Monday, September 30, 2019

Factors Affecting Customer Loyalty on Banking Service

Factors Affecting Customer Loyalty on Banking Service: A case of Hong Kong Shanghai Bank Commercial in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam †¢ Dec 22, 2011 †¢ 0 †¢ 263 [pic] [pic][pic]FACTORS AFFECTING CUSTOMER LOYALTY ON BANKING SERVICE: A CASE OF HONG KONG SHANGHAI BANK COMMERCIAL IN HO MINH CHI CITY, VIETNAM Related Articles Luxury Travel Vietnam's Tour Featured in Indonesia Travel Magazine Corporate globalization and human rights abuses in the sweatshops of pakistan, indonesia and vietnam M1 Carbine Communications In Iran Bui Thanh PhongGraduate School of Business, Assumption University ABTRACT This study examines the relationship between selected factors (brand image, friendship, perceived service satisfaction, perceived core service quality, social regard and social comfort) and customer loyalty of HSBC in Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam. The researcher surveyed on 400 respondents who had experience to use HSBC banking services. The sampling procedure used judgment sampling and co nvenience sampling. The researcher used the Pearson Correlation analysis tool on this research.Descriptive statistic was used to provide the mean and percentage of demographic characteristic and other variables of study. Result indicated that brand image, friendship and perceived service satisfaction does play a mediating role in the effect of customer loyalty in banking service. The effects of a number of demographic indicators on customer loyalty are also reported. INTRODUCTION Loyalty factor is considered as key value of marketing strategy in the banking service and others (Kotler, 2004). It also helps bank to gain the profit and reduce marketing cost.In previous times, many banking services are aware of understand brand image, service quality and customer satisfaction which are accepted as a key determinant of customer loyalty (Payne, 1993). The customers are hard to attract and difficult to retain because it is not relatively easy for customers to switch their traditional servi ce providers (Philip, 2002). Loyalty factors are an organization's most reliable success indicator (Zeithaml and Bitner, 1996). Also, this increased customer loyalty can help lower marketing costs, solicit more customers, and effectively operate trading leverages (Aaker, 1997).Additionally, the loyalty customers become an advocate concept for the service can be defined: providing positive word-of-mouth, recommendation the service to other, encouraging others to use service and defending the service provider and generate higher corporate profits (Reichheld et al. 2000). As the market becomes more competitive advantage, many companies recognized the importance of retaining current customers and have some initiated variety of activities to improve customer loyalty (Rosalind and Audrey, 2007).Faced with this situation, some service providers have considered to the quality standards in their business such as ISO 9001. Actually, the service providers can get the big profit from those stan dards and loyalty customers. Any service industries are banking, restaurant, hotel, beauty†¦ the service encounter satisfaction is really considered as a core value to affect and maintain the loyalty customers. 1. To study of the significant relationship between friendship and customer loyalty. 2. To test the relationship between brand image and customer loyalty. 3.To find out the significant relationship between service encounter satisfaction and customer loyalty. 4. To establish an understanding of the significant relationship between perceived core service and service counter satisfaction. 5. To analyze the significant relationship between social regard and perceived core service. 6. To determine the significant relationship between social comfort and perceived core service. RESEARCH OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study is to develop and implement a method for banking service to identify attributes that will increase customer loyalty.The researcher will determine dependent/ i ndependent variables whether or there are relationship between the factors below. The researcher would try to explain why customers have loyalty with HSBC bank. This is six objectives the researcher would try to study the relationship between the factors effect to customer loyalty. LITERATURE REVIEW Customer Loyalty Customer Loyalty is a customer who will repurchase from the same service provider whenever possible, and who continue to recommend or maintains a positive attitude towards the service provider.The loyal customers are less likely to switch because of price and they make more purchases than similar non-loyal customers (Reichheld and Sasser, 1990). Loyalty customers will also help to promote and share knowledge with their friends about the service provider. They will provide strong word-of-mouth, create business referrals, provide references and serve on advisory boards. The loyal customers are served as a â€Å"fantastic marketing force† by providing recommendations and spreading positive word-of-mouth, those partnership-like activities are the most available advertising that the company can get (Raman, 1999).Loyal customers increase sale volume by purchasing a wider variety of the products and by making more frequent purchases. The loyal customers had more purchasing services than non-loyal customers (Bowen and Shoemaker, 1998). And other researchers have theorized that service encounter satisfaction, customer loyalty and profitability are related (Zeithaml et al. 1996). Service Encounter Satisfaction Traditional way described the service encounter satisfaction as the interaction occurs between customer-contact employees and the customers and it has been frequently discussed in the marketing literature (Bitner et al. 1990). Also, the service encounter is â€Å"the dyadic interaction between a customer and service provider† (Surprenant  Ã‚   and Solomon, 1987). It has also been modeled to impact long-term customer relationships as wel l as overall satisfaction. Service Encounter Satisfaction is distinguished from overall satisfaction and it has been defined as dis/satisfaction with a service encounter (Bitner and Hbbert, 1994). Additionally, customer relationships are built and destroyed which based on service encounter in a time and any service providers can be critical to the service outcome (Stern et al. 998). It is the degree of overall pleasure or contentment felt by the customers, the results from ability of the service fulfilled the customer's desires, expectations and customer's needs in relation to the service (Philip, 2002). Service performance takes place in what has been termed the service encounter; the time frame during which consumers directly interact with service providers (Czepiel et al. 1985). All element of an encounter activities such as: the facility, waiting times, and service personnel are considered service encounter Brand ImageVarious definitions of a brand appeared in the marketing lite rature. The brand as â€Å"a name, term, sign, symbol or design or combination of them, which is intended to identify the goods of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitors† (Kotler, 2004). The new business start, the marketer designs business card, company website, name, logo†¦ to send a clear message of company to their stakeholders and customers that is a merger and equal. According to Lafley (2009) interpreted that â€Å"We continue to invest in our core strengths.Firstly, we don't skimp on understanding the customer. Second is innovation. Thirdly is Brand Image†¦ We're delivering more messages to our customers. † In order to be successful, images and symbols must relate to, and indeed, exploit, the needs, values and life-styles of consumers in such a way that the meanings involved give added values, and differentiate from this brand to other brands (Broadbent and Cooper, 1987). From this statement, the researcher can recognize the important of brand image and brand identity to affect with service providers and organizations.The customer loyalty is often viewed as resulting from brand knowledge, followed brand image that PR also raise consumer loyalty trough the above strategies (Keller, 1999). In addition, the self-congruence theory states that the ways consumers evaluate products to match with their self-image (Belk, 1988 and Sirgy, 1982). Higher congruence between self-image and product image would influence consumer attitudes or behavior regarding brand preference, brand attitude, product purchase decisions, customer satisfaction, and repurchase intention (Graeff, 1996 and Sirgy, 1985).Friendship The customer's perceptions of social closeness are service employee as evidence of the degree of familiarity, self- disclosure and rapport (Gremler, 1995). Loyalty can be increased throughout personal friendship (Kokko and Moilanen, 1997). Two relational outcomes are considered to associate with friendship to be comfort and respect (Argyle, 1992). At currently, friends can be distinguished such as: online friends, offline friends, old high school friends, workmates, organization, family and people met at parties.The modern conceptualization of friendship – as essentially personal, private, voluntary, un-specialized, informal, and non-contractual – echoes our culture's â€Å"great emphasis on relationships in the intimate sphere, especially love relationships† (Taylor, 1991). There is a relationship between friendship and organization. The most important for this foundation is acknowledged utility as the basis for one type of friendship, fundamental in some respects, but the traditional way has the most limited or underdevelopedReceived Core Service Quality Perceived core service quality is quality products or services which are provided by the company. it offers to exceed the customer expectations. In recent study, service quality is considered from the view point of the customer who is estimated of the service â€Å"external customer† and the efforts have focused on identifying of â€Å"external service encounter† factors, the customers will consider in evaluating the quality of service providers. Customer satisfaction is also important element of marketing strategies.Zeithaml (1998) defined that the perceived service quality is measured by customer awareness and the consumers assess of the overall excellent products or services. Zahorik and Rust (1992) found that the modeling of perceived quality directly influences to customer loyalty and provides more diagnostic abilities. Furthermore, the perceived service quality is the best model to impact customer retention and behavior intentions (Hennig and Klee, 1997). The subject of service quality has been studied and debated over the past two decades.The importance of management's ability is understand how service quality and appropriately measurement, the subsequent ac tions make improvements and increase value to customer expectations (Asubonteng et al. 1996). Looking through a financial perspective, the success of activities carried out by sports organizations is closely associated with the quality of services offered to customers  Ã‚   and  Ã‚   making sure customers get highest level of satisfaction from such services (Kotler, 2004).In terms of effective management it is the great importance to understand what the customer thinks about service quality offered by the organization (Rust and Oliver, 2000). Social Regard Social regard defined as making the customers feel important and took an interesting and respecting to the customer (Barnes, 1997). Additionally, some empirical evidence indicated that actions closely related to social regard which increases the relationship strength (Barnes, 1997).When the customers perceived that the employees take care of them, or respect them the relationship strength increases. The social constructivist t herapeutic orientations focus on the way in which people and society created (rather than discover) constructions of reality (Roberts et al. 2003). Previous study has been especially focused on analyzing the effects of customer-oriented behaviors, the social aspects of the interaction between the service provider and the customers have been somewhat neglected (Kelley and Hoffman, 1997).Social regard has been defined as the â€Å"genuine respect, deference, and interest shown to the customer by the service provider, such that the customer feels valued or important in the social interaction† (Butcher et al. , 2001). Social regard is considered to special elements for services and industry because they have high level of customer contact, and this concept will remains relatively untapped by researcher. Social Comfort Social comfort is defined as the customer's feeling of anxiety or relaxation arising from the social interaction with an individual service employee.The customers f eel much comfortable to be one example of a satisfactory service experience (Argyle, 1992). If the salesperson clicked with the customer at the initial contact, then this was the prompt to consider establishing a relationship (Beatty et al, 1996). Customer rapport was found to be associated with overall satisfaction, repurchase intentions and word-of-mouth (Gwinner, 1998). It is thus expected that the conceptualization of social comfort may have either a direct or indirect path to loyalty. Figure 1: Conceptual framework Friendship Service Encounter Satisfaction Perceived Core Service   QualitySocial Regard Customer Loyalty Brand Image Social comfort H1 H2 H5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   H3 H4 H6 From this conceptual framework, there are 6 independen t variables, which are friendship, brand image, service encounter satisfaction, perceived core service quality, social regard and social comfort. The dependent variable is customer loyalty. The researcher finds out that 6 independent variables effect on dependent variable (customer loyalty). Overall, the relationship between dependent and 6 independent variables are developed to adapt the objective of this study.Therefore this study hypothesized six statements in investigating their relationship as follows: H1: There is significant relationship between Friendship and Customer Loyalty. H2: There is significant relationship between Brand Image and Customer Loyalty. H3: There is significant relationship between Service Encounter Satisfaction and Customer Loyalty. H4: There is significant relationship between Perceived Core Service Quality and Service Encounter Satisfaction. H5: There is significant relationship between Social Regard and Perceived Core Service Quality.H6: There is signi ficant relationship between Social Comfort and Perceived Core Service Quality. METHODOLOGY The proposed descriptive research was applied to this study as its aim is to describe be the characteristics of a population or phenomenon (Zikmund, 2003). It also seeks to determine the answer to who, what, when, where, and how questions. Secondary data is taken from any source such as: business journal, internet, marketing book, newspaper†¦Primary data was collected by distributing questionnaires to customers of the electrical company who were selected by convenience sampling.Data Collection The target group of this study is both female and male customers who lived and had an experienced service of the HSBC in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The researcher will collect the data from all 8 branches of HSBC on 5 districts: District 1, District 7, District 11, Phu Nhuan District and Tan Binh District. The customers of HSBC who will be chosen for the study are willing to cooperate by responding to the questionnaire for this study. The sample size was 400 respondents. Five-point Likert scales were applied for the dependent and independent variables part.In the first part is screening question, two questions are asked to choose correct respondents. The second part was dependent variable to measure perception of customer loyalty of HSBC in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The third part, brand image, friendship, service encounter satisfaction, received core service quality, social comfort and social regard were designed for measuring. The final part is demographic factors question such as: age, gender, education level and nationality. FINDINGS The table indicates majority of all respondents were male with 63%, nationality is Vietnamese (95. %) and most of respondent has age from 18-30 years old. For the income monthly is about 5,000,000vnd – 10,000,000vnd to be about 28. 