Performance and goals of RHB Bank Berhad Malaysia

Performance and goals of RHB Bank Berhad Malaysia As the Department of IT (2011) states RHB Bank Berhad is based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It covers variety of financial aspects of people and organizations such as commercial banking, corporate and investment banking. The merger of Kwong Yik Bank and DCB Bank on 1997 resulted to RHB bank, RHB Bank is a part of RHB Capital Berhad financial. The Department of (2011) explins that Today, the bank is the control of the EPF (Employee Provident Fund) after a recent successful bidding. RHB offers different services such as Commercial Banking, Corporate and International Banking services, and currently has more than 200 branch network across the country. To centralize its based hub, a multi-million complex along Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur is now becomes the main headquarter. As the Department of IT (2011) believes RHB Bank specialises in consumer banking and other entities like Islamic Bank, Delta finance to its name. Main focus of RHB bank is on industrial and commercial lending in Singapore, despite it being a fully qualified bank. RHB Group is currently the fourth largest integrated financial service group in Malaysia. Its core businesses can be divided into seven Strategic Business Groups: Retail Banking Business Banking Group Transaction Banking Corporate Investment Banking Islamic Banking Global Financing Banking Group Treasury These businesses are offered through the main subsidiaries, RHB Bank Bhd and RHB Investment Bank Bhd, which are fully owned by RHB Capital and RHB Insurance Bhd which is 79.5% owned by RHB Capital. RHB Islamic Banking Unit, RHB ISLAMIC Bank Bhd, is wholly owned by RHB Bank, while our asset management and unit trust businesses are held under RHB Investment Management Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned subsidiary of RHB Investment Bank. Swot analysis: Strengths: RHB bank is 4th largest bank in Malaysia. It has more than 200 branches and thousands of employees make this bank one of the largest and most successful financial institutes in Malaysia. This shows that there is slight growth in bank. Offer a comprehensive range of financial product and services RHB bank provides variety of services for individuals and organizations. So, it can attract more customer and also Strong cash flow Cash flow of 507,078,000 USD at December 2009. Strong financial performance. There are proven records for the last 7 years which shows great performance of this organization. Ranked in top 30 Malaysia brands 2008. Ranked 17 among 30 best companies in Malaysia worth: 187 million USD Weaknesses: Lack of advertisement and promotions. Comparing to other major banks such as HSBC and May bank it has less activities in these areas. Weak online banking image. RHB not performing strongly in the online banking field specially in user friendliness of their applications. Moderate rank in banking industry value. Opportunities: Growing demand for Islamic banking Islamic banking has seen huge demand in last few years which is a great chance for RHB group to develop in this sector and as Malaysia is considered as a leader in Islamic banking therefore they can expand their services in other Islamic countries as well. Increase usage of online banking Moderate users and people tend to do more of their transactions and banking activities online where as several services can be provided for companies and organizations via online system. With respect to that there is a good market for developing online applications where should be attracting, secure and user friendly. Expansion in ASEAN region. By opportunities which have been provided between ASEAN countries and the amount of export and import among these countries RHB can play a big role in facilitating financial transactions for these transports. Advancement of technology There are new technologies come to the market every day. RHB bank has this chance to acquire new technologies and provide better services which will result to gain more customers Threats: Online banking security. The security of online banking transaction should be considered very seriously as one tiny problem may destroy banks reputation and also treats of computer hackers is a very serious issue. Competition among Malaysia major banks. The strategies and policies taken by other competitors should be monitored and studied closely and carefully and fast and effective actions should be considered. Economic crises in the world This crisis has affected every financial institute all over the world and RHB is not an exception, therefore appropriate acts should be taken to minimize the lost in every way. Porter five forces analysis: More than two decades ago, Michael Porter suggested some driving forces which could analyse the attractiveness of any industry as well as its competitive positioning. Porter invented this model and this was published in his book in 1980. Whether the business is service oriented or physical goods, there are always competitive forces in any perfect competitive business environment. Threats of new entry: Figure 2: minimum amount of capital As above table shows the capital need that Malaysian central bank requires for new banks and with respect to the facts that confirm how complicated this business is, it is not very likely to see new entries every day. The point was entering foreign banks to Malaysia which concerns local banks to rebuild their strategies. Commercial Bank 7 Fully Qualified Foreign Banks Affin Bank Berhad Alliance Bank Berhad AmBankBerhad CIMB BankBerhad EON BankBerhad Hong Leong BankBerhad Malayan Banking Berhad (Maybank) Public Bank Berhad RHB BankBerhad Muamalat BankBerhad Citibank HSBC Bank