Financial Analysis on National Bank Ltd. Essays

Financial Analysis on National Bank Ltd. Essays Financial Analysis on National Bank Ltd. Essay Financial Analysis on National Bank Ltd. Essay The then President of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh Justice Ahsanuddin Chowdhury inaugurated the bank formally on March 28, 1983 but the first branch at 48, Dilkusha Commercial Area, Dhaka started commercial operation on March 23, 1983. The 2nd Branch was opened on 11th May 1983 at Khatungonj, Chittagong. At present, NBL has been carrying on business through its 124 branches and 11 SME / Krishi centers (total 135 service locations) spread all over the country. It has drawing arrangements with 415 correspondents in 75 countries of the world, as well as with 37 overseas Exchange Companies located in 13 countries. NBL was the first domestic bank to establish agency arrangements ith the world famous Western Union in order to facilitate quick and safe remittance of the valuable foreign exchanges earned by the expatriate Bangladeshi National NBL was also the first among domestic banks to introduce international Master Card in Bangladesh. Despite shaken domestic economic condition due to global recession, performance of 2009, the year under review was noteworthy. In 2009, the pretax profit of National Bank stood at 3,197. 50 million, registering a growth of 13. 03 percent over the previous year and profit after tax other provisions stood at Taka 2,070. 47 million reflecting a growth of 36. 45 percent. Further, banks revenue, loans advances, deposit and assets registered a growth of 22. 98, 28. 55, 27. 6 and 27. 53 percent respectively. Capital adequacy maintained at Tk. 9,124. 62 million, which was 13. 56 percent against statutory requirement of 10 percent. The earning per share for the year 2009 was Tk. 72. 74 compared to Tk. 53. 31 of previous year. Being a regular tax payer, the bank made a direct contribution of Tk. 1, 366. 20 million to Government Exchequer in 2009 representing an increase of 79. 35 percent over 2008. Detailed facts-figures and disclosures are available in the financial statements and notes of accounts for the year 2009. Products and Service ? Deposit product. ? Credit product. ? Cards. Deposit Product 1. Saving Deposit National Bank Limited offers customers a hassle free and low charges savings account through the branches all over Bangladesh. Benefits (Condition Apply) ? Interest rate of 6. 00% on minimum monthly balance. ? Minimum balance Tk. 1000. ? Maintenance charge yearly Tk. 400. ? No hidden costs. ? Standing Instruction Arrangement are available for operating account. Account Opening ? 2 copies of recent photograph of account holder. ? Nominees Photograph. ? Valid photocopy of Voter ID Card. 2. Current Deposit National Bank Limited offers customers current deposit facility for day-to-day business transactions without any restriction. Benefits (Condition Apply) ? Minimum balance Tk. 2000. ? Minimum maintenance charge yearly Tk. 800. No hidden costs. ? Standing Instruction Arrangement are available for operating account. ? Easy access to our other facilities. Account Opening ? 2 copies of recent photograph of account holder. ? TIN certificate. ? Nominees Photograph. ? Valid photocopy of Voter ID Card. 3. Term Deposit ? Short Term Deposit. ? Fixed Deposit. a) Short Term Deposit National Bank Limited offers interest on customers short term savings and gives facility to withdraw money any time. Benefits (Condition Apply) ? Minimum balance Tk. 2000. ? Minimum maintenance charge yearly Tk. 800. ? Standing Instruction Arrangement are available for operating account. Account Opening 2 copies of recent photograph of account holder. ? Nominees Photograph. ? Valid photocopy of Voter ID Card. b) Fixed Deposit National Bank Limited offers fixed term savings that will scale up your savings amount wtih the time. Benefits (Condition Apply) ? Any amount can be deposited. ? Premature encashment facility is available. ? Overdraft facility available against term receipt. Account Opening ? 1 copy of recent photograph of account holder. ? Nominees Photograph. 4. Foreign Currency Deposit ? RFC Deposit ? NFC Deposit. a) RFC Deposit National Bank Limited gives opportunity to maintain foreign c urrency account through its Authorized Dealer Branches. : Bangladesh nationals residing abroad or foreign nationals residing abroad or Bangladesh and foreign firms operating in Bangladesh or abroad or Foreign missions and their expatriate employees. Benefits (Condition Apply) ? No initial deposit is required to open the account. ? Interest will be offered 1. 75% for US Dollar Account , 3. 00 % for EURO Account and 3. 25% for GBP Account. ? They will get interest on daily product basis on the credit balance (minimum balance of US$ 1,000/- or GBP 500/- at least for 30 days) maintaining in the account. Account Opening ? 2 copies of recent photograph of account holder. ? Nominees Photograph. ? Passport Copy. ? ID of residence in abroad. b) NFC Deposit National Bank Limited gives opportunity to maintain foreign currency account through its Authorized Dealer Branches. All non – resident Bangladeshi nationals and persons of Bangladesh origin including those having dual nationality and ordinarily residing abroad may maintain interest bearing NFCD Account. Benefits (Condition Apply) ? NFCD Account can be opened for One month, Three months, Six months and One Year through US Dollar, Pound Starling, Japanese Yen and Euro. ? The initial minimum amount of $1000 or 500 Pound Starling or equivalent other designated currency. ? Interest is paid on the balance maintain in the Account. This interest is tax free in Bangladesh. Account Opening ? 2 copies of recent photograph of account holder. ? Nominees Photograph. ? Passport Copy. ? ID of residence in abroad. 5. NBL Monthly Saving Scheme National Bank Limited offers monthly savings scheme for its retail customers. Benefits (Condition Apply) ? Monthly installments of deposit will be Tk. 500/-, Tk. 1,000/- , Tk. 2,000/- ,Tk. 3,000, Tk. 4000/- , Tk. 5,000/- and Tk. 10,0000 ? Account may be opened for any installment and term, which is not changeable. ? A person is allowed to open more than one account for different installment in a Branch/ Bank. |Sl no |Monthly Installments (Taka) |Amount to be paid on completion of Term | | | |3(Three) years @9. 00% |5(Five) years @9. 25% |8(Eight) years @9. 