Hypo Group Alpe Adria Analysis

Hypo Group Alpe Adria Analysis 1. General information about Hypo Group Alpe Adria Hypo Group Alpe Adria is an international financial group with more than 380 banking and leasing locations in twelve European countries: Austria, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Germany, Hungary, Bulgaria, Macedonia and the Ukraine. The group has a rich historical background. Roots of Hypo Group Alpe Adria date way back in 1896 when the group was founded. Consequently, it has accumulated more than one hundred years of business experience. In the beginning of its activities, it concentrated on financing public institutions and housing construction. Hypo KÃ ¤rnten as it was then known became a universal bank in 1982. In 1988 the Bank took the first step on the road to international expansion by opening a leasing subsidiary in Udine, Italy. It became a public limited company in 1991, and in 1992 Grazer Wechselseitige Versicherung joined the Province of Carinthia as the second shareholder. This marked the beginning of a new era for Hypo Alpe-Adria-Bank. With cross-border activities in twelve countries of the Alps Adriatic region[1], the Hypo Group Alpe Adria has a unique position in the economic area constituted by South Eastern Europe. Its network of branches and offices exists in Austria, Italy and Germany, from Slovenia through Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ukraine. Business priorities in the operations of Hypo Group Alpe Adria are the strategic business sectors banking and leasing, with the focus on a common goal: contribution to the prosperity of the Alps Adriatic region and of the people living in it. Hypo Group Alpe Adria is committed to pursuing its goal of becoming the leading commercial bank in the Alps Adriatic region. 1.2. Mission and Strategy The mission of the Group is the following: instead of pursuing global presence as a goal, Hypo Group Alpe Adria is more locally oriented. In the Alps to Adriatic region, with its cross-border markets, it is local market knowledge at a very personal and emotional level, which is crucial. Personal contact with the customers represents the basis of mutual trust for the Group. For this reason the Group sees its relationships as partnerships, which extend far beyond simple money issues. According to the Group, success can only be achieved through human contacts, and it can only be measured in terms of personal relationships, so that partnership at a personal level is the Groups ultimate ideal. Hypo Group Alpe Adria leaves the goal of worldwide presence to the global players. As a leading regional player in the Alps to Adriatic area, it concentrates on the southeastern markets, with the motto banking business is peoples business, confirming its nonnegotiable customer orientation. Respecting differences, growing together and sharing successes with others these are the cornerstones of partnerships with customers on which the business structures of the Group are based. Having in mind that the fundamental strategy of the Group is to achieve growth in the Alps to Adriatic region, Hypo Group Alpe Adria has been pursuing its visionary strategy since 1993 with great success: to establish and develop a strong financial services Group in the Alps to Adriatic region which combines the highly developed Northern Italian, Germany and Austrian business cultures with growth market opportunities in Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Macedonia and the Ukraine. As a result, the Group plays a key role in directing funds and economic development to and in the region. Up till now, its successful expansion has given Hypo Group Alpe Adria intensive coverage of the areas, which in coming years will become its home markets. Additionally, long term involvement and commitment are priorities of the Group. Hypo Group Alpe Adria has established itself as a strong and reliable business partner in the Alps to Adriatic region. Its involvement in each country represents a long term commitment, so that businesses operating in any of these countries have the certainty and security they need in order to develop their activities. The Group is actively involved in developing local economies, and consequently, this contributes to the foundations of local prosperity. Furthermore, preserving independence and regional identity is one of the cornerstones of the Groups philosophy. This fact gives customers and business partners the certainty that they are handling their business with a dynamic and internationally minded bank which at the same time is at home in each of the individual regions. Hypo Group Alpe Adria is close to its customers in all the countries it operates in, thanks to its emphasis on independence and un-bureaucratic decentralized structures. 1.4. Regional presence of Hypo Group Alpe Adria It is important to underline that the expansion of Hypo Group Alpe Adria into its core market, the Alps to Adriatic Region, followed gradually. The establishment of the first Austrian bank branch in Vicenza (Italy), under EU law followed with Austrias accession to the EU in 1995. In the same year leasing companies were established in Ljubljana (Slovenia) and Zagreb (Croatia). In the upcoming years further leasing outlets were opened in Slovenia and the expansion of the branch network in Italy and Croatia. In 1997 the number of staff at Hypo Group Alpe Adria went over the barrier of five hundred employees, accompanied by the start of construction of the present Klagenfurt (Austria) headquarters, which was completed in three phases by 2002. By the beginning of the new millennium, Hypo Group Alpe Adria already employed over one thousand people. In the following year it entered the market in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2002, Hypo Group Alpe Adrias expansion penetrated into the market of Serbia and Montenegro. The Groups dynamic progress continued in 2003, when it was announced as investor of the year in Bosnia and Herzegovina, opened a leasing branch in Munich (Germany), founded the Biogaspark Alpe Adria and launched tourism initiatives in Carinthia (Austria), starting the Schlosshotel Velden project. Hypo Group Alpe Adria is today active in Austria, Italy, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Germany, Hungary, Bulgaria, Macedonia and Ukraine. In 2005 it numbered approximately 5000 employees at over 250 locations. The year of 2006 has been extremely important for the Group and it conducted strategically important expenditure decisions. It founded Hypo Alpe Adria Bank a.d. in Podgorica (Montenegro), Hypo Alpe-Adria-Rent d.o.o. in Belgrade (Serbia) and Hypo Alpe-Adria-Leasing OOD in Sofia (Bulgaria). The principal company of Hypo Group Alpe Adria is Hypo Alpe Adria Bank International AG, which has its head office in Klagenfurt (Austria). Its owners are BayernLB (67.08%), the GRAWE group (20.48%), KÃ ¤rntner Landesholding (12.42%) and Hypo Alpe Adria Mitarbeiter Privatstiftung (0.02%). The network of Hypo Group Alpe Adria currently has around 7,500 employees serving more than 1.3 million consumers. 2. Hypo Group Alpe Adria in Serbia Hypo Group Alpe Adria conducts its business activities in Serbia from 2002, as a part of the Hypo Alpe Adria Bank International AG Klagenfurt, which originally operated only in the territory of Austria. In the past couple of years, the Group began with its dynamic expansion in the international market, which consequently resulted in great success: the Group became one of the most successful financial institutions in the Alps Adriatic region, with approximately 7500 employees and more than 1.3 million clients in twelve countries. When we arrived to the Serbian market, we made a thorough analysis of finance, economy and legal sector, as well as the political situation of the country, based on which we have determined that Serbia will become one of the most important countries in our network. Serbia has enormous potential and we plan to invest in this country in the future and to become one of the leading financial institutions of the country. (Markus Ferstl, former Chairman of the Management Board of the Hypo Alpe Adria Bank a.d. Beograd) Having in mind that Hypo Group Alpe Adria`s strategic business sectors are banking and leasing, the Serbian market was firstly penetrated in the leasing sector. Leasing represents a relatively new form of financing in the Serbian market. Therefore, a leasing company bearing the name Hypo Alpe Adria Leasing d.o.o., was established in 2002, and it gained a leading position from the very beginning of its activities. The company remained the leader till present time with a cumulative market share of 35.19% in all segments of financing. Hypo Alpe Adria Leasing d.o.o. Beograd currently employs 136 people in affiliating offices throughout Serbia, including Belgrade, Novi Sad, Cacak, NiÃ… ¡, Subotica, Sombor, Zrenjanin, Becej, VrÃ… ¡c, Ã…  abac, Kragujevac and KruÃ… ¡evac. Additionally, not long after the establishment of Hypo Alpe Adria Leasing d.o.o. in Serbia, the bank by the name Hypo Alpe Adria Bank a.d. Beograd was founded in 2002. In just eight moths of business operations in Serbia, the newly founded bank achieved a growth rate of 853%, which exceeded all expectations. Hypo Alpe Adria Bank a.d. Beograd is currently one of the top five financial institutions in Serbia, with a market share of 8.55% and first-class and diversified portfolios. Additionally, it employs more than 800 people and has developed a rich business network consisting of affiliates in almost all bigger cities in Serbia, taking into consideration the headquarters of the company located in Belgrade, in the Business Center Usce where the other member companies of the Group are located[2]. Hypo Alpe Adria Securities a.d. Beograd was founded in 2004. The company is ranked among the top five broker companies in the market of shares and of old savings bonds trading. The youngest company of the Group is Hypo Alpe Adria Rent d.o.o. Beograd, which is the first financial institution in Serbia to offer the possibility of operational leasing for the clients. During the present research, special focus will be on the bank and the leasing company operating in within the system of Hypo Alpe Adria Group. 3. Hypo Alpe Adria Bank a.d. Beograd In order to proceed with the research on Hypo Alpe Adria Bank a.d. Beograd, it is necessary to explain the circumstances in which the banking sector in Serbia existed from 1990s till present time. Disintegration and collapse of socialist Yugoslavia in the beginning of the 1990s announced the so-called lost decade, meaning that major structural features and weaknesses of the banking system were preserved or additionally deteriorated and the overall situation became desperate. The main characteristics of 1990s were losses of markets, repeated wars, economic sanctions and international isolation of the country. Mismanagement and pervasive corruption were main factors, which contributed to the degeneration of the economy. After the major hyperinflation, which occurred in 1993 and 1994, 90 % of all bank loans were perceived as bad. Unprofitable and non-performing foreign currency balance sub-balances dominated balance sheets. One of the main priorities in the reform agenda of the new Serbian authorities, which took over in 2000 was bank restructuring. The essence of the strategy was to undertake bank rehabilitation and re-capitalization only in the cases when it was expected that the banks could be viable institutions with good prospects for privatization through sale to strategic investor at a reasonable price and only if it can be implemented with identifiable fiscal resources. In the beginning of 2002, Serbian authorities decided to conduct one of the boldest bank resolution measures undertaken in transition economies: they liquidated four large and deeply insolvent banks, which accounted for 60% of the book value of the sectors asset and for about two thirds of outstanding commercial credit to non financial sector. Furthermore, banking legislation and regulations were improved[3]. After the first major wave of reform, credit institutions have become more attentive in lending money to the real sector which was still very week. The government immediately acted on attracting foreign investors since there was an urgent need for such a thing. Consequently, from the late 2000 to December 2002, National Bank of Yugoslavia (the central bank) issued eight bank licenses, out of which seven were for the foreign owned banks. Internationalization and privatization of the Serbian banking industry continued in 2005. The share of the market accounted for by foreign banks rose to 67.52%. Out of the ten largest banks, seven are foreign. Successful sales of Serbian banks to foreign financial