Malaysia Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation(OCBC Bank) The Standard CharteredBank (StanChart) The Bank of Nova Scotia(Scotiabank) The Royal Bank of Scotland(RBS)-Former ABN Amro United Overseas Bank(UOB) Bangkok Bank Berhad Bank of China Malaysia Berhad Bank of America Malaysia Berhad Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Berhad Threats of substitutes: With respect to advancement of technology and foreign banks which are operating in Malaysia the degree of competiveness will definitely be raised every day as each bank tries to come with new products and services to gain more customers so these threats will consider high. Bargaining Power of Suppliers: The core business of the banking industry is service which mainly focuses on safety of wealth. The suppliers do provide some tangibles like chequebooks, furniture and etc. The impact of this in business is not significant since they are not really like the raw material. Therefore this is a favourable force in this industry. Bargaining power of customers: RHB considers as one of biggest and busiest banks in Malaysia and more or less provides all the services which its competitors also do. So as the degree of differentiation in its product is also high and in some cases the obligations for services are lower that other banks the bargaining power of customers considered low. Competitive rivalry: In the traditional economic model, competition among rival banks drives profits to zero. However, competition has never been perfect and firms are sophisticated passive price takers. Banks strive for a competitive advantage over their rivals. The degree of rivalry among firms varies across industries, and strategic analysts are interested in these fluctuations. These differences give some firms a competitive advantage while to others a disadvantage. When a rival acts in a manner that elicits a counter-response by other firms, rivalry will change. The intensity of rivalry is referred to as being intense, moderate, or weak, based on the firms degree of aggressiveness in attempting to gain an advantage. In pursuing an advantage over its rivals, a firm (in this case a bank) can choose from several competitive moves: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Changing in price: change prices to gain a temporary advantage. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ More product differentiation: more features, innovations in the manufacturing process and in the product itself. The banks can reposition themselves from the old way the customers have been known them. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Distribution creativity: by vertical integration and using a distribution channel that is novel to the industry. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Exploiting relationships with suppliers. It is clear that market stability and changes in supply and demand affect rivalry. Cyclical demand tends to create cutthroat competition. Current analysis of RHB bank: RHB bank is a Malaysia based investment company which principally offers commercial and corporate banking services. Its range of services includes banking, leasing, insurance and etc. As of December 31, 2009, RHB network has expanded to network of around 241 branches in Malaysia; 7 branches in Singapore; a branch in Brunei and Thailand and the headquartered is at Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. So with respect of the above explanation and the pervious analysis RHB performing successfully but more work and effort should be putted on online banking in future. Area of improvement and possible approaches: While it is obvious that the core legacy environment needed to be replaced to meet current IT requirements, RHB also wanted to build the best possible infrastructure for its future business needs. There are no simple replacement strategies therefore the current environment can be a bit complex. Approach Assessed current issues with the core platform, investment and operating aspects, and organizational implications Determined future requirements for the next 10 years for example and arrange them into a set of capabilities that the system should provide to ensure success. Undertook evaluation against key strategic capabilities and technical architectural considerations IT department: Information technology Department manages the scientific plans and mechanism as well as all that is related to information systems in the Bank which includes following-up the maintenance, upgrading of the systems. In addition to that, this department is responsible to supervising the upgrading of all the systems for the administrative and financial works as well as communication networks. Applications Development: This section will prepare development plans for the information systems and studying other requirements of the Bank. It also develops databases and systems. The Section is also responsible for conducting technical studies and finding the criteria for the systems which the Bank interested to utilize. Network Security: Network and  Security Section of the IT department supervises the communication lines network and internet services and arranges their follows up the repair of faults in the network and set up a security system to protect the networks. Operations Technical Support: The Section undertakes the responsibility of supervising the backup process of data from the various databases. It also follows-up the maintenance contracts technical-wise (and coordinates with the Banks authorities. SWOT analysis of IT department: Opportunities: Advancement of technology provides new opportunities for IT department in order to come out with new application and services. By increasing the security and other counter measures they can attract more customers to their online applications. Threats: Time