Descriptive Statistics (SLP) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Descriptive Statistics (SLP) - Essay Example (2012) Pilot Study of Internet-Based Early Intervention for Combat-Related Mental Distress, and relate them to the writer’s study. From the research, the writer noted that the researchers used statistical diversion and measures of central tendency explain their findings. Measurements of central tendency are statistical measures that categorize single values as descriptive of an entire allotment (Gravetter FJ, Wallnau, 2000). They submit to the hypothesis that there is one figure that best sums up the complete collection of measurement. The main function of central tendency is to provide accurate descriptions of sets of data and is mainly displayed as median, mean or mode. According to Sundaram et al. (2010), a large amount of people use mean because of its mathematical qualities, and is paramount for data distributed across ranges. A summary conducted to guide this study reveal that in their research, Van Voorhees and his colleagues used mean of 2 to explain participant’s completion of internet-based lessons. This means that the numerical digit 2 represented the number of lessons attended by each member of the sampled data. The mean is a representative of the average number representing a whole sample. It is the computation of all measurement s, divided by the number it represents. Similarly, I can use measurements of central tendencies to test my hypothesis by calculating the mean of participants who would likely to seek medical healthcare. Statistical dispersion observes fundamental variations in a continuing phenomenon. This method differentiates between inter-individual variables and operates in tests taken under different conditions and times, or whose subjects display diverse characteristics (Dawson &Trapp, 2004). Dispersion mostly refers to the notion that another number explains the extensiveness of all measurements from the central number. Statistical dispersion is present in nominal or

Starbucks Corporation and Brand Loyalty Essay Example for Free

Starbucks Corporation and Brand Loyalty Essay In today’s highly competitive business markets, a consumer’s loyalty to a brand often adds reassurance to the company’s stable and lasting position in the marketing world. As the new year continues to unravel, brands must maintain strong marketing strategies in order to keep their current buyers interested as well as capture the eye of new buyers. Brand loyalty after all, is the consumer’s conscious and unconscious decision, expressed through intention or behavior, to repurchase products from a brand continually. It occurs when the consumer perceives that the brand offers the right product features, image, or level of quality at the right price. One of the industry’s most successful companies, with over 19,000 stores worldwide, is Starbucks Corporation. Through the use of various marketing tactics, Starbucks has established itself as the largest coffeehouse company in world with a continuously expanding flock of loyal consumers each year. Pricing: As the leader of the coffee market, Starbucks Corporation is known for setting its prices on a simple idea: providing high value products at a moderate cost. When consumers are drawn to a product they find worthy of their money, they often are willing to pay any cost to attain the item. For Starbucks’ loyal consumers, quality is key. To maintain its brand loyal consumer base, Starbucks ensures their buyers quality coffee to justify its costs. Differentiation: Starbucks spends a large sum of time and energy annually to differentiate itself from its competitors. When one steps foot into one of the coffeehouses’ many locations, he or she will immediately be exposed to the music played in the shop as well as the types of products the shop sells, from bags of freshly ground coffee to jazz CDs. Starbucks also tries to stay up-to-date on the latest technology, often times being the first to introduce the newest advancements to its customers. Through new approaches such as location-based promotions and mobile payments, Starbucks uses various techniques to set itself apart from other coffeehouses in the hopes of attracting brand loyal consumers. Customer Service/Satisfaction: Starbucks has always been strongly devoted to providing its customers with quality service. To ensure this goal is achieved, the company aims to hire motivated and committed employees. Each individual hired by the brand is employee trained for all classes of employees, including part-time workers. Starbucks relies on its baristas and other frontline staff to provide customers with the best â€Å"Starbucks Experience†. My Starbucks Rewards Card: Another tactic Starbucks has used to reel in brand loyal consumers is the introduction of the â€Å"My Starbucks Rewards Card† in 2009. The free, no-contract rewards system allows customers to accumulate stars for each purchase they make at a Starbucks shop. Each star collected is put towards the three level reward system, qualifying card owners for free drinks on birthdays and other benefits. Similar to a reloadable gift card, card users can check there can easily assess and manage their card balances online. The My Starbucks Rewards Card is the perfect way to attract and keep brand loyal Starbucks consumers since customers have the incentive of earning rewards for simply buying products from their favorite coffeehouse. Starbucks’ Social Media Strategy: In addition to operating fan accounts on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, Starbucks also owns its own version of a social networking site called, MyStarbucksIdea. com, where customers are asked to contribute their ideas on anything related to Starbucks. The site allows to users to see what others are suggesting, vote on ideas and check the results. MyStarbucksIdea. com is a brilliant and important aspect of Starbucks social media strategy. Users who are part of this network feel that they have some role in the decision making process of the company and it makes them feel a part of it. Starbucks employees also play role in the company’s social media strategy by participating in the blog entitled, â€Å"Ideas In Action†. This blog is written by various Starbucks employees and discusses how the brand is incorporating the ideas submitted by users on MyStarbucksIdea. com. The blog keeps customers in the company loop by keeping them informed regarding what is happening with their ideas. This strategy helps to increase the loyalty of consumers to the brand as well as showing potential customers, â€Å"Hey, we care about what YOU have to say†. Free Samples: On Tuesday, January 12, 2012, Starbucks Coffee released a new roast of its famous coffee, the â€Å"Blonde Roast†. To help introduce customers to its new lighter roast product, the company offered free samples of its brews during a 3-hour event each day, for two days. The research from tasting event called the, â€Å"Find the Roast You Love Most†, showed that more than 54 million U. S. coffee drinker said they prefer the lighter-roast coffee. Customers who came for the sampling were also given free samples of the light roast to brew at home and a $1 off coupon off a pound of any Starbucks coffee. By offered free samples of their new product to the public, Starbucks was able to draw forth brand loyal consumers as well as other coffee lovers. Today, Starbucks Corporation is one of the most successful and admired companies in the world. Since the company opened its first coffee shop in Seattle, Washington in 1971, it has expanded into a billon-dollar international brand. From its tasty beverages and treats to its specialty, whole-bean coffee blends, Starbucks has developed strong strategic methods that have led the coffeehouse to success, winning over the hearts of many coffee indulgers. Through strategies of pricing, differentiation, providing quality customer service, introducing a rewards program, social media networking, and free samples, Starbucks has been able to acquire thousands of brand loyal consumers each year.

