Internship Report on Ific Bank Ltd

1. 1. INTRODUTION Internship is an integral part of BBA program in Rajshahi University. This program is actually a juncture of academic and professional life dealings. It is for to get some experience of practical work environment and also be familiar with that. It is like job also. For coordinating my internship I have placed in IFIC bank ltd, Rajshahi Branch. there are number of section. Accordingly I will work all of the sections. I will devoted my utmost effort and attention to learn the banker’s functions.After completion of the internship I will render my all knowledge to present the report on â€Å"corporate, retail & SME banking section of IFIC bank ltd. The report divided in to five Chapters. 1) Introduction 2) Research methodology 3) Organization 4). swat analysis 5) Conclusion. In the organizational part I will incorporate a brief overview of the organizations profile, bank’s mission ,management structure, HRD, functions, ownership pattern, foreign correspon dents and overseas operations and benefits provided to customers by the organization. Branch operation part will describe the product and service provides to customers by a branch. 1. 2.ORIGIN OF REPORT The BBA program conducted by Rajshahi University was introduced in order to provide a number of fresh pgraduates in business sector; this program has been designed to facilitate the students and the executive to provide basic theoretical knowledge and practical in the job activities in the context of Bangladesh. Since the BBA Program is an integrated, practical and theoretical method of learning, the students of this program are required to have practical exposure in any kind of business organization last term of this course. This report on practical orientation has been originated above thinking. 1. 3 SCOPE OF THE STUDYI have been assigned in the IFIC Bank Limited, Rajshahi branch. And thus paved me the way to get myself familiarized with the banking environment for the first time i ndeed. I have had an opportunity to gather experience by work. The area of concentration of this report is confined in investigating different aspects of the banking transaction as well as problems and prospects and by this way an endeavor is made to give recommendations for removing the problems. 1. 4 . OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY The main objective of internship is to earn practical experience about a definite subject it helps to active real knowledge and experience.This process of acquiring actual experience is called internship. The main objective is to introduce new-ways and means with the present knowledge in the pursuit of the solution of different problems. However, the objectives of internship may be described in the following ways: ? To explore different sides of an institution and judge theoretical knowledge concerning the institution ? To give the fulfillment of practical knowledge besides theoretical knowledge ? To show the actual situation of the institution to the public ? To know about the present situation of the institutions

Drug Synergism: Synergistic Interaction between Alcohol and other Drugs

Drug synergism is the phenomenon wherein the effects of a drug is enhanced when taken with other substances. Synergy is defined as the state wherein the combined action of constituents is greater than the sum of its parts. The synergistic effect when drugs are taken in combination is due to the fact that each constituent (between two different dugs or between a drug and another substance) contributes to the effect of the other in accordance with its own potency.Chemical reactions between the drug or drugs and other substances, and the chemicals inside the body, particularly in those of the liver, also exist. One substance that can enhance the effects of a drug more than it usually can is alcohol. The combination of alcohol and depressant drug could cause exaggerated respiratory depression—a disease characterized by fluctuating muscle weakness and fatigability—periods of amnesia or loss of memory while intoxicated.The enhanced effect of depressant drug when taken with al cohol could be explained with what happens inside the body. For example, when the depressant drug alprazolam is taken together with alcohol, the liver becomes occupied in metabolizing the alcohol such that the sedative-hypnotic drug is circulated through the body at full strength (Inaba, ). It must be noted that alcohol and certain drugs, especially depressant drugs, â€Å"compete for the same liver enzymes that break down drugs and flush them from the body† (Dye, 2007).At the same time, alcohol also dissolves alprazolam more readily than stomach fluid does, allowing it to be absorbed more rapidly by the body (Inaba, ). As a result, alcohol and alprazolam, or any depressant drugs that can react to alcohol for that matter, can cause more problems when taken in combination than if they were taken at different times. Alcohol, therefore, contributes to the lethality of drug-taking behavior by increasing the effects of drugs taken in tandem with alcohol..Drugs, especially those th at can cause adverse effects, should be taken with care as the combination of one with another or other substances may enhance its effects. Alcohol, for one, can alter the body’s normal reaction to a specific drug, increasing its effects. It can also react with the drug such that its effects are enhanced. Needless to say, taking alcohol and drugs should be avoided.