is very important in competition specially when it comes to IT field and products. Online thieves and hackers can be considered another threat for IT department. Strength: Having one of the most qualifying IT personnel in their team. Updating their online system and improve it constantly. Weaknesses: Its online banking that is not user friendly neither as popular among Malaysian people as its competitors. Having less branches comparing to other local banks such as CIMB and May bank. According to these result and other information gathered, it seems that although RHB has put so much man power and budget on their IT and online applications, still they didnt completely look at it from the customer perspective. Therefore its strongly advisable to them to reconsider and redesign their online banking in the manner which attract more users and therefore more customers as the best way of marketing is word of mouth. According to other research may bank and cimb are the significant samples for online banking which RHB currently competing with. Area of improvement: As far as I understand they dont need much consideration on security issues as according to their CIO they are already very advanced in the subject. The point they have to consider is attractive design for their website and other online applications as well as it should be easy to use as much as possible. It is very important for any online application and specifically in Malaysia it will attract people. Risk: 1. Human error: This risk has existed and we will face this error in future. There are some ways to reduce the rate such as trainings, but it will always be there. 2. System failure: The happening rate of this error has been reduced thanks to many facts such as technology advancement but precautions should still be made. 3. Cyber attacks: These attacks will be faced by any financial institute during time. Rising security measures, using new methods a consistent monitoring will result to reduce the possibility of this problem to occur. In addition to these issues the IT department has a very sophisticated plan for their crises management in order to keep data safe and consistent. These problems hopefully are not likely to happen, but they have to take measures as they dealing with lots of people and huge amount of data which no one can think what to do if this data some hoe lost. Conclusion: Rhb vision is to be among the top three financial institutions in ASEAN by the year 2020. In order t o achieve this goal they have a long way to go. One of their most vital assets in this road would be Information technology and IT related services which they could provide for their customers. The point here to remember is that IT applications can be very complex and miss leading due the security aspects; therefore simplification is vital for these applications to success. Beside that there are other points that should be improved along the way such as CUSTOMER FOCUS, TEAMWORK, RESPECT, INNOVATION, and QUALITY SERVICE.

Coroprate Restructuring

Restructuring also conveys the certain information of the business decision to another party. It also can be because of poor performance, hence restructuring loud pull out the business entity from the parent company and make it a standalone company. Most occasions, restructuring is to correct the poor strategic decisions made in the past. The company we are going to talk about is â€Å"Sony† it is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation. Its diversified business is primarily focused on electronics, games, entertainment and financial services sectors.The first form of restructuring include divestitures, it is the sale of a business segment to another party. Sony has decided to sell off its AVIVA line of PC's in a move that effectively takes the Japan based company out of the PC market. This is a result of Sonny's poor sales performance, by doing this the organization get rid of a business entity that was pulling them down and it provides a sharper focus for the manage ment. Hence their shares would be increased as their drop their poor performance sector.Divestitures may arise due to negative synergy arising from poor decisions on past acquisition on poor decisions made during periods of high growth. Much evidence seems to show generally that by announcement of selling companies results in a positive share prices response. Spin off has been done recently by Sony as they have detached a business entity with TTS own assets and liability. It allows the management to focus on their core business. What it does is they debut independent company by detaching part of a parent company's assets and operations.They are trying to spin off their Titration TV. This is because of strong competition from both locally and internationally with Phillips and Samsung as their strong competitors. It allows the shareholders to have shares in both companies. The next method would be Carving Out. This method is very similar Spin off, with the difference being a very tech nical one which is the carving out of shares of the new many is offered to the public. It leads to lower premiums and higher gains for the buyers and for the sellers.They increase the likelihood of successfully closing the deal. Capturing these advantages would require them to look beyond the financial to understand the challenges ahead associated with the change. The carved out company trades as an independent company. Government owned company to private investors. The reason for prevarication is to increase efficiency, individual share ownerships and revenue for the government. In Japan, the Japan Post was a government owned corporation in Japan existed from 003 to 2007.It has over 400,000 employees throughout Japan was the nation's largest employer. As being a government-owned corporation, would