0% | |01 |500/- |20,627/- |37,896/- |70,849/- | |02 |1,000/- |41,255/- |75,791/- |1,41,691/- | |03 |2,000/- |82,510/- |1,51,583/- |2,83,394/- | |04 |3,000/- |1,23,765/- |2,27,374/- |4,25,091/- | |05 |4,000/- |1,65,020/- |3,03,166/- |5,66,788/- | |06 |5,000/- |2,06,274/- |3,78,957/- |7,08,485/- | |07 |10,000/- |4,12,549/- |7,57,914/- |14,16,970/- | Credit Product 1. Overdraft BL offers overdraft facility for corporate customers for day-to day business operations. Benefits (Condition Apply) ? Low charges in overdraft account maintenance. ? Facility is available against deposit receipt or mortgage property. ? Low interest rate 13-16%. Account Opening ? Introductory current account. ? Others necessary documents as per loan requirement. 2. Lease Financing National Bank Limited offers leasing facility for clients with easy installment facility. Financing Area ? Capital machinery. ? Different equipments. ? Gas, Diesel generator and Power plant. ? Medical equipments. ? Lift or elevator. ? Inroformantion Technology equipments. ? Construction equipments. Consumer durables. Benefits (Condition Apply) ? Competitive monthly rental. ? Tax benefit. ? Fast processing. ? Easy handover after leasing period. 3. House Building NBL offers home loan facility for purchasing flats or construction of house. Benefits (Condition Apply) ? Financing amount extends up to 70% or Tk. 7 5, 00,000 which is highest of total construction cost. ? Grace period available up to 9 months in flat purchase or 12 months in construction. ? Competitive interest rate. ? No application or processing fee. Eligibility ? Any Bangladeshi citizen or NRB, who is capable of repayment, can apply for this loan. 4. Small medium Enterprise NBL offers financial support to small businessmen/enterprise with new products named Festival Small Business Loan and NBL Small Business Loan has been introduced in the Bank. Benefits (Condition Apply) ? Maximum Tk. 3. 00 lac (Festival Scheme) and Maximum Tk. 5. 00 lac (Small Business Scheme) ? 3 Months (Festival Scheme) and 5 years (including 1 month grace period (Small Business Scheme)) ? Collateral Free Advance. Eligibility ? Any genuine and small businessmen/ entrepreneurs/enterprise having honesty, sincerity, and integrity. 5. Consumer Credit Scheme NBL offers consumer credit facility for retail customers. Financing items ? Electronics consumer products. Computer or Computer accessories. Benefits (Condition Apply) ? Fast processing. ? Competitive interest rate. ? No application or processing fee. ? Easy monthly installment. 6. Trade Finance NBL provides comprehensive banking services to all. types of commercial concerns such as in the industrial sector for export-import purpose as working capital, packing credit, trade finance, Issuance of Import L/Cs, Advising and confirming Export L/Cs. Bonds and Guarantees . Benefits (Condition Apply) ? Low interest rate 13. 00%-14. 50%. ? Minimum processing time. ? Low service charges. Cards 1. Credit card NBL Credit Card is accepted in many merchant outlets around the world. Our wide range of merchants include hotels, restaurants, airlines, travel agents, shopping malls and departmental stores, hospitals diagnostic centers, jewelers, electronics computer shops and many more. Benefits (Condition Apply) ? Dual Currency Card Facility. ? Lowest Rate of Interest. ? Lowest Card Fees. Special Discount of Card Fee *** condition applicable. ? You can transfer 80% amount of your Local Card Limit to any NBL A/c or have Pay Order Facility. ? No Excess Limit Charge. ? No Hidden Charges. 2. NBL Power Card NBL Power Card is the first debit card for which you don’t have to maintain any account with our any branch. Benefits (Condition Apply) ? It is a Pre-paid Card. ? Annual / Renewal Fee Tk. 200/- only. ? May be issued and refilled from RFCD/FC Account. ? Accepted at all VISA POS merchants. Cash withdrawal at all ATM booths bearing VISA and Q-cash logo(Except HSBC in Bangladesh). ? Drawing of Cash: (i) from NBL ATMs Free of charges (ii) From ATMs under Q-cash network- Tk. 10. 00 per transaction (iii) From other ATM Tk. 100. 00 per transaction. ? Cash Withdrawal Fee (aboard)-2. 00% on the cash drawn amount or US$2. 00, whichever is higher. ? Only 1% loading fee against both International and Local Power Card at the time of Refilling. ? Yearly Tk. 100 for enrollment of SMS service. Account Opening ? 2 copies of your recent photograph. ? Nominees Photograph. ? National ID Card ? Birth Certificate BALANCE SHEET As at 31 December 2009 |PROPERTY ASSETS |2009 2008 | |Cash |6,843,689,881 |5,421,055,640 | |Balance with other Banks Financial Institution |2,490,371,694 |1,174,813,554 | |Money at call short notice |1,359,800,000 |3,089,900,000 | |Investments |12,315,204,277 |9,156,612,128 | |Loans advances |64,962,312,154 |50,665,074,783 | |Fixed assets including land, building, furniture fixtures |1,815,564,664 |1,583,387,810 | |Other assets |1,740,385,536 |716,430,198 | |Non-banking assets |384,788,241 |397,763,841 | |TOTAL ASSETS |91,912,1 16,447 |72,205,037,954 | | | | | |LIABILITIES CAPITAL |2009 |2008 | |Liabilities-Borrowing from other Banks, Financial Institution |1,390,919,847 |1,256,555,900 | |Agents | | | |Deposits other accounts |76,814,651,280 |60,187,435,050 | |Other liabilities |4,789,781,786 |4,634,780,266 | |TOTAL LIABILITIES |82,995,352,913 |66,078,771,216 | |TOTAL SHAREHOLDERS EQUITY |8,916,763,534 |6,126,266,738 | |TOTAL LIABILITIES SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY |91,912,116,447 |72,205,037,954 | Liquidity statement (Assets liabilities maturity analysis) As at 31 December 2009 |Particulars |Not more than 1 month |1-3 month term |3-12 months term |1-5 years term |Above 5-years term |total | | |term | | | | | | Assets Cash in hand |1,290,177,054 |- |- |- |- |1,290,177,054 | |Balance with |5,553,512,827 |- |- |- |- |5,553,512,827 | |Bangladesh Bank | | | | | | | |its agent Bank | | | | | | | |Balance with other |1,919,750,009 |295,821,685 |200,000,000 |74,800,000 |- |2,490,371,694 | |Banks financial | | | | | | | |institutions | | | | | | | |Money at call |1,359,800,000 |- |- |- |- |1,359,800,000 | |short notice | | | | | | |Investments |276,548,223 |821,213,870 |2,433,641,609 |1,004,424,171 |7,779,376,404 |12,315,204,277 | |Loans Advances |251,369,000 |6,428,422,500 |23,499,478,750 |27,813,652,000 |4,649,389,904 |64,962,312,154 | |Fixed assets |26,401,403 |52,802,806 |237,612,627 |1,203,447,457 |295,300,371 |1,815,564,664 | |Other assets |333,886,810 |667,409,160 |739,089,567 |- |- |1,740,385,536 | |Non-banking assets |- |- |- |384,788,241 |- |384,788,241 | |TOTAL ASSETS |13,331,445,326 |8,265,670,020 |27,109,822,552 |30,481,111,869 |12,724,006,679 |91,912,116,447 | Liabilities Borrowings from other |315,909,987 |231,819,974 |843,189,886 |- |- |1,390,919,847 | |Banks,Financial Institution | | | | | | | |Agents | | | | | | | |Deposits other accounts |12,327,012,687 |6,789,670,173 |23,763,845,604 |30,624,351,651 |3,309,771,165 |76,814,651,280 | |Other liabilities |409,713,507 |828,671,700 |1,758,041,643 |1,751,983,422 |41,371,514 |4,789,781,786 | |TOTAL LIABILITIES |13,052,636,181 |7850,161,847 |26,365,077,133 |32,376,335,073 |3,351,142,679 |82,995,352,913 | |NET LIQUIDITY GAP |278,809,145 |415,508,174 |744,745,419 |(1,895,223,204) |9,372,924,000 |8,916,763,534 | INCOME STATEMENT For the year ended 31 December 2009 PROFIT LOSS ACCOUNTs |2009 |2008 | |Interest income |6,818,466,566 |5,786,710,797 | |Less: Interest paid on deposits borrowings |4,489,636,114 |3,594,841,261 | |Net interest income |2,328,830,452 |2,191,869,536 | |Investment income |1,779,316,931 |938,915,231 | |Commission, exchange brokerage |1,448,972,295 |1,510,479,954 | |Other operating income |935,365,402 |654,912,889 | |TOTAL OPERATING INCOME |6,492,485,080 |52,961,776,101 | |TOTAL OPERATING EXPENSES |3,114,118,992 |2,173,109,713 | |Profit before provision |3,378,366,088 |3,123,067,897 | |Specific provision |25,000,000 |25,000,000 | |General provision |175,000,000 |270,000,000 | |TOT AL PROVISION |200,000,000 |295,000,000 | |Profit before taxes |3,178,366,088 |2,828,067,897 | |Profit transferred from off shore Banking Unit |19,129,827 |756,516 | Profit before taxes (including) |3,197,495,915 |2,828,824,413 | |Provision for taxation |1,150,000,000 |1,310,000,000 | |Deferred taxes |(22,974,549) |1,389,931 | | |1,127,025,451 |1,311,389,931 | |Net profit after taxation |2,070,470,464 |1,517,434,482 | |Retained earnings brought forward from previous year |975,132,271 |687,825,162 | | |3,045,602,735 |2,205,259,644 | |Statutory reserve |(639,499,183) |(565,613,366) | |Transfer from general reserve |135,000,000 |- | |Dividend |(973,815,007) |(664,514,007) | | |(1,478,314,190) |(1,230,127,373) | |Retained earnings carried forward |1,567,288,545 |975,132,271 | |Earnings per share |72. 74 |53. 1 | RATIO ANALAYSIS FOR 2009 ? Current ratio : current assets/current liabilities = 35,388,824,017/47,267,875,161 = 0. 748 times. FOR 2008 ? Current ratio : current assets/current li abilities = 23,228,911,038/18,569,065,016 = 1. 249 times. 2008 is better than 2008. FOR 2009 ? Return on assets : Net income(profit)/total assets = 2,070,470,464/91,912,116,447 = 0. 022*100 = 2. 2%. FOR 2008 Return on assets : Net income(profit)/total assets = 1,517,434,482/72,205,037,954 = 2. 1%. 2009 is better than 2008. FOR 2009 ? Return on equity : Net income(profit)/total stock holder equity = 2,070,470,464/8,916,763,534 = 0. 232*100 = 23. 2%. FOR 2008 ? Return on equity : Net income(profit)/total stock holder equity = 1,517,434,482/6,126,266,738 = 0. 247*100 = 24. 7%. 2008 is better than 2009. FOR 2009 ? Debt to total assets : total debt/total assets 82,995,352,913/91,912,116,442 = 0. 902*100 = 90. 2%. FOR 2008 ? Debt to total assets : total debt/total assets = 66,075,037,954 = 0. 915*100 = 91. 5%. Less debt 2009 than 2008. Financial Statement Analysis Comparative analysis |Item |Year |Year |Comparative |Percentage | | |2009 |2008 |analysis | | |Cash |6,843,689,881 |5,421, 055,640 |1,422,634,241 |26. 4% | |Balance with other bank and |2,490,371,694 |1,174,813,554 |1,315,558,140 |111. 96% | |Financial Institution | | | | | |Money at call and short notice |1,359,800,000 |3,089,900,000 |(1,730,100,000) |55. 99% | |Investment |12,315,204,277 |9,156,612,128 |3,158,592,149 |34. 49% | |Loan and Advance |64,962,312,154 |50,665,074,783 |14,297,237,371 |28. 1% | |Fixed Assets |1,815,564,664 |1,583,387,810 |232,176,854 |14. 66% | |Including land, building, | | | | | |furniture, and fixtures | | | | | |Other Assets |1,740,385,536 |716,430,198 |1,023,955,338 |142. 92% | |Non-Banking assets |384,788,241 |397,763,841 |(12,975,600) |3. 6% | |Total Assets |91,912,116,447 |72,205,037,954 |19,707,078,493 |27. 29% | |Liabilities(borrowing from other|1,390,919,847 |1,256,555,900 |134,363,947 |10. 69% | |bank, Financial Institution and | | | | | |agent | | | | | |Deposit and other account |76,814,651,280 |60,187,435,050 |16,627,216,230 |27. 2% | |Other liabilities |4,789,7 81,786 |4,634,780,266 |155,001,520 |3. 34% | |Total liabilities |82,995,352,913 |66,078,771,216 |16,916,581,697 |25. 60% | |Shareholders Equity |8,916,763,534 |6,126,266,738 |2,790,496,796 |45. 54% | |Total liabilities and share |91,912,116,447 |72,205,037,954 |19,707,078,493 |27. 29% | |holder equity | | | | | Financial Statement Analysis Common size analysis |Item |Year |Year | | |2009 |2008 | |Cash |7. 44% |7. 50% | |Balance with other bank and Financial Institution |2. 70% |1. 62% | |Money at call and short notice |1. 47% |4. 7% | |Investment |13. 39% |12. 68% | |Loan and Advance |70. 67% |70. 16% | |Fixed Assets |1. 97% |2. 19% | |Including land, building, furniture, and fixtures | | | |Other Assets |1. 89% |0. 9% | |Non-Banking assets |0. 41% |0. 55% | |Total Assets |100% |100% | |Liabilities(borrowing from other bank, Financial |1. 51% |1. 74% | |Institution and agent | | | |Deposit and other account |83. 7% |83. 35% | |Other liabilities |5. 21% |6. 41% | |Total liabilities |90. 29% |91. 51% | |Shareholders Equity |90. 29% |8. 48% | |Total liabilities and share holder equity |100% |100% | SWAT ANALAYSIS Every organization has some strength that helps it to survive, some weakness that push it backward, some opportunities that helps it to compete and also some threats that keeps it aware. NBL also has some SWOTs. These are mentioned below. Strengths of organization ? Stakeholder and customer are main Strength. ? Strong branch network. ? Committed to ensure high customer service. ? True accountability. ? Efficiency and loyalty of all sorts. ? Enough human resources. ? Knowledge enhancement. ? New technology. ? Enough local and foreign branches. ? Good management. ? Enough current money collection periods. ? Priorities identified the Corporate Plan to be implemented: ? Enhancing national and international presence as envisaged in the Vision of the Bank. Consolidation of the Bangladesh Operations by opening more branches. ? Maintain the most preferred bank status for Trade Finance. ? Increase the present credit card base. ? Improve exchange turnover and market share. ? Improve the risk m anagement infrastructure. ? Improve key performance ratio. ? Focus the new business by talking the opportunities favoring the Bangladesh