The Christians Doctrine Of Trinity

The Christians Doctrine Of Trinity During my a yearlong stay in Australia in 2009, once I happened to visit St Marys Cathedral in Sydney and witness Sunday Services, a formalized way of communal worship by the followers of worlds largest and celebrated religion the Christianity. The services involved singing of hymns, reading of verses from the Holy Scriptures and possibly a Psalm, a sermon by the Archbishop and then Baptisms of a few young believers. The services were followed by a very informative guided tour of the Cathedral giving a quick insight into the history of the Christianity in Australia in general and of St Marys Cathedral in particular. Impressed by the enriched history of the Christianity and captivated by this very orderly and benevolent way of offering prayers by the Christians Catholic community, I aimed to study the Christian religion in detail and explore its various aspects. However, the most vital factor which led me to write this paper is my eagerness to understand and analyze a shadowy and controversial yet vital Christians Doctrine of the Trinity, as during my visit to the Cathedral I was amazed to view the sermon and hymns glorifying the God, the Christ and the Holy Spirit while putting them all at equal to one and another, despite of the fact that the Christianity, besides Judaism and Islam, is a Monotheistic religion which believes in only one God. In pursuance to my eagerness to understand and research on the subject matter, I went through a number of books and research articles about Christianity in general and the Doctrine of Trinity in particular written by numerous writers professing differing school of thoughts. Having gone through all these writings, my understanding about the Doctrine of Trinity remained as bewildering as ever before. However, being a student of MPhil in Socio-Cultural Anthropology once I tried to analyse the subject matter in anthropological perspective, my understanding of the issue became much explicit and I could make sense of many underlying facts about this mysterious faith of Christianity. While doing my research work and writing this paper I have used the secondary data. However, I fully acknowledge and thank for the continual assistance provided by my instructors, my class fellows, and the Bahria Universitys library staff during my drawn-out research work. Introduction The most debated mystery of the Christian faith has been the Doctrine of Trinity, which defines God as three divine persons God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. These three persons, though distinct from one another, co-exist in unity and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial. Most Christians often say they believe in the Trinity, yet they differ in their understanding of it. There are numerous Trinitarian conceptions that exist today, but generally the Trinity belief is that in the Godhead there are three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; yet, together they are but one God. Supporters of the Trinity say that it is founded not only on religious tradition but also on teachings of the Bible. The Greek Orthodox Church calls the Trinity the fundamental doctrine of Christianity, even saying Christians are those who accept Christ as God. In the book Our Orthodox Christian Faith the same Church declares: God is triune . . . . The Father is totally God. The Son is totally God. The Holy Spirit is totally God. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church describes the Trinity as the central dogma of Christian theology. On the other hand, the critics of the Doctrine of Trinity say it false and man self-fabricated, as the God Almighty stands alone as a separate, eternal, and all-powerful being. They argue that Jesus in his prehumen existence was, like the angels, a separate spirit person created by God, and for this reason he must have had a beginning, i.e. there was a time when he was not. They instill that Jesus has never been Almighty Gods equal in any sense; he has always been subject to God and still is. They also believe that the Holy Ghost is not a person but Gods spirit, his active force. The opponents of the doctrine claim that it is not a Bible teaching, one history source even declaring the origin of the Trinity as entirely pagan. Since the inception of doctrine of Trinity into Christianity about fifteen centuries ago, most Christians who believe in this doctrine have never actually checked it out to see why they believe it. They just assume that it must be true because it is what most churches teach. In addition, many people think it is wrong to question doctrines like this. But the reality is that many Christians who accept the doctrine of Trinity, remain confused and even those who have a deeper understanding of it admit that they do not understand it completely and cant defend it when challenged. Once stuck, their eventual response is that the Trinity is hard to understand because God is beyond human thinking. There is another disturbing aspect of this debate that many Christians believe in different Trinity doctrines or at least they understand this doctrine in different ways. Some believe that God is one being that shows himself in three different ways, like water shows itself in the form of ice, steam, and liquid. Others believe that the Trinity is made up of three distinct personalities and these three are in complete unity in love and purpose. Notwithstanding the above, the aim of this paper is to explore and comprehend the Christians Doctrine of Trinity from different aspects including the anthropological perspective. In doing so, I will first briefly glance at Christianity as a religion while looking into its origin, brief history and the basic beliefs. Then I will deliberate upon one of Christianitys most controversial yet pivotal teachings, i.e. the Doctrine of Trinity. In this part of the paper, I will address some of vital questions concerning the Doctrine of Trinity and will try to find their answers from the available texts and writings. Thereupon, I will analyse the said doctrine from anthropological perspective while applying a French social theorist Michael Foucaults renowned theory on knowledge is power. I will also highlight perspectives about religion by a few other great philosophers like Ludwig Feuerbach, Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim and Sigmund Freud. At the end I will draw my conclusion. Christianity at a Glance Its Origin, Brief History and Basic Beliefs The Christianity is a monotheistic and Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of a Jewish preacher named Yeshua, commonly known as Jesus Christ, who lived in Nazareth, a small town in Galilee of Roman province Judaea, about 2,000 years ago. Yeshua was born to a Virgin Mary probably between 7 and 4 BCE, and was executed in Jerusalem in the spring of the year 30 CE on the orders of the Roman Prefect, Pontius Pilate. After Yeshuas death, his apostles formed the Jewish Christian movement, concentrated in Jerusalem. One of Yeshuas Apostles Simon Peter and then James, who is viewed as either Yeshuas brother or cousin, headed the group. They regarded themselves as a reform movement within Judaism; as they continued to sacrifice at the temple, circumcise their male children, and follow Jewish kosher food laws etc. Around 34 CE, Saul of Tarsus, originally a persecutor of the Jewish Christians, while travelling on the road from Jerusalem to Damascus on a mission to apprehend the Jewish Christians had a vision of the resurrected Jesus in a great light. He converted to Christianity and adopted the new name of Paul the Apostle, and became the greatest theologian of the early Christian movement. His writings, along with those of the author(s) of the Gospel of John, provided much of the theological foundation for what has been called Pauline Christianity, a movement that spread throughout the northern and eastern Mediterranean basin. Paul Christianity, which started around 37 CE, was directed primarily to Gentiles, i.e. non-Jews. The third contesting belief system was Gnostic Christianity, which taught that Jesus was a spirit sent by God to impart knowledge to humans so that they could escape the miseries of life on earth. In addition to Jewish, Pauline and Gnostic Christianity, there were many other versions of Christianity being taught. However, after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman Army in 70 CE, the Jewish Christian movement was largely dissipated which left Pauline and Gnostic Christianity as the dominant Christian groups. Gentiles within the movement took over control of the former movement. As compare to other beliefs systems, the Pauline Christianity grew quickly in size and influence over a few decades, and by 313 CE Roman Empire recognized it was a valid religion and by 387 CE it became the official religion of the Roman Empire, replacing other forms of religions earlier being practiced under the Roman rule. Gnostic Christianity was severely persecuted, both by the Roman Empire and the Pauline Christian churches. During the Middle-Ages, most of the Europe was Christianized. Following the Age of Discovery, through colonization and missionary work, Christianity spread to the American subcontinents, Australasia, sub-Saharan Africa, and the rest of the world. As of today, the Christianity is the most popular and largest religion in the world with around 2.34 billion followers, constituting 33.35 % of worlds total population and growing further at the rate of 1.38 % per annum. It is the predominant religion in Europe, the Americas and Southern Africa, and, in one form or another, is the sole state religion of several countries. During the 7th century CE, power in the Christian world became polarized in Constantinople and Rome. These two Christian centers gradually grew apart in belief and practice. In 1054 CE, a split was formalized between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Later on, in the 16th century various schisms including the Protestant Reformation led to a fragmentation