allow more efficient and flexible use of the company's funds that would help revivalist Japan's economy, which was recovering from recessions in 1991. Prevarication also prevents corrupti on and patronage. This can be accomplished by the sale or lease. It can be accomplished by the government selling 100% of an enterprise, or selling 51%, or even by selling a minority stake as long as the private sector is given full managerial control.Another major step in restructuring is the leveraged buyout or leveraged restructuring, it would mean the takeover of a company using the acquired firm's assets and cash flow to obtain financing. These transactions are done by conglomerates selling off an unwanted subsidiary to private investors. Lobos also have been financed with high-yield debt or Junk Bonds and have also been done with the interest rate capped at a fixed level and interest costs above the cap added to the principal. For commercial banks, Lobos are attractive because these financing have large up-front fees.They also fill the gap in corporate lending created when large corporations begin using commercial paper and corporate bonds in place of bank loans. Sony used thi s method to acquire Metro-Golden-Mayer on September 23, 2004 which is a good deal for the company as a report suggests that they may reach $1 million to $million in 2005. Private Equity of firms or funds is to raise money from investors to invest the money in privately held companies. The sale of AVIVA to a local private equity fund after several strategic buyers balked at taking on the personal computer business.PC sales have been hurt globally by the growing sales of tablet devices. Worldwide shipments have fallen by 13. 5 per cent over the past two years. Private equity firms will then try to improve the financial results and prospects of the company in the hope of reselling the company to another firm or cashing out via an PIP. In short with the sale of AVIVA too private company, Sony is able to use the fund to focus more on their primary core business as they were having problems with competing with personal computers overseas.However the most common method in restructuring is the laying off of workers. As Japan has lots of financial crisis the biggest lay off happen when they offload its PC business and its plans to lay off 5,000 workers by March 2015. This is very common around the world. This is to conscious use of permanent personnel reduction in an attempt to improve management as one of the preferred routes to turning around declining organization by cutting cost and improving organizational performance as a form to cutting cost.When budget is tightened, many managers will start to cut the training budget thinking that training is a luxury it would make their employees more marketable Hereford leaves the company for the better Jobs. However the layoff of workers is made harder with restrictions of the country. Mergers today are the survival of the fittest. Sony Mobile Communications ABA formerly known as Sony Ericson Mobile ABA. Telecommunications equipment company Ericson under the name of Sony Ericson.Ericson, which had been in the mobile phone ma rket for decades, and was the world's third largest cellular telephone handset marker was struggling with huge losses. This was mainly due to this fire and its inability to produce cheaper phones eke Monika hence the merger with Sony in 2001. Restructuring deals the organization to maintain its competitiveness in an evolving consumer electronics market. In order for Sony to maintains its position as a leader in the electronics industry pushing the limits of innovation with products and experiences exclusive to Sony.They would have to conduct and economic model of the processes of the organization, to give a detailed view of where and the value is created to ensure that resources can be funded to different part of the organization. It allows the organization like Sony to achieve market focus, invent new businesses and change the rules of competition through technology via breakthrough. These are steps to implement to increase market share in organization. A company would be stagnant unless they introduce new market or enhanced strategies to combat competition or to introduce themselves to reach new market.The need to increase asset base may lead to mergers. This will improve the capital of the organization, acquisitions can help an organization by ward off competition. Organizational leaders often find it necessary to change how their units operate for seasons like changing unit priorities, initiating new programs. A successful organizational requires careful advance preparation and planning that addresses programmatic needs, support services required to advance organizational goals and effective workforce planning and communication.Proper communication is very important when it comes to corporate restructuring, the workers should know their limitations and their options. It is very important for the company to follow the guidelines set by the governing country to minimize the PASTEL during their pursuit of corporate restructuring process. The results from the essay have revealed that there has been significant change in profitability post restructuring program.Like Sony, many companies have responded favorably that the corporate restructuring have helped the firms to have an increase in their profitability to make their shareholders happy. Overall the analysis has indicated that Sony have successfully implemented restructuring program. It is suggested that companies at the core level should identify the problems and accordingly plan for restructuring of the required processes for achieving success so hat they can enhance shareholder's value like implement the different processes Sony have implemented.

