Overview of Banking Sector Inthailand Essay Example

Overview of Banking Sector Inthailand Essay The University of Hong Kong School of Economics and Finance FINA0501 Asian Financial Institutions Term Paper Overview of Thailand’s Financial Institutions (Banking Sector) Submitted by Lo Ka Yiu, Timothy BBA(Law) II U. No. : 2003506031 Overview of Thailand’s Financial Institutions (Banking Sector) Submitted by Lo Ka Yiu (2003506031) Introduction With the glorious history of achieving an average GDP growth of 11. 5% from 1987 to 1996, Thailand was acclaimed as one of Asia’s Tigers in the 1990s (Deepak, 1997). However, ironically, this is the same country which suffered a sharp depreciation of its currency, bath, and the ensuing economic downturn in the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis. Poor supervision over financial institutions, especially commercial banks, has been generally regarded as a key reason for Thai economy’s rapid collapse (Vatikiotis, 1998). Therefore, Thailand’s financial institutions, which have been largely restructured by the authorities after the crisis, are a topic of value. This paper will take an overview of Thai financial institutions, with a focus on the banking sector. Historical Background Thai banking system dates back to 1888 when the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation established its branches there. Subsequently, the Chartered Bank in 1894, and a French bank called Banque de I’ Indochine in 1897 also established branches in Thailand. These banks share the same purpose of facilitating trading between their home countries and Thailand (Blanchard, 1958). Chinese people of Thai nationality began the domestic banking industry in Thailand during the early 1900s. They saw opportunity in Thai banking industry because of the lack of law governing it. We will write a custom essay sample on Overview of Banking Sector Inthailand specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Overview of Banking Sector Inthailand specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Overview of Banking Sector Inthailand specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Although massive speculative pressures resulted in the failure of these early banks, new banks formed and adapted to avoid the mistake made by previous attempts (Blanchard, 1958). In the past, Thai banking and financial systems were traditionally controlled by a limited elite group of business from approximately ten families (Traisoral, 2000). Overall framework of the Thai Financial Institutions The current banking system in Thailand consists of the following components: a. A central bank, namely the Bank of Thailand (BOT) b. 12 domestic and 18 foreign commercial banks . 27 international banking facilities (IBF) d. 4 specialised banks, namely the Government Saving Bank (GSB), the Bank of Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC), the Government Housing Bank (GSB) and the Export-Import Bank of Thailand (EXIM Bank) Note that there is an overlap between the commercial banks and IBFs. Among the 27 IBF licenses, 8 are currently held by domestic commercial banks, 15 by foreign comme rcial banks. Other financial institutions include credit foncier companies, financial companies and securities companies (Bank of Thailand, 2005). Central to the economic crisis during 1997 are the central bank and commercial banks. We will now explore these financial institutions in a more specific way. Banking Sector 1. The Central Bank Thai National Banking Bureau, established in 1939, was the first organization assuming the responsibilities of a central bank in Thailand. It was a department attached to the Ministry of Finance. During the Second World War, the Thai government saw the success that other countries were experiencing from a strong central banking system. As a result, the Bureau was turned into a central bank, i. . the Bank of Thailand, with the passing of the Bank of Thailand Act in 1942. The Bank of Thailand has been given many responsibilities, including the following: i) Formulate and recommend monetary policy to the Thai Government ii) Provide banking services to the government, state enterprises, and financial institutions, iii) Oversee financial institutions and their support of economic development, iv) Supervise and develop the financial systems, v) Promote the economic sectors with priority, vi) Print and issue bank notes, vii) Manage Thailand’s international reserves, iii) Represent Thailand during international meetings and keep good relations with other central banks, ix) Provide and distribute information on the economic condition of Thailand both within the country and abroad, x) Act as the lender of last resort to other banks Nevertheless, the Bank still has some limitations in powers. It is not responsible for the development of a capital market, and it has little control over short-term credit (Blanchard, 1958). Both on-site and off-site method s are adopted by the Bank of Thailand to supervise financial institutions in Thailand. On-site methods are unannounced physical inspections conducted at least once a year for each Thai registered commercial bank. Off-site methods require all financial institutions to submit weekly, monthly, or annually reports over every area of operations (Supervision Group Policy, Bank of Thailand, 2002). Currently, the Bank of Thailand has 4 regional branches, which perform central banking activities in there locality. The North Eastern Region Office is located in Khon Kaen, the Southern Region Office is located in Songkhla, while the Northern Region Offices are located in Chiang Mai and Lampang (Sunsite Thailand, 2005). 