Presentation and Store Design Category

About Sephora Sephora is the leading chain of perfume and cosmetic stores in France and the second in Europe. There are over 1,600 Sephora stores in 27 countries, and over 340 of those have opened in North America since the first US store opened in 1998 in New York. Sephora is the originator of the open-sell prestige cosmetics model, which affords clients the ability to test and access any product in the assortment. Across the categories of Makeup, Fragrance and Skincare, brands are presented within a unified Sephora-driven presentation format to enable cross shopping, and clients are encouraged to touch and test all products. That point of differentiation is an essential part of our retail proposition and brand essence, and has proven effective in enabling clients to explore the complete range of brand offerings by category. In complement to this interactive and unified presentation of each brand in Sephora’s product mix, clients are guided through each world’s products with anchor presentations. These presentations highlight trends, explain how to combine products to customize a makeup look or skincare regimen, and bridge into potential service consultations or class registrations with our cast of experts. While much success has come from the breadth of products offered to clients, we have also discovered that the candy-store effect can be overwhelming. Clients love the access and choice, but frequently crave guidance to hone their selections. So balancing bounty with points of access is key to navigating our stores and assortments. Sephora aims to serve as a beauty editor, offering a vast array of products, but providing a curated point of view that helps each client delve into the selection best suited for her. THE STORE DESIGN CHALLENGE Sephora has a strong market presence in Makeup, Skincare and Fragrance, but is most known in North America for its Color (the internal term for the Makeup category) shopping experience. This model defines the brand and the remainder of the store’s format. The unbridled product access, the ability to trial any product in the store, and the sense of fun and interaction remain popular and engaging for our clients. But Sephora is interested in exploring how its Color experience might evolve to better evoke trends, more deeply engage clients in meaningful product exploration, and offer a less static feel from one client’s visit to her next. This challenge is to rethink the store’s formula for Color, preserving the defining and differentiating aspects of the opensell cosmetics model, but updating its look, feel and client experience. Students are to identify what they think is essential from the current in-store model, articulate the opportunities for evolution based on the added advantage created in the client’s shopping experience and engagement with the brand, and then propose a holistic concept presenting the evolution of the total Makeup department. The updated look, feel and client experience should allow implementation across the range of existing stores. Store sizes overall range from 3,800 to 6,000 square feet on average, with Color comprising approximately half the store. Entries should include a suite of core fixtures and features, complemented by interchangeable elements, with the demonstrable ability to reconfigure into a variety of spatial conditions. The fixturing suite should be unified in language, but may articulate through a range of elements and presentation methods. Modularity is essential, as is solving for the challenges of presenting small-scaled products in an organized and inviting way. The See-Try-Buy model at the heart of the Sephora store concept must be inherent in all presentation solutions. Sephora will supply the approved corporate logo, as well as its brand mark and red Pantone match, The Flame. The Sephora name is derived from the fusion of the Greek god Sappho with the biblical figure Zipporah, and the Flame is the representation of her enduring spirit. Along with the word mark and Flame, Sephora’s black and white stripes are a globally iconic branding element, used with purpose as part of the storefront architecture. Derivations and references to these brand codes may be considered in the design of the fixturing programs, but should be treated with a level of sophistication. Sephora stores are black and white, with judicial use of red accents. Color may be introduced through graphics or visual merchandising, but all store fixture elements must adhere to this branded color palette. Complementary metal finishes are permitted, as are variations in the materiality and proportional relationship of the brand colors. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS †¢ The current fixture program is composed of two core fixtures. A â€Å"linear† – the store’s base wall unit – and a gondola – the makeup category’s base floor unit. Sephora creates these base modules, and then ndividual brands work with Sephora to customize the tray components to each season’s assortments and stories. These trays are updatable and interchangeable to any position within the linear and gondola system; this function must be preserved in the design concept. †¢ Limitations of the current fixture program include a lack of flexibility to create more varied spatial configurations and presentations, a static graphic communication system, and an overall feeling of being fixture-heavy and cumbersome. Fixtures should focus more on the product and storytelling. Objectives within each of the brand’s feature presentations include: focus and articulation of current trends and the latest product innovations; clear secondary presentations of core product groupings such as eye shadows, foundations, and lip products; a forward presentation of each product available for the client to test, backed by packaged and accessible selling stock; and additional back-stock storage in each unit. †¢ The newly proposed core fixture solution needs to provide for a base system that preserves an underlying framework to each brand’s presentation while evolving how the brands can express their trend and product stories. The overall department is punctuated by highlight areas. Here Sephora presents a curated assortment of the best of a product segment, such as mascaras, or highlights a larger trend, such as nail art. Design proposals are to reconsider how trend and highlight areas function and are integrated into the â€Å"brand library† of the overall department. These areas should be flexible for frequent updating, encourage play and trial as well as shopping and learning, and be designed to enable varied configurations over time. †¢ The total store is anchored by the â€Å"Beauty Studio,† the destination for clients to receive cast-assisted consultations. Design proposals should thoughtfully integrate the experience of experimentation and trial throughout the revamped Color experience. Clients should always feel exposed to looks, trends and product innovations, with the ability to try the products individually, in groups or with cast assistance. †¢ Sephora’s virtual presence has grown. It is the leading online beauty retailer, with a loyal following across all forms of social media. The virtual experience with the brand affects the in-store shopping experience, so students should consider digital integration across the Color experience. The area should range from 1,600 to 2,500 square feet, comprising a mixture of wall and floor fixtures. PRESENTATION REQUIREMENTS AND FORMAT †¢ Each entry should be submitted in an 8-1/2 x 14 bound booklet, not to exceed 12 pages. †¢ The design may be hand-drawn, rendered, photographic, and/or computer-generated. †¢ Students also must submit a copy of their design in PDF form at entry on a CD. A PDF version of the booklet is also required. †¢ The submission should address the general requirements above at a scale and composition determined by the student. A written concept statement limited to two paragraphs must highlight the unique fixture design, the rationale for design decisions, material selections, and the demographic for whom the design was made. GENERAL INFORMATION AND ENTRY REQUIREMENTS †¢ This competition is open to undergraduate college students only. †¢ Students may only enter ONE category; either the visual merchandising category or the store design category. †¢ The student’s name and school name is not to be visible anywhere on the presentation pages or cover. Each entry must include a printed entry form and disclaimer clipped to the back of the entry. †¢ Each entrant must complete and submit an online copy of the entry form as well. †¢ Students must also submit a copy of their entry on a CD or DVD in a PDF format with the entry. Please make sure to label the CD or DVD. †¢ Students are advised to keep a copy of their entries, as entries will not be returned. Entries must be received by 5:00 p. m. Pacific time on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013. Sephora PAVE Entries Attn: Paul Loux & Hillary Washington 525 Market Street, 32nd Floor San Francisco, CA 94105

Health promotion in physical activity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Health promotion in physical activity - Essay Example This essay "Health promotion in physical activity" outlines how the modern lifestyle affects the level of obesity and the significance of the physical activity for the good health. The World Health Organization in 2004 implemented the WHO Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health (DPAS) which calls on member states, the private sector and public sector to implement policies that help in reducing and preventing chronic disease. The European Charter on Countering Obesity was also formed by WHO member states in the region on 16 November, 2006. However, even with the combined efforts of states in Europe, obesity is still on a continuous rise with alarming predictions of its prevalence in the future. Policies implemented to curb the pandemic need to focus on making the healthy choices easy, natural and desirable to the target groups. Four main sectors are tasked with the responsibility of incorporating physical activity in the lives of the citizens as much as possible. They are health, transport, urban planning and environment and occupation sectors.The health sector can start by promoting and engaging in inter-sectorial work at all levels, ensuring that health practitioners are motivated to promote physical activity to the public and also to lead by example. The transport sector needs to address the safety needs of cyclists and pedestrians, link with the health sector to harmonize their policies and to communicate the benefits of physically active transport as compared to using cars.