Lesbians as Represented in Mainstream Television Essay

Lesbian images have been entering into mainstream media more and more. Some argue that this is a sign of a wider acceptance of lesbianism in Western culture. In this paper, two mainstream television programs, Grey’s Anatomy and Law and Order: SVU, will be looked at to assess the nature of lesbian images. It will be argued that if and when lesbians are portrayed in mainstream television they are highly feminized, desexualized, and their lives are almost always framed in ways that appeal to heterocentric norms. Thus, mass media almost always fails to provide the viewer with an accurate and unbiased perception of lesbianism or homosexuality in a broader sense. Grey’s Anatomy has emerged onto the lesbian scene in the last couple of years by developing Callie Torres, a beautiful, vivacious, Latino woman, into a lesbian in the fifth season. A friendship develops between her and Erica Hahn, a successful, ‘sassy’, and appealing newcomer, and it gradually progresses into something more until finally the two share a kiss. Before the romance can flourish, Torres wrestles with her sexuality, her fears, and her lack of understanding of lesbianism. Soon after the relationship establishes itself, Hahn unexpectedly breaks up with Torres and leaves the show. Typical†¦ or is it? A season later, Arizona Robbins, a semi-regular of the show, comes into focus when she blatantly hits on Torres. Shortly after, the two start to date and later find themselves in a committed relationship. The question is how good a job does the show do of accurately portraying lesbians? To start, all three of the women mentioned above are attractive and feminine. All three have long flowing hair – always nicely styled and maintained – and pretty faces carefully done up with light make-up. This is what Ann Ciasullo refers to as â€Å"sanitizing of the lesbian through her feminizing† (599). In other words, Grey’s Anatomy offers up an image of lesbians that is not too homosexual for the heterosexual audience. While it could be argued that such representations help to combat the rigid stereotypes of lesbians as ugly, butch feminists, the very widespread nature of the ‘femme’ image in media indicates something more is going on (Tamsin). The book Out of Focus, suggests that such feminine representations act to lower the threat of lesbianism by reassuring viewers that such (beautiful and feminine) women can or must actually be heterosexual (Kath Davies). In fact, in Grey’s Anatomy, as in many television programs, the ‘butch’ lesbian is completely absent. All of this suggests that the lesbian chic of the ‘90s is far from dead (Tamsin). Grey’s is well known for its scandalous call room sex scenes. Characters, heterosexual characters that is, escape to hidden corners of the hospital where they argue, make up, and make love on a regular basis. This is interesting because such scenes are practically nonexistent between Torres and Hahn or later Torres and Robbins. In fact, physical contact of any kind is somewhat limited between Torres and Robbins. An example of this can be seen in Season five episode 13 when Robbins` patient dies during surgery. When she gets home to see Torres has planned a surprise birthday party for her she bursts into tears overcome by her grief. The pair leaves the room and at this point you would expect a comforting hug, a loving embrace, or a reassuring kiss on the cheek from any reasonably intimate couple or from any other couple on the show for that matter, but not in this case. Torres tells Robbins that she will explain the situation to their friends and at that Robbins leaves. Additionally, sex scenes between Torres and Robbins are few and far between; those that exist are cut short by interruption or not shown at all. The latter is evidenced in Season five episode 11 when the viewer is shown only the aftermath – them lying in bed together, presumably after making love, eating pizza. It is a cute scene but not a sexual scene. This is a familiar pattern found in most television programs or movies featuring lesbian couples and just one way lesbians are desexualized (Ciasullo). A notable exception to this pattern is The L Word, but it will not be the focus of this paper. Since the beginning of their relationship Callie and Arizona have slept together three times. Three times in an entire season and for a relationship in its beginning stages is incredibly low by Grey’s standards (or anyone’s standards really). One of these scenes is the ‘pizza scene’ previously mentioned. In another â€Å"sex† scene, Lexi Grey walks in on the two in the shower and quickly walks out; the viewer sees what Lexi sees and nothing more. The final scene implies the two may have sex, but it is not pursued any further. Considering the show develops long, sensual sex scenes between its heterosexual characters, following them from start to finish, the unwillingness to do the same for its lesbian characters is problematic. This is not an isolated phenomenon. The pattern of desexualization is evident not just in television but also in movies as noted by Ciasullo and Yvonne Tasker in her book Working Girls (Ciasullo; Tasker). Another problem with the depiction of Torres and Robbins’ relationship is that it is often framed by the heterosexual