3%. And education level highest percentage is under-graduate degree with 50. 9%. The first hypothesis, wh ich predict that friendship would be low positive correlation relationship to customer loyalty, was supported (r = . 322, p< . 001). Support was found for the second hypothesis, which predicted that there was a low positive correlation relationship between brand image and customer loyalty (r = 260, p< . 001). The third hypothesis predicted that he service encounter satisfaction would be low positive correlation relationship to customer loyalty (r = . 319, p< . 001). In addition, the fourth hypothesis, there would be low positive correlation relationship between received core service quality and service encounter satisfaction (r = . 350, p < . 001). Moreover, the fifth hypothesis predicted that, there would be low positive correlation relationship between social regard and received core service quality (r = 0. 207, p< . 001). Finally, a low positive correlation relationship was found between social comfort and received core service quality (r = 157, p< . 01). In con clusion, all the hypothesis of this study was supported which found the low positive correlation relationship between variable. [pic][pic]DISCUSSION The result of hypothesis one showed that the friendship has positive significant effects on customer loyalty, as the null hypothesis was rejected. Based on this finding, it indicated that a friendship effected customer loyalty toward HSBC in Ho Chi Minh City. The result of the hypothesis was supported that the personal friendship between customer and individual service employee has been modelled to influence customer loyalty (Bove and Johnson, 2000).Also, the loyalty can be increased through personal friendship (Price and Arnould, 1999). The client employee friendship was positive correlation with customer loyalty (Kokko and Moilanen, 1997). From the result of this hypothesis testing, the researcher also found positive significant relationship between friendship and customer loyalty. This result leads to prove that higher loyalty increa se or create friendship between HSBC and its customers. The result of hypothesis two showed that the brand image has significant effects on customer loyalty, as the null hypothesis was rejected.Based on this finding, it is proven that the brand image effected customer loyalty toward HSBC in Ho Chi Minh City. According to Keller's (1993) study, the researcher found similar result in his study. He found that the customer loyalty is often viewed as resulting from brand knowledge. In this study, the researcher found that there is positive significant relationship between brand image and customer loyalty. Customer Loyalty can be increased by brand image and brand image can promote the services or products of banking which may lead to believe or create trust toward HSBC.Based on the result of hypothesis three, the â€Å"service encounter satisfaction† has significant effects on customer loyalty, as the null hypothesis was rejected. According to this finding, it can be interpreted t hat the service encounter satisfaction effected customer loyalty toward HSBC in Ho Chi Minh City. Therefore, service encounter satisfaction is a key measuring factor for customer loyalty which may be a useful measuring method to predict customer concept of products and services in every industry.It was also supported by Brown's (1996) who concluded that the service encounter satisfaction has also been modelled to impact long-term customer relationship, as well as overall satisfaction. Jason (2005) also found the relationship between customer satisfaction and loyalty. Meanwhile, the result of hypothesis testing for hypothesis three also showed that the correlation between those two variables is positive. The perceived quality is very important to customer satisfaction. In this study, the research also indicated that perceived quality directly impacts on customer loyalty (Phillip, 2002).Satisfaction of the customer leads to the customer to re-use the bank service in the future. Conseq uently, after repeated use of more than 3 times, the loyalty of customer is well established in customers mind. On banking service or other service, satisfaction is considered as the main litmus test to improve customer loyalty. The result of hypothesis four showed the â€Å"perceived core service quality† has significant effect on service encounter satisfaction, as the null hypothesis was rejected. Based on this finding, it is clear that the â€Å"perceived core service quality† effected service encounter satisfaction toward HSBC in Ho Chi Minh City.This research empirically examined the role between perceived core service quality and service encounter satisfaction. This study tested the relationship between perceived core service quality and service encounter satisfaction as a concept and found the relationship, as well as data from a sample survey of 400 banking retail customers in their evaluation of their banking experiences to address this issue. Additionally, th e perceived service quality and customer orientation are directly influenced to service satisfaction, the service encounter satisfaction (Cronin and Brady, 2000).Based on the result of hypothesis five, the â€Å"social regard† has significant effects on perceived core service quality, since the null hypothesis was rejected. Consequently, it indicated that the social regard effects perceived core service quality toward HSBC in Ho Chi Minh City, which was similar to the research result of Butcher et al. (2001). He indicated the importance of social regard effects in the service encounter in making the customers feels valued or important in the social interaction.According to the result of hypothesis six, the â€Å"social comfort† has significant effects on perceived core service quality, because the null hypothesis was rejected. Based on this finding, it has been proved that the social comfort effects perceived core service quality toward HSBC in Ho Chi Minh City. The sp ecific relationship between friendship, social regard, social comfort, value for money, service encounter satisfaction perceived core service quality and customer loyalty were established in banking service (Butcher et al. 2001).The social comfort can lead the service quality in long-term process, the social comfort directly influences the perceived core service quality and ensure customer satisfaction (Pavlou, 2003). CONCLUSIONS Based on the research objective, the researcher studied the factors that may affect customer loyalty in case of HSBC in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It showed that there are low positive correlation relationship between dependent variables (customer loyalty) and independent variables of: brand image, friendship, service encounter satisfaction, perceived core service quality, social regard, social comfort.Data were collected from a total of 400 respondents who have had experience of using HSBC service. From the result of demographic factors on gender, age, edu cation level, income, the researcher discovered that the majority of HSBC customers are male, Vietnamese, aged between 18 and 30 years old, with under-graduate education level, who have monthly income between 5,000,000vnd-10,000,000vnd. For hypothesis testing, the data were analyzed by using SPSS (statistical package of social science) to test six hypothesis.The researcher used Pearson Correlation analysis to investigate the relationship between independent variables and dependent variable. The results of the hypothesis testing showed that null hypotheses one, two, three, four, five and six were rejected signaling that there were a positive significant relationship between dependent variable and independent variables. Table 1: Demographic Profile of Respondents _____________________________________________________________________________ N  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Percentages (%)Gender:               à ‚                                    Male                                                254  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  63. 5 Female  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  146  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   36. 5 Age:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  18 or less                              13  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   3. 3 18-30  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   225  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   56. 3 31-40  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   153  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   38. 3 41-60  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     9  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2. 3 Income in vnd: ,000,000 or less                         54  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   13. 5 5,000,000 – 10,000,000                114  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   28. 5 10,000,000 – 15,000,000  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   63  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   15. 8 15,000,000 – 20,000,000  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   56  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   14. 0 More than 20,000,000  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   113  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   28. 2 Education Level: High school graduate or less       98  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   24. 5 Undergraduate Degree  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   205  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   51. 2 Graduate degree  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   83  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   20. Doctor's Degree                                     14  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   3. 5 RECOMMENDATIONS In contrast to the loyalty that the customers do not complain when satisfied with the products and services compared to their wishes, customer loyalty is seen as an asset of the banking business that the marketer needs to create satisfied customers to enhance customer loyalty in their businesses. The HSBC management teams must understand that in order to achieve success and generate growth in business, they have to invest and trade based on need s and wants of customer as the main goal.Research on customer loyalty could be great of help to the bank to reach and resolve their marketing issue. Thereby, HSBC could have concrete results of the evaluation by customers comment on their product or service so that they could supply and serve to people in Ho Chi Minh City. Friendship can be impressive on customers to make them feel very comfortable, because it make them feel relaxed and familiar in more ways than customers expected. It suggested that the management team may train their employees to special training service program where they will learn to practice friendly dealing with the customers.The customer service department of HSBC to improve the service encounter, the management team should train their employees and let them understand the important of customer loyalty and its advantage to the bank. The HSBC management teams may improve their service quality in order to improve customer satisfaction. The managers may train t heir employees on how to respond or answer customer questions and know how to treat customers REFERENCE Aaker, J. L. (1997). Dimensions of brand personality. Journal of Marketing Research, 34(3), 347-357. Argyle, M. (1992). Social relationship, in Hewstone, M. , Stroebe, W. Codol, J. P. and Stephenson G. M (Eds). 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About the Author: Bui Thanh Phong obtained his MBA from the Graduate School of Business, Assumption University. Email: [email  protected] com or [email  protected] com. [pic]About the Author †¢ More Sharing ServicesShare †¢ Subscribe to RSS †¢ Contact Author [pic] Bui Thanh Phong About the Author: Bui Thanh Phong obtained his MBA from the Graduate School of Business, Assumption University. Email:  [email  protected] com  or [email  protected] com.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Patient monitor based on IP-services