institutions provided a vigorous stimulus to the countrys banking industry. Total assets of all banks in 2005 jumped by 40.4% compared with the previous year, to 9.07 billion euros. Strong increases in lending to private and business customers were the main forces, which were driving growth. Progress was also made in restoring the confidence of domestic savers: total deposits at the end of 2005 amounted to 5 billion euros. Foreign banks which penetrated the Serbian market played an important role in restoring confidence in the sector and have gathered a significant share of new deposits. One of these banks was Hypo Alpe Adria Bank a.d. Beograd. Hypo Alpe-Adria Banks involvement in the Serbian market began in December 2002, when it acquired Depozitno-kreditna banka. The Austrian bank concluded the purchase of 86.6% of the Serbian Depozitno-Kreditna Banka, founded May 22nd 1991, whose registered offices were in Belgrade. At the shareholders meeting held on October 8th 2002, the Banks name was changed to Hypo Alpe-Adria-Bank a.d., the capital increase to EUR 5.5 million was resolved, and the new Supervisory Board was appointed. The headquarters of to Hypo Alpe-Adria-Bank a.d., the member of the Hypo Group (after Austria, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Liechtenstein), are located in the new part of Belgrade New Belgrade. Referring to total assets, Hypo Alpe-Adria-Bank a.d. is Serbias fourth-largest bank with a market share of 6.47 %. Furthermore, approximately 900 employees are currently working for the Bank in a total of forty-one branch offices throughout Serbia. Market share of top five banks in Serbia (Source: National Bank of Serbia available at http://www.nbs.rs/export/internet/latinica/50/50_5.html) After just several months of its operations in Serbia, the Bank has established itself as a recognizable part of the Serbian financial scene. In its first two years of its activities, Hypo concentrated on corporate customers. The Bank has achieved a particular competitive advantage in the corporate sector with its long-term investment lending. Efforts to develop private customer business began in 2004. The specific focus gradually switched to the housing construction market, which was performing excellently. When we arrived to the Serbian market in 2002, we were among the first ones and there had been only six foreign banks operating in the market. We have used that window of opportunity, the situation when there had been few foreign banks present, in order to develop our credit portfolio. In that period, we had the opportunity to finance some of the most successful companies in Serbia, as well as to develop well-balanced portfolio, which we diversified over the years. Special attention was dedicated to retail sector, mostly in the field of house loans. Additionally, we have formed a special unit for financing of small and medium sized enterprises and this has become one of our corporate priorities, having in mind that these companies are often suppliers and partners of the big companies we already cooperate with. Other than that, our focus is on food industry, agriculture, pharmaceutical and chemical industry. (Vladimir Cupic, Chairman of the Management Board of the Hypo Alpe Adria Bank a.d. Beograd) The Bank is organized in the following sectors and departments: Corporate sector Retail sector Sector of financing public enterprises and local community units Treasury sector Investment banking HR department Economic analysis department Sector settlement Market support sector Logistics sector Sector of organization and information technology Legal department Department of business control harmonization Marketing department The research process will only incorporate the sectors, which are relevant for the research question of the thesis. 3.1. Corporate sector From the very beginning of its operations in Serbia, the Bank has established an extremely developed corporate sector, which quickly expanded in the sense of different departments within the sector, as well as the number of employees. The corporate sector of Hypo Alpe Adria Bank quickly achieved competitive advantage in comparison to other banks in Serbia. Various departments are organized within the sector: Credit department Small and medium enterprises (transferred to the Retail sector in 2006) International financing Products and services of the corporate sector are concentrated on the client and its needs, and include the following: Investment loans (loans approved for the purpose of purchase of machines, equipment, land, real estate) Framework loans (exceeding permissible minus on the account, eskont of bills and revolving lines) Documentary operations (guarantees, credits, purchase of receivables and inkaso) Loans for working capital Till 2006 Hypo Alpe Adria Bank mainly focused on long term corporate loans, which were given to the big corporate clients. Since then, it strategically refocused on small and medium sized enterprises and expanded its offer of products. Corporate sector is known for its extremely innovative products and services offered to the clients. The innovation, which was introduced by the Bank in the market of Serbia, is the so-called cross border financing. This type of financing is dedicated to the clients that operate in more than two countries. The financing capital is actually provided from outside Serbia and offered to the clients under much better conditions than the ones, which are present in the Serbian market. Additionally, the Bank provides special guarantees for the clients within the Hypo Group, and in this way supports their business activities in other countries. Furthermore, another product, which is particularly innovative, was introduced in 2004 and it is called the revolving line. By using this product, clients are automatically enabled to use other additional products, according to their needs (dinar and foreign currency loans, working capital loans, guarantees etc.). The revolving line can be used by big corporate clients, as well as small and medium sized enterprises and entrepreneurs. Being a strategic branch of the Serbian economy, agriculture is one of the top priorities of the corporate sector. The Bank has been extremely active in financing agricultural production: individual agricultural manufacturers have the possibility to finance basic and working capital. Cross selling activities refer to the presentation of banks products from other sectors within the Bank. Acquisition of new clients also represents one of the fundamental operations of the corporate sector. It is particularly important since it is the basis of the planned growth of deposits, as the fundamentals for the primary sources. Special attention within the sector is dedicated to project and structural financing, like: financing of projects for the market or long term exploitation, purchase of shares, mergers / acquisitions of companies. 3.2. Human resource (HR) department and relationship towards employees HR department of Hypo Alpe Adria Bank was established in May of 2003 and has developed its activities at a very rapid pace, due to the fact that the number of employees was increasing intensively. In the very beginning of its operations in Serbia, the bank had a total of 27 employees and in just one year the number increased to 323 employees. In 2005, the growth trend continued and the number of the bank staff reached 531 people. Finally, on the closing date, 31 December 2008, Hypo Alpe-Adria-Bank a.d., Beograd had 871 employees. The increase of the number of employees is the result of the extension of the branch office network. Furthermore, additional employees were recruited in the headquarters to cater for the increasing customer demands. Within the initial process of selection and engagement of young experts, 600 potential candidates have been interviewed. Furthermore, database containing more than 1500 biographies of interested candidates was created, which points out to the fact that young people of Serbia are very keen on participating in the creation of modern multinational companies. One of the key priorities of the HR department from the very beginning of its existence was to enable quick integration of new employees into the system. Secondly, the Bank immediately started with the implementation of the Hypo standards, creation of the corporate identity and team atmosphere in the institution. Additionally, a very important strategic goal for the department was to become the source of educational staff, which would be capable of taking on new jobs, initiatives and development. In that sense, many of the employees, who have already acquired standards of the corporation and business modalities, have obtained leading positions within the Bank as the heads of various sectors. As far as the age structure is concerned, majority of employees of the Bank belong to the age group 30 39 years old, as it is shown in the diagram below. Additionally, 47% of all employees have acquired university education, while 33% of employees have secondary education. Activities of HR department are focused in three directions: administration, finance and education. In the area of administration, the department is handling recruitment process and hiring of new people who are competent and can contribute to the environment of the Bank. In the field of finance, the so called time management program is being implemented within the department, referring to the planning of the budget which will be used for the purpose of staff education and various bonus systems realized through completed targets. Having in mind the fact that, contemporary flows of banking operations worldwide demand constant education of the staff in all areas of the business, HR department takes particular notice of education of employees. The department is conducting educational trainings in various forms: motivation trainings, special skills development courses and language courses. This contributes to the raising of the efficiency level of the staff. Educational trainings are organized internally and externally. Some of the most important types of trainings, depending on the sector are: Cross selling courses Microsoft Office Excel seminars Insurance trainings, which enables the participants to obtain the license of the insurance mediator Small and medium sized enterprises trainings Seminars for the sale of pension and investment funds CDO`s and Credit linked trainings Specialist courses MCPD and MCITP Database Administrator for staff in the sector for informational technologies System Oriented Management course 1 and 2 Optional modules Top executive Education Public Finance Basic Training Project management Train the Trainer Project Management for Top Management Cross selling courses for account managers are particularly important for the activities of the Bank, in order to introduce existing clients of the Bank with new products and services. In this way, account managers tend to ensure that the additional product or service is being sold to the client, while at the same time enhancing the value the client gets from the Bank. Moreover, employees have the opportunity of expanding their knowledge in seminars jointly organized in cooperation with relevant public institutions, such as the National bank of Serbia, Association of Banks in Serbia, Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Institute for Business research and other external providers, as well as trainings related to international accounting standards. Having in mind that the Bank operates in twelve countries and that everyday communication involves the use of foreign languages, English courses are provided for all employees, at the expense of the Company. Additionally, certain numbers of employees who occupy the positions, which are directly linked to the headquarters of the Group in Austria, take courses of German language, whose expenses are also borne by the Company. Particularly relevant project of the department was realized in 2008, when the Bank established its internal employee training center. The main goal of the project was to make the best possible use of the existing knowledge and the practical experience of the staff. The center was formed in order to initiate internal transfer of knowledge among employees, information sharing, better communication, which consequently leads to better work performance and improvement of inter-personal relations within the Bank. This modern and completely technically equipped space is intended for internal and in house trainings, seminars and workshops for employees. Additionally, several types of trainings are conducted within the Center: cross selling workshops, Hypo 1 a tool which helps the staff get acquainted about other sectors besides their own, small and medium size enterprises