Mummy and Painted Cartonnage of an Unknown Woman Essay

Mummy and Painted Cartonnage of an Unknown Woman - Essay Example This can be revealed through the decorative funerary rituals that were done during the time. These practices reveal the fascination and the obsession of the people on immortality. One way through which this can be revealed is through the mummifications and decorations that could be found in museums. One of these beliefs and customs are revealed through the mummy and painted Cartonnage of unknown woman The mummy and painted Cartonnage of unknown woman looking upwards is made up of decorated layers of linen and plaster (The Walters Museum par 1). These are made into a shape of a woman. However, the woman is not known. It was believed that the mummy would sustain the life of the dead woman when it comes back. The mummification contains decorations all over. The mummy also contains a decoration of floral wreath on the wig, a winged scarab beetle and a broad collar (The Walters Museum par 1). The mummy also has decorations that include four men who are standing facing one direction. The f our men represent the four sons of Horus. According to the Egyptian culture, the four sons of Horus are associated with protection. They offer security from any threat. This further reveals the fact that the ancient Egyptians believed on immortality of the soul. This is revealed by the act of providing protection for the dead; in this case who are represented through a mummy. The decorations also include the boat of the funerary deity Sokar. This boat was a sacred one. The sacred boats are very significant to the ancient Egyptian culture. They were usually used when the gods were brought out from their sanctuaries where they processed before the public. The decorations on the mummy of the unknown woman also include a mummy of Osiris who is lying on a funerary bed. This reveals the importance of the god to the dead people. The God of Osiris was important for the protection of the dead. The mummy also contains a decoration of a divine falcon god. The falcon god is among the most impor tant gods of the Ancient Egypt. The divine falcon god is considered as the divine personification of the kinship of Egypt (Nicholson and Shaw 156). The god was also a representation of the god of heavens. In the ancient Egyptian culture, Horus relates to the Egyptian divine kingship. It was representation of the last king who has ever ruled in Egypt. Since the living king was Horus, when he died the new king would usually become the new image of Horus and the dead king would become Osiris (Nicholson and Shaw 185). The decoration on the mummy and painted Cartonnage of unknown woman also contains a short hieroglyphic text, which contains an offering formula. The burial customs that were observed in the ancient Egypt were meant to ensure immortality after death. All the rituals performed were believed to contribute to the immortality of humanity. This was the main reason why they preserved the bodies through mummification. In addition, the dead would be accompanied with the things the deceased would need afterlife. The mummification process usually took a period of 70 days. The internal organs were usually removed from the body after which the body was desiccated using a special kind of salts. The body could then be tied with linen. The latest mummies were also kept inside painted Cartonnage mummy cases. Therefore, the mummy of an unknown woman is more recent since it was made using the latest mummification technology that was used then. According to the ancient Eg

What Not to Do Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

What Not to Do - Case Study Example Those who asked such burning questions were either pressured to conform to the ‘norms’ or faced limitation of their terms. The other major flaw that contributed to the demise of AHERF was the alliance between the chief executive officer and the chairperson of the board. The board meetings became only staged performances, as if the participants were following a script. The participants were often given huge reports and never enough time to review them. To summarize both the problems, many frauds and financial weaknesses were covered up, investors were kept in the dark about financial standing of AHERF and there were justifications for later acquisitions by AHERF, such as expansion or market presence (Burns, Cacciamani & Clement, 2000). Here are some of the proposed solutions for the problems that AHERF faced. The board structure plays crucial role in the financial and operational wellbeing of any corporate. The articles of incorporation and bylaws serve as guidelines for the board members. The organization of board is not a hard and fast rule, it varies considerably from one board to another (Lockee, 2005). In fact, each hospital must uphold its own ethos and autonomy (Tipping, 1999).The task of the committees is to support the work of the board, (which AHERF did too well). However, support never means bling support for board’s work. The major mistake that AHERF made was when people started ruling board meeting and decisions instead of bylaws defining their roles. The chairperson is the most important member of the board, which delegates tasks and oversees performances, had AHERF done this properly, an alliance between the chair person and the chief executive would not have been possible. The other mistake regarding AHERF’s board meeting is suppressing opinions, twisting and contorting free speech so that it would not hurt the agenda of the chairperson and the chief executive officer. Effective boards are

Film Review Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Film Review Paper - Essay Example Since then these two spend a lot of time together and fall in love. Rafe unexpectedly returns and realizes that Danny and Evelyn are very close to each other. But before they three can untangle themselves, Japan attacks Pearl Harbor and starts bombing. Many ships are destroyed and Evelyn is busy in dealing with the wounded. Meanwhile Danny and Rafe manage to get air bourn and they start shooting down Japanese fighter planes with the help of their reckless tactics. If you compare this movie with â€Å"The Thin Red Line† or â€Å"Saving Private Ryan† the movie simply lacks moral ambiguity. The important issues are presented in black and white with a little focus on deciding what is actually right and what is wrong. The Japanese are shown as clear evil and Americans are shown as doing nothing and just being good to the Japanese which is not fair. The love story of the movie would have been very interesting if in the love triangle there would have been a Japanese American, because there would have been a problem of their loyalties as an American and their ancestral roots which would have been torn apart. A very big problem with this movie was that the director tries a lot of things together. With all these things Pearl Harbor didn’t do a good job but it’s still a good movie because Josh Harnett and Kate Beckinsale acted pretty well. As far as the historical accuracy is concerned the movie has got all the dates and events right. The special effects used in movie are really impressive. Despite many negative comments and reviews Pearl Harbor was one of the highest grossing films in 2001. It can be included in the list of good American War movies. The historical context of the movie is completely lost. Pearl Harbor had three hours in which to present it. The actual historical background was not present. The most obvious historical blunder is the scene of Americana that the director uses as an

