Mental Retardation Essay - 510 Words

Mental Retardation Mental retardation is defined as, an individual with limitations in cognitive ability and adaptive behaviors that interfere with learning. Individuals with mental retardation learn at a slower pace, have low IQs, and may reach a level where learning stops. There are no exact causes for mental retardation but some things are associated with the disability. Prenatal development problems, childbirth difficulties, and a childhood brain injury can all lead to mental retardation. An individual with mental retardation might have problems in learning and social skills. Learning problems can include: difficulty making decisions, short attention spans, and limited strategies for dealing†¦show more content†¦Sam raises Lucy with the help of a neighbor and friends. When Lucy reaches the age of seven she begins to realize her fathers disability, something I she never noticed before. This realization begins causing problems with Lucys school work because she doesnt want to be smarter than her dad. At Lucys seventh birthday party there is an incident with the children causing the courts to step in and take Lucy away. Sam doesnt want to lose Lucy. Sam finds an attorney, Rita (Michelle Pfeiffer). At first Rita wants nothing to do with the case, until she is given a guilt trip by every one. Rita takes the case and even decides to do it for free. Rita her-self has problems through out the movie with her family. Her meeting Sam helps her to face those problems and solve them. Many witnesses are called to the stand during the trial, in Sams defense. I feel they are not taken seriously though, because they also have some form of disability. During the trial Sam finds a new job and moves closer to Lucy and her foster parents. Lucy snuck out many nights and walked to her fathers apartment, until her foster parents put bars on the windows. Sam and Rita develop a strong relationship over the course of the trial and Rita does all she can to get Lucy back. When the trial is over custody of Lucy is awarded to her foster parents and Sams heart is broken. Sam goesShow MoreRelatedMental Retardation And The Age Of 181501 Words   |  7 PagesMENTAL RETARDATION AND THE ABLITY TO LEARN MENTAL RETARDATION [AN OVERVIEW] WHAT DOES MENTAL RETARDATION MEAN? To quote, â€Å"Mental retardation (MR) is a developmental disability that first appears in children under the age of 18. It is defined as a level of intellectual functioning (as measured by standard intelligence tests ) that is well below average and results in significant limitations in the person s daily living skills (adaptive functioning.† If a person has an Intelligence quotientRead MoreEssay on Mental Retardation in American Society1111 Words   |  5 PagesMental Retardation in American Society Mental retardation is a very serious illness, and most of the American population is ignorant regarding the subject. Approximately 3 percent of people in the U.S. are considered mentally retarded. With a percentage like this, the ignorance on the subject is bizarre. The nation has adopted slang terms such as â€Å"retard†, to insult others. Using this term is a way to call someone stupid. But there is a lot that people do not understand about mental disabilitiesRead MoreEssay on Mental Retardation in Flowers for Algernon1185 Words   |  5 PagesA drug to treat a type of mental retardation has showed promise. I chose this particular text because it relates to my novel Flowers for Algernon this article states that a they’ve discovered a drug that will treat types of mental retardation and this relates to my book because Charlie the main character of Flowers for Algernon was a mentally retarted man and a couple of scientists did an experimental operation on him to b oost his IQ and intelligence. In this article they state that the drugRead More The Neurobiology of Mental Retardation: Fragile X Syndrome Essay1549 Words   |  7 PagesThe Neurobiology of Mental Retardation: Fragile X Syndrome In my previous paper, I wrote on the topic of the nature-nurture debate and the ways it related to the brain-equals-behavior dilemma. In this paper, I will continue this investigation into the link between genes and neurobiology, but I will focus in on a particular aspect of the relationship: neurological disease caused by genetic aberration. There are many well studied and well documented (thought not necessarily well understood) disordersRead MoreVariations and Characteristics of Mental Retardation Essay example1100 Words   |  5 PagesMental Retardation is an old fashioned term for people who have problems learning and developing, but is defined as a disability characterized by significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and behaviors in expressing conceptual, social and practical skills in approximately one to three percent of the United States (Sue, Sue, Stanley, 2010). Mental retardation is categorized by the DSM-IV-TR as being a genetic disorder usually first diagnosed in infancy, childhood or adolescenceRead MoreI Am Sam s Mental Retardation999 Words   |  4 Pagesmentally disabled. I had not ever thought of a story like this, but now that I was opened to these kinds of issues in the lives of people with mental disabilities, I am glad that I watched this movie and gain some insight. Sam faced several psychological issues in this story. Out of all the psychological issues this movie portrays Sam to have, his mental retardation is the one that is the main focus of the story. This movie goes to show that his intelligence is that of a seven-year-old. This escaladesRead MoreJon s Parents Feared Of Having A Child With Mental Retardation Essay900 Words   |  4 PagesJon Owens was born on March 1, 1960. Jon’s parents feared of having a child with mental retardation. Jon family members are mom is a psychotherapist and dad is a psychiatrist. Jon had two sisters Jennifer and Jennice and a brother Charlton. Jennifer is a filmmaker. Jennifer says Jon is a spiritual teacher. Jennice is a keynote speaker. Charlton is a lawyer and doctor. When Jon was born, a pedestrian told his parents he would never reach age 5. Jon’s parents spoke with a fellow friend and doctorRead MoreFragile X Syndrome : The Most Inherited Form Of Mental Retardation1861 Words   |  8 P agesFragile X Syndrome, commonly known as FXS, is the most inherited form of mental retardation. From a study conducted by Emory University School of Medicine (2015), at least 1 out of every 4,000 males and 1 out of 8,000 females are affected with this abnormality (Emory University School of Medicine, 2015). At present, new information on how to live with FXS are discovered daily. This is helpful to further expand the current knowledge and methodologies that are attributed to FXS. There is currentlyRead MoreMental Retardation And A Formative Handicap With A Long And Some Of The Time Questionable History1452 Words   |  6 Pagesdiagram of mental retardation, a formative handicap with a long and some of the time questionable history. Specifically, the present definitions, reasons for mental retardation, indicative criteria and epidemiological data will be exhibited. Moreover, to give a comprehension of the complicated procedure of relaxation administration conveyance for youngsters and grown-ups with mental retardation and urge individuals to cooperate to upgrade recreational openings in coordinated settings. Mental retardationRead MoreMental Retardation1682 Words   |  7 PagesMental retardation: introduction: Mental retardation (MR) is a generalized disorder appearing before adulthood, characterized by significantly impaired cognitive functioning and deficits in two or more adaptive behaviors. It has historically been defined as an Intelligence Quotient score under 70.Once focused almost entirely on cognition, the definition now includes both a component relating to mental functioning and one relating to individuals functional skills in their environment. As a

Suicide in Kate Chopins novel, The Awakening Essay

Suicide in Kate Chopins novel, The Awakening Suicide is often thought of as a very sad and quick answer to problems, such as depression but in Kate Chopins novel, she ironically portrays suicide as a passage to freedom. The Awakening (1899) is a short novel that depicts the life of a young housewife struggling for her independence, sexuality, and her self worth in an unromantic marriage. The author, through three major actions, shows the successful and triumphant awakening of Edna Pontellier. Ednas change in character unravels as she takes up painting, moves into her own house, and eventually commits suicide. As the story unfolds, we learn that, although Edna Pontellier lives in relative luxury in the French Quarter of New†¦show more content†¦As Edna experiences her awakening, she feels as if she is becoming a new person. Back in the city, Edna becomes more restless and always searching for her escape to her individual freedom. When Là ©once Pontellier and the boys leave town, Edna takes the opportunity to tease with routine by buying a little house around the corner from her family. When her husband hears word of this unusual behavior, he is convinced that his wife has gone mad. Being the respected businessman that he is, he quickly comes up with an excuse for his wife by having the house remodeled, so as not to fuel the curiosity of the neighborhood. Edna uses her new house as a sanctuary from the complexity of her situation in her emotional awakening. Ednas emotional roller coaster of Edna continues as Robert dashes in and out of her life. She realizes that in order for her to be happy she must disconnect herself form everyone, even her boys. The feeling of working to please others without consideration of her own well being haunts her. She is tired of being a possession of her husband, being tied down by her children, and of her hopeless love for Robert. At this point in the story, Edna becomes fully aware that she has transformed into a free woman but cannot live with the freedom that she had been working so passionately to achieve. In the new life that she created for herself, Edna is fully awakened with the realization she is no longer oneShow MoreRelatedThe Awakening: An Emergence of Womens RIghts in the Late Nineteenth Century1330 Words   |  6 PagesThe Awakening: An Emergence of Women’s Rights in the Late Nineteenth Century Kate Chopin’s The Awakening addresses the role of women within society during the late nineteenth century. The novel is set in South Louisiana, a place where tradition and culture also play a vital role in societal expectations. The novel’s protagonist, Edna Pontellier, initially fulfills her position in society as a wife and as a mother while suppressing her urges to live a life of passion and freedom. Edna’s relationshipRead More The Transformation of Edna Pontellier in The Awakening Essay950 Words   |  4 Pagesdid not know what† (Chopin). In Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening, the reader is introduced to Edna Pontellier, a passionate, rebellious woman. Throughout the novel, it becomes apparent how unsettled Edna feels about her life. The reader can identify this by her thoughts, desires, and actions, which are highly inappropriate for an affluent woman of the time. In the novel, Edna has an awakening and finds the courage to make the changes she sees necessary. Kate Chopin is able to make qualityRead MoreKate Chopins The Awakening: Womens Role In Society Essay1504 Words   |  7 Pageswomen of this era express themselves freely or did they just do what society expected of them? Kate Chopin was a female author who wrote several stories and two novels about women. One of her renowned works of art is The Awakening. This novel created great controversy and received negative criticism from literary critics due to Chopins portrayal of women by Edna throughout the book. The Awakening is a novel about a woman, Edna Pontellier, who is a confused soul. She is a typical housewife that isRead More Essay on The Awakening733 Words   |  3 PagesThe Awakening      Ã‚   Reading through all of the different criticism of Kate Chopin’s The Awakening has brought about ideas and revelations that I had never considered during my initial reading of the novel.   When I first read the text, I viewed it as a great work of art to be revered.   However, as I read through all of the passages, I began to examine Chopin’s work more critically and to see the weaknesses and strengths of her novel.   