trainings, etc. In just three months after its opening, more than 400 employees have participated in organized trai nings, and in one year more than 900 employees successfully passed over 30 internal educational and development programs of the center, which consequently justified the original expectations set by the management of the Bank. In addition, there is no doubt that one of the key priorities of the Bank is employee satisfaction. HR department in Hypo Bank actively conducts the employee assessment programs, which are incorporated in the employee satisfaction program. Originally, the program was based on yearly interviews of employees and their superiors on the subject of work efficiency and success, through self evaluation done by the employee, and the evaluation obtained from the superior. In order to upgrade the program, in 2007 HR department decided to introduce new actions. One of these actions was employee satisfaction survey. This type of survey is conducted among all employees in the end of every working year, and concentrates on the four most important areas of employee satisfaction: general satisfaction with work and work conditions, communication and interpersonal relations, leadership, bonus systems and career opportunities. Achieved results from the survey serve as the basis for strategy planning for the upcoming years. This is particularly important in order to include the opinion of the staff in the process of future strategy defining and decision making, so that everyone can benefit from it. Furthermore, obtained results were than given to the HR agency Advance Response International that deals with HR issues, and in this way anonymity and objectivity of the research was achieved. At this point, it is necessary to highlight that Hypo Bank has developed cooperation with several human resource agencies for the purpose of various types of train ings: project management, leadership and management, credit and market risk, etc. Asides from the efforts, which are focused on the improvement of communication among employees, inter-personal relations and management, the management of the Bank puts special emphasis on professional development of the middle and top management members. For that purpose, development center operating within the HR department was established in order to assess development necessities of the staff belonging to these levels of management. The center analyses results of interviews, surveys and supervisors suggestions, and consequently creates individual development plan for every employee. Another type of development plan created in the center, is team development plan, which is implemented on the entire teams working in specific sectors. In order to do business well, you need to have products of good quality, but asides from that, you need to have excellent staff. Therefore, we invest a lot in education and training of our employees. For example, in the second quarter of 2006, we realized a special trainee project. We hired motivated young people who had just completed their university education and we enabled them to pass specific trainings throughout the entire Group in two years, in order to get familiar with every aspect of the company business activities. They didnt have trainings only in Serbia; they also visited other Hypo companies abroad. As we often like to say in the Group: our greatest assets are our employees and for that reason we will continue to invest in their internal and external education. (Marija Sutanovac, Head of the HR department of the Hypo Alpe Adria Bank a.d. Beograd). Important point, which should be highlighted in this section, is opportunity for scholarships for university education of employees. Each year Bank supports further education of thirty selected employees and provides funding for their studies. This program represents a special kind of acknowledgement for talented and hard working employees. Furthermore, in cooperation with the Serbian Business Club Privrednik[4], the Bank provides scholarships for ten students, which are not employees of the bank, and in this way shows its support directed to the young people of Serbia. In this way, talented and perspective students have the opportunity to be in touch with the people from the most significant and influential companies in Serbia, and can find employment opportunities upon their graduation asides form their scholarships. 3.3. Marketing department and relationship towards clients Marketing department had a challenging task of providing support to all business activities of the Bank, once it penetrated the Serbian market. The key priority of the department was to create a positive image of the Hypo Bank, as well as to inform the Serbian population about its products and services. Corporate image strategy emphasized values of the bank: its tradition, innovative approach to business, Alps-Adriatic philosophy based on the regional banking client focus, partnership, security, corporate responsibility and independence. The main focus of the department was to create and promote the corporate image, which emphasizes that Hypo Alpe Adria Bank a.d. Beograd takes care of its clients in the same way as it takes care of its employees, and that it is a reliable partner who nurtures the local community in which it exists. The main element of the departments strategy was to create two-way communication with the clients: to reach the clients, and to hear their needs as well. For that purpose, the Bank introduced a special program called clients suggestions. Clients of the Bank have the possibility of sending their suggestions, comments, Hypo Group Alpe Adria Analysis Hypo Group Alpe Adria Analysis 1. General information about Hypo Group Alpe Adria Hypo Group Alpe Adria is an international financial group with more than 380 banking and leasing locations in twelve European countries: Austria, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Germany, Hungary, Bulgaria, Macedonia and the Ukraine. The group has a rich historical background. Roots of Hypo Group Alpe Adria date way back in 1896 when the group was founded. Consequently, it has accumulated more than one hundred years of business experience. In the beginning of its activities, it concentrated on financing public institutions and housing construction. Hypo KÃ ¤rnten as it was then known became a universal bank in 1982. In 1988 the Bank took the first step on the road to international expansion by opening a leasing subsidiary in Udine, Italy. It became a public limited company in 1991, and in 1992 Grazer Wechselseitige Versicherung joined the Province of Carinthia as the second shareholder. This marked the beginning of a new era for Hypo Alpe-Adria-Bank. With cross-border activities in twelve countries of the Alps Adriatic region[1], the Hypo Group Alpe Adria has a unique position in the economic area constituted by South Eastern Europe. Its network of branches and offices exists in Austria, Italy and Germany, from Slovenia through Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ukraine. Business priorities in the operations of Hypo Group Alpe Adria are the strategic business sectors banking and leasing, with the focus on a common goal: contribution to the prosperity of the Alps Adriatic region and of the people living in it. Hypo Group Alpe Adria is committed to pursuing its goal of becoming the leading commercial bank in the Alps Adriatic region. 1.2. Mission and Strategy The mission of the Group is the following: instead of pursuing global presence as a goal, Hypo Group Alpe Adria is more locally oriented. In the Alps to Adriatic region, with its cross-border markets, it is local market knowledge at a very personal and emotional level, which is crucial. Personal contact with the customers represents the basis of mutual trust for the Group. For this reason the Group sees its relationships as partnerships, which extend far beyond simple money issues. According to the Group, success can only be achieved through human contacts, and it can only be measured in terms of personal relationships, so that partnership at a personal level is the Groups ultimate ideal. Hypo Group Alpe Adria leaves the goal of worldwide presence to the global players. As a leading regional player in the Alps to Adriatic area, it concentrates on the southeastern markets, with the motto banking business is peoples business, confirming its nonnegotiable customer orientation. Respecting differences, growing together and sharing successes with others these are the cornerstones of partnerships with customers on which the business structures of the Group are based. Having in mind that the fundamental strategy of the Group is to achieve growth in the Alps to Adriatic region, Hypo Group Alpe Adria has been pursuing its visionary strategy since 1993 with great success: to establish and develop a strong financial services Group in the Alps to Adriatic region which combines the highly developed Northern Italian, Germany and Austrian business cultures with growth market opportunities in Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Macedonia and the Ukraine. As a result, the Group plays a key role in directing funds and economic development to and in the region. Up till now, its successful expansion has given Hypo Group Alpe Adria intensive coverage of the areas, which in coming years will become its home markets. Additionally, long term involvement and commitment are priorities of the Group. Hypo Group Alpe Adria has established itself as a strong and reliable business partner in the Alps to Adriatic region. Its involvement in each country represents a long term commitment, so that businesses operating in any of these countries have the certainty and security they need in order to develop their activities. The Group is actively involved in developing local economies, and consequently, this contributes to the foundations of local prosperity. Furthermore, preserving independence and regional identity is one of the cornerstones of the Groups philosophy. This fact gives customers and business partners the certainty that they are handling their business with a dynamic and internationally minded bank which at the same time is at home in each of the individual regions. Hypo Group Alpe Adria is close to its customers in all the countries it operates in, thanks to its emphasis on independence and un-bureaucratic decentralized structures. 1.4. Regional presence of Hypo Group Alpe Adria It is important to underline that the expansion of Hypo Group Alpe Adria into its core market, the Alps to Adriatic Region, followed gradually. The establishment of the first Austrian bank branch in Vicenza (Italy), under EU law followed with Austrias accession to the EU in 1995. In the same year leasing companies were established in Ljubljana (Slovenia) and Zagreb (Croatia). In the upcoming years further leasing outlets were opened in Slovenia and the expansion of the branch network in Italy and Croatia. In 1997 the number of staff at Hypo Group Alpe Adria went over the barrier of five hundred employees, accompanied by the start of construction of the present Klagenfurt (Austria) headquarters, which was completed in three phases by 2002. By the beginning of the new millennium, Hypo Group Alpe Adria already employed over one thousand people. In the following year it entered the market in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2002, Hypo Group Alpe Adrias expansion penetrated into the market of Serbia and Montenegro. The Groups dynamic progress continued in 2003, when it was announced as investor of the year in Bosnia and Herzegovina, opened a leasing branch in Munich (Germany), founded the Biogaspark Alpe Adria and launched tourism initiatives in Carinthia (Austria), starting the Schlosshotel Velden project. Hypo Group Alpe Adria is today active in Austria, Italy, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Germany, Hungary, Bulgaria, Macedonia and Ukraine. In 2005 it numbered approximately 5000 employees at over 250 locations. The year of 2006 has been extremely important for the Group and it conducted strategically important expenditure decisions. It founded Hypo Alpe Adria Bank a.d. in Podgorica (Montenegro), Hypo Alpe-Adria-Rent d.o.o. in Belgrade (Serbia) and Hypo Alpe-Adria-Leasing OOD in Sofia (Bulgaria). The principal company of Hypo Group Alpe Adria is Hypo Alpe Adria Bank International AG, which has its head office in Klagenfurt (Austria). Its owners are BayernLB (67.08%), the GRAWE group (20.48%), KÃ ¤rntner Landesholding (12.42%) and Hypo Alpe Adria Mitarbeiter Privatstiftung (0.02%). The network of Hypo Group Alpe Adria currently has around 7,500 employees serving more than 1.3 million consumers. 