Module Manging orgnisational change & Design Essay

Module Manging orgnisational change & Design - Essay Example It is therefore worth noting that organizations are formations of people, who interact for a common purpose and exhibit good structure with a purposeful coordination of various departments and groups of people within the organization. Organizations as shown have a common goal or purpose as a basic building block and as such, they are often formed to exploit resources for a common good. Organizations may vary in what they do but the commonality of interest in exploitation and mobilization of resources distinct organizations from other types of social set-ups. They are therefore often profit oriented and are formed to pull together resources and exploit them collaboratively for common good. Organizations are formed of people with common motives or ideas. Members in an organization exhibit some traits in shared values, symbols, behaviors and beliefs, which together define the organization culture. Organization culture is a key determinant to any organization’s success in that it guides and influences actions as well as decision making at the organization though unconsciously (Haworth, nd). Organizational culture is a very strong force that is characteristic in an organization though not in a visible form. ... They therefore have distinct links with the external environment, which implies that organizations interact with other forms of systems within the social environment, groups of people, individual persons, communities as well as other organizations. Organizations are not similar but they exhibit a range of variations. The variations notable on organizations are evident in manner of operations, formation, organizations as well as the basic goal for their formation. On a broader view, organizations are distinct on matters of either being public or private. The public organizatiosn are designed and ran by a specific government department under which specific legal provisions apply and influence policy making towards the organization. On the other hand, private organizations are unique in that they are not directly under influence of the government but they are distinct. They are classified into either profit or nonprofit organizations where the activities involved are similar but the mot ives guiding the operations differ. The for-profit organizations exploit resources for profit motive while the non-profit organizations are guided by other motives and not making profit. Seminar Question two: The formation and management of organizations is dependent on particular contexts within which they operate. The organizational context in this regard implies that there are influential circumstances surrounding the working of the group of persons. Context refers to the environment of operations, influencing items in the scope of current operations and an overall setting within which the organization is established and within which the operations take place. Understanding the context within which an organization operates has absolute advantages in that it

Privacy hw Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Privacy hw - Research Paper Example Privacy is required for risk management scenario. In the context of the provided case though, the logical factors for privacy will have to be correlated with human values and ethical consideration (Clarke, 2009). The parents of the deceased Marine wanted to seek access to his email. The service provider of the email, Yahoo was reluctant to concur with the request. In the given context from the point of view of Yahoo, the scenario brings into consideration the issue of computer ethics and the privacy aspect. Yahoo, as a service provider had agreed to certain terms with the deceased Marine which they can’t just waive off. The privacy issue is a main reason behind this decision as if the information is released to the parents then it could bring in devastating consequences. In terms of social point of view, the need for email privacy is a very relevant and important issue. Information ethics as a part of computer ethics has to consider not only the human beings along with their actions, characters, and intentions but also the ethical theories like utilitarianism and deontological has to be considered. Information ethics and the privacy related aspects sometimes has to be supplemented with traditional ethical consideration and it can also override the information ethics aspects if need arise (Bynum, 2008). In terms of privacy rights in general circumstances, the personal information associated with an email like password is very important. The security breach aspects like hacking, and stealing of personal information is very crucial aspect for ensuring email privacy and security. There is also a terms called ‘right to privacy’, which provides an individual to have right to control their personal information. Personal privacy in case of email in general circumstances is an uncompromising issue for a service provider like Yahoo (Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, 2010). As per electronic privacy information center, privacy laws are

Alcohol Peer Pressure in College Essay Example for Free

Alcohol Peer Pressure in College Essay In the article â€Å"Above the Influence,† the main idea focuses on how alcohol in college has clinched onto society and is now considered a norm. The goal of this study was to explore how non drinking college students negotiated communication about a potentially stigmatized behavior abstinence from alcohol (675). The concept of the paper goes into depth on how students who dont drink alcohol are usually an outcast or fall into peer pressure to fit in. In order to support the claims, researchers conducted an experiment to prove their hypothesis. They used both strict non drinkers and drinkers and placed the participants on a party school campus where alcohol is greatly abused. The actions of the kids varied on whether they would keep their non drinking low key or allow others to know about their situation. The research allowed the experimenters to see the variation of how the abstinent drinkers used communication to still fit in. The claims I most agreed with was allowing different non drinkers with various backgrounds to be put in similar situations. The diversity gave a better out look on how they would try to still be social even without the alcohol consumption. When the students used their different tactics to party without upsetting the other drinkers, I believe the empty cup was the best plan (679). When youre communicating and trying to avoid any issues or quarrels, it is best to please the opposite party. Although some of the students did not drink, holding a cup would allow them to socialize without being hounded. Drinking has become a normality in both college and adult culture. It can even be seen as disrespectful to some to refuse the offer or abstain from it. The empty cup allows positive face to take place without questioning or disturbance from drunken or concerned peers. Participant Kristen stated that the cup gave her â€Å"control† of the situation and did give any negative vibes toward others. She was able to fit in the crowd with no problem. The non alcoholic cup could also allow the student to assimilate with new friends without feeling awkward or left out. It can give power to those who feel uncomfortable and out of place when faced with alcohol. Being a minority can always be harsh but the cup trick allowed a path into the majority without losing morals and beliefs. The claims that I did not agree with the most was blatantly telling fellow party goers that they were not drinkers. Choosing to abstain from alcohol should be kept as a private matter and does not need to be show boated or announced. A non drinker who states their lifestyle can be seen as a prude or over responsible. Their actions can belittle a social drinker and even stir up an argument (678). As shown in the article, participant Andy was caught in an argument with a girl after declaring his abstinence. He could have hurt his relationship if the issue had gotten out of hand. His honesty without privacy has caused an uneasy feeling among others. Some of the students could have tried to please themselves and their peers by using a prop to get out of pressure. College students already know how hard it is to assimilate without adding alcohol to the mix and should try to avoid any persecution. In many cases it is great to own up to a positive lifestyle, but dealing with young adults is in another spectrum. The brutality and insults given by peers can damage a person both emotionally and mentally. The bashing can also cause one to change their outlook or mentality about drinking. By being unaccepted into the norm, a person can try to change their selves to fit in. Not only can denying drinking be an issue to the victim, but also a fellow peer. Alcohol is not always the center of a party or get together, but it is shown that when someone refuses a drink, the offered can feel offended, as if he or she were being dismissed as a person (677). Looking to keep the best interest of both parties is not to inform others about personal decisions. The experiment overall did allow many questions to be debunked, but I dont agree with using a college as a normal situation. In college, students are given a great amount of freedom which causes curiosity and experimenting. Whether it is with drugs or alcohol, college students use foreign or illegal items excessive when they are accessible. Most students are able to kick the negative habits when they are thrown into the real world and given real problems. The experiment should have been used in both college and adult life to give a feel on how being a non drinker is abnormal. I believe that a non drinker would be more accepted in a real world situation because being responsible is admirable when older. When put into a college realm, people tend to be very judgmental due to the level of maturity. Peer pressure never disappears but it does subside when the level of maturity develops fully. Adults do not force or ridicule others when they are giving off a positive action. Although non drinkers can fall into stereotypical types such as a recovering alcoholic (676), it is easy to kick the labels when older. Therefore I do believe this article and research met the goal of different communication skills when dealing with abnormal choices in society. The experiment allowed to explore the responses of people when deciding on how they deal with abstaining from alcohol. Some of the feedback gave positive and accepting results while other communication methods created tension and unwanted stress. Although some forms of communication worked better in social situations rather than others, having an array of different attitudes helped determined which faces worked best in college. The positive face allowed participants to have both a good time and maintain their safety. The other participants who chose their own route did have a hard time being accepted by others. Both methods created different paths, but allowed their abstinence of alcohol to be accepted in either a positive or negative light.