economy. Weakness of organization The organization does not have a diversified range of products services. Still the bank is not fully computerized. Manual registers are used in some cases. However, the income of the business is still heavily dependent upon its share on the retail market. It caters less the corporate market than the SCB. This may leave it vulnerable if for any reason its market share erodes. The retail sector is very price sensitive. But it pays very less interest than other banks. So, if they found higher interest rate offering by other private banks of Bangladesh then they will loose customers. It has less promotion campaign than the other bank, because they believe brand value is the top promoting entity for the company. Opportunity of organization National Bank Limited is a customer oriented financial institution. It remains dedicated to meet up with the ever growing expectations of the customer because at National Bank, customer is always at the center. NBL has a goodwill that it provides different banking services to the people with a minimum cost and cut a very little charge on its transactions. Although it already has 100 branches to provide services to its customers, it also has the opportunity to build up more branches to make more convenient for the customers. The banking business of NBL and its other social activities have increased day by day. Sophisticate customer service scheme of the NBL more preferable to customers than other banks. Products services development offers NBL many opportunities. There is the opportunity to develop products and services such as insurance business huge investment in capital market etc. Such high value items will tend to have associated with them, high profits. There are also global marketing events that can be utilized to support the brand such as the sports other cultural activities. Threats of Organization NBL is exposed to the international nature of trade. It has to deals in different currencies and so costs and margins are not stable over long periods of time. Such an exposure could mean that NBL may be doing banking business at a loss. The new technology emerges to protecting the currency value use options for better credit rate earnings. The market for banking sector is very competitive. The model developed by NBL to be world’s local bank is now commonly used and to an extent is no longer a basis for sustainable competitive advantage. Competitors are developing alternative brands to take away the market share of NBL. The roles and regulation of the government and conventional laws of Bangladesh are also act as threats for the growth of banking business development in Bangladesh. As discussed above in weaknesses, the retail banking sector is becoming price competitive. This ultimately means that retail consumers are transacting in bank around for a better deal. So if NBL charges a comparative high price for a bank account service, or loan rate service, then the customers could go to the other bank to compare fees charges for the exactly the same services, and will take decision the cheaper of the two. Such customer’s price sensitivity is a potential external threat to HSBC. Converting Threats into Opportunities NBL has to expose its international nature of trade more efficiently. It has to recover costs and maintains margins over long periods of time. The new technology has to use to protecting the currency value use options for better credit rate earnings. NBL has to come to with other sort of criterion that’s why the competitor have to fight very long to copy that exposure. NBL has to give a better deal in the banking fees charges for the customers for the retail banking sector. Converting Weakness into Strength NBL has to focus equally to both ranges of customers either retail or corporate. It has to build up a proper strategy that’s why the corporate customers can be interested to open more of corporate account in NBL. NBL also has to give higher interest rate for various products services to gain more market share in banking business. They have to advertise their brand name more . They can sponsor their name for various social activities which will bring up NBL value more to the local customers. They can also make social awareness to the local customers. CONCLUSION Today National Bank Limited has proved the long way of continuous success. This Bank not only concentrates on business growth, but also concern about Corporate Social Responsibility. In line with that NBL foundation long ago in 1989. It has experienced successive growth in the recent past. As all the activities those are required to provide valuable services to its customers to make them satisfy, are related with the fund management system, NBL is so much careful about its fund management system. NBL always gives its highest attention in monitoring and managing the bank fund, which is consists of fund, capital, reserve, deposit, loan and advance. At present NBL is successful in effectively and efficiently managing these vital issues. In spite of that, in order to keep its success continue and reach at the pinnacle of success it, its managers, board of directors and employee must have the comprehensive and clear idea about the reserve, fund, loan, capital, deposit and liquidity regarding the smooth control of bank and continue its vital operation toward country’s economic[pic][pic][pic][pic] Page2

The Best Free Email Marketing Software Tools You Should Use

The Best Free Email Marketing Software Tools You Should Use Free doesn’t have to mean crap. Not even when it comes to email marketing software. Sure, your email list is valuable. 4,000% ROI-level valuable. But, that doesn’t mean every tool you use to execute an email strategy needs to be expensive. In fact, there are tons of free options out there, and they don’t even entail accepting compromises just to get work done. In this post, we’ll round up the best free email tools you should consider using. Then, we’ll show you how to build an entire workflow using free resources. Whether you’re operating on a shoestring budget, or just need a gadget or two to tackle certain tasks, you’re sure to find something you can use.The Best Free Email Marketing Software Tools You Should Use via @Introducing the Email Subject Line Tester You get one chance to write the perfect subject line for your email. Of course, there’s no way to be sure how it’ll perform until you hit â€Å"send.