General Banking Activities of Mercantile Bank Limited

Page 1 of 53 1. 0. Introduction Now a day present world especially the Asian countries are going through an economic recession. Though the Asian economic crisis began few years back and it is somehow tackled today but the 11 September incident aggravated the disorder in the economic infrastructure of our country. Our economy is much dependent on foreign aids. The World Trade Centre incident created a negative impact on our economy as the foreign aids to Bangladesh have been reduced a lot. Therefore the government is trying to deal the economic crisis by generating revenue internally.In this aspect the importance of the financial sector, particularly banking sector is emphasized. But the banking sector of our country is already overburdened with huge amount of classified loans. Government tries to improve the situation. Mercantile Bank Limited was incorporated in Bangladesh as a Public Limited Company with limited liability under the Bank Companies Act 1991on 20 May 1999 and commercia l operation on June 1999. The Bank went for public issue of shares on in 2003 and its shares are listed with Dhaka Stock Exchange and Chittagong Stock Exchange. 1. 1. Origin of the Report:This report has been prepared as a requirement of the internship program based upon the Mercantile Bank where my organization supervisor is Anjon Azad, senior executive officer, Dhanmondi Branch, Mercantile Bank Ltd. And my institution supervisor is Abdullah Mohammed Ibrahim Department of Business Administration, Northern University, Bangladesh. My institute supervisor duly approved the topic decided for doing the report. Since the BBA program is an integrated, practical and theoretical method of learning, the students of the program are required to have practical exposure in any kind of business organization in last term of this course.Page 2 of 53 1. 2. Background of the Report: Business world is becoming very much complex day by day. Without sufficient practical experience business become diffic ult and in some cases impossible. The whole world is moving because of Business relation. Business plays a very important role in developing economy of a country. So, in the business world practical experience is regarded as a media through home we have an acquaintance with the real world.As a BBA program is integrated theoretical and practical method of teaching students of this program are required to have practical exposure in own different major discipline in the presiding years of their courses. I was authorized to prepare a report on General Banking Activities of Mercantile Bank Limited, for partial fulfillment of my course requirement. 1. 3. Objective of the Report: This paper is prepared with a view to highlight my three months period banking experience through the analysis of products and services available at Mercantile Bank. The objectives of this report are: To get an overall idea about Mercantile Bank. ? Gather potential knowledge about general banking of MBL. ? To show available product and services. ? To analysis the unique features of MBL. ? To identify the strength, weakness, opportunity and threats for MBL. ? To suggest ways of improving the service quality that accommodates a rapidly growing customer volume. Page 3 of 53 1. 4. Methodology of the study Data collection: Source of data of this report can be divided into two categories: Primary source: The method of collecting primary data will be mostly limited to formal and informal interviewing.I have planned to interview top level (in-charge of the division), mid level managers to gain insights of their ways of doing business. I understand that they are important and busy people. Therefore my interview schedule will be subject to their availability. Secondary source: As for collecting secondary information. I will review any and all related publication available to me such as Banks annual report, brochures etc. Moreover. I will also use the internet to visit bank? s global website and other related web pages for any information related to my study. 1. 5. Scope of the reportI have worked as an internee in Mercantile Bank (Dhanmondi branch), which is one of the most successful banks in our country. When I was there I worked in different sections of this Bank. These were Account opening section, Collection & Clearing section, Cash section and accounts section. The main scope of this study is the findings regarding MBL? s products & services availability & techniques. Many aspects of the operation & product diversification along with the production technology of MBL could be adopted by our planners to design our banking sector into a real effective one.This report may act like a guide in revealing some of the important aspects of MBL. Page 4 of 53 1. 6. Limitation of the report ? Limitation of time was one of the most important factors that shortened the present study. Due to time limitation many aspects could not by discussed in the present study. ? Availability of critic al information is crucial to my analysis. Some of the information can be deemed too confidential by the management, especially the ones regarding corporate strategies, information on matrix system or credit scoring method and strategies they follow to hold its competitiveness in the market.Hence, access to that information will be restricted, which may limit the scope of my analysis. As I had more dependencies on the primary sources , so there might be some level of inaccuracy with those collected information through adequate verification and crosschecking was used to minimize the error level . Page 5 of 53 A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits and channels those deposits into lending activities. Banks primarily provide financial services to customers while enriching investors. Government restrictions on financial activities by banks vary over time and location.Banks are important players in financial markets and offer services such as investment funds and loans. B anks borrow money by accepting funds deposited on current accounts, by accepting term deposits, and by issuing debt securities such as banknotes and bonds. Banks lend money by making advances to customers on current accounts, by making installment loans, and by investing in marketable debt securities and other forms of money lending. Banks provide almost all payment services, and a bank account is considered indispensable by most businesses, individuals and governments.Banks borrow most funds from households and non-financial businesses, and lend most funds to households and nonfinancial businesses. 2. 1 Background of Mercantile Bank Limited (MBL) Banking system occupies an important place in a nation? s economy. A banking institution is indispensable in a modern society. It plays pivotal role in the economic development of a country. Against the background of liberalization of economic policies in Bangladesh, Mercantile Bank is a well known Bank in our country and the one, believe in „service to client with efficiency?.Within a short period of its operation the bank has already gained a confidence in the minds of its clients. The success is primarily attributed to bold decisionmaking, efficient and cordial services, economic use of resources and introduction of new financial products and technologies . The continued endeavors of the Management and Staff of the Bank under prudent guidance and timely support of the Board of Directors have substantially contributed to success of the Bank. Mercantile Bank Ltd. s committed to provide high quality services to its constituents through different financial products and profitable utilization of fund and contribute to the growth of GDP of the country by financing trade and commerce, helping industrialization, boosting export, creating employment opportunities for the educated youth and encouraging micro-credit leading to poverty alleviation and improving the quality of life of the people and thereby contributing to the overall socio-economic development of the country. During this short span of time the MBL has been successful to position itself as a progressive and dynamic financial institution in the ountry. The MBL has been widely acclaimed by the business community, from small entrepreneurs to large traders and industrial conglomerates, including the top rated corporate borrowers for forwarding-looking business outlook and innovative financing Page 6 of 53 solutions. Thus within this very short period of time it has been able to create an image for itself and has earned significant reputation in the country? s Banking Sector as a bank with vision 2. 2 Vision: â€Å"Would make finest corporate citizen† 2. 3 Mission Will become most caring, focused for equitable growth based on diversified deployment of resources, and nevertheless would remain healthy and gainfully profitable bank. 2. 4 Objectives . Strategic Objectives To achieve positive Economic Value Added (EVA) each year. To b e market leader in product innovation. To be one of the top three financial institutions in Bangladesh in terms of cost efficiency. To be one of the top five financial institutions in Bangladesh in terms of market share in all significant market segments we serve. . Financial Objectives To achieve a return on shareholders? equity of 20% or more, on average.Core Values For customers: ? Providing with caring services by being innovative in the development of new banking products and services. For Shareholders: ? Maximizing wealth of the bank. For the employees: ? Respecting worth and dignity of individual employees devoting their earnings for the progress of the bank. Page 7 of 53 2. 5 Mercantile Bank at a Glance: Page 8 of 53 2. 6 Milestones in the development of the organization Page 9 of 53 2. 7 Management Structure of MBL The bank is proud to have exemplified the true concept as „Banglar Bank?. The Bank launched several financial products and services since its inception.Amo ng them Page 10 of 53 3. 0 Overview of Dhanmondi Branch, of MBL. Mercantile Bank Ltd. Dhanmondi Branch started its journey since 1999. It is the 2nd branch from the establishment. This branch is the second largest branch also. This branch is situated in Dhanmondi, Road number 27, House name- Sima Blossoms, 1st floor. Recently this branch shifted to this new office premises for providing better services to the customers. This branch is an authorized dealer of foreign exchange trade. The branch In-Charge is an Executive Vice President (EVP). Dhanmondi Branch is situated in a prime location of Dhanmondi area.This is a busy and important area of Dhaka city. Mercantile Bank Dhanmondi Branch has a good reputation through the customers of Dhanmondi and some other nearest areas. The total number of accounts and other deposits schemes are increasing day by day. Customers are very satisfied with the services of this branch. As a result this branch has become an icon branch of this area. Merca ntile Bank Dhanmondi Branch is working for strengthen the economy of the country. 3. 1 Departments of Dhanmondi Branch: Mercantile Bank Dhanmondi Branch has three main departments and it has some other sub departments also. A.General Banking Department i. Account opening ii. Clearing iii. Cash iv. Card division etc. v. FDR B. Credit Department C. Foreign Exchange Department Page 11 of 53 3. 2 MBL Dhanmondi Branch Hierarchy: Figure: MBL Dhanmondi Branch Hierarchy. At branch level all the decisions are taken by the branch manager. But rules and regulations are set at the Head Office. Branch manager has supreme power to final disbursement of the facility to the customer. Assistant vice president coordinates all the function of the branch as Manager-Operation. Executive Vice President (Branch) Manger (Branch)Manger )))))))))))Manager)Vice President (Manager) Operation Assistant Vice President First Assistant Vice President Principal Officer Senior Executive Officer Executive Officer Pro bationary Officer Assistant Officer Page 12 of 53 Figure: Depicts departments of the MBL MERCANTILE BANK LIMITED DHANMONDI BRANCH LIST OF EXECUTIVES & OFFICERS Total Number of Executives & Officers 47. SL. NO DESIGNATION NUMBER OF OFFICERS 01 Executive vice precedent(EVP) 01 02 Vice precedent (VP) 01 03 First vice precedent (FVP) 01 04 Assistant vice Precedent (AVP) 02 05 First assistant vice precedent (FAVP) 05 06 Principal officer (PO) 03 7 Senior executive officer (SEO) 05 08 Executive officer (EO) 07 09 Probationary officer (Prob. Off) 02 10 Officer (OFF) 08 11 Assistant officer (AO) 07 12 Trane assistant officer (TAO) 05 Page 13 of 53 Dhanmondi Branch Sima Blossom House No. 390 (Old), 03 (New) Road No. 27 (Old), 16 (New) Dhanmondi R/A, Dhaka -1209 Phone : 9130500, 9142691 Mobile : 01755-500192 Fax : 88-02-8126768 HOB: Syed Ahmadul Karim, EVP 3. 