Introduction:The technological sweetening refering to measurement and information transmittal has led to more inclusive public presentation and Secure characteristic of the patient monitoring merchandises. In the earlier period, the taking merchandises manufactured by medical device makers are chiefly those for individual parametric quantity measuring. Nowadays nevertheless multi-parameter patient proctors are more extensively and normally used in our infirmary system. Multi parametric quantity Patient proctor is usage for critical physiological marks of the patient to convey the critical information. Therefore patient proctor has ever been busying a really important place in the filed of medical devices. The uninterrupted betterment of engineerings non merely helps us set out the critical physiological marks to the medical forces but besides simplifies the measuring and as a consequence addition the monitoring effectivity and now a yearss patient proctor is really flexible and it can supervise multiple physiological Signals.CLINICAL USED IN HOSPITAL:The patient proctors are normally used in some clinical countries such as ICU, CCU, operation room and exigency room because the proctor can supply many physiological parametric quantities of the patient to medical forcesPhysical PARAMETERS OF PATIENT MONITORSSome of physiological mark I mention in below are as follows.Electro Cardio Graph ( ECG )Respiration RateHeart Rate ( HR ) .Non-Invasive Blood Pressure ( NIBP )Oxygen Saturation in Blood ( SpO2 )Invasive Blood Pressure ( IBP )Temperature TEMPELECTRO CARDIO GRAPH:The ECG proctors classify little electromotive forces of about 1 millivolts that appear on the tegument as a consequence of cardiac gesture. Three/five electrodes prearranged in standard constellations called leads are positioned on the tegument to feel these electromotive forces. At lease two electrodes are required for an ECG lead ; a 3rd electrode is used as a mention to cut down electrical intervention. Each lead presents a bosom, Producing ECG wave form P waves, QRS composite, and T moving ridges vary in amplitude and mutual opposition. The signals from the different leads provide the heart specialist with a complete presentation of the electrical activity of the bosom, including the Heart rate, which is interpreted as the R~R Interval. The timing and wave form of ECG Provide Information on whether the patient ‘s bosom rate is characterized by arrhythmia or other altered maps necessitating intervention.Parameter FOR RESPIRATION Rate:The method for usage for Respiratory rate by the technique of electric resistance pneumography. Pass a low current with high-frequency bearer signal between two ECG electrodes side of the chest wall the electric resistance of the lungs alterations as the lungs expand and contract and as the volume of air in the lungs alterations. The alteration in electric resistance creates a alteration in electromotive force across the bearer signal, which is interpret as breathe and from this phenomenal manner we get respiration rate of a forces.NON-INVASIVE AND INVASIVE BLOOD PRESSURE:Non Invasive Blood Pressure ( NIBP ) :Blood force per unit area proctors by and large measure arterial Pressure, This is produced by the contractions of the bosom and continually alterations over cardiac rhythm. Three blood force per unit area values, articulated in millimetres of quicksilver above so atmospheric pressure.Systolic force per unit area is the maximal rhythm force per unit area occurs during ventricular contraction. Diastolic force per unit area is the minimal rhythm force per unit area, happening during the ventricle ‘s make fulling stage between contractions of bosom chamber. Arterial force per unit area is the average value of the blood force per unit area over the cardiac rhythm.Invasive Blood Pressure ( IBP ) :Invasive blood force per unit area is measured by agencies of a catheter insert straight into the circulatory system. Pressure transducer connected to the catheter converts the mechanical force exerted by the blood into an electrical signal by this mean of technique we can acquire the IBP value.Parameter FOR OXYGEN SATURATION OF THE BLOOD ( SPO2 ) :Oxygen impregnation technique is based on the soaking up of Pulse blood O to ruddy and infrared visible radiation by agencies of utilizing finger detector and SpO2 mensurating unit. Electronic transducer in finger detector converts the pulsation ruddy and infrared visible radiation modulates pulse blood O into electrical signal. By this agencies of technique we calculated value of SpO2.Parameter FOR TEMPERATURE Detection:Temperature of the organic structure is measured by agencies of a thermal resistor investigation. This investigation is made by semiconducting material whose opposition alterations with temperature. By the agencies of temperature alteration get the accurate temperature Value.STANDARD MODULE of PATIENT MONITOR:In footings of its functionality, the proctor is made up of following Faculties:Application FacultyMain Processing ModuleMan-machine interface ModuleLAN, WLAN, Bluetooth, RJ45 Connector, USB Port EtcPower supply ModuleParameter Measuring Part:Patient Monitor mensurating the physiological signals of ECG, RespirationNon-invasive blood force per unit area ( NIBP ) , Oxygen impregnation of the blood ( SpO2 ) , Temperature ( TEMP ) , Invasive blood force per unit area ( IBP ) , cardiac end product ( CO ) , CO and Anesthetic gas ( GAS ) . In this Measuring portion it can transform physiological signals to electrical signals, and procedure and reassign the values, wave forms and dismay information to Main Board, and so expose them by Interface Board.Main Control Part:Main board consists of Interface board and Core board. It has CPU/memory, show circuit web circuit and I/O interface. Main board of the integrated board is used to drive man-machine interface, manage parametric quantity measuring and supply other specific maps to the user such as constellation storage, wave form and informations callback, etc.Interface Part:The man-machine interfaces are board consists of Screen show, Recorder, Speaker, Indicator, Keys and knobs. The high-resolution show Screen is the most primary end product interface, exposing real-time current informations and recorded informations of different patients, Speaker gives bosom round tone and audio dismay Indicator provides extra information about power supplyPower Supply Part:Power supply is an of import portion of the system, dwelling of power board, power patchboard Battery and fanDifferent Auxiliary Partss:RJ45 online upgrade port is available on the proctor, which allows the service applied scientist to upgrade the system package without needfully opening the enclosure of the proctor. This larboard connexion is for usage as Internet map

