, lower fees and strong alliance backing. 10 Competition from domestic Internet banks Sony Bank JNB also had to compete with new entrants that provided similar services, One of those competitors was Sony Bank, an Internet-only bank with 37. 5 billion capital investment expected to start operation in mid-June 2001. Sony Bank’s strategy was similar to that of JNB in terms of higher interest rates, lower fees, a small workforce and no physical branches. In particular, the new bank’s management stressed customized, one-to-one services. Sony bank took advantage of its strategic stakeholders to deliver high-quality services to consumer. For example, customers of Sony Banks could use SMBC’s ATMs at â€Å"am/pm† convenience store chain as contact point, or J. P. Morgan Chase, one of its important stakeholders, would provide personal financial advice through the Web or Sony Bank obviously benefited from the Sony Empire by utilizing Sony Bank’s settlement service to purchase Sony products online. IY Bank Another Internet-only bank to enter the fray was IY bank, whose â€Å"internet† was predominantly a sprawling ATM network although Internet-based transactions would also be possible. It was expected to install round-the-clock ATMs in 3659s Ito-Yokado supermarkets and Seven-Eleven convenient stores within two years of operation. It had already joined up with a combined network of nine city banks, including one of the Japan’s largest commercial banks Sanwa, and charged commission whenever a customer of another bank in the network withdrew money from an IY Bank ATM. IY Bank intended to be settlement-focused and would develop loan and card business and Internet-based services later. IY Bank planned to install 24-hour ATMs at 3650 stores under the group by spring 2002 and at 7150 stores within five years of operation. Its target seemed to be practical since it could take advantage of the Ito-Yokado group’s existing customer base, which is 10 million customers per day, and its low-cost operation. 1 Competition from international Internet banks Another Internet-only bank, called eBank, was expected to start operation in June 2001. It would specialize in the settlement of payments for small-value online purchases worth up to 100,000 yens and would charge a lower commission than ordinary bank. eBANK was operate by Japan Electronics Settlement Planning Inc and invested by Japan Telecom, Yamato Transport and Ericsson Holding International. Its capital was about US$37 million. Japan Net Bank’s competitive advantages JBN, one of the core Internet businesses of parent company SMBC, aimed to build up its independent, own brand name and aspired to become the de facto standard of the Japanese-style â€Å"Internet Specialized Bank† for 21st Century’s Internet community. Therefore, the bank adopted the customer-centric principle seriously in order to survive and develop. JNB differentiated its financial products and services from those of its competitors by its distinguished characteristics: 3 24/7 availability JNB customers enjoyed seamless financial functions and 24/7 accessibility to their accounts through the Internet. They could carry out transactions or check their accounts through multiple access channels, including physical channels (ATMs or the Head Office) and mobile internet service (i-mode). The interfaces were designed to be very user-friendly. Moreover, JNB began to diversify into services other than basic bank transactions such as ordinary and term deposits. For example, it allowed on-line payment for bills and services of Tokyo Electric Power, Nomura Securities and Nifty Corp. ’s on-line shopping mall. 4 Competitive interest rate JNB offered attractive interest rates and fees compared with conventional Japanese banks [see Exhibit 3]. Its deposit interest rates were more than twice that of the average rates offered by major Japanese banks, and its charges for fund transfer were less than half those of conventional banks. Customized services Every customer had his/her own specific information page on the Web. Customers would receive e-mail notifications of transaction details such as receipt of fund transfers, expiration of term deposits, errors in automatic account debits, etc. 6 Confidentiality of usage The confidentiality of JNB customers’ private information was strictly secured; private information could not be used without customers’ agreement. Information transferred through the network was encrypted by 128-bit SSL (Secure Sockets Layer). The database and servers storing JNB customers’ information were protected by a firewall and an access-surveillance system. All Internet banking transactions could not be processed without a password. Moreover, the last login date and time was always indicated at every login to a JNB account, so customers would know whether their accounts had been accessed illegally. 