2. Commercial Banks Commercial banks dominate Thailand’s financial sector by holding 73% of both household savings and credits extended by all financial institution (Elgar, 2003). All commercial banks are established under the Commercial Banking Act and need the authorization from the Ministry of Finance. They are monitored by the Bank of Thailand and bound by numerous regulations. For instance, they must meet minimum capital requirements in order to be incorporated. They must transfer at least 15% of their profits into reserves, and dividends are limited to 15% of reserves until the amount of reserves exceeds 60% of their paid-in capital. They must also maintain a capital adequacy of approximately 10% to the two tiered capital standard set by the Basle Committee in the 1988 Capital Accord (Traisorat, 2000). The major business areas of commercial banks include taking time, saving and current deposits, issuing certificates of deposit, securing domestic and foreign loan, lending, buying and selling of foreign exchanges, as well as trading bills of exchange and tradable financial securities. Commercial banks normally provide credit in the form of overdrafts which are on a short-term basis but may be rolled over on a year-to-year basis. Due to fluctuations in interest rates both in the international and domestic markets, commercial banks at present encourage customers to utilize term loans instead of overdrafts. Recently, some commercial banks have been allowed to apply for additional licenses from the Bank of Thailand to expand their scope of business into different new areas, such as information and consultancy services, underwriting sales of government and state enterprise securities, as well as acting as debt collection agents (Haron and Yamirudeng). 3. Specialised Banks While all the 4 specialised banks are owned by the Thai Government and under the supervision of the Ministry of Finance, each of them has its own position in the Thai financial industry. The Government Saving Bank (GSB) was established in 1913 with the aim of educating court officials on banking services, and encouraging the habit of saving among the Thai, especially the low and middle income groups. It has an extensive network of branches and mobile units to accept deposits all over the country. Apart from savings service, it is also providing various services for the public sector, general public and business sector. The Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) was established in 1966 to provide credit to the agricultural sector, with the aim of promoting a better standard of life for Thailand’s farming population. Nowadays, it has gradually transformed from a specialised agricultural lending institution to a diversified rural bank which provides different kinds of financial services. The Government Housing Bank (GHB) was set up in 1953 to provide mortgage loans at a low interest rate in order to assist low and middle income groups in purchasing houses. It specializes in providing long-term mortgage loans for individual borrowers, construction loans for private developers for land and housing development projects, and construction loans for land owners who want to develop rental apartments. The Export-Import Bank of Thailand (EXIM Bank) was established in 1993 to provide support for international trading and foreign investments, in order to help the growth of Thai exporters and investors. It practises in different areas, such as offering direct loans and guarantees loans, insuring exports and providing financial services. Besides, it also provides advice to Thai exporters and investors. Other Financial Institutions Besides banks, finance companies and securities companies also play an important role in Thailand’s financial sector. In the past, it was commonplace that a company got two licenses, one for finance business and one for securities business. Such a company was called a â€Å"financial and securities company†, and it could operate in both fields. In 1992, the Bank of Thailand separated these two practising areas. Currently, finance companies are intermediaries in the money market, and regulated by the Bank of Thailand; while securities companies, practising in the capital market, are monitored by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). We will now explore these two types of financial institutions in more detail. 1. Finance Companies The areas of operation of finance companies include selling agent, underwriting, arranging for debt securities, representing of holders debentures, custodial service, registrar, and managing provident funds and private funds (Survey of Thai industry). Financial companies cannot raise fund by deposit, but they can accept deposits in terms of issuance of bills of exchange and certificates of deposits. They can also mobilize fund by issuing promissory notes and borrowing from the commercial banks. The major uses of fund are loans for commerce, loans for development, loans for consumer products and loans for housing. However, after the Asian financial crisis in 1997, due to the severe economic downturn and the collapse of property and stock markets, a number of finance companies were facing the problem of liquidation. Nine finance companies were ordered to ecapitalize in 1997 (Traisoral, 2000). There were 91 finance companies in 1996, but only 21 left in 2000 (Chandler, 2000). Now, there are only 18 (Bank of Thailand, 2005). In order to facilitate the financial reform and restore public confidence, a lot of rules and regulations have been set and amended. 2. Securities Companies Securities companies are those engaging in investment ba nking activities like brokerage, underwriting and giving advice about securities. As mentioned, since 1992, securities companies have been regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Current Trends in Thailand’s Financial Sector Now, we have gone through the general framework of Thailand’s financial institutions. It is time to look at what is happening in the industry. In general, two trends are taking place. One is the foreign entry into the Thai commercial banking sector, the other one is the restructuring of the financial sector. 1. Foreign Entry into the Commercial Banking Sector Even before the Asian Financial Crisis, the authorities had started to liberalize the Thai commercial banking system. The Bangkok International Banking Facility (BIBF) was created in March of 1993. It gave 32 foreign banks licenses to provide Thailand banking facilities. The Bank of Thailand made a similar move in 1995 when it announced that it would issue up to 14 new commercial bank licenses, half of which would be foreign and half domestic (Demaine 1997). After the Crisis in 1997, in order to restore investors’ confidence in the Thai banking system, the Government reinforced its effort to accelerate liberalization. As a result, it relaxed the existing foreign shareholding restrictions on domestic commercial banks (Traisoral, 2000). The banking sector attracted US$2. 