Saturday, September 28, 2019

International business in emerging economics Assignment - 1

International business in emerging economics - Assignment Example In addition, there are other benefits including availability of raw materials, affordable skilled labor and ready market. The continued efforts by governments and environmentalists to promote renewable energy are a major advantage for the company. The entry of EST in the Chinese solar panel manufacturing sector can be done through the adoption of a trade-based strategy. This strategy involves establishment of a factory that manufactures solar panels without using any subsidiaries. The development of a wholly owned factory is highly beneficial to the company since the company is able to streamline its operations according to favourable conditions of the company. China is one of the strongest emerging economies in the world having been catapulted by the economic reforms that were advanced in the 1970s. With a GDP of $ 9.24 trillion in 2013 (which is a 7.7% growth), China has shifted from a centrally planned economy to one that is market based (The World Bank 2014). The availability of raw materials, labor and ready market has made China to industrialize at a very fast pace. Among many technologies that have been advanced in the world, the manufacturing of solar panels is a major hit in the market today. Solar panels are being widely used in many countries of the world where there is adequate solar energy as a source of renewable energy. This is because solar energy is associated with diverse benefits including environmental safety and is a relatively cheaper source of energy. The solar panel manufacturing has demonstrated 15.5% growth rate for the period between 2009 and 2014 (IBISWorld 2014). In addition, there is an increase in the demand for solar panels in Africa and Asia. In an effort to enhance efficiency in the production of solar panels not only for consumption in China but all over the world, Ecofriends Solar Technologies endeavors to establish a manufacturing plant in China. This report puts into perspective an assessment developing such a plant in