† But, wouldn’t be great if you could tilt the odds in your favor? That’s where our  Email Subject Line Tester  comes in. It's the best way to: Optimize subject lines: Understand which elements to adjust for best performance. Do better subject line A/B tests: Test multiple options, choose your best scores, and repeat. Improve open rates: 33% of recipients open emails based on the subject line. Test yours to make sure you're getting as many opens as possible. Give it a spin now and start optimizing every subject line you write (before sending it to your list). Try the new Email Subject Line Tester from @All 28 Email Marketing Tools This Post Will Cover You might just want a roundup of all the tools mentioned here. In that case, browse through this list and pick out what you need. Free Email Planning and Research Tools Before you get started creating email content, you have some legwork to do. Here are a few resources to help you plan. Free Email Marketing Calendar Template: We’ve included one in this post to help plan all your send dates. Feedly: One of the best RSS reader apps out there. Follow sources in your industry and surface the best content to share with your audience. Scope: Curious to know how a cool-looking email was coded? Use Scope to dissect it and see what you can learn. Try these free email planning and research tools Free Email Writing Tools Writing email copy isn’t easy. Neither is dealing with shame after sending an email with a spelling error. Tips the odds for success in your favor with a couple free editing tools. Grammarly: There’s nothing worse than sending an email to your entire list with a typo. Use Grammarly to catch them before you hit publish. Hemingway: Is your email copy clear and conversational? Use Hemingway to analyze your writing and make sure it’s easy to read. Write flawless emails with these free editing tools Free Email Design Tools Most email service providers make it easy to create designed emails using WYSIWYG editors and templates. If you prefer to hard code your own emails, though, there are free tools out there to help. BEE Free Responsive Email Builder: This responsive email builder lets you design email newsletters, and then deliver them with whichever service you prefer. Free HTML email template roundup from Colorlib: If you need HTML email templates, you’ll likely find several useful options amongst this enormous roundup. HTML to Text Email Converter: Plain text emails  might not look as attractive as designed emails, but they serve plenty of purposes (they’re easier to read, quicker to load, for starters). Use this tool to convert designed emails into plain text, if you plan to send two versions. Free Formatter: Building emails with HTML? Use this tool to cleanly format your code. Da Button Factory: Use this to build CTA buttons for your HTML emails. PicResize: If you have images in your email, and don’t want to fire up Photoshop to resize them, use PicResize to get the job done quickly. Here's how to design great marketing emails without breaking the bank Free Landing Page Building Tools Each of these tools are meant to do one thing: create conversion-optimized landing pages to direct traffic toward from your emails. MailChimp Landing Page Builder Ucraft Landing Page Builder Vertical Response Landing Page Builder OntraPages Landing Page Builder Xtensio Landing Page Creator Send your email traffic to well-designed landing pages with these free tools Free Email Testing Tools Once you hit Send on an email, it’s gone. Outta there. Not coming back, no matter how bad you need to fix something. Get it right before you deliver with these free resources. Mail Tester: Make sure your email isn’t likely to trip spam filters before you send it. Email Deliverability Test: Ensure your email has a high probability of landing in your recipient’s inbox. Email Subject Line Tester: Optimize subject lines before you send to maximize opens and clicks. This one was built by , and its available as a web-based landing page, or within the platform itself. A/B Split Test Calculator: Use this calculator to determine the statistical relevance of your A/B test results. A/B Split Test Duration Calculator: How long should your A/B tests run for? Here’s one way to find out. Email Rendering Preview: If you’re building HTML emails, it’s always good to know how they will appear in people’s inboxes. This tool lets you take a sneak peek. PutsMail: Test your subject line and body content appearance before sending your email. Test every email before hitting Send with these free tools Free Email Service Providers and Delivery Tools Getting emails built and sent is much easier with an email service provider. Here, we’ll recommend a couple, plus one additional tool for easily automating email promotions from RSS. MailChimp: Free for up to 2,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails per month. Integrates with to plan and schedule emails on your marketing calendar. SendInBlue: Free for 300 emails per day. ChimpFeedr: Create RSS-based email subscription feeds effortlessly. Get started with email marketing using these free email service providers Free Email Measurement and Analytics Tools Most ESPs include built-in analytics, but there are a couple tools we recommend using for building tracking URLs. Google Analytics Campaign URL Builder: Use this to create trackable URLs to use in your email content. Google Analytics: Measure referral traffic and conversions from your emails. Measure the performance of your marketing emails with these free tools Plugging Free Tools Into Your Email Marketing Workflow So, now you have a giant list of free tools. Now, how to actually use any of them? Let’s walk through where they fit in your workflow. Step 1: Planning Your Email Newsletter The first step is figuring out what your email will include. Are you putting together: A sales email. Something informational. A product update. Once you have that down, Then, if your newsletter will be rounding up curated content, check out your feeds in Feedly to find relevant content to share: Finally, plan your send date on the email calendar template we’ve included in this post: Using this template, you can map out the following for each email send: Send date Email creator/owner Email type (promo, newsletter, etc) Target Persona Email List (name of list segment that should receive it) Supporting details on each piece of content included in your email And more. In short, using a calendar is an easy way to keep every email send organized. Or, if you’re a paid customer, in (you can snag a free 14-day trial here): Do This In : Using the MailChimp integration, you can