An Overview Of Metaphor And Politics English Language Essay

An Overview Of Metaphor And Politics English Language Essay The earliest study of metaphor can be traced back to the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, whose definition of metaphor as transference of lexical meaning for achieving rhetorical and poetical value set the tones for scores of generations in their metaphor study. For a long time, metaphor was limited to a narrow field of practical rhetoric and composition, and even considered simply ornamental in function. The advent of cognitive linguistics, put forward by Lakoff and Johnson, has exerted a dramatic change to metaphor research. Metaphor is not merely a linguistic expression, but more fundamentally a form of thought with its own epistemological function. Furthermore, Lakoff also advocated that metaphor, as a phenomenon, involves both conceptual mappings and individual linguistic expressions (1992, p.5). In modern times, metaphor is recognized as a powerful tool in shaping the cognitive world that we experience and therefore is indeed something that we live by. Acknowledged as an in dispensable and decisive feature of natural language, metaphor is so ubiquitous that no study of language can be complete without an adequate account of it. Weekly Radio Address delivered by American Presidents is a special kind of language report in that the Presidents, facing a great number of audiences at home and abroad, have to analyze the current issues and persuade listeners to support or accept à ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ © their ideas. America is a county largely propagating democracy and freedom, therefore, the President is placed on a high obligation to make his decisions open to the public. It should not be taken for granted that once winning the election and taking oaths in the inaugural address, the president can rest easy and relax himself forever. Weekly address serves as a channel for American president to communicate with people, strengthen his power and establish his image. In the address, either for political, cultural or economic, the main aim for the president is to win public support and acceptance; thus language choice and communication skills are of high necessity in achieving political persuasion. Charteris-Black (2004) once cla imed that Choice of language in general and metaphor in particular is essential to politicians overall pervasiveness. (p.2). In other words, proper metaphors are of top priority in the well-formed radio addresses, which can not A Study of Conceptual Metaphors in President Obamas Weekly Radio Addresses only get the speeches running smoothly, but add color to the language and make it easily accepted by the audience. Barack Obama is the first black president in American history. So in order to consolidate his position, he should pay much more attention to strengthening his impression on people through public communication. The image of reliability, honesty, morality and integrity is essential to making sure his long-term success in politics. Taking the weekly addresses made by previous presidents into consideration, it is not difficult to confirm that metaphor is widely employed owing to its nature of vividness and persuasiveness. In addition, as a great art work of language, metaphor also contributes a lot to polishing President Obamas speeches so as to avoid the risks of directly noting something unpleasant. So the relationship between politics and metaphor is like fish and water, just as Thompson (1996) once asserted that politics without metaphors is like a fish without water (p.185). In a word, metaphor and politics are closely related in one way or another. Without metaphor, politicians may encounter a lot of obstacles and troubles in expressing their ideas to the people; without metaphor, the strength of the political address will fade; without metaphor, human language will only serve a role of delivering information. Take what Miller (1976) said as a summary, metaphor is essential to political inquiry, because it permits us to extend our knowledge from our familiar world to a region that is not open to immediate experienceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Metaphor is necessary to political knowledge precisely because the meaning and reality of the political world transcends what is open to observation (p.457). Therefore, President Obama extensively applies metaphors in his weekly radio address in that they can help to explain complex political issues, and Obama in this way can persuade listeners to accept his ideas, and influence their interpretation as well. 1.2. Goal of the Study Metaphor and politics are closely connected with each other. Weekly Radio address is a typical platform for the president conveying his political views and winning supports from the public. In the address, American president employs various tips, metaphor in particular, to make his speeches more accessible and powerful. In the past years, scholars both at home and abroad have made great efforts to study English political speeches in line with pragmatics, stylistics, rhetoric and syntax. But little 2 Chapter 1 Introduction emphasis has been placed on analyzing President weekly radio address from the perspective of conceptual metaphor. Therefore the purpose of the present study is to further analyze it in terms of the metaphor. We are expected to solve such problems: What kinds of metaphors are frequently selected in President Obamas Weekly Radio Address? What are the roles of metaphors in Weekly Radio Address? How do metaphors reveal president Obamas ideology meaning? By discussing the above three aspects, the author intends to raise wider awareness of metaphors and finally comes to a conclusion that selection of metaphor is to satisfy or realize the purpose of the speakers, that is, identifying speaker with the whole audience. 1.3. Data and Method The data in this paper is all Weekly Radio Addresses delivered by the current American President Barack Obama in 2010, from January 2nd to December 25th. These speeches mostly focus on discussing the important issues at home and abroad, and they are all downloaded from VOA website. As the main purpose for this thesis is to analyze the radio addresses in terms of conceptual metaphor, identifying or selecting the metaphors out is of top priority in the process. With the development of linguistics and science, Gerard J. Steen and other ten linguists have introduced a five-step procedure for metaphor identification (2002b); they are 1) identification for metaphor focus; 2) identification of metaphor ideas; 3) identification of metaphor comparison; 4) identification of incomplete compositions; 5) identification of metaphor mapping. (Steen, 2002b, p.393). Therefore, based on their theory of metaphor identification as well as Lakoff and Johnsons conceptual metaphor theory, the researcher will first select the conceptual metaphors from the data, and then classify them in groups for further discussion. Both quantitative and qualitative methods are used in the process of analysis, so that the conceptual metaphors, as well as their frequency and functions can be measured in details. 