3 Yearly profit performance of Dhanmondi Branch: ( BDT in million ) 2009 2010 2011 102. 91 123. 54 138. 89 Table – 17: Profit of Dhanmondi branch Fig – 10:Profit of Dhanmondi branchInterpretation : The figure shows that the profit of the Dhanmondi branch in year 2009 is 102. 91 which increases at a higher rate in 2010 is 123. 54 and we follow on graph 2011 is profit 138. 89 million. Page 14 of 53 4. 0 Internship duties and responsibilities As partial requirement of BBA Program I get attached Mercantile Bank Ltd (MBL). To complete my internship program and it? s really a great opportunity for me to acquire practical knowledge and experiences from such a renowned bank. My internship period started at 1st March to 31 May 2012 in Bank ( Dhanmondi Branch).In this time it was very important for me where practical experience gathered. Those 3 months of Internship program I have learned about general banking and especially emphasis on loan & advances on MBL (Dhanmondi Branch) 4. 1 Nature of the job The 3 months of my internship program I was required to learn various types of banking tasks, which assigned by the officers of different department. In this period I am working with all departments but in a major portion of time I spend in general banking departments . Reception is the department in which the first interaction between the customer and the bank takes place.Since the first impression is the long lasting impression, the quality, customization and response time of this department is very important. Different types of activities are conducted here. My daily working hour started at 10:00am as banking hour started and ends normally 6:00pm or more. My daily task was as follows: ? Opening new accounts ? Issuing pay-order, ? Deliver ATM card, ? Issuance & Activation of ATM card, ? Providing Deposit book 4. 2 Opening new accounts: The relationship between the bank and its customer starts with opening an account. There are different types of accounts considering different customer types and requirements.Savings account Current account Short Term Deposit (STD) account Fixed Deposit Recei pt (FDR) account The following formalities must be completed by the customer of MTBL. ? Application on the prescribed form. Page 15 of 53 ? Furnishing photograph. ? Introduction by an account holder ? Transaction profile form ? KYC form ? Putting specimen signatures in the specimen card. ? Mandate if necessary. After fulfilling the above formalities, SJIBL provides customers a pay in slip book and cheque book. 4. 3 Issuing pay-order: Pay order is always account payable.At first, the applicant fill up the form than pays the amount of a Pay Order. At the same time, PO is used to send money within the clearing area only. When it will be posted than write in Pay Order Block correctly. 4. 4 Deliver ATM card: When issued a ATM card than inform the customer by phone call for receiving his/her ATM card with Pin no. 4. 5 Issuance & Activation of ATM card: When an applicant applies for an ATM card then it must be issued to ATM department. After issuing card when will it receive then after 24 hours it will be active. 4. 6 Providing Deposit book: A deposit slip is needed to deposit money in an account.The customer service department provides deposit slip to the customer. 4. 7 Analysis of Data used in the office A bank has different types of statements where I analyzed some of the documents like list of statements of general banking division; Statement of General Banking Division: These is one kind of statement, which must be produced from the general banking division on a regular basis such as daily position statement, statement of affaire, income tax on Page 16 of 53 profit, VAT on banking service, VAT on LC etc. these statements are generally produced on daily, monthly, weekly basis 4. 8 Learning pointsDuring my 3 months internship program I have learned different kinds of things which are as follows; 4. 9 New account opening system: There are different types of accounts considering different customer types and requirements. Savings A/C, Current A/C, Fixed Deposit (FDR) , STD A/C. Being fulfilled the above requirements; a new account is opened through the software â€Å"Flora†. An ID is created for the account holder (In case of Individual? s account or Organization? s), or one ID each for each of a joint account. One person/organization can have only one ID using which he/it can have several accounts.When created Customer ID then add amount of deposit, if it is current or saving then the introducer? s information also necessary. When giving all information properly then this record will be saved on software â€Å"Flora† and a account serial number will be given 4. 10 Issue of new check book: Issues of check book have several steps. When a account is open then account holder receive a thanks letter. Then we verify his/her signature and issue a check book but its deferent criteria for a old account holder. He/she just give a requisition for a new check book if previous book is finished. . 11 ATM card: I also learned about how to a ATM card issue and how to active. First I prepare ATM form then verified the signature. After verification I send it to IT department for issuance. After issue ATM card I just send a activation letter on IT department after 24 hours then it will be active. Page 17 of 53 4. 12 Pay order In a pay order first the form should be fill up where it issued, amount of money, the name of client. After that the vat and commission will included. When received cash then the pay order block prepared where in front of the page in block letter â€Å" NOT OVER .TK ONLY† was written. 4. 13 KYC form competition KYC stands for Know Your Customers. In that form the clients full information? s are given like earning source, which documents they submitted for their identification, amount of money deposited/withdraw in a month. 4. 14 Besides of these I have learned the following things ? During my internship in MTBL, I have learned how to maintain discipline. ? During my internship period, I found every body follow strict timeout. Every employee enter the office at right time, or before the right time and also leave office at due time.Nobody can leave office at least 6. 30pm. Every works perform in time. ? I have learned how to handle the customers in an efficient way and make a good relationship for office purpose. Page 18 of 53 5. 0 General Banking of mercantile Bank limited at Dhanmondi Branch General Banking is the heart of banking business. This is the primary and important department of a branch. Though it is a very complex process but the officers of Dhanmondi Branch? s are provides excellent service. For this the customers of this branch are very satisfied for operating their account in this branch.Activities of General Banking Department In Dhanmondi Branch General Banking consists: ? Account Opening Section ? Deposit section ? Remittance Section Cash Section ? Clearing Section ? Accounts Section ? Check Book Issue Section ? Locker Section 5. 1 Account Opening Section Acco unt opening is the gateway for clients to enter into business with bank. It is the foundation if banker customer relationship. By open account bank collect deposit form individual. And deposit is the lifeblood of Banking Business. Various rule and regulation Page 19 of 53 are maintained for open an account.A customer can open different types of deposit account through this section. Such as, 1. Demand Deposit Account a) Current Deposit Account (CD A/C) b) Savings Banks Account (SB A/C) 5. 1. 1 Current Deposit Account (CD A/C) While opening Current Deposit (CD) account, Branch shall follow detail procedures including KYC (Know Your Customer) as stated under â€Å"General Procedure for opening Bank Account† Balance in Current Deposit Accounts is payable on demand and thus the A/C holder is allowed to deposit and withdraw any sun of money from his / her/ their account any time within transaction hours.No interest is paid in Current Deposit Account. Persons / Concerns Eligible for Opening Current Deposit Account (CD A/C) Current Deposit Account is suitable for business transactions because of no restriction on withdrawal either in amount or frequency. Branch may open a Current Deposit Account in the name of: o Individuals o Two or more persons jointly o Sole Proprietorship o Partnership Firms o Limited Companies (Both Public and Privet) o Societies / Clubs / Associations o Govt. / Semi Govt. Offices / Corporations o Others ? Introduction of Current Deposit AccountBank, for opening of new CD account may accept introduction from another CD / STD / SB account holder having prolonged relationship with the bank and track of satisfactory transactions. Introduction by a reputed person of the locality is also acceptable. ? Initial and Minimum Deposit for Current Deposit Account Page 20 of 53 New Current Deposit Account is to be opened minimum deposit of BDT 5,000 in Urban Branch and BDT 2,000 in Rural Branch, which will be treated as minimum balance in respective ac count and balance should preferably be maintained always.Branch shall recover Commitment Fees @ BDT 500 from CD A/C twice a year, provided it does not run below the minimum balance at any time for any reason whatsoever. a) Savings Bank Account (SB A/C) This account has been designed and developed for individual savers and as such it is not usually suitable for business concerns as there are restriction of withdrawal in both amount and frequency. Savings Account may be opened in the name of: Individual Two or more individual (joint) who are not partners Clubs / Societies / Association / non-profit organization.Introduction: Savings A/C may be introduced by a running CD / STD / SB Account holder, who have sufficient balance and satisfactory transaction in the accounts. Banks Officials may introduce SB Accounts mentioning their power of Attorney (PA) provided they know the person very well. The branch, while opening a savings A/C, shall follow derail procedure including KYC formalities embodied in the â€Å"General Procedure for opening Bank Account† 5. 1. 2 Initial Deposit: For savings Bank account in Urban Areas is BDT 1,000 and in Rural Areas is BDT 500. InterestIn savings A/C shall be paid on daily product basis but no interest in savings account is payable for the month if balance in the account falls below BDT 10,000 on any day during the month. Besides above, interest shall not be paid in SB A/C for the particular month, when withdrawal in account is more then twice in a week or amount withdrawn in a single cheque exceeds 25% of balance of the account. 5. 1. 3 Time Deposit Account a) Short Term Deposit (STD) b) Fixed Deposit Reset (FDR) c) Scheme Deposit Accounts Page 21 of 53 Double Benefit Deposit Scheme (DBDS) Family Maintenance Deposit (FMD) Monthly Savings Scheme (MSS)Quarterly Benefit Deposit Scheme 1. 