Reading through others interpretations of her novel has alsoRead MoreThe Awakening: Womens Role in Society1547 Words   |  7 Pageswomen of this era express themselves freely or did they just do what society expected of them? Kate Chopin was a female author who wrote several stories and two novels about women. One of her renowned works of art is The Awakening. This novel created great controversy and received negative criticism from literary critics due to Chopins portrayal of women by Edna throughout the book. The Awakening is a novel about a woman, Edna Pontellier, who is a confused soul. She is a typical housewife that isRead MoreKate Chopin s Life And Feminism1281 Words   |  6 PagesKate Chopin’s Life and Works- Feminism Kate Chopin, born on February 8th, 1850, was a progressive writer in the midst of a conservative and unequal time. She exposed the unfair undertones of society in such a way that made people outrage and condemn some of her works. However, in the early 1900s, her works were examined again and people started to listen to her ideas. One of these main motifs that Chopin’s works kept bringing up were feminism and equality. In The Awakening, Edna Pontellier, a radicalRead MoreThe Awakening Ednas Suicide1304 Words   |  6 Pages Edna’s Victorious Suicide In the iconic debated novel â€Å"The Awakening†, Kate Chopin’s novel takes place in the Victorian Era, which is in the 19th- century, similarly the novel was published in 1899. Edna is depicted as a woman longing for more, a woman who was looking for more than just a life of complacency and living in the eyes of society. The story uses Edna to exemplify the expectations of women during this era. For example, a woman’s expression of independenceRead MorePersonal Demoralization In The Awakening1561 Words   |  7 PagesPersonal Demoralization in The Awakening To demoralize someone is to dishearten or discourage them and cause them to lose hope. Kate Chopin uses words like â€Å"depressed† (56), â€Å"hopeless† (56) and â€Å"despondency† (p115) to describe Edna Pontellier, the heroine, in The Awakening. Coupling this description with Edna taking her life at the end of the novel and Chopin’s own inferred demoralization, due to the universal aversion to The Awakening, the natural conclusion is that it is a work of â€Å"great personalRead MoreKate Chopin s The Awakening1109 Words   |  5 PagesKate Chopin is the author of the book The Awakening published in 1899. â€Å"Kate was born February 08, 1850 in St. Louis, Missouri and died on August 22, 1904† (Feminist Writers). â€Å"Born as Katherine O’Flaherty and she graduated from the Academy of the Sacred Heart in 1868† (Feminist Writers). â€Å"Kate married Oscar Chopin in 1870 and had five sons and one daughter† (Feminist Write rs). â€Å"Kate wrote fictional novels; her most known novel is â€Å"The Awaken† and short stories; her most known short story isRead MoreEssay about The Awakening1491 Words   |  6 Pages The Awakening nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The novel, The Awakening by Kate Chopin, was written in the late nineteenth century in St. Louis after her husband Oscar died of a severe illness. Her book appeared in 1899, after she was idolized by many novels written by Darwin and Sarah Orne Jewett. Her first attempts at writing were just brief sketches for a local newspaper that was only short descriptions of her life in Louisiana. However, Chopin’s interests had always run along more risky lines

Case Study Freedomof Movement Free Essays

Freedom of Movement Chaining Townsend palm Beach State College The way the court should the decide this case to support the European Union’s commitment to labor mobility between member states is that they need to make a list of things they can do and have everyone in the court vote to see which suggestion is the best one. I don’t think people out-side of the country should be getting a child raising allowance check from Germany. Even if they use to live in the country. We will write a custom essay sample on Case Study Freedomof Movement or any similar topic only for you Order Now If they wanted the check they should have stayed in Germany. Plus the plaintiffs husband works in Germany and the plaintiff herself works for border control. That means they can still live in Germany where it would be better for them to live and would still get a child raising allowance check every month. If the courts made a list of suggestions, then they can have multiple things that can happen. Also, if the one thing that they voted on just so happens to fail then what they can do is go over the list to see â€Å"what is the next best thing to do for the case. † Lastly the court will need to make that the people of Germany and Europe would not have a pacific problem with what the courts choose. If the citizens do not care for the court’s opinion the bad things will happen, like riots and protests. The similarities between Germany and Austria to Illinois and Indiana is they are both between two different places. What mean about this is that Germany is its own country and Austria is also its own country while Illinois and Indiana are both their own states. Now the similarities between the child raising allowance law and the unemployment law are that they are both place to help out the community. Also they are both used to help people outside of the country or the state. They are both very helpful laws and are I am sure they are greatly appreciated by the people affected by them. The differences between the child raising allowance law and the unemployment law is that the child raising allowance law is for people in Germany that have children and only part time jobs, while the unemployment law is for people have either lost their job or never had one. But the unemployment law has nothing to do with whether the person has a child or not. Also Illinois and Indiana are a part of one country when Germany and Austria are two different countries and have different governmental spoke persons. How to cite Case Study Freedomof Movement, Free Case study samples

Services Marketing Quick Response

Question: Discuss about the Services Marketingfor Quick Response. Answer: Before the evolution of the new technology and use of websites and media to publish content as well as the services. Reaching customers and consumers was kind of hard and was a tiresome job. Today almost all the business have websites as well as social sites whereby the post, sell get a recommendation as well as complaints and reviews from the customers (Ashford, 2010). The marketing criteria have since become an evolving discipline and are one of the key things that the business has to make sure they hold up and ensure they are at par with the competition. And so as to remain a notch high the companies of late have been reported to adopt to the new method and evolving way of marketing. Quick Response commonly refers to as QR codes are the recent method being used by the companies. The Quick Response codes apply to a two-dimensional bar code which is read using smartphones and other several QR reading devices. These barcodes link the customer to the companies emails and details. Most of the enterprises that have been reported to use the QR codes include the service industry companies. The industries that offer not only refined products but as offer service. Their aim is to link the manufacturer to the consumers. The codes originated from the Japan and eastern countries although they have started to Crip and is being noted across the globe (Walsh, 2010). Having introduced the topic of discussion, I would wish to scale down to the relevance of the QR codes in any business, in the decision making of the customers as well as impacts the systems in the perceived notions of the consumers. The Quick response codes do influence the customers during their decision making at various stages. Below is an examination of the effect of QR codes in the decision making. Consumer decision-making process entails five steps which the customers move through when buying an individual product or when they want a certain service (Walsh, 2010). The process involves, the problem recognition, information search, and evaluation of alternatives, purchase and outlet selection as well as the post-purchase evaluation. These are critical stages that every consumer faces when buying a service or a commodity that may be highly influenced by the QR codes at different stages. The very first stage affected by Quick Response codes is the information search stage. After the consumer has realized a problem with the products there are using; they may opt to seek more information either internally or externally about the product or the service that they wish to purchase (Shin, 2012). At this point, the QR codes may affect the consumers decisions since if the user want to buy food for lunch and comes across the QR code by Gallerie, which directs one to the central portal with the food details. He or she is more likely to be more convinced to buy the foods as compared to another food company that only posts the foods but never gives additional information via QR. The other stage that could be influenced is the evaluation of alternatives. No customer will purchase an individual product if they have not evaluated and checked out for the alternatives so as to get the best product for the relatively lower price. Using QR, the company may refer the client to the reviews by other customers that have used similar products. If the company has posted several positive reviews on the QR and the company does not use the QR codes, then it more likely the decision of the client will be changed totally. Another stage to be more likely affected by the QR codes is the purchase and outlet selection. If the business has clearly listed the payments modes for all the commodities as well as their contacts in the QR barcodes. Then it is more likely that the consumer will fall in love with the art and purchase the merchandise as compared to those businesses that do not have payment details for online payments (Huotari, 2012). Marketing Opportunity for QR Codes in the Services Sector Bearing in mind that marketing is evolving, I would without doubt of conscience say that QR codes are becoming aspects of marketing among the service sector industries. These are industries struggling to compete to offer the same kind of services or products but in different ways and adoption of QR barcodes is a new revolution. They are significant since for instance if a service industry is struggling to provide services such as the production of coca cola drinks, then the company has to adopt means to sell more of the drinks as compared to others. Using the coca cola company, as an illustration, they have since time used the QR codes to assist the consumers to learn about the drinks they are using and their merits (Grnroos, 2011). The company also uses the barcodes to direct the new customers to positive reviews by important and prominent persons across the globe. Through this, the company has been able to survive and bit other upcoming soft drinks enterprises. Another significance and show that QR codes are essential to the service industry is in the print media. The print media use the barcodes to direct the readers to primary content or similar article by the same print media company. Through this, the readers gets to learn more about the concept and also appreciate the media house and will always choose the media for news (Lovelock, 2001). The merits of Quick Response Bar Codes in any Business From the case study scenarios and additional examples in the paper, it is very clear that the QR codes, assist in bypassing several multiple layers of distribution and intern boost marketing (Gummerus, 2013). For instance instead of the Gallerie company that majors in food distribution have been able to cut on the cost of distributing the products across the city. Instead, the consumers scan for the codes, and they get products as well as well as the recipes for some of the best delicious. The woollaston estate's wines have also used QR codes to assist the consumers to learn more about the products they are using and ensure that are ultimately conserving. The wines company has also extended its gratitude to award the clients a discount if they scan the codes they get coupons that will give them a chance for a free drink or a table for the family. The QR codes substantially and has been reported to affect the consumer's beliefs of the products. This can be attributed to the explanation that is covered on how the Quick Response bar codes affect the consumer decision-making process. The Future of the Quick Response Bar Codes QR codes have proved to be useful for the marketing of various service industries. If they are continued to be used in the business and the in particular service sector, then it is more likely to face a lot of completion and more improved quality and quantity. However, by the elaboration likelihood model a theory of commercialization, a communication model should be designed so as to allow more information to be shared between the consumer and the business (Dou, L, 2008). Conclusion From the information sourced out of the case studies and additional information added to the paper, it is very clear that QR codes are significant elements in any business and the in particular service industry where their very primary aim is to serve the direct client with their products and services that are of beneficial to the company. References Ashford, 2010. QR codes and academic libraries Reaching mobile users. College Research Libraries News,71(10), pp.526-530. Dou, L, 2008. CREATIVE USE OF QR CODES IN CONSUMER COMMUNICATION.International Journal of Mobile Marketing,3(2). Gummerus, 2013. Value creation processes and value outcomes in marketing theory: strangers or siblings?.Marketing Theory,13(1), pp.19-46. Grnroos, 2011. A service perspective on business relationships: The value creation, interaction and marketing interface.Industrial marketing management,40(2), pp.240-247. Huotari, and H, 2011, May. Gamification from the perspective of service marketing. InProc. CHI 2011 Workshop Gamification. Huotari, H, 2012, October. Defining gamification: a service marketing perspective. InProceeding of the 16th International Academic MindTrek Conference(pp. 17-22). ACM. Lovelock, and W, 2001.Principles of service marketing and management. Prentice Hall. Narayanan, 2012. QR codes and security solutions.International Journal of Computer Science and Telecommunications,3(7), pp.69-71. Okazaki, and H, 2012. Benchmarking the use of QR code in mobile promotion.Journal of Advertising Research,52(1), pp.102-117. Shin, J, and C, 2012. The psychology behind QR codes: User experience perspective.Computers in Human Behavior,28(4), pp.1417-1426. Walsh, 2010. QR Codesusing mobile phones to deliver library instruction and help at the point of need.Journal of information literacy,4(1), pp.55-65.