3 billion of foreign direct investment in 1998 and US$2. 5 billion in 1999 (Bank of Thailand, 1999). Since the eruption of financial crisis, a few commercial banks have been taken over by foreign banks. At the end of 1999, DBS Thai Danu Bank (DTDB), Bank of Asia (BOA), Standard Chartered Nakornthon Bank(SCBN) and UOB Radanasin Bank (UOB-RAB) were the 4 commercial banks which were controlled by foreign corporations. For Thailand, the entry of foreign banks does have it positive effects. Those foreign banks can provide sources of capital, raise the level of technology, and introduce new management philosophies as well as marketing strategies. For example, BOA has increased its number of ATMs, and launched mini branches in subway stations and supermarkets; while UOB-RAB has launched a flexible mortgage-loan package with low interest rates (Montreevat, 2000). Simply put, the competitiveness of the whole banking industry has been enhanced as a result. 2. Restructuring of the Financial Sector The Thai authorities initiated a series of tough measures in relation to domestic financial institutions. Quite a number of unsafe and unsound finance companies have been closed and the remaining ones are subject to strict prudential conditions and supervision. The Bank of Thailand did exercise its enhanced powers to order changes of management in some commercial banks and a finance company. In order to rebuild investors’ confidence, it is foreseeable that this restructuring process will continue. Conclusion This paper has presented an overview of Thailand’s financial institutions with a focus on the banking sector. We first looked at its historical background, and then explored different components in the sector, including the central bank, commercial banks, specialised banks, finance companies and securities companies. At the end, two current trends, namely the foreign entry into Thailand’s commercial banking sector and the restructuring of the financial sector, were discussed. As mentioned at the beginning, it is widely agreed that the ineffectiveness of the Thai banking sector is at least partly to blame for Thailand’s suffering in the Asian Financial Crisis.

Complex Question Fallacyâ€Definition and Examples

Complex Question Fallacys A complex question is a  fallacy in which the answer to a given question presupposes a prior answer to a prior question. Also known as (or closely related to) a  loaded question, a trick question, a leading question, the fallacy of the false question, and the fallacy of many questions. Have you stopped beating your wife? is the classic example of the complex question. Ralph Keyes has traced this example back to a 1914 book of legal humor. Since then, he says, it has . . . become the standard allusion to any question that cant be answered without self-incrimination (I Love It When You Talk Retro, 2009). Examples and Observations Lets talk about Glaucon.  Where did you get the poison  you used on him?I never!His whole family died- wife, children, mother, the lot. Surely you feel badly about that?Didymus passed his hand over his eyes. I didnt poison anyone.†(Bruce Macbain,  The Bull Slayer: A Plinius Secundus Mystery. Poisoned Pen Press, 2013)  He was woken two hours later and presently a doctor examined him.What drugs were you on? he asked.Wilt stared at him blankly. Ive never taken any drugs in my life, he muttered.(Tom Sharpe,  Wilt in Nowhere. Hutchinson, 2004)   The Unjustified Presumption Plurium interrogationum, which translates as of many questions, is otherwise known as the fallacy of the complex question. When several questions are combined into one, in such a way that a yes-or-no answer is required, the person they are asked of has no chance to give separate replies to each, and the fallacy of the complex question is committed... Did the pollution you caused increase or decrease your profits?Did your misleading claims result in you getting promoted?Is your stupidity inborn? All of them contain an assumption that the concealed question has already been answered affirmatively. It is this unjustified presumption which constitutes the fallacy... The complex question has to be broken into simpler ones; and often the denial of the fact presumed invalidates the larger question altogether.(Madsen Pirie,  How to Win Every Argument: The Use and Abuse of Logic, 2nd ed. Bloomsbury, 2015)   Trick Questions The fallacy of complex question is the interrogative form of the fallacy of begging the question. Like the latter, it begs the question by assuming the conclusion at issue:Before rushing to answer a complex question, it is best to question the question: a) Have you stopped beating your wife?b) Did John ever give up his bad habits?c) Are you still a heavy drinker? In each of these questions there lies an assumed answer to a previous question. Did John have bad habits? is the unasked question whose answer is assumed in question b. We need to withhold any answer to question b until this prior question has been resolved. In some instances of this fallacy, considerable struggle may be necessary in order to liberate ourselves from the misleading influence of a complex question. The serious consequences of complex questions can be appreciated by considering these trick questions, which would be out of order in a court of law: d) What did you use to wipe your fingerprints from the gun?e) How long had you contemplated this robbery before you carried it out? (S. Morris Engel, With Good Reason: An Introduction to Informal Fallacies, 3rd ed. St. Martins, 1986) An Implicit Argument Although not an argument as such, a complex question involves an implicit argument. This argument is usually intended to trap the respondent into acknowledging something that he or she might otherwise not want to acknowledge. Examples:Obviously, each of the questions is really two questions.(Patrick J. Hurley, A Concise Introduction to Logic. Thomson Wadsworth, 2005) Have you stopped cheating on exams?Where did you hide the marijuana you were smoking?