5 Times Benefit Deposit Scheme Advance Benefit Deposit Scheme (ABDS) N: B: Savings Banks Account (SB A/C) is also taking a time deposit account . a) Short term Deposit (STD) A/C STD A/C is middle in CD & SB A/C. By this, Account holder can make transaction in his / her wish as a current account but he or she gets some interest. The rate of interest is 5% per annual. This interest is paid on daily basis. Initial deposit for opening STD A/C is BDT 50,000. In STD A/C maintained average balance 1 lac. If it is not maintained in any month of the year then no interest is provide in this month of this year. ) Fixed Deposit Rate (FDR) Opening FDR A/C: Bank opens FDR who is Bangladeshi Citizen. And the minimum amount is BDT 10,000. Bank provides a FDR form, Customer need to fill up this form properly. Than the in charge officer chick the form properly, main things is Date and Amount, Maturity Date, Interest Rate, Source of Fund, Customer Signature and one copy passport size photograph of both account holder and nominee etc. Interest rate Maturity Interest Rate 12 Month and Above 11. 50 % 6 Month 11. 50 % 3 Month 9. 50 % Page 22 of 5 3 Page 23 of 53 5. 2 Rules of Opening an AccountNow-a-days under the strict monitoring of Bangladesh Bank, there are several criteria that a client must fulfill as he/she/an organization wishes to open an account. The basic criteria are discussed below: ? Account Opening Form (AOF) duly filled & signed ? Signature cards properly signed ? Applicant introduced by an authorized person such as account holder or employee of MTBL or by a respectable person acceptable to the bank ? Two copies of passport sized photographs which are attested by the introducer ? Name of nominee written and photograph of the nominee(s) attested by the applicant Photocopy of passport (attested) or photocopy of National ID card or letter of introduction by the employer or certificate issued by chairman of Union Parishad or Ward commissioner ? TIN (if available) ? Customer transaction profile form properly filled in and signed. ? Apart from proof of identify branch must also obtain proof address to confirm if cu stomers address is genuine. Although this verification partly done through â€Å"Thanks Letter†. ? KYC profile form (properly filled in, signed and approved) for high net worth customers falling under the following criteria: ) New customers whose initial deposit is more than Tk. 50. 00 lac (initial means within one month of A/C opening) ii) Existing customers whose total AUM (Asset under Management) grow to more than Tk. 50 lack for three consecutive months. 5. 2. 1 In The Name of Individual The client has to fill up an account opening form. Terms and conditions are printed on the back of the form. The form contains the declaration clause, special instructions etc. two copies of passport size photograph duly attested by the introducer are affixed with the form. Page 24 of 53 5. 2. In Joint Name In this type, the formality is same as individual account, but in the special instruction clause, either or „survivor? or „former or survivor? clause is marked. 5. 2. 3 Pro prietorship In addition the customer has to submit the valid Trade License and Tax Paying Identification Number (TIN) along with the application. 5. 2. 4 Partnership In case of partnership account, the bank asks for, ? A copy of the partnership agreement (Partnership Deed) ? A letter signed by all the partners containing the following particulars. ? The name and addresses of all partners The nature of the firm? s business ? The name of the partner authorized to operate the account in the name of the firm, including the authority to draw, endorse and accepting the bills and mortgage and sell the properties belonging to the firm. 5. 2. 5 Limited Company On having the desire to open an account from a limited company, an MTBL Bank Officer asks for the following documents: ? Registration Certificate from the Registrar of Joint Stock of Companies ? Certificate of Incorporation ? Certificate of Commencement of Business ? Memorandum of Association ? Articles of Association Copies of Annual Accounts ? Copies of the Board? s resolution, which contains a). The name of the persons who have been authorized to operate the bank account on behalf of the company. b). The name of the persons who are authorized to execute documents with the bank on company? s behalf. 5. 2. 6 Societies, Clubs and Associations In case of these sorts of accounts MTBL requires the following documents: ? Registration Certificate under the Societies Registration Act, 1962 ? Copies of Memorandum, Articles of Association ? Resolution of the Managing Committee. Page 25 of 53 Power of Attorney to Borrow 5. 2. 7 Non-Government Organization (NGO) The account opening procedure is same but in exception is that the Registration Certificate from the Social Welfare Department of Government must be enclosed with the application. 5. 3 Closing Bank Account: Customers may request the branch to close his or her account at any time. Again, the bank or the branch without such request may, by force, close the account of its customer on legitimate grounds procedure for closing accounts in such cases are as under: A. Closing of bank account at customers request:On receipt of customers written application for closing his or her account, authorized official shall (i) ascertain its genuineness through verification of signature on the letter of request (ii) obtain approval of head of branch or manager operation to this affect in collect are unused check leaf from the accountholder to destroy (iv) realize specify amount of closing charge and government duty and other dues from the account The branch, however before closing any account shall up to date interest at prevailing rate in the account of the customer after recovering his or her charges with the bank or govt.B. Forced Closing of Bank Account: Branch at its discretion can closed any account office customer if it is not operated as per banks norm. in such situation, it shall serve a written notice under signature of head of the branch and manager o peration to the customer which request tio closed the account within specified time. If the customer does not turn up in the time the branch shall close the account and send him or her a payment order with balance amount of his or her account by registered mail under a covering letter signed by head of the branch. 5. 4 Payment Order (PO):A Pay Order, similar to a banker's cheque is also payable locally, the only difference is that in case of a pay order, the bank is directing the payee bank to pay the amount mentioned on the pay order to the person/organization so mentioned or his order, i. e. any other person/organization. Both pay orders and demand drafts are used by individuals to make transfer payments from one bank account to another. The main difference between the two Page 26 of 53 is that while a demand draft is a written order directing the payment to be made to a third party outside your city, a pay order is drawn for the third party within your city. . 4. 1 Issue of pay O rder: For issuing pay order branch shall receive from applicant i) Prescribed application form duly filled in and signed and (ii) required amount of cash /cheque. on receipt of above ,branch shall issue PO in the name of the person or organization specified in the application form amount of PO is to be written further on middle top of pay order ship in block figure in addition to writing of the amount in words and figure in the space provided for on the instrument Branch shall create the following entries while issuing pay order against cash or claque or both Debt cash or purchaser account with claque ? Credit bills payable pay order issue ? Credit income account – commission ? Credit vat on banking service 5. 5 Issue of Cheque Book: While issue 1st cheque book to a new customer, branch shall use prescribe fresh printed cheque requesting from properly fill in and signed by the account holder or authorized name and signature. And make sure that no document or information is pe nding. While bank issuing a cheque book shall observe required formalities in three areas as under: Area 1- (In cheque requisition slip or application) A.Verify signature and particular appearing on the application for requisition B. Put his or her initial makes to the signature of the account holder as a prove of verification C. Note down series number of new cheque book in the specific space Area 2- (In cheque book) A. Take out a new cheque book from running stock. B. Make sure that all leaf, including requisition slip inserted within the book are intact Page 27 of 53 C. Write down the title of account and account number on the cover page, requisition slip and account number on the cheque leaf D. Affix seal with name of the branch on each leaf of the cheque books.E. Put initial on given space at right hand top corner of each cheque leaf Area 3- (In cheque issue register) A. Enter name of the account holder, account number & series number of the particular cheque book in the specif ied space B. Put his or her initial in relevant column of requisition from to authenticate the entries After completion of all the above formalities authorized official of the branch shall submit the cheque book together with cheque requisition slip as well as the cheque issue register duly prepared and failed in to the head of the branch manager for further verification and authentication. . 6 Locker Facilities: MBL locker service allows the customers to keep their valuable in a safe and secure place and access their at customer? s convenient times. These strong and heat resistant steel lockers lodged in reinforced concrete steel vault, round the clock security guards, sophisticated anti- burglary alarm system provide maximum protection to the valuables of customers. The service charge is yearly Tk. 1500. Condition: ? An application form must be filled up for gate locker. ? Applicant must have a saving Account. ? 2 copies of PP size photographs of the Applicant. 1 copy of PP size p hotographs of nominee. ? Yearly charge must be paid in advance. ? Security money is refundable at the time of closing. Page 28 of 53 5. 7 Cash & Computer Section: The cash section of MBL deals with all types of negotiable instruments, cash and other instruments and treated as a sensitive section of the bank. It includes the vault, which is used as the store of cash, instruments. If the cash stock goes beyond this limit, the excess cash is then transferred to Bangladesh Bank. Keys to the room are kept under control of cash officer and branch in charge.The amount of opening cash balance is entered into a register. After whole days’ transaction, the surplus money remains in the cash counter is put back in the vault and known as the closing balance. Money is received and paid in this section. Functions of this Section are: ? Receiving cash ? Paying cash ? Issuing vouchers ? Making Proper entries in the ledgers 5. 7. 1 Cash Receipt: ? At first the depositors fill up the Deposit in Slip. There are two types of deposit in slip in this branch. One for saving account and another for current account. ? After filling the required deposit in slip, depositor deposits the money. Officers at the cash counter receives the money, count it, enter the amount of money in the scroll register kept at the counter, seal the deposit in slip and sign on it with date. ? Then this slip is passed to another officer who enters the scroll number given by the cash counter in his/her register along with the amount of the money, sign the slip and keep the banks’ part of the slip. Other part is given to the depositor. ? All deposits of saving account are maintained by one officer and other accounts by another officer. Page 29 of 53 5. 7. 2 Cash Payment: First of the entire client comes to the counter with the check and give it to the officer in charge there. The officer checks whether there are two signatures on the back of the cheque and checks his balance in the computer. After that the officer will give it to the cash in charge. ? Then the cash in charge verifies the signature from the signature card and permits the officer in computer to debit the client’s account by giving posting. A posted seal with teller number is given ? Then the cheque is given to the teller person and he after checking everything asks the drawer to give another signature on the back of the cheque. If the signature matches with the one given previously then the teller will make payment keeping the paying cheque with him while writing the denomination on the back of the cheque. ? If the instrument is free of all kind of error the respected officer will ask the bearer to sign on the back of it. ? He will then put his/her initial beside the bearers’ signature. S/he will also sign it on its face, will write down the amount by red pen and will put on a scroll number from his/her scroll register. ? Then the cheque will be sent to the cash counter. At the cash counter bearer will be asked again to sign on the back of the instrument. The cash officer will then enter the scroll number in his/her register and will pay the money to the bearer. ? At the end of the day these scroll numbers of the registers will be compared to ensure the correctness of the entries. Page 30 of 53 5. 