Understanding Abusive Parents Essays - Parenting, Family, Childhood

Understanding Abusive Parents Understanding Abusive Parents STUDY OF FAMILY INTERACTION LEAD TO NEW UNDERSTANDING OF ABUSIVE PARENTS Researchers at the University of Toronto have taken important steps toward producing a profile of an abusive parent. Prof. Gary Walters and doctoral student Lynn Oldershaw of the Department of Psychology have developed a system to characterize parents who physically abuse their children. This could ultimately allow social service professionals to identify parents in child abuse. Over the last five years, Walters and Oldershaw, in collaboration with Darlene Hall of the West End Creche, have examined over 100 mothers and their three to six-year-old children who have been physically abused. In the laboratory, the mother and child spend 30 minutes in structured activities such as playing, eating and cleaning-up. The family interaction is video-taped and later analyzed. The researchers have developed a system which allows them to record the effectiveness of parenting skills. They are particularly interested in disciplinary strategies because abuse most commonly occurs when the parent wants the child to comply. "It's a question of trying to determine which type of parent produces which type of child or which type of child elicits which type of parental behaviour," explains Oldershaw. As a result of their work, Walters and Oldershaw have identified distinct categories of abusive parents and their children. 'Harsh/intrusive' mothers are excessively harsh and constantly badger their child to behave. Despite the fact that these mothers humiliate and disapprove of their child, there are times when they hug, kiss or speak to them warmly. This type of mothering produces an aggressive, disobedient child. A 'covert/hostile' mother shows no positive feelings towards her child. She makes blatant attacks on the child's self-worth and denies him affection or attention. For his part, the child tries to engage his mother's attention and win her approval. An 'emotionally detached' mother has very little involvement with her child. She appears depressed and uninterested in the child's activities. The child of this type of mother displays no characteristics which set him apart from other children. In order to put together a parenting profile, the two researchers examine the mother/child interaction and their perception and feelings. For instance, Walters and Oldershaw take into account the mother's sense of herself as a parent and her impression of her child. The researchers also try to determine the child's perception of himself or herself and of the parent. Abusive parents are often believed to have inadequate parenting skills and are referred to programs to improve these skills. These programs are particularly appropriate for parents who, themselves, were raised by abusive parents and as a result are ignorant of any other behavior toward her child. One of the goals of the psychologists is to provide information to therapists which will help tailor therapy to the individual needs of the abusive parents. "Recidivism rates for abusive care-givers are high," says Walters. "To a large extent, abusive parents which require a variety of treatment. " Their research is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

Mobile Banking in Saudi Arabia Towards Understanding the Factors that Affects the Sector

Mobile Banking in Saudi Arabia Towards Understanding the Factors that Affects the Sector The internet-based marketing research survey was initiated with a view of understanding the various factors that affects the usage of mobile banking in Saudi Arabia. The conjoint study utililized a quantitative research design and subjects were drawn from the selected banking institutions.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Mobile Banking in Saudi Arabia: Towards Understanding the Factors that Affects the Sector specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More To ensure reliability and validity of study results, the questionnaires for the survey were duly filled by the Heads of Product Development and Marketing or their assistants of the selected banking institutions. The results were both interesting and insightful. The study was clearly able to uncover some of the challenges that continue to bedevil the sector, which is invariably at its infancy stage in many countries across the world. These challenges include socio-cultural and re ligious barriers, age and market segmentation, security fears, lack of effective communication and marketing strategies, inability to break through the zone of being related to simple transactions, and failure to offer authentic banking experience. However, the study revealed that mobile banking is ripe for takeoff, and may indeed overtake other banking channels such as branch and ATM due to its numerous tangible benefits that will serve to catapult the sector to success and dominance. Some of these benefits include accessibility, high marketing potential, high penetration levels, better performance, convenience, lower charges, among others. These benefits and challenges will direct the future of mobile banking in Saudi Arabia Introduction Background The design, development, and production of mobile handsets have revolutionalized civilizations across the world in ways that can only rival the invention of the wheel in the 19th century. Not only has the device served as an engine for growth, but it has made life easier, convenient and more comfortable. Intra and cross-boarder communications can now be done within the comfort of the living room, and business deals are sealed using the convenience of mobile telephony (Laukkanen 127). Indeed, the use of mobile telephones has penetrated every single aspect of our social lives, whereby the devices have been personalized to offer the greatest satisfaction to users while serving their communication needs. The introduction of sophisticated mobile telephony with multipurpose and multimedia functions is reminiscent of the 1950’s, when the first color television set hit the markets; everybody was mesmerized.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More But while many studies have been conducted on the social impacts of mobile telephony on communities around the world, data on how the device has affected busine ss enterprises, specifically banking institutions in the Asian market, is still loosely aggregated. Within the last couple of decades, new technologies have been cropping up every so often, requiring banking institutions to take a stand on whether to incorporate them in their operations or wait until later. Currently, it is perfectly right to say that â€Å"mobile banking is that technology† (Costanzo 33). Some financial institutions have already expended considerable amount of money to evaluate innovative ways through which they can utilize the devices for banking purposes, while others are waiting with baited breadth to see how it works out. Still, many marketers and financial experts are in agreement that conducting banking transactions using mobile telephony presents a huge potential for growth. According to Stewart, the chances of mobile banking surpassing any other transaction conduits within the next few years are real (17). In many financial institutions, the commonly used delivery or transaction channels include Branch, Automated Teller Machines (ATM), and on-line banking. Even though mobile banking has the potential to surpass the named transaction channels in market growth due to high penetration levels, â€Å"only 10% of financial institutions currently offer a mobile banking service† (Stewart 17). Many of the financial institutions are not at ease with the cost implications involved in rolling out the technology coupled with an uncertain market base. However, in the 21st Century, the customers have assumed the role of requesting the mobile services from their banking institutions, inarguably forcing the management to make tough decisions on the investment (Costanzo 33). This clearly reveals that customers are opening up to the technology, having realized its value and potential benefits to the banking industry. Experts are of the opinion that many financial institutions yet to endorse mobile banking will reach their breaking point so oner than they actually anticipate due to the many opportunities for revenue generation offered by the service (Costanzo 35).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Mobile Banking in Saudi Arabia: Towards Understanding the Factors that Affects the Sector specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Not only has mobile banking achieved monumental success in offering financial transaction services, but bank operators can also use the service to generate extra revenue through charging for services such as sending SMS alerts to customers notifying them of their low bank balances. Consequently, the competitive pressure lies in the multifaceted nature of mobile banking The Study Context The swift pace of acceptance of modern mobile phones in the Middle East has generated prospects for fresh and innovative mobile services. According to Mallat et al, mobile banking services have shown some of the greatest potential for growth although they a re still marginally adopted in Asia, and indeed in the whole world (42). Indeed, within the Middle East context, the extensive penetration of mobile networks and the individualized nature of mobile telephones have increasingly made mobile solutions appropriate for a multiplicity of financial services. Mobile financial services has also gained steam due to the general stability of information and communication technologies in the region coupled with encouraging experiences received though the use of m-commerce payment services (Mallat et al 42). The era of mobile banking in the Middle East has matured. The region has surged in mobile telephony usage to become the second fastest expanding mobile phone market globally, after Africa. By 2006, penetration had already surpassed the 50% mark, and an estimated 150 million mobile handsets already in circulation (Blain para. 1). An estimated 70% of the entire connections in the Middle East have been concentrated in the Islamic Republic of Ira n, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. By 2007, the average market penetration for mobile phones in the three countries stood at 67%. This represents an enormous potential for growth for mobile banking services in the region. The market is evidently there as over two thirds of the population has access to a mobile handset. Saudi Arabia With a population of 28.6 million as at July 2009, Saudi Arabia is undoubtedly the second largest mobile phone market in the Middle East, representing an estimated 15% of the entire connections (Blain para. 5). In 2008, comparative figures reveal that Saudi Arabia had an average of 114.7 mobile handsets per 100 individuals. The United Arab Emirates led in the region, with 173 handsets per 100 people, and Qatar came second, at 150.4. By 2006, 79.5% of Saudi’s population was already using mobile phones (BMI 23). This reflects a huge potential for growth in mobile financial services.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Due to the large volume of people with mobile handsets in Saudi Arabia, the device can be successfully used as a channel to offer various value-added services such as mobile advertising, banking, money transfer, commerce, and information services. Indeed, the wide range of services the device is able to offer to Saudi nationals cannot be exhausted. However, mobile banking in Saudi Arabia has been slow in penetration due to a multiplicity of factors, which includes overbearing religious undertones. Indeed, the Kingdom is still lagging behind in internet banking, the predecessor of mobile banking, with projections showing that although 73% of the financial institutions have an active website, only 25% of the websites have the capacity to offer full banking services (Jasimuddin para. 1). Problem Discussion The world has become increasingly intertwined by means of telecommunication channels and computers, giving rise to faster, cost-effective, innovative, and dynamic ways of doing busin ess. The use of m-commerce in general and mobile banking in particular has taken the world by storm in the last couple of years. The latter is increasingly finding appeal across all age categories in need of banking services, and experts in the banking industry are predicting a scenario where today’s working young adults are likely to bypass online banking and go unswervingly into the confines of mobile banking, a trend that has already been experienced in Japan (Stewart 18). However, the growth of mobile banking has neither been consistent nor linear as some nations are yet to embrace the technology despite its many tangible benefits. For instance, the growth in mobile phone banking services in the Saudi Kingdom is yet to equal the corresponding growth in the mobile phones industry. A multiplicity of factors exist, which can inexorably hinder or enhance the uptake of mobile banking in Saudi Arabia yet no conclusive studies have been undertaken to identify these factors. It i s this gap of knowledge that the study sought to fill. Study Objectives The general objective for this particular study was to evaluate the factors that affect usage of mobile banking in Saudi Arabia. The study aimed to accomplish this objective by undertaking a critical evaluation of a cross-section of the banking institutions in the Kingdom, with a view of understanding the underlying factors as to why the technology is used or not used in the banking fraternity. The following were the specific objectives: To come up with the reasons behind the slow uptake of mobile banking in Saudi Arabia To evaluate how mobile banking has been used to market financial institutions in the Kingdom To evaluate government, legal and institutional guidelines on mobile banking in the Kingdom Research Questions and Hypotheses The study was guided by the following research questions and propositions How has the marketing scenario changed since the introduction of mobile banking in Saudi Arabiaâ€℠¢s financial sector, specifically banking institutions? H1: Marketing and advertisement costs has gone down, enabling financial institutions that are actively engaged in mobile banking to save on costs Has religious orientation played a role in the uptake of mobile banking in Saudi Arabia? H2: The Saudis are conservatively religious, and are hard to open up to new products and services offered in the market What are the major factors enhancing uptake of mobile banking in Saudi Arabia? H3: Convenience and personalized services are the key major factors enhancing uptake of the mobile banking technology Value of Study The value of this study cannot be underestimated. Analysts have continually projected that mobile financial services presents the next frontier for growth in the banking sector (Stewart 17). In addition to providing a convenient and personalized channel for conducting financial transactions, mobile banking offers the capacity to provide for other revenue generating avenu es for banks such as charging for reminders. In the US, where mobile banking technology has taken root, 85% of the top 20 financial institutions offer either one or several mobile banking products and services (Stewart 18). This reveals how mobiles devices can be used as engines for growth in the banking sector. The study therefore came up with a body of knowledge, espousing the various factors that can be used to market mobile banking to the Saudi nationals. This body of knowledge can