Friday, September 27, 2019

Global warmming Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Global warmming - Term Paper Example The concerns surrounding global warming revolve around human activities in all productive sectors that are aimed at enhancing the livelihood of the people and the global economies. In the process, the environment has suffered immense damage, and the situation seems to worsen every single day. Dating back to the 19th Century when global warming debates began hitting global headlines, the magnitude and extent of global warming and climate change has persistently moved from bad to worse. The average global temperatures have kept rising, amid interests, campaigns and efforts to reduce climate change in order to contain global warming. Contributing factors to the persistence of global warming are diverse and dynamic. This means that the already existing drivers of global warming continue to worsen the situation, as more emerging factors are realized in the same line. Global warming is seemingly the worst case factor in the climate change context. Global warming and climate change in general is triggered by a number of factors, both existing and newly emerging. As a matter of fact, global warming did not start today, nor did it start few years ago. Global warming has become a realized outcome from a long-lived process, significantly dating back to the 19th Century. The causes of global warming vary from one country to another, but all these causes summed up influence global warming as a whole across the globe. One of the most critical causes of global warming is the greenhouse effect (Filter & Ringward 32). Horticultural agriculture has essentially become a global undertaking due to the ever rising global demand for agricultural produce. Greenhouse effects have resulted in the depletion of the ozone layer, causing persistent increase in global average temperatures over time. Although the extent of greenhouse effects varies from one country to another, the effects are spread across the globe.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Expert advice on being a successful student Essay

Expert advice on being a successful student - Essay Example However, the university experience is not all about study and academics, it is also about finding a proper social fit with unique peers from many different cultures and social backgrounds. Being a successful student is about being able to successfully blend social, recreational, and study in a way that is rewarding, careful, and mature. To see the best ways to gain this necessary balance, I decided it would be wise to interview two experts that are quite familiar with the academic demands required at the University of Indianapolis and its many social systems. To find out this expert advice, I conducted interviews with Jessica Bramstedt, a senior biology student at the university and biology Professor Mary Gobbett. The results of the interview will discuss study habits, recreation, and how to balance free time at the university. The expert opinion about the university experience and social rewards at the University of Indianapolis will be compared and contrasted to determine the best advice available to be a successful student. Avoiding being overwhelmed is highly important for the student in a new environment. It is important to find out what qualities a student should have in the university. In relation to study, both Jessica Bramstedt and Professor Gobbett provided valuable information about the qualities a student should carry in the classroom. ... Both Jessica Bramstedt and Professor Gobbett found one of the most critical imperatives to be the creation of a time control system that allows for much time devoted to academics. This might include making personal schedules that show daily and weekly activities that allows the student to stick to homework completion timelines with ample time for study care. It was discovered that removing distractions was highly important. Both of the interview respondents identified that the student needed to maintain a great deal of study. These are periods where the student removes distractions from their environment and focuses on the course content in journals, textbooks and lecture materials. Jessica suggested that I would gain more success by reading the textbook chapters and making sure all assignments have been completed. Professor Gobbett, the expert in actual teaching, suggested that such study should involve a large focus on problem-solving in study habits. Clearly, the University of Ind ianapolis will require devotion and concentration toward study if the student wishes to become a success. To gain even more knowledge about study, I asked about success factors to help in study. In contrasting view, the interviewees had differing views about one key role of the learning portion of the university experience. Professor Gobbett suggested that a great deal of success would come from being interactive with the lecturer by asking many questions and to â€Å"pay attention to the hints provided by the professor† related to the quality and depth of what is being discussed to improve learning. Jessica Bramstedt seemed to see the learning process as being more self-managed, suggesting that there

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Computer cables Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Computer cables - Essay Example signs of UTP cable interference include loss of cable data, current drainage, attenuation, corruption of data, and delays in signals (Faber & Rybinski, 2015). However, we can alleviate UTP cable interference by adopting wire  transposition and by balancing the cable, using media filters (Faber & Rybinski, 2015). Three prominent 802.11 wireless standards apply in various homes and businesses. The 802.11a wireless standard accommodates signals that broadcast on multiple frequencies (IEEE, 2015). 802.11a operates on a 5GHz range and a bandwidth of 54mbps. 802.11a is very expensive. The 802.11b  wireless standard operates 2.4GHz range and presents 11mbps of bandwidth (IEEE, 2015). It is cheaper than the 802.11a wireless standard. Additionally, 802.11g is the dominant 802.11 wireless standard and costs the same as 802.11b. Just like 802.11b, 802.11g standard operates in 2.4GHz range (IEEE, 2015). Notably, the 802.11g standard has two times the speed of 802.11a. Some common sources that interfere with these networks include reflected radio frequencies, radar signals, cordless phones, and Bluetooth interference. However, we can troubleshoot these wireless networks by looking for internet connections, and wireless network adapter (Walton, 2015). Walton, A. (2015). What Should You Check First When Troubleshooting Wireless Connectivity Issues? Chron. Retrieved from

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Nerves Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Nerves - Coursework Example Motor neuron functions by taking response or information from the brain to the organs or muscles which are referred to as the effectors (Starr et al, 2012 p.555). The information is taken by the motor neuron through the dendrites which then relays the same information to the cell body through the synaptic endings. Within the cell body of a motor neuron, there is axon which then transmits the information to the axon terminals which finally connect with the muscles (Chiras, 2014 p.228). These are referred to as the motor end plates and play an important role in relaying the information to the muscles for the necessary action. All neurons within and outside the central nervous system contain cytoplasmic extensions known as axons upon which impulses are conducted. The axons are often very long but thin, for instance axons connecting the foot and spinal cord can be up to one meter (Palastanga, 2006 p.15). The dendrites are branched fibres upon which nerve impulses are generated and transmitted through the axon which brunch into many times as it approaches its end. Myelin sheath is a glistening fatty sheath that covers the axon and is normally the expanded plasma membrane of an accessory cell known as Schwann cell. The node of ranvier is the point at which the sheath of one Schwann cell meets the other and it plays an important role in the propagation of nerve impulses (Brown, 2001 p.2). A reflex action is a spontaneous, fast and predictable motor response to stimulus which is repeated in the same manner whenever the same stimulus is presented (Clark, 2005 p.217). A reflex arc is completed by five components including the stimulus receptor, which is a group of nerve endings or a specialised cell which respond to the cell stimuli and receive the stimulus from internal or external environment. The second is the sensory neuron known as afferent neuron and is found in peripheral ganglion like dorsal root ganglion. Sensory neurones transmit impulses