8 Clearing Section When a customer of Mercantile Bank Limited presents an instrument drawn on other bank for collection, the instrument is collected through clearing house of Bangladesh Bank. Mercantile Bank Limited, Local Office takes part in the clearing function on behalf of fifteen branches of Mercantile Bank Limited; functioning inside or outside of Dhaka city.The instruments are sent to those banks through clearing arrangement. Every day two houses are arranged; one in the morning and another in the evening. The evening house is known as return house. Everyday instruments drawn on different banks are sent to the clearing section of Local Office from those fifteen branches. Th e function of the clearing department can be divided into two parts. ? Inward Clearing ? Outward Clearing 5. 9 Bills Section Customers of Mercantile Bank Limited, Local Office submit many instruments in the bills section for collection. Bills section plays a vital role in collecting these bills.The bills submitted for collection can be divided into two categories. 5. 10 FDR & BCD section These are deposits, which are made with the bank for a fixed period specified in advance. The bank needs not to maintain cash reserve against these deposits and therefore, bank gives high rate of interest on such deposits. A FDR is issued to the depositor acknowledging receipt of the sum of money mentioned therein. It also contains the rate of interest and the date on which the deposit will fall due for payment. Page 31 of 53 5. 11 Procedure of Opening Fixed Deposit Account:Before opening a Fixed Deposit Account a customer has to fill up an application form which contains the followings: a) Amount i n figures b) Beneficiary’s name and address c) Period d) Rate of interest e) Date of issue f) Date of maturity g) How the account will be operated ( singly or jointly) h) Signature(s) i) F. D. R. no. j) Special instructions (if any) After fulfilling the above information and depositing the amount, FDR account is opened and a FDR receipt is issued and it is recorded in the FDR Register which contains the following information: a) FDR account no. b) FDR (Fixed Deposit Receipt) no. c) Name of the FDR holder with address ) Maturity period e) Maturity date f) Interest rate 5. 12 Payment of Interest: In case of Fixed Deposit Account the bank does not have to maintain a cash reserve. So Mercantile Bank Limited offers a high interest rate in Fixed Deposit accounts. It is usually paid on maturity of the fixed deposit. NCCBL calculates interest at each maturity date and provision is made on that â€Å"Miscellaneous creditor expenditure payable accounts† is debited for the accrue d interest. Page 32 of 53 5. 13 Interest Rate Rate of Interest varies depending on the period of maturity date. Duration Rate of Interest 3 months 9. 00-9. 25% 6 months 9. 5-9. 50% 12 months 9. 75-10. 50% 24 months 10. 25-11. 25% 36 months 10. 75-11. 50% Table 4: Interest Rate of MBL 5. 14 Renewal of FDR: The FDR becomes automatically renewed for like periods and amounts, unless this are withdrawn by the depositor or, the bank notifies the depositor in writing at least 15 days in advance of the original Or, any renewed maturity date (s) of its desire to terminate the account or change any term and condition of the account. Page 33 of 53 6. 1 Customer Satisfaction Level of MBL Dhanmondi Branch During the Internship I worked in general banking activities of Mercantile Bank Ltd.And learned about the process of opening bank account, and different types of process. When I worked in general banking desk I was also placed in customer relation desk. By working in customer relations desk I o bserved that there was lack of services they provide to customers. That? s why customers are not fully satisfied. So I developed a questionnaire to measure the service quality and customer satisfaction of MBL. In this I have used primary data to analysis level of customer satisfaction on MBL. I collected data from survey through questionnaire; 30 respondents participated in this survey.After collecting data I used SPSS software to get an output which represents the level of customer satisfaction of MBL Dhanmondi Branch. 6. 2 Mercantile Bank uses Modern Equipment. Figure no. 6. 1. 1 This figure shows that the neutral response of the customer is 14. On the other hand the agree respondent is 11 and disagree respondent is 5. Most of the clients represent their opinion neutral. So MBL Dhanmondi Branch should increase their technology based services for customers. Page 34 of 53 6. 3 MBL provides services which is not provided by other bank Figure no. 6. 1. 2In this above figure, most of t he respondents represent their opinion neutral statement. So MBL should improve their service to satisfy customer needs and demands. Page 35 of 53 6. 4 MBL has friendly environment Figure no. 6. 1. 3 This figure shows that the neutral response of the customer is 10. On the other hand the agree respondent is 14 and disagree respondent is 4 and strongly agree respondent is 2. most of the respondents represent agree with this statement. So the customers are satisfied with the environment of Dhanmondi Branch of MBL. Page 36 of 53 6. 5 Customer of MBL feels secure transaction. Figure no. . 1. 4 In this above figure, most of the respondents represent agreed with this statement. So the customer feels secure transaction with Dhanmondi branch. Page 37 of 53 6. 6 MBL provides prompt service to customer. Figure no. 6. 1. 5 This figure shows that the neutral response of the customer is 12. On the other hand the agree respondent is 1 and disagree respondent is 17. Most of the respondents represe nt disagree with this statement. So the customers are not satisfied with the promptness of employee at Dhanmondi Branch of MBL. Page 38 of 53 6. 7 Employees of MBL show sincerity when customers face problem.Figure no. 6. 1. 6 In this above figure, most of the respondents represent disagree with this statement. So, Employees of MBL should increase their sincerity. Page 39 of 53 6. 8 Are you satisfied with the service of MBL? Figure no. 6. 1. 7 In this above figure, most of the respondents represent their opinion neutral statement. So MBL should improve their services to satisfy customer needs and demands. Page 40 of 53 6. 9 Employees of MBL show equal importance to every customer. Figure no. 6. 1. 8 In this above figure, most of the respondents represent their opinion neutral statement.So Employees of MBL should give priority equally to every customer. Page 41 of 53 6. 10 The process of getting service is easy. The procees of getting service is easy disagree nutral agree Frequency 20 10 0 16 5 9 Figure no. 6. 1. 9 This figure shows that the neutral response of the customer is 5. On the other hand the agree respondent is 16 and disagree respondent is 9. most of the respondents represent agree with this statement. So the customers are satisfied with the service delivery of Dhanmondi Branch of MBL. Page 42 of 53 6. 11 Employees of MBL understand specific needs of customer. Figure no. 6. 1. 10In this above figure, most of the respondents represent neutral with this statement. So, employees of MBL should give extra emphasis to understand customer needs. Page 43 of 53 6. 12 Are you totally satisfied with the quality of service of MBL? Figure no. 6. 1. 11 In this above figure, most of the respondents represent neutral with this statement. So employees of MBL should increase their service quality. The 16 number of question show that most of the customer choose MBL for its higher interest rate and branching confinement place Most of the respondent were female the age di stance between them is 20 -34 Page 44 of 53SWOT Analysis: Condition of scheme through SWOT Analysis: Manager should consider several factors when assessing an organizations SWOT analysis presented by extensive competitive environments. Once the strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats have been identified, the management team is then in a position to complete the SWOT analysis by drawing a conclusion about the attractiveness (or unattractiveness) of the organization? s current situation and the need for strategic action. Strengths: ? The customer can draw whole amount of money at a time. ? Terms and conditions are comparatively low. Huge demand from the customer side. ? In case of loan, the interest is comparatively low. ? On-line banking facilities. ? Provides highest interest rate Strong and experienced for level management. ? They have strong reputation in the market. That means they have a brand image. ? MBL has already achieved a goodwill among the clients that? s helps i t to retain valuable clients. Page 45 of 53 Weaknesses: ? MTBL has lack of ATM booth. ? Credit proposal evaluation process lengthy. ? Sometimes untrained employee operates the banking activities. ? No substantive use of annual confidential report to reward or to punish Employee.Hence employee becomes in efficient. ? Some untrained employee operates the banking activities. ? The web site of MBL is not more organized, for that some latest data we cannot collect from the web site. ? The relationship between employees is not very satisfied. But it is very essential for an organization. Opportunities: ? Regulatory environment favoring private sector development ? Wide banking network ? The bank provides the better customer service. ? MBL can use this opportunity to train their employees in specific area ? Low service change and commission than other Bank. To expand the branch Network overall the country. Threats: ? Increased competition in the market for public deposit ? Bangladesh bank sometimes requires private commercial banks to be abide by such rules and regulation which is not suitable every commercial bank. ? Political instability may hamper the environment of the business society. ? Borrowers are having the tendency to be the defaulter. ? Competitors are arising day-by-day. Page 46 of 53 7. 1 Conclusion: From my practical experience, I have reached a concrete conclusion on Mercantile Bank Limited Dhanmondi Branch in a very confident way.I believe that my realization will be in harmony with most of the banking thinkers. It is quite evident that to build up an effective and efficient banking system to the highest desire level computerized transaction is must. The performance of a Banks today competitive business is important. Just few years ago the number of bank was very small. So the competition was not a strong as its today. Things have changed with the emergence of many new banks now the Customers have option to take the one that the best so the current b anking business scenario is simply highly competitive.The performance of Mercantile Bank Limited during the Last twelve years has proved that with strong desire and will power one achieve whatever target he may have. Almost all the leading banks in our country have various Extra facilities in offer for the customers in comparison with other Banks but MBL has succeed in achieving more customer than other competitors. This has been possible only because of strong customer relation and excellent customer service . For Bank general banking is hearts . MBL has emerged as the pioneer of playing key role in the country. Page 47 of 53 7. 