2. Hypo Group Alpe Adria in Serbia Hypo Group Alpe Adria conducts its business activities in Serbia from 2002, as a part of the Hypo Alpe Adria Bank International AG Klagenfurt, which originally operated only in the territory of Austria. In the past couple of years, the Group began with its dynamic expansion in the international market, which consequently resulted in great success: the Group became one of the most successful financial institutions in the Alps Adriatic region, with approximately 7500 employees and more than 1.3 million clients in twelve countries. When we arrived to the Serbian market, we made a thorough analysis of finance, economy and legal sector, as well as the political situation of the country, based on which we have determined that Serbia will become one of the most important countries in our network. Serbia has enormous potential and we plan to invest in this country in the future and to become one of the leading financial institutions of the country. (Markus Ferstl, former Chairman of the Management Board of the Hypo Alpe Adria Bank a.d. Beograd) Having in mind that Hypo Group Alpe Adria`s strategic business sectors are banking and leasing, the Serbian market was firstly penetrated in the leasing sector. Leasing represents a relatively new form of financing in the Serbian market. Therefore, a leasing company bearing the name Hypo Alpe Adria Leasing d.o.o., was established in 2002, and it gained a leading position from the very beginning of its activities. The company remained the leader till present time with a cumulative market share of 35.19% in all segments of financing. Hypo Alpe Adria Leasing d.o.o. Beograd currently employs 136 people in affiliating offices throughout Serbia, including Belgrade, Novi Sad, Cacak, NiÃ… ¡, Subotica, Sombor, Zrenjanin, Becej, VrÃ… ¡c, Ã…  abac, Kragujevac and KruÃ… ¡evac. Additionally, not long after the establishment of Hypo Alpe Adria Leasing d.o.o. in Serbia, the bank by the name Hypo Alpe Adria Bank a.d. Beograd was founded in 2002. In just eight moths of business operations in Serbia, the newly founded bank achieved a growth rate of 853%, which exceeded all expectations. Hypo Alpe Adria Bank a.d. Beograd is currently one of the top five financial institutions in Serbia, with a market share of 8.55% and first-class and diversified portfolios. Additionally, it employs more than 800 people and has developed a rich business network consisting of affiliates in almost all bigger cities in Serbia, taking into consideration the headquarters of the company located in Belgrade, in the Business Center Usce where the other member companies of the Group are located[2]. Hypo Alpe Adria Securities a.d. Beograd was founded in 2004. The company is ranked among the top five broker companies in the market of shares and of old savings bonds trading. The youngest company of the Group is Hypo Alpe Adria Rent d.o.o. Beograd, which is the first financial institution in Serbia to offer the possibility of operational leasing for the clients. During the present research, special focus will be on the bank and the leasing company operating in within the system of Hypo Alpe Adria Group. 3. Hypo Alpe Adria Bank a.d. Beograd In order to proceed with the research on Hypo Alpe Adria Bank a.d. Beograd, it is necessary to explain the circumstances in which the banking sector in Serbia existed from 1990s till present time. Disintegration and collapse of socialist Yugoslavia in the beginning of the 1990s announced the so-called lost decade, meaning that major structural features and weaknesses of the banking system were preserved or additionally deteriorated and the overall situation became desperate. The main characteristics of 1990s were losses of markets, repeated wars, economic sanctions and international isolation of the country. Mismanagement and pervasive corruption were main factors, which contributed to the degeneration of the economy. After the major hyperinflation, which occurred in 1993 and 1994, 90 % of all bank loans were perceived as bad. Unprofitable and non-performing foreign currency balance sub-balances dominated balance sheets. One of the main priorities in the reform agenda of the new Serbian authorities, which took over in 2000 was bank restructuring. The essence of the strategy was to undertake bank rehabilitation and re-capitalization only in the cases when it was expected that the banks could be viable institutions with good prospects for privatization through sale to strategic investor at a reasonable price and only if it can be implemented with identifiable fiscal resources. In the beginning of 2002, Serbian authorities decided to conduct one of the boldest bank resolution measures undertaken in transition economies: they liquidated four large and deeply insolvent banks, which accounted for 60% of the book value of the sectors asset and for about two thirds of outstanding commercial credit to non financial sector. Furthermore, banking legislation and regulations were improved[3]. After the first major wave of reform, credit institutions have become more attentive in lending money to the real sector which was still very week. The government immediately acted on attracting foreign investors since there was an urgent need for such a thing. Consequently, from the late 2000 to December 2002, National Bank of Yugoslavia (the central bank) issued eight bank licenses, out of which seven were for the foreign owned banks. Internationalization and privatization of the Serbian banking industry continued in 2005. The share of the market accounted for by foreign banks rose to 67.52%. Out of the ten largest banks, seven are foreign. Successful sales of Serbian banks to foreign financial institutions provided a vigorous stimulus to the countrys banking industry. Total assets of all banks in 2005 jumped by 40.4% compared with the previous year, to 9.07 billion euros. Strong increases in lending to private and business customers were the main forces, which were driving growth. Progress was also made in restoring the confidence of domestic savers: total deposits at the end of 2005 amounted to 5 billion euros. Foreign banks which penetrated the Serbian market played an important role in restoring confidence in the sector and have gathered a significant share of new deposits. One of these banks was Hypo Alpe Adria Bank a.d. Beograd. Hypo Alpe-Adria Banks involvement in the Serbian market began in December 2002, when it acquired Depozitno-kreditna banka. The Austrian bank concluded the purchase of 86.6% of the Serbian Depozitno-Kreditna Banka, founded May 22nd 1991, whose registered offices were in Belgrade. At the shareholders meeting held on October 8th 2002, the Banks name was changed to Hypo Alpe-Adria-Bank a.d., the capital increase to EUR 5.5 million was resolved, and the new Supervisory Board was appointed. The headquarters of to Hypo Alpe-Adria-Bank a.d., the member of the Hypo Group (after Austria, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Liechtenstein), are located in the new part of Belgrade New Belgrade. Referring to total assets, Hypo Alpe-Adria-Bank a.d. is Serbias fourth-largest bank with a market share of 6.47 %. Furthermore, approximately 900 employees are currently working for the Bank in a total of forty-one branch offices throughout Serbia. Market share of top five banks in Serbia (Source: National Bank of Serbia available at http://www.nbs.rs/export/internet/latinica/50/50_5.html) After just several months of its operations in Serbia, the Bank has established itself as a recognizable part of the Serbian financial scene. In its first two years of its activities, Hypo concentrated on corporate customers. The Bank has achieved a particular competitive advantage in the corporate sector with its long-term investment lending. Efforts to develop private customer business began in 2004. The specific focus gradually switched to the housing construction market, which was performing excellently. When we arrived to the Serbian market in 2002, we were among the first ones and there had been only six foreign banks operating in the market. We have used that window of opportunity, the situation when there had been few foreign banks present, in order to develop our credit portfolio. In that period, we had the opportunity to finance some of the most successful companies in Serbia, as well as to develop well-balanced portfolio, which we diversified over the years. Special attention was dedicated to retail sector, mostly in the field of house loans. Additionally, we have formed a special unit for financing of small and medium sized enterprises and this has become one of our corporate priorities, having in mind that these companies are often suppliers and partners of the big companies we already cooperate with. Other than that, our focus is on food industry, agriculture, pharmaceutical and chemical industry. (Vladimir Cupic, Chairman of the Management Board of the Hypo Alpe Adria Bank a.d. Beograd) The Bank is organized in the following sectors and departments: Corporate sector Retail sector Sector of financing public enterprises and local community units Treasury sector Investment banking HR department Economic analysis department Sector settlement Market support sector Logistics sector Sector of organization and information technology Legal department Department of business control harmonization Marketing department The research process will only incorporate the sectors, which are relevant for the research question of the thesis. 3.1. Corporate sector From the very beginning of its operations in Serbia, the Bank has established an extremely developed corporate sector, which quickly expanded in the sense of different departments within the sector, as well as the number of employees. The corporate sector of Hypo Alpe Adria Bank quickly achieved competitive advantage in comparison to other banks in Serbia. Various departments are organized within the sector: Credit department Small and medium enterprises (transferred to the Retail sector in 2006) International financing Products and services of the corporate sector are concentrated on the client and its needs, and include the following: Investment loans (loans approved for the purpose of purchase of machines, equipment, land, real estate) Framework loans (exceeding permissible minus on the account, eskont of bills and revolving lines) Documentary operations (guarantees, credits, purchase of receivables and inkaso) Loans for working capital Till 2006 Hypo Alpe Adria Bank mainly focused on long term corporate loans, which were given to the big corporate clients. Since then, it strategically refocused on small and medium sized enterprises and expanded its offer of products. Corporate sector is known for its extremely innovative products and services offered to the clients. The innovation, which was introduced by the Bank in the market of Serbia, is the so-called cross border financing. This type of financing is dedicated to the clients that operate in more than two countries. The financing capital is actually provided from outside Serbia and offered to the clients under much better conditions than the ones, which are present in the Serbian market. Additionally, the Bank provides special guarantees for the clients within the Hypo Group, and in this way supports their business activities in other countries. Furthermore, another product, which is particularly innovative, was introduced in 2004 and it is called the revolving line. By using this product, clients are automatically enabled to use other additional products, according to their needs (dinar and foreign currency loans, working capital loans, guarantees etc.). The revolving line can be used by big corporate clients, as well as small and medium sized enterprises and entrepreneurs. Being a strategic branch of the Serbian economy, agriculture is one of the top priorities of the corporate sector. The Bank has been extremely active in financing agricultural production: individual agricultural manufacturers have the possibility to finance basic and working capital. Cross selling activities refer to the presentation of banks products from other sectors within the Bank. Acquisition of new clients also represents one of the fundamental operations of the corporate sector. It is particularly important since it is the basis of the planned growth of deposits, as the fundamentals for the primary sources. Special attention within the sector is dedicated to project and structural financing, like: financing of projects for the market or long term exploitation, purchase of shares, mergers / acquisitions of companies. 