within the Western Church. The Protestant movement has since splintered into what is now many groups of denominations, and tens of thousands of individual denominations. Consequently, as of today there are three main groups practicing Christianity worldwide; the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Protestant Churches. There are other Christian groups as well that do not fit neatly into any one of these primary categories, like Oriental Orthodox, Assyrian Church. Of all the Christians in the world today about half are Roman Catholic. Though, there are many differences of interpretation and opinion of the Bible on which the Christianity is based, Christians share a set of beliefs that they hold as essential to their faith. The central tenet of Christianity is the belief in Jesus as the Son of God and the Messiah (Christ). The title Messiah comes from the Hebrew word mÄ Ãƒâ€¦Ã‚ ¡ià ¡Ãƒâ€ž meaning anointed one. Christians believe that Jesus, as the Messiah, was anointed by God as saviour of humanity, and hold that Jesus coming was the fulfillment of messianic prophecies of the Old Testament. The foundation of Christian theology is expressed in the early Christian ecumenical creeds which contain claims predominantly accepted by followers of the Christian faith. These professions state that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born from the Virgin Mary, was crucified, buried, and resurrected from the dead in order to grant eternal life to those who believe in him and trust him for the remission of their sins. They further maintain that Jesus bodily ascended into heaven where he rules and reigns with God the Father. Most denominations teach that Jesus will return to judge all humans, living and dead, and grant eternal life to his followers. He is considered the model of a virtuous life, and both the revealer and physical incarnation of God. Christianity has played a pivotal role in shaping of the worlds socio-cultural, political and economic scenario, especially the Western civilization. In words of a renowned American scholar Sam Pascoe, Christianity started out in Palestine as a fellowship; it moved to Greece and became a philosophy; it moved to Italy and became an institution; it moved to Europe and became a culture; it came to America and became an enterprise. The Doctrine of Trinity Exploring the Doctrine of Trinity The Christian Doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons, the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial. According to this doctrine, there is only one God in three persons. Each of them is said to be without beginning having existed for eternity. Each is said to be Almighty, neither greater nor lesser than the others. Each is said to be a complete God in every sense of the word which includes Gods attributes and all are equal in time, position, power and knowledge. Together, these three persons are sometimes called the Godhead. In the words of the Athanasian Creed, an early statement of Christian belief, the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, and yet there are not three Gods but one God. According this Doctrine, though distinct from one another, the three persons cannot be divided from one another in being or in operation. In other words, God is not divided in the sense that each person has a third of the whole; rather, each person is considered to be fully God. The distinction lies in their relations, the Father being un-begotten; the Son being begotten of the Father; and the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and (in Western Christian theology) from the Son. Regardless of this apparent difference, the three persons are each eternal and omnipotent. While distinct in their relations with one another, they are one in all else. This ancient diagram explains the Trinity quite well. According to researchers, the word Trinity is not mentioned anywhere in the Holy Scripture, but used by the ancient Christian theologians to express the doctrine of the unity of God as subsisting in three distinct Persons. Some historians are of the view that the English word Trinity is derived from the Greek word trias, meaning a set of three or the number three and its first recorded use in Christian theology was by Theophilus of Antioch in about 170 AD. However, some researchers argue that the word Trinity came from the Latin word Trinitas, meaning the number three, a triad, and was first used by a Latin theologian Tertullian in 220 AD to express this doctrine. Development of Trinity into a Christian Doctrine Up until the end of the second century at least, most of the Christians were united in one basic belief; i.e. they all believed in the supremacy of the God Father. They all regarded God the Father Almighty as alone supreme, immutable, ineffable and without beginning. However, with the passing of those second century religious theologians and leaders, the Church found itself slipping slowly but inexorably toward trinity. Most of the researchers are of the view that the origin of the trinity doctrine is linked to a controversy, often known as the Arian controversy, that occurred in the city of Alexandria in the early part of the fourth century. A certain Alexander was bishop of Alexandria, Egypt who attempted to explain the unity of the Holy Trinity that whether the Son of God, is of the same substance, or only of like substance, with the Father. Alexander professed that The Son is immutable and unchangeable, all-sufficient and perfect, like the Father, differing only in this one respect that the Father is un-begotten and the Son was begotten. In explaining how the Son was begotten, Alexander quoted Jesus saying that He proceeded from the Father. Arius, who was a presbyter in charge of a parish church in the same city, dissented from the views set forth by Alexander. This disagreement reached the level of confrontation between Bishop Alexander of Alexandria and his presbyter Arius. So at a synod held at Alexandria in 321 C.E., in which Arius was deposed and excommunicated. However, Arius still had much support outside Egypt. Many of the important bishops theologically agree with Arius: Jesus Christ is not God. The sustained controversy caused unrest in the whole Roman Empire and Constantine the Great, in order to resolve the issue invited all bishops of the Christian Church (around 300 at that time) to Nicaea (which is now in modern Turkey) in May 325 C.E. Consequently, the creed of Nicaea was signed by 218 bishops who endorsed the Son as co-equal to God. However, the controversy over the nature of Jesus continued for next more than sixty years and gradually involved every conceivable authority; general councils, Popes, Emperors, bishops alone or in parties, and the faithful at large. A second ecumenical council met in Constantinople in the year 381 CE. This Council gave the finishing touch to the doctrine of three persons in one God stating that Jesus and God were co-equal, co-eternal and the deity of the Holy Spirit. From that time the Roman Emperors resolved and proclaimed they would punish all Christians who would not believe in and worship three persons in one God. Thus, the doctrine of the Trinity came to be formally established as the basic foundation of Christian faith for the next fifteen centuries. Subsequently, the doctrine of the veneration of Mary as the mother of God and bearer of God was also formulated at the Second Council of Constantinople (553 C.E.) and the title of Eternal Virgin was added. In the prayers and hymns of the Orthodox Church the name of the mother of God is invoked as often as in the name of Christ and the Holy Trinityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. In the Roman Catholic doctrine, Mary, the mother of God, was identified with the figure of the divine Wisdom. The process of deifying the mother of God went a step further here, in that Mary is treated like a divine hypostasis (substance), the figure of heavenly Wisdom. All through this period of development there had been protests made by those who wished to preserve the truth of the Gospel from the innovations; but they were gradually overborne, until at length, when the innovators were strong enough, they called other Christians Heretics, and persecuted them. Factors that Influenced the Doctrine of Trinity According to most of the researchers the prime factor that influenced the doctrine of Trinity to formulate into a fundamental belief of Christianity has been its connections with the paganism. Throughout the ancient world, as far back as Babylon, it was common for pagans to worship triad gods. This practice was also prevalent before, during and after Christ in Egypt (Horus, Osiris Isis), India (Siva, Brahma Vishnu), and Babylon (Ishtar, Sin Shamash). With the spread of Christianity especially the Paulines ministry during the first two centuries CE, most of the pagans in the Mediterranean basin converted to Christianity. They brought with them their centuries old socio-cultural traditions and religious beliefs. After the death of the Apostles, such pagan beliefs began to creep in Christianity. One may think that Paganism was dominated by Christianity, but it is perhaps more accurate to say that Christianity adapted it. Even the fact that Christians worship on Sunday was the adoptio n of a Pagan festival, because the Jews used to worship on Saturday. Some researchers are also of the view that one of the factor behind formulation of doctrine of Trinity as Christians fundamental faith had been the personal interest of the Roman emperors to wield maximum powers over masses by exploiting religion through the use of Church as a tool. It was in this context that the Constantine the Great, after coming into power in 312 CE, ended the persecution of the Christians and the suppression of the early Church which were continuing since the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Through conversion to Christianity special favors were offered to the people in the form of political, military and social gains. As a result, thousands of non-Christians joined the Church and