2 Recommendation:The Mercantile Bank Limited has achieved success in all sectors and ended up with the highest ever-operating profit, which is much higher than that of preceding year. The profound achievement has been possible because of the able leadership, dedicated and committed service provided by all levels of management and stuff and above all the tru st and confidence that our valued client had reposed in us. For Mercantile Bank, the days ahead will see this institution to achieve greater highest of glory. The bank should develop their communication between employee and customer. The decision making process should be more fast.Internal control system should be improved so as to increase the brunch productivity. Physical and technological facilities should increase in evaluating credit proposals and also in monitoring the recovery of advances. Experienced and expert personnel should be kept within the banks by considering the goal congruence, which will lead to a quality selection of clients in lending money. Decision making authority should be decentralized to some extent to expedite the lending procedure. The Mercantile Bank Limited has provision for internship program, but it is not well organized.Although the officials are very careful and co-operative with the interns, the authority should be more structured. The bank really uses the Internship program to their advantage by rearranging the whole procedure. Now a day? s world is going very fast. Now most of the banks provide online customer service system. So, in order to compete in the world market they should adopt online banking system. One of the business strategies is promotion. Successful business depends how they can promote their products or services to the customer. To improve the business status, the bank should introduce more promotional programs.The products of deposit and investment should be more diversified and modern. Page 48 of 53 References: Kotler, P. (2004), â€Å"Principles of Marketing†, 10th Edition, Pearson Hall Inc, New Jercy Chapter: 7, 8 & 10 (pp 216, 232, 234, 309). Kotler p. & Killer Lane Kavin (2007-2008), â€Å"Marketing Management†, Prentice- Hall Of India Private Ltd, New Dilhi-110001 India, 12th Edition, Chapter 3, 4 & 7 (pp 139, 173, 273, 341, 371, 401, 567, 535) Khan A. R. (2011), â€Å"General Banking Banking System†, 2nd Edition, Islami Bank Tanning & Research Academy (IBTRA), Bangladesh (pp 68, 69).Retrieved from http://marketingteacher. com/lesson-store/lesson-personal-selling. html, accessed on 05-03-2012; 6. 30pm to 8. 00 pm. Retrieved from http://tutor2u. net/business/marketing/promotion. asp, accessed on 05-03- 2012; 6. 30 pm to 8. 00 pm. Retrieved from http://tutor2u. net/business/marketing/promotion. asp accessed on 28-01- 2012; 07. 45 pm to 12. 00 am. Retrieved from http://www. learnmarketing. net/servicemarketingmix. htm accessed on 05- 04-2012; 6. 30 pm to 8. 00 pm. Retrieved from www. mblbd. com accessed on 01-02-2012; 09. 00 pm to 01. 00 am.Mercantile Bank Limited, (2008-2010) â€Å"Annual Report†, Mercantile Bank Limited, 16 Dilkusha commercial area, Dhaka Bangladesh. Zeithaml. A. Valarie (2005), â€Å"Services Marketing†, 4th edition, TATA McGraw Hill Edition, New Delhi, India, Chapter: 1, 12 (pp 22,26,27, 60, 62,355,366). Page 49 of 53 Mercant ile Bank uses Modern Equipment. Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid Disagree 5 16. 7 16. 7 16. 7 Neutral 14 46. 7 46. 7 63. 3 Agree 11 36. 7 36. 7 100. 0 Total 30 100. 0 100. 0 MBL provides services which is not provided by other bank Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid Disagree 3 10. 10. 0 10. 0 Neutral 14 46. 7 46. 7 56. 7 Agree 13 43. 3 43. 3 100. 0 Total 30 100. 0 100. 0 MBL has friendly environment Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid Disagree 4 13. 3 13. 3 13. 3 Neutral 10 33. 3 33. 3 46. 7 Agree 14 46. 7 46. 7 93. 3 Strongly agree 2 6. 7 6. 7 100. 0 Total 30 100. 0 100. 0 Customer of MBL feels secure transaction. Page 50 of 53 Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid Disagree 4 13. 3 13. 3 13. 3 Neutral 7 23. 3 23. 3 36. 7 Agree 18 60. 0 60. 0 96. 7 Strongly agree 1 3. 3 3. 3 100. 0 Total 30 100. 0 100. 0 MBL provides prompt service to customer.Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Vali d Disagree 17 56. 7 56. 7 56. 7 Neutral 12 40. 0 40. 0 96. 7 Agree 1 3. 3 3. 3 100. 0 Total 30 100. 0 100. 0 Employees of MBL show sincerity when customers face problem. Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid Strongly disagree 2 6. 7 6. 7 6. 7 Disagree 13 43. 3 43. 3 50. 0 Neutral 12 40. 0 40. 0 90. 0 Agree 3 10. 0 10. 0 100. 0 Total 30 100. 0 100. 0 Are you Satisfied with the service of MBL? Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid Strongly disagree 2 6. 7 6. 7 6. 7 Disagree 8 26. 7 26. 7 33. 3 Neutral 13 43. 3 43. 3 76. 7 Agree 7 23. 23. 3 100. 0 Total 30 100. 0 100. 0 Page 51 of 53 Employees of MBL show equal importance to every customer. Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid Strongly disagree 1 3. 3 3. 3 3. 3 Disagree 10 33. 3 33. 3 36. 7 Neutral 18 60. 0 60. 0 96. 7 Agree 1 3. 3 3. 3 100. 0 Total 30 100. 0 100. 0 The process of getting service is easy. Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid Disagree 9 30. 0 30. 0 30. 0 Neutral 5 16. 7 16. 7 46. 7 Agree 16 53. 3 53. 3 100. 0 Total 30 100. 0 100. 0 Employees of MBL understand specific needs of customer. Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative PercentValid Disagree 7 23. 3 23. 3 23. 3 Neutral 13 43. 3 43. 3 66. 7 Agree 10 33. 3 33. 3 100. 0 Total 30 100. 0 100. 0 Are you totally satisfied with the quality of service of MBL? Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid Strongly disagree 2 6. 7 6. 7 6. 7 Disagree 9 30. 0 30. 0 36. 7 Neutral 14 46. 7 46. 7 83. 3 Agree 5 16. 7 16. 7 100. 0 Total 30 100. 0 100. 0 Page 52 of 53 Questionnaire for customer Satisfactions Level of MBL Dhanmondi Branch Dear sir or Madam: This is a questionnaire from Northern University Bangladesh to collect data on Customer Satisfactions of â€Å"Mercantile Bank Limited at Dhanmondi Branch†.All the data will be used for academic purposes and will be kept confidential. Please read the following statements which some people agree with and some do not. I would like to know whether you strongly agree(SA), Agree(A), Neutral(N), Disagree(D),or strongly disagree(SD) with each statement. There is no right or wrong answers. Please circle (0) the number that represents your opinion most correctly. SL. Measurement Scale SA A N D SD 01 Mercantile Bank use modern Equipment. 5 4 3 2 1 02 MBL provides service which is not provided by other bank. 5 4 3 2 1 03 MBL has friendly Environment. 5 4 3 2 1 04 Customer of MBL feel & Secure transaction. 4 3 2 1 05 MBL giving prompt service to customer. 5 4 3 2 1 06 Mercantile bank Service is better than other Bank. 5 4 3 2 1 07 Employees of MBL show sincere when customer face problem. 5 4 3 2 1 08 Are you satisfying the service of MBL? 5 4 3 2 1 09 Employee of MBL show equal importance to every customer 5 4 3 2 1 10 The process of getting services is easy. 5 4 3 2 1 11 Employee of MBL is very helpful. 5 4 3 2 1 12 Employee of MBL understand specific need of customers. 5 4 3 2 1 13 The knowledge of the bank? s personnel in answering customer questions properly. 5 4 3 2 1 Page 53 of 53 14 MBL having convenient operating hours. 4 3 2 1 15 Overall I am satisfied with quality of service of the Mercantile bank. 5 4 3 2 1 16. Why you choose MBL for your transaction: †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Personal Information Gender: A. Male B. Female Age: A. 12-19 B. 20-34 C. 35-39 D. 40-49 E. 50-above Profession: i) Student ii) Business iii) Teacher iv) Service Holder v) Other†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Income: i) less than 5000 ii) 10000-25000 iii) 25000-40000 iv) 40000-60000 v) 60000-80000 vi) above 80000 Contact Info: Address: Mob:

The Twilight Saga 2: New Moon Chapter 12 INTRUDER

MY EYES FLEW WIDE OPEN WITH FRIGHT, THOUGH I WAS so exhausted and muddled that I was not yet positive whether I was awake or asleep. Something scratched against my window again with the same thin, high-pitched sound. Confused and clumsy with sleep, I stumbled out of my bed and to the window, blinking the lingering tears from my eyes on the way. A huge, dark shape wobbled erratically on the other side of the glass, lurching toward me like it was going to smash right through. I staggered back, terrified, my throat closing around a scream. Victoria. She'd come for me. I was dead. Not Charlie, too! I choked back the building scream. I would have to keep quiet through this. Somehow. I had to keep Charlie from coming to investigate And then a familiar, husky voice called from the dark shape. â€Å"Bella!† it hissed. â€Å"Ouch! Damn it, open the window! OUCH!† I needed two seconds to shake off the horror before I could move, but then I hurried to the window and shoved the glass out of the way. The clouds were dimly lit from behind, enough for me to make sense of the shapes. â€Å"What are you doing?† I gasped. Jacob was clinging precariously to the top of the spruce that grew in the middle of Charlie's little front yard. His weight had bowed the tree toward the house and he now swunghis legs dangling twenty feet above the groundnot a yard away from me. The thin branches at the tip of the tree scraped against the side of the house again with a grating squeal. â€Å"I'm trying to keep†he huffed, shifting his weight as the treetop bounced him†my promise!† I blinked my wet blurry eyes, suddenly sure that I was dreaming. â€Å"When did you ever promise to kill yourself falling out of Charlie's tree?† He snorted, unamused, swinging his legs to improve his balance. â€Å"Get out of the way,† he ordered. â€Å"What?† He swung his legs again, backwards and forward, increasing his momentum. I realized what he was ttying to do. â€Å"No, Jake!† But I ducked to the side, aecause it was too late. With a grunt, he launched himself toward my open window. Another scream built in my throat as I waited for him to fall to his deathor at least maim himself against the wooden siding. To my shock, he swung agilely into my room, landing on the balls of his feet with a low thud. We both looked to the door automatically, holding our breath, waiting to see if the noise had woken Charlie. A short moment of silence passed, and then we heard the muffled sound of Charlie's snore. A wide grin spread slowly across Jacob's face; he seemed extremely pleased with himself. It wasn't the grin that I knew and lovedit was a new grin, one that was a bitter mockery of his old sincerity, on the new face that belonged to Sam. That was a bit much for me. I'd cried myself to sleep over this boy. His harsh rejection had punched a painful new hole in what was left of my chest. He'd left a new nightmare behind him, like an infection in a sorethe insult after the injury. And now he was here in my room, smirking at me as if none of that had passed. Worse than that, even though his arrival had been noisy and awkward, it reminded me of when Edward used to sneak in through my window at night, and the reminder picked viciously at the unhealed wounds. All of this, coupled with the fact that I was dog-tired, did not put me in a friendly mood. â€Å"Get out!† I hissed, putting as much venom into the whisper as I could. He blinked, his face going blank with surprise. â€Å"No,† he protested. â€Å"I came to apologize.† â€Å"I don't accept!† I tried to shove him back out the windowafter all, if this was a dream, it wouldn't really hurt him. It was useless, though. I didn't budge him an inch. I dropped my hands quickly, and stepped away from him. He wasn't wearing a shirt, though the air blowing in the window was cold enough to make me shiver, and it made me uncomfortable to have my hands on his bare chest. His skin was burning hot, like his head had been the last time I'd touched him. Like he was still sick with the fever. He didn't look sick. He looked huge. He leaned over me, so big that he blacked out the window, tongue-tied by my furious reaction. Suddenly, it was just more than I could handleit felt as if all of my sleepless nights were crashing down on me en masse. I was so brutally tired that I thought I might collapse right there on the floor. I swayed unsteadily, and struggled to keep my eyes open. â€Å"Bella?