Monday, September 23, 2019

Safety issues regarding foreign recreational fisherman in Norway Dissertation

Safety issues regarding foreign recreational fisherman in Norway - Dissertation Example Norway is a very popular destination for recreational fishing due to its preserved natural world, long coastline with wide seabed and fjords. Presently, fish is the third most important export product for Norway after oil/gas and metal, and accounts for 5.7 % of the aggregate of Norwegian export value. (â€Å"Fishing and fish farming,† 2009) Lofoten, located in northern Norway, is regarded as the birthplace of tourist fishing, and dates back to 1960’s(confirm!); the old, unused cabins were used to accommodate the guests, and as the amount of guests rose, new cabins were built to meet this demand. (Williams et al., 2011) It is important to mention at this point that, until the 90’s, there was no organized fishing tourism. The growth in organized fishing tourism was partly the result of a special marketing campaign led by Innovation Norway from the mid 90’s. (â€Å"Borch et al., 2011†) Norway has a very liberal approach to tourist fishers and applies no quotas, taxes or specific regulations on recreational tourist fishers in the sea, except basic rules regarding the tools that they are allowed to use and also regarding selling fish, which is not allowed for tourist fishermen. (â€Å"Williams et al., 2011†) The only rules applied to tourist fishers except these, are the general rules, such as safety at sea regulations etc. More on these rules and regulations regarding tourist fishermen and its contrast between commercial fishermen will be talked upon later on. Norway’s approach to fishing in general is that the fish in the sea belongs to the Norwegian society as a whole. This approach was legislated by The Marine Resource Act that was implemented in 2008(!), this purpose of this

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Learning contracts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Learning contracts - Essay Example mises are, so as to understand both the customers and staff and I understand the varying personalities of the different types of customers, for example, regular and non regulars, students and non students, young and old, fat and not fat and many more. Thus, I know how to creatively use my position in gearing the company to analyse and understand its customers. My social skills are above average as I have learned social psychology and given the level of my work experience which cuts across varied socio economic backgrounds, I have been able to blend this with my education background in this field to equip myself to be a professional. My goal is to run my own pizza company. To demonstrate that I have met the outcome, I keep records and analyse the customer turnover and customer staff relation, which show the level of impact I have on my subordinates in steering and motivating them and equipping them with the skills to deliver good pizzas and service. I do this by personally going through contents in the suggestion box and questionnaires among others. P1. Reflect on your performance during the work placement and on what you have learned, applying appropriate theories of learning and reflective techniques, and providing evidence to support your conclusions My performance has been regarded by my superiors as impressive, since I have helped them to significantly promote their brand name, while the junior staffs see me as a sociable and likable person due to my ease in relating with them and the customers. Carrying out my duties, I have applied my knowledge of Maslow hierarchy of needs to critically analyse and understand the company. I have been voted employee of the month 5 times in a row. T1. Operate effectively in the work situation, exercising behaviours, attitudes and work skills (e.g. communication, team-working, problem solving, motivation and self-management) appropriate to your job/role and work

Saturday, September 21, 2019

The contemporary perspectives in psychology Essay Example for Free

The contemporary perspectives in psychology Essay Which of the contemporary perspectives in psychology makes the most sense to you? Discussion It is evident that psychology is being increasingly used in daily events. Employment for example, in Europe more companies are subjecting potential personnel to psychological profile checks and psychological tests during interviews. Even our social lives are becoming affected. People who are seeking the right partner are using psychological techniques to establish the emotional state of their potential partners. As psychology becomes more and more accessible and understandable to more people, I feel that it will begin to influence our lifestyles more. The evolutionary perspective focuses on why a particular behavior or physical structure developed and how the behavior or structure aids in adaptation to the environment (Lahey, 20). Charles Darwin was the innovator who popularized the evolutionary theory. This summarizes how a being can adapt to an environment and keep certain habits, in turn passing these traits along to future generations. Sociocultural perspective focuses on the different cultures, ethnic identity and other sociocoultural factors to fully understand a person (Lahey, 17) which I think is makes the most sense. At a point in time the psychology field was dominated by Caucasian males. Females and people from different races were not allowed to be in the field or even to obtain a doctoral degree. Thought the years, the percentage of men and women in the field have changed dramatically. Once dominated by men, the field has shifted more toward women dominating the field. The contemporary perspective in psychology that makes the most sense to me is the neuroscience perspective. I think the neuroscience perspective is very important especially within the medical field. I understand why this course is a pre-req for entry into pharmacy school. The neuroscience perspective focuses on the nervous system in explaining behavior and mental processes. Psychologists are interested in the structures of the brain that play roles in emotion, reasoning, speaking, and other psychological processes (Lahey, 20). For example, after drinking alcohol you slur you speech and are unable to walk a straight line. Alcoh ol affects the part of the brain that controls muscle coordination. Also,the illegal drug MDMA/ecstasy effects serotonin levels in the brain. This plays a role in emotion. While on the drug you have a wide range of good emotions. After the drug is out of the brain you dont feel as good. The brains of people with schizophernia, bipolar disorder, MS and Parkinsons disease and Alzheimers are different than people without these conditions. MRIs, EEGS and PETS (scans of the brain) have shown this difference. New drugs have been created to treat these conditions based on neurotransmitters and chemicals in the brain. With more and more research being today on these diseases, better and effective treatments are being developed based on the way are body/brains are built and function. Most psychologists agree Human beings are biological creatures (Lahey, 26) The new drug Namenda, for Alzheimers works by attaching to a certain receptors and allowing just enough chemical that effects learning and memory. Too much of this chemical and the nerve cells die, too little and information cannot be stored. I think all of the perspectives have some value. They are different and some similar in explaining behavior and mental processes. Generally, contemporary psychologists do not align themselves with a single theoretical position. Rather, they integrate the best contributions of each perspective into their own eclectic view. (Lahey, 25) I think when evaluating behavior and mental processes, each perspective should be considered and the best parts used. I agree with Aga when she says in her post The evolutionary perspective focuses on why a particular behavior or physical structure developed and how the behavior or structure aids in adaptation to the environment (Lahey, 20). Charles Darwin was the innovator who popularized the evolutionary theory. This summarizes how a being can adapt to an environment and keep certain habits, in turn passing these traits along to future generations. Many traits are passed along and also bipolar disorder can be passed on to future generations. The behavior of a son/daughter having bipolar disorder can be similar to the mother/father that has bipolar disorder. Also, bipolar disorder is somehow connected with out physical makeup, DNA. That is how it is passed on. Although Darwin wrote long before the mechanisms of genetic inheritance were understood, he hypothesized that variations occur occasionally in the process of reproduction (Lahey 20) Who knows maybe bipolar disorder was originally a mutation.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Aspergillus Fumigatus Identification and Molecular Character