enabled Constantine to exercise great power over the Church affairs. Constantines involvement in religious affairs was to such an extent that he himself presided over the proceedings of the Council of Nicaea and exercised his political power to bring to bear the bishops to accept his theo logical position. The Encyclopedia Britannica summarizes the proceedings of the Council of Niacea as follows: The Council of Niacea met on May 20, 325. Constantine himself presiding, actively guiding the discussion, and personally proposed (no doubt on Ossius prompting) the crucial formula expressing the relation of Christ to God in the creed issued by the council, of one substance with the Father. Over-awed by the emperor, the bishops, with two exceptions only, signed the creed, many of them against their inclination. Justifications by the Trinitarians about the Doctrine of Trinity The people who support the Doctrine of Trinity, commonly known as the Trinitarians, justify it on the basis that some verses in the Holy Bible, of which a few mentioned below, have specific reference to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as distinct entities in a single narrative. As soon as Jesus Christ was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and landing on him. And a voice from heaven said, This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. The angel answered and said to her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! The Trinitarians interpret these verses as support for the doctrine of Trinity, because these verses speak of distinct entities mentioned by name in a single nerative. They argue, though the New Testament does not use the word ÃŽÂ ¤Ãƒ Ã‚ ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¹ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ (Trinity) nor explicitly teach it, yet it provides the referencing material upon which the doctrine of the Trinity could be formulated. In addition, the Old Testament has also been interpreted as foreshadowing the Trinity, by referring to Gods word, his spirit, and Wisdom, as well as narratives such as the appearance of the three men to Abraham, which the Trinitarians view as support of a Trinity. Rejection of Doctrine of Trinity by the Non-Trinitarians Many groups in Christianity, commonly known as non-Trinitarians, do not believe in the Doctrine of Trinity or the way the God is described in the Trinity and His relation with Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Non-Trinitarian groups also differ from one another in their views about the nature of Jesus Christ, depicting him variously as a divine being second only to God the Father, as God but not eternally God, as Son of God but inferior to the Father (versus co-equal), as a prophet, or simply as a holy man. The non-Trinitarians reject the Doctrine of Trinity on the basis that the expression God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit were not known or advocated by Jesus or the early Christians. They argue that the Apostolic Fathers and those of the succeeding generations up to the last quarter of the 4th century CE never have thought of a triune God. They believed in One Omnificent, Omnipotent, Omniscient and Transcendent Creator Who alone is to be worshipped. Some Christian history researchers and scholars also dispute the authenticity of the Trinity and argue that the doctrine is the result of later theological interpretations of Christs nature and function. In their view, the doctrine of the Trinity was coined by the Christians about three hundred years after Jesus. The four Canonical Gospels, written between 70 and 115 CE, contain no reference to the Trinity. Even Saint Paul, who imported many foreign ideas into Christianity, knew nothing of the Triune God. The New Catholic Encyclopedia admits that the doctrine of the Trinity was unknown to the early Christians and that it was formulated in the last quarter of the 4th century. At first the Christian faith was not Trinitarian . . . It was not so in the apostolic and sub-apostolic ages, as reflected in the New Testament and other early Christian writings. The early Christians, however, did not at first think of applying the (Trinity) idea to their own faith. They paid their devotions to God the Father and to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and they recognized the Holy Spirit; but there was no thought of these three being an actual Trinity, co-equal and united in One. Denouncement of Doctrine of Trinity by the Holy Quran Islams holy book the Quran denounces the concept of Trinity as an over-reverence by Christians of Gods Word, the prophet and Messiah Jesus Christ son of the Virgin Mary. The Quran declares Jesus as one of the most important and respected prophets and Messengers of God, primarily sent to prevent the Jews from changing the Torah, and to refresh and reaffirm his original message as revealed to Moses and earlier prophets. The Quran reveals that the creation of Jesus is framed similar to the creation of Adam out of dust, but with Jesus birth meaning his creation excludes male human intervention rather than creation completely without human participation. According to Quran teachings belief in Jesus as a prophet, as well as belief in the original Gospel and Torah and belief in Jesus virgin birth are core criterion of being a Muslim and Quranic criterion for salvation in the hereafter along with belief in the Prophet Muhammad and all the prior prophets. In short, in Quran the God is seen as being both perfect and indivisible. He can therefore have no peer or equal. Jesus, being Gods creation, can never be considered to be equal with God or a part of God. So, any believe in the concept of Trinity is considered as blasphemy in Islam. Anthropological Perspective about the Doctrine of Trinity In the preceding paragraphs I have tried to explore the Christians Doctrine of Trinity from different historians and researchers point of view. The study confirmed that this doctrine had no roots in the teachings of Jesus Christ, his Apostles or the early Christian theologians. It was gradually evolved and formulated after at least three hundred years of Christ resurrection. No doubt, this doctrine has been in hot discussion in the Christian world for centuries and has retained the central most space in Christian theology. Though, tons of literature has been written down to analyse this Trinitarian doctrine, but its understanding remains as bewildering as ever before. Now, in order to comprehend this doctrine from anthropological perspective I will try to deconstruct it by going through its contents and by discourse analyses while applying Michael Foucaults theory on knowledge is power. In order to do that I will apply his structural theory to deconstruct this doctrine as power is employed to analyse knowledge, i.e. the concept of discursive formations. Foucault has a unique lens to see the world, societies, and its different institutions, and to use his own perspective about the knowledge and power. His philosophical theories addressed what power is and how it works, the manner in which it controls knowledge and vice versa, and how it is used as a form of social control. His first argument is that all relationships are the relationships of power which are diffused in the fabric of society ontologically, and its intrinsic urge to control others, everyone, and everything. He argues that in the human cultural history irrespective of time and space as a major rule human wants to control human by nature. Foucault divides all human history in three episteme; pre-historic, religious and scientific episteme respectively. He describes religion as a tool to control people. I n his view, knowledge such as scriptures, symbols, myths and rituals play a pivotal role to prove legitimacy of any religion. Knowledge is information and skills acquired through experience and education. Foucault describes four types of contesting knowledge that exist at parallel in a society; i.e. dominant, subordinate, marginalized and muted knowledge. According to Foucault, knowledge as power is used very carefully and politically by the knowledge creators to control human mind. Dominant knowledge creators are the drivers of the society as an elite class in the Marxist paradigm. Dominant knowledge producers create knowledge as discourse which elect some people, and give them the gaze to judge masses in the society, which means society is panoptical and individuals are under constant surveillance that they are doing their jobs properly. If some deviate from their role then the system declare them unfit and put them into asylum. In Foucaults perspective the society is held up in illusion and false consciousness. He annihilates all beliefs, norms, traditions and rules as discourse created by the dominant knowledge producers which are overwhelmingly imposed on the society. He proclaims that no knowledge is authentic, all are socially constructed. In line with many other postmodernists, Foucault argues that the reason to contest between knowledge is that there is a gap between the surface knowledge and living knowledge. Through discourse analysis, power structures may be uncovered and questioned by way of analyzing the corresponding fields of knowledge through which they are legitimized. This is one of the ways that Foucaults work is linked to critical theory. The corollary of the concepts of Foucault is ruling under the rubric of knowledge as power to dominate the thoughts of society. Now applying Foucaults theory on to the Doctrine of Trinity, we would evaluate its legitimacy as divine revelation or socially constructed theology. As we explored earlier, the doctrine of Trinity came into existence through a gradual evolution that took over two centuries. The Christianity that started its career as a pure monotheistic religion drifted slowly but inexorably toward polytheistic beliefs under the influence of pagan traditions and the dominant class of that time, i.e. the Roman emperors. The earlier Christian theologians and council of Bishops like Gnostic (50 CE), Justin Martyr (150 CE), Theophilus (169 CE), Irenaeus (177 CE), Tertullian (192 CE), Clement (215 CE), Hippolytus (220 CE), Origen (230 CE), Sibellius (255 CE), Arius (320 CE), Council of Nicaea (325 CE), Council of Constantinople (381 CE), Council of Chalcedon (451 CE) played their role in the formulation of doctrine of Trinity by continuously defining and re-defining the nature of God, Jesus Christ, and th e Holy Spirit and their relations to one another. Throughout this process the dominant class of that time used its political muscles to keep the doctrine in line with the state mechanism. In short, the knowledge created by the religious theologians and scholars in collaboration with the ruling class was employed to wield maximum power, and that power was used to control the masses. Now we will exchange the lens of Michael Foucault with other great philosophers of nineteenth and twentieth centuries in order to analyze this doctrine in their own conceptions and perceptions. One of the great figure the social philosopher and the most influential political atheist Karl Marx has a very unique materialistic world view to see the processes in the society. He proclaims a conflict view of religion as the sigh of the oppressed creature, the illusory happiness of men, the reflex of real world, the opium of