† Jacob whispered anxiously. He caught my elbow as I swayed again, and steered me back to the bed. My legs gave out when I reached the edge, and I plopped into a limp heap on the mattress. â€Å"Hey, are you okay?† Jacob asked, worry creasing his forehead. I looked up at him, the tears not yet dried on my cheeks. â€Å"Why in the world would I be okay, Jacob?† Anguish replaced some of the bitterness in his face. â€Å"Right,† he agreed, and took a deep breath. â€Å"Crap. Well II'm so sorry, Bella.† The apology was sincere, no doubt about it, though there was still an angry twist to his features. â€Å"Why did you come here? I don't want apologies from you, Jake.† â€Å"I know,† he whispered. â€Å"But I couldn't leave things the way I did this afternoon. Thar was horrible. I'm sorry.† I shook my head wearily. â€Å"I don't understand anything.† â€Å"I know. I want to explain† He broke off suddenly, his mouth open, almost like something had cut off his air. Then he sucked in a deep breath. â€Å"But I can't explain,† he said, still angry. â€Å"I wish I could.† I let my head fall into my hands. My question came out muffled by my arm. â€Å"Why?† He was quiet for a moment. I twisted my head to the sidetoo tired to hold it upto see his expression. It surprised me. His eyes were squinted, his teeth clenched, his forehead wrinkled in effort. â€Å"What's wrong?† I asked. He exhaled heavily, and I realized he'd been holding his breath, too. â€Å"I can't do it,† he muttered, frustrated. â€Å"Do what?† He ignored my question. â€Å"Look, Bella, haven't you ever had a secret that you couldn't tell anyone?† He looked at me with knowing eyes, and my thoughts jumped immediately to the Cullens. I hoped my expression didn't look guilty. â€Å"Something you felt like you had to keep from Charlie, from your mom ?† he pressed. â€Å"Something you won't even talk about with me? Not even now?† I felt my eyes tighten. I didn't answer his question, though I knew he would take that as a confirmation. â€Å"Can you understand that I might have the same kind of situation?† He was struggling again, seeming to fight for the right words. â€Å"Sometimes, loyalty gets in the way of what you want to do. Sometimes, it's not your secret to tell.† So, I couldn't argue with that. He was exactly rightI had a secret that wasn't mine to tell, yet a secret I felt bound to protect. A secret that, suddenly, he seemed to know all about. I still didn't see how it applied to him, or Sam, or Billy. What was it to them, now that the Cullens were gone? â€Å"I don't know why you came here, Jacob, if you were just going to give me riddles instead of answers.† â€Å"I'm sorry,† he whispered. â€Å"This is so frustrating.† We looked at each other for a long moment in the dark room, both our faces hopeless. â€Å"The part that kills me,† he said abruptly, â€Å"is that you already know. I already told yon everything!† â€Å"What are you talking about?† He sucked in a startled breath, and then leaned toward me, his face shifting from hopelessness to blazing intensity in a second. He stared fiercely into my eyes, and his voice was fast and eager. He spoke the words right into my face; his breath was as hot as his skin. â€Å"I think I see a way to make this work outbecause you know this, Bella! I can't tell you, but if you guessed it! That would let me right off the hook!† â€Å"You want me to guess? Guess what?† â€Å"My secret! You can do ityou know the answer!† I blinked twice, trying to clear my head. I was so tired. Nothing he said made sense. He took in my blank expression, and then his face tensed with effort again. â€Å"Hole on, let me see if I give you some help,† he said. Whatever he was trying to do, it was so hard he was panting. â€Å"Help?† I asked, trying to keep up. My lids wanted to slip closed, but I forced them open. â€Å"Yeah,† he said, breathing hard. â€Å"Like clues.† He took my face in his enormous, too-warm hands and held it just a few inches from his. He stared into my eyes while he whispered, as if to communicate something besides the words he spoke. â€Å"Remember the first day we meton the beach in La Push?† â€Å"Of course I do.† â€Å"Tell me about it.† I took a deep breath and tried to concentrate. â€Å"You asked about my truck† He nodded, urging me on. â€Å"We talked about the Rabbit† â€Å"Keep going.† â€Å"We went for a walk down the beach† My cheeks were growing warm under his palms as I remembered, but he wouldn't notice, hot as his skin was. I'd asked him to walk with me, flirting ineptly but successfully, in order to pump him for information. He was nodding, anxious for more. My voice was nearly soundless. â€Å"You told me scary stories Quileute legends.† He closed his eyes and opened them again. â€Å"Yes.† The word was tense, fervent, like he was on the edge of something vital. He spoke slowly, making each word distinct. â€Å"Do you remember what I said?† Even in the dark, he must be able to see the change in the color of my face. How could I ever forget that? Without realizing what he was doing, Jacob had told me exactly what I needed to know that daythat Edward was a vampire. He looked at me with eyes that knew too much. â€Å"Think hard,† he told me. â€Å"Yes, I remember,† I breathed. He inhaled deeply, struggling. â€Å"Do you remember all the stor† He couldn't finish the question. His mouth popped open like something had stuck in his throat. â€Å"All the stories?† I asked. He nodded mutely. My head churned. Only one story really mattered. I knew he'd begun with others, but I couldn't remember the inconsequential prelude, especially not while my brain was so clouded with exhaustion. I started to shake my head. Jacob groaned and jumped off the bed. He pressed his fists against his forehead and breathed fast and angry. â€Å"You know this, you know this,† he muttered to himself. â€Å"Jake? Jake, please, I'm exhausted. I'm no good at this right now. Maybe in the morning† He took a steadying breath and nodded. â€Å"Maybe it will come back to you. I guess I understand why you only remember the one story,† he added in a sarcastic, bitter tone. He plunked back onto the mattress beside me. â€Å"Do you mind if I ask you a question about that?† he asked, still sarcastic. â€Å"I've been dying ro know.† â€Å"A question about what?† I asked warily. â€Å"About the vampire story I told you.† I stared at him with guarded eyes, unable to answer. He asked his question anyway. â€Å"Did you honestly not know?† he asked me, his voice turning husky. â€Å"Was I the one who told you what he was?† How did he know this? Why did he decide to believe, why now? My teeth clenched together. I stared back at him, no intention of speaking. He could see that. â€Å"See what I mean about loyalty?† he murmured, even huskier now. â€Å"It's the same for me, only worse. You can't imagine how tight I'm bound† I didn't like thatdidn't like the way his eyes closed as if he were in pain when he spoke of being bound. More than dislikeI realized I hated it, hated anything that caused him pain. Hated it fiercely. Sam's face filled my mind. For me, this was all essentially voluntary. I protected the Cullens' secret out of love; unrequited, but true. For Jacob, it didn't seem to be that way. â€Å"Isn't there any way for you to get free?† I whispered, touching the rough edge at the back of his shorn hair. His hands began to tremble, but he didn't open his eyes. â€Å"No. I'm in this for life. A life sentence.† A bleak laugh. â€Å"Longer, maybe.† â€Å"No, Jake,† I moaned. â€Å"What if we ran away? Just you and me. What if we left home, and left Sam behind?† â€Å"It's not something I can run away from, Bella,† he whispered. â€Å"I would run with you, though, if I could.† His shoulders were shaking now, too. He took a deep breath. â€Å"Look, I've got to leave.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"For one thing, you look like you're going to pass out at any second. You need your sleepI need you firing on all pistons. You're going to figure this out, you have to.† â€Å"And why else?† He frowned. â€Å"I had to sneak outI'm not supposed to see you. They've got to be wondering where I am.† His mouth twisted. â€Å"I suppose I should go let them know.† â€Å"You don't have to tell them anything,† I hissed. â€Å"All the same, I will.† The anger flashed hot inside me. â€Å"I hate them!† Jacob looked at me with wide eyes, surprised. â€Å"No, Bella. Don't hate the guys. It's not Sam's or any of the others' faults. I told you beforeit's me. Sam is actually well, incredibly cool. Jared and Paul are great, too, though Paul is kind of And Embry's always been my friend. Nothing's changed therethe only thing that hasn't changed. I feel really bad abour the things I used to think about Sam† â€Å"Sam was incredibly cool.† I glared at him in disbelief, but let it go. â€Å"Then why aren't you supposed to see me?† I demanded. â€Å"It's not safe,† he mumbled looking down. His words sent a thrill of fear through me. Did he know that, too? Nobody knew that besides me. But he was rightit was the middle of the night, the perfect time for hunting. Jacob shouldn't be here in my room. If someone came for me, I had 😠® be alone. â€Å"If I thought it was too too risky,† he whispered, â€Å"I wouldn't have come. But Bella,† he looked at me again, â€Å"I made you a promise. I had no idea it would be so hard to keep, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to try.† He saw the incomprehension in my face. â€Å"After that stupid movie,† he reminded me. â€Å"I promised you that I wouldn't ever hurt you So I really blew it this afternoon, didn't I?† â€Å"I know you didn't want to do it, Jake. It's okay.† â€Å"Thanks, Bella.† He took my hand. â€Å"I'm going to do what I can to be here for you, just like I promised.† He grinned at me suddenly. The grin was not mine, nor Sam's, but some strange combination of the two. â€Å"It would really help if you could figure this out on your own, Bella. Put some honest effort into it.† I made a weak grimace. â€Å"I'll try.† â€Å"And I'll try to see you soon.† He sighed. â€Å"And they'll try to talk me out of that.† â€Å"Don't listen to them.† â€Å"I'll try.† He shook his head, as if he doubted his success. â€Å"Come and tell me as soon as you figure it out.† Something occurred to him just then, something that made his hands shake. â€Å"If you if you want to.† â€Å"Why wouldn't I want to see you?† His face turned hard and bitter, one hundred percent the face that belonged to Sam. â€Å"Oh, I can think of a reason,† he said in a harsh tone. â€Å"Look, I really have to go. Could you do something for me?† I just nodded, frightened of the change in him. â€Å"At least call meif you don't want to see me again. Let me know if it's like that.† â€Å"That won't happen† He raised one hand, cutting me off. â€Å"Just let me know.† He stood and headed for the window. â€Å"Don't be an idiot, Jake,† I complained. â€Å"You'll break your leg. Use the door. Charlie's not going to catch you.† â€Å"I won't get hurt,† he muttered, but he turned for the door. He hesitated as he passed me, staring at me with an expression like something was stabbing him. He held one hand out, pleading. I took his hand, and suddenly he yanked metoo roughlyright off the bed so that I thudded against his chest. â€Å"Just in case,† he muttered against my hair, crushing me in a bear hug that about broke my ribs. â€Å"Can'tbreathe!† I gasped. He dropped me at once, keeping one hand at my waist so I didn't fall over. He pushed me, more gently this time, back down on the bed. â€Å"Get some sleep, Bells. You've got to get your head working. I know you can do this. I need you. to understand. I won't lose you, Bella. Not for this.