automate marketing email newsletter delivery on your marketing calendar. This helps you see every delivery date alongside the rest of your marketing campaigns, content, and projects. Step 2: Writing Your Email Content Next, fire up a word processor and start crafting your next masterpiece. To make sure it’s readable, scan your content in Hemingway. Then, run it through Grammarly to help catch any typos you may have missed: After that, try ’s Email Subject Line Tester and write several email subject line options you think might work. First, enter your subject line: Then, review your analysis. It’ll start by letting you know if you’re using words that either increase or decrease opens (and includes links to word banks showing you which words to consider adding, or avoiding): You’ll also get recommendations on which style case to use: Then, you’ll see suggestions for word count, number usage, and emojis: Finally, you’ll get an illustrated preview of how your subject line might appear to a reader: Try writing several subject line options until you narrow it down to two that you’ll A/B test. Recommended Reading: Everything You Need to Know About Writing Awesome Email Subject Lines Step 3: Designing Your Email Hand-coding marketing emails is not for the faint of heart. It’s also not necessarily essential, with ESPs offering much of the functionality most marketers might need to develop emails. But, there are benefits to designing emails yourself. You get total control over how your email designs look, and it makes sure your emails are unique and more difficult to duplicate. Using the free tools in this post, you can either create emails totally from scratch (which, realistically, you would probably have a developer take on this task), or use freely available templates and tools to create your own, separate from the templates available in your ESP. Note: If you’re using an email service provider like MailChimp, Campaign Monitor, or another similar service, skip this section. First, you might want to snag some inspiration from another email you’ve seen. Try using Scope, a free tool from Litmus, to see how it was built. All you need to do is visit the site, and click and drag the bookmarklet to your browser toolbar: Next, pull open an email you want to examine in Gmail, and click Scope It in your toolbar: The next step is to click the arrow pointers in the middle right to see the source code, or use the Code/Design toggle switch on the upper right: If you choose to go this route, fire up BeeFree.io and select one of the available templates: Or, select Start From Scratch and create your own: As you’re adding content and graphics to your email, use PicResizer to keep images within a reasonable size before dropping them into your newsletter: Then, once you click Save, you can download your email as HTML and send it with your ESP (or, you can upgrade to a paid plan). Now, according to MailChimp, it’s wise to send a plain text version along with designed emails. So, use their HTML to Text Email Converter to make this process easy: Step 4: Create and Schedule Your Email If you’re not building your email by hand, then create and schedule it using MailChimp. This video will show you how to get it done: If your email has links, you’ll also want to use trackable URLs. Use the Google Analytics Campaign URL Builder  to help you track referral traffic from your email: Step 5: Design Your Landing Page (Optional) If you’re sending marketing emails, there’s a good chance you’re promoting something. That means you might also have a campaign landing page where you’re directing traffic. MailChimp makes it easy to create a landing page quickly with their landing page builder. Here’s how it works: Recommended Reading: How to Write Landing Pages That Convert Step 6: Test Your Email Before Delivery A lot can go wrong with email marketing if you aren’t careful. So, let’s make sure your email is well-optimized for success before hitting send. Start by making sure you’re not likely to end up in the SPAM folder using Mail Tester. First, send your email to the address you’re shown: Then, you’ll receive a report checking your spam score. Next, let’s check your email deliverability. This email deliverability test tool from Send Forensics  will help you determine your deliverability performance according to industry benchmarks, and more. To start, the tool will ask for some information: Then, you’ll get an analysis back with some useful stats and data. Now, most ESPs (like MailChimp) make it easy to set up A/B tests to see which subject line influences the most opens. You might want to test all kinds of different elements, from email layouts, to CTAs, to subject lines, and beyond. To calculate how long you should run an A/B test in order to drive a desired increase in conversions, use VWO’s A/B Split Test Duration Calculator. You can use this for all kinds of different A/B tests (like split testing landing pages, for example), but it works well for our purposes here, too. How do you know if your split test results mean, well, anything? Use this A/B Split Test Calculator. It’ll tell you whether there’s any meaningful statistical correlation between result A and result B, based on your total sample size: Finally, if you’re curious how your email will display in various email clients, use Email Previews. It lets you see how your email will look across 90+ different apps: Step 7: Measure Your Email Marketing Performance Now, once your email is sent, you’ll need to measure its performance, and apply what you learn to your next email send. If you’re using MailChimp, you can find a lot of data right in the app. Follow these three guides: How to use Email Campaign Reports in Google Analytics. How to connect your MailChimp account to Google Analytics. Where to find MailChimp data in Google Analytics. If you’re building your own emails, check out this guide from Smart Insights  on using Google Analytics to measure email marketing performance. Recommended Reading: 20 Email Marketing Best Practices That Will Improve Results What Are You Getting Done With Free Email Software? If you’re serious about email marketing, you’re probably paying for an email provider, and maybe some other tools, too. But, if cost has prohibited you from getting started, hopefully you were pleasantly surprised to learn what you could get done completely for free. Even if you are using a sophisticated email tool stack, hopefully you did find something here you could use, and know exactly where to incorporate it into your workflow.