be used by banking institutions in their attempt to market the product to their customers. The study also filled the information gap that existed on the role of religion in marketing particular products such as mobile banking Study Delimitations Apart from the usual difficulties of time and financial resources, challenges arose in attempting to come up with a balanced sample group via internet protocols since there was no opportunity to make physical contact. This limited the scope of the study. Some banking institutions included in the sample lacked or had inadequate background information on mobile banking since it is a relatively new concept in Saudi’s financial sector. Still, some banking institutions included in the sample were unwilling to divulge information on mobile banking experiences, arguing that the technology was in their strategic plan for 2010, and therefore could not disclose information. This presented difficulties for the researcher Review of Related Literature Introduction This study sought to evaluate the factors that affect usage of mobile banking in Saudi Arabia, either positively or negatively. The increasing ownership and use of programmable information and communication devices such as the mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and others, have been credited for the immense expansion of mobile commerce and mobile banking technologies. These hand-held â€Å"devices are effective for authorizing and managing payment and banking transac tions, offering security and convenience advantages compared to online payment via PCs† (Herzberg 53). In the US, about 85% of the top 20 financial institutions are known to offer their customers either one or more products via mobile banking (Stewart 18). By definition, Mobile banking, also acknowledged as SMS Banking or M-Banking, basically entails the provision and performance of banking and financial transactions with the assistance of modern mobile telecommunication appliances such as mobile phones or PDAs by means of Short Message Service (SMS), Mobile Browser, or Client downloads (Laukkanen 125). Through the use of these tools, an individual holding an account with a bank offering mobile banking is able to access such services as account enquiries, account transactions, stock market transactions, bill payments, and accessing customized information, including advertisements. Trends in Mobile Banking The arrival of the Internet brought new and exiting ways of transacting business globally. However, mobile banking is a relatively new experience, but with the required potential to be the market leader in transaction channels in a few years to come. In 2007, TowerGroup Consultancy, located in Boston, estimated that the US had just over 1 million clients of mobile banking products (Walford para.1). However, due to its convenience, personalized services, and enhancement of client experience, the number of individuals using the technology has drastically shot up in recent times. According to experts, SMS technology offers the most unproblematic alternative since it has the capacity to reach large numbers of customers, and does not necessarily need web access. Consequently, the use of the messaging service is undoubtedly the bread and butter of mobile financial transactions. In Japan, Mobile banking has found a huge following among young adults, fresh from college, to a point where it has surpassed online banking (Stewart 18). Currently, mobile banking pen etration level in the US stands at 6.5%, but drastically going up (White 58). In the Middle East in general and Saudi Arabia in particular, the mobile banking trend is slowly gaining steam after huge spasms of minimal activity and inactivity. Indeed, most financial institutions that had implemented mobile banking once it rolled out did so with a long-term view since the rate of adoption was expected to be low (White 26). In a 2009 worldwide survey to extract the views and attitudes on mobile banking in all the continents, 60 % of respondents in the Middle East said their financial institutions offered mobile banking services against 71% in Latin America and 31% in North America (Cocheo para. 2). This clearly reveals the phenomenon is gaining speed in the Middle East. In the study, 27% of Saudis admitted to using mobile handsets to make banking transactions and payments against a meager 3% in North America. Indeed, a massive 66% of North Americans argued they were not at ease with us ing mobile devices to make banking transactions. This notwithstanding, â€Å"a projected 30% of US households will bank using their mobile phones in 2010† (Mobile Marketing Association1) These statistics are useful indicators that mobile banking is increasingly asserting its influence in banking institutions globally (Cocheo para. 6). Selected attributes on Mobile Banking Mobile Banking and Marketing/Advertising Potential According to Mobile Marketing Association, some mobile banking functions such as SMS offers massive marketing potential for many products and services retailed by financial institutions (2). SMS has the capacity to penetrate the market segment, and reach millions of customers within a split second. As such, financial institutions can effectively use mobile banking to market their own products and services on offer such as interest rates alerts, types and nature of accounts, the kind of services offered, and physical location, among others. Indeed SMS technol ogy offers the most unproblematic alternative for marketing products since it has the capacity to reach large volumes of people who may not be necessarily connected to the internet. Consequently, it can be effectively used to reach out to the rural illiterate and semi-illiterate masses. Indeed, there exists a multiplicity of practices and activities that banking institutions can engage with their customers through a mobile handset to further their competitive advantage and market their products and services to a large volume of customers using the least costs. A normal SMS is relatively affordable, easily understandable, less ambiguous, and has the capacity to reach a large audience (Mobile Marketing Association 2). These are major selling points for any product or service. Through horizontal telecommunication convergence, mobile banking can take advantage of these attributes to generate more revenue through acting as advertisement agents for other organizations wishing to market th eir products and services using the platform (Stewart 21). In essence, â€Å"efficient mobile payment solutions facilitate the sales of mobile content and generate more traffic for mobile networks† (Mallat et al 45). Convenience Mobile banking is convenient in nature since it can be used anywhere at any hour of the day or night provided the user has access to a mobile device. According to Herzberg, these devices have revolutionalized banking transactions by presenting customers the convenience and security desirous of their banking experience (53). The author argues that â€Å"convenience [of mobile handsets] can result from using their communication capabilities when paying for goods and services, whether on foot or in cars, planes, or trains, and authorizing transactions at remote servers of banks, brokerages, and merchants† (54). In mobile banking, customers can also view bank balances, transaction histories, and retrieve payment receipts at their own convenience, a nd without having to waste time visiting the banking halls. According to Mallat et al, mobile financial services are deemed significant by users due to their inbuilt time and place independence (42). Security Herzberg alludes to the fact that the security features contained in mobile banking are revolutionary, and are major sources of motivations for millions of people who depend on the mobile device for banking purposes (54). The author stresses the fact that most conventional channels of electronic authorizations such as ATM and credit or debit card transactions are subject to failure by being compromised. Online banking can also be easily compromised by hackers due to minimal security systems. Also, using a smart card hooked up to a computer can not in any way guarantee security since the computer may probably be infected by a virus, activating it to send wrong information to the smart card. All the above scenarios are enough precedents for fraud and corruption. More importantly, security has been proposed as one of the fundamental drivers for the growth of m-commerce and mobile banking. However, the next generation mobile devices, usually with sophisticated features such as built-in color display and key board, have functional capabilities and technical solutions for curtailing hacking, and hence stopping fraud. However, a significant number of customers are not comfortable with the idea of conducting financial transactions using a mobile device. In case the device is stolen, all what is needed is a Personal Identification Number (PIN) for the thief to gain entry into your finances. Reasonable Costs and better performance By far, mobile banking is the cheapest type of conducting financial transactions in recent times. In the US, an average SMS supporting 160 characters is charged $0.03 (Costanzo 34). Not only does mobile banking appeal in terms of costs, but it has an easy-to-use interface that is best suited for uncomplicated requests such as account bala nce enquiries and requests for personal banking information (Talbot 48). In Mobile banking, individuals are not subjected to the rigorous procedures of opening a bank account as they would when dealing with branch channel. Indeed, all what is needed is to open a fully functional account on a mobile handset. Unlike in branch banking whereby customers have to meander through queues and intense heat to be served, requests are processed within seconds after the signal is received in mobile banking. The location of the customer does not matter either as long as there is network receptivity and the customer has the required type of mobile device for particular applications (Mallat et al 44). Generally, all phones support the SMS application – the most used in mobile banking. It is therefore safe to argue that mobile banking has the obvious advantage of superior performance as customers spend minimal time performing financial transactions. Level of Penetration/ Coverage Worldwide fi gures suggest the rate of mobile devices uptake has more than quadrupled in the last couple of years. According to a new UN report, an estimated 60% of the world’s population has access to a mobile phone. This is equivalent to 4.1 billion people (Bhatti para. 1). Such a high penetration rate can not only assist nations to further their economic agenda, but it can also be harnessed by private institutions such as banks to expand their customer base by reaching out to the millions of subscribers using this telecommunication technology. This is the essence of mobile banking – the capacity to reach millions of people in diverse locations around the world due to high penetration level of mobile devices. An estimated 70% of the entire connections in the Middle East have been concentrated in Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. By 2007, the average market penetration for mobile phones in the three countries stood at 67 % (Blain para. 1). According to the revelations above, it is sa fe to assume that the backbone on which mobile banking is founded has already been secured. Adoption of Mobile Banking Despite the many advantages presented by mobile banking in the modern era, the rate of adoption in many parts of the world has remained predominantly low. For instance, although most leading banking institutions in Europe offers the services, only 5% of individuals with SMS and internet enabled phones use them at present (Ensor et al para. 1). The clientele of mobile banking services in many parts of the world, including the US, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa tend to be homogenous – â€Å"young, technology-savvy males with above-average incomes who already bank online† (Ensor et al para 1). Generally, customers use their mobile devices to perform simple transactions lack balance checks, account withdrawal and deposit histories, and SMS alerts. Non-users argue that Mobile banking has no quantifiable benefits, while others are t aken aback that such a service exists. This reveals the weaknesses of the strategies used to market mobile banking to potential customers. A significant number of people cite security concerns. In this perspective, according to Ensor, the solution is for banking institutions offering the service to undertake aggressive campaigns and widen awareness for simple, cost-effective, and timely mobile banking applications among young, enterprising, and technology-savvy adults. The figure below reveals how Mobile banking is limited in scope. Figure 1: Reasons for Using Mobile Banking Source: Forrester Research, Inc (2007) The Saudi Arabia Experience It is difficult to come up with comparative figures on mobile banking in the Middle East in general and Saudi Arabia in particular. This is one of the factors that shaped the objectives of this research – to come up with insightful data that can be used by industry-wide experts in directing mobile phone activities in the country. What is known for now is that mobile phone usage in Saudi Arabia have drastically increased over the last couple of years, with 79.5% of Saudis already using mobile telephony by 2006 (BMI 23). That notwithstanding, the rate of technology uptake in the provisions of financial services has not been that promising. Undeniably, the Kingdom is still lagging behind in internet banking, the predecessor of mobile banking, with projections showing that although 73% of the financial institutions have an active website, only 25% of the websites have the capacity to offer full banking services (Jasimuddin para. 1). An attention-grabbing aspect of Saudi banking, and indeed the Middle Eastern banking is Islamic banking. According to the teachings of Islam, no Muslim is allowed to receive interest accruing from bank deposits. According to Islamic banking principles, such funds are centralized within a financial institution and then the resources are used to fund a community project or any other form of in vestment (Saudi Arabia para. 3). The returns accrued from the investment are then shared out according to input. Such a system may have considerable ramifications on the growth of mobile banking in the country. According to this document, a considerable number of banks â€Å"†¦provide mobile banking facilities for outlying villages and remote areas† (para. 5). Methodology Introduction The objective of this particular study was to evaluate the factors that affect the usage of mobile banking in Saudi Arabia. To meet the stated objective, comprehensive methodologies grounded on the basic tenets of a marketing research were formulated for purposes of collecting the requisite data that could be sufficiently used to answer the study’s basic research questions while assuring unsurpassed reliability and validity. According to McQuarrie, a marketing research can be described as the methodical collection, recording, and analysis of information or data about issues or phenom ena relating to marketing of goods or services (26). This chapter describes the design for the market research survey, the theoretical framework, and the analysis of the study population and sample size. The techniques used to collect data, and issues of validity and reliability are also mentioned in this chapter. Research Design The marketing research employed a quantitative research design to evaluate the factors that