Lower Leg Ulcers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Lower Leg Ulcers - Essay Example Venous ulcers, often referred to as stasis ulcers or varicose ulcers, are wounds occurring on the legs due to improper functioning of venous valves. Referring to a research organized by Weller, Ademi, Makarounas-Kirchmann and Stoelwinder (2012), venous ulcers are the main causes of chronic wounds that constitute 70-90% of leg ulcer cases. The authors indicate that it develops along the medial distal legal mainly and this medical condition can be very painful. Venous ulcer is the major cause of lower extremity ulceration and it is growing to be a potential health issue in Canada. In their article titled ‘Diagnosis and treatment of venous ulcers’, Collins and Seraj (2010) say that endothelial damage, intracellular edema, platelet aggregation, and inflammatory processes resulting in leukocyte activation are the major identified causes of venous ulcers. The authors add that older age people and individuals with obesity, venous thrombosis, previous leg injuries, and phlebitis are greatly prone to the risk of developing of venous ulcer. Collins and Seraj point out that venous ulcers seem to be irregular and shallow in physical examination and they are mainly located over bony prominences.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Studies indicate that the chance of developing venous ulcers in Western population is relatively high and 10-20/1000 adults in the Western world are likely to be diagnosed with venous ulcer at some point in their lifetime. In order to evaluate the status of venous ulcers in Canada, a group of researchers including Graham., Harrison, Shafey, and Keast (2003) organized a study about various issues concerning this medical condition. For this, the researchers collected responses from physicians who were members of the College of Family Physicians of Canada. Among the participants, 107 physicians reported that 226 patients had been diagnosed with leg ulcers but only a few had undergone ultrasound assessment. When 16% of physicians were confident about man aging this complex medical condition, a vast majority (61%) reported that they were not knowledgeable about wound-care products. The researchers noted that over 50% of the participants were unaware of the fact that compression could be an effective treatment for venous ulcers. Referring to the study, the researchers listed a number of issues negatively affecting venous ulcer management. First, physicians often failed to deal with venous ulcer care effectively due to lack of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines. In addition, lack of evidence-based protocols in home care agencies also contributed to inefficient disease management. Finally, poor communication among health care providers and restricted access to wound-care produc

Individual report-corporate strategies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Individual report-corporate strategies - Essay Example With its vision of enabling its customers to make the most of their world and possibilities though the services it offers, O2 plc (O2) accomplishes its commitment of providing mobile communication services in Europe. The business organisation also profits from its leading mobile internet portal business. Armed with its values of being bold, trusted, open, and clear, O2 continues its quest to become the telecommunication industry’s market leader. The creation of O2 in the 1990s can be traced backed to the decision of British Telecommunication to â€Å"demerge its mobile phone business† in order to strengthen the financial position of the latter. From its beginning, the firm is currently a major player in the various nations where it operates including the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Germany, the Isle of Man, and Asia. As the business organisation is focused on satisfying consumer needs, O2 strategic business units are classified according to their geographic locations. It should be noted that the products being offered varies in each region (O2 Plc 2006). The major products of O2 are mobile telecommunication equipments which are either paid through installment plans or pre-paid. With its thrust to provide the market with higher quality products, the company offers complementary services like third generation telephony (3G), O2 Active, I Mode, and O2 Online. O2 also ensures the satisfaction of customers by offering product features like entertainment through its sponsorship of the England Rugby Team and Arsenal FC and partnership with Anschutz Entertainment Group (O2 Plc 2006). As stated above, O2 Plc operates in different geographic locations, battling head-on with various competitors. Table 1 shows the geographical locations of firm’s business activities alongside with its competitors in each region. It can