Cultural Analysis On Death And The Afterlife :: essays research papers

If there is one constant in this world, it would surely be death. Dying is an unavoidable part of life. Indeed, everything that lives will at sometime die. The fear of death is held by everyone. Perhaps it is the correlation of death with pain or the unknown state of the human consciousness after death, maybe a combination of both, that creates this fear. The fear felt is undoubtedly universal, however, the ways in which it is dealt with are varied and diverse. The concept of human mortality and how it is dealt with is dependent upon one’s society or culture. For it is the society that has great impact on the individual’s beliefs. Hence, it is also possible for other cultures to influence the people of a different culture on such comprehensions. The primary and traditional way men and women have made dying a less depressing and disturbing idea is though religion. Various religions offer the comforting conception of death as a begining for another life or perhaps a continuation for the former. Christians, for example, believe that souls that have lived by the words of their God will exist eternally in heaven as divine beings themselves. This conception of an afterlife is generally what we people who are residents of the Unitied States hold to be true. For American culture has its roots in Europe and European culture was and is still influenced by Christian faiths. Similar to Christianity, the Hinduism also eases the fear of death by presenting a life after death. Disimilarities present themselves in the two faiths concerning exactly what kind of afterlife is lived. Believers of the Hindu faith expect to be reincarnated after their demise, either as an animal or human being depending on the manner in which their lives were carried out. These ideals have influenced our culture though our use of language and thought. The implications are apparent in the common references to one’s past lives. For instance, if someone has a natural talent for music one may refer to the person as being once a talented musician in a past life. A religion which describes death as a continuation of existance is held by the Crow tribe of middle America. They viewed death as a journey with the final destination as a place where all their anscestors have gone before them. This notion of an afterlife eased the tribes assimilation into Christian culture when colonists came in contact with the Native Americans during the colonial expansion period.

Emotional Release: Benefits of Art Therapy Essay -- Art Therapy

Title Emotional Release: Benefits of Art Therapy A 6-year-old girl sits next to her therapist, with signs of anxiety upon her face. Pieces of paper, pencil and some markers are placed in front of the girl. She is hesitant to speak out, but these colors do help release some of the tension in the air. She begins to draw and paint, in a matter of fifteen minutes she finishes with a sequence of fourteen pictures: â€Å"A little girl pig is attacked by a man who wax her with a big stick and hits her in the face with a stone, although she has done nothing wrong to him. So the police come and take the man away in their car, under a blanket, and the little pig is taken to hospital by ambulance, â€Å"real bad hurt†. It’s a very long way. In hospital, she is put a stretcher, also under a blanket, and taken for an x-ray. She’s â€Å"real worried† about it and her mother doesn’t know she’s been hurt. In the x-ray picture, sticks and big lumps of stone can be seen inside the pig, where the man has wounded her. The little pig is so ill, she looks sick and her face is still damaged, she might die†¦ she is going to get better? She’s a bit better†¦ just a bad eye†¦ now she’s really better, wearing a pretty dress, decorated with a red heart. The End† (Murphy 1). Estimates predict more than 3.3 million children experience verbal or spousal abuse each year, (Osofsky 3) but not all can tell such complete or symbolic stories; what many choose to do with art materials is make a tremendous mess. Through just this story, many significant themes for the abused child can be reflected: the experience of physical damage, the trepidation of dying, feelings of isolation, the absence of the mother, the sense of injustice, the longing to feel whole an... ...02).  Ã‚  Creativity  in art therapy: Prime mover or silent partner.  Ph.D. dissertation, The Florida State University, United States -- Florida. Web. 15 Nov. 2010.   Malchiodi, Cathy A. (2006). The art therapy sourcebook. McGraw-Hill Professional. Web. 3 Dec. 2010. Murphy, By Jenny. (2001). Art therapy with young survivors of sexual abuse: lost for words.  Psychology  Press.Web.14 Dec. 2010.   Osofsky, J.  The Impact of Violence on Children.  The Future of Children: Domestic Violence and Children  (1999) 9(3):33-49. Web. 12 Dec. 2010. Specht, Sanne.  (30  July). A Picture Is Worth: The stories behind the art therapy pieces on display as compelling as those of the young artists.  McClatchy-Tribune Business News. Web.15 Nov. 2010. Wolff, Rudi. (2007,  May). Engaging art.  Behavioral Healthcare,  27(5),  34-5.  Web. 20 Nov. 2010.                                            

French Revolution Essay -- essays research papers

ON 9th JULY 1797 the statesman and the philosopher Edmund Burke died, after having contracted stomach cancer. He was buried in Beaconsfield Church near his Buckinghamshire home. Burke had been a distinguished Member of Parliament but never attained high office. His political career must be judged a failure. However, Edmund Burke's true legacy was contained in his extensive writings. In letters,pamphlets and books he expounded a coherent system of ideas about human nature;the organic state; the benefits of prejudice;the dangers of government by secret consensus and the role of political parties. Two hundred years on, most scholars would agree that Burke had a gift for deep analysis conveyed in stylish English prose.Yet the content of his work though remains controversial. Supporters included the poet William Wordsworth, who called Burke: "the most sagacious politician of his age". Karl Marx, on the other hand, complained in Das Kapital that Burke was a bourgeois stooge of the English ruling class. Marxists took particular offence at Burke's critique of egalitarianism, perhaps realising the radical threat which this presented to their own vision of a future society. Modern liberals and conservatives still acclaim some of Burke's ideas, but their interest is largely rhetorical. Burke's liberal tendencies would almost certainly not go far enough for today's liberals. His support for the abolition of slavery was only gradualist, his religious toleration did not extend to atheists (whom he saw as dangerous criminals) and, whilst in favour of curbing royal patronage, Burke supported monarchy and aristocracy. Meanwhile, his conservative defence of Parliament, the nation and the Anglican Church would presumably be a sheer embarrassment to today's Conservative Party, which has embraced European Union and a secular, free market ideology. This two-part article will outline some of Edmund Burke's key ideas and assess their relevance to nationalism. His contribution is an important one. Sadly, Burke's clarity and complete lack of political correctness must limit his appeal in the modern age. In 1997 and beyond Burke seems destined to become a forgotten prophet except to those who challenge the prevailing orthodoxy. 1.THE NATURE OF MAN All societies are based on a particular view of human nature. Today's view, springing from Enlightenment philosophy, is that peo... ...ng nature is unworkable, equality is "a monstrous fiction" (7). At worst, ambitious elites use equality as a pretext to reallocate resources to themselves. At best,well-intentioned people see equality as no more than a benign aspiration. They think it would be just in theory but of course not when applied to themselves in practice, lest this endanger their own privileges. This is perhaps the greater error. "Abstract principles,however appealing, cannot be applied directly to solve real political problems. Any attempt to do so will have futile or harmful results. There is no such thing as a political principle which is good in itself, but not practicable. If it is not practicable then it is not good. In Part II of `Edmund Burke's Legacy' the focus will be on other pertinent aspects of Burke's thought. These include his views on:prejudice as being a form of wisdom; "human rights" as being rooted in a specific culture rather than inherited by all people; the dangers of a dual system of government (open and secret) and Burke's belief that political parties should be ideological and that their ideologies should involved "pursuing the national interest'.