Aspergillus Fumigatus Identification and Molecular Character IDENTIFICATION AND MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF Aspergillus fumigatus FROM SOIL R. V. Shalini, and Dr. K. Amutha ABSTRACT: Soil was collected, serially diluted and pure culture obtained; slant was prepared in potato dextrose agar and maintained throughout the study. Morphological, microscopical and macroscopically identification were carried out on the isolated organism. DNA was isolated from the 24 hour culture, for ITS-PCR amplification. DNA was amplified by mixing the template DNA (50nm) with the polymerase reaction buffer, dNTP mix, primers and Taq. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed in a total volume of 50Â µL reaction mixture. The PCR product was mixed with loading buffer (8Â µL) containing 0.025% bromophenol blue, 40% w/v sucrose in water and then loaded in 2% agarose gel with 0.1% of ethidium bromide and the amplified product was visualized under a UV trans illuminator for further examination. The PCR products were finally sequenced using the help of an automated DNA sequencer at progen Ltd (Salem, India) and analyzed with the BLAST program provided by the National Center f or Bio-technology information (NCBI) to confirm the fungal species. The current study demonstrates that DNA genome containing 18S rRNA has a high degree of analytical sensitivity and specificity (100%) for the detection of a wide range of fungi. OBJECTIVE: To isolate, identify and characterize Aspergillus fumigatus using molecular biological methods. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The soil was collected from different places, pooled together allowed to be dried at room temperature. The morphology based identification of Aspergillus was done which includes the size, shape, colour, ornamentation of spore and mode of attachment. Unfortunately a lot of difficulties arose for phenotypical identification of this fungus due to its unstable characteristics. Comparatively a DNA sequence-based identification format appeared to be the most promising in terms of its speed, ease, objectivity and reliability for species identification. RESULTS: The preliminary morphology based studies showed the isolated fungi as a species of aspergillus.However after the DNA isolation followed by sequencing it was concluded that the particular species identified as Aspergillus was Aspergillus fumigatus. KEY WORDS: Aspergillus, serial dilution, DNA, Sequenced. INTRODUCTION: The presence of organic matter in the soil affects the quantity and quality of microbes in the soil. The development of micro fungi in the soil is favoured by soils having acidic reaction and aerobic condition which is likely present in the soil. However the amount of degradation in the soil is brought about by the organisms present in the soil. 1The rate at which the organic matter is decomposed is inter related with soil microbes. (Arunachalam et al., 1997). Microorganisms come in various sizes and shapes and is determined by the soil ph., temperature, available moisture, degree of aeration, availability of nutrients in the soil etc. The genus of spore forming fungi is found worldwide out of which Aspergillus is the most dominant species and is ubiquitoes.Out of that 95% is occupied by Aspergillus fumigatus. The other pathogenic forms of Aspergillus species are Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus nidulans, Aspergillus terreus etc. This fungi exists only in mycelial f orm, and is thermo tolerant capable of growing at temperatures between 15-53Â °c.Being a spore producing fungi the spores gets dispersed by wind in the atmosphere. 2Aspergillus fumigatus is the most common among all the airborne saprophytic fungal pathogens in immune compromised patients mostly in developed countries (Latge, 1999). It is the main pathogenic agent of various diseases caused in humans including invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, aspergilloma and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (Tomee van der Werf, 2001) – the former is a frequent cause death in immune compromised patients. The possession of different virulent traits gives A. fumigatus the ability to cause these diseases. It is a known fact that other members of the genus Aspergillus are either less pathogenic or non- pathogenic. Identification of the most common and important species remains problematic due to the variability in the phenotypic characters. However a validated and a careful approach of phenotypic classification (taxonomy) together with phylogenetic treatment of DNA sequence data is a prerequisite for a reliable and a rapid identification. In our inve stigation we used the molecular techniques (sequencing) for the reliable identification rather the identification based on their microscopic and few physiological features. MATERIALS METHODS: Collection of soil samples: Soil samples were collected from different places (in and around Chengalpattu). The surface deposits were removed to a depth of about 10 cm and the exposed soil was collected to a depth of 2-3cm. The collected soil samples were stored in zip locked covers stored in refrigerator temperature for further analysis. The collected soil samples were passed through a sieve to remove the stones and other impurities. Isolation of fungi: The glass wares were sterilized in an autoclave to a temperature of 120Â °c for twenty minutes. The chemicals were of analytical grade (Himedia). The method used for the isolation of fungi from soil was serial dilution method. 1 gm of soil was weighed and mixed in 10ml of double distilled sterile water. This was used for preparing serial dilutions. 1 ml of the final dilution (10-6 ) was pipetted into the prepared potato dextrose agar media (PDA) amended with a suitable antibiotic Chloramphenicol (12mg/100ml). The plates were incubated at 30Â °c for about seven days. Fungi that appeared on petriplates were isolated. The isolates were picked up based on apparent dissimilarity of cultural characteristics and purified. The purified isolates were identified according to the genera on the basis of cultural characteristics such as nature of growth, spore colour, and pigment production, and on morphological characteristics of mycelia and fruiting bodies (Domsch etal., 1980; Raper and Fenne ll 1965) and maintained in agar slants for future use3. Isolation of DNA: Genomic DNA was extracted from 24 hour old culture. Measured 100 micro gram of mycelium into a sterile 1.5- micro centrifuge tube. Simultaneously ground 1 microgram of dried (vacuum filter mycelium first) in a mortar and pestle treated with liquid nitrogen 5-6 times. Poured the frozen powder into the Eppendorf tube. Added 660 750 Â µl of lysis buffer and 10 Â µl of B-mercaptor.Vortexed the mixture for a few seconds. And Incubated at 65Â °C for 1 hour. Used a water bath for incubation. Centrifuged at a speed of 3400 rpm for 5 minutes at room temperature and aspirated out the top layer.Transfered the top aqueous layer into a fresh Eppendorf tube discarded the bottom layer. Measured out 700 Â µl of chloroform, isoamyl alcohol (24:1) into Eppendorf tube and adjusted the volume to meet a 1:1 ratio of aqueous phase.Vortexed the mixture for a few seconds. Centrifuged at a speed of 12000 rpm for 10 minutes at room temperature and aspirated out 550 600 Â µl of the top layer. Transfered the top aqueous layer into Eppendorf tube and discarded the bottom layer. Added 0.1volume of 3m potassium acetate and 0.7 volume of isopropanol. Mixed well by inverting the tube not by vortexing.Centrifuged for about 10 minutes and discarded the supernatant. Added 0.5 mL of ice cold ethanol (70% and inverted the tube gently, again it was centrifuged for about 5 minutes in a spinner) finally the pellets were resuspended in 100Â µl of TE buffer (PH-8). After further purification DNA was quantified spectrophotpmetrically and the quality was analyzed in 0.9% agorose gel. Amplification of 18srRNA by PCR: For ITS-PCR amplification, DNA was amplified by mixing the template DNA (50nm) with the polymerase reaction buffer, dNTP mix, primers and Taq polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed in a total volume of 50Â µL reaction mixture containing Primer (2Â µM/Â µL) 8.0Â µL 10X Buffer 5.0 Â µL 2mM dNTP Mix 5.0Â µL Taq DNA polymerase (5U/Â µL) 0.5Â µL Template DNA (50ng) 2.0Â µL Sterile distilled water 29.5Â µL Total volume 50.0Â µL PCR amplification condition: Amplification was carried out in a primus advanced gradient thermocycler. The PCR was programmed