Contamination and remediation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Contamination and remediation - Essay Example The contaminated land may be contaminated either by low or high concentrates hazardous wastes or pollution but are potential enough to be reused after remediation processes. But the land which is severely contaminated by such contaminants does not come under brownfield classification. It has also been seen that there are few cases where the owners are â€Å"not willing to transfer the brownfield or put it into productive reuse†, as those of Mothballed brownfields in United States. It is because these may cause blight, threaten public health and the environment and even hold back economic development and revitalization i.e. staking social, economic as well as environmental wellbeing.2 The extent of cleaning and the costs involved in the remediation process wholly depends upon the type, amount and area of contamination. The standards of cleanup adopted also influence the cleanup process. For example the clean up standards would be more stringent if the property or land is to be used for residential purposes and less strict if to be used for industrial purposes as the exposure to the contaminants would be quite less in this case. And the types of the contaminants too determine the cost while clean up process. For example if the groundwater of the site is found contaminated the cost of remediation process will be much higher than if just the soil is found contaminated. The costs of the cleanup to the property owner can also be contributed by other parties such as previous owners if they too are found responsible for contributing towards the contamination. (footnote 1) It has been seen that due to costs involved in the safe standards of cleaning processes of contaminated sites, most of them usually sit idle and unused for huge number of years. It is because the even the worth of the property after cleanup is much less than the costs of

Louis Isadore Kahn Architect: Fisher House

Louis Isadore Kahn Architect: Fisher House Louis Isadore Kahn was born on February 20, 1901 on the Island of Saaremaa, Estonia to Leopold and Bertha Mendelsohn. Upon emmigrating to the state of Philadelphia in the U.S, the early part of the familys life was marked by extreme poverty as Kahns father suffered a terrible back injury which forced the family to lean heavily on the knitted clothing samples produced by Kahns mother for financial stability. In his younger years Kahn had suffered severe burns to his face because he got too close to a collection of burning coals; when asked about why he defied his senses, Kahn said that he was attracted by the beautiful colours of the embers. This tragic accident suggests that Kahn experienced much curiosity from a very young age, for materials and their means, hence why he got so close to the burning coals. It is believed that Kahns first architectural masterpiece was the Yale University Art Gallery (1951-1953). This contribution complemented Kahns modernistic approach because it presented how he interpreted the environment which surrounded that particular area where the Gallery was built. For instance, the interior spaces seemed to evoke an entirely different world from the brash mass-produced outside environment. Kahn achieved this by using standardized panels, suspended ceilings, subtle effects of light falling over the triangulated web of the concrete ceiling and by the direct use of materials, evident in the bare yet elegant concrete piers. Kahns method of design was influenced by his schooling under the Beaux-Arts system at Philadelphia lead by Paul Cret. In Kahns education great emphasis was placed upon the discovery of a central and appropriate generating idea for a building which was to be captured in a sketch, rather like an ideogram. This approach to teaching was supposed to educate young architects with old lessons. This influence appears evident in Kahns work due to the appreciation he presents for the materials. It was supposed that Kahn would talk to the materials being used in his designs. Kahns immersion in the artistic realm was shaped by two individuals, both of whom were products of Thomas Eakins Romantic Realism teaching method, J. Liberty Tadd and William Gray. J. Liberty Tadd, teacher at the Public Industrial Art School, worked directly under Eakins and crafted his teaching style closely to Eakins methodology. Tadd pushed students to ?nd their own means of expression rather than teach through regulated norms. Central High School teacher William Gray studied under Eakins-disciple Thomas P. Anshutz at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts from 1889-1891. Furthermore Kahn developed a structural-Rationalist emphasis on construction, and in later life several of his strongest ideas relied upon poetic interpretations of basic structural ideas. Kahn had learned much from Le Corbusiers Vers une architecture and learned much from Sullivan and Wright and later from Mies van der Rohe. Kahn had the ability to avoid some of the shortfalls experienced by other major U.S architects; he was capable of handling problems of a large size without degenerating into either an additive approach or an overdone grandiosity. For instance, he knew how to fuse together modern constructional means with traditional methods. Ultimately, this demonstrates Kahns modernistic outlook between the juxtaposing materials and the impression they had on that particular building whilst maintaing