† He was to the door in one stride, opening it quietly, and then disappearing through it. I listened for him to hit the squeaky step in the stairs, but there was no sound. I lay back on my bed, my head spinning. I was too confused, too worn out. I closed my eyes, trying to make sense of it, only to be swallowed up by unconsciousness so swiftly that it was disorienting. It was not the peaceful, creamless sleep I'd yearned forof course not. I was in the forest again, and I started to wander the way I always did. I quickly became aware that this was not the same dream as usual. For one thing, I felt no compulsion to wander or to search; I was merely wandering out of habit, because that was what was usually expected of me here. Actually, this wasn't even the same forest. The smell was different, and the light, too. It smelled, not like the damp earth of the woods, but like the brine of the ocean. I couldn't see the sky; still, it seemed like the sun must be shiningthe leaves above were bright jade green. This was the forest around La Pushnear the beach there, I was sure of it. I knew that if I found the beach, I would be able to see the sun, so I hurried forward, following the faint sound of waves in the distance. And then Jacob was there. He grabbed my hand, pulling me back toward the blackest part of the forest. â€Å"Jacob, what's wrong?† I asked. His face was the frightened face of a boy, and his hair was beautiful again, swept back into a ponytail on the nape of his neck. He yanked with all his strength, but I resisted; I didn't want to go into the dark. â€Å"Run, Bella, you have to run!† he whispered, terrified. The abrupt wave of deja vu was so strong it nearly woke me up. I knew why I recognized this place now. It was because I'd been here before, in another dream. A million years ago, part of a different life entirely. This was the dream I'd had the night after I'd walked with Jacob on the beach, the first night I knew that Edward was a vampire. Reliving that day with Jacob must have dredged this dream out of my buried memories. Detached from the dream now, I waited for it to play out. A light was coming toward me from the beach. In just a moment, Edward would walk through the trees, his skin faintly glowing and his eyes black and dangerous. He would beckon to me, and smile. He would be beautiful as an angel, and his teeth would be pointed and sharp But I was getting ahead of myself. Something else had to happen first. Jacob dropped my hand and yelped. Shaking and twitching, he fell to the ground at my feet. â€Å"Jacob!† I screamed, but he was gone. In his place was an enormous, red-brown wolf with dark, intelligent eyes. The dream veered off course, like a train jumping the tracks. This was not the same wolf that I'd dreamed of in another life. This was the great russet wolf I'd stood half a foot from in the meadow, just a week ago. This wolf was gigantic, monstrous, bigger than a bear. This wolf stared intently at me, trying to convey something vital with his intelligent eyes. The black-brown, familiar eyes of Jacob Black. I woke screaming at the top of my lungs. I almost expected Charlie to come check on me this time. This wasn't my usual screaming. I buried my head in my pillow and tried to muffle the hysterics that my screams were building into. J pressed the cotton tight against my face, wondering if I couldn't also somehow smother the connection I'd just made. But Charlie didn't come in. and eventually I was able to strangle the strange screeching coming out of my throat. I remembered it all nowevery word that Jacob had said to me that day on the beach, even the part before he got to the vampires, the â€Å"cold ones.† Especially that first part. â€Å"Do you know any of our old stories, about where we came fromthe Quileutes, I mean?† he asked. â€Å"Not really,† I admitted. â€Å"Well, there are lots of legends, some of them claiming to date back to the Floodsupposedly, the ancient Quileutes tied their canoes to the tops of the tallest trees on the mountain to survive, like Noah and the ark.† He smiled then, to show me how little stock he put in the histories. â€Å"Another legend claims that we descended from wolvesand that the wolves are our brothers still. It's against tribal law to kill them. â€Å"Then there are the stories about the cold ones.† His voice dropped a little lower. â€Å"The cold ones?† â€Å"Yes. There are stories of the cold ones as old as the wolf legends, and some much more recent. According to legend, my own great-grandfather knew some of them. He was the one who made the treaty that kept them off our land.† Jacob rolled his eyes. † Your great-grandfather?† â€Å"He was a tribal elder, like my father. You see, the cold ones are the natural enemies of the wolf well, not the wolf really, but the wolves that turn into men, like our ancestors. You would call them werewolves.† â€Å"Werewolves have enemies?† â€Å"Only one.† There was something stuck in my throat, choking me. I tried to swallow it down, but it was lodged there, un-moving. I tried to spit it out. â€Å"Werewolf,† I gasped. Yes, that was the word that I was choking on. The whole world lurched, tilting the wrong way on its axis. What kind of a place was this? Could a world really exist where ancient legends went wandering around the borders of tiny, insignificant towns, facing down mythical monsters? Did this mean every impossible fairy tale was grounded somewhere in absolute truth? Was there anything sane or normal at all, or was everything just magic and ghost stories? I clutched my head in my hands, trying to keep it from exploding. A small, dry voice in the back of my mind asked me what the big deal was. Hadn't I already accepted the existence of vampires long agoand without all the hysterics that time? Exactly, I wanted to scream back at the voice. Wasn't one myth enough for anyone, enough for a lifetime? Besides, there'd never been one moment that I wasn't completely aware that Edward Cullen was above and beyond the ordinary. It wasn't such a surprise to find out what he wasbecause he so obviously was something. But Jacob? Jacob, who was just Jacob, and nothing more than that? Jacob, my friend? Jacob, the only human I'd ever been able to relate to And he wasn't even human. I fought the urge to scream again. What did this say about me? I knew the answer to that one. It said that there was something deeply wrong with me. Why else would my life be filled with characters from horror movies? Why else would I care so much about them that it would tear big chunks right out of my chest when they went off along their mythical ways? In my head, everything spun and shifted, rearranging so that things that had meant one thing before, now meant something else. There was no cult. There had never been a cult, never been a gang. No, it was much worse than that. It was a pack. A pack of five mind-blowingly gigantic, multihued werewolves that had stalked right past me in Edward's meadow Suddenly, I was in a frantic hurry. I glanced at the clockit was way too early and I didn't care. I had to go to La Push now. I had to see Jacob so he could tell me that I hadn't lost my mind altogether. I pulled on the first clean clothes I could find, not bothering to be sure they matched, and took the stairs two at a time. I almost ran into Charlie as I skidded into the hallway, headed for the door. â€Å"Where are you going?† he asked, as surprised to see me as I was to see him. â€Å"Do you know what time it is?† â€Å"Yeah. I have to go see Jacob.† â€Å"I thought the thing with Sam† â€Å"That doesn't matter, I have to talk to him right now.† â€Å"It's pretty early.† He frowned when my expression didn't change. â€Å"Don't you want breakfast?† â€Å"Not hungry.† The words flew through my lips. He was blocking my path to the exit. I considered ducking around him and making a run for it, but I knew I would have to explain that to him later. â€Å"I'll be back soon, okay?† Charlie frowned. â€Å"Straight to Jacob's house, right? No stops on the way?† â€Å"Of course not, where would I stop?† My words were running together in my hurry. â€Å"I don't know,† he admitted. â€Å"It's just well, there's been another attackthe wolves again. It was real close to the resort by the hot springsthere's a witness this time. The victim was only a dozen yards from the road when he disappeared. His wife saw a huge gray wolf just a few minutes later, while she was searching for him, and ran for help.† My stomach dropped like I'd hit a corkscrew on a roller coaster. â€Å"A wolf attacked him?† â€Å"There's no sign of himjust a little blood again.† Charlie's face was pained. â€Å"The rangers are going out armed, taking armed volunteers. There're a lot of hunters who are eager to be involvedthere's a reward being offered for wolf carcasses. That's going to mean a lot of firepower out there in the forest, and it worries me.† He shook his head. â€Å"When people get too excited, accidents happen† â€Å"They're going to shoot the wolves?† My voice shot through three octaves. â€Å"What else can we do? What's wrong?† he asked, his tense eyes studying my face. I felt faint; I must be whiter than usual. â€Å"You aren't turning into a tree-hugger on me, are you?† I couldn't answer. If he hadn't been watching me, I would have put my head between my knees. I'd forgotten about the missing hikers, the bloody paw prints I hadn't connected those facts to my first realization. â€Å"Look, honey, don't let this scare you. Just stay in town or on the highwayno stopsokay?† â€Å"Okay,† I repeated in a weak voice. â€Å"I've got to go.† I looked at him closely for the first time, and saw that he had his gun strapped to his waist and hiking boots on. â€Å"You aren't going out there after the wolves, are you, Dad?† â€Å"I've got to help, Bells. People are disappearing.† My voice shot up again, almost hysterical now. â€Å"No! No, don't go. It's too dangerous!† â€Å"I've got to do my job, kid. Don't be such a pessimistI'll be fine.† He turned for the door, and held it open. â€Å"You leaving?† I hesitated, my stomach still spinning in uncomfortable loops. What could I say to stop him? I was too dizzy to think of a solution. â€Å"Bells?† â€Å"Maybe it's too early to go to La Push,† I whispered. â€Å"I agree,† he said, and he stepped out into the rain, shutting the door behind him. As soon as he was out of sight, I dropped to the floor and put my head between my knees. Should I go after Charlie? What would I say? And what about Jacob? Jacob was my best friend; I needed to warn him. If he really was aI cringed and forced myself to think the wordwerewolf (and I knew it was true, I could feel it), then people would be shooting at him! I needed to tell him and his friends that people would try to kill them if they went running around like gigantic wolves. I needed to tell them to stop. They had to stop! Charlie was out there in the woods. Would they care about that? I wondered Up until now, only strangers had disappeared. Did that mean anything, or was it just chance? I needed to believe that Jacob, at least, would care about that. Either way, I had to warn him. Or did I? Jacob was my best friend, but was he a monster, too? A real one? A bad one? Should I warn him, if he and his friends were were murderers! If they were out slaughtering innocent hikers in cold blood? If they were truly creatures from a horror movie in every sense, would it be wrong to protect them? It was inevitable that I would have to compare Jacob and his friends to the Cullens. I wrapped my arms around my chest, fighting the hole, while I thought of them. I didn't know anything about werewolves, clearly. I would have expected something closer to the moviesbig hairy half-men creatures or somethingif I'd expected anything at all. So I didn't know what made them hunt, whether hunger or thirst or just a desire to kill. It was hard to judge, not knowing that. But it couldn't be worse than what the Cullens endured in their quest to be good. I thought of Esmethe tears started when I pictured her kind, lovely faceand how, as motherly and loving as she was, she'd had to hold her nose, all ashamed, and run from me when I was bleeding. It couldn't be harder than that. I thought of Carlisle, the centuries upon centuries that he had struggled to teach himself to ignore blood, so that he could save lives as a doctor. Nothing could be harder than that. The werewolves had chosen a different path. Now, what should I choose?