Icts role in primarks operations strategy Essay

Icts role in primarks operations strategy - Essay Example This paper discusses the operations strategy of Primark Stores Limited, a fast fashion retail company that currently operates in Ireland, United Kingdom, Portugal, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands and Germany. Primark is owned by the diversified British giant, Associated British Foods (ABF) and as at the end of 2011 had 232 stores spread in continental Europe . In 2010 Primark beat Marks & Spencer and ASDA to become was UK’s largest clothing retailer by turnover, with sales of  £3,043m. Primark sells a range of fashion items targeted at people under 35 years old who are fashion-conscious. It is identified as the retailer that offers the lowest prices on the high street. Primark is a player in the relatively young retail apparel industry known as fast fashion. Fast fashion refers to the strategy where retailers count on speed of production and adoption to current and emerging design trends to market their merchandise. While fast fashion may be heaven to buyers it can be disastrous to retailers who have to keep changing their inventory rapidly if they are to capture their fashion conscious target market. This however does not prevent the industry from being very profitable. Consider this: in the apparel industry, fast fashion companies have surpassed traditional rivals in growth by seizing their market share. Furthermore, â€Å"fast fashion leaders typically earn higher profit margins than their old-guard competitors, averaging 16 per cent, versus 7 per cent for the typical specialty-apparel retailer†. (Sull & Turconi, 2008, p.5).† However, to better comprehend Primark’s industry and resulting strategies we shall first analyse the industry using Porter’s five forces. 2.1. Five Forces Analysis of Primark’s Industry The strengths of Porter’s five competitive forces has an effect on costs, prices, investments and other factors needed to compete thus they affect the average level of profitability for a given industry (P orter, 2008). This implies that these five forces have a direct correlation with the industry participants’ profitability. Using this line of thought one can therefore state that a firm’s industry structure is a major factor that determines an organization’s competitive strategy (Laudon & Laudon, 2009). The first strong force is competitive rivalry. The UK’s retail fashion industry is according to Mintel (2005) is more consolidated than the rest of Europe with the top five UK retailers account for almost 45% of sales. Secondly, following from the effect of 2008 recession on consumer disposable incomes, the industry is not a basic need category and as such has continued to experience slow growth. All the above attributes are symptomatic of industries where intensity of competitive rivalry is great (Porter, 2008). Another strong force in Primark’s industry is the threat of substitutes largely as a result of the following three characteristics: (1) the garments sold in fast fashion are not durable; (2) Primark’s offerings are low-cost; and (3) the cost of switching from one retailer to the other is very low. These three traits make it

Sustainable development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Sustainable development - Essay Example he concept of sustainable development is created to represent the goal of making sure that future generations will have an intact environment that will ensure their subsistence. However, even though the real meaning of the concept of sustainable development is unambiguous and certain, the literal definition and explanation of sustainable development have roused intense debates. Problems associated with the definition of sustainable development reveal that the concept is complicated, which merges intergenerational justice, equality, and efficiency derived from environmental, social, and economic factors. This essay presents a critical evaluation of the concept of sustainable development. It is worth mentioning that various disciplines have different definitions of sustainable development. Ecologists define the concept as a process that protects biodiversity; sociologists view it as a process that strengthens and sustains communities; and economists define it as a process that ensures that the quality of subsistence of future generations is better than or the same as that of the current generation (Ciegis, Ramanauskiene, & Martinkus, 2009). The concept of sustainability was introduced by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) in 1980. Several years later, the Brundtland Report released its official definition of sustainable development: â€Å"development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs† (Lee, McNeill, & Holland, 2000, p. 42). In exploring the most serious environmental issues today and the ideal solutions to these problems, the Brundtland Report created the foundation within which the clashing principles of economic development and environmental protection could be reconciled. Much of the global community, by the end of 1992, had espoused the UNFCCC to â€Å"stabiliz[e]†¦ greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would

On The Waterfront :: Movie, Film Analysis

Setting – The story starts out in the nineteen fifties in a typical small town exploited by the mob. The title On the Waterfront befits it well, for the town’s only way of employment is working on the docks for the mob. The mob controls everything in this town; they are the union and the law. If anything accurs you don’t know anything about it. Even if you were right there you were blind or D&D (Deaf and Dumb). Situation – The situation in the town is that a very prominent man in the town was thrown off of the roof of his apartment building. Most of the people in the town were mystified by this because he as a good man that would not have many enemies. Most people would say he was a saint. His name was Joey. When the police arrive at the scene of the crime no one is cooperating with them because of the fear of the mob. Although some witnesses were almost family with the victim they will not be a canary or pigeon to squeal. This problem has been around for a while and some town members are starting to feel the guilt of their silence (with help from the priest) and decide to meet and talk about the problem. On the docks work was on a first come first serve basis. Friends of the mob was given good easy jobs while the other work tokens were thrown on the ground and the men would fight for them. Characters – The main character is Terry an ex semi-professional boxer who became friendly with the mob during his career. He is a common unintelligent man (typical of his town) that unlike his brother quit school. He was the man that helped the mob kill a good man in the opening scene by distracting him to come onto the roof and check out his pigeons (Symbolic). His brother keeps the mobs papers. The Antagonist is the mob boss named Johnny who blames poverty for causing him to transform into a crook and murderer. It is either make no money or make money. They live like animals in a Social Darwinism. The other main actor is the sister of the murder victim named Iddie. She comes from a totally sheltered life, growing up in a catholic school raised by nuns. She refuses to return to school because she wants to face a real problem, not just read about them.