the buildings principle function. The Fisher House is an example whereby Louis Kahn demonstrates his modernistic influences yet traditional means of design; this is a prime example where Kahn uses his progressive style of teaching which is expanded on above. Kahn was said to have treated his housing projects as experiments and the Fisher House was no exception. The Fisher family would at times grow tiresome of Kahns constant need to find fault with his design then proceed to start from scratch once again. However, this gave him opportunities to explore many of the unique ideas which he himself had formed. The Fisher House was located on a site which sloped gently down from a main road to a small stream. It consists of three cubes, two large ones connected together and a small, seperate one. These cubes, together with the existing trees, form two inter-connected outdoor spaces: an entrance court and a kitchen court. This idea shows how Kahn utilises the old with the new, for instance the aged trees and new cubic shaped rooms whilst maintaining the use of the rooms. Furthermore two large cubes, connected diagonally, contain two distinct groups of activities. The first cube contains an entrance and the master bedroom suite with dressing room and bathroom on the first floor and two smaller bedrooms on the second floor. The second cube is connected by a large opening to the entrance lobby. The two-story-high first floor contains the kitchen and the living areas seperated by a free-standing stone fireplace. Fisher House This image supports the abstract above, whereby the cubic rooms are designed for particular activities that the Fisher family partake in. The particular design of the building creates a fluidity throughout because each room is lay out in a particular order, which has been carefully thought out by Kahn yet, appears effortless when walking through the house. It shows that Kahn was particularly talented in imagining the final house and how its occupants would use it. The preservation of architecturally significant structures has begun to experience a shift in both style and future use. The tide has shifted towards structures that were both disdained and revered during their time. Modernist structures, while simplistic in form and function, contain a high degree of embedded meaning and significance for the materials used. Kahns use of traditional forms, augmented by the precision of modern technology throughout his work represents his multifaceted approach to design, attempting to appeal to both the psyche and the materials, themselves, in order to maintain their trueness to Form. Kahn was not merely recycling traditionalism, but rather retranslating known forms in both assembly and aesthetics in order to convey a certain aura. To conclude, it could be suggested that Louis Kahn was a significant architect because he was ahead of his time. This was due to to his appreciation for new technology in a changing world, yet upholding the importance of the materials themselves which was a classical portrayal of design. PbS Quantum Dots: Synthesis and Optical Properties PbS Quantum Dots: Synthesis and Optical Properties Sruti Hemachandran Menon Abstract— PbS quantum dots have attracted more attention in quantum dot sensitized solar cells as sensitizers on photoanode because of its high efficiency, high absorption coefficient and broad range of absorption. In this paper, we synthesized PbS quantum dots on the glass substrate coated with TiO2 paste by SILAR (Successive Ionic Layer Adsorption and Reaction) method The quantum dot size was varied by varying the number of cycles and the UV-Vis-NIR Spectrophotometer ,XRD Diffractometer and AFM were used to characterize the quantum dots. Index Terms—Quantum dot sensitized solar cells, quantum dots, SILAR. INTRODUCTION Quantum dot sensitized solar cells are the next generation solar cells because of their ability to absorb more light owing to its high surface to volume ratio, size dependent optical properties, ease of fabrication and low cost. Most of the research has been done for II-VI semiconductor compounds and out of these compounds PbS is found to have more efficiency and more absorption coefficient. Moreover it has high Bohr radius (around 18nm) [1] which gives it stronger quantum confinement and broadens the optical absorption area. PbS quantum dots have wide absorption range covering visible and near infrared,[2]. In this paper, we have focussed on the development of PbS quantum dot layer on the electrode for solar cell application as a photoanode. For maximum electron transport from quantum dot sensitizer to the electrode an intermediate layer of TiO2 is deposited on the glass substrate by Doctor Blade method. The layer after appropriate heat treatment is subjected to the SILAR(Successive Ionic Layer Adsorption and Reaction) process where the lead sulphide quantum dots are deposited by use of appropriate concentration of precursors and proper dipping and rinsing times. The size of the quantum dots are varied by increasing the SILAR cycles. The advantage of SILAR over other techniques is that the synthesis takes place at room temperature and is simple.The optical