1.4. Organization of the Thesis In general, the thesis consists of three parts, introduction, body and conclusion. The 3 A Study of Conceptual Metaphors in President Obamas Weekly Radio Addresses introduction is responsible for presenting the purpose and the macro-organization of the thesis. Some background information and the research tasks of the thesis are also included in this part. The body is the main part in the study, including four chapters. Chapter 2 first presents the history of metaphor study and then mainly focuses on exploring the conceptual metaphor proposed by Lakoff and Johnson, including its categorization, working mechanism and systematicity. It comes to a conclusion that metaphor is pervasive in our daily conversation, no longer restricted in poetry language as before. Therefore, political language is also full of conceptual metaphors deserving our consideration and study. Chapter 3 gives a brief introduction to the Weekly Radio Address, and also explains its features and functions according to the varieties of public speaking. Chapter 4 discusses research design and research procedures. Conceptual metaphors from the weekly radio addresses delivered by president Obama in 2010 will be singled out and classified for special analysis. Then based on quantitative and qualitative methods, their discourse functions as well as frequency will meet careful investigation. Chapter 5 as the last chapter of the body mainly discusses the basis and the purpose for applying conceptual metaphors in radio address. That is, why should the prepared radio address choose metaphors to fulfill its goals? At last, the conclusion part is a brief summary of the above five chapters and generally restates the findings of this study. Some limitations and future proposals are also mentioned for further research. 4 Chapter 2 Literature Review and Theoretical Basis Chapter 2 Literature Review and Theoretical Basis 2.1. Previous Studies on Metaphor 2.1.1. A Brief History of Metaphor No technical term or concept in linguistics as well as in any other science is born out of nothing. The notion of metaphor originates from the Greek word metapherein, meta means with or after (denoting sharing) and pherein means bring across. Although the researches on metaphor have a long history which can be traced back to Plato and Aristotle, a widely-accepted definition for metaphor has not come into being yet. In the era of Greek scholars like Aristotle, metaphor was only referred to here and there in the ocean of linguistic literature or poetry. At that period, western literacy, linguistics and critical traditions had been interested in the possibilities of differentiating between literal and figurative language. Aristotle, generally praised as a first thinker to elaborate the theory of metaphor, also classified language into rhetorical and common ones, and in his book Poetics (1951, p.71) he pointed out that Metaphor is the application of an alien name by transference either f rom genus to species, or from species to genus, or from species to species, or by analogy, that is, proportionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Analogy or proportion is when the second term is to the first as the fourth to the third. We may then use the fourth for the second, or the second for the fourth. Sometimes too we qualify the metaphor by adding the term to which the proper word is relative., which indicates that the greatest scholar here identified metaphor as a figure of speech, using the name of one thing to refer to the other. After that, his view on metaphor has been largely followed by rhetorical scholars who also regarded metaphor as a displacement or an extension of the meaning of words (Ricocur, 1978), or an implied comparison of two different things (Feng, 1983). In addition, they also emphasized that an eye for resemblance was essential in making a good metaphor, and metaphor itself could polish language, make language more charming and distinctive. Later on, another slightly different view on metaphor, known as substitution, was proposed by the ancient Rome rhetorician Quintilian. It mainly stated that metaphor was formed by using one expression to substitute another equivalent literal expression (Lin Shuwu, 1997, pp.11-19). Therefore, both Aristotle and Quintilian have limited metaphor 5 A Study of Conceptual Metaphors in President Obamas Weekly Radio Addresses to lexical level, as a figure of speech no different from other rhetorical devices like synecdoche, metonymy and personification. But their main differences lie in that the former regarded resemblance or analogy as the essence of metaphor, while the latter shifted his attention to substitution or replacement. From 1930s to 1960s, a new view called Interactive Theory was put forward by Ivan A. Richards, one of the founders of modern, psychologically based literary criticism, to examine the metaphorical property of human beings mind and action and the structure of metaphor. He claimed that In the simplest formulation, when we use a metaphor we have two thoughts of different things active together and supported by a single word, or phrase, whose meaning is a resultant of their interaction(Richards, 1936, p.89). Therefore, according to Richards, when researchers are trying to find out how the language works, they are actually studying human beings mechanism of thought, emotion and other brain activities. Compared with the above mentioned two theories, Interactive Theory is much better and more authentic in that it no longer limits metaphor at lexical level, but shifts to the way of thinking. Whats more, Richards has widened the researching field of metaphor, not just in rhetorical or poetry d iscourse but in our daily language including science discourse. A new view of metaphor that challenged all these aspects of the powerful traditional theory in a coherent and systematical way was first developed by George Lakoff and Make Johnson in 1980 in their seminal study: Metaphors we live by. Their conception has become known as the the cognitive linguistic view of metaphor. Lakoff and Johnson challenged the deeply trenched view of metaphor by claiming that 1) metaphor is a property of concept, and not of words; 2) the function of metaphor is to better understand certain concepts, not just some artistic or esthetical purposes; 3) metaphor is often not based on similarity; 4) metaphor is used effortlessly in everyday life by ordinary people, not just by special talented people; and 5) metaphor, far from being a superfluous though pleasing linguistics ornament, is an inevitable process of human thought and reasoning (1980, p.3). They have been convinced that metaphor is pervasive both in thought and everyday language. 2.1.2. Definition of Metaphor In terms of the several theories discussed above, it can be taken for granted that metaphor has witnessed a great revolution, from rhetorical devices at lexical level to 6 Chapter 2 Literature Review and Theoretical Basis cognitive aspect as a way of thinking, and from poetry discourses to daily language. Its definition has also changed a lot: as in the ancient Greek, the word metaphor was defined as a novel or poetic linguistic expression where one or more words for a concept are used outside of its normal conventional meaning to express a similar concept; but since 1980s, the essence of metaphor has focused on cognition instead of comparison and the locus of metaphor is not in language at all, but in the way we conceptualize one mental domain in terms of another. Today, an increasing number of cognitive scientists, including cognitive linguists, are engaged in researches on metaphor. The reason is that metaphor study has extended to a much wider area, interrelating with human thought, understanding, and reasoning. Trying to understand metaphor, then, means attempting to understand a vital part of who we are and what kind of world we live in. So now one widely shared definition of metaphor is propose d by Lakoff and Johnson (1980): metaphor is not just a matter of language, that is, of mere words, but a cross-domain mapping in the conceptual system; the essence of metaphor is understanding and experiencing one kind of thing in terms of another; and metaphor is pervasive in everyday life, not just in language but in thought and action (pp.3-5). In addition, other scholars also put forward their ideas about metaphor. Metaphor is characterized by the conceptualization of one cognitive domain in terms of component more usually associated with another cognitive domain (Taylor, 1989, pp.132-133). Yu (1998) focuses on the mappings between the source domain between the target domain, stating that metaphor is a conceptual mapping from a source domain to a target domain with both ontological correspondence and epistemic correspondence entailed by the mapping (p.15). All the definitions indicate that metaphor is related to conceptual system and should be understood as a metaphorical concept. 