Plato Book V Is Plato a Feminist

In book V of Plato’s republican Plato is very clearly a feminist although he does not hold women completely equal to men. In fact Plato states that the majority of women are inferior to all men, but not all women were inferior. Plato was indeed a feminist, but his feminist views were as a result of decisions made for what he thought was in best interest of the good city. A feminist is a described as an advocate for women’s rights and legal protection. Within book V of the Republic, Plato advocates equality in different features of life within the good city for women. The equal education of man and woman is one feature of the good city which Plato desired to put in action. Plato felt this was necessary not based on feminist views, but due to the fact that women were potential guardians of the good city so they should have equal education as the male guardians. Due to the fact that Plato calls for equal education of the two sexes clearly classifies him as a feminist. Plato states in the Republic that the majority of women are inferior to men, he later states that some women may be capable of being equal to or even superior to some men. With this fact being, Plato feels that women must also be given an equal opportunity to govern the state due to their potential superiority over men. Therefore/ Plato called for equal education of men and women in the good city (Is Plato a Feminist? ). Another topic discussed in Book V of the Republic was the Nature of a human’s soul. Plato felt that just because women had inferior physical features then men did not mean that women should be ruled disregarded from their nature. In other words, if a man and woman both had guardian nature, the woman should not be neglected due to her gender. Plato’s feminist views are greatly expressed when he explains that women could be well-suited to govern the good state. In the best interest of the good city Plato felt that potential guardians or politicians of the good city should not be limited based upon their gender due to his belief that all humans have a certain nature within them regardless of their sex (Is Plato a Feminist? ). Once again this feminist belief portrayed by Plato was not accredited to his passion for women’s equality, but is represented by his opinion in preserving the good city. Plato would not be considered the ideal feminist; his decisions in giving the women of the good city equality were not made in the best interest of the women. Plato feminist decisions were made as a result of what he thought would be in best interest of the good city. Throughout the Republic Book V Plato expresses his views and opinions on different issues relating to the good city. Although Plato states that does not hold women equal to men in mainly all aspects measurable he is still undoubtedly a feminist. The main aspect of Plato’s feminism is that he gave women rights for what he thought was in the best interest of the good city, not the women. Even though Plato would not be considered the ideal feminist he is evidently a feminist nonetheless. Plato would not be what many consider to be an ideal feminist. But, when answering the question if Plato is a feminist or not, he and decisions he made regarding the good city are undeniably feminist. Plato’s views of feminism are not a direct result of concern of women’s rights, but are directly related to Plato’s idea of the ultimate good city.

Eritrean Minors - 870 Words

Eritrea, a small country in the Horn of Africa, has been labeled the â€Å"North Korea of Africa.† Eritrea is a relatively new country that gained its independence in 1993 after a 30-year war with its neighboring country Ethiopia (Stevis and Parkinson, WSJ). Disputes over the border, however, continued until 1998 and tensions prevail to this day. The Eritrean government prohibits its citizens from leaving the country and military conscription is mandatory for both male and female youths starting at the age of 18. Today, unaccompanied Eritrean minors are leaving the totalitarian state in massive numbers. In fact, unaccompanied Eritrean minors constitute one of the main groups of migrant children travelling to Europe (New York Times,†¦show more content†¦Keetharuth states that â€Å"...Eritrea’s military/national service programmes include arbitrary and indefinite duration, often for years beyond the 18 months set out in the law; their involuntary nature; the us e of conscripts as forced labour, including manual labour; the inhumane conditions of service; the rape and torture often associated with these military/national service programmes†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Keetharuth October 2016, p.1). Another factor, in addition to evading military conscription, that forces unaccompanied minors to leave Eritrea is the high levels of poverty. Many Eritrean minors suffer starvation level poverty and their living conditions are exacerbated by ineffective government economic policies, a recent example would be the Eritrean government’s introduction of new currencies in 2015 and restrictions on cash flow. These two factors have lead to massive numbers of unaccompanied Eritrean minors to leave the country. Unaccompanied minors are those who are separated from their families and travel alone outside of their country. Unaccompanied Eritrean minors who lack adult supervision are extremely vulnerable and at high-risk of abuse and sex-trafficking when making the journey to Europe. Eritrean minors who desert their military duty or those near the age of conscription are even more vulnerable because of the governments â€Å"shoot to kill† border policy. InShow MoreRelatedThe war between Ethiopia and Eritrea Since its independence in 1993, Eritrean nation building is1800 Words   |  8 PagesThe war between Ethiopia and Eritrea Since its independence in 1993, Eritrean nation building is based on animosity towards the neighbouring countries particularly Ethiopia. This constitutes a major hindrance to peace and stability in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia and Eritrea belong to the same historical, cultural, language and religious groups. Until the Italians invasion, Eritrea remained as part of the Ethiopian imperial regimes. After the end of the Second World War, Ethiopia was federated withRead MoreThe Border War Between Ethiopia and Eritrea Essay1922 Words   |  8 Pagesagainst the Axis Powers, specifically Italy, during World War II (The World Factbook, 2012). Ethiopia then annexed the smaller country as its province in 1962. Radical opposition to this overthrow of the country’s sovereignty began soon after, with the Eritrean Liberation Movement (ELM) acting as the main force against Ethiopian occupation (Abbink, 2003, p. 408-11). The ELM engaged in clandestine political activities intended to cultivate resistance to the centralizing policies of the imperial state.Read MorePersonal Narrative Letter Essay10525 Words   |  43 Pagesweek without Peace Corps pay. Some, facing two- or three- day bus trips each way, did not have enough time to travel home to see their families or to work at their regular jobs. They wanted work and pay for the fifth week. The group had other minor grievances, but Ato Ukbai said those could wait until we resolved the first three issues. My experience in dealing with disputes was not exactly applicable, since each grievance had to be addressed first as a parable. Ato Ukbai presented a story historicalRead MoreThe Impact of Globalization on Somali Culture3649 Words   |  15 Pagescoupled with foreign interference in Somali sovereignty have set bad precedents and adversely impacted the lives of ordinary Somalis. The proliferation of small arms and unsecured borders has forced many young Somalis to take sides in every major or minor conflict. Children as young as ten years make the bulk of child soldiers. Islamists who have laid claim to a bigger part of southern and central Somalia have imposed stringent measures on schools funded by the Diaspora by placing a ban on the teachingRead MoreA Critical Examination Of The Factors Behind The Resilience Of Human Trafficking7557 Words   |  31 Pagesâ€Å"In 2004, the United States government provided an approximation of the size of the international trafficking problem, suggesting some 600,000 to 800,000 people were victims of trafficking worldwide, of which 80 percent were female, 50 percent were minors and 70 percent were trafficked for sexual exploitation,† (Louise Shelley, 5). This outrageous number of people victimized by this disgusting crime is unacceptable and methods of prevention need to be implemented. There are multiple reasons towardsRead MoreList Of Abbreviations And Abbreviations10695 Words   |  43 Pagescommencement for the first battle of Mogadishu. Having been in a period when international players were focusing on the post-cold war era, western analysts were convinced that the horn of Africa will be stabilized with indicators such as Ethiopia and Eritrean insurgents winning battles. This made Somalia’s war be deemed to be the last manifestation of a previous era. (Jamal, 2010) Though being one of the most homogeneous nations within Africa in terms of ethnicity with 85% Somali, religion based 99%