3.2. Human resource (HR) department and relationship towards employees HR department of Hypo Alpe Adria Bank was established in May of 2003 and has developed its activities at a very rapid pace, due to the fact that the number of employees was increasing intensively. In the very beginning of its operations in Serbia, the bank had a total of 27 employees and in just one year the number increased to 323 employees. In 2005, the growth trend continued and the number of the bank staff reached 531 people. Finally, on the closing date, 31 December 2008, Hypo Alpe-Adria-Bank a.d., Beograd had 871 employees. The increase of the number of employees is the result of the extension of the branch office network. Furthermore, additional employees were recruited in the headquarters to cater for the increasing customer demands. Within the initial process of selection and engagement of young experts, 600 potential candidates have been interviewed. Furthermore, database containing more than 1500 biographies of interested candidates was created, which points out to the fact that young people of Serbia are very keen on participating in the creation of modern multinational companies. One of the key priorities of the HR department from the very beginning of its existence was to enable quick integration of new employees into the system. Secondly, the Bank immediately started with the implementation of the Hypo standards, creation of the corporate identity and team atmosphere in the institution. Additionally, a very important strategic goal for the department was to become the source of educational staff, which would be capable of taking on new jobs, initiatives and development. In that sense, many of the employees, who have already acquired standards of the corporation and business modalities, have obtained leading positions within the Bank as the heads of various sectors. As far as the age structure is concerned, majority of employees of the Bank belong to the age group 30 39 years old, as it is shown in the diagram below. Additionally, 47% of all employees have acquired university education, while 33% of employees have secondary education. Activities of HR department are focused in three directions: administration, finance and education. In the area of administration, the department is handling recruitment process and hiring of new people who are competent and can contribute to the environment of the Bank. In the field of finance, the so called time management program is being implemented within the department, referring to the planning of the budget which will be used for the purpose of staff education and various bonus systems realized through completed targets. Having in mind the fact that, contemporary flows of banking operations worldwide demand constant education of the staff in all areas of the business, HR department takes particular notice of education of employees. The department is conducting educational trainings in various forms: motivation trainings, special skills development courses and language courses. This contributes to the raising of the efficiency level of the staff. Educational trainings are organized internally and externally. Some of the most important types of trainings, depending on the sector are: Cross selling courses Microsoft Office Excel seminars Insurance trainings, which enables the participants to obtain the license of the insurance mediator Small and medium sized enterprises trainings Seminars for the sale of pension and investment funds CDO`s and Credit linked trainings Specialist courses MCPD and MCITP Database Administrator for staff in the sector for informational technologies System Oriented Management course 1 and 2 Optional modules Top executive Education Public Finance Basic Training Project management Train the Trainer Project Management for Top Management Cross selling courses for account managers are particularly important for the activities of the Bank, in order to introduce existing clients of the Bank with new products and services. In this way, account managers tend to ensure that the additional product or service is being sold to the client, while at the same time enhancing the value the client gets from the Bank. Moreover, employees have the opportunity of expanding their knowledge in seminars jointly organized in cooperation with relevant public institutions, such as the National bank of Serbia, Association of Banks in Serbia, Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Institute for Business research and other external providers, as well as trainings related to international accounting standards. Having in mind that the Bank operates in twelve countries and that everyday communication involves the use of foreign languages, English courses are provided for all employees, at the expense of the Company. Additionally, certain numbers of employees who occupy the positions, which are directly linked to the headquarters of the Group in Austria, take courses of German language, whose expenses are also borne by the Company. Particularly relevant project of the department was realized in 2008, when the Bank established its internal employee training center. The main goal of the project was to make the best possible use of the existing knowledge and the practical experience of the staff. The center was formed in order to initiate internal transfer of knowledge among employees, information sharing, better communication, which consequently leads to better work performance and improvement of inter-personal relations within the Bank. This modern and completely technically equipped space is intended for internal and in house trainings, seminars and workshops for employees. Additionally, several types of trainings are conducted within the Center: cross selling workshops, Hypo 1 a tool which helps the staff get acquainted about other sectors besides their own, small and medium size enterprises trainings, etc. In just three months after its opening, more than 400 employees have participated in organized trai nings, and in one year more than 900 employees successfully passed over 30 internal educational and development programs of the center, which consequently justified the original expectations set by the management of the Bank. In addition, there is no doubt that one of the key priorities of the Bank is employee satisfaction. HR department in Hypo Bank actively conducts the employee assessment programs, which are incorporated in the employee satisfaction program. Originally, the program was based on yearly interviews of employees and their superiors on the subject of work efficiency and success, through self evaluation done by the employee, and the evaluation obtained from the superior. In order to upgrade the program, in 2007 HR department decided to introduce new actions. One of these actions was employee satisfaction survey. This type of survey is conducted among all employees in the end of every working year, and concentrates on the four most important areas of employee satisfaction: general satisfaction with work and work conditions, communication and interpersonal relations, leadership, bonus systems and career opportunities. Achieved results from the survey serve as the basis for strategy planning for the upcoming years. This is particularly important in order to include the opinion of the staff in the process of future strategy defining and decision making, so that everyone can benefit from it. Furthermore, obtained results were than given to the HR agency Advance Response International that deals with HR issues, and in this way anonymity and objectivity of the research was achieved. At this point, it is necessary to highlight that Hypo Bank has developed cooperation with several human resource agencies for the purpose of various types of train ings: project management, leadership and management, credit and market risk, etc. Asides from the efforts, which are focused on the improvement of communication among employees, inter-personal relations and management, the management of the Bank puts special emphasis on professional development of the middle and top management members. For that purpose, development center operating within the HR department was established in order to assess development necessities of the staff belonging to these levels of management. The center analyses results of interviews, surveys and supervisors suggestions, and consequently creates individual development plan for every employee. Another type of development plan created in the center, is team development plan, which is implemented on the entire teams working in specific sectors. In order to do business well, you need to have products of good quality, but asides from that, you need to have excellent staff. Therefore, we invest a lot in education and training of our employees. For example, in the second quarter of 2006, we realized a special trainee project. We hired motivated young people who had just completed their university education and we enabled them to pass specific trainings throughout the entire Group in two years, in order to get familiar with every aspect of the company business activities. They didnt have trainings only in Serbia; they also visited other Hypo companies abroad. As we often like to say in the Group: our greatest assets are our employees and for that reason we will continue to invest in their internal and external education. (Marija Sutanovac, Head of the HR department of the Hypo Alpe Adria Bank a.d. Beograd). Important point, which should be highlighted in this section, is opportunity for scholarships for university education of employees. Each year Bank supports further education of thirty selected employees and provides funding for their studies. This program represents a special kind of acknowledgement for talented and hard working employees. Furthermore, in cooperation with the Serbian Business Club Privrednik[4], the Bank provides scholarships for ten students, which are not employees of the bank, and in this way shows its support directed to the young people of Serbia. In this way, talented and perspective students have the opportunity to be in touch with the people from the most significant and influential companies in Serbia, and can find employment opportunities upon their graduation asides form their scholarships. 3.3. Marketing department and relationship towards clients Marketing department had a challenging task of providing support to all business activities of the Bank, once it penetrated the Serbian market. The key priority of the department was to create a positive image of the Hypo Bank, as well as to inform the Serbian population about its products and services. Corporate image strategy emphasized values of the bank: its tradition, innovative approach to business, Alps-Adriatic philosophy based on the regional banking client focus, partnership, security, corporate responsibility and independence. The main focus of the department was to create and promote the corporate image, which emphasizes that Hypo Alpe Adria Bank a.d. Beograd takes care of its clients in the same way as it takes care of its employees, and that it is a reliable partner who nurtures the local community in which it exists. The main element of the departments strategy was to create two-way communication with the clients: to reach the clients, and to hear their needs as well. For that purpose, the Bank introduced a special program called clients suggestions. Clients of the Bank have the possibility of sending their suggestions, comments,

Renaissance and Nineteenth Century Architecture Essay examples -- Arch

Renaissance and Nineteenth Century Architecture There are many different styles of architecture. All these styles depend on the time period, and the architecture. Today, many architects incorporate many styles into one building, giving it uniqueness. Introduction The dictionary defines architecture as the "art and science of designing and erecting buildings" (dictionary.com). Since the beginning of civilization, architects have been designing structures and buildings. They are sometimes conventional, and at other times, they are not. There are many different styles of architecture. All these styles depend on the time period, and the architecture. Today, many architects incorporate many styles into one building, giving it uniqueness. Two of the styles of architecture are Renaissance and Nineteenth Century: iron, steel and glass architecture. Renaissance Architecture The Renaissance period followed the Gothic period. It covered everything from painting to buildings to sculptures. Renaissance architecture is evident within many structures, even today. It began in 15th century, and lasted till the 16th century. This form was not considered practical, but it was quite artistic. Arcs and columns were taken from the Roman period, and artistically integrated into their designs. Some of the building, practically churches, had domes. All over the world, architects incorporated this form into their designs, from Italy to Spain; although the styles differed. Some famous ar...