constructs of marriage and reproduction. Tasker discusses this issue noting that by explaining lesbianism within a heterosexual context the (heterosexual) audience is assured that lesbians are normal (by heterosexual standards) (Tasker). Such a practice adheres to conventional social norms while ignoring the differing reality of lesbian’s lives. After Torres’ father finally accepts her lesbianism his first question to her addresses the issue of marriage and children. She assures him that she will put on a â€Å"big white dress and dance down the aisle† if Arizona wants to spend the rest of her life with her. Another example takes place in season six episode three, when Torres talks about being married and having a house, kids and a pet dog with Robbins. This description perpetuates heterocentric beliefs that heterosexual activities and institutions are better than homosexual ones simply because it gives no thought to the possibility that things could be different within homosexual relationships. Furthermore, this effort to depict lesbian couples as ‘normal’ by tying them to conventional social norms suggests that homosexual practices are not normal and as such fails to challenge heterocentrism. Law and Order: Special Victims Unit (SVU) is another show with some problematic representations. In over 11 seasons, it has aired a total of five gay-centred storylines and one lesbian specific episode. This discrepancy seems to reflect the idea touched on in Out of Focus that â€Å"coverage of ‘homosexuality’ actually refers to gay men† (Kath Davies 91). A recent episode entitled PC features Kathy Griffin as Babs Duffy, a rude, abrasive, man-hating lesbian activist. First of all, the stereotyping evident in Griffin’s character is troublesome because it feeds into the negative view of lesbians. Visibility is important, but the cost of portraying lesbians in such a light is possibly greater than or as great as not showing them at all. Furthermore, this particular episode is strewn with negative or inaccurate images of lesbians. The episode begins with the discovery of a woman who has been left for dead in an abandoned building. She has been raped and beaten and later dies in the hospital. It is not too long before the viewer finds out from Babs Duffy that the victim was a lesbian. Duffy makes a dramatic entrance into the detectives’ office ordering for the capture of the murderer whom she alleges is targeting lesbians. The investigation commences with a visit to the victim, now known as Alyssa’s, girlfriend. As the episode progresses, you notice something striking – all the main lesbian characters are conventionally attractive, feminine women. More than that though, any lesbian character who is questioned and thus comes into the focus of the camera, is also feminine and pretty. The few butch lesbians in the episode are in the background and barely noticeable. The absence of the butch lesbian is telling. Ciasullo notes that â€Å"without the signifier of the butch, the femme’s lesbianism disappears†¦ † (Ciasullo 599). Thus, by eliminating the butch lesbian from the forefront, Law and Order: SVU effectively downplays the lesbianism of the episode. There is, however, one exception – the victim’s girlfriend Sharon, but even here there are issues with her representation as a butch lesbian. The fact that the show chose to make her ‘butch’ is interesting because they also make her a working class, aggressive, even violent, woman. This in effect vilifies the butch lesbian. Sharon even becomes the main suspect at one point because of her temper, and while it is important to shed light on the issue of domestic violence in lesbian relationships the choice to make Sharon, who is butch, into the abuser is not by accident. Ann Ciasullo talks about how presenting butch lesbians in this negative way makes butches into the â€Å"’oppressor,’†¦ the ‘bad’ lesbian† (Ciasullo 600). Further still, her status as a bouncer (and thus as a member of the working class) adds to her mainstream undesirability (Ciasullo). Moreover, even though Sharon is presented as a butch or as Law and Order puts it an â€Å"aggressive,† she is simultaneously portrayed as somewhat feminine. In the first scene that we are introduced to Sharon, her long hair is pulled back into a loose ponytail and she wraps herself up in her long feminine sweater. She is not wearing any noticeable makeup but she is conventionally pretty. After this initial introduction she is likely not yet labelled as a butch by the viewer. It is not until later when she appears in a plaid shirt and leather jacket that it becomes evident that she is butch. It seems butch images are permitted as long as they’re not too butch and as long as the butch character is not framed in a positive way that could be make her desirable. Perhaps the best example of how lesbians are desexualized in Law and Order is in a scene between Babs and Olivia Benson, the female nvestigator. In the initial taping of this scene Babs kisses Olivia, but the kiss doesn’t make it past the cutting room floor. Even worse, the editing is atrocious. It cuts awkwardly from Babs leaning in to Olivia proclaiming that she is straight and something is noticeably missing. The kiss may not be necessary to the plot, but to sacrifice quality in order to remove it demonstrates