affect the usage of mobile banking in Saudi Arabia. In most occasions, the aim of a quantitative research design is to evaluate the association between an independent variable and a dependent variable, and is therefore either descriptive or experimental (Hopkins para. 1). This study made use of a quantitative research design since the subjects – banking institutions operating in Saudi Arabia – were measured once through conjoint analysis. According to McQuarrie, a conjoint analysis is a tool used in market research to evaluate how individuals value and perceive different characteristics that make up a distinct product or service, in this case mobile banking (102). Its main objective is to evaluate the limited number of characteristics that are most significant on an individual’s choice of a product or service. It is noteworthy to state that this study utilized internet survey technique to gather the required data needed for purposes of answering key research questions. According to Sekaran, a survey has the capacity to gather requisite information needed to assess association between various variables by way of self-report since the study subjects can respond to the questions posed using technology protocols such as the internet, VOIP, or email (76). Theoretical Framework A theoretical framework, according to Sekaran, â€Å"is a conceptual model of how one theorizes and makes logical sense of the relationship among the several factors that have been identified as important to the problem† (p. 87). It must map out and connect the various interrelationships that exist between different sets of variables or phenomena perceived to outline an indispensable constituent to the situational dynamics under study. Based on the objectives of this particular study, the mobile banking sector in Saudi Arabia became the dependent variable, while a multiplicity of factors such as security, convenience, reasonable costs, better performance, level of penetration, and marketing potential formed the independent variables. Consequently, a conceptual model aimed at guiding the study was structured. It is depicted by the figure below. The Target Population and Sample The target population for this market research was limited to financial institutions offering banking services in Saudi Arabia. It is imperative to note that the survey did not limit itself to any particular region of the Kingdom since it was internet-based. Sekaran posits that a target population is inclusive of all components – subjects, article s, objects, and animals – that meet the set criteria for inclusion in a research study (85). In this perspective, the researcher employed the services of Google online to come up with a list of 80 banking and financial institutions operating in the Kingdom. Using the rule of the thumb, 50 banking institutions were sampled from the list, and requests sent via email to their respective heads of customer care enquiring their interest to take part in the survey. 10 banks declined, but the others gave a positive response. Before the invitation letters were dispatched via email, the researcher had developed a rubric for use in selecting a sample that will exhibit a good understanding of the issues at hand. To be selected for the study, all subjects, in this case banking institutions, must have operated in Saudi Arabia for a period not less than 5 years. No limitation was put on the types of products and services offered by the banks. But to meet the standards for selection, the ban ks were expected to be open to all age categories, not to particular segments or age-groups. Lastly, the banks were expected to give a guarantee that the online questionnaires were to be duly filled by the heads of product development or their assistants in the respective banks Data Collection Tools Primary data for the internet survey was done through administration of online questionnaires while secondary data was collected through a critical review of related literature. According to Sekaran, a questionnaire is basically a printed self-report exclusively employed to generate information or data obtained through written responses (102). Questionnaires are best suited to collect data in studies revolving around descriptive quantitative research designs as they are exhaustive in response and easily understandable. Questionnaires are also able to attain high response rate, take minimal time to complete, guarantees anonymity to the identity of respondents, and present an insignificant chance for prejudice since they are offered in a consistent manner. Consequently, the data or information obtainable through the administration of the questionnaire to subjects is more or less comparable in nature and scope to that acquired by a key informant interview (Sekaran 104). Secondary data for the study was gathered through a critical review of related literature. The review of literature was necessarily imperative since the research was interested in evaluating a relatively new concept in the market – mobile banking. According to May, the practice of reviewing relevant literature forms a good source of data as it â€Å"†¦represents a reflection of reality† (182). Reliability and Validity Reliability can be defined as the rate of consistency or uniformity with which the tools used to collect data are able to measure the variables or phenomena that they are intended to measure (May 108). The questionnaire developed for the purposes of collecting data thro ugh online protocols exposed outstanding consistencies in the way the respondents understood and responded to the questions. Ample guidance on how to fill the questionnaire had been dispatched beforehand to the subjects to curtail chances of data collector’s error. This ensured reliability of data collected. The bank representatives in the internet survey were also reassured on their own privacy online, enabling them to offer full-length information. Validity describes the rate or degree to which a particular data collection tool is able to measure or assess the phenomenon or variable that it had been set to measure (May 110). Accordingly, the questions included in the data gathering instrument had been thoroughly researched to ensure their capacity to measure the intended objectives in the most effective and consistent manner. The questions were set based on the review of related literature to ensure validity. Also, the questionnaire was set using simple language to ensure t he questions were understandable to the subjects. This ensured clarity in response, and hence boosted validity. Subsequently, the results arising from this study can be generalized to the study population. Data Analysis After the questionnaire were sent back from the field via email, quantitative data was cleaned, coded and entered into SPSS, a statistical software package. The data were then analyzed through descriptive statistics such as frequencies and cross-tabulations to enhance effective interpretation of results. The techniques of choice modelling were used to direct the process of harnessing the data into meaningful interpretations. According to McQuarrie, choice modelling endeavours to mould the decision-making procedures of a person or a segment of a population in a particular context (154). Afterwards, the resulting frequencies and percentages were harnessed, interpreted and presented in various forms, including text and figures developed using Microsoft’s Ms Excel . Qualitative data generated by the unstructured questions were coded and analyzed using qualitative content analysis to assist in quantifying emerging features, trends, and concepts. Sekaran explains qualitative content analysis as a statistical procedure utilized to methodically code and analyze answers that were given in either verbal or written communication to facilitate the quantitative measurement of variables. Results Introduction This particular study was interested in evaluating the factors that affect the usage of mobile banking in Saudi Arabia. The results were both insightful and interesting, and provided significant information and data that can be used by service providers, marketers, and mobile device manufacturers in a concerted effort to penetrate different market segments of the society. Mobile banking had experienced a low adoption rate, not only in Saudi Arabia, but also in other countries such as the US, Britain, Canada, Italy and France (Ensor et al 2). Howeve r, by the turn of the new decade, the market had started to warm up to this new banking channel, with the affluent working, technology-savvy young adults forming the largest proportion of the consumers of the new technology. Of the 50 banking institutions selected for the study, 10 turned down the request citing administrative and business concerns. It is therefore essential to note that this market research study attained 80% response rate. The statement of results from the field data will be presented in this section, followed by a broad discussion of the results based on the study objectives and propositions. Statement of Results 72% of all the banks included in the study offered some form of mobile banking product, while 40% of those who didn’t said they were piloting the service, anticipating rolling it out in the near future. Only 25% of those who didn’t offer the services felt that it offered no tangible benefits to Saudis, with another 20% of the banks lacking mobile banking arguing that it was quite difficult to sell the concept in the Kingdom due to religious connotations. The statistics reveals a multifaceted interplay between socio-cultural values and the channels of marketing, discussed comprehensively in the analysis section. Generally, over two-thirds (67.8%) banks have been transacting business in the Kingdom for the last 30 years. Uptake of the technology was however an issue of concern for many banking institutions, with only a partly 12% of them reporting that over 30% of their customers depended on mobile banking. Many heads of product development taking part in this particular study could not really understand the situational and marketing dynamics behind the slow uptake of mobile banking in the Kingdom as over half (54%) said they had conducted intensive campaigns to market the product through print and electronic media yet the rate of adoption remained relatively low. Majority of the banking institutions were in agreement t hat less than 10% of their clients depended on the new technology. The rest of the distribution is revealed in the figure below. Figure 3: Percentage Number of Customers Depending on Mobile Banking In the conjoint analysis, a clear relationship existed between the age factor and mobile banking. When requested to accurately indicate the ages of customers with mobile banking accounts through documentation, it was revealed that over 80% of mobile account holders were below the age of 30. Only 5% of the customers with mobile accounts were above 40 years of age. This again points to the need for marketers to consider the age factor while marketing their products and services so that they do not expend limited organizational resources marketing products and services to the wrong segment of the market. The statistics appeals more to the dynamics of market segmentation. Security issues topped the reasons why these new technology had failed to break the ice in Saudi Arabia as it was cited b y an overwhelming 72% of the banking professionals who took part in the internet survey. According to the review of related literature, security concerns topped the list of concerns as to why the market had failed to respond positively to mobile banking technology despite its many benefits. Lack of effective communication channels between the banks and the customers was also an issue of major concern to 44% of the professionals taking part in the survey since they felt that banking institutions were not working overboard to market the technology despite the usual production of pamphlets, which customers never cared to read even after picking them. Lack of effective and aggressive marketing strategies to boost the product in the local market scene was selected by 36% of the banking professionals as the major reason why the adoption level for mobile banking had been slow. These two revelations points to the need for banking institutions to have effective marketing and communication st rategies. Religious indoctrination and failure to offer authentic banking experience were selected by 32% and 26% of the subjects respectively. The rest of the distribution is captured in the figure below. Figure 4: Reasons for Slow Adoption Levels for Mobile Banking An overwhelming 88% of the banking professionals whose banks had already initiated mobile banking services felt that the technology had more potential of marketing the products offered by their respective banks than any other financial transaction channel on offer so far. 68% of the respondents whose banks did not offer mobile banking services agreed with their counterparts that mobile banking has the most capability of marketing other products offered by banking institutions judging by the high penetration of mobile handsets in Saudi Arabia. Only 8 % of the entire sample felt that customers never cared to read advertisements messages sent directly into their phones by banking institutions. However, the general underst anding was that mobile handsets were becoming important mediums for advertisement, and as such, they could be effectively used by financial institutions to market their range of products and services to their customers According to the study findings, mobile banking in Saudi Arabia is used to perform uncomplicated financial transactions such as requests for bank balances (64%), requests for transaction histories (46%), airtime loading (38%), alerts on large payments or bank deficits (36%), and paying bills (24%). This coincides with the scenario depicted in the review of related literature that mobile banking has not mutated into a serious channel of banking although all indicators suggest that it is headed to become the preferred mode of banking in the future. On aggregate, 78% of customers with mobile accounts use Short Messaging Service (SMS) for their financial transactions while the rest use mobile internet or downloadable programs. Two-thirds of the respondents were satisfied that the Saudi kingdom was doing enough to stimulate growth in the industry through offering incentives for growth such as tax breaks. 