with an initial denaturing at 94Â °C for 5 min, followed by 30 cycles of denaturation at 94Â °c for 30 seconds, annealing at 61Â °c for 30 seconds, and extension at 70Â °c for 2 minutes and a final extension at 72Â °c for 7 minutes. The PCR product was mixed with loading buffer (8Â µL) containing 0.025% bromophenol blue, 40% w/v sucrose in water and then loaded in 2% agarose gel with 0.1% of ethidium bromide and the amplified product was visualized under a UV trans illuminator for further examination. (Sequencing) Sequencing of ITS region for identification of isolated fungi : Chosen Samples of the genomic DNA containing 18S rRNA were shortlisted for more specific species confirmation by using DNA sequencing. The sequenced PCR product was aligned with other isolate sequences from NCBI genbank for identification. The PCR products were finally sequenced using the help of an automated DNA sequencer at progen Ltd (Salem, India) and analyzed with the BLAST program provided by the National Center for Bio-technology information (NCBI) to confirm the fungal species. RESULTS: Macroscopic and Microscopic Analysis: Analysis of the isolated Aspergillus species showed variation in the colony colours, texture, and reverse side colours (table 1 and 2). The morphological microscopic and molecular characteristics showed that the isolate is Aspergillus fumigatus (details given in table 1and 2). Morphological characters of colony (table1) Characteristics Aspergillus fumigatus Surface colour Margins Reverse side Growth Green to dark green Entire Yellow Rapid Microscopic characteristics (table2) Characteristics Aspergillus fumigatus Hyphae Branched septate Conidiophore Present Vesicle Dome shaped Conidia Present Phialides Uniseriate Fruiting body Cleistothecia Fig A1 Fig A2 Morphological characterization of Aspergillus species on potato dextrose agar A1-Aspergillus fumigatus surface colour, A2-Reverse side of the colony. DNA sequencing of ITS region for identification of species: The species of fungi from the PCR sample was identified by DNA sequencing of the internally transcribed spacer (ITS) region of rRNA gene. Segments of the entire ITS regions, including partial 5.8S rRNA and internal transcribed spacer 2, complete sequence, 28S rRNA,partial sequence were amplified using the primer PGF04 5’-GGC ATC GGC C-3’. Amplification of the ITS region of strain Aspergillus fumigatus had a size of 1703bp. It was submitted to the NCBI and the accession number KC 119199 was received. M 1 2 Fig A3 represent the banding pattern of Aspergillus fumigatus from PCR reactions Lane M= Marker, Lane 1= Aspergillus fumigatus, lane 2=Aspergillus fumigatus. DISCUSSION: Detection of A. fumigatus is of great concern because it is a dangerous allergen associated with aspergillosis 5(Abraca et al., 1994; Schuster et al., 2002; Noonimabcet al.2009; Edwin et al., 2010; Gautam et al., 2011). This highlights the importance of correct identification and taxonomical differentiation between different species of Aspergillus. The taxonomy of Aspergillus has always been complex due to its great number of species (nearly 250), which have very few differences. The identification of different Aspergillus species, on the basis of their morphological characters (example, colony colours, and reverse side) is one of the oldest and most adopted methods. Some of the species of Aspergillus have the same morphological features which make it difficult to distinguish between them it is also a time consuming process and may not be accurate (Klich and Pitt, 1988; Samson et al., 2004)6. This shows that morphological and microscopical characters are not enough for fungal identification and it renders the need of molecular techniques for correct species identification. Molecular characterization on the other hand, is a rapid and a quick procedure which requires minimal handling of pathogens. It also helps in distinguishing morphologically, similar fungal species. Several similar studies on the application of PCR technology were used for the identification and detection of fungi, by using internal transcribed spacer (ITS) were already been studied and published7 by several scientist (Henson and French, 1993; Marek et al., 2003; Haughland et al., 2004; Druzhinina etal., 2005).. Many more such studies were also carried out very recently by God et and Munaut (2010) in the differentiation of Aspergillus flavus, A.parasiticus, A.tamarii and A.nomius by PCR-RAPD markers. Similarly, Leema et al. (2010) confirmed the species A. flavus by verifying; using the molecular methods that is, by amplification of the internally transcribed spacer regions. By using the help of RAPD-PCR, 8Khan et al. (2007) studied diversity in various Aspergillus niger isolates sourc ed from pigeon pea fields .Several molecular techniques have been tested to classify different Aspergillus species like random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) (Yuan et al., 1995), the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region (Kumeda and Asao, 1996; Henry et al., 2000; Kumeda and Asao, 2001; Rigo et al., 2002) and the aflatoxin gene cluster (Chang et al., 1995; Watson et al., 1999; Tominaga et al., 2006). In this study care was taken to choose the genomic DNA containing 18sRNA specifics primers that were helpful in amplifying medically important fungi. The genomic DNA containing 18s rRNA was the right candidate for detection of fungus as it is a mutli-copy gene which evolves slowly and is conserved among fungi. The present study proves that the genomic DNA containing 18s rRNA based PCR is suitable for probing large range of medically significant fungi owing to its higher level of analytical sensitivity and specificity. CONCLUSION: In this present study we had shown that molecular techniques are rapid and best for identification of fungi than the traditional morphological methods for early diagnosis and treatment of fungal infections. The goal of our study was to identify a practical, quick, cheap, method for the identification of A. fumigatus, the most common of the Aspergillus pathogens. REFERENCES: Arunachalam K, Arunachalam A, Tripathi RS, Pandey HN. 1997 – Dynamics of microbial population during the gradation phase of a selectively logged subtropical humid forest in north east India. Tropical Ecology 38, 333–341. Sirida Youngchim,1,2 Rachael Morris-Jones,1 Roderick J. Hay3 and Andrew J. Hamilton1 Production of melanin by Aspergillus fumigatus Journal of Medical Microbiology 2004, 53, 175–181. Domsch, K.H.,Gams W. and Anderson T.H. 1980.Compendium of soil fungi, vol 1.IHW-Verlag,Eching.,Raper,K.B.andFennel,D.I.1965.The genus Aspergillus (Baltimore: Williams Wilkins). Ferrer C, Colom F, Frases S, Mulet E, Abad JL, Alio JL:Detection and identification of fungal pathogens by PCR and by ITS2 and 5.8S ribosomal DNA in eye infections. J ClinMicrobiol 2001, 39(8): 2873-2879. Abraca ML, Bragulat G, Cabanes FJ 1994. Ochratoxin A production by strains of Aspergillus flavus var. niger . Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 60:2650-2652. Klich MA, Pitt JI 1988. Differentiation of Aspergillus flavus from Aspergillus parasiticus and other closely related species.Trans. Br.Mycol. Soc.91:99-108. Henson J, French R 1993. The polymerase chain reaction and plant disease diagnosis. Ann. Rev. Phytopathol.31:81-109. Khan MR, Anwer MA, Mohiddin FA 2007. Molecular diversity in Aspergillus isolates collected from pigeonpea field in Aligarh region.Environ. Biol. Conserv. 12:59-64. Godet F, Munaut F 2010. Molecular strategy for identification in Aspergillus section flavi. FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 304:157-168. Leema G, Kaliamurthy J, Geraldine J, Thomas PA 2010. Keratitis due to Aspergillus flavus: Clinical profile, molecular identification of fungal strains and detection of Aflotoxin production.Mol. Vision 6:843-854. Yuan G, Liu C, Chen C 1995. Differentiation of Aspergillus parasiticus from Aspergillus sojae by Random Amplification of Polymorphic DNA. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 61:2384-2387. Kumeda Y, Asao T 2001. Heteroduplex panel analysis a novel method for genetic identification of Aspergillus section flavi strains. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 67:4084-4090. Chang PK, Ehrlich KC, Bhatnagar JD, Cleveland TE 1995. Increased expression of Aspergillus parasiticus aflR, encoding a sequence specific DNA-binding protein, relieves nitrate inhibition of aflatoxin biosynthesis. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 61:2372-2377.