how fearful t he media are of lesbian sexuality. Further evidence lies in the fact that a kiss between Babs and Elliot Stabler (the male investigator) that happens at the end of the episode remains untouched. However, this revelation, that Babs isn’t actually a lesbian, has a lot of problems on its own. The discovering that Bab’s has a boyfriend, plays on the â€Å"I know she’s a lesbian but†¦ † scenario so often found in mainstream media. This idea presents the viewer with the possibility that the lesbian can always become straight or as Ciasullo puts it â€Å"’unbecome’ lesbian† (Ciasullo 592). This places the heterosexual audience in a more comfortable position where they can entertain the idea that the attractive lesbians in the show may actually be straight. This issue comes up once again when the suspected murderer/rapist is in interrogation. Olivia pretends she is a lesbian in order to get a confession out of him: Olivia: â€Å"You know how to correct us†¦ you’ve got everything you need to make me a real woman right between your legs –† Suspect: â€Å"and you’d love it just like those other two [victims] did – every moment of it† While this scene may be laid out this way specifically to show the demented thinking of the rapist/murderer, the notion that a lesbian can be â€Å"corrected† or made straight as well the idea that rape victims enjoy being raped are never addressed and corrected. The audience is never informed about how inaccurate these views are. With all this said, the homosexual viewer tends to be somewhat accepting of the images in Grey’s and Law and Order, because as Clare Whatling puts it â€Å"we’re [the lesbian population] so starved, we go see anything because something is better than nothing† (86). Thus, because of the lack of representation, lesbians are more willing to accept inaccurate portrayals. This is troublesome because such images can potentially be detrimental to lesbian’s self perceptions and they’re all the more vulnerable because of the relative disparity of lesbianism in mainstream culture. In conclusion, lesbianism in mainstream television is poorly and inaccurately represented. While shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Law and Order: SVU, have taken steps towards representing lesbians in mainstream media, we have to be careful to assess how big these steps really are. There are several issues with the representations of lesbians in these shows, some of which are addressed in this paper, others which have been left untouched. Thus, there is still a long way to go and many hurdles to surmount before lesbians can be done justice in mainstream media.

Boston Tea Party in the American Revolution

In the years following the French and Indian War, the British government increasingly sought ways to alleviate the financial burden caused by the conflict. Assessing methods for generating funds, it was decided to levy new taxes on the American colonies with the goal of offsetting some of the cost for their defense. The first of these, the Sugar Act of 1764, was quickly met by outcries from colonial leaders who claimed taxation without representation, as they had no members of Parliament to represent their interests. The following year, Parliament passed the Stamp Act, which called for tax stamps to be placed on all paper goods sold in the colonies. The first attempt to apply a direct tax to the colonies, the Stamp Act was met with widespread protests in North America. Across the colonies, new protest groups known as the Sons of Liberty formed to resist the new tax. Uniting in the fall of 1765, colonial leaders appealed to Parliament. They stated that as they had no representation in Parliament, the tax was unconstitutional and against their rights as Englishmen. These efforts led to the Stamp Acts repeal in 1766, though Parliament quickly issued the Declaratory Act. This stated that they retained the power to tax the colonies. Still seeking additional revenue, Parliament passed the Townshend Acts in June 1767. These placed indirect taxes on various commodities such as lead, paper, paint, glass, and tea. Acting in opposition to the Townshend Acts, colonial leaders organized boycotts of the taxed goods. With tensions in the colonies rising to a breaking point, Parliament repealed all aspects of the acts, except the tax on tea, in April 1770. The East India Company Founded in 1600, the East India Company held a monopoly on the importation of tea to Great Britain. Transporting its product to Britain, the company was required to sell its tea wholesale to merchants who would then ship it to the colonies. Due to a variety of taxes in Britain, the companys tea was more expensive than tea smuggled into the region from Dutch ports. Though Parliament aided the East India Company by reducing tea taxes through the Indemnity Act of 1767, the legislation expired in 1772. As a result of this, prices rose sharply and consumers returned to using smuggled tea. This led to the East India Company amassing a large surplus of tea, which they were unable to sell. As this situation persisted, the company began to face a financial crisis. The Tea Act of 1773 Though unwilling to repeal the Townshend duty on tea, Parliament did move to aid the struggling East India Company by passing the Tea Act in 1773. This reduced importation