76% of the banking professionals said they were happy with the Saudi kingdom for allowing the business environment to be guided by the principles of free market economy rather than government interference as it is the case in many Islamic nations. This, according to the banking professionals, had spurred considerable growth in the banking fraternity in general and in mobile banking in particular. Lastly, majority of the subjects felt that that mobile banking had an immense potential for growth, and it was indeed headed in the right direction. Indeed, 52% of the subjects were positive that mobile banking will overtake other banking channels such as branch, ATM and online services by 2015 due to its capacity to penetrate the most remote areas of the country. Other factors that will play a significant role in the technology’s projected growth inc lude accessibility and ease of use, affordability, high coverage, convenience and security. The distribution is best captured in the figure below. Figure 5: Major Growth Influences in Mobile Banking Analysis and Discussion This study had been commenced to evaluate the factors that affect usage of mobile banking in Saudi Arabia. Several issues stood out from the study findings that confounded the argument that Saudi Arabia’s mobile banking sector was ready for take off, but was still been faced by a multiplicity of challenges. This is expected since mobile banking is a relatively new concept. The researcher had formulated 3 research questions and a similar number of hypotheses to guide the study process. The analysis of the results based on the key study questions is presented below. According to Allen, the decision of an organization to enter into a new business area is always a challenging one to make due to the multifaceted factors implicated â€Å"and the uncertainties o f predicting future events† (22). Before entry into a particular market segment, many organizations undertake a critical evaluation of the financial gains expected, and when the economic gains will finally be attained. In the same vein, only few organizations are willing to invest massive financial resources for long-term benefits. In many countries, including Saudi Arabia, mobile banking is viewed as a long-term investment, expected to churn out profits and assert itself in the market some 5-10 years to come. This is the major reason why many Saudi banks, according to the study results, developed cold feet on rolling out the technology – financial returns were not expected anytime soon. Influence of social-cultural and religious values in marketing of the mobile banking product; age factor and the dynamics of market segmentation; and security fears have actively played a role in hindering the adoption of mobile banking in the country. Many financial institutions adhere to the principles of Islamic banking, a form of banking that curtails receiving of interests accruing from bank deposits (Saudi Arabia para. 3). The socio-economic and religious values shape personal values, which in turn affects customer attitudes and behaviour towards a particular product or service (Vinson 44). Consequently, adoption levels for mobile banking in Saudi Arabia will remain low if socio-cultural and religious values practiced imply that the product goes against their own fabric. According to industry trends, mobile banking is mostly embraced by the affluent, technology-savvy working young adults with incomes that are on the higher end (Ensor et al 2). According to the study results, this was not factored in when conducting advertisement campaigns in Saudi Arabia, and hence the slow take off. Experts are of the opinion that no single organization can actively be able to satisfy the needs and requirements of all customers since the requirements changes with age (†Å"Learn Marketing† para. 1). In this perspective, a more market-focussed approach may be needed to increase adoption levels. Security-wise, customers are cautious about the prospects of hackers gaining access to confidential financial information. In case of theft, all what the thief needs is a PIN to gain access to the customer’s finances (Herzberg 54). According to the study results, lack of effective communication and marketing channels between the bank and customers, failure to offer authentic banking experience, and failure to grow past simple financial transactions has also negatively affected the growth of mobile banking in Saudi Arabia. Effective communication and strategic marketing goes hand-in-hand if any product or service is to penetrate a particular segment of the market (Schultz et al 19). During their marketing campaigns, the financial institutions failed to instil the concept that mobile banking is still a form of banking. As such, many customers want t o see the inside of the banking halls to believe that they are indeed transacting business activities. The noise that mobile banking has been unable to break loose from performing small and often insignificant transactions has been reverberated across the world, not only in Saudi Arabia. From the study, it is clearly evident that mobile banking deals with small transactions such as checking account balances, Receiving accounts alerts, reviewing recent transactions, transferring money between individual accounts, and paying bills. A study conducted in Europe to evaluate the impact of mobile banking in 7 European countries – Italy, Sweden, Netherlands, France, Spain, UK, and Germany – also came up with similar reasons (Ensor et al 6). On the brighter side, Saudi Arabia’s mobile banking sector has real prospects for growth in the coming years. According to experts, mobile banking is destined to become the preferred marketing channel by 2015 (Stewart 16). In a 2009 worldwide survey to generate the views and attitudes on mobile banking in all the continents, 60 % of respondents in the Middle East said their financial institutions offered mobile banking services against 71% in Latin America and 31% in North America (Cocheo para. 2). By 2006, an estimated 79.5% of Saudi residents had access to a mobile device, the primary medium used in mobile banking. These statistics reveals a sector of the market economy that can achieve monumental growth if the right mix of ideas and stimulants for growth are all incorporated in the right proportions. According to the study, some of the positive factors that may affect the usage and uptake of mobile banking in the Kingdom include: accessibility; immense marketing potential; high penetration level; superior performance; low charges; convenience; enhanced security; and market-friendly incentives and regulations by the Saudi kingdom. Indeed, Herzberg posits that the mobile handsets have revolutionalized banking transactions by presenting customers the convenience and security desirous of their banking experience (53). From the above discussion, it is safe to ague that all the study hypotheses have been proved right. Conclusions and Recommendations Conclusions This study had been commissioned to evaluate the factors that affect the usage of mobile banking in Saudi Arabia. Towards this objective, an internet based market research survey was conducted, using heads of product development of selected financial institutions as the study subjects. The study revealed that although Saudi Arabia had a huge potential for growth in mobile banking, various forces and challenges kept holding the process back. Some of the most pertinent issues revealed after the initial data analysis and interpretation include: social-cultural values and religion; age factor and the dynamics of market segmentation; security issues; lack of effective communication channels among the banking staff and their customers; inad equate marketing strategies; and failure by banking institutions to offer authentic banking experience to customers According to the study results, the banking industry in Saudi Arabia is however bound to change drastically in the coming years due to mobile banking. The service has many benefits that can be transferred to customers, which includes accessibility, security functions, convenience, affordability, high penetration rate, and huge potential in marketing. These are value-added benefits that customers will be able to enjoy in the future if the mobile banking trend moves in the right direction. So far, mobile banking is overwhelmingly used by young affluent adults. It is just a matter of time before the full effects of the technology are felt across the world Recommendations Many recommendations can be suggested due to the fact that mobile banking is still in its infancy stage. However, the most important recommendation right now is for the financial institutions to segment t he market according to needs and requirements approach. Advertisements for products and services are a costly agenda for organizations across the world; but they become even costlier if they do not target the right audience since financial resources ends up been virtually wasted. Second, Banks that are already offering the service must step up their campaigns to ensure that all their customers know about the product. As it stands now, a huge proportion of individuals with bank accounts have no knowledge that mobile banking exists. Third, the Saudi Kingdom should be encouraged to offer more incentives to emerging technologies such as mobile banking and e-commerce, especially when such technologies can be effectively used to spur economic growth and enhance the welfare of mankind. Future Research Areas Further research is needed to come up with the reasons as to why customers prefer to perform simple transactions in mobile banking unlike in other traditional banking channels such as b ranch and ATM. The role of consumer needs and preferences in relation to mobile banking also needs to be clearly understood if the technology is to make any headway. Lastly, the impact of SMS advertising on mobile banking uptake or adoption needs to be evaluated with a view of quantitatively measuring its viability. Allen, R.W. Factors Influencing Market Penetration. Management Science, 13.1 (1996): 22-35 Bhatti, B. 4.1 Billion Mobile Phone Subscribers Worldwide. 2009. Retrieved from http://telecompk.net/2009/03/03/41-billion-mobile-phone-subscribers-worldwide/ Blain, L. Middle East becomes Second-Fastest Growing Mobile Phone Market. 2007 Retrieved from gizmag.com/go/7438/ Business Monitor International. Saudi Arabia Telecommunications Report Q3 2006. MarketResearch.com. 2007 Cocheo, S. Five in Ten like Mobile Banking but wont Pay for it: ABA Banking Journal [online]. Retrieved from ababj.com/techtopics-plus/five-in-ten-like-mobile-banking-but-most-won-t-pay-for-it.html Costanzo , C. Are you Mobile? Community Banker, 18.12 (2008): 32-35 Ensor, B., Hesse, A., Lussanet, M., Veen, N., Menke, K. European Mobile Banking: An Inconvenient Truth. Retrieved from banklounge.de/fileadmin/data_archive/pdf/071029_Forrester_Mobile_Banking.pdf Herzberg, A. Payments and Banking with Mobile Personal Devices. Communications of the ACM, 47.5 (2004): 53-58 Hopkins, W.G. Quantitative Research Design. 2000. Retrieved from sportsci.org/jour/0001/wghdesign.html Jasimuddin, S.M. Saudi Arabian Banks on The Web (n.d.). Retrieved from arraydev.com/commerce/JIBC/0103_02.htm Laukkanen, T. Measuring Mobile Banking Customer Channel Attribute Preferences in Service Consumption. International Journal of Mobile Communications, 5.2 (2007): 123-138 Learn Marketing. (n.d.). Retrieved from learnmarketing.net/segmentation.htm Mallat, N., Rossi, M., Tuunainen, V.K. Mobile Banking Services. Communications of the ACM, 47.5 (2004): 42-46 May, T. Social Research: Issues, Methods and Processes. Phila delphia: Open University Press McQuarrie, E. The Market Research Toolbox: A Concise Guide for Beginners. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications, Inc, 1996. Mobile Marketing Association. Mobile Banking Overview. 2009. Retrieved from mmaglobal.com/mbankingoverview.pdf Saudi Arabia. Banks: Where to Manage your Finances. Retrieved from justlanded.com/english/Saudi-Arabia/Saudi-Arabia-Guide/Money/Banks Schultz, D.E., Tannenbaum, S., Lincolnwood, IL. The new Marketing Paradigm: Integrated Marketing Communications. McGraw Hill, 1996 Sekaran, U. Research Methods for Business: A Skill Building Approach, 4th Ed. Wiley-India, 2006 Stewart, D. Say Hello to Mobile Banking. ABA Bank Marketing, 41.5 (2009): 16-23 Talbot, D. Upwardly Mobile. Technology Review, 3.6 (2008): 48-54 Walford, L. Mobile Banking: A Tipping Point. 2007. Retrieved from atmmarketplace.com/article.php?id=9527na=1 White, K. Mobile Banking: Putting your CU in your Members Pocket. 2009. Retrieved from docstoc.com/docs/14 611522/Mobile-Banking-trends-2009 Vinson, D.E., Scott, J.E., Lamont, L.M. The Role of Personal Values in Marketing and Consumer Behavior. Journal of Marketing, 58.2 (1996): 44-56

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How Critical and Cultural perspectives influenced a specific Music artistgenre of the 1960's - Essay Example Ray Charles was enrolled at the Saint Augustine School for the Blind in Florida, where he learnt Braille. He also learnt to play the piano and clarinet/saxophone. He had to rely heavily on his excellent memory for music as he did not have the advantage of sight. Ray Charles also had a gift of perfect pitch, which greatly aided his musicianship. At only 15, he lost his mother and after two years, his father also passed on. His suffering inspired him to greater heights. He graduated from St. Augustine School an started traveling with country music road bands. This enriched his quality of music when he later added western music to his repertoire. He also toured with rhythm and blues bands as an instrumentalist. Among the instruments he played are the piano, clarinet and saxophone. He also an arranger and composer. His early influences as a singer were: blues singers, Guitar Slim and Parcy Mayfield. Lloyd Glenn influenced his piano. Eventually, it was his mixed styles, his voice texture and his versatile falsetto range and his emotional appeal that combined to bring out a unique vocal artistry. (UXL Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2003) In the late 2005, John Burk, Concord Records A & R chief and producer of Ray Charles Grammy Award wining blockbuster album "Genius Lovers Company" came upon some tapes recorded in the 70s, apparently concert tapes. The tapes were made by the legendary impresario producer Norman Granz. (All About Jazz, 2006). Though the tapes recovered were not the greatest quality, the music was recorded to produce a beautiful, authentic and irreplaceable work of music. His music from the 60s combines with the latest technology to bring about yet another astounding performance from Ray Charles. Whatever beauty the technology in the 60s couldn't capture, the new technology has been able to capture and in the process, still manage to show the uniqueness of Ray Charles' genius. Ray Charles once said that in music, there's only either good or bad music. That also, in music you just can't escape when something is good (Ray Charles Biography 2004). Ray Charles set the aesthetic standards for more than 50 years across the board; Blues, R&B, Country. He has inspired many in the music industry as no other can. Indeed he has fans even out of the entertainment industry inspired by him. In an answer to those who thought that his being influenced by both secular and gospel music was sacrilegious, Ray said that one could not run away from themselves. He was brought up in the church, but at the same time, he would listen to secular music from jukeboxes. It was this open mindedness in music that led him to pioneer a new style in music hence opening the door for many young performers to follow. He has inspired many new stars in the music industry who admired his talent and independent spirit. Growing up in the south in the 50s and 60s where racism was deeply rooted, Ray fought racism and against its divisions. Once he was booked to perform in a concert. He had no idea it was going to be segregated. The white members of the audience were downstairs while the black fans sat upstairs. He told the music promoter he didn't mind performing, as long the black people sat downstairs, closer to him. (Ray Charles: A giant of American Music 2004). In his efforts against