characteristics and diameter of the quantum dots are characterized by UV-Vis-NIR Spectrophotometer and Contact-mode Atomic Force Microscope imaging. The phase and type of PbS formed is determined by Xray diffractometer. II. EXPERIMENTAL SECTION A. Materials Titanium dioxide(TiO2) nanopowder-20nm anatase phase , 2M nitric acid (HNO3) were required for the preparation of TiO2 paste and methanolic solutions of Lead Nitrate(PbNO3),methanol and sodium sulphide( Na2S) were used for the SILAR process and acetone for cleaning purposes. B. Preparation of TiO2 film The Titanium dioxide paste is prepared by making a mixture of 1.2g of TiO2 nanopowder and 0.6mL of 2M conc. nitric acid (HNO3).This paste is uniformly formed on the glass substrate by doctor blade method in which the TiO2 paste is deposited on one end of the area marked by tapes and uniformly spread by using a blade or a glass slide. The TiO2 coated glass was then dried at 80oC for half an hour followed by annealing at 450oC for 30 mins. This improved the adsorption of the TiO2 film. C. Synthesis of PbS quantum dot on the TiO2 coated glass by SILAR method For coating PbS quantum dots by SILAR method, the TiO2 coated glass is successively dipped in methanolic solution of 0.02M Pb(NO)3 and methanolic solution of 0.02M Na2S for 1 min each. Lower the molarity more dispersed is the quantum dot deposition on the TiO2. Between each dipping the substrate is rinsed with methanol for 1 min and air dried for some time to remove the excess precursors. This is one cycle which was repeated for increasing the quantum dot sizes. Figure 1 shows the colour variation observed with change in the SILAR cycles. It was observed the colour of the film changed from white (TiO2) to reddish black in colour when the SILAR cycle was increased to 4 cycles. With increase in the cycles, the particle size increased and hence the energy bandgap Eg decreased indicated by the colour change in the film.3] Fig.1. Sample images showing the colour changes with increase in the SILAR cycles D. Characterization UV-Vis-NIR spectrophotometer ( Jasco Spectrophoto-meter V670) was used to observe the absorption properties of TiO2 and TiO2 coated PbS quantum dots. The absorption plots were taken using glass slides as the reference and the wavelength range extended from UV to near Infrared. It provided the information like increase in the absorption after depositing PbS and also bandgap information from tauc plot. The Xray diffractometer was used to obtain the diffraction patterns of the TiO2 and PbS films and to identify the phases and type of quantum dot obtained. III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS Structure and Surface Morphology Figure 2a and 2b shows the XRD pattern of glass slide/TiO2 and glass slide/TiO2/PbS film obtained from four SILAR cycles respectively. The pattern shows peaks of glass, TiO2 and PbS. The bulging shape and noisy peaks observed in the XRD is due to the amorphous glass. Also the peaks of TiO2 are more prominent in 2b due to thin coating of PbS. The comparison of TiO2 XRD and JCPSD 21-1272 confirms its anatase phase and tetragonal crystal form. The XRD of TiO2 matches with JCPSD data at 26.3o (011), 37.3o (004), 43.03o (220), 48.08o (020), 53.83o (015), 5.12o (121), 62.5o (400) and 68.8o (331). The XRD of glass slide/TiO2/PbS coincides at 25.3o (011), 37.9o (004), 48.08o (020), 53.93o (015) and 55.12o (121) values of 2ÃŽ ¸ of JCPSD 21-1272 confirming presence of TiO2 anatase form and coincides at 43.09o (220), 62.5o (400), 68.8o (331) values of 2ÃŽ ¸ of JCPSD 05-0592 confirming the cubic form of PbS galena. [4] Fig. 2. XRD Pattern of (a) glass slide / TiO2 showing the presence of tetragonal anatase form of TiO2 (b) glass slide / TiO2 / PbS showing cubic of PbS galena and anatase tetragonal TiO2 Optical Properties The absorption v/s wavelength curve and the tauc plot obtained from UV-Vis-NIR Spectrometer and Diffusive Reflectance Spectrometer respectively are shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4. Fig.3. Absorption Curves of (a) TiO2/PbS. Inset:Absorbance v/s Wavelength curve of PbS film (reproduced from ref [5]) (b) TiO2 and TiO2/PbS showing 60% increase in absorption due to deposition of PbS quantum dots. The absorption curve of TiO2/PbS in Fig.3a shows a TiO2 peak at 343 nm along with a peak at 400nm and broad range of absorption which is the peculiarity of PbS quantum dots. This is confirmed from the inset plot reproduced from ref. [5]. PbS quantum dots have absorption edge in the Infrared region which is beyond the range of the plot. Fig.3b shows the absorption difference between TiO2 and PbS coated TiO2. From the curve it is clear that TiO2/PbS absorb more and the percentage increase in the absorption is estimated to be 66.7% from the plot. Fig.4. Tauc Plot of (a) TiO2 showing bandgap of 2.67 eV (b) TiO2/PbS showing the bandgap value of 2.289eV Fig.4a shows the tauc plot of TiO2 which is (ÃŽ ±hÏ…) 0.5 versus hÏ…. This is due to the indirect nature of TiO2. From the plot it can be inferred that the bandgap of the 20 nm TiO2 is 2.67 eV. Fig.4b shows the tauc plot of TiO2/PbS which is the plot of (ÃŽ ±hÏ…)2 versus hÏ….