duties on the company and also allowed it to sell tea directly to the colonies without first wholesaling it in Britain. This would result in East India Company tea costing less in the colonies than that provided by smugglers. Moving forward, the East India Company began contracting sales agents in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Charleston. Aware that the Townshend duty would still be assessed and that this was an attempt by Parliament to break the colonial boycott of British goods, groups like the Sons of Liberty spoke out against the act. Colonial Resistance In the fall of 1773, the East India Company dispatched seven ships loaded with tea to North America. While four sailed for Boston, one each headed for Philadelphia, New York, and Charleston. Learning of the terms of the Tea Act, many in the colonies began to organize in opposition. In the cities south of Boston, pressure was brought to bear on the East India Companys agents and many resigned before the tea ships arrived. In the case of Philadelphia and New York, the tea ships were not allowed to unload and were forced to return to Britain with their cargo. Though tea was unloaded in Charleston, no agents remained to claim it and it was confiscated by customs officers. Only in Boston did company agents remain in their posts. This was largely due to two of them being the sons of Governor Thomas Hutchinson. Tensions in Boston Arriving at Boston in late November, the tea ship Dartmouth was prevented from unloading. Calling a public meeting, Sons of Liberty leader Samuel Adams spoke before a large crowd and called on Hutchinson to send the ship back to Britain. Aware that law required Dartmouth to land its cargo and pay duties within 20 days of its arrival, he directed members of the Sons of Liberty to watch the ship and prevent the tea from being unloaded. Over the next several days, Dartmouth was joined by Eleanor and Beaver. The fourth tea ship, William, was lost at sea. As Dartmouths deadline neared, colonial leaders pressured Hutchinson to allow the tea ships to leave with their cargo. Tea in the Harbor On December 16, 1773, with Dartmouths deadline looming, Hutchinson continued to insist that the tea be landed and the taxes paid. Calling another large gathering at the Old South Meeting House, Adams again addressed the crowd and argued against the governors actions. As attempts at negotiations had failed, the Sons of Liberty commenced a planned action of last resort as the meeting concluded. Moving to the harbor, over one hundred members of the Sons of Liberty approached Griffin’s Wharf, where the tea ships were moored. Dressed as Native Americans and wielding axes, they boarded the three ships as thousands watched from the shore. Taking great care to avoid damaging private property, they ventured into the ships holds and began removing the tea. Breaking open the chests, they tossed it into Boston Harbor. In the course of the night, all 342 chests of tea aboard the ships were destroyed. The East India Company later valued the cargo at  £9,659. Quietly withdrawing from the ships, the raiders melted back into the city. Concerned for their safety, many temporarily left Boston. In the course of the operation, no one was injured and there were no confrontations with British troops. In the wake of what became known as the Boston Tea Party, Adams began openly defending the actions taken as a protest by people defending their constitutional rights. Aftermath Though celebrated by the colonials, the Boston Tea Party quickly unified Parliament against the colonies. Angered by a direct affront to royal authority, the ministry of Lord North began devising a punishment. In early 1774, Parliament passed a series of punitive laws which were dubbed the Intolerable Acts by the colonials. The first of these, the Boston Port Act, closed Boston to shipping until the East India Company had been repaid for the destroyed tea. This was followed by the Massachusetts Government Act, which allowed the Crown to appoint most positions in the Massachusetts colonial government. Supporting this was the Administration of Justice Act, which permitted the royal governor to move the trials of accused royal officials to another colony or Britain if a fair trial was unobtainable in Massachusetts. Along with these new laws, a new Quartering Act was enacted. This allowed British troops to use unoccupied buildings as quarters when in the colonies. Overseeing implementati on of the acts was the new royal governor, Lieutenant General Thomas Gage, who arrived in April 1774. Though some colonial leaders, such as Benjamin Franklin, felt that the tea should be paid for, the passage of the Intolerable Acts led to increased cooperation among the colonies in regard to resisting British rule. Meeting in Philadelphia in September, the First Continental Congress saw representatives agree to enact a full boycott of British goods effective December 1. They also agreed that if the Intolerable Acts were not repealed, they would halt exports to Britain in September 1775. As the situation in Boston continued to fester, colonial and British forces clashed at the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. Winning a victory, colonial forces commenced the Siege of Boston and the American Revolution began.