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Can Participatory Democracy Replace Representative Democracy Politics Essay Over the past years, it has been observed that liberal democracy and it is choices of representations that is founded on appropriation of power through provoked consent has not been able to deliver freedoms and development and therefore, is considered a non functional choice. This essay is arguing that participatory democracy is not only a viable alternative to representative democracy. But it is the only viable option for the troubled societies of the modern era; it descends from democracy in its true form direct democracy and hence leads to progress and development. Which constitute it attraction as a renewed theory seeks response to representative democracy crisis. This essay used the model of Kerala in India to provide a case example of that participatory democracy with all its positive achievement is yet, to be empowered through proper participation and enriched experiences. Using critical analysis the essay will provide discussions on the notions of democracy in general, representative democracy and its critiques and overview of participatory democracy origins and features shortly try to draw the distinction between participatory democracy and deliberative democracy consecutively then overview of discussions around the Model of Kerala participatory democracy, finally discussions between PD/RD in the context of the developing world. Democracy: the contested notion According to William Connolly, democracy is a fundamentally contested notion on which it is impossible to reach an agreement (Barber, 1984). Although the differences in opinions might be frustrating it still does not destroy the worth of the contested concept. Before we indulge in the discussion whether participatory democracy is a viable alternative to representative democracy or not, we must understand what those terms stand for and how contested visions interpreted them, but first understanding the term democracy in its essence. Although a recent article by Nobel laureate Amartya Sen (2005) highlights revealed evidences that democracy has been theorised in many civilisations including Asian, African as well as in European and American. But, as part of our Eurocentric knowledge (said 2003); the word democracy commonly makes its origins from ancient Greece. With the supremacy of the Roman Empire, the theory of democracy declined. However, it found its way back into the European thought with the fall of the Roman Empire, primarily because of the translation of Aristotles politics into Latin in the early 1260s. (Beetham 2005) Since then debates on democracy have become a vital part of the Western culture and have continued to grow and merge into mainstream thought process. It is interesting to note that when Aristotle spoke about democracy in his work, he meant direct democracy; a form in which people rule and are ruled in turn. The underlying issue is that self-government is deemed as a critical element of democracy or in fact the essence of democracy. In present times where most discourses on democracy are occupied by discussions on election; elections are held for relatively longer times, indulge in exhaustive policy-drafting roles, the conditions of democracy are not met and hence the government no longer remains a democracy but turns into an oligarchy, despite the participation of all citizens in the election process. However, with due course of time, with redefinition, the notion of democracy has gained a new history to a certain extent, one which has almost nothing to do with its roots in ancient Greece (Bruce 2004). The previous concept of democracy had evolved because of historical incidents where lower classes, mostly the peasants, acquired a more active and unique civic status. Hence this form democracy origin begins with European feudalism rather than Athenian democracy. In our modern era, many people regard democracy as sacrosanct, and they are not eager to adopt or even try different governing. Amartya Sen (1999) in his article Democracy as a Universal Value, building on the argument that there are diverse origins for democracy criticising the tendency toward oversimplification that The practice of democracy that has won out in the modern West is largely a result of a consensus that has emerged since the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution(p.15) and it need to be exported to the rest of the world. He rejects the claims that Asian values and traditions are not supportive for democracy, providing examples from Asia and Africa history, making the point that democracy is a universal value (p.16). One important issue coincided democracy practice and theory is the majority rule. Dahl (1989) provides rational justification for accepting the majority rule using four different ways including: maximising the number of people who can exercise self-determination in collective decisions (p.138); majority rule is more likely can reach correct decisions, finally it maximise the utility based on maximising the satisfaction on decisions and there is no other cost-effective rule. Although justification form authors who favour or disfavour majority rule are always present it has been accepted in most practices of democracies. For instance see David Estlund (1997), who argues against the majority rule and fair proceduralism and favour of fair deliberative proceduralism. However, in this regard the term democracy has been understood as government by consent (Bhagwati 1995). The term democracy became a reference to a field where different parties test the strength and feasibility of their respective point of views, or even as a reward to be accomplished by a party that can provide the most solid, logical and convincing arguments (Barber 1984). The western practice of democracy was heavily shaped by the consequent politics of representation that followed the French and American revolutions, moving away from the face to face interaction of the ancient Athenian city direct democracy to representative democracy (Dahl 1989). REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY Similar to the overall democracy concept, the notion of representative democracy is no less contestation (Saward 2008). The varieties of human experiences in practicing representation enriched the notion, and made it almost impractical to define using dictionaries statement. The theories have gone far, for example Michael Saward (2008) is claiming that all democratic politics is representative politics (p.1005), denying that the direct democracy is not more democratic than the representative democracy and representative democracy is not in contrast with direct democracy but incorporating it. However, I can outline three peculiarities in order to understand representative democracy mainly 1) Election: people vote to elected officials to be considered as their democratic representatives; they have 2) Delegation: they are delegated by their trustees, to practice 3) Mediation: they are assigned to speak on behalf of social groups interests within a forum normally referred to as assembly or parliament etc, having discussions to reach a 4) Collective decision making( Laver and Kenneth A. Shepsle 1994). In short, Representative democracy is about having fair voting process and the result of that voting determine who will decide and what decision are going to be decided. Representation is based on the assumption that members of the society and social agents thriving for Nobel goals of their own society can act as the engineers of social evolution, in settings of cooperation, harmony, dialogue, respect for variations in culture and also for economic agents, opens up bright promising avenues for growth and progress. Primarily this assumption is challenged by the situation of the developing world of today where many democracies collapsed (Diskin 2005). In the early seventeenth and eighteenth centuries coupling the growth of liberal thought in many western regions, division of powers theory and human right culture that claimed by the mentioned revolutions; the overall representative democracies form of governance and mixed governments has referred to as liberal democracies. Best example for this is England, which a mixed government where the King represented monarchic principle, the aristocratic one being represented by the House of Lords and the House of Commons symbolizing democracy. Now since the King was also identified as an executive, the legislature being the House of Commons, and the House of Lords at least to a degree as the judiciary (Chavez and Franklin 2004). Â  Within a representative democracy it is assumed that wide-ranging public and political association bonding the society, triggered from outside the political dome of liberal democracy for a mutual enlistment of forces of the entire society and productive cadres from the political groups set up the stage for a powerful and solid representative democracy (Gruegel 2002). In a similar manner as they interact in real life in social procedures and dealings. Expertise, skill and charisma are the true skills of any good governance, but only once reliability, democracy and integrity are ensured (Huber and Stephens 1997). Leadership is not by self-postulation in representative democracy which prevents turning suspected support, intellect or expertise into the key sources for any claims to leadership. Gentle, honest, moral, intelligent and social skills acquire enough space to speak for it and perform in a political liberation operation based on progress, representation and ideology, rather than be dominated into exclusion by the immorality and deficits that hold command over the otherwise political scene (Kaufman 1997). David Beetham (2005) out line some principles to distinguish representative democracy form other forms particularly oligarchy to justify rule by the few including equal right for all citizens to elect and be elected for all public office except for those position that requires special qualifications. Transparent official and legal access to it, freedom of expression, and the right of forming associations including media firms and other forms of associations, with the possibility of influencing decisions from the bottom up, the rights of citizens are legally protected and they have the right to vote on constitutional amendments and changes. Undeniably, those are human rights together with other political, social and economical rights are essential frame work for any of our modern eras forms of democracy, but not necessarily related only to the representative democracy. The overall practice and theory of liberal democracy or representative form of governance has been critiqued and challenged by many political theories, importantly in this essay I will provide a brief overview about those theories, because re-theorising direct democracy in the name of participatory democracy has built its advocacy on the below areas of analysis: The domination of elite theories: the classics elite theorist like Vilfredo Pareto, Gaetano Mosca, and Robert Michels, tried to articulate the gap between the governing group and the rest of society and highlight the domination of powers in few people hands, interestingly the critiques goes both side socialist and liberal arenas as it focus on the issue ultimate domination by few people to take the decisions, for Michels within any attempt to institutionalise the society there are going to be an iron law of oligarchy: an ultimate domination by few people in case of governments they are beaurocrats. A more recent attempts to articulate the same gap arguing that the public policies are and administration outcomes not reflecting the will of the citizens, but rather they are from an elite consensus (Bachrach 1967; Van den 1979). The Marxist critiques of the state being a tool in the hands of the oppressor ruling class; which focus on the structural classification of the society, and articulates the domination of economical sphere, upon the politics and ideology without the necessity for ruling class members to personally oversee the workings of the government. In the Marxist views the liberal democracy has been seen as distancing the masses from any genuine form of participation, and creating representative bodies (parliaments) which exclude and alienate the bulk of the population (Blaug and Schwarzmantel 2003 p.232) The anarchist critiques which emphasises the rule of propaganda in controlling the public, and the media is naturally in the hands of the powerful (Chomsky 2003 p. 246) and see the state has broken the social contract ; hence the call is for resistance and rebellion for aim of free Society. The modern political theories critiques, one dimension is the claims that economic factors exert a powerful effect on voting decisions, depending on government economic performance the political support can operate (Sander 1994 p.93). Another dimension is the valid critique that within a representative democracy there are dynamics for exclusion. One convincing critique is the feminist one, which clarify the fact that the basic unit of liberal democracy has always been a man, an actor in the public sphere, a male property accumulator (Blaug and Schwarzmantel 2003 p.301). Given the destructive nature of the criticism that dominated the discourse around liberal democracy (Duncan 1983 p.196), the liberal theorists in return considered remittances by practicing deliberative opinions polls and referendums in expanding the practice of democracy (Beetham 2005). David Beetham (2005) theoretically argues that a government can be a democracy only to the extent that that the selection to every office, or to each office, except the ones which necessitate expertise and skill, ought to be made by lot. This implies that nobody gets to enjoy the same position more than once except for the case of military positions (Beetham 2005), thus any theory of civic skills must take into account that citizens are embedded in networks of social, as well as political, relationships(Mutz 2006 p.150). One can argue Beetham (2005) that changing the faces would not change facts outlined by the above theories that representative democracy is not representing the will of people. Conse quently, led to what Herbert Marcuse stated as a mutilated crippled and frustrated human existence (as cited in Duncan 1983 p.195). Participatory democracy: For participatory democracy a likely starting point is the notion of sovereignty or of self-government. Amongst the contemporary theories of democracy, this is the oldest and the only one that is widely accepted by citizens and political leaders, the theory was initially presented in writings of Thomas Paine, United States constitutions preamble and even in Lincolns address of Gettysburg (Beetham 2005). A key component of this concept is political independence, that is, a given set of people shall not administer themselves if they were subjected to any form of governance by anybody outside that set/group. This is considered as an essential requirement for participatory democracy. Another prerequisite is that the given independent set cannot be subjugated by any monarchy, any other traditional aristocracy, or any other group, but is only accountable to and is controlled by the population in general (Pinkney 2003). The theoretical starting point of this stipulation is that in general p eople are fundamentally concerned with leading their own lives and have a basic right to do so (Gaventa 2004). Digging in ancient Greeks theories of direct democracy and thoroughly studying the social contract of Jean Jacques Rousseau together with on liberty of John Stuart Mill, Carole Pateman (1970) came up with notion of participatory democracy aiming to reconstruct democracy by providing structural institutions reforms for participation. According to her the distinction criterion of the ideal form of participatory democracy, that draws the basic distinction between representative and direct democracy; is the equal opportunity of citizens to participate in decision making and in creating institutional platform for this participation based on the argument that individuals and institutions cannot be understood apart from each other. She takes the discussion further