Chick Webb

In a genre as widely popular and influential as jazz, even some of the most well-respected musicians could fall through the cracks in terms of being a mainstream legend. This is not a revelation of a statement on its own, as this was the story for many a musician. The cause could be simply be a casualty of overshadowing during the jazz/swing craze, not being terribly innovative, or not having a string of hits. Some of these causes even afflicted the subject of this paper. However, it was another factor that makes his story so interesting, yet tragic.Not every artist could be etched in legend such as figures like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, or have his music played all over like Benny Goodman. But Chick Webb’s impact on both the music, culture and technique regarding the drums were and still are well-respected in the jazz scene, despite some of the factors that would hold him back from being a transcendent star. The story of Chick Webb has to begin with the factor that held him back the most and is also the first to afflict him. Despite his disputed birth date, Chick was born in Baltimore, Maryland to William H. and Marie Johnson Webb.William Henry Webb, his birth name, was born with spinal tuberculosis, a condition that would negatively affect him his whole life and ultimately cost him his life. So how does one manage all this pain, let alone become the greatest jazz drummer in history? For starters, the idea of playing the drums came from his doctor. The intent was that the rapid movement of the limbs that is required by the drums would â€Å"loosen up† his stiff limbs and lessen the pain. With the appeal of the instruments’ recreational and medicinal apparent, a young Webb would become a newspaper boy with the sole goal of saving up enough money to buy a drum set.Until then, Webb would settle for the bottom of overturned garbage cans to whet his appetite. By 11 years old, Webb would have his drum set and by 17 years old, he had mo ved to New York City to pursue his dream of being a player in the jazz capital of the world. Chick Webb began playing in New York night clubs as soon as he arrived in 1924. Clubs such as the Paddock Club and the Black Bottom took him in, reference by none other than Duke Ellington, who instantly recognized his talent. Ellington would become an important figure in Webb’s life, both as a mentor and a rival, further down the line.Noting his dominant skill and strong personality, Ellington would encourage Webb to form and lead his own small band. Webb would do just that by forming the Harlem Stoppers, a quintet that would go on to supply the demand for swing music in the era known as the Harlem Renaissance. His skills were rare, and considered ideal to fuel the upbeat pace of swing music and provide a drive to the music that could rarely be matched. Naturally, this skill became quickly recognized all over the city, leading to the expansion of the Harlem Stoppers, who would now be known as the Chick Webb Orchestra.Webb’s status as a successful musician was cemented when his band was selected as the house band of the Savoy Ballroom, a legendary venue located in Harlem. He would be the face of the venue until his final years. Based solely off their own merits, the Chick Webb Orchestra was a highly regarded band. But what made the band legendary in its own right was their willingness to accept challengers in what was known as â€Å"cuttin’ sessions†, or battles of the bands. Many good, but ordinary jazz bands attempted to challenge the great Chick Webb Orchestra, only to be blown out of the ballroom.However, when then-â€Å"King of Swing† Benny Goodman and his band arrived to challenge Webb’s, Chick began to finally get some acclaim from outside of New York. In New York, over 9,000 people came to see this historical event, 5,000 of them standing outside just to have the chance of possibly hearing the monumental clash that was to take place. And when the opportunity arose for Webb and his band to make a statement, they did so in force. Performing first, Goodman’s orchestra performed honorably as many expected from a unit of their stature.But when Webb’s crew began, the outcome would become obvious. With the roar of the crowd Webb’s orchestra, they would end up blowing Benny Goodman’s band out of the ballroom just as he did all the other bands before him that challenged him. His driving sounds often over-powered other bands, playing into the hard swing of his orchestra. Gene Krupa, a legendary drummer in his own right and drummer for Goodman’s band noted that â€Å"Webb cut me to ribbons! † It was this moment where Webb was crowned â€Å"King of Swing† and undoubtedly â€Å"King of the Savoy†.Other legendary challengers such as Count Basie (who played Webb to a draw at the very least), Fletcher Henderson and Duke Ellington would test the mettle of the Chick Webb Orchestra, but none would diminish his status as one of the preeminent bandleaders and musicians of the time. Like most famous muscians of the time, Webb began to record his work, beginning in 1927. However, his powerful sound was difficult to record cleanly without drowning out the full composition of the work. This forced im to tone down his sound and let the rest of the music even out, possibly lessening his fame. However, in circles within the music industry, Webb’s talent and influence did not go unnoticed. When Decca Records formed in 1934, Webb signed to the label and made his most famous recordings, almost all of which featuring Ella Fitzgerald as the singer. Webb initially discouraged the inclusion of Fitzgerald as she did not fit the image of the typical lead vocalist for a swing band. However, once he heard her voice, she would become the lead vocalist for Chick Webb’s Orchestra.This addition skyrocketed the careers of both artist, transforming F itzgerald into a bonafide superstar following the success of their top hit together, Fitzgeralds rendition of â€Å"A-tisket, A-Tasket†. As the quintessential swing artist, Webb’s sound merged perfectly with Fitzgerald, so much so that she became known as the â€Å"First Lady of Swing†. Unfortunately, one could say the vast popularity of Fitzgerald would often overshadow Webb, especially true on recordings. What made it worse for Chick Webb, was the timing of his newfound popularity. In 1938, not too long after the instant success of â€Å"A-tisket, A-tasket†, Webb’s health began to fail.Webb had been playing through pain his entire career, often leaving the stage exhausted. But this time, his spinal condition became more serious and restricted him from playing to a standard that he deemed fit for his fans. Seeking relief, Webb would return to Baltimore for a major operation at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Sadly, Webb would never leave the hospital, dyi ng at just 34 years old. Reportedly, his last words were to his mother, saying â€Å"I’m sorry, I’ve got to go. † The respect the jazz scene had for Chick Webb was obvious at his funeral, where the top musicians of the time all came to pay their respects.The general public also came in full force, so much so that the church where the services were being held could not contain them all, and the procession was composed of almost 80 cars. As one of the few prominent drummer-led swing bands, Webb’s impact is almost always understated. Be it because his lack of hit records as the frontman, a result of Ella Fitzgerald’s popularity or the era’s inability to properly record his talent, or his shortened lifespan, Chick Webb has become a somewhat forgotten name to the mainstream, despite his legendary status within the jazz culture.But due to his influential style, and his battles against some of the more marquee names in jazz/swing, Chick Webb will n ever be forgotten. Works Cited Fritts, Ron, and Ken Vail. Ella Fitzgerald: The Chick Webb Years & beyond. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 2003. Print. McDonough, John. â€Å"CHICK WEBB: THE MATRIX. † Down Beat 77. 8 (2010): 37. Downbeat. com. Down Beat, Aug. 2010. Web. 26 Oct. 2012. . Sandler, Gilbert. â€Å"Webb Won the Battle of the Bands. † Baltimore Sun.N. p. , 28 Apr. 1992. Web. 26 Oct. 2012. . Teichroew, Jacob. â€Å"Artist Profile: Swing Drummer and Bandleader Chick Webb. † About. com Jazz. N. p. , n. d. Web. 26 Oct. 2012. . Turner, Nathaniel. â€Å"Chick Webb Bio. † Chick Webb Bio. N. p. , n. d. Web. 26 Oct. 2012. .