Electronic Payment System

UNIT – 3 Electronic Payment System Contents †¢ What is E-payment? †¢ Types of E-payment Systems †¢ Digital Token-based Electronic Payment Systems †¢ Smart Cards & Electronic Payment Systems †¢ Credit Card-based Electronic Payment Systems †¢ Risk & Electronic Payment Systems †¢ Designing Electronic Payment System What is E-payment ? †¢ E-payment systems is the mechanism of transferring money over the Internet and technology used in this transfer is called as EFT. EFT defined as â€Å" any transfer of fund initiated through an e-terminal, telephonic instrument, or computer or magnetic tape to order, instruct or authorize a financial institution to debit or credit an account. It is mostly used for Business to business (B2B) commerce where companies doing business together tend to use electronic data interchange (EDI) system to send each other bills and notices of payment. E-Payment †¢ Information online offline $Products/services Adva ntages of E-Payment †¢ †¢ †¢ Increase payment efficiency – Reduce transaction costs – Enable trade in goods and services of very low value Increase convenience of making payments – Payment can be made swiftly and remotely using various devices Can be used for – e-commerce / e-Trade – For other purposes like paying bills, taxes, etc MBA-II, EBF (FT-204C) Unit-3, Study material compiled by Prof. Vanita Joshi, SOM, SIMS, Indore 1Categories of EFT Banking and financial payments * Large-scale or wholesale payment * Small scale or retail payment * Home banking Retailing payments * Credit cards * Debit cards On-line electronic commerce payments * Token-based payment system ~ Electronic cash ~ Electronic checks ~ Smart cards or debit cards * Credit card-based payment systems ~ Encrypted credit cards ~ Third-party authorization numbers Main factors when selecting e-payment method †¢ Availability (bank system, laws and regulations) †¢ The consideration of size and type of business, type of a target group of consumers, types of products and services. The ability to provide security against fraudulent activity †¢ Being cost effective for low value transaction fees †¢ Being protective of the privacy of the users †¢ Easy to use, and being convenient for purchasing on the web based e-business Token-based E-Payment Systems Electronic tokens are the new financial instruments which are in the form of electronic cash/money or checks.Electronic tokens are same as cash that is backed by bank. They are of three types: 1. Cash or real-time ( e-cash) 2. Debit or Prepaid (smart cards, e-purses) 3. Credit or Postpaid (credit/debit cards, e-checks) E-cash Electronic cash is a consumer-oriented electronic payment. Though it replaces the cash but still cash is quite dominant form of payment for three reasons: 1. Lack of trust in banking system 2.Inefficient clearing and settlement of non-cash transaction 3. Negativ e real interest rates paid on bank deposit Advantages of cash over credit cards †¢ It is negotiable †¢ Cash is a legal tender †¢ Cash is a bearer instrument †¢ It need require bank account to operate †¢ No risk on the part of acceptor that the medium of exchange may not be good MBA-II, EBF (FT-204C) Unit-3, Study material compiled by Prof. Vanita Joshi, SOM, SIMS, Indore 2Properties of e-cash E-cash must have following four properties: Monetary values: Interoperability Retrievability Security E-cash in Action †¢ E-cash based on cryptographic systems called â€Å"digital signature† †¢ †¢ †¢ This method involves pair of two numeric keys (very large number or integer) that work in tandem (cycle): one for encoding and another for decoding. Message encoded with one numeric key can only be decoded with other numeric key and none other. The encoding key is kept private while the decoding key is made public. E-checks †¢ E-checks are a nother form of electronic tokens. †¢ †¢ A new electronic version of paper check. E-check is an instruction to a financial institution to pay a given amount of money to the payee. It is a specially formatted email message sent over the Internet. It contains as the same information as on paper based check. Check service providers PayByCheck (http://www. paybycheck. com) CyberSource (http://cybersource. com) Transaction Payment Sequence in E-check system Payer Transfer e-check Payee Deposit e-check Forward e-check for payer authentication Bank Accounting Server MBA-II, EBF (FT-204C) Unit-3, Study material compiled by Prof.Vanita Joshi, SOM, SIMS, Indore 3 Transaction Payment Sequence in E-check system †¢ Buyer must register with third party account server using electronic check. †¢ On receiving the check, the seller presents it to accounting server for verification and payment. †¢ The accounting system verifies the digital signature on the check. †¢ Proper ly signed and endorsed checks can be electronically exchanged between financial institutions through electronic clearing house. Advantages of E-Check †¢ They work in the same way as traditional checks. †¢ E-checks are suited for micro payments. Eliminate the need for expensive process reengineering and taking advantage of the banking industry. †¢ Financial risk is assumed by accounting server. †¢ E-checks create a float through third-party accounting server. They make money out of buyers and sellers transaction by providing deposit account. Difference b/w EFT and E-check †¢ In E-Cheque, electronic versions of the cheque are issued, received & processed. So, payee issues an E-Cheque for each payment. †¢ In EFT transfer automatic withdrawals are made for monthly bills or other fixed payments; no cheques are issued.Smart cards †¢ A smart card is a plastic card with an embedded microchip containing information about you. †¢ A smart card can store about 100 times the amount of information that a magnetic strip plastic card can store. †¢ A smart card contains private user information, such as financial facts, private encryption keys, account information, credit card numbers, health insurance information, etc. †¢ So far not successful in U. S. , but popular in Europe, Germany, Singapore and Japan to pay for public phone call, transportation.Mondex Smart Card †¢ Holds and dispenses electronic cash (Smart-card based, stored-value card) †¢ Developed by MasterCard International †¢ Requires specific card reader, called Mondex terminal, for merchant or customer to use card over Internet †¢ Supports micropayments and works both online and off-line at stores or over the telephone †¢ Secret chip-to-chip transfer protocol †¢ Loaded through ATM – ATM does not know transfer protocol; connects with secure device at bank MBA-II, EBF (FT-204C) Unit-3, Study material compiled by Prof. Vanita Joshi , SOM, SIMS, Indore Mondex Smart Card Processing Mondex Smart Card †¢ Disadvantages – Card carries real cash in electronic form, creating the possibility of theft – No deferred (overdue) payment as with credit cards – cash is dispensed immediately Types of Smart cards Smart cards are basically of two types: 1. Relationship-based Smart Cards 2. Electronic Purses and Debit Cards Relationship-based Smart Cards It is the enhancement of existing card services that offer customers far better options like: 1. Access to multiple accounts (debit, credit, e-cash) on one card. 2.Offer various functions ( cash access, bill payment, balance inquiry, fund transfer) 3. Multiple access options at multiple location using multiple access device (ATM, PC, PDA or screenphone etc) Electronic Purses and Debit Cards Electronic Purses or E- wallet are the smart cards embedded with programmable microchip that store sum of money instead of cash. Once a purse is loaded with money it require card reader vending machine which verifies its authenticity . Then after amount is deducted from balance. It shows the remaining balance on the card hence eliminate the small bill in busy stores.E-wallets when depleted can be recharged with money . MBA-II, EBF (FT-204C) Unit-3, Study material compiled by Prof. Vanita Joshi, SOM, SIMS, Indore 5 Credit cards-based e-payment system Credit Cards †¢ A credit card is a small plastic card issued to users dealing in e-commerce. Most credit cards are the same shape and size, as specified by the ISO 7810 standard. †¢ A credit card is different to a debit card in that it does not remove money from the user's account after every transaction. In the case of credit cards, the issuer lends money to the consumer (or the user) to be paid to the merchant.Credit cards-based e-payment system Customers who purchase any goods send their credit card details to the service provider involved and the credit card organization will handle thi s payment. Online credit card payment has following categories: 1. Payment using plain credit card details 2. Payments using encrypted credit card details 3. Payment using third-party verification Entities involved in Credit card Transaction Consumer (Buyer or Card holder) Merchant (Seller) Card Issuer (Consumers’ Bank) Acquirer or Principal (Merchant’s Bank) Card Association (Visa, Master Card etc) Third party processor How an Online Credit Transaction WorksEncryption and Credit cards Encryption process starts when credit card information is entered into a browser and sent securely over network between buyer to seller. Encryption process includes following steps: 1. Customer presents his credit card information securely to merchant. 