to look at the conditions of equal participation arguing that having representatives in the public domain will not ensure proper level of engagement of citizens on decisions affecting them. One of her major views, is the more part icipation the more stable system of democracy can be obtained. She argues that all social and political including family, employment institutions are to be democratised in order to reach the aspired ideal of representative democracy. She also emphasised the necessity of democratic training to be grounded at the family level as foundation for political public participation. A major shift in Patemans notion of participatory was done by Benjamin Barber (1984) who also draws his work on Rousseau and the classics, he critiques of representative democracy which he considers thin meaning not very democratic and contradicting the Western values of social Justice, equality and freedom because of the second outline in the previous mention peculiarities of representative democracy saying: It delegates and thus alienates political will at the cost of genuine self-government and autonomy. As Rousseau warned the instant people allows itself to be represented it loses its freedom. Freedom and citizenship are correlates; each sustain and give life to the other (p.145). For him the absence of community sense in representative democracy makes equality just a fiction while social justice depraved by encroaching self-sufficiently and personal autonomy. Going back to Sen (2005) and Said (2003) and many others, indeed those principles and values are not Western, they are just human values, maybe Benjamin Barber failed to express the manner of values and relate them to the West, but he succeeded to emphasise the role of community in order to strengthen participatory democracy. When he prioritise community participation over individual participation, indicating that community participation when combined with essential training means real participation in setting the agendas for deliberation, legislation and on policy implementation. The individual participation is just another rational for individualism. From the same point of favouring training, without direct link with literature of participatory democracy or the mentioned theorist framework, Paulo Freire (1970) coming from socialist prospective and using Marxists lexicons writing Pedagogy of the Oppressed a book that influenced and informed participatory democracy theory and practice. Freire (1970) laid out important foundations for developing world experiences of participatory; first by directing participation from the intellectual rhetoric of the west into the developing countries, secondly by centring the dialogue in the heart of participation to reach consensus and agreements and indeed the earlier dialogue begins the more truly revolutionary will be the movement (p.128); thirdly and most importantly attributing the theory with social movement aspects of empowering the people through abolishment the teacher-student dichotomy as very basic roles in participation. To summarise the explanation of notion of participatory democracy, I can extract from the reviewed materials and from the above discussion cornerstones of participatory democracy, which involve 1) Democratic active political participation in all society institutions 2) Direct community involvement in dialogue and decision making. 3) Expansion of people participation in governance. 4) Empowering the community through the provision of relevant trainings. 5) Expansion of civil society role within the society. It is very important to distinguish between participatory democracy and deliberative democracy, because there is overlapping between participative and deliberative theories as both points of views are mutually supporting. In general, participatory democracy stresses on the extent of citizen participation, while on the other hand, deliberative democracy focuses on the quality of citizen participation (Fisher 2003). In order to comply with the participatory standard, it is essential for all citizens to be politically active with an additional requirement that their involvement be sincere and not driven be any logical reason. While these positions are unique, some advocates of either view contest the benefits of embracing the other one. In short, the advantages of complete citizen partnership will increase if their participation was reasonable, whereas, more widespread participation would boost the advantages of reasonable debate amongst the public. The most vivid distinction in the two ways is that participatory democracy possesses the tendency to absorb and merge civil society into its political system, whereas, the deliberative democracy identifies and even acknowledges the independent reality of the political domain (Webster 2002). Finally, in deliberative democracy different views continues to discuss until reframing a point of view that is mutually acceptable, while in participatory people may accept voting as an exit mechanism from the discussion. Having discussed the cornerstones of participatory democracy, it is now worthy to mention that over the past twenty years or so participatory institutions have gained popularity throughout the developing nations in an attempt to intensify the quality of democracy. In countries such as India, Brazil, Indonesia, Venezuela, local governments have experimented with participatory form of government to foster accountability and create active and well-informed citizens which help in establishing the atmosphere for realizing social justice (Prendergast 2005). In these states, participatory democracy has been able to produce set political and social progresses which have immensely deepened the quality of democracy (Fisher 2003). Social capital was generated, empowerment of citizens became a possibility and most of all government systems started to became fair and transparent. Insights of participatory democracy More relevant to reality than theory is to provide a case, in order to analyse the rigour of the claims in the previous analysis of the theoretical framework, through summarising the outcomes of many studies and researches done around one case which is Kerala in India. The justification for selection of Kerala could be: it is an experience of participatory democracy within a developing country, it attracted hundreds of scholars from around the globe by claiming success in transforming the society (Ramanathaiyer and MacPherson 2000), literature is available, the size of participation claimed is very big compared to other places, it involve both rural and urban areas, it is relatively happened within an worlds largest democracy and the developing countries oldest democracy when compared to other examples of Porto Alegre of Brazil and south Africa, it broke through and within a society feudalism specifically caste system and then draw some lessons learnt from the case. Note worthily the Kerala model of participatory democracy has been referred to: in consulted literature as socialist democracy (Heller 2009; Williams 2009) participatory development Participatory governance (Fung and Wright 2003; Hordijk 2005). For the aim of consistency and for the subject of our essay I will keep it as Participatory democracy. Inheriting a burden of a developing region, with a diversity of social stratifications the socialist governments in Kerala adopted participatory approach in engaging the people in their own development (Parayil 2000). Village councils empowered through involvement in the preparation of detailed development plans that are then put to vote in village assemblies, 140 Assembly constituencies created, mass planning and participation conducted at least 10% of the population participated in planning activities, public meetings and seminars are routine for instance Maitreesh Ghatak and Maitreya Ghatak (2002) states that:Since 1998 meetings have been regularly held in practically all of the around forty-five thousand constituencies over the state(p.49)., trainings learning-by-doing workshops to directly involve citizens in decision making, the process made to connects the peoples deliberations to actual decisions is more direct and less subject to bureaucratic alteration, social-economic data collection, cadastral plan updating by citizens, On the construction of small bridges and roads many cases of public taking, and drains by themselves, participatory developmental project skills and experiences developed leading to mobilisation of local resources and voluntary networks and excellent projects deliverable in many cases below the estimated budgets, have been reported. Hundreds thousands of citizens are volunteering in planning execution of developmental projects. Networks and structures of expertise retired skilled workers were created and made functional. Mass social and community mobilisation campaigns conducted (Heller and Isaac 2003; Parayil 1996; Ramanathaiyer and MacPherson 2000; Ramachandran 2000). Many strategies to enhance citizen participation were adopted including but not limited to: (1) allocation of funds that mandates that certain amounts must be spent on interventions targeting the needs of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, addressing women, children, the disabled, and the elderly; (2) participation, in which one-third of the number of seats in the committees and assemblies is reserved for women and a proportionate number is reserved for marginalised castes and historically disempowered tribes and communities in the assemblies; (3) massive capacity-building and awareness raising intervention and campaigns to sensitize the involved with the planning process as well as the assemblers and committees; and (4) continuous monitoring and evaluation for these components at many levels (Chettiparamb 2006). The allocation of funds in practice was proportionally high Starting in 1996, about 40 per cent of the state government controlled funds were devolved from the bureaucra cy to panchayat village planning councils (Ghatak and Ghatak 2002 p.53). It has been argued that this led to corruption cases (Das 2000), Indeed it did at the beginning but through transparency and participation in monitoring the practice has remarkably improved in terms of development there have been some positive outcomes already, including a decline in the prevailing cynicism towards development activities(Datta 1997 as cited in Crook and Sverrisson 1999). Kerala participatory democracy model has already established its success in development, centring planning and mass participation as instruments of social mobilisation in decentralised administration; in which the ultimate aim of decentralisation has to be to give opportunity for as much direct participation of people in daily governance as possible (Isaac 2000 p.7). As well as supporting microfinance, which aims, alleviate poverty and empowers women (Devika and Thampi 2007) In this state of 30 million of population, successive waves of social movements, a rich and competitive sector of civic organizations and citizens who know and use their rights have kept political parties and the State accountable, producing Indias most competitive party system and its most efficacious state (Heller 2000). Chettiparamb (2006) stressed that the confidence in civil society institution that competent of decision making was moderately aligned with goals of participatory democracy, democratic decentralization, and deliberative planning (p.188). Success was based not on upraising some subaltern vision but by first destroying feudalism through popular land reform policies and incorporating many people in the anti feudalism policies and campaigns, then continuing to expand a participation on civil society. The expansion of political and social citizenship can become the basis for creating social change in Kerala. Applying examples from farming, small industry, and the informal sectors, Patrick Heller (1999) analysis of the political dynamics through which active participation has reduced the capitalist growth and transformed the state from a period of open class struggle and oppression relationships to one of citizenship conciliation. His work concludes that the model provide broader indulgent to the complicated relationship between participatory democracy and market economies in the context of developing country. Ramachandran (2000) explains that high participation in Kerala and devolution of government into institutions and the government commitment in participation have increased the government expenditure on education and this is the explanation for higher literacy and better health awareness in Kerala. Citing comprehensive statistical records and using a Chinese methodology in evaluating the development in Kerala, Ramanathaiyer and MacPherson (2000) research revealed a paradox that the state has achieved high scores according to the Physical quality of Life Index and Human Development Indicator and low economic growth according to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures in compared to other states which adopted representative notions in governance. Although the research has well documented the success of Keralas participatory democracy model it remained sceptical to the overall Known development goals and their contradictions with each other for example; achieving higher literacy rate does not really translate into higher employment where unemployment reaches 21.19 per cent(p.45). However, relatively recent statistical records provides evidence on growth and improvements and sustainability in Keralas human development indicators; surveys proves that as well, such as the National Famil y and health National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3) (MHFWGI 2006); for instance in 2007 a research by Zacharia and Rajan indicated that unemployment has dropped to 9.4 per cent (Kumar 2007). Hence Sen (1999) capabilities argument in development as freedom: there is more to be achieved in development than just GDP statistics, however, poverty is a major but not the only problem in the developing world, Kerala model stimulated the debate on the many concepts of development. The Kerala model of participation remarkable achievement in social development indicators has led to question united nations common used indicators such as literacy rate, infant mortality rate, life expectancy, fertility rates, etc whether they are reflexive indicators for social development, While poverty still in the state (Kurien 2000). In contrast there are some scholars who argue that GDP as indicator is not properly reflexive and thus illusory (Pritchett 2000) or Kerala income is underestimated (Ahluwalia 2000). Veron (2001) is arguing that Kerala model addressed some failures in term of community based sustainable development, relying on ecological and environmental aspects incorporated in his drew conceptualisation of sustainable development. He also sees the participation has not gone deep enough, thus Kerala model has already included allocation of increased funds for village development plans, and has implemented decentralised planning process that that aims to involve the civil society at every stage (p.612). Since the 1960s Kerala received attention accreditation and praises, for instance Samuel Huntington (1968 as cited in Heller 2009) describes it as an example of successful political modernization in the developing world. And continued to be judged positively for example Amartya Sen (1997 cited in Parayil 2000) appreciated it with concerns about the economic growth. There are many legitimate questions about what would happen when the socialist movement stop wining the elections?; Can this participatory mov