7 Flexible organization and IT system JNB maintained a flexible, flat, and team-like structure which had a very low cost base. Its management style was different from the top-down approach of traditional Japanese corporations. Its structure allowed for the contingency between different departments in the organization to coordinate and solve problems. JNB also adopted a flexible, open information technology system which is divided systematically and functionally. The building of JNB’s IT application was quite innovative since it is mostly outsourced under the supervision of IT Department staff. Strategic alliances to develop In the face of fierce competition, JNB had the advantage of strong, broad, strategically important and multi-industry alliances. An appropriate strategic alliance would increase its revenues and market share. The advantages of strategic alliance include: †¢ Allowing each partner to concentrate on activities that best match their capabilities. †¢ Learning from partners and developing competences that may be more widely exploited elsewhere †¢ Adequacy a suitability of the resources and competencies of an organization for it to survive. 9 Shareholder alliance JNB has been forming alliances and partnerships with many blue-chip corporations possessing huge customer bases. Since JNB could acquire customers through its shareholder alliances, it had relatively low reliance on mass-media marketing and therefore had low marketing budget. In next five years, it should continue diversifying its alliances from different sectors of economy to broaden its business and utilize its alliance’s customer base. For instance, JNB might negotiate with ORIX Corporation RIX, one of the Japans largest leasing and diversified financial services conglomerate, to obtain equity strategic alliance. This alliance will enable the company to capture a larger share of the Japanese consumer finance market, and make consumer finance operations more efficient and responsive to the financing needs of creditworthy consumers. 10 Global strategic alliances SMBC, as a major stakeholder of JNB, signed a memorandum of mutual understanding (MOMU) on a strategic partnership with The Bank of East Asia (BEA) to co-develop their business potentials in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan and other countries. In China, SMBC established a wholly owned subsidiary, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (China) Limited, in April 2009. SMBC has formed alliances with Kookmin Bank in Korea, First Commercial Bank in Taiwan, The Bank of East Asia in Hong Kong, PT Bank Central Asia Tbk (BCA) in Indonesia and other Asian banks. With Barclays, a major British financial institution, the company is exploring venues of cooperation in wealth management, operations in South Africa and other business fields. JNB should take of advantage of this opportunity to establish its relationship with these foreign banks to market and expand its business to international. These strategic alliances would enable the company to expand its market hare and generate incremental revenues. 11 Non-shareholding alliances Ageing population in Japan likely to increase demand for insurance and pension products The Japanese population is ageing fast. The 65 and over age group as a percentage of total population is expected to increase from an estimated 21% in 2005 to 35. 7% in 2050. Moreover pension assets under management in the Asia Pacific region ar e expected to grow from current E1, 100 billion to E2, 900 billion in 2015. Ageing population in Japan would boost demand for the pension products of the company. The bank should cooperate and offer pension plans services, through Japan Pension Navigator Company to gain a certain advantage. Discerning that changing demographic profile of Japan profoundly therefore would increase demand for JNBs business. Conclusion Japan Net Bank (JNB), Japan’s first Internet bank without physical branches, began operation in October 2000. It attracted mainly young customers looking for convenient, round-the-clock bank services with much more competitive interest rates and transaction charges than traditional Japanese banks. Its access channels included the mobile Internet service i-mode and fixed-line Internet. JNB relied on flexible, open computer systems and a young workforce of only 100 people to minimize operational costs. Its stakeholders, including parent company Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) and NTT DoCoMo (provider of i-mode), were all large companies from different industry sectors. This stakeholder base gave JNB market exposure and access to their established customer bases. By April 2001 JNB had 130,000 customers. It aimed at winning one million accounts and ? 1 trillion deposits and becoming profitable by the financial year 2002. But it needed to resolve a number of issues before it were able to achieve long-term success in the face of strong competition from bricks-and-mortar banks and new Internet-only banks. One of crucial issues was about how to meet with wide fluctuations in usage without over-investing; the other was alliance management, how to co-operate with alliance partners to achieve competitive advantage.