Snake - 1220 Words

Throughout this whole 20th century, the values in our society are changing all the time. Compared to now, towards the end of 20th century, some of the ideas introduced in the early century are very different. D.H. Lawrence’s Snake is one of a group of poems entitled Birds, Beasts and Flowers written between 1920 and 1923. It tells of how Lawrence reacted when he saw a snake while he was living in Sicily. The poem can be interpreted in three different ways. The first possible theme is the idea that the natural, instinctive person is superior to the civilized person and that civilization robs people of their capacity for happiness. Jean-Jacques Rousseau began this idea - often referred to as â€Å"the noble savage† - in the 18th Century and†¦show more content†¦He feels horrified, showing his fear of being buried under the dark ground. â€Å"And as he put his head into that dreadful hole, And as he slowly drew up, snake-easing his shoulders, and entered farther, A sort of horror, a sort of protest against his withdrawing into that horrid black hole, Deliberately going into the blackness, and slowly drawing himself after, Overcame me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He tries to stop the snake entering the hole by throwing the log, showing his desire to avoid death. His regret for throwing the log shows that he accepts that he must die. He sees the snake as a lord of life like Pluto and thinks that death may be a wonderful though frightening experience. â€Å"For he seemed to me again like a king, Like a king in exile, uncrowned in the underworld, Now due to be crowned again. And so, I missed my chance with one of the lords of life.† Lawrence uses the metaphor of the Underworld to represent death again in one of his last poems, Bavarian Gentians, in which he shows a greater acceptance of death and asks for a gentian to be his dark torch to guide him through the Underworld. â€Å"Reach me a gentian, give me a torch! Let me guide myself with the blue, forked torch of this flower Down the darker and darker stairs, where blue is darkened on blueness Even where Persephone goes, just now, from the frosted September To the sightless realm where darkness is awake upon the dark And Persephone herself is but a voice Or aShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Snake And The Snake1707 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Snake† and â€Å"The Snake† Fred Min â€Å"Snake† by D.H. Lawrence 1. Emotional fear within oneself is a common foundation that dictates the â€Å"reaction† in relation to certain situations, such as the presence of a snake. In D.H. Lawrence’s â€Å"Snake†, the emotions of fascination and intense hospitality, although dysfunctional, heavily takes precedence over fear. The two factors of morality or â€Å"education† also plays a key role in Lawrence’s internal conflict.This is clearly presented in the text by the descriptionRead More snake bites Essay2392 Words   |  10 Pagessnake bites Bob was walking in the woods one day when his life was put in great danger. He had just stepped over a log when he felt a sharp sting on the back of his leg. He looked down and saw two small puncture wounds on his leg. The stinging sensation instantly went throughout his body and that was when he saw a snake still laying beside the log he had just stepped over. Bob had many questions running through his head. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know if the snake was poisonousRead MoreEvolution of Snakes819 Words   |  4 PagesThe Evolution of Snakes Rafferty Crawford BIO/101 July 17, 2012 Peter Karanja The Evolution of Snakes Snakes are a diverse group of squamates that include about 2900 species of boas, colubrids, pythons, vipers, blind snakes, mole vipers, and sunbeam snakes (Pickrell, 2010). Snakes, like all living things, are a product of the process of evolution. Evolution allows species to change over time in response to environmental factors to produce entirely new species. As diverse as they are todayRead MoreAnalysis Of Piano And Snake 1438 Words   |  6 Pages â€Å"Piano† and â€Å"Snake† in D.H Lawrence’s representations express an inner conflict; the troubles they face are based upon distinct and similar reasons, they want an escape to their present state. â€Å"Piano† and â€Å"Snake† in D.H Lawrence’s representations express an inner conflict; the troubles they face are for distinct and similar reasons; they want an escape to their present state. The interpretation received when analyzing â€Å"Piano† was that the narrator himself was having a troublesome time because heRead MoreEvolution Of Live Birth And Snakes1272 Words   |  6 PagesBirth in Snakes The evolution of how snakes reproduce by bearing live offspring will be discussed by determining, the evolutionary pathway of live birth, viviparity, egg laying birth, oviparity and giving live birth but being kept in the womb in eggs until being ready to hatch, ovoviviparity. Discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of each reproduction method will be determined. The objective of this paper is to discuss the factors that have contributed to the evolution of snakes being viviparousRead MoreSnake by D.H. Lawrence1218 Words   |  5 PagesI’m Sorry My Snake In the poem â€Å"Snake,† D.H. Lawrence will discuss someone who has wronged him or done something deceitful to him. As one can see in the following paragraph, Lawrence’s poem â€Å"Snake,† is about the narrator’s encounter with a venomous snake at a water trough. The narrator appears to be a man who owns the water trough, and comes to it quite often. Once he arrives at the trough, the narrator sees that he must wait because a snake has come there for water as well. The snake turns to lookRead MoreEmily Dickinson’s â€Å"the Snake†1972 Words   |  8 PagesJosh Mclawhorn Eng 232 Professor Etheridge 9/24/2012 Emily Dickinson’s â€Å"The Snake† â€Å"The snake† by Emily Dickinson is a 24 line poem describing an encounter with a snake in the grass. The six stanzas of the poem flow together in an ABCB rhyme scheme yet are not formalized into any specific meter. â€Å"The Snake† says that Dickinson shares a friendly and appreciative connection with a snake because it is being of nature, just as she is a being of nature; but even while she appreciates this creature,Read MoreThe Morphology Of Species Of Snakes1711 Words   |  7 Pagesterms of morphology, snakes are quite interesting, especially when it comes to venomous snakes of Kansas. Here, we will describe snakes, their structure, what they eat, how often, reproduction, habitat and other interesting facts about snakes in general. Then, we will examine closely venomous snakes that are indigenous to Kansas. Snakes are elongated, flexible, and limbless reptiles from the suborder Serpentes. There are approximately 2,900 different species of snakes. There are around 700Read MoreAnalysis Of The Poem Snake 944 Words   |  4 Pages Upon reading and reflecting on the poem â€Å"Snake† by D.H. Lawrence, I couldn’t help but feel like the poem hearkens back to Emily Dickinson’s poems â€Å"A Narrow Fellow in the Grass† and even â€Å"A Bird, Came Down the Walk.† Like Dickinson’s poems there is a recognition of not only the beauty and majesty that is in nature but also the danger that lurks in the unknown. Lawrence’s â€Å"Snake†, like Dickinson’s poems, utilizes personification, not only to connect humankind to nature, but also to elevate theRead MoreCobra Snakes2053 Words   |  9 PagesSnakes are fun to know about. They are scary, poisonous createars that killed many people. And cobras are one of the most famous snakes (Cleopatra used an Egyptian cobra to kill herself). So, I choose cobras to make a research on. Cobras Cobras are venomous snakes of family Elapidae, of several genera. They generally inhabit tropical and desert regions of Asia and Africa. Cobras kill their prey, usually small rodents and birds, by injecting a neurotoxin through their hollow fangs. The King Cobra

The Divide Of The Genders - 1313 Words

The Divide of the Genders In the past, there have been many debates about the gender gap happening throughout school systems. Even still to this day, there are many arguments about this topic. Back then, all there was was problems about education. Guys were more privileged than the girls were. For the past decades, this issue has stuck around. Many argue that boys are still more privileged than girls are. But many facts these days say otherwise. There are many people still that believe that schools are biased towards girls. Many think, â€Å"That girls are treated as the second sex in school and consequently suffer, that boys are accorded privileges and consequently benefit,† so these are usually the things many people seem to presume. So these types of ideas have the schools being biased towards girls, which had now, â€Å"... given rise to an array of laws and policies intended to curtail the advantages boys have and to redress the harm done to girls† (Sommers). But t hese statements that are being made are not true. There are many facts that girls hardly suffer. There are now many, â€Å"claims that men are now the second sex and that boys--not girls--are the ones who are in serious trouble† (Kimmel). Yet, in thought, both sides of this debate are very true. That there is a crisis happening among boys. However, they are also both wrong. Yes, there are many logical facts proving that boys are now suffering more than the girls are. â€Å"Let s begin with the evidence of crisis. TheShow MoreRelatedNegotiation And The Gender Divide1768 Words   |  8 Pages200 – W01 November 23, 2016 Women Don t Ask: Negotiation and the Gender Divide Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever Women Don t Ask: Negotiation and the Gender Divide is an informational book great for males and females. This book is overflowing with statistics and studies done on men and women, and how gender influences whether or not they negotiate. It provides real life examples of negotiation differences between the genders. The authors also give solutions, and tries to push women to start askingRead MoreThe Gender Divide Between Men And Women1593 Words   |  7 Pagesthe world have stood up for the rights of their gender in order to eradicate the social inequalities and stereotypes that have been formulated over hundreds of years to convey the impression that women are the inferior gender. This movement stimulated many ideas on the treatment and perception of women as a gender and came with progress but also with opposition. While many acknowledged the oppression toward women in society, others accepted the divide between men and women as only immutable differencesRead MoreEssay on The Segre gation of Gender: Digital Divide1788 Words   |  8 Pagesthe factor of segregation is no longer based on the discrimination of race, but rather the knowledge of digital capabilities. The development of technology and its advancement separates many individuals through its availability. The term â€Å"digital divide† represents the increase in the gap between those who have technology readily available to them and those who do not have access to computers and Internet usage. The lack of access to these technologies and the lack of understanding the digital capabilitiesRead MoreThe Gender Divide At The Homecoming Football Game891 Words   |  4 PagesThis will be an observation report on the gender divide at the homecoming football game. The stands were full of spectators such as: students, parents, faculty members, and fans. The spectators seem to be an equal divide of female and male. Mostly male spectators were at the beer tent. Both teams were male only athletes and the coaches were all male. The referees, linesman, announcer, security were all male as well. Roles that were spilt between genders were the photographers and food truck. OnlyRead MoreThe 1960s Feminist Movement Closing The Gender Divide1312 Words   |  6 PagesMrs. or Ms.: The 1960s Feminist Movement Closing the Gender Divide The 1960s was a decade of Civil Rights Movements, including the Feminist Movement which still affects modern day life. The economic stability post WWII allowed for more attention to be focused on Civil Rights. Because of the financial stability, there was more time to think about the future and for exploring the lack of equal rights among different groups. During World War II, women were trained to do jobs traditionally held by menRead MoreHow Does Fashion Represent the Changing Attitudes to the Gender Divide1899 Words   |  8 Pagesdictated what gender stereotypes should wear and how they should present themselves to the world with their fashion, these rules and ideals are constantly changing and reversing, occasionally blurring the lines between the two. 