[4] The linearity of the tauc plot confirms its direct transition and the extrapolation of the linear portion on the x-axis gives the bandgap value of 2.289eV. The bandgap thus obtained is more than the bulk bandgap of PbS which is around 0.4eV. This increase is due to the decrease of size as compared to the bulk. The particle size can be estimated from the bandgap value using the empirical formula developed by Iwan Moreels et al. [6] Where Eg is the optical bandgap and d is the estimated size. The estimated size corresponding to the 2.289eV bandgap value is 1.64nm. IV CONCLUSION The photoanode for the solar cell was thus made by depositing PbS quantum dots on TiO2 coated glass substrate using SILAR method. From the spectrophotometer plots, the TiO2/PbS film was observed to give 66.7% more absorbance as compared to only TiO2 film. Also the particle size of 1.64nm was estimated from the tauc plot. The increase in the absorption even with a very small particle size of PbS makes it a very good sensitizer for quantum dot sensitized solar cells as compared to other quantum dots. However the hazards due to its poisonous nature urge the need for a good alternative. REFERENCES [1] Abdelrazek Mousa, â€Å"Synthesis and Characterization of PbS Quantum Dots†, Lund University,2011 [2] Sawanta S. Mali, Shital K. Desai, Smita S. Kalagi, Chirayath A. Betty, Popatrao N. Bhosale, Rupesh S. Devan, Yuan-Ron Mad and Pramod S. Patila , â€Å"PbS quantum dot sensitized anatase TiO2 nanocorals for quantum dot-sensitized solar cell applications† , Dalton Trans., 2012, 41, 6130 [3] Hyo Joong Lee, Peter Chen, Soo-Jin Moon, Frederic Sauvage, Kevin Sivula, Takeru Bessho, Daniel R. Gamelin, Pascal Comte, Shaik M. Zakeeruddin, Sang II Seok, Michael Gratzel and Md. K. Nazeeruddin, â€Å"Regenerative PbS and CdS Quantum Dot Sensitized Solar Cells with Cobalt Complex as Hole Mediator†, American Chemical Society,2009,25(13),7602-7608 [4] A.U.Ubale, A.R.Junghare, N.A. Wadibhasme, A.S Daryapurkar, R.B.Mankar, V.S.Sangawar, â€Å"Thickness Dependent Structural, Electrical and Optical Properties of Chemically Deposited Nanoparticle PbS Thin Films†, Turk J Phys, 2007, 31,279-286 [5] Lidan Wang, Dongxu Zhao, Zisheng Sui and Dezhen Shen, â€Å"Hybrid polymer/ZnO solar cells sensitized by PbS quantum dots†, Nanoscale Reasearch Letters, 2012, 7:106 [6] Iwan Moreels, Karel Lambert, Dries Smeets, David De Muynck, Tom Nollet, Jose C Martins, Frank Vanhaeke, Andre Vantomme, Christophe Delerue, Guy Allan and Zeger Hens, â€Å"Size Dependent Optical Properties of Colloidal PbS Quantum Dots†, ACS Nano,2009, Vol 3,10,3023-3030

Political Novels of The Jungle and Johnny Got His Gun Essay -- Politic

Political Novels of The Jungle and Johnny Got His Gun Introduction: Although writing has been around for thousands of years, the medium of books is a relatively recent phenomenon. In the mid 15th century, German Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press that made multiple, cheap copies of works that were easily available for the masses. With the help of other technological developments including the linotype in the mid-1880’s, the printing process became easier and faster and therefore books became cheaper and more available. Also in the mid-1880’s the development of public education increased the demand for books making them even more popular and ensuring them as a permanent form of media for the masses. But most books over history remained focused on religion or non-fiction. But with Samuel Richardson’s Pamela in 1740, the novel was born. The novel differs from pure non-fiction as the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines the novel as â€Å"an invented prose narrative that is usually long and complex and deals especially with human experience through a usually connected sequence of events.† Novels over the years have moved people personally, but political novels especially, incite mass movements including the famous example of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, whose book’s impact was so great that Abraham Lincoln famously told her at the start of the Civil War, â€Å"So you’re the little woman who wrote the book that made this Great War!† For this paper, I chose to read and examine Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle and Dalton Trumbo’s Johnny Got His Gun. Written in the height of the muckraking era, The Jungle exposes the terrible conditions of the meatpacking industry and influenced the American public... ...e Database. â€Å"Johnny Got His Gun.† . Internet Movie Database. â€Å"The Jungle.† . Kriegel, Leonard. â€Å"Dalton Trumbo’s Johnny Got His Gun.† Proletarian Writers of the Thirties. Ed., David Madden. Carbondale and Edwardsville: Southern Illinois University Press, 1968. 106—113. â€Å"Novel.† Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. 10th edition. 2002. Olsson, Karen. â€Å"Welcome to the Jungle.† Slate. 10 July 2006. . â€Å"One by Metallica Songfacts.† 20 Nov 2006. Sinclair, Upton. The Jungle.  New York: Bantam Books, 2003. Singer, Peter and Bruce Friedrick. â€Å"The Jungle Revisited.† People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. 14 Feb 2006. Trumbo, Dalton. Johnny Got His Gun. New York: Bantam Books, 1970.