2.2. Researches on Conceptual Metaphor In cognitive linguistics, conceptual metaphor, or cognitive metaphor, refers to the understanding of one idea, or one conceptual domain, in terms of another. There are two main roles for the conceptual domains posited in conceptual metaphor: one is source domain, referring to the one from which we draw metaphorical expressions; and the other is target domain, referring to the conceptual domain that we try to understand. For 7 A Study of Conceptual Metaphors in President Obamas Weekly Radio Addresses example, in the metaphorical sentence ARGUMENT IS WAR, the word war is the source domain, while argument as the target domain; the concrete source domain is used here to better analyze the abstract target domain. Therefore, with the advent of cognitive linguistics, metaphor has witnessed a great revolution in getting access to the conceptual study. In this part, some researches on conceptual metaphor are to be discussed for the sake of theoretical basis. 2.2.1. Categorization of Conceptual Metaphor Influenced by Michael Reddys Conduit Metaphor Theory (Reddy, 1979, pp.284-310) (He put forward that language functions like a conduit, transferring thoughts bodily from one person to another), Lakoff and Johnson in their cognitive theory of metaphor subdivided conceptual metaphor into three categories: structural metaphor, orientational metaphor, and ontological metaphor (1980, pp.93-112). Structural metaphor refers to the type of conceptual metaphor in which a target domain is understood by reference to the structure of its source domain (Wang Yin, 2006, p.409). In terms of its definition, there are two components and two conditions that are essential to compose a structural metaphor. The source domain and the target domain are the two components that must be two different concepts, which satisfy the first condition. The second condition requires that the two unlike concepts should have something in common by which the structural metaphor adopts to illustrate and comprehend the concept of the target. Again take the expression ARGUMENT IS WAR for example: Conceptual metaphor: ARGUMENT IS WAR Linguistic analysis: Your claims are indefensible; His criticisms were right on target; I demolished his argument; Ive never won an argument with him; He attacked every weak point in my argument. (Wang Yin, 2006, 459) It can be seen from the example that the words like claims criticisms and argument used for describing argument can also collocate with such war-related words or expressions as indefensible on target demolished won and attached. So we can come to conclude that the concept ARGUMENT is metaphorically 8 Chapter 2 Literature Review and Theoretical Basis constructed in terms of the concept WAR. Ontological metaphor is another evidence to show that metaphor is not only a phenomenon of language but also a means of thinking and behavior, which is pervasive in our daily life (Wang Yin, 2006, p.410). The source domain in ontological metaphor always refers to those familiar things or objects in our world, which can be seen and touched easily, so we can know its function and qualities at the first sight, then it contributes to the comprehension and cognition of the target which is regarded as non-material or supernatural experience. Take the following sentence as an example. ARGUMENTS ARE BUILDINGS. Obviously, buildings are the most familiar thing that we see and have a direct contact every day, so their special qualities, such as the appearance, the foundation, the thickness, the possibility of construction, repair, destroy, collapse, etc., can be physically perceived. Therefore, arguments are metaphorically described as buildings, implying that a successful argument is similar to a good building based on careful preparations, firm foundations, good working skills and so on. Otherwise, it will be defeated. In terms of the ontological metaphor: ARGUMENTS ARE BUILDINGS, there arise many expressions as follows. We need some facts or the argument will fail apart. We need to construct a strong argument for that. This is an argument, and it needs more foundation. If you dont support your argument with solid facts the whole thing will collapse. Orientational metaphor, also called the spatialization metaphor, refers to a series of conceptual metaphors structured according to spatial orientation such as up-down, in-out, front-back, left-right and central-peripheral (Wang Yin, 2006, p.410). The specialty of the orientational metaphors is that they are not used in arbitrary but in a fixed way based on peoples experience and culture, and their cognitive job is to give an ontological status to general categories of abstract target concepts. For example, Happy is up, sad is down. Im feeling up/down. You are in high spirits. He is really low these days. The above four sentences prove that we can understand and express our feelings in 9 A Study of Conceptual Metaphors in President Obamas Weekly Radio Addresses terms of the simple spatial concept (like up and down), and the spatial concept itself is constructed from our experiences, that is, interactive with the physical environment. The physical words up down high and low here are no longer understood as the direction words as before, but used to explain and describe the non-physical phenomenon. 2.2.2. Working Mechanism of Conceptual Metaphor In the past years, different linguists have formed different understandings on the working mechanism of conceptual metaphor, such as Richard and Black interaction theory (1936), Lakoff and Johnsons mapping theory (1980) and Fauconniers conceptual blending theory (1996). Mapping theory will be singled out in this part for further discussion. According to Lakoff and Johnson, there are two cognitive domains in the conceptual metaphor, the source and the target, and its working mechanism is to map the experiences of the source domain onto the relatively abstract target domain. They also reinforced that metaphorical thought, in the form of cross-mappings is primary, metaphorical language is secondary (1999, p.123). Fauconnier inherited Lakoff and Johnson cross-domain mappings, claiming that mappings between domains are at the heart of the unique human cognitive faulty of producing, transferring and processing meaning (1997, p.1). Mapping theory is widely applied in illustrating how the two parts or domains can be identified with each other. Take LIFE IS A JONRNEY for example; figure 1 shows the corresponding conceptual mappings between the source domain JOURNEY and the target domain LIFE: Figure 2-1: Mapping Structure in LIFE IS A JONRNEY Source domain Journey Travelers Point of departure Distance Obstacles Destination Termination Target domain Life Common people Birth Process of life Difficulties Goals in life Death 10 Chapter 2 Literature Review and Theoretical Basis 2.2.3. Systematicity of Conceptual Metaphor According to Lakoff and Johnson, metaphorical concept is systematic as metaphor is to understand one concept in terms of another (1980, p.12). Based on the above analysis of the expression ARGUMENT IS WAR, it can be seen that such war-related words as indefensible, on target, demolished, won and attacked are used in a