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The term digital divide refers to the gap between individuals with economicalRead MoreMen And Women Working Out Together1419 Words   |  6 Pageslooks of men and women Deciding to make a video will be more useful and easier to understand the gender workout divides between men and women. Social media both uses men and women, men with big muscles, six-pack, and popping veins. Then women are shown on social media with a skinny waist and a flat stomach. Both genders will see these fit people and will say â€Å"I want to look like that†. This causes both genders to stick to one workout over another. In the video I will add music that appeals to both menRead MoreAnalysis Of Female Solidarity In Edith Somerville And Martin Ross1387 Words   |  6 PagesFemale solidarity is the coming together of woman from different social, cultural and political backgrounds, with shared life experience, in order to make a stand against gender oppression. In The Silver Fox Edith Somerville and Martin Ross explore the nineteenth century political and cultural tensions between the English imperial ambition and the rural, social traditions of the native Irish. This e ssay will explore the coming together of three women Lady Susan, Slaney Morris and Maria Quin in friendshipRead MoreA Discussion Of Class, Gender, And Feminism Essay1484 Words   |  6 PagesClass, Gender, and Feminism In this paper I will be discussing class, race, gender, sex, and how they relate to feminism. The first theme that I will be looking into is the role that social class and gender play in how others view us. The second theme that I will be delving into is the role that social class and gender play in how we view ourselves, and how this affects our role in society. Finally, the third theme that I will be looking at is the harmful nature of letting our differences divide us

Abraham Lincoln Speech Ethos Essay - 920 Words

Pathos, Logos, Ethos, and Tone Abraham Lincoln was perhaps one of Americas most influential presidents, because of his ability to abolish slavery. Lincoln’s second inaugural speech was given on March 4th, of 1865. The speech addressed the nation to talk about The Civil War, and reconstruction of the nation, along with the evils of slavery, and the return of the south. Logos, pathos, ethos, and tone were all crucial ingredients in Lincoln’s speech because they helped set the mood of the speech, connect to people from an emotional standpoint, provide credibility, and most importantly, provide logical explanation on why they should support him. There are many examples of pathos in Lincoln’s speech. Pathos is how Lincoln is persuading his†¦show more content†¦Another thing that he did to help is reference God a lot. Perhaps the quote that added the most credibility was, â€Å"The almighty has his own purposes.†. This adds to his credibility because ba ck in the 1800’s, everyone was genuinely religious and most people believed in God. By using God in his speech, he really got his word across to most people, and in the process, made himself sound more credible and smarter. Overall ethos is something that Lincon did not have to touch on as much, but he still used some devices to help him. Lastly, there is logos which Lincon used a lot of. Logos would be how he connects to his listeners/viewers throughout logical means. One of the ways that he does this is by again, bringing up lasting peace in this quote. â€Å"With malice towards none; †¦achieve and cherish a just and a lasting peace†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . This is logical and should connect with the people well because war means deaths, money spent, recourses used, possible loss, and family members leaving for war for long periods at a time. This should have been a big factor in helping people support him as president. Another smaller, but still important example is, â€Å"On e eight of the population were colored slaves†¦localized in the southern part of the nation†. This related to people because most of the people already do not support slavery,(which is why Lincon was elected in the first place;Show MoreRelatedRhetorical Analysis Of Abraham Lincoln s Gettysburg Address981 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Fourscore and seven years ago†¦Ã¢â‚¬  is the statement in which Abraham Lincoln started â€Å"The Gettysburg Address†.152 years ago, Lincoln delivered this well-known speech in front of an audience who was searching for help during a time of war. Some may believe it was not an inspiration why others will say it was. To some Americans, it might have even brought faith. 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They claim to â€Å"just wanna be average, never expecting to be more that just a brute in vocational education, because of the underwhelming and under-qualified teachers teaching classes that don’t benefit them. Rose’s purpose in this essay is to show the public the flaws of the vocational system in order to affect change in the public school system. His declaration is still apparent today in the failure in some aspects of the public school system and the lack of attention given to thoseRead MoreLibrary Management204752 Words   |  820 PagesThe Evolution of Management Thought    31 managers recognizing the importance of workers and trying to make them happy; instead it emphasized designing jobs that would allow workers to satisfy higher-level needs and utilize more of their potential. Abraham Maslow was one of the early proponents of this school. Maslow’s needs theory is built upon the concept that humans have a hierarchy of needs, starting with the basic physical necessities of food, shelter, and clothing and ascending five steps to theRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 Pagestime? 3. Would the students start protesting even more if the principal stopped the newspaper? 4. When the welfare of the school is threatened, does the principal have the right to give orders to students? 5. Does the principal have the freedom of speech to say no in this case? 6. If the principal stopped the newspaper, would he be preventing full discussion of important problems? 7. Would the principal’s stop order make Rami lose faith in him? 8. Is Rami really loyal to his school and patriotic to

A Meal to Remember free essay sample

Hey! Sunlit, is it really u? , an excited screaming voice said, giving me a friendly slap on the shoulder. It was two weeks back at my cousins house, in celebration of her birthday party. She arranged a quite big party in the front garden of her house which was nicely decorated with flowers. There was also a band party to cheer the guests with deferent types of musics. Everyone were enjoying the party with a great pleasure while I was sitting in a cradle and watching butterflies flying over the flowers with deep attention.Suddenly when I heard the voice, I looked back and saw young girl of my age who was wearing parrot green skirt with violet tops. As I was noticing the butterflies, so I was puzzled about saying anything to her. Perhaps, she understood my situation and sat beside with a smile. Cant u recognize me? , she said. We will write a custom essay sample on A Meal to Remember or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I was mumbling. Then she showed me a card which was made by me and It had the word MEASURE written on It. After seeing It, I was so delighted and overjoyed that a gave shout and hugged her with great pleasure because she was one of my best friends, relate. Hen I was in seventh grade I left that school. Lull after I have left the school we had contact through phones and we would meet either at her house or mine. In eight grades her father was transferred to another city with his family and it all happened in a sudden, that she could not contact me. I tried to call her for many times but her phone number was changed. That day I couldnt recognize her because there have been no communication between us for seven long years. Both of us were too much happy to meet again after such a long time. E walked in the garden holding each others hand. It felt Just like the old times at school. We gossiped a lot at that day about how our life was going. When it was meal time and we were called to the dining tables and we sat together. The tables were full of delicious dishes which made our mouth water. My aunt came to serve us. First, my aunt served fried rice which is a traditional part of any feast, and then roasted chicken was brought out. The rice was well cooked but wasnt too oily, and the chicken was roasted brown, a bit overdone, just the way I and my cousins preferred.The crust outside was nice and iris, yet the meat was tender and Juicy inside. As I continued eating eagerly I noticed that she had also served shrimps, which was equally mouthwatering. Then she served us Chinese vegetables which had little piece of chickens and was super tasty. We also had good smelling beef curry in front of us. Cold drinks and fruit juices were also served. After the meal, we ate strawberry flavored ice-cream. Finally, after almost an hour, all of us had finished our meal, and kept complimenting my aunt on what an amazing meal it was.It was one of the meals which I will never forget as the sates of the foods were yummy and delicious. The other reason which had made the meal more significant was meeting my best friend after a long time. It gave my friend back to me. All the readers of this event may think what does the word measure meant. It Is the mixture of the first two letters of three best friends membrane, summon and relate. A Meal to Remember By math guests with different types of musics. Everyone were enjoying the party with a great understood my situation and sat beside with a smile. Cant u recognize me? , she said.I was mumbling. Then she showed me a card which was made by me and it had the word MEASURE written on it. After seeing it, I was so delighted and overjoyed that friends, aridity. When I was in seventh grade I left that school. Still after I have left overdone, Just the way I and my cousins preferred. The crust outside was nice and tasty. We also had good smelling beef curry in front of us. Cold drinks and fruit Juices back to me. All the readers of this event may think what does the word measure meant. It is the mixture of the first two letters of three best friends membrane, sunlit and aridity.