Research article and then write as essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Research article and then write as - Essay Example 60). The child sexual abuse can be easily understood as a sexual offense against a child in which, the child is coerced to have some sexual contact with an adult. The child who undergoes sexual abuse goes through many disturbing and depressing phases that affect his or her personality negatively. The sufferers of sexual abuse can commit suicide or can continue to live with shame and guilt. Different people have different feelings and understanding of the happening. The symptoms of child sexual abuse as displayed by the victims are appearance of depressiveness, suicidal ideation, troubled sleep patterns, troubled eating behaviors, frustration with physical appearance, feeling of dirty outlook, pelvic aching, gastrointestinal issues, traumatized appearance of the individual, amnesia, trouble in creating interpersonal relationships, fear of intimacy, and so on (Hall & Hall, 2011). Mrazek & Kempe (2014) describe about symptoms of child sexual abuse that can be ‘bruises and abrasions’, ‘sleep disturbance’, ‘excessive masturbation’, ‘phobic states’, ‘depression’, ‘running away from home’, ‘homicidal rage’ towards the victimizer, and many other issues regarding development and social settlement (p. 14). The symptoms involved in child sexual abuse are really disturbing and depressing for the individual and his or her family. Overall, it can be said that child se xual assault and abuse is an offense that disturbs the life and development of a child and also affects his or her family negatively. The victims of sexual abuse undergo psychological, physical, social and developmental problems in their lives. The child who is sexually abused suffers through a number of issues, but the case of every victim is different. The victims may experience the feelings of shame, guilt or self-blaming. This self-blaming and guilt may lead to suicidal feelings and ideas

Compare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Compare - Essay Example The premise of this essay is therefore to compare and contrast two works of literature, which are both fictional articles or short stories. Throughout the paper, the approaches used by the writers in expressing their opinions about issues of society are analyzed. This is done by looking very deep into the themes used by the writers and how the themes were effective in conveying the messages that writers needed to put across. The two texts that are used in the essay are The Ingrate by Paul Laurence Dunbar and Tito’s Goodbye by Cristina Garcia. Very relatively, the themes used in these texts are very similar, given the fact that they all focused on the issues of law in one way or the other. In Tito’s Goodbye, the theme of advantageous injustice was looked at from a moral perspective, whereby the unfair actions of an attorney and how these turned to him in the long were was reviewed. Similarly The Ingrate looked at advantageous injustice from the perspective of slave trade by critiquing how slave masters took advantage of their slaves and treated them as less inferior people. As far as themes are concerned therefore, both texts were concerned with injustice in society and the end result of such acts. The writers were therefore able to send very strong moral lessons as to why injustice can never be justified in any context. Even though the themes used in the two works were similar, the approaches to presenting them were slightly different. For example in The Ingrate, the theme of injustice is taken from a societal or communal perspective whiles in Tito’s Goodbye the same theme is taken from a personal or individualized perspective. This was the contrasting point in the two papers as far as the themes are concerned. Having said this, it would be noted that the two texts perfectly complement each other in terms of addressing the issue of injustice. The complementary nature of the two themes come in as the act of injustice is commonly seen to be

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

Information literacy - Research Paper Example fective, and acceptable ways of family planning of their choice, and have the right to appropriate health-care services that enable women to go through pregnancy and childbirth safely (Nelen et al., 916-91). Accessibility of sexual and reproductive health care is both a critical need and a right, but during crisis situations; when vulnerabilities increase drastically increase, these services are not always available or even prioritized. In fact, lack of accessibility to sexual and reproductive health care leads to the cause of disease, death and disability amongst displaced women and girls within the reproductive age. The majority of countries that have high maternal mortality rates are affected by conflict for not providing reproductive health services. The womens Refugee Commission works on the innovative programming to improve the sexual and reproductive health of all people affected by crises. Their initiatives include; emergency preparedness and disaster risk reduction, community empowerment approaches and new technologies, and child marriage and emergency response. It involved identifying critical gaps in sexual and reproductive health and making recommendations on the solutions to meet the needs of the women and girls specifically. In order to ensure that lifesaving reproductive health services are provided from the very beginning of an emergency situation. The UN agencies, donors, governments and other organizations need to ensure they are implementing the Minimum Initial Service Packages (MISP) for Reproductive Health during crises situations. There should be a set of priority practices and tradition for health care professionals. When a crisis situation stabilizes, the full range of all sexual and reproductive health services should be made available for all persons. It is the difference between life and death to access quality health services. This access is limited particularly in crisis settings, increasing the risk of maternal death. The main

Demonstrative Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Demonstrative Communication - Essay Example As we have defined communication, we can now delve into the definition of demonstrative communication. A very simple definition of demonstrative communication is the communication that takes place without any use of words. It includes both unwritten and non-verbal communication. There are many components of demonstrative communication such as tone of voice, posture, gesture and most importantly a person’s facial expressions among others. In order to better understand demonstrative communication let us consider an example. Let’s suppose that Simon is an entrepreneur and has a business that manufactures and sells tires. One day while sitting in the office he receives a call that his import shipment of rubber from India has been delayed by a week because of bad weather and heavy monsoon rains in India. This is bad news and makes Simon angry. To vent his anger, Simon slams the phone receiver down and begins pacing his office, his shoulders drooped and a worried look on his face. Paula, his assistant, has some more bad news. She nervously walks to Simon’s office and knocks. Simon gives her a menacing look and beckons her to come in. Paula then tells him that the lucrative deal, he had been working on since last week, with a major car dealer could not get through and the dealer had sent a letter refusing his proposal this morning. Simon clenches his fists and in a restrained and tired voice tells Paula to leave him alone and not disturb him for the day. The above is a perfect example of demonstrative communication. Although not directly visible, we can infer from Simons actions (the drooped shoulders, slamming of the receiver, pacing the office, clenched fists), facial expression (menacing look) and tone of voice (restrained and tired) that he is very angry and worried after hearing the bad news. Demonstrative communication can be used along with verbal communication to convey one’s message more clearly. For example when greeting someone a nd saying ‘Pleased to meet you’ will be less effective than not only saying ‘Pleased to meet you’ but also shaking the other person’s hand warmly and giving them a smile that really shows we are pleased to meet them. Demonstrative communication can only be effective if both the verbal and non-verbal message convey the same meaning. For example if some uninvited guest comes to our place then we may greet them jovially however our facial expression may show that we are unhappy on the guests’ arrival. Demonstrative communication also proves to be ineffective when there are different interpretations of non-verbal communication in different countries. For example in Sri Lanka shaking one’s head from side to side means a yes and nodding of the head means a no (totally opposite from the American meaning), in China biting one’s nails is considered disgusting while in America it is looked upon as a sign of insecurity and nervousness (Morr ison, Conaway & Borden 1972). Some examples of positive demonstrative communication include smiling, dressing neatly and jovial voice while negative demonstrative communication includes an aggressive tone and a frowning or scowling face. Demonstrative communication can be used to interpret other people’s behavior and using those interpretations to make our own responses. This involves observing and understanding people’s actions whilst they interact with you and then deciding on one’

Personal statements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Personal statements - Essay Example I have advanced proficiency levels in the use of basic computer programs which can assist in business applications like writing business correspondences and computing through spreadsheets. I am genuinely interested in pursuing higher education in business to harness my professional skills and keep me abreast on contemporary applications of management of global organizations. By applying in this institution’s business program, I am optimistic to gain a more comprehensive approach in managing business organizations through the development of leadership, entrepreneurial, interpersonal, negotiation, conflict-resolution, information technology, electronic business applications and research skills and abilities that are needed in business organizations in the future. As more organizations become global enterprises, I would like to improve my skills in becoming part of a global organization that could give me opportunities to experience other cultures and contribute to its growth and advancement.