systematic way to describe the battling aspects of an argument. The conceptual features of war are partially transferred to those of argument, adding much color and vividness to the abstract word ARGUMENT. The analysis of LIFE IS A JONRNEY put forward by Lakoff also proves that full clusters of semantically-related words (the italic parts) are sometimes used with related metaphorical meanings. It goes as follows: He got a head start in life. Hes without direction in his life. Im where I want to be in life. Im at a crossroad in life. Hell go places in life. Hes never let anyone in his way. Hes gone through a lot in life. (Lakoff, 1993, p.19) One aspect needs to be pointed out that the very systematicity allows people to comprehend one aspect of a concept in terms of another but meanwhile it also hides other aspects of the concept. Just as the above mentioned, the conceptual features are just partially not totally transferred from one domain to another. Some other features especially those inconsistent ones are not selected out for cross-mappings. For instance, air battle, naval battle, radar-invading airplane, missile, field hospital and Military Area Command are all under the vocabulary of war, but they are not chosen here to systematically depict the feature of argument. 11 A Study of Conceptual Metaphors in President Obamas Weekly Radio Addresses Chapter 3 Weekly Radio Addresses of the US Presidents 3.1. Introduction The Weekly Radio Address is the weekly discussion of current events in the United States by the President. Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first U.S. president to deliver such radio addresses, and then in 1982, President Reagan revived the practice of delivering a weekly Saturday radio broadcast which is followed by all the other successors including President Barack Obama right now (Wikipedia). It is a typical and important kind of discourse, as in the speech, the President usually announces many newly-emerged domestic or international issues, attracting public attention and responses. The address embraces a lot of useful and fresh information, ranging from politics, economics, culture, education, military service, to health care, etc.. Since Barack Obama made his inaugural address on January 20th, 2009 as a new President in America, his weekly addresses have continued on the White House website, showing his concern on America as well as the whole world. So it can be taken for granted that the weekly address is of great necessity either for the President who can build up his public image, or for the American people who can in this way enhance their vigilance and take current problems into further consideration. 3.2. Varieties of Public Speaking The Weekly Radio Addresses made my U.S. president can be perceived as a sort of public speaking for the audience around the world. Therefore, the varieties of public speaking are necessary to be mentioned here to illustrate the features of Weekly Address. In accordance with their general purposes, speeches usually can be classified into four categories: to inform, to persuade, to entertain, and to stimulate. 3.2.1. Informative Speech Information or information transition plays an important role in the development process of human society. In the ancient time, people could not have developed themselves without sharing information or drawing on the experiences of others. In 12 Chapter 3 Weekly Radio Addresses of the US Presidents addition, people in the modern world often consider information as a kind of power, bringing a lot of physical property and mental legacy. One of the major purposes for human communication is to collect, exchange and share information with each other, and so is public speaking. As for this type of speech, the speaker is required to convey information, or in other words, to keep the audience informed of something important and teach them how to deal with it. For instance, President Obama once started his radio address with a matter of doctors pay cuts aiming to keep people informed of its real reason and effect: More than a decade ago, Congress set up a formula that governs how doctors get paid by the Medicare program. The intent was to slow the growth of Medicare costs, but the result was a formula that has proposed cutting payments for Americas doctors year after year after year. These are cuts that would not only jeopardize our physicians pay, but our seniors health care. Since 2003, Congress has acted to prevent these pay cuts from going into effect. These votes were largely bipartisan, and they succeeded when Democrats ran Congress and when Republicans ran Congress which was most of the time. (12th, June, 2010) The above paragraph is a typical example of informative speech in Obamas weekly radio addresses. Furthermore, in the process of delivering speech, such techniques as discussion, explanation, illustration and description are of great help in ensuring that the audience can bear what the speaker said in mind and then really put them into practice. 3.2.2. Persuasive Speech The purpose of this type of speech is to influence or change audiences attitudes, beliefs, values, feelings, etc. or to persuade them to take some action. In ancient Greek, a famous scholar, Aristotle in his book Rhetoric and Politics (1954) once pointed out a reasoning formula known as the syllogism, in which ethos, pathos and logos were identified as the three criteria for achieving a successful argumentative speech. Ethos means the persuasive appeal of ones character, especially how his character is established by means of the speech and discourse. It is a vital factor in determining whether the speech enjoys a persuasive power or not, as only an ethical and honest speaker could present a truthful argument and win the audiences approval. Pathos is 13 A Study of Conceptual Metaphors in President Obamas Weekly Radio Addresses another communication technique and means persuading by appealing to the readers or listeners emotions. So in order to make the argument attractive enough, the speaker needs to have deep passion when delivering the speech. Logos stands for the appeal to reason. It is harder to argue against the argument built on reason and solid ground; and such arguments make the speaker look prepared and knowledgeable to the audience, which can in turn enhance the power of ethos. All the above mentioned three factors are of great necessity in improving the speakers persuasive ability when making a public speech. President Obamas radio address on 12th, June will be selected here once more for analysis: Im absolutely willing to take the difficult steps necessary to lower the cost of Medicare and put our budget on a more fiscally sustainable path. But Im not willing to do that by punishing hard-working physicians or the millions of Americans who count on Medicare. Thats just wrong. And thats why in the short-term, Congress must act to prevent this pay cut to doctors. If they dont act, doctors will see a 21% cut in their Medicare payments this week. This week, doctors will start receiving these lower reimbursements from the Medicare program. That could lead them to stop participating in the Medicare program. And that could lead seniors to lose their doctors. (12th, June, 2010) In persuading Congress to draft a plan to prevent doctors pay cut, President Obama first defines himself as a man full of sympathy, love and considerateness by putting on the shoes of physicians and the millions of Americans, and then presents several reasons to consolidate his argument. So ethos, pathos and logos are all skillfully used in this persuasive part. 3.2.3. Entertaining Speech As the name suggests, this type of speech is just to bring some entertainment or amusement to the audience rather than to arouse any serious response. It is