2. Merchant validates the authenticity of card holder 3. Merchant relays this information to its bank or on-line card processor. MBA-II, EBF (FT-204C) Unit-3, Study material compiled by Prof. Vanita Joshi, SOM, SIMS, Indore 6 4. The bank r elays the information to customer’s bank for authorization approval 5.The customer’s bank returns the credit card , charge authentication and authorization to the merchant Processing Payment with Encrypted Third-party authorization and Credit cards In third party processing, consumer register with third party on the internet to verify emicrotransaction. The companies providing third party payment service on internet are: ( First Virtual) †¢ http://www. fv. com †¢ http://www. openmarket. com †¢ http://www. 2checkout. com/ †¢ http://www. paypal. com/ Payment can be made by credit card via clearing house.Online Third-Party Processor (OTPPs) has following steps for buying information online. 1. Consumer registers for an OTPP a/c that is backed by credit card. 2. To purchase customer request merchant by her OTPP account no. 3. Merchant then contact the OTPP payment server with customer’s account no. 4. OTPP payment server verifies the customerâ₠¬â„¢s account no. for vender (merchant) & checks for sufficient funds. 5. OTPP server send a message to buyer that can be responded back by buyer as ; yes/agree; No/disagree; fraud. 6.If OTPP gets ‘Yes’ from customer, merchant is informed & then customer is allowed to download material. MBA-II, EBF (FT-204C) Unit-3, Study material compiled by Prof. Vanita Joshi, SOM, SIMS, Indore 7 Online Payment Processing using a Third-party Processor Risk in using Credit cards †¢ Customer uses a stolen card or account number to fraudulently purchase goods or service online. †¢ Many people who will be on the Internet have not even had their first Web experience. †¢ Hackers find the ways into an e-commerce merchant’s payment processing system and then issue credits to hacker card account numbers. Many users are also likely to be younger and have less access to credit and debit cards †¢ Many purchases they make will be micropayments. †¢ Credit cards canno t be used for large sums of B2B transactions †¢ Customer falsely claims that he or she did not receive a shipment Limitations of Online Credit Card Payment Systems †¢ Security – neither merchant nor consumer can be fully authenticated. †¢ Cost – for merchants, around 3. 5% of purchase price plus transaction fee of 2030 cents per transaction. †¢ People living in rural areas don’t have same access to computers and Internet that others do. Social equity – many people do not have access to credit cards (young and old age), disabled, individuals who are not computer savvy and individuals who cannot afford cards ( poor credit risk). Designing Electronic Payment Systems Following criteria should be satisfied while designing any new E-payment System: 1. Privacy 6. Pricing 2. Security 7. Standards 3. Intuitive Interface 4. Database Integration 5. Brokers MBA-II, EBF (FT-204C) Unit-3, Study material compiled by Prof. Vanita Joshi, SOM, SIMS, Ind ore 8 Electronic Payment System UNIT – 3 Electronic Payment System Contents †¢ What is E-payment? †¢ Types of E-payment Systems †¢ Digital Token-based Electronic Payment Systems †¢ Smart Cards & Electronic Payment Systems †¢ Credit Card-based Electronic Payment Systems †¢ Risk & Electronic Payment Systems †¢ Designing Electronic Payment System What is E-payment ? †¢ E-payment systems is the mechanism of transferring money over the Internet and technology used in this transfer is called as EFT. EFT defined as â€Å" any transfer of fund initiated through an e-terminal, telephonic instrument, or computer or magnetic tape to order, instruct or authorize a financial institution to debit or credit an account. It is mostly used for Business to business (B2B) commerce where companies doing business together tend to use electronic data interchange (EDI) system to send each other bills and notices of payment. E-Payment †¢ Information online offline $Products/services Adva ntages of E-Payment †¢ †¢ †¢ Increase payment efficiency – Reduce transaction costs – Enable trade in goods and services of very low value Increase convenience of making payments – Payment can be made swiftly and remotely using various devices Can be used for – e-commerce / e-Trade – For other purposes like paying bills, taxes, etc MBA-II, EBF (FT-204C) Unit-3, Study material compiled by Prof. Vanita Joshi, SOM, SIMS, Indore 1Categories of EFT Banking and financial payments * Large-scale or wholesale payment * Small scale or retail payment * Home banking Retailing payments * Credit cards * Debit cards On-line electronic commerce payments * Token-based payment system ~ Electronic cash ~ Electronic checks ~ Smart cards or debit cards * Credit card-based payment systems ~ Encrypted credit cards ~ Third-party authorization numbers Main factors when selecting e-payment method †¢ Availability (bank system, laws and regulations) †¢ The consideration of size and type of business, type of a target group of consumers, types of products and services. The ability to provide security against fraudulent activity †¢ Being cost effective for low value transaction fees †¢ Being protective of the privacy of the users †¢ Easy to use, and being convenient for purchasing on the web based e-business Token-based E-Payment Systems Electronic tokens are the new financial instruments which are in the form of electronic cash/money or checks.Electronic tokens are same as cash that is backed by bank. They are of three types: 1. Cash or real-time ( e-cash) 2. Debit or Prepaid (smart cards, e-purses) 3. Credit or Postpaid (credit/debit cards, e-checks) E-cash Electronic cash is a consumer-oriented electronic payment. Though it replaces the cash but still cash is quite dominant form of payment for three reasons: 1. Lack of trust in banking system 2.Inefficient clearing and settlement of non-cash transaction 3. Negativ e real interest rates paid on bank deposit Advantages of cash over credit cards †¢ It is negotiable †¢ Cash is a legal tender †¢ Cash is a bearer instrument †¢ It need require bank account to operate †¢ No risk on the part of acceptor that the medium of exchange may not be good MBA-II, EBF (FT-204C) Unit-3, Study material compiled by Prof. Vanita Joshi, SOM, SIMS, Indore 2Properties of e-cash E-cash must have following four properties: Monetary values: Interoperability Retrievability Security E-cash in Action †¢ E-cash based on cryptographic systems called â€Å"digital signature† †¢ †¢ †¢ This method involves pair of two numeric keys (very large number or integer) that work in tandem (cycle): one for encoding and another for decoding. Message encoded with one numeric key can only be decoded with other numeric key and none other. The encoding key is kept private while the decoding key is made public. E-checks †¢ E-checks are a nother form of electronic tokens. †¢ †¢ A new electronic version of paper check. E-check is an instruction to a financial institution to pay a given amount of money to the payee. It is a specially formatted email message sent over the Internet. It contains as the same information as on paper based check. Check service providers PayByCheck (http://www. paybycheck. com) CyberSource (http://cybersource. com) Transaction Payment Sequence in E-check system Payer Transfer e-check Payee Deposit e-check Forward e-check for payer authentication Bank Accounting Server MBA-II, EBF (FT-204C) Unit-3, Study material compiled by Prof.Vanita Joshi, SOM, SIMS, Indore 3 Transaction Payment Sequence in E-check system †¢ Buyer must register with third party account server using electronic check. †¢ On receiving the check, the seller presents it to accounting server for verification and payment. †¢ The accounting system verifies the digital signature on the check. †¢ Proper ly signed and endorsed checks can be electronically exchanged between financial institutions through electronic clearing house. Advantages of E-Check †¢ They work in the same way as traditional checks. †¢ E-checks are suited for micro payments. Eliminate the need for expensive process reengineering and taking advantage of the banking industry. †¢ Financial risk is assumed by accounting server. †¢ E-checks create a float through third-party accounting server. They make money out of buyers and sellers transaction by providing deposit account. Difference b/w EFT and E-check †¢ In E-Cheque, electronic versions of the cheque are issued, received & processed. So, payee issues an E-Cheque for each payment. †¢ In EFT transfer automatic withdrawals are made for monthly bills or other fixed payments; no cheques are issued.Smart cards †¢ A smart card is a plastic card with an embedded microchip containing information about you. †¢ A smart card can store about 100 times the amount of information that a magnetic strip plastic card can store. †¢ A smart card contains private user information, such as financial facts, private encryption keys, account information, credit card numbers, health insurance information, etc. †¢ So far not successful in U. S. , but popular in Europe, Germany, Singapore and Japan to pay for public phone call, transportation.Mondex Smart Card †¢ Holds and dispenses electronic cash (Smart-card based, stored-value card) †¢ Developed by MasterCard International †¢ Requires specific card reader, called Mondex terminal, for merchant or customer to use card over Internet †¢ Supports micropayments and works both online and off-line at stores or over the telephone †¢ Secret chip-to-chip transfer protocol †¢ Loaded through ATM – ATM does not know transfer protocol; connects with secure device at bank MBA-II, EBF (FT-204C) Unit-3, Study material compiled by Prof. Vanita Joshi , SOM, SIMS, Indore Mondex Smart Card Processing Mondex Smart Card †¢ Disadvantages – Card carries real cash in electronic form, creating the possibility of theft – No deferred (overdue) payment as with credit cards – cash is dispensed immediately Types of Smart cards Smart cards are basically of two types: 1. Relationship-based Smart Cards 2. Electronic Purses and Debit Cards Relationship-based Smart Cards It is the enhancement of existing card services that offer customers far better options like: 1. Access to multiple accounts (debit, credit, e-cash) on one card. 2.Offer various functions ( cash access, bill payment, balance inquiry, fund transfer) 3. Multiple access options at multiple location using multiple access device (ATM, PC, PDA or screenphone etc) Electronic Purses and Debit Cards Electronic Purses or E- wallet are the smart cards embedded with programmable microchip that store sum of money instead of cash. Once a purse is loaded with money it require card reader vending machine which verifies its authenticity . Then after amount is deducted from balance. It shows the remaining balance on the card hence eliminate the small bill in busy stores.E-wallets when depleted can be recharged with money . MBA-II, EBF (FT-204C) Unit-3, Study material compiled by Prof. Vanita Joshi, SOM, SIMS, Indore 5 Credit cards-based e-payment system Credit Cards †¢ A credit card is a small plastic card issued to users dealing in e-commerce. Most credit cards are the same shape and size, as specified by the ISO 7810 standard. †¢ A credit card is different to a debit card in that it does not remove money from the user's account after every transaction. In the case of credit cards, the issuer lends money to the consumer (or the user) to be paid to the merchant.Credit cards-based e-payment system Customers who purchase any goods send their credit card details to the service provider involved and the credit card organization will handle thi s payment. Online credit card payment has following categories: 1. Payment using plain credit card details 2. Payments using encrypted credit card details 3. Payment using third-party verification Entities involved in Credit card Transaction Consumer (Buyer or Card holder) Merchant (Seller) Card Issuer (Consumers’ Bank) Acquirer or Principal (Merchant’s Bank) Card Association (Visa, Master Card etc) Third party processor How an Online Credit Transaction WorksEncryption and Credit cards Encryption process starts when credit card information is entered into a browser and sent securely over network between buyer to seller. Encryption process includes following steps: 1. Customer presents his credit card information securely to merchant. 2. Merchant validates the authenticity of card holder 3. Merchant relays this information to its bank or on-line card processor. MBA-II, EBF (FT-204C) Unit-3, Study material compiled by Prof. Vanita Joshi, SOM, SIMS, Indore 6 4. The bank r elays the information to customer’s bank for authorization approval 5.The customer’s bank returns the credit card , charge authentication and authorization to the merchant Processing Payment with Encrypted Third-party authorization and Credit cards In third party processing, consumer register with third party on the internet to verify emicrotransaction. The companies providing third party payment service on internet are: ( First Virtual) †¢ http://www. fv. com †¢ http://www. openmarket. com †¢ http://www. 2checkout. com/ †¢ http://www. paypal. com/ Payment can be made by credit card via clearing house.Online Third-Party Processor (OTPPs) has following steps for buying information online. 1. Consumer registers for an OTPP a/c that is backed by credit card. 2. To purchase customer request merchant by her OTPP account no. 3. Merchant then contact the OTPP payment server with customer’s account no. 4. OTPP payment server verifies the customerâ₠¬â„¢s account no. for vender (merchant) & checks for sufficient funds. 5. OTPP server send a message to buyer that can be responded back by buyer as ; yes/agree; No/disagree; fraud. 6.If OTPP gets ‘Yes’ from customer, merchant is informed & then customer is allowed to download material. MBA-II, EBF (FT-204C) Unit-3, Study material compiled by Prof. Vanita Joshi, SOM, SIMS, Indore 7 Online Payment Processing using a Third-party Processor Risk in using Credit cards †¢ Customer uses a stolen card or account number to fraudulently purchase goods or service online. †¢ Many people who will be on the Internet have not even had their first Web experience. †¢ Hackers find the ways into an e-commerce merchant’s payment processing system and then issue credits to hacker card account numbers. Many users are also likely to be younger and have less access to credit and debit cards †¢ Many purchases they make will be micropayments. †¢ Credit cards canno t be used for large sums of B2B transactions †¢ Customer falsely claims that he or she did not receive a shipment Limitations of Online Credit Card Payment Systems †¢ Security – neither merchant nor consumer can be fully authenticated. †¢ Cost – for merchants, around 3. 5% of purchase price plus transaction fee of 2030 cents per transaction. †¢ People living in rural areas don’t have same access to computers and Internet that others do. Social equity – many people do not have access to credit cards (young and old age), disabled, individuals who are not computer savvy and individuals who cannot afford cards ( poor credit risk). Designing Electronic Payment Systems Following criteria should be satisfied while designing any new E-payment System: 1. Privacy 6. Pricing 2. Security 7. Standards 3. Intuitive Interface 4. Database Integration 5. Brokers MBA-II, EBF (FT-204